Sea Glass Island (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,101
room, every bit the confident, powerful woman they all thought her to be. He liked knowing that there was a hint of vulnerability just below the surface. He could relate. That’s how Samantha made him feel, too.
* * *
Samantha smiled as Judge Masters, an old family friend, performed the brief civil ceremony. Gabi and Wade looked as if they were unaware of another single soul in the room. The only time they glanced away from each other was when Daniella whimpered in Samantha’s arms.
“She’s fine,” Samantha reassured them, rocking the baby to quiet her.
The judge gave a nod of satisfaction. “In that case, Gabriella, do you take Wade to be your lawful wedded husband?”
“I do,” Gabi said, a smile on her lips.
“And, Wade, do you—”
“Oh, yes,” Wade said, jumping in.
The judge gave him a scolding look. “Hey, I don’t have that many lines. You could at least let me finish the ones I do have.”
“I knew where you were going,” Wade countered. “I was anxious to get there.”
Judge Masters chuckled. “In that case, let’s wrap this up. I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Daniella chose that moment to wave her little fist in the air and let out a full-throated cry. Wade immediately turned and reached for her.
“Is that you approving of me and your mom getting married?” he asked the baby, who immediately gurgled happily.
Gabi shook her head. “I swear that girl has him wrapped around her little finger.”
“Looks the other way around to me,” Samantha said. “It’s kind of wonderful to see how they’ve bonded. As far as Wade’s concerned, biology be damned. That little sweetheart is his.”
“It’s pretty amazing,” Gabi agreed. “We’re so lucky, me and Dani. We’ve got the perfect guy in our lives.”
Samantha hugged her sister. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Me, too,” Ethan said, joining them and slipping an arm around Samantha’s waist. “And I have to say there’s a lot to be said for this whole impromptu wedding thing. Much less stressful.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Gabi warned. “This is what Wade and I wanted. Samantha has her own ideas.”
“Not the time,” Samantha protested as Ethan turned a little pale. She patted his hand. “It’s okay. This little run of Castle weddings has nothing to do with you and me.”
“You have to admit, they’re going to be hard acts to live up to,” he said.
Samantha shook her head. “No, they’re not. The whole extravaganza thing suited Emily. This simple ceremony was exactly right for Gabi.”
He regarded her with apparent interest, no hint of panic evident. “And for you? What’s your dream wedding?”
“Sunset on the beach,” she told him. “Maybe in Hawaii or the Caribbean.”
“Even here?” he asked. “I understand we have a fairly long stretch of ocean nearby. Couples come from all over to take advantage of the setting. Weddings are a big industry in this area.”
“True, but we did a location wedding in Hawaii once on a soap opera I was on. I got to go for the filming. My heart’s kind of set on a destination wedding.”
He nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Gabi’s eyes lit up. “Interesting. He said that without the slightest hint of hysteria in his voice. Could it be he’s resigned to his fate? Even eager?”
“Could we drop this, please?” Samantha said. No matter how calm Ethan seemed, she knew he was nowhere near ready for that kind of leap forward in their relationship. Neither was she.
“Even more interesting,” Gabi noted. “You’re the one who looks a little shaken, Samantha.”
“I just think we’re all getting way ahead of ourselves. You and Wade have been together for ages. Boone and Emily, well, they’ve been in love for years. Ethan and I have only been acquainted for a couple of weeks.”
Ethan’s eyebrow shot up. “Acquainted? That’s how you see things?”
She elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m trying to get you off the hook. You need to cooperate.”
Gabi was openly laughing at the squabble. “I must say you’ve given a new definition to getting acquainted in my book, too. I think I’ll do a quick survey of the crowd here to see what they think.”
“You do and you won’t live to have a honeymoon,” Samantha warned.
“You don’t scare me,” Gabi retorted. She grinned at Ethan. “She used to utter all these dire big-sister threats when Emily and I were annoying her. She never followed through on any of them.”
“Times change,” Samantha said. “I learned a few secrets about committing the perfect crime when I was hanging around all those soap operas.”