Page 33 of Justified Lies

She exhaled exaggeratedly. “No, not really. My brother-in-law is a jerk.”

“What did he do?”

“Let’s just say he’s never been a big fan of mine. Since Scott died, he’s been downright awful.” Lianna was fiddling with her hands. “I think I witnessed his full fury tonight, or at least I hope I did.”

Gabe clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

“Did he touch you?” Not knowing if he wanted the answer because Gabe wasn’t in the mood to kick anyone’s ass.

“No, he would never touch me. He just doesn’t want me around.”

Gabe must not have looked convinced because she continued. “His words stung but he didn’t hurt me.”

Gabe slowly took it all in and tried to sound calm. “Okay, where does he live? I can help him apologize to you.”

Lianna laughed humorlessly.

“That will only make it worse. Listen, I’m just venting. I shouldn’t have said anything. Darren would not physically hurt me.”

Gabe did not have as much faith in the guy. But as much as he wanted to, he knew he could not march off and fight all of Lianna’s battles for her.

“I hope you know that you can always come to me when you’re upset.”

She smiled, but it lacked its usual brightness. “Can we talk about something else?”

Gabe willed his anger to subside. Had he learned nothing from last week’s debacle? Flying off the handle at her hothead brother-in-law would not accomplish anything tonight, except cause Lianna more grief. Later, when she seemed more composed, Gabe would push for answers. The thought of a potential second person in Lianna’s life who seemed to have an unhealthy attachment to her was unnerving, though.

For now, Gabe managed a smirk and forced himself to change the subject for her.

“I can think of something we could talk about.”

It was amazing how fast her cheeks turned pink.

“Anything besides that,” she begged, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to ward of the chill.

Since he knew she wasn’t her usual self, he let her off the hook.

“I’m glad you came over.”

The words didn’t come close to conveying justhowglad he was. Gabe felt an overwhelming amount of satisfaction knowing she trusted him. That when she had a hard day or was scared, she turned to him. It had him wanting to puff his chest out and strut around like a peacock.

Lianna rewarded him with a genuine smile this time.

“Before you knocked, I was going to make something to eat. You hungry?”

The smile he loved so much grew even wider.

“Yes, please. I’m ravenous.”

Gabe chuckled, thinking of several inappropriate replies to that comment.

“Let me pop on some lights. Come sit in the kitchen with me and keep me company while I cook.”

****

When Lianna first sank into her bathtub earlier that evening, she certainly didn’t foresee her night taking this turn. She was currently sitting in an oversized chair at the head of Gabe’s dining table. A soft blanket was wrapped around her shoulders as she sipped tea. She had only spent a few minutes in the cold but once she came inside the house she couldn’t stop shaking. Lianna tried chalking it up to an adrenaline dump, but Gabe had insisted on coddling her.

Since then, he had been treating her like an invalid. Forcing her to sit, he doted on her with tea, a blanket, and a yummy pasta dish. She wasn’t upset with any of that, just slightly embarrassed by what he must be thinking of her.

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