Gabriel had always been there for her and she’d never realized it.
Thank you, she texted to the only number saved on the phone, his.
I hope you don’t mind.
No.
I wanted to be able to call you whenever I could.
I’m glad – but we need a new photo together.
I agree. I gotta go.
I need to focus, baby. Will call later.
She grinned and laughed aloud as he texted a photo of himself and a coworker in tactical gear. Sunglasses, helmet, wire looped over his ear and his rifle were in the photo. His coworker was right over his shoulder, holding up two fingers in a peace sign and sticking out his tongue near Gabriel’s ear. His happy smile was her world. She didn’t want to distract him at all but couldn’t help herself. She returned his photo with a simple text: <3
Six
Driving home, Rebecca felt a bit of confidence at having the ability to call for help at any time. Now, she felt silly going without a phone for so long, but the intention had been good. She’d hidden for so long, it was time to emerge and, frankly, she felt like Gabriel was encouraging it. The phone was an unexpected gift and she didn’t want to even guess how much it cost him. But she planned on reimbursing him as soon as possible.
Pulling up to her apartment, she got out her key before exiting her car and looked around. She was honestly trying to be careful and cautious. She would dart up the stairs, open the door and lock it quickly behind her so she could sit down and play with her new phone. Smiling to herself, she moved quickly and stopped at the top of the stairs.
A dozen yellow roses sat in a glass vase near her door. That sweet, sweet man! How did he have time to do this? She certainly felt thrilled about the thoughtfulness he showed. First the phone and then the flowers. If she was right, yellow roses meant welcome back. She was touched. Picking up the vase, she carefully balanced it on her hip as she opened the door. Locking it behind her, she walked over to the breakfast bar and put it right in the middle, so she could easily see it from any room, in any direction. Removing the card, she smiled.
Glad you’ve returned. I’ve missed you.
The type on the card was very impersonal, but the sentiment was not. She pulled out her phone and took a photo. She didn’t want to distract him and she needed to turn on the television to see what was happening if the media was covering it. Kicking off her shoes, she walked into her room and removed the police clothing she’d been given to change in to. She pulled out the large SWAT t-shirt that Gabriel had given her and smiled. She would never tell a soul that she’d slept in it and planned on doing so again tonight. Padding into the living room, she plopped down in the recliner and pulled a blanket over her lap. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the news and played with her phone.
Rebecca called her mother to update her about how she was doing, Gabriel and give her the new phone number. She was surprised to hear her mother’s happy exclamation of delight.
“I ran into him at the grocery store several years ago. He offered to help me load my things in the car and asked if we were related. He was such a nice young man. Polite,” she said happily. “I like that you have found yourself a true gentleman that will treat you right.”
“I am, too, Mom. He’s real sweet.”
“He seemed to be when I met him. The fact that he’s a hottie doesn’t hurt either, dear. I’d get some really pretty grandchildren from that one.”
“MOM! Slow your roll, woman,” she blurted out, shocked. “Mother, he’s sweet but don’t be marrying me off in your imagination just yet. Okay?”
“Imagination? No, dear. Wishful thinking.” She heard her mom’s heavy sigh on the other end of the phone and knew that there would be a discussion about how her “beautiful daughter never dated or brought anyone home”.
“Tell you what, I will call tomorrow, okay? My show is coming on. Love you, bye!” she rushed out quickly and hung up the phone in the nick of time. She had no real shows to watch, she simply flipped back and forth between the HGTV and the news for any signs of what had all the officers running out of the building so quickly. Just then, her phone dinged, indicating that she’d received a text message.
You home?
Yes, are you still busy?
Just finished, will call you in a few
Rebecca smiled and flipped through the available apps again. She was trying to figure out how to sync her iTunes account on the phone, so she could download the songs from her iPod to this, instead. It rang in her hand and she quickly answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey there,” his voice sounded wonderful and she could have sworn he was smiling on the other end. “I’m really glad you like the phone and aren’t mad.”
“Why would I be mad?”
“I figured there was a reason you didn’t get one before now.”
“Well, sure. But I’m finding that I might have changed my mind. The photo was so sweet and thoughtful. I was really touched. Thank you again for the phone and the flowers. They are lovely.”
“Rebecca, what flowers?”
She dropped the phone in her lap and scrambled to pick it up. “You didn’t send them?”
“I didn’t.”
“There were roses sitting on the front porch of my apartment. I thought they were from you!” she said, her voice raising an octave.
“Rebecca, get out of your apartment and head to the station.”
“No way! I’m scared to leave! I have my gun that’s for emergencies only.”
“Baby, this is an emergency. Get your gun, just don’t shoot yourself or me, okay?”
“Stay on the phone with me?”
“I’m not hanging up until I get there. Where is your apartment?” She could hear him muttering on the other end of the phone angrily to someone else nearby. “I can’t believe that whoever it is, Brent or whoever it is, knows where you live, and I don’t.”
“He must have followed me at some point, I guess. Everything about me is unlisted or unavailable.”
“Tell me about it,” he chuckled. “You did a real number on hiding where you were. Now, how about that address?” She told him and heard him relay it.
“Who’s there with you?”
“Another officer. We are going to patrol your complex and see if anything fishy is going on nearby. I don’t want you to move till I get there. Do you have your gun yet?”
“Yes. I am in my bedroom right now getting it.”
“Good. Get it and keep it nearby. Don’t load it unless you mean to fire it. I’ve been scared before and if your hands are shaking, you could kill someone or yourself by mistake. I will be there in ten minutes. Don’t open the door for anyone, okay?”
“Of course not! Are you hanging up?”
“No, I’m just trying to reassure you everything is going to be okay.” She sat on the floor near her bed, curled up, with her knees up to her chin. Her legs were trembling, and she knew he was right. Her hands were shaking. She set the gun down on the floor beside her, afraid to pick it up.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Tomorrow, we’ll need to go out and pick out a case for your phone. Maybe we can grab lunch together?”
“You’ve already spent too much on the phone, even if I love it. I am not letting you buy me a case or anything else. In fact, I plan on paying for the phone.”
“So, you’d take away my gift?”
“No, I didn’t say that,” she parried. “I said I’d pay for it.”
“Let me do this for you. I want to.”
“We’ll see.” She took a big, deep breath, trying to calm herself. “Where are you at now?”
“I’m still at least five minutes away. I’m hurrying.”
“I know.”
They both sat there for a moment on the phone, silent, unsure what to say next. She spoke first. She could hear sirens in the background noise on the phone and occasionally the honk of a car horn.
“Brent was always off, that is p
robably why I turned him down all those years ago. He used to brag about yanking the claws off the crawdads in the creek by the school. He’s just depraved.”
“I’d say that is a pretty sound analysis, especially coming from an expert.”
“Expert or not, that is coming from a girl that gets the willies even thinking about him.”
“What about me? Why’d you turn me down?” Rebecca caught her breath at the question. It was honest and blunt, but there was something in his voice. That insecure boy was deep down inside of that gorgeous man. She wished she could reassure him that things would be okay. And if for some reason they weren’t, that she’d cherish being a friend to him now that she was smarter and more mature.
“Foolishness,” she admitted softly. “I kinda wish I hadn’t now.”
“I’m glad. But if things had been different then, we’d be different people and might not get along as nicely as we do now. Don’t you agree?”
“I do. There is so much time lost though.”
“It was time you needed, and I was willing to wait. I’m here, Rebecca.”
“You are?” she asked, scrambling to her feet nervously.
“Yes, don’t shoot me. I’m coming up to the door. Apartment 109, right?”
“That’s right. Wait a second, I need to put on a robe!”
“Go ahead and check the peephole before you open the door.”
“Hanging up now, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said tenderly, and she heard the click on the phone as the line went silent. Getting out her bathrobe, she tossed it over the SWAT t-shirt she had on. The t-shirt covered her bottom and she hadn’t bothered with shorts since she was intending to sleep in it. Pulling the robe shut as high up on the neck as possible, she hoped that he wouldn’t see the lettering that was a dead giveaway. Glancing out of the peephole, she saw him standing there on the porch and unlocked the door.
“You okay?” Gabriel asked, gathering her into his arms in a hug the moment he stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and threw the deadbolt.
“Yes, I feel better now. I’m scared out of my wits that this is all happening, but I’m better now.”
“You sit down and let me close the blinds.”
She watched as he looked over the apartment, closing blinds and peering out the side of the windows. He walked over towards where the flowers sat and carefully managed to knock the card into a Ziploc baggie with an ink pen to keep from ruining any prints there might be on the typed note. Odds were that it would be the florist’s fingerprints on there alone. Well, and hers since she had opened the card. He came back over and knelt down beside her, taking her hand in his.
“You sure you won’t go to your mother’s?”
“Absolutely not!” Especially after the conversation she’d had earlier. The last thing she needed to do was show up with Gabriel. She’d hear all night long about her potential grandchildren. No, no, she wouldn’t endanger her mother, nor would she subject herself to the guilt trip that was sure to follow.
“Want to stay in a hotel?”
“Not really. This is my home, Gabriel. I won’t let some nutjob chase me out.”
“Baby, that nutjob is a dangerous man. I won’t have you threatened.”
“I know he is and I don’t like it any more than you do!”
“I hate to ask, but do you want to come stay with me?”
“That’s sweet, but no. I am staying here.”
“You are one stubborn, beautiful woman.”
“Thank you, I think.”
Gabriel sat down on the small couch nearby. He looked so out of place in her little apartment and she was honestly ashamed that there were still boxes to be unpacked around the living room, things she hadn’t gotten to yet.
“You want something to drink? Here is the remote,” she offered, handing it to him.
“I’m fine, Rebecca. Honestly, you don’t have to treat me like a guest.”
“But you are. I appreciate you coming and checking on me.”
“Did you think I was leaving right away?”
“Yes. No. I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Are you planning on staying?”
“I can’t leave you here alone,” he countered. “If you won’t go somewhere to hide, then I will stay to make sure you are safe.”
“You can’t sleep here!”
“I would never cross that line with you. Call me old fashioned, but I will be just fine on the couch or floor. If I go home, I will never sleep knowing the woman I care for is alone and unprotected.”
“Oh.”
“You aren’t surprised by that, are you?”
“Not really. I somehow always knew.”
“Does that bother you?”
“I just don’t understand. Why me? Weren’t there other women you were interested in?”
“What is your favorite thing in the whole world?”
“I really love that pair of red heels over there.”
“Why?” he asked, with a knowing smile. Rebecca swallowed hard as she realized that her answer would probably mimic his in some fashion.
“When I saw them, I just knew.”
“When I saw you smile at me, I just knew. I can’t explain it, but I knew in that very moment that no one else would ever come close or compare to that smile.”
“When did I do that?”
“Back in seventh grade,” he admitted and laughed. Her mouth dropped open and she was certain that her eyes had bugged out of her head. “What? My family had just moved here and I was picked on horribly for my height. Everyone is tall in my family. I’m the shortest, believe it or not.”
Gabriel leaned forward on the couch, his hands folded neatly and hung over his knees in a relaxed pose. He stared off into space, lost in the memory. “There was a dark-haired girl that helped me pick up my papers in the hallway when they’d been knocked out of my hands. That young girl looked like an angel. She gave me the sweetest smile and said hello to me,” he said softly, looking down at his hands where they were clasped together. “I knew in my heart that she was the one for me. Whatever trials there were, however long it took. I knew God had put her in my path for me to meet.”
“Gabriel,” she breathed, stunned by the admission.
“No, it’s okay. I promise I am not nuts, it’s the truth. I knew in that moment with everything I had that someday we’d meet again. And until then, I’d wait.”
“You might have passed up someone that could have made you happy. I’m not that great, you know? I’m flawed just like any other normal person.”
“I know, and that is what makes you spectacular. Tonight might not be the right time to tell you that I’ve had a crush on you for longer than ten years,” he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. His face was flushed with embarrassment. Her gentle giant was incredibly shy around her. That seemed to be a quirk that he had, and she remembered that he used to do that in class during a test.
“I have to admit it’s a bit intimidating.”
“I’m not trying to scare you or intimidate you,” he said gently. “I’m trying to tell you that I know this is right. But if you are scared or not ready, I understand. I will wait forever for you.”
“How?” she whispered, shocked by his tender words and gentle expression. “How did you know it was me? Why me?”
“I just knew,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s like my faith. I can’t explain it, but I just know. Becky,” he started and cleared his throat. “Rebecca, I don’t expect you to say or do anything. I just felt like I needed to tell you. No pressure, no promises. I will always be here for you, if you’ll let me. It’s like the phone. If you’ll let me, I will take care of you.”
“Gabriel you are not ‘just like the phone’. This is serious stuff.”
“This is honest stuff,” he admitted with a grin. “Now, is that my SWAT shirt you have on?”
“You gave it to me,” she blustered. It was her turn to be embarrassed. She could feel heat creeping up her n
eck.
“Little Becky Tulle, are you blushing?”
“Stop it, Gabriel! I like the material the shirt is made of, okay?”
“Fine by me. I like knowing you are in my shirt,” he teased. She jumped to her feet and walked into the kitchen. Throwing a bag of microwave popcorn in the oven, she went to fetch an extra pillow and blanket from the hall closet. Throwing it at him, she raised an eyebrow at his expression.
“Find something on TV for us to watch. I think we have said enough for tonight.”
“Yes, ma’am!” he said with a wide grin.
Seven
Gabriel was a perfect gentleman over the next few days. It was truly humbling to see how well they seemed to mesh together. He would escort her everywhere throughout her day to make sure she was safe. He’d requested some paid time off, so he could be here with her 24 hours a day. At first, she was certain that he’d wear on her nerves but that hadn’t happened yet. He was a joy to be around, making her laugh or holding her while she cried at a Hallmark movie. It was like he just enjoyed being there in her presence, which amazed her. After a week, she finally got up the nerve to ask him when he planned on going back to work.
“Tired of me already?” he asked, rolling the dice on the Monopoly game. He picked up the shoe and moved it seven spaces.
“No, but I know you took off of work to stay with me. Aren’t they expecting you back soon?”
“Actually, while you were getting ready this morning, I got a phone call. I am out of paid time off and they need me to return to the force. I hate to do it and leave you unprotected,” he admitted.
“I think going to the shooting range together might be a good idea. It would show you that I can fire my gun.”
“I’m not worried about that. It’s the unknown that I worry about.”
“You can’t worry about me forever. I have been on my own before you and promise that I can do it again without you. Ouch,” she stopped suddenly seeing his frown. “That came out all wrong, didn’t it?”
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