First a Dream (Dreams Come True #1) (6 page)

Isabella sat up sleepily. “I’m up, okay?  You don’t have to stay. The kids will be perfectly safe with me.” She stretched and dragged herself out of bed.

“You didn’t answer my question. Are you sick?” He almost sounded concerned.

“No. I went out last night with Jessie.” She walked into the bathroom to start the shower. Jack followed to the doorway.

“Since when does Jessie keep you out late?” He drummed his fingers against the door casing to illustrate his annoyance. Isabella could see his reflection in the mirror. He continued to scowl.

“It wasn’t just Jessie. We were talking with a guy I ran into yesterday.” She smirked at the memory and saw his eyes narrow angrily. “Listen Jack, you lost all ability to control my actions. We’re in the middle of a divorce.” She turned around now to face him. “I don’t know if you’re dating right now. I don’t want to know. Maybe you got it all out of your system while we were together.” She caught him opening his mouth as if to speak, but finished what she intended to say without giving him an opportunity to interject. “Regardless, if I want to start dating, then I will. And there is
nothing
for you to say about it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked him directly in the eyes. He closed his mouth. Turning on his heels, Jack stalked from the room, stomped down the stairs, and without saying goodbye to the kids, slammed the door behind him.

The shower was invigorating, just what Isabella needed in order to begin her day. She was applying mascara when the phone rang. Isabella was so startled she jabbed herself in the eye and couldn’t see the name on the screen. Since it was nine o’clock she assumed Jack wasn’t finished yet. “What?” Her voice was sharp, a combination of anger and irritation.

“Listen, don’t get snappy with me. I’ve been up since six this morning and I held off calling you until just now.” Jessie’s voice on the other end instantly released all the tension that had been building in Isabella.

“Oh, it’s you,” Isabella laughed. “Actually, I
am
rather surprised you lasted this long. When did you develop restraint?  Sorry for snapping, by the way. I thought you were Jack. We had a bit of a tiff this morning.” She walked down the stairs to make some hot tea and kiss the kids who had immediately planted themselves in front of the television upon their arrival home.

“Ohhh,” Jessie’s voice burst with excitement. “Is it because he caught you in bed with that guy this morning?”

“No,” Isabella chuckled, “but that would have been interesting. He was angry enough that I talked to a man last night. Forget about Jack.” She paused and smiled to herself. “So why did you call?” She bit back her laughter, knowing full well that Jessie would demand details. Isabella wasn’t going to make it easy on her.

“That’s right, Isabella. Pretend you don’t know why I called.” The game had begun. Jessie would try to extricate every little detail while Isabella tried to get away with giving out as little information as possible. After all, there really wasn’t much to tell at the moment.

“So, we’re meeting again. On Thursday this time.” She hesitated a moment, waiting for Jessie to point out Thursday had always been girl’s night. “I know that’s usually our time,” she began apologetically, “but he goes home on the weekends.”

“Isabella, don’t worry about us having to change our weekly ritual,” she began happily. “If you want to have time to get to know Gabriel, far be it from me to stand in your way. Friday nights can be our new night. Then we can talk in person.”

***

The week passed quickly and Thursday finally arrived. Since he couldn’t call her, Isabella had to trust he’d show up at The Turtle as planned. Trust wasn’t anything that came naturally to her any longer. She agonized a few moments over where to wait, and finally decided he should find her sitting at a table,
appearing
to be relaxed and confident.
Of course
, Isabella thought to herself while getting comfortable on the patio,
he may not show at all
. Before she could dwell on these negative thoughts, Gabriel stood beside her chair.

“Hello, again, Isabella,” he murmured into her ear, while leaning in to plant a warm, soft kiss on her cheek. He took the seat across from her. “Sorry I was late, but I had an errand to run,” he apologized, with an air of mystery.

Studying him, she grinned. He wore a white button down shirt, loose and khaki pants. “An errand, huh?  What kind of errand?” She found herself slowly relaxing in his presence.

“Just this,” he said, passing her a single yellow rose bud, surrounded with ferns and baby’s breath. Isabella smiled wistfully. “The yellow stands for friendship. We can start as friends, can’t we?  If this turns into something more, then so be it.”

Isabella stared at the rose while trying to remember the last time she received flowers that didn’t have any strings attached. Always they were a guilt gift from Jack. This simple yellow rose could be a first. She stared at him, utterly taken aback from having received a gift so pure. She inhaled sharply then pulling herself together, took the rose he offered her and breathed in its fragrance, which proved to be positively therapeutic.

Her eyes sparkling, Isabella murmured from behind the rose, “Yes, Gabriel. I can’t think of a better way to begin a friendship.”

Gabriel pulled the chair closer to hers and slowly sat. “How was your week?”

What Isabella noticed first was the sincerity of his question, the way he stared at her with such interest as he waited to hear about her life. It was completely unnerving and made her nervous in a way she never anticipated. “You mean it.” She murmured the words in awe.

He chuckled. “Of course, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

For roughly twenty minutes, they enjoyed light conversation, and shared a bottle of Moscato. Then the guilt began to weigh on Isabella. She genuinely liked him. Though she promised herself they would keep it light and fun, she felt like a fraud. She had to tell him.

Taking a deep breath, she licked her lips before speaking. “Gabriel, I want to you to know I’ve really enjoyed our time together.” She began, trying to select her words carefully while rubbing her hands together.

***

Gabriel

He studied her and worried instantly where he had gone wrong. The way she was speaking, already in the past tense, made him think he had somehow offended her, or she had already determined they were incompatible. For reasons he, the consummate playboy, couldn’t understand the idea of not having the opportunity to get to know her better bothered him. “You sound as though you are trying to tell me you don’t want to see me anymore.” Gabriel began quietly while harboring a hurt look in his eyes.

“It’s not that.” She stumbled over her words. “It’s just that I don’t know if you’ll want to have anything to do with me after I tell you what I have to tell you.” She finished half a glass of wine in one swallow. Gabriel watched her closely, noting how her hand shook as she placed the wine glass back on the table. Finally, she shrugged. “I suppose if you can’t accept what I have to tell you, or you don’t want to be around me anymore then it was better I find out now, but...I’m so out of practice.”

Gabriel reached across the table and steadied her hands, which were now whipping around animatedly as she spoke. Her nervous behavior had him on edge. “Breathe, Bella. I can’t imagine you saying anything that would cause me to not want to get to know you better.” He gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Isabella looked down at his hand holding hers. “It feels so warm, so natural.” She sucked in a breath. “And you called me ‘Bella.’  No one has ever called me that before,  not even my father.” She tilted her head sideways, staring at his face. Isabella inhaled sharply, one deep bolstering breath before she spoke. “Well, you know I have been married before. I told you that last time.” She watched him carefully for a reaction. He stared at her unblinking. Finally she blurted it out. “I have two children.” Gabriel didn’t move or speak. “Did you hear me?”

“I heard you, Bella. I was waiting for you to tell me about them. You don’t strike me as the type of mother who wouldn’t want to talk about her children. And I would love to hear about them.” He leaned forward to show his interest, more than a little relieved this trivial matter was what had her so unhinged.

Isabella leaned back in her seat, her mouth agape. Then she smiled, rose from her chair, wrapped her arms quickly around his neck and gave him a swift peck on the cheek. “Will you excuse me? I’ll tell you all about them when I get back from the ladies’ room.”

Gabriel nodded and sat where she left him with a silly grin on his face. Maybe he wasn’t as detached as he tried to be. Maybe he wasn’t the player he’d always been. The thought of changing his ways had him mildly unnerved, but before he could worry too much, Bella returned. As soon as she had settled into her seat, he broached the subject, which had been left untouched. “So, about your little ones…”

Isabella smiled shyly. “Yeah, Rebecca and Konnor. Where should I begin?”

“Skip the conception.” He teased. “And the births. What are they like now?”

She rewarded him with a giggle. “Fine, but you’re missing out.” Isabella gave him an exaggerated wink.

Out of nowhere, he interrupted her. The impulse to reveal what popped into his head was too great. “You know who you remind me of sometimes, Bella?”

“Who?” Isabella asked as she leaned back looking mildly uncomfortable and laid a hand on her chest.

“My mother.” He grinned at her, pleased with his compliment.

Isabella inhaled sharply, then blurted, “Well, I would love to know how. Otherwise, everything just grew a little strange and uncomfortable between us.” She frowned.

With a chuckle, Gabriel shook his head. “Well, I don’t speak about my mother often. My parents divorced when I was very young.” He paused, watching for a reaction.

Isabella nodded, but still seemed dismayed.

“I don’t see her much either, but she is petite like you. She has these amazing eyes, similar to yours. You have this light, this sparkle. I can tell you have about a million things going on in your head. You are so alive, yet so timid.” He paused for a moment when he saw something in Isabella’s face. “I don’t know. Maybe that isn’t the right word. I get my languages confused.”

“Yes, how many languages do you know again?” Isabella was teasing him now.

“Four, but I want to learn Italian.” He took a sip of his drink. A slow song came on, and he decided to try to ease her mind away from the crowd. “Come on.” Gabriel lured Isabella from her chair. “I want you alone, under the stars, dancing beside the water.” He swiftly led her down the deck stairs to the water’s edge, a beautiful, secluded location. Isabella stood next to him shivering. Gabriel rubbed his hands up and down her arms for a moment. “Are you cold, Bella?” Again he found himself in unfamiliar territory. He truly cared for this woman already and worried over her comfort.

Isabella numbly shook her head.

Carefully, he pulled her into his arms. He could feel her breathing slow. “Tell me about your family, Bella.” He used her new nickname every chance he had because he noticed how it made her smile.

Finally she looked up at him. “What do you want to know?” Her head tilted to the side exposing her lovely long neck.

Immediately, he fought the impulse to nuzzle her, to kiss all the way from her collarbone up to her temple before claiming her lips. This woman was so alluring, and utterly unaware of her charms. Gabriel shook his head and forced himself to focus on the conversation, which would’ve been easier to do, had she not been pressed against him. “Well, what was it like growing up?  You haven’t told me anything about your parents or your siblings, or your ex-husband.”

Isabella frowned, and tightened her grip around his neck before speaking. “He’s not my ex yet, remember. I don’t know what to tell you. My sister, Angelica, and I have never been close, especially lately.” She smirked sadly, making him suspect there was a story there. “I haven’t seen her since right after mid-terms. My mother and I used to be close. Our family seemed really happy, but then my parents split up. She changed. Or maybe I just noticed it more without my father there. Daddy and I were positively inseparable.” She ended with a sigh.

“So, tell me about your father,” he murmured into her hair while inhaling her scent. She smelled like vanilla and flowers. It was an intoxicating combination and he knew he could get lost in the smell of her for hours.

“My father died when I was barely a teenager. I feel guilty because I can’t remember him as clearly as I used to be able to. I used to smell Old Spice and be able to recall every aspect of his face, remember how it felt to have him hug me. I was his special girl, and Angelica was his special tomboy.” She paused to chuckle. “He had the best of both worlds I guess.” Isabella buried her head in his neck.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your loss.” He murmured into her hair. “Since I seem to have already touched on nearly every sore subject, I don’t suppose you would want to tell me anything about Jack?” Gabriel bent his head to look her in the eyes and winked.

“Checking out the competition?” Isabella attempted a joke. Then she must have recognized the worry in Gabriel’s eyes, since she grew serious. “Jack and I won’t be getting back together, if that’s what you are wondering.”