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While everyone else was afraid of him, he always made me feel safe and precious. I had been worried that people would pick on me for being the chubby, bubbly girl, but with Gates glaring at anyone who looked at me wrong, that never happened.
He protected me, and that made me feel more confident talking to other people. I think that confidence is also what helped me get spotted by an agent and helped me become a model.
“This is your room,” Gates says, leading me into the room right next to his.
“Thanks for letting me stay with you while I look for my own place,” I tell him, and he nods.
The truth is that I haven’t even started looking for a place out here. I’m sure I could have found something or at least a place to rent, but I don’t want that. I want to spend as much time as I can with Gates.
“You’re always welcome here, Dillon,” he says, and his deep voice soothes me.
“I missed you,” I say, stepping closer and wrapping my arms around his waist.
I lean my head against his flat stomach, and he holds me tight against him.
“I missed you too,” he says quietly. “Nothing happened, right? You’re not retiring because something happened, are you?”
I smile as I lean against him. I know that if someone had messed with me, Gates would make them regret that.
“No, nothing bad happened. I’m tired of always traveling, sitting in makeup chairs, or going through wardrobe. I needed a break.”
I want to tell him that I want to put down roots somewhere and settle down with someone, but is that coming on too strong?
He nods, and I reluctantly pull back from him.
“Are you tired?” He asks me, and I smother a yawn.
“A little, but I’m trying to stay up until bedtime. I need to beat this jet lag fast,” I say, and he nods.
“I’ll let you get settled. I need to check in with work, and then I was going to make us dinner.”
“I can help. Are you going into work tonight?” I ask him.
“No, I took today off. I’ll have to go in tomorrow, though.”
“How are Kye and the other guys doing? Are they all settled into civilian life too?” I ask him, and he nods.
“Yeah, they’re all married and expecting kids now, it seems. I’m the last single one.”
“No girlfriend?” I ask, trying to play it cool.
“No.”
I wish that he would elaborate. I want him to reassure me that he’s not seeing anyone, that he’s been waiting for me too, but of course, he doesn’t do that.
Gates has always kept his cards super close to his chest. I could never tell what the guy was thinking. There were a few times that I could have sworn that he had feelings for me too, but nothing ever came of it, and we ended up back in the friend zone.
“What about you?” Gates asks. “You don’t have boyfriends in every city?”
“God, no. There was no time. I would never have seen a boyfriend.”
He seems to relax slightly, and my heart starts to race.
Maybe this is finally it. Maybe we can finally be together.
“I’ll go get started on dinner. Go ahead and take your time getting unpacked,” Gates says, and the bubble of hope inside of me bursts.
“Okay, I’ll be down in a bit.”
