Unveiling The Sky (31 page)

When we reached my car I buckled her in the seat behind me. “I’ve got good news. Naomi is going to come home and have dinner with you.” At her wide smile my heart felt painfully full, yet empty at the same time. Her excitement was a beautiful thing to watch, but it was equally as heartbreaking because I knew she was excited just because she never expected it. Megan was only five and even if she couldn’t understand it, she was already accustomed to a world where she was left behind. She’d already learned the painful lesson I was still trying to unlearn, that at the end of the day you only really have yourself.

“Yes.” It was only one word, and I had to keep reminding myself that she was only answering one simple question. But I couldn’t help where my thoughts went. Because it felt like she was saying yes to a million different questions. Will you come home with me? Can we figure this out? Do you want to be with me? Do you trust me? Could you love me?

That high lasted me about two hours before it fizzled out at the sight of a text message.

Alara: I’m so sorry but I’m going to have to reschedule tonight :/

I was staring at the phone, trying not to read too much into it, when it vibrated again.

Alara: I promise I’m not blowing you off. My sister had some errands to run and I offered to watch Megan.

“Who’s Megan?” I asked Naomi. She had stopped by for a quick drink on her way to Caleb’s. It was ten after six and we only had three tables, so Derek and I were hanging out with her at the bar. It was definitely the slowest night I’d ever worked, but Derek said it was normal since the Thanksgiving holiday was coming up and a lot of students were preparing to go home.

“Huh?”

“Alara just texted me that her sister asked her to watch Megan?”

Naomi’s face lit up as she reached for her phone. “Oh! I have a text too.” She grinned as she typed out a reply and started gathering her things.

“Still waiting on an answer…” I trailed off as I waved my phone around.

“Megan’s her niece.” She hesitated before glancing at Derek. “You know it’s pretty dead tonight, it’d be pretty stupid to keep three servers on…”

Derek nodded and then turned to me. “She’s right, why don’t you head on out?”

“Are you sure?” I asked even though I’d already started taking off my apron. If Naomi’s looks meant what I thought they did, then I definitely had no problem getting off early.

He chuckled at my translucent behavior. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Naomi’s reaction was similar as I turned toward her, waiting for my official invitation. It was pretty pathetic, but I didn’t care one damn bit as long as it got me what I wanted.

“I feel like I’m forgetting something…” She trailed off as she tapped her finger to her chin in contemplation. “Huh, I can’t think of it. Oh well, see ya guys!” Naomi waved enthusiastically as she started for the door.

“You’re cruel!” I called after her.

Cackling, she turned around and started walking backward. “Oh! I just remembered. Hey, Gabe, wanna come with?” With no answer needed, she turned around and waited for me to follow. I went with her, but I wasn’t following her.

Apparently Naomi’s thirty minutes were equivalent to my twenty, because she was already home when Megan and I walked through the door.

“MIMI,” Megan yelled, all signs of sickness forgotten, as she tore through our tiny living room and into Naomi’s arms.

“Mimi?” a deep and familiar voice questioned two seconds before Gabe filled the kitchen entryway.
 

I blinked in surprise and shrugged off our bags as he gave me a warm smile. “Yeah, she has trouble with some names.” I walked over and put a hand on Megan’s back as the three of us turned toward him. “This is Gabe, he’s a new friend.” I put my other hand on his bicep, enjoying the warm feeling of his skin.

“Hi,” she mumbled before tucking her face into Naomi’s neck. We all laughed as she started peeking at him and quickly shoving her face back down.

“Why don’t we go start making dinner, munchkin,” Naomi suggested. She threw me a wink before carrying Meg into the kitchen, leaving Gabe and me alone.

“I’m sorry I had to reschedule.”

“I understand.” The intensity of his gaze suggested that he understood more than just that, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t felt lighter at his words.

“I thought you had work?”

“I did but it was slow. Naomi was at the bar having a drink with Derek when you texted.” He shrugged before walking over to the couch and sitting. “She invited me to tag along. Is that all right?”

“Yeah, of course.” I was nodding so much I probably looked like a freaking bobblehead. I abruptly stopped, probably making it that much weirder, but Gabe just smiled.

“So that’s your niece?”

I smiled fondly as I sat down next to him. “Yeah, she’s five.”

“My father never wanted more than one kid.” He paused, seemingly shocked by his blunt statement. “But my mom really wanted a daughter. Not that she ever made me feel inferior, she just wanted”—he waved his hand toward my head—“whatever it is girls do with their mothers.”

“Yeah, it’d be pretty hard to braid this,” I said as I ran my fingers through his hair. I froze as soon as his head leaned into my touch, and when his eyes started to flutter he froze too. We both stared at each other in shock, like we couldn’t believe our bodies just took over and relished the other’s touch without permission. I knew I wasn’t consciously thinking about anything when I reached over; it was as if touching him was the only logical thing to do. And if I was reading his expression right, he felt the exact same way.

He blinked as if coming back to himself and very slowly, very deliberately, brought his hand to rest on mine. Gabe gently pushed until he was guiding my hand to the back of his head, and my breath picked up as that movement forced me closer. I—

“Ara! Ara!” Megan screamed from the kitchen. I ripped my hand from his hair and jumped back so far I almost fell off the couch. He was laughing as I got up and dashed to the other room.

“What? What is it?” I asked in a slight panic.

“Ook,” she said around the food in her mouth. She was pointing to the sandwich next to Naomi and bouncing in her seat. “Mimi said that men need lots of food, so I made Gabe an extra big one. Look!”
 

I looked all right. There were at least six pieces of bread in the sandwich, along with what had to be dozens of slices of meat and cheese. Mayonnaise was haphazardly smeared on, and a huge glob of it was on one corner, while the lettuce and tomato were half sticking out on the other side.
 

“Do you think he’ll like it?” she whispered as she tugged on my shirt. And it broke my heart to hear the longing in her voice, to know she’ll probably always crave that acceptance and praise because she believes
she
is the reason people leave.

“Hey, did I hear my name?”

Megan was still a little shy as she jumped down from her chair, but she grabbed his hand and led him to the counter anyways. “Dat’s yours.” She pointed to the sandwich before tucking her arms behind her back and worrying her little bottom lip.

Gabe’s eyebrows rose comically high as his gaze shifted between Megan and the sandwich. He stared for several seconds before squatting down to her level. “Did you make me that?” Still biting her lip, she gave him a tiny nod with her eyes on the ground.

“Hmm… you know my sister used to make me sandwiches all the time, and it was never quite enough.” Megan looked up and shifted around a little, her gaze now flickering between the sandwich and Gabe like she was trying to decide if it would be enough. “And they were always a little stale.” He made a disgusted face and exaggerated a shiver, causing Megan’s face to fall a little more.

“But this,” he whispered and leaned toward her like he had a secret. “This looks like the best sandwich ever. Heck, I don’t even think I’ll be able to eat it all.” A wide, brilliant smile spread across Megan’s face as she jumped up and down with a squeal.

“Really?” she asked, gripping her hands together to stop herself from clapping.

He nodded enthusiastically and stared at her with a look of pure awe. Well, to her it looked pure; to us it looked a little crazy. “Yeah, I can already tell it’s going to taste amazing too. Thank you, Megan.”

“You can call me Meg,” she whispered, still beaming even though some of her shyness had returned. He leaned forward slowly and opened his arms in invitation, which she gladly accepted. As they were hugging and her big brown eyes met mine, I knew he’d just stolen a little bit of her heart.

Yeah, I know, Meg. He’s stealing mine too.

I knocked lightly on his door, part of me hoping he wouldn’t hear it because despite all the “progress” I’d apparently made, I was still me and I was still scared shitless. But he did hear it and he was surprisingly quick to answer.
 

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

I waited for him to do something, say something, but he didn’t, he just stood there staring at me like I might disappear. And even though I wasn’t looking forward to it, I knew I needed to lead the conversation instead of merely following him. “Can I come in?” I nodded toward his living room.

“’Course,” he said with an easy smile. He stepped aside and extended his arm toward the living room. Once we were both inside he assured me no one was home and offered me some water.

“I’m all right,” I said. But when I tried to swallow I realized it felt like thousands of cotton balls had been shoved in my mouth, forcing me to reconsider. “Actually, water would be great, thanks.” He walked over to the fridge and seemed to linger a little longer than necessary before he grabbed two bottles and sat on the couch, at the opposite end. We were so far apart we were practically sitting on the armrests, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, it merely felt like a necessary distance. I knew if he was too close it would make this harder and more emotional.

I took the water bottle he held out and looked at the couch cushion between us before speaking. “You were great with Meg last night. She really likes you.”

“It was easy, she seems like a great kid.”

“She is. Of course she has her brat moments, but for the most part she’s always so damn happy.” We both started laughing, a little uncomfortable and a lot forced. It quickly faded when I looked up and our eyes met, reminding me why I was there.