He chuckled. “Dunno. And that’s not a cop-out. It just happens, sweetheart. Guess there’s something I like about calling you by your full name when I’m balls-deep inside you.”
I shook my head in the limited space I had on the pillow. “You and your dirty talk.”
We were silent for a long time.
“What’s really on your mind, doll-face?”
I turned to him. His beard bordered on needing a trim, but I couldn’t keep myself from running my hand down his cheek. “Can’t say that’s how I ever would have imagined discussing marriage with a man I love.”
He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, and cupped the back of my neck. “‘A man’ you love? You mean, the man you love. But, if it makes you feel any better, I never envisioned myself talking about marriage, at all. With anybody.”
My hand traveled down to his neck. “Right.”
His expression turned serious. “You remember a couple months back, I talked to you about what I needed to major in, and you asked where I saw myself later in life? My gut reaction was to say, ‘With you.’ And I would’ve meant it then, and I damn sure mean it now. I don’t know much about what the future holds in store for me, but to my gut, my bones and right down to my soul, I know I want it to be with you. So... I wasn’t some romantic, elegant schmoe talking to you about marriage—”
I burst out with a short laugh. “You brought up marriage during a certified freak-out, Gabe!”
He grinned. “Something I’ve learned in life, Cassie. Never underestimate the power of diversion. I knew you were freaking right the fuck out, so... I diverted your freak out to something you could control. Marriage.”
My eyes widened. “I don’t know if you’re genius or crazy as a fucking loon.”
He threw his head back with laughter. When he had it together, he rested his forehead on mine. With his face so close, I couldn’t miss the playful light in his eyes. “Don’t you see, Cassandra. Neither of us can control if you’re preggers. Either you are or you aren’t. You don’t want to go get the morning-after pill...if you even can. I don’t want you to either. I’m only kind of sorry I lost control. Life’s like that though. Shit happens, and we deal with it.”
“How can you be so damn philosophical, Gabriel?”
He shrugged a sculpted shoulder. “It comes and goes. Mostly it goes, so don’t count on it when you really need it, sweetheart.”
THAT MORNING, I STRUGGLED to concentrate on anything. It was a wonder I drove to work without causing an accident. How was Gabe Sullivan interested in being married to a girl like me? Sure, we were friends, and we both had a deep passion for music, but it didn’t compute for me sometimes. The sex was beyond fantastic for me, but to throw out marriage like he did this morning boggled my mind.
I knew I was over-analyzing things, and I shook my head to get the thoughts out of my head.
In some ways he was right. Either I would turn up pregnant in a few weeks, or I wouldn’t. There was nothing to be done until that time. That didn’t change how damn scared I was though.
“Miss Daughtry,” Ryan called from the doorway.
“Yes, sir,” I replied, standing.
“Excellent work on the quarterly report. I’d like you to put the first and second quarters together into one file.”
I nodded. “No problem. I’ll get right on it.”
He walked away, and I threw myself into the new project, willing the day to fly by.
Gabe
“EARTH TO GABE... COME in, numbnuts,” Brock called to me.
I shook my head and glared at him. “What?”
“You want a fried egg or what? Some of us have to get to work.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
As Brock moved around the kitchen, his request that I tell him when I met Cassie’s parent’s came to mind. “Yo, ball-buster, you wanted to know if I met Cassie’s parents, right?”
Holding an egg in one hand, he looked at me. “Yeah. That happening soon?”
I shook my head. “I met her dad last night.”
Brock’s chin went up a fraction. He turned away and cracked the egg and quickly dumped it into the skillet. Then he added another egg.
He turned back to me. “Her mother there, too?”
I shook my head. “You know, Dad knows J.P. Daughtry.”
Brock’s brows furrowed. “You shittin’ me?”
Again, I shook my head.
He did a surprised grunt, and turned back to the eggs.
I thought back to the day Cassie came by to give Brock guff, and remembered she’d had lunch with her mother.
“This case you’re working have something to do with Cassie’s mom?”
Brock started to look at me, but stopped then he shook his head. “No.”
I felt my lopsided grin. “You’d have done better to just look at me, dumbass. You’re lying. Why are you investigating Cassie’s mom?”
He looked me dead in the eye. “Not investigating her mother.”
I stared into his eyes and I knew he was telling me the truth. “Then why do you care if or when I meet her mother?”
He sighed. “Don’t worry about it.”
When he put our plates on the table, he sat down while asking, “What’s with you being a space cadet this morning?”
I shrugged. “I just... did something unexpected. Not a big deal.”
Brock stopped forking into his fried egg. “‘Something’ or someone?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Shut the fuck up. I would never do that shit to Cassie. Hell, I’d never do that to any fuckin’ woman, damn sure not her.”
“Then what’d you do?” he asked, around a mouth full of egg and toast.
I sighed. My inclination was to keep this to myself, but Brock never put up with my desire to keep secrets and he would badger the hell out of me until I gave up the goods. “I didn’t use a condom.”
His fork clattered onto his plate. “Are you serious? You made sure she’s on
