assured her. “Stop worrying.”
As he drove away, he spotted his brother-in-law pulling into the parking spot he’d just vacated and gave Zack a wave. Lucky son of a gun, he thought. He wondered if Zack knew what a blessing that family of his was and how much Wade envied him.
But despite this attraction he’d felt toward Gabriella Castle, he wondered if he’d ever have the courage to risk the kind of pain he’d been through with his first marriage. Could a man even survive that kind of loss more than once in his life?
* * *
Since it was midday when Gabi arrived on the coast, she drove straight to Castle’s by the Sea. She knew that’s where she’d find her grandmother and, more than likely, Emily, who bit by bit was transforming the restaurant’s decor. Her efforts were progressing at a snail’s pace because their grandmother was resistant to change and because Emily was spending more and more time back in Los Angeles on a project near and dear to her heart.
It was close to two when Gabi arrived. Since Castle’s served only breakfast and lunch, the crowd had already thinned out, and the door had been locked to keep new customers from entering after closing. Gabi walked around to the side deck, then slipped into the kitchen.
As she’d expected, her sister was tucked in the tiny office with fabric samples. Gabi poked her head in. “Any luck on selling the idea of new upholstery for the booths?” she asked.
A frustrated look spread across Emily’s face for just an instant, but then she was on her feet, enveloping Gabi in a hug. “A baby? How exciting!”
Gabi blinked. “You know already?”
“Samantha filled us in when she called last night. She thought it might be easier if you didn’t have to break the news yourself.”
“Really?” Gabi said doubtfully. “Or was she trying to line up you and Cora Jane to be on her side?”
“I didn’t know there were sides,” Emily said, her expression a pitiful attempt at innocence. Samantha the actress could have pulled it off, but Emily failed miserably.
“I’m considering putting the baby up for adoption. Samantha disapproves. Does that ring any bells?”
“She might have mentioned it,” Emily said. “But let’s not get into that now. I’m just so glad you’re here. Boone and I have news.”
“You’ve finally set a wedding date,” Gabi guessed, knowing that had been the hot topic since before Christmas.
Emily nodded happily. “June 2. Surprisingly, I suddenly realized that I want a traditional June wedding.” She shrugged. “Or maybe that’s what Grandmother really wants. Anyway, that’s the date. I think you and Samantha will look stunning in pastel dresses. I took that into consideration, too.”
“You do realize I’ll be very, very pregnant by then. Are you sure the aisle will be wide enough for me?”
“We’ll take out the pews on one side if it’s not. I’ll talk to Wade about it.”
Gabi’s gaze narrowed at the second deliberate mention of his name in two days. “Wade?”
“He is a master carpenter, after all,” Emily said blithely. “He pops in from time to time, looking for you, I think. Grandmother thinks so, too.”
Gabi shook her head as she rested a hand on her very visible baby bump. “It’s an odd time to be matchmaking, don’t you think?”
“Not matchmaking,” Emily insisted. “I’m just saying he’s around, eager to make himself useful. Actually, it could be he’s courting Grandmother. He does seem to be excessively fond of her pies.”
“Whatever,” Gabi said. “I’d better go into the dining room and face the music. Just how upset is Grandmother about all this?”
“Her eyes lit up when she heard the news,” Emily said. “If you were expecting shock and disapproval, I think you’ll be disappointed. She’s always been on our side no matter what mistakes we’ve made.” She covered her mouth, her expression immediately filled with regret. “Not that the baby is a mistake, Gabi. I didn’t mean that. You know I didn’t.”
Gabriella hugged her sister. “I know you didn’t. And amazingly, all things considered, I never once thought of it that way, either. Even if I do decide to give the baby up for adoption, it will be a blessing for a family who desperately wants a child.”
Even as she said the words, though, there was another of those little fluttery sensations in her stomach that made her heart catch in her throat. It had been one thing to make the whole adoption decision early on. She’d been furious with Paul, even more furious with herself. The baby hadn’t been real to her. Now it was.
And that, she suspected, was going to seriously complicate her determination to do the right thing.
2
Wade told himself he was stopping by Castle’s almost every afternoon for a slice of whatever homemade pie Cora Jane had on the menu, but the truth was he was here because it was usually served with a mention or two of Gabriella. Hoping for tidbits of news about a woman he hardly knew, a woman who’d held herself aloof from him, was pitiful. No question about it. But given his lack of a social life of any kind since the deaths of his wife and baby, he considered this unrequited fascination to be progress on his long road to recovery.
He’d taken two bites of today’s excellent peach pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top when the kitchen door opened and Gabi herself walked through it, then came to a dead stop. Wade came close to swallowing his tongue at the sight of her. She was every bit as beautiful as he’d remembered. She was also very obviously pregnant, a situation not even her loose-fitting T-shirt could hide. If anything, on her petite frame, the shirt only emphasized the baby bump.
Now that was a turn of events he hadn’t anticipated. His heart thumped unsteadily as too many memories came crowding in, memories of Kayla at this stage of her pregnancy, the way she’d glowed, the excitement they’d shared. It had been such a blissfully happy time, only to be shattered by tragedy and inconceivable loss.
He dragged his thoughts away from the dark past and drank in the sight of Gabi, who despite her natural beauty couldn’t hide her bone-deep weariness. A natural protectiveness kicked in. Before he could stop himself, Wade was already considering ways to take care of her. It was ironic, really, since of all the women he’d ever known other than his sister, Gabriella was the most independent and capable. That didn’t seem to matter to this knight-in-shining-armor side of his nature.
Then he was struck by another, far more disturbing thought. Had Gabi gotten married? Surely that was something Cora Jane would have mentioned, rather than encouraging Wade’s interest in her with a litany of less-than-subtle hints. Nor could he imagine why Cora Jane hadn’t mentioned the pregnancy to him, since she knew perfectly well he’d been hanging around not for pie, but for scraps of information about her granddaughter. Was it possible this was going to be news to her, too?
He noted that Gabi still hadn’t budged. Her eyes could be adjusting to the dim lighting, but it seemed to him she was actually reluctant to step into the dining room. He guessed she wasn’t looking forward to seeing Cora Jane. After she’d hesitated for what seemed like an eternity, she finally drew in a deep breath, then
