Seal of Honor(99)

“How you holding up?”

“Actually,” he said and looked toward the beach where Ian—of all people—played with Bryson’s sons in the water. “I’m good. And no, I’m not just saying that. Audrey was right.”

“She does have that annoying habit.”

“Yes, she does. And I wish I would have listened to her a lot sooner. There’s so much I’ve missed out on with my sons—that’s all I kept thinking about when I was in that basement. That I’d never see them again, never hold them, or kiss them goodnight. No more baseball games or karate lessons or birthday parties, stuff I always took for granted. But even after I got home, I fell back into my old habits. What Chloe—Claudia—did was the wake-up call I needed.” He winced, took a swallow of beer. “I can’t say I’d do it all over again, because if I had known from the start about Chloe—Claudia—whatever her name is—I wouldn’t have married her.”

“We still haven’t found her,” Gabe said.

“You won’t.” His laugh sounded bitter and self-deprecating. “She cleaned out one of our joint accounts, and I’m sure by now she’s found herself another rich husband to sponge off of. God, I was a fool, but I really did love her. Part of me still does.”

A squeal of sheer excitement boomeranged up from the beach. Gabe glanced down, watched as Ian picked up Ashton and all but body slammed the kid into the next incoming wave. Laughing and splashing, Ashton surfaced like a buoy thanks to his bright red water wings. He launched himself at Ian, who pretended to stagger under both boys’ weight when Grayson joined in. The three of them went under the next wave together.

Bryson chuckled. “He’s good with them.”

Yeah, go figure. “How about your boys? How are they coping?”

“Better than me,” Bryson admitted. “They haven’t asked about her once. She was never… Even though she was their mother, they were better judges of—” He broke off and took another drink, but he didn’t have to finish the thought. Gabe knew what he was trying to say, because he felt the exact same way toward Catherine Bristow as the boys did about Claudia.

Just because a woman gives birth does not mean she’s a mother in any but one sense of the word.

“So,” Bryson said after a long moment of watching his sons play. He turned to face Gabe. “I don’t suppose I have to give you that cliché speech about not hurting my sister or blah, blah, blah.”

Gabe laughed. “No, you don’t.”

“Good, because I like you. Beyond the obvious reason that you saved my life, you’re good for her. She’s always marched to the beat of her own drum—”

“Marched? More like done the conga.”

Bryson grinned with genuine pleasure. “See, you get her. You…ground her in a way I’ve never been able to, and you make her happy. Just don’t let her railroad you into marriage if you’re not ready. Believe me, you’ll both be much happier in the long run.”

Gabe managed to hold back a wince as Bryson walked away. There was that M word again.

God. Marriage.

She wanted to get married.

But then, as he sat there watching Ian play with the kids, he thought about it, really considered it. What if she did change her mind about them and kicked him to the curb? It would destroy him—he was that ridiculously in love with her. So why not make his claim to her legal?

Actually, he kind of enjoyed the idea of her wearing his ring, having his last name, and started wondering if any jewelers in San Jose were open on Sunday. Or, even better, a drive-thru chapel? The faster he tied her to him forever, the better.

Too bad they weren’t closer to Las Vegas….

As a matter of fact, that was a good idea. A Vegas wedding. It was so unlike him, so wild, so spontaneous, so…Audrey. She’d love it.

He pushed out of the lounger, gimped through the living room to the closed doors of his office, and slipped inside. In five minutes, he had two first-class plane tickets and a suite at Caesars Palace booked for a week. They left the day after tomorrow.

Smiling, Gabe shut his laptop and picked up the printed tickets. He’d surprise her with them later tonight after everyone turned in, after he took her to bed and made slow, careful love to her for several delicious hours.

A knock sounded at the door and Jesse poked his head into the office. “Got a minute?”

“Sure.” He sat behind his desk again, still grinning, and Jesse gave him a look like he was worried about Gabe’s sanity, which just made him grin more. “What’s up?”