Avow

CHAPTER 17

Charleston 1792

Scarlet stared at the flames in the fireplace; her mind wandering a thousand places that no longer existed as midnight drew near.

She was adjusting to her new life.

Nathaniel and his quirky ways were quickly becoming a piece of her heart and Gabriel had dedicated most of his days to making her laugh and showing her new things. The only person missing from her life was Tristan.

From the conversation pieces she stole while listening to Gabriel and Nathaniel—and she did, indeed, have to steal them—she knew he lived a good distance away, but aside from that she knew nothing about him. That was the point, she supposed.

She spent many cold nights in front of the fireplace, entranced by the blaze within. Something about the flames reminded her of Tristan, and something about the sparks reminded her of herself.

Sometimes Gabriel would join her, his easiness wrapping around her as he sat beside her in the firelight. She would sink into the warm calm he provided and be wonderfully distracted from any sorrowful thoughts. They would breathe, they would talk, and they would sit in silence. It was wonderful. Easy.

If Tristan was her fire, then Gabriel was her serenity; waiting her out, lighting her face, filling her heart in the slow, patient way only peace could.

He had told her to live, and so she did. She stopped wallowing. She made friends. She laughed at dinners. She even tied herself into corsets for special occasions.

And with every passing day, she felt less fire and more peace, until her heart no longer stung. Where once her chest would ache at the thought of Tristan, it now only echoed like a canyon filled with wind.

She had not fallen apart without her green-eyed Hunter—a realization that comforted her heart almost as much as it broke it—but she had become someone else in his absence.

She bit her tongue, she reigned in her temper, and she behaved like a lady. But more importantly, she was pleasant. Gabriel deserved a pleasant companion.

“I knew I’d find you here.” Gabriel’s voice held a smile as it met her ears.

She turned to look at the brown-eyed boy with Tristan’s face leaning against the archway into the study and smiled. “Fires are both destructive and beautiful. I find them terribly intriguing.”

“Of course, you do,” he smirked, and came to sit beside her on the sofa.

“How goes the state of your heart?” Scarlet constantly asked about his heart and his curse, always getting the same answer from him.

“Happy.” He grinned and his dimples pulled a grin from her face as well. “How about yours?”

She tilted her head. “Content.”

His grin softened as he reached for her hand and pulled it to his mouth, kissing her open palm. “I am glad. Now I can die a happy man.”

With Gabriel’s lips on her palm, Scarlet felt her heart flutter and the sensation surprised her. “You cannot die at all.”

He lowered her hand from his mouth but held it in his palm. “Then I can live a happy man.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “You are always a happy man.”

“Not always.” His tone was jesting, but a deep pain coursed through Scarlet’s veins as she thought of Gabriel’s life without her and the curse he bore.

“I do not want to die again,” she said. “I do not want you to be empty.”

He looked her over carefully, his pained eyes falling along the lines of her face as firelight flickered across his own. “You fear death for my sake?”

She nodded, realizing it was true. She was incredibly healthy and had not fallen ill in the three years she’d been alive, but death would surely come for her eventually. And the thought made her ache for Gabriel. He was full of good and her death would leave him empty.

“You are a silly woman to care so much for me. I do not deserve it.”

“You do.” She nodded. “Very much.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I love you.”

Scarlet’s eyes fell closed with the touch, remembering a time when she thought Tristan was gone and Gabriel had loved her fully and held her in his arms with great pride.

Scarlet opened her eyes. “I love you, too. Do you know that?”

He smiled. “I do.” He tilted his head to the side and sighed. “Come here.” He pulled her into him and leaned back on the sofa. Scarlet willingly tucked her head into the soft place between his shoulder and chest and inhaled deeply.

He smelled good. He was safe and careful, and everything about him was familiar and warm. She nestled in further and Gabriel wrapped his arms around her completely, setting his face against the top of her head as they watched the fire.

“Stay with me,” Scarlet said.

He ran his fingers down her arm and caught a strand of her long hair, wrapping it round his fingers. “I would not wish to be anywhere else.”

Scarlet suddenly wanted to cry. Not for her lack of Tristan. Not for her broken heart. But for Gabriel and his dedicated patience and unconditional love for her.

Like a weary warrior after battle, Scarlet let herself relax into the arms of the man who had loved her deeply in her darkest times and cherished her heart. Not just the parts that were undamaged and beautiful, but the entire mess.

And slowly, like it had never left, love seeped in.