Page 7 of If You Stayed

Brown eyes, beautiful dark-brown skin, and a full, thick beard paired with a remarkable smile.

A smile that I also once knew all too well.

There was no way…

Without any thought from me, the glass in my hand slipped through my fingers, shattering instantly as it hit the floor.

Everyone in the room turned to face me. Funny how a once-solid thing could fall apart so quickly. While all eyes were on me, my eyes were still on him. Gabriel Sinclair.TheGabriel Sinclair.MyGabriel Sinclair.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t recall how to breathe. My chest tightened even more as his deep-brown eyes stayed on me. Every thought possible began to swirl through me. We held eye contact for mere seconds, but that was long enough to know he saw me. Yet at the same time, he didn’tseeme. He didn’t remember me at all. He stared at me as everyone else had—as if I were nothing more than Henry Hughes’s wife.

“Sorry,” I blurted out to the room filled with fancy people in fancy suits who were all looking at me as if I were the clumsiest person in the world. I hurriedly shook my attention away from Gabriel, bent down, and began trying to gather the broken pieces. Within seconds, I felt a hand wrap around mine.

“It’s fine, leave it,” Henry stated, gripping my arm.

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a commotion,” I said with a shaky voice that mimicked my shaky soul. What was Gabriel doing in this room? What was he doing standing in front of me? What in the world was happening?

“Kierra,” Henry growled through gritted teeth. “You’re embarrassing me. I have Jacob on it. Don’t worry. You should head upstairs and get changed.” Of course, he said it with a smile. Henry always kept a smile around others. Though Iknew I’d hear about my clumsiness later that evening after everyone headed off to their own homes.

I looked down at my wet dress and then back toward Gabriel. He had a look of pity packed in his stare, as if he felt embarrassment for me.

Just then, a beautiful woman with red hair walked over and stood extremely close to Gabriel. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

I was going to be sick.

Who was that?

Were they in love?

Did he love her?

Why did I check so quickly to see if they were wearing wedding rings?

They weren’t.

But why, oh why, did I even look when there was a heavy ring resting on my own finger?

What was happening?

“Kierra,” Henry urged as Jacob rolled over and began to vacuum up the mess. “Go change,” he repeated.

I pushed out a smile toward Gabriel and the woman who seemed superglued to his side. “I’m sorry. How embarrassing. I swear I’m not always this clumsy,” I explained.

Gabriel grinned. It was such a comforting smile. He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I’m probably the clumsiest person in the world. If my head wasn’t attached to my shoulders, I’d probably lose that, too.”

The woman laughed. A littletoohard, if you asked me. Shethrew her head back and poked her chest out as she smacked Gabriel’s chest with her palm. Henry laughed, too, but the tone of his chuckles was more a warning for me to get a move on.

I shook off my nerves the best I could. Which wasn’t saying much. “I’ll be back after I change, and I’ll make a better second impression,” I swore, before hurrying up the stairs to my bedroom.

After reaching my room, I shut the door behind me and held my hand to my stomach. The swirling taking place within me made me hesitate for a second. I swallowed deeply, but before I could finish, I was darting for the bathroom, throwing up the birthday cake I’d shoved into my system not that long ago.

I felt weak and dizzy in that moment.

I fell backward onto the black-and-white-tiled floor and wiped my hand against my mouth.

It was as if my past and present were merging.

Gabriel Ayodele Sinclair.

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