Page 41 of The Billionaires' Gamble

She presses a hand over his heart, shaking her head. “Don’t even worry about us. We’ll be fine. Take care of your team.”

Cupping his cheek, she stretches up and pulls him down for a quick kiss. “Love you. Be careful.”

There’s a funny pang in the region of my heart.

He cups her cheeks between his hands, his skin in contrast to hers. “Yoube careful.” He drops a kiss against her lips. “Love you.”

Alex nods at Gabe and me and then strides off. Katherine follows him to the door.

They’re to theI love yousalready.

Huh.

I mean, I love Katherine. She worked her way under my skin years ago. But this is different. Those whispered words speak of deeper feelings. Once again, emotions roll through me that I have trouble naming. All I know is I want that, for me and her. I want to be able to say those words out loud, without fear or second-guessing myself or worrying about all the things that could go wrong.

Once Alex has gone and Katherine comes back for her coffee, I realize just how little Gabe has said about everything. I watch him watch her, trying in vain to figure out what he’s thinking.

“What a mess,” Katherine mumbles to her mug.

I turn back to the machine and start making a fresh cup. “Can I get you one, G?”

Gabe nods. “Thanks.”

“I hope his guy is okay,” Katherine says, sounding a thousand miles away.

Me too. Alex seemed genuinely concerned, which doesn’t surprise me. He’s a good guy. Honest to a fault. It’s easy to see why Gabe sticks to him like fly paper.

As soon as the espresso is ready, I pour it into two mugs. “You want a latte or straight up?”

“Better make it a latte,” he says. Then to Katherine, “Why would your mother need your inheritance to buy out Cort?”

There’s a long pause, and I swear I can feel Katherine rolling answers around in her brain like marbles. Finally, her coffee cup settles onto the counter.

“That’s a good question. If I had to wager, I’d say that she’s burned too many bridges. She and my grandfather both made deals that earned them enemies. I doubt she could raise the funds because of that.”

I hand Gabe his coffee and note the tic in his jaw.

“Her grandfather was a predator, but you already knew that,” I say softly.

“She honestly thinks you’d just give her the money?” he asks.

I slide in next to him and rest a reassuring hand on his back.

“Apparently,” she says.

“Why?”

He sounds utterly baffled. But then, he knows how families are. His parents expected him to toe the line, fall into step behind his brothers, and do his chores without question. The Chanlers aren’t that much different. Except their farm is inside four stone walls with a fleet of tellers instead of cows.

“She thinks she molded me in her image and that I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

“Win?” I ask.

She gives a single nod, hands circling her mug. “I’m sure Grandfather wanted to buy out his partner. That’s just who he was. Controlling to a fault. But the Cort family stopped playing his games a long time ago. As far as I can tell, they’ve kept their noses clean.”

“But Henry didn’t.”

She stares at Gabe. He stares at his coffee. “Henry didn’t.”