by Parker, Ali
Gabriel
I held her hand, looking up at the tall buildings on either side of the street as the cab driver expertly navigated the busy city streets. I would never be able to live in a city. I would certainly never be able to drive. It was nothing short of crazy.
“Wow,” I breathed, trying to soak it all in. I had grown very accustomed to trees being the only thing towering over me.
“It’s a lot,” she said, squeezing my hand.
I looked over at her and drank in the sight of her. I was mesmerized by her. When she’d walked out of the bathroom back at the hotel, I had been knocked speechless. She was wearing a dress that accentuated her curves while still maintaining a very dignified look. It was sexy and classy and so perfect for her.
“I don’t know if I told you, but you are beautiful. That dress is stunning. You are stunning in that dress.”
She grinned. “I’m kind of digging you in that suit. You clean up nicely.”
I let out a nervous chuckle. “I think the last time I wore a tie was to my parents’ funeral. I feel like I’m being choked.”
“You only have to wear it for a little while,” she assured me.
“Just like that dress,” I said in a husky voice. “You’ll only have it on for a little while before it’s hitting the floor.”
She smiled. “You’re going to have a hard time focusing on your presentation if you have your mind on sex.”
I grinned. “My mind is always on sex when you’re around.”
The cab pulled to a stop in front of a hotel. Butterflies took flight in my stomach and my palms grew sweaty.
She squeezed my hand. “You’re going to do great. Just speak from the heart. If you’re in the running, it’s because they already like you. Just be you.”
I nodded. “I hope it’s enough.”
We climbed out of the cab and followed the signs to the ballroom where the foundation was holding their party. We walked through the doors and I almost pulled her back. One scan around the room told me it was a family-friendly affair. I hadn’t expected kids to actually be at the party.
There were husbands and wives, laughing and talking with other husbands and wives. As we made our way deeper into the room, I picked up bits and pieces of conversations. People were talking about their kids and what they were doing in school and who had kids at what college. One couple was congratulating another on reaching their twentieth wedding anniversary.
It was all very Mayberry. I wasn’t a criminal or thug, but I wasn’t a citizen of the Mayberry clan. I felt out of place. I was convinced everyone was staring at me. I realized it wasn’t me they were looking at but Cadence.
“There’s a lot of people here,” she said under her breath. “I don’t think I realized it would be this busy.”
“Me either. I hope I don’t have to give my presentation in front of all these people. I will fall apart.”
“No, you won’t,” she said, squeezing my hand again. “Let’s get a drink.”
I hoped like hell it was real alcohol. I needed a stiff drink. “Two glasses of champagne please,” I asked the bartender.
He handed us two glasses. I took a long sip, remembering my social manners and stopping myself from draining the glass.
“All right, now it’s time to mingle and schmooze,” Cadence said. “I’ve seen TV. We’re supposed to make our way around the room and smile and chat to drum up support for you. We need to find the power players.”
I grinned. “You are scary.”
“I’m on a mission to get you that money. I know you are deserving of it and I know you will do great things with it. I am going to make sure everyone knows you are the best choice.”
I dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for being in my corner. It means a lot to have your support.”
It did mean a lot. I felt stronger when she was beside me. The room full of people would have intimidated me before, but not when she was with me. I saw the spouses and the families milling about and was still nervous, but even if I didn’t get the donation, I’d be okay. I would be okay as long as she still looked at me with that admiration I saw in her eyes.
We made our way around the room. I smiled a lot. I smiled so much my face hurt. Cadence seemed to fit right in. She talked with other moms about her kids and their kids. I felt honored to have her by my side.
“Gabriel!” I heard my name being called. I vaguely recognized the voice.
I turned to see Timothy Barnes coming my way. “Tim,” I called.
“I’m glad you made it,” he said, shaking my hand.
I shook his hand. “I wouldn’t miss the opportunity. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Who is this lovely lady?” he asked.
I had forgotten Cadence was there. I turned to her, and in the moment, I said the first thing that came to mind. “Tim, meet my wife, Cadence.”
I felt her stiffen beside me. I couldn’t believe I had just heard myself say those words. “It’s nice to meet you, Cadence.”
I glanced over to look at her, expecting to see her ready to kill me. Instead, she was smiling. “It’s good to meet you, Tim. Gabriel has told me all about you and your foundation. I do hope he can persuade your colleagues.”
He grinned. “I hope he can too. He’s been my pick from the beginning.”
“I appreciate that,” I told him.
“I need to check on a few things. Presentations will start in just a few minutes.”
He walked away, leaving me to face Cadence. I turned to look at her. I was expecting her to slap me. Kick me. Maybe scowl at me.
There was none of the above. “Cadence, I—”
“Gabriel Cole!” I heard my name.
I spun around to see a man holding a microphone.
“Go,” Cadence whispered behind me.
I looked at her, searching her expression for some sign of anger. I didn’t see it. I nodded and moved to take my position at the podium. I thought about just walking away. I couldn’t get my thoughts together. I couldn’t believe I had introduced her as my wife.
Just when I thought it was a lost cause, I found her in the crowd. She was looking directly at me. She smiled and gave a gentle nod, encouraging me to give my speech.
I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket and pulled out the cards I had put together with my speech scrawled out on them. I cleared my throat. “Good evening,” I started. I felt a sense of calm wash over me.
My eyes repeatedly went to Cadence, needing her silent encouragement to keep going. I talked about my goals and what I promised to do with the money if they should choose my retreat as the recipient. I was passionate about nature and always felt the most comfortable when I was talking about nature and wildlife or when I was in it.
I delivered my speech and received a round of applause. I smiled, thanked the crowd, and left the podium. Cadence had drifted toward the bar. When I caught up with her, she’d just taken a shot of tequila.
That was probably not a good sign. “Hi,” I said, putting up a hand to get the bartender’s attention. “Whiskey, neat.”
The man nodded and quickly poured me the drink. Cadence was handed a glass of champagne. “Good job,” she said with a tight smile.
Uh-oh. “Thank you,” I replied.
“Really, you did great,” she said again.
Her tone had changed. It was very chilly. She was saying the right words, but I didn’t get the feeling she really meant them. I took a long drink from my glass.
“Gabriel,” Tim’s voice cut through the silence hanging between me and Cadence.
“Hey,” I said, turning on the charm.
He slapped me on the shoulder. “You said all the right things. I knew my colleagues would be impressed. Honestly, this was all a dog and pony show. We had to make it fair.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, going on the defensive. “What do you mean?”
He smiled. “I mean, I was already pushing for you to get the money. Some of the other board members were reluc
tant. They were afraid you were a bachelor that would squander the money. I insisted you were a good man, but they needed to see it for themselves. A few of them had the chance to talk with your wife. Their fears that you would take the money and run have been allayed.”
I nodded, not confirming or denying the wife thing. “I hope I made a good impression.”
“Absolutely. In fact, I wanted to congratulate you.”
“Congratulate me?” I asked.
“The board has agreed with me. We will talk about the details soon, but you are our choice for the funding.”
My mouth fell open. “What? Really? Wow. Thank you.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome. Thank you for bringing this lovely lady around. It was very nice to meet you, Cadence.”
“Thank you, Tim. Please tell your wife goodnight for me.”
He winked. “I will do that. Have a good night.”
The night was very weird. On one hand, I was elated to know I had gotten the funding, and on the other hand, I was terrified of Cadence’s reaction to the wife slip.
“Can we talk?” Cadence asked in a low voice.
“Sure.”
“Outside.”
I put my glass down, taking hers from her as well. I didn’t want her to have a weapon. I followed her outside. She pulled me away from the doors.
“Cadence,” I started.
She held up a hand and stopped me from talking. “Don’t,” she said. “Tell me something and please be honest.”
I bobbed my head up and down. “I will.”
“Did you invite me here to play me off as your wife in order to get that funding?”
“No,” I answered honestly.
“You introduced me as your wife. Why would you do that if you didn’t want them to think I was your wife?”
I shook my head, rubbing my hand against my forehead. “It just came out. I shouldn’t have done that. I saw all the other husbands and wives and just kind of fell into it.”
She slowly nodded. “Fell into it. Did Tim tell you the board didn’t want to give funding to a bachelor?”
I grimaced. I couldn’t lie. “He told me to bring my family,” I admitted, feeling like a complete and total snake.
She nodded. “I see. I should have known.”
“It isn’t like that,” I insisted. “I didn’t invite you here to play you off as my wife. I swear to you, that isn’t what happened here. I introduced you as my wife because I had a complete lapse in judgment.”
She sighed. “That’s unfortunate, Gabriel. It really is. I thought I was falling for you. I thought you were different. I should have known better.”
She stepped away from me, raising her hand to hail a cab. “Cadence, wait. Please, let me explain.”
“You’ve said plenty Gabriel. I’m happy you got your funding. I am confident you will do great things with it. Congratulations. I hope you have a nice life. I truly do mean that.”
I stared at her, watching helplessly as she got into a cab. I stared at the taillights, unable to move from where I stood on the sidewalk. I replayed her words. She was falling for me?
I had to get back inside. I couldn’t get the money and run. My heart was pulled in two different directions. My future at the retreat was hanging in the balance. If Tim or the other board members thought I’d cut and run, they’d rethink their decision to give me the money. If I didn’t go after Cadence, she might walk out of my life for good.
I closed my eyes, debated what to do, and decided to go back inside. Cadence would be at the hotel. I would stick around, personally thank each member of the board, and then get to the hotel to try and work things out with Cadence.
Chapter 34
Cadence
I was beyond exhausted. I was so tired. It was more than just physical exhaustion. My heart was tired. My brain was tired. I was just done. I wanted to go home, close the windows, and hibernate. I didn’t want to think about what had happened yesterday. Last night. Gabriel’s deception wasn’t even twelve hours old.
It felt like I had been on a roller coaster ride from hell. After leaving the party, I had gone to the hotel, packed my shit, and headed to the airport. It had cost me a small fortune to get a last-minute flight back to Portland. I was happy as hell I had left my car at the airport instead of accepting my mom’s offer to drop me off.
I dragged my suitcase behind me, stomping toward my car through the dark parking lot. It was just after six in the morning. It had taken hours to get a flight and I had been up all night. I was in a shitty mood.
I made it to my car after what felt like a three-mile hike. I knew my mother would be awake. Part of me didn’t want to face her. I didn’t want to tell her that she’d been wrong about Gabriel. She would not be happy.
I parked the car in front of my mom’s house and got out. I prayed she had coffee on. My legs felt heavy as I walked up the sidewalk. I gently knocked, not wanting to wake the girls. I could hear my mom on the other side. Always the careful one, she didn’t open the door to see who it was.
“Mom, it’s me,” I said loud enough for her to hear.
I heard the lock turning, and a second later, the door opened. “Cadence? What in the world are you doing here? I thought you weren’t flying in until tomorrow?”
“I’m back,” I mumbled.
“Oh goodness. Come in.”
“Do you have coffee?”
“Of course,” she said, closing the door behind me.
She poured me a fresh cup and ordered me to have a seat at the kitchen table. I felt like I had lived through the exact moment before. I basically had. I remembered bringing the girls to her house early the morning after Trent had walked out. We’d tucked the girls into her bed and then sat at the table drinking coffee while I told her the story of my husband walking out on me.
Now, I was living it all over again. I had to tell her I had made another shitty decision.
“Tell me what happened,” she said after giving me some time to process it all.
“I misjudged him. He isn’t who I thought he was.”
“What do you mean?” she asked with concern. “What happened?”
I let out a long sigh. “He used me.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“He used me to get that funding he told us about.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand how you could have helped him.”
“The board didn’t want to give money to a bachelor. He needed a wife to persuade them he wasn’t going to squander the money. He introduced me to the board member as his wife.”
“Oh,” she said, looking thoughtful. “That’s odd.”
“It isn’t odd. It’s devious. He used me to get the funding. They apparently thought he had a wife. Then along came dumb, naïve me. I fell for his nonsense hook, line, and sinker. I showed up at that party thinking it was the start of something new, something really great. I had no idea he was going to make an ass out of me.”
“Is that what he said? Did he say he invited you along to try and persuade them to give him the money?”
“No. I mean, I don’t know. I didn’t really give him a chance to explain. I asked him, and he denied it, but I knew better.”
“I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation,” she insisted.
I shook my head. “I doubt it. Not one that matters. I am so pissed at him.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “For what it’s worth, I never would have guessed had had ulterior motives. What I saw looked very real to me. I don’t believe he doesn’t have feelings for you. He does. That much, I know.”
“He used me. He used my girls. That is unforgivable. I have been so careful. I haven’t dated anyone. I haven’t brought a man into their lives because I didn’t want them to get hurt. Now, the first time I do go and bring a man into their lives, he deceives them. It isn’t fair to them. They don’t deserve to be dumped by a second man.”
“You’re stressed and upset. Give yourself some time to think about everyth
ing. Don’t rush to judgment. Give him a chance to explain what happened and why he did what he did.”
I scoffed. “I think it’s pretty clear why he did what he did. Money. He loves that retreat. Every time we’ve been together, he’s talked about what he wants to do up there. He needs money to do it. He’s got big dreams. I don’t blame him for his dreams, but I do blame him for his dishonesty.”
“I do agree it was dishonest,” she said.
“It was shady, Mom. Shady as hell. Sketchy. Manipulative.”
She laughed. “I can see you have some strong feelings about this. I am so sorry it’s made you feel bad, but I think you need to think of it in another way.”
“What way would that be?”
“Gabriel is an attractive man. I’ve told you I think he’s a good man. He has many redeeming qualities. He would be desirable to any woman.”
I scowled at her. “How is this helping?”
“He chose you,” she said. “Out of all the women that he could have, he chose you. You’re special. He likes you. I know that as sure as I know the sun will rise in about twenty minutes.”
I shook my head. “I just can’t believe he used me. I thought he was different. Everything I thought I knew about him is being called into question. Was he really excited to have all of us there for Christmas or was it all part of his plan? I feel so stupid and foolish.”
“You are neither of those things. Can you be open to the idea that this was all a misunderstanding?”
“No.”
My phone was vibrating in my purse. I knew it was him. I reached into my purse, grabbed my phone, and shut the damn thing off before dropping it back in. I didn’t want to talk to him. I didn’t want to hear his excuses or explanations. I was too raw. I would end up believing his bullshit and fall back into the same old patterns I had with Trent.
I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let myself get sucked into another unhealthy relationship. “It’s not about just me,” I said.
“What isn’t about you?” my mom asked, blinking several times.
I let out a long sigh. “Even if I were to accept Gabriel’s apology and believe it was all just a misunderstanding, that trust has been broken. I might be able to overlook it, but when it happens again, which I’m sure it will, it could be the girls. He might hurt the girls. Not in a physical sense, but what if he does something that makes them feel less than the perfect little humans they are? I can’t risk that. I won’t risk that. Trent walking out on us was the best thing that could have happened. It spared them a childhood filled with empty promises. They’ll never have to see that look he would get on his face when he was disgusted with something.”