Page 96 of Devotion

“Yes. He must have kept a vehicle from when he lived here before. He got it out of storage and took it to a mechanic. He bought a lot of provisions and supplies, and he picked up the motor from the mechanic less than an hour ago. He might be leaving the city as we speak.”

I swallow over a hard lump. My eyes burn, but there are no tears. It doesn’t feel like I’m capable of crying any longer.

“He’s doing the right thing. You’ll be safer without him.”

“I don’t want to be safe. I want to be with him.”

“He wants the best for you.”

“And I want the best for him.” I stare down at the grass beneath my feet. “I’mthe best thing for him.”

When I glance back, she’s smiling faintly.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing. You’ve got courage and heart.” She stands up, her pale blond hair fluttering across her face in the breeze. “Don’t let this callous world strip them away from you.”

Before I can respond, she turns to walk away, and she’s out of sight before I do more than blink twice.

I doubt I’ll ever see her again.

An hour later,Carrie and I are back at home. My father has returned from work, so I have to retell my whole story to him as I help my grandfather get dinner started.

I’m setting the table when there’s a knock on the door.

We’re all gathered in the kitchen, and we stare at each other in surprised confusion.

No one ever knocks.

Shrugging, my father gets up to answer it. He’s out of sight as he opens the front door. There’s a murmur of voices. The rest of us are still in the kitchen, standing like statues.

Then my father reappears with the oddest expression on his face. He gestures behind him.

The man who steps into the kitchen is almost unrecognizable. His hair has been cut very short, and he hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, so he has the stubbly beginnings of a beard. He’s wearing faded jeans and hiking boots, a beat-up canvas jacket. He looks big and rugged and almost grungy. His blue eyes find me instinctively, and his mouth turns up just slightly in a fond smile.

He’s still the Gabriel I love.

I make a choked sound, then propel myself forward, hurling myself toward him in a fervent hug.

He huffs at the impact, but his arms wrap around me, gripping me with a desperate urgency it’s impossible to mistake. “Fuck, baby,” he says, tilting his head to murmur into my ear. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

“I thought you left!” I manage to pry myself out of his embrace, but I only withdraw a few inches. I’m still clutching at his shirt like he might slip away from me at any moment. “Annabelle said you were leaving.”

“I thought I noticed her men watching me. I was getting ready all day, but I couldn’t leave without seeing you.”

I’m starting to shake because I suddenly realize he might not be here to take me with him. He might have come to say a real goodbye. “Gabriel.” There’s an audible wobble in the one word.

He glances around at my family. “I’m sorry to barge in like this. You don’t even know me, but I’ve heard a lot about you.” He looks back at me. “Can we talk somewhere for a few minutes?”

A few minutes isn’t nearly long enough as far as I’m concerned, but I nod and glance toward my mother.

“Take him to Carrie’s room. We’ll go ahead and start dinner so you don’t have to rush.”

I give her a shaky, appreciative smile as I take Gabriel’s hand and lead him out of the kitchen and down the hall until we reach my sister’s small room where I slept when I visited.

I close the door softly and then turn to face Gabriel. We stare at each other in silence for a long moment.

My intentions are to be good. To not put any pressure on him. After all, he shouldn’t make life-changing decisions because he feels bad about hurting me or because I’m a needy, clingy hanger-on.

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