Not anymore.

“You’re a better person than I was back in the day,” she admitted. “The moment that I turned away from you is still the biggest regret I have.” She gave a small laugh. “And it’s a long list.”

“No regrets,” he told her, brushing a thumb over her cheek and leaving a trail of sparks in the wake of his touch.

“Will you come to my mom’s for Christmas?” Angi asked. They hadn’t spoken about plans for the holidays or the future in general. Other than specific arrangements for the town’s holiday events, most of their time together was spontaneous or when she couldn’t stay away or to appease her mom.

Angi wanted Gabe to know she was choosing him in the same way he had her. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her, even if she couldn’t say the most important words just yet.

“I don’t want to intrude on your family time,” he said, looking past her shoulder.

“Gabe, I want you there.” She leaned in and kissed the edge of his jaw. “You belong with us. I want you to know...”

She broke off as his entire body went stiff. Was his reaction a result of her offer? Even if his feelings weren’t as deep as hers, they were friends now. Surely that meant—

“I can’t believe it.”

She frowned as she realized his attention was miles away from her. The color had drained from his face and a change had come over him, like all the light had been snuffed out by a hurricane of darkness.

“Gabe, what’s going on?” She tried to turn but his arms held her still, almost painful in their tightness. Angi doubted he even realized the way he was grasping onto her. “Is it Sara? If she’s making a scene, I’ll—”

“No.” He dropped his arms suddenly. His jaw went slack and he gave a sharp shake of his head. The dancers continued to move around them, several couples adjusting their steps to avoid bumping into them since Gabe was now like an unmovable mountain in the middle of the dance floor.

Angi followed his gaze and saw an older woman staring at him from near the bar on the far side of the room. She had black hair, clearly dyed, pulled back into a severe knot on the back of her head. She was small but not frail and looked oddly out of place amid the joy of the crowd attending the dance. After a moment, the stranger turned her attention from Gabe to Angi, lifting the small silver flask she held in her hand as if in a toast.

“Who is that?” Angi asked even as Gabe moved to block her view.

It seemed endless minutes passed before he answered, although in truth it was only a quick second.

She felt the change in him. A systemic shift as if everything between them was gone.

“That,” he said slowly, his voice as cold as she’d ever heard it. “Is my mother.”