Break Me (The Summer Series) (18 page)

Twenty-Three

Gemma

There was a knock on the door that
had Gemma rolling over to face the wall. “Kate, don’t be ridiculous. You don’t
have to knock—”

“It’s not Kate. May I have a word?”

Gemma sat up to face her father, wiping her
hands under her eyes to hide the evidence of tears. “S-Sure.”

“Don’t waste your time.” He smiled. “I smelled
the peanut butter cookies.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m a predictable
being.” She tried to smile, but it fell short.

“You okay, baby?” He walked over and sat by her
feet on the bed. She shook her head “no” as she said “yes” and a whimper escaped.
He dove in with what he came to her room to say. It became obvious to her after
the fact that he knew if he didn’t just say it he never would. “Did you know
that your mom was the first person to ever get me to try sushi?” Gemma looked
up at him, confused, but didn’t interrupt, so he took that as the go-ahead and
continued. “She also introduced me to wine, J.R.R. Tolkien, and peanut-butter-flavored
ice cream. Gemma sat up straighter and looked at her father, confused. “When we
met, I had just broken up with Karen because I was too young to settle down. I
mean I literally remember thinking to myself
who meets the person they’re
supposed to be with when they’re still in high school?
I had also just
decided I wanted to be a writer. I had figured out I wanted out of the small
town America life that was before me if I stayed where I was, and then, like a
beacon, there she was in all her glory. I wanted an adventure, and, baby, your
momma was definitely an adventure.

“The first time we met I was at my first art
show, staring at some black-and-white blob of a painting and trying not to
laugh. She walked up, told me I was looking at it wrong, and then walked away.”
He shook his head and laughed, lost in a memory. “I was so hooked I barely saw
another painting after that. I was too busy looking for the gorgeous brunette
with the eyes that could melt my very soul.”

Gemma hugged her knees to her chest and looked
at him in confusion and a little bit of awe. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you need to hear that I loved her, that
I wanted her, and, yes”—he shrugged—“we rushed into things way too fast and we
never should have gotten married, but I
did
love her. She was supposed
to be my story, you know? The one that changed me and made me the man I am
today? But then we did get married, and then I got you, and there is nothing in
the world you could say or do to make me regret that. You are my gift, the
miracle I never deserved. You are
my
girl. I mean Kate has absolutely no
interest in writing. She doesn’t have that desire to understand everything
around her as we do. And Gray likes the writing, but he doesn’t have that deep soul
that has almost too much feeling like the two of us. You though . . .” He
smiled at her as he reached out to squeeze her hand. “I watch you, and I see
the best things about me and the best things about your mom and absolutely no
bad.

“One day I’m scared I’ll have to pay for it,
you know? I did this terrible thing: hurt you and your mom. How did I deserve
to have my cake and eat it too, all that, you know? One day I will have to pay
for my sins.” He wiped his eyes. “I can’t regret it, though. Watching you grow,
especially this last year, has been the greatest blessing of my life.”

Tears filled and threatened to spill over
Gemma’s lids. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this?” she cried out.

“Because I’m a coward. Because I figured it
wouldn’t matter to you. You hated me so much. Because it meant admitting to
someone that, at times, I regretted my decisions. I’m a fool, Gemma. And I’m
so, so sorry for it.”

She nodded at him, letting him know she would
eventually find a way to let those sins go as well. Her father cleared his
watery throat, and she could tell there was more. “I spoke to Abe.”

“What?” She shot up off the bed.

“He called. Actually, he’s called a lot. To
check on you.”

“What? When? I don’t understand?” she cried.

“He loves you. He needed to know you were okay,
but you were done with him, so he asked me to keep it quiet. I’m the one who told
him when we were coming. That’s how the gifts were there when they needed to
be.” He was all but begging her to stay calm with his eyes, but her fuse, which
had been lit earlier, struggled. “I know this may piss you off, and hey, we’ve
recovered from worse mistakes I’ve made, but, Gemma, I think you two need to
talk. I’m a little older. Maybe that gives me perspective. But the story . . . It
doesn’t add up. How does a guy that can’t even remember an entire night have
sex? Usually if we get that bad we aren’t exactly . . . effective.”

“Oh, GOD, Dad . . .” She cringed and looked
toward the ceiling.

“I’m just saying.” He lifted his hands in
defense. “Also, two or three drinks? That’s all he remembers? Yeah right. There
is no way he wouldn’t have a little more recollection than that. And finally,
that boy has loved you with his entire being for a year with absolutely no hope
for you to come back. Are you trying to tell me he would cheat?”

“You really think it’s all a mistake?” She
tried to force herself back to calm, but the possibilities he was putting in
her head, those possibilities she had fought herself on for a year, were there,
climbing to the surface.

“I don’t know, baby, but I think there’s more
going on than either of you realize.” He stood and pulled Gemma into a hug. “I love
you, my precious jewel,” he said before he turned and walked out her door.

As he walked away, something hit her. She ran
to her Kindle and pulled up her Dad’s first best seller, using the search tool
to find the words, “precious jewel.” There, at least fifty times throughout the
story, the main character referred to the biggest mistake of his life, the
night he walked away and left his precious jewel behind, his gem. She sat back
on her bed, sobbing for the first time in a year over something that had
nothing to do with Abe.

~~~

Kate walked in about thirty minutes
later with a platter full of cookies and two large glasses of milk. “Eat up,
princess.” She set the tray down on the dresser and made her way to the
bathroom where Gemma was working in front of the mirror. “Whoa! Look at you.”
Kate exclaimed as she walked in and saw an impressively made up Gemma

“Yeah, I was thinking . . .” Gemma’s face
flushed and Kate’s eyes grew.

“Beach Party?!” Kate bounced up and down.

“Beach Party.” Gemma giggled.

“Hells yeah!” Kate took off for her closet to
pick out an outfit.

~~~

They decided to let Gray come along
for fear that they may need backup if Megan were present. He was thrilled, but
both girls warned him about drinking too much. They absolutely would not take
the fall for him just because they did something nice by bringing him along. He
promised to keep it low key before they headed out the door. When they walked
up to the beach party, they stopped to go over a quick recap of the mission. Gemma
wanted answers, and it was high time she got them. They decide to divide and conquer
based on the size of the party, two combing around the outside and one through
the middle. As Gemma searched somewhat frantically, not willing to admit how
much hope her father’s talk had given her, Trey walked up behind her and nudged
her before he asked for a minute of her time.

“Um, actually, I’m kind of looking for Abe.”

“Oh,” he said, surprised. “Have you talked to
him again today, then?”

“No.” She gave him a confused look. “Why?”

She was barely paying attention to Trey. She
was too busy looking out of the corner of her eye for Abe as Trey rambled on
about something. Then, something brought her back to the person standing in
front of her; she slowly registered what he was saying. “I just told Abe not
that long ago. I’m so sorry. She knew about some stuff I did that just seems
stupid now. So I let her manipulate me into helping. We saw there was no way
you would be the one to cheat with me after that morning I stopped by.” Something
in Gemma slowed. Trey was no longer a figure standing in her way; his words
began to sink in and stick. “So she slipped it in a shot, and seriously, Gemma,
he didn’t have a chance.”

Her heart rate sped up. The main point of this
conversation became clear. It was all a lie; everything about that night had
been a lie. Trey continued, “I carried him to the room for her when he finally
passed out all the while mumbling your name. Megan was pissed. She still is. I just
. . . I couldn’t keep it in anymore. I’m so sorry, Gemma.” He grabbed her arm
and turned her to face him. “He knows; he’s looking for you.”

And as soon as he said it, she saw Abe. Flames
and people danced between them. The glow that filled the air made the determination
on his face almost scary, threatening. She shivered in anticipation, this time
knowing for a fact it was he who caused it. He set out across the beach,
strides so long he cut the distance in no time. Her heart picked up, and her
breathing became erratic. She started toward him as well, almost intimidated by
the intensity in his eyes. And then they collided. His arms wrapped dangerously
tight around her middle as he lifted and carried her backwards with his
momentum. His lips collided with hers and drove her head back. Instinctively,
her legs wound their way around his waist for fear if they didn’t she would
cause them both to fall. She could faintly hear Kate’s excited squeal and a few
catcalls, but she didn’t care. When he finally pulled back, he stared into her
eyes. “A year, an entire, miserable year without you. A year of fighting to
breathe because I had lost my air. All because I was too stupid to look at the
facts that day.”

“Stop,” she cried. “Oh, God, please stop. I
have wasted too much time without you, without your lips and your heart. I need
that now, nothing else. We’ll kick ourselves for being idiots later, but
please, right now, just ki—” She didn’t even get to finish.

~~~

He didn’t stop until they were at his
apartment. He’d carried her, their lips still connected, to the car and climbed
in, keeping her connected to him as he drove. The danger didn’t register for
either of them. He kept one hand on the wheel while the other worked her thigh
and his lips trailed her neck, all while his eyes stayed on the road. When he
pulled into his spot and threw the car in park, she jolted
forward
with the force. He immediately reached up and pulled her head back
down, connecting them. She reached down and pulled his shirt up over his head,
separating their lips only long enough for the shirt to pass between them. As
soon as she could, she had his mouth against hers again and was working them
together even harder than before.

“Abe.”

“What, baby?” He clenched his teeth already
struggling with his self-control.

“I need you.
I need to hold you and know
that this is real. That I really have you back
.” She pulled
away
and looked into his eyes, begging for something a little more meaningful than
making out in the front seat of his car
. “I have waited an entire
year to feel you
close
, to have you all to myself
again.
Please, get out of this car and take me to your apartment
.”

With that she pushed the door open and climbed
out while
making sure
the straps on her dress
were
still in
place. She didn’t even wait for him as she made her
way to his apartment. He recovered quickly and was right behind her by the time
she was at the door. He grabbed her hand, nearly jerking her around as he
changed her course and pulled her after him around the building and to the stairs.
“Don’t live there anymore. Ryan took the apartment when he started helping
Gramps.” She didn’t even respond, staring at the lock on the door, waiting on
him to get them inside. He unlocked the door and pushed it aside but grabbed
her and pulled her back flush to his front before she could enter. “God, I have
missed everything about you.” He walked them forward into the room and led her
to the nearest wall, kicking the door shut behind him. When he started to kiss
down her body, she lost control of everything for a moment, giving into the
sensations he was bringing to life. Sensations that she thought were gone,
never to return.

“Abe.” She moaned as he continued to drive her
crazy. “Please.”

Reluctantly pulling away, he picked her up and
carried her down the hall. Gemma put her lips to his neck and kissed him from
collarbone to jaw as he walked. She fought tears of joy at the intimacy this
small, silly act evoked and shook with anticipation of what was ahead.

She had missed him. This moment wasn’t
going to be
about the sex; it was about them, finding their
way back to one another. It was about assurance.
She would say no that
night. Not for lack of love. She knew that could never be an excuse for them,
it was for need of reassurance. She needed to talk to him. To remember him. To
reconnect to him. And to kiss him. She definitely needed to kiss him.

Abe spread her out on the middle of his bed and simply stared at
her for a moment. She blushed under his scrutiny. When he climbed up on the bed
next to her, rational set in and her hand shot forward, stopping him before he
lowered his lips to hers once more. “Abe,” she whispered, “I can’t. Not
tonight. I need time.”