Chance Encounter: Gage and Melanie (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Three) (Companion to the Over You series)

by Christine Kersey

“There’s just one thing I need to say,” he murmured next to her ear.

  “What’s that?”

  He removed his arms from around her and shifted so that he faced her. Then he took her hands in his, and after looking at her a moment he ran a finger down her jawline, stopping under her chin. His gray eyes drew her in, and she nearly held her breath as she waited to hear what he had to say.

  “I want you to know…I choose you, Melanie. No one else. I choose you and you alone.”

  Elation erupted inside her, taking her by surprise, and without warning tears leapt into her eyes and overflowed her lashes, sliding down her cheeks. Embarrassed by the show of emotion, she tried to look away, but Gage placed his hands on either side of her face and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

  “I don’t know what will happen in the future,” he said, his voice soft. “I just know I want to explore that future with you.”

  One of his hands curled around her neck, and he leaned toward her, his eyes sliding closed, and when his mouth claimed hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him like her life depended on it.

  Never breaking their kiss, he pulled her onto his lap and cradled her in his arms. She sank against him, feeling safer than she ever had before. She didn’t know what their future held either, but she was confident that he would never do anything to hurt her and that their future was bright.

  When they finally came up for air, Melanie’s smile was dazzling.

  “I hope my one kiss was good enough,” Gage said with a grin.

  She smiled. “It wasn’t too bad, but I think I need to allow you one more try. Just to see if you get better with practice.”

  “With pleasure.”

  As he wrapped her in his arms and pressed his mouth to hers, she allowed herself the hope that he could be her forever love.

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later

  “Happy birthday to me,” Avery sang out.

  It was her fourth birthday and Melanie had arranged a small party for her. A few of her friends from day care would be meeting them at a local park, as well as Ashleigh, Travis and Gabby. And of course Gage.

  Since declaring their desire to get to know each other better, she and Gage had been nearly inseparable. The softball season had come and gone—they’d finished the season with four wins and two losses—but they’d spent much of their free time together.

  After a few weeks of dating she’d allowed him to begin spending time with both her and Avery, and Gage had been a natural. Avery adored him.

  She and Ashleigh tied balloons to the trees surrounding the table they’d taken over, and a few minutes later Gage arrived carrying a big box.

  “Looks like your special cake is here, Avery,” Melanie said as she turned in Gage’s direction with a smile.

  “Happy birthday, Avery,” Gage said. “Do you want to see the cake I made for you?” He winked at Melanie, making her heart leap with joy.

  “Yay!” Avery said.

  Gage set the cake on the table and opened the lid, then he picked Avery up so she could see. Disney princesses adorned the top of a pink frosted cake, and when Avery saw it, her eyes widened as her mouth formed a perfect O.

  “Mommy,” she said. “Princesses.”

  “Gage made that just for you, baby girl. What do you tell him?”

  Gage held on to her as she stood on the bench of the picnic table admiring her cake. She turned and smiled at him. “Thank you, Gage.”

  “You’re welcome, princess.”

  Giggling, she turned her focus back to the cake.

  “It’s perfect, Gage,” Melanie said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her cheek against his shoulder.

  He set Avery on the ground, then pulled Melanie into his arms. “You’re perfect,” he murmured next to her ear.

  Love for him blossomed inside her. She’d been feeling this way about him for a while now, but she hadn’t yet managed to utter the words. Part of the reason was wanting him to be the first to say it. The other reason was her fear that once she said those magical words, it would make her vulnerable in a whole new way.

  Still, her love for him was growing so strong that she needed to tell him how she felt.

  Maybe today would be the day.

  Beyond pleased that Avery and Melanie loved the cake he’d made especially for them, Gage soaked in the happiness he felt every time he was with them. There was no doubt that he was in love with Melanie, although he had yet to tell her. Even more surprising to him was how much he’d grown to love Avery. He could see them becoming a family one day.

  First though, he needed to confess his feelings to Melanie. Reasonably certain that she loved him too, he’d hesitated to tell her how he felt. In all honesty, he’d never told a woman he loved her, so this would be a big step for him. Would Melanie say it back? Or was she not ready?

  There had been several times he’d teetered on the edge of saying the words, and he’d been certain he’d seen love radiating from Melanie’s eyes, but by the time he’d gathered the courage to tell her how he felt, the moment had passed.

  Now, as he watched the party festivities, his desire to confess his feelings to Melanie overwhelmed him.

  Today would be the day.

  The party had been a success. Gabby had even brought Bella along, which had thrilled Avery. Now, as everyone began to say their good-byes, Melanie’s heart nearly burst with happiness. When she’d moved to Emerald Falls four months ago, she’d come with the hope that she could get her life back on track but had never in her wildest imagination thought she’d fall in love with a man as wonderful as Gage. Yet here she was. And love him she did. And she was fairly certain he loved her too.

  Looking at him now as he took down the balloons, her heart sang with joy.

  She turned to Ashleigh. “Would you mind taking Avery home while Gage and I finish cleaning up?”

  “Sure.”

  After they left, Melanie and Gage worked side by side to gather all of the trash from the party, and when they were done, they sank onto the picnic table bench.

  “I’d say Avery’s party was a smashing success,” Gage said, his arm resting on the table behind Melanie.

  “I think so too. Thank you for that cake. She loved it.”

  “It was my pleasure.” He smiled, his gray eyes sparkling. He gazed at her a moment, and the way he looked at her made her pulse skyrocket.

  “What?”

  The smile that curved his mouth grew wider and he shifted so that his legs straddled the bench and he faced her fully. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

  This was it. She could feel it. Was she ready to bare her heart to him?

  He gently stroked her face, then leaned in for a kiss before softly smiling at her. “Melanie, I’m in love with you.” His face lit up as he spoke. “I love you. So much.”

  “Gage,” she whispered as her heart thundered. “I…I love you too.” There. She said it. But it was okay. She did love him. Yes, now she was more vulnerable, but to her great relief she felt no fear. There was no doubt that Gage loved her as much as she loved him, and she had complete confidence in their future.

  He tugged her against him, and she savored the security that his love brought her, and she knew she was the one he wanted. Always and forever.

  Thank you for reading Gage and Melanie’s story! If you enjoyed their story, you may enjoy the Searching for Love series. To read the first two chapters of the first book, Falling for You, turn the page…

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  Falling for You Chapter 1

  “Darn propane,” Reese Montgomery muttered when only cold water streamed out of the kitchen faucet in her RV. She gazed out the window over her tiny sink. “But look at that sunrise. My first in Malibu.” A smile of excitement curved her mouth as she forgot about the water. She grabbed her camera off the table and carried it down the two steps of her RV to the hard-packed ground outside her door.

  While looking for the perfect spot from which to take pictures, she gazed at the scene in front of her. From her vantage point on the cliff overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway, the crashing ocean was so close she could hear the hiss of the waves flowing over the sand—when the rush of cars ebbed for a few moments.

  The oranges, reds, and yellows of the spectacular sunrise grabbed her attention and she began snapping photographs. Absorbed in her work, she barely noticed the cool ocean breeze that swept over her, although when goosebumps rose on her arms she vaguely wished she had thought to put on a sweater before coming outside.

  When the sun had risen high enough to wash out the vivid colors, Reese browsed through the digital images on her camera with a concentrated frown.

  One or two are worth keeping.

  Pleased with her work, she smiled, then turned and looked at her twenty-two foot RV. It was old—over thirty years old—but she owned it outright. Trying to ignore the bits of rust, she smiled.

  Home sweet home. And maybe one of these sunrise photos will bring in some income.

  Several months before, she had begun uploading her best work to a website that promoted the work of unknown artists. Since then she had sold a number of prints, which brought in a meager income. But her needs were minimal, and it had been enough to scrape by.

  Back in her RV, she fixed herself a breakfast of cold cereal.

  I’d better refill my propane tanks if I want to use my stove—not to mention have hot water.

  Later that morning, with her camera slung around her neck, she headed to the beach for a walk and a hunt for more interesting and unique photo opportunities. The late spring day was sunny and pleasant, and in addition to looking for interesting scenes to photograph, she was excited to dip her toes into the ocean.

  From the Midwest, Reese was new to California and had never been in the ocean. The idea of actually going into the water and allowing the waves to flow past her both thrilled and terrified her.

  It took only a few minutes to walk down to the Pacific Coast Highway, which was right below the RV park. Cars whizzed by, but when a wide gap opened in both directions of onrushing traffic, Reese dashed across the highway.

  Moments later her feet sunk into the sand. She kicked off her sandals—leaving them next to a rock—then made her way to the ocean’s edge, where she stopped. Closing her eyes and tilting her head back, she let the salty ocean breeze caress her face.

  “Mmmm,” she murmured as the sun kissed her skin.

  A few moments later she opened her eyes and gazed down the beach. A large sandy area surrounded her, but farther down the beach houses lined up side by side. A wide strip of sand lay between the houses and the ocean, and she decided to walk in that direction.

  Those houses will make good subjects for my lens.

  Only a few other people walked along the ocean’s edge, and as Reese strolled along, her toes sunk into the damp sand. Occasionally she walked close enough to the incoming waves to allow the foaming sea to slide over her feet and up to her ankles. The cold water made her step back, but soon she grew used to the temperature and it didn’t seem cold at all.

  Maybe I’ll go for a dip later.

  The thought brought a nervous smile to her mouth. Not a strong swimmer, and with zero experience swimming in the ocean, she wasn’t sure she was truly up to the challenge.

  But that’s what this is all about, right? Challenging myself. Figuring out where I fit in to this big, wide world.

  Biting her lip, her gaze shot toward the blue-green water and the crashing waves.

  Maybe I’m not quite ready for that challenge.

  With a shake of her head, she continued walking, stopping to take pictures when something interesting caught her eye. Before long the beach houses she had seen from a distance loomed beside her. Each was two or three stories high with enormous pylons sunk into the ground to support them and keep them from being flooded when the high tide rolled in.

  Glass-fronted balconies faced the ocean, and as Reese walked along, her gaze drifted toward the houses. She tried to imagine what it would be like to live in—or even visit—such a magnificent home.

  Who lives in those places? Who can even afford such a thing?

  To her shock, the only person she saw on one of the balconies of the incredible beach houses was a woman—clearly a maid—pounding a rug that hung over a railing.

  Where is everyone? With a nod, the answer came to her. At work. Making money to pay for these places.

  Her gaze skimmed over the closest house.

  Maybe I should get a job as a maid. Then I could get inside one of those houses.

  Smiling ruefully at the thought, she looked away from the structures.

  I doubt I could even get hired as a maid. Who would hire me? An uneducated drifter living out of an RV? A frown pulled down the corners of her mouth. Especially if they knew my background.

  Several small brown and white birds scurried away from the waves in front of her and she quickly snapped several photos, her morose thoughts forgotten. The sight of the birds’ tiny feet racing across the sand made her laugh.

  Movement on the beach house side caught her eye, and when she looked in that direction, she saw a man stretched out on a lounge chair setting a glass on a table beside him.

  He doesn’t look like a maid.

  Not wanting to be caught staring, she looked toward the ocean as she passed the house and continued down the beach.

  Falling for You Chapter 2

  Brody Ford settled deeper into the cushions of his lounge chair and closed his eyes, loving the warmth of the sun against his face. He had worked late into the night on his latest project, and now he was finally allowing himself a much deserved break.

  A moment later his cell phone chimed a message. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and sat up straighter, but when he reached for his phone, a figure walking along the beach drew his attention. The beach was private—though nothing prevented the public from accessing it—so very few people walked along it.

  Even from this distance, Brody could tell it was a woman. Curious if it was one of his neighbors, he picked up the binoculars that he kept nearby and pressed them to his face.

  Only the back of the woman was visible, but he could see she had long dark hair and a slender figure. Fairly certain he didn’t know her, he watched her for a few moments before setting the binoculars on the table and picking up his phone to check the incoming message. It was from his younger brother, Logan.

  Logan: Hey, bro. I’ll be in town tomorrow. Can you pull yourself away from work long enough to do a little body surfing?

  Brody smiled as he replied.

  Brody: I can always make time for you, bro.

  They texted back and forth, figuring out the details, and when they were done, Brody went inside his house, fixed himself a snack, then brought it out to the balcony. That’s when he saw the woman again—this time walking towards him. Brody put the binoculars to his eyes again to get a look at her face.

  When her features came into focus, he found he couldn’t look away. Though her sunglasses hid her eyes, the soft curve of her cheek, along with her full mouth and confident gait drew him in. A fancy-looking camera hung around her neck. Every so often she lifted the camera to her face, obviously taking pictures.

  Who is she?

  A spark of interest ignited within him, but a moment later a sharp pain in the depths of his soul reminded him that he wasn’t anywhere near ready to meet a new woman. He set the binoculars
down and leaned back in his chair, then closed his eyes and tried to forget the agony of losing Megan.

  When Reese got back to the RV park, she loaded the new pictures onto her laptop, scrolled through them, then selected a few to upload to the artists’ website. Pleased with her morning’s work, she grabbed the novel she had been reading and carried it outside. Alternating between reading her book and staring at the ocean waves as they crashed onto the shore, she relaxed under the awning of her RV and thought again about testing herself against the ocean.

  I won’t even go very far. Just up to my waist.

  A few brave souls played in the water, mocking Reese’s trepidation to try it herself.

  What’s the big deal? It’s only water. I’ve gone swimming in pools many times.

  Fear and determination surged through her.

  Tomorrow I’ll do it. Tomorrow I’m going to get in those waves.

  The decision made, she settled into her chair and continued reading.

  To pick up Falling for You, click HERE.

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