Gabriel hands Jackson to me, and I raise him over the railing.
“Hi, Mommy!” My sweet angel beams. “Look what I have!” He holds out his small hand to show me a plastic bag of goldfish crackers. “I was feeding the fish with fish!” His cherub cheeks lift into an angelic smile.
“That’s awesome. Did you and Daddy have fun?”
“Uh-huh. Where’s Grayson?” Jackson says as he shoves a handful of goldfish in his mouth.
“He’s inside with Grandma.” I give Jackson a quick kiss before he runs inside to see his little brother.
Grayson Monroe, my second angel. My new beginning. When I finally changed my name to Kathryn Monroe, it felt good. And when we were blessed with a second little boy, I knew there was no greater way to keep that piece of my family with me.
Gabriel lets out a laugh and kisses my hair. His fingers twist the soft curls in his hands. I let out a sigh. This is bliss.
“What are you thinking about?” he says with his lips pressed up against the top of my head.
“Just how happy I am.” I smile and nuzzle closer.
“Good. Me too,” he says.
And we are. It’s amazing to think we almost weren’t.
Gabriel starts the engine of the boat and drives it out toward the sea. The delicious scent and taste of the salt air brings on a sense of serenity. Once Gabriel guides the boat out of the harbor, the real fun begins.
With the boat as close to the eye of the wind as possible, Gabriel pulls the mainsail with the boom slightly over the transom. Since I’m a terrible seaman, Gabriel has hired a deckhand to help him drive the boat. Seeing him pulling ropes, moving beams, and cranking away, I know he’s in his glory. This is where he should have always been.
When the boat is cruising windward, Gabriel relinquishes complete control of the boat to the deckhand and takes a seat on the cushions of the deck sofa and holds his arms out to me. I slide into the crook of his arm and pull my feet up on the couch. I curl up as close as I can get to Gabriel without climbing on top of him.
“Now this is the life,” he says with his Robert Redford megawatt smile beaming into the sunset.
“Yes, this is where we should have been all along,” I gush.
“So you don’t regret selling the house?” he asks.
“Not one bit.”
“You don’t regret moving to sunny Florida?”
“Never.” I scrunch my nose at the thought of being anywhere else.
Gabriel lets out a laugh. I lean over and kiss him deeply and passionately.
It was never a choice of Asher or Gabriel. The choice was whether I would continue to fight for Gabriel.
I never loved Asher.
It was always my Gabe.
After my corner encounter with Asher in the rain, I found my way back home. By that time, the rain had died down. I, on the other hand, was still wet, but it didn’t matter.
Gabriel’s car was still in the driveway. I made it in time.
“Gabriel!” I called out as soon as I entered the front door. I ran into the living room. “Gabriel!”
“What are you shouting about?” Gwen said as she entered the kitchen holding Jackson.
“Where is Gabriel?” I asked
“He left about ten minutes ago,” she answered. “Is everything okay?”
I looked out the window. I could see his car. “His car is in the driveway.”
“He must have gone for a walk.” She looked out the window. “I don’t know why. It rained the entire time he was here. What’s the matter?”
I ran out of the kitchen and out the door. I had to find him.
Exiting the house, I looked up and down the street. He was nowhere to be found. There was only one place he could possibly have gone.
I ran to the park. There was nowhere else close enough to walk to. I took the path I knew he usually strolled with Jackson and followed it up a hill. As soon as I rounded the bend, I saw him standing at the top of the hill, walking away from me.
“Gabe!”
Wearing a white shirt and jeans, he turned around at the sound of my voice, his face a mixture of surprise, confusion, and what I could only hope was elation.
I slowed my pace as I tried to catch my breath. My run turned into a power walk. Gabriel stood in place, waiting for me to get to the top of the hill.
“What are you doing here?” He was exasperated.
“I want my family back. I want you and me and Jackson. We are a family, and families don’t give up. They fight. They fight every day for what’s right. I know I betrayed our family and I know I hurt you. The thing is… I love you. I mean it, Gabriel Monroe. I am in-love with you. I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you if you’ll just give me a chance. I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’m asking you to try.”
There, I said it. I laid my cards out on the table. And now I waited.
We stood there taking each other in for what felt like an eternity. I knew I couldn’t say anything else. The ball was in his court. All I could do was wait.
And finally, after seconds, minutes, hours, I don’t know… he spoke.
“Every time I look at you, I’ll be reminded of what you did.” His words stung, and as much as I knew I should turn around and leave this poor man alone, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t because of that one little word.
“Do you love me?” It was my Hail Mary. If I wanted my family back, it could only happen if he was still with me. I stood there waiting for an answer. Praying for a miracle.
He lowered his head and nodded, “Yes.” He swallowed hard before continuing, tears threatening to break through his navy-blue eyes. “Yes, Kat, I still love you. I don’t like you, but you will always be the girl who dropped her books on a staircase and took my heart with her.”
I couldn’t contain the grin that appeared on my face. “Then we should try. We love each other. We can do this. Let’s get out of here. Sell the house. Quit your job. Start over!”
“You’d really let me quit my job?” He let out a small laugh. I didn’t think I’d be able to hear that sound again.
“You hate your job. You hate it here just as much as I do.”
“Where would we go?” he asked.
“Anywhere. As long as we’re together. We can go anywhere.”
And we did. We decided to live out the dream we had on our honeymoon. We sold our very expensive house in New York and moved to Florida. We have a beautiful home on the intercoastal and a boat, Breaking Wind II. Hey, it was part of our history and we couldn’t resist.
Gabriel is still a lawyer at a smaller firm, and I’m working for a local Miami entertainment show. We even catch a few Marlins games every year, found a new favorite Chinese take-out place, and enrolled Jackson in T-ball. You would think Gabriel would be the coach, but it’s actually Gwendolyn. She’s really good at it. Though I’m not crazy about the blue cheetah uniforms she designed for them.
It’s the life we should have always had.
It wasn’t easy. We’ve spent a small fortune on marriage counseling, and it was worth the investment. I know there’s a part of Gabe that will never forgive me. But that’s what marriage is. Working together.