Jacob's Ladder: Gabe (Jacob's Ladder #1)

“You already said goodbye—what else is there left to say?

“A lot.” After steering her over to the swing, I eased her down onto the seat. “This morning when I got the call to go back to Atlanta, all I could think of was all the obstacles between us. I haven’t really dated anyone in a long time, and it’s been even longer since I tried to make things work with a woman. That said, I’d like to try with you.”

Rae’s eyes bulged at my declaration. “You would?”

I nodded. “I know your life is here with Linc, and my life is all over the place, but I still want to see where this could go.”

“I don’t know, Gabe. You’re right about anything between us being complicated.”

“When it comes down to it, when is life not complicated?”

As she nibbled on her bottom lip, I desperately wanted to kiss her. I wanted to take her upstairs and fuck her to make her truly mine, but I knew that wasn’t likely to happen with the house full of her kid and her sisters. Finally, she exhaled a breath. “I-I don’t know. The stakes seem kind of high.”

“Come on, Rae. Don’t be a chicken shit.”

Her expression darkened as she jabbed a finger at me. “Don’t you think I want to say yes? For once in my adult life throw caution to the wind and dive into the unknown? But I can’t.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I’m a mother. I always have to think about what is best for Lincoln before I think of myself.”

“Look, I know I’m not a kid person, but I’m pretty sure Linc likes me.”

“That’s part of the problem. Linc’s never reacted to any of the men I’ve dated like he has with you. If things don’t work out between us, it won’t just be me with a broken heart.”

Rae’s declaration left me somewhat speechless. For the first time in my life, I found myself wanting a woman with family obstacles. Before, the only issues I faced were getting them out of their clothes and finding a somewhat secluded place to screw backstage. Rae’s and my challenges were monumentally more difficult to work through.

Linc’s face flashed before my eyes as Rae’s words about leaving him brokenhearted played in my mind. Since the day I’d met him at Hart and Daughter, the kid had certainly grown on me. Even AJ could tell that from over the phone.

“The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt Linc. I wish I could promise you it won’t happen, but I can’t. All I can promise is that I will do everything within my power not to hurt him.”

Tears shimmered in Rae’s eyes. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. Just as I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, the same goes for you as well.

“I want to believe that…more than anything.”

And I want you to believe in me, Rae. “All we can do is give it a chance. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring.” Tilting my head at her, I asked, “In the future, would you want to look back and wonder what could have happened between us?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” she murmured.

“Then will you give us a chance?”

After a few agonizing seconds of silence, Rae finally smiled at me. “Yes, I will.”

It took a few moments for me to breathe, let alone find my voice. “Hell yeah!” Drawing her into my arms, I brought my lips to hers. They felt just as amazing as they had the first night I kissed her in the kitchen—soft, sweet, and supple.

Just as we started to get a little carried away, a shrill whistle came from the sidewalk. “Get ya some, Rae!” a voice called.

Immediately, we jerked apart. Craning my neck, I said, “Who the hell was that jackass who just interrupted us?”

Rae giggled. “Martin Pauley from the hardware store.”

“Remind me to go by there and knock him in the head with one of his shovels when I get back in town.”

“I’ll try to do that.” After smoothing down her shirt, she said, “It’s probably best. You need to get on the road, don’t you?”

I grimaced. “Yeah, I do.”

“Now that we’re trying us, when will I see you again?” A hopeful gleam shone in her eyes. “Will you come back this weekend?”

A few hours without Rae’s presence seemed too long, let alone a day, and that was how I knew I wanted this with her. I wanted a chance at something more. Suddenly, an idea struck me. “Come to Atlanta with me.”

Rae appeared flustered at my request. “Wait, what?”

“You heard me.”

“Yes, I’m aware of what you said. I’m just trying to process it.”

“There’s nothing to process. Throw a few things in a bag and come to Atlanta.”

Rolling her eyes, Rae said, “Nothing to process? What kind of fantasy world are you living in? How about my kid and my job, for starters?”

“Let Linc stay with your dad, and you can take a mental health day from work.” I gave her my best How could you resist this face? smile, hoping it might work on her.

“Pawn my kid off on my dad and play hooky from work?” Guess not. But, the more I thought about leaving her and not knowing when I’d be back, it just felt wrong.

“Yes, although I wouldn’t exactly use those specific terms.”

She swept one of her hands to her hips. “How about the fact that I’ve barely known you ten days and I’m going off with you for the weekend? You sure aren’t one for moving slow, are you?”

“I think we sped past slow the night I went down on you on your kitchen counter.”

Rae’s cheeks flushed. “I suppose we did.”

Placing my hands on her hips, I drew Rae closer to me. “I want more time with you.” I slid my hands down over her ass. “I want more of you.”

She sucked in a breath before pressing herself against me. “I want more time with you, too.”

“Then please consider my request, Rae. Come to Atlanta with me. I know it’s fast. I know it’s not easy with the responsibilities you have on your shoulders, but I’d like to see us be an us. After I get done at the recording studio, we’ll have the whole weekend together, just the two of us.”

Tilting her head, she peered up at me with consternation. “Can you put on the brakes for just a minute to give me the chance to call my dad? As much as I want to run off for a carefree weekend with you, I have to make sure Linc is taken care of. I’m first and foremost a mom, remember?”

“Yes, I remember. You go ahead and call your dad, and I’ll text Eli that I’m on my way.”

I couldn’t help feeling like an ass as Rae stepped back into the house. Of course she had to be considerate of her dad and Stella and make sure they could take Linc for the weekend. She wasn’t the kind of mom to just dump her kid and run. She was thoughtful when it came to both her dad and Linc, which reminded me a lot of Abby.