Two Months Later
It was ten p.m. on a Friday evening in November. Gabby walked into Cade’s house from their rehearsal dinner and sat down in the living room.
Cade had fetched some wood for the fire and was tossing it into the grate.
“Why are you making a fire now?” Gabby asked. “It’s kind of late.”
He stood and dusted off his hands, giving her a long, dark look. A Heathcliff look. Then he sat down next to her.
“We have a very busy day tomorrow,” she said.
“Stay tonight,” he said.
Gabby shook her head. “Oh no. I’m not taking any chances after what Nonna said at dinner.”
“It’s an old wives’ tale.”
Nonna had told her explicitly that the bride was not to see the groom after midnight. Or else.
“Hey,” Gabby said, “when you live in a town with an angel legend, you tend to believe these things. Or if you happen to be wearing Cararra marble pendants that promise true love and then you find it on the very same day.”
Cade sighed and leaned close. “I just don’t want to be apart,” he whispered in her ear. “Not tonight, not any night.” His words caused a warm flush to spread all through her. Just then, Ava ran into the room and began to rummage through her toy basket, forcing sense to return.
“Speaking of Nonna,” Cade asked. “Did you ever find out more about your grandmother’s story with the pendant?”
“Actually, there’s a name on the back of that old photograph Nonna kept in her box. I wonder if we should pursue it and find out who Jacob was? I just wouldn’t want to do anything to upset my grandmother. Or my siblings. My grandfather was very dear to us. And…this opens up a giant can of worms, you know?”
“Intrigue in the Langdon family. I love it.”
Ava held out her doll for Gabby to hold while she proceeded to climb into Gabby’s lap. “Can I see the fire, Daddy? Please?” Ava asked. “And then I’ll go to bed, I promise.”
“Don’t get too comfy there, pumpkin,” Cade said in his Dad voice. “It’s bedtime. Big day tomorrow.”
Cade gave Gabby a look like it had been a hectic day and he just wanted to be alone with her. Which made an anticipatory little shiver go up her spine.
Gabby smoothed Ava’s hair. “You can see the fire for a little bit. I love your dress.” She smoothed down the layers of the pale, sparkly pink skirt. “Do you have your special dress for tomorrow all ready to go?”
She sat up and nodded. “Yes. And my sparkly shoes and my sparkly hair bows.”
Gabby caught Cade’s eye above Ava’s head and they both smiled. Seemed like Ava couldn’t get enough of the sparkles lately. And Gabby had made sure Ava’s dress for the wedding was just as wonderful for her as her own dress. In fact, they sort of matched; each of them had a pretty tulle overskirt. “We’re both going to sparkle tomorrow,” Ava said. “Tomorrow we get to be a family.”
“Yes, tomorrow we become a family.” Gabby tugged gently on the little girl’s braid. Cade kissed his daughter on the forehead.
“Does that mean I get a puppy?” Ava asked. “Families have puppies, Daddy.”
Ava was a clever little girl.
“Isn’t having Midnight enough?” Cade asked, just as a flash of a cat’s tail disappeared behind the couch.
“He needs a fwend, Daddy,” Ava said, with that same mischievous twinkle in her eye that her dad tended to have.
“Is tomorrow when you get to be my new mommy?” Ava asked Gabby, switching subjects with lightning speed.
Gabby curled an arm around the little girl’s back and held her close. “Yes, and I can’t wait to be your everyday mom. Do you know what that means? When I was growing up, my real mom couldn’t be here but my other mom, Rachel, was. She baked cupcakes with me and kissed my boo-boos and read books with me and took me shopping. That’s what I want to do for you. Would that be okay?”
“I want you to be my always mommy,” Ava said.
Gabby looked down at the little girl on her lap, who was looking back at her with such trusting eyes it made her heart swell with joy.
“I love you, sweetheart,” Gabby said. “I’m so happy we get to be a family.”
Ava wrapped her arms tightly around Gabby’s neck, and Gabby felt a mountain of love pressing against her heart.
“I love you, Gabby.” Ava clutched her tightly around the neck, and when she let go, Gabby’s eyes were as full as her heart.
“Okay, Tiger,” Cade said, “time for sleeping.” Cade stood and gathered Ava up, tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her up the stairs while she giggled and shrieked.
Gabby kicked off her heels and curled up on the couch to wait for his return. She was half-dozing when suddenly she felt Cade’s big body next to hers on the couch.
“Could we elope?” he said, kissing her neck. “It would be so much easier.”
“Oh, you’re going to love the ceremony. My whole family will be there.” She paused. “And the Angel Falls FD. And half of the police force.”
“Colton is half of the police force,” Cade said, looking at her with humor—and hunger—in his eyes. “Sounds fun. But not as fun as this.” He began to kiss her neck, tugging the neck of her dress aside so he could kiss her shoulder. “Stay tonight,” he repeated.
“I told you,” she managed, but it was tough to speak with whatever he was doing to her neck, “I don’t want a million years of bad luck.”
“Okay, fine.” He sat up and pulled her up to sitting. Then he reached under the couch. “Here. I have something for you.”
He handed her a rectangular box.
“What is it?”
“Just open it.”
In it was the photo Tony had taken of them kissing on the green. The bridge framed them from behind, the angels keeping a watchful eye.
She remembered that kiss. It was unexpected and wonderful.
“How did you get this?” Gabby asked.
“Colton gave it to me. The police confiscated Tony’s camera as evidence.”
“That was probably the cleanest photo on the camera,” Gabby said.
Chuckling, he handed her a tiny flat package.
“Something else?” She ripped it open to find a parking sticker. “For my MFA classes,” she said, tearing up. “How thoughtful.”
“That way no one will ever take your spot again.”
“You didn’t just steal my parking spot,” she said, sitting back beside him. “You stole my heart.”
And he opened up his big arms and she curled against his chest and they sat there for a minute, basking in the heat of the fire and listening to it pop and crackle.
“I have something for you too,” Gabby said. “But first we need to discuss your truck.”
He frowned. “What about my truck?”
That definitely got his attention. “Did I ever tell you that the first thing I noticed is that you had fingerprints on the back window?”
“It’s impossible to keep that clean. Believe me, I try.”
“Well, this will help.”
He unwrapped a container of car window wipes. “Thanks. But why these for a wedding present?”
She slowly reached over and gathered up his hands.
He was looking at her with a puzzled expression. She made a note to always remember this. How they’d sat together the night before their wedding and got ready to jump headfirst into their future together.
“Cade.”
“What is it, Gabby? You’re scaring me a little.”
She took a big breath. “Cade, you’re going to need car wipes because you’re going to have another set of fingerprints on the other window.”
She sat back and watched as his puzzlement turned to surprise. His mouth dropped open a little. She wished she had a photo of that.
“Holy shit. You’re not kidding, are you?”
She shook her head. “I am not kidding.”
“Wow. I mean, we talked about this but…” He reached over and kissed her. His lips were warm and soft and his embrace all-encompassing.
He looked at her with everything she’d ever wanted to see in a man who loved her. “You bring me so much joy. After so many years of pain.” He ran his hand gently down her cheek. “You’ve filled Ava’s and my life with a happiness I never thought I’d ever feel again. I love you, Gabby.”
“Oh, Cade. I love you.”
He tugged her off the couch and toward the staircase. “It’s ten fifteen. We’ll have you up and out of here by eleven. Unless you decide to stay all night.”
“You’re cruel. I don’t have to call an Uber, do I?”
“If you’re very nice to me, I’ll let you take my truck. Or I could stay at your place tonight and you can stay here.”
“Gee, thanks for the compromise,” Gabby said.
Cade looked at her and smiled. “That’s what marriage is all about, I’m told.”
She laughed and ran ahead of him up the stairs. “Well, I can’t wait to find out what it’s about with you.”