Live Today (Live Today #1) (17 page)

“She’s pretty.” I say softly. I hear Brennan huff in protest before Gabe replies back to me not a nanosecond later. “Not nearly as beautiful as you are Jems.” Gabe stands from the bed he and Brennan were sitting on and walks towards the door. “Let’s see if the snacks are done. I’m starving.” He says as he leaves the room.

“Huh” Brennan says. “Wonder what that was all about?”

“I have no clue.” I reply.

Drew, Brennan and I make our way down to the kitchen where Gabe has already entered and taken up residency in a chair at the table. His total disposition has shifted from warm and loving to cold and harsh. I decide to let it go for now since I don’t want his mother to worry about him any more than I’m assuming she already has. I quietly sit beside him and rest my hand on his. He looks my way and a small smile begins to form from the corner of his mouth. I give him a big huge smile, nudge his shoulder with mine and squeeze his hand. He interlocks our fingers and leans in and gives me a swift kiss before telling me he loves me. I return the sentiment.

A few hours later, Maria insists on driving to the high school where this community meeting for the fair is being held. Ashley and Gabe’s father are there already as they have been helping set things up for most of the day. Once we enter the theatre, I immediately gasp. Standing on the stage is a man that without a shadow of a doubt is Antonio Gonzales. I knew Gabe looked a lot like his father, but words cannot describe how much he actually does.

Antonio is as tall as Gabe if not taller. His hair is peppered with grey but still holds the natural dark look. He is a fit man, very fit for his age. I hear his mom laugh and I turn my direction to her. “Good looking men we have right dear?” I blush immediately and she laughs but pats my cheek. “Like father, like son. Gabriel is a spitting image of Tony when he was Gabriel’s age.” She winks as she continues. “They only get better looking with time.” I am beet red at this point when Gabe comes up to save the day.

“C’mon angel, I want you to meet Pops and Ashley.” He says as he pulls me away. Once we are a few feet away from his mom, he pulls me under his arm and whispers, “Looked like you needed a moment from my mom.” He says smiling. I blush again when I look up at him. I’m not sure if he heard what Maria and I were talking about, but I needed more than a moment. I pat him on the stomach and nod, still in embarrassment at myself for looking over Gabe’s dad.

Once on stage, Gabe walks me over to his father. “Hey Pops.” He says. His father turns and first looks at him, then to me, then back to Gabe again.

“Well, who is this man that stands before me? When I last saw him, he was only a boy.” He says sternly before taking a step towards Gabe and opening his arms for him. At first Gabe looked taken in a bit by him, then a smile appeared on his face as he let my hand go and stepped into his father’s embrace. “Good to see you son.”

My breath caught as the sentiment made its way to my chest. So much love was in the air. “Good to see you too dad, I missed you.” Gabe says with a smile. At this moment, I made the decision to make sure that Gabe, Matt and Drew all made the attempt to see their families at least two times a year. As their hugging session breaks apart, Antonio looks over to me, followed by Gabe. “Dad, I would like you to meet my Jenna.”

My cheeks flush immediately as Antonio looks me over. I’ve seen father look over their daughter’s boyfriends before, but never have I seen a father look over their son’s girlfriends. Suddenly, I wished I was with Brennan. “So, you’re Jenna huh?” My throat suddenly dries up and before I can answer he continues. “You are the one who kept my Gabriel away from his mother all these years.” Whoa, what?

“Excuse me?” I ask softly, not wanting to disrespect the man standing in front of me, but wanting to get some clarity on his comment.

“Dad.” Gabe says with an angry tone. “Don’t…” His father holds his hand up stopping Gabe in his tracks.

“You’re the one that has transformed my Gabriel into a man? Someone who, when he left, had not a care in the world, but now he has responsibilities and goals.” Holding my hands together in fists I reply.

“I’m sorry Mr. Gonzales but, Gabe has always had goals. They might not have been the same goals you had for him, but he has always had goals.” Antonio has a look of surprise on his face as I continue. “You should be proud of him for what he has accomplished.” I finish saying as I make eye contact with Gabe who is looking just as surprised. “Gabe isn’t just a band member Mr. Gonzales,” I continue with a stronger voice, holding my hand out to Gabe. He takes it as he steps to my side. “He is a part of our family. And we accept him for who he is.” I look up into Gabe’s glossy eyes. “And I love him.”

He takes my face in his hands and whispers. “I love you too.” Then ever so softly, he kisses me. “So much.”

“Well, I guess I stand corrected then.” Antonio says as he takes a step towards us. Resting a hand on my and Gabe’s shoulders. “Jenna, I was going to finish and say, if you can turn a boy into a man by simply believing in someone the way you and your brother have done for Gabriel, then you must definitely be something special.” He says smiling down at me. “It’s my pleasure to meet you young lady.”

A huge release of air escapes Gabe and my lungs as we both realize that we were holding our breaths. We look into each other’s eyes and laughed. I turned to Antonio and offered my hand. “Let’s start again shall we?” He smiles down at me and takes my offered hand. “Hello Mr. Gonzales, I’m Jenna Munson.”

He shakes my hand, and then pulls me into his arms. “Please Jenna, its Tony.” He says before releasing me back to Gabe. “So where is this Brennan? I hear he’s the foundation of this family?”

I tilt my head to Gabe who simply shrugs at me. “Um, yes sir, he is.”

“Well, c’mon then, let’s go before this meeting starts.” He puts his arm over Gabe’s shoulder and we turn to walk towards Brennan and the family. “So son, Ashley tells me you’ll be playing this weekend?”

“Oh, um, well, about that.” Gabe tries to get out that he made a mistake, but before he could finish, I intervene.

“Yes sir, we would be more than happy to perform.” Gabe’s eyes widen listening to my words. “It’s been too long since we have been on stage, and this way, you can see how talented our Gabe is here.” I say winking at him. He smiles with pride at me in return.

After introducing Gabe’s father to the guys, we took our seats. Brennan and the boys decide to take the seats directly behind Gabe and myself. Emily is sitting next to Drew as his parents sit beside him. Ashley, Gabe’s older sister, is on the board so we haven’t had a chance to officially meet her just yet. The lights flicker which I assume is a warning that the meeting will begin shortly. Gabe, who hasn’t left my side since we met his father, leans in and kisses my cheek. Something he has done every few minutes.

“Are you sure you are okay with the show on Saturday?” He asks with worry in his voice.

Honestly, I am not sure about anything right now except the simple fact that I made a commitment to his father and hell or high water I better be ready. I look up at him and swallow the lump in my throat and nod. “It’s kind of late now isn’t it? I already told your father and the boys it was a go.”

He shakes his head, “It’s not too late Jems. I can find my sister and have her take us off the list.” Immediately, I place a hand on his cheek to stop his shaking head and force him to look at me.

“Gabriel, it’s important to have your family see how hard you have worked for this career. I will not jeopardize it for anything in the world. Plus, Will was right.” I say softly. He squeezes my hand knowing how hard this is for me. “He didn’t want us to stop simply because he’s gone. He wants us to continue on.” I close my eyes to avoid allowing tears to spill over.

“Hey.” He whispers. I open my eyes and meet his honey brown eyes staring down at me. “I don’t want you to do anything simply for me. If they want to hear my work, they can buy a CD.” He chuckles then becomes serious. “I understand why you are doing this, but if it’s too soon Jenna, then we will wait. Okay?” I nod quickly as he leans in and kisses my lips so softly I almost forgot where we were.

“Dude, think you can spare us the PDA for an hour or so? It’s making me sick.” Brennan says. I begin to giggle as I lean into Gabe’s shoulder.

“Yeah, whatever man. You’d be doing the same thing if you had a beautiful girl by your side.” Gabe says over his shoulder.

As they begin to banter, a microphone comes to life bringing our attention to the stage that Antonio had set up. “Hello, and thank you for coming.” A soft female voice fills the room. As my eyes adjust to which person at the long table to which the voice is coming from I hear from behind me. “No fucking way.” Gabe and I look at each other quick before turning our head behind us. Brennan is sitting in his seat, eyes wide and mouth fully open.

“What’s wrong Bren?” I ask him quietly.

He breaks his focus on stage and leans in between Gabe and me. “Dude, you know everyone here right?”

Gabe scrunches his brows up in confusion and answers. “Pretty much, yeah. Why?”

Brennan points his finger from between our heads to the stage. “Who is that? On the mic? She’s drop dead gorgeous.”

Gabe stiffens and squeezes my hand as he realizes who she is. “Oh no.”

I look up at him and cock my head. “What?”

He looks at her, and then to Brennan, then he looks back to me and says. “Oh, hell no.”

“Dude, what’s wrong? Is she taken or something?”

“Or something bro.” Gabe says with a bit of anger in his voice “Uh, Brennan, that’s my sister.”

              “This isn’t a joke Gabe. Who is she?” Brennan asks a little more eager even the second time around. Gabe immediately twists in his seat turning completely towards Brennan.

“No fucking joke man. That’s Ashley. And don’t even think about touching her either.” He says sternly. Immediately I hear chuckles from behind me as I bite my lip. Those words sound so familiar, but usually they’re coming from the other person. Drew and Matt try their hardest to hold it in but their attempts fail as they draw attention to Gabe’s family.

Gabe looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “You find this funny?” All I can do is shrug my shoulders as my smile widens. “It’s not funny Jenna. Not one bit.” He says turning and sulking in his seat.

I make an attempt to take a hand he has made fists of. I continue to rub my thumb over his fisted balls of fury until he relaxes and takes my hand in his. I lean into his side and whisper. “It’s just a bit ironic don’t you think? Just last week Brennan was saying the exact same thing to you.” His eyes narrow as he glances my way, but he chooses to stay quiet. I take that as my cue to keep quiet as well and listen to the topic at hand.

After a very long and boring meeting, we stand at the exit of the theatre and wait for Ashley to join us. Everything for the fair has been finalized and we are the final act for Saturday night’s event. Brennan and Matt are happy to get back on stage. Drew, I think is more anxious than I am. This will be his first live performance since joining Live Today. I also know he is worried about me. I have to admit, I am excited for the guys, but it will be hard to get back on the stage without Will. I know I have the support from them to get me through it. At least we will have a few days of rehearsal to get our set in order and to tweak the equipment to our liking.

The door opens and Gabe’s sister, Ashley comes walking out. She is absolutely stunning. She actually looks like someone who would live in California rather in Kansas. Her short red streaked hair falls in a soft bob around her neckline. She wears a black off the shoulder V-neck top with the most adorable denim skirt. Her boots finishes off the outfit perfectly.

From behind me, I hear a gasp followed by a whispering voice which I know is Brennan’s “Beautiful.” She is of average height, and holds the Gonzales features quite nicely. As her chocolate brown eyes which aren’t overly covered in make-up meets Gabe’s, her smile brightens. “Gabe. You made it.” She opens her arms for his embrace. “When did you get here?”

“Sometime this afternoon. It’s good to see you Ash.” Gabe says as he rocks her back and forth in a caressing hug. He kisses her cheek before pulling away from her and turning her to us. “Ashley, I would like you to meet the guys.” He says smiling. Gabe and Ashley are close. They talk or text at least once a day if not more. He introduces her to Drew and Matt before he introduces her to me as “his Jenna” of course. What surprises me the most is that he didn’t introduce last as he has all day. This time he forcefully waited to introduce Brennan. After yet another embrace from a Gonzales, my eyes narrowed to Gabe. He knew what he was doing and as amusing it was to see him suffer the same way Brennan has suffered for years, he was also being disrespectful to both my brother and his sister. Looking into my eyes, he immediately rolled them before beginning introducing Brennan to Ashley.

“Ashley, this is Brennan. Bren, Ashley.” He says with a boredom tone as he waves his hand back and forth.

Sighing even bigger than Brennan in disappointment, Ashley stepped past us and offered her hand. “Hello Brennan, it’s very nice to meet you.” She says with a seductive tone.

Gabe moans and whispers in an annoying tone. “You’ve got to be kidding me” Taking a step back, I wrap my arms around his waist and smack him on his stomach to silence him. My eyes remain on Brennan as he seriously has the look of fear.

“Uh, um…Hi, I mean hello.” I begin to giggle as he tries to get squared away. At least Gabe never got tongue tied with me. “I mean, hey Ashley, it’s a pleasure meeting you.” He finishes with a deep breath. My eyes drift over to Matt and Drew who are doing their best to hold in their laughs. Thankfully Ashley is as oblivious to their laughter as Brennan is.

“Ok man, that’s enough drooling over my sister. Let’s get home so I can have some of momma’s home cooking I’ve been missing all these years.” He says.

Matt chimes in. “Don’t play it off as you never eat Gabe.”

Gabe pats his belly and chuckles. “Never man, but once you’ve had momma’s cooking; you’ll see what I’m talking about.” My heart swells as I realize since we’ve been here how much Gabe is so happy and relaxed with his family. As much as he has denied it, I know he has missed them all dearly. He drapes his arm over my shoulder and we walk towards the parking lot.

Dinner was amazing. She served homemade Mexican food which I have to admit, was to die for. Even Matt was impressed. Gabe is more peaceful than I’ve ever seen him. My heart tightens each time I think about how different our lives have been growing up. It’s apparent he has grown up with a loving family. Brennan and I lived a simpler life, we didn’t have the support and love from the parents as the others have. We loved and supported ourselves.

As Matt occupies himself with culinary talk with Maria, Brennan and Drew start going over which songs will be done for the set as Tony tries to follow their conversation with some confusion on his face. Emily and Ashley are cleaning up the kitchen. I had made the attempt to help them in the kitchen duties until Gabe takes me away. He was excited to show me around the property. Taking my hand in his, he leads me towards the back of the house.

On the back patio is a beautiful view of a field. The sun has just beginning to set turning the sky into a beautiful orange, pink and purple piece of art. Towards the left of the field, sits a barn. I can’t even say it was a barn, because this building is huge. As we walk hand in hand towards the extremely large building that rests about two hundred feet away from the house I stop in my tracks.

“What is it?” He asks.

“Gabe, this is just so beautiful.” I whisper as I watch the sky change colors before my eyes. “I don’t know why you would leave such a breathtaking place.” He steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist and kisses the top of my head.

“If I wouldn’t have left, then I wouldn’t have met you.” He says and my heart skips a beat with that reality. I rest my head against him as I run my fingers along his arms.

“True, so I guess I should thank who or what sent you my way then huh?” I ask tilting my head towards him to see his eyes glowing down at me. He kisses my lips so softly.

“Guess so.” He whispers. “C’mon, I want to show you something.”

He gives me another swift kiss before pulling me towards the barn. Instead of taking me into the barn as I thought he was, he takes me around it to the back of it. Resting behind the structure was a small lake. I can’t say it’s a pond because it seems so much bigger. I gasp immediately. “Oh Gabe, this is… this is… Oh my God.” I literally am at a loss for words. With the rainbow of colors that have painted the sky, its reflection mirrors it along the calm water.

He chuckles and responds. “Beautiful” I turn to look into his eyes and notice he isn’t even looking at the sky. I wrap my arms around him tighter.

“I didn’t think a place like this existed.” I whisper kissing him softly.

“Just wait.” He replies with his lips resting on mine. “C’mon, before it sets.” He pulls me towards an old dock which sits a small row boat. “Hope you’re strong enough.” He laughs.

“Um. What?” I ask shocked. “There is no way I’m rowing this thing.” He laughs and takes my hand and leads me onto the boat.

“I’m kidding Jenna.” He laughs. “I’ve got it covered. Yes, it’s a row boat, but there’s a trolley motor on the back. See?” He show’s me as he steps onto the boat behind me. Once we are seated nicely, he begins rowing us to the middle of the pond. “If you are going to drool at the sunset, you must do it from here.” He says smiling at me as I can’t find a flaw in the sky. The reflection from the water ripples into a breathtaking view.

Once we’re in the center of the water, he pulls out from behind his seat a blanket and he lays it down in the middle. He takes my hand and we adjust ourselves to where I’m sitting between his legs resting on top of him. “Honestly Gabriel, why did you leave here?” My voice is soft as my eyes remain on the sun that’s set itself half way past the horizon. “You seem so at ease here, I can see and feel the love for you. Your family has missed you so much.” My fingers make an unconscious trail along his arms. My new favorite thing to do.

He stay’s quiet for a good minute until I begin to turn to look at him. Knowing that he would be disappointed missing the sun set completely, he kisses my cheek keeping my head forward and with a deep sigh, he responds. “I have missed them. But it was my time to go. This isn’t the life for me Jenna. I wasn’t meant for small town Kansas. As much as I would have loved staying close to my family, the farthest I would have gone in life is playing on weekends at the town bar. I just had to get out.” I turn up to see his face. At first, he keeps his eyes forward watching the sky I’m sure he has missed all these years, then his thoughtful eyes turn towards me.

“Is that the only reason Gabriel?” I had to ask, remembering the events that went on earlier today in his room. His face hardens suddenly, then as he realized I am monitoring his reaction, it softens a bit. I kiss his jaw and decide to forget it. Whatever it is, it obviously bothers him too much to share. “It’s ok Gabe.” I kiss him again before resting my head on his shoulder again in complete bliss.

“I brought you out here not only to see the sunset Jems.” He softly kisses my neck changing the subject. As my heart quickens a bit, I tilt my head to allow better access. “I just wanted some alone time with you. Here, in my favorite spot.” He holds me tighter, kissing just below my ear. “This is where I use to come to think.” He chuckles softly. “See, we are a lot alike after all. We both need serenity to find ourselves. Yours is the ocean, and mine is the pond.”

Reaching my hand up and wrapping it around his neck, I bring his lips to mine. “I can see myself finding serenity here.” I kiss him softly. He groans as the kiss deepens. The sun has set, and I am in the arms of the man I have wanted to be with but have pushed away for years. My heart swells as I realize how stupid I’ve been all these years. Tears begin to well in my eyes as he pulls away.

He whispers softly. “What’s wrong angel?” His eyes are filled with worry. I turn into him and hold him tightly.

“I… I just haven’t ever been so happy Gabe. Thank you.” I say letting a tear or two or three escape my eyes. “Thank you for being a part of so many happy memories for me.”

Gabe’s eyes gloss over as he flashes his special smile he usually saves for me. “Jenna, today has been the happiest day of my life. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for guiding me towards you. There was a reason why I was sent away from here. It was to meet my soul mate. It was to meet you.” Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him in for a sensual kiss. “I love you Jenna Lynn Munson.” He whispers against my lips.

I’ve always told him I love him, just the same way I tell the other guys. The men in my life mean the world to me, so he’s use to me saying those words back to him. But now, at this moment, as well as earlier today, it means so much more. Moving my hands down, holding each side of his face, I look deep into his glossy honey brown eyes I’ve grown to love. “I love you Gabriel Antonio Gonzales.”

His grin widens and he chuckles softly. “Well, it’s about damn time.”

I immediately giggle, “Shut up and kiss me.”

“My pleasure.” His hands cup my checks as he gently brings his lips to mine. He carefully lays me onto the blanket as he adjusts himself to lie beside me, his lips never leaving mine. Running his mouth from my lips down past my jaw to my neck and back up again, he runs his hand down my body, electrocuting my senses along the way. I run my fingers through his hair as he brings his lips back to mine. My heart races as so many thoughts run through my mind. He’s always brought so many different emotions out of me.

Slowly with one hand, he unbuttons my blouse. My breath races even more than it ever has when he is near me. “You are so beautiful.” He whispers, running his eyes down my body. Sitting me up, he removes my top as I pull his t-shirt up over his head. He undoes my bra as he lays me back down and rests his body on top of mine. Trailing kisses along my collar bone, his fingers pull down the strap to my bra. My breath quickens as he remove’s it completely. He runs his fingers gently over breast and circles my hardened nipple. Taking my breast in his hand completely, he moves his tongue over the nipple flicking it a few times before taking it into his mouth. A moan escapes me as he runs his hand to caress the other breast.

“Gabe.” I beg. A bundle of nerves knot in my stomach as I realize what may or may not happen. I’ve never sexually gone any further than what I’ve ever done with Gabe. My heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest and I can’t seem to control my noisy pants.

“Shhh angel, it’s ok.” He whispers before making his way to the other nipple, teasing it equally. My gasps have gotten the best of me, pants of both anticipation and fear.  I take his face in my hands and bring him back to me. He grinds his hips where I need it most as we both groan in unison. “God, I’ve wanted you so badly.” He whispers on my lips. I cry out in need. “Gabe, please.” The fear that was tied in a knot in my stomach has suddenly faded. My legs wrap around him. “I need you.” I finally say in confidence. Those words have run through my head a million times, but I’ve never been able to say it. I am so nervous with what is about to happen, but also one hundred percent sure that this is what I want.