She raised her legs slightly and wrapped them around his waist, so he could go even deeper. Gabe groaned. One thrust went so deep it felt as if he’d reached her heart, pushing away any sadness that lingered for living without him these last few years. He’d touched her soul as no man ever had. And every day, including today, she’d show him how much she loved him and make up for their lost time.
Gabe picked up the tempo. “Touch yourself for me, baby. I want to see you rubbing your clit.”
Kayla had no problem doing that. Hell, she’d do anything for this man. She licked her finger, knowing she was driving him crazy. Then she put her finger on her clit and rubbed it in fast circles, making it swell even more.
“That’s it, baby,” he said, his tone filled with tenderness and lust at the same time.
Between his thrusts and her finger, she knew she was about to come, but she tried to hold herself back.
“I love you, Gabe Wademan,” she shouted, right before an orgasmic wave hit her.
Gabe made a grunting noise. “I love you, Kayla Conway—soon-to-be Wademan.”
He came then, too. Together, they rode the orgasmic wave, clinging to each other. Kayla thought it was a metaphor for their life. They’d already had ups and downs, and she expected to have many more, but as long as they clung together, they could get through anything, including telling her family.
She looked into Gabe’s eyes and ran her hands one more time through his hair. “Thank you for sealing it with your cock,” she said and smiled. “Now, let’s rub off the dirt sticking to the back of my sundress so we can tell my family it’s official; we’re engaged.”
She pecked him on the lips, as he slid out of her and then helped her to her feet.
Gabe helped her rub the dirt off her backside, which started to feel kinky, and they almost had sex again, so Kayla pushed his hands away and finished the job herself. But they were both laughing. Kayla hoped they’d always laugh like this. She’d make sure they did.
* * *
An hour later, the family was sitting in the living room at the house Pop had built for Nana—the perfect setting for Kayla and Gabe to tell her parents and siblings the news. Kayla had called an emergency family meeting. No one looked surprised. She had the ring on her finger, but she hid her hand in her pocket. Gabe stood next to her, taking his rightful place by her side.
She inhaled deeply. She stared at Matt, Jessica, Sarah, Lauren, Josh, and at her mom’s and her dad’s hopeful eyes. They were all waiting for some good news.
“I have some news I’d like to share.” Kayla looked over at Gabe. “Correction—we have some news we’d like to share.”
Gabe chuckled under his breath.
“We’re engaged,” she screamed.
The moment she said it, everyone stood and screamed with her. Sarah was the first to run up to them and hug them both, followed closely by Lauren. And then her parents and Matt and Jessica. Even Josh hugged her.
“I’d like to add one more thing,” Kayla said while everyone sat back down. “Sarah will be taking on more duties at the store while I finish getting my degree online. Lauren, of course, will be there to help.”
“And since our house won’t be finished for another six or seven months, I’m going to be moving into Kayla’s bedroom upstairs—unless that’s uncomfortable for you, Lynne and Paul?” Gabe asked.
“Please, call us Mom and Dad. And we know what goes on behind closed doors. You’re going to be intimate anyway, so you might as well not have to sneak around,” her mom said with a big grin.
“I have to call Melody, and we have to call Gabe’s family, too, but Mom…?”
“Yes, beautiful?”
Kayla started crying. She couldn’t help herself. “When I told Nana about Gabe, right before she died, she gave me her blessing. I just thought you should know that.”
With tears in her eyes, her mom placed her hands on Kayla’s arms. “Nana would have been so proud. She also had unbelievable intuition. She must have sensed what a wonderful man Gabe is. I’m glad she blessed your marriage. I wish she was alive for this moment.”
“And Pop, too,” Matt added.
“Yes, and Pop. They loved each other deeply. They had their ups and downs like any couple. But they survived. I wish both of you as happy a life as Nana and Pop had.” Her mom glanced over at Gabe.
“And us, too,” her dad added. “I wish you a happy life like I have with your mom.”
Kayla smiled. “I wish for that, too.”
“I’m honored to be a part of this family,” Gabe said seriously. “My main goal is to make Kayla happy.”
Gabe grabbed her hand, and she moved into his arms and hugged him.
“Thank you for being patient with me. And thank you for giving us a second chance,” Kayla said, holding him tight.
“Thank you for being patient with me. But the credit goes to my grandfather. He knew what he was doing by making me your landlord. He brought us together.” Gabe kissed the top of her head.
Kayla looked down at the ring. “I hope your grandfather, Nana, and Pop are friends in heaven.”
“They’re smiling down on us, for sure. Now, let’s continue to make them proud.” Gabe kissed Kayla gently on the lips.
Kayla felt like the most blessed woman in the entire world. Life was always good, but now it had gotten a whole lot better. And even though she’d learned Nana had cheated on Pop, he had always been the love of her life. That was something Kayla and her grandmother had in common, as Gabe was the love of Kayla’s life, no matter what.
She turned her head toward the television in the living room. “Did someone just put the TV on?”
“No…what the hell?” her dad said, bewildered, finding the remote control on the middle of the coffee table and turning off the television.
A loud bird was tweeting out on the back porch, and Kayla turned to look out the window.
“Gabe, your grandfather and Nana are here with us.”
Gabe laughed as he held her tighter. Kayla and Gabe were the only ones who had read Melody’s letter, so Kayla’s family wouldn’t understand about the television turning on and off, but she assumed her family would remember how Nana had loved birds.
“You see, honey,” her mom said. “I told you Nana was proud of you.”
Kayla missed Nana terribly. And with Gabe by her side, maybe she would finally have a chance to mourn the grandmother she’d adored. But for the first time in Kayla’s life, she felt complete.
Finally, the pieces of her life were coming together. And they fit perfectly.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Watching the sunrise made Kayla’s heart swell with even more love. Every morning at sunrise, she nursed her baby while welcoming a new day.
“I’m so glad I listened to you and built the sunroom here,” Gabe said as he walked into the room and kissed Kayla, and then Emily, their baby girl, on their foreheads.
“You still owe me for winning that bet.”
“I’ll give you another baby,” Gabe said with a twinkle in his eye.
Kayla laughed. “Emily’s only three months old. Let’s try to wait at least six.”
“I’ll try, but we’ll have to use some type of protection.”
Gabe was right. Other than the weeks following Emily’s birth, they’d had sex nearly every day since becoming engaged. They really were making up for lost time. He’d moved into her room at her family’s house for a few months as they’d planned. Everyone in the family knew what they were doing after dark, of course, but they pretended they didn’t. Kayla loved them for that. They did try to stay quiet. Some nights were harder than others, especially when he touched that one spot.
They gazed out into the sunrise, just staring, for seconds, minutes, hours—Kayla couldn’t tell. Baby Emily was fast asleep, and they might have sat there all morning if someone hadn’t knocked on their front door.
Gabe sighed. “Do you think it’s your mother or one of your sisters
?”
“What time is it?”
Gabe checked his watch. “Five-fifteen.”
“It’s probably my mother. I’ll talk to her and tell her not to come so early,” Kayla said, as she walked toward the front door.
“Hey.” Gabe grabbed her elbow to stop her. “I love you and I love your family. I knew what I was getting myself into the moment I proposed. And if your mom is coming here this early, something must be wrong. Your family has surprisingly learned to give us some space.”
Kayla smiled. She loved him more and more each day. “Do you want to talk to my mom with me?”
Gabe pecked her on the lips, lifting Emily out of her hands. “Absolutely. I spoke with your dad yesterday. They seem to be compromising just fine, so it can’t be about him.”
“What did my dad say?” Kayla loved that he knew just as much, if not more, about what was going on with her family than she did.
“He said that your mom was mad at him for walking in the house without brushing his shoes off on the mat. They had a huge fight, but at the end, he told her to put a sticky note on the wall by the door, so he’ll remember. That seemed to have done the trick.”
Kayla laughed, before opening the door. Her mom stood on their porch, looking upset.
“Hey, Mom, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Sarah,” her mom said as she walked past Kayla, lifted Emily out of Gabe’s arms, and then took banana pound cake out of the bag that was dangling from her arm. “I’m sorry for barging in so early, and good morning. I baked you banana pound cake because I’ve been up since the crack of dawn.”
“The crack of dawn is about now,” Gabe said, as he looked out the window at the rising sun.
“You want to sit down?” Kayla asked.
“No, I have another cake in the oven, and I have to get ready to babysit little Zach. Jessica took the day off today to spend time with Matt alone. I think she’s ready for another baby,” her mom said. “But I needed to tell you about Sarah. She broke another man’s heart. She didn’t tell me, of course. But I ran into Bill Radman in town last night when I went to pick up some groceries. He told me Sarah dated his son, Lucas, for the last month, and then all of a sudden, she told him she never wanted to see him again. I’ve heard at least ten stories similar to this one in the last six months. But this time sounded the worst, so I thought I’d tell you.”
“She has been a little unhinged lately,” Kayla agreed. She knew Sarah was up to something. Kayla had heard the same stories in town as her mom had, but she wouldn’t tell her mom that. A few days ago, she had confronted Sarah, but all Sarah said was she was looking for Mr. Now, not Mr. Forever.
But something didn’t feel right.
“We’ll go talk to Sarah,” Gabe assured her mom.
“I’d appreciate that,” her mom said after she kissed Emily on the cheek, then gave her back to Gabe.
“Thanks for the cake, Mom,” Kayla said as she gave her mom a hug.
“Any time. I love you all.”
Once she was gone, Kayla sighed.
“I’ve been going to Magical Toys every day this week to check on Sarah. She’s been acting strangely. When I confronted her, she wouldn’t tell me anything.” Aside from Sarah’s issues with men, Kayla thought Sarah was doing a wonderful job managing the store. All Kayla ever had to do was make sure everything was okay. She also liked spending time with her sisters there.
Lauren was happy and doing great, but Sarah was still a concern.
“You want to go see Sarah after your patient later?” Gabe asked.
Kayla answered as she walked toward the kitchen: “That’s a good idea.” She placed the delicious-smelling cake on the counter, grabbed a knife, and cut into it.
She had finished her degree, and Dr. Bosnie, a busy psychologist in town, had agreed to supervise her so eventually she could have her own private practice. It also helped him reduce his load by giving her some of his patients. Kayla loved it and knew without a doubt it was her calling.
“Cut a piece of your mother’s amazing cake for me, too, and I’ll put sleepy Emily in her crib,” Gabe said as he kissed Kayla on the back of her neck.
“After we go see Sarah, do you want to grab an iced coffee and bring Emily to our rock?” she asked.
“I’d love that. And I still have the blanket in my car from the last time we went.”
Kayla smiled softly and watched her gorgeous husband take the baby upstairs. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Gabe was an equal partner to her in every way. She had no doubt he’d help her figure out what was going on with Sarah.
By the time he came back down, she had cut two slices of the cake, almost finished hers, and handed the other one to him.
Gabe took a large bite and then looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. “Mmm, good, but I have a better idea.”
From the look in his eye, Kayla knew exactly what his good idea was. So she took the last bite of the cake, swallowed it as quickly as she could, and then threw her arms around his neck.
“I love you, Gabe. But I also want you to know that I appreciate you and everything you do for me and our family.”
Gabe winked at her. “Show me how much you appreciate me, beautiful.”
He lifted her up, slid the cake to the far end of the kitchen table, and then placed Kayla right down on the center. Then he opened her bathrobe and pushed up her black silk nightgown, that, luckily, her mom hadn’t seen because of that damn terrycloth robe. Gabe hated that robe, but Kayla was sure he had been grateful for it this morning.
He circled his finger over her clit and then used his delicious tongue.
“Wait a minute,” she said. “I thought I was supposed to show you how much I appreciate you.”
“You are.” Gabe stopped licking and looked at her. “By letting me touch you in any way I like, you’re doing just that.”
Kayla didn’t argue. She couldn’t. His tongue was back at it, and she lost all thought.
“Well, I can’t complain,” was all she could think of saying.
Her family was back on their feet. They still had issues, but so did everyone. And Kayla was married to the love of her life. She really had nothing to complain about.
Gabe chuckled under his breath and continued kissing her in her most intimate place. She lasted all of three minutes before she came.
Gabe pulled down his sweatpants—he’d learned to get dressed the minute he woke in case the family popped in early, as her mother had this morning—and then thrust inside her.
“Every time I’m inside you, I feel like I’m in heaven,” he said, his tone warm and seductive.
“I thought you were going to use protection,” she said.
Gabe began thrusting in the tempo she liked.
“Next time,” he replied in between breaths.
Kayla didn’t respond. She didn’t really care. She and Gabe had decided they wanted a big family to add to the chaos of hers. It would make life more fun, they decided. If she got pregnant, so be it.
This weekend, his parents were flying in to spend time with Emily. Although they were divorced, they got along great. Gabe spoke to them often.
Kayla’s mom was throwing them a “Welcome to Bella Cove” dinner, even though they’d been there for the wedding. Gabe also invited Alice and her girlfriend, since Alice could tell his parents stories about his grandfather that they’d never heard. Even though his parents hadn’t spoken to Gabe’s grandfather in years, once he died, they’d missed him.
Kayla was the happiest she’d ever been. She was able to see her family and be there for them when she wanted. Every morning, she woke up to the love of her life. She was raising their beautiful baby girl. And she was fulfilling her dream of being a psychologist.
And judging from the way Gabe was thrusting inside her, she’d learned to communicate her needs. Lucky for her, she was married to a man who made sure they were always met.
The End
For an additional free scene of Bella
Cove, please go to:
www.RochelleKatzman.com/BellaCove
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the following people for supporting my dream of writing romance. First, I’d like to thank my readers and reviewers. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to continue doing what I love. Thank you to Keidi Keating, Jill N. Noble-Shearer, Terezia Barna, and Tom Corson-Knowles, founder of TCK Publishing, who are part of my team. I would truly be lost without all of you. I’d like to thank Patricia Porco, owner of the beautiful toy store, Funni Business, in Oyster Bay, New York, for being the inspiration for Magical Toys. Thank you to Jody Garey-Hall, who stayed on the phone with me for hours while I read chapters of the book. My soul’s journey wouldn’t be the same without you. To my Nana, who guided my family and instilled unconditional love to her family. I wish I could have remembered you. And to my wise mom, who took the gifts my Nana had given, and taught me to love in the same way. This book is not about my family, but we do have strong women, who I believe are also heroines. I’d like to thank my dog, Henry, for spending hours next to me while I write. And of course, I’d like to thank the rest of my incredible family and wonderful friends, for your unlimited support.
Thank you for making my dream come true!
About the Author
Rochelle Katzman’s first published romance novel, Risking Her Heart, became a #1 Amazon bestseller. She won her first two creative writing awards at age six. She loves writing about strong heroines who create the lives they are meant to live.
Rochelle is also an international yoga instructor and a life coach. When she’s not traveling the world teaching workshops or helping women to achieve their dreams, she’s at home writing books. She currently lives in New York, but she’d love to move to a beautiful land filled with playful fairies and magical castles. Rochelle enjoys spending time with her family, especially her dog, Henry, when he’s not eating her favorite shoes.
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