by Sherry Lewis
“You’re willing to give me a second chance?” He gripped her hand and held on, and his voice came out choked with emotion.
“I’m willing to give us a second chance. I love you. I don’t have much choice.” She glanced toward the dining-room door and her lips twitched. “Besides, if I send you away again, those two might start trying to find the perfect man for me again, which will be pretty hard since I already found him.”
“I’m not perfect—”
Sharon touched his lips with her fingers to stop him. “I didn’t say you were perfect. I said you were the perfect man for me. There’s a difference.”
He grinned and looked toward the dining room just in time to see two blond heads duck out of sight. “Do you think they’ll mind?”
“Why don’t you ask them? You may just fit their man-for-mom plan.”
He laughed softly and turned back to Sharon. Slowly, he got down on one knee and took her hand in his. “Before I do that, I want to ask you something. Sharon Lawrence, will you marry me? Please?”
In answer, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Through the pounding of his pulse in his ears, he heard whispers from the dining room.
“She didn’t say yes.”
“She has to say yes.”
“What are they doing now?”
“Kissing.”
“Do you think that means yes?”
Sharon pulled away from him reluctantly and called over her shoulder, “It means yes.”
Emilee and Christa didn’t need anything more. They bounded into the room, threw their arms around Gabe and sent him tumbling to the floor. Almost immediately, they released him and launched themselves at Sharon. Excited chatter filled the air with everyone talking at once.
“When are you getting married?” Emilee asked.
Christa let Sharon go and grabbed Gabe’s arm. “Before the end of the year. It has to be before the end of the year.”
“I know!” Emilee cried. “New Year’s Eve. Before midnight!”
Sharon laughed and met Gabe’s gaze in silent question. He grinned and nodded in agreement. To be honest, he didn’t care when or where they did it, as long as they were together every day for the rest of their lives.
He’d found the peace and contentment he’d been looking for forever. Strangely, he’d found it in the one place he’d never thought to look.
At home.
EPILOGUE
“ALL RIGHT, try it now.”
Sharon smiled at the muffled voice of Gabe’s father whose head was hidden by the sink and whose legs stuck out into the middle of her kitchen floor. She turned on the faucet and let it run for a second, then shut it off again quickly. “Is it still leaking?”
Harold pushed out from beneath the sink and grinned triumphantly. “Looks like we got it. There’s not even a drop.”
Sharon held out a hand and helped him to his feet. “Thanks, Dad. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
“Nonsense.” Her father-in-law’s voice sounded gruff, but he sent her an affectionate glance. “Sometimes I wonder if you intentionally break things, just to make me feel useful now that I’ve retired.”
“Honestly, Harold.” Gabe’s mother looked up from the salad she was making, but she sent Sharon a grateful smile when her husband looked away to put the wrench back in his toolbox. “How could you accuse Sharon of something like that? This is an old house, and heaven only knows Gabriel’s too busy to keep everything in working order.”
Sharon smiled softly. She’d been part of their family for only six months, but she felt as if she’d been one of them forever. She turned her attention to Tracy, who stirred a pitcher of lemonade at the end of the counter. “Would you mind asking your dad if he’s ready to start grilling?”
Though their initial meeting late last summer had been a little strained, they’d discovered so many things in common the uneasiness had disappeared almost immediately. And Gabe’s twice-a-week phone calls between visits had helped to remove the rest of the barriers between them, as well.
“I don’t know,” Tracy said skeptically. “He might never want to start cooking. He’s been playing with Taylor all afternoon.”
Gabe’s attachment to Adelle’s son, already nearly a year old, never ceased to warm Sharon’s heart, and she wondered how she’d ever let herself doubt his ability to commit to their family. She’d never seen a more devoted father or husband.
As if on cue, Gabe appeared in the patio door holding Taylor. “Are you ready for me to start the burgers? I suppose I could let this little guy sit with his mother for a while.”
Harold closed the toolbox and hefted it. “Why don’t you let me cook this time? Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
“Sure, if you want to.” Gabe shrugged casually and chucked Taylor under his chin. “I’d like to run a couple of things past you, anyway. We got that contract for the store in that new strip mall, and I’d like your input.”
Harold’s quick smile confirmed what Gabe had told Sharon. Seeking his father’s advice helped make the transition smoother for all of them. She let her gaze linger on her husband for a moment, marveling at her good fortune as she often did.
“You’ve made him happy,” her mother-in-law said softly.
Sharon turned to face her. “He’s made me happy, too.”
“I can see that.” Gabe’s mom positioned tomato wedges on the salad and glanced outside. “Why don’t you spend a few minutes with the girls. I’ll finish up in here.”
Sharon accepted the offer gratefully. Emilee would only be around a few more days before she headed back to college for summer quarter, and Christa would be leaving at the same time for an extended visit with Nick.
She stepped onto the patio, relishing the warmth of the early summer day. Emilee and Christa played badminton with Gabe’s nieces on the far edge of the lawn while Rosalie and Jack looked on. Adelle and Doug sat in the shade of the old oak tree, heads together, probably discussing Adelle’s hopes to give Taylor a brother or sister by next year.
Sighing with contentment, Sharon caught Gabe’s eye. They shared a smile, filled with the joy of the moment and the promise of forever. Together.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0267-2
NEW YEAR, NEW LOVE
Copyright © 2011 by Sherry Lewis
This book originally published as A MAN FOR MOM
Copyright © 1999 by Sherry Lewis
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