She was a vision. Never in his life had he seen anyone more breathtaking. Dressed in a shimmering gown of silver and white, she exuded elegance, class, and sheer loveliness.
He walked slowly toward her, his heart thudding so hard, he wondered if the crowd around him could hear the thundering beat. He knew he was taking a big risk coming here like this. She might decide to ignore him altogether, or she could just give him a giant wallop, sending him crashing into the wall. He likely deserved both.
It had taken considerable willpower not to come to her as soon as he was released from the hospital. Probably would have been the smart thing to do. But in his heart, he felt he needed to do more. For the last three weeks, he had worked tirelessly night and day. And whether she rejected him or not, he was glad he’d done this for her. At least he would have gotten one thing right.
He stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her. Her face was composed, but he saw the questions in her eyes, the trembling of her mouth. She was nervous, too.
She reached the bottom step, and he held out his hand. “You look lovely.”
Her eyes dropped to the hand, and his heart stopped beating. She wasn’t going to take it. She was going to reject him, as he had rejected her. It was nothing less than he deserved.
Finally, she took his hand, and he was able to breathe again. He pulled her down to the main floor and just let his eyes roam over her. He wanted to kiss her until they were both breathless, he wanted to glide his hands over her silky skin, and he wanted to lick and nibble every succulent inch of her with excruciating slowness until they both passed out with pleasure. He also wanted to hear her laugh, see her smile, listen to her talk about the endless subjects that interested her. He wanted everything.
“You’re looking well.”
Her voice shook a little, and he knew she was more nervous than he’d thought.
“I’m one hundred percent again.”
“I—” She looked around at the crowd. Most everyone was preoccupied, admiring the art or mingling in small groups, but several people were looking at them curiously.
“Could we go somewhere private and talk?”
“Yes…of course. But I need to…” She took a shaky breath. “There’s a deliveryman at the door in the back. I need to handle that, and then I—”
He smiled and squeezed her hand gently. “I’ll go with you.”
“Okay.”
He let her lead him through the gallery and around the pockets of people. A few nodded or smiled as they passed. One older couple tried to engage them in a conversation. Like everything else Gabriella Mendoza did, she handled them with ease, smoothly extricating herself before they managed to corner her.
When they were at last at the door, she turned. “I’ll be just a moment.”
“No worries. I’ll go with you, and maybe we can find a quiet place to chat.”
“Okay.”
She went through the door, and Jonah followed. A young man stood next to several large crates. Dressed in a dark green uniform, he had the look of a man who was eager to do his job and leave.
“Hi. Are you authorized to sign for this delivery, ma’am?”
“Could I see the paperwork? I’m not expecting anything.”
“Sure thing.” He handed her several pages.
As Gabby looked down at them, Jonah nodded. The young man winked, smiled, and backed out of the room in a flash.
“I don’t understand.” Her brow furrowing, she looked up from the pages and looked around. “Where did he go?”
“He had to leave. I told him I’d take it from here.”
“Take what from here? What’s going on, Jonah?”
“Look down at the pages again, sweetheart. What do you see?”
Confused, Gabby looked down again. The list was itemized alphabetically, but nothing on it made sense. She hadn’t ordered anything, and the things listed weren’t items the gallery would likely consider showing.
A café in Italy, sunset in London, sunrise in Paris, red roses with dew.
Eclectic, but still…
She shook her head slowly. “I still don’t get—” Her breath caught in her throat. Maltese puppy with a pink bow, black and white dog, gray and white kitten.
Her eyes filling with tears, she looked up at Jonah in wonder. “These are mine.”
“Yes.”
“You brought all of my paintings here? From the house in England?”
“Two hundred twelve paintings, eighteen unfinished works of art, and two dozen pages of doodles.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“Don’t you know by now that I would do anything for you?”
“But you—”
“I love you, Gabby. I have for a very long time. I was an idiot. I never should have sent you away. Never should have let you go.”
“Oh, Jonah.” Dropping the pages, she threw her arms around his neck and showered him with kisses. “I can’t believe you did this. Can’t believe you don’t hate me for leaving you.”
“Hate you? How in the world could I hate the most wonderful, precious, and perfect gift I’ve ever been given? I just hope I’m not too late.”
“It could be fifty years from now instead of three weeks and it would never be too late. My love is forever.”
“As mine is for you.”
He kissed her then, claiming her lips as she had claimed his heart. Never in his life had he believed he could fall in love again. This beautiful, talented, courageous woman had taught him how to live again, love again. And he was never going to let her go.
Epilogue
Three months later
Dallas, Texas
“Here, let me get that for you.”
“Thanks.” Gabby gazed dreamily at the reflection of the handsome man standing behind her, zipping up her dress. The last three months had been a whirlwind of joy. Not a moment had gone by that she hadn’t wanted to pinch herself to make sure it was not a dream. She had lived on hopes and dreams for so long, but now her reality far outreached anything she could have ever imagined.
Tonight was their first outing as man and wife. Since neither of them had wanted a large wedding or had the patience to wait for any kind of planned event, they’d been married within a week of Jonah’s arrival in Willoughby. Only Jonah’s family, along with Grey and a few of Grey’s employees, had attended. Gabby had no family on her side to attend, but as Jonah’s mother quickly pointed out, she had plenty of family now.
And what a marvelous family they were. She had fallen in love with them. She had already loved Kathleen and Lacey. Then she’d met Eli, who was exactly as Lacey had described him—kind, gentle-hearted, and handsome. Violet and Sophia were a delight, making her laugh within seconds of meeting them. And the newest addition, Kathleen and Eli’s son, Jonathan Daniel Slater, was a bundle of sweetness. They were the perfect family.
The only Slater she had been nervous about meeting was Jonah’s mother. There had been no need. From the moment their eyes met, Gabby had recognized a kindred spirit. Eleanor Slater’s spirit had been almost extinguished by her former husband, but Gabby saw a spark still simmering.
The wedding had been an intimate, beautiful moment, joining her together with the man who held her heart so tenderly in his big hands. With just a few words, she had become not only a wife, but also a sister, aunt, and daughter. She had so much more than she’d ever dreamed possible. All because of the amazing man standing behind her.
Their honeymoon had been two weeks of glorious bliss, starting with a private island in the Caribbean and ending with a stay in their cabin in Utah. And because Jonah had known how much Gabby had missed Chamo, he had arranged for him to be at the cabin when they arrived. No doubt about it, Jonah Slater was a miracle…her miracle.
How was it possible to love him more today than yesterday? And she knew she would love him even more tomorrow.
“You keep making my dreams come true, even the ones that seem impossib
le.”
Warm hands kneading her shoulders, Jonah leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck, making her shiver and feel flushed at the same time.
“My number-one goal is fulfilling every single one of them, especially the ones you never believed were possible.”
Closing her eyes, she leaned back against his hard body. They were due at Kathleen and Eli’s house in about half an hour. They would arrive at the gala together, as one unit. Not only was this hers and Jonah’s first outing as a married couple, it was Eleanor’s first social event since she had lost her husband. All the Slaters would be surrounding Eleanor as one front, because that’s what real families did.
“Then maybe I need to add to my collection.”
Both of their gazes shifted to the bookshelf where five notebooks stood, filled with her hopes, wishes, and dreams, many of which had already come true. Beside the notebooks was a stack of ten empty ones. Jonah had presented them to her on their wedding day, along with a gorgeous Montblanc writing pen.
“I’ll get you a bigger shelf.”
Happy tears pooling in her eyes, she whirled around and threw her arms around him. “I love you so much, Jonah Slater.”
“And I love and adore you, Gabby Slater. I might make your dreams come true, but you are my only dream.”
She leaned back in his arms. “But I want to give you something more.”
His grin sexy and suggestive, he growled, “We don’t have time.”
“Oh, you’ll get that, too. Don’t worry. But that’s not what I mean.”
Seeing her sincerity, Jonah went serious. He was learning much about his sweet wife, and one of the things he’d picked up on was her need to give in return.
Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered, “There is one gift I’d like to have, but it would be for both of us.”
“What’s that?”
“A baby.”
He felt the shock go through her. “I’m not saying anytime soon. But it’s something I’ve been thinking about.”
“But I thought you didn’t—”
He pressed his fingers to her lips. He didn’t even want to hear her say the words. They were so damn wrong. Before Gabby, the probability of him ever fathering a child was zero. But she had made him see many things from a different perspective, including fatherhood.
“Our child will have two parents who love him or her beyond measure. That’s something my beautiful wife taught me.”
“What?” she whispered.
“Love will always win.”
Her face glowing, she threw her arms around him again. “Yes, it will.”
He squeezed her hard for another second and then stood back. “We need to get going if we’re going to be there on time, but I have something for you that can’t wait.”
“Jonah…no. You’ve already given me so much.”
Not nearly as much as she had given him. “Just a few more things.”
Pulling away, he opened a cabinet in the bookshelf and took out three wrapped packages. He held an oblong one out to her. “This one first.”
Her eyes shining with laughter, she shook her head and took the package. “You are too much.”
He watched as she carefully unwrapped the package, extending the excitement. Once unwrapped, she clicked the box open and laughed softly, “Thank you, it’s beautiful. In fact, it’s the same style of drawing pen I lost when I—” She held the pen up to the light. “How odd. There’s a nick on the side…almost like my old—”
Her breath hitching, her eyes went wide. “Is this? Oh, Jonah. Did you find…how did you find it?”
“Your purse was in evidence lockup at the police station in London. I called a guy who called another guy.”
It had been a little more complicated than that. The procedure hadn’t exactly taken an act of Congress, but it had been close. The joy on her face made every bit of the effort worthwhile.
He held out the second package. Since she suspected what it contained, she practically snatched the box from his hand. He laughed watching her tear into the paper like a child at Christmas.
Her voice was a low whisper, thick with emotion. “My parents’ photographs. You even had them framed.”
“Now this.” He held out the third box, larger than the other two.
Her hands shaking, she took the box from him and just stared at it for a few seconds.
“Gabby?”
She looked at him then, her eyes flooded with tears, her mouth trembling. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Jonah Slater. But I swear I will spend the rest of my life thanking God for you.”
His chest tight, Jonah swallowed past a lump. “Exactly how I feel.” He nodded at the box. “Open it.”
Going slower this time, she carefully unwrapped the box and then opened the small leather case that held her mother’s necklace.
“I thought it would look nice with your dress.”
Holding the box to her chest, she wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him.
His heart fuller than he’d ever thought possible, Jonah lost himself in her taste. This woman, with her courage, sweetness, and incredible zest for life, had brought him back from the edge of darkness. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve her, but he would spend the rest of his life cherishing Gabby, the only gift he would ever need.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Too Far Gone, A Grey Justice Novel. I sincerely hope you enjoyed Jonah and Gabby’s love story. If you would be so kind as to leave a review at your favorite online retailer to help other readers find this book, I would sincerely appreciate it.
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Other Books by Christy Reece
Grey Justice Series
Nothing To Lose, A Grey Justice Novel
Whatever It Takes, A Grey Justice Novel
LCR Elite Series
Running On Empty, An LCR Elite Novel
Chance Encounter, An LCR Elite Novel
Running Scared, An LCR Elite Novel
Running Wild, An LCR Elite Novel
Last Chance Rescue series
Rescue Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Return To Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Run To Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
No Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Second Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Last Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Justice, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Revenge, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Reward, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Chances Are, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
The Wildefire series
Writing as Ella Grace
Midnight Secrets, A Wildefire Novel
Midnight Lies, A Wildefire Novel
Midnight Shadows, A Wildfire Novel
Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to the following people for helping make this book possible:
My husband, for your love, support, numerous moments of comic relief, and almost always respecting my chocolate stash.
Scott Thompson, for your expert advice on guns and weapons. Any mistakes are my own.
Joyce Lamb, for your awesome copyediting skills and fabulous advice.
Marie Force’s eBook Formatting Fairies, who always answers my endless questions with endless patience.
Tricia Schmitt (Pickyme) for your gorgeous cover art.
The Reece’s Readers Facebook group, for all your support and encouragement.
Anne Woodall, always my first reader, who goes above and beyond, and then goes the extra mile, too.
My beta readers, Crystal, Julie, and Alison for reading so quickly and your great suggestions.
Kara Conrad for reading an almost finished version and making excell
ent observations and suggestions.
Linda Clarkson, proofreader extraordinaire, who, as always, did an amazing job. So appreciate your eagle eye, Linda!
Hope Frost for your help and assistance in a multitude of things. You are so very kind!
And to all my readers, thank you for your patience. Your emails, Facebook, and Twitter messages about Jonah’s book were very much appreciated. Though the story took me longer to write than I anticipated, I hope you feel it was worth the wait!
Christy Reece is the award winning, NYT Bestselling Author of dark romantic suspense. She lives in Alabama with her husband and a menagerie of pets.
Christy loves hearing from readers and can be contacted at [email protected].
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Too Far Gone: A Grey Justice Novel Page 34