She glanced over at the clock and sighed. I need to go to sleep. Shifting to a more comfortable position, she closed her eyes. As soon as she did, Gabriel’s handsome face appeared in her mind, and memories of their lovemaking awakened her desires once more. She wanted to call him, ask him to come over and put out the flame he’d started. Despite her best efforts, Serenity had fallen in love with him. How could she not? A part of her wanted to hope he felt something for her, as well, and that, maybe, what they had didn’t have to end.

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

After finally admitting to himself that he’d fallen in love with Serenity, Gabriel had gone back to working fourteen- and sixteen-hour days. The emotions she evoked in him were stronger and deeper than he’d felt with any other woman he’d dated, including his ex, and it scared him. He feared that if he put his heart on the line again, he would come away with it broken into little pieces. So he did what he did best—work. Aside from the two short visits with Brianna and his daily run, he’d stayed in. Running into Serenity at the hospital during one of his visits yesterday had made things worse because all he’d wanted to do was wrap her in his arms forever. The word forever and a woman had never been used by him in a sentence at the same time. Yet, with her, he’d begun to want it.

He hadn’t been able to cut off communication completely and had sent her texts to make sure she was okay. His friends’ suggestion to extend his time played over in his head like a refrain from a song. But what would happen after that extra month or two? Sure, he’d warmed to the town, but could he live in Firefly Lake permanently? Or would he grow tired of it after a while? And if he did, what would happen to his relationship with Serenity? The questions bombarded his mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut to try to block them out. However, they kept coming, demanding answers he didn’t have. The only things he knew for sure were that he didn’t want to spend weeks or months away from Serenity and that his heart had been steadily opening to the possibility of staying.