She put a hand to her mouth. “How in the world did I ever doubt this man?”
Piper laughed. “Is he promising to actually watch those with you? Because that would pretty much seal the deal. I mean—you know—besides the whole wedding ring and dress and everything.”
“Oh, you’d better believe it.” Gabi finished pulling the movies out of the box, then reached in to find a creamy envelope lettered in gold.
“Why’d he put a copy of your wedding invitation in there?” Hannah asked.
“I … don’t know.” Gabi smiled as she opened it, then sank down onto the antique settee behind her as she read the words he’d printed inside the card.
Piper sat down beside her. “What does it say?”
Gabi laughed quietly, then wiped her eyes. “It says, ‘When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. When Harry Met Sally, 1989.’”
“Aww. He stole a rom-com line?”
“He totally did.”
Laura pulled the curtains aside. “I believe our ride is here, ladies. Gabi? Are you ready to go meet your groom?”
Gabi looked out at the white limo, then at Luke’s words, and then back at the three women who, one year ago, she’d barely known, and her face broke into a huge grin.
“I’ve never been more ready for anything.”
Piper held the door for her as she walked out of the bridal salon, then tip-tapped on her heels over to the limo, kissing the driver full on the lips.
“At your service, ma’am.” Noah smiled and bowed as he helped Gabi’s dress follow her into the limo. “I’m in charge of making sure the bride doesn’t head for the hills before the wedding. Apparently it’s a thing.”
He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s seat, and fifteen minutes later, the limo was bouncing down the dirt road toward Camp Echo. As they pulled closer, Gabi could see car after car parked at the edge of the dirt road, and she felt the flutter of nerves.
“Who invited all of these people?” Her voice was shaky, and Piper took her hand.
“You did. And they all said yes.”
Finally the limo parked, and Noah opened the door and helped each of them out. He put one arm out for Piper and one for Laura, and they disappeared up the pathway toward the dining hall, which looked like it was lit with a hundred thousand twinkling white lights. In the autumn evening darkness, the entire camp looked magical.
The new school buildings peeked over the hilltop behind Luke’s cabin, all freshly constructed with logs from the surrounding forest. In just two weeks, the first fifty students would arrive, and Gabi and Luke had both been running from dawn till dusk to make it happen.
But tonight? Tonight was about them.
“Well, Ms. O’Brien.” Oliver’s voice came from behind her. “May I escort you to your wedding?”
Gabi turned toward him, but instead of holding out an elbow for her arm, he held both hands wide. She laughed and leaped into his arms, almost toppling him over.
“I can’t believe you guys did this. Look at this place!”
Lights covered the cottages, the remodeled administration building, and were even strung down the dock. She pointed at the Adirondack chairs by the beach, which were glowing with pink bulbs.
“Look at the chairs!”
Oliver smiled. “We had a little help with the decorating.”
Gabi spun. “I can’t believe you did this all this afternoon. I wasn’t even gone for four hours!”
“Well, when you hire the best…” A familiar voice came from behind the limo, and Gabi’s face felt like it might actually crack as Sam stepped into the light. “We might be girlish and pretty, but we’re workhorses, right, Oliver?”
Gabi smiled as she pulled Sam into her arms. “Thank you, Sam. It looks unbelievable.”
“Well, I had a little help.” Sam pointed to another car. “Come on, girls. Show your ugly faces.”
The door opened, and Gabi squeaked as Eve, Waverly, and Madison stepped out, and suddenly she felt tears flying down her cheeks, probably ruining Hannah’s careful makeup job as she hugged each of them.
“I can’t believe you guys are here!” Gabi turned to Sam. “How—”
Sam grinned. “Well, since not all of them can be lucky enough to live here now, like I do, we went to get them.”
“Who did?”
“Me and Luke. This morning.”
Gabi put her hand to her chest. “So he wasn’t in town doing errands … obviously.”
“Nope. Halfway to Massachusetts before you even woke up.” Sam squeezed her hand. “He knew you’d want them here.”
Waverly smiled, adjusting her dress. “We are kind of the reason you’re getting married in the first place. If we’d never gotten in trouble, you’d never have met the man of your dreams.”
“Yeah.” Madison smiled. “You’re welcome, Gabi. And look what we did.”
She pointed behind Oliver, where Luke’s dogs sat quietly, little blue bows around their necks. Gabi laughed when she saw the ring boxes attached to their collars.
“You added Puff-n-Fluff to my bridal party?”
Sam smiled as she grabbed their leashes. “It seemed apt.”
Oliver motioned toward the dining hall. “Ladies? I think we’ve got some people waiting, and a very anxious groom.”
Gabi took a deep breath, looking up the pathway, lit with even more white lights. The girls and dogs headed toward the building, and once they heard the door close, Oliver crooked his arm and held out his elbow for Gabi.
“Shall we go meet your groom, Gabriela?”
She took his arm, dabbing quickly at her eyes as she felt a huge smile take over her face. “Absolutely, Oliver. Let’s go meet my groom.”
* * *
At midnight, Gabi stood on the dock under the twinkling white lights, her back nestled against Luke.
“Are you happy, Gabriela?” His voice was soft in her ear, and shivers cascaded down her entire body.
“I’m happier than I ever knew anybody could be.” She turned, smiling. “And you?”
“I’m feeling like the luckiest guy on Earth, yeah.” He kissed her softly, brushing her loose tendrils of hair back with gentle fingers.
She pulled back a tiny bit. “So is this the part of the rom-com where you deliver the super-cheesy romantic line, and then we fade to black?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “I’m ready.”
“Okay.” He nodded, letting his eyes dart back and forth like he was thinking. “Um, okay. Ooh—nobody puts Baby in a corner?”
She laughed. “Um…”
“You complete me? You had me at hello?” He cringed. “Anything there?”
“Mm, no-o.”
“Oh, I’ve got it. Best one ever.”
“I can’t wait.”
He laced his fingers with hers, pulling her close. “Say you love me, Gabriela.”
“You love me, Gabriela.” She bit her lip, then squeaked as he tickled her. “Okay, okay. I love you.”
He took a deep breath, like he was about to utter the single most epic rom-com line in history, then slid his hands up to cradle her jaw. He looked into her eyes, so serious that her breath caught.
Then, with his eyes crinkling at the corners, he whispered, “Ditto.”
Don’t miss the first two novels in this heartwarming series by bestselling author
Maggie McGinnis
Forever This Time
Heart Like Mine
From St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Also by
Maggie McGinnis
Forever This Time
Heart Like Mine
Snowflake Wishes (novella)
PRAISE FOR
FOREVER THIS TIME
“McGinnis weaves an engrossing and uplifting tale of enduring love.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Maggie McGinnis really outshines herself with this well
written story.”
—Night Owl Reviews (5 stars! Top Pick!)
“Finely crafted, well-rounded characters, and the delightful plot make this a must-read.”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
“Such a heartrending story of growing up, running away, then coming back to find where you left your heart.”
—Romance Junkies
HEART LIKE MINE
“An engaging plot, genuine, relatable characters, and a sweet yet sexy romance will keep readers turning the pages.”
—RT Book Reviews
“A book that can [make you] laugh and cry while reading. Read it in one sitting, just couldn’t put it down.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Magical. A sweet and inspirational romance that will tug at every reader’s heart. Heart Like Mine is an outstanding novel.”
—Manhattan Book Review (5 stars!)
“If you’re looking for a sweet romance that has slow kisses and a heartwarming adventure, I would highly recommend meeting the characters of Echo Lake!”
—Lush Book Reviews
“I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!”
—Always Reading Reviews (5 stars!)
“An amazing read with captivating characters and filled with romance.”
—Harlequin Junkie (5 stars! Top Pick!)
About the Author
Maggie McGinnis is a USA Today bestselling author and Golden Heart Finalist who lives in New England, vastly outnumbered by both children and cats. She writes sweet romances set in Montana and Vermont, and feels extremely fortunate that through her books, she gets to fall in love every single day. She’s a sucker for romantic comedies, popcorn, and the perfect green pen, and if she wasn’t an author, she’d totally be rocking a Nashville club in her pink cowgirl boots. It’s probably good that she embraced the author thing, because her singing skills are better suited to the shower, and really? Pink cowgirl boots?.
Visit: www.maggiemcginnis.com or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
Also by Maggie McGinnis
Praise
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
SHE’S GOT A WAY
Copyright © 2016 by Maggie McGinnis.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN: 9781466877894
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / September 2016
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
She's Got a Way Page 29
