ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 182

GABRIELLE’S POV

Father’s arms tightened around me, and I held on just as firmly.

“Bree told me you came by,” he said. “Before I stepped out you were gone.”

My grip on him tightened. “I didn’t think you’d want to see me.”

He pulled back just enough to look at my face.

“I am a bad father for not reaching out sooner,” he murmured. “I was so angry and for what?”

I shook my head. “No. I knew my actions were wrong.”

His gaze moved over my face. “It wasn’t enough to throw my daughters out.”

Daughters.

Emily and I.

Would he hate me if I told him I handed my own sister over to Rhys for what she did?

Or would he understand that she couldn’t be saved anymore? That she would always come after me if I had let her go?

My heart thudded wildly. “Emily—”

“Murdered an innocent woman and almost killed you twice,” he cut me off. “She impersonated you to steal from me too.”

I swallowed, feeling a dull ache in my chest.

“I’m so sorry.”

He frowned slightly. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I can’t help the part of me that feels guilty for how she turned out,” I insisted. “If I weren’t in her life maybe she would have been different.”

His expression softened. “If that’s the case, then I should be the one to blame. Maybe giving you girls a mother—”

“Then don’t do that,” I cut in quickly. “We shouldn’t blame ourselves for what she chose to become.”

He went quiet.

His gaze held mine, like he was weighing my words.

“Emily made her decisions,” I continued, my voice calmer now. “Just like I made mine. It’s okay to feel guilty, but we don’t have to be miserable.”

A slow breath left him.

“You’ve grown,” he said after a moment.

I gave a small shrug. “I had to.”

His eyes softened again, but there was still something heavy behind them.

“I failed you,” he said quietly. “Both of you. I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t,” I replied. “You made mistakes, yes. But you didn’t fail me. Sending me away was the best thing you ever did for me.”

He raised a brow. “Really?”

“Yes,” I answered. “After being sheltered all my life, it was what I needed. But I won’t take all the credit. Damon helped me a lot.”

Father’s expression hardened at his name.

Then he sat back down on the bleachers and gestured at me to sit beside him.

I did.

“I find it hard to believe anything good could come out of a Gravari,” he said, shaking his head. “Their family is older than ours but it has been one of the worst for years.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Father turned to me. “They are rumored to be the descendants of the devil himself. They are ruthless, even in the business world. I was surprised when I found out he almost died protecting you.”

I had to hold back my smile.

I knew everything about Damon, but I wasn’t scared of him. And I wouldn’t call him the devil either. He had no other choice but to be the way he was.

“All my life I’ve wanted what I was told to want,” I said, holding Father’s gaze. “What I have with Damon is different from that and… hard to explain, but it’s real.”

Confusion etched on his face.

“What I have with Damon made me realize a plain life isn’t enough for me,” I continued. “A life with him is what I want, even if no one else understands it.”

I looked away briefly, gathering my thoughts, then met his eyes again.

“It’s not just about having a life that looks right,” I said. “It’s about having a life that actually feels right.”

Father didn’t interrupt me this time.

“I know where he comes from,” I added. “I know what he’s done. But that’s not all he is.”

His expression shifted slightly.

“He didn’t choose that life,” I continued. “He was born into it, just like Emily and I didn’t choose everything that happened to us.”

I held his gaze, steady.

“But despite that, we still chose each other. He still chose to protect me, to change things, and to walk away from it when he could.”

My voice softened, but it didn’t lose its certainty.

“That’s who he is to me. Not just a Gravari and not just what people say about him. Damon makes me happier than I’ve ever been.”

Father’s shoulders eased slightly.

“Are you truly happy?”

I nodded. “I am.”

A faint smile touched his lips. “That’s all that matters to me.”

I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Tell me about your life,” he said. “I want to know everything I missed.”

I doubted he’d be ecstatic to hear every detail of my life for the past year.

“There’s a lot,” I admitted. “Some of it… you might not like.”

“I don’t care,” he replied immediately. “I want to know how you’ve been living.”

I held his gaze for a second, then nodded slowly.

“Alright,” I said. “But you have to tell me things too. It can’t just be me.”

That familiar small laugh left him. “Fair enough.”

Silence settled between us again, but this time it felt easier and less guarded.

“Does he treat you well?” he asked suddenly.

I didn’t need to ask who he meant.

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “Ironic, isn’t it? He treats me better than Jared ever did. Yet, by reputation, Jared was a good man.”

I tightened my hold on the bouquet, my heart beating faster with every step we took.

Damon stopped once we reached the center, then turned to face me fully.

For a second, we just stared at each other silently.

“I had a whole speech planned,” he admitted, a faint, almost embarrassed smile touching his lips. “It sounded better in my head.”

I let out a small, shaky laugh.

“I’ve spent most of my life knowing exactly what I was doing,” he began, his voice more serious now. “I don’t walk into things unprepared.”

His fingers tightened slightly around mine.

“But this… you… none of this was planned.”

My throat tightened.

“And somehow, it became the only thing that ever made sense to me. Because it was fate when you walked into the bar that night. It was fate that I set my eyes on you for the second time.”

For the second time?

I wanted to ask but I didn’t want to ruin this moment.

His gaze didn’t leave mine.

“I didn’t think I was capable of wanting something real,” he continued. “Of needing someone the way I need you.”

My chest rose and fell fast.

“You didn’t just walk into my life for the second time that night, Gabrielle,” he said. “You gave me a second chance at something I had been too scared to take.”

Emotion rose in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

“You made me want things I never allowed myself to want,” he went on. “A home, a family, and happiness. I didn’t even realize how much I needed it until you gave it to me.”

Tears slightly blurred my vision.

Damon let go of my hand then.

My heart skipped a beat.

He reached into his pocket, and everything inside me stilled.

Then he got down on one knee.

A soft sound escaped me, my free hand flying to my mouth as I stared at him.

He looked up at me, and there was no guard, no distance or coldness in his gaze.

Just raw emotions.

“Marry me, Gabrielle.”

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

“Be my wife in every way that matters,” he added. “Not just by circumstance, not just by name. I want to do this right with you.”

A tear ran down my cheek.

“I want a life with you that’s ours. One where I promise to love you every day.”

He opened the ring box.

“Gabrielle Vanderbilt, will you marry me?”