The Love of Her Life: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 3)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  With a hand pressed to her chest, Lainie leaned back in her chair. “Why me?”

  “You were the one who told me to seize the day,” Maya reminded her. “So when he asked me out, I seized the moment and said yes.”

  “Are you going to go out again?” Lainie asked. “It seems like he must have felt the connection as much as you did.”

  “I think so.” Maya pulled her legs up into her chair and crossed them. “He gave me his number, and we texted for a couple of minutes earlier.”

  “I think that’s so cool. What a start to a relationship.”

  “Well, if that’s what this is.” Maya looked down and plucked at the material of her pants. “When should I tell him? Maybe he’d reconsider things if he knew.”

  She didn’t have to clarify what she was talking about. Lainie knew exactly what she was referring to. Maya looked up to see her friend’s frowning face on the laptop screen.

  “Oh, sugar. I don’t know.”

  It was a subject they had discussed a few times, but they’d never been able to figure out the best thing to do. Telling someone you had had cancer, not once, but twice, wasn’t exactly first date chat material. And yet, was it fair to continue to date without giving him all the information?

  It was one of those things that weighed on Maya, and for the first time since feeling that connection with Gabe, she questioned if she was doing the right thing. She couldn’t guarantee that the cancer wouldn’t return. The chances that she might have to deal with it again in her lifetime were higher than for the average person. Was it fair to ask a man to take on that possibility?

  “This is probably not going to go anywhere,” Maya said, but even as she voiced the thought, her heart rebelled at the idea. “He doesn’t live here. How could we have any sort of relationship if he’s not even around?”

  “Well, if you don’t think he’ll be around long, maybe you don’t have to say anything about it.” Lainie tapped a finger to her lips. “At least not for now. If something changes and it seems like you guys might be getting serious, you could tell him then.”

  “I still can’t believe that he wanted to go out with me,” Maya said with a grin at the memory.

  “Why not?” Lainie asked. “You’re cute and so sweet. What’s not to like?”

  “You’re just being nice,” Maya said with a laugh as she drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

  “I’m not. I just hope that someday I meet a guy that wants to ask me out the first time he lays eyes on me.” Lainie glanced away from the camera then said, “I’ll be right there.” She looked back at Maya and made a face. “I need to go. We can chat later. I’m happy for you, sugar!”

  Lainie’s image winked out before Maya could say anything. She stared at the screen with a frown and wondered if there was stuff going on in Lainie’s life that she wasn’t telling Maya. Over the years, Lainie had shared about her family. How her parents had split up and how Lainie felt responsible for it since it happened after her first cancer diagnosis. Also, she had three siblings—one older brother and a younger brother and sister—none of whom she was close to. Maya had hoped that would change for her now that her cancer was in remission, but she wasn’t sure that was happening.

  With a sigh, Maya leaned forward and closed out the program. She sat for a moment before getting to her feet and picking up the tray. The kitchen was empty when she got there, so she put her dishes in the dishwasher. After filling her water bottle, Maya returned to her room, determined to stay there so she wouldn’t run into her mom whenever she got home from her party.

  Back at her desk, Maya picked up her phone and glanced at its screen, surprised to see a text message from Gabe.

  Gabe: Are you going to the company Christmas party on Friday?

  Maya dropped down onto her bed and leaned back against her pile of pillows. Remembering her conversation with Lainie, she debated how to respond.

  Ignoring the chatter going on around him, Gabe kept checking his phone. While he didn’t think Maya was sitting around waiting for a text from him, he hadn’t thought it would take fifteen minutes—or longer since he was still waiting—to hear back from her.

  The couch next to him shifted, and Gabe looked over to see Mitch settled down beside him. “So, I hear you had lunch with Maya.”

  Yes. I did.” Gabe slid his phone into his pocket so he wouldn’t be tempted to keep checking it while he talked to his brother. “Is that going to be an issue for you?”

  Mitch stared at him for a moment before he sighed. “No. I think she’s nice and all, but it was clear pretty quickly that she didn’t have any interest in me. I thought she was sweet—is sweet—but clearly not for me. Kinda sucks to think it was my personality that was lacking since we look the same.”

  “We look the same? No way, dude,” Gabe said as he bumped Mitch’s shoulder. “I’m the handsome one.”

  “Jerk,” Mitch muttered as he returned the shoulder bump. “Are you going to ask her out again?”

  Gabe nodded. “I’m kinda hoping she’ll go with me to the Christmas party. Do you know if she plans to go?”

  Mitch shrugged. “I don’t know. You might have to ask Makayla about that. She talks to Maya way more than I do.”

  “She probably won’t help me out,” Gabe said as he glanced over to where his step-sister stood with her husband. “She already kinda said something about me getting involved with someone when I don’t live here full-time.”

  “That is something to consider. It’s not really fair to Maya.” Mitch paused. “I mean, are you just wanting to get to know her as a friend? Or is it something more? Something that might end in marriage?”

  “Marriage?” Gabe turned to stare at Mitch. “How did we get from going to the Christmas party together to marriage?”

  “You know that Dad has always told us that we shouldn’t date just for fun. If the person isn’t someone we’re willing to marry, we shouldn’t be dating them.”

  Gabe fought the urge to roll his eyes. “How else are you supposed to get to know a person if you don’t go on dates? I have no idea if I would be willing to marry Maya because I don’t know her. Going on dates is my way of remedying that.”

  Mitch stared at him for a moment before looking away. “I guess, in the end, it’s between the two of you. Just know that Makayla wouldn’t be the only one upset if you did something that hurt Maya. Don’t lead her on. I think that’s the most important thing. If taking her out is more about just having some fun while you’re here, make sure that she knows that up front. Something tells me, from the little I know of her, that she doesn’t just date for the sake of dating.” He hesitated, still not looking at Gabe. “But who knows. I could be wrong.”

  Ugh. Why did Mitch have to drag it all down? He’d always been the more serious of the two of them, and sometimes it drove Gabe absolutely nuts. Why couldn’t his twin be less of a stick in the mud? He was always so serious and so focused on doing mundane things. The way Gabe looked at it, he didn’t have the time to wait around to get to know Maya by hanging out with her in group settings. For all he knew, she didn’t socialize with his family outside of work events.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Gabe pulled it out to see that Maya had replied.

  Maya: Yep. I plan to be there.

  Gabe had planned to ask her to go as his date, but Mitch’s words kept repeating in his head. Even though they’d frustrated him, he couldn’t ignore them.

  Excellent! I’m going as well so I’ll see you there.

  Maya: I’m really looking forward to it. Makayla has told me a little bit about the plans for the evening, and it sounds like fun.

  There was no doubt it would be a fun evening. His dad spared no expense when it came to the annual Christmas party for C&M Builders employees. The venue would be decked out, and the food would be excellent. In addition to a live band that would play Christmas music all evening, there would also be gifts and recognition of employees. All in all, it was a great time for the
forty employees and their dates. Usually some of the company’s business contacts attended as well.

  So what have you been up to this evening?

  Maya: Had some supper. Chatted with my best friend. Watching some Netflix at the moment. How about you?

  Had a family dinner at my folks’ place. Catching up with the siblings. Trying to figure out how Mitch and I are twins when we’re actually total opposites. I’m exciting and fun to be around, and he’s a stick in the mud.

  Maya: I’m sure you know that Mitch isn’t really a stick in the mud. He’s been so sweet to me since we first met.

  Great. Now he’d made her defend Mitch. That wasn’t exactly what he’d hoped to do. He’d said it in jest, but it seemed she didn’t know him well enough yet to realize that.

  Well, once you get to know me better, you’ll see that I’m definitely the more handsome one.

  Maya: LOL As far as I can tell—aside from a tan and a few highlights—you guys are identical.

  Yeah, we are. I’m the older one. Has Mitch told you that? Probably not. He doesn’t like identifying as the younger brother.

  Maya: I’m an only child, so I have no idea what it’s like to have an older or younger sibling. Are you guys close? In spite of one of you being a live-wire and the other a stick in the mud?

  We are, really. But we have certain roles to maintain. I like to tease him and he likes to be teased.

  Maya: Somehow I’m not too sure about the second part.: D

  “Hey there, son. Planning to join the conversation?”

  Gabe looked up at his dad who stood next to the love seat where he and Mitch were sitting. “Sorry, Dad. Let me just finish this.”

  His dad gave him a nod as he settled into the recliner next to where he sat. Makayla was curled up beside Ethan on the couch while Bennett sat in an armchair, his legs stretched out and his fingers laced over his stomach. He was staring into the fireplace, seemingly oblivious to the conversations going on around him.

  Sammi—his other step-sister—was there with her boyfriend, Jayden. They’d been dating for a while now, and she seemed smitten. Gabe was going to have to do his duty as older brother and interrogate the dude at some point. But not right then.

  He looked back down at his phone and tapped out a message. Gotta run! Had fun chatting. Look forward to doing it more. Hopefully in person.; )

  Maya: Yes, it’s been fun. Have a good night.

  Gabe hated having to end the conversation, but he knew that his dad would keep sending frowns in his direction if he continued to focus on his phone instead of his family. Even Dalton—the youngest of all of them—apparently knew better than to be on his phone when his mom and dad gathered them all together.

  He stared at the huge tree twinkling in the corner of the family room, its branches dripping with decorations. They’d already decorated it before he’d arrived home because his mom liked having the tree up by December 1st. Christmas was definitely in full swing at the Callaghan-McFadden home.

  Gabe smiled as he leaned back in the loveseat, happy he’d decided to come home early for Christmas. Usually, he showed up a couple of days beforehand, but this year, he’d had the extra time and had decided to spend it in Winnipeg with the family. And he’d even shown up with Christmas presents, though now he was giving serious thought to trying to find something for Maya too.

  He wouldn’t mention that to anyone though. No doubt they’d think he’d lost his mind.

  4

  “Where are you going?”

  Maya fought the urge—yet again—to roll her eyes at the question. It seemed to be the only one her mother asked her anymore. At least her mother could truly plead ignorance of the answer—unlike weekday mornings—since it was late Friday afternoon, and Maya was all dressed up to go out. That, in and of itself, was a rare occurrence.

  “Where are you going?” her mom repeated, this time in Japanese. As if Maya might not have understood the question in English.

  Maya smiled at her, trying to hide her irritation because she really did understand why her mom was always asking her where she was going. She just didn’t like it. “The company I’m working for is having their Christmas party this evening. I’m going.”

  Her mom’s brows drew together as her gaze traveled from the top of Maya’s head to her shoes. “You look beautiful.”

  A rush of warmth flooded Maya, and her smile became more genuine. “Thanks, Mama. I wasn’t sure what to wear to a company party, but I hope this will be okay.”

  “You’ve been to your father’s parties before,” her mother said.

  Yeah, she had been, but it had been a few years, and even then, most people hadn’t known who she was. Her father had guarded her existence very carefully, and her “date” for those parties had always been Elisse and a bodyguard who monitored anyone who came in contact with her.

  At those parties, she and her mom had usually been the best dressed people there. It was a bit of overkill when it came to their outfits, and something Maya had hoped to avoid with the dress she’d chosen for this particular party. And she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t wondered about what Gabe would think of any outfit she chose. Surely it was a bad sign that after knowing Gabe for not even a week—and sharing only one meal with him—she was choosing outfits based on what he may or may not like.

  “Do you want to have Jeffrey drive you?”

  Maya thought about turning down the offer, but the idea of not having to drive on the snowy streets was actually appealing. They had two drivers who were on-call all the time. Thomas for daytime and Jeffrey for evenings. “You and Dad don’t need him?”

  “No. Your father and I are dining at home tonight, but we’ll be out tomorrow night.”

  “In that case, yes, I’d like to have Jeffrey give me a ride.”

  Her mom gave a quick nod before heading toward an elegant phone that sat on a narrow antique table in the large foyer. An enormous poinsettia also sat on the table, just one of many decorating their mansion for the Christmas season.

  “Hello, Jeffrey. We need you to drive Maya to a Christmas party, please.” Her mom paused then said, “Yes, she’s ready to leave shortly. Please use the Mercedes.”

  “Thanks, Mama,” Maya said, still sort of amazed that her mom was being so agreeable about her evening plans.

  “I hope you have a lovely time,” her mom said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  Though she’d originally planned to wear boots, if Jeffrey was going to drive her, he would drop her off right at the door of the venue. She ran back upstairs to her bedroom to put on the shoes she’d abandoned earlier. Sitting on her bed, she bent over to fasten the ankle strap of the black velvet platform shoes that had a chunky curved heel. They added about four inches to her height which brought her to the lofty height of five foot seven.

  After the shoes were secure, Maya got to her feet. She walked over to her mirror to take one more look at the outfit she’d chosen. She’d changed so many times that she’d actually run out of options, which was hard to do since she had an abundance of clothes. The final outfit she’d decided on consisted of a black skater style skirt that ended above the knee, worn over a pair of black tights. The skirt had a wide waist band into which was tucked the fitted deep red blouse she’d chosen. It had a solid red strapless bodice overlaid with matching lace that rested just off her shoulders and extended to her wrists.

  She’d managed to do her hair in an updo with loose curls. Thanks to the huge number of beauty tutorials on YouTube, she’d managed to figure out how to do the hairstyle and also her makeup. Watching YouTube videos had been just one of the many ways she’d tried to fill the hours of each day before she’d gotten her nerve up to apply for a job which would require her to leave the house.

  Her jewelry consisted of pieces her parents had given her over the years—a matching white gold necklace and earring set with diamonds that hung in delicate teardrops. The diamond bracelet that circled her wrist was a gift from her fathe
r on the day they’d received the news that her cancer was once again in remission. And the delicate ring she wore had three stones in it. The center one was her birthstone while the ones on either side represented her parents. The ring had been a gift from them on her eighteenth birthday.

  Though all the jewelry was quite simple in design, anyone with an eye for the authenticity of the diamonds would know that the pieces’ combined worth was in the thousands of dollars.

  After a final spritz of Nuit De Noel Parfum by Caron, Maya once again left her room and went downstairs to find her long black cape. She was just fastening it when the front door opened, and Jeffrey stepped inside wearing his chauffeur uniform. He smiled at her as he waited by the door. Jeffrey had started working for them four years ago, and Maya knew that he was being trained to take Thomas’ job when the older man retired.

  “Good evening, Miss Maya,” he said as she approached him, pulling on her gloves as she walked.

  “Hi, Jeffrey.” Though Maya tried to engage in a less formal manner with the staff, some were reluctant to embrace it. She knew that they were probably worried about their jobs if her mother got wind of them being too familiar, so Maya never forced them. “Good night, Mama.”

  Her mom gave a slight nod of her head, her hands clutched together in front of her. Clearly, she was anything but happy about Maya’s evening out, which made Maya wonder what was going on in her mom’s head. She didn’t think for a minute that her mother had had a change of heart when it came to her life outside the gates of their mansion.

  Jeffrey held the rear passenger door open for Maya and waited until she was settled before closing it. Maya looked out the window at the door of her home, a large wreath festively decorating it. Only in the last few years had she come to realize just how ridiculous their lifestyle was. Especially in light of where her father had chosen for them to live. Maybe if they lived in Vancouver or Toronto, their wealth wouldn’t have been as noticeable, but in Winnipeg, it was a guarantee that no matter where they went, they would be the wealthiest people there. It was just one more reason she was grateful for the lack of connection between her and her parents in most circles.