Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (Eight Fun, Romantic Novels by Eight Bestselling Authors)

by Violet Duke

  “Gosh, no.” Isabella made a face. “I wouldn’t have been caught dead with a pink room.”

  “Tell me how you really feel,” Summer muttered, and Isabella laughed.

  “Sorry, I was really, really obsessed with all things turquoise when I was this age.” Isabella’s expression turned serious. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Dread clawed at her. “Yes.” Isabella knew. Somehow, she knew of Summer’s 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.

  “How hard was it to give up Ivy?”

  Her insides were twisted once more, harder this time. “I don’t think that’s very nice,” Summer managed to choke out.

  A fresh round of tears welled in Isabella’s eyes. “I’m not asking you to be nice. I’m asking you, because, in about six months, I’ll be doing the same thing.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  ISABELLA���S CONFESSION WAS so unexpected that Summer had to sit down on one of the beds in the room.

  “I didn’t mean to shock you.”

  “I’m not shocked,” Summer said slowly. “I’m stunned, because… because…” How could she say that she thought Isabella was exactly like Gabriel and had planned to wait for marriage, without making things worse?

  “Because I’m the perfect preacher’s daughter who’s always done everything everyone’s always told her?” Isabella finished for her.

  Summer smiled faintly. “I was going to say a really nice girl, from a really nice family, who had her future planned a little differently.”

  Isabella snorted. “Are you sure you’re Summer Holland, because the one I heard about and last saw at the Collins’ Halloween Party wouldn’t be this nice.”

  Well, Isabella had her there, didn’t she?

  Summer had made to sure to cause a scene, to imply that she’d slept with some woman’s 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.

  “Probably not, but I was going through some things at the time.” That was putting it lightly. She was depressed, barely holding on to a job, and living in a women’s 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 she’d left in her sister’s temporary care.

  In the end, she’d 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. “Was it hard?”

  “Harder than anything I’ve ever done,” Summer answered truthfully. Including coming back to Holland Springs and once again asking Gabriel to help her. “But at the time, it wasn’t about me. It was about what was best for her.” 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. “Every 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 I’d be one of them by… by hooking up with a guy I barely knew, after drinking too much at a wedding.”

  “I’m sure that sounds pretty tame to you,” Isabella added, not unkindly though.

  “You’d be surprised,” Summer said. She’d 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. “Why don’t you go to the father and talk to him?”

  “Because he’s half a world away.”

  Immediately, sympathy flooded Summer. “Ivy’s Dad was in Afghanistan when I found out. He’d come home on mid-tour and things… broke. Not long after, I broke, too, when I found out he’d been killed in a roadside bomb.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Isabella grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “The father isn’t a soldier. I doubt he’d ever go to war, much less join the military, because of his political beliefs.” She groaned. “The one guy I decide to be wild with turns out to be the exact opposite of me in every way it counts”

  “Opposites attract.”

  “He doesn’t believe in God, and I’m a missionary for goodness’ sake.”

  Summer frowned. “That is a problem.”

  “The only thing we have in common is an attraction to one another, but that wouldn’t last, would it?” Isabella stood, pacing the room. “Being with someone just because they make you feel good and attractive, like there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you, is incredibly stupid, don’t you think? I mean, what will you have later—a summertime fling?”

  Would that be what her marriage to Gabriel would become—a 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.

  “A summer fling could be the start of something permanent, if you went and talked to him,” Summer said, unable to believe what was coming out of her mouth. The women in her family certainly wouldn’t have suggested such a thing. “Does he want the baby?”

  Isabella stopped pacing long enough to flush. “He doesn’t know, and since he’s a big proponent of choice, I’m making the choice not to tell him.”

  “But is that who you really are, Isabella? If you disagree with him, then talk to him. Don’t hide behind your beliefs and preconceived notions.” 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 Summer’s face. What looked like tracks of tears streaked her cheeks. He glared at his sister, who also had the same pattern on her face.

  “Are you okay, Summer?” He didn’t 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. “We’re okay. Your sister was being very kind to me. I had a little panic attack, and she helped me calm down. It’s nothing to worry about.”

  But that didn’t 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 that’s exactly why she’d been used by her ex-fiancé. Isabella was too naïve for her own good, but one day he knew she’d meet the right man, and be happy with her personal life again.

  “Too many people, huh?” He kissed the top of her head. “We can go, if you like. Mom and Dad would understand. It’s a madhouse tonight. I’ll order some pizza, pick up a case of your favorite beer, and we can watch a movie at my place.”

  “Do you usually have dates over to your place?” she asked.

  “What would you think of
me if I said no?” he asked.

  She started to reply, but his mother’s voice came floating down the hall, calling his name.

  “Gabriel, bring that pretty date of yours outside so your father and I can meet her.”

  Panic registered on Summer’s face. “They’ll love you,” he said, and then bit the side of his lip, making his dimples play in his cheeks. “Okay, so my mom might not love you right now, because she and Elise’s mom had become best friends, and were set on us marrying. But I promise no one will be unkind to you.”

  Summer glanced up at the ceiling. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” she muttered and then fixed her gaze on him. “I’ve faced worse than a mother who wanted her son to marry a woman worthy of him.”

  Worthy of him? “Summer,” he began, but she stopped him with a sad smile.

  “Gabriel, it’s the truth. Everyone will think it, and you’re fooling yourself if you think otherwise.”

  He touched his forehead to hers. “When are you going to learn that I don’t care what other people think?”

  She pulled away from him, stepping back, and shaking her head. “And when are you going to learn that you do?”

  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 didn’t quite meet his mother’s eyes.

  “Thank you,” 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 Summer’s 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. “Is something the matter?”

  Irene giggled. “We haven’t said the blessing.”

  “No Grace. No food,” Paul intoned.

  “Angels are weeping,” one of the twins’ friends said.

  “Hush,” Isabella glared at the preteen.

  Yeah, he should have waited until Sunday, but he was about to go out of his mind. However, he couldn’t just get engaged and show up at his parents’ house, with a woman they’d known only by reputation. Most likely, their extremely short engagement would raise some eyebrows, and make more than one old biddy measure Summer’s waist with her eyes for the next nine months.

  Yet another obstacle they would have to overcome together.

  “Oh.” 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. “Whoops,” 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 didn’t doubt that very few people had ever tried to make things easier on her.

  “Sometimes, I forget too,” his dad said. “The meals Gloria prepares are that good.”

  Summer’s gaze flew to his dad’s face, and his mother positively beamed at the compliment.

  “We don’t correct our guests,” his mother said to the girl beside her. “Apologize to Summer. We want her to feel welcome and come back again.”

  “Sorry,” the preteen said.

  “It’s okay,” Summer said, ducking her head. “I should have asked first.”

  “Nonsense,” his mother said. “We should have told you, like good hosts.”

  Summer’s head came up, and the color of her cheeks stopped flaming. One of the twins’ friends spilled a glass of milk, and everyone, it seemed, jumped up and started talking all at once again.

  Gabriel turned to his mother. “Thank you.”

  “I may not be happy with what happened with Elise, but I can’t help but think that the plan I had for you wasn’t the one you were meant to follow,” his mother said just soft enough so her voice wouldn’t carry. “You have nothing to worry about. I’ll get over myself, and love that girl, just as you do. We all will.”

  He gave his mother a grateful look. “Thank you.”

  She patted his arm. “It’s what a mother is supposed to do.”

  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 didn’t 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 couldn’t help but smile back.

  Having her here, in the house he’d grown up in, was like a teenage boy’s 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 sister’s laughter, with Summer’s chiming in every so often.

  She needed to laugh more. Laughter was good for the soul. Hearing Summer laugh was good for his soul.

  “I plan on asking Summer to marry me.”

  “A little unexpected,” his dad said. “But it’s not good for a man to be alone.”

  “I plan on asking her next week.”

  “Have you spoken with her parents?”

  Gabriel twisted his lips a little. “You know as well as I do that Summer’s mother skipped town a long time ago, and no one knows who her dad is.”

  “There has to be someone.” His dad held up his hands. “I know, I sound a little old-fashioned, but Summer deserves respect. I doubt she’s been afforded that for much of her life.”

  Gabriel considered the few people Summer spent time with—Jemma Leigh, Blackbeard, her customers, and him. “The only person I can think of is Jemma Leigh. She’s been looking after her, and making sure that I get her home on time after every date, because a lady’s never out past midnight.”

  His dad chuckled. “I like Jemma Leigh. She has a good heart.”

  “She’s made it her mission to be Summer’s best friend, but more often than not acts like a mother hen.”

  “There’s your answer, son.”

  “What about Mom?”

  “She loves weddings, and will be happy to help Summer plan—”

  “The wedding will happen before the end of the month.” Gabriel mulled over his next words. “Summer and I have talked about getting married before, and neither of us wants a long engagement.”

  His dad stopped rocking. “Gabriel.”

  Oh, good grief. He gave his dad a look. “She’s not… I didn’t put her or us in that position.”

  “You know what people will think.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Ah, but you’d be surprised how much it will matter.” His dad exhaled. “You’re a good man, Gabriel, but you do value your reputation too highly.”

  The assertion hit a little too close to home for him. “With the exception of one time, I’ve done nothing but be a good son to you, to prove that you two didn’t make a bad decision when I was adopted. You’re a pastor, for goodness sake. My reputation is a reflection of yours.”

  “That’s not your responsibility,” his dad said sharply. “Being 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 marries—that’s 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 are…Frankly, it’s an insult, and one a grown man shouldn’t give to the people who raised him.”

  Immediately chastised, Gabriel settled back in his chair, scrubbing his hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to—I only meant to say that I don’t care what others think of me. The only opinion that matters the most is Summer’s.”

  His dad smiled. “See that you keep thinking like that, and I’ll talk to your mother.”

  “Talk to me about what?” 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 wasn’t as if Summer would say no.

  “I’m going to ask Summer to marry me and,” he swallowed, “if all goes well, then we would get married before the end of the month.”

  “Oh.” Worry lines appeared on his mother’s forehead.

  “Nothing elaborate. Just here, in the backyard, with family. I thought we could do something low-key.” Besides, weddings took time, and since they had very little time, the smaller the better.

  “Absolutely not,” his mother exclaimed. “That girl will have a dream wedding, with the entire town invited. We won’t hide Summer in the backyard, like we’re ashamed of her. ”

  “I’m not ashamed of her,” Gabriel snapped, then held up his hand and winced. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” She touched his face and smiled. “Let us take care of everything, with her input of course.”

  “She might not let you,” Gabriel pointed out.

  His dad chuckled. “When has that stopped your mother?”

  Gabriel stood. “I’ll let you know how it goes first, before you start planning.”

  “Of course,” his mother said smoothly. “Then we can get started.”

  Smiling, Gabriel shook his head. “Thank you.”

  “It’s what family does,” his dad said softly.