Double the Trouble (Texas Trouble 3) (44 page)

Gabe led her to his police car, then opened the passenger door for her, before going around and getting inside himself.  He was focused, his face showing grim determination, while he drove them to the cabin, and Karlie would have given anything to know what was going on inside that handsome head of his.  That was the thing with Gabe, she never knew what he was thinking
, he kept it all inside, and that wasn't good for him
...or her
.
 

"You, okay, baby?" she asked finally to break the silence.

He looked over at her and his eyes lit up, as did his face with a wide grin, "Better than okay, sugar...perfect."

She snorted, then he laughed when she said, "Nah, you're not perfect, darlin'...but then neither am I...
we're both just screwed up enough that
I think we deserve each other.
  Nobody else can put up with out sorry asses.
"

"I've missed you so damned much, Karlie...thank you for giving me another chance," Gabe told her, his voice roughened by the emotion she saw in his eyes.

"I honestly don't know why I am...the only thing I
do
know is I was damned miserable without you," Karlie told him sincerely.

"Me too, darlin'...Sabrina wasn't kidding, she was about to shoot
me," he told her with a chuckle, as he pulled up in front of the cabin and shut the motor off.

He got out of the car and flew around to her side, then flung the door open and hauled her out of the car and into his arms for a kiss that set the soles of her feet on fire, then he stepped back and she gasped when he swung her up into his arms, and headed for the front porch.

"Gabe, put me down...your arm," she reminded him with a laugh.

"Is fine, now...and I want you in my arms, sugar...it's been too long," Gabe said gruffly,
as they reached the door and he
leaned down and dropped a light kiss on her lips
.  He reached down and turned the knob then carried her inside.
 

Right inside the door,
Gabe
set her on her feet, then pulled her to him for another kiss that had her leaning into him to deepen
it
.
 
Karlie
couldn't seem to get close enough to him, wanted to crawl inside of him and bask in the pleasure she was feeling...
pleasure
that only he could give her.
 
Moving her calf up to his thigh, she rubbed against him trying to douse
the fire he was fanning inside of her.  He was right, it had been too long, and she needed him inside of her now.
  With a wiggle of her hips, she begged with a groan, "I need you so bad, baby...love me, Gabe."

He pulled her arms from around his neck, and stepped back then pinned her with dark blue eyes glittering with desire.  Holding her hands in his, he shook his head then said,

"Not yet, baby...there's a lot I want to say to you first."
  Gabe led her to the sofa in front of the fireplace, then pushed her down on it.  "Sit tight, I'll be right back."

Karlie sat there, her body smoldering, wondering what in the hell could be more important to him than making love
to her.  Gabe
came back a few minutes late
r, and she saw that he'd taken a shower and changed into Wranglers and a western shirt.  He'd also put on a new black Stetson and boots.  Her heart rate kicked up, because he looked smoking hot, but he didn't look like her Gabe.  She stood up, then took off the hat and tossed it on a chair then ran her fin
gers through his dark wavy hair,
before tiptoeing to kiss him
. 

"There, that's better," she told him with a grin.

"You don't like my new cowboy duds, sugar?" he said in an extended drawl, with a sexy grin.

"I like you anyway you come, darlin'," she told him in a voice thick as honey
, then leaned up to kiss him again
.
"Preferably, in the bed naked and loving me," she teased him then licked his lower lip and he groaned then pushed her away again, which frustrated her.  Karlie plopped down on the sofa and folded her arms under her breasts in agitation.

"Patience, sweetheart...I have several things to say to you that can't wait," he told her seriously, then sat down beside her and took her hand in his.  "
I love you, Karlie Upton," he said then hesitated.

"I love you too, Gabe Kelly, now let's go get nekkid," she told him with a laugh.

He pinned her with serious eyes, and her smile dropped and she cleared her throat, "Sorry, baby...go ahead," she told him.

"I am so damned sorry for what I said to you at the lake...that dream I had kind of had me running scared, and I lashed out at you."

"I told you I forgive you...you don't have to apologize again...but out of curiosity, what was the dream about?"

"I dreamed that you married Wade Roberts, because I was too stupid to ask you," he said in a choked whisper, as the feelings inspired by that dream coursed through him again.

"And that made you run me off?" Karlie
asked him
with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, because I decided when I was really young that I wasn't ever getting married...after my mother left my dad," he said and shook his head.  "It almost killed him, he wasn't the same after that...all he did was work his ass off to raise us.  He had no life left in him.  I was young, but I saw it...and learned from it."

"That you can't trust women
, because they'll
run off on you
," she filled in for him
with a sad smile
.
  Gabe nodded because he couldn't speak around the lump that formed in his throat.  Karlie leaned over and put her arms around him and hugged him to her.  "I'm sorry you went through that, darlin'.  It must've been as hard as when my parents dumped me
," she told him
sympathetically
, then added with a watery chuckle, "
See we
're
both screwed up, but we understand
each other."

"I'm just trying to explain, baby...I want you to understand."

"I do, darlin' and I'm not putting any pressure on you whatsoever...the reason I didn't want to move in with you wasn't because I expected you to marry me.  I was afraid that I'd piss you off and I'd wind up with the same situation I was in with Jake..." Karlie told him and anger surged up inside of him, then she doused it when she added,
her lower lip trembling with emotion,
"Or
when you saw
how much trouble I truly was and you'd dump me too
.
"

"These last two weeks without you have been hell...I haven't been eating, I can't sleep, and I think Cole wants to fire me, because I can't focus at work.  I need you darlin', I can't live without you...I don't want to live without you."

"I'm here, Gabe...I'm not going anywhere.  I love you, sugar."

Fear, determination and love tangled up in Gabe's heart and he took a deep breath, then reached in his pocket and pulled out the little box he'd had in his dresser drawer for a couple of days now.  This was his independence day, the day he finally put his past behind him and looked toward the future. 

He slid off the couch and got on his knees in front of Karlie and took her hand in his, then told her, "I believe that.  It's time for both of us to put the past to rest and look at our future...together.  Karlie, I love you and trust you more than any woman I've ever known...I don't ever want to lose you again."  Gabe swallowed then flipped open the box with his thumb and held out the little blue velvet box to her, and asked, "Karlie Upton, would you spend the rest of your life loving me?  Will you marry me, darlin'?'

Karlie shook her head and panic rose up from his toes and his ears started buzzing.  If she turned him down, h
e'd probably lose his mind.  Getting over the hurdle of his fear and insecurity about relationships, marriage, was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life.  She couldn't turn him down. 

"Gabe, you really don't have to do this, sugar.  I would live with you for the rest of my life...love you for the rest of
my life...with or without vows, because I can't live without you
either
.
"

Relief flooded through him when he realized she wasn't turning him down, she was trying to give him an out...he didn't want a fucking out.  "No--I don't want to just live with you anymore...that's off the table
," he grated then added, "
I want a commitment Karlie...I want to make one to you...I want you
to be mine
forever."

"If you're sure that's what you
wa--
"

"I'm
never been more
positive
about anything in my life
, Karlie..." he s
aid fervently
then pulled her into his arms and ground his mouth against hers, trying to show her how serious he was. 

After a minute, Karlie
put her hands on his chest and pushed the
n
sat back on the sofa
looking at him with those beautiful bright blue eyes sparkling with happiness and love
. Giving him that thousand-watt smile that melted his knees
,
she said
, "Yes, Gabe Kelley, I'd be honored to be your wife."

Victory and joy
shot through him and let out a ear-splitting whoop, then he grabbed her off the couch and hugged her tightly to him then spun her in circles. 

"Whoa, wild man...you're making me dizzy," she told him with a laugh.

"You've been making me dizzy, since I met you,
wild child
...I guess we're even now," he told her
with a grin
then claimed her lips in a kiss so passionate
Karlie's
toes curled in h
er boots.

EPILOGUE

Gabe tugged at the bow tie on his Armani tuxedo, thinking it felt sort of like a noose around his neck.  What his idea of marriage used to be...before Karlie Upton had come into his life.  The beautiful redhead had changed his whole perspective on marriage...hell on life. 
S
tanding next to Cole
, his best man, at the gazebo where they'd say their vows in a few short minutes, he was
squirming like he had fleas in his drawers
.  It wasn't because he was afraid though,
he
wanted to see
his beautiful bride walking down that white runner
, to promise him she would be his forever.
 

Gabe had never wanted anything more in his life...could never ask for more.
  He was one lucky bastard.

His eyes wandered over to the front row and he saw Luke sitting there feeding his little baby daughter Bella.  She was the most beautiful baby Gabe had ever seen with her dark hair
, sky blue eyes
and pink skin...and Luke seemed like he was mesmerized by her.  Cassie sat beside him, wiping her full
little
lips with a cloth diaper when she dribbled. 

The sight caused a yearning so deep in
Gabe's
soul it actually hurt him.  He wanted the family he'd never had
...
with Karlie.
..
their
children
would
know every day how much they
were
loved
.
  His little girl would have her mama's beautiful red hair...maybe they'd have a matched set of hellions like Karlie and Katie.  He groaned at the thought, but
then
smiled.
  It seemed like that's all he could do these days, smile, and it felt damned good to finally have something to smile about.

Looking over to the other side of the aisle, he saw Beau sitting next to Sabrina, his very pregnant sister who looked like she was about to pop any second.  They were both grinning from ear to ear.  Beau gave him a thumbs up and he nodded and smiled.  Over the last three months, he'd made it down to
Bowie
on the weekends and they'd gotten to know each other, gone fishing and just hung out with Sabrina and Karlie. 

Getting to know his brother had been a pleasure, he was a good man in spite of their mother.  Beau had told him stories about some of the things she'd done, while he was growing up, and it made Gabe glad she'd left them...well almost.  At least the knowledge made him realize that she hadn't left because
they
were flawed
or unworthy
...the defect was inside of
her
. 
Jolie Kelley
just
hadn't had
the capacity to love anyone, but herself.

The fiddlers started playing Cannon in D and woke Gabe up from the cloud he'd been drifting around in all day.  When it cleared he saw Katie float
ing
down the aisle, a vision in the peachy colored dress that Karlie had picked out for her...a prelude to what his bride would look like.
  When she reached the gazebo and stood across the runner from them, the fiddler's started the bridal march, and everyone stood up and looked back toward the beginning of the runner. 

A second later, Karlie appeared there and stopped
, along with Gabe's heart
. 
She was so damned beautiful, he felt like he was staring into the sun.  But t
he sight of her on Wade Robert's arm made him want to run down there and grab her
.  H
e held back the urge, reminding himself the bastard was going to be handing her off to
him
when they reached the end of the row.  Quite sym
bolic to Gabe's way of thinking, because he knew how the man felt about Karlie, even if she didn't realize it.

When Karlie had first suggested him to walk her down the aisle, because she didn't have a brother or father, he'd balked, because he didn't want the man anywhere near her.  Then when she told him that's how she felt about Wade, like he was a brother, a friend, he capitulated, because what other choice did he have?
 

So, Gabe gritted his teeth and held Karlie's gaze all the way down the aisle.  Her eyes were sparkling with tears of happiness and her cheeks were flushed. 
Before she got to the end, he took two steps toward her, even though he was supposed to wait.  He was through waiting.

Wade grinned at him
smugly,
and
lift
ed
Karlie's veil
,
then hol
ding her hands, 
he
put a smacking kiss right on her lips. 
Gabe's teeth clenched and his hands fisted
, as he fought the overwhelming urge to plant his fist in the cowboy's face
.  Wouldn't that give the town gossips something to talk about
,
he thought, the groom punching out the guy handing off the bride. 
Instead, h
e grabbed Karlie's hand and pulled her to him,
then
he
gave Wade Roberts a scowl.  Everyone in attendance started laughing, some of the younger guys whistled, which made Gabe's scowl even darker.

"Take care of her, man...or I will," Wade told him with a wink, then walked over and sat by Luke and Cassie.

Karlie chuckled and whispered by his ear, "
He's just messing with you, sugar. 
He
knows he'
ll never get the chance...
because
I love you and
only
you
.
"
Then his
beautiful bride tiptoed and put a kiss on his cheek
turning his
scowl into a smile
, right before he grabbed her and kissed her silly,
before the vows were said.  The
crowd went wild
, and Gabe thought that was
perfectly appropriate for the joining of two wild spirits that had
finally
found peace in each other.