Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno #3)(17)

Julia’s expression shifted.

“I have an unanswered prayer.”

When she didn’t comment further, he inhaled from his cigar and exhaled the smoke.

“In my opinion, all prayers are answered eventually. Sometimes the answer is no. But I’ll certainly pray that you receive an answer. I can’t pretend that the thought of moving back doesn’t tempt me. But you’ve put so much time into making the house yours. You’ve furnished the downstairs, you’ve painted walls . . .”

“You mortgaged this house to pay Gabriel’s drug debts.”

Richard looked at her in surprise.

“He told you about that, did he?”

“Yes.”

“It was a long time ago. Gabriel paid us back.”

“All the more reason for him to open his home to you now.”

“A father would do anything for his child.” Richard’s expression was grave. “I didn’t care about the money. I was trying to save his life.”

“You did. You and Grace.” Julia looked around the yard. “As long as the house is in the family and we can be together for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it doesn’t matter who owns it. Or who lives here.”

She tightened the blanket around her as a whisper of a breeze blew across the porch, caressing her face. “Gabriel would never part with the orchard, though. He’s hired people to revitalize it. They’ve planted trees.”

“The old trees haven’t yielded a good crop in years. I’m afraid he’s a bit optimistic.”

Julia looked toward the woods, in the direction of the orchard. “Optimism is good for him.”

She turned to Richard.

“If you lived here, you could supervise the orchard. It would relieve Gabriel to know it’s in capable hands. You’d be helping us out.”

Richard was quiet for what seemed like an age. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “Thank you.”

She squeezed his hand before leaving him to his cigar and his thoughts. As he closed his eyes, a feeling of hope washed over him.

After her guests retired for the evening, Julia sat on the edge of her whirlpool tub testing the temperature of the water. She was looking forward to a few moments of relaxation.

She knew she should be working on her lecture, but the tumult of the day had left her weary. She wondered if she should call her therapist back in Boston. Surely Dr. Walters would have suggestions about how to deal with anxiety, marital conflict, and Gabriel’s renewed interest in starting a family.

It wasn’t a terrible thing to want a baby. Julia contrasted Gabriel’s tender enthusiasm with the cold indifference Tammy described in Eric. Of course, Julia knew which she preferred. She just needed to stand her ground and not let Gabriel’s passion overwhelm her and her dreams.

If anything, her conflict with Gabriel the day before illustrated how much they had to learn as a couple. They needed to learn those lessons before bringing a child into the world.

As she waited for the water level to rise, she felt the hairs of her neck stand on end. She turned to find Gabriel standing by the vanity. He’d unbuttoned the top three buttons of his dress shirt; a few strands of chest hair were now visible over the band of his white undershirt.

“I’ll never tire of looking at you.” He pressed a kiss to her neck before removing the plush towel she’d wrapped around herself.

“I should paint you.” He stroked her spine with his fingertips, up and down.

“You painted me the other night, Caravaggio. We got paint all over the floor.”

“Ah, yes. It pained me to have to clean it up. I was hoping we could add to it.”

“That will have to wait for a night when we don’t have guests.” She gave him a saucy look. “Care to join me?”

“I prefer to watch.”

“Then I’ll be sure to put on a show.” She lifted her hair from her neck with both hands, arching her back into the pose of a pinup girl.

He groaned and took a step forward.

She held out her hand, stopping him.

“I left my bubble bath in the guest bathroom last night. Would you mind getting it for me?”

“Not at all. Goddess.” He tasted her lips before walking away.

It took him a few minutes to locate the bubble bath, because someone had knocked it to the floor and it had rolled next to the wastepaper basket. When he stooped to pick it up, he noticed something wedged in between the basket and the wall.

It was a small, rectangular box.

He read the label. Pregnancy test.

But the box was empty.

When he’d overcome his surprise, and double-checked that he’d read the label correctly, he placed the box where he’d found it and returned to his room.

Wordlessly, he handed the bubble bath to Julia, who proceeded to lace the water with its sandalwood-and-satsuma-scented essence before climbing into the tub.

She arranged herself in what she thought would be a provocative pose.

Lost in thought, Gabriel stood motionless.

“What’s the matter?” She angled herself in the bathtub so she could see him better.

He passed a hand over his mouth and chin.

“Is Rachel pregnant?”

“Not that I know of. She told me they were trying. Why?”

“I found an empty box for a pregnancy test in the guest bathroom. It looked like someone tried to hide it.”