Gabe (Men of Clifton Montana Book 2) (11 page)

“Are you
okay with this,
Em
? You didn’t have to marry him,
you know.”
Becca
looked into Emma’s eyes and
shook her head. “You’ve always been in love with him, haven’t you?”

“Yes.
I’m pretty
sure I have been since I was ten years
old.” Emma tried to laugh but it ended in a sob. She glanced at her parents who
stood silent by the door. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Her
mother came forward and hugged her.
Emma sa
nk into her embrace. “We already
had an idea this was why you were getting married so quickly.” She smiled at
Emma. “I know how you feel about Gabe. Maybe you two can make this work. We
love you, Emma, no matter what.”

Olivia
stepped forward and hugged Emma too. “Oh, honey. Don’t cry. Ga
be’s an honorable man. I believe he’ll do right by you and
the baby.” She smiled at Emma. “If not, I’ll skin him alive.”

“God,
she means it too, Emma.”
Becca
laughed joining everyone as they
all hugged Emma who laughed along with them, her own laughter mor
e relief than anything else.

* * * *

Jake
stood by the fireplace while Wyatt sat in a recliner and both of them watched
Gabe pace the room. “Jesus, Gabe. What the hell is wrong with you?” Jake asked
as he moved to take a seat in a chair.

Gabe
stopped pac
ing and looked at his brothers. “Emma and
I got married because she’s pregnant.”

“That’s
bullshit, Gabe.” Wyatt came to his feet with a frown. “No one has to get
married these days. Try again.”

Gabe
glared at him then frowned. “I want to be a part of my ba
by’s life.”

Jake
nodded approvingly. “I’m glad you did the right thing, but don’t hurt her,
Gabe. I’ve told you that before, and I still mean it.”

“I’m not
worried about you, Jake. Hell, Olivia said she’d serve my balls up on a platter
if I hurt Emma.”

Wya
tt almost spit his water out. “She said that?”

Gabe
nodded with a groan as he thought of his privates slaughtered by the woman.
“I’m more afraid of her than either of you.” He shuddered. “The woman’s
wicked.”

Jake and
Wyatt laughed at his imagined pain, bu
t quieted down
when the women entered the room with Emma’s parents following close behind.
Jake and Wyatt joined Gabe as he stood when the women entered the room.
Becca
walked directly to Gabe and
hugged him. He stiffened when Olivia came over to him. She
looked up at him and tapped his chest with her finger. “You
just remember what I said, Gabe, and we’ll all be fine.” She gave him a haughty
smile and he felt his family jewels withdraw. How the hell could a woman who
barely reached five-foot-seven scare th
e shit out of
a man who towered over her at six-foot-four? Gabe nodded his understanding.
When Olivia stepped away from him, he let out a long breath.

* * * *

Emma
became nervous when everyone left. She went up the stairs to change out of her
wedding dre
ss not because she wanted to get on with
the wedding night, but because it had belonged to her mother and she didn’t
want it ruined. It was a beautiful ivory-colored long gown covered in lace with
satin buttons down the back. Her shoes were ivory open-toe
stilettos, which added four more inches to her height, but
Gabe still towered over her. She stiffened involuntarily when she heard him
come in the room.

Gabe
came up behind her and kissed her neck exposed to him since her hair was up in
a loose bun with lo
ose tendrils around her face. She
stepped away from him, but turned to watch him. He took off his jacket and
started loosening his tie. He looked gorgeous in the black western cut suit
with bolo tie. He was a true cowboy down to his shiny black cowboy boot
s. When his fingers moved to work the buttons of his shirt,
she turned away. He stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her
shoulders.

“I want
to take this dress off you,” Gabe whispered against her neck. Emma stepped away
from him again. “What’s wro
ng with you?” he demanded.

“I don’t
want you to touch me right now,” Emma said softly.

“Too
damn bad, Emma. We’re married now and I’ll touch you whenever I like,” he
exclaimed with an ugly snarl.

“Are you
going to force me, Gabe?” Emma looked him in the
eye
daring him to answer.

His
mouth turned up at the corners in a confident smirk accentuated by his
mustache. “I won’t have to force you, darlin’.”

She put
her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Awful cocky, aren’t you?”

Gabe
burst out laughing. “Is th
is our first fight as a
married couple?”

Her
mouth twitched unsure whether to smile or frown. “I think it is,” she said with
a shy backward glance. “I’m sorry, Gabe, I’m nervous.”

“Why?
We’ve been together before.” Gabe cupped her face in his hands,
bringing hers up to face him. “We’re going to make this
work, baby. I only want to get married once in my life, so this is it for me
and I hope for you too.” He kissed her softly then deepened the kiss. Her arms
slid up and around his neck so naturally, sh
e
couldn’t fight it. Gabe pulled back from her and kissed her forehead.

Emma
smiled. “It is our wedding night, isn’t it?”

Gabe
chuckled. “Yeah, darlin’, it is. One day soon, we’ll go on a real honeymoon.
I’m just too damn busy right now.” His hands went to
the back of her dress and started working the first buttons open. “Now, can I
take this off you?”

She
nodded, and then sighed, relaxing against his hands as Gabe undressed her
before carrying her to the bed. There they began their life as a married couple
.

* * * *

Emma
left the doctor’s office with a smile on her face. Her baby was due in April,
and
Becca
was getting married in May so
Emma would be able to be in the wedding without an oversized belly. She was
meeting Olivia and
Becca
for lunch at the din
er and couldn’t wait to tell them her happy news. As she
crossed the street, several people waved to her. The wedding was a month ago
and everyone already knew she was pregnant. It amazed her how nothing seemed to
get past the people of this town. She stro
lled into
the diner and spotted her friends in a booth. She sat down beside
Becca
, and picked up the menu.

“You’re
glowing today, Emma,” Olivia said with a bright smile.

“Doc
Anderson says I’m due in April,” Emma exclaimed as she hugged
Becca
, who smiled a
t the news. “It all seems so far away though.”
Becca
and Olivia nodded in agreement
before they ordered their food. As they settled in to chat about the baby and
the wedding, Emma felt someone step up to stand beside her. She glanced up and
mentally groane
d.

“Hello,
Emma. Aren’t you going to introduce me?” the tall, willowy blonde-haired woman
asked her.

Emma
sighed. “These are my friends,
Becca
Daniels and Olivia Roberts.
This…” she said with a roll of her eyes, and a wave of her hand toward the
woman.
“Is
Stephanie Taylor.”
Becca
and Olivia nodded toward
Stephanie while she grimaced. She didn’t like Stephanie one bit. She was sure
if you looked up bitch in the dictionary, Stephanie’s picture would be there.
She also knew Stephanie was up to something, and
it
didn’t take long to find out what.

“So
Becca
, I hear you’re engaged to Jake
Stone,” Stephanie remarked in a catty tone while folding her arms across her
ample chest.

“I am.”
Becca
didn’t add anything more.

“He’s
just gorgeous. Of course, all three of th
em are.”

“It’s
nice seeing you again, Stephanie,” Emma said in a dismissive manner not looking
at her.

Stephanie
snorted. “Is it, Emma?
So…you and
Gabe, huh?
And having a
baby too.
That’s one way to get a Stone to marry you, I suppose.”

Emma saw
Olivia gla
nce up at Stephanie, her lipping curling in
a snarl. “I think that was uncalled for,” Olivia said, glaring at the woman.

Stephanie
shrugged. “I really don’t care what you think, Olive.”

Olivia
started to slide out of the booth when
Becca
reached across the
table and
grabbed her arm. Olivia stopped and turned her head toward
Becca
. She gave her a “let me at her”
look, but
Becca
didn’t release her arm. “Let it
go, Liv.”
Becca
glanced up at Stephanie then
back to Olivia, and shook her head. “She’s so not worth
it.”

Olivia
narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like this piece of fluff talking to Emma like
that.” She turned her stare on Stephanie. “You need to apologize to Emma. Gabe
loves her. He wouldn’t have married her otherwise.”

“Of
course, I apologize, Emma,” Stepha
nie said but her
expression and tone of voice told Emma she didn’t really. “Does that make you
happy, Olive?”

Olivia
jerked her arm away from
Becca
, got out of the booth, and stood
toe to toe with Stephanie. “Look, I don’t know who you are or who you think
you are, but you call me Olive one more time, and you and
I are going to go at it…Fluffy.”

Stephanie
stared at Olivia for a long second then stepped back, and smiled. “Sure.” She
glanced down at
Becca
and Emma. “Maybe we’ll be
related one day since I have
every intention of
getting Wyatt back.”

Olivia
sputtered. “You’re the idiot that broke up with him?”

Stephanie
glared at Olivia. “I am not an idiot and it was a long time ago. Things have
changed. I want him back now, and I will have him.” She narrowed he
r eyes at Olivia. “I suppose you think you can have him?”

Olivia
smiled with a confidence, which belonged only to her. “If I wanted him, I’d
have him.”

“In your dreams.”
Stephanie huffed, turned on her
heel, and strolled away with her nose in the air. Olivia laughed at her
retreating backside, before sliding back into the booth shaking her head. Emma
bit her lip to keep from crying.

“Hey,
what’s wrong?” Olivia touched her
hand.

“Is that
what everyone thinks? That I got pregnant on purpose so Gabe would marry me?”

Connie,
the owner of the diner and top-notch server, had stepped up. She was busy
filling their glasses with fresh tea. She snorted. “Gabe Stone wouldn’t do
anyth
ing he didn’t want to. Don’t pay attention to
Stephanie, she’s just showing her usual bitchiness.” Then without another word,
she moved on to the next customer.

Emma
laughed. She supposed what Connie said was true. Gabe would never do anything
he didn’t wa
nt to do and Stephanie definitely was a
bitch. She gazed around the restaurant and realized no one was giving her
judgmental looks and relaxed, until she saw a man in the back watching her. The
way he kept glancing in their direction gave her the creeps. S
he shivered even though she wasn’t cold. He saw it and
grinned. “Can we get out of here now?”