She had just opened the door when someone cleared her throat. “Er—Sara. I—wanted to apologize for . . . everything. Major Randall is Matt’s boss, and I should have never . . .”
Sara stared at Mindy, not really knowing whether she was sincere in her apology. Truthfully, she didn’t care. “You’re right, you shouldn’t have.” With those final words, she walked away, and she never looked back. Only Gabe and Trouble mattered. I am theirs, and they are mine.
They made love when they got home, and unlike the other times they’d slept together, this time they took things achingly slowly. Gabe gave the impression he was intent on kissing every inch of her body before sliding inside her. She had fallen asleep in his arms once again, and wondered how she’d ever slept without him holding her.
She woke with a start. She had dreamed of Kaylee. The little girl had asked her over and over why she didn’t love her anymore. When Sara tried to assure her that she did, Kaylee said, “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have left.” She was so shaken, there was no way she would be able to relax again anytime soon. So she eased slowly out from beneath Gabe’s arm and tiptoed down the hallway to the kitchen. Even though his kennel was rarely locked at night, Trouble still chose to sleep in it most of the time. But when he saw her, he jumped up and followed her to the living room. She curled up on the couch, and he settled next to her, with his head in her lap. She knew he sensed her sadness and was offering her comfort the only way he knew how.
Kaylee. She missed her niece so much. For days she had been texting Chris, and her mother, but neither of them responded. She loved Gabe deeply, yet wondered what kind of person she was if her happiness was at the expense of others. Am I any better than Melanie? Even though before she left she’d tried to explain to Kaylee why she needed to go away for a while, she knew the little girl was too young to understand her absence. Heck, she had been confused herself. And she could only imagine the things Nicole had possibly been filling her head with. She loved her family, and she didn’t want to lose any of them. But Kaylee—she was the child of her heart. It might not be every day, but she couldn’t fathom a world where they weren’t in each other’s lives on a regular basis.
“Angel—what’s wrong?” She hadn’t heard him come into the room, and neither had Trouble. Gabe was very much like a ghost when he wanted to be. No doubt from years of training in the military.
She wiped her hands across her eyes as she looked up at him. “I had a bad dream.”
He eased down beside her before picking her up and settling her in his arms. “Tell me about it.”
And more tears fell as she did. “I don’t know what to do. Chloe is the only one I have any contact with. I know they’re physically okay, but that’s it. I . . . miss Kaylee so badly. We spent almost every moment together for years. Being here with you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But—I feel like a piece of me is missing.”
“Oh, baby,” he murmured as he held her close, rocking her gently. “I know you’ve been trying to reach them. I can see the hurt in your eyes every time you check your phone and there’s no message. And I know how you feel about that little girl. You always glow every time you speak of her. Even when things were strained between us, I wondered when this would happen.”
“But, Gabe, I love—”
“Angel, I know you love me,” he interrupted her gently. “And just because you do doesn’t mean you care for her any less. But we’ve got to figure out how to bridge the two parts of your life. I’d never ask you to completely give up the rest of your life for me. Just—let me think about it. I’m still on leave for another few weeks, so maybe we should fly to North Carolina and work this out in person.”
She sat up quickly, hardly able to believe what he was suggesting. “Really? You’d go with me?”
When Trouble whined, Gabe shook his head. “Package deal, remember? We’ll go.”
“I love you.” She kissed him, then yawned, suddenly feeling drained. Kaylee. With Gabe’s arm around her, they walked back to his bedroom, and she easily drifted off to sleep while the Randall boys watched over her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The situation with Sara and her family weighed heavily on Gabe’s mind as he checked some work e-mails. He was past due for his post-deployment physical, so he’d reluctantly headed to the base earlier to take care of it. Normally he would have stayed the rest of the day, because really, other than Trouble, there had been no reason to rush home. But everything was different now. He had a life outside the military, one that he loved more with every passing day.
Yet even if Sara stayed with him in Alaska, she would eventually come to resent him for taking her away from her family in North Carolina. He knew he loved her before she came to Alaska, but truthfully, in his wildest dreams, he hadn’t thought they’d mesh together so perfectly. He not only loved her—he needed her. And that was a first.
He had suggested taking her home for a visit soon, but he’d never believed in putting off until tomorrow what could be done today. The first logical step in doing that was calling her brother. He might be avoiding his sister, but Gabe wouldn’t be so easily ignored. He was betting on the other man being curious enough to answer an unknown number. Especially when it rang his phone in five-minute intervals. Just try me.
It took exactly eight attempts before Chris Ryan gave in. “Ryan.”
Despite being generally pissed off at what the other man was putting his sister through, Gabe found himself grinning at the irritated tone in his voice. He’d likely sound the same if he were on the receiving end. “This is Gabe Randall, your sister’s—”
“I know who you are,” he snapped. “What I don’t know is why you’re calling me.”
Gabe leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable. This was clearly going to be an unpleasant conversation. “You left me no choice when you refused to extend Sara the courtesy of a response.”
Chris laughed, but there wasn’t an ounce of humor there. “I’m not sure why this is any of your business, but I’m simply following the example she set by taking off on us. Much of which I blame you for.”
Gabe shrugged, fully in agreement with the last part. “Fair enough. Giving her that ultimatum in North Carolina wasn’t my finest hour. I should have handled it differently. But why punish her for my transgressions?”
He heard a long sigh on the other end of the line. When Chris spoke again, his tone was more resigned than angry. “Because she’s too old to act so damned recklessly. And you—I’ve checked around. You’re very well known and respected in the military. Likely to make lieutenant colonel in another year. Not the type of soldier to fill a woman’s head with a bunch of lies and lure her away from everyone she knows. I—I just don’t get it, man. What’s your endgame here?”