I wait until the tub is nearly full before turning it off. I quietly lock the bathroom door on his side and tiptoe out the other door that leads to my room. I thought I could do this. I thought I could say goodbye to him and be okay, but every time he looks at me, kisses me, or says one of his sweet one-liners, the guilt eats me up inside.
I can’t do this.
I get dressed and start throwing clothes in my bag. I know I’m supposed to stay here this week, but the panic that’s bubbling over inside me right now doesn’t care. I need out of here before I drown in despair.
I slowly open the door and tiptoe down the hallway and all the way down the stairs. I exhale a sigh of relief when I close the front door behind me and step out onto the patio. I left all my bathroom stuff inside, as well as my other suitcase, but it doesn’t matter anymore. The tightness in my chest won’t let up until I’m out of here.
I throw my bag in the backseat of my car and quietly shut it before opening the driver’s side door. Before I can slip inside, a hand slams it shut from behind me.
Fuck. My chest pounds at the way Gabe’s body presses against mine.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growls. I can feel his body shaking with anger.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I can’t do this.”
“Look at me, Kate,” he demands.
I do as he says and turn around, his eyes burning into mine.
“So that’s just it? You’re leaving without so much as a goodbye? Am I not worth at least that much?” The pain in his eyes matches his tone. “I can give you time, Kate, if that’s what you need. But don’t just leave.”
Time for what?
“Gabe, listen…”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he bites out. “Don’t you give me some lame-ass excuse to brush me off,” he snaps. He cages me in, forcing me to lean against my car so I can’t walk off. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t do goodbyes, Gabe,” I say loudly. “You and I can’t happen, okay? I’ve told you this! It’s just easier this way.”
“For who, Kate? Who’s this easier for?”
“Trust me,” I barely managed out. “This is easier for you.”
I slide out of his grasp and manage to open the door. He leans over the car frame, blocking me from closing the door.
“Kate, please,” he pleads. “Don’t do this.” The look on his face is killing me. I hate myself for doing this to him, but it wasn’t supposed to end this way. He wasn’t supposed to get attached.
And neither was I.
He leans in and cups my face, pressing his lips to mine. I don’t fight it; rather I give him this one last kiss.
“You can’t tell me you don’t feel something, Kate,” he whispers. “Please don’t leave like this.” He presses our foreheads together as I squeeze my eyes shut. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but I’m falling for you. I know it’s only been eight days, but I can feel it.”
I curse myself for looking up at him. I can’t fight back the tears. They come in full force, streaming down my flushed cheeks.
“I can’t,” I say firmly against his mouth. “Please, just let me go. Forget you ever met me. It’s easier this way.”
He releases my body and pushes himself back up, standing over me. I can tell he isn’t going to let me go without a fight.
“Why? Just tell me why, Kate?” he hisses. “God, Kate. Just tell me the truth. No more bullshitting. Don’t worry about hurting my fucking feelings, but at least be honest with yourself. You can’t deny the fact that you feel something for me.”
Before I’m able to respond, thunder rattles above us as the wind picks up. Great. I hate driving in the rain.
“Answer me!” he demands, snapping my attention back to him.
My throat goes dry as I wipe away the tears. I decide to step out of the car, standing in front of him as I shut the car door behind me. “Yes, I obviously like you, Gabe. I like you too much, that’s the problem. It’s exactly why this can’t work out, don’t you understand? I’m not good for you!” I scream louder than I meant to, but between the rain hitting the top of my car and the blowing wind, the noise outside is too loud. “Trust me, you deserve better.”
He leans in. “Don’t you think I should decide that? If you’re good enough for me?”
I shake my head, lowering my eyes.
“I’m an adult, Kate. I can make my own damn decisions. And right now, I’m not letting you go that easy. You understand? I want you…I want this!”
I close my eyes, fiercely shaking my head.
“I’ll do anything,” he whispers. “Please.”
I tilt my head up to his and brush away the tears, but it does nothing to clear my vision. They just keep coming. “Trust me, Gabe. I do want you. I wish I could have you. But I--I can’t give you that. I can’t give you me, or a relationship, or any kind of future.” His eyes don’t move off my mine. “I won’t be around for that.”
He takes a step back, bowing his head down as he continues to shake it back and forth in disbelief. I’m not sure he understands what I’m saying. I know I need to just tell him.
“I’d be a bad girlfriend,” I start to explain. “I can’t be the girlfriend you deserve. I can’t have a typical relationship. I’ll be around long enough to make you fall in love with me…and then I’ll be gone. Don’t you see?”
He looks up at me, his brows furrowing as he stares intently at me. “Are you sick?” The look in his eyes tells me he already knows the answer to that.
I nod, looking him in the eyes.
“Please tell me this isn’t you getting even with me or some bullshit, because that’d—” He starts to wave his hand in the air before I cut him off.
“It’s not.”
He stays silent a moment, looking over me. “What is it?”
“Bone cancer.”
I exhale slowly, the words burning their way out of my mouth. I’ve never said it out loud before.
“How bad?”
“Stage three.”
I suck in my lower lip, trying to keep it together, but the more I tell him, the more it hurts.
“You’re not getting treatment,” he says as a statement.
“No. It spread too far by the time I was diagnosed.” I close my eyes, the rain picking up and drenching me completely.
“Jesus Christ, Kate!” he hisses, pacing back and forth. “How could you not tell me? How could you just leave without saying a damn thing about it?”
“I haven’t told anyone,” I respond quickly. “Not even Natalee.”
“You’re kidding.”
I shake my head, shame boiling inside me. “I hate myself for what I’ve done to you. Especially after Natalee told me about—”
He cuts me off quickly. “Don’t say her name,” he snaps at me.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t get to use her as a reason not to tell me. I deserved to know. I opened up to you. I gave you more of me than I’ve given anyone. I know you feel the same way. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
I nod slightly. “Yes, of course.”
“Then stay.”
Track 15: One & Only
Gabe
I was begging her like a fucking fool, but I didn’t care. I’d beg her until I took my last breath if I had to.
Please…please say yes.
The rain pours over us, drenching us both in a wet mess of clothes and hair. I plead with my eyes, forcing myself back so I don’t cave and kiss that mouth of hers that so desperately needs me.
She’s my girl. I can’t let her go now.
“I will hurt you, Gabe. Why would you want to go into this knowing your heart will be shattered?” I shake my head. “I can’t let do this. I’ll break you.”
“You wanting to leave is breaking me right now. You’d leave with my heart in your hands and that’d be worse than anything because at least with you in my life, I could be with you. I could still kiss you and hold you and tell you how beautiful you are
every single day. I’d lay with you until you fell asleep and make sure you’d never be cold and alone.”
“Let me go. You’ll move on and meet someone else and live the life you were meant to live,” she tries to convince me, but I know she’s putting on this brave face that she can no longer hide behind.
“Come here,” I say, grabbing her hand in mine and leading her up to the porch where we can stay out of the rain. I position her in front of me, pressing both of her palms to my chest as my hands cover the top of hers. “There is no getting over you, Kate Wesley. There’s no moving on or pretending you never existed. Never. It doesn’t matter what you say because it will never take away the time we have together. Nothing you say will make me change my mind. I’ve watched my little sister take her last breath. I’ve watched as the world has taken good people while bad people remain living their lives. And I’ve seen you. You’re strong-willed, you push boundaries every chance you get, and you love with all your heart and soul. The way you love your family and the way you’ve shown me love in just a short amount of time tells me the kind of person you are. And there’s absolutely no getting over that.”
“I hate you,” she mutters so quietly, I must’ve heard her wrong. “I hate that you’ve given me a reason to live. A reason to fight. I hate that you barged into my life and made me fall for you. I was so content on my decision after seeing what it did to my mother and grandmother. And now I hate what it’s going to do to you when it takes me like it did them. I hate that I fell for you at the same time you were falling for me. And that I did nothing to stop it.”
“Stop,” I say, tilting her chin to look up at me. “You’ve given me the most precious gift in the entire world. You’ve made me feel again, Kate. You gave me a reason to wake up and seize the moment. You made me laugh and smile and fuck, Kate, you made me forget. But I don’t care what you say or what you’re afraid will happen. I’m not letting you go.”
“Then will you promise me one thing?”
“Anything.”
She swallows and blinks a few times. “Promise me you won’t be sad for very long. And when you cry, make them happy tears. Happy that we met. Happy that we got the time together that we did. And happy that you made me happy. I can’t let you do this if you can’t promise me those things.”
I lick my lips, hopeful for the first time since I saw her walk out that door that she’s finally deciding to stay. “I promise I will cry, but I will cry out of pure joy. Joy that I met you. Joy that you were a part of my life. Joy that you let me be here for you. And I promise you for the rest of my life, I will never think of skinny-dipping, tree climbing, or pole dancing the same again.”
She smiles wide, finally giving me her nod of approval.
I exhale, tilting my head up to the sky and muttering, “Thank God!”
I pull her into my chest and kiss her lips until they’ve warmed up again. “Let’s get inside and warm you up.”
I pull her into the shower, letting the hot water stream over her body until she stops shivering, and I’m convinced that her body temperature is stable again. I kiss her gently in between washing her with soap and drying her off with a towel. I give her one of my shirts to lie in and some boxer shorts.
I wrap both arms around her, keeping her as warm as possible in my embrace. She’s so petite, it’s no wonder she can’t stay warm very long. The more I think about everything over the last week, the more I wonder how I missed all the signs. Her list. The way her body gets cold so fast. The weakness in her legs when she couldn’t lift herself up the tree. They were all there.
I can’t entirely blame her for not wanting to tell me. I guess if the roles were reversed, I would’ve felt reservations about telling the news to someone I just met, but I can’t understand how she hasn’t told Natalee yet.
“Are you going to tell her?” I ask as we lay in bed together, looking up at the ceiling, watching the reflection of the moons and stars from the window.
“I don’t know,” she answers honestly. “I can’t imagine how hurt she’s going to feel.”
“Better to do it now before it’s too late. What are you afraid of?”
“The guilt. The guilt of anyone rearranging their lives for me, changing their plans, or having to take care of me. I did it for my mother because I loved her unconditionally, but it takes such a toll on you. Emotionally, physically, mentally. It’s heartbreaking and it nearly destroyed me.”
“I know,” I whisper, remembering feeling those exact same things.
“Will you tell me about your sister?”
I nod. “I loved her with everything I had and losing her wrecked me. I knew it was coming. I knew for two years, but it didn’t diminish the pain any less having been prepared for it. There were times I prayed for it to just take her—take her out of her misery and give her peace. But even through all the treatment and pain she went through, she smiled. She was so strong even at her age. I stayed strong for her as much as I could, but at times, it was her being strong for me.”
“Cancer is weird like that,” she explains. “You want to be strong for the ones around you. You don’t want to be weak or be treated any different. The strength helps us, too.”
“Have you considered a second opinion?”
Her body stiffens. “No. I don’t need one.”
“But there could be different treatment options out there for you. Less invasive ones.”
“There aren’t.”
“How do you know if you don’t—”
“Because the type I have is a really, really awful one. The tumors spread through the body and latches onto other parts of the body, so even if chemo or radiation are an option, it doesn’t kill all the cancer cells. They just keep multiplying and you go through the sickness, the vomiting, the hair loss—all for nothing. And what for? There’s such a range of success rates that even at forty percent, you’re basically giving the last months of your life to the cancer. You’re stuck in hospitals. You feel too sick from the treatments to even get out of bed. I didn’t want that. I don’t want that. I want to live as much as I can and when it’s my time, I will go knowing that I lived with no regrets.”
Her words are so honest and raw, but slice my heart wide open, pouring the truth right into the wound and burning every cell in my body. I have so many mixed emotions right now, I don’t know which one to even focus on. Pissed that she chose not to get treatment. Angry that cancer had to pick someone like her, someone as good as her. Happy that she isn’t suffering the way she could be by having treatments. And scared to death that she could be taken from me at any time.
“You’re brave, you know that?” I turn toward her and cup her cheek. She shrugs, a pink blush covering her face again. “Thank you.”
She furrows her brows. “For what?”
“For giving me the chance to be in your life. To help you with your list. To hold you.”
She lets out a soft chuckle. “You’re thanking me for allowing you to hold me?”
I nod. “It’s a privilege.”
“I hadn’t realized you’d be turning into Romeo the moment I climbed into bed with you. Had I known…” She lingers in a teasing tone.
“You would’ve jumped in sooner,” I mock, bringing my lips down to hers and capturing her in a slow, seductive kiss. It’s soft, yet so powerful. Our lips pouring into one another’s souls, saying everything with our bodies that words can’t.
Track 16: Best for Last
Kate
Days turned into weeks and within those weeks, I never felt more alive. I packed up my tiny apartment and moved to Boston with Gabe. I made sure to take care of all my after-life arrangements before I left. He took a leave of absence from his job, although I told him not to, but of course, he didn’t listen. However, being with Gabe has given my life a whole new meaning.
I loved him. It happened almost immediately and without warning. I came that week with the intention to live my life as carefree and spontaneous as possible, which lead to the very la
st thing I thought I’d ever say—I wanted to marry him.
“So, do you think you accomplished everything on your bucket list yet?” he asks one morning as I sit at the breakfast bar with my licorice whip in my can of Dr. Pepper. The first time he saw me do that, he laughed so hard, he nearly peed himself. It was those small moments of finding new things out about each other that’s been the best part of being here with him every day.
“Not quite. Almost though,” I reply as I watch him work in the kitchen.
“What are we missing?” The look on his face is filled with concern, and I know I have to tell him.
“I actually added a new one.”
“Okay, what is it?”
Butterflies invade my stomach as goose bumps covered my skin. We’ve never talked about this before, so I’m not sure how he’s going to react, but the last thing I have time for is being hesitant. It’s now or never.
“To become your wife,” I said with certainty.
His hard stare becomes intense, and I worry I’ve crossed some imaginary line. Finally, he blinks and says, “Right now.”
“What?”
“I want to marry you, Kate.” His eyes are so genuine; I can barely breathe while staring into them.
“You do?” I swallow.
“Of course. I was afraid to mention it. I thought maybe you’d think I was crazy or something.”
“Well…” I tease.
He comes closer, cupping my face in his hands as he looks into my eyes. “Will you marry me, Kate?”
His voice is so sweet and his touch is so tender. I would never deny this man anything, ever.
“Of course I will.” He presses our lips together and forty-eight hours later, we’re on a plane to Vegas.
Some might say we’re rushing it. We’re making quick decisions based off what’s to happen. Will a piece of paper really change our reality? No. But marrying him will at least make all of this worth it. Knowing we made promises to each other, no matter how much time is left, makes every moment with him worth it.
Falling in love with him was the last thing I set out to do, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Fate included him in the plan all along.
Alphas & Millionaires Starter Set Page 62