want a wedding. “I don’t know. We don’t plan on getting married.”
Gabe turned in his seat and his eyes opened wide. The grin that crossed his lips matched the one he’d had last night before he had her TP Chandra’s house. “Why don’t we?”
“Why don’t we what?” Her voice rose with her nerves, and she gripped the steering wheel even tighter, trying to keep her focus on the road instead of on the lunatic in the
passenger seat.
“Why don’t we get married? I’m not going anywhere,
are you?”
“No,” she said weakly, wondering when he’d lost his mind.
He turned so that he was completely sideways in his seat looking at her, and she could feel the heat rise in her skin at the fear of the mere mention of what he was proposing. The grin had turned into a smile on his lips, and she kept her eyes focused away from him and on the road. He leaned toward her. “I’m not seeing anyone, are you?”
She swallowed hard. “No.”
“We’re committing to having a child together and raising it together, aren’t we?”
“Gabe, is this some kind of quiz?”
He lifted his sunglasses to his forehead and now looked at her with those dark, sexy eyes. “Humor me, will ya? Aren’t we already talking about raising the baby together? I mean time with you, time with me? We’d have to show up at the same events anyway.”
She reached toward the air and turned the heat down. She couldn’t live with someone she didn’t know. Her body was burning up, and she forced back the waves of anxiety in her
stomach. “You’re talking nonsense.”
“No, I think you are.” He turned back in his seat, lowered his sunglasses to hide his eyes from her again, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Really, Holly, it just makes sense.”
He was crazy. Marriage. That was something you did when you’d known someone a long time and had a relationship with him. She didn’t have a relationship with Gabe. They had one night that had turned into the rest of their lives. Now that sounded crazy.
She didn’t know how to deal with forever. But the baby was forever. Now her mind was jumbled. Then she thought about it. He did understand forever. “What about Jasmine?”
He shook his head then looked at her. “Jasmine has been dead for six years. Don’t I deserve some happiness? I mean, yes, she was the love of my life, but if the tables were turned wouldn’t you want to love again?”
Love? How could he be talking about loving someone when he’d loved so deeply? Her chest was tightening, and she sucked in as much air as she could because it was getting harder and harder to do. “Gabe, you don’t love me.”
“The hell I don’t.”
Her mind clouded over immediately, and her heart rate kicked into an uncomfortable level. She’d lost focus and she realized it when the car beside her honked and she jerked back into her own lane. “Now look what you’ve done to me.”
“Get off the highway.” He sat up straight in his seat and looked out the window around them as if he were going to take the wheel from the passenger seat and drive. “You’re going to kill us. Pull over at the mall and just stop the damn car.”
It was easier said than done. But five minutes later she parked in the far corner of the Flatiron Mall’s par king lot and put the car in park. Her hands shook and she was very close to crying, but she sucked it back.
“Gabe, you can’t go and tell me things like that. We haven’t known each other very long.”
He slapped his hands down on his thighs. “What the hell do you need? A month? A year? A lifetime? For being such a smart woman, you sure think backward.” She snapped her head up and he shook his. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Holly focused on the road. He loved her? There was no way that was what he meant. People just didn’t fall into love like that, did they? Then again, he was the only one between them who’d been in love before. He’d know what it felt like.
He turned
Gabe turned in his seat and his eyes opened wide. The grin that crossed his lips matched the one he’d had last night before he had her TP Chandra’s house. “Why don’t we?”
“Why don’t we what?” Her voice rose with her nerves, and she gripped the steering wheel even tighter, trying to keep her focus on the road instead of on the lunatic in the
passenger seat.
“Why don’t we get married? I’m not going anywhere,
are you?”
“No,” she said weakly, wondering when he’d lost his mind.
He turned so that he was completely sideways in his seat looking at her, and she could feel the heat rise in her skin at the fear of the mere mention of what he was proposing. The grin had turned into a smile on his lips, and she kept her eyes focused away from him and on the road. He leaned toward her. “I’m not seeing anyone, are you?”
She swallowed hard. “No.”
“We’re committing to having a child together and raising it together, aren’t we?”
“Gabe, is this some kind of quiz?”
He lifted his sunglasses to his forehead and now looked at her with those dark, sexy eyes. “Humor me, will ya? Aren’t we already talking about raising the baby together? I mean time with you, time with me? We’d have to show up at the same events anyway.”
She reached toward the air and turned the heat down. She couldn’t live with someone she didn’t know. Her body was burning up, and she forced back the waves of anxiety in her
stomach. “You’re talking nonsense.”
“No, I think you are.” He turned back in his seat, lowered his sunglasses to hide his eyes from her again, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Really, Holly, it just makes sense.”
He was crazy. Marriage. That was something you did when you’d known someone a long time and had a relationship with him. She didn’t have a relationship with Gabe. They had one night that had turned into the rest of their lives. Now that sounded crazy.
She didn’t know how to deal with forever. But the baby was forever. Now her mind was jumbled. Then she thought about it. He did understand forever. “What about Jasmine?”
He shook his head then looked at her. “Jasmine has been dead for six years. Don’t I deserve some happiness? I mean, yes, she was the love of my life, but if the tables were turned wouldn’t you want to love again?”
Love? How could he be talking about loving someone when he’d loved so deeply? Her chest was tightening, and she sucked in as much air as she could because it was getting harder and harder to do. “Gabe, you don’t love me.”
“The hell I don’t.”
Her mind clouded over immediately, and her heart rate kicked into an uncomfortable level. She’d lost focus and she realized it when the car beside her honked and she jerked back into her own lane. “Now look what you’ve done to me.”
“Get off the highway.” He sat up straight in his seat and looked out the window around them as if he were going to take the wheel from the passenger seat and drive. “You’re going to kill us. Pull over at the mall and just stop the damn car.”
It was easier said than done. But five minutes later she parked in the far corner of the Flatiron Mall’s par king lot and put the car in park. Her hands shook and she was very close to crying, but she sucked it back.
“Gabe, you can’t go and tell me things like that. We haven’t known each other very long.”
He slapped his hands down on his thighs. “What the hell do you need? A month? A year? A lifetime? For being such a smart woman, you sure think backward.” She snapped her head up and he shook his. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Holly focused on the road. He loved her? There was no way that was what he meant. People just didn’t fall into love like that, did they? Then again, he was the only one between them who’d been in love before. He’d know what it felt like.
He turned
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