Chapter 32
Ismeralda
“Will your white knight syndrome eventually wear off?” Gabe asks the minute I step into the cabin after the dress shopping expedition. He’s sporting a downcast expression and looks like he just lost his last friend.
“What?” I say, caught off guard by his question.
He sighs and pats the seat on the sofa beside him.
“Where’s this doubt coming from, Gabriel?” I say after sitting down. Taking his hands in mine, I gaze lovingly at him, hoping to convey my feelings. “I love you.”
“Both Mrs. Monroe and your father suggested you were just infatuated with me based on my being your bodyguard. Your dad even asked about why we were ‘sprinting to the altar.’ His words not mine,” Gabe says.
I snort. Leave it to Father to ask that question. He always questions everyone’s motives.
“Do you know when I fell in love with you? It had nothing to do with something you did while acting in bodyguard mode,” I say, gazing into Gabe’s eyes.
He gazes back at me. “It wasn’t?”
I laugh. “No. It wasn’t one big, grand gesture that you did, it was a bunch of little things.”
“I thought all women appreciated grand gestures?” Gabe says.
“Maybe some do, but I fell in love with you somewhere along the way on the road trip. When we stumbled upon Sofia and her delicious tamales... when we spent the night at the Cozy Inn in that ridiculous honeymoon suite... when we stopped at the grungy diner for breakfast in the middle of nowhere. When you reminded me of my love of history with that stop at the Castle. When you told the In-N-Out Burger employee Martha Stewart was the passenger in the limo,” I say with a giggle. “Get the picture? I fell in love with all the little things. Plus you’re smart, funny, and kind. You get me.”
He squeezes my hand. “Do all grooms go through this?” he asks.
“The cold feet phase?” I quip.
Shrugging those broad shoulders, Gabe says, “More like the doubting phase. Maybe we should have had a longer engagement.”
“Forest Gabriel ‘Sequoia’ Martin, I have no doubts that you’re the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. However, if you’re having second thoughts, maybe we should postpone,” I say, trying to keep disappointment from leaking through my tone. My heart sinks at the thought of calling off the wedding, but I don’t want Gabe to marry me if he isn’t sure.
His eyes bore into mine. “I love you, Ismeralda Harrington,” Gabe says then leans over and plants his lips on mine. As always, within seconds the attraction between us flares and we’re kissing like a pair of high schoolers. I wrap my arms around his neck and pour all my emotions into the kiss.
Eventually one of us pulls out of the kiss to take a breath. Gabe strokes my cheeks and says, “Wowza! That kiss was pretty convincing.”
I giggle and my neck heats as a blush creeps over my face.
“Maybe I need a little more convincing,” he teases.
“You got it!” I say and then proceed to convince the heck out of him.
~*~
Before we head to the mess hall for the light lunch, Gabe says, “I’ve got one piece of bad news.”
“More doubts?” I squeak.
He yanks me into his arms, embraces me tightly and gazes lovingly into my eyes. “No, none. I think it just bothered me when Melanie and your father suggested we were rushing things.”
“Even if we were engaged for five years, Father would say we were rushing things,” I say with a snort.
Gabe nods.
My eyes narrow. “So, what’s the bad news?” I brace myself for something like Jethro being unavailable to perform the service or something like that.
“We’re spending our wedding night here in the Kiddie Lodge.”
“What? I thought we had the Honeymooner’s Cabin?”
He laughs. “The Monroes would have had to take the Kiddie Lodge, so I told Mindy to put them in the Honeymooner’s.”
I can’t envision the General here in the Kiddie Lodge.
“OK, Mr. Martin. You’re in charge of figuring out how to romance your new bride in... the... Kiddie... Lodge,” I say between giggles.
He squeezes me tighter and laughs. “I’m up for the challenge!”
I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.