Page 35 of This Kind of Forever

I pace the length of the living room as I wait for Gabe to get home from work. I messaged him to ask where he was, and he said he was on his way, but that feels like hours ago now.

The pit in my stomach grows steadily bigger.

Finally, the front door opens. I all but sprint into the hall, catching Gabe off guard. He eyes me warily as he removes his boots.

“We need to talk.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” he jokes, but it falls flat when I don’t smile. My stomach is too twisted up to do that. “Alright, we can talk. Can I shower first?”

I shake my head. “Talk first.”

I’ve been rehearsing what I’m going to say all afternoon. If I don’t get it out now, I fear I never will. Then I’ll have to think ofsome other way to get myself out of this mess. This big, messy mess.

Gabe follows me into the living room and sits on the couch. I resume my post in front of the coffee table. I don’t pace this time, though. Instead, I cross my arms over my chest, only to uncross them a second later.

What am I supposed to do with my hands?

Gabe leans forward, bracing his elbows on his thighs. I try to ignore how hot he looks in that position. “Alright, Foster. What’s up? You’re starting to worry me.”

“It’s nothing…bad.” Or is it? It’s arguably notgood. “I suppose you haven’t heard who the gossip mill’s latest victims are?”

He raises a brow. “No. Who is it?”

“Us.”

“Us?” He points between us. “You and me?”

“Yes, Gabriel. It turns out your daughter said something to her teacher that has been making the rounds.”

He sits upright at that. “What did she say?”

I sigh. “For some reason, she told her teacher that we’re going to get married.”

“You’re sure she said us? Not Larissa and Chris?”

Shrugging, I say, “Carole was pretty convinced. She does yoga with Abbie’s teacher, so she was all too thrilled to learn about this and then run into me at Dockside.”

Gabe runs a hand down his face as he leans back against the couch cushions. “I’m sorry. She probably got confused because her mom and Chris are moving in together, too. I’ll talk to her. And Carole. She can undo whatever damage she’s done in the past twelve hours.”

I bite my lip as I look down at my feet. “About that…” Inhaling a deep breath, I meet his gaze. “My father was there when Carole dropped the bomb.”

He grimaces. “Shit. At least you could have a good laugh. Break the ice.”

“Um, yeah, we would have. If I had told him it was a mistake.”

Gabe’s eyebrows shoot halfway up to his hairline. “You didn’t tell him? Why?”

“Because I froze,” I admit. Saying it out loud sounds even more pathetic than I already knew it was. “You should’ve seen his face, Gabe! He looked so hopeful, like he hit the do-over jackpot. Getting to know me in time for me to get married? He was so happy.”

“Hallie, I’m sure he’ll understand,” Gabe says. “Hell, he doesn’t have a right to be mad about anything when it concerns you.”

“But what if I didn’t?” I whisper. “What if we just…pretend?”

He shoots out of his seat then, looking at me like I have ten heads. It would explain my wooziness—too many heads, not enough blood.

“You want me topretendto be your fiancé?”

The expression on his face makes my stomach twist again. He looks pained, like the very thought of being engaged to me is too much to bear. That stings, but I swallow the hurt.