23. Way Away

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P L A Y L I S T

Way Away - Yellowcard



The next morning, to reinforce what she'd told Gabriel the night before, Zari woke him with another hand job, and he didn't argue. Just because she couldn't have sex didn't mean he should be deprived of pleasure.

And if he wanted to admit it or not, her blood pressure had probably risen during the love tug just as much as if they'd done the deed. But for his conscience to be clear, she'd abided by the rules. By the time he got back home, she'd be free of the cast and restrictions.

She rolled over. Rebel sat by the bed waiting for his invitation. She patted the area next to her, and he jumped next to her and licked her cheek.

"Good morning, boy. Starting today, it's just you and me. You ready to go for a walk?"

The dog's tail wagged so hard his whole body shook.

"I guess that's a yes." Zari glanced at the empty pillow and sighed. Just knowing she'd not see Gabriel for a whole week made her sad. Well, she'd see him on Facetime, and that was better than nothing. She scooted to the edge of the mattress, slipped her feet into her house shoes, and made her way to the bathroom.

Staring into the mirror, she finger combed her hair. No time for gloom and doom. That wouldn't change anything. If she stayed busy, time would fly. A few ideas had been bouncing around in her head for days, and with Gabriel gone, this gave her the opportunity to put them into action.

Even though she had a job waiting in Dallas, until she remembered her life there, she saw no reason to return. Dr. Rodriguez had said there was a small possibility she'd never regain her memory. Either way, she couldn't put her life on hold where a job was concerned. Gabriel was kind enough to let her live with him for now, but she couldn't expect him to make this permanent, unless he did plan to propose. He might have changed his mind about marrying her.

No, she couldn't continue to let him support her. That wasn't fair. If he insisted she remained his roommate, she needed to contribute. A few days ago, she'd gone into the spare room and found the stacks of boxes.

When she'd asked his mother about them, she'd explained how Gabriel had never bothered to unpack after moving into the house. Until Zari found employment, she could take that responsibility—if Gabriel agreed.

Add to the list, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping. She could do all those things and give him more free time. He worked hard and sharing duties would make their relationship stronger.

So far, he'd done all the giving, and she'd done all the taking. It might be okay while she recuperated, but once her cast came off, she needed to pick up the slack.

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