Chapter 45
Gabriel
“Exactly.” I take a big gulp of my drink. “She did come to see me weeks later, and I wouldn’t *see her because I was in meetings and…”
“Don’t make excuses, she should have told you. That is need–to–know information.”
Lexhale heavily. “I know.”
“Oh my god.” Her eyes search mine. “You have children?” I nod sadly.
“Don’t be sad, this is wonderful.” She takes my hand over the table.
“What did Ariana say?”
“I didn’t tell her.”
“What?” she snaps. “Why not?”
“Because Violet doesn’t want me in their lives.”
She stares at me, horrified. “So?”
“She’s told everyone that they were conceived using IVF and donor sperm and she asked that if I can’t be a devoted father then to step aside and leave them be. She doesn’t want
them missing an absent father.”
“Oh.” Her eyes hold mine. “How do you feel about that?”
I shrug. “It’s for the best. I’m a workaholic who lives in New York. These children are eight hours away and…” My voice trails off. “They can’t miss what they don’t know.”
She slumps back in her chair and thinks for a moment. “What are they like?”
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have photos.” I open my phone and swipe through to a photo I took of Lucia at the game. This is Lucia.” I pass the phone over and Claire smiles as she looks at it
“Look at her, she’s beautiful,” she coos.
“You’ve never seen a more gorgeous child, Claire.” I smile proudly. “So smart and sweet.”
Claire smiles sadly. “And the boy?”
I swipe through my phone again, I took a few photos of photographs that were in frames on the mantle, I knew I would want to look at them later. “This is Dominic.” 1 pass the phone back to her and she gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. Her eyes rise to meet mine. “He’s so…”
“Like me.” I finish her sentence. “A total little prick.”
She giggles. “Really?”
“Ugh.” I sip my drink. “Totally unmanageable. We fought the first time we met.”
“Oh.” She puts her hand over her heart as she swoons. “They are so beautiful.”
I sip my drink and put my hand up for another.
“Strong children need strong parents, Gabriel,” she says. “If you want to be in their lives, don’t let Violet dictate what you can and can’t do.”
“But…”
“No buts. They can come visit and vice versa. Why do you think it has to be all or nothing
“Violet said…”
“Fuck Violet,” she spits, “I’m sorry, you are their father, this isn’t all about her.”
“But it is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wha
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Thesitate before letting the next sentence leave my lips. “I can’t see Violet and not want her. If I see them, I have to see her, and I can’t be married to one woman while wanting
mother.”
Her eyes widen as she finally begins to understand the full complexities of the situation.
“You still have feelings for her?” she whispers.
“It’s like she never left. She’s all I think about, I’m dreaming of her. I nearly called Ariana by
the wrong name while having sex the other day because in my head I was with Violet. I lie
in bed beside my sweet, beautiful fiancée while I think about a woman who has been lying
.to me for seven years, Violet fucking Coleman.”
“Oh fuck.” She stares at me. “Oh hell. This is bad. This is so bad, Gabriel. Your wedding to
Ariana is in three weeks.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” I whisper angrily. “I’m the worst person on earth. I’m
deserting my own children because I know I can’t not want their mother.”
She holds her temples and then puts her hand up for the waiter. “I need wine for this
Conversation.”
I steeple my hands in front of my mouth as I think. “Why would this happen now when I’ve
been so happy? For the first time in my life, I finally have my shit together.”
She twists her lips as she thinks. “Tell me about Violet.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I fume. “She’s insufferable and a liar. A total smart–ass
She hates me, everything that comes out of her mouth is sarcastic and infuriating. Not to
mention the worst cook, you have no idea how bad the food is, Claire, it would literally kill a
dog. She has this terrible house in the middle of nowhere with knitted cushions and all
kinds of random bullshit furnishings and she wears gym clothes around and you can see
every single curve of her ass. She smells like a walking wet dream and I had to wank in her
bed because I’m perverted and I’ve never met a more fucking infuriating woman,” I blurt
out in a rush.
Claire stares at me, horrified. “You’re still in love with her.”
Tam not in love with her,” I spit. “I’m attracted to her, big difference.”
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apter
Thesitate before letting the next sentence leave my lips. “I can’t see Violet and not want her. I see them, I have to see her, and I can’t be married to one woman while wanting
mother.”
Her eyes widen as she finally begins to understand the full complexities of the situation.
“You still have feelings for her?” she whispers.
“It’s like she never left. She’s all I think about, I’m dreaming of her. I nearly called Ariana by the wrong name while having sex the other day because in my head I was with Violet. I lie in bed beside my sweet, beautiful fiancée while I think about a woman who has been lying
to me for seven years, Violet fucking Coleman.”
“Oh fuck.” She stares at me. “Oh hell. This is bad. This is so bad, Gabriel. Your wedding to
Ariana is in three weeks.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” I whisper angrily. “I’m the worst person on earth. I’m
deserting my own children because I know I can’t not want their mother.”
She holds her temples and then puts her hand up for the waiter. “I need wine for this
conversation.”
I steeple my hands in front of my mouth as I think. “Why would this happen now when I’ve
been so happy? For the first time in my life, I finally have my shit together.”
She twists her lips as she thinks. “Tell me about Violet.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I fume. “She’s insufferable and a liar. A total smart–assi
She hates me, everything that comes out of her mouth is sarcastic and infuriating. Not to mention the worst cook, you have no idea how bad the food is, Claire, it would literally kill a
dog. She has this terrible house in the middle of nowhere with knitted cushions and all
kinds of random bullshit furnishings and she wears gym clothes around and you can see every single curve of her ass. She smells like a walking wet dream and I had to wank in her bed because I’m perverted and I’ve never met a more fucking infuriating woman,” I blurt
out in a rush.
Claire stares at me, horrified. “You’re still in love with her.”
Kam not in love with her,” I spit. “I’m attracted to her, big difference.”
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You were in love with her when she worked for you.”
No.
“Yes you were. Remember you admitted it to me once, you said that you purposely paraded other women around in front of her so that she hated you.”
“I did not.”
“Because you knew that if she liked you the same way that you liked her, that you stood no chance of resisting her.” I drag my hand down my face in disgust. “Tell me about Ariana,” she asks. I shrug sadly. “Ariana is a good person.” She listens.
“She loves me.”
“If Ariana hadn’t proposed to you, would you have ever proposed to her?”
I clench my jaw, hating my answer. “Probably not.”
“Didn’t think so.” She continues. “If Vee was Italian and you and her dated back then, would
you have proposed to her?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to hurt Ariana. She is the nicest person I know; she doesn’t deserve
this.”
“You can’t marry someone because they are nice, Gabriel. You can’t marry someone to not
hurt them. Marrying her while you have feelings for someone else is more painful. How can you possibly think that this marriage is going to work?”
“I get married in three weeks,” I whisper angrily. “It is too late to…” “Call it off?” She cuts
me off.
“Yes.”
I stay silent as I think.
“Tell me this, Gabriel…if you marry Ariana, can you honestly tell me that you will never think of your children and Vee again? Are you going to regret this for the rest of your life?”
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The thought of never seeing Lucia and Dominic again hurts my heart and her silhouette
blurs.
We sit for a moment as we ponder over everything.
“If you are calling off this wedding, you need to do it today. Do not put Ariana through
being stood up in the week of the wedding. She deserves better than that.”
“I’m not calling off the wedding,” I snap. I tip my head back and drain my glass. “I’m a man
of my word. I’m marrying Ariana just like I said I would.”
“Fine,” she snaps.
“Fine,” I fire back.
“I’m not coming to your wedding.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t watch you make the biggest mistake of your life.”
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