You Before Me (30 page)

Ryan frowns. “How did you know? I
never told you, unless...” Her eyes widen. “You heard me? You've
known all this time?” She doesn't sound angry, but she does seem a
bit upset.

Nodding, I explain. “I was nearly
asleep, but when you started talking, it woke me up. I'm sorry. It
wasn't until you left me that I realized exactly how I felt about
you. You not knowing killed me as much as you ignoring me. I didn't
want to be just another person in your life who has let you down.
You deserved better than that, and I wanted to make sure I could be
what you deserved, someone worthy of you.”

Another tear falls, and I swipe it
away, waiting for her to speak. “I love you, Gabe.” It seems like
she can't find more words than that. Ryan smiles and adds, “I
brought dinner. We should go eat before it gets cold. And just so
you know, I expect a kiss every time I do something to take care of
you.” Ryan smiles.

“Oh yeah? I may end up being a little
helpless then.” She gives me one of her sexy laughs that I've
missed so much. “Thank you for being here,” I add.

“There's nowhere else I'd rather be.”
Ryan tilts her head, watching me for a moment. I wait to see if
she's going to say something else. “You owe me a kiss,
Officer.”

Without waiting even a second longer,
I lean forward to press my lips against hers. That happy sigh comes
immediately as I part her lips, slowly exploring her mouth as if
I've never been there before. It's as passionate and heady as
before, but this time it's infused with care and love. Ryan digs
her fingers into my hair, nibbles on my lower lip, before deepening
our kiss one more time.

When I pull away, my favorite sight is
before me. Ryan's eyes are closed as she tries to savor what she
felt for a few more moments. Her eyes open, and I grin.

“Let's go eat.”

We go to my kitchen and while Ryan is
taking the burgers out of the bag from the fast food restaurant, a
hint of a red heart tattoo can be seen through her thin white
shirt. I reach out and run my fingers over the spot. Ryan stops,
looks down at my hand, and then back to me.

“Why did you get this? All your tats
mean something to you, but you never said anything other than you
found it online and loved how it looked.” The more I think about
it, the more curious I am. Ryan doesn't just get inked. There's
always a meaning with each one, but I don't know what this heart
means.

“I know I told you that if you were to
get one, I didn't want you to get anything related to me because it
should mean something to you, but you were a reason I got it and
you do mean something to me.” I still don't understand, but Ryan
continues in a ramble, something I've undoubtedly missed. “When I
saw the heart, I was feeling vulnerable over you, and all I could
think about was love. Love this and love that. It was annoying as
hell, Gabe.

“But I needed this heart. At first, I
thought it was because I needed a pretty and perfect heart next to
my own not so pretty, not so perfect heart. Now though, I think I
wanted it because I love you. You are the one person who I can tell
anything to without worrying about expectations and even if it
scared me, I could put my heart out there for you to see because I
knew you would take care of it. It's a symbol of how I am with and
because of you,” she finishes.

I smile. “You were always that way,
Ryan. You just didn't know it yet.”

Ryan

Three Months
Later...

I took care of Gabe, just as I said I
would, until he was completely healthy again. He kissed me every
time I helped him and even when I refused. He started asking for
ridiculous or impossible things, cracking me up with his
creativity, and every time I said no, he kissed me. It kind of
sucked when he got better and didn't need me there as an excuse to
help anymore. I stayed with him the entire time and with him
healthy, I went back to staying at my apartment.

My parents and I remain at a
standstill, but that's okay. I've started working at a convenience
store with an awesome boss who works with me being in school.
Earning my own money and spending that is such an awesome feeling.
I try to spend my parents' money instead of my own. This way I can
save it for whatever I do after college, and I can officially stop
being dependent on my parents.

When I'm not working or in class, I
find time to spend with Gabe. We've visited three more museums and
a few galleries. I've been shooting with them too, and Gramps has
become my biggest fan. Larry, Gabe's father, has even given me
pointers on how to shoot better when Gabe was talking to one of the
guys. Owen still harmlessly flirts here and there, which really
irritates Gabe. Turns out he's a bit possessive over me, even with
his own baby brother. It cracks me up sometimes. Owen has found a
confidant in me, texting me with questions about girls. It's sweet
that he thinks I give good advice.

Best of all, his mother loves me.
We've had lunch together a few times, which she insisted upon. She
wanted to know me like her son does. Camilla is almost a mother
figure to me now. It's kind of weird if I think about too much, so
I don't. His entire family has become family, really. They've
accepted me as one of them, and that has been a wonderful
experience.

“Are you coming or not, Ryan?” Gabe
calls from my bathroom where he's waiting for me in our bubble
bath.

“We're not taking a relaxed bath, so I
guess the answer is only if you can make me,” I yell back, pressing
play on my love playlist. When I turn, intending on going to join
Gabe, he's walking toward me, dripping wet with suds sliding down
his hard body. He picks me up in his arms, causing me to squeal.
“You're getting me wet,” I laugh, feeling my clothes dampen thanks
to him.

“That's the point,” he
smirks.

“You're staying tonight,” I inform him
as he begins stripping me down. It's been two weeks since he's
stayed over because we've both been busy.

Gabe's hands still with the hem of my
shirt bunched in his hands, his fingers brushing my side just below
my bra. “I'm staying a lot longer than that, Ryan.”

“Promise?” I ask, not minding that he
went from playful to serious so fast. I love when does. He tells me
all the time what he's feeling and thinking. He never wants me to
doubt it, and I never do.

“Absolutely.”

Thank you, reader, for taking the time
to read my book. Please consider leaving a review to let other
readers know what you thought!

A huge thanks goes to my beta readers:
Andrekia, Ariana, Heidi, Louise, Lucy, Michael, and Rachel. Thank
you for your time and being such a help with Ryan and Gabe's story.
I love you all!

Thank you, Damonza, for giving me a
cover I love and tweaking it until I was absolutely happy with
it.

Thank you, Kathy from K² Editing, for
working with me. You're always a pleasure to work it and I'm happy
you're my editor.

Thank you, Mary Smith, for listening to
as I whined about this book. When I was close to chunking it and
forgetting Ryan and Gabe existed, you listened to me and supported
me. Because of that, I was able to finish their story and give them
what they deserved.

Lindsay Paige is the author
of the Bold as Love series,
Don't
Panic
, and
You
Before Me
.
She is
also the coauthor of The Penalty Kill Trilogy.

She has three passions in life:
reading, writing, and watching hockey, especially the Pittsburgh
Penguins. Among the pile of books to read, stories to write, and
games to watch, Lindsay is also focused on completing
college.

Lindsay resides in North
Carolina and is inspired by world around her and the people in it.
Many of the aspects in her books stem from her love for hockey and
her struggles in life and with anxiety, as evident in
Don't Panic
.

She is currently working on numerous solo works and a couple
of projects with coauthor Mary Smith as well.

For more information about
the author, visit her
blog
or find her on
Facebook
,
Twitter
, or
Pinterest
. Stay update
and enjoy awesome perks by
signing up for her monthly
newsletter
.

Be on the lookout for a New Adult
Hockey Romance featuring new characters, Neil, Grant, and Winston.
They are friends and teammates on a college hockey team, each
having vastly different relationships with girls.

Lindsay Paige and Mary Smith are
teaming up once again to bring you a new standalone series
titled:

Oh Captain, My
Captain.

(Links go to Lindsay's blog, where you
can learn more about them)

Bold as Love series

Don't Panic

You Before Me

The Penalty Kill Trilogy with Mary
Smith