Chapter Forty-eight
Three weeks later
Willoughby, Wisconsin
Standing on the balcony, Gabby looked down at the giant crowd of people and breathed in a sigh of almost giddy satisfaction. The sense of accomplishment from a job well done was a heady experience. She doubted she would ever get used to the feeling.
The art show for local artists was an annual event for the museum, but she had helped make the occasion one that people would talk about for months. Her organizational skills, combined with the knowledge acquired through her studies and travels, had helped turn the fundraiser into a rousing success.
Wouldn’t Luis roll over in his grave to know that the trips he had insisted she take every year had enabled her to be successful at her job? The irony was beyond amusing.
Thanks to Grey Justice, she had learned more about Luis Mendoza in the last few weeks than she had in a lifetime of being his granddaughter. Grey had told her he could get her as much information as she wanted. She decided she wanted to know it all. Every single solitary detail. Then and only then would she put the past where it belonged.
All the things she’d uncovered about Luis beforehand—the elopement with her grandmother, the enmity between him and Rudolph because of that—were very true. She had also known of his love of art. His home was filled with some of the finest pieces in the world. She just hadn’t known about his obsession. Apparently, there was a mini museum beneath the monstrosity of the Mendoza mansion. Treasures and one-of-a-kind pieces that only he and a chosen few were allowed to see. Those had been the true objects of his affection.
When the Rossis, her grandmother’s family, gifted Rudolph Bianchi a priceless sapphire as a token of their regret for what their daughter had done, a new obsession had been born. The one jewel that Luis couldn’t have had become what he wanted most. And Gabby had been his pawn.
The reasoning behind Rudolph Bianchi’s desire for a great-grandchild still wasn’t clear. Had he convinced himself he loved Flora Rossi so much that he had to have her great-grandchild? She would never know. Gabby speculated that his need was more about revenge than anything else. Rudolph had known about Luis’s weakness and had played him quite brilliantly. Holding something like that over his enemy’s head had to have been a boon to Rudolph’s damaged pride.
The priceless jewel had been found in a safe-deposit box Rudy had rented at a Rome bank. It had been returned to the Bianchi family, and rumor was, every person who had an ounce of Bianchi blood was trying to get their hands on it. Gabby couldn’t care less what happened to the stone or where it ended up. There was way too much heartache and pain attached to the thing.
She had also received word through Grey that her cousin Antonia wanted to talk with her, to apologize. She’d claimed that she had made the information on the artificial insemination easy to access in order to help Gabby. She’d said it was the only thing she could think to do. She confirmed what Gabby had surmised—that Luis had threatened Antonia’s family if she didn’t comply with his orders.
Knowing the truth helped, but she hadn’t yet been able to contact Antonia. Maybe someday she could. For right now she wanted to stay as far away from her relatives as possible.
Now that she knew all those things, she told herself she could finally move on. If only it were than easy.
Some things had been remarkably easy—such as becoming Gabriella Mendoza again. After explaining things to her employer and why she had used a false identity, the woman had been sympathetic with what she had endured and surprisingly enthralled by the drama.
The last couple of weeks had been the busiest of Gabby’s life, but not nearly enough to ease her heartache. Not a day had gone by that she didn’t question her decision to walk away from Jonah.
Lacey texted her frequently. If she had thought she would lose her friend over this, she had been happily mistaken. Jonah’s sister didn’t hold a grudge against her for leaving. In fact, whenever they talked about Jonah, Gabby was usually the one who defended him.
She knew Jonah. He was a good, honorable man. He had given her so much, and even if she never saw him again, she would love him forever. But he hadn’t followed her as she’d hoped. Maybe it had been a silly, immature thing to do, but she’d felt she had no choice. She had told Jonah that she loved him, wanted to be with him. And in return he had insisted that her safety would be in jeopardy if they stayed together. All of that was over now. All the obstacles that had kept them apart were gone. But still he hadn’t come. She supposed that was her answer. Hurt like hell, but at least she knew the truth. He didn’t love her. Not the way she had dreamed and hoped.
She had a wonderful life to look forward to living. She would make her own way, her own choices. And while she would always grieve for what might have been, she would never for one moment regret what they had shared. Nor would she regret the love she had offered him.
Her only regret was he would never know the amazing life they could have had together.
“Gabby?”
She turned to see an older woman headed toward her. With iron-gray hair and a sweet, infectious smile, Dorothy Dockery, or Dee Dee, as she liked to be called, was the perfect employer. She had given her the opportunity of a lifetime. By trusting Gabby, she had allowed her to thrive and grow. The charity event was Dee Dee’s baby, but she had turned the bulk of the planning over to her assistant without a hint of hesitation.
“Did you need something, Dee Dee?”
“Yes…well, maybe. I’m not sure. There’s a deliveryman at the back door. He said he has more pieces to display. I don’t remember ordering anything else. And I’m not sure where we would put them at this late date.”
“That’s odd. I’m not expecting anything else.”
“Would you go chat with him, dear? He’s waiting in the storage room.”
“Of course.”
Glad to have something to do other than dwell on what could never be, Gabby squeezed Dee Dee’s hand and took off down the stairs. Halfway down, she jerked to a halt, all breath leaving her body. In a room filled with dozens of elegantly dressed people, one tall, lone, incredibly handsome man stood out. Dressed in a black tuxedo, his dark hair glistened beneath the chandelier lights. And his eyes…those beautiful, mesmerizing eyes the color of brilliant emeralds, gleamed up at her.
He had finally come.
She was a vision. Never in his life had he seen anyone more breathtaking. Dressed in a shimmering gown of silver and white, she exuded elegance, class, and sheer loveliness.
He walked slowly toward her, his heart thudding so hard, he wondered if the crowd around him could hear the thundering beat. He knew he was taking a big risk coming here like this. She might decide to ignore him altogether, or she could just give him a giant wallop, sending him crashing into the wall. He likely deserved both.
It had taken considerable willpower not to come to her as soon as he was released from the hospital. Probably would have been the smart thing to do. But in his heart, he felt he needed to do more. For the last three weeks, he had worked tirelessly night and day. And whether she rejected him or not, he was glad he’d done this for her. At least he would have gotten one thing right.
He stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her. Her face was composed, but he saw the questions in her eyes, the trembling of her mouth. She was nervous, too.
She reached the bottom step, and he held out his hand. “You look lovely.”
Her eyes dropped to the hand, and his heart stopped beating. She wasn’t going to take it. She was going to reject him, as he had rejected her. It was nothing less than he deserved.
Finally, she took his hand, and he was able to breathe again. He pulled her down to the main floor and just let his eyes roam over her. He wanted to kiss her until they were both breathless, he wanted to glide his hands over her silky skin, and he wanted to lick and nibble every succulent inch of her with excruciating slowness until they both passed out with pleasure. He also wanted to hear her laugh, see her smile, listen to her talk about the endless subjects that interested her. He wanted everything.
“You’re looking well.”
Her voice shook a little, and he knew she was more nervous than he’d thought.
“I’m one hundred percent again.”
“I—” She looked around at the crowd. Most everyone was preoccupied, admiring the art or mingling in small groups, but several people were looking at them curiously.
“Could we go somewhere private and talk?”
“Yes…of course. But I need to…” She took a shaky breath. “There’s a deliveryman at the door in the back. I need to handle that, and then I—”
He smiled and squeezed her hand gently. “I’ll go with you.”
“Okay.”
He let her lead him through the gallery and around the pockets of people. A few nodded or smiled as they passed. One older couple tried to engage them in a conversation. Like everything else Gabriella Mendoza did, she handled them with ease, smoothly extricating herself before they managed to corner her.
When they were at last at the door, she turned. “I’ll be just a moment.”
“No worries. I’ll go with you, and maybe we can find a quiet place to chat.”
“Okay.”
She went through the door, and Jonah followed. A young man stood next to several large crates. Dressed in a dark green uniform, he had the look of a man who was eager to do his job and leave.
“Hi. Are you authorized to sign for this delivery, ma’am?”
“Could I see the paperwork? I’m not expecting anything.”
“Sure thing.” He handed her several pages.
As Gabby looked down at them, Jonah nodded. The young man winked, smiled, and backed out of the room in a flash.
“I don’t understand.” Her brow furrowing, she looked up from the pages and looked around. “Where did he go?”
“He had to leave. I told him I’d take it from here.”
“Take what from here? What’s going on, Jonah?”
“Look down at the pages again, sweetheart. What do you see?”
Confused, Gabby looked down again. The list was itemized alphabetically, but nothing on it made sense. She hadn’t ordered anything, and the things listed weren’t items the gallery would likely consider showing.
A café in Italy, sunset in London, sunrise in Paris, red roses with dew.
Eclectic, but still…
She shook her head slowly. “I still don’t get—” Her breath caught in her throat. Maltese puppy with a pink bow, black and white dog, gray and white kitten.
Her eyes filling with tears, she looked up at Jonah in wonder. “These are mine.”
“Yes.”
“You brought all of my paintings here? From the house in England?”
“Two hundred twelve paintings, eighteen unfinished works of art, and two dozen pages of doodles.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“Don’t you know by now that I would do anything for you?”
“But you—”
“I love you, Gabby. I have for a very long time. I was an idiot. I never should have sent you away. Never should have let you go.”
“Oh, Jonah.” Dropping the pages, she threw her arms around his neck and showered him with kisses. “I can’t believe you did this. Can’t believe you don’t hate me for leaving you.”
“Hate you? How in the world could I hate the most wonderful, precious, and perfect gift I’ve ever been given? I just hope I’m not too late.”
“It could be fifty years from now instead of three weeks and it would never be too late. My love is forever.”
“As mine is for you.”
He kissed her then, claiming her lips as she had claimed his heart. Never in his life had he believed he could fall in love again. This beautiful, talented, courageous woman had taught him how to live again, love again. And he was never going to let her go.