Page 129 of Forged

By the time dessert arrives, the tension that filled me when we first arrived has mostly dissolved. Everyone seems relaxed, except Dante. His eyes have hardly left Gabriel since we sat down. But he’s always wary of new people. It’s what he’s trained to do.

I want my family to like Gabriel. If things continue to progress with the three of us, he needs to be comfortable in their presence, and they need to accept him.

I try not to let my heart run away with my mind, because right now, I see a future with both Gabriel and Neomi in it.

When we stand to leave, Violette kisses Neomi’s cheek and pats Gabriel’s shoulder.

“You’re welcome here anytime,” she says, then with ‌one hand on Neomi’s arm and her other on mine, she looks at him earnestly, “Gabriel, take care of them. And think about putting down some roots.”

Gabriel nods, understanding her change in tone. “I will, Violette.”

The drive back into the city is quiet again, but this time the silence feels lighter.

When we pull up in front of Gabriel’s building, he lingers for a moment before opening the door.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come back with us?” Neomi asks.

Gabriel glances between the two of us.

He places a hand on my thigh. “I should probably let tonight settle in before I move into your spare bedroom.”

“You wouldn’t be using the spare bedroom,” Neomi replies.

His smile softens. “Thank you for allowing me to meet your family.”

I lean back in the seat, covering his hand withmine. “It means a lot to me that you came tonight. My family is chaotic, but you handled it well. Swimmers and all.”

Neomi’s voice is filled with amusement as she says, “I thought Enzo was going to die when she brought on the breeding narrative.”

I glance at her in the back seat. “Be careful, Bella. I have no problem throwing away your pills.”

She gasps as her eyes widen.

Gabriel looks between us. “The thought of you pregnant is quite appealing, Neomi.”

Those same thoughts fill my mind.

Neomi’s lips pull into a grin. “Might be fun trying.”

Gabriel exhales. “Fuck, Neomi, don’t say things like that.”

My eyes focus on his hand adjusting his dick in his pants.

He laughs, shaking his head. “I’m going to head up. I have an early call in the morning. But tomorrow evening I’ll be at your door.”

“Text me when you’re on your way,” I say, my fingers threading through the short, soft hair at the base of his neck.

He leans over the console and kisses me gently. It’s soft and too short, leaving me wanting more. Neomi slides forward in the back seat, and he cranes his neck to kiss her goodbye.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Siren.”

He steps out of the car and leans down toward the open window.

“Bye, Lars,” he says to me quietly.

Then he disappears into the building as Neomi opens the back door to shift into the passenger seat.

I pull back into traffic. “Tonight went better than I expected.”