I looked down at my own outfit, the one I’d felt good about only half an hour before, and suddenly felt cheap and tacky. I hadn’t thought to buy any new clothes. I shifted on my feet, wanting to step behind Gabriel but forcing myself not to.
“Thank you so much again, Gabriel, for making time for me this weekend. I’ll only take an hour of your time, I promise. I’m just so glad I picked this weekend to be here. This is amazing.” She swept her arm around at all the stands, the laughing people, the piles of pumpkins. “Fall is my very favorite season.”
Gabriel chuckled. “It’s no problem. I’m glad you’re here. Have you seen George yet?”
“Yes. He’s over there with Dominic.” Her eyes darted to me for a beat, her expression concerned before she pointed behind her and waved. Nerves punched at my belly at the mention of Dominic’s name. Gabriel hadn’t said he’d be here. But by the look on his face, he hadn’t known, or he hadn’t been sure.
“Will you tell them we’re here?” he asked Chloe. “I’m going to buy my girl a pumpkin-spice latte.”
Chloe grinned. “Of course.” She put a hand on my arm and smiled encouragingly, and then she flitted away.
“Did you know Dominic would be here?”
Gabriel looked at me and shook his head. “He didn’t say he would be. But I thought things were better with you two. Has he been bothering you?” His brow creased in a frown.
I shook my head. “No. He just doesn’t like me.”
He tipped my chin so I was looking up into his eyes. “Ellie, it’s him, it’s not you. He’ll get over whatever he’s got going on in his own head, okay? I promise. Please don’t let him get to you.”
“I know. I won’t,” I lied. I looked at the people milling around us and caught some of them staring. “I wish I had worn something nicer. I should have bought something.”
He frowned again, looking down at my outfit. “You look beautiful.”
I scoffed, picking at my fingernails. “You think I look beautiful in sweatpants.”
“Hey,” he said gently, wrapping his hands around mine so I was forced to quit picking. “What’s this about? I would have bought you some new clothes if you wanted—”
My eyes shot to his. “I don’t want you buying me clothes.”
He paused. “Then you could have bought your own clothes. I just meant I would have taken you shopping.”
I nodded, feeling small and petty, whiny and probably annoying. I forced a smile. “I’m sorry. I just want this day to go well for you. And here I am making it about me. I’m really okay. I think I just need some caffeine. That latte you mentioned sounds great.”
He smiled, but his eyes still held a glint of worry. I smiled bigger to reassure him and he took my hand in his. “If my woman needs caffeine, my woman gets caffeine. Come on.”
He bought me a pumpkin-spice latte that looked more like a dessert than coffee, and I noticed more stares as we stood in line. I tried my best to ignore them. Gabriel had reassured me they were just curious about him. But still, the attention—and the fear that they might be judging me—put a damper on my mood and made me feel more self-conscious.
We took our coffee-desserts and sat on a couple of bales of hay that had been placed here and there for decoration and for seating, and I felt better as we laughed and sipped our drinks.
A few minutes later, George, who we spotted standing with Chloe and several couples, gestured to us to join them. I recognized a few of the men from the quarry and figured they must be here with their families. “Want to go over and say hi?” Gabriel asked.
“You go.” I nodded toward them. “I’m going to sit here and let the caffeine and sugar make it to my bloodstream.” I smiled at him. In all honesty, I was enjoying sitting in this spot where I could just observe the event, and I wasn’t up for chitchat at the moment.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” I nudged him. “Go. And when you get back, you can show me those bobbing-for-apples skills you’ve made so much of.”
Gabriel laughed as he stood. “Deal.” He shot a smile over his shoulder as he walked away, and my heart flipped. I watched him join the group and felt my lips tip up slightly. I loved seeing him interact with others, loved the way he paid such close attention when other people spoke, the way he smiled so sincerely. And I realized that despite what Dominic had said about my being bad for his brother, it appeared to me that Gabriel was even more at ease with himself since he and I had grown closer.
I could see who he’d once been—the quietly confident boy everyone had been so drawn to—and I knew he would have always been that way if his life hadn’t been so horrifically interrupted when he was just a boy. He would have been “that guy,” the one girls whispered about in the hallway, the one who didn’t seem quite real, more like a hero on a movie screen, so effortlessly charming, so completely captivating, and yet still kind and genuine. Would he have been drawn to me if he had grown up as the person he was supposed to be? Would he have noticed me at all? I didn’t think so, and it left an ache in my heart.
I watched as Chloe talked animatedly to him, and I smiled at her exuberance and the fact that I could feel it even from across a crowded gathering.
Gabriel bent his head close to hers, listening attentively, and then after a few minutes, he leaned back and laughed. She laughed, too, grabbing his shoulders and saying something else that caused them both to laugh harder. They were so beautiful together: joyful and carefree. It caused a stab of pain to slice through my belly.
“She’s in love with him, you know.”
I whipped my head to the left, where I saw Dominic standing, watching Gabriel and Chloe, too. His words caused my heart to catch, but there didn’t appear to be any malice in his expression, instead almost … sadness. Why? I’d thought he wanted Gabriel and Chloe together. I swallowed, turning back to where Chloe and Gabriel were still leaned close together, their brown hair almost the same shade.
I saw the way Chloe took every opportunity to touch Gabriel, the way her gaze moved back to him even as someone else in the group joined in on the conversation. Of course she was in love with him. He was beautiful in a way that was almost difficult to explain unless you knew him. He was good and generous and smart and talented. God, who wouldn’t be in love with him? “I know,” I said softly.
I looked back up at Dominic, and he was regarding me thoughtfully, though not unkindly, and I was surprised at the lack of hostility in his gaze. It was the first time he’d looked at me with anything other than condemnation. He seemed to come back to himself and stood straight, looking around. “I’m starving. I’m going to go check out some of the booths. You want anything?”
“No, thank you,” I said, surprised by the offer. He nodded and turned away, disappearing into the crowd. I looked back to where Gabriel, Chloe, and George were with the group of quarry families, and Gabriel caught my eye, smiling and giving me a small wave. I smiled back, holding up my coffee cup in cheers.
He looked back to the group as George said something, and I watched as a couple walked past, shooting Gabriel a curious glance and then the wife smiling slightly as Gabriel laughed at whatever was being said.