You Need To Trust Me

Chapter 17 "Gabe"

Disclaimer: I only own my made up characters!

Thanksgiving Day (Same day) Delilah POV

Gabe. It was Gabe. It was real.

He stood there, his blonde hair so different. Shaved up the sides and back, hair smoothed to the right side. His blue eyes watched me. The way he stood made me think he wanted nothing more than to move towards me but had stopped himself.

Everyone's eyes were on us. I could feel it. I didn't know what to say or do. I couldn't move.

Part of me wanted to throw myself at him, hold me, and let the tears flow. The other half wanted to yell at him. How was he here? Alive? For the past two years, I had thought he was dead. Taken and killed by the people chasing us. What other option had there been?

Some other option, obviously. He stood before me, unharmed.

Tearing my eyes away from him, I looked at Emmett. His eyes met mine. He wanted to come closer too, I could tell. But he kept himself there.

I didn't know what to do.

"I think we should take this inside." I glanced over at Kyle, who had spoken. "There's obviously a lot to talk about."

Robotically, I followed Nessie and them into the house. I sat down at the table in the chair Kathryn pulled out for me.

I didn't realize I was rocking back and forth until Kyle's hand squeezed my shoulder. I stopped but started opening and closing my hands into a fist.

I couldn't sit still. I tried to remember everything my therapist had told me on how to ground myself when I felt my anxiety taking over.

The scent of pumpkin wafted in the air. The chair beneath was hard, made of wood. My leggings were soft against my hand as I touched them.

Releasing a breath, I turned to face Gabe who sat watching me. "How?"

"It's a long story." He said and my heart squeezed painfully at the sound of his voice.

I gestured for him to continue. "I've got nothing but time to hear this."

He sighed and nodded. "What happened was…"

….

Gabe POV (At time of the accident)

I groaned as the car stopped in place. A sound came from my right. Delilah!

My body objected as I tried to turn and look at her. She was bleeding from her forehead, her eyes closed. Was she breathing? I couldn't tell. No God, please don't let her die. Not her.

A shadow appeared at my door and panic set in. It was one of the men—some guy in the dealer's ranks. "No, please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lost it."

He motioned for me to be quiet and I was confused and scared. He crouched. "I've called 911. They're on their way—c'mon."

He pulled me out of the car and I winced. "But what about—"

"The ambulance will deal with the girl. She'll be okay. You're coming with me."

I was lead to a black car—not the car that had been chasing us. It was a dark SUV. He helped me into the car and I was even more confused at the sight of a man and woman in the front, wearing ear buds and they had radios.

The man who pulled me out of the car turned to me. "We're giving you a chance before the cops get here. Cooperate and we can protect you. Don't and you'll be at the mercy of the law."

"Wait—what? Who are you?" I asked, confusion taking over my fear.

"DEA, kid. We've been watching you and the Corten operation for the last few months. You're a drug runner for them, clean background. You recently lost a bag of drugs and that's why they were after you."

DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency. Oh man, I was screwed. In so much trouble.

"We're here to offer you a deal in exchange for you helping us bring down their operation." He told me, seeing my panic.

"A deal?" I asked and he nodded.

"We'll give you immunity—no charges for your participation in this—if you agree to help us."

"But Delilah—"

The agent shook his head. "She's not even on their radar. They don't know her name or her face. We know she's not involved with your drug-running either. Best if she just stays out of this altogether for her safety."

He grabbed my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "Now what's your choice going to be? Do I hand you over to the cops as a drug runner to prosecute or will you help us?"

Thinking of Delilah, of the mess I had made, I said, "I'll help you."

….

Delilah POV

"The DEA?" I scoffed and pushed my chair back. "If you're going to lie, at least tell a good story."

I walked out the front door, away from him, away from everyone. "Delilah! Wait!"

Once he was out on the porch with me, I turned to face him. "It's not a lie! You can look it up, you can find the trial. I cooperated with them and I was able to avoid charges for what I did. I promise, I'm not lying."

Anger and sadness made an uneasy combination inside me. "Did the DEA keep you from contacting me? From letting me know that you were okay? I thought you were dead!"

Gabe reached out for me and I stepped back. "Don't touch me!"

His hands balled into fists. "No, I tried finding you. But you weren't in Texas. I couldn't find you. I didn't know if you were okay or not. And then I found out that you had been in the system. CPS got involved. I found your caseworker. She wouldn't give me your information as you were a minor. I passed mine along. I never got a call from you."

"I…I never got any information from you." I said quietly.

"She said she passed it along to your adoptive parents." Gabe insisted.

Gave it to…I thought of Kyle's reaction at seeing Gabe here. He wasn't surprised at Gabe being alive. At Gabe. He had known.

Betrayal shot through me and I felt as if the world I knew was crumbling.

"Leave." I pointed towards the driveway. "I need you to leave."

"Delilah, please. I drove all the way from Texas. I needed to see you. These past few years have been hell. Not knowing where you were, how you were…it drove me crazy."

"Leave!" I shouted and next thing I knew Emmett was standing next to me.

"She asked you to leave." He said, his voice layered with something I couldn't identify.

Gabe pulled something out of his jacket and held it out. It was a stack of envelopes. "I'll leave. But this is for you."

Emmett grabbed them as I made no move to take them. "I'll be in town for a few days before I have to go back to Texas. I'll be staying at the motel in town."

And then he left.

I walked into the house and saw Kathryn and Kyle standing there, waiting.

I glared at them through tears. "You knew."

Kathryn reached out for me but I moved out of her reach. Her face fell. "Your social worker told us that he was trying to find you but we thought…"

"You knew that he was alive!" I shouted at her, tears rushing down my face. "You knew the whole time! You knew as I—" I broke off, my voice catching.

Kathryn's face was streaked with tears. "Delilah, please, let us explain."

I shook my head and rushed past everyone to run up to my room. I slammed the door and locked it behind me. My world was falling apart around me, all over again.

….

Nessie POV

"I think we should go home." I said quietly to Jake and Emmett. I turned to Kathryn and Kyle. "Thank you both for having us. We're going to let you have some time together, as a family."

I winced as I heard the sobs coming from Delilah's room. If I could hear them, there was no doubt that Emmett could.

He stood frozen to the spot he had been in before Delilah had ran up to her room. He and I were the only two that knew Delilah's story. He knew the significance of Gabe. So did I.

I couldn't imagine what Delilah was feeling right now. I couldn't begin to understand the heartbreak.

We left, Jake having to pull Emmett along. "I can't leave her." Emmett objected as we walked to his Jeep. "She needs someone."

I shook my head. "Emmett, Delilah isn't going to want to see anyone right now. She—she's heartbroken right now. Betrayed. Confused. Give her space. Let her come to you."

Jake drove us home in silence and Emmett left the Jeep but instead of going inside, he took off for the woods. I figured he'd want to be alone.

Alice met us at the door and I could feel all eyes on me and Jake, looking for Emmett.

"What happened?"

Forgive me Delilah. I thought to myself before explaining what had just happened—and who Gabe was, leaving out the parts I knew Delilah wouldn't want shared, just stating that he was her first love.

"And Kathryn and Kyle knew. That seemed to be the breaking point for her and she went up to her room. We left to give them privacy." I finished.

"Where's Emmett?" Esme asked, concerned.

"He went for a run in the woods. I don't think he's up for company right now." Jake said, shaking his head.

"Do we believe him?" Jasper asked, talking about Gabe and his story.

I looked at Jake and he shrugged. "I don't know. I mean we know sometimes the prosecutors or police will offer a deal to go after what they call 'the bigger fish'. It sounds like they wanted to take down this operation and he was their way of doing that."

Jasper got up. "I'm going to make some calls."

I watched as he walked up the stairs and then turned to Alice. "He has some contacts who can do some investigation into Gabe's story—see if it adds up." She looked down. "Jazz really cares about Delilah. He'll want to protect her if this boy is lying."

I didn't to ask my next question but I had to. "Alice do you s—"

"I don't see anything in Delilah's future that indicates anything. It's all a blur right now." She said, understanding what my question was going to be.

I looked at my parents uneasily. They were a testament to how strong first love could be. What if Delilah still loved Gabe?

Where did that leave Emmett?

…..

Emmett POV

I punched the tree in front of me and it snapped, falling to the ground with a loud thud.

What in the hell had just happened?

One moment I'm thinking of how much I love Delilah and our life and in the next I'm face-to-face with her ex, the first guy she ever loved.

A guy she had thought was dead for the last two years. Something that had hurt her so badly that she had never wanted to get close to anyone again. Something that she was finally healing from.

I had seen her face as she saw him. Shock, hurt, and a feeling I couldn't put a name to. She hadn't known what to do with him there.

His story about the DEA, the offer. It could be one hundred percent true. Him telling her that he couldn't find her—but trying to this whole time.

Her finding out that Kyle and Kathryn had known about him trying to get in contact, finding out that they knew he was alive.

What would Delilah do? Would there be a choice for her to make?

Anguish swept through me at the thought of Delilah ending our relationship. I needed her. She was everything to me. Besides Rosalie, I had never loved anyone like I loved her in my entire life.

Was he here to get her back? Was that his agenda?

Suddenly, I knew where I had to go.

…..

He opened the door on the first knock. He didn't seem surprised to find me standing there at his door.

"You want to come in?" He asked, stepping back so I could walk in.

I did and he shut the door behind me. "Assuming you aren't here to kick my ass, you want to talk?" Gabe asked and gestured for me to sit at the table in the room.

I sat, thinking to myself that I'd like to make him disappear. But I wouldn't, because that wasn't me.

"I want to know your intentions. Why you're showing up on Delilah's doorstep now."

He nodded. "Reasonable questions coming from her boyfriend." I waited for him to continue.

He looked at me. "Let's get straight to your unspoken question. Am I here to get her back?"

I tensed at his words. Gabe sighed and ran his hands over his face. "Truthfully? I don't know why I'm here. I mean I've been looking for Delilah ever since we got separated. It drove me crazy not knowing if she was okay or where she was." He glanced up at me. "You know about the stuff with her mom?"

I nodded and he continued on. "She didn't have anyone but me. She never wanted to go into the system, that's why she was on the streets before I found her. Almost everyone's heard a fair share of horror stories from foster homes, especially with young girls."

His eyes stared ahead but I knew he wasn't seeing anything in this room. "As I told Delilah, the caseworker would never give me her information. Privacy laws and concerns about Delilah's safety, ya know? But I figured that when she passed my information along, Delilah would reach out. At the very least to yell at me, tell me she hated me and to never contact her again. But I didn't hear anything from her."

"Her adoptive parents didn't tell her about you." I didn't mean to say the words but they had come out anyways.

Gabe nodded. "Figured as much. Can't say I blame them. It looks like she has it good there, at that ranch with them. Why bring up her past?" He shook his head. "Finally, I just hired a private investigator. I just wanted to know how she was. I told myself that if I just saw her doing good, I'd be satisfied."

He took a deep breath. "And then the P.I. found her. He showed me all these pictures of her at school, the ranch, and I saw her. For the first time in almost two years. She's grown up some—gotten even prettier. It all just came rushing back." He laughed before going on. "I knew you two were together. I could tell from the pictures. You were always touching, the way you smiled at each other. I didn't know what to do. She seemed—seems—happy. That was last month. I just kept thinking about her, about the pictures…and then I find myself taking leave to come here."

Gabe looked up and met my eyes. "So to answer your question, I really don't know what I'm doing here."

I didn't have to be Jasper to sense the sincerity of his words—and the pain in them. Gabe still cared for her, still loved her.

The real question was—did Delilah still care for Gabe?

….

Delilah POV

The house was quiet. Long ago I had heard the footsteps on the stairs, Kyle and Kathryn's bedroom door close.

Quietly, I opened my door and went down the stairs. I was dying of thirst. I had cried myself dry.

I went to the fridge and grabbed a water. As I turned around, a lamp in the living room turned on. I gasped loudly, my heart nearly stopping.

It was Kyle. He was sitting in one of the chairs and he looked at me. "Can you come in here please?"

I wanted to tell him no, that I didn't want to talk to him but his face showed his pain. I knew he wanted to talk.

I went into the living room and sat on the couch, as far away as possible.

"I know you're angry right now and you have every reason to be. We—I was wrong to hide it from you that he was trying to reach out." Kyle said with a sigh. "Kathryn didn't think it was a good idea to hide it from you but she was concerned about your mental state. So was I. You were…broken when you came here and when we found this out, you were finally starting to really live again. You were happy and enjoying life."

"So I made a decision. Me, okay? Kathryn didn't agree with it. And I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I didn't tell you but I will tell you that I felt like I was protecting you. That's all we've ever wanted to do, is protect you."

I could see Kyle's point. I really could. But that didn't mean that I wasn't still angry and I told him that.

Kyle nodded. "I get it, D. I really do. I'm not asking you to let it go or to forgive me just yet. We just want you to know that we're here and you can talk to us. I know you must be feeling so confused and conflicted right now. And you may feel like you have no one to talk to since your best friend is Emmett's sister and your other friends are his siblings too. We just want to make sure you know we're here for you. No matter what."

"I don't know what to do or think." I admitted with tears springing to my eyes. God, I thought I was all cried out.

"The question you really need to ask yourself and think about is—does this change anything?" Kyle said gently.

"What do you mean?" I wiped a tear that had fallen.

"Does Gabe being alive change your feelings?"

"For Emmett?" I asked, gaping at Kyle. "No! Of course it doesn't. I love Emmett."

Kyle nodded calmly. "I know you do but that's not the only thing going on here. You love Emmett, but you also loved Gabe very much. You thought he was dead so you had to move on, but now he's not dead and those feelings…they're going to come back whether you want them to or not."

Kyle stood up and put his hand on my shoulder as he stood in front of me. "Really think about this, D. Because whatever choice you make, it could effect the rest of your life." He kissed my forehead and headed towards the stairs, going to join Kathryn in bed.

I knew what Kyle said was true—the feelings were there, buried deep but they were already trying to force themselves to the surface.

I looked at the clock—it was nearing eleven. I wondered what Emmett was doing.

Pulling out my phone, I sent him a text. Can you come over?

Not even thirty seconds later, my phone buzzed. On my way.

Knowing he wouldn't take long, I slid on my boots by the door and put on a sweatshirt that was hanging up on the coat rack. I slipped outside into the cold November night.

Before long, the Jeep's headlights swept over me and I walked towards the Jeep. Emmett got out and met me halfway.

Not bothering to say hello, I threw my arms around him. His arms wound around me and he buried his face in my neck. Pulling back, I found his lips.

There was a sense of urgency in his kiss as he deepened the kiss. I let him, losing myself in him.

"In the Jeep." I managed to get out and a few seconds later, I was in the warm car, in the backseat.

I pushed Emmett back against the seat and straddled his lap. His cold hands ran all over my body as if he had to touch me. I unzipped his jacket and pushed it off of his arms.

He helped me out of my sweatshirt and pushed his hands under my shirt.

"I love you." He whispered into my shoulder as we laid in the backseat, naked, our bodies entwined.

"I love you too." I kissed his neck. "So much."

I winced as my burns rubbed against the seat and he helped me find my clothes. As we sat up, dressed now, he leaned over and kissed me hard before pressing his forehead against mine.

That's when I noticed his shoulders were shaking. "Em?" I said concerned.

He looked at me and I realized he was crying. "Em! What is it?"

"Please." He begged in a voice I had never heard. "Please don't."

"Don't what?" I asked, my voice raising in concern.

"Please don't leave me." He said in anguish.

My throat tightened at the sight of the strongest man I had ever seen breaking down.

I pulled him into my arms and rubbed his back. "I'm not going anywhere, Emmett. I'm here. With you."

"Stay with me." He whispered and I kissed his cheek.

"I'm here."

"I love you more than anything in this entire world. You're it. You're my entire world." His voice shook as he spoke.

"I love you too. Always." I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere, Em. I'm here."

…

Dawn was breaking when Emmett woke me up with a kiss. We were in my bed and he was leaving. "I'll see you soon." He had said before leaving. At some point, we had snuck into the house, into my bed. We had talked and held each other, made love again. Emmett was so sweet and gentle.

My mind was muddled and my heart hurt. I felt drained, so emotionally drained. I was glad Dr. Ritter had given me a few days off to deal with the fire and my injuries. I would be of no use to her today if I had to come in.

I went straight to the shower and let the hot water run over me until it ran cold. Somehow I dressed myself and I dropped back into bed. I was exhausted.

Watching Emmett break last night made me feel as if I was broken too. Hearing him beg me not to leave him…it was unsettling and heartbreaking.

I had reassured him, over and over again, I wasn't leaving him.

Thinking of him, I fell into an exhausted sleep.

…

"Delilah." I jerked awake as someone touched me. Opening my eyes, I saw it was Kathryn. "Someone's here to see you."

Groggily, I got out of bed and followed her. As I walked down the stairs, I tried to put my messy hair into a bun. I stopped in surprise when I saw Jasper. That was not who I'd be expecting.

He smiled at me. "Hey, I was hoping to talk with you."

I nodded and watched Kathryn slip out the front door. It was just us. I gestured towards the couch and we sat down.

"I know it's been a crazy and eventful twenty four hours for you." Jasper started and I thought about how that was an understatement. He held out a folder for me. "When Nessie told us about Gabe's story—and explained that he was someone you used to care for deeply—I reached out to contacts of mine to see if they could verify his story. This is everything they found."

I took the folder from him and opened it. I went through the papers and saw trial transcripts, paperwork from the DEA, articles. Reading through them, I realized Gabe had been telling the truth. He had really worked with the DEA to bring down the drug operation and they had given him immunity.

Enlistment papers caught my eyes. They widened as I realized they were Gabe's enlistment papers. He had joined the Army a year and a half ago.

"He was telling the truth." I said softly, looking up and Jasper nodded.

"He was. He was also telling the truth about looking for you. I verified it with the P.I. he used to find you." Jasper sighed and grabbed my hand. I jumped at the sudden contact. "You know I'm an empathy. You also know I'm Emmett's brother. I can feel everything you are. I know everything Emmett is feeling."

I didn't know what to say to that so I kept quiet. "Emmett is a good man. I know this. But I also know, one cannot control what the heart feels. I know you don't intend to hurt Emmett, but if there's a decision to be made, I hope you'll make it sooner than later for both of their sakes."

"There's no decision to be made." I said trying to sound sure but not feeling it. Jasper got up and then he patted his heart.

"I'll just say I disagree." In a surprise move, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "We all love you. No matter what your choice is."

I watched him leave before I looked back down at the folder of papers he had given me. Gabe had been telling the truth. About everything.

He deserved to be heard out. Sighing, I went upstairs to change. I needed to see Gabe.

…

I reached up to knock on the door and a moment later, he answered. "Delilah? You—I didn't expect you to actually come." He took a step back and motioned for me to come in.

I stepped past him into the room, his scent filling my senses. I closed my eyes for a moment. It was so weird to be here with him after thinking he was dead. I placed Jasper's folder on the table and turned to Gabe.

"You weren't lying about any of it." I said before continuing on. "My friend got verification of everything."

Gabe nodded. "I wouldn't lie to you. Not about that."

"So you joined the Army?" I tried to sound disinterested but I wasn't sure if I had succeeded.

"I did. I needed to keep myself out of trouble, so I went and enlisted. No regrets so far." Gabe answered then he looked at me. "I know I have no right to ask—but…can I hug you? Please."

I gave him a nod and then I was in his arms. He was warm. He seemed taller. His body was firmer than before, harder. The Army would be the explanation for that. His scent surrounded me and I found myself returning his hug.

He took a shaky breath. "I've thought about this about a thousand times over the last few years." He said softly into my ear.

I cleared my throat and stepped back. "I thought about what you went through before you died."

Gabe's face fell. "Delilah, you don't know how sorry I am that you thought I was dead for the last few years. I can only imagine what you went through and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you went through all of that. If there was some way I could make it up, I would, I swear."

"I just came here to let you know that I know you're not lying. I wanted you to know that." I turned for the door. Gabe reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Wait! Please, don't go just yet. It's been two years, Delilah, since I've seen your face. Since I've touched you. Please, just stay a little while longer. There's a coffee place down the street. Let's grab a coffee together. Talk. That's all I'm asking."

My hand was on the doorknob. Open it, I ordered myself. But instead, I found myself saying, "Okay. One coffee."

….

AN: Hey readers! Thank you for all the views, the follows, the alerts! Makes me so happy to see them! I felt a little inspired to get this chapter out earlier than I thought (still going through my other stories and updating!) but I just found myself drawn back to Delilah and what was going on with her.

So I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Please drop a review, let me know your thoughts on this chapter and what's happening in the story. I love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you bernie1056 for your review! I know I've already sent you a PM but wanted to thank you again.

Will update again soon!

Always,

QuinnandSethsgirl15