Finding Forever: A Bluebird Bay Novel

by Christine Gael

  "I can't make any promises," he said, pulling away with a wicked grin. "But I'll try."

  "That's all I can ask."

  She let out a happy sigh and swiped away her tears. "So do you plan to rent or buy? Have you spoken to the owner about options?"

  "You're looking at him," he said with a wink.

  "Wait, what?" she demanded, giving his chest a shove. "Get out!"

  "I won't. Contracts were e-signed on both ends as of about an hour ago. They've already accepted my offer, and we close in two weeks."

  “So soon!”

  “It’s been on the market for a while now, and I made a near full-price offer, contingent on a quick closing. They snapped it up.”

  She glanced around and then grinned up at him. “I bet they did. It’s a great house with amazing bones…but it also gives off the vibe that there are actual, human bones buried in the basement. I can understand prospective home buyers not wanting to raise their kids here.”

  Ian’s warm laugh was like a ray of sunshine.

  “Anyone else would’ve gutted the place, I’m sure, but it’s exactly right for my needs.”

  “I can’t wait to tell Mr. Bonomo,” she murmured. “And my family. Mom’s going to be so relieved.”

  “Make sure you tell your Aunt Anna, too,” he said with a wink. “She says she forgave me, but I can’t wipe the image of her scolding me out of my head.”

  Max groaned and covered her eyes. “Don’t remind me. I still can’t believe she did that.”

  “She loves you. I get it.”

  Max froze and then slowly lifted her hand away to find Ian gazing at her intently.

  “At the risk of scaring you away, it’s true. I totally get it. I’m falling in love with you. Don’t ask me how I know already. It was the same way with the escape rooms. I took all sorts of classes, had all these plans and then, bam!” He smacked his forehead with the heel of his palm. “Right between the eyes. I knew what I wanted to do forever.”

  She swallowed hard, not an easy feat when her throat was bone-dry.

  “And y-you think you wanna do me forever, too?”

  As soon as the words left her lips, she let out a strangled gasp.

  “That’s not what I meant! I mean--”

  “I know exactly what you meant,” he said, laughing as he pulled her flush against him. “And yes. I do. No pressure from me, though. We can take it slow. I know how much you want to see the bookstore flourish and I have a lot of work ahead of me with this place. Part of the reason I like you so much is that you’re passionate and driven, like me. But I can’t think of anyone I want to share my dreams with. Whenever I have a new idea for a puzzle, or for a room, I can’t wait to pick up the phone and tell you.”

  “Me too,” she said with a happy sigh. “And we can take it slow, or not. Whatever we choose, let’s just enjoy the ride. Every day, every minute. You never know when life might just snatch it away.”

  Her mind shifted to her Pop, and then to Eva. Thanks to that woman, Pop had gotten to experience love one more time before leaving this earth.

  One more slow dance.

  One more kiss.

  She’d found her chance at love again, and she was going to hang on to it tight this time, with both hands.

  Thanks, Pop. Your final days taught me more about life than you’ll ever know.

  24

  Sasha

  Sasha stared down at her wringing hands, then out the rain-spattered bedroom window. A storm was brewing, and the painted summer sky had finally gone dark.

  She spared a quick glance at the clock.

  Eleven PM.

  She’d sworn an oath to herself she would tell Gabe before the day was over, and she was cutting it close. At first, she’d almost convinced herself that telling him the same day as his grandfather’s funeral was wrong. But before she could let herself off the hook, yet again, something inside her rebelled.

  This wasn’t a tragedy or a mistake. This was a surprise. A surprise that she had come to not only accept, but embrace. The only mistake here was that she’d kept it from Gabe for so long. Tonight, she would rectify that, come hell or high water.

  “I’d offer you a penny for your thoughts but they look deep, and I’m not sure I have enough change to cover it…” Gabe said, his brow furrowing with concern as he padded barefoot across the bedroom floor toward their bed.

  Her heart stuttered as she watched him. So handsome. Leanly muscled bare chest, his PJ bottoms clinging to his narrow hips. That wayward lock of hair that always curled over his forehead. His gaze filled with love.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Dang it, she hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but like covered pot boiling too long, it had seemed to explode out of her, and there was no taking it back.

  She watched in almost surrealistic slow motion as he stopped in his tracks and stared at her blankly. She knew the second it all registered. Could see it as the emotions played across his face in rapid succession.

  Shock.

  Terror.

  Acceptance.

  And then, there it was…the glimmer of something else.

  A smile?

  Surely not…

  “Wait, Sash…are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. As sure as I can be without hearing it from a doctor, at least.” She had a whole drawer full of pregnancy tests to prove it.

  He lowered himself and she scooted over, making room beside her for him to sit on the bed, but he continued until he knelt by her feet.

  “I have to admit, I’m shocked,” he said softly.

  “I know. I know, I don’t know what happened. We were so c--”

  “That’s not what I’m shocked about, although it’s definitely a surprise. I’m shocked because I didn’t expect to feel this way.” His eyes were glassy as he gazed up at her and leaned in to cup her belly. “I’m going to be a daddy.”

  Her own vision went blurry as she curled her arms around him. What had she been thinking? This was Gabe. Her Gabe. Of course he would be loving and supportive. Why had she waited so long?

  The relief made her dizzy as she clutched his head to her chest.

  “I was so afraid to tell you. I kept starting to and then stopping. We made a pact to wait, and it’s going to change everything, but I have it all planned out. I can keep working part-time and go to school until the very end. And then--”

  He stiffened and pulled back, meeting her gaze. “How long have you known?”

  Dread clawed its way back through and settled on her chest like an anvil.

  “I-- a while now,” she murmured.

  “How long?” he asked.

  She tried to force the words out, but they stuck in her craw like the betrayal they represented.

  That was all right. If the stunned look on Gabe’s face was any indicator, he didn’t need her help. “The nausea on the boat…and you didn’t drink at the wedding.” He stared at her, stricken. “You knew before we-”

  He broke off and shot to his feet.

  “Gabe, I just didn’t want to upset y…” She trailed off, forcing herself to stop mid-sentence.

  No more lies.

  “Lose you. I was afraid that if I told you, I might lose you,” she admitted softly.

  “What could make you think that, Sasha?” he demanded. “When have I ever walked away from you? Hell, when things got hard, you’re the one who walked away!”

  She flinched and nodded.

  “Okay, Gabe, I was wrong for not telling you sooner. I know that. And I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. But the reason I left last year is because we were like two strangers passing in the night. You were so busy, and consumed with your job, I felt invisible. I will take the blame for this one hundred percent. But I’m not going to shoulder the blame for it all. I was afraid, and I don’t have any close family of my own to talk to. My hormones are crazy, I’m exhausted all the time.” She broke off with a sob. “I made a mistake, Gabe. A terrible mistake. Please, let
me make it up to you.”

  “I just don’t understand why you would do this. Things were going so well, and now…”

  Fear clutched at her throat, and her next words sounded strangled. “And now what, Gabe?”

  She braced herself for it. The moment she’d feared so much that she’d wound up engineering it to happen.

  The silence between them lasted long enough for her heart to break a thousand times.

  “I don’t know,” Gabe finally muttered. His strong throat worked as he scrubbed a hand over his face. “How am I supposed to trust you? What else have you lied about? And now we’re going to bring a child into a relationship without trust? I need some time to think.”

  Okay.

  Okay, she could deal with that.

  “Where are you going to go?” she whispered.

  He stared at her and let out a humorless laugh. “I’m not going to go anywhere, Sash. I’m going to stay right here. Just…I don’t want to talk anymore tonight. It’s been…a lot.”

  Guilt coalesced with relief as she watched him circle around the bed to climb in on his side. He wasn’t going to leave. She’d hurt him bad, but he was going to stick in and work it out.

  It was a start.

  She climbed in beside him and flicked off her bedside lamp. Her stomach was in knots and she wanted nothing more than to hold him. To love him and tell him again how sorry she was about Pop. How sorry she was for the lies. How sorry she was she didn’t trust him with her secret.

  Instead, she lay still as he rolled to his side.

  He’d stayed, despite her deceit. But any relief she’d felt, disappeared in a flash. He was here in body, but his spirit?

  Was a million miles away.

  So what now? Let it grow and fester? Let it ruin what could’ve been the most joyous times of their lives, if she hadn’t been such an idiot?

  Screw that. She’d tried living scared before, and look what it got her. Now was the time to be brave. There was still a chance to win him back for real. He was still here, wasn’t he?

  A sense of purpose and steely resolve settled over her.

  She would give it a day. Maybe two. But then? Gabriel Burrows had better look out. Because Operation: Marriage Reboot was in full effect.

  She was going to win back her husband’s heart and his trust, no matter what it took.

  The End

  Can’t get enough of Bluebird Bay? Stay tuned as a new mystery unfolds for the Sullivan sisters, we get to know Todd a little better, and Sasha fights to win back Gabe’s trust, in Finding Forgiveness, coming this winter!

  If you enjoyed the Bluebird Bay series, please check out Maeve’s Girls, another family saga, but this time, set in the south! Free with Kindle Unlimited.

  Will the death of their mother bring the Blanchard sisters together, or tear them even further apart?

  La Pierre, Louisiana had never seen anything like Maeve Blanchard, and they never will again. After 75 years, five husbands, four daughters, and one bootleg whiskey ring, Maeve has finally been called home to be with the Lord...or with someone, somewhere, at any rate.

  But while Maeve took her impending demise in stride, her four girls have had their worlds turned upside down.

  There's 54 year-old Lena, Maeve's love-child who left home at sixteen to get away from the stain of her mother's wild life and never looked back. Kate, who married far too young and lost herself somewhere along the way. Sasha, who has followed in her mother's high-heeled footsteps and is forced to come face to face with the demons from her past. And Maggie, Maeve's niece who she raised as her own.

  Despite the complex relationships they shared with their mother in life, Maeve's girls each need to make their peace with her in death, and they're finally ready to come home to La Pierre to do it. The only question now is whether La Pierre is ready for them...

  Chapter One

  Maeve

  If you're reading this, that means I've gone to the big casino in the sky. And frankly, I’m not sorry. Especially if it’s hurricane season.

  I know some of y’all aren’t going to be happy about being back in La Pierre (especially you, Lena, bless your heart). But I have faith in your ability to survive most anything, for a time. It’s a trait you girls share with your mama…and cockroaches, ha! But it’s also a trait that has served me very well. And, now that you’ve each had a chance to get a little more living under your belts, I hope you’ll realize that it’s served you well, too.

  What comes next will probably seem like a punishment to at least two out of the four of you, but time is short, and I can’t be fussed to write out the whole thought process behind my decision with the little I have left. For now, I hope you’ll trust that this wasn’t some random scheme I cooked up just to get on your nerves one last time.

  For starters, as you know by now, I’ve advised Alistair that y’all need to come home for the reading of this will. There will be no disbursement of funds or property until or unless that happens. I’ve already told him that calling in on some newfangled video program like MyFace, or some intercom doo-hickey, doesn’t count. I want all four of you, same room, no exceptions (unless one of you has beaten me to the grave after the writing of this letter, something I pray to any god that has a mind to hear me won’t be the case). If you’re listening to this, though, that means you’ve all done what you were told for once, and I’ve already achieved in death what I couldn’t in life. Somebody get the holy water, it’s a miracle! But that also means each of you is struggling right now. Whether it’s because I’m gone, or because you’re here in La Pierre, try to be kind and patient with each other. It’s going to be a long three months.

  ‘Why?’ you ask?

  Because that’s how long the four of you will need to live in Blanchard Manor before the deed and ownership of everything inside it will be transferred into your names. What you do with it after that is none of my concern. Sell it. Raze it. Make it into a hippy commune or a taco stand. I don’t care. Beyond that, I ask of you the following:

  Check on Harold for me. He’s not the same since Annalise passed and he needs looking after.

  Be careful with the jewelry. Lord knows, I love it gaudy, but some of it looks fake even though it isn’t. Whatever you do, though, don’t get it appraised down at Elsie’s Gems and Antiquities. (Sorry, Alistair, I know she’s your sister-in-law, but we both know she’d rob a blind man of his cane if she had the chance. Plus, she’s never gotten over me winning that blue ribbon with the pecan pie I picked up at the Piggly Wiggly back in seventy-nine.)

  And, last but not least, when clearing out the house, start from the attic and work your way down. That seems to be the order of things, doesn’t it? The dusty old memories at the top, down to the stuff we use every day in our living spaces. But I’m also hoping that you’ll come to view me a little less harshly if you start at the beginning. If you still feel the same way about me in three months as you do now? Well, that’s all right, too. At the end of the day, closure is what I’m looking for here. Both for you girls and for me, too. Even if that means some of y’all closing the door and never looking back again.

  Most of all, know this…

  I did the best I could with what I had at the time, and gave you all the love I had to spare.

  XOXO

  -Maeve

  Get the rest of Maeve’s Girls now, free with Kindle Unlimited!