Second Chances (54 page)

Isabella was changing him.  The thought should have struck fear in his heart, but instead it warmed him through and through.  He wanted his life to be different.  He had tired long ago of the constant partying and work.  He longed for meaningful relationships and friendships and after careful examination discovered that he had few of those.  Ben was the one friend he could truly confide in.  And Isabella was the one person he could entrust with his heart.  He inhaled sharply at the thought.  No, his heart would be safe with her…forever.

Sun was streaming through the gauzy curtains when Isabella finally decided to open her eyes.  She had been swept away in a deep, dreamless, restful sleep.  And why would she have to dream last night?  She was living her dream.  Gabriel stayed with her and was a perfect gentleman.  True to his word, he simply held her close.  Isabella reached behind her expectantly, searching for Gabriel.  He wasn’t there.  Maybe he had gone to the bathroom?  No, the bathroom door stood wide open revealing a bathroom that was dark and empty.  Isabella sat upright in the bed.  He wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.  As proof, his bag laid where he left it.  Then she heard voices from down below, footsteps mounting the stairs, and the aroma of bacon and eggs wafting towards her.

She saw Gabriel first.  He stepped onto the third floor carrying two plates, Rebecca carried a container of juice, and Kyle proudly bore an envelope with a red bow.  Isabella barely had time to register surprise at the touching scene before her.  Gabriel whispered in Kyle’s ear.  Kyle nodded then deposited the present on the pillow next to Isabella.  She smiled widely as the kids came and gave her kisses and hugs, then turned around and traipsed back down the stairs.

“Good morning, Bella,” Gabriel murmured as he kissed her cheek.   “Did you sleep well?”  He organized their plates and poured juice into the two flutes he pulled from his back pocket.

“Too well,” Isabella said.  “I never heard you get up.”

“I didn’t want to wake you.  You had this enchanting smile on your face.  You seemed so...peaceful.”  He handed her a glass.  “Are you surprised?” 

“Very,” Isabella admitted.  She tried desperately to ignore the package next to her and concentrate on eating, but somehow was caught eyeing it nervously.

Gabriel picked up the envelope with his eyes twinkling.  “I can see
this
,” he said waving the present before her, “is an issue for you.  Open it so we can enjoy our breakfast.”  He smiled proudly.

Hesitating at first, Isabella eyed him as she held the envelope, which felt relatively heavy, and stiff.  She untied the bow and pried open the glued down end, revealing two airline tickets to Aruba.  Their departure was scheduled for the following day.  She gasped.  “I can’t just pick up and leave.  What about the kids?  What about my job?”  She blustered, trying to explain all of her very real objections to the short notice, unable to see how she could possibly take this trip.

Gabriel interrupted.  “Oh look at the time!  You better hurry up, shower, and get dressed.  I’m not finished yet,” he warned her.  He spoke so insistently that Isabella felt compelled to follow his wishes.  She felt too anxious to finish eating now anyway.

The entire time Isabella was showering and dressing, she worried about what these other surprises were that Gabriel claimed to have in store for her.  She didn’t have to wait long.  By the time she reached the kitchen, she found Jack sitting at the table with Gabriel looking annoyed.  She could scarcely conceal her shock.

Gabriel stood to greet her, walked over and helped her into the nearest chair.  He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the neck to try and calm her down.  With Jack scowling, she began to enjoy the drama that enfolded around her. 

“I called Jack yesterday,” Gabriel began, interrupting Isabella’s reverie.  “I wanted to surprise you, so I thought of everything that would prevent you from going away with me and dealt with one issue at a time.  I wanted this to be as painless and as enjoyable an experience as possible.”  He paused to look at Jack for a moment.  “We had a nice conversation.  Jack was kind enough to agree to watch the kids so that we could go away on our trip.  And I, in turn, agreed to hire someone to help out on the nights he works.   Everyone’s happy, right?”  He looked at Isabella expectantly, obviously hoping for a positive reaction of some kind, some pat on the back for a job well done.  She stared at him blankly, but opened her mouth as though to speak.  “Oh.  Your job, right?”  She nodded.  “I know Christopher.  I called in some favors.  He gave us his blessing.  He said everything was under control.”  He smiled warmly at her.  “Oh, and he said to pack your camera.”

“Well,” Isabella began with a hint of surprise, “I guess you thought of everything.”  She looked to Jack, noticed that he seemed to be trying desperately to hide his displeasure, and said, “Thank you for agreeing to take care of the kids.  Need help packing them?”

Gabriel interjected.  “No need,” he said, motioning towards the door.  There on the floor lay a huge bulging duffle bag Isabella didn’t recognize.  She looked at Gabriel questioningly.   “I wasn’t sure how much luggage you had so I bought the kids a bag.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“Are the clothes theirs or did you bring those, too?”  She asked sarcastically.  She couldn’t believe the amount of thought he put into this plan.  And if she were to be honest she would admit that the entire situation had her extremely unhinged.

Laughing, Gabriel threw an arm around her as they walked Jack and the children to the door.  They stood on the porch and waved as the kids departed, then turned and rushed through the door and up the stairs to pack Isabella.

“Okay,” Isabella exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air, “I have no idea what to pack.  Tell me about the weather, the expected attire, anything to give me a hint about what I need.”

“We could use this as an excuse to go shopping,” Gabriel countered.

“No,” Isabella said adamantly, “I’m not going to have you spend any more money on me.  I can scrape up some clothes.”

So, Gabriel settled himself onto the bed and described what he had planned for them and what she could expect in Aruba.  His family had a house there.  The servants were preparing it for them even as they spoke.  His father was more than willing to allow him free reign over the beach house, under one condition: he had to meet Isabella before they left.  This meant that they would be dining with him at the family estate in Montreal and spending the night there before the plane left the runway the next morning.

“Since I have to meet your father,” Isabella began thoughtfully, “can we do one little thing for me first?”  She tilted her head to one side imploringly and watched as his smile answered her request.

Gabriel smiled.  How could this woman not know what a hold she had over him?  She could ask him for the moon and stars and he would rush off like a puppy dog to contact NASA and try to make it happen.  Not that she ever would.  And that was just one more aspect of her personality that he liked.  Isabella never made unreasonable requests, never treated him like an ATM.  She probably would have been just as happy with him if he were middle class, maybe more so.  And with that realization, they were on the road.

The ride to Jessie’s house usually seemed so long, since her friend lived on the other side of town in the country, but today in the Beemer, settled into the soft leather seats with Gabriel at the wheel, the road rushed by.  Isabella had called in advance to let Jessie know she was about to arrive and needed to borrow a few items.

She and Jessie had been doubling their wardrobe for as long as she could remember.  As they aged, they couldn’t share nearly as much as they used to due to the changes in their developed bodies.  Jessie grew willowy, with slight hips and an even slighter bosom.  Isabella was more curvaceous, everywhere.  Two entirely different beautiful packages full of personality.

The need to borrow a few articles of clothing masked only part of the reason Isabella eagerly traveled to see her friend.  At the moment, Isabella needed a consultation.  She needed to see her oldest and dearest friend and find out if she was making the right decision, and of course, to take a moment to gloat over her trip.  Their friendship had endured every heartache and shared every thrill.  How could she leave without telling her best friend her change of plans?

“Dying to tell Jessie?”  Gabriel asked after observing her grinning while she basked in her own little world.

“Am I that transparent?”  Isabella laughed.

“No, I just think I am beginning to know you and your relationship with Jessie.  She was there the night we met, remember?”  He reached out to her and grasped her hand.

“I remember.”  Isabella groaned.  “She wasn’t exactly subtle about trying to get us together.”

Jessie burst out of the door of her two story home as soon as the car pulled into the driveway.  Jeff must have had the day off since he followed her out, and they were soon joined on the porch by Steven.  Isabella found herself giggling before she even exited the vehicle. 

“Come on,” she urged, “you have to meet them some time.”

“With pleasure,” Gabriel remarked, striding from the car, hand outstretched to greet Jeff.  He then turned and kissed Jessie on both cheeks.  She blushed slightly and looked to Jeff to see if he noticed.  One arched eyebrow suggested he had.

Jessie grabbed Isabella’s arm and dragged her into the house.  At the last moment, Isabella turned to smile at him.  “I’ll be quick, Gabriel,” she promised while being dragged into the house.