My Gift To You

by Tracie Delaney

  “Yes,” Gabe bit out. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

  “So you can finish what you started on the dance floor?” Tabitha asked. “You certainly have changed, Gabe. When we were together, you would barely hold my hand in public. Of course,” she added with a girlish giggle, “you made up for that when we were alone. You couldn’t keep your hands off me as I recall.”

  A surge of jealousy stole Livvy’s breath. She had no right to be envious—everyone was entitled to a past—but something about Tabitha’s manner set Livvy’s teeth on edge.

  “That was a long time ago.” Gabe’s jaw was clenched tight, a nerve beating in his cheek. “I’m with Livvy now.”

  Tabitha’s answering smile reminded Livvy of a lion before it ripped out the throat of its prey. “Well, they say change can be refreshing. This one is certainly a change.” She turned her attention to Livvy. “If you want the skinny on how to keep him interested in bed, give me a call.”

  “That’s enough, Tabitha, or so help me God—” He stopped when Livvy twisted out of his tight embrace. “Where are you going?”

  “I-I need the restroom,” Livvy said, desperate to escape the terrible atmosphere caused by the untimely appearance of Gabe’s ex.

  He frowned but also nodded. “Okay. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

  Livvy didn’t reply as she made her escape. The ladies’ room wasn’t far from the ballroom, and fortunately, it was empty. She stepped into a stall, locked the door, and plunked herself down on the toilet seat. The hatred—which wasn’t too strong of a word—dripping from Gabe had been hard to watch. What could an ex-girlfriend have done to make someone who used to love her despise her so? And if he could show such hatred towards Tabitha, then what was to stop him from turning on Livvy?

  No, she wasn’t going down that road. Gabe had given Livvy no reason to doubt his affection for her. She resolved to ask him about his ex-girlfriend later when they were alone. Apart from the one time he’d shut her down when she asked about Tabitha, she hadn’t pressed. But now that Livvy had met her and seen Gabe’s reaction, she wanted to know and understand what had happened.

  After finishing up, she headed to the washbasin as the door to the ladies’ room opened. She paid no attention to the new arrival, removing a towel and thoroughly drying her hands. As she dropped the towel into the laundry basket, she turned around. Standing by the door, arms folded across her chest, was Tabitha.

  “Can I help you?” Livvy asked.

  Tabitha gave Livvy a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry you had to see that. And I’m sorry if I came across as a little… bitchy.”

  Livvy shrugged. “It’s fine.” She tried to move around Tabitha, who put her arm out.

  “Wait, please. I want to talk to you.”

  Livvy swallowed. “Why? What could we possibly have to say to each other?”

  She sighed and looked Livvy directly in the eye, her lips pressed together in a slight grimace. “You need to know who you’re dealing with.”

  A nervous laugh bubbled up in Livvy’s throat. “I know who I’m dealing with, thank you. Now please step aside. Gabe will be waiting for me.”

  Tabitha pulled herself upright. “You have absolutely no idea who you’re dealing with. Has he told you he loves you yet?”

  Livvy held back a wince. He’d come close but hadn’t quite taken the final leap. “That’s none of your business.”

  “Look, I’m not trying to be mean. I don’t want someone else to go through what I went through, that’s all. You need to understand the type of relationship Gabe and I had. We loved each other fully and completely. We were obsessed with one another.”

  A burning sensation passed through Livvy’s chest, one she recognized as pure envy. “I’m not sure why I need to understand that. Still, if he loved you so much, why aren’t you together?”

  Tabitha dabbed at the corner of her eye, although Livvy wouldn’t lay a bet that she was crying a real tear.

  “Because something happened to me that he didn’t like, that he didn’t agree with, that inconvenienced him.”

  Livvy’s mind began to race. What in God’s name was Tabitha going on about? Livvy had an urge to push past her, to leave and never look back, but something kept her rooted to the spot.

  “Has he told you why we broke up?”

  Livvy shook her head but remained silent. Something about Tabitha’s demeanor already made Livvy feel outmaneuvered. She wasn’t about to give the woman even more of an upper hand.

  “I got pregnant. It wasn’t planned, but I guess a lot of pregnancies are mistakes.”

  Livvy’s breath hissed through her teeth. Pregnant? No, surely not. Gabe would have told her about something so huge, especially considering her history. With all the things she’d shared with him about losing Daniel and about her two miscarriages, he wouldn’t keep such a huge part of his life from her. Would he?

  “So you have a child together?” Livvy whispered, barely trusting her ability to form a coherent sentence.

  Tabitha paused then took Livvy’s limp hand inside her own and squeezed. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, honey, but the perfect man out there—the one you seem so taken with—decided a baby wouldn’t be good for his career. He made it clear he couldn’t, or rather wouldn’t, be a father to our child. At the time, I simply wasn’t strong enough to raise a child on my own. He gave me no choice. I had to abort our baby.”

  Livvy exhaled on a gasp, her eyes widening in shock. She began to shake. No… He wouldn’t. The man Livvy knew wouldn’t do such a thing. But then again, how well did she really know this man who’d brought her back from the brink and given her a reason to live again? She so desperately wanted to believe in him.

  “You’re lying,” she said, her voice quiet and wary.

  Tabitha vigorously shook her head. “I’m not lying. What could I possibly hope to achieve by lying? It’s not as if I want him back. After what he put me through, I wouldn’t touch him again if he paid me.”

  A horrible sick feeling churned in Livvy’s gut. Something about Tabitha’s vehemence while recounting the terrible event told Livvy it was true. Tabitha had been pregnant, and she’d had an abortion. Oh God. She was going to be sick.

  With a deep, cleansing breath, Livvy pushed past her nemesis, but as she wrenched the door to the restroom open, Tabitha grabbed her arm.

  “Be careful, okay? Gabe is not who you think he is. You’re wrong for him. Leave now before you get hurt.”

  Livvy shook off Tabitha’s hand and ran towards the lobby. She needed air before she threw up over the undoubtedly expensive carpet running along the hallways of the Plaza.

  As she burst into the lobby, she sprinted towards the exit.

  “Livvy, wait! What’s wrong?” Gabe’s voice reached her, but she couldn’t stop.

  With her heart thundering in her chest, she burst through the doors and onto the steps outside. The press was still clustered around, clearly waiting for the party to finish and the guests to leave. They looked startled at the whirlwind running down the steps of the Plaza but recovered quickly. Their cameras flashed in case she was someone worthy of a story. Except she wasn’t worthy. She was no one.

  Livvy didn’t break stride as she turned left and sprinted down the street. With no idea where she was going, she continued to weave in between hordes of people enjoying the sights of Manhattan. When her lungs were fit to burst and her feet started cramping inside her shoes, she drew to a halt and took a deep breath.

  The man she thought she knew—the man she loved—wasn’t a nice person. Forcing a woman to make such a terrible decision because a baby would ruin his perfectly ordered life made him a monster.

  She’d been sharing her bed with a monster.

  As her brain continued to whirr with questions that had no answers, a limousine pulled up to the curb, and the rear window opened.

  “Livvy, get in the car.”

  Gabe’s calm voice had the complete opposite effect on Livvy. Pain seared through
her chest as she looked into the earnest expression of the man she’d envisaged spending her whole future with.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she snapped. Her tone was cold, even as anger simmered beneath the surface. This man that she’d entrusted with her heart didn’t deserve it.

  Turning her back, she set off walking. As she heard the limo idling alongside her, she darted down a one-way street, knowing the car couldn’t follow.

  “Livvy, for fuck’s sake,” Gabe shouted behind her.

  A car door slammed, and she quickened her footsteps but couldn’t outrun him. He took hold of her arm, but Livvy wrenched her shoulder upward, making him lose his grip.

  “What the hell is going on?” Gabe frowned at her furious expression. “Please tell me what I did.”

  As he made another move to touch her, Livvy raised her hands, warding him off. “Go away. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, Liv.” His voice was soft and gentle. “Not without you.”

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

  Gabe took a step back and studied her face, his brows drawn low. “Find what out?”

  Livvy shook her head. “Forget it. If you’re going to try to play the innocent, then there’s nothing more to say.”

  Gabe let out a sigh of exasperation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but let’s go home and discuss it.”

  “No.”

  Before Livvy could move, Gabe gripped her elbow. “We’re going home now.”

  Livvy tried to shake him off, but Gabe’s grip was too strong. He opened the back door, only then releasing her. He waved his hand. “Get in.”

  She knew why he’d let her go, of course—to give her a choice. She could go with him or walk away. If she did the latter, then how would they get past this? Although right at that moment, she didn’t know how she would ever be able to forgive him for such a callous move.

  With a sigh, Livvy got in the car. Gabe climbed in beside her. A nerve beat in his cheek, his jaw was tight, and his nostrils flared, although whether that was from exertion or anger, she didn’t know.

  He instructed the driver to head for his Manhattan apartment then turned to her. “Okay, so catch me up, Livvy. You go to the restroom and agree to meet me in the lobby. Next thing I know, you’re running outside like a pack of tigers is on your tail, and now, all of a sudden, I’m the bad guy. Throw me a goddamn bone, would you? I’m not a mind reader.”

  Livvy met his frustrated gaze and got ready to unleash, but the words wouldn’t come. As the seconds scraped by without either of them speaking, Gabe expelled an irritated sigh.

  “I’m a patient man, Livvy, but even I have my limits.”

  Livvy chewed her lip. Either Gabe was a great actor, or he really didn’t have a clue. Could Tabitha have been lying about carrying Gabe’s child? No. Livvy didn’t think so. As anger and doubt warred for equal head space, Livvy’s brain began to hurt.

  “Tabitha followed me to the restroom,” she said.

  Gabe pressed his lips into a straight line. “What did she want?”

  “To warn me off you.”

  His eyes widened, and his head jerked backward. “She did what?” he asked through clenched teeth.

  “Apparently, you’re not the man you pretend to be,” Livvy said. “You’re no good for me, according to your ex.”

  Gabe sighed. He swept a hand down the back of his head. “Look, I know I haven’t told you much about my relationship with her—because it’s in the past—but Tab and I didn’t end on the best of terms. I thought she’d moved on. Clearly, I was wrong.”

  “I’ll bet you didn’t end on good terms.” Bitterness filled Livvy’s tone. “It’s hard to move on when your boyfriend forces you to abort your child because he found it an inconvenience.”

  Livvy had always thought that the old cliché “you could cut the atmosphere with a knife” was a stupid phrase, but as Gabe’s hands curled into fists and his face flushed bright red, she couldn’t think of anything more appropriate to describe the climate inside the car. It was as though a cold blast of air had been forced through the vents, and she shivered in response.

  “She said what?” Gabe asked, his voice low and menacing.

  Livvy pressed herself against the door, putting as much distance as she could between her and Gabe. She’d never seen anyone so angry, but Gabe’s fury didn’t result in punching walls or screaming at the top of his voice. No, his rage was cold, calculating, and the scariest thing that Livvy had ever seen.

  “Is it true?” she asked.

  Hurt flashed across his face before he schooled his expression into that of a stranger rather than the man she shared her bed and her life with. Nervous tension bit at Livvy’s insides. Had she made a mistake? One she couldn’t take back?

  “If you can ask me such a question, Livvy, then you don’t know me at all.” He twisted his head and gazed out the window.

  An uncomfortable silence grew between them, and Livvy considered leaping out at the first red traffic light—anything to escape the hideous car journey.

  Eventually, the car drew to a halt outside Gabe’s apartment, and he climbed out. Ever the gentleman, he normally opened her car door for her, but not this time. Livvy peered through the window and watched as Gabe jogged up the steps before disappearing into the building. With a sigh, she considered her next move. Should she ask the driver to take her to JFK and get a flight back to LA, or should she be an adult, go inside, and have it out with Gabe?

  She made her decision and got out of the car.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Livvy stood outside Gabe’s apartment, but as she lifted her hand to knock, she lost her nerve. His reaction was that of a hurt man, but did it make him an innocent man? She didn’t doubt that Tabitha had been pregnant; otherwise Gabe would have instantly refuted the claim. But was Tabitha’s version of events the whole truth?

  Only one way to find out.

  She rapped on the door and waited. She could hear Gabe moving about inside. He opened the door but barely gave her a glance before leaving her standing in the hallway as he walked away. Livvy closed the door behind her with a quiet click and bent down to remove her shoes. Gabe had unfastened his bow tie but left it hanging loose, his top button undone. Despite the heavy atmosphere, her heartbeat kicked up a notch. Christ, he was handsome.

  Their eyes met briefly, but when his gaze became shuttered, she lowered hers. Her abdomen clenched as she waited for him to break the silence—except he didn’t. As her chin came up and their eyes met once more, it became obvious he wasn’t going to do the running. It occurred to Livvy that this was their first proper fight. All the other spats had been meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but this one felt serious. Was serious.

  She blew out a soft breath and leaned against the wall. Gabe stood too, hands deep in his pockets. His eyes were smoldering, and not in a good way.

  “Okay, so do you want to tell me your side of the story?” she asked, breaking the silence.

  “Do you want to hear my side?” Gabe’s tone dripped ice. “Or have you already decided to only listen to my ex?”

  Livvy closed her eyes and bit her tongue. If they were going to get anywhere, she needed to be the calm one, because it was obvious by his voice—not to mention the stiffness with which he held himself—Gabe was far from calm. Beneath the surface, he was seething.

  Livvy’s expression changed into one of sympathy and openness. “Of course I want to hear your side.” Her rage had cooled, but she still didn’t know what to believe or who to believe. “She took me by surprise, that’s all. And with my history, I guess I’m not always… measured when it comes to babies.”

  Gabe scraped a hand through his hair before shrugging out of his jacket. He tossed it on the couch. “I should have told you what happened with Tab, but it was an awful time, and not one I like to look back on, because when I do, I swear, Livvy, I could kill someone… her preferably.”
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  “Was she pregnant with your child?”

  Gabe nodded. “Tab was the first woman I ever fell in love with.” Livvy repressed a wince, which he clearly didn’t notice because he pressed on. “She was my everything, and I’d have done anything for her. I knew she was ambitious—she was an up-and-coming model—but I was fully supportive of her career. I never wanted a trophy girlfriend, one whose only job was to look good on my arm, so when things took off for her, no one was more thrilled than me.”

  He crossed over to the bar and poured bourbon into a couple of glasses. He held one out to her, and she pushed off the wall and wandered over to take it from him.

  “She never told me she was pregnant. I found the test, and when I asked her about it, she admitted it. She told me a child didn’t fit in with her career aspirations.” He took a sip of his drink. “I begged her to reconsider, but she was adamant. The next day, she took herself off to a clinic, without me knowing, and…” His eyes fell shut at the memory.

  Livvy’s heart squeezed at the pain that tightened his features. Her forehead fell onto his shoulder, and she was more than relieved when he didn’t shake her off.

  “I’m so sorry.” Tears pricked her eyes, and she let them fall. “She told me it was you who didn’t want the child.”

  A tremor ran through Gabe’s body. He jerked his shoulder, making her lift her head. “And you believed her?” Disappointment and incredulity were prevalent in his tone.

  “I didn’t know what to think. She hit on my weak spot, and she was so convincing…”

  “Oh yeah,” Gabe said bitterly. “Tab can be very convincing.”

  “What happened after she… you know?”

  “I told her I never wanted to see her again. She begged and pleaded with me to reconsider, told me all she wanted was a few years at the top of modeling, then she’d give it all up and we could have a whole football team. But it was too late. She’d broken my trust and my heart.”

  Hearing Gabe talk about another woman, one he’d loved so completely, wasn’t easy, but then he probably felt the same when she mentioned Mark. They both had a past, but it was the future that mattered.