Page 87 of Loving Wild

“Stop,” I scream. “Please, please just stop.”

I’m not sure if he hears me, or he’s just out of energy, but Gabe falls to his knees. Chin to his chest, hands back in his hair, he stares at the ground.

The only sounds are the birds singing and Dani sobbing.

My guilt silences my tears as I watch on. Cooper helps Gabe to his feet and walks him to his car.

“I’ll send somebody back for his truck,” Coop calls over his shoulder. I watch as he pulls away, taking Gabe with him. Forgetting that Dani is even there, I flinch when she moves towards me.

Opening my arms, she steps into them, and we both cry.

Chapter 20

Lauren.

I’m sittingon a stool next to Dani at Jo’s kitchen bench when she gets home from work about an hour later.

Dani’s sipping on her second glass of wine while I’ve had nothing stronger than coffee.

We’ve not really said much. Dani told me how she found Gabe lying on his sofa this morning, music blaring so loudly over the sound system that he hadn’t heard her let herself in.

He’d then told her I’d moved out because I wasn’t over Jay—which I still don’t get—then he’d admitted to throwing the glass, and she’d lost her shit with him. She’d then phoned Coop to check with Jo where I was, that I was okay, and that I was safe. When Cooper had called Dani back and told her I was still at Jo’s, he’d also spoken to Gabe and made him promise not to bother me. Gabe then waited for her to be putting a load of laundry in the machine—the house was apparently a pigsty, and she’d had to call Gabe’s cleaner in to deal with the mess—then grabbed his keys and taken off. She’d immediately called Cooper back, then locked up at Gabe’s, and made her way here. By which time, Act 9059, Scene 385440, of the shit show that is my life, was unfolding on Jo’s driveway.

I’d been tempted to join Dani in a wine or several when she relayed all of this to me, but after necking almost an entire bottle of Prosecco before passing out earlier, I decided to abstain.

Jo’s brows are pulled down in a frown as I watch her come along the hallway into her kitchen from over my shoulder.

“Is that Gabe’s truck?” she asks.

“Yep,” I reply.

“Hey, Dan. Is he here?”

“Hey, Jo,” Dani says with a smile, Jo’s eyes now slicing between us.

“Nope,” I pop the p sound with my answer.

“Where is he? What’s happened? What’s gone on?”

I let out a sigh and look at Dani, but before either of us can answer, my phone rings with an unknown number.

“Hello,” I answer brightly, just in case it’s work-related.

“Hey, Lauren, it’s Jess.”

“Hey. Is he okay?”

“He’s showered, I cleaned up his knuckles, fed him, and he’s now sleeping in our spare room.”

I close my eyes, glad that he’s being looked after, wanting to be there with him, knowing it’s best if I stay away.

“Thanks, Jess. Were his hands bad?”

“I’ve seen worse. He’s just split the skin on his knuckles. They’ll be healed in a couple of days. How you doing?”

I let out a long sigh before answering. “I’m tired, Jess. I honestly don’t know what to do. I love him, but that’s the third time he’s become violent when we’ve argued . . .”

“Towards you? Please tell me he’s never . . .”