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

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

Makayla laughed, her expression losing the tension of the past few days for just a moment. “Yeah. I guess that’s true.”

  “After spending so many years of my life protected and somewhat secluded, I just wanted to be…normal. You know?” Maya looked down at her hands. “My job here has helped a lot with that. You and your family. Gabe. It’s all given me a glimpse into a type of life I’ve not had before. Not just because of my cancer, but because of the money I have and who my dad is.”

  “Right now, I’m extremely grateful for you and your dad. What you’ve done.” Makayla paused, swallowing hard. “It’s taken a lot of the pressure off, knowing that there is someone there to help smooth out the details. Plus, having a way to get Bennett and Mitch to Colorado quickly was an answer to prayer. When we realized they might not be able to fly out until the next morning, we began praying for a way to get them there sooner.”

  “I’m just glad that I had the ability to offer help.”

  “I know that things didn’t work out with you and Gabe, so I’m especially grateful that you were still willing to help out.”

  Maya looked away from Makayla. “I didn’t end things because I didn’t care for Gabe. I did it because I cared too much for him.” She explained her reasoning to Makayla, even though now, in the light of Gabe’s accident, it didn’t seem as important as before.

  “I figured it was something like that, and I understand completely. I don’t think I could have been with someone that lived like Gabe either.” Makayla rested a hand on her stomach. “Life is something to be cherished. I’m hoping that maybe what’s happened with Gabe will give him a different perspective on things.”

  Maya hoped that too, but if Gabe did have a different perspective, so did she. In some ways, given her past, it was a perspective she should have had already. Life is so short. Gabe was proof that a person could live an adventurous life and then get hit by a truck crossing a parking lot.

  “Will you give Gabe another chance?” Makayla asked.

  Maya shrugged. “I’m not sure he wants one. It seems like maybe he has other things he needs to focus on right now.”

  “Maybe. But maybe you should keep an open mind where he’s concerned. He’s going to need a lot of support over the next…whoever knows how long.”

  Maya wanted to be there every step of the way for Gabe, but for now—until she knew what he was thinking—she was just going to stay in the background, offering whatever support she could that way. “I will always be there for Gabe, whether or not there’s ever anything between us.”

  Makayla stared at her for a moment then nodded. “Thank you for caring for him and for our whole family.”

  After Makayla had returned to her office, Maya tried to get right back to work, but she couldn’t help thinking about Makayla’s question. Of course, she would give Gabe another chance. The bigger question was whether Gabe would want one, and considering the way she’d ended things, she wasn’t too sure that he would.

  20

  Gabe stared at the doctor, willing her to say the words he’d been waiting a week to hear: that he could be transferred to the hospital in Winnipeg. As much as he loved Denver, he wanted to be home.

  When he’d left for Denver in February, he’d felt like he was leaving home. Not just a home, which had been the case when he split his time between Winnipeg and Denver, but his home. There was no question that he’d left his heart in Winnipeg—even though the person he’d left it with hadn’t wanted it.

  But regardless of that, he wanted to be closer to his family. Thankfully, Matt was doing better, and Damon was more than capable of helping him through his recovery. The rest of the group would step up to help Matt as well. This turn of events, however, meant that neither of them would be traveling anytime soon. How that would impact the remaining commitments he had for the year, Gabe wouldn’t know until he’d had the chance to heal a bit more.

  And he wanted to do that healing at home.

  “I think we can safely say you’re good to travel,” the doctor said, shoving her hands into the pockets of her white coat. “You’ve made good progress this week. Better than I would have anticipated, to be honest.”

  “It’s because of all the people he has praying for him,” his mom was quick to point out.

  Gabe had expected a skeptical look from the doctor at his mom’s words, but instead, she just nodded. “There is no denying the improvement. After all my years of doctoring, I’ve learned never to dismiss the role a patient’s faith plays in their recovery.”

  “Thank you for all you’ve done for him,” his dad said as he came to stand next to his mom. “You’ve made a difficult situation a lot easier.”

  “You’re very welcome. Seeing a patient well enough to move on is the most gratifying part of this job.” She gave Gabe a smile. “I’ve forwarded all your medical records to the doctor in Winnipeg as you requested, and we’ve had a couple of conversations as well, so you’re good to go.”

  Gabe knew he had a bit of a journey ahead of him, but right now, all he was focused on was getting himself back home. Once he was there, he would deal with the difficult news he’d received the previous day with regards to his leg.

  He looked over to where his mom and dad stood. “How soon can we get out of here?”

  “All we gotta do is let Brad know we’re ready to go, and the plane will be prepared.”

  Gabe nodded, still reeling from the news that the woman he’d dated ever so briefly was part of a super wealthy family. It certainly explained the mystery he had sensed about her, and her unwillingness to share too much about herself. Was that part of the reason she’d ended things with him? He supposed that regardless if it was, he was grateful that she had so generously stepped up and helped his family.

  Though Gabe hadn’t wanted to go to the hospital in Winnipeg, the doctor there and his doctor in Denver had insisted it was necessary. He had a feeling that even if the doctors had been willing to let him go home, his mother still would have insisted on hospitalization. So, instead of fighting them on that, Gabe insisted on something of his own.

  He wanted to see Matt before he left.

  Since Matt was in better shape, they brought him to Gabe’s room in a wheelchair. Gabe’s first look at his friend would have been alarming if he hadn’t seen himself in the mirror already. Matt was sporting some of the same bruisings on his face though Gabe’s was worse since he’d borne the brunt of the fall. His friend also had a cast on his arm from hand to shoulder. Though he wished they could have been spared the injuries they’d each received, he was glad that Matt wasn’t any worse.

  “Hey, buddy!” Matt exclaimed as the nurse wheeled him into place next to Gabe’s bed. “You are looking a little worse for wear.”

  Gabe grinned, ignoring the pain the action caused. “You’re one to talk. Looks like you got a little road burn on your face too.”

  Matt gave a shake of his head. “More like parking lot burn.”

  In the week since the accident, bits and pieces of the incident had come back to Gabe, but for the most part, he couldn’t remember much of what had happened. After hearing accounts from others, it was probably just as well. He was dealing with some negative feelings toward the driver of the truck even though he was aware that it had been something beyond the man’s control. If it had been drug or alcohol related, the anger would have been much more intense. Still, he couldn’t allow his thoughts to linger too much on the accident or what lay ahead for him because he had already discovered that doing so brought an immediate flood of negativity into his mind.

  He and Matt talked a bit about their upcoming commitments and the impact their present situation would have on them. Damon had already contacted the companies to let them know what had happened since he was supposed to have accompanied them on the scheduled trips. There weren't any firm plans yet if they would be rescheduled, but Gabe had a bad feeling that even if they were, he wasn’t likely to be part of them.

  “So I guess we’ll be making use of Skype,
” Matt said, rubbing his hand up and down his cast as if his arm itched or something. “I need to know how you’re doing on the daily, man.”

  Gabe nodded. “I’ll do my best to keep you updated. It’s not like I’m going to have much else to do for the next little while.”

  His dad’s phone rang, and when he got off a couple of minutes later, it was with the news that the plane was ready to go. Given that Gabe’s departure was imminent, Sammi had flown in on the plane the day before and would be monitoring him during the flight home. She’d met with the doctor to get instructions for the flight and was ready to put her nursing skills to good use to get him back safely to Winnipeg.

  Matt didn’t stay much longer, offering his uninjured hand for Gabe to grip before he let the nurse wheel him from the room. Gabe watched his friend go, wondering how long it would be before he’d see him again. Though he did want to get back to Winnipeg, it was hard to imagine leaving his friends behind. All of them had stopped by several times over the week to check on him. It made him appreciate their friendship even more.

  “Well, are we ready to get this show on the road?” Brad asked as he entered the room. “We’ve got a private ambulance on standby whenever you’re ready to go.”

  With his words, the doctor gave the go ahead to prep Gabe for the trip to the airport and then the flight home. Brad had been a godsend, a help that his family couldn’t have even imagined. Any issues that had come up, Brad had—with his dad’s permission—stepped in to handle. Whether it was rental cars or the ambulance to the airport, Brad had dealt with it all, allowing his parents and siblings to just concentrate on him. Gabe hoped that some day he’d be able to meet the man behind all this generosity so that he could thank him.

  And hopefully, he’d be able to thank Maya too. If it hadn’t been for her talking to her dad, the past week would have been even more stressful than it had been. And most likely he wouldn’t have been heading home to Winnipeg.

  The whole process of getting to the airport and then back to Winnipeg was long and exhausting for Gabe. By the time he made it to his room in the hospital—a private room once again arranged by Mr. Zevardi—Gabe was more than happy to sleep as per the nurse’s suggestion.

  “He’s back in Winnipeg.”

  Maya smiled at Makayla’s announcement. While it really didn’t mean anything different for her—whether he was in Denver or Winnipeg, he was still out of her reach. So, while she knew it didn’t mark a change for her, it was very important for his family. She knew that Makayla and Tristan had been able to Skype with Gabe, but it was nothing compared to actually being able to see him in person.

  “Are you guys heading up to see him?” Maya asked, noting the purse slung over Makayla’s shoulder.

  “Yes. Are you okay to close up?” she asked as Ethan joined her.

  “Sure thing.” Maya wanted to tell them to say hi from her, but instead, she just smiled, ignoring the ache in her heart as best she could.

  “I can’t wait to see him,” Makayla said. “Bennett might be in a bit later, but if not, just lock up at five.”

  Maya nodded. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  She watched as they left the building, wishing she could go with them. There was a bit of a battle going on within her. She wanted to claim friendship so that she could go see Gabe, but in her heart, she knew that what she felt was so much beyond friendship. Maya didn’t know how to be friends with Gabe when she still felt so much more for him.

  Left alone, she tackled the project she’d been working on for Makayla. Phone calls and emails helped to keep her busy as well. When Bennett showed up around four, he had a broad smile on his face.

  “Welcome home,” Maya said. She’d been surprised that Bennett had spent the whole week in Denver, especially after Gabe had stabilized, but it was a testament to the Callaghan and McFadden family’s closeness.

  “Thank you,” Bennett said with a nod of his head. “I’m glad to be back. I’ve just stopped by to check on a few things before heading home. Can’t wait to see Grace and baby Olivia.”

  “I’m sure they’ve missed you,” Maya observed.

  “Not as much as I’ve missed them. This whole thing has been difficult. With it being just over a year since Franklin’s death, this has been a hard week for Grace, especially with me being away. I just want to hold them both in my arms again.”

  Maya saw the love in Bennett’s eyes, and it was an emotion that she had a sudden understanding for because it was what she felt for Gabe. She knew the journey Bennett and Grace had taken to get to this point, and she was happy for them. It was too bad that she hadn’t been able to get a similar end to her own journey with Gabe.

  “Does your dad happen to be in the city?” Bennett asked.

  “Not at the moment,” Maya said with a shake of her head. “He flew out to New York yesterday, and then he’s heading on to Zurich. I think he said that he’d be back in a week.”

  Bennett’s brow furrowed. “Did he need the jet?”

  Maya shook her head. “He was able to rent another one to get to New York. Brad and the jet are probably already on their way to New York. He’ll have it for travel to Zurich and then home.”

  “I’m sorry if he was inconvenienced by being so generous with his jet.”

  Maya laughed and shook her head. “You don’t have to worry about that. My dad is rarely inconvenienced by anything. He has enough money to buy himself another jet if he wanted to, so don’t worry at all about that.”

  “Well, when you talk to him next, can you let him know that we’d like to meet with him, if he has the time.”

  “I’ll let him know,” Maya said. She knew from conversations she’d had with her dad that he’d be happy to meet them. Brad had kept him updated as well as he had Maya. In the end, it had seemed her dad was as invested in what was going on in Denver as Maya had been. “I’m sure he’d be happy to meet you and your family.”

  “Great. I look forward to it.” Bennett gave her another smile then moved down the hallway to his office.

  He wasn’t there very long before he left, briefcase in hand. Alone in the office again, Maya went through her end of the day ritual of checking email, switching the phone over to the answering service and shutting off lights throughout the building. The sun was still shining brightly as she left the office, the polar opposite of how things had been at the beginning of the year when leaving the office at five had meant it was dark outside already.

  Once in her car, Maya sat for a moment, fighting the urge to turn her car toward the hospital where she knew Gabe had been taken. But she didn’t know how to get past how she’d ended things with him. Sadness filled her as she thought of the mess she’d made of the situation. She would have liked to blame it on her inexperience, but the reality was that fear had driven her decision. Fear had taken her prisoner as much as it had held her mother in its grip. While her mom seemed to be escaping from it, Maya was still caught up in the consequences of allowing fear to govern her decisions.

  Resolutely, she started her car and headed for home. Knowing that Gabe was so close and yet so far away seemed to deepen the sadness within her. She’d been battling this sadness ever since she had told Gabe things wouldn’t work between them, but this… It was getting so much more difficult to deal with.

  She swallowed hard, not wanting to be an emotional mess when she got home. Her mom was still unaware of what had happened that week. Thankfully, her dad had agreed to not tell her about it. Maya had no idea how her mother would react, so she just hadn’t wanted to deal with it. The emotional stress she was already under was more than enough. She didn’t need her mother trying to interfere in everything, telling her how she should be feeling.

  Once home, she made it through dinner, talking with her mom about her dad’s trip and the latest fundraising effort her mom was a part of.

  “Your dad wants me to join him in Zurich,” her mom said as they finished their meal.

  “Are you going to?” Maya asked.
Not that long ago, her mom would have said no, but now Maya was not sure what her response would be.

  Since her mom had accepted the way Maya was spreading her wings, she’d begun to leave Maya alone for longer stretches of time, which was fine by Maya. She was thrilled that her parents were able to spend time together in a way that they hadn’t been able to in recent years, since her mother had refused to leave her alone during the treatments or the times afterward, even once she’d been in remission for years, it was nothing short of a miracle that she was even considering a trip to Zurich.

  “Will you be okay if I do?” her mom asked, lifting her mug to take a sip of her after supper tea.

  “Of course, Mama. You’ve gone away a few times now, and I’ve been fine.”

  “As long as you’re sure.”

  “I’m positive.”

  Her mother smiled, joy lighting up her face in a way that it hadn’t for many years. The return of her mother’s joy helped to ease a bit of the sadness in Maya’s heart. More than anything, she wanted her mom to be happy again. To be able to live her life without the constant worry of what was to come for her daughter. It was somewhat ironic that while Maya’s attempt to spread her wings had ended up bringing joy to her mother, she was left with heartache and sadness. If only it could have ended well for both of them.

  “Are you okay, sweetheart?” her mom asked, concern replacing the joy on her face. “You’ve seemed kind of down lately. Is something going on?”

  “I’m okay, Mama.” Maya pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin, smiling as she did. She didn’t want to lie, so she stayed as close to the truth as possible without spilling her soul. “Just got some stuff on my mind. Nothing you have to worry about.”

  They had been so close for so long, she wasn’t sure if her mom would accept what she said, but when she didn’t press, Maya breathed a sigh of relief. She contemplated telling her mom everything, but the idea didn’t feel any better than it had earlier. Though it was tempting to share, she had a feeling that her mom would have a more negative outlook on Gabe and his life choices, and Maya didn’t want to hear that right then.