Page 61 of This Kind of Forever

Hallie turns to me, and I nod encouragingly. Most of the time, she knows what she wants to do, she just needs a little nudge. A bit of reassurance. I’m glad I can be that for her.

“Sorry to steal your fiancée away, but I promise to return her soon,” Caitlyn assures me.

“Good.” I grin. “Because I’m quite fond of her.”

Hallie stands from her chair, setting her napkin on the table. There’s a momentary pause, where it seems like she’s making a decision. Then she bends and plants a quick kiss on my lips.

“I’ll be back,” she murmurs, pulling away before I have time to respond.

I fight the urge to drag her back to the table and ask for a proper kiss. Because I know that soon, we won’t be pretending anymore, and I won’t have another opportunity to taste her the way I’ve been craving for years.

TWENTY-THREE

GABE

We got backfrom the wedding two nights ago, and Hallie has made a concerted effort to avoid being alone with me ever since. If Abbie isn’t here to act as a buffer, then neither is she. It’s like she’s still staying out in the guesthouse, trying to keep out of my way, even though she’s sleeping down the hall.

I pushed her too far. Pretending to be in a relationship is one thing, but kissing her like that? That was real for me. And my feelings have always been a little too much for Hallie to handle. It somehow feels worse this time, though. Like we took two steps forward and now we’ve gone ten back.

And now that I know what it’s like to live without her, I’m more determined than ever to fix this before it’s too late.

I finish pulling the leftovers from the fridge when I hear footsteps behind me. “Hey,” I say over my shoulder.

The footsteps slow, then stop altogether. “Hey,” Hallie says. Her tone is careful. “Where’s Abbie?”

I turn to face her and shrug. “She wanted to spend the night with her mom again.”

After I suggested it.

I didn’t plan to ambush Hallie, but we do need to talk. I need to know where her head is at. We can’t keep living like this, with her tiptoeing again.

“Oh.” Hallie chews on her lower lip. “Okay. I’m just gonna grab something to eat and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

She doesn’t make eye contact as she walks around me, toward the pantry. That won’t do.

“Hallie.”

She pauses. “Yeah?”

“Are we…okay?”

For the first time, I let my worry bleed into my words. I’ve gotten used to her constant presence, and I’ve felt unsteady these past forty-eight hours without her. Even when she was here, she wasn’there, and I’ll be damned if I don’t find some way to bring her back. I need her, in whatever way she’ll let me have her.

Finally, she looks at me. Her fingers curl into the hem of her shirt, like she’s nervous. “What?”

I swallow. “Since the wedding, you’ve been distant. I want to know if we’re okay. If I did something, if I made you uncomfortable…”

If you regret kissing me.

She takes a step forward, catching my hand. She gives it a squeeze. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Gabriel. I promise.”

“But somethingiswrong,” I press.

She sighs as she releases my hand. “My brain, it’s just…sorting. But we’re okay, I swear.”

Some of the tension leaves my body. I’m not entirely convinced that’s true, but at least she didn’t outright lie to me. Hallie has a tendency to compromise her own desires for the sake of others. I don’t want her ever doing that with me, if I can help it.

“Do you want to eat dinner together?” I ask.