“But they did, which meant they had obligations, and I’m not talking about the basics of food, clothing, and shelter.”
I shrugged. “I realize now that their lack of warmth had me looking for it in the wrong places. I mistook what Lance offered for caring because I didn’t know better.” I shrugged and paused. “Maybe he did care in the beginning. I can’t imagine I gave up my whole life for nothing, but he changed.”
Gabe shrugged. “You know better now, kitten. You know exactly what it means to have someone care.” He played with a lock of my hair, twisting it around his finger.
I smiled at that. “I do.” I glanced at the clock, hating to interrupt our cuddling, but I knew his schedule. “You need to go, or you’ll be late.”
“They can’t run the meeting without me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Arrogant ass.”
He grinned and levered into a sitting position, then pushed up from the bed. “Whatever works. See you home after work?”
I nodded, having a difficult time keeping my eyes on his face and not the rest of his spectacularly fine nude body.
He leaned down and kissed my nose. “No cooking. We’re going out.”
“But—”
He shook his head. “No buts. Your first real birthday celebration is going to be a special one.” His dark blue eyes sparkled with delight—and an obvious plan.
The child in me, the one who’d never known a true celebration in her honor, lit up inside at the notion. “Whatever you say.”
He laughed. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Chapter Seventeen
Gabe: “I take care of what’s mine.”
“I love a party!” Lucy said, striding around the room and checking decorations. “Gerbera daisies are my favorite. And these colors are spectacular!”
All Gabe knew was that there were red, orange, and yellow bouquets on each table and had matching balloons soaring from the middle.
“She’s going to be so surprised,” Lucy said.
“That’s the plan.” Gabe nodded to the bartender stocking the shelves before turning back to his sister. “You look beautiful,” he told her, taking in the silver dress that, though too short, definitely added to her already-spectacular looks.
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you, big brother.” She kissed his cheek. “And look! Decklan cleans up rather nicely too.”
His brother wore black slacks and a white dress shirt, minus a tie, because heaven forbid Decklan should completely do as Gabe requested.
“I guess she’s not such a stray,” Decklan said, slapping Gabe on the back. “She must be here to stay for you to go to all this trouble.”
Gabe glared at his brother.
“Shut up, Deck,” Lucy said. “And don’t bring up the whole arrest thing when you talk to Isabelle.”
“Don’t worry. Gabe’s woman and I have an understanding now. She likes me since I brought her a present.” Decklan grinned, causing Lucy to raise her eyebrows.
“What kind of trouble are you causing?” she asked.
Gabe rolled his eyes. “He bought her Tums. He aggravated her to the point where she needed antacids. He decides to call that a relationship. And we wonder why he doesn’t have a woman in his life.”
Lucy chuckled. Decklan, as usual, remained silent.
“Oh, people are starting to arrive,” Lucy said, glancing toward the door.
“Seriously? You invited our whole crazy family? Have you lost your mind?” Decklan tipped his head toward the group who had just entered Elite.
First came what Gabe thought of as his original cousins, Ian and his pregnant wife, Riley, and Ian’s siblings, Olivia, Avery, Scott, and Tyler.
Since it turned out that their father, Robert, had a second family on the side, Gabe, Lucy, and Decklan had discovered they had another set of cousins. And in walked Alex and his fiancée, Madison, and Alex’s siblings, Jason, Samantha, and Sienna. Yes, Robert Dare was one fertile son of a bitch. But Gabe and his siblings didn’t discriminate. Family was family, and over time and with effort, he’d gotten to know them all.
He greeted his cousins, thanking them for making the trip to New York and for arriving early enough to ensure a surprised guest of honor. Isabelle had her boss and her fiancé here, but there weren’t many other people she’d befriended since leaving Lance.
Gabe intended to rectify that. He’d looked up old friends of hers who Lisa said Isabelle missed and invited them, hoping to reconnect her with her life. And to build one along with her. Which meant he’d invited his crazy Miami cousins.
He patted the box in his pocket. After all, they’d be her family too.
He excused himself to go pick up Isabelle for what she believed to be a romantic birthday dinner for two. He’d explain he needed to stop by the club for a few minutes on the way to the restaurant.
Surprise accomplished, he thought, pleased with his plan.
Chapter Eighteen
Isabelle: Surprise!
I rushed home from work to get ready for the evening. Gabe was due to pick me up after he wrapped up a meeting, then we’d head out to dinner. I showered, lathered up with moisturizer in the coconut smell he loved, and dressed in one of the summer outfits I’d bought for the island but hadn’t gotten a chance to wear. I didn’t have any special jewelry to put on—Lance had held on to everything—except the few things I’d bought for the trip, including the fake pearls.
I attached the clasp and fingered the delicate beading, my mind immediately returning to the moment Gabe had pulled me to the bedroom by the long strands. Along with the memory came the excitement I’d experienced at being with him again. The feeling hadn’t waned, and I had the sense it never would.
I smiled to myself.
Since I had time, I decided to run down to the pharmacy on the corner and pick up a few items. I’d be back before Gabe arrived, and we were out of some necessities. The apartment was located conveniently to many places, and it didn’t take me long to buy what I needed.
I approached the apartment building, preoccupied thinking about the night ahead, excited and anticipating a special evening.
“It’s been a long time, Isabelle.”
The familiar voice stopped me in my tracks. “Lance.” I stared up at him, cursing at how he’d caught me off guard.
He looked the same, his blond hair perfectly cut, piercing blue eyes taking me in.
“Happy birthday, darling.”
I narrowed my gaze, wondering what his agenda might be. “I’m surprised you remember. It’s not like you bothered when we were together.”
He’d managed to turn any birthday outings into business dinners, expenses he could write off. Early on in the relationship, he’d seemed contrite, like it was unavoidable. I realized later he just hadn’t cared.
“Oh, come on. I always bought you expensive gifts.”
I gritted my teeth, knowing he’d never understand that those weren’t the things that meant something to me. “Why are you here?” He’d clearly sought me out and had some sort of agenda.
“I wanted to congratulate you on landing another sugar daddy,” he said with a sneer.
My hands curled around the brown bag. “You’re a pig.”
I no longer wondered what I had seen in him. Three months of self-reflection had taught me the answer. I’d seen what I wanted to see, what I’d desperately needed in my life at the time. I’d allowed myself to believe I was getting a man who loved me and, eventually, the family I wanted. I hadn’t looked deeper at the man beneath the charming smile, and I’d paid the price.
I pushed past him, not wanting to listen to him further turn my relationship with Gabe into something cheap and meaningless.
He grabbed my arm hard enough to leave bruises. “What’s the matter? The truth hurts?” he asked, spinning me around.
I swallowed hard, ignoring the painful jab at my self-esteem.
A quick glance around showed me the streets were quiet thanks to the heat wave suffusing the
city. I couldn’t make a scene, call attention to us, and get away.
“Why have you resurfaced now?” I asked, hoping the conversation would be brief.
“When that bastard Gabriel Dare pulled his accounts, he damaged my reputation within the firm. I couldn’t do anything about it at the time.” He flexed his hands, showing his impotence at Gabe’s treatment. “At least when I heard you were struggling on your own, that gave me some satisfaction. It helped tide me over.”
Nice, I thought. He was a real gentleman. I remained silent.
“But even Page Six picked up the new happy couple.” He frowned now, the expression showing the real Lance, the unhappy, evil man who lived inside him. “Now you two are together, and his business is growing while I’m still trying to hold my portfolio of clients together and explain how I managed to lose the firm’s biggest asset.” Anger radiated from him in ugly waves.
“So?”
“So your birthday seemed like the best time to come wish you well. And to remind you that bottom-feeders like you inevitably end up alone.”
I winced, unable to control my reaction to his words. Lance had always used words as weapons. Unfortunately, I knew from experience showing he’d hit his mark merely fed his appetite to spew more hateful things. I’d try to escape, but I didn’t want him manhandling me again.
“Just how long do you think it will take before Gabriel Dare sees the real you? The pathetic gold digger who is so frigid in bed I had to turn to other women to get what I needed?”
Tears burned my eyes as every word hit its intended mark. I raised my chin, but I knew he wouldn’t buy the unaffected act. But I wanted to be unmoved, and I reminded myself that Gabe wanted me.
But why? Your own parents didn’t, a little voice in my head asked, one that sounded frighteningly like my own as a child. And one that reinforced Lance’s words. Maybe he had a point. How long before Gabe grew bored, as Lance had? Before he cheated and humiliated me?
“Ahh, there they are.” Lance swiped at the tears that had escaped down my cheek. “Proof you’re still the same whiny bitch I remember. Not so sure of yourself anymore, are you? Sometimes it just takes a little reminder.”
I treated him to a hate-filled glare. “You’re a despicable excuse for a human being.”
“And you’re pathetic.” He rolled his shoulders as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
And now that he’d wounded me, maybe he didn’t.
“Give your boyfriend my best,” he said and, with the smile he considered his most charming, strode off down the street, clearly pleased he’d just inflicted a deadly blow to my ego and self-esteem.
I raised a hand to my cheeks, coming away with black mascara streaks on my fingertips.
Knowing I couldn’t let Gabe see me like this, I rushed back upstairs, ducking my head as I passed the doorman. I hoped to repair the outer damage. The inner pain would take longer to go away.
I looked into the mirror as I methodically cleaned the mascara and eyeliner smudges, redoing the entire mess with shaking hands. As I fixed my makeup, I couldn’t help but remember Lance’s hateful words, frowning at the images gold digger and bottom-feeder created.
I had left Gabe and the safety he’d offered me. I’d been determined to be independent. Granted, three months wasn’t a lot of time to be on my own, but I hadn’t caved and gone running back to a man, unable to make a fresh start. True, I’d been living in a friend’s apartment, but I’d been paying rent, even if it had been below market value, along with utilities and expenses. Dammit, I’d tried. I was still trying. I had my own bank account, and I contributed to living here with Gabe—although I had to do it when he wasn’t paying attention.
And if things with Gabe didn’t work out for whatever reason, it wasn’t like I didn’t have the resources or the ability to start again.
I moved on to the lipstick and gloss, and when I was finished, I stepped back to look at the end result. Much better. If not for the painful knot in my stomach, I could almost believe the encounter with Lance hadn’t happened.
But it had.
I groaned. “Are you really going to let stupid words and old insecurities send you running? For a third time?” I asked, taking in my reflection in the mirror.
“Running where?” Gabe appeared behind me.
I drew a deep breath and turned to face him. The scowl on his face told me he’d at least correctly interpreted the context of my statement, if not the reasons behind it.
He stepped forward, cupping my chin in his hand, tilting my head until I met his gaze. “I asked you a question.”
I noted the muscle ticking in his jaw, reminded myself that he’d sought me out. Kept tabs on me while I’d carved out a life for myself. Wanted me for me.
And though he rarely showed them, he had vulnerabilities he’d let me see. “I’m not running anywhere,” I assured him.
He studied me for a few more seconds, as if trying to get into my head and see what he’d walked in on. Finally, he released me and stepped back. “But you thought about it?”
“For half a second, after—”
His gaze strayed from my face to my bare arm. “What the hell happened to you?” He lifted my hand, brushing fingers over the deep red indentations my ex had left on my arm.
I swallowed hard. “I had a run-in with Lance.”
Heat flushed Gabe’s cheeks. “I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”
As happy as I was that he was no longer focused on my running anywhere, I didn’t want to have to bail Gabe out of jail. “He was just trying to upset me.”
“And he did.”
I sighed. “Because I let him get inside my head. Just for a few minutes. Maybe a little longer, but I pulled myself together. I’m good.” Or I would be, I promised myself.
Gabe glanced at the bruising and frowned. “I’m not.”
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head against his chest. His solid body felt good against mine. He smelled like musk and man.
My man, I realized, and I wasn’t letting go. “Better?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
So I tipped my head back. “Gabe?”
“What did he say that made me almost lose you?” he asked, his voice a tender mix of caring and frustration.
This was hard, mostly because it was an embarrassing statement of who I’d been. Or who Lance thought I’d been, which still held some amount of painful truth.
I inhaled a deep breath. “Basically, he called me a pathetic gold digger and said he’d had to turn to other women because I’m frigid in bed. Then he asked how long I thought it would be until you saw the real me and did the same thing.” I looked away, rushing out the words, hoping that, once behind me, they’d lose impact.
They didn’t. They still hurt, whether I believed them in my heart or not. “I should have left him much sooner. There wouldn’t be any truth to his words if I had. Instead, I lived off of him even after I sensed things were over. And they should have been over.”
“You trusted him.”
I nodded. “He said he wanted me taking care of his home, that we’d have a family one day. I believed him. I honestly didn’t realize how he’d isolated me from everyone or the lengths he’d gone to in order to ensure I had no one. I was a showpiece when he needed one, a glorified maid and all-around useless female when he didn’t.”
It hurt to admit those truths, but it was freeing in a way too. I glanced at Gabe. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For letting me go when I needed to. So I could come back when I wanted to. Even if you did set me up to get me here.” I couldn’t contain a smile.
“You were never really gone. Not from here.” He touched his chest, above his heart. “I didn’t expect to do this now,” he said, more to himself than to me.
“I don’t understand.”
He cupped his hand around the back of my neck, and I sighed into him. I always felt so good when he took hold
of me this way. “I love you, Iz.”
I blinked, truly stunned. I’d hoped he did. It was everything I’d wanted him to say. Those three little words that set my heart soaring. “I love you too,” I whispered.
The harsh lines of his face softened at my words. Those intense blue eyes warmed as he slid his hands from my neck. He now framed my face as he lowered his head and kissed me. Slowly, intently, and lovingly, this kiss wasn’t all-consuming and hot, it wasn’t about need or want. The sweet slide of his lips over mine said more than words. He told me I was special, the center of his world.
And he was mine.
He broke the kiss, and I watched, speechless, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. A small, ring-sized jewelry box.
He popped the top open. “Marry me,” he said. He didn’t ask.
I trembled all over. And here I’d thought I love you was the greatest phrase I’d ever heard. Marry me? Cherry on top of an awesomely layered cake.
“Yes.” I held out my shaking hand. I’d barely noticed the actual ring before he placed it on my finger. Nothing mattered but the meaning behind it.
Of course, when I really looked at the stone, the emerald shape covered my entire finger and then some. I couldn’t begin to guess at the carat size, nor did I want to. “It’s gorgeous,” I managed to breathe out.
He shook his head. “You’re gorgeous. It’s just a diamond.”
The tears that fell now were the good kind. The kind that indicated happiness and trust, that held the promise of the future I’d always dreamed of.
“I love you,” I said, feeling the emotion with everything inside me.
“You do, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Then fuck the party,” he muttered and lifted me into his arms, starting for the bedroom with a determined stride.
I clasped my hands around his neck, but his words hadn’t escaped my notice. “Party?” I repeated.
“Ahh, hell,” he muttered. “My entire family and our friends are waiting at Elite. We’re already late.”
Dare to Surrender Page 13
