is this? An intervention?” He sank back into his chair.
Josh nodded. “In a way. Jude just wanted to beat you over the
head with a two-by-four until you figured it out, but we convinced him this way
was better.”
Gabriel drew a ragged breath and looked around the atrium at his
friends. In truth they were more than friends, even if he wanted to kill each
and every one of them at the moment. “Well, my head thanks you, but I still
don’t want to talk about her.” He glared at Jude. “What would your Mistress say
if she knew what you were up to?”
“That it’s been over a year, it’s time to let her go. Sara
wouldn’t want this for you.” Olivia joined the men.
“You’re in on this too?” His voice came out sharp as he realized
the lengths his friends were willing to go. The sinking feeling in his stomach
intensified as he wondered how many of the counterparts of those present knew
this was going on. Fuck, that’s all I
need, Nisey and Kalinda worrying about me along with Olivia.
“Of course. Don’t think for a minute I’d have let Jude and Micah
do this if I didn’t whole-heartedly agree with them.”
Gabriel squeezed the bridge of his nose. “So you all want me to
just forget she ever existed? Is that it? Like she never gave me her
submission…that we were happy…that we weren’t expecting a child…” His voice
cracked, but he forced himself to keep it together. Horror washed over him, as
Olivia’s eyes widened and the sudden inhale from the every one of the men made
him realize what he’d just said.
“Fuck.” He let the first tear fall. This was exactly what he
hadn’t wanted.
Chapter
Six
Pulling up in front of his home, Gabriel was surprised Caelan had even brought him. After his breakdown at the
club, he’d lashed out at his friends, taking his anger and despair out on all
of them. He wasn’t proud of the way he’d acted, but the wound festering since
Sara’s death was now clean. It had been exposed until he felt like nothing more
than one large aching mass, but one that could now heal.
“I…” He turned to face Caelan . “I
don’t know what to say…”
Caelan ,
who also looked a little rough around the edges, sighed. Gabriel really put his
best friends through the wringer tonight, spewing obscenities as the men poked
and prodded until they’d gotten the whole sordid tale out of him. Of how he’d
thought he’d failed not only Sara but their unborn child as well, even how he’d
planned to marry his little blonde sub.
“Don’t say anything. We knew going into this it was going to be
rough.” Caelan shut off the SUV “You’re a proud man,
Gabe. You play your cards close to your chest and the only person I’ve ever
seen you truly open up with was Sara. I can only imagine how it would be to
lose that closeness. But as your friends, we couldn’t let you continue to live
like this - numb to the world, or keeping yourself so busy you can’t feel the
pain. It’s not good. Christ, the only time I’ve seen any honest to God emotion
from you was the day Sophia was born.”
Gabriel tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Well it
was a pretty intense situation. It’s not every day a man is asked to deliver a
baby.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “But dammit, did you have to be so
brutal with your intervention? I was just healing when you had to tear me back
open. Man, you just didn’t rip the bandage off, you poured fucking salt into the
wound.”
“And you’d do the same if it was me.” Caelan drummed his fingers on the wheel. “But it wasn’t healing, Gabe, it was
festering. So, hell yes, I’d do it again. Chew us out for sticking our noses
where they didn’t belong, but it won’t change anything. At least you can heal
now.”
Gabriel threw his arm over his eyes. “I don’t know whether to be
pissed off at you or be thankful right now, Caelan .
I’m not even sure where to go from here. I realize it’s been a year since
Josh nodded. “In a way. Jude just wanted to beat you over the
head with a two-by-four until you figured it out, but we convinced him this way
was better.”
Gabriel drew a ragged breath and looked around the atrium at his
friends. In truth they were more than friends, even if he wanted to kill each
and every one of them at the moment. “Well, my head thanks you, but I still
don’t want to talk about her.” He glared at Jude. “What would your Mistress say
if she knew what you were up to?”
“That it’s been over a year, it’s time to let her go. Sara
wouldn’t want this for you.” Olivia joined the men.
“You’re in on this too?” His voice came out sharp as he realized
the lengths his friends were willing to go. The sinking feeling in his stomach
intensified as he wondered how many of the counterparts of those present knew
this was going on. Fuck, that’s all I
need, Nisey and Kalinda worrying about me along with Olivia.
“Of course. Don’t think for a minute I’d have let Jude and Micah
do this if I didn’t whole-heartedly agree with them.”
Gabriel squeezed the bridge of his nose. “So you all want me to
just forget she ever existed? Is that it? Like she never gave me her
submission…that we were happy…that we weren’t expecting a child…” His voice
cracked, but he forced himself to keep it together. Horror washed over him, as
Olivia’s eyes widened and the sudden inhale from the every one of the men made
him realize what he’d just said.
“Fuck.” He let the first tear fall. This was exactly what he
hadn’t wanted.
Chapter
Six
Pulling up in front of his home, Gabriel was surprised Caelan had even brought him. After his breakdown at the
club, he’d lashed out at his friends, taking his anger and despair out on all
of them. He wasn’t proud of the way he’d acted, but the wound festering since
Sara’s death was now clean. It had been exposed until he felt like nothing more
than one large aching mass, but one that could now heal.
“I…” He turned to face Caelan . “I
don’t know what to say…”
Caelan ,
who also looked a little rough around the edges, sighed. Gabriel really put his
best friends through the wringer tonight, spewing obscenities as the men poked
and prodded until they’d gotten the whole sordid tale out of him. Of how he’d
thought he’d failed not only Sara but their unborn child as well, even how he’d
planned to marry his little blonde sub.
“Don’t say anything. We knew going into this it was going to be
rough.” Caelan shut off the SUV “You’re a proud man,
Gabe. You play your cards close to your chest and the only person I’ve ever
seen you truly open up with was Sara. I can only imagine how it would be to
lose that closeness. But as your friends, we couldn’t let you continue to live
like this - numb to the world, or keeping yourself so busy you can’t feel the
pain. It’s not good. Christ, the only time I’ve seen any honest to God emotion
from you was the day Sophia was born.”
Gabriel tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Well it
was a pretty intense situation. It’s not every day a man is asked to deliver a
baby.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “But dammit, did you have to be so
brutal with your intervention? I was just healing when you had to tear me back
open. Man, you just didn’t rip the bandage off, you poured fucking salt into the
wound.”
“And you’d do the same if it was me.” Caelan drummed his fingers on the wheel. “But it wasn’t healing, Gabe, it was
festering. So, hell yes, I’d do it again. Chew us out for sticking our noses
where they didn’t belong, but it won’t change anything. At least you can heal
now.”
Gabriel threw his arm over his eyes. “I don’t know whether to be
pissed off at you or be thankful right now, Caelan .
I’m not even sure where to go from here. I realize it’s been a year since
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