by Melissa Haag
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Our lives settled into a pattern. I followed her to school, without her knowing, then went to work. On Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, Rachel spent her time at Peter's place. On those nights, I made sure I was home before Gabby so I could have dinner ready. On the nights Rachel was home, I let Dale know I could work late if he needed me.
The money helped. I started getting the things Gabby needed or showed interest in. Simple things like movies she mentioned to Rachel, basic food items, and some spare clothes for me. I always wore what she'd given me on the nights we were together, though, and hoped she understood how much I treasured them, especially the shirt she'd sewn.
Each night together she peppered me with questions, making a game of getting to know me; and as the weeks passed, I thought we'd progressed nicely. She was comfortable with me and seemed to really trust me. I wasn't ready to test our relationship yet, though. Fear that she would pull back stopped me.
When the questioning turned to what I did all day, I left my wallet on her dresser as a clue. Rachel was home when Gabby found it so she didn't say anything, but her expression spoke volumes. Curiosity and excitement played across her features. I sat behind her as she quietly opened it and started poking through the contents.
Her hesitant glances at me before she looked at each new thing were adorable but not as much as when she stared at my license. They'd made me pull my hair back for the photo. It was her first glimpse of my face. She stared so long that I started to laugh, not at her fascination but because she was fascinated. Just another sign of how much she'd accepted me.
But acceptance wouldn't be enough to keep the other unMated at bay, and our time to complete a Claim was running out.