Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 249

Gabriel’s POV

Few Weeks Later

“Jess,” I said as soon as she picked up, my voice tensed, “please tell me everything’s in place.”

Her soft laughter drifted through the line. “Relax, Mr. Storm,” she teased. “Everything is exactly how you requested. The movers brought in all her belongings without a hitch. The interior team finished last night, and the stylist just wrapped up the closet. You should see it… it’s perfect. All of it. Ready for my best friend to walk in like a damn queen.”

I exhaled slowly, but the tightness in my chest refused to let go.

“I just… I want her to love it,” I muttered, more to myself than to her.

“She will,” Jess replied, voice steady and warm. “Mr. Storm, you’ve obsessed over every tiny detail for weeks. It shows. And I’ve known Claire long enough to tell you, she’ll love it. Not just the surprise… she’ll love you even more for this.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, pacing behind my desk. “Thank you. For helping with all of this. For keeping it from her. I owe you one.”

Jess’s tone softened. “This was for a good cause, Gabriel. I’m glad to help. And you don’t owe me anything. Claire’s like a sister to me. I’d do anything to see her finally get the happiness she truly deserves.”

I paused, the sincerity in her voice hitting deeper than I expected. “Still… thank you, Jess. We’ll be there soon.”

“I might not be around by the time you get here,” she said. “I’ve got an appointment across town, but it’s fine. The team knows what to do.”

“That’s okay,” I nodded, though she couldn’t see it. “Thank you. Really.”

“Go make her cry, in a good way,” Jess laughed, and the call ended.

I ended the call with a small smile and a low thank you, even though Jess had already hung up.

She’d done more than I asked, and I was truly grateful. Now, everything was in place. After weeks of planning, coordinating, and sneaking around with half-truths and excuses I hated having to make, the surprise was finally ready.

A part of me felt subtly relieved, like I’d been holding my breath without even realizing it.

All I wanted now was for Clairessa to step into this space and feel how deeply I loved her. To know, without question, that everything I did was for her happiness.

She gave me a kind of peace I never knew I needed. Hope, when I didn’t believe I deserved any.

She brought me joy—not the shallow kind that fades when the high is gone, but the kind that’s lasting. She challenged me, softened me, lit me on fire. Being with her wasn’t just about passion. It was freedom from the trauma of the past. It was everything.

These past few weeks had been the best of my entire life.

Clairessa and I were in such a good place, something I never thought possible after everything we’d been through. After everything I’d put her through. Letting something so simple grow into something that nearly ruined us.

That guilt… the weight of knowing she was Adrian’s ex, of feeling like I was betraying my son just by loving her, it used to haunt me.

But not anymore.

Because the truth was, the night we first met… she didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know who she was. Just a man and a woman feeling an intense connection neither could resist. We had no idea what would come after. No clue how messy it would get.

Adrian had his chance and he ruined it.

Fate brought Clairessa and me together.

And I was done fighting it.

I wasn’t going to lose her. Not again.

Not even for my son.

And certainly not for Angelique, who had taken it upon herself to come up with yet another flimsy excuse to stay longer at my house. She claimed she was relocating back to Miami and needed more time to get settled in. I didn’t bother to argue with her. I let her stay, not for her sake, but for Adrian’s. It kept him occupied, kept her out of my hair.

Besides, Clairessa and I barely stayed at the main house anymore. We secretly lived in my other apartment, just the two of us, where no one questioned us, interrupted us, or tried to twist our happiness into something shameful.

There, we had peace.

We talked, worked, and made love.

Fuck, we did that a lot, and every time was better than the last. Every time, I needed her more. I was obsessed with that body… every inch of her.

And if it came down to choosing between my son’s approval or the woman who made me feel whole, I knew exactly where I stood.

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