Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 305

Clairessa’s POV

I sank into the mattress with a long, grateful sigh, the steam from the shower still seeping warmth into my skin.

Gabriel fussed with the blanket, tucking it up around my shoulders as if I might catch a chill in the middle of the night. His hands lingered, smoothing the fabric, stroking the hair at my temple with a tenderness that had become a daily ritual.

He had been my strength through this whole awful recovery since the shooting. He made sure he came home early, helped me shower, made certain I ate, and stayed by my side when the flashbacks came. He treated me like I was fragile and fierce at the same time, patient and devoted.

The pain of Marco holding my life on a thread and shooting me was still a memory that could sting if I let it, but with Gabriel here, I had found peace, real peace. I had never felt alone with him. Because of him I healed faster, slept a little easier, breathed a little freer, as if something heavy had finally been set down.

I was happier than I had ever been. For once there were no secrets between us, no lies hovering over our relationship, nothing left to fear.

Adrian had changed too. These past weeks it was as though father and son had rediscovered one another. I caught them in the living room, laughing at something, or bent over papers as Gabriel guided him through work. They were inseparable in a way I had never seen before, and it filled my heart with joy.

Even more surprising was Adrian’s care for me. He checked in often, made sure I was comfortable, fetched things without being asked. His eagerness to meet his sibling melted me. He teased about whether the baby would look more like me or Gabriel, and he never hid his excitement.

We didn’t know the gender yet. Gabriel and I had decided to wait until delivery. Still, I couldn’t deny that part of his tenderness, the way he handled me like glass, like I carried the world inside me, was because of the baby. His hands always found my belly, his eyes softened in a way that left me breathless.

“You do realize,” I teased, tilting my head to catch his gaze, “you don’t need to help me shower every night, right? The wound has almost healed at this point.”

I waved a hand, smiling. “I’m not exactly helpless anymore.”

He shrugged, that slow, infuriating grin pulling at one corner of his mouth. “Maybe. But I happen to love taking care of you.”

His eyes grew playful. “Or... were you telling me you don’t like our little shower time?”

I rolled my eyes, trying not to melt at that look. “You know I love it.”

“So what’s the problem?”

I narrowed my eyes, pretending to weigh his words, just so I could poke him a little further. “I’m just trying to figure out what you gain from all this.”

A playful thought hit me and I gasped, clutching the blanket dramatically. “I see. Maybe this is just your excuse to see me naked every night?”

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to that low, cocky tone that never failed to send shivers down my spine. “Sweetheart, if I want you naked, I don’t need to fake helping you with showers. All I’d have to do is kiss you, and you’d be stripping before I even let go.”

My mouth fell open in mock offense. “Arrogant much?” I swatted his chest, but laughter softened the blow.

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