“Because whenever I get close to people and open my heart to love, another psycho shows up. It’s like the universe is trying to tell me that I should be alone.” A heavy weight pooled in her chest. She didn’t want to be alone, but life forced her down this path over and over. “Maybe I should stop fighting it.”
“If all your Emerge Anew platform fans could hear you now, they’d be disappointed. This isn’t like you. What are you really afraid of?”
Gabrielle grabbed her butterfly charm between her fingers and moved it slowly back and forth along the chain. Despite decades apart, she was amazed at how easily Serena could read her thoughts and feelings. Telling Serena the truth about what held her back from relationships made her feel weak and vulnerable, but it also felt like something she needed to do. Maybe confiding in her sister would help her move past her fears once and for all.
She hesitated, her feet glued to the ground, while her heart urged her to take steps to close the gap between her and Serena. She took a deep breath, then crossed the room. Her sister smiled at her as she sat, then put a protective arm around Gabrielle’s shoulders and hugged her close.
Gabrielle said, “That the same thing that happened a decade ago will happen again. Damian was obsessed with me. The police caught him, and he was sent to prison. But so was I, in a way. Mom and Dad banished me to Lisbon. They cut me off from everyone I loved. They worried about me and Damian’s relatives retaliating against us. They said it was for my protection, but I felt like I was being punished. Now Tony Brooks has stepped into Damian’s shoes. I’m forced again to make the tough decision to protect the ones I love from this evil in my life. I have to separate myself to protect all of you. That means a relationship with Sebastian is out of the question. I don’t know how to stay in St. Felipe.”
Serena’s face twisted in concern. Her voice was stern as she said, “You’re not leaving this time. I won’t let you. You belong here. We must face this together—all of us, including Sebastian.”
Gabrielle was quiet.
She had never dared to hope for a man like Sebastian. Finding him when she returned to St. Felipe was an unexpected gift she’d never anticipated. She would always treasure the time they’d shared, but she wouldn’t put him at risk.
“Sebastian is better off without me in his life,” Gabrielle said.
“Maybe. But are you better off without him in yours?” Serena challenged.
“I’d like to know the answer to that.”
Gabrielle spun around, her stomach knotting at the sight of Sebastian standing in the doorway.
Chapter46
“Why are you here?” Gabrielle asked, minutes after they’d entered her bedroom on the opposite wing of King Estate. He’d followed her silently through the maze of hallways, leaving Serena behind in their parent’s bedroom suite. The room he’d entered was only a fraction less opulent than the one they’d left behind. A breeze wafted through the open doors that led to the outdoor balcony. Sheer white draperies fluttered behind her as the sound of ocean waves crashing on the beach floated in the air.
Sebastian couldn’t answer.
His eyes were glued to her.
She was so close, wearing a Hullabaloo t-shirt and jogging pants three sizes too big. Even drowning in that ridiculous but comfortable-looking outfit, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Knowing Gabrielle, she was completely naked underneath. No bra. No thong. Nothing but the soft folds of cotton as a barrier between his body and hers.
He closed his eyes, shutting them tightly, and forced the thoughts away. He promised himself that he wouldn’t make her uncomfortable. And he wouldn’t make her remember how powerful and perfect they were together.
“Not to change your mind if that’s what you’re thinking.” Sebastian raked a hand through his hair. “I respect you too much to do that.”
Gabrielle's eyes closed for a moment, and she diverted her gaze. Was it disappointment that briefly crossed her gorgeous face, or was he imagining what he wanted to see?
If circumstances were different, he’d be long gone from this island after Gabrielle said they were done. Fuck if it wasn’t easier to put distance between them than to stick around and risk running into her every day. But he’d found Ike. His best friend was back and in bad shape. Sebastian couldn’t leave until he knew Ike was conscious and on the road to recovery.
Still, he knew Ike was the excuse his brain told his heart for the real reason he was sticking around. He was head-over-fucking-heels in love with Gabrielle. It was a love that would be with him until the day he died. Not having a chance with her didn’t change that for him. It also didn’t change his plans to stop Tony Brooks from terrorizing her again. The only sliver of hope he had was that if Gabrielle knew she was safe, she might rethink her decision to end the relationship between them that hadn’t yet started. It was why he stood in front of her one last time, defying her wishes to stay away. He had to plant a seed in her mind to not give up on them, even if he had no control over whether it would blossom and grow or wither and die.
“Well, I appreciate that. Still doesn’t explain why you’re here.” Gabrielle’s fingers rubbed the butterfly charm on her necklace. He noticed she was still wearing the bracelet he’d given her. The one that gave him one last shot to find her if she was kidnapped.
It was the only sign he needed to know that he was doing the right thing.
“I came to tell you that I understand why the idea of being in a relationship with me or anyone is overwhelming for you. I get why it may take a long time for you to want that in your life, if ever,” Sebastian said, rambling. Usually, he was to the point, but he was drawing out this moment because he didn’t want to leave her presence. He wanted it to last as long as possible. “But you need to know I’ve decided to wait for you.”
“Wait for me?” Gabrielle blinked rapidly, her brown eyes soft with the mist of unshed tears, as the weight of his words hit her. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want to be with any other woman but you. I will wait as long as it takes for you to figure out if there is space in your life for a relationship and if you want that relationship to be with me.”
“As long as it takes?” Gabrielle shook her head.
“Weeks. Months. Years. Whatever.”
