Page 29 of Gabriel Grace

I freeze in place, staring at the beautiful bookshelf in front of me before spinning on my heel, only to be met with Gabe’s whole family staring at me.

“Um, sorry, just, ah, processing,” I mumble, my cheeks on fire.

“Process away, girlfriend!” Kristie says, waving a hand at me.

“Now you have me looking like a crazy person!” I hiss to my inner voice. No, not inner voice, inner soul. Or something. I growl and shake my fists in the air.

Hey, don’t get mad at me. If you listened to me more often you’d know all this stuff.

“What!? You have never once said ‘By the way, Brenna, I’m the extra soul of your dead twin that for a while was your imaginary friend.”

Of course I wouldn’t say that. Sheesh. But I did tell you to remember. Remember you had me.

“But I don’t remember that I had you? Not until now! And everyone thought I was crazy when I was a kid and told me you weren't real!”

To be fair, that crazy foster lady was legitimately crazy. She made you wear black! And was just downright mean. Why do you think I stopped showing up and just talked to you this way?

I freeze in my tracks again. “You were protecting me?”

Obviously. That’s why I’m here.

“What do you mean, ‘that’s why I’m here?’. Can you be other places?” I frown at Gabe whose gold gaze has been watching me this whole time.

Well, yeah, I could have moved on.

The thought of Frank moving on hits me in the gut and almost steals my breath away.

“Bren! Are you OK?” Gabe is already on his feet, moving toward me, arms outstretched.

“Yeah,” I gasp. “I-I’m OK.” I nod into his shoulder, his spicy scent soothing me enough to be able to pull back and give him a wobbly smile.

He stoops a little, “Need to pace more?” he asks, brows raised, face full of concern.

I give him a little nod. “Just a little more.”

“OK babe, you got it.” He presses his lips to my temple, inhaling a little before pulling back.

“Frank?”