Rush (Breathless #1)(16)

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Gabe said gently. “I know this hurts you. I wish you would get out and do something. You have friends. You have plenty of pet causes that you donate to and volunteer your time. You’re still young and gorgeous. Any man would be fortunate to catch your eye.”

“I’m not ready to move on,” she said stiffly. “It would be disrespectful to pick up with a man so soon after the divorce. Just because your father is acting like a classless jerk doesn’t mean that I won’t act with a little decorum.”

“You need to worry less about what everyone else thinks and focus on what makes you happy,” Gabe said bluntly.

There was a long silence and then his mother sighed. He hated her being so unhappy. It hurt him to see her in such pain. He tried to stay out of his parents’ affairs, but lately it had been next to impossible. His mom called him every other day to bitch about what his dad was doing, while his dad was busy trying to shove his latest girlfriend down Gabe’s throat. The problem was that he was with a different woman every time Gabe saw him, and his father was too focused on trying to bridge a gap in their relationship caused by the very thing he was trying to force on Gabe. Acceptance. He wanted Gabe’s forgiveness and acceptance. And while Gabe could forgive his father—he could hardly hold his decisions against him, it was his life and his happiness—he couldn’t accept another woman in the role his mother had performed for most of Gabe’s life.

“I’m sorry, Gabe,” his mom said quietly. “I know you must hate it when I call. All I do is complain about your father. I shouldn’t do that. Whatever he’s done, he’s still your father and I know he loves you.”

“Let’s have dinner over the weekend,” Gabe said in an attempt to lift her spirits. “I’ll take you to Tribeca Grill.”

“I’m sure you’re busy.”

“I’m never too busy for you,” he said. “I’ll always make time to have dinner with my mother. Now what do you say?”

He could almost hear the smile in her voice.

“I’d like that. It’s been a while since I’ve been out.”

“Good. I’ll drive out and pick you up.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that!” she exclaimed. “I can take a car into the city.”

“I said I’ll come get you,” he persisted. “We can talk on the drive back. I’ll have my driver take you home after we eat.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, genuine excitement in her voice.

It had been a good while since he’d heard her be excited about anything. In that moment he was glad he’d made the effort to get her out of her self-imposed exile. She needed to get out and face the world and discover that it hadn’t ended just because her marriage was over. He’d given her time to grieve and to hide away in the house his father had moved out of. But enough was enough. Hell, maybe he could even talk her into selling the house in Westchester and moving into the city. There was little point in her keeping it now. It held too many painful memories for her. She needed a fresh start.

He knew all about fresh starts. After his divorce, he’d gone through a period much like his mother had where he’d just wanted to be left alone. He understood it, but he also knew the sooner she got out and started living, the sooner she’d be able to move on.

“I love you, Son,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“I love you too, Mom. See you Saturday night, okay?”

He ended the call and then stared at the photo that still adorned his desk. His parents on their thirty-ninth anniversary. They’d looked so happy. It was all a lie. Two weeks after that picture was taken, his father had moved out and immediately moved in with another woman.

Gabe shook his head. More and more he was beginning to realize that no marriage was safe. Divorce could happen to anyone. There was certainly the argument to be had for not setting yourself up for the emotional upheaval of a breakup. And definitely one to be had for protecting yourself from taking a huge financial hit. Divorces were a hell of a lot more expensive than marriage.

He was perfectly content with the way he managed relationships now. No financial or emotional risk involved. No bruised egos. No hurt feelings. No betrayal.

He glanced down at his phone and pulled up the photo he’d taken of Mia just a few weeks earlier. She hadn’t even known he’d taken the picture. She’d never seen him, never known he was there.

She’d walked out of a shop on Madison Avenue just a ways in front of where he was standing, and he’d been transfixed by the image she presented. Standing on the sidewalk, hair blowing in the breeze as she hailed a cab.

He’d been nearly paralyzed by lust. Not that he hadn’t already known, but in that moment, he’d realized that he had to have her. There was something about her that he found irresistible. His fascination with her had reached the point of obsession. He was taking a photo of her without her knowledge just so he could pull it up and see her as he’d seen her on that day.

Young, vibrant. So very beautiful. And her smile. When she smiled, she lit up the world around her. He failed to see how anyone could look beyond her when she was present.

She was…captivating.

He didn’t quite know what made her so special. Perhaps it was nothing more than the forbidden nature of their relationship. She was his best friend’s little sister. She was fourteen years younger than he was. She was a woman he should leave alone.