Page 51 of Gabe (Blue Team #2)

“Our house,” she corrected and smiled. “Is already furnished and because my stuff isn’t good quality and wouldn’t fit with yours.”

“If you want your furniture, we’ll move it in and move mine out.”

“Yours is way nicer.”

“Don’t give a shit. If you like your stuff, move it in.

As long as your couch is comfortable I don’t care what it looks like.

Though, we're not switching out beds unless you have a California king and just to say, it was a bitch getting that mattress to the third floor so you’d need to convince me yours is heaven in mattress form. ”

“My bed is a queen and sucks,” she told me.

“Then chuck it or switch it for one of the guest bedrooms.”

There was a long stretch of silence and during this stretch, Evette’s body went solid.

“Babe?”

“You’re serious.”

“About what?”

“You don’t care all your stuff is better. Save the mattress, you’d let me move all my stuff here.”

“Can’t let you do anything when the home you’re talking about is yours.

What you need to understand is, while you think I’ve already given you everything, you’ve given me more.

I had this big house that didn’t mean a whole lot to me but today it does.

Just by you being in it you’ve given me a home.

Fill it with whatever you wanna fill it with.

All I care about is you being here with me. ”

“Now who’s being sweet?” she whispered.

The cushion two down from where I was sitting depressed, indicating my alone time with my woman was cut short.

This irritated me.

“So,” Owen drawled. “How’s it hanging?”

Evette giggled.

I did not.

“Leave.”

“Leave? Am I interrupting?” he continued, knowing damn good and well he was.

“You’ve made your point. So now you’re just pissing me off on purpose.”

“Me? You think I’d do that?”

“You know you would and you are,” Natasha joined. “Get up and leave them be.”

Owen didn’t get up. He reached out, grabbed Nat’s hand, and pulled her into his lap. Which jostled the couch and Evette. Pain ricocheted through my chest.

“Jesus,” I grunted. “Broken ribs, remember?”

“Crybaby,” Cooper jabbed as he joined the huddle.

“Fuck off.”

“Tsk. Tsk. Such bad language in front of beautiful women,” Coop continued.

“You know,” I started and looked at Owen. “You’re on to something. One day, when I pay Coop back I’m gonna make it oh-so-painful.”

“I’m sure we can play taser tag again, see if he can beat Myles’ time.”

“You mean laser tag?” Evette asked.

Natasha started to chuckle and she shook her head. “No, he means taser. Like a taser gun. Apparently, Gabe likes to play a little rough.”

“I never would’ve guessed that,” Evette quipped.

Try as I might I couldn’t stop the laughter. I regretted every painful second of it until I saw Evette’s beautiful brown eyes dancing with humor.

“Y’all are a vicious bunch. I’m rethinking my employment options.” Cooper shifted from foot to foot. “Here I thought I only had to worry about butthole torture and since I don’t plan to piss off Nat I figured I was safe. Now I gotta worry about Gabe ambushing me with a taser.”

“I’m never gonna live that down,” Nat grumbled.

“No one is ever safe when Gabe’s around,” Owen put in.

“I beg to differ,” Evette defended.

“He’s not lying, honey. If I get my shot I’m tasering Coop’s ass. Literally. I’m aiming for his ass.”

“You must have a butt fetish,” Evette mumbled. “As long as you don’t turn that my way it’s all good.”

She had no idea I would be turning my ass fetish her way and she’d be damn pleased when I did. Though I would not be bringing that up with our current company.

“Zane looks relaxed,” Coop noted.

My gaze went across the room where Zane was holding a squirming Eric while talking to Joe and Jenn.

“That’s because he got to threaten bodily harm and in doing so he got to get explicit in how he was going to remove Aviv Abrams’ spleen with his field knife before he cut his intestines out,” I told Coop.

“He didn’t really do that, did he?” Evette inquired.

It was on the tip of my tongue to lie to her but she needed to understand she was free and clear and safe.

“Aviv Abrams is crystal clear about what will happen to him if harm comes to you. Aviv’s seen the wisdom in keeping his distance. So, yes, Zane explained how evisceration would be a painful way to die.”

Evette made a hilarious grossed-out face and shook her head.

“Let's hope Aviv stays smart. That sounds messy and Ivy has expressed her dislike in removing bloodstains from Zane’s shirts. I’d like her not to get pissed at me if I was the cause of such an uncivilized task.”

I wisely didn’t tell her disembowelment wouldn’t lead to stain removal—too much blood .

“Now that the seal is broken does that mean we all now have an open invite to Casa De Gabe?” Owen asked.

“Nope. I won’t open the door if you show up unannounced.”

“I will,” Evette contradicted.

“They’re like stray dogs. You feed them and they’ll never leave,” I warned.

“Good.”

Natasha smiled at Evette and it hit me all that Evette was leaving behind.

She was close to Piper and Kalee. And while she was also close to Anaya she’d need more women around.

Natasha would be a good friend for her. So would the other wives from Gold and Red Team.

They’d pull her into the fold and make her feel welcome.

She’d make our house a home.

“You like cigars, son?”

I looked up from my tablet and found Joe standing in front of the couch I’d been ordered to stay put on.

“On occasion.”

“Then let this be one of those occasions.”

Joe didn’t wait for me to agree before he turned and started to make his way out to the sunroom.

It was late. Everyone had helped Jenn and Evette clean up then they loaded up and left.

I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy a cigar. I was dog-ass tired and every inch of me throbbed.

I wanted Evette to finish up her coffee and conversation with her mom and go to bed.

But it seemed Joe had something on his mind.

And since they were going home tomorrow I suspected I knew what that was.

Further, I knew I was going to get my ass off the couch and go talk with the man.

We hadn’t discussed Evette’s living arrangements directly. He’d spoken to his wife and daughter about it and by all accounts seemed good but that didn’t mean he was. Joe struck me as a man’s man so if he had an issue he’d take it up with me, not with Evette or Jenn .

Which I appreciated, just not while I felt like my head was going to split open and my ribs were sparking fire.

Still, I gingerly got up and joined Joe in the sunroom.

I closed the French doors, giving us privacy, and moved to the chair opposite him.

“I can see you’re in pain so I’ll make this short and will save the cigar for a time where we can enjoy them.”

“Appreciate that, Joe.”

“I’ll get right to it, then. I was out of line and wrong back at the hospital. Evette was right to say what she said and I’ve told her so. I need to extend my apologies to you and share my gratitude.”

“That’s unnecessary.”

“That’s bullcrap and we both know it. When a man’s stepped outta line he admits it and makes amends or he’s worthless.

But the type of man you are, I reckon you know that already.

I know tomorrow when I go home I’m leaving my girl in good hands.

And I want you to know I came to this conclusion before we got here.

It’s not lost on me with this house, you’ve got yourself some money.

You need to know that while I like knowing you have the means to look after her, I like more the way you do it.

It also wasn’t lost on me that when you woke up your first concern was for her.

I was just too bullheaded and scared to see it.

I trust Evette. So if she tells me you’re the man she loves and is going to one day marry then I trust that’s the case.

With that, I have some fatherly advice for you.

” Joe shifted in his seat and reached into his pocket and held his hand out. “This is for you.”

I lifted my hand, palm up, and a ring dropped from Joe’s grasp.

“Now, listen to me carefully. It took me thirty-two tries to get this right. When you ask my girl to marry you, you use that. You don’t, she’s gonna tell you no.”

I looked down at the simple gold band and my throat started to close.

Not with anxiety. I knew I was going to marry Evette.

And likely Jenn was not going to get to plan a huge, elaborate wedding because I wasn’t waiting for however long it took to plan a huge, elaborate wedding.

No, my throat was tingling because Joe had given me his blessing.

I hadn’t thought much about needing it but now that he’d given it I realized how badly I’d needed him to accept me.

“Thirty-two tries?”

“I asked my Jenn on our first date to marry me. She said no. I ask thirty more times before I complained to my father I couldn’t get her to say yes.

When I was done he slapped me on the back of my head, rummaged through my mother’s jewelry box, and gave me that.

My mother had been dead a good number of years by then.

That ring was hers. Then it was Jenn’s. Now I’d like you to give it to Evette and one day she can pass it to your daughter.

Even if you get her something that is hers it’d be an honor you ask her with that. ”

I cleared the emotion threatening to unman me and told him, “I’ll ask her with this.”

“Good. I appreciate your hospitality. Next time we come it will be under better circumstances and we’ll enjoy a cigar and shoot the shit. But now, you’re dead on your feet. Go grab your girl and get to bed. Jenn and I will lock up.”

“Growing up I didn’t have a dad.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“After he died things went to shit.”

Joe didn’t reply to that. Not that there was anything to say.

“Would’ve been good growing up with a man like you as my dad.”

Joe’s chin dipped to his chest and I continued.

“I know it would’ve been good because you gave all that you gave to Evette and made her who she is.

Thank you for that. Thank you for raising her to be strong and brave.

She saved my life, Joe. And she was able to do that because of the father you are.

She didn’t break down, she didn’t hide and wait for help.

I hated every damn second of it. But you should be proud. ”

“I am,” he mumbled.

“I love her and I promise I’ll make her happy.”

“All a father can ask.”

I said no more. Neither did Joe.

Then I left the sunroom, found Evette washing out her mug. When she was done I took her upstairs to bed .

That was the first night a house I’d lived in for years felt like my home.

And I slept in a bed with Evette close by and the ring that was her mother’s and grandmother’s before her in my nightstand waiting to be slipped onto Evette’s finger.

Soon.