Chapter 11 - THE KISS HE WAS AFRAID TO ASK FOR
Three weeks after the gala, Lily came home.
Not to the old master suite.
Gabriel had transformed a smaller bedroom into a space she helped design.
There were pale yellow walls.
Bookshelves low enough for her to reach.
A soft rug.
A small night-light.
And no enormous windows overlooking the city unless she wanted the curtains open.
Lily chose the curtains herself.
Blue.
With clouds.
Gabriel bought exactly the ones she wanted.
Not the expensive silk version a designer recommended.
The inexpensive cotton ones with slightly crooked stitching.
Claire smiled when she saw them.
“You're learning.”
Gabriel looked offended.
“I've always had excellent taste.”
“You once bought a four-year-old a miniature crystal chandelier.”
“She liked the sparkles.”
“She was afraid of it.”
He sighed.
“Fair.”
Lily's recovery continued gradually.
Some days she ate well.
Other days she struggled.
Her medical team monitored her health, and Dr. Fernandez worked with the family on rebuilding safety around ordinary routines.
Claire stayed involved as a caregiver with clear working hours and responsibilities.
But something had changed between her and Gabriel.
They began talking after Lily went to bed.
Sometimes over coffee.
Sometimes while folding the little girl's laundry.
Once, Gabriel spent forty minutes attempting to assemble a toy kitchen.
Claire watched him put the refrigerator door on backward.
“Are you certain you know what you're doing?”
He looked up.
“I'm following the instructions.”
“The instructions are upside down.”
Gabriel stared.
Then began laughing.
It was the first time Claire had heard him laugh without immediately looking guilty afterward.
One evening, they stood on the terrace.
The city was quiet beneath them.
Claire wore an old cardigan.
Gabriel had abandoned his suit jacket.
For once, neither seemed interested in discussing the investigation.
Gabriel looked at her.
“Do you ever regret taking Vivian's call?”
Claire considered the question.
“Sometimes I regret the chaos that followed.”
He nodded.
“But not Lily.”
“Never Lily.”
Gabriel smiled faintly.
Then his expression became serious.
“I think about you when you're not here.”
Claire's heart tightened.
“Gabriel.”
“I know how complicated that sounds.”
“Yes.”
“I know you're employed to help my daughter. I don't want you to feel pressured by that.”
Claire studied him.
He continued.
“And I know I have a past that isn't easy to defend.”
She took a breath.
“Then don't try to defend everything.”
He nodded.
“I won't.”
For a moment, he looked toward the city.
Then he said, “I'd like to get to know you outside this house.”
Claire smiled sadly.
“I'd like that too.”
They agreed that Claire would complete her existing employment arrangement before considering a romantic relationship.
Gabriel didn't argue.
For a man accustomed to having everything immediately, waiting was a remarkable act.
Several weeks later, after Claire ended her placement and Lily's care plan was transitioned to an independent team, Gabriel invited her to dinner.
A small restaurant.
No photographers.
No business associates.
No one calling him sir every five minutes.
They talked about books, childhood memories, and the future.
Afterward, they walked beside the Hudson.
Gabriel stopped beneath a streetlight.
“Claire.”
She turned.
“Yes?”
“May I kiss you?”
For a moment, she remembered the man who had nearly thrown her out of his penthouse.
The father who couldn't stop his daughter from suffering.
The businessman who believed control was the same thing as love.
Then she looked at the man standing beside her.
Waiting.
Not demanding.
Claire smiled.
“Yes.”
May you like
He kissed her gently.
And for the first time, Gabriel Varrick understood how peaceful it could feel to be chosen without fear.
