With All My Heart (A Devons Series)

Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

"Accept me at my strongest, support me at my weakest."

Gabriel POV

  I watch over Emma for the next week. She hasn't improved, in fact, quite the opposite. Because of her lack of food, she lost a lot of weight. She only moves when I force her to and she hasn't been outside for the two weeks she's been holed up in her grandmother's room. The lack of sun caused her beautiful, tanned skin to look pasty and pale.

   I go to her room now to try to persuade her to eat something. When I walk in, she's sitting, looking out the window and I sigh. This is her usual position. I walk over to her and help her to the bathroom. She slowly plods into the bathroom with a change of clothes and closes the door. After a few minutes of me standing outside the bathroom, I hear the shower begin to run.

   When she finally finishes, we go downstairs silently. The silence in this house is suffocating but I don't say anything to Emma, just try to portray just how much she means to me and show her my unwavering support. I make her some breakfast while she seats herself by the kitchen table. After eating extremely little, I urge her to go put on her shoes so we could go outside for some fresh air. Donning her coat without a word, she slips out of the house and, breathing a sigh of relief that she's somewhat getting better, I follow her.

   We sit on the porch steps, each lost in our own thoughts. I wonder when Emma will be well enough to tell Thea and the boys her family's insane secret. 

   I follow Emma's gaze, trying to figure out what she's thinking, when I notice her staring at my car with a frown.

   "Are you okay?" I ask. Then something hits me. "Don't worry, Em. I'm not leaving until you're one hundred percent better. Okay?"

   She nods and the creases in her forehead disappear. I kiss her forehead gently and allow her to lean her body heavily against mine. She puts her head on my shoulder and breaths out a long, pent up breath. I kiss her forehead again and lean my head against hers. Poor Emma.

   That night, while Emma and I watch a movie in her room, she dozes off on me. She is sleeping so soundly and peacefully that I don't want to bother her so I let her rest on me, with a clear plan to go downstairs as soon as she rolls over, off me. Too bad my tired body doesn't agree with my plan because soon enough, I doze off too. 

   Toward the morning, I wake up to the sound of my name. I blink open my sleep-crusted eyes and look around. No one is in the room except for me and Emma and Emma is still sleeping soundly. Except...

   "Gabriel," the whisper comes again. It comes out in a sigh, almost as if the voice belongs to a sleeping person...

   I look down at Emma and watch as she inhales a breath and releases it with my name.

   My heart stutters. She hasn't spoken to anyone in more than two weeks and her first word is my name?! 

   I go for a shower and then retreat to the kitchen to make me and Emma some breakfast. She comes down an hour later, looking well rested. She snatches a plate of eggs from the table and plops down to devour them. I grin happily when I notice that Emma actually looks... hungry for the first time since her grandmother died.

   I bring her outside for a walk after I wash all the dishes. She still seems to not be saying anything, even though I heard her say my name. Yeah, it was in her sleep, but still. I try coaxing her to try and use her voice again. "Come on, Em. You can talk."

   She shakes her head and looks away, embarrassed.

   I turn her around to face me and take her hands in mine, squeezing them firmly. "You can speak! You said my name this morning in your sleep. I know you can talk."

   She flushes deeply, still not looking at me.

   "Really," I say with a devilish grin. "It sort of surprised me that you'd say my name of all others, even though you clearly hate me."

   That finally gets a response from her. "I don't hate you," she whispers quickly, jumping to her defense.

   I whoop out loud. "Go, Emma! Let's throw a party, ladies and gentlemen! Emma's speaking again!"

   "Stop being such a drama king," she rasps, her voice sounding weird because of the lack of use for the past two weeks. "You're acting like a clown, Gabe."

   "Ooh! We're on nickname basis now? I like it! This obviously means you don't hate me anymore, right?"

   She giggles but it doesn't sound like the giggle I've grown used to. It sounds like the voice belongs to a ninety year old chainsmoker. "Shut up!" she whispers fiercely- or at least tries to sound fierce. You can't sound fierce if you haven't got a voice.

   She hugs me tightly and I still. Completely freeze. Emma. Hugging me. Aren't we supposed to hate each other? Or stay away from each other? Doesn't she know how much she turns me on? This is so weird! And she's something like family... NO! I WILL NOT THINK THAT! THAT IS BEYOND WEIRD AND WE'RE NOT EVEN RELATED!!!

   I groan and push her away and a hurt look flashes across her beautiful features but she looks away, tears filling her dark eyes and I instantly feel like the biggest jackass in all of Earth. I try to explain my behavior quickly, not wanting Emma to cry anymore, especially after she spent two weeks straight crying for the loss of her beloved grandmother. "Please don't take that the wrong way!"

   "Oh yeah?" she croaks. "How else am I supposed to take that, you fart-head?"

   I lower my head in shame. "I'm sorry, Emma. You really shouldn't hug me or anything."

   "Why not? For all the things you've done to help, I'm not allowed to hug you for? What, I'm turning you on or something?" she snaps sarcastically, not knowing how dead on she is.

   I look away and she swallows so hard, I can hear it from where I'm standing. "You're joking, right?" she whispers.

   I don't look at her. 

   Horror paints her face. "Gabriel, that's ridiculous! How can you get turned on by your sister?"

   I whirl on her. "You are not my sister!" I ground out, deeply irritated and irked by her stupidity. Does she not remember that I'm a f*cking FOSTER CHILD?!?!?!? Why is she rubbing it in?

Emma POV

   I blink away my tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

   His face is as hard as rock as he gazes at me, but after a bit, his face softens. He holds out his arms to me and I carefully walk into his embrace.

   His arms fall around me and his body warmth warms me to my soul. It gives me the comfort I needed all along and didn't know I could find it here. He doesn't know how much his staying with me, means to me. He stayed, even when he knew I was a lost case over the loss of Grama. He never left, never complained about leaving my side. He stayed by me, no matter what and I know that I'm right to rethink my opinion of him.

   "Gabriel," I mutter against his shoulder. I swallow and blink back thick tears forming in my eyes. "Why did we hate each other so much in the beginning? I mean, we were nice when we first met, but then that changed. Why?"

   He pulls away and gazes into my eyes. "Because I think we both felt that obvious attraction that's between us. I never had a productive and long-lasting relationship with a girl before and I didn't think you would be any different. So I thought that it would be better that you would think I'm an asshole than you pursuing a relationship with me and getting hurt in the end."

   Tears pour out of my eyes quickly now. "And now?" I whisper, talking around the thick lump that formed in my throat from holding in my tears. 

   He leans his head to mine and rests his forehead against mine. "I changed my mind. I don't care what happens. You're mine and I'm not letting you go. No matter what." With that proclamation out in the open, he leans in fully and places a gentle kiss on my waiting lips.

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