Wild Forces: A Friends to Lovers Romance (O-Town Book 2) by Karen Renee (inspirational novels .txt) 📗

those by Grandmaster Flash. For some reason, Chris Botti featuring Sting showed up with the song “What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?” And it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

I’d told her it would be great if she was pregnant, and I’d marry her. But, after a gunshot wound, there would be no way she was pregnant, if she ever even was. Yet, with our shared musical debates, history, and tastes, what better way to propose than with music.

And God knew, I wanted all of my life to include her. I just had to prove it.

Cassie

CECILIA LEFT ME WITH a humongous bag from Gabe, but she insisted I take the CD case from her directly.

“I’m not getting in the middle of this, but he’s miserable. And determined you have this CD, if nothing else in the bag. So, I’ve put it in your hands direct, and my job is done.”

If my eyes could set something on fire, that bag would’ve been ashes already. However, the CD in my hands felt like a hot potato. He knew how to get to me, which was why I wouldn’t listen to that disc.

Cecilia watched as I put the case on an end table. “You’re not going to listen to it, are you?”

I arched a brow. “I know enough about him to know whatever’s on that CD isn’t what I need to hear right now.”

She nodded. “You need anything though? Do you want to talk about it?”

My lips quirked to the side. “I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry, by the way. I never should’ve left you alone in the apartment.”

I stared into her pretty blue eyes. “Cecilia, do not put that on yourself.”

Her brows raised. “How can I not? How long did it take you to find that brush?”

“I didn’t actually.”

Her eyebrows lowered dramatically. “You didn’t?”

I shook my head. “I looked in the drawers, under the cabinet, and then Asher was there.”

Her head tilted with wonder, so I kept going. “Besides, it doesn’t matter now. Gabe dropped it off while Asher was tying me up. Couldn’t miss his chipper announcement that it was done and they could go get pizza.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe I never thought about how easily he got rid of women in the past. Should’ve known he’d do me the same way.”

Her lips pressed together for a moment before she said, “Honey, you’ve got that wrong. Really wrong.”

I shook my head. “Doubtful.”

She sighed. “Brock told me he said that, and he wanted to rip Gabe’s head off, but Clint waited until they were at his vehicle to ask Gabe what he was on about.”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, Cecilia.”

“He noticed the cameras were back,” she insisted.

“What? Clint noticed, but he would—”

“Gabe, honey. He noticed, and he thought Asher could see them leaving your place. Yes, he dropped off the brush, but that’s because when he got to his place and the drawers were open, he didn’t know what was going on. They took the brush to your place, left thinking you were out somewhere, and he said that to throw Asher off, in case he was watching. Gabe had no idea you were being tied up right then.”

I felt my heart pounding as her words sunk in because it reminded me my father said Gabe was there after I was shot. The three sets of feet entering the room briefly flashed into my mind, and I realized he must have been there before I blacked out.

And I had insisted he leave my bedside.

I looked at Cecilia. “I’ve been a huge douche.”

She chuckled. “No, you haven’t. What he said to you at the club was wrong. And God knows he’s got to get that temper under control. Brock shared some things about Gabe, and those guys need to get it together. Big time.”

I nodded, and she turned her head a little so she was giving me a mild side-eye. “You know, since you and Gabe know each other so well, my guess is that even if what he said wasn’t that bad, knowing each other for so long made it worse.”

My head tilted as I thought about it. “I suppose, but he doesn’t trust me. Doesn’t help that he’s so damn stubborn about not relying on a woman. It’s clear that extends beyond the financial.”

“I think you should tell him that, Cassie.”

Deep down, I knew she was right, so I nodded. “Maybe I’ll call him later, but I don’t want to do this over the phone and I don’t want him coming here. Thanks to surgery, I can’t go up or down the stairs.”

She grinned. “He’d carry you, no doubt about that.”

I rolled my eyes. “That won’t help when I need to get back downstairs.”

“Why not?”

“It’s done, Cecilia. We have to go back to being just friends.”

A sad look crossed her face. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, ignoring the pain in my heart.

She whipped out her cell and texted furiously.

After a moment her face tilted to me. “Okay, you’ve been stuck here for quite a bit. You told me enough about your relationship with your mom, that I know you don’t want to sit around here all day. I’m going to meet Brock for a bit at his office. It’s ground floor.”

I sighed. “What’s your point, Cecilia?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Brock told me Gabe had to drop by the offices for some reason, and if we leave soon, we can meet him there.”

I closed my eyes. “Cecilia.”

“Cassandra.” She mimicked my defeated tone.

I shook my head. “I don’t think this a good idea, for the record, but fine. I’ll go with you. Let me get some shoes.”

32Can’t Go Home

Gabe

“SO,” I DRAWLED AS I heard the door open, but I held Clint’s gaze. “Her sister’s her half-sister, Ryan knew this in order to blackmail Felicia, but she one-upped him by knowing he was laundering the pay-off money, with the added bonus that she could set up her husband along the way.”

It was on the tip