ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 3

GABRIELLE’S POV

Damon didn’t come back to bed that night.

He didn’t tuck the girls in either.

I woke up and glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

3:00 AM

The sheet behind me was still cold, and I was beginning to get uncomfortable.

We had always talked things out before going to bed. And the times we didn’t, we at least cuddled through the night and talked in the morning.

Did I push him too far?

I stood up and reached for my robe, wrapping it around my nightdress as I stepped out of the room.

I checked in on the children first to see that they were both sound asleep.

Then I stepped out of the house to search for him.

He was exactly where I expected he’d be.

Damon was sitting on a bench in the garden where we got married, a drink in his hand.

I stood behind him for a second.

He was struggling with his emotions and it hurt that I couldn’t do anything to help him. But I could make him come back to bed and get some rest at least.

I walked closer to him.

He heard my footsteps and turned, the glass halfway to his lips. “Gabrielle.”

I sat beside him and reached for the bottle. “I’m the only drunk in this marriage, okay?”

Damon smiled, an amused huff escaping him.

I took a swig from the bottle, welcoming the burn as it passed through my chest in the cold morning air.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to bed,” he said, his eyes looking straight ahead. “I needed to think.”

“What did you think about?” I asked.

He turned to me, his eyes beautiful under the moonlight. “About our fight.”

I held his gaze, but didn’t respond immediately.

I shifted closer to him on the bench until our arms were touching. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“Neither do I,” he said.

I stared up at him. “I should have been more understanding.”

Damon’s hand came to my cheek, his thumb brushing against my skin.

“Remember when we said our vows here?”

I leaned into his touch and nodded. “I do.”

“I said I would always protect you and our children,” he continued. “That you guys were my only purpose in life.”

I remembered it as if it were yesterday, but perhaps it was because I had replayed the wedding video the day before.

I would never forget that day.

I nodded, something tight in my throat.

He leaned closer until I could feel his breath on my face and whispered, “I meant it. I will never let harm come to any of you. And that is why I don’t want to be part of that world anymore.”

“Of course,” I responded, my voice breaking. “I know that. But I’m scared.”

His thumb brushed my skin again.

“I understand, wife,” he admitted. “But for now, Aiden poses no threat. At least, give me until then to make a decision.”

I stared at him for a second. “I am selfishly in love with you, Damon. I can’t imagine you leaving me and going to jail.”

“I won’t leave you,” he said.

My hand moved to hold his wrist, tears blurring my vision slightly. “No matter how guilty you feel… promise me you won’t leave me.”

He didn’t hesitate. “I’m not going anywhere. We belong together, and not even my guilt could make me blind to that.”

Then he kissed me slowly and deeply, taking my breath away as his tongue slipped past my lips.

I could taste the alcohol in his mouth, smell it on his breath—and it made my head spin.

A low moan escaped me.

Soon, I found myself in his lap on the bench, my dress bunched up around my waist as I rode his cock, moving with a need I couldn’t suppress.

He kept me close, his voice low against my ear as he whispered how much he loved me, and planted kisses on my skin.

I bit back a smile and set Aria down as Lila ran to me next, wrapping her arms around my waist.

“Mum, Auntie Fio said we couldn’t wake you,” she announced, very seriously. “She said you and Daddy needed your sleep.”

I looked at Fiorella.

She shrugged, completely unbothered. “I heard you two coming into the house early this morning."

“Good morning to you too,” I said dryly.

She grinned. “Afternoon, actually.”

I tried to stop my face from flushing — and failed.

Fiorella gave me a stare that told me she knew exactly why I woke up late.

I couldn’t wait for the girls to take a nap so we could discuss adult things over a bottle of wine.

Rhys tasted whatever was in the pot, made a face, and added more salt.

Fiorella watched him with the expression of someone deeply reconsidering a life decision.

He caught her staring and frowned, but when his eyes met mine, he turned to her and smiled stiffly.

“It’ll be fine,” he said.

“You said that twenty minutes ago,” she replied in a snarky tone.

“And I meant it then too,” he retorted.

I could sense something wasn’t right between them, but I pushed the thought down, deciding I would talk about it with Fiorella later.

I laughed at their banter despite myself and settled onto one of the stools at the counter, Aria immediately raising her hands so I could lift her onto my lap.

The domesticity of it all sat warmly in my chest.

I wouldn’t trade this for anything else in the world.

One of the security men stepped into the kitchen, his presence immediately pulling my attention away from the conversation.

“Ma’am,” he said, his voice respectful but urgent. “May I have a word with you?”

I frowned slightly. “What is it?”

He glanced at the kids staring at him and back at me. “It’s something you need to hear in private.”