by Violet Duke
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
SUMMER DIDNâT BOTHER going to Carolina Dreams the next day. Rose would most likely be at the store, and she did not want to face her right now. Instead, she met with Ms. Foster, informed the woman of her plans, and then walked out again.
She trudged up the street, not wanting to notice the blue sky or the bright sun. She certainly didnât want to smell the flowers.
She was in no mood for any of it.
There was no reason for her to stay in Holland Springs any longer. Her purpose for coming back was no longer a goal. She had no purpose, much less a goal.
She had no job, no place to live, and no car, because she refused to take Gabrielâs thoughtful gift with her.
Her only choice was to clean out her checking account, and purchase a bus ticket to the other side of the country. This time, she would make herself stay away. She would give Gabriel the divorce he deserved, so he could be with a woman who deserved him.
She swallowed a sob, then another, until she had to sit down on the nearest bench. Breathing deeply, she tried to get her emotions under control. It wouldnât do for anyone to see her like this.
Not that anyone would care to see her like this.
Well, Jemma Leigh would care and Gabriel, maybe even Gabrielâs family.
Out of the corner of her eye, a flash of red caught her attention. She turned, watching in disbelief as Gabriel practically danced through the park. He didnât see her. She stood, shrinking back into the shadows and behind a tree.
He looked so happy, so pleased with life, that she couldnât help but smile with him. A tear trickled down her face.
Suddenly, Elise appeared, bumping into Gabriel, and Summerâs heart leapt into her throat.
Gabriel turned around, looking sheepish and apologetic. Elise burst into tears, and Gabrielâs arms automatically went around her, pulling her closer. He said something to his ex-girlfriend, most likely words of comfort, because thatâs just who he was.
A watery smile appeared on Eliseâs face.
Summer couldnât take anymore. She had to leave, and not because she thought Gabriel was wrong or he would cheat, but because Elise was the woman he deserved.
The faster she left town, the better it would be for everyone.
She marched out of her hiding place, not bothering to answer when Gabriel called out her name, even as her heart screamed at her to stop.
Tears ran down her face, but she didnât bother to scrub them away. She wanted to remember this moment, this decision to be selfless for the third time, and let the one she loved have a better life. Without her.
âHey you!â Jemma Leigh called from their usual table at Muffin Top.
âI really canât, Jemma Leigh,â Summer said, trying in vain to keep the blonde from seeing her tears. Jemma Leigh would be nice and concerned, and make Summer feel a million times worse.
Sheâd miss Jemma Leigh, and the knowledge hurt almost as bad as leaving Gabriel to Elise.
âWhat in the world happened?â Jemma Leigh said, quickly catching up with her.
âIâm leaving.â Summer stopped walking, and Jemma Leigh did the same.
Jemma Leigh pursed her lips, nodding. âI see that.â
âItâs for the best.â
âThat darn Bernice. I told her I didnât believe a word she was saying about you and Jeremy.â Jemma Leigh tossed her head. âAs if my best friend would ever mess with my husband.â
Summerâs eyes grew huge. âSomeone told you I was messing around with Jeremy?â
âJust Bernice, but no one ever takes her seriously,â Jemma Leigh said. âShe wears white after Labor Day and thinks college football is boring.â
Summer laid her hand on Jemma Leighâs arm. âI would never, ever sleep with your husband, or anyoneâs husband, for that matter.â
Jemma Leigh rolled her eyes and huffed. âSilly woman. I know. We had an entire conversation about it. Gosh, I didnât fall off the turnip truck last night. Youâre my best friend, Summer Jean Holland Edwards, and nothingâs more sacred a bond between women.â
Summer threw her arms around the taller woman. âI love you, Jemma Leigh Stratford, and youâre the best friend a woman could ever have.â Then she let go of her and did what she did best.
Summer ran away.
AFTER LUNCH WITH Carlos, Gabriel strolled through the park with a smile on his face and lightness in his step. He wanted to sing and dance, and give praise. He felt like King David, when heâd brought home the ark, and his joy couldnât be contained, so heâd stripped down and led all his people into rejoicing.
Only he wasnât King David, he didnât have any people, and he was pretty sure heâd be arrested for stripping in the middle of the park.
Stillâ¦
Summer Holland loved him. She loved him. Wait. Make that Summer Holland Edwards loved him.
Had the sun ever been any brighter? Had the sky ever been as blue? Had the flowers ever smelled so sweet?
The answer to all his questions was a big, resounding no.
Whistling, he did a little shuffle dance by a tree and almost bumped into another person.
âIâm so sorry,â he began, turning around and finding Elise there. âWhatâs wrong?â
Tears streaked her face. âIâve made a mistake, but now itâs too late, because I knowâI know…â She burst into tears.
Immediately, he hugged Elise. She looked so lost and forlorn that he couldnât help himself. âItâs okay. Tell me what I can do.â
âI need a friend, someone to talk to,â she sniffed and he got a funny feeling in his stomach. âCan we go somewhere private?â
That funny feeling turned right back into the off feeling heâd had when they had been a couple. But he didnât want to hurt her feelings, not when she was obviously hurting again. âThereâs hardly anyone in the park,â he said into her hair. He lifted his head and set her away from him, gently smiling. âWhy donât we sit down on the nearest bench and talk?â
Elise looked at the bench, and then at him. âSummerâs cheating on you.â
Gabriel clenched his jaw. âOh really?â
âYes. I have it on good authority that sheâs cheating with some man named Jeremy Stratford.â Elise dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. She looked sincere enough, but Gabriel didnât care.
What he did care aboutâpeople running their mouths about Summer.
âMy wife is sleeping with her best friendâs husband?â he asked tightly.
âYes, Iâm so sorry. I shouldnât have broken up with you like I did, because then you wouldnât be in this mess.â She blew her nose. âEveryone is talking about it.â
His stomach dropped. âEveryone?â Oh crap. He had to warn Summer.
A familiar flash of pale hair had him reeling. Summerâs brown-eyed gaze met his. She looked heartbroken while he felt like his heart was breaking. She must have heard the rumor, and now she thought he believed it, when that was the furthest thing from the truth.
Summer spun away, dashing in the opposite direction. He shouted her name and went after her.
âWhy are you going to her?â
âBecause she needs me,â he tossed over his shoulder, and thatâs when he almost stopped in his tracks. He really did have a need to save people, to be needed, and save the day. Hadnât he automatically comforted Elise, ready to help her in whatever she needed?
Summer crossed the street, and a large moving van went by, obscuring his view of her for only a minute, but it was enough time for her to disappear.
Gritting his teeth, he kept himself from roaring her name. She didnât need any more attention drawn to her, and if he acted like some jealo
us husband (though he wasnât), shouting at her in the middle of town, then it would only serve to make the gossips happy.
As cars passed, more than a few drivers waved at him. He waved back, heading to the parking lot where his truck and Summerâs bright green VW Bug was parked, arriving in record time.
It wasnât there.
He smacked the roof of his truck and then dug into his pocket for his keys. He unlocked the door and started to get inside when another woman yelled his name.
âBella,â he groaned. âI have to get to Summer.â
âItâll only take a minute,â Isabella pleaded.
He didnât have a minute, but this was his sister. âYou have one minute.â
Isabella nodded, her normally tan skin pale. âIâm asking you to wait until Iâm done before you get upset.â
âGood grief, Bella. I donât want to hear about Summer and Jeremy.â
Isabella wrinkled her nose. âTheyâre planning a birthday party for Jemma Leigh. Itâs supposed to be a surprise.â
Oh God. His wife was actually trying to do a good deed, and this was how she was paid back. âFine. Iâll be sure not to spill the beans.â
âIâm pregnant.â
Gabriel blinked, his grip loosening on his truck. He actually felt lightheaded. âWhat did you say?â
âIâm pregnant, and I donât know what to do.â
Gabriel saw red. âIâll kill Peter, that rat bastââ
âYou donât know the rat bastard,â Isabella said, her cheeks flushing. âThe father isnât from around here.â
Learning that the father wasnât Peter made him feel marginally better. However, the isnât from around here descriptor didnât exactly make him all excited.
âAre you disappointed in me?â his sister asked in a small voice.
âSoon as I become the most perfect person on the planet, then Iâll be disappointed with you. Or if the babyâs father is a Romanov,â he joked, unsure of what else to say.
âHeâs not a Romanov, but he is the best friend of one.â
Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, wishing he didnât have to deal with this right now. Selfish, maybe, but he needed to get to Summer before she did something dumbâlike skip town, without him.
âWhen did you meet the best friend of a Romanov?â
âItâs not important, but Gabrielâ¦â Isabellaâs voice shook. âIâm scared.â
He pulled his little sister into his arms, kissing the top of her head. âItâll be okay. I promise.â
âSummer said I should at least give the guy a chance to have a choice in the matter.â
âMy wife is very smart.â He could only imagine how Summer felt when she learned she was pregnant, and the babyâs father had been killed.
âCan you promise not to tell Mom and Dad?â
Gabriel leaned back. âItâs not my place to tell. Itâs yours, but what I can do is support you, in whatever way is best for you and the baby.â
Isabella hugged him tighter. âThank you. Youâre the best big brother a girl could ever have.â
Gabriel smiled. Now all he had to be was the best husband a girl could ever have and convince his wife to stay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SUMMER FINISHED PACKING the last of her belongings as Gabriel walked into their bedroom.
âIâm sorry I wasnât home sooner, but Isabella needed me.â
âDonât apologize for helping you sister. Sheâs family.â
He exhaled and then saw her bags. âDonât do this. Please donât do this. â
âI have to.â She smoothed her faded red t-shirt down over her jeans shorts, and then shoved her hands into pockets that peeked out from beneath the frayed hem. Leaving the clothes Jemma Leigh had let her borrow for an indefinite amount of time was the right thing to do. âIâm leaving you, Gabriel, and itâs for the best.â
âBut we belong together.â
âWish I could say the same.â Coming back home made her entire life muddy. It made her question who she was, where she was headed, and where sheâd been.
He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in places. Making her want to smooth it back down. âTell me why youâre in such a hurry? Is it because you saw me comforting Elise?â
It was on the tip of her tongue to be flippant about the whole thing. To be the old Summer who always came back home with a mountain on her shoulder. âYou belong with her, not me.â
Taking a step closer, his indigo eyes seemed to see right through her. âDonât you think thatâs for me to decide?â
âNoâI mean, yes.â She pulled her hands out of her pocket and held them up. âLook, I donât expect you to understand, but thereâs nothing here for me.â
âNot even me?â
Pain ricocheted inside of her. She lowered her gaze to stare at his shoes. âI donât deserve you.â Glancing back up at him, she found his gorgeous eyes full of compassion. âIvy doesnât need me in her life.â
His hand came up to cup her jaw, his thumb tenderly rubbing her skin. âMaybe you need her in yours, and I sure as hell need you in mine.â
It would be so easy to lean on him, to draw in his strength when she had none of her own. âNo, you donât .You need someone to love you, to be able to go to church with you, and fit in with your friends. Right now, I canât do all of those things.â Brutal honesty was the only way to make him let go of her.
But he didnât. His thumb kept up that slow glide. âYes, you do. Youâre just too afraid to admit it.â
âIâm not afraid of anything,â she cried, jerking her head back. âLeast of all you, and what you want.â
Gabriel stepped closer. âBut you are. Youâre afraid to think that youâre worth loving, you think that your past is your present and future. But Iâm here to tell you that itâs not. I donât love you despite your past. I just love you, as you are, as you were, and as you will be. Youâre my heart, Summer Edwards.â
Fury and self-loathing bubbled in the pit of her stomach. Why wouldnât he call her out on the selfishness that had carved its way inside of her?
âEveryone thinks Iâm cheating on you with Jeremy Stratford.â
He shrugged. âWho cares what everyone thinks?â
âYou do!â
âIf I believed the rumors, would I be begging you to stay?â
She frowned. âI donât know.â
âI wouldnât be here, but it doesnât matter because youâre not that woman. You never were. She never existed.â
Why did he have to say such beautiful things? âIâm still leaving.â
âPlease stay. For me.â
His words hung in the air, tantalizing and shimmering with temptation. This wasnât good. Nothing good ever came of them trying to be a couple. âNo.â One last desperate try. âI canât.â
He leaned in, his lips dangerously close to hers. She searched his face. His five oâclock shadow had already made its appearance, then his cheek dimpled. âStay.â
Wetting her lips, she made the mistake of blinking. The gentle brush of his mouth on hers had her gasping for air.
âYouâd be miserable.â
âStay.â He brushed her lips again, and she trembled. Her eyes were wide open, his closed.
âIâm the town whore, and youâre the idiot who married her.â
âUtter nonsense.â Another kiss, light as a butterfly perched on asters. âStay.â
Centuries must
have passed while he kissed her. While he whispered âstayâ against her mouth. While nothing but his lips and words touched her.
She breathed him in. His kiss. His plea.
âStay.â
Breathe in.
His tongue glided across her bottom lip.
Breathe out.
âStay.â
âNo.â She wrenched herself away, grabbed her bag, and ran to the silver truck, and not the VW Bug. Hands shaking, she wrenched open the door and climbed inside, but for some reason, she couldnât put the key in the ignition.
Gabriel appeared on his front porch, his face drawn tight. She stared at him, biting her lip so hard that she tasted blood.
He moved to the steps.
Her hand went to the door to pull it shut, but she couldnât do that either.
âIâm sorry for failing you, Summer,â he said. âIâm sorry for not being there for you, for expecting you to change when you were perfect as God made you. I failed us, and Iâm so damned sorry.â
Tears began to fall. She sniffed. âStop it,â she whispered.
âI love you, Summer. If you need me to tell you a thousand times a day, I will.â
Bewildered, she shook her head. âWhy? Why do you love me so much?â
âI just do.â He ran a hand through his hair again. âIâve loved you from the start.â
âBut you canât love me,â she said, ânot after everything, not afterâ¦â She almost choked on the words before saying them. âNot after all Iâve put you through.â
âGrow old with me, right here in this house.â He kissed her forehead. âHave lots of babies with me. Every day, Iâll pick flowers for you to wear in your hair, and together, weâll watch the kids.â
âStop it,â she said, but her resolve was weakening. She wanted to stay. Not only was she tired of running, she wanted to be with him. Forever.
He laced their fingers together and helped her out of the truck. âMake this the moment you decided to show those no-good busy bodies that you are here to stay, with me. Always and forever. You donât have to do this alone, not anymore, and not ever again.â