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Gabriel stops a little ahead of me, he turns back to face me with a brow raised.
“So, this isn’t about a date at all? This is about that ring and the thing you’re working on?” I shake my head. We were standing in front of O’Cleary’s. “Wow. I should’ve known.”
I turn to walk away but stop when he wraps his hand around my bicep. Damn he’s fast.
He stares into my face for a long moment as if there is a hidden message in my features. Finally, he looks away before looking back at me.
“I’m sorry,” he finally says. “I should have told you where we were going and not let you get your hopes up.”
It isn’t just about me getting my hopes up, but I don’t explain that to him. Pulling my arm from his grip, I nod my head.
“It’s all good. Let’s just go.”
“We can’t. This is the only night the Royals will be here for another thirty days. I need to go in.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I say, “Okay. Go in. I’m not stopping you. I’ll go into a restaurant and wait for you.”
He’s shaking his head at me before I finish my sentence. “You have to go with me.”
“What?” I shout, dropping my arms at my side. “Why?”
He takes a step toward me, grabbing my hand in his. “I need you in there because places like this are sometimes a lot for me. The flashing lights, the loud noise and the crowd makes it hard for me to focus sometimes. I get overstimulated, but I notice when I’m around you, it quiets the noises. You make everything disappear. I need you in there with me.”
Fuck. See. How am I supposed to stay angry when he says things like that to me? He has a way of making me feel so important and so special. I want to be all those things for him that he needs me to be.
“Look, I wish I could. But you don’t understand what you’re asking of me. O’Cleary’s is a breeding ground for my old vices. Since I’ve been out of rehab, I’ve stayed clear of places like that. My demons run rampant in that place.”
He cups my face in his palms, his green eyes staring down at me. “There isn’t a place on this earth you need to fear when you’re with me. I got you, Summer. Forever. Do you believe that?”
For some reason, without a doubt, I believed him. I nod my head.
“Good. But you’re right. I should have thought about your demons before I brought you here. I’ll find another way. Come on.” He lets go of my face and grabs my hand, heading back the way we came.
I take a few steps but stop. Closing my eyes, I allow the words of my sponsor to penetrate my thoughts. “You still fear relapsing.” There is no doubt that even after five years that is a huge fear of mine. I’ve done well to stay away from places like this.
Even when Trina goes out for her birthday, I usually go to the dinner party but leave before she goes to a club. I’m not saying that I wanted to start hanging at clubs again, but I did want to face this fear. Because if I can fight off those old urges in here, I can do it anywhere. And if I had to face this battle with anyone by my side, it would be Gabriel.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
He stares at me quietly for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I can do it. But if I need to leave, we will leave right?”
“Immediately,” he says.
I dip my chin ready to face the biggest hurdle of my life. Gabriel holds my hand the entire walk up to the club. From outside I can hear the music bumping. I head to the back of the line ready to wait with everyone else. However, Gabriel has other plans. He tugs me to the front of the line. Standing in front of us is a tall woman with a blunt bob. Standing behind her are three bulky bodyguards.
She gives the bouncer at the door her name. He checks the iPad in his hand. Apparently, she was on his list because he handed her one of the VIP bracelets for the Royal’s. Once the tall woman and her three companions walk into the club, the bouncer at the front door turns to us.
I was about to tell Gabriel that unless we were part of the royal crew, we wouldn’t get in this way.
The bouncer’s eyes widen when we step up.
“Sorry Sir, go right in,” he opens the door allowing us in without even paying the hundred-dollar door fee. The pounding music engulfs us as we walk inside. I tap his arm and he bends down to hear me.
“How did we get in? They never let anyone cut the line or skip paying.”
He smiles before leaning into my ear. “I paid him a home visit. He was very willing to let me in.”
