Awe-Struck, Book 2 (2 page)

Sam was in full repair mode now. Taking charge of her life, but at the moment she was grateful. She couldn’t even think straight, let alone try to figure out how to get her life back together. Though living with her parents again at thirty-four wasn’t exactly ideal. But at this point she had no choice.

So after she was cleared to leave, and surprisingly finding out that all her medical expenses had been paid for by Gabe, Sunny left with her parents to pick up a few things at her apartment, which was surrounded by the media. From there, after fighting their way through the paparazzi, they immediately went to the airport; her parents taking her miles away from the chaos and the love of her life.

Chapter 2

Gabe’s private jet landed at the municipal airport in Santa Fe, New Mexico a little after sundown. Alyssa had gotten Sunny’s parents’ address from Sunny and texted it to Gabe. As soon as he disembarked from the plane; he rented a car, entered the address into the GPS and headed straight for Sunny. He wanted to waste no time getting her back where she belonged.
In my arms.

A short while later, Gabe pulled into the driveway of a cute, but modest Adobe-style two-story home in an equally adorable middle class neighborhood. He hadn’t told Sunny he was coming for fear that she’d reject him, so with a shaking hand he opened the door and stepped out of the car. He headed for the front door, leaving his overnight bag in the car, because for all he knew he wasn’t welcome and would be thrown out on his ass in just a few moments.

He rang the doorbell and a few minutes later, an older formidable light-skinned black gentleman opened the door. Gabe knew that this had to be Sunny’s father Sam Stone. The older man was handsome and tall, only a few inches shorter than Gabe’s six-foot-four stature. He was dressed casually in cargo shorts and a t-shirt, but Gabe knew that there was nothing casual about this first meeting, and that he’d better tread lightly.

“Hello, Mr. Stone. I’m Gabriel Wolf and I’m here to see your daughter.” Gabe held out his hand and spoke with false bravado and looked straight into Sam’s eyes.

Sam took Gabe’s offered hand, and gave it a firm shake. “I know who you are and I figured I’d be seeing you soon. That is, if you really cared about my daughter. And call me Sam.” Sunny’s father smiled at him.

Gabe breathed a sigh of relief.
One down, two more to go. At least I may have one person on my side, which I might need in the very near future.
“Thank you sir…I mean Sam. And yes, I care very much for your daughter. I love her, as a matter of fact.” Gabe said proudly.

Sam patted Gabe on the back and led him into the house. “Then I’d say we’re off to a good start. Come on in. Can I get you something to drink, while I go get Sunny?” Sam offered kindly, as he pointed to a couch for Gabe to sit on.

“No thank you, Sam. I’m fine. Just really anxious to see her.” Gabe answered honestly, as he sat on the comfortable couch.

Sam smiled at Gabe, pleased at how much the man seemed to care for his daughter. “Alright then, I’ll be right back.” Sam started to head down a hallway, but stopped and turned back to Gabe. “Oh and don’t worry about Donna. She’s just a little over-protective of Sunny. She’ll come around.” Then
Sam turned back to go get his daughter.

Ah, so it’s momma bear that I have to worry about getting in good with. And I doubt good looks, a nice smile and charm is going to help me out this time.
Gabe had been charming the pants off women for as long as he could remember. But the mother of the woman he loved that had nearly been killed because of him…he doubted any of that was going to work for him in this instance.

He heard a few pairs of feet shuffling down the tiled hallway and he stood up nervously. They rounded the corner, Sunny in the middle and her parents gently holding onto her as she took careful steps. Her good arm slightly clutched at her stomach, where the stitches must have been. Gabe’s heart nearly crumbled at the sight of her suffering
. No wonder she broke up with me. Look at the pain I’ve caused her.

Sunny’s normally bronzed milk chocolate skin was somehow paler. Her bouncy wild corkscrew curls were limp and dull. And it looked as if she had lost some weight, her beautiful curves looking less full and round. But Gabe didn’t care; she still took his breath away.

“Hey, Sweet Girl.” Gabe spoke quietly.

Sunny and her mother looked up at the same time; surprise was the look that first registered on their faces.
So Sam didn’t tell them who the mystery guest was. Well…SURPRISE!

There was a myriad of emotions that crossed Sunny’s face: surprise, hope, fear, frustration and last…love. At least he was pretty sure it was love, prayed to God it was love, because he knew that was exactly the look he was giving her.

Her mother’s face was a different story. Gabe saw where Sunny got her beauty from; the dark-skinned older woman was stunning and regal. Her hair was cropped in short little curls, she was slender and stood a few inches taller than Sunny’s small five-foot-two frame. And where Sunny was all sweetness and sunshine, her mother was serious and all-business; at least when it came to Gabe.

Sunny was the first to speak. “Gabriel, what are you doing here?” She asked softly.

“I’m here to see you…” He paused, preparing for a fight. “…and to take you back with me.”

“What?!” Both women exclaimed.

“Young man, I think you’ve done enough. I think my daughter is better off right where she is.” Donna said her tone brooking no argument.

“That’s probably true Mrs. Stone, but I love your daughter more than anything and I know if she’d look closer and stop being so stubborn, she’d see that she loves me just as much. And any two people that feel that deeply for each other are at their best, together.” Gabe put his heart out on his sleeve as he looked at the tears running down Sunny’s face.

“How can you say that?! Does she look like she’s at her best in your hands?!” Donna gestured to Sunny’s battered and bruised body.

“Ma’am, you can’t imagine how sorry I am that this happened to Sunny. I underestimated the media, but I won’t do it again. My home in Malibu is the best place for her. It’s a gated community, I also have a private wall and gate around my house as well. Someone would have better luck getting into the White House. And if she needs to go anywhere without me, I’ll have bodyguards there to protect her. I will do everything in my power to make sure that she’s safe.”

“I still don’t know if I can trust your judgment with my only daughter.” Donna held firm.

“Donna, give the boy a chance. He obviously cares for Sunny. Let them be.” Sam stepped in, defending Gabe.

“Wait a minute! I am a grown woman, don’t I get a say in this?” Sunny looked at everyone in the room with a scowl.

“Yes.” Sam said while the other two just grumbled.

Gabe didn’t know what he would do if she didn’t choose him. All he knew was that he would fight. He’d never known love before her, and now that he’d experienced it, there was no way in hell he was going to give up.

Sunny just stood there, saying nothing; even though they were giving her a chance to make her own decision. She was clearly trying to weigh her options. Gabe took that opportunity, during her moment of silence to plead his case.

“Sam…Donna, would you mind if I had a moment alone with Sunny?” Gabe looked at both of her parents.

“Sure Gabriel. We’ll just be in the kitchen getting dinner ready.” Sam took Donna’s elbow, forcing her out of the room.

Gabe was sure more eavesdropping would be done than cooking. But he didn’t care if they heard what he had to say. His feelings for Sunny were no secret.

Sunny had been standing the whole time, almost as if the moment she saw him she’d froze
n in place. But he could tell that it was taking its toll on her to continue to stand. So striding over to her with purpose, he bent down and gently scooped her up in his arms, walking back to the sofa and sitting with her in his lap.

“Oh Sweet Girl…I’ve missed you so much.” Gabe said as he brushed a curl away from her forehead.

Sunny just closed her eyes, absorbing his endearment for her, and clamping her mouth shut, forcing herself not to respond.

“That’s fine. You don’t have to say anything. Just listen.” He looked directly into her eyes, when she’d opened them to look at him.
Once again striking blue to warm honey, fighting to convey all they felt without words. But Gabe knew he had to speak them anyway. “You are my world. You know that I have been alone practically since the day I was born. And in my adult life, I have tried to fill it with money, material things and superficial women. I thought I was happy or at the very least content. And then you burst into my life like a supernova, blinding me to everything and everyone around me. I realize now that I was miserable before you. All the things and people I filled my life with, didn’t amount to shit. You’ve changed
everything
for me. I’ll never be the same again, and I don’t want to be. You gave an orphan a place to call home.” He pressed his hand over her heart. “But without you I’m a wreck. When I’m with you, I see the world through your eyes. And it’s wonderful, because you take such pleasure and joy in everything. So without you, I’m lost and everything is dull and lack-luster. And I feel nothing but pain, right here.” He picked up her good hand and placed it on his chest over his heart, which was pounding a mile a minute.

Her eyes had welled up with tears at his speech, and thinking about the worst day of his life, his eyes also started to overflow. “That day of the accident, all I could think about was the fact that nearly thirty-eight years ago my life was altered because of an accident just like this. And I knew that there was no way that I could go on this time, if you didn’t make it. I can’t make it without you Madison Stone. Please, come back with me.” Gabe’s tears ran freely down his face as he stared at her.

Sunny gently clasped his face in both hands and started kissing his tears away with her soft lush lips. Then he wrapped her in his arms and squeezed as hard as he could without hurting her, reveling in the feel of her being in his arms again.

That’s when her parents came back around the corner. Her mother had a tissue to her eyes, and Sam was rubbing her back consolingly.

“Oh Sunny, just go back with him!” Donna cried out regretfully.

Gabe and Sunny just chuckled awkwardly as they wiped at their eyes, smiling at each other.

“Okay, I’ll go back with you.” Sunny smiled shyly at him.

“Good. Because I already had your things moved to my house this afternoon.” Gabe smiled cunningly.

“Wha…?! Sunny said in disbelief, unable to finish.

Her parents just laughed as they walked over to them. Gabe stood up and placed Sunny on her feet. The moment he let her go, he was wrapped in a warm hug by Donna, shocking the shit out of him. Sam gave his shoulder a squeeze and then a few pats, as well.

“Alright Son, now that you’ve gotten back into the ladies’ good graces, let’s go eat some dinner.” Sam said affectionately.

Son.
Gabe swallowed past the lump in his throat that had gotten so big; he couldn’t even say a word lest he start bawling like a baby.
Again.

He had never had a real father figure in his life or a mother. And now these amazing people were treating him like family, when they barely knew him. Never having a family, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

Sunny came up next to him and rubbed his lower back, staring up at him. “Are you okay?”

All he could do was nod. She grasped his hand and squeezed tightly, letting him know that she understood. He looked down at her and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears and a goofy grin was plastered on her face.

“I love you.” She said quietly. Finally.

Gabe turned his face away to discreetly wipe at his eyes, finally too overcome to keep the moisture at bay.  

~~~

All Sunny could do was drink in the sight of Gabe across the kitchen table. He was in a simple black t-shirt that hugged his muscles like sin and a pair of worn jeans that did great things for his ass. His jet black “McDreamy”, “I just had wild sex bedroom hair”, tempted her fingers from across the table. And whenever he looked at her, which was often; his shocking blue eyes stared straight into her soul.
Dammit! Who knows how long it’ll be before I’m healed enough to have the kind of sex we had before the accident.
Thoughts of multiple orgasms on top of the W Hotel made her shiver with need.

Sunny also couldn’t have been more pleased with the way her parents were doting on Gabe, as if he was their son. He needed all the love he could get. And she just smiled as she watched her mother refill his bowl and then rub his arm before she walked back to the kitchen island to replace the pot. Gabe probably didn’t even realize that every time her mom did something maternal or her dad did something fatherly, he would clench his jaw and squeeze her hand in a death grip under the table. It hurt, but she didn’t mind. Even though she was sure that by the time dinner was over, she wouldn’t be able to use either hand.

Sunny couldn’t believe that her mother had come around so quickly. But Gabe’s story of being an orphan is hard to ignore and Donna’s mothering nature came out in full force. And she really couldn’t believe that she had stupidly thought that they could make it apart. Because now that he was back, it was like she’d never sent him away in the first place. And she wasn’t planning to do it again in the near future or ever. It would just be easier to talk it out and solve their problems together, than trying to walk away from the inevitable.

“Mrs. Stone, this chicken noodle soup is
so
good.” Gabe dug into the extra helping Donna had given him.