Chapter Thirteen
Gabe
“I’ll make arrangements this morning and let you know once everything is booked,” I said to my colleague, before ending the telephone conversation. A new contract was being set up and my partners thought it would be a good idea if I met with the client to seal the deal.
Throwing the phone on the coffee table, I sank on to the couch and put my head in my hands. I was numb. Didn’t really know what was going on anymore. I hadn’t spoken to Lana for three days after I proposed to her. She wasn’t answering my calls and refused to speak to me whenever I went around to her parents’ house. I was lost. I had opened my heart to her and had it thrown back in my face.
I just couldn’t figure out what went wrong. We had spent that wonderful night at the dance, then practically devoured each other and had the most mind-blowing sex ever. I thought we were finally on the same page, that she wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with her.
But no. I had read it wrong. I had gone and fucked everything up by proposing to her.
I felt a small hand touch my knee. “What’s wrong daddy?”
I looked up at my son. His face was etched with worry. I smiled and ruffled his hair. “Nothing’s wrong, sport. Are you ready to take a quick trip back home?”
He looked dubious. “Where is Lana? I miss her.”
I hid my face from him so he wouldn’t see that I was on the verge of tears. I had to keep it together. “I know buddy. She’s gone back to her mommy’s house for now.”
“Why? Doesn’t she like living with us anymore?”
“I guess not.”
“Huh. Maybe if I draw her a nice card, she’ll want to come back and live with us.”
My heart broke all over again. “That’s a great idea. I’m sure she’d love to receive a nice card from you.”
He beamed a huge smile and disappeared under the coffee table for a moment. A pad of paper and a box of pens appeared on the table and he settled down to create his card.
“Can you help me draw a nice heart for her?” I slid down on to the floor and helped steer his hand. Inside, I felt like I was going to fall apart. My mind kept flashing back to the look of horror on Lana’s face when I asked her to marry me for real.
After we finished making the card, I called my agent and booked flights back to DC. I packed a small bag for us both and locked up the house. I settled Louie in the car and knocked on the Torres’ front door. Marta answered.
“Oh, hello Gabriel. Come on in.”
“Actually, I just came to let you know that I’m heading back to DC for a few days. Some work stuff has come up and they need me to be there to meet the client.”
“Oh, I see. Do you want me to take care of Louie for you?”
“No, thank you but it’s okay. He’s coming with me.” I looked down at the card in my hand. “Um, I don’t suppose Lana is at home?”
Marta sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know what’s got into her the past few days. She’s hardly been at home. Did you have a fight?”
“No, not exactly. I…um, after I spoke to you on the day of the Valentine’s ball, I decided to go along after all. We had a wonderful evening together, which cemented in my mind what you had said about her always carrying a torch for me. I realized that it was no good having a fake marriage. I want to be with Lana, properly. So, I proposed to her with my mom’s engagement ring.”
This was clearly the first Marta had heard of it. “Oh, my goodness, Gabriel! That’s wonderful news!”
“When I proposed, Lana ran out on me and I haven’t been able to speak to her since.”
“Oh dear. I really didn’t know.”
I checked my watch for the time. “I’m going to have to go if I’m going to make the flight on time. Look, I don’t know what’s going on in Lana’s head right now. Can you please give her this card from Louie and I, and let her know that I will be back in a few days’ time? We were supposed to meet with the lawyer to transfer the title of the estate into my name at the beginning of next week. I need to know what she wants to do, or I’ll have to sign everything over to Matt.”
Marta took the card from me and patted my hand. “Don’t you worry about that. I’ll speak to her when she comes in. Find out what’s really going on in that messed up mind of hers.”
“Thank you, Marta. Please let her know that she can call me whenever she wants to talk.”
Marta agreed and kissed me on the cheek. “You love her, don’t you?”
“Yes, I believe I do. I’m not quite sure how this all happened, but I just want to try and figure it all out.”
We said our goodbyes and Louie and I got in the car and headed towards the airport. Even as I drove away, I hoped that Lana would come around. A nasty thought pricked my mind that yet another South Dakotan woman had rejected me. I silently cursed my hometown, and set my mind to getting through the next few days in DC.
If Lana didn’t want me then I hadn’t really lost anything I supposed. I still had Louie, my job, my life in DC. It was enough.
Even as I thought that last thought, I knew it was a lie.