Could Be the Reason: (Gabe and Sadie) (A Back to Jetty Beach Romance Book 3)

by Claire Kingsley

  It’s typical—garish turquoise and salmon comforter, blue carpet, a cheap painting on the wall that looks vaguely like a sunset. It smells like lemon cleanser and bleach, and it looks clean. I toss my bag on the bed and check the bathroom. The sink is cracked, but the towels are fresh. It will do.

  I pull out my phone. Gabriel keeps trying to call. I feel horrible for ignoring him. I know he’s worried. It was a huge mistake to get involved with him in the first place. I was so stupid for underestimating the risk. What else did I think Adam would do if he found out I was with someone? The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that getting to Gabriel is why he started the fire. Just the fact that I work there isn’t motive enough.

  He wanted to send a clear message that he won’t let someone else have me. That he’ll punish anyone who tries.

  I can’t do that to Gabriel. I can’t ask him to live with that danger. Leaving him like this makes me sick to my stomach. I honestly don’t know what I’m doing anymore. When he told me it was arson, I panicked. Maybe I should have stayed.

  But I can’t get rid of the memory of what it felt like to stand with him and watch his restaurant burn. How could I possibly stay after that? I love him too much to put him in that kind of danger.

  My only hope is that Adam will realize I’m gone and leave Jetty Beach. I don’t know how long I can stay hidden from him. I’ll do a better job this time. I won’t use my name. I won’t make friends. Maybe I’ll keep moving. Stay in L.A. for a while, and move on before he has a chance to find me. If I stay one step ahead of him, he might never catch up.

  I don’t know why I do this to myself, but I sit on the edge of the bed and read Gabriel’s texts again.

  Baby, where are you?

  Are you okay?

  Baby, what’s going on? Where are you?

  I’m getting really worried. Please text me back.

  Sadie, what happened? Where did you go?

  I squeeze my eyes shut. I’ll answer him in the morning, just before I get on the highway again. I want to tell him how sorry I am. How much I love him. But maybe making a clean break is better. I should tell him it’s over.

  My entire body aches at the thought of typing those words. No one ever said life is fair, but this is leaving me desolate.

  That fucker Adam keeps taking everything from me. He violated my body, destroyed my trust. He took my family, my hometown. And now this. My Gabriel.

  It’s so goddamn unfair.

  I don’t bother getting undressed—just push my bag aside and get beneath the covers. I’m too exhausted to do anything else. I can’t even find the energy to cry.

  A sharp pain wakes me with a start. Bile burns the back of my throat and my stomach heaves. Oh god, I’m going to—

  I run to the bathroom, my hand clamped over my mouth. I barely make it to the toilet before I vomit up what’s left of last night’s fast-food dinner. A cold sweat breaks out over my forehead, and I wait a few minutes, taking deep breaths, before I get up.

  I feel hungover, but I certainly wasn’t drinking last night. My stomach is raw and I’m not sure that’s the only trip to the bathroom I’ll make. I clean up as best I can in the sink and splash some cold water on my face. Glancing in the mirror, I cringe. My skin is pallid, my eyes sunken.

  Just what I need, to be sick on the road.

  I go back to bed and lie down, hoping my stomach will settle. After a few minutes, it starts to get better, the nausea fading to a mild ache.

  The thought of food sounds awful, so I decide not to worry about breakfast. I’ll just change my clothes and get going.

  Gingerly, I get up, not wanting to trigger another vomiting spell. So far, so good. I put on a clean shirt and go into the bathroom to brush out my hair and put it up in a bun.

  Standing in front of the mirror with my hair halfway tied, I stop and stare at my reflection.

  Wait.

  I don’t feel sick anymore. If I had food poisoning, it would last for hours. A virus? It wouldn’t disappear after I vomit once. I’d have other symptoms—a fever. Something.

  But I actually feel okay.

  There’s another reason a woman might vomit out of nowhere. Especially in the morning.

  Oh my god.

  My hands shake and I swallow hard, putting my brush down on the counter. I glance down at my belly. Is it possible? Am I pregnant?

  I can’t deny that it’s possible. We had unprotected sex at the cabin. But it was just the one time. What are the chances?

  As much as I want to put more distance between myself and Jetty Beach, now that I’ve had the thought, I can’t escape it. I have to know.

  There’s a convenience store across the street. I try to act calm while the cashier rings up my purchase, but my hands won’t stop trembling. I manage to pay and I take it back to my room.

  I go into the bathroom, and for the second time in my life, I wait to find out if I’m pregnant.

  The first time was after Adam. I took dozens of tests, terrified he’d gotten me pregnant. I took them well before they’re supposed to be effective, and didn’t stop until I got my period.

  Then, I prayed for it to be negative. Now? I have no idea what to think.

  What if it’s positive? What if I’m having Gabriel’s baby?

  The storm of emotions inside me is so overwhelming, I’m almost numb. I lean against the door frame, afraid I might fall over.

  Obviously, I should hope it’s negative. I can’t have a baby. I’m on the run, trying to get away from the man who won’t stop tormenting me. I can’t bring a child into that life.

  On the other hand, Gabriel’s baby…

  No, I can’t let myself indulge in fantasies like that. It has to be negative.

  I go back into the bathroom to check the test. I take a deep breath before I pick it up, and make myself look.

  Pregnant.

  The test drops from my limp fingers to clatter on the dingy linoleum floor. My heart races and my breath comes fast. Pregnant? I’m pregnant?

  Oh my god, Adam is going to kill me.

  If he finds me, and discovers I’m having another man’s baby, he’ll kill me. Literally. He’ll kill Gabriel too. I know it, deep in my soul. Burning down the restaurant shows how unstable he is. He’s insane. He wants me for himself, like I’m his property. And when he finds out another man has had me, he’s going to lose his mind.

  What the hell am I going to do now?

  23

  Sadie

  I literally have no idea where I’m going to go.

  I’m sitting in my car, still parked in the motel parking lot. The positive pregnancy test is sticking out of my purse, half encased in the wrapper. Maybe I should have thrown it away, but it’s like I need to keep looking at it to believe it’s real.

  My phone sits in my lap. I’ve almost called Gabriel at least ten times. I can’t just leave him when I’m carrying his child. I don’t want to leave him at all.

  I feel like I’m being torn in half, the pieces of myself raw and bleeding. Gabriel means everything to me. He showed me that I can trust again. That I’m capable of love, and being loved. He gently drew out a piece of me I thought was dead and gone. He was patient, and steadfast. He never once doubted me or my story. He believed me. He believed in me.

  In us.

  But Adam won’t ever leave me alone. And if he gets the chance, he’s going to kill me. If I’m with Gabriel, he’ll kill him too.

  A car pulls up directly behind mine, blocking my way out. My heart instantly starts racing and a surge of adrenaline pours through my system. I reach for my purse, my hands shaking, and fumble for the pepper spray I always carry.

  Oh my god, he found me.

  My fight or flight response is going crazy. I shove the pregnancy test deeper into my purse. I can’t let Adam see it. Maybe I can still talk my way out of this—but not if he knows I’m pregnant. That’s going to send him off the deep end.

  “Sadie.”

  The voice is
slightly muffled from outside my car. He’s standing next to my door, his hand pulling up on the handle. It’s locked.

  But the voice isn’t Adam’s.

  I make myself look up through the window. There’s a man there, tall and strong, with dexterous hands, stubble on his jaw, and unkempt dark blond hair. Piercing blue eyes look down at me, pleading.

  It’s Gabriel.

  I gasp in a hard breath and press every button on the door, trying to get it unlocked. Tears of shock and relief blur my vision. Finally, the door unlocks and he throws it open. Hands grasp me, pulling me out, crushing me against his body.

  “Oh my god, Sadie.”

  I melt into him, giving in. I don’t have it in me to resist, and I don’t want to. He’s here. I don’t know how he found me, but he did.

  He holds me tight, his arms wrapped firmly around me. I thread my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest, breathing him in. His masculine scent fills me. Calms me. I close my eyes and cling to him—to the hope that surges through me at his presence.

  “Baby, what happened?” he asks, his voice soft.

  I take a shaky breath. “He’s going to kill me.”

  “No.” He pulls back and presses his palm to the side of my face. “Sadie, I swear to you, I won’t let that happen. He’ll never hurt you. I promise.”

  “He burned down your restaurant,” I say. “That’s how insane he is.”

  “Don’t worry about the restaurant,” he says. “It’s just a building.”

  “But Gabriel—”

  “Shh,” he says, putting a finger to my lips. “Is that why you left? Because you’re afraid of him?”

  I nod. “If he’s crazy enough to commit arson, I don’t know what else he’ll do. He won’t stop.”

  “I’ll deal with him,” Gabriel says. “We’ll figure this out, together. But I can’t protect you if you take off like this.”

  “I was trying to protect you.”

  He leans in and kisses me. “Oh my sweet Sadie. You don’t have to protect me.”

  “Yes, I do. I love you. I can’t let him ruin your life the way he ruined mine.”

  “The only thing that will ruin my life is losing you. And I’ll be damned if I let him take you away from me.” He kisses me again. “Please come home. I promise I’ll keep you safe if you just come home with me.”

  I gape at him. What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful man? “Okay. I’ll come.”

  He hugs me again, sighing out a long breath, like he’s relieved. I bask in the comfort of his arms, the steadiness of his body against mine, the assurance of his safety. I don’t know what this means, or how we’re going to make this work. I don’t have any idea how to stop Adam. But I know I can’t live without Gabriel.

  “I’m so sorry I ran,” I say into his chest. “I never wanted to leave you. I was just so scared.”

  “I know, baby,” he says, stroking my hair. “I know.”

  “Gabriel, there’s something I need to tell you.” Maybe now isn’t the best moment, but I can’t wait. I can’t hold this inside.

  He leans back so he can meet my eyes. “Of course. What is it?”

  Deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”

  He blinks and for a second, he’s expressionless. “You’re…?”

  I nod and start talking, the words spilling out in a rush. “I didn’t know when I left yesterday. I took a test this morning. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out what to do. I’m so sorry. I think it must have happened our first time, when we were at the cabin and—”

  He shuts me up with his lips, taking my mouth in a hungry kiss. It’s deep and passionate, his tongue caressing mine. For the briefest second, I wonder whether we’re alone in this parking lot, but the thought flees almost as fast as it came. I’m consumed by him, swept up in this moment—in the feel of our bodies pressed together, in his devastating kiss.

  When he finally pulls away, he cups my face with his hands. “I love you.”

  “You’re not upset?” I ask.

  He smiles. The man who just lost everything smiles at me. “How could I be? Don’t you see? Everything we’ve both been through brought us here, to this moment. I’d do anything to spare you the pain you’ve endured. But if things were different, you might never have left Missouri. You’d still be living in that same town, thousands of miles away from me.” He pauses to kiss me again. “I can’t tell you how often I doubted my decision to move back to Jetty Beach and take over the Ocean Mark. My ex left me over it. I thought I’d lost my passion and I didn’t know how to get it back. But if I’d gone anywhere else, if I’d done anything differently, I wouldn’t have been there when you came.”

  My eyes burn with tears and I bite my lower lip to keep them from spilling.

  He takes my hands in his. “This is what it was for. I don’t care if you call it fate, or destiny, or blind fucking luck. But I love you more than anything. This is what I want. You. I don’t care about anything else. And we’re going to have a baby together? God, Sadie, you couldn’t have given me better news.”

  I throw my arms around his neck and he nearly picks me up, he hugs me so tight. I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t trust myself to speak. This time the tears that trail from the corners of my eyes are tears of joy.

  “Don’t leave me again, Sadie,” he says, his voice soft in my ear. “Let me keep you safe. Let me love you.”

  “I won’t. I promise. But what are we going to do?”

  “We’ll deal with Adam,” he says. “We’ll find a way. And we don’t have to do it alone.”

  24

  Gabe

  The lights are dim in Finn’s pub. It’s late, I just did an unbelievable amount of driving—Sadie was seven hours away, and then I turned around and brought her back—and I can’t remember the last time I slept. But none of that matters. I brought my woman home, and she’s safe with me now.

  I glance over at her table. She’s sitting with Emma, Juliet, and Becca. They were here waiting for us when we arrived. I texted Finn and Lucas to keep them updated while I was gone, so they knew what was happening. Hunter has been working on locating Adam. We all met here when we got back into town, and the girls pounced on Sadie as soon as we walked in the door. They had water, tea, snacks—Juliet even brought a fluffy blanket to wrap around her shoulders.

  As much as I want to be near her—touching her—it’s comforting to see her with friends, caring for her. The way women know how to do for each other. She told them right away about the baby, and I’m glad she did. They all hugged her and congratulated her, telling her how excited they are. Now they have something to talk about that isn’t Adam.

  We’re handling that at our table.

  Finn closed the pub early, so we’re the only ones in here. He and Lucas sit with me near the bar, empty plates still cluttering the center of the table. Hunter walks out from the kitchen. He got up to take a call a few minutes ago, and the rest of us knew better than to ask questions. I know it has something to do with finding Adam. Hunter’s a stand-up guy, but he’s a retired Marine turned private security consultant, and I’m discovering he has resources and connections that are… interesting.

  “I have eyes on him,” Hunter says, pitching his voice low as he takes a seat. The women know what we’re talking about, but the four of us want to spare them the details so they won’t worry any more than they already are. “He has a room at the Shilo. Driving a Ford pickup with Missouri plates. Didn’t do much today. Drove around. Stopped at a store. He never drove near your house. But I can’t say whether or not he knows where you live, or where Sadie would be.”

  “So what do we do?” Finn asks. “Call the police?”

  I shake my head. “We don’t have anything on him. The fire department is still conducting their investigation, and there’s no guarantee they’ll find proof. And what he did to Sadie was in another state, and she already dropped those charges. The police won’t have a reason to even bring him in for questioning.”

&n
bsp; “We can’t just do nothing,” Lucas says. “The guy’s a fucking lunatic.”

  “No, nothing isn’t an option,” I say. “We need to get rid of this guy.”

  “What are we talking about here?” Lucas asks. “Like, really getting rid of him?”

  “Jesus,” Finn says. “This is some serious shit.”

  “Look, as much as I’d love to get my hands on him and make him regret everything he’s done, we can’t go vigilante. He’s not worth the risk to our families.” I look at Hunter. I’ve thought this through. “We have children to think about.”

  Hunter nods. “Then we have to work within the law.”

  “Okay, so how do we do that?” Finn asks.

  I rub my chin and stare at the table for a long moment. “We need to do two things. First, we need to make sure the fucker knows if he ever shows his face here again, we will end him. I don’t want to go to prison, but if he comes back…” I take a deep breath to cool the hot coal of anger that smolders in my gut. “Second, we need the law to get their hands on him. I don’t know if Sadie can reopen her case in Missouri, but if we can at least get him to admit to the arson, that will be a start.”

  “We need a confession,” Hunter says.

  “So how do we do that?” Lucas asks. “We can’t exactly kidnap and waterboard him.”

  Everyone’s eyes dart to Hunter. I think we’re all wondering if he knows how to do that.

  “We need a way to record him,” Hunter says. “Get him talking and have a record of it. But you can’t record someone without their consent. It’s illegal here.”

  “What about the security system at my house?” I ask. “If we somehow get him to my place, can we record him there? It has audio, and if I move the cameras, they can record anywhere.”

  Hunter taps the table a few times. “That gets into shaky legal ground. I have a cop friend I can call and ask, but I think even home security systems fall under wiretapping laws. Especially the audio recordings, which is what we’d need. He’d have to…”