Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (Eight Fun, Romantic Novels by Eight Bestselling Authors)
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âGosh, no.â Isabella made a face. âI wouldnât have been caught dead with a pink room.â
âTell me how you really feel,â Summer muttered, and Isabella laughed.
âSorry, I was really, really obsessed with all things turquoise when I was this age.â Isabellaâs expression turned serious. âCan I ask you a question?â
Dread clawed at her. âYes.â Isabella knew. Somehow, she knew of Summerâs plan to marry Gabriel, sue for custody of Ivy, and then divorce him for his own good, so he could be with a woman who deserved him.
âHow hard was it to give up Ivy?â
Her insides were twisted once more, harder this time. âI donât think thatâs very nice,â Summer managed to choke out.
A fresh round of tears welled in Isabellaâs eyes. âIâm not asking you to be nice. Iâm asking you, because, in about six months, Iâll be doing the same thing.â
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ISABELLA���S CONFESSION WAS so unexpected that Summer had to sit down on one of the beds in the room.
âI didnât mean to shock you.â
âIâm not shocked,â Summer said slowly. âIâm stunned, because⦠becauseâ¦â How could she say that she thought Isabella was exactly like Gabriel and had planned to wait for marriage, without making things worse?
âBecause Iâm the perfect preacherâs daughter whoâs always done everything everyoneâs always told her?â Isabella finished for her.
Summer smiled faintly. âI was going to say a really nice girl, from a really nice family, who had her future planned a little differently.â
Isabella snorted. âAre you sure youâre Summer Holland, because the one I heard about and last saw at the Collinsâ Halloween Party wouldnât be this nice.â
Well, Isabella had her there, didnât she?
Summer had made to sure to cause a scene, to imply that sheâd slept with some womanâs husband, and threatened to do the same with anyone else who was interested as well. In a word, she cemented every ugly thought that every longtime resident of Holland Springs had ever had about her family.
âProbably not, but I was going through some things at the time.â That was putting it lightly. She was depressed, barely holding on to a job, and living in a womenâs shelter.
Only the promise of enough money to live on for years to come had given her extra incentive to burn down Strawberry Grove and take back the baby sheâd left in her sisterâs temporary care.
In the end, sheâd brought Ivy back, ill-equipped to take care of herself, much less a baby who no longer knew her. Not that any of those events mattered now.
She was healthy, and soon to be engaged and married to the most perfect man on the planet.
Isabella moved to the bed and sat down beside her. âWas it hard?â
âHarder than anything Iâve ever done,â Summer answered truthfully. Including coming back to Holland Springs and once again asking Gabriel to help her. âBut at the time, it wasnât about me. It was about what was best for her.â Just like this time, it was about what was best for her daughter, and Ivy belonged with her mother.
Isabella placed a hand over her abdomen. âEvery day I work with women who are put between a rock and a hard place by thoughtless men, or their own thoughtless choices. Never in a million years did I think Iâd be one of them by⦠by hooking up with a guy I barely knew, after drinking too much at a wedding.â
âIâm sure that sounds pretty tame to you,â Isabella added, not unkindly though.
âYouâd be surprised,â Summer said. Sheâd never had a one-night stand, drunken or sober, but besides Isabelle most likely not believing her, and most likely feeling worse about herself if she did, Summer kept that to herself. âWhy donât you go to the father and talk to him?â
âBecause heâs half a world away.â
Immediately, sympathy flooded Summer. âIvyâs Dad was in Afghanistan when I found out. Heâd come home on mid-tour and things⦠broke. Not long after, I broke, too, when I found out heâd been killed in a roadside bomb.â
âIâm so sorry.â Isabella grabbed her hand, squeezing it. âThe father isnât a soldier. I doubt heâd ever go to war, much less join the military, because of his political beliefs.â She groaned. âThe one guy I decide to be wild with turns out to be the exact opposite of me in every way it countsâ
âOpposites attract.â
âHe doesnât believe in God, and Iâm a missionary for goodnessâ sake.â
Summer frowned. âThat is a problem.â
âThe only thing we have in common is an attraction to one another, but that wouldnât last, would it?â Isabella stood, pacing the room. âBeing with someone just because they make you feel good and attractive, like thereâs absolutely nothing wrong with you, is incredibly stupid, donât you think? I mean, what will you have laterâa summertime fling?â
Would that be what her marriage to Gabriel would becomeâa summertime fling? Because they certainly had nothing in common but chemistry. Heck, there were times when she questioned God, but he usually smacked her upside the head with something that made her want to say just kidding. So she just thought it, in case He was listening.
According to Gabriel, He was always listening.
âA summer fling could be the start of something permanent, if you went and talked to him,â Summer said, unable to believe what was coming out of her mouth. The women in her family certainly wouldnât have suggested such a thing. âDoes he want the baby?â
Isabella stopped pacing long enough to flush. âHe doesnât know, and since heâs a big proponent of choice, Iâm making the choice not to tell him.â
âBut is that who you really are, Isabella? If you disagree with him, then talk to him. Donât hide behind your beliefs and preconceived notions.â Like she had with Gabriel, and like he had with her. Oh God, talking with his sister was making everything worse. It was like holding up a mirror.
There was a knock on the door, and then it opened. Summer quickly ran her fingers under eyes and patted her hair. Isabelle did the same.
Gabriel poked his head inside the room and grinned, his smile faltering when he saw Summerâs face. What looked like tracks of tears streaked her cheeks. He glared at his sister, who also had the same pattern on her face.
âAre you okay, Summer?â He didnât care who had started it, or if anything had been started at all, but for once, he was going to automatically assume that Summer was the innocent party.
The tremulous smile she rewarded him with let him know he had made the right decision. âWeâre okay. Your sister was being very kind to me. I had a little panic attack, and she helped me calm down. Itâs nothing to worry about.â
But that didnât stop him from worrying. It was his nature to worry and protect.
Gabriel stepped inside the room, and his sister slipped out, but not before patting him reassuringly on the back. Summer met him halfway, smoothing down her dress as she walked.
Isabella was like that, always helping others, while giving no thought to her own well-being, and thatâs exactly why sheâd been used by her ex-fiancé. Isabella was too naïve for her own good, but one day he knew sheâd meet the right man, and be happy with her personal life again.
âToo many people, huh?â He kissed the top of her head. âWe can go, if you like. Mom and Dad would understand. Itâs a madhouse tonight. Iâll order some pizza, pick up a case of your favorite beer, and we can watch a movie at my place.â
âDo you usually have dates over to your place?â she asked.
âWhat would you think of
me if I said no?â he asked.
She started to reply, but his motherâs voice came floating down the hall, calling his name.
âGabriel, bring that pretty date of yours outside so your father and I can meet her.â
Panic registered on Summerâs face. âTheyâll love you,â he said, and then bit the side of his lip, making his dimples play in his cheeks. âOkay, so my mom might not love you right now, because she and Eliseâs mom had become best friends, and were set on us marrying. But I promise no one will be unkind to you.â
Summer glanced up at the ceiling. âYeah, yeah, I know,â she muttered and then fixed her gaze on him. âIâve faced worse than a mother who wanted her son to marry a woman worthy of him.â
Worthy of him? âSummer,â he began, but she stopped him with a sad smile.
âGabriel, itâs the truth. Everyone will think it, and youâre fooling yourself if you think otherwise.â
He touched his forehead to hers. âWhen are you going to learn that I donât care what other people think?â
She pulled away from him, stepping back, and shaking her head. âAnd when are you going to learn that you do?â
Crossing her arms over her chest, she walked out of the room.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
IT COULD BE WORSE, Gabriel thought.
Gloria smiled at Summer as she passed her the salad greens, but it didnât quite meet his motherâs eyes.
âThank you,â Summer said, before serving a portion on her plate. She passed the bowl to Isabella, adding some dressing and starting to eat.
Everyone looked at Summer, and Gabriel reached under the table and grabbed Summerâs knee. Startled, she dropped the fork and looked up at him, cheeks turning red at an alarming rate as she realized everyone else was staring. âIs something the matter?â
Irene giggled. âWe havenât said the blessing.â
âNo Grace. No food,â Paul intoned.
âAngels are weeping,â one of the twinsâ friends said.
âHush,â Isabella glared at the preteen.
Yeah, he should have waited until Sunday, but he was about to go out of his mind. However, he couldnât just get engaged and show up at his parentsâ house, with a woman theyâd known only by reputation. Most likely, their extremely short engagement would raise some eyebrows, and make more than one old biddy measure Summerâs waist with her eyes for the next nine months.
Yet another obstacle they would have to overcome together.
âOh.â She looked as though she wanted to crawl under the table and hide.
Gabriel caught her eye, picked up a roll, and took a huge bite out of it. âWhoops,â he said with a wink. The grateful, yet surprised look she gave him made him want to jump up from the table and take her in his arms. He didnât doubt that very few people had ever tried to make things easier on her.
âSometimes, I forget too,â his dad said. âThe meals Gloria prepares are that good.â
Summerâs gaze flew to his dadâs face, and his mother positively beamed at the compliment.
âWe donât correct our guests,â his mother said to the girl beside her. âApologize to Summer. We want her to feel welcome and come back again.â
âSorry,â the preteen said.
âItâs okay,â Summer said, ducking her head. âI should have asked first.â
âNonsense,â his mother said. âWe should have told you, like good hosts.â
Summerâs head came up, and the color of her cheeks stopped flaming. One of the twinsâ friends spilled a glass of milk, and everyone, it seemed, jumped up and started talking all at once again.
Gabriel turned to his mother. âThank you.â
âI may not be happy with what happened with Elise, but I canât help but think that the plan I had for you wasnât the one you were meant to follow,â his mother said just soft enough so her voice wouldnât carry. âYou have nothing to worry about. Iâll get over myself, and love that girl, just as you do. We all will.â
He gave his mother a grateful look. âThank you.â
She patted his arm. âItâs what a mother is supposed to do.â
After blessing the food, everyone ate, including Summer. He watched as she and Isabella carried on a conversation at levels too low for him to hear, but he didnât care. It eased his mind to see the two of them get along.
Summer caught him staring at her, from across the table. She smiled, and he couldnât help but smile back.
Having her here, in the house heâd grown up in, was like a teenage boyâs dream come true. All he needed to do later was kiss her in his bedroom, and then his life would be complete. His smile grew bigger at his ridiculous thoughts.
Summer wrinkled her nose, her head tilting to one side as if to say, What are you thinking?
Later that evening, after the dishes had been done and the kids were either in bed or watching a movie, Gabriel and his dad sat on the front porch, in their usual spots. Inside, he could hear his mother and sisterâs laughter, with Summerâs chiming in every so often.
She needed to laugh more. Laughter was good for the soul. Hearing Summer laugh was good for his soul.
âI plan on asking Summer to marry me.â
âA little unexpected,â his dad said. âBut itâs not good for a man to be alone.â
âI plan on asking her next week.â
âHave you spoken with her parents?â
Gabriel twisted his lips a little. âYou know as well as I do that Summerâs mother skipped town a long time ago, and no one knows who her dad is.â
âThere has to be someone.â His dad held up his hands. âI know, I sound a little old-fashioned, but Summer deserves respect. I doubt sheâs been afforded that for much of her life.â
Gabriel considered the few people Summer spent time withâJemma Leigh, Blackbeard, her customers, and him. âThe only person I can think of is Jemma Leigh. Sheâs been looking after her, and making sure that I get her home on time after every date, because a ladyâs never out past midnight.â
His dad chuckled. âI like Jemma Leigh. She has a good heart.â
âSheâs made it her mission to be Summerâs best friend, but more often than not acts like a mother hen.â
âThereâs your answer, son.â
âWhat about Mom?â
âShe loves weddings, and will be happy to help Summer planââ
âThe wedding will happen before the end of the month.â Gabriel mulled over his next words. âSummer and I have talked about getting married before, and neither of us wants a long engagement.â
His dad stopped rocking. âGabriel.â
Oh, good grief. He gave his dad a look. âSheâs not⦠I didnât put her or us in that position.â
âYou know what people will think.â
âDoesnât matter.â
âAh, but youâd be surprised how much it will matter.â His dad exhaled. âYouâre a good man, Gabriel, but you do value your reputation too highly.â
The assertion hit a little too close to home for him. âWith the exception of one time, Iâve done nothing but be a good son to you, to prove that you two didnât make a bad decision when I was adopted. Youâre a pastor, for goodness sake. My reputation is a reflection of yours.â
âThatâs not your responsibility,â his dad said sharply. âBeing a man of God who keeps his words and promises, loves his friends as well as his enemies, as well as lays down his life for the one he marriesâthatâs your responsibility. Your mother and I loved you from the start, and for you to suggest it was
based on how good you were or areâ¦Frankly, itâs an insult, and one a grown man shouldnât give to the people who raised him.â
Immediately chastised, Gabriel settled back in his chair, scrubbing his hand over his face. âI didnât mean toâI only meant to say that I donât care what others think of me. The only opinion that matters the most is Summerâs.â
His dad smiled. âSee that you keep thinking like that, and Iâll talk to your mother.â
âTalk to me about what?â Gloria asked as she stepped outside.
Gabriel could let his dad smooth things over, or he could be a man and tell his mother his plans. Besides, it wasnât as if Summer would say no.
âIâm going to ask Summer to marry me and,â he swallowed, âif all goes well, then we would get married before the end of the month.â
âOh.â Worry lines appeared on his motherâs forehead.
âNothing elaborate. Just here, in the backyard, with family. I thought we could do something low-key.â Besides, weddings took time, and since they had very little time, the smaller the better.
âAbsolutely not,â his mother exclaimed. âThat girl will have a dream wedding, with the entire town invited. We wonât hide Summer in the backyard, like weâre ashamed of her. â
âIâm not ashamed of her,â Gabriel snapped, then held up his hand and winced. âIâm sorry.â
âItâs fine.â She touched his face and smiled. âLet us take care of everything, with her input of course.â
âShe might not let you,â Gabriel pointed out.
His dad chuckled. âWhen has that stopped your mother?â
Gabriel stood. âIâll let you know how it goes first, before you start planning.â
âOf course,â his mother said smoothly. âThen we can get started.â
Smiling, Gabriel shook his head. âThank you.â
âItâs what family does,â his dad said softly.