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

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Back up in her room after they’d finished dinner, Maya settled onto her window seat and pulled out her phone to send Gabe a message.

  Had something come up. Best nights to go would be Tues, Wed or Thurs. Hope one of those works for you.

  Gabe’s reply didn’t come right away, and Maya hoped she hadn’t somehow upset him by narrowing down her available dates after telling him she was basically available all week. She didn’t think she had, but really, they’d only known each other for such a short time that she couldn’t claim to be an expert on all things Gabe Callaghan.

  8

  Rather than dwell on it or wait around like some lovesick girl, Maya got her laptop from the desk and checked to see if Lainie was around. When her reply came quickly, Maya settled back in the window seat and waited for their Skype video to connect.

  They’d been talking for about thirty minutes when her phone chirped a text alert.

  “Is that him?” Lainie asked, leaning closer to her camera as if she could see the phone screen from her vantage point.

  Maya picked her phone up and stared at the screen. She glanced up at Lainie and smiled. “Yep. He says any or all of those nights work for me.”

  They laughed together then Lainie said, “Well, he’s not making any secret of his interest, is he?”

  “No, he’s not, and I’m not sure what to make of it, honestly.” Maya paused to type out a response. Well, we can start with Tuesday and see how it goes. :-)

  “It is a little daunting to be going on first dates and having first crushes at an age when everyone else is more experienced,” Lainie said. “And without going into a long explanation why, it’s hard to deal with sometimes.”

  Maya set her phone down and turned her attention back to her laptop screen. “I know. I’m trying to appear like I know what I’m doing, but at times like this, I wonder if it’s too much too soon. I mean, should I be playing a little more hard to get?”

  “Sweetie, I think we both know that playing hard to get could be wasting time we might not have. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to anyone. We know that more than most people.”

  “True. I just feel like I need to tell him about the cancer stuff, especially since I have another round of bloodwork and scans coming up.”

  “You’re getting scans?” Lainie asked, a frown pulling down the corners of her mouth. “Has something come up?”

  Maya sighed. “No, but it’s been a year since my last scan so my parents are insisting on another one and are willing to pay for it at a private clinic in North Dakota.”

  “Do you think they’ll ever accept that you’re in remission or will they pay out for a scan each year?”

  “I think it’s a year by year thing,” Maya said, though she had a feeling her dad would insist that she have a scan each year. “At some point, I suppose I could take control of my own medical care and just put my foot down. Unfortunately, I can’t quite dismiss the small amount of fear I have myself. You know, the feeling that something could be growing inside of me, and I wouldn’t know it until it’s too late.”

  Lainie didn’t have to say anything. By her expression, Maya knew that she understood.

  Her phone chirped again, and Maya gave it a quick look.

  Gabe: That sounds like a plan. Still might see you tomorrow. ;-)

  Looking forward to it.

  As always, chatting with Lainie ran the gamut of emotions from laughter to more serious moments. She really was the one person that Maya felt understood what she was dealing with. Lainie had already experienced going on dates, but nothing had panned out for her. Both times, when she’d shared her history with cancer, the guys had ended up ghosting her. Lainie deserved so much better than that, and unfortunately, it had made her a bit gun-shy about going on dates for a third time.

  Maya wasn’t sure what she’d do if Gabe decided he didn’t want to take on the chance of her cancer recurring. It wasn’t like she could avoid him—or his family—unless she quit her job. Up until that point, she hadn’t really been thinking about which she wanted more: a chance for something with Gabe or her job. Because if one went south, what would happen with the other?

  “Only you can decide if the risk is worth taking, hun,” Lainie said as she lifted one leg to rest her cheek against her knee. “I’m going to be avoiding men for the next little while. I don’t need to have a crush right now. It clouds my judgment. I think I’d like to try being friends with a guy first. Maybe tell him about my history when we’re still just friends, so he already knows should he decide to take the relationship beyond friendship.”

  This thing with Gabe was her first attempt at…something. She still wasn’t sure if Gabe was interested in something more serious which made her reluctant to label it.

  “So what’s up with you and our receptionist?” Bennett asked as he sat down on the couch beside Gabe. “I’d really rather you didn’t do anything that might make her want to quit. We need her.”

  Gabe frowned at him. “I’m not planning on that.”

  “Planning or not, it can happen, particularly since you don’t have any intentions of putting down roots here.” Bennett lifted a brow. “Unless things have changed?”

  Gabe looked away. Things hadn’t changed. He still had plans to leave Winnipeg after the holidays. Nothing could change since other people were relying on him for plans that had been made a long time ago.

  “We’re just getting to know each other. Enjoying doing some things together.” Gabe hoped that Bennett didn’t push because he really didn’t know what he’d tell the guy. He figured he could play dirty and ask his older brother how things were going with Grace and the baby, but since he’d seen the heartache in the man’s eyes, Gabe couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  Bennett sighed. “What are you doing, Gabriel?”

  In the absence of Kenton, Bennett readily stepped into the role of sole big brother. Gabe had always respected the man. Probably more than he did Kenton, if he was honest. He respected Kenton for things like his drive to succeed as a hockey player and his willingness to take risks both on and off the ice. But when it came to personality and the ability to connect and care for those around him, it was Bennett that garnered Gabe’s respect.

  He wasn’t sure how to reply to Bennett’s question. What he wanted to say didn’t make much sense given how he’d only known Maya for such a short time.

  Bennett sat back into the corner of the couch, hitching an ankle on his knee. “Maya’s a real sweet girl. I wasn’t too sure about hiring her since she basically had no experience, but Makayla and…uh…Grace insisted on it. They’d met with her and thought that she’d be a good fit for the company. They were right. Even with Grace having to leave early, Maya has stepped up and done an admirable job.” Bennett paused. “Because of that, I’d really rather you not lead her on or just play around.”

  “Are you planning to keep her on after Grace returns to work?”

  Bennett nodded. “Yes. I think we’ll have room for both of them. With the way the business is growing, we’ll need strong admin support.”

  Gabe found that he liked the idea of Maya being part of the family business. Although that thought made it far too easy to imagine something more serious with her. But what would that mean for the life he currently led? He hadn’t imagined that he’d be able to travel and experience risk-taking adventures for the rest of his life, but he had thought that he’d be able to do it well into his thirties. And then to a lesser degree, into his forties and fifties.

  Love and marriage had been an abstract thing. Something he hadn’t spent much time pondering. And when he had thought about it, he’d just assumed the person he ended up with would be part of the world he embraced. So instead of going on adventures alone, he’d have a partner. Someone to love and share the life he loved.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t see Maya being that person. Which meant what, exactly, for their current situation? He didn’t know.

  “We’re just getting to know each other. Doing som
e things together. She knows I’m only here for a few weeks.”

  Bennett didn’t answer right away but then nodded. “Just think about what you’re doing. For some reason, I get a real innocent vibe from Maya. Not just in the work place, but in life in general. Not sure how someone could be that way in this day and age, especially in their mid-twenties, but that’s how she comes across. And in case she doesn’t have an older brother looking out for her, I’m going to put myself in that role when it comes to this situation.”

  “She doesn’t.”

  “Doesn’t what?” Bennett asked.

  “Have an older brother. She’s an only child.”

  “Guess you discovered that as part of your getting to know each other?”

  “Yeah. She mentioned that when I told her a bit about our family.” Gabe turned to look at Bennett more fully. “I was surprised that she didn’t know more about us all. I mean, she didn’t even know that Mitch had a twin. Has she not been invited to family stuff?”

  “She has,” Bennett said with a tilt of his head. “But she’s declined all invitations that fell outside work hours. She comes to our Friday staff lunches, but other than that, she’s not come to anything else.”

  “She met me at the climbing gym on Saturday, and then we went for lunch. We’re also going to a movie on Tuesday night.”

  Bennett sighed. “Just…be careful with her.”

  Before Gabe could say anything more, Mitch and Tristan joined them. Ethan settled into an armchair next to the couch, but he wasn’t alone for long. Makayla came into the living room and sat down in his lap, leaning into his side. There was some discussion amongst his siblings about Kenton’s latest game. He’d been injured at the beginning of the season and finally had his first game back after four weeks off.

  Gabe hoped to catch a couple of Kenton’s games during his travels. Being in different divisions meant that Kenton’s team didn’t play the Jets as frequently as other teams did. He had to wonder, after this latest injury, if Kenton was considering retirement, even though he was just thirty years old.

  As the afternoon unwound, Gabe wondered what Maya was doing. How she filled her time when she wasn’t at work. Did she have a lot of friends? Since he knew her family was small, maybe she filled the void of siblings with friendships. He found that he was curious about her friends and hoped that he’d have the chance to meet them.

  Though he wanted to text or call her, Gabe decided that maybe that would be too much. Instead, he decided to see if she had a social media presence and would maybe connect with her that way.

  After what he’d said, Maya had anticipated that Gabe would show up at the office at some point on Monday, but around noon, her phone chirped with a text from him.

  Gabe: Not gonna make it to the office today. I’m in an all-day meeting with my business partners. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.

  Though she was disappointed, Maya knew that his presence would have been a distraction for her, so it was probably just as well. Hope it goes well. Looking forward to the movie.

  Gabe: Me too! Can we grab dinner before or after?

  Maya smiled at his suggestion. Since she’d be on her own at home, dinner out would be a welcome thing. Not that Elisse wouldn’t cook for her, but it would give the older woman a break and would give Maya that much extra time to spend with Gabe.

  Dinner sounds great. If we go to the late show, we can grab dinner first. Just tell me where to meet you. : )

  Gabe: Still not letting me pick you up?

  Maya bit her lip. She just wasn’t ready to reveal that part of her life yet. It really had no bearing on their relationship or whatever it was they had. Given he was leaving in a few weeks—which would make anything between them temporary—she didn’t think it was necessary to tell him everything about herself just yet.

  Nothing personal. I just prefer to drive myself. Hope that’s okay.

  Gabe: It’s fine. All that matters is that you actually show up.

  No worries. I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it.

  Gabe wasn’t in the office the next day either, so as soon as her day was over, Maya headed for home. She wanted to change before heading to the Olive Garden where they’d agreed to meet before heading to the movie.

  It had been snowing off and on throughout the day, so it took a little longer than usual to get home. Once there, she plugged in her flat iron and sat down at her makeup table to freshen up her makeup. After using the narrow flat iron to smooth the flyaways and curl the ends of her hair, Maya headed for her closet.

  She really shouldn’t have been worried about what she wore—about how she looked. But she just couldn’t help it, so it took her longer than she’d planned to decide what to wear. In the end, she pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a soft rose colored sweater that hung low on her hips and had a cowl neck that draped over her shoulders. She tugged on a pair of boots that went to her knees and then took a minute to spritz some of her favorite cologne—Chanel N°5—before grabbing her purse and jacket.

  “I’m off, Elisse,” she called as she jogged past the kitchen. “Enjoy your evening with Thomas.”

  She heard the older woman’s chuckle as she reached the door leading to the garage. She’d parked in the garage when she’d come home since it was snowing, and she didn’t want to have to brush her car off again before leaving.

  With the roads being more snow-covered than usual, Maya took her time on the long driveway and then the highway leading into the city. She was grateful for the all-wheel drive capabilities of her car. When she’d bought it, she’d made the decision herself after doing a lot of research, but she’d been happy when her dad had given his approval of the model she’d bought.

  The restaurant parking lot was nearly full when she pulled in, forcing her to park a little ways away from the building. She tugged her hood up over her hair, then grabbed her purse and headed for the entrance. The hostess led her deeper into the restaurant when she gave her name. Apparently, Gabe was already there waiting for her.

  As they approached the booth where he sat, Gabe got to his feet. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved black T-shirt. He had a bit of scruff on his face, and Maya suddenly discovered that she had a real attraction to that look. She wondered what it would feel like if she reached out to touch his jawline.

  “Hey!” Gabe said as she came to a stop next to him.

  “Sorry I’m a bit late.” Maya felt the urge to give him a hug but resisted it and slid into the booth opposite the side he’d been seated in. “That snow really slowed down the traffic.”

  “Yeah. It was a mess out there.” Gabe smiled at her as he sat across from her, making butterflies came to life within Maya. “You look beautiful.”

  Heat rushed into her cheeks as the number of butterflies exploded. Maya couldn’t help but return his smile. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you for coming out with me tonight. I’m really looking forward to it.”

  The waitress’s arrival helped to keep things from getting awkward. Maya just wanted to get past the first part of the evening. The greeting where the hug seemed right but didn’t happen, got them off to an awkward start. Hopefully, once they placed their orders, the conversation would flow more easily.

  After the waitress left to get them their drinks, they discussed the meal specials and their experiences with different menu items. When the waitress brought them their drinks, they were both ready to order. Once that was done, and the menus were taken away, a few moments of silence settled between them.

  “Did you have a good day at work?” Gabe asked.

  Maya nodded, though for the life of her she couldn’t remember exactly how the day had gone. She always enjoyed what she did for C&M Builders, but today, her thoughts throughout the day had been focused on the upcoming date.

  Gabe got a mischievous glint in his eye. “So which of my siblings do you like working with the best?”

  “You honestly expect me to answer that?” Maya asked with a grin. “
I love working with all of them.”

  “Ah, c’mon.” Gabe leaned forward. “I won’t tell anyone. If you answer my question, I’ll tell you who my favorite sibling is.”

  Maya laughed at that. “Pretty sure your favorite is Mitch.”

  “Okay, well, I suppose that was kind of obvious. Is he your favorite too?”

  “I have favorites for different things,” Maya said, trying to be diplomatic. “Bennett and Makayla were intimidating at first, but now they’re not so bad.”

  “Yeah, they are the most intense of all of us. Tristan and Mitch are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are probably the easiest going of us all. Well, Danica is pretty easy going too.”

  Maya took a breadstick from the basket the waitress had placed on the table. She hesitated to take a bite since she knew that Gabe had prayed before previous meals they’d shared.

  He seemed to read her mind because he said, “Hold that thought. Mind if I pray for the food?”

  Maya shook her head then closed her eyes as Gabe said a quick prayer of thanks for the meal. When he was done, she took a bite of the bread stick. Though she usually restricted her intake of stuff like bread and pasta, both were hard to avoid at a place like Olive Garden, and since she enjoyed both, she decided to just treat it as a cheat meal.

  “I still can’t believe that Bennett has feelings for Grace,” Maya mused once the prayer was over, continuing the topic of Gabe’s siblings. She thought of the sadness she’d seen in Bennett’s eyes recently. “That must be so hard. To love someone and not have those feelings returned.”

  “You’ve never experienced that?” Gabe asked as he broke off a piece of a breadstick.