He considered it, then nodded. “Okay. We can do that. I don’t have a problem with that.”
Nic looked at Gabe for a long minute. He really was a good man. Troubled. Damaged beyond repair, perhaps. But when he loved, he loved with a capital L. He could be her brass ring, but marrying him would require a leap of faith on her part. Could she do it? Dare she do it?
Again, Celeste’s voice echoed through her thoughts. Allow yourself to love him, Nicole. That’s one of the greatest gifts a mother can give to her child, you know. To love her child’s father. I firmly believe that once Gabe’s heart heals, he’ll discover that you and your child already have a place there.
“Okay,” she said, expelling a heavy breath. “I’ll do it. For the baby’s sake, I’ll marry you.”
“Good. I’m glad.” He wiped his palms on his pants legs, then stood.
If he tries to shake my hand, I’ll kick him.
He took her hand, but didn’t shake it. Instead, he tugged her to her feet, leaned down, and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “Thanks, Nic. I’m honored.”
He’s honored, and I’m a goner.
“So, how do you want to do this?” he continued. “You go to St. Stephen’s, don’t you?”
“No. Not at the church. Let’s just go to the courthouse. In Gunnison. I don’t want to do this in Eternity Springs.”
He shrugged. “That’s your call.”
She considered her appointment schedule for the coming week and frowned. “This week is bad for me. How about next week? Maybe Wednesday?”
“Sure. That’s fine. Whatever you want.” He gestured toward the hallway. “Ready to go back to the dance?”
“Guess I’d better. I’m supposed to be guarding the punch bowl.”
They didn’t speak as they returned to the gym. Sage was standing at the refreshment table, and when Nic gestured that she would take her friend’s place, Sage shook her head and waved her away. That left Nic standing awkwardly with Gabe. She expected him to say good night and escape, but instead he surprised her—shocked her—by asking, “Would you like to dance?”
She smiled at him. “Look at the gym floor, Gabe. This is a father-daughter dance.”
“Yeah. Well, so what? Consider this my first dance with my daughter.”
At that, Nic went all gooey and some of her lingering doubts eased. Gabe Callahan was a good man. She tilted her head at him and asked, “What if she’s a he?”
“Well, I grew up going to dance halls in Texas, and believe me, it’s never too early for a guy to learn to two-step.”
Gabe was up on the ladder cutting in paint in a guest room at Angel’s Rest the next morning when his cell phone rang. His sister-in-law was returning his call. He set down the paintbrush, blew out a breath, then answered the phone.
The connection was lousy and he could barely hear Pam’s voice. “Let me call you back from a landline,” he told her. “Give me ten minutes.”
He descended the ladder and tended to his painting supplies, then exited the bedroom. He’d use the phone in the hallway. Celeste had left half an hour ago to get her hair done. He’d have privacy for another half hour at least. He didn’t expect the call to take nearly that long.
He’d be surprised if Pam didn’t hang up on him within two minutes.
Jen’s sister would see this as a betrayal. She might well cut off all contact with him. He could very well lose the only family he had left.
Except you’ll be gaining a new family, won’t you?
“Maybe yes, but maybe no,” he muttered.
Gabe wiped his hands on the rag hanging from his pocket. This phone call would be the most difficult one he’d ever made. At some point during his mostly sleepless night he’d tried to write dialogue for this conversation. It hadn’t gotten much beyond, I’m an idiot. He couldn’t believe he’d been so careless as to put himself into this spot. Pam would rightly give him hell—if she didn’t hang up on him upon hearing that Gabe “had to get married.”
Marriage. He swallowed hard.
He believed he and Nic were doing the right thing. Despite trends in America, illegitimacy could still be a confidence killer for a small-town kid who lived in a flyover state. Gabe had grown up in a small town, a small town even more conservative than Eternity Springs. There had been a couple of kids of divorced parents who’d gone to school with him. He couldn’t think of any whose