Chapter 23
"Happy Birthday to you!"
Gabe's gaze darted around the table as his mom, Grace, and Paige sang to him.
His attention was torn between his mom and Paige.
This could be the last time he heard his mother sing Happy Birthday, so he wanted to savor that, but he was distracted by the sweet soprano of Paige's voice.
He had no idea she could sing so well. There were so many things he wanted to know about her.
"Okay, make a wish," Grace said when the song ended, "then blow out the candles."
Gabe stopped making birthday wishes after his father walked out on them, but he’d humor Grace. He looked at the expectant faces surrounding him, his gaze jumped between his mom and Paige again.
Too bad he couldn't wish his mom back to health. Turning to the Lord in prayer and supplication was more effective than hoping for a birthday wish to come true. Even if his prayers weren't answered the way he wanted.
His gaze shifted back to Paige. Warmth filled his chest as he watched the way the candlelight danced in her blue eyes.
With his mom and sister sitting in the backseat on the drive to Yakima, he felt like he should hold Paige's hand. That contact had cemented his decision to make their relationship real despite the risks. He didn’t know how things would play out, but he’d do whatever was necessary to keep Paige in his life.
"Come on." Grace poked his shoulder. "It's not that hard. Just wish for a kiss from Paige and blow out the candles already. They're dripping on the cake."
He closed his eyes and made his wish which turned out to be more of a prayer. Something he had been doing a lot lately.
Please, God, let me find a way to make this real.
Keeping his eyes on Paige, he blew out the candles on the tres leches cake Grace had made that morning. All thirty-one of them. Paige’s smile lit up the room much brighter than the bonfire of candles.
Mom and Grace's cheers pulled his gaze from Paige. Grace wore a knowing, I-told-you-so grin, and the twinkle in Mom's eyes looked like she had a secret she was dying to share.
They chatted as they dug into the cake then moved to the family room, where his sister insisted he open the presents that sat on the coffee table.
He made short work of the gifts from Grace; two t-shirts.
One said, "The World's Best Big Brother.
" The other read, "I have the Best Sister in the World. She's also CRAZY and scares me."
Gabe burst out laughing. "So true."
"I want to see you wear it every week," Grace insisted.
"Maybe on Saturdays." He gave her a dubious look. "When I do yard work."
"I dare you to wear it in public." She glared at him.
"I'll wear it in public when you're with me. So people can see who the crazy one is."
Her eyes widened, and they all burst into laughter.
He opened his mom's gift next; a new white button-down dress shirt and gray slacks. To replace the ones he ruined last Sunday, wrestling with the roses. Surprisingly, she hadn't gotten upset with him for replacing the trellis, and thankfully, it looked like the roses would survive.
"Thank you, Mom."
"You're welcome, Mijo."
Gabe wasn't sure why he saved Paige's gift for last, but eager anticipation filled him as he pulled the gift bag toward him.
He was equally curious what gift she had supposedly bought for him weeks ago—and what she picked up this morning that made her late getting here.
He found two presents inside; each wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a ribbon.
He opened the bulkier one first. A six-pack of Marvel character socks.
"Those are so Gabe," Grace said at the same time Mom said, "They're perfect."
He grinned at Paige. "I love them."
"I saw them when I was shopping for a new swimsuit a few weeks ago, and they just screamed your name."
"I'm touched that you thought of me." He lowered his voice, but his mom and Grace couldn't help overhear. Mom would assume they were already dating at that time, but he knew differently.
"I noticed my first day at PT that you like funky socks."
"Funky?" He grimaced. "I prefer to think of them as fashionable."
She patted his arm. "Call them what you want, honey, they’re still funky."
He loved the way the endearment rolled off her tongue in regard to him.
"Thank you, mi corazón." He longed for another kiss like they shared at the Arboretum. Dropping his gaze to her lips, he leaned toward her.
"Open Paige's other gift." Grace's excited voice broke the spell Paige had over him.
"Okay, okay." Hiding his disappointment, he took out the other tissue-paper wrapped present and tugged on the bow.
His brows shot up when he uncovered a square hardcover book with a picture of him and his mom at his high school graduation on the cover. Silence descended on the room as he opened the book.
He found a picture of his mom on the first page.
She was just a baby in her mother's arms. The next two pages held more images of her childhood and adolescence.
Then he turned another page to find a picture of his mom framing her pregnant belly.
Soon pictures of Gabe as an infant in his mother's arms filled the pages.
He kept turning page after page, recognizing many of the images from the family scrapbooks plus a bunch he couldn't recall ever seeing before.
Pictures of her pushing him on the swing and reading to him.
Pictures of her cheering for him at his wrestling matches and hugging him each time he graduated; first high school, then college, and finally, PT school.
Tears blurred his vision. Paige had documented his relationship with his mom in pictures. Grace and Mom had obviously supplied the pictures, but Paige must have spent hours poring over this book, organizing and determining the perfect placement of each photo.
His heart spasmed when he reached the back page. Script that looked like his mother's handwriting filled the page. In large letters at the top, he read: A letter to my son.
His gaze jumped to the first line.
My dear son,
I never thought I'd have to say goodbye to you so soon…
Emotion seized his throat, threatening to cut off his air supply. His eyes burned with hot tears that begged for release. He stopped reading.
"I can't." His voice croaked. "I'm sorry, I can't read this right now." He shot his mother an apologetic look.
"It's okay," Mom said. "Read it when you're ready."
Gabe didn't think he'd ever be ready, but he nodded. "Thank you, Mom." Then he wrapped his arm around Paige and pulled her close. He pressed his lips to her temple. "And thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"You're welcome." Her gentle voice was consoling and comforting. She laid her hand on his chest over his heart. "She'll always be with you, Gabe."
He nodded, greedily accepting the small measure of peace that settled over him.
Mom rose from her position on the couch. "I have something else I'd like to give you, Gabe. Well, both of you, I guess. I'll be right back." Then she walked down the hall to her bedroom with that secretive grin back on her face.
Paige jumped up as well. "I have something for you too, Grace." She hurried to the oversized purse she’d left by the front door when she arrived and took out another book like Gabe's.
"You made a book for me too?" Grace's voice hitched and moisture flooded her eyes as she accepted the book.
Then she pulled Paige in for a hug. "If my idiot brother screws this up, promise me we will still be friends.
" Before Paige could respond, she went on.
"A sister would be so much better than a friend, but I'll take friend if Gabe messes this up. "
"Hey." Gabe's protest was drowned out by Paige and Grace's laughter.
Paige settled back on the loveseat beside him just as Mom returned carrying a small, palm-sized velvet bag.
She took her seat again and smiled at him and Paige. "Getting to know you, Paige, has brought great joy to our lives during this difficult time. It makes me so happy to see my son fall in love again. I'm glad to know Gabe and Grace will have you after I'm gone."
Gabe's heart constricted as though a giant fist squeezed it. He hated hearing his mom talk like this. She had accepted her imminent departure so much better than he and Grace.
"I don't want you two to feel like I'm rushing you or anything, because as far as I’m concerned, you're already an integral part of this family, Paige, but when you’re ready to make it official…" Mom extended the small bag to Gabe. "Maybe you'll consider using this."
What is she talking about?
Confused, Gabe took the bag. As soon as his fingers clasped it, he felt the hard circular object inside, one side much bulkier than the other. He knew exactly what it was, and what his mom was saying.
He sucked in a sharp breath. There was always the risk his lies would come to this, but he felt blindsided, nonetheless. He didn't want to open the velvet bag for fear of how Paige might react.
"Go ahead, Mijo, open it and show Paige."
He chanced a quick glance at Paige. Her face showed all the confusion and curiosity he'd felt a moment ago.
Giving her a tight smile, he silently prayed she wouldn't freak out.
He untied the silky cords, stretched open the top of the bag, and dumped a ring onto his palm.
A wedding ring with a matching band that had been melded together long ago.
Paige's shoulder pressed against his as she leaned in and studied the ring. "It’s beautiful."
Gabe gave her a sharp look. That was not the reaction he'd expected.
"I'm glad you think so," Mom said with a satisfied smile. "It was my mother's wedding ring."
Paige picked up the ring to get a closer look, surprising Gabe even more. "That explains the intricate vintage design." She studied the solitaire diamond complimented by a band with a twisty vine pattern that held tiny, leaf-shaped diamonds. "It's such a classy and timeless pattern."