He was wearing dark jeans and a black Henley with the sleeves pushed back. His hair was still damp from his shower, and he hadn’t bothered to shave. He looked so sexy Gabby just wanted to drag him back to bed and shut out the rest of the world for a while. But first they needed to talk.
“Your home is beautiful. I can understand why you were so reluctant to give it up.” She admired the kitchen’s travertine floors and dark hardwood cabinets paired with shiny quartz counters and seamless Sub-Zero appliances.
“Sometimes I think it’s too much,” he admitted, glancing out the bank of windows that showcased several forested acres. “But when I was growing up, there never seemed to be enough. This house serves as a daily reminder that no matter what happens, I can take care of myself now.”
“What would happen to Nora if you sold this house?”
“I’ve offered to buy her a small condo downtown, but she’s too proud to accept anything except a great reference.”
“Then she’ll be on her own?”
“We’ll always be friends, I hope,” he said, staring at his empty plate. “But yeah, I guess she’ll be on her own. She doesn’t have any family and—”
“I know. She told me.” Gabby knew what she had to do, but convincing Colt she was okay with her decision wouldn’t be easy. “Babe, I’ve been thinking. You should keep this house.”
“What?” He shook his head. “No. No way. For you, this house represents a place for me to run to, a tie to my past. I want you to know that I’m looking forward from now on, not back.”
“I know that.” She took his hand. “Besides, you have the resources to take off any time you want to whether you own this house or not.”
“Does this have something to do with Nora?” he asked, frowning.
“It’s obvious how much you love this house. It’s a part of you. I didn’t realize that until I saw you here.”
“But I want to be with you in Vista Falls.”
“And I love that you feel that way, but you and Wes still have an office here, right?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“You have to come back and check on things periodically?”
“Sure, but I could stay in a hotel,” he said.
“It wouldn’t be the same, would it?”
“Maybe not, but—”
She walked around the table and settled in his lap, curling her arms around his neck. “Your friends have been like family to you. Nora took the place of your little sister. I understand why you want to take care of her until she can get on her feet.”
He brushed his lips across her cheek. “Did she tell you she’s taking night classes? She wants to be an accountant.”
“Good for her.” Gabby smiled, running a fingertip along his jaw. “Then you can always reevaluate when she gets another job and a place of her own. But for now, I get the feeling you’d rather hang on to this place, for her sake as well as your own.”
“Gabby,” he said, curling his hand around her cheek, “it’s not for the reasons you think. I don’t want to leave you ever again.”
She wrapped her arms around him, sighing contentedly. “Glad to hear it, especially since I don’t intend to let you go. So keep this place. It’ll be our vacation spot. I love Vista Falls, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need a break from it every once in a while.”
He kissed her, holding her gaze. “When Wes suggested a couple of years ago that we think about moving our operations to Vista Falls, I thought he was crazy. Now I can’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because from now on, wherever you are, that’s my home.”
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Gabby was lying on a pristine white beach in the Bahamas, celebrating her birthday with the love of her life. He’d surprised her with the trip, and thanks to Sage, who’d been in on it, she had been packed and ready to leave for the airport as soon as he presented her with the tickets.
They’d enjoyed four days in their own villa with a private beach that seemed to stretch on for miles, and they had three more days before them. She’d thought she’d known Colt before, but he’d opened up to her in the past four days in a way he hadn’t at home, when they’d been busy living their lives.
She knew life with him would be an ever-evolving puzzle. She would never be able to neatly fit the pieces together and see the whole breathtaking picture. But then, she wouldn’t have wanted to. Part of the fun of being with a man like Colt was piecing it together as they went along and delighting in their new discoveries.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, rolling over to face her. “What are you thinking?”
They’d spent the day relaxing, walking on the beach, water-skiing, swimming, fishing, taking pictures, and making love. She couldn’t think of anything more perfect.
“I was just thinking how happy you make me.” She smiled when he tipped her hat back so he could kiss her.
“Ditto.”
Colt had seemed happier since they’d gotten back from Houston. According to Wes, Colt wasn’t as broody at work, and he smiled and laughed more. He’d developed a relationship with his mother and siblings and even visited the cemetery on his father’s birthday. He seemed ready to put the past to rest and look toward the future with her.
They’d been spending as much time as possible at his house or hers, and he’d had contractors working on her vision for his lake house. She could only assume he would one day ask her to share it with him.
“What do you feel like doing for dinner?” she asked, noting the sun was dipping a little lower. They’d agreed to leave their phones and watches inside on this trip, which was no hardship since she wasn’t interested in marking the minutes when she was with Colt. She just wanted to savor them.
“That depends.”
“On?”
“How you respond to my next question.”
She held her breath when he reached into their beach bag filled with magazines, sunscreen, and bottled water.
He gripped a small box as he lay back down beside her, his leg circling hers. “I could never have imagined my life would bring me back to you, Gabby.”
Colt wasn’t big on talking about his feelings, but when he did, he usually brought tears to her eyes. She was sure this would be no different.
“When Wes suggested we move back to Vista Falls, I thought I would have to live the rest of my life loving you from afar. I never believed you’d give me a second chance to love you like this.” His hand skimmed her body, just grazing the blue string bikini he’d already removed numerous times. “To be a part of your life, the man you turn to when you need help or hope or just to share, that’s been the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.”
Cue the waterworks. Tears were already slipping down her cheeks, but she didn’t have to hide her vulnerability from Colt anymore. He’d seen her at her best and worst and loved her regardless.
“I’ll never take that for granted. I want you to know that.”
She nodded because the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. Though she sensed this wasn’t her turn to talk. It was her time to listen to things she’d been waiting to hear her whole life from the man who’d changed her in the best possible way.
“I had no idea how to be a part of something,” he said, staring at a strip of sand between their beach towels. “I knew how to be part of a partnership for the purpose of building a business, but I didn’t know how to be a part of something bigger that would last forever.” He bit his lip, looking adorably uncertain. “I didn’t know how to be part of a family or a couple. I didn’t know if I could ever be a parent. And until I figured that out, I couldn’t even think about committing my life to you. Because I knew you wanted and deserved all those things.”
She’d seen the changes in Colt over the last several months, but there were certain things they didn’t talk about—like having a family or living together. They just enjoyed what they had with an
unspoken agreement to let the future take care of itself.
“When we were having dinner with your parents last week, your father said something that made me realize I was ready for this.”
Gabby’s parents had finally given Colt the chance they hadn’t been willing to give him in high school, and they’d learned to love and respect him because they could see how much he loved their daughter. Gabby had never thought her parents would be his biggest champions, but that’s exactly what they had become, even teasing them about the perfect time of year for a wedding.
“He said he knew he wanted to marry your mother when he looked into her eyes and saw his future.” He swallowed, taking Gabby’s hand and bringing it to his lips. “He said that he saw the children they would have. The special occasions and the mundane days when there was work to do and bills to pay.”
Gabby’s father had never told her that, yet she was glad he’d shared it with Colt. Her father and Colt had developed a special bond thanks to their shared passion for fishing and hunting. She hoped Colt would have the kind of relationship with her father he’d never had and always wanted with his own.
“He said he knew there was no other person he’d rather have by his side during good times and bad… and that’s exactly how I feel about you.” His voice was soft as he opened the box to reveal a brilliant round diamond on a narrow band. It was large but breathtaking in its simplicity. Like the man giving it to her, it made a statement of clarity and quality without being flashy or ostentatious.
“I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes as I figure this thing out.” He took the ring out of the box and let the box rest on the sand, still open. “What I can promise you is that I’ll always love you, never intentionally hurt you, and admit when I’m wrong.” He smirked. “Followed by an apology, of course. So if you think you can live with that, flaws and all—”
“I can!” She covered her mouth when she realized she’d interrupted the next, most important part, making him chuckle.
“Gabrielle, will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” She giggled and sobbed when he slipped the ring on her finger.
She knew he must have been able to taste the salty tears on her lips when he bent to kiss her, but that was okay. He’d promised to take the sweet with the bitter, and she intended to hold him to that.
***
My fiancée. Those two little words continued to reverberate through Colt’s mind as he made love to Gabby with the sand beneath them and the sun beating down on them. The roar of the ocean at their backs was muted by the rumble of their beating hearts as he watched his lover, the woman who would one day be the mother of his children, give herself to him in a way she never had before.
She’d loved him unconditionally, but he had always sensed she was a little guarded, reserving a piece of her heart until he could prove to her that he wouldn’t break it again. The ring on her finger was more than a symbol. It was a promise. His promise that he would be a better man.
He’d made great strides. He didn’t lose his temper as often, and when he did, he found new ways to deal with it. Gabby had helped with that, reminding him that nothing looked or felt as bad when they were wrapped in each other’s arms.
The fears he’d had about taking his anger out on their children the way his father had had dissipated too. Every day that passed served to remind him that he wasn’t his dad. He’d achieved things his old man could only have dreamed of. He’d learned to be a good man all on his own. A good friend, business partner, son, brother, mentor, and lover.
And now, with Gabby’s help and encouragement, he’d learn how to be a good husband and father. He was confident that he was finally up to the task, and the way she looked at him erased any lingering doubts he may have had… because she believed in him. And that was enough.
“You’re in your head again,” she whispered, grasping his face.
“No, I’m lost in you.”
It was true. When he was with her, the other demands on his time didn’t matter. The pile of work on his desk, the ringing phone, texts, or emails all ceased to exist. There was just her. Her smile, her laugh, the way his chest expanded with gratitude when she wrapped her arms around him and told him she loved him. His world began and ended with her. Everything else he could survive without. But without her? He wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Let go,” she whispered, pulling him close.
He did as she asked while whispering, “I already have, baby.”
He’d let go of the man he used to be… the one who ran when he wanted to stay. It had taken him a long time to realize that letting go could be even more liberating than holding on too tight.
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Letting Go (Vista Falls #3) Page 20
