Page 51 of Forever Yours
“You think I’m charming?”
“Digging for compliments, Atwood?”
“I’ve never had to dig for them before,” Gabe admitted.
“And humble too, ladies and gentlemen,” Devlin drawled.
“I just prefer to see the upside of things.”
“This world has a lot of downsides.”
“I know that. Of course I know that. I can only go by my experiences and upbringing, though, I have no reason to have a negative reaction if I can be positive. I see no point in that.”
Well, damn. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone else with such a positive outlook on life. You’re a lucky guy, Gabe.”
“I suppose that’s luck. What about you? What kind of baby were you?”
“My parents never talked about me as a baby. I seem to have come out fully formed as a difficult teenager.”
“Difficult? You?”
“Not everyone has a middle class suburban upbringing with the doting parents and close siblings.” She ran the roller along the wall with some force, causing the paint to spatter back onto her. “Dad was there when he decided it was convenient to be there and Mom would’ve been happier or better off somewhere else. Anywhere else. She reminded me of that almost daily.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you keep in touch with them?”
“I haven’t spoken to my dad in years and my mom only reaches out to me when she needs something. I didn’t send her my forwarding address, so I haven’t heard from her since I moved.” There must have been a hint of bitterness in her voice as Gabe started to move toward her.
“Hey, Dev, my life wasn’t perfect.”
Devlin gestured around the room. “You’re living in your childhood home. A beautiful home, one that you have fond memories of being raised in, and I’ve never heard you say a cross word about your parents. That alone is close to perfection to me.”
“I’ll grant you that. I have nothing to complain about. I’m sorry I brought this up. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
Devlin waved his concern away. She was being pitiful, bringing the mood down over a past she could never change. Yes, this was her truth, her life experience, but she could recognize in herself that in the short time she’d known Gabe she’d been happier than she could remember. After her miserable upbringing and dating a series of men just as terrible as her parents, she realized she was happy. Gabe made her happy. No, she’d been happy before she met Gabe. She’d made herself happy by leaving Boston and moving to Amber Falls, but she understood that he was helping her find her inner happiness, the part of her that was begging to come out and play. The part of her that wanted to see the good in everyone, or the humor in situations that should be humorless. The eternal nature versus nurture debate, and although her nature had been stormy, she just needed someone like Gabe to nurture her.
“Enough about the past.” Devlin needed to change the subject. “Have you decided what kind of games you’re going to put down here?”
Gabe surveyed the large room then walked over to a corner with an egress window. “I’m going to put some walls over here and make this a guest room.”
“Really?” Considering their past talk about this being a bachelor pad, Devlin was surprised at this revelation.
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation from the store, about leaving the upstairs rooms as family rooms and making this a guest space.” She saw him visibly swallow, as if nervous about what he was going to say next. “I did remodel this house—this home—for more reasons than it needed updating, but I never let myself think about why. Until now.”
“What changed?” she prodded.
Gabe was quiet for a moment. He started to speak then stopped.
Devlin realized she wasn’t ready for his answer. Too much was at stake for the impliedyouto be spoken aloud. Nonetheless, he held her gaze, not letting her shy away from the emotions in his eyes despite not being able to say the word.
She coughed and cleared her throat, starting to paint again with her roller, letting the moment pass. “So, no pool table, huh?”
“No pool table.” Gabe picked up his brush and kept working.
“Now that a game room is out, what else do you want to do?”
“Other than the bedroom, I’m going to get a huge fluffy sectional, and a big-screen TV would be perfect against this wall. Some recessed lighting to brighten it up, maybe.”
“You still have room for some games. I’ve always been a fan of ping pong.”