Gabe didn’t respond because his cellphone rang. He took it out of his pocket and immediately stood, causing Kayla to catch herself before she fell onto her back.
“Hello, Alice?”
Kayla’s entire body was pulsing as she tried to regain her composure. All she wanted to do was touch herself and make herself come. But when she watched Gabe stare off into the distance as he listened to what Alice was saying, she realized he was still torn when it came to her, and that killed her sexual feelings.
“Yes. Tell him I’ll be right there. And Alice, do you have the key to the storage room at Magical Toys? Great. Would you mind coming across the street with it? Kayla and I are locked in here. It’s a long story. Thanks.” Gabe hung up and looked at Kayla. “Problem solved.”
Kayla took a deep breath, not realizing there had been a problem. “How come you didn’t call Alice right away?”
Gabe grabbed his ladder. He seemed to be contemplating his answer. “Because I liked being alone with you and I missed our time on the rock.”
Kayla opened her mouth to respond, but she heard her sisters groaning when Alice walked in. She also wanted to ask Gabe if Alice had a crush on him. A second later, Alice opened the door to the storage room. Kayla’s heart sank. She had liked being alone with him, too. Right before he walked out, she grabbed his arm.
“I liked it, too, as well as our time on the rock,” she whispered. “Very much.”
He nodded and then walked away with Alice, talking to her about something Kayla couldn’t hear. But she could see well enough, and judging by his body language, he didn’t seem to be attracted to his assistant. But not knowing the woman well enough, Kayla couldn’t be sure about Alice. She knew it didn’t make sense, being so jealous, but when it came to Gabe, she was. Before Kayla walked out of the room, she saw the iced coffees still sitting on the floor. She picked them up. She had forgotten all about them.
“Gabe?” she yelled, running out of the store.
Luckily, he was right outside.
“Here you go,” she said.
He looked as if he thought she’d say something else. She didn’t know what he wanted her to say; if she did, she would have said it. She’d practically asked him to have sex with her. Wasn’t that enough?
Gabe took the iced coffee but barely looked her in the eye. Were they back to that again? Kayla thanked Alice for rescuing them, and then she walked inside the store, closed the door, leaned against it, and exhaled.
“Why did you do that?” She looked at her sisters.
Both women were dead silent for a moment.
“We wanted to help. Did it work?” Lauren finally asked, clearly hopeful.
Kayla sighed and briefly closed her eyes. “No, I told you; Gabe’s a stubborn man when he wants to be.”
“Then we’ll keep on pushing,” Sarah said.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Kayla reprimanded, as her mind flashed back to all the mixed signals Gabe had given her in the storage room. One minute, he’d been massaging her and taking them for a trip down memory lane, and the next, he was telling Alice to come unlock the door to the room.
“I don’t understand. It’s not like you committed murder or anything,” Lauren blurted out.
“I did,” Kayla said. “I murdered his heart.”
“Aw...” Sarah ran up and gave Kayla a huge hug around her waist. “You didn’t murder it. You damaged it, that’s all.”
“And damaged hearts heal,” Lauren added.
Kayla smiled. “Thank you both for helping and for trying to make me feel better, but I think the damage I caused is too deep to heal.”
Lauren joined them and threw her arms around both of them. Kayla hugged them back tightly. She had no idea what the future held for her and Gabe, but she and her sisters were closer than ever.
Chapter Eighteen
Two nights later, Kayla came home to another family dinner. This one had been her idea, too. She thought it would be nice to invite Erica and little Ben to their home to thank Erica for helping Jessica become pregnant.
Kayla was helping her mom put the salad together when Jessica came into the kitchen.
“Hi,” she said.
“You get out of the kitchen and relax. Stay off your feet as much as possible,” her mom said.
Jessica was newly pregnant. When Matt and she shared the good news, they were aware of the possibility of a miscarriage before the end of their first trimester, but they’d both wanted the family to know early on.
“Can I talk to Kayla for a minute?” Jessica asked Kayla’s mom.
“Sure.” Kayla washed her hands and then moved into the living room with Jessica. “What’s up?” she asked.
“I know it’s super early, and I know I could still lose the baby, but my mother is already planning my shower. Before she goes any further, I told her I wanted both of my families to be involved. Is that okay with you?”
Kayla threw her arms around her sister-in-law. “Yes! Absolutely. I’d love to help, and you know Sarah and Lauren will be elated. Do you want to have it here?”
Jessica smiled. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. This house is so pretty, and with the view it’d be the perfect place for my shower. I know it’ll be in the winter months, but you can still see the beautiful view from inside.”
“Perfect. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to talk with your mom and tell her all this. You shouldn’t have to worry about the shower. Your only job is to take good care of yourself. And you’re not going to lose the baby. Trust your body to take it from here.”
“I know, and thank you.”
Jessica was beaming, and Kayla couldn’t resist giving her another hug.
“I need help in here,” her mom yelled.
Jessica and Kayla laughed.
“And I don’t mean Jessica,” Mom added.
“I’ll wait outside for Erica and Ben.”
Jessica walked outside, and Kayla grabbed plates and silverware and joined her. She hoped this dinner wouldn’t be as intense as the last family gathering. She had already confessed about Gabe. What else could go wrong?
Kayla opened the back door and saw her dad and Gabe talking. Her heart fell. She hadn’t invited him. In fact, when she and her mom had planned the meal, they’d said there needed to be enough food for ten people. Gabe made eleven.
She put down the plates and silverware, took one look at her dad and Gabe laughing together, and stormed back inside the house.
“Mom, what’s Gabe doing here?” Kayla asked.
Her mom was placing chicken and shrimp on a large plate and not looking Kayla in the eye.
“Your father and I thought it’d be nice if we invited him. He was a huge part of your life, and we want to get to know him better.”
Kayla sighed and rolled her eyes. “That’s not the complete truth, Mom. You and Dad are trying to get us back together, like Sarah and Lauren are. I appreciate the trouble you’re all going through, but it won’t work. Trust me. He refuses to forgive me.” She wanted to add that he’d been avoiding her, too, but she chose not to say anything. Then again, if he was avoiding her, why was he here?
Her mom stopped what she was doing, grabbed Kayla’s face, and kissed her on the cheek. “He’ll forgive you, sweetheart. Trust me.”
“He won’t, Mom. Please don’t push this,” Kayla said.
Brushing away a strand of hair covering Kayla’s eye, her mom said, “You’ve been there for the family more than you should have. We’re all giving back to you now. Your problem is, you’ve always given, but you’ve never received. It’s time to be open to receiving.”
Kayla nodded slightly. It was no use. Her family would do what they were going to do. She didn’t think any of them would change Gabe’s mind, but if they all felt good helping her, she wouldn’t stop them nor could she.
“Okay, Mom,” she said.
“Excellent, now take out this plate of chicken.”
Kayla took one more deep breath before she walked ba
ck outside, chicken in hand.
“Chicken parmigiana. One of my mother’s many specialties.” As she placed the plate on the table, Kayla looked at Gabe. Why had he agreed to come here for another dinner? Hadn’t the first time been enough?
“Hi, Gabe,” she said, as she raised her eyebrow.
He looked back at her with a twinkle in his eye. Looking more relaxed than she had seen him in ages, Gabe leaned back in his chair and took a sip of beer. Kayla wanted to pour the beer over his head for showing up without warning her first.
“Hi, Ben,” Jessica said from the other end of the table.
Kayla blinked to break the hypnotic spell Gabe seemed to always cast on her and turned to Ben and Erica, who were walking up the back stairs.
Kayla ran to Ben and gave him a huge hug, then tickled him until he laughed. She loved the sound of children laughing.
“Why don’t you go inside and ask Mrs. Conway if she’d like some help,” Erica said to her son.
He ran inside without a second glance.
Kayla laughed and threw her arms around Erica. “Thank you so much for helping us.”
“Oh, please, it’s the least I could have done. You’ve done so much for Ben and me. I’m relieved it worked so fast, but Jessica was incredibly open to whatever I told her.”
Kayla smiled. “Being open seems to be an important lesson for our family.”
Jessica pulled Erica away from Kayla and gave the woman a hug. Kayla watched them with a smile as she felt eyes boring into her back. She knew who those eyes belonged to. They were very familiar to her. Slowly, she turned and caught his gaze, which held an intensity she hadn’t seen since the first time he came to her store. What the hell was he thinking? He’d practically rejected her the other day in her storage room. Had he changed his mind?
Kayla’s dad nudged him to show him something on his phone. Gabe reluctantly moved his eyes from her.
Kayla’s mom came out, holding the shrimp parmigiana plate in one hand and Ben in the other. Sarah and Lauren were behind them, laughing. It was nice to see Lauren smiling. Maybe something good had happened with Jordan and her.
“Hey, Lauren, would you like to come back inside with me? I brought home a ball for Ben. I have to find where I placed it.”
“Sure,” Lauren said as she gave Kayla a big smile.
Yeah…something definitely must be going on.
“So, tell me why you look so happy,” Kayla said.
Lauren grabbed Kayla’s arm.
“You,” Lauren said, laughing.
“Me? Why?”
Lauren sighed. “You’re not with the love of your life, and yet you seem happy…even if you’re struggling inside. It made me think. Since working at the store, I’ve been really happy. And then it occurred to me: I’m happy with or without a man. That’s because of your influence. You were forced to give up the love of your life and yet you still smile and laugh.”
“I wasn’t forced, Lauren. It was my choice,” Kayla emphasized. “But I’m so proud of your epiphany.”
Lauren giggled. “Yeah, it’s pretty huge.”
“Do you still want Jordan, though?”
Lauren sighed. “Yes, I do. I’m crazy about him, but he’ll have to think of a way to move to Bella Cove. I’d feel empty leaving here, even if I am in love.”
Kayla had been willing to move to California permanently when school finished and she and Gabe became engaged. She questioned her choice, though, and since she had been back in Bella Cove, she wasn’t so sure she could leave again. It was a beautiful place to live, a great place to raise children, and her family was here.
“I understand,” Kayla said. “Let’s find Ben’s ball and eat. I’m starved.”
By the time Kayla had joined the others with Lauren, she had made the decision to follow her sister’s lead and be happy—with or without Gabe’s forgiveness. She loved him, but life was too short to be miserable.
“Look what we brought you from Magical Toys,” she said.
Ben ran over to her, grabbed the ball out of her hand, and started bouncing it.
“Thank you,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’re welcome, sweetie.” She winked at Ben. Then she raised her glass of water. “Okay, time for a toast. Thank you, Erica, for helping Jessica and Matt’s dream come true. We all feel grateful and blessed that you and Ben are in our lives.”
“To Ben and Erica,” Matt yelled.
Everyone clicked their glasses. When Kayla clicked glasses with Gabe, he raised his eyebrow at her, like she had earlier. She wasn’t sure why.
“Thank you for always welcoming Ben and me into your lovely home. Bella Cove is a special place to live because of folks like you,” said Erica.
Kayla’s dad stood and raised his glass. He never made a toast. She needed to sit for this one.
“Thank you, Erica. You’ve made this entire family happy.” He looked at Erica and then turned toward Gabe.
Kayla’s heart sank. Oh, no…
“I’d also like to make a toast to Gabe, as well as extend an apology. Kayla had told us the two of you were about to get engaged, which meant you were going to be part of our family. It was our fault that didn’t happen.”
“Dad,” Kayla said, her tone louder than normal.
“Let me finish, beautiful. Your mom and I have been talking, and we came to the conclusion we wronged the two of you. We knew you were in school, enjoying yourself, and you were about to complete your grad degree. But when Nana died, we were one messed-up family. Kayla helped us get back on track, but we should have insisted she return to school, instead.”
“Dad, please, we went over this the other night. Let’s drop it and eat,” Kayla insisted.
“Everyone dive in,” Sarah said enthusiastically.
Kayla looked over and smiled, grateful Sarah had Kayla’s back.
When she looked at Gabe, he had an odd look in his eyes. Maybe if he didn’t look so damn hot in his green polo shirt, which was the exact same color as his eyes, she’d be able to figure him out better. Or maybe he was sitting there thinking of a way he could sell his property next door and move far away from her beautiful but wacky family.
Kayla’s mom began serving everyone. Her dad reluctantly sat back down and grabbed some shrimp off the plate, but he looked serious. Maybe Kayla shouldn’t have cut him off, but it was all too much. She didn’t want to ruin this family dinner, especially since it wasn’t about her. It was about Erica and Ben, who were eating and laughing with Jessica and Matt.
Sarah told everyone about the Mommy and Me classes coming up. Enthusiastically, she explained in detail how the room looked. Gabe chimed in a bunch of times and joked about what they’d painted on the walls. His mood was lighter, which seemed to take some tension off of her dad.
Everyone continued to joke around. Every so often, Kayla glanced at Gabe, and he’d immediately glance back at her. Her mom went into the kitchen and brought out a large sheet cake, which read, Thank you, Erica and Ben. And right under that, it read, Welcome to the family, Gabe.
Kayla cringed. She looked at Gabe and mouthed, sorry. He smiled back at her. At least he didn’t appear to be mad.
“Thank you again, Erica and Ben. And please, Kayla, let me finish what your father started to say,” her mom said in a stern tone.
Kayla looked at Gabe to make sure it was okay, and he nodded. It was up to her, then, to stop her mom, but she didn’t have the heart. Maybe, in some way, this would help Gabe heal.
“Okay, Mom,” Kayla said reluctantly.
“Your father and I want to officially welcome Gabe into the family. We’re well aware the two of you aren’t together at this time. But two years ago, you loved each other and we want to honor that.”
Kayla’s dad stood and placed his arm around his wife. “We like you, Gabe, and we wish you were a member of our family. But regardless of what happens between you and my daughter, this will be your home. Thank you for wanting to marry my daughter and spend t
he rest of your life with her. She’s a rare gem, and if she chose you, then you must be mighty special.”
Kayla’s face heated up. She was debating sliding under the table when Gabe stood and raised his glass. Kayla briefly closed her eyes. Earlier today, she had actually been looking forward to a peaceful family dinner.
And then he spoke. “I’d also like to thank the both of you for welcoming me into your family. In school, Kayla always spoke so highly of all of you. She was right. It feels strange to sit amongst you all when I was almost a real family member, but I’ll take anything I can get. We may not be real family, but we’ll be real neighbors. That’s for life, unless you move. Because I sure won’t be moving. Once my house is finished, I’d like to invite all of you over for dinner.”
“We’d love that, but only if you let me do the cooking in your new kitchen,” her mom said.
“That’s a deal,” Gabe said, then took a sip of beer. “But on a serious note, I had a part in Kayla’s and my breakup as well. She wouldn’t come back to California on my timeline, and I sort of threw a temper tantrum because I was going through a hard time, too. But Kayla and I are learning how to be friends again. And I will always care deeply about your daughter.”
Kayla’s heart fell. She loved him and Gabe only cared about her. She always hated when men said they “cared.” What did that even mean? At the same time, her parents seemed to be happy with what he said. He always knew the right thing to say, whereas she always had trouble communicating. And he wasn’t planning on moving. So she was stuck with him. Maybe not as her husband or lover but as her neighbor, at least. Her friendly neighbor, who’d be coming over to her house for dinner and whose new home they would be visiting, where they’d share meals now and then, too. But would that be enough?
Kayla was obsessing over the situation until the back door slammed shut. She quickly turned and saw it was Josh.
“Gabe, the reason my sister didn’t marry you was because of me. I messed up Kayla’s life. It’s my fault. She loves you, and I ruined everything.” Josh ran down the stairs and left before anyone could respond, a repeat of the previous dinner. Just great.
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