Gazing down into her pretty blue eyes, he could think of several ways, all of them amazing and wonderful, but he didn’t have the right to make fear a central part of her life. “I love being a cop, Corinne.”
She held his gaze and didn’t blink.
“It became my stronghold when I lost my daughter, and then my wife. I couldn’t help them, but I could make amends by helping others, and that meant so much to me.”
“Did it mean enough to take foolish risks?”
He shook his head firmly. “It meant enough to do what needs to be done. My love for police work isn’t about the perils. It’s about keeping people safe. Helping others. And sometimes, catching the bad guys, because that’s part of the job. But mostly, it’s about watching out for danger and avoiding it before it happens. I love what I do, Corinne. I haven’t always loved who I am, but I love what I do. And I need you to be okay with that. And to be okay with this.” He pulled out his phone, swept open a picture and held it up. “I’m signing custody of Jessie over to Mack and Susie.”
Her eyes went wide. She looked at him, the photo, then him again. “You’re giving them the baby?”
“It’s the right thing to do.” He stared at the picture Mack and Susie had sent minutes ago, their first family selfie. And he smiled. “If I keep Jessie, my aunt will make sure my family stays fractured. To her, Jessie was born of sin and can’t escape that, and I would never want Jessie to hear her hateful words of condemnation. This way I can ensure that never happens, and make two of the best people I know very happy.”
“That’s an incredible sacrifice.” She whispered the words because she knew how much he’d bonded with Jessie, and how easy it would have been to keep her. “Gabe, you’re amazing.”
He wasn’t, but it felt good to hear her say it.
“Truly amazing.” She gripped his arms again, and the look she gave him, as if he were something special and wonderful and true...it was the kind of look he’d like to see the rest of his life. “And inspiring,” she whispered, her eyes locked on his.
“Well, I have an ulterior motive. But it hinges on you, and I’m not sure I should bring it up right now.”
“Of course you should,” she argued. “I want to know everything about you, Gabe. If you’re willing to give me a second chance at this whole romance thing, we need to start with a clean slate. Don’t you think?”
Oh, he thought so all right. He locked his hands around her waist and gazed down. “Here’s what I’m thinking.” He dropped his mouth to hers and kissed her, long and slow. “I think we should keep doing things like this forever. I think we should let ourselves be in love and stay in love and take Tee fishing a lot.”
She laughed against his cheek, and it felt good to feel the warmth of her laughter ruffle his cool skin.
“And I’d like to have a family with you, Corinne.”
“Gabe—” She sounded surprised, and she had good reason to be, because her kids were almost grown.
“I know you’ve done this all before.” He kissed her cheeks, her ear, her forehead, and then took her mouth again. And when he stopped kissing her, he drew her up against his chest, holding her close. So close. “But I’d love to have another chance to raise kids. With you. If you’re willing.”
* * *
Willing?
Corinne was pretty sure her heart had just been swept away by this rugged lawman. “You’re wondering if I’d be willing to have your baby, Gabe? Our baby?”
“That would be the question. And it’s not a deal breaker, Corinne.” He leaned back to see her face, still holding her. “There’s nothing I want in this life more than you, and a chance to be a good friend and dad to Tee and Callan. But if you’re willing to increase our family, I’d be the happiest man in town.”
She reached up and kissed him. She kissed him until he was convinced of her answer with no words needed, then added the words. Just to be sure. “I would love to have more kids. And I would be honored to be your wife, if you ever get around to asking me, that is.”
“Corinne.” He snugged her close, then turned her loose and took a knee. “Corinne, I think I’ve been falling in love with you for a long while, but I was too stubborn to let myself be happy and you were too stubborn to flirt with me. Except you couldn’t exactly help it.”
She laughed because every word of that was truth.
“And while I make a really good neighbor, I’d like the chance to be an even better husband. Will you marry me?”
“In a heartbeat.”
He kissed her again.
Frank’s tow truck rumbled into the far lane. He backed the rig up to Corinne’s vehicle, hoisted it onto the bed, wished them a happy Thanksgiving and was back on his way in less than five minutes.
Corinne turned toward Gabe. “I’d like a Christmas Eve wedding.”
His eyes went wide before he grinned. “Four weeks away. Perfect. We don’t want to interrupt the winter baseball practice season with wedding planning.”
She laughed and looped her hands around his neck. “Nope. That’s not why I want to hurry. This is.” She gave him a most convincing kiss. “We’ve already spent too much time apart. I’m totally unwilling to waste another minute of not being your wife, but with two wedding planners in the family, I’ll be killed if I don’t give them at least a few weeks to plan things.”
* * *
Gabe couldn’t possibly be happier than he was at this moment.
To spend Christmas with Corinne by his side. With Tee and Callan at church and at the Gallagher family dinner. And here, on the solemn grounds of Grace Haven Memorial Cemetery, commending their father. As it should be. “It sounds perfect. And now we should go because I think we just let Frank drive off with the apple pie and the cranberry relish.”
“No!” She stared down the now-empty lane and sighed. “It was a really good pie, too.”
“I bet it was, but we’ve already pulled him out once on the holiday. We could chase him down...” he supposed.
“Or we can call him and tell him to take it into town when he visits his dad in the hospice house.”
Gabe thought he couldn’t love her more.
He was wrong.
He texted Frank to take the pie and cranberry relish to share with others as Corinne climbed into the car. He climbed in beside her, turned the car on, then turned her way. “You ready for this, my love?”
She feathered a kiss to his cheek, a kiss of faith, hope, love and promise. “I am.”
He put the car in gear and drove down the lane, then out onto the road.
A new chance.
A new beginning, for both of them, and for Jessie, too.
As he drove toward town, church bells chimed in unison, marking the hour in joyful abandon. And when they were done tolling, the old stone church carillon rang out the poignant notes of “How Great Thou Art” for the entire town to hear, a Grace Haven Thanksgiving tradition.
And it was good.