Letters to Gabriella

by Patricia Paris

  WHEN THEY got home later that night, Justin lifted a sleeping Chloe out of the car and carried her into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. Gabriella pulled back the blanket on her daughter’s bed and he put her down, bending over and giving the girl a kiss on the cheek before tucking the cover around her.

  After closing Chloe’s door quietly behind them, Justin turned, and hooking one arm behind her knees, swept Gabriella up into his arms, bringing a startled gasp from his wife. He brushed his mouth over hers, the taste of her never failing to stir his desire. He’d been making love to her all night long, with a glance, a touch, a stolen kiss, and now he wanted to satisfy the need he’d built in both of them.

  He carried her into their room and pushed the door shut with his foot. Slowly, he lowered her legs to the ground, letting her body slide down his in eloquent torture. After almost eight months of being married, he still couldn’t believe she was his. He traced her lips with his tongue before joining it with hers. She was the sweetest wine, the headiest brew, and whenever they made love it left him in awe, marveling at the beauty of it. She was tender, passionate, fiery, tempting, loving, all those things and more. And she was his wife…his love…his life.

  “Justin,” she whispered, reaching up and slowly undoing the top button of his shirt.

  ‘What?” he answered, while making love to her mouth.

  He felt her smile against his lips, and it made him grin.

  “You’re going to be a father.”

  His tongue stopped moving. His breath caught in his throat. Gabriella leaned her head back, and for a moment he could only stare at her. He exhaled sharply, the air rushing out of him in one swoosh. Justin searched her face. She was smiling at him, her eyes so full of love it shattered him.

  “I’m pregnant,” she said. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  He cradled her cheeks reverently. “Are you sure?” She nodded and a bubble of tenderness welled inside of him. He pulled her into the circle of his arms, resting his chin on top of her head.

  “Thank you,” he said, holding her close enough he could feel the beat of her heart. He closed his eyes and absorbed the feel of her body molded to his. Releasing her, he took her hand and led her to their bed. With trembling hands he undressed her, worshipping her with his eyes, loving her with every fiber of his soul.

  Gabriella undid the button on his jeans and Justin shivered. She reached for his zipper and slowly began to pull it down. She gave it a little tug, then another, but it wouldn’t budge.

  She looked up at him through her gorgeous Windex blue eyes and grinned. “It seems I always get one that’s stuck.”

  Justin reached down and gave it a good tug. “There you go.” He slid it free, his lips quirking as he gazed down at his beautiful wife. “Always happy to help a damsel in distress,” he drawled, picking up on the familiar thread.

  Gabriella’s eyes sparked with amusement. “Thanks.” The corners of her sweet mouth lifted just enough to seduce him. “You’re my new hero.”

  He shed the rest of his clothes and rolled onto the bed with her. Propping up on one elbow, he reached out and ran his hand over the silken skin on her arm. “I’m at your service, darling. What’s your pleasure?”

  “You,” she said, that one word filled with so much love he thought his heart might overflow.

  He leaned his head down and touched his lips to hers. “You’re so easy.”

  “I know,” she agreed with a laugh. “I am, but only for you, Justin, only for you.”

  He pulled his wife into his embrace, and as another day ended, two lovers became one, reveling in the beauty of a love that would never die…and Destiny smiled, because some things really were meant to be.

  THE END

  I always intended to write Justin’s story, but after receiving so many requests from readers who hated saying goodbye to Blake and Delaney from my first Glebe Point novel, This Time Forever, I decided to move it up on the priority list. I hope you enjoyed reading Letters To Gabriella as much as I did writing it. The Morrison men were so much fun to write, and in the next Glebe Point installment, you’ll get to meet one of the Morrison women, when Blake and Justin’s cousin Charlene comes back to town in, Return to Glebe Point.

  To my family and friends who endured my absences, obsessions, constant questions and repeated requests for input and feedback during the writing of this book, thank you for putting up with me! Huge thanks to all my early readers, especially Diana Campe, Marsha Auth, Annette Boliver, and Donna Leskovac. You have my eternal gratitude for your insights and feedback.

  Special thanks to my editor, S.M. Ray, because she’s so amazingly good, and without whom the words I see in my head would never translate as well as they do for my readers.

  And to my best friend and toughest critic, my husband John, without your unfaltering love and support I would never be able to continue living my dreams—I owe you a home cooked meal!

  Patricia Paris lives in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland with her husband John; a lazy, but lovable cat named Shiloh; and James Brown, aka JB, the baddest, but also, most lovable dog in town. When not writing, you’re likely to find the author exploring the Bay area’s small towns and waterways, which provide endless inspiration for her writing; battling the weeds that insist on invading her gardens; or, being an avid foodie, experimenting with a new recipe in her kitchen.

  Patricia admits to being an unapologetic romantic, and she loves to give her readers that happily ever after, every time.