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“We?” he repeated slowly.

I could turn around here. I could take the girls and keep some semblance of distance between us. It was the right thing to do. I’d been doing so well.

But after turning him down for breakfast once before, I regretted it. I was talking about him far too much for my own good, but that was going to happen whether I spent time with him or not. There was a deep part of me that wanted to catch up with him, and I couldn’t ignore it.

Consequences be damned.

“Yes. We.”

There was something about Gabriel that made me make terrible decisions. I knew that the town would be on fire with this news, yet I did it anyway.

I was sure he had more to say to me, but we were interrupted by the sound of tiny footsteps coming down the hallway.

Beatrice had just gotten up and was rubbing her eyes. Agnes had gone back to the couch and now looked alarmingly like Gabriel with a frown on her face.

I had to stop myself from grinning at her. She was, without a doubt, fucking adorable.

If I said that, she would kill me.

“Morning,” I said to Beatrice.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Are you both hungry?”

“Yes!” Agnes yelled. Beatrice frowned and covered her ears. She still nodded, though.

“Let’s experience the best breakfast in Strawberry Springs.”

“Technically, it’s the only breakfast in Strawberry Springs,” Gabriel said.

“Whatever. Even if it’s the only place, it’s still good.”

“That I’ll agree with.”

“I wanna go!” Agnes said.

“Fine,” Beatrice said. “Where are my shoes?”

“First, we should brush your hair. Come on, Beatrice, I’ll handle it.” Gabriel stepped forward, sounding so much like a dad that it almost gave me whiplash. It took me back to the times when I thought that this was the future we’d hold.

I had no idea it would happen like this.

Beatrice grumbled but followed him. Agnes bounced on the balls of her feet, seeming much lighter than she had just the day before.

“I guess the spring didn’t give you too many nightmares.”

“It was fine. Dad helped.” Her calling him “Dad” made me pause. Since when did that happen? “What?” Agnes asked.

I knew it was better not to call her out on it. “Nothing. Are you excited?”

“Yes.”

Gabriel shuffled Beatrice back down the hallway, her hair freshly brushed and her outfit different.

When we got down to the street, nerves made my skin rise in gooseflesh.

I walked into the diner anyway.