Epilogue
Epilogue
March...
“I’m sorry we didn’t get married at Machu Picchu,” Gabby said, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder. His skin was warm, his collarbone solid. They were curled up in bed at the Brightmans’ lake house near Blossom Branch.
Several hours earlier, they had stood in front of a judge in an Atlanta courthouse and promised to love each other always...for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.
Jason yawned and stretched. “Too many complicated logistics. I didn’t want to wait,” he said, giving her a teasing glance. “You might have been a flight risk.”
She laughed softly. “Nope. You’re stuck with me.” She kissed him just below his ear, grinning when he sucked in a sharp breath. “I do love you, Jason. So much it scares me.”
His expression sobered as he turned on his side to face her. Carefully he tucked her hair behind her ear so he could see her face. “I think it’s normal to be a little bit scared.” He grimaced. “I feel bad that your mother wasn’t with us. I hope she doesn’t get upset when she hears.”
“She’ll understand. After all, she and Dave did the same thing. It’s your mom we should worry over. We deprived her of a society wedding. She’s not going to be happy about that.”
“True. But if we give Sheila and Dahlia those grandbabies they want, all our sins will be forgiven.”
“Shall we start now?” she asked, giving him an innocent look as her hand trespassed beneath the sheet in dangerous territory.
He rolled onto his back, breaking the connection, his breathing ragged. “Not yet. I want you all to myself. At least for the first year. I guess that sounds selfish.”
Gabby shifted on top of him but didn’t join their bodies. “I want that, too.” She stared at him, painfully aware that she was about to do a very un-Gabby thing. “Jason?” she said.
“Hmmm?”
“Open your eyes,” she pleaded.
When he looked up at her, she sucked in a deep breath for courage. “How would you feel if I didn’t look for another job?”
He sat up without warning, tumbling her onto the bed beside him. His gaze was sharp. “Is that what you want?”
She swallowed hard, still incredulous that she was being bold, taking what she needed. “I’d like to help you finish the house. And maybe tag along on some of your trips. Plus be part of the new charitable foundation. The work at Grimes & Hancock was never my dream. I only did it because I had to take care of my mom. But she’s Dave’s responsibility now. Or maybe her own...”
His gorgeous mouth curved in a wicked grin. “So I can keep you barefoot and pregnant? Feed you bonbons? Watch soaps with you in the afternoon? Have sex all day?”
Gabby reached up and traced his lips with her fingertip. “That’s the general idea. Since my husband is loaded, I thought he might not mind.”
Jason’s smile was brilliant. Happiness radiated from his stunning eyes. “I think we might have been on the same wavelength.”
Before she could protest, he slid out of bed and rummaged in his duffel. Moments later, he tossed a slim folio on the bed beside her. “These are open-ended. I was hoping I could convince you not to look for another position right away.”
When Gabby saw what was inside, tears filled her eyes. The travel agency printout detailed four weeks in Europe. Eight countries. First-class accommodations. A honeymoon fit for a princess.
“Oh, Jason.” She was overwhelmed suddenly by how much her life was going to change. “You can’t spoil me like this all the time,” she whispered.
He picked up her hand—the one with the gorgeous diamond solitaire—and kissed her fingers. “Wanna bet?”
Jason was drunk with relief...joy...humility. He’d put his worst mistake in the past. Now he had finally made the right choice.
Gabby was his perfect match, the complement to his personality. The yin to his yang. He would spend the rest of his life making her happy. Proving to her that they were the same in all the ways that mattered.
He slid his fingers through her hair. “I can’t seem to get enough of you, Gabby.” He moved on top of her and settled between her thighs. “Let me know if you get too much of a good thing.”
When he entered her, his head spun, and his eyes stung. It felt like coming home, a home he’d been seeking for a very long time.
Gabby cupped his face in her hands and arched into his thrusts. “It’s our wedding night,” she whispered. “Never too much.”
He didn’t stop to point out that the sun was still up. That it was hours until this first day of their marriage was officially over.
Instead, he loved her well, giving them both a blissful release, and then starting all over again.
“I love you, my precious Gabriella,” he said hoarsely.
She linked one arm around his neck and reached up to find his lips with hers. “And I love you, Jason. For now, and for always.”
Blossom Branch, Georgia Three months later...
Gabby was happy. The feeling was so light and extraordinary, she might possibly float away. She sat on a bench beneath a tree on the playground of Blossom Branch Elementary School.
Beside her sat Cate, with Leah on the other end of the bench.
Together, they watched three shirtless men hammer nails and saw wood. Jason had decided the students needed a new piece of play equipment. After checking with the local school board and getting the okay, he paid for the supplies, had them delivered, and convinced Harry and Lucas to join his building project.
Despite pretending to grouse about the heat and the bugs, it was clear Jason’s two friends were in their element...as was he.
Cate sighed and laced her hands across her stomach. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered. “But don’t make a sound. I haven’t told Harry. We’re having a romantic dinner tonight.”
Gabby and Leah screeched muted tones and hugged Cate tightly.
“Congratulations,” Gabby said, feeling the tiniest bit of envy. “That’s amazing.”
Leah linked her fingers with Cate’s. “I’m so happy for you, Cate. Who would have believed two years ago that we all would end up like this?”
“Like what?” Gabby asked.
“With our soulmates.”
After a beat of silence, Gabby sighed. “It hasn’t been an easy two years.”
“No,” Cate said, her expression contemplative. “But look what we found. Love. The real deal.”
“Lucas has never lived in one place very long,” Leah said. “But he told me yesterday that Blossom Branch feels like home.”
“That’s beautiful,” Gabby said. “I’m so glad.” She took a deep breath. “Y’all are going to have to help me. Jason’s mom is still upset that we sneaked away to get married. She’s throwing us a huge society reception at the end of the month. I may not survive.”
Her friends chuckled in unison. Cate patted Gabby’s knee. “We’re here for you, darlin’. Don’t worry about a thing.”
Leah sighed. “I love happy endings.”
Cate snickered. “I think this is only the beginning.”
“Amen to that,” Gabby said. “Look at how far we’ve come. You two will always be the sisters of my heart.”
Amid tears and sniffles of joy, they went back to watching the men.
Some things never get old...