Page 17 of Loving Hard on the Highway

“No, you did not!” Gabbie’s dark copper cheeks lit with a hint of red.

“You can sing, sing,” I gushed. “I could tell from karaoke night. Your vocals were too good.”

It was priceless to see the brightness in her face and eyes as the song played.

?

The ride to our next destination was different. Gabbie and I talked, like really talked. She told me about how difficult things were for her with her ‘borderline abusive’ ex after they broke up. To me, grabbing, shaking, and pushing was full-on abuse. Not tomention the toxic shit he would say to her. I was glad she got the courage to break things off before it escalated even further.

“That must have been hard with him being a cop.”

“It was. And I honestly should have gone back to California then, but I was so embarrassed. Thankfully, I had Laurel and Evie. They let me move in with them. When I was ready to date again, he chased everyone away, randomly pulling them over and handing out bogus tickets. One guy I dated who didn’t back down was almost run off the road in the Everglades by an unmarked car. We broke up after that. I realized I would never have a life with Rick showing up wherever I was and chasing off anyone I wanted to date.”

“He sounds like a nut job,” I said, wanting to say more, but I didn’t want her to feel some kind of way, since she chose him. I chose my words carefully, kind of. “So, how’d an ass wipe like that get someone as awesome as you?”

“Evie calls him that, too. I like that energy.” She chuckled a little. “Well, he joined my dad’s department a couple of weeks before my parents died. My dad came home from a night shift, and my mom was still asleep, or so he thought. He took a shower and felt lightheaded. That’s when I guess he realized something was wrong. He pulled my mom out of the house before he passed out from Carbon Monoxide poisoning, but she didn’t make it. When my dad woke up in the hospital and found out about my mom, he had a heart attack.”

“Oh god, Gabbie. I am so sorry,” was all I could think to say.

“My sisters and I were in shock, and beyond devastated,” she continued. “And that’s when Rick weaseled his way into my life. He saw 19-year-old me and knew I was ripe for the picking. My sisters hated him, and it put a great strain on my relationship with them. Rick applied to a department in Florida two weeks after we started seeing each other and convinced me thateverything in Rosetta was sad and depressing, and I could have a fun, fresh start in La Vida Beach. I was such a gullible idiot.”

“No, you weren’t,” I insisted. “He was a predator, and you were grieving.”

“That’s the same thing my sisters and my besties tell me,” she sighed. “I can’t imagine what you must think of me.”

That physically made my heart hurt to hear her say that. I pulled into the rest stop that was just ahead of me. “Let’s take a walk.”

?

The early afternoon Colorado sun peeked from behind a spattering of soft white clouds. We started down one of the walking trails, and the echoes of cars and people had quieted to a gentle hush. Only the rhythmic crunch of their footsteps on the gravel path broke the silence.

We walked slowly, side by side, close but not touching each other. Gabbie’s words still hung in the air between us, fragile and triggering. She kept her eyes ahead, hands tucked deep into her sweater pockets. I held tight to Ollie’s leash as he pranced around us, exploring. My heart thudded loud enough that I was sure she could hear it.

“You know,” I said, breaking the silence. “The last time I heard those words was from my mom. My dad was so verbally abusive to her. He cheated and then would gaslight her. And it would piss me off so bad. One day, I came home and found her drinking and crying. I knew it was about dad, and I yelled at her for putting up with him.”

Gabbie slowed, and I could feel her tense beside me without us even touching.

“My mom looked up at me and said, ‘I can’t imagine what you must think of me’. And it broke my heart. She’d never looked at me like that before.” I sighed. “So, at twelve years old, I learned I can’t judge what someone else is going through. I hugged herand told her I thought she was an amazing person who loved me.”

Gabbie stopped and looked at me.

I paused, too, one foot half-raised off the ground, before I turned to face her fully. Her eyes searched mine, not startled, not upset, just wide open as if she was seeing me, really seeing me.

“You were twelve?” she asked.

I nodded, throat tight. “Yup.”

She didn’t move for a moment, didn’t speak. She just watched me, as if she were processing something delicate and important. I resisted the urge to talk again, to fill the space. I wanted her to feel and know that there would be no judgment from me about her past choices.

“So, what do you think of me?” she asked frankly.

“I think you, Gabrielle Jones, are kind, brave, stubborn, and all around the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Inside and out.”

Then she smiled, a small and unsure smile, yet soft. Something in me eased.

I took a step closer. “I didn’t say it expecting anything,” I added quietly. “It’s just honestly what I think about you.”

Her gaze dropped to the ground for a second, then back up to mine as she stepped closer. There was no space between us.

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