The Love of Her Life: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 3)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Reticent to give away how inexperienced she was in the world of love and dating, Maya said, “No. I mean, yeah, I’ve had crushes on people who didn’t return the feelings, but never been in love like that.”

  Gabe’s expression was thoughtful. “No, me either. And I wish Bennett didn’t have to experience it. It’s probably even more difficult because Grace is someone close to our family. She’s Makayla’s best friend, so it’s not like she won’t be a part of our lives. And, of course, they live in the same building.”

  The waitress appeared with their food, and once again the conversation shifted. Maya was glad that the topic moved on from love and relationships. For some reason, Gabe seemed happy to dominate the conversation with stories about his family. She appreciated the insight into the people she worked with. It made her feel even more like she was part of the C&M Builders family.

  “Ready to go?” Gabe asked once they were done eating. “The movie starts in about twenty minutes.”

  Maya nodded then waited as Gabe took care of the bill. They walked out together, and Gabe, once again, offered to drive to the mall where the theater was and then bring her back. She agreed since it was just a short drive away. They were there in less than five minutes.

  Her indulgence continued as Gabe bought them a large buttered popcorn to share and a drink for each of them. She was determined to enjoy the experience since she rarely went to movies. Not having friends to do things with, she usually waited for movies that interested her to come out on Blu-ray and then she’d watch it in the theater they had in the mansion. It was set up like a theater, so she kind of had a taste of going to the movies’.

  But with Gabe there beside her, Maya realized just how lacking that experience had been. Sitting with her arm pressed against his, she wondered what he’d think about the theater in the basement of her home. It would definitely be a more intimate viewing experience. They could talk about the movie without having to worry about disrupting it for those around them.

  She was glad that they’d chosen to watch an action-adventure movie instead of a romance. It would have been a bit uncomfortable for her if their first movie together had included a love story. Comedies were a hit and miss thing for her, and she hadn’t wanted anything that might make her cry. Thankfully, they’d both agreed on the movie without much discussion.

  By the time the movie ended, Maya wasn’t sure that she’d remember much of the storyline, but the memory of being there with Gabe would linger forever. She’d remember the brush of their hands as they’d repeatedly reached for popcorn at the same time. The press of his arm to hers, its warmth a reassuring presence. And how, a few times, he’d turned to whisper a comment about the movie, the brush of air against her ear as he spoke giving her shivers. All of that and more would imprint this evening in her memory, even if whatever it was between them ended up being nothing more than a good friendship.

  It was late when they walked out of the theater. The snow had continued to fall, so Gabe needed to brush off his vehicle before they could leave. He’d told her to get inside, and he’d started it, so warmth flowed out of the vents. Maya watched as Gabe used a long brush to scoop away the snow on the windows. After it was all clear, he climbed behind the wheel, flashing her a quick smile that disappeared from sight when he closed the door and the interior light went off.

  He rubbed his hands together then held them out to the vents. “The temperature is dropping, I think.”

  “I’m not enjoying this winter too much,” Maya said. “Usually it’s not this cold until January.”

  Gabe pulled out of the parking spot. “Yeah. That’s why I usually plan to be somewhere other than Winnipeg in January.”

  Maya didn’t like the idea of Gabe leaving, but she didn’t want to live in denial of what was to come. “So where are you headed in January?”

  “Thailand, actually,” Gabe said. “I’m traveling with a group other people to Thailand for a month.”

  “A month?”

  “Yep. One of our group has managed to line up some very affordable housing for us, and we’ll have three different home bases while we explore the country. It definitely won’t be cold, that’s for sure.”

  “Have you been there before?”

  “Yeah, but it was only a quick trip with a specific goal.”

  Maya wanted to ask more, but Gabe was pulling into the spot next to her car in the nearly empty parking lot at Olive Garden. “Thanks for another fun time.”

  “You’re welcome.” Gabe turned the interior light on. “Why don’t you start your car and wait here while I clean it off.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Maya said, reaching for the door handle.

  Gabe laid a gloved hand on her arm. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to do this for you. It won’t take too long.”

  Warmth that had nothing to do with the air from the vents flooded through Maya at his words. “Thank you.”

  Gabe made quick work of her car then leaned in to let her know it was good to go. She climbed out and circled around to where he stood. This time, Gabe reached out and pulled her into a hug. Maya’s heart pounded as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Even though it was freezing, standing there with the snow falling all around them had suddenly become her absolute favorite moment. She didn’t feel the cold as she stood there in Gabe’s arms.

  When he stepped back, his hands slid down to take hers for a moment. They were both wearing gloves so she couldn’t feel his skin against hers, but still, she felt the strength in his grip on her fingers.

  “Thank you again for tonight,” Maya said. “I really, really enjoyed it.”

  Gabe smiled down at her, his expression soft in the light cast by the parking lot lampposts. “I did too. I hope we can do it again soon.”

  “Me too. Maybe we can talk tomorrow?”

  “Definitely.”

  Though Maya didn’t want the evening to end, the cold was starting to seep through her jacket. She turned and opened the door, glad that the car had warmed up a bit. Gabe held the upper edge of the door as she settled behind the wheel and did up her seat belt.

  They said goodnight then Gabe shut the door for her and stepped back. With a final wave, Maya pulled out of her parking spot and away from Gabe. She glanced into her rear-view mirror and saw his truck follow her out of the lot onto the street and then the highway. She hated to see the end of such a perfect evening, but she had high hopes for the evenings together that she hoped were yet to come.

  9

  That hug beside Maya’s car set a precedence for their future meetings—except for the ones at the office—and Maya found she had one more reason to look forward to seeing Gabe. She’d taken advantage of her parents’ absence and had done something with Gabe Wednesday and Thursday nights as well.

  On Wednesday, they’d met up at a Tim Hortons after dinner and grabbed some donuts and hot drinks. Gabe had then driven them through the Christmas light display that was set up west of the city. Though she’d been through the display in previous years with her mom and one of their drivers, going there now with Gabe had been far more memorable than any of the other times had been.

  Thursday night, they’d attended a Christmas dinner theatre that had been put on by Gabe’s church. His youngest brother and sister had been part of the production that had started that night and would run through Sunday night. She’d been so impressed by the performance and had thoroughly enjoyed the evening even beyond just being with Gabe. His parents had been at the table with them, as had Makayla and Ethan and Sammi and her boyfriend. None of them had questioned her presence there. They’d just welcomed her with friendly smiles as she sat down on the chair Gabe had pulled out for her next to Makayla.

  Though she’d been happy to see her parents when they returned on Friday, she knew that having them home would change things up a bit unless she was willing to tell them about Gabe. So she’d spent Friday evening having dinner with them, hearing all about their trip to New York. Saturday morning,
she’d managed to sneak off to the gym to give climbing another try. Nerves were non-existent this time around, but the butterflies that seemed to always be present when she was going to see Gabe had been out in full force.

  She’d gone to church again on Sunday, and on the drive there, Maya had realized she was thinking as much about the upcoming service as she was about seeing Gabe again. Thoughts of the previous Sunday’s sermon had lingered throughout the week, coming to mind at the oddest times. She’d been curious if the sermon for that Sunday would be as impactful as the previous week, and it had been. Both Sunday services had carried a strong reminder of what Christmas really was about.

  Unfortunately, in the remaining days leading up to Christmas, she hadn’t managed to spend as much time with Gabe. Between family obligations on both sides, they’d had to rely on text messages and phone calls. If nothing else, the brief break from constant contact with Gabe had reinforced her growing feelings for the man.

  Maya still had no idea when she should broach the subject of her health history. Though part of her had wondered if she had to at all, she had quickly acknowledged that all of that had played a role in who she was and how her life had unfolded from the moment she’d been given her cancer diagnosis. Her relationship with her parents had also been impacted as a result. So there really was no way to not have to share that history at some point if she really wanted something more serious with Gabe.

  That was also assuming that a more serious relationship was what he wanted.

  As Christmas Day drew to a close, quiet settled over the mansion. Not that it had been all that noisy since it was just the three of them, but her mom had set up a playlist of Christmas music that had drifted through every room all day. Presents were always a challenge for the three of them. What did you get the person who could afford to buy whatever they wanted? If her mom wanted a designer outfit or bag, she’d just buy it for herself. If her dad wanted a new car, he bought it. Two cars, if he wanted. So it had required her to think far in advance since whatever she got for them wouldn’t be something she could just pick up off the shelf or order online.

  In the end, she’d commissioned a painting from an artist who had taken a photo and transposed it onto a large canvas. The photo was of the three of them taken just weeks after Maya’s birth and had always been her favorite. It was a professional photo of her mom holding her, and her dad with his arms wrapped around them both. Her parents had been gazing down at her, and it had perfectly captured the closeness of their family. And the artist had done a superb job of transferring their expressions from the photo to the canvas.

  Maya knew that she’d done a good job in choosing that gift when both her parents had ended up with tears in their eyes upon unwrapping it. She’d gotten in touch with the artist early in the year, and the delivery had come the beginning of the month. It had been everything she’d hoped for and more.

  Her parents had been discussing where they planned to hang it as they’d made their way up to their suite. Relieved that her parents had liked her gift, Maya was happy to retreat to her own rooms with her parents’ gift to her.

  Not too surprisingly, they’d given her more jewelry, but this time it was a piece that they had both had a hand in designing. The white gold necklace had a fine chain with a pendant that was the Japanese character for love set in the center of a circle of diamonds. Not all the strokes of the character touched, so slender fragments of the gold joined the broader strokes, giving the illusion that the small detached ones were floating. It was nestled right into the base of her neck, and Maya took a moment to admire it in the mirror, appreciating the nod to her mom’s heritage.

  She’d been uncertain about whether or not to buy a gift for Gabe, but when he’d brought up the idea of buying something for her, Maya had told him she didn’t need anything, and that he hadn’t needed to worry about it. He’d resisted the idea, finally accepting it when she agreed to let him bring her something back from Thailand. In the meantime, she was going to need to see if she could find a gift for him.

  After a last touch to the pendant, Maya grabbed her laptop and settled on the window seat to see if Lainie was online. Her friend had been a great source of support and had been listening to her go back and forth on when she should tell Gabe about her health history.

  Unfortunately, Lainie hadn’t really been able to help except for being a sounding board. She’d shared her experiences with Maya, but all that had done had been to reinforce the feeling that she didn’t want to have to tell him at all—which wasn’t an option. Maybe if Maya had more experience with love and relationships, it wouldn’t be so difficult. She was just scared of messing up her first—and if she had her way, last—shot at love. But what if Gabe didn’t feel as strongly as she did? Maybe the time apart when he left in January would be a good thing. If he came back and seemed interested in continuing on, then maybe she’d tell him then. She needed to see where he thought things were going before she decided to reveal anything. He’d told her that he was leaving on January second, so they had just over a week left.

  Not surprisingly, Lainie wasn’t on, and there was no text or call from Gabe. Both of them had larger families they were hanging out with and would no doubt be tied up for the rest of the day. Having seen first hand how a larger family could be, Maya found herself really wishing that her parents had been able to have more children. But that was never going to happen, and she’d never voice her wish to her parents. Though they might not have had a huge family, she suspected that if they could have had more children, she’d have had at least two siblings.

  Deciding that she would end the day doing something she enjoyed, Maya went into the spacious ensuite bathroom and began to run water into the large garden tub. She flicked on the switch to start the fireplace and then dimmed the lights. After adding a bath bomb and some oils to the water, she turned on the jets. There was a large window that ran the length of the tub that faced out into the forest, and the bathroom was high enough up that she wasn’t worried about anyone seeing in. The window curved over the top of the tub so that she could see the stars in the dark night sky.

  Even though there was a television at the foot of the tub above the fireplace, Maya opted to play some soft instrumental music. It was the second best way to close out a day that had ended up being pretty good. After she had sunk into the warmth of the water, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, listening to the soothing sounds of the fireplace and the music.

  Gabe had invited her to come out to their place for a Boxing Day gathering the next day. There was talk of ice skating and food, but Maya still wasn’t sure if she was going to go. For one thing, she hadn’t been on skates in more years than she could remember. Secondly, she wasn’t sure how to get away from the mansion and her mom without having to fill out a questionnaire. She really wanted to see Gabe again, but she just wasn’t sure she wanted to have to deal with her mom.

  As if her thoughts brought it on, her phone chirped. She lifted it up from where it sat next to the tub.

  Gabe: So did you have a good day?

  Yes, we really enjoyed our day. How about you?

  Gabe: Hectic and out of control like most holidays. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like when the grandchildren start coming.

  That would probably be a lot of fun.

  Gabe: Fun, yeah, but still crazy!

  The more, the merrier, right?

  Gabe: You know it. That applies to tomorrow as well. Are you going to be part of the more? So it can be merrier?

  Maya stared at the screen. Trying to keep two parts of her life separate was starting to stress her out. But she just couldn’t see the sense in telling her mom and dad about Gabe or Gabe about her family if their relationship wasn’t going to turn into anything serious. Maybe knowing about her situation would make Gabe second guess a relationship with her. In that case, it would be better to know sooner rather than later.

  Ugh…she just couldn’t seem to stop her mind from going arou
nd in circles, and the reality was that she was most likely overthinking it all.

  Yes, I think it will work for me to be there. Even though it’s been ages since I’ve been on skates.

  Gabe: Well, that will just give me even more reason to stick close to you. *Wink* Wouldn’t want you to injure yourself without proper supervision.

  LOL Yeah, wouldn’t want that.

  They texted for a few more minutes with Gabe promising to send her directions to the family home before they said goodnight. Now all she had to do was hope her mom didn’t ask too many questions when she told her that she’d be going out for awhile.

  Gabe wandered into the kitchen to see if his mom needed some help with the food for the group that would be gathering there later in the day. Most people would arrive in the early afternoon to do some skating before having a dinner together. There would be time for general skating, but Gabe was pretty sure that a hockey game would break out at some point.

  His business partners, Tennyson and Forrest as well as Hunter and Brent would be coming. Some of them with significant others. Tennyson and Forrest’s foster sisters, Noella and Erin would also be coming with their husbands. The group that gathered on Boxing Day was slowly growing as their friendship group expanded and relationships developed. Gabe was glad that this year, he was going to have someone special there with him for once.

  Though Mitch had had a couple of girlfriends over the years, Gabe hadn’t dated much at all since he’d thought he didn’t have a lifestyle that worked well with relationships. So while his twin was open to love and marriage, Gabe hadn’t been so sure it would work for him at that point in his life. Plus, he just hadn’t met anyone he had been interested in devoting time to.

  Until Maya.

  “Can I get you to grate the cheese, sweetie?” his mom asked when she spotted him.

  “Sure thing,” Gabe said as he headed to the sink to wash his hands. When he’d finished, his mom gestured to where she’d set the grater and the cheese. In years past, they’d tried to convince her to just buy already shredded cheese, but she’d insisted that the stuff they grated themselves was better.