He chuckled as Aunt Rosalie called her over to sit with her.
Then came the bridesmaids. First Nikki then Amy and Lexi together, then Naomi and Laney. All the ladies took their places and the music changed to the wedding march.
“You ready?” Pastor Harrison asked.
“Yes.” Gabe had never been more ready for anything in his life.
Everyone stood as Adriana appeared wearing a simple, white flowing gown. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she looked like an angel. His angel.
Jonah stood next to her. He was wearing a tux and looked older and wiser than his ten years. His birthday was the day before and he was officially in the double digits. While he did ask for the wedding as his present, they’d also gotten him the new mountain bike that he’d been eyeing.
He deserved it. Gabe had wanted to buy him so much more but Adriana had pumped the breaks. He wanted to make up for lost time, and spoil the kid rotten, but apparently that wasn’t good parenting.
As the two of them made their way down the aisle, Gabe started to get choked up. Everything he ever wanted was walking straight toward him.
When they stopped just short of Gabe, Pastor Harrison asked, “Who gives this woman to marry this man?”
“Me, I mean…” Jonah stood up a little taller. “I do.”
Adriana smiled as she kissed him on the top of his head, and Gabe shook his hand before Jonah took his place next to him as his best man.
He looked down at his unconventional ushers. There was Jonah, Glenn, Eric, Jake, and Maxi. He’d asked her to serve as a groomsman because she was more than his publicist, she was his oldest friend.
As he turned and took Adriana’s hands he stared into her clear, hypnotizing eyes and was struck, just like he had been the first time he’d seen her, by just how breathtaking she was.
He whispered, “You’re so beautiful. How did I get so lucky?”
There were tears in her eyes as she sniffed. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Pastor Harrison started the ceremony and Gabe was glad that Theo and Kenzie, the team that produced the documentary of his comeback, had offered to film the wedding as a gift, because he knew that he wasn’t going to remember anything other than how lost he was in Adriana.
She was all he could see. She was his anchor. She was his world. And now…
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Pastor Harrison proclaimed. “You may kiss your bride.”
Cheers erupted and Gabe cupped Adriana’s face and pressed his lips to hers.
…she was his wife.
He was the luckiest man in the world and he planned on spending the rest of his life showing her just how lucky she’d made him.
She was his lucky shirt.
Epilogue
‡
Adriana sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, surrounded by boxes. They’d decided to spend their honeymoon packing up her old house. Or rather, she had.
The entire wedding and engagement had been such a whirlwind, she’d forgotten all about a honeymoon. But Gabe hadn’t. During their first dance as husband and wife he’d told her that they could go anywhere and do anything she wanted. He’d asked her mom to stay with the kids for a week and he had both of their passports ready.
And this is what she’d picked. She and Gabe were packing up her house. It had sounded like such a good idea at the time. She reasoned that she wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy a cocktail on a beach knowing that there was still so much she had to get done. She thought that not having the move hanging over her head and being able to pack and clean the house without the kids was a brilliant idea.
However, right now? A Cosmo and sunscreen sounded pretty darn good.
The sweetest part of the entire thing, though, was that Gabe hadn’t batted an eye. He’d just said okay and was currently in the girls’ room dismantling their beds.
He kept telling her how lucky he was, but she was pretty sure she was getting the better end of this deal.
She stood and reached up to get the box that held the letters Emily had written to Jonah and decided that this would be a good time to sort through them and make sure she knew each milestone that she was supposed to give him one for. She’d never taken the time to go through them yet. She thought she remembered that the first card wasn’t until Valentine’s Day of next year. She’d wanted him to get through his first birthday and holidays without her before the letters started coming so that it gave him a little time to heal.
As Adriana sorted the envelopes that all had Jonah’s name and then the event that she was writing about, she laughed when she in addition to the big milestones such as him getting his driver’s license and his first bad breakup, and holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, that Em had letters for random days. Friday the 13th. Memorial Day of Jonah’s freshman year of high school. And the first time he got grounded.
That was Em.
Adriana was already fighting back tears when she saw an envelope that wasn’t addressed to Jonah.
It had Jake (Baby Daddy) written across it.
How had she never seen this before? She started to open it but then realized that it wasn’t addressed to her. On shaky legs she walked into the twins’ room.
“Gabe,” she could barely speak as she said his name.
“What’s wrong?” He sprung to his feet and rushed to her side.
She held out the letter. “It’s from Em. She wrote Jonah a bunch of letters that I’m supposed to give him. This was with them. It’s for you.”
“What does it say?” He stared down at it.
“I don’t know. I didn’t read it. It’s yours.”
He took it from her shaking hand and opened it.
As he unfolded it, he asked, “Do you want to read it with me?”
Adriana nodded.
He sat on the mattress that was on the floor and patted the area beside him. She sank down and leaned against him as he held the paper out in front of him so they could both easily read it.
Dear Baby Daddy,
Thanks for knocking me up. Jonah is proof that what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay there.
But seriously, all bad jokes aside, thank you.
You gave me the greatest gift in the world. Jonah is the kindest, sweetest, funniest, smartest, and best looking (thanks for the good genes!) kid there ever was. And yes, I’m biased, but since you know him now, I’m sure you are, too.
I am sorry that I didn’t try harder to find you. If there is one regret I have in my life, it’s that. Not because I think that I owed it to you after we spent one night together. I regret it because Jonah is so amazing and special and I feel selfish for keeping him to myself.
But, it looks like I’m going to be tagging out soon so, buddy, you’re up.
If Adri gave you this letter it means that she deemed you are worthy of being in Jonah’s life. So, I’m not going to sit here and tell you how to be his father. I know you’ll find your way on your own.
The only thing I ask is that you don’t try to change him. Jonah is a sweet boy, with a big heart. He is sensitive, but he’s tough. Don’t push him. He’ll find his way to where he needs to be. Just be there for him. Support him. Love him.
But as far as the rest goes, deciding at what age it’s “okay” for him to cuss and if you really think grounding him for getting a D when you know he’s capable of at least a B is worth it or not, that’s going to be for you and Adri to decide.
Because make no mistake, Adriana is Jonah’s mom now.
So, even if you’re married and you have a lovely wife, she can be a lovely step-mom because Adri has the position of mom filled.
Adri is…well, you’ve met her so you know the obvious. She is beautiful, sweet, caring, nurturing, and pretty much the best person ever. If you haven’t already fallen in love with her, I’m sure you will soon enough, because everyone does.
As far as co-parenting with her, this is my one request, just be there for her. She’s tougher than she kn
ows and she’ll be fine on her own, but she deserves someone to listen. Someone to lighten the load. Someone to check on her and make sure she’s okay. I was her person and now I’m gone.
So guess what buddy, once again, you’re up.
I’m trusting you with the two most important people not just in my life but also in my death.
On that morbid note, I’ll sign off.
XOXO,
The Best One Night Stand You Ever Had
Adriana was a mess by the time she got to the end of the letter. She was crying and sniffing and blubbering all over the place. Without saying a word, Gabe pulled her into his arms and held her and when he did she saw that his eyes were misty.
He held her and rubbed her back. He whispered that he loved her and he was there for her. Finally, after she cried for what felt like hours, she lifted her head and looked up at Gabe. His eyes were red and she could see that he’d been crying too.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He laughed as he lifted his hand and using his thumb and forefinger, he wiped beneath his eyes. “I’m the one that should be asking you that.”
He cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers. It was a soft, sweet kiss that was exactly what she needed after the emotional wringer she’d just been through.
When he pulled away both of their eyes drifted down to Em’s letter.
“Is it weird that I want to write her back?” Gabe asked.
Adriana chuckled at the uncertainty in his voice.
“No. It’s not weird at all.” She’d read somewhere that it was a useful tool in dealing with grief, and she’d thought about doing the same thing. “What would you tell her?”
His left shoulder lifted in a shrug. “She thanked me for giving her the greatest gift in the world. So, I guess I’d tell her thanks for one-upping me because she gave me Jonah, you, and the girls. You’re not just the greatest gifts in the world.” Gabe threaded his fingers through her hair and tilted her face up. “You’re my world. I love you.”
“I love you.” Adriana breathed just before Gabe kissed her, picked her up, carried her to bed, and showed her just how much he meant those words.
The End.
Fire and Romance
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Coming October 2017
Other Titles by Melanie Shawn
THE HOPE FALLS SERIES
Sweet Reunion – #1
Sweet Harmonies – #2
Sweet Victory – #3
Home Sweet Home – #4
One Sweet Day – Novella #4.5
Snow Angel – #5
Snow Days – #6
Snowed In – #7
Let It Snow – #8
Perfect Kiss – #9
Secret Kiss – #10
Magic Kiss – #11
Lucky Kiss – #12
Christmas Wish – Holiday Novella #12.5
Fire and Love – #13
THE CROSSROADS SERIES
My First – Book 1
My Last – Book 2
My Only – Book 3
My Everything – Book 4
Tempting Love – Book 5
Crazy Love – Book 6
Actually Love – Book 7
Fairytale Love – Book 8
My Love – Novella 8.5
All He Wants – Book 9
All He Needs – Book 10
All He Feels – Book 11
All He Desires – Book 12
WISHING WELL, TEXAS SERIES
Teasing Destiny – Book 1
Convincing Cara – Book 2
Discovering Harmony – Book 3
Taming Travis – Book 4
Claiming Colton – Book 5
Trusting Bryson – Book 6
Seducing Sawyer – Book 7
About the Author
Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they both migrated south and now call So Cal their home.
Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. After graduating magna cum laude from Pepperdine University, she went on to teach grades 2nd through 8th for five years. She now spends her days writing and taking care of her furry baby, a Lhasa Apso named Hercules. In her free time, her favorite activity is to curl up on the couch with that stubborn, funny mutt and binge-watch cable TV shows on DVD (preferably of at least eight seasons in length – a girl’s gotta have her standards!).
Shawna always loved romance in any form – movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! She proudly acknowledges that she is a romanceaholic. Her days are jam-packed with writing, being a wife, mom aka referee of two teens, and indulging in her second passion (dance!) as a Zumba instructor. In the little free time she has, she joins Melanie in marathon-watching DVDs of their favorite TV programs.
They have joined forces to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always has a Sexy Twist!
You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests, at:
melanieshawn.com
and
facebook.com/melanieshawnbooks
Fire and Foreplay Page 23
