Triple Threat
Page 17
‘In other words, you were using me? Getting close to me so I’d feel obliged to take on your case?’
‘No, that’s not it.’
‘Then why? And why didn’t you tell me that day on the campus, when I told you about my own parents’ murder? Or the day we spent at Kuranda when I asked you what was wrong?’
‘I was selfish. You and your sisters are my last hope and I didn’t want you to say no. I was only thinking about what I wanted. I didn’t think about whether this would affect you—or your sisters. I’m so sorry.’
She swallowed and nodded.
A moment of silence passed between them, then Gabe said, ‘After the murder, we went to live with my grandparents. But neither of them were very well so they weren’t able to provide complete care for us. I had to grow up and be the man of the house. I was only fourteen when it happened. Camille was eleven and Jean-Paul was seven.’
‘Oh, geez. That is so young.’
She’d thought being twenty was hard, but barely out of childhood would have been difficult.
‘It was. Can you see why I need answers?’
‘I can.’
‘And can you understand why I behaved the way I did?’
A touch of conflict remained. He’d lied to her. That, she couldn’t ignore. But she could understand why he’d come looking for them in person. They would have ignored him if he’d tried to contact them online. And, she, better than most people, understood his drive to get answers. She and her sisters had been the same. Three years they’d spent relentlessly pursuing their parent’s murderer.
She nodded, ‘I can … but are you prepared for the answer?’
‘What do you mean?’
She drew in a breath. ‘My parents were killed by a narcissist with psychopathic tendencies who’d wormed her way into my mother’s life and pretended to be her best friend. All because she’d developed a fatal attraction for my father. She was very convincing and charming when she needed to be.’
She paused, as the pain of her past washed over her. The amount of times she’d let the woman into her parents’ home afterward; the times she’d let her comfort her when she was crying over their loss. It made her skin crawl to think about now.
Gabe clasped his hand over hers. She let him.
She swallowed a hard lump down before continuing. ‘She’d concocted this fantasy life and convinced herself that Dad was going to leave my mum for her. She couldn’t handle it when Mum and Dad announced they were going to get remarried for their twenty-first wedding anniversary. When she confronted them about it, there was an argument. She pulled out a gun …’
A tear trickled down her cheek.
Gabe shot her a compassionate look and wiped the tear away. ‘I’m sorry that happened, Elizabeth.’
She nodded and regained her composure, before asking, ‘Are you ready for that?’
‘I am.’
‘All right, I’ll have a chat to Carrie and Nina.’
He gave her hand a pat, ‘You don’t have to do that.’
‘It’s okay. I want to.’
He gave her a whimsical smile, ‘Thank you. I know I’ve hurt you and—’
She pulled away, and stood up. ‘I should find my sisters.’
He jumped up and held her hands in his, stopping her where she was.
In a tentative voice, he said, ‘Wait. Is there any chance we can work this out? I will do anything.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Please … my sweet Elizabeth.’
My sweet Elizabeth.
Her chest tightened. But not in the usual constrictive, yucky way it had when other men had called her pet names. Her mind flashed back. She’d never felt this way about a man so quickly before. How many times had she thought about what they had being different? A hint of doubt remained.
He obviously saw it. He took a step closer to her. ‘I know I’ve broken your trust, but I mean it when I say I will do anything to make this right.’
She sucked in a deep breath, then nodded. ‘All right. I’ll give you another chance.’ When he beamed, she added, ‘But you have to earn my trust back. I require one hundred per cent honesty from now on or we’re done. There won’t be a third chance.’
‘I understand and agree.’ There was a moment of clear hesitation.
‘What is it?’
‘Can I … kiss you?’
Her gaze flicked to his lips before she could stop it. The previous sensations she’d experienced when his lips had been pressed to hers filled her body with pleasure. She heard herself whimper, ‘Yes.’
He closed the remaining space between them and landed a soft, tender kiss to her mouth.
A moment later, he pulled away and smiled. ‘I’ve missed these lips.’
She laughed.
His expression turned sombre as he said, ‘I’ve missed you too.’
‘Same.’
‘Should we get out of here? Grab a coffee?’
‘Can we go to Café Au Lait?’
He grinned, ‘Of course.’
As he clasped his hand around hers, she let her thoughts wander. She’d been right when she’d sensed that The One was coming to her. She’d just needed to open her eyes—and her heart—to see it. She paused for a moment. Since she’d been correct about everything else, that meant there were men coming for her sisters too. This time next year, the three of them would be madly in love. Even Carrie. She giggled. They wouldn’t believe her if she told them.
Gabe looked at her, ‘Everything okay?’
She smiled, ‘Everything is perfect. At least, it will be soon.’
The End.
Thanks for reading Triple Threat. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage www.fallinlovewithleigh.com, follow me on Twitter @AKLeighAuthor, or like my Facebook page www.facebook.com/AuthorAKLeigh.
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You’ve just read a book in my Farris Triplets series. The other books in this series are Triple Terror and Triple Trouble.
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ISBN: 9781489241016
Title: Triple Threat
Copyright © 2017 by AK Leigh
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