Page 351 of His Virgin Romance Series

I froze in place. I was waiting to unload my last supply of pot. That was what I should have told her. I should have explained why I went back to dealing in the first place and why I felt it was my only option. I should have told her that I was done after this last deal and that was what I was waiting for before I told her the truth. But somehow, I couldn’t quite form the words. Because she was looking at me like she had given up on me already, and I didn’t want to give her more reasons to feel like she was making the right choice by leaving.

“I was going to tell you the last night,” I said, and that much at least was true. “That’s why I told you we needed to talk.”

Gabby sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe you kept all this from me.”

“I know… I should have told you the truth from the beginning—”

“Did you think I would scare so easily?” she demanded suddenly.

I hesitated. “I…”

“That’s what you thought… didn’t you?” Gabby asked. “You thought that the moment I heard you were doing community service for pushing drugs, I would run?”

“Well… wouldn’t you have run?” I asked.

Gabby closed her eyes for a moment. “I can’t believe that after all this time you don’t know me at all,” she said. “I told you before, Miles, I believe in second chances. My brother did drugs at one point; did you know that?”

“I… yes, I knew that.”

“He thought about dealing too,” she went on. “I understand the kind of desperation that makes a person think that turning to that kind of life is the only choice they have. Because sometimes… it is the only choice they have. I get why you decided to start dealing… your parents cut you off, you needed money fast, you needed a job, and you wanted to paint, and you couldn’t do both. I would have understood all that. That’s not why I’m angry… and hurt.”

“Then—”

“I’m angry and hurt,” Gabby said, cutting me off. “Because you lied to me. I gave you my love and my trust, and you betrayed both by lying to me.”

“I never meant to do that.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Gabby said, standing up. “Because you did in the end.”

She turned and made for her room. I stood up and called out to her, hating the tension that lay between us. It was choking me.

“Gabby.”

“What?”

“Are you leaving me?” I asked.

She sighed. “No,” she replied.

“No?” I repeated, in shock.

“I’m going to take some time to wrap my head around all this,” Gabby told me. “I’m probably going to be angry for a long time. But I spent the whole night thinking and I realized that despite everything, I love you and I think we have something special. I’m not going to give up on you just because you made one lapse in judgment.”

It felt like Gabby had just lifted this massive weight off my chest and suddenly, I could breathe again. She wasn’t going to leave me.

“I told you,” Gabby continued. “I believed in second chances.”

I smiled. “Thank you,” I said. “For not giving up on me.”

“What time do you want to leave tonight?” Gabby asked.

I frowned. “What?”

“It’s Saturday… we have that dinner with your parents,” she reminded me.

“Fuck… you’re still willing to go to that?” I asked, in amazement.

“I know how important it is to you,” Gabby said.

“You are… amazing,” I said, awestruck by her grace and selflessness.

Gabby sighed. “Just promise me, Miles… no more lies.”

I felt my heart constrict painfully in my chest and again I was reminded of the last secret I was keeping from her. I looked at her tired eyes, and the hurt still etched on her face, and I knew I didn’t have the courage to tell her. I hoped that this wouldn’t backfire on me again. I hoped that I could get rid of my last bag of pot and quietly put the life behind me once and for all, without Gabby ever finding out.

So I looked Gabby in the eye and nodded. “I promise,” I said.

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