Jacob's Ladder:Gabe(30)

Gabe wanted to try a relationship with me. Mr. Rich and Famous Country Star wanted to try a relationship with me-a small-town single mother whose glamorous career was running a collision business. Who wouldn't feel like she was tripping in some alternate universe?

"You're awfully quiet," Gabe said.

"Just thinking."

"About leaving Linc?"

I turned in my seat to smile at him. I couldn't help loving that he imagined my thoughts were on my son and not him. "Actually, I was thinking about you."

Gabe's brows shot up. "Dirty thoughts?"

With a roll of my eyes, I replied, "Not quite."

"Bummer." He momentarily took his eyes off the road to grin at me. "What were you thinking about me?"

"At the moment, I'm thinking my original impression of you being a sex fiend still rings true."

Gabe laughed. "For real though, what were you thinking about?"

"How surreal this all is, how I never imagined when I woke up this morning that I'd be seeing the Atlanta skyline a few hours later."

"No regrets?"

"None yet."

"Good. I was afraid you might be regretting leaving Linc."

"Although I'm always sad to be away from him, it's not like he's an infant or it's the first time we've been separated. He went to Boy Scout camp for a week this summer."

"And you did okay?"

"I might've cried the first few days … and the day I went to pick him up."

Gabe smiled at me. "He's a lucky kid to have a mom who cares about him so much."

"I'm sure he would argue that he's not so lucky his mom cares because she's always on his ass."

"He might not appreciate it now, but I'm sure he will when he gets older. I know I did, and that's coming from a guy who had an ultra-strict missionary mom."

"Ouch. I'm sure that was pretty intense."

"Micah and Abby were always these angel kids, the ones who sat perfectly still in church and never had a hair out of place or dirtied their clothes." He glanced over me. "Eli and I were hell on wheels, practically from birth."

I laughed at his summation. "Surely you weren't that bad."

"I'm pretty sure we gave our parents all the grey hairs they have."

Tilting my head in thought, I said, "Out of me and my sisters, I would have to say that me and Kennedy probably tie for giving my dad the most grey hairs. Ellie was just like Micah and Abby-she's never been in trouble a day in her life. I got pregnant at seventeen, and Kennedy fell in love with a married man while she was in culinary school in Paris."                       
       
           



       

Gabe whistled. "I'd say you guys were neck and neck there for biggest troublemaker."

"Thankfully, we both got our acts together, and we haven't given Dad too much grief since-besides the being unmarried part."

"Is your dad on your case to get married like my parents are?"

"Yes and no. Although he knows my sisters and I are capable of taking care of ourselves, he wants us to have families of our own. I think he really wants us to have what he didn't-a happy marriage."

"My parents want that for Eli and me. More than that, they'd like us on a more straight and narrow path." He winked. "Give up a life of sin."

"I wondered what your parents thought of your career."

"They think we're incredibly blessed to get to make a good living doing something we love. At the same time, they'd appreciate a little less drinking and a little less … " He grimaced.

"Whoring around?"

"That's one way to put it."

"I'm not naïve, Gabe. I'm aware of the type of lifestyle you have."

"Had."

"What?"

He took his gaze off the road again. "It's the life I had. I don't have it anymore."

Immediately, the gravity of what he was saying hit me. The lovesick teenage girl in me wanted to clasp her hand to her heart. Of course, the adult Rae, who had been burned too many times before, rolled her eyes at the teenage girl part. I was way too wise to merely take his word. "Old habits can be hard to break," I murmured.

"I agree, but it helps if you have a reason for making the change, and you're my reason."

Turning in the seat to face him, I countered, "While that is immensely flattering, I would argue that it's easy to utter the words, but it's the actual action of changing that speaks louder." When Gabe opened his mouth to argue, I wagged a finger at him. "Don't even tell me your actions speak for you. It's not like you've had any temptation holed up here in Hayesville."

Gabe shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. I'll have you know, I've had other offers, and not just from Rejune."

"Ew."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Hey, I'm just being honest."

"And so am I."

"What exactly do you think is going to happen? I'm going to go back out on the road and start banging women left and right?"

Just the thought of Gabe looking at another woman, let alone having sex with one, turned my stomach. It wasn't just about the fact that I had yet to have sex with him, but it was more about my growing feelings for him. "Maybe."

With a grunt, Gabe replied, "Wow, I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"I do think highly of you."

"Could have fooled me."

"I know you're first and foremost a man, and men have urges. You're also an extremely good-looking man who is surrounded by beautiful women who want nothing more than to fuck you."

"Yeah, and that's it."

"Which part?"

"The part about the women who just want to fuck me." Gabe threw a glance at me. "They only want me because I'm Gabe Renard of Jacob's Ladder, or they want me for my money, but you"-he gave me an earnest smile-"you want me for me."

"Yes, I do," I replied softly.

"And that right there is worth turning away every stray piece of ass who throws herself at me." Taking one of his hands off the wheel, he reached out for mine. "I don't want to destroy what's between us before it even has a chance."

I dropped my gaze from Gabe's eyes to his outstretched hand. Nibbling on my lip, I weighed his words along with the sincerity with which he had spoken them. Deep down, I knew nothing he had just said really soothed my fears of his infidelity. The fear of being cheated on and abandoned was deeply rooted in my childhood, and nothing that had happened in my adulthood had managed to lessen it.

"Don't take your past out on me," Gabe murmured.

Sucking in a breath, I replied, "How did you know I was thinking about that?"

"Because I know you, and I know your past. I can understand why you don't want to trust me."

I shook my head at him. "I want to trust you. It's just hard."

"Then just promise me you'll try."

I slipped my hand into his. "Okay, I'll try."

Gabe turned his head to smile at me. "Good." After bringing my hand to his lips, he kissed my knuckles. As his breath fanned against my skin, I battled the annoying romantic in me that wanted to swoon at the gesture.                       
       
           



       

After dropping my hand, Gabe motioned to a sign above us. "There's our exit."

"I can't believe we're already here."

"Me either. The drive from Jake's farm usually feels like it takes forever, and it was even longer this time."

"It's totally cheesy, but I'm going to say it anyway: I guess it was the company this time."

Gabe grinned. "I totally agree with that one."

Once we exited off the interstate, Gabe made a turn onto a side street then we pulled into the parking deck of a high-rise office building. It was exactly the kind of place I expected to house a recording studio.

"Are you sure they won't mind that you brought me along?" I asked as he eased the Jeep into a parking space.

"I don't give a shit if they do."

"But this is important to you and your band."

Gabe turned to stare intently at me. "You're important to me."

Slowly, I shook my head back and forth. "Once again, is this real life?"

With a laugh, Gabe replied, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, am I really in the car with a handsome and famous musician who considers me his muse? Things like this just don't happen to girls from Hayesville. Surely I'm going to wake up to find this has just been a dream."

"You think I'm handsome?" Gabe asked, batting his eyelashes teasingly.

Holding my finger and thumb slightly apart, I answered, "Just a little." When he playfully swatted my hand down, I added, "Okay, okay, I think you're very, very handsome."

"Damn straight. And sexy?"

"Very sexy."

"And well-hung?"

I cocked my head at him. "Sadly, I can't answer that one."

"You could take my word for it."

"I think it's better if I get firsthand knowledge before commenting on that."

Gabe leaned across the console. "What does firsthand knowledge entail?"