Most of All You: A Love Story(47)

Kayla stayed for another hour or so. We chatted about what had been going on at the Platinum Pearl, what had been going on in Kayla’s life, some gossip about the other girls. I had one ear tuned to her and one ear tuned to the other room, where the hum of Gabriel and Chloe’s conversation continued. I wondered what they were talking about, wondered if she’d started interviewing him, or if they were just getting to know each other. From what I could hear, it sounded like they were chatting casually. I was grateful Kayla had arrived when she did. If not for her, I’d surely be standing at the door listening like a stalker.

I picked up my crutches and walked—well, limped—Kayla out of my room, and when we entered the living area, Chloe was standing, too, obviously getting ready to leave. She was smiling brightly, and Gabriel was just finishing a sentence, the expression on his face open and happy. Jealousy overcame me again, but I stuffed it down. He’s not mine.

Kayla gave them both a small wave as we moved past, and I hugged her goodbye at the door. When I came back in, Chloe was walking toward me. “Ellie, it was so nice to meet you. I’ll be back tomorrow so I’ll see you then.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll, um, see you then. Nice to meet you, too.”

“Bye, Gabriel.” She smiled at him, and it was tender and full of undeniable affection. I looked away, feeling like I was intruding on a personal moment.

“Bye, Chloe. See you tomorrow.”

He held the door open for her as she passed through, turning and giving us both a small wave before Gabriel shut the door behind her. We stood awkwardly for a second before Gabriel smiled at me in that sweetly bashful way of his.

“It seemed like it went well?” I asked.

“Yeah, it did.” There was happiness in his voice, and it caused a tightening in my chest.

“Good,” I said, clearing my throat when the word came out sounding hoarse. “I, uh, I need to take my medication and then I’m going to take a nap.”

“Okay. You all right? Your visit with Kayla was good?”

“Yeah, yeah, it was good.” I turned and limped toward my room, wanting to be alone, wanting to turn off the emotions running rampant inside of me because I didn’t understand them. Gabriel Dalton was way beyond my league, and I would never have anything lasting with someone like him anyway. Sweet, gentle men like Gabriel Dalton ended up with pretty, respectable girls like Chloe Bryant. And girls like me ended up alone.

*

I awoke to a quiet house and tears streaming down my cheeks. I looked frantically around the darkened room, trying to get my bearings.

You’re going the wrong way. You must turn back, sweetness.

The words echoed in my mind, the memory of my mother’s voice causing both grief and joy to crash through me. I hiccupped, bringing myself to a sitting position.

Why did I keep hearing her voice? Why did I keep having that dream? God, it made me feel desperate and lonely.

I pulled myself out of bed and used the bathroom, still hiccupping on the way out. I needed a glass of water. The clock on my bedside table read ten p.m. I opened my door as quietly as possible and listened but didn’t hear any sounds coming from the house. Were Dominic and Gabriel sleeping? I’d make a quick trip to the kitchen and then go right back to my room. I’d been successful at avoiding Dominic around the house, and I wanted to keep it that way.

The water from the tap tasted cool and fresh, and after downing a whole glass, my diaphragm relaxed. I put the glass in the dishwasher and started heading toward my room. As I glanced in the living room, something on the mantel caught my attention, and I walked toward it. Next to a plant sat a small marble sparrow. I ran a finger lightly over it, tilting my head as I took in the fine details, the feathery wings, the small eyes that somehow managed to be soulful, the beak open as if it were singing.

I heard a creak from the floor behind me and whirled around. Gabriel was standing there, having just spotted me as well, his eyes wide with surprise.

He was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

I swallowed heavily, my mouth going dry as I took in the masculine beauty of his practically naked body. He was … divine. That was the word that immediately came to mind. Divine. Angelic. Godly.

My gaze soaked in his strong, broad shoulders, the tight, lean muscles of his chest, the taut ripples of his stomach. As if my eyes were drawn to him like a magnet, they moved down his chest to his muscled thighs, his well-formed calves and then back up to his boxers, where the outline of his male anatomy was just barely visible against the thin material.

My core clenched, wetness pooling between my thighs. I blinked, completely unaccustomed to this kind of reaction when it came to a man’s body. I wanted to simultaneously run away and step toward him, to reach out and trail a finger down his chest the way I’d just run a finger over the tiny stone bird.

“My father made that.”

“W-what?” God, my voice sounded too breathy, too stunned.

“The sparrow.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, obviously self-conscious about his state of undress. He gave a quick nod downward. “Sorry, I didn’t know you’d be up.”

Again, my eyes moved to his bare chest. There was a sparse trail of hair under his belly button leading into the waistband of his boxers. My eyes leapt back up to his, and I practically gulped, sure he had heard it when his eyebrows twitched slightly.