“YOU’RE DOING WHAT?” Cole asked.
I watched as Gabi packed up a small suitcase, a huge smile playing across her gorgeous face.
“We’re heading to Reno then up to Lake Tahoe.”
“You’re eloping? Are you fucking insane! Not only will you have to deal with your mother, but we’re all going to have to deal with Charity!”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Gabi will call her here in a bit, unless you want to tell her.”
Cole huffed. “I’ll pass on that invite. Are you sure this is what you guys want to do?”
“Positive. My family is in our business so much, and Gabi would really like for this to be something we do together. Alone.”
“Is it something you want to do?”
“Yeah. It really is.”
“Then all right. I’m happy for you, Nic.”
With a chuckle, I pushed the back door open and stood on the porch. “A year ago, would you have imagined our lives to be like this? You have a baby on the way, me getting married. Crazy what happens when you meet the right person.”
“Yeah, I was thinking about that earlier when I was watching Charity baking in the kitchen. She was humming and looked so damn happy. I was pissed at the little stunt she pulled earlier by getting on the roof, but when I realized why I was so mad, it didn’t freak me out. A weird warmth spread through my chest.”
Nodding, I replied, “I get that feeling a lot when I’m with Gabi.”
“We’re lucky bastards, I can tell ya that.”
“So what about you?”
“What about me?”
“You ever think of asking Charity to marry you?”
He was silent for a moment. “All the damn time. I think I’m going to wait until after the baby is born.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “Sounds like a good plan.”
“Oh hell, I think Gabi called Charity.”
“Why?”
“I just heard her scream you’re doing what?”
Laughing again, I walked back into the house. Gabi was standing there holding the phone out with a frown.
“We’ll call you guys when we land and then after the deed is done.”
Cole chuckled. “Sounds good. Have a safe trip.”
Gabi shook her head and smiled. “She’s listing all the reasons why we can’t elope.”
I lifted a brow. “Any good ones?”
She shook her head. “They’re all about her! She needs to be the bridesmaid, she has to throw me a shower because she’s always wanted to throw a shower and a bachelorette party.”
Covering her mouth, she whispered, “Oh, this is the best one. We have to wait until she has the baby so she can fit into a sexy bridesmaid gown.”
“While you have made valid points on a few of your arguments, I’m still leaving on a flight tonight to Reno,” Gabi said.
“I know you want to be there, but how about you throw us a shower when we get back?”
She rolled her eyes. “We both know that is a promise I can’t make, but I’ll try. If you want to close the bakery, you can since I’ll be gone. You sure? Okay. I love you too, Charity. Please don’t work too hard. We will. Bye.”
Gabi let out a long sigh. “I have a feeling that was a preview of what is to come with your mother.”
I tossed my head back and let out a roar of laughter before focusing back on her. “Baby, that is the calm before the storm.”
Gabi giggled then looked at me with a questioning look. “Are you sure?”
Pulling her into my arms, I ran my thumb over her lips. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
She smiled and my heart skipped a beat.
“Did you leave your birth control pills here?”
Her cheeks turned a beautiful rose color. “Yes,” she softly said.
“Good. We need to get in some serious practice on making a baby.”
Gabi put her arms around my neck. “I like the sound of that.”
Leaning down, I kissed her gently on the lips. If I wasn’t careful, I’d take her again here in the living room.
“You ready to head out?”
She chewed on her lip then grinned wide. “Never been more ready!”
Lake Tahoe in September was beautiful. The warm afternoon sun shined down on us, keeping things comfortable as we stood on the beach.
“We never usually have openings, but it looks like you lucked out.”
My eyes swung over to the wedding planner from the Hyatt and I grinned. “I’d say we did for sure.”
We had flown in last night, stayed in Reno and got our marriage certificate in morning before we drove out to the lake.
Gabi smiled as she looked out over the crystal blue lake. “I am going to owe Charity big time.”
My arm slipped around her waist. “She did good.”
Charity had called ahead to the Hyatt to see if the beach location would be available for a wedding today. Totally last minute, minimal wedding she told the wedding planner. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Charity’s family had been coming to this hotel for years and she had attended a few weddings here. We were walking in blind, but Charity had taken care of everything for Gabi. It was her way of being a part of the wedding.
“So, Ms. Rossi, would you like to see the bridal bouquet that Ms. Evans had designed?”
I wasn’t used to hearing people call Gabi by her real last name. Each time it threw me.
Gabi turned to the wedding planner. “No, I think I’ll be surprised.”
The older lady smiled. “Well, the ceremony is scheduled for seven. The sun will be setting at seven eleven this evening.”
“That’s perfect!” Gabi said with a little excited hop.
Glancing between the two of us, the wedding planner asked, “Will you need any help with anything?”
I turned to Gabi. She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m going to take care of my makeup and hair.”
The older lady nodded. “Well, you should have something delivered to your room by now. A gift from Ms. Evans.”
Gabi looked surprised. “Oh, okay thank you.”
“Now, if you’ll both be down to the reception area at six fifty. You may want to come a few minutes apart if you don’t want to see the bride before the ceremony, Mr. Drivas.”
I laughed and replied, “Yes ma’am.”
“You have my number. If you need anything, we are here to help. We want this to be the perfect day for you both.”
Gabi laced her fingers with mine and said, “It will be, Mrs. Mitchell. Thank you.”
With a nod, the wedding planner excused herself and started back to the hotel. Gabi and I faced each other and smiled.
Biting on her lip, Gabi asked, “Are you nervous?”
I chuckled. “Not in the least bit. You?”
She squeezed my hands. “A little. There is a little dress shop up the road, I’m going to head over there and look for a dress after we get settled into the room.”
I agreed. We had driven straight here, checked in and went straight over to the wedding coordinator’s office. When we landed last night, Charity had sent a text saying she had set up the wedding for today as her and Cole’s wedding gift to us. I had to admit, it was nice having the plans already made, and I knew Gabi felt the same way. We were totally going to fly by the seat of our pants and no matter what would have happened, I knew it would have been perfect. This plan of ours was insane, but at the same time it was perfect for us. Knowing that we were going to be able to spend something so special with just each other made it feel more magical.
We made our way back into the hotel and up to our room. When we opened the door, Gabi gasped.
“Holy shit,” I whispered. The only thing you could see was a wall of windows and the lake in front of us.
“This is stunning. Hell, we could have gotten married here with this view!”
Gabi chuckled. “This room is amazing, Nic!”
Smiling, I drew her to me. “Well, if we’re in Lake Tahoe for our wedding and honeymoon, we had to stay in the honeymoon suite, right?”
Her lips found mine and we quickly got lost in one another. Then she pulled back and looked past my shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock. “She didn’t.”
Turning around, I saw two garment bags hanging up. One white. One black.
“I think she did,” I said.
Gabi raced over and grabbed the white bag. “Turn around, Nic! Let me open it!”
The excitement in her voice made my heartbeat pick up.
I could hear the zipper and then a loud gasp. “Oh. My. Goodness. It’s a dress! Nic, it’s a dress!”
“What’s in the black bag?”
Another zipper. “A tux!”
With a chuckle, I asked, “Can I turn around?”
“One second, let me take this in the bathroom and try it on.”
The sound of the bag rustling was followed by the bathroom door closing.
“Okay! Make sure the tux fits!” Gabi called out.
I did what she asked and tried it on quickly before she came back out.
“Fits like a damn glove. How in the hell did she do this?” I asked while walking over to the bar and pouring a small amount of bourbon into a glass.
“I’m not sure,” Gabi answered.
I walked around the giant suite taking everything in. There was a king-size bed that faced the wall of windows. A small living room area where the bar was at, and a small kitchen. Hell, we could order food and never leave the room. It was like a mini apartment with a killer view.
The bathroom door opened and Gabi stepped out. Her eyes were red and swollen. My heart seized in my chest as I put the drink down and made my way over to her.
“Gabi, what’s the matter?”
She shook her head then buried her face into my chest. Shit. I was hoping she wasn’t having second thoughts.
Pushing her out so that I could look at her, I wiped the tears from her face.
“Gabi?”
She smiled and shook her head. “The dress . . . it’s perfect. It’s beyond perfect.”
I gently placed the strand of hair hanging in her face behind her ear. “That’s wonderful, baby.”
“Charity thought to take care of everything, and a small part of me feels guilty she isn’t here.”
My heart ached. “Do you want to wait?”
“No!” she said as she grabbed onto my shirt. “This is exactly what I want.”
Kissing the tip of her nose, I added, “Good, because it’s what I want too.”
We leaned our foreheads together.
“Ya know, since I don’t have to go dress shopping, we could do some baby making practice.”
My dick jumped in my pants. Reaching down, I picked up Gabi as she let out a small yelp.
Tossing her onto the bed, I slowly crawled over her, leaning down so that our lips were merely inches apart.
“How much time do you need to get ready?”
The grin that spread across her face had heat surging through my body.
“Two hours.”
“Good, until then it’s practice, practice, practice.”
Gabi giggled as she lifted my T-shirt over my head.
I slowly undressed my future wife and took full advantage of the hours I had before she would slip into the other room and get ready.
Life couldn’t possibly get any better than this.