She blinked, wondering how he knew—“Crap, I said all of that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yep.” He grinned before putting a hand on her thigh. “And do you seriously imagine I give a damn when or how you speak the words? Baby, you could have screamed them out in the middle of a wet T-shirt contest, while showcasing your stripper moves, and it would still be the second-best moment of my life.”
Sara put her arms loosely around his broad shoulders, absolutely enchanted by this handsome man. The fact that she wasn’t in the least concerned by his ranking of her declaration was further proof of how much she not only trusted him but understood his humor. What’s the punch line, baby? I know there is one. “Wow, you’re a hard sell.” She faked disinterest, even adding a yawn.
He shrugged, pulling her off the chair and into his lap. He dropped a kiss onto her upturned nose, then her forehead. “It would be rather impossible to have reached this point without first finding each other. Your envelope didn’t contain just a card, Angel, it was also an introduction to the love of my life—and my future.” How? What did I ever do to deserve this—this kind of love from such an amazing man? She wasn’t aware that she was crying until he used his thumbs to wipe the moisture away. “I love you, Sara Ryan.” He moved one of her hands until it was resting over the steady beat of his heart. “There will be times that I’ll say the wrong thing, drive you nuts, and generally be a pain in the ass. I’m stubborn, overly serious, and according to Jason, completely anal.” When her lips twitched, he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I wish he’d use a different word, even if it is basically true. My point is, on the days you’re ready to throw in the towel, remember this: No one has ever, or will ever, love, appreciate, and cherish you the way that I . . .” His voice trailed off when Trouble wedged his head between them. “Um, the way we do. In case you’ve missed his . . . subtle hints, Trouble and I are very much a package deal.”
Normally she would have fallen back on sarcasm to deal with this emotional moment, but it simply wasn’t there. Her heart was too full to pretend she was anything other than a pile of mush. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Gabe. I’m so blessed to belong to the Randall boys.” She kissed his lips while patting the dog’s head. “And we all have our difficult days. So when we’re at our worst, we’ll simply love each other through it.”
“I like that, baby.” He smiled down at her. “You’re getting the bad end of this bargain. There are two of us to misbehave. And from what I’ve seen, you mostly live up to your nickname.”
Her humor picked that moment to make a reappearance. She shifted until her lips were at his ear before whispering, “Think PMS, honey.”
“Oh shit, please have mercy.” When she lifted a brow, he added, “Do it for your country. I’m a soldier, you know.”
As they continued to tease each other, she couldn’t help thinking that even without the words of love, this would be one of those moments that she would remember for the rest of her life. But then again—she was finding that most days with this man were too memorable to ever forget.
* * *
• • •
Sara couldn’t believe it when the opportunity to confront not only Melanie but possibly some of her minions as well came about that very night. Gabe was surprised at her enthusiasm when Jason called to invite them to meet some of the soldiers at Maxi’s. She knew Gabe mostly avoided those types of informal events, and he likely wasn’t that keen on this one either. Outside the fact that she hoped Melanie would be there, she also felt it was important that he continue building upon the bond he’d formed with the other soldiers while deployed.
They were both dressed casually in jeans and boots. Instead of trying to hide her body for fear of drawing attention to herself, she had chosen a green sweater that hugged her curves in all the right places. Gabe certainly appreciated it. So much so, in fact, that they were fifteen minutes late arriving at Maxi’s. They hadn’t made love, but her man was well satisfied ahead of dinner. Being secure in Gabe’s feelings for her gave Sara a type of freedom she’d never thought possible. She was surprised to find that she was a far more sexual person than she’d imagined. Of course, when your boyfriend looked like Gabe, dropping to your knees to pleasure him with your mouth wasn’t exactly a hardship. She’d never been so glad that Trouble was already in his kennel. Otherwise, her first attempt would have likely been a disaster, rather than a fervent success.
Gabe took her hand as they walked through the parking lot to the restaurant. “Still got time to back out,” he teased as he helped her over a slick spot on the pavement.
“Aw, we’ll have fun, I promise.”
He stopped and kissed her soundly. By the time he pulled back, she was beginning to reconsider. “What a shock,” said a resigned voice behind them. They both swiveled to see Jason a few feet away. She was surprised to see him take a draw off a cigarette before putting it out beneath the bottom of his shoe. “Should have figured if you actually showed up, you’d spend most of the evening sucking face.” He rubbed his hands over his shoulders before adding, “I believe I’d do it in the stockroom, though, since it’s damn well freezing out here.”
Sara giggled as Gabe flipped him off. Then they did the universal bro hug, which was actually rather touching. Gabe might be reserved around the other guys, but there was a relaxed closeness between these two. “She made me come,” he admitted to the other man. “I’d rather be home with my woman and my dog.”
“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Jason mocked jokingly. “Let’s go inside. I’m terrified I won’t die of hypothermia, and I’ll be forced to watch you two braid each other’s hair and talk about your feelings.”
Sara laughed at the absurd notion that a macho guy such as Gabe would ever be anything but ultra-manly. She linked one arm through Gabe’s and the other through Jason’s. “Don’t be sad, cupcake—we’ll find you a woman. I have a cousin who might be perfect for you.”
“She better be homely, or I’m not interested. I’m talking plain times about fifty, Ellie.”
Ellie? “You realize her name is Sara, right?” Gabe asked dryly.
“Um—yeah,” Jason muttered as he reached out to open the door. “She’s one of us now, though, so she gets a nickname.”
Sara was beyond touched at his acceptance. Even though he was matter-of-fact about it, she sensed it was a high honor from him. “So, why Ellie?” she asked curiously. It seemed so random to her.
“Ellie Mae Clampett,” they both said at once. “I’m surprised you didn’t come up with it first, dude,” Jason said. “With that accent, it’s perfect.”