While Richard prepared another waffle, Gabriel picked up her ruined breakfast and headed to the sink.
“I’ll do that. Sit with your girl.” Scott’s voice was low and gruff at Gabriel’s elbow. “And I’m sorry.”
No one noticed the subtle exchange between the two brothers—the prodigal son and the son of constancy. Their eyes met and a look of understanding and perhaps even forgiveness passed between them. Gabriel nodded gratefully and took a seat by Julia, wrapping his arm around her waist and murmuring soothing words in her ear until she stopped shaking.
He had to get her out of Selinsgrove.
As they drove away, Julia closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. It had been an emotional morning. Saying good-bye to her adoptive family was always difficult. And saying good-bye to her father after the weekend’s events was exhausting.
“Are you sorry to leave?” Gabriel reached over to stroke her cheek.
She opened her eyes. “Part of me didn’t want to leave. Part of me couldn’t wait to put everything behind me.”
“I feel the same way.”
“What did my dad say to you when he shook your hand?”
Gabriel shifted in his seat. “He thanked me. He said he knew you could have been hurt a lot worse.” Gabriel threaded his long fingers through Julia’s, pulling her hand to his lips so that he could kiss it. “He asked me to keep an eye on his little girl. He said you were everything to him.”
That made a tear run down Julia’s cheek. She wiped it away and looked out the window. Things with her father had certainly changed.
On the flight back to Toronto, Julia cuddled up to Gabriel, eschewing her homework to rest her head on his shoulder.
“I need to make arrangements for our trip,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“When will we leave?”
“I’d planned on leaving as soon as classes were over on Friday. But if you’re coming, I’ll need to wait until after Katherine turns in your grade. My lecture is on December tenth. Could we leave on the eighth?”
“I think so. I have to submit essays on Friday, and Katherine is expecting a draft of part of my thesis then too. I’m assuming she’ll submit my grades within a few days, so I could probably leave on the eighth. When were you planning on coming back?”
Gabriel moved his arm so that it was wrapped around her and she was resting her head against his shoulder. “Rachel is adamant about having everyone home for Christmas. That includes you. So we would have to leave Italy on the twenty-third or the twenty-fourth and bypass Toronto for Philadelphia. Unless you’d rather spend Christmas in Italy, with me.”
Julia laughed. “Not at the risk of incurring the wrath of Rachel. And my dad is expecting me, even though he knows I can’t stay at his house.” She shivered involuntarily.
Gabriel squeezed her. “Then you can stay with me. We’ll reserve a room at a hotel. I’m not sleeping across the hall from you ever again.”
She blushed at his remark and smiled.
“We’ll have two weeks to enjoy Florence. Or we can travel to Venice and Rome, if you wish. We could rent a villa in Umbria. I know of a place near Todi that’s very beautiful. I’d like to show it to you.”
“As long as I’m with you, my love, I don’t care where we are.”
His lips tightened momentarily. “Bless you for that,” he murmured.
“Rachel is scheduling the wedding for late August, provided the venue they want is available. I wonder why she wants to wait so long.” Julia was fishing to see if Gabriel had any information.
He shrugged. “Knowing Rachel, she’ll need months to make sure the proper people are notified and the wedding is featured on CNN.”
They both chuckled.
“I think Rachel wants to start a family soon,” said Julia. “I wonder what Aaron thinks of that.”
“He loves her. He wants to marry her. He’s probably excited at the thought of the love of his life carrying his child.”
He paused for a moment, turning to face her. “Julianne, does it trouble you that I can’t…?”
“Not really, at least not right now. I want to finish my master’s, then work on my doctorate. I’d like to teach.” She shrugged. “Perhaps this is the benefit of dating a younger woman.”
Gabriel snorted. “You make me sound antique. You realize that when you’re thirty you will probably change your mind, if not sooner. And when that happens…”
She frowned and shook her head. “What do you expect me to say—that I don’t want you? I’m not going to say that. I love you, Gabriel, all of you. Please don’t push me away when we’ve finally gotten close.” She closed her eyes. “It hurts.”
“Forgive me,” he whispered, kissing the back of her hand.
She accepted his apology and tried to relax, weary from the day’s emotions.
Gabriel rubbed at his eyes so that he could think. But he soon realized that he needed space and time away from her in order to do that.
I won’t need to push you away when I tell you about Paulina…
***