Angel's Rest(108)

“No, no problem. You’ve brought in good people to do the necessary work.”

“In that case, what brings you to Eagle’s Way?”

“It’s a good day for a drive, and besides, I have a gift for you.”

“A gift? What for?”

“We’ll talk first. Walk with me back to the house, will you? You’ll have better luck fishing later. I have a feeling.”

Talk. Ugh. Gabe nodded, picked up his fishing pole, and followed Celeste back toward the house. It appeared that the time had come for the talk he’d expected from Nic’s friends since the day Nic left town and he’d quit answering the phone. He wasn’t surprised that they’d sent Celeste. Sarah would go after him with a shotgun. Sage would look at him with those big, sad green eyes and sigh at his stupidity.

Celeste, on the other hand, was certain to ask questions. Probing, personal, rip-his-heart-out-to-answer inquiries into his emotional health. Still, he guessed he should be grateful he’d had this much of a reprieve.

“Can I get you something to eat or drink?” he asked, attempting to put off the moment.

“No, thanks. Let’s sit beside the pool, shall we? It’s so peaceful and beautiful there. You did a lovely job with the design, Gabe. Both here and at Angel’s Rest.”

“Thanks.”

Rather than take a seat in one of the lounge chairs, Celeste sat at the pool’s edge, removed her boots and socks, and rolled up her pant legs. She plopped her feet into the water, smiled, and said, “Come sit with me.”

After working with her for months, Gabe knew it would be a waste of time to argue, so he did as she asked. “Okay, let me have it.”

“You think I’ve come to scold you?”

“Of course. I deserve it, don’t I?”

Celeste gave his leg a motherly pat and suggested, “Why don’t you tell me what you think?”

“Okay, I will. If I could turn back the clock, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’m doing the only thing I can do. I’m giving her time. Nic left me. She doesn’t want to see me or talk to me, and she has every right to feel the way she feels. I can’t do anything to change it. Not now. Right now my hands are tied because I will not cause her stress and put the babies at risk in any way.”

“And once she has the babies? What then?”

“Then I figure out a way to fix it. Fix us. I’m going to fight for her, Celeste.”

“And you intend to do that how?”

“That, I’m not so sure about. I have to convince her that I’m here for the duration. That I’m committed. That I’m not like her father or her ex or even the man I was that stormy night in June. I will not fail her again. I have to find a way to convince her that she can trust me.” He paused and gave Celeste a sidelong look. “Any suggestions on how I can pull off that miracle?”

“I have a particular interest in miracles,” she replied, offering a beatific smile. “Tell you what, Gabriel. Try to convince me that Nic’s heart is safe with you, and I’ll see what miraculous advice I have to offer. How are you a different man from the one who abandoned her at the hospital?”

Gabe took a few moments to organize his thoughts before he shrugged and said, “Maybe it’s not that I’m a different man, but that I’ve managed to put the pieces of myself back together again. It’s been a slow, steady process that occurred beneath my own personal radar, not as some great moment of revelation. Nic’s leaving me was a kick to the gut that opened my eyes. I knew I had dealt with my past because I cared about the future. I’m whole again. Well, except for the fact that the person who completes me is living in Denver at the moment.”

“What does your being whole have to do with the safety of Nicole’s heart?”

“Everything.” Gabe splashed the water gently with his heel and watched the ripples radiate outward. “I’m strong again, Celeste. When I first came to Eternity Springs, I was so weak that a snowflake could have knocked me down. Actually, a snowflake did knock me down. This town and these people helped me climb back onto my feet. I know that if we were to rerun that drive to the hospital right now, I’d still be afraid of losing the babies, of losing Nic, but I wouldn’t run. I will be there for her from here on out. Every single time. I can’t prove it. I have no big, splashy sign to show her. I just know it in my bones. So tell me, Celeste, how can I convince Nic of something so intangible? How can I convince her to trust me again?”