Gabe (Steele Brothers #6) Read online

  “I know.” He gripped my shoulders. “I know what I said. But I know where I want to end up… right here, with you. Assuming you want to build a life with me?”

  “Gabe, I love you, but—”

  “Isn’t that all that matters?” he whispered, leaning in to rest his forehead against mine. “I love you more than anything. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, I swear. Just give me that chance.” When I couldn’t respond, he drew back to look at me. “It’s going to take a while to renovate this place. The better part of a year probably. That’s plenty of time for you to figure out whether I’m the guy you want to spend the rest of your life with, right?”

  His choice of words made me feel weak and strong at the same time. He was giving me the power to decide where this relationship went, but with it came the power to break his heart, which was the last thing I’d ever want to do.

  “Are you saying you want to marry me?” I asked, feeling a rush of excitement at the thought of being his wife.

  “More than anything.” He held my face as he rested his forehead against mine. “But not until you’re ready. I want this to be our home, but I’d never want you to feel pressured into making a decision you’re not ready for. I meant what I said last night, one day at a time. But just know I do intend to earn your trust, Kendra. And I don’t care how many days that takes.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gabe

  I’d been working on the house every spare minute for the past six months and we were actually ahead of my projected schedule. But today was a big day for me. It was the first time Kendra was seeing the house since I’d told her I wanted to share it with her and her daughter.

  The past six months with her had been the best of my life and I was more than ready to take our relationship to the next level. But every time I mentioned us moving into the house, she just smiled and changed the subject, so I had no idea if she was ready to call this place home.

  I prayed she was because everything I’d done had been with her and Char in mind. I built the master suite with a window seat because I knew how much she loved to sit in the sun while she curled up with a good book.

  She loved to cook, so I spared no expense in the kitchen, getting her top-of-the-line appliances and cabinetry with ample storage. A chef’s dream, the kitchen designer claimed.

  Then there was Char’s room. I’d painted it her favorite color: pink. I’d even ordered new furniture, bedding, and window treatments fit for a princess. Seb thought I was crazy, since I wasn’t even sure they’d be moving in to the house, but I was operating as though they would be. I couldn’t allow myself to consider the alternative.

  I knew this house would sell, if it came to that, but I’d poured my heart and soul into this place and I didn’t want to share my dream with some strangers who already had the family I wanted.

  A knock on the front door followed by the sweet sound of Kendra’s voice pulled me out of my melancholy mood. Until I realized she was alone. “Hey,” I said, kissing her. “I thought you were bringing Char with you. I wanted her to check out the house too.”

  “I brought her with me, but she’s down the street at Sky and Seb’s place. Macy texted to let me know Brody and Riley were bringing the baby to Seb’s in case we wanted to pass by.” Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. “I couldn’t tear Char away from the baby, so Sky said I could leave her with them. I kind of wanted to talk to you alone, anyhow.”

  She wanted to talk to me alone? As I watched her gape at my handiwork, I resisted the urge to ask whether she intended to make my dreams come true by moving in with me or break my heart by claiming she wasn’t ready.

  “I can’t believe this place,” she said, looking from the dark hardwood floors in the family room to the freshly laid travertine in the adjoining kitchen. “It looks amazing.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” I threaded my hand through hers, pointing to some white patches on the light taupe walls. “The painters have to come and do some touch-ups before the window treatments and light fixtures can be installed.”

  She took in the white, French cabinetry, gliding a hand over the smooth granite topping the center island. “It looks so much bigger than the first time I saw it. Taking that wall out really made all the difference, didn’t it?”

  “Uh, yeah.” As excited as she seemed about the improvements, there was still a detachment to her admiration that made me uneasy. She hadn’t talked about how great it would be to have breakfast in front of the windows with all that natural light streaming in. Or how nice it would be to cuddle on the couch in front of that huge stone fireplace.

  “Let me show you the master suite.” I led her to the space that now boasted a huge master bedroom with fireplace, walk-in closet with vanity area, and spacious master bath. It was the part of the house I was most proud of since it hadn’t existed before.

  “Wow.” Her eyes were wide as she spun in a slow circle, admiring the room from all angles before peeking her head into the closet. “I can’t even believe you did all this.”

  “I didn’t do it all,” I said, chuckling. “I did have a crew working on it with me.” As much as I loved working with my hands, my time was limited, so when I’d started out with this hobby years ago, I’d compiled a team of qualified tradesman to help bring my vision to life.

  She smiled when she reached the master bath. “God, I’ve always wanted a claw foot tub.”

  “I know,” I said, wrapping my arms around her from behind as I kissed her neck. “All those questions I’ve been asking you about the little details you love in a home, I’ve been making notes.” I tapped my finger against my temple. “And storing it up here. So I could make this your dream home.”

  Tears were gliding down her cheeks by the time she turned to face me. “You did all this for me?”

  “For us,” I whispered, kissing her. “You, me, and Char.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” she said, her gaze hitting the ground.

  She still hadn’t said she wanted to share it with me, so I led her down the hall, hoping to impress her with the thought I’d put into preparing Char’s room. “I left the three bedrooms at this end of the house,” I explained, pausing in the doorway of what I hoped would be her daughter’s room. “I thought it would give us some privacy.”

  “It’s pink,” she whispered. “You painted it pink. For her?”

  “Of course it’s for her.” I pointed to the white built-in cabinets lining one wall. “There’s even room for her books, toys, and stuffed animals.” I walked to a bench topped with a pink cushion, lifting the lid to reveal more storage. “And for those things you want to keep hidden—” I stopped talking when I realized she was really crying now.

  “Baby, what is it?” I asked, my heart thudding wildly in my chest. I was so scared she was going to tell me that I’d done all this for nothing. “Why are you crying?”

  “I just can’t believe you did all this for her… for us.”

  “Why not?” I thought by now it would be obvious to her that I loved her daughter and wanted to give her the best possible start in life.

  She was gripping my biceps, her eyes fixed on my chest. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Gabe. You’re so selfless, so thoughtful.”

  There were plenty of people who might disagree: my brothers from time to time, my buddies, the guys who worked for me. But with Kendra, I was becoming the man I’d always wanted to be: someone my late mother could be proud of.

  “Please don’t tell me there’s a but coming,” I said, releasing the breath I’d been holding in a rush. “I don’t think I could handle that right now.”

  She smiled as she patted my chest. “I know I’ve been kind of non-committal about us moving in together. It’s not that I don’t want to. Believe me, I do. I just had to be sure this was the best thing for all of us, including Char.”

  “I get that.” It was sounding promising, which meant it was safe for me to breathe again. “And I’ve tried not to pres
sure you about it.”

  “You haven’t,” she assured me. “You’ve been great.”

  I watched her walk around the room, peeking into the adjoining bathroom, which was shared with the room next to it.

  “You painted that room pale yellow,” she asked, pointing to the bedroom, which could be seen from the bathroom. “Why?”

  I was almost embarrassed to admit the reason, but I’d learned a long time ago that I had to be honest with this woman, even when it meant baring my soul. “I thought it would be a good neutral color for a nursery.” I shrugged, feeling even more embarrassed when she didn’t respond. “We can always repaint it or…” I spun in a half-circle, lacing my hands behind my head. “Goddammit, Kendra, I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I’m talking about the future, our future, when I’m not even sure that’s what you want. Say something, please. Tell me if I’m crazy.”

  Kendra walked toward me, turning me to face her. “You’re not crazy.” She smiled. “I want all the same things you want.” She leaned in, her lips lingering on mine, putting all my irrational fears to rest. “I’m sorry if I ever gave you reason to doubt that. I just had to be sure this time.”

  “And you are now?” I asked, resting my hands on her hips. “You’re sure this is what you want? A life with me? Here, in this house?”

  “I want that more than anything.”

  I grabbed her, spinning her around until she giggled. “You don’t know how happy that makes me, baby.”

  “Hello.” Skylar’s voice was coming from the foyer. “Is this is a good time, guys? Char couldn’t wait to see the house.”

  I ran out into the hall, so excited to show my favorite little princess her new room. I only wished it was complete with the furniture and bedding I’d ordered. “Hey, you.” I caught her with a chuckle when she ran down the long hallway to meet me, jumping into my arms. “I missed you,” I said, kissing her cheek.

  Between work and the house, I hadn’t been able to spend as much time with my two favorite girls as I would have liked the past few weeks.

  “I missed you too,” she said, wrapping an arm around my neck as I carried her into the bedroom. “Where’s Poncho?”

  “He’s at home,” I explained to her. “I didn’t want him to get into anything here.” Since there were still paint cans lying around, I couldn’t trust my curious pooch to keep his nose clean.

  “What do you think of this room?” I asked Char, winking at her mom.

  “I love the color,” she said, wide-eyed. “And it’s so big!”

  “It even has its own walk-in closet and a shared bathroom, honey,” Kendra said, beaming as she opened the closet to reveal rods for small clothes and shelves. “Isn’t that cool?”

  Char bit her lip as she nodded. “What are all those shelves for?” she asked, pointing to the shelving flanking the windows.

  “I thought that would be perfect for books and toys.” I tickled her tummy, making her giggle. “And since someone has a massive stuffed animal collection, we had to have somewhere to put them, didn’t we?”

  “My stuffed animals are gonna go there?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

  “They sure are.” I grinned. “And your clothes are going to go in that closet and—”

  She threw her arms around my neck. “You mean we get to live here with you and Poncho?”

  “That’s right.” I felt the emotion well up in my throat. God, I loved this little girl. “Are you excited about that?”

  She kicked her little legs, obviously eager to hit the ground. “I can’t wait!” She tore off through the bathroom, taking in the adjoining bedroom. “Whose room is this?” she shouted.

  “Uh…” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I let Kendra field that question.

  Skylar was standing in the doorway of Char’s bedroom, smiling at me.

  “Well,” Kendra said, following her daughter into the yellow room, “Gabe and I were just talking about that. We thought it would make a perfect nursery someday.”

  Char’s face lit up as her eyes dropped to her mother’s flat stomach. “You’re gonna have a baby?”

  I chuckled as I slipped my arm around Kendra’s waist. “Not right away, sweetheart. But hopefully someday.”

  “But you guys aren’t even married.”

  My segue. “About that…” I turned to face Kendra after slipping my hand into my pocket.

  “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly when I dropped to one knee.

  I reached for Char’s hand, leading her to where her mother was standing. Facing them both, I lowered my head. “You two have changed my life in the best possible way.” I swallowed, struggling to get the words out without breaking down. “You’ve made me happy. You’ve given me hope. You’ve made so many of my dreams come true already. I was just wondering whether you could make one more dream come true?”

  I produced two rings. One was a one-and-a-half carat solitaire on a white gold band and the other was a small pink sapphire on a white gold band. “Be my wife?” I said to Kendra. “And my step-daughter?” I said to Char.

  “Eeeee!” Char threw herself at me, knocking me back on my heels while Kendra laughed and grabbed the rings before they could go sailing across the room.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Char squealed, kissing my cheek.

  “Well,” I said, taking both rings from Kendra and slipping the little one on Char’s right hand, “how about we see what your mom has to say now?” We both looked up at Kendra expectantly before she grabbed my hand, hauling me to my feet.

  “You are the love of my life,” she whispered. “And the fact that you thought to include my daughter in this only makes me love you more. Of course I’ll marry you.”

  I slipped the ring on Kendra’s finger with a smile, sealing it with a kiss that had Char pulling us apart, Skylar hugged us, offering her congratulations.

  “Now, we have one more reason to celebrate,” she said, taking Char’s hand while I took Kendra’s. “So, how about we head back to my place and share that good news with your brothers?”

  I thought of my brothers: the ones who’d helped make me the man Kendra had fallen in love with.

  “Yeah,” I said, kissing Kendra’s cheek. “Let’s do that.”

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