Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 304

Gabriel’s POV

Clairessa’s eyes brightened even more. “Two bouquets of roses?” she teased. “I must really be a princess. Or maybe... a queen.”

I crossed the room, set the flowers down on the bedside table, and bent over her. My lips brushed her forehead, my hand stroking her hair back. “Of course you are,” I whispered against her skin. “You’re the queen of my world. You hold my entire heart.”

Color flushed her cheeks as she leaned into me, warmth against my chest. “You hold mine as well,” she answered, so low I almost missed it. It landed, and it was everything.

I turned, urging softly, “Come closer, son.”

Adrian gave a shy smile. “I just wanted to give you two lovebirds a moment.” Still, he stepped forward and placed his roses into her waiting hands. She brought them to her face, breathing in their scent.

“It’s good to see you, Adrian,” she said warmly. “And I absolutely love the flowers. Thank you.”

“At least I got your favorite this time,” Adrian joked lightly. “Thanks to your boyfriend, who now happens to be my dad.”

For a second, Clairessa and I both froze, our expressions probably giving us away. Adrian caught it instantly, throwing up his hands with a crooked grin. “Kidding. Joking... relax.”

Her lips curved, and the sound of her chuckle broke the moment. I knew it... Adrian would take every chance to clown the situation, and I had already braced myself for it.

She turned to me then, eyes soft and full of warmth, a look that melted me from the inside out. “I find that your dad is very attentive to details... the king of excellence.”

Adrian muttered under his breath, though I caught every word. “Tell me about it. Dealing with his paranoia while you’ve been here has been torture. All by myself, too.”

I shot him a warning look. “Adrian, you really want to go there?” I asked, my tone somewhere between playful and terrifying.

Clairessa reached up, brushing her fingers across my cheek with a tender smile. “I think he was just worried about me. And now, he knows I’m coming home.”

I held her close, burying a kiss against her temple. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Adrian shifted, his voice softening. “Clairessa, how are you... really feeling?”

She let out a deep breath, stretching her arm carefully. The bandages were gone now, only angry red marks and the stiffness of healing flesh remained.

“Much better,” she said softly. “Other than the dull ache in my shoulder, everything seems pretty fine.”

“That’s good,” Adrian said, his voice thick with relief. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you healing so quickly, and to know every culprit is finally behind bars.”

For a moment, the hospital walls disappeared, and I was back in that underground garage, Marco’s gun pressed to Clairessa’s head, the terror of watching her bleed out in my arms, the thought of losing her clawing through me. The memory still split me open. Rage burned through my chest.

“Oh, I’m going to make damn sure that stupid waitress Nicole... God, how could she be that evil? How could she do this? I’ll make damn sure she stays behind bars for a very long time.”

“And Marco’s men have also been found,” I added, forcing the fury back into words. “They confessed to setting fire to your apartment building. They were trying to finish what he started. Justice caught up with them too. None of them will see the light of day again.”

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