Page 130 of Loving Wild

Gabe had argued with her at first, saying he didn’t think it was a good idea for her to be here, but I’d taken Ava’s side, telling him that I felt she needed the closure, and we’d eventually gotten our way. She’s tucked between us now, our hands clasped together behind her back as we watch the first funeral car pull up with Joe’s coffin inside.

Gabe’s head snaps around to look at me, his eyes and mouth wide as he shakes it.

“I can’t . . . I can’t do this.” His grip on my hand is gone as his entire body drops down to a squat, his hands joined together in a prayer pose and pressed the length of his face.

“I can’t do this,” he repeats. “I don’t wanna be here.”

“Daddy.” Ava sobs before turning into me.

Dani appears at my side and pries Ava’s arms from around my middle, wrapping her in her own arms.

“Go to him,” she says quietly, but before I can move, his cousin Cal reaches him and drops to his level. I stand back and watch as he puts his hands on each of Gabe’s shoulders and talks quietly to him.

Callum lost his own father, Joe’s younger brother, in a terrorist attack in Bali a few years ago, and that’s when he’d stepped up and taken custody of his little sister.

After a few moments, both men stand. Cal moves to one side of Gabe and gestures for me to move into the other.

Gabe’s arm instantly slides across my back. He pulls me into him and kisses the top of my head. His entire body vibrates against me as he whispers, “I’m sorry, I’m so . . .”

“Do not be sorry,” I cut him off. Angry that he even feels the need to apologise. “You do whatever you need to do to get through the day. I’ll be right here, every step of the way, to help you do it.”

I reach up and touch my hand to his face. He shaved this morning, making it one of the first times I’d ever seen his face that smooth. I didn’t like it, and I’m grateful now to feel and see his dark stubble already apparent on his jaw and cheeks.

“I love you,” I tell him. “You’ve got this.” He nods as his eyes dart all over my face. I don’t know what he’s looking for, but I hope he finds it in the look I give back to him.

“You’ve got this, baby,” I reaffirm with a quick nod.

And we do. Despite the blows that keep coming our way, I know that together, we can survive them all.

I just wish that they’d stop lining themselves up to take us down.

Chapter 25

Gabe.

Lauren has been sleepingin since the accident. She’s never been much of a morning person, but the last few weeks she’s still been sleeping when I’ve left for work and has crashed on the sofa most nights by eight.

The doctors warned us that for both her and Ava, tiredness and forgetfulness would likely be an issue.

We’re at five weeks post-accident. Ava’s doing great and went back to school last Monday. Her biggest issue has been her hair, but because of the way it was done, with her top layers lifted out of the way and only the underneath shaved, you’d have no idea it was there unless you knew about it.

Life has slowly gone back to what is now our new normal. I’ve spent more time with my family than I ever have, and we’ve spent the past weeks processing the contents of Dad’s will.

Jackie got the house in Brighton and a substantial lump sum. The old family home down here on the peninsula was left to me, my brothers, and my sister back when Mum died, as it’s her own old family home, and Dad has now left us the house up on the lake as well as the house up in Queensland, and two apartments we didn’t even know he owned in the city. All of these as well as his share in the business, and all his other assets, are to be split equally between us four kids, the grandkids also each receiving ten grand now, and another fifty when they turn twenty-five.

We aren’t mega-rich, but we’re set for life, and if we look after the foundations Dad and my mum’s dad laid, then our kids will be too.

Lauren planted a seed of an idea in my head about the old family home, and as today is Saturday, Ava has gone to her mum’s for the weekend, and we have some alone time, I want to discuss this idea further with Lauren . . .whenshe finally wakes up.

I went out early for a surf with Zac this morning and ran the idea by him. He agrees it’s a good one. Since I got home, I’ve showered, then made us the coffees I’m just setting down on the chest of drawers on Lauren’s side of the bed, and she still hasn’t stirred.

Lifting the doona, I’m about to slide in beside her when I notice blood on the white sheets. It’s not dark, but there are streaks of it all over the sheet and one running across Lauren’s arse cheek.

“What the fuck?” I question out loud.

Lauren turns her head, auburn hair everywhere, and blinks a couple of times before finally focusing on me.

“Hey,” she croaks out. Looking and sounding as sexy as fuck.