Page 94 of Make Us Yours
“We’re family, Grey. We’ll always be here,” Morgan says sincerely.
He nods as his eyes water.
“Why don’t you go rest? We got this. I’ll go pick up the dogs later from the sitter, and we’ll take care of Gracie for the day,” Silas offers.
“You guys don’t have to do that. I’ll just lie down for an hour or two until she wakes up,” he begins to protest.
“No. What you’re going to do is go back up there, hold your girl until you fall asleep, and spend the day with her. She needs you right now. We’ll take care of everything,” Clay says sternly, leaving no room for negotiations.
“Okay, yeah. Thank you again. These next few days won’t be easy, so I appreciate the help.” He waves with a sad smile and heads back to his girlfriend.
~ The Next Day~
We got back to the penthouse last night, after another rough day of hearing Emma crying. It was brutal having to sit around and not be able to physically help her in any way.
Greyson popped in occasionally to collect food for them and to see his daughter, but Emma didn’t leave the room once. We all went home after Aubrey offered to spend the night with them and watch over Gracie until Sam arrived in the morning.
Noah, Gabe, and I were so exhausted from these last forty-eight hours that no playtime took place. The second we walked through the door, we showered together, then dropped into Noah’s bed and cuddled until exhaustion took over. Which was about three minutes, give or take.
I wake up to the sound of shouting coming from downstairs. I blink my eyes a few times, unsure if I’m imagining the sound, but then it happens again. I can’t make out who it is, but something’s clearly going on. Looking from side to side, I realize I’m now alone in Noah’s bed. I’m also not sure what time it is.
“FUCK YOU!”
The roar is so loud, I shoot up in bed, quickly scrambling out of the covers and to the door. I don’t know what’s waiting for me down the steps, so I creak the door open slowly and slip out of the room.
I go down the stairs as quietly as possible, and once I reach the final step, the voice becomes clearer, and I realize it’s Gabe’s. He seems to be on the phone because I can’t hear anyone talking back. I look around and don’t see Noah anywhere.He must be out for a jog.I know he’s not with Trinity, because he told me we’d go together later.
When I look toward the kitchen, I find Gabe with his back to me. His hand is pulling at his hair brutally, and the other holds the phone to his ear. He’s pacing back and forth, head tilted downwards.
The penthouse is practically all open-spaced, and the railing to the stairs is glass. If he turns around, he’ll spot me right away. But I have a feeling this conversation might be the key to what has been going on with Gabe.
So instead of making my presence known, I quickly take the few steps toward the foyer and hide behind the wall. From here, he won’t be able to see me, but I’ll be able to hear him. And if Noah gets back before I hear the end of the phone call, the elevator will signal me.
“I fucking told you I would be out of town for two weeks and that I couldn’t be reached! What the fuck don’t you understand?!” Gabe growls into the phone as I peek around the corner.
“It’s not your fucking money! You aren’t the reason I made it big; I don’t oweyou shit!” He stops pacing, turning around now. He seems distressed, or like he’s seconds away from going on a rampage.
“Thanking you? I SHOULD BE THANKING YOU?! You didn’t keep me alive; you nearly killed me more than a dozen times! You wanted nothing to do with me. You wanted me gone!”
He picks up a glass from the counter that still contains some of his green smoothie and whips it into the sink, the green liquid splashing all over with shards of glass. The crash makes me jump in place, and I quickly cover my mouth with both hands to hold in my gasp.
“Well, I fucking left! I got out of your shitty fucking life and made my own! You were finally fucking free of me, so why couldn’t you just forget I exist like you wanted for so long?!” He paces again, listening to the other person on the line.
“No! I want it. No more of this bullshit. How much is it gonna take for you to give it to me and lose my number?” His eyes widen. “Are you fucking kidding me?! I don’t have that kind of money! And even if I did, I can’t just withdraw that kind of sum!” He walks around the kitchen island and takes a few steps in my direction but stops as I quickly glue myself to the wall, hoping he won’t come closer.
It’s quiet for a full minute, and I start to wonder if maybe he ended the call. I’m afraid to look in case he’s much closer than I think, but then his yell shakes my core. “DON’T FUCKING CALL ME SON!” His voice cracks. “You don’t get to play the mom card with me. You’re no longer my mother…”
Oh, Gabriel…
My heart breaks for him. He’s losing this battle; I can hear it in his voice. Despite what he just said, it’s hard for any child to fully let go of their mother, no matter how horrible they may be. A mother is supposed to be a part of your life, supposed to love you and cherish you. Not do whatever this is.I can’t let her break him.He keeps saying he’ll protect me, well it’s my turn to protect him.
I push off the wall and step around the corner. When he sees me come into view, his eyes widen in shock, and he freezes. I quickly march over to him, rip the phone out of his hand, and end the call.
He snaps out of it and tries to grab it out of my hands. “No, Vixen! Don’t—”
“That’s enough, Gabriel!” I bark out as I step back and hold the phone away. “I don’t know what the hell that call was, but I heard enough to know that it’s wrong. Whatever they asked for, you’re not doing it. End of story.”
“You don’t understand, I don’t have a choice!” he cries out.
