Zari Davis flees Dallas after witnessing her fiancee cheating, with no clear plan on where she's going. After flipping her Volkswagon Beetle, she wakes up convinced that the cute guy that's been reading raunchy novels aloud while she slept is actual...
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P L A Y L I S T
It Must Have Been Love - Roxette
Gabriel stood in the doorway and stared at the car kicking up the dirt road in a hazy orange cloud until the taillights disappeared. Zari's last words pounded in his head. The way I loved you. Past tense. It was over, and as hard as he'd tried to prepare himself for this day, the ache in his chest told him he'd failed.
He closed the door and collapsed on the sofa, focusing on the new gift he'd added beneath the tree. Couldn't help but laugh. He was probably the only guy in Texas who kept buying engagement rings only to lose the woman before he got a chance to propose.
He picked up his phone and punched in her number. It rang several times, then went to voicemail. "Zari, you should at least hear my side of the story. You owe me that. Once you've heard the circumstances, if you never want to see me again, I'll accept your decision. Please call me."
Once she cooled off and thought things through, she'd give him a chance to explain. Had to. At least he didn't have to worry about her running into Perry's arms. Not until she remembered him, anyway. If she did. If luck was on Gabriel's side, she wouldn't. What was he thinking? This was the worst bad luck day he'd had in a while.
He punched in her number again. One ring this time, then silence. She probably blocked him. He understood. She needed time to sort through things. He could give her that, but considering her injuries, someone needed to check on her. Best choice. Silbie.
After explaining the situation to his sister, she agreed after pestering him for a hour for details. Maybe Zari's injuries weren't serious, but the bruising looked awful. Gabriel would feel better if she saw a doctor. Especially after this accident coming on the heels of her recent head trauma.
He flipped on the television, and the first thing he heard got his attention. Over 260,000 residents were without electricity in the Santa Barbara area. There was his solution. Leave Rebel with Mom and Silbie, then head to California. That should give her all the time she needed to sort things through, and keep his mind off the chance he'd lost her forever.
An hour later, Gabriel swung his truck into Mom's drive. By the time he unloaded all the supplies for Rebel, Silbie sauntered out of the garage to help him carry everything inside.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? Running away will only put this Perry dude at an advantage."
Gabriel passed her, taking the dog crate into the laundry room as he spoke over his shoulder. "No reason for me to stay. It's only a matter of time before she remembers everything, and when she does, she'll choose him." He turned to face her and sighed. "I don't want to be here when that happens."
Silbie put her hand on her hip. "You don't know that."
Gabriel raked his hands through his hair. Compared to Perry, he didn't really have anything to offer. "You didn't see him, Sil. He's about as opposite from me as you can get. He's basically a boy band type with a sports car. And I lied to her. I don't stand a chance in hell." He fell into the armchair in the den. "She's done with me, and I have no one to blame but myself."
