Father Figure
Page 26
When I collected my degree, he cheered the loudest, and then we celebrated long into the night. For an old guy, he had a lot of stamina, and I loved that.
But the real turnaround was when Father Michael suggested to him that maybe Gabriel could be an Episcopalian Priest so he’d still be able to help people spiritually. As soon as we thought about it, I knew that was the right thing for him to do. It kinda made me laugh, as well, to think that a hooker from the streets of San Diego could end up being a vicar’s wife.
Yeah, the big lug asked me to marry him and because I’m super smart, I said yes. The wedding is next year and Mrs. O’Cee is going to make the cake. Teresa will be my bridesmaid, and Father Neil and Father Michael have promised to come to the ceremony. His friend Wesley is coming, too. He’s not a bad guy for a multi-millionaire. And that’s all the family we need. Well, there’s my mom, but I was right about her—she didn’t stay sober for long. She’s out there on the streets now, hooking and smoking meth. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped—something else I learned from Gabriel.
I still have a small bald spot where Cornelius tore out my hair, but to me it’s a sign of survival. He couldn’t break me. And then Gabriel saved me—it’s what he does, he can’t help himself, but you know what? I think I saved him, too.
But really, this is Gabriel’s story, so for once (just this once), I’m going to let him have the last word.
Epilogue
Gabriel
One year later
Mariana was baptized and confirmed. And since neither of us had ever been married before, after we attended the pre-marital counseling, we decided to get married in the church. The church brought us together and we decided to make it a part of our life. Not the Catholic Church—that was a step too far, but we’d found a home with the Episcopalian family. It wasn’t so different.
And now it would be part of our baby’s life.
Mariana was pregnant. With a little girl we planned to call Lucia. Yeah, that name spoke to both of us.
I couldn’t wait to be a father.
And I’d finally got my head out of my ass and accepted Wes’s offer for some help getting a job. I now had a good job as the head of a non-profit which did charity work for SEAL’s struggling with PTSD. It was similar to my work at the church and the homeless shelter, and I found it deeply rewarding. I’d also applied to the Episcopalian seminary and was waiting to hear if I would be accepted. I would be a priest again. But this time, I would be able to serve and be married. It would be the best of both worlds.
When I heard that the Navy still hadn’t gotten Mariana’s paperwork through, I visited my old CO in person and he put a rocket up the admin creep who’d been dragging his overgrown feet and pea-sized brain.
When the check finally came through, we stared in shock at the figure, counting the zeroes three times to be sure.
There was enough to pay off Mariana’s student loan as well as put down a sizable chunk on a mortgage, and we found a small house in Encinitas. Mariana and I could bike down to the beach, grab coffee, look at the sunset. Live and appreciate life.
And I was so proud of my beautiful bride. She had turned her life around. Not because of me, despite me.
And I was honored to make her mine. Forever. In front of God.
The doors in the church opened and my eyes glistened with tears when I saw her.
We’d come such a long way, trodden a hard road, and made mistake after mistake, but although God’s test had been hard, it had brought us to this place.
Mariana’s wedding dress gleamed white in the sunshine but she was more beautiful, more lovely, glowing with happiness. That day, she shone with a beauty that came from inside.
Father Michael was thrilled to be asked to walk Mariana down the aisle.
Mrs. O’Cee sat in the front pew, our honorary grandmother, and sobbed from the first note of music to the final vows, getting through at least half-a-dozen of her lace handkerchiefs. She was the only person we’d told that we were expecting. She was thrilled and had already offered to babysit.
When Mariana stood next to me at the altar, I whispered. “You look so beautiful. I love you to the end of time. You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I love you, too, Gabriel Thorne, my beautiful angel.”
My life had come full circle. I’d taken Luke’s life, and now I was marrying his daughter and would be raising his granddaughter. And I knew in my heart that this was all in God’s plan and Luke was looking down on us, smiling.
THE END
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Author’s note
Note from the authors
Jane Harvey-Berrick
Alana Albertson
We really hope that you enjoyed Gabe and Mariana’s story. It was some rollercoaster but they got the HEA that they deserved—the HEA the we believe they deserved.
So we’d really appreciate if you took a few seconds to do just that by clicking this link on Amazon
Thank you!
Jane & Alana
If you would like to read more of our writing, check out our websites
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Acknowledgments
To Regina Wamba for her amazing cover
To Krista Webster, editor, thanks for taking Gabriel and Mariana in hand, and at such short notice. All the best jobs ;)
To Mary Dunne and Mo Systma for helping with all things Catholic
To Lara Herrera who unknowingly leant her name to Gabe’s best friend and Blue’s father
To Nicole Blanchard at Indie Sage for organizing our promo tour
To Eric Battershell for his amazing picture
To all the bloggers who give up their time for their passion of reading and reviewing books—thank you for your support
To our readers—you have great taste ;) You rock!