Page 50 of This Kind of Forever

“What?” I squeak.

“You know, his person. His go-to. His girl?—”

“I know what you mean, but that’s not— We’re not—” I cut myself off. “Gabe and I are friends.”

She laughs. “I get it, Hallie. I’m sorry, I was just teasing.”

My cheeks heat, but I offer her a smile so she knows I didn’t take offence. “Thanks again for the ride.”

“You’re welcome.” Delilah holds out her phone. “Here, give me your number. I’m surprised Clara hasn’t added us to a group chat yet, but we can fix that.”

I type my number in, then hand her phone back. A quick glance out the windshield shows the rain isn’t letting up anytime soon. “Are you okay to get home? I’m sure Gabe wouldn’t mind if you came inside for a bit.”

She nods. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay. I have to relieve Sophia’s sitter anyway.”

“Text me when you get there?” She agrees, and I throw open the door and step out. “See you later!”

As I hurry up the walkway toward the front door, toward Gabe, I decide maybe things aren’t as bad as I thought. I may not have my life figured out, but at least I’m making a new friend. I had a few acquaintances in the city, but no one came close to Clara. I could see Delilah becoming equally as important to me, though.

“Hey,” Gabe says, closing the door behind me, “how was work?”

For a second, I bask in the domesticity of this moment. It feels sonormalto come home from a long day and find Gabe waiting for me. To have him ask me how my day was.

I want that.

“It was good,” I reply. “Caitlyn texted me this morning. She gave me the wedding info.”

“Do you still want to go?”

Slowly, I nod. “Yes, but…will you still come with me?”

The look Gabe gives me feels like a caress. “Of course I will. You don’t even have to ask.”

And I know that he means it. Gabe has always been like that—dependable. You couldn’t want for anyone better to be in your life.

My stomach tightens with guilt. Because it’s only a matter of time before I ruin things again.

NINETEEN

GABE

There isnothing Kip Island loves more than Halloween. The township holds a house-decorating contest, and most residents observe it like they would any other important holiday. The island as a whole tends to go all out, and as a result, so does the fire station.

We’ve spent the past week decorating. Now that the big day is finally here, Connor and some of the other guys are going to hang out and hand out candy.

Despite how surly he can be at times, I have to hand it to my brother, he’s good at community-building. Besides the obvious aspect of putting out fires, the fire department has many responsibilities, including public safety education. Luke’s good at finding opportunities to make that happen without it feeling like school. I may get annoyed by his role at times, but I respect the hell out of him as my boss.

Poking my head into Luke’s office, I say, “Hey, Connor’s going to take my shift on the second. I’m going with Hallie to her half sister’s wedding.”

While my family doesn’t know that Hallie and I have been pretending to be engaged, they’re all aware of Kevin’s recent presence in her life. And like me, they’re a little wary. Whether she knows it or not, they’ve fully embraced Hallie as one of us, and that means their protectiveness extends to her, too.

“How’s Hallie doing with all this?” my brother asks. Worry lines his brows. Though the expression isn’t uncommon for him, it’s nice to know that there are other people looking out for her, too.

I sigh. “It’s a lot, but you know her. She’s trying to focus on the good.” Even if she has to set aside Dana’s disdain to do it.

“And you’re going to the wedding as her what? Date?” This time, there’s a hint of a smile on Luke’s lips.

“Her platonic plus-one,” I say. “And what about it?”