Page 61 of Forever Yours

Sebastian was next to go. He toed up to the line and let his dart fly, missing like he always did.

“Next time, Seb,” Devlin reassured.

“Fat chance,” Annabelle clipped.

“At least I’m trying to get better,” Sebastian shot back.

Gabe watched Devlin swat Annabelle on the shoulder and a now familiar warmth spread throughout his chest. All night he hadn’t been able to stop watching her. From the way she laughed to the way she sipped her drink to the stifling of her yawn when she thought no one was looking, he was enthralled by her every movement.

There was a lot going on with the whole group together, and Gabe got the feeling that Devlin wanted to tell him something, but every time they had a moment alone it was interrupted. They’d have plenty of one-on-one time later, and he was hungry with anticipation.

“I get why Pru and Devlin are here, but who invited the shrew?” Sebastian asked.

Grey walked off to see Prudence as he had after every turn, and as Gabe was watching Devlin, he heard Sebastian speaking but wasn’t listening.

“Sure,” Gabe muttered to Sebastian’s question.

“The moon is full tonight.EyeWitnessnews is reporting werewolves will be overtaking Amber Falls at midnight,” Sebastian stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

“That’s too bad.” Gabe watched Devlin as she threw her head back in laughter, her long neck begging for his attention.

“Hey, what about cults? I think I’m going to join one.”

“Have fun.” Gabe’s mouth went dry as Devlin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear then ran the same hand to her legs to smooth out her skirt.

“I think the time has come to burn down The Bee for the insurance money.”

“That’s a good idea.” Gabe’s eyes came back into focus and his head snapped toward Sebastian. “You’re not going to burn down The Bee,” he insisted.

“I’m not going to join a cult or get turned into a werewolf, either. You were in lala land.”

“I’ve been distracted.”

“It looks like your distraction is just as distracted as you are.” Sebastian nodded over to Devlin at the bar. “Let’s call the game good and go over there. Between my inability to hit the board and your inability to pay attention, I’m sure that Grey has won. I could use a refill anyway.”

Gabe was relieved now that he was on his way over to Devlin. He’d found it hard to be in the same place with her but notwithher. He realized now what Greyson had been going through the last few months and how he felt when he and Prudence had first gotten together. He almost felt bad for the crap he’d given him.Almost.

Gabe had tried to pinpoint what his feelings were last night while he’s been working, missing Devlin during his long shift, and decided that it wasn’t the blush of first love, rather a lava flow of emotions. Gabe had been in love before—or what he believed was love—but it hadn’t felt like this. His every waking thought was consumed by Devlin. If they were apart, he found himself wondering what she was doing or if her day was going well.

What caught him off guard was his need, his want, to oblige her every desire. When they were together, he was focused on making her happy, whether it was what they were eating, watching or doing in the bedroom. Any other relationship he’d had, he’d been the dutiful boyfriend, doing what he thought they wanted, or what he imagined a partner should be, going through halfhearted motions. Only after he’d met Devlin did he realize all this, and felt a small pang of guilt for girlfriends of his past.

“Hey.” He rested one of his hands on her thigh when he reached her.

“Hey back.”

“How long do you want to stay?” he asked, rubbing his thumb in a slow circle on her leg. “I have the day off tomorrow, if you don’t mind me staying at your place.”

“I’ll be ready as soon as you are,” she confirmed. “I wanted to talk, but we haven’t had any time alone.”

“I saw you yawning. A lot.”

“I haven’t been getting enough sleep,” a gentle accusation laced her voice.

“It’ll be an early night,” he promised, becoming aware of the raised voices next to them and noticing a confused Sebastian.

“I only wanted to know if Devlin had submitted her proposal yet. I know Gabe did as soon as we got home from the cabin.”

He saw Devlin blink rapidly, the only giveaway that she was clearly flustered by Sebastian’s words, and his heart plunged into his stomach.Critical errorsounded through his head like a warning bell.

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