Gabe (Steele Brothers #6) (19 page)

***

I was meeting my brothers for beers after work, but my head and heart were home with Kendra. I’d spent the past twenty-four hours searching for another way, but I knew there wasn’t one. That bastard had my back against the wall and he knew it. I’d never let him use those pictures to destroy Kendra’s life, which meant I only had one option: to end it with her.

Tonight.

“Hey, man,” Seb said, smacking me on the back of the head. “Get your head out of your ass. We were laying bets on the game. Who do you think’s gonna take it, the Lakers or…”

“I don’t give a shit,” I said, tipping my beer back. “I got bigger problems.” I didn’t want to lay my troubles on them, but I needed to vent and I knew I could trust my brothers with my secrets.

Ryker glanced around the table, obviously wondering whether he was the only one out of the loop. “Let’s hear it,” he said, finally. “What’s got you so bent out of shape, little brother?”

I covered my face with my hands, wishing I could just wake up from this goddamn nightmare already. “I gotta end things with Kendra and I don’t know how the hell to do it. Any ideas?” My eyes travelled around the table and I was met with five stony stares, each one of them looking like they’d rather kick my ass than figure out how to help me break Kendra’s heart.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I said, raising my hands. “But this is for her own good. Trust me.”

“Oh, this I gotta hear,” Seb said, rolling his eyes before reaching for his second beer. “Come on, tell us how you’ve managed to convince yourself she’s better off without you.”

I didn’t blame them for being skeptical. I’d given them every reason to be. But this was different. This wasn’t about me trying to bail on the woman I loved because I was scared for myself. It was about me trying to do the right thing because I was scared for her. And her daughter.

“Jason came to see me today.” I let that settle in before I added. “He showed me something that’s a real game changer.” The guys all knew that I’d been away with Kendra and that our relationship had progressed to the next level, so I didn’t blame them for looking so disgusted that I’d allowed someone like Jason to derail our plans.

Brody sneered, crossing his arms. “What could he have that would make any difference to—”

“Pictures and video of Kendra.” I didn’t have to fill in the blanks. When we were kids, the girly magazines had made the rounds in our house. “He’s threatening to post them online if I don’t dump her.”

“That sonofabitch!” Ryker shouted, slamming his beer down on the table. “You’re not going to let him get away with this, are you?”

“What choice do I have?” I already felt so defeated. Naturally, my first impulse had been to fight for Kendra, for us, but I had no ammunition. It was a losing battle and I knew it. “I’m not gonna let him ruin her. I care too much about her for that.”

“So, you’re just gonna walk away and let that piece of shit get what he wants?” Seb asked, looking furious. “You can’t do that.”

“What other choice do I have?” My shoulders slumped as I repeated what he told me. “He said he’ll send the link to everyone Kendra knows. We’re talking her parents, boss…” It still disgusted me to think about the lengths he’d go to hurt the mother of his child, a woman who’d once loved him. “Even Char’s teacher.”

“That is one sick dude,” Kane said, shaking his head.

Ryker looked at Kane. “You’re a cop. Can he really get away with this?”

Kane shrugged. “He hasn’t done anything yet. He’s just in possession of some pictures and video of his wife that she willingly posed for I’m assuming?”

“Yeah.” I shook my head. “Looked to me like she was into it.”

Kane reached for his soda, since he was on call. “Until he actually follows through, there’s not a damn thing we can do.” He nudged my arm. “If he’s stupid enough to act on it, he’s breaking the law. It’s a misdemeanor, but the dumbass could get up to a year in jail.”

I’d done my research, so I already knew that what Jason was threatening was revenge porn and ours was one of the states that considered it a crime,
if
they could prove Jason was behind it. “Still,” I said to Kane, “isn’t it true that once this shit is out there it’s almost impossible to get rid of it?”

Kane shook his head, his expression grim. “Yeah, these people go on being victims even after the perp ends up behind bars, which sucks. It’s the crime that never seems to end.”

“I can’t risk it,” I said, feeling a tightness in my chest. “I know it’s crazy to think Jason would risk going to jail just to get revenge on us, but let’s face it, we don’t know what he might do.”

“People have done some pretty crazy things to get their exes back,” Kane confirmed. “I’ve been at way too many murder-suicides that never should have happened. Women reported the harassment. These dudes were supposed to keep their distance, but the threat of jail or a piece of paper doesn’t mean a damn thing when someone’s that messed up.”

I considered the possibility that Jason was that far gone and Kendra could be in real danger. But I didn’t think he’d take his daughter’s mother away from her. He didn’t seem to blanch at the thought of ruining Kendra’s life, but even that seemed like a stretch to me.

“I don’t even know that he’d really follow through with this threat,” I said, watching a few couples slow dance. “But how can I take that risk? Kendra would hate me if she knew that I knew about it, that I could have done something to prevent it and didn’t. You know what I mean?”

They all nodded in silent agreement, though I knew they didn’t want to face the harsh reality any more than I did.

“So, I guess I’m gonna have to talk to her tonight, tell her that it’s over.”

“She’s gonna want to know why,” Ryker said. “You thought about what you’re going to tell her?”

“Does it really matter?” I asked, sinking back in my chair. “No matter what I say, she’s going to hate me.”

***

Kendra

Since Kane and Gabe were both out for beers with their brothers and Char was spending the night with her dad, I invited Macy over for a little girl talk.

After our second glass of wine, she tucked her legs under her and asked the question I knew had been on her mind all night, “So you and Gabe? Don’t keep me in suspense. Where do things stand?”

I laughed, thinking about how amazing the last couple of days of our getaway had been. Even though I’d been busy during the day, we more than made up for lost time at night. “Put it this way, I hate sleeping alone now.”

Macy leaned over, slapping my leg. “Does that mean he’s coming over tonight?”

“I texted him to let him know Jason has Char, so I’m hopeful.” But I’d also told him the dog walker could bring Poncho over to my house and she hadn’t, so I wasn’t sure what to think. He’d seemed a little distant when I called him before I went to bed last night, but he claimed he was just tired because he’d had a long, stressful day.

“I’m so happy for you guys,” Macy said, scooping up some of the homemade dip she’d brought with tortilla chips. “I can’t think of anyone better for you than Gabe.”

Since Macy and her sister went back a long way with Gabe’s family, and I trusted her to be honest with me, I asked, “It’s asking a lot, getting involved with a woman who has a young child, don’t you think?”

Macy took a sip of her wine before responding. “I know he’s crazy about Char.”

“But…?” My stomach turned when I considered all of the possible reasons she might give for me to be on high alert with her brother-in-law.

“Like you’ve said before, it’s a complicated situation. You’re not even divorced yet. Jason and Gabe work together. Hell, he’s his boss. Naturally, that would make things uncomfortable for them at work, especially since Jason doesn’t want the divorce.”

“So you think Gabe’s relationship with Char should be the least of my worries?”

“No, I’m not saying that at all.” She patted my leg. “You’re a mom, first and foremost. Of course you want the man in your life to get along with your little girl.”

“But I shouldn’t lose sight of the fact this can’t be easy for Gabe.” I sighed. “I know. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being unfair to him, trying to start a relationship with him before my divorce is even underway.”

“Speaking of the divorce, any news on that front?”

“I’m going to give it one more go with Jason before I call my lawyer. But I’ve honestly waited long enough for him to come around. We both need to move on with our lives and the sooner he realizes that the better off we’ll all be.”

I jumped when my doorbell rang. From where we were sitting I could see Gabe’s form through one of the windows framing the front door. “Speak of the devil. It’s Gabe.”

“Ah,” Macy said, jumping up. “That must mean my handsome hubby’s home by now. I should head out.”

“You don’t have to,” I said, reaching for her hand. “I mean, not just because Gabe showed up. You’re more than welcome to hang out here with us as long as you like.”

Macy laughed as she gave me a one-armed hug. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing to offer, but this is Kane’s only night off this week, so I’d like to head home and hang out with him for a bit.”

Gabe gave his sister-in-law a quick kiss on the cheek when I answered the door. “Hey, Mace. I thought that was your car in the drive. Kane didn’t mention you were hanging out with Kendra tonight.”

“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” Macy said, reaching for her purse.

“Oh, wait,” I said, grabbing Macy’s arm as I tried to get a read on Gabe’s mood. He’d barely made eye contact with me. What the hell was that about?  “Let me wash out your bowl so you can take it with you.”

“No worries, you can just drop it off at my place whenever you’re in the neighborhood. No hurry.”

“Okay, thanks.” I turned on the outside light so we could watch her walk to her car.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Macy called over her shoulder with a laugh.

When her car pulled away, I finally turned to Gabe. “I’m glad you came by.” I reached for his hand and immediately felt the tension in his body as he withdrew. “Um, where’s Poncho? Why didn’t you bring him with you?”

Without answering, he asked, “Can we talk for a minute?”

“Uh, sure.” I stepped back, already fearing the worst. I knew Gabe well enough to read his moods by now and he seemed nothing like the sexy and playful lover who couldn’t keep his hands off me just a few short days ago.

Gabe followed me into the living room, but continued standing when I invited him to sit.

“Look, Kendra, this isn’t easy for me. You know how much I care about you.”

I lowered my chin to my chest, thinking how stupid I was to have let me guard down again. “You
care
about me? A few days ago you were telling me how much you loved me.”

“I know.” He brushed a hand through his hair, tugging slightly on the short strands. “I know. I remember every word I said to you, believe me.”

“But you regret saying them now.” That was the only logical explanation for the wall he’d clearly built around himself again. “You’ve had time to think and decided it’s just too much to get involved with a woman who has so much baggage, right?” My voice shook and I could see the torment in his eyes when he finally turned to face me. “I get it, okay. I get that I’m not easy to love right now, but why didn’t you just leave me the hell alone after you ended it the first time? Why come after me and make me believe we could have a future together?” That’s what hurt the most, the fact that he’d given me false hope.

“I was acting on instinct,” he admitted, clearing his throat. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I panicked when I thought about losing your friendship.”

“You didn’t want to lose my friendship?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. None of this made any sense. “You could have called to apologize if that’s all you were worried about. You didn’t have to chase me down. You didn’t have to get me back into bed and claim you love me—”

“I do love you.” His hands were on his hips, his eyes downcast when he said, “You’re one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, Kendra. It’s killing me to hurt you like this, but—”

“Better now than later?” I asked, through gritted teeth. “How noble of you not to string me along for a year or two before letting me know I’m just not the woman for you.” I swiped at the tears streaking my face, furious with myself for giving in to them in front of him.

“This isn’t easy for me,” he said, swallowing repeatedly. “In fact, it’s just about the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Is this because of the things Char said to you?” I asked, pulling my thick hair off my face with shaky hands when it fell forward. “Because I can understand you being upset about that, but you have to understand that she’s just a kid, Gabe. Every kid wants their parents back together again. You can’t take it personally.”

“This isn’t about Char. This is about… us.”

He looked me in the eye and I could swear for a split second I saw a glimpse of the man I’d shared that hotel room with, the one who made love to me like he’d never get enough of me.

“Tell me the real reason you’re doing this.” Because my gut told me there was something he wasn’t telling me.

“You need to focus on your daughter now. Put your own life back together and maybe someday there’ll be room for a man, a relationship, but not now.”

“Don’t you think I should be the one to decide when I’m ready?” I wasn’t buying the crap he was trying to sell me, but I knew I couldn’t force him to tell me the real motive behind his actions.

“You have to believe me when I tell you I’m doing this because I honestly believe it’s the best thing for you and your daughter.”

“What if I said you were the best thing for me?” My voice was barely above a whisper when I added, “God, Gabe, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me
and
Char. So, why are you doing this to us?”

He closed his eyes before turning to face the window. “Some people are cut out for this relationship thing, but unfortunately, I’m not one of them.”

“You’re lying.” I could hear it in the words he wasn’t saying, could see it in his body language. “Why are you lying to me?”