31. Chapter 31
Iwore linen pants with a linen blouse and sandals. There, that was casual enough. The fact that half my closet was out on my bed was another matter. I was nervous about seeing Gabriel again. It felt like a first date with crazy baggage.
Since our talk in Miami Beach, he”d pretty much disappeared from my professional setting, leaving me to work with Devon and his team. But that didn”t mean we weren”t in touch. He sent text messages. He wished me good morning and goodnight like he used to when we were dating. But we didn”t talk on the phone in the evenings because that had always been a precursor to phone sex.
”Can you tell me now where we”re going?” I asked after we”d been driving for fifteen minutes.
He was in jeans, a T-shirt, and moccasins. He glanced at me, his eyes covered with sunglasses. A rush went through me. That was the other problem with this relationship or whatever this was. How did a man who looked like Gabriel find me interesting? Don”t get me wrong, I knew I was nice enough looking, but Gabriel was handsome. The kind that gets noticed. He walked into a restaurant, and you could all but hear half the female population their sigh. Added to that, he was successful in his own right despite having inherited his wealth. He was hardworking. He was a dedicated father. From what I could see, he was close to his family and had authentic relationships with them. A man who was all this would obviously want someone better than me, wouldn”t he? Even my parents didn”t want me, as Gabriel had reminded me.
Again, all my insecurities started to bubble up. I couldn”t help myself. It was one of the reasons why I let Gabriel get away with so much the first time we were together. I was always afraid of losing him. I was scared that if I made any demands or didn”t give in, he”d walk. I mean, why shouldn”t he? Everyone else had.
”I”m taking you to my family estate,” he murmured.
I looked at my clothes. ”Gabriel, I”m not dressed to—”
”My parents are not at home. Don”t worry. I know you”ve already met Mama, so—”
”How do you know?”
”She told me.”
Of course, she did. ”It wasn”t a secret or anything. I just…I didn”t know how to bring it up without it sounding weird.”
He laughed, and there went my panties. I should”ve brought a spare.
”She told me she liked you very much and that I shouldn”t fuck this up.”
My heart hammered in my chest. I so much had wanted to meet his parents and have them accept me and that it was already done was oddly satisfying, so I couldn”t understand why I felt bereft.
”My father is looking forward to meeting you, and I promise we”ll make that happen, but not on our first date.” He put a hand on mine, which was resting on my thigh.
”So…why are we going there?”
”Now, that”s a surprise.” He stroked my hand. ”Hey, let the worries go. It”s a beautiful day in Savannah, and, for a change, not hotter than Hades. So, let”s enjoy ourselves, yeah?”
I was wound up so tight that I didn”t know how to relax. I didn”t know what to expect. I didn”t know how to handle this Gabriel, the one who was solicitous and…wait, he”d always been like this. When we were together, he was warm and affectionate. He laughed a lot and made me laugh. This was the normal Gabriel, the one I knew. But breaking up the way we had made me distrust everything he did and question how he behaved.
”You know what? You should just take me home,” I blurted out.
Gabriel stroked my hand. ”Why, baby?”
”I…I don”t think this will work. I”m just winding myself up, and I don”t trust you. And I keep wondering what you”re up to and how I”ll get hurt. It”s just too much.”
He removed his hand from mine and turned on his blinker as he turned right. We were in front of a gate, and it opened automatically.
”I know you have doubts,” he continued as if I”d just not had half a meltdown. ”But let”s just have lunch. And then see how it goes, yeah?”
As Gabriel”s car rolled down the winding driveway of the Rhodes estate on the Isle of Hope, my heart thumped in a rhythm that mirrored the uneven cobblestones beneath us. The sprawling oaks, draped with Spanish moss, created a canopy that whispered of old Savannah”s elegance and secrets.
”I feel like a scared filly that”s ready to bolt,” I confessed.
”I know,” he whispered.
”I”m sorry.”
”Don”t say that, Aurora. The fault here is mine and mine alone. Let me show you how it can be?”
”That”s the problem,” I wailed softly, ”I know how it can be. I was there.”
He parked in front of a mansion that looked like something out of the movies. I got out of the car, gawking and thinking about Tara from Gone with The Wind.
Gabriel joined me. He put his arm around me and kissed the side of my head. ”I promise, baby, it”s going to be different…better this time.”
I leaned into him, feeling miserable. ”It was fine last time.”
”No.”
I turned to face him. ”What do you mean? You were always like this when we went out. You were nice and charming and fun and funny. While I was…well, me.”
He smiled. ”And what does that mean?”
I shrugged. He put a hand behind me and yanked the hairband off my ponytail like he used to. When my hair fell, he ran his fingers through the tresses.
”You”re sweet. You”re loving. You”re affectionate. And so fucking sexy that I”m always hard or semi-hard around you.”
I looked down at his crotch, and he chuckled. ”I”ve got my hands in your hair; yeah, I”m turned on.”
I looked up at him. ”I don”t know how to do this.”
”Don”t worry about doing anything. Just have lunch with me. It”ll be fun.”
”It was always fun when we were together,” I admitted.
”May I kiss you?” he asked.
I licked my lips automatically and saw raw desire flicker in his eyes.
”Bad idea?”
I shook my head. I couldn”t form words. I was so scared. If I let him in, he”d hurt me again.
He leaned and brushed his lips against mine, gentle as a whisper.
”Come on, let me show you your surprise.”
He held out his arm, and I slid my hand through it. ”It”s a short walk.”
”This house…mansion…palace…whatever…is stunning.”
”Yeah? We can go inside after lunch, and you can tell me all about the style of the building.”
”You already know.” He was a hotelman; he knew his architecture.
”I love seeing things from your perspective.”
He guided me through the garden on a cobblestone path, which brought us to a grassy knoll.
The riverside setup took my breath away—a beautifully laid-out picnic on the lush banks overlooking the gently flowing Skidaway River. Under the canopy of an old Chinquapin oak tree, on a large carpet with cushions spread around for comfort was a spread that looked like it had leaped out of a gourmet magazine.
”I wanted to do something special,” his voice was laced with a mix of nervousness and excitement, ”something intimate, to show you how much I”ve missed us.”
How was I supposed to resist him?
”This is beautiful, Gabriel.” I was genuinely touched by his effort.
I took my sandals off and sat down on the soft carpet, and Gabriel did the same.
I couldn”t stop the smile from taking over my face.
His eyes reflected the clear blue sky above us. ”I may not cook, Aurora, but I know how much those dinners you made meant to both of us. This is my way of saying thank you.”
”Ah…you didn”t cook this?”
He laughed. ”This is courtesy of Harrison, my parents” cook.”
Of course, this was a world where people had cooks and lived in palaces.
Harrison had outdone himself, I thought, or maybe this was just a regular Saturday afternoon for him. There were delicate sandwiches with a variety of fillings, from classic cucumber to shrimp remoulade. A salad of mixed greens, edible flowers, and a light vinaigrette sat beside a platter of assorted cheeses and fruits. Fresh iced tea, garnished with mint and lemon, sparkled in crystal glasses, promising refreshment.
A bottle of white wine and one of champagne rested in an ice bucket.
Gabriel opened the champagne, and I held our glasses so he could pour the golden liquid into them.
”Thank you for giving me this chance.” He touched his glass to mine.
”Thank you for wanting the chance,” I replied and saw the relief he felt at my words.
I realized then that he”d been as nervous as me. Maybe this wasn”t some ”let”s make it right” endeavor. Maybe he meant it when he said he loved me.
I drank the champagne, leaning against a pillow, watching the river flowing quietly, its movements a subtle reminder of time passing, of moments to be cherished.
”This is very serene.”
”Mama loves to spend time here. This is her and my father”s picnic spot. I told her I was borrowing it. She approved.”
”And how many picnics have you had here?” I teased.
”You”re my first, and I hope my only.”
My breath caught. ”You have to stop saying things like that.”
”Even if they”re true?”
I nodded.
”Why?”
”Because I can”t believe you.”
”Yet.”
”What?”
He brushed his lips against mine, gently, softly, no pressure. ”You can”t believe me yet.”
”I liked meeting your mother,” I changed the topic. ”She”s not what I expected.”
Gabriel laughed, a sound that seemed to make the very air around us lighter. ”That”s one way to describe her. She”s definitely not your typical Southern matriarch.”
”No, she”s not.”
”What did you expect?” He was leaning lying on the side, his elbow holding him up.
I shrugged.
”Someone like Iris?” he guessed.
I nodded.
”My family never liked her.”
”I gathered.”
”I married her because she got pregnant. We”d been dating for a few months, and if she hadn”t gotten pregnant, we”d have broken up. I didn”t love her. I liked her fine enough. I thought love would come.”
I set my glass down and picked up a sandwich, so I”d have something to do. I set it on a small plate. ”You want one?”
”I”ll get one shortly. I want to finish my champagne.”
”I haven”t had breakfast,” I confessed. ”I was too nervous about today to eat.”
”I was nervous too. But I can eat through anything. I have an iron constitution.”
”I remember.” Nothing interfered with Gabriel”s appetite…for food and sex.
”I never fell in love with Iris.” He watched me as he spoke. I ate one sandwich and then started another. The bread was homemade, and I had no idea how something as simple as a sandwich could be so delicious.
I set a half-eaten sandwich down and filled first his and then my glass with more champagne. ”Did you become friends?”
”Not really. She isn”t my type,” he said blandly. ”She cares too much about status, money…appearances. Maybe it”s Rhodes arrogance…probably is, but Rafe and I were raised to not give a shit about those things.”
”That must”ve been freeing.”
”Very. Rafe didn”t want to join the company and my parents were cool with that. I did, and they were happy about that as well. Dad didn”t hang around long after I took over. He retired and barely pays attention to what I do, not even showing up for board meetings.”
I couldn”t stop looking at him, wanting him. We”d talked about his life and his wife before, but this was a more intimate conversation that included the rest of his family, which hadn”t been the case earlier. I knew he was divorced and the issues he faced currently with her, but not the past.
”What does he do now?”
”I thought he”d play golf but instead he got involved with the Rhodes Charitable Foundation. My mother has always been.”
I picked up a cherry tomato from the salad bowl and popped it into my mouth. ”Do you want me to put a plate of salad together for you?”
”Yes, please.”
He sat up, and we ate as we talked. We finished the bottle of champagne and then the bottle of Chablis that had been resting in the ice bucket.
The conversation flowed as easily as the river beside us. We talked about everything and nothing. It felt like we were rediscovering one another, peeling back layers with each shared laugh and look.
I lay down on my back as the sun started to flirt with the horizon. ”I”m tipsy.”
”Me too.”
”How am I going to get home if you can”t drive?”
”We”ll get a driver to take us.”
He cleared the remnants of our picnic, putting them in a wicker basket that had been resting by the carpet. And then he lay down next to me. We lay, staring up at the skies.
He reached out for my hand, and I let him hold it.
”Gabriel,” I began, my heart finding courage in the beauty of the moment, ”I was scared…still am. Afraid of being hurt again. But today…this feels right.”
His hand squeezed mine. ”I know I”ve made mistakes, Aurora. But I want to build something with you, something lasting. And I”m willing to work for it every day if you let me.”
”I”m going to need time,” I warned him.
”Take all the time, baby. I”m not going anywhere.”
”What if you get tired of waiting for me?”
He turned and put a hand on my waist, so I”d face him. He stroked my cheek and smiled at me. ”You”re the love of my life, Aurora Turner. I will wait for you until eternity if that”s what it takes.”
My eyes filled with tears. ”You have to stop saying things like this.”
”Don”t cry, baby.” He pulled me closer and kissed me. I opened for him, and he tasted me, his tongue touching mine, invading me, taking me over.
I moaned softly and felt his hand on my waist clench. I thought he”d move the hand to get more aggressive, but he didn”t. He just kept kissing me like we had all the time in the world.
After the picnic when he dropped me off at my doorstep, he hugged me, and I clung to him, wanting more kisses.
”I”m going to come in my jeans, baby,” he said hoarsely.
I looked down at the bulge in his pants and couldn”t help myself.
”Eyes up here, darling. Stop looking because then I will come and embarrass myself,” he joked.
I smiled shyly at him and went on tiptoe to brush my lips against his. ”Thank you for today. I had a really good time.”
”Me too, baby.”
That night, I texted him before he could: Goodnight, Gabriel. Thank you again for a lovely lunch.
He replied immediately: I love you. Sleep well, baby.