“Oh. Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly at her parents, and everyone laughed. The rest of the evening was spent discussing dates and talking about the engagement party and the wedding. Since Gabe had already planned on being home for the holidays, they decided on a December wedding, even though they knew they’d have to work fast to pull it off in less than three months.
Since Gabe refused to bring his daughter along on their honeymoon, and they didn’t want to spend Christmas without her, it was decided that they would be married on the twenty eighth and leave on their honeymoon the next day, returning the second week of January, just in time to start planning and rehearsing for what Gabe announced would be his last long concert tour for awhile. He’d tour South and Central America, but then he’d limit performances to sporadic one night shows in large cities and spend time settling into his new and improved family life. He’d still work on writing new music and putting together new CD’s, but the bulk of his touring would be phased out.
When the date was settled, everyone said goodnight, and Gabe and Summer performed the bedtime rituals together again with Marisol. Then, they went to their own room, and Summer changed into her most comfortable – albeit least sexy – night shirt. She walked into the room and smiled as she climbed into bed where Gabe was waiting for her.
“Do you mind? I’m not exactly dressed like a sex kitten tonight.”
“Baby, you always look sexy to me. I hadn’t even noticed what you were wearing. Hell, I’ve never even given you a chance to dress in anything at night, have I? I just strip you down and have my way with you.”
“We are usually in a hurry, aren’t we?” She snuggled in against his side, and he put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.
“Feeling better, baby? I was worried about you earlier when I checked on you.”
Summer was quiet at first, and then she sighed. “I’m still confused and trying very hard to sort out my feelings, but I thought of my mother and how she refused to let anyone or anything take her happiness, as Luisa put it, and I decided to rally. Luisa also said that, although we can’t control our emotions, we can control our actions, so I chose to take positive actions while I work through the emotional wreckage. Did you hear Marisol call me Mamá for the first time tonight?”
“You are fine with that?”
“Better than fine, I’m ecstatic. I almost burst into tears. Again. Only this time, they would have been tears of happiness.”
“I love you, Summer.”
“I love you, too, Gabe. I’m sorry I was such a mess today. Thank you for lending me your strength.”
“Was it enough,
amor
? I can’t stand for you to be hurting like that. I would do anything to make it better, only say the word.”
“I’ll be okay. I just need some time to think things through. I’m glad I have you, though. I’m not used to having someone to lean on, but it’s nice. I’m glad I’m not alone anymore. I’m starting this great new chapter in my life with you, Marisol, and your parents, and it makes me feel so happy. Getting that letter today was so overwhelming. On the one hand, it was touching that my father told me he loved me and was proud of me. Those are things I thought I’d lost forever a long time ago.”
“On the other hand, if I hadn’t lost those things from him as I thought, why did I have to do without them and him for so long? Now that I love someone like he did my mother, I have an inkling of how awful it must have been for him to lose my mother, but … I don’t’ know Gabe, I’m all mixed up. I don’t know what I feel where my father’s concerned anymore. In any case, I don’t want to think about it anymore tonight. Make love to me, Gabe. Make love to me until it’s all I know, and I can forget about the rest, at least for awhile.”
Gabe turned toward her and stroked her face. “Listen to me, Summer. You’ll never be alone again. I’ll never leave you. I’ll always love you,
corazón
.” He sealed his promise with a possessive kiss that took her breath away. Summer wrapped her arms around his neck and let Gabe’s caresses steer her away from her worries and pain and into the warmth and sweetness of his love for her.
Gabe reached for the bottom of her night shirt and pulled it over her head. She reached for him frantically, but he pulled away to look down at her. When she opened her eyes and looked up at him, he smiled.
“We’re not rushing tonight, Summer. We’re taking our time, and by the time we’re done, you’ll not only be exhausted, you’ll feel the peace and the strength of my love for you.” He bent down again and kissed her eyes, her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, and finally her lips. Every time Summer tried to pick up the pace, he’d stop and calm her, slowing down once again.
“Turn over, Summer.” She complied and he continued to kiss, lick, and tease every inch of her body from her neck down to her feet and back up again. He pulled her back against his chest and stroked the front of her body while he continued to kiss her neck and shoulders. He held her breasts in his hand and brought them to sharp peaks as he tweaked them between his fingers.
Gabe trailed his fingers down the valley between her breasts to her stomach, over her hip and down her thigh. He nudged her legs apart and put his leg between them as he explored her wet warmth with his fingers.
“Gabe, now. I can’t wait any longer.”
Gabe slipped inside her from behind as they both lay on their sides. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Feel me, Summer. Feel me love you,
mi amor
.” Gabe reached for her hand and covered it with his own as he led her to touch where they were joined. “I’ll always love you, Summer. I’ll never leave you. We belong to each other. Forever, Summer.”
She reached behind her and pulled his mouth to hers, kissing him with all the passion that he’d coaxed from her. “I love you, Gabe.”
Gabe reached to touch her intimately and tease her with his fingertips, first slowly and gently, then with firmer strokes as he moved inside her as the same time. As her breathing came faster, he reached for her breasts again.
“Touch yourself, baby. Make yourself come, and I’ll come with you.” As Summer complied, his own breath caught as he felt her working with him to bring her toward a climax. “That’s right, baby, like that. Yes.”
“Gabe. I love you.” Summer cried out his name as she reached her release, and he grasped her hip as he pushed into her as deeply as he could and found his own release.
“I love you, Summer. I’ll always love you,
mi vida
, and I’ll never leave you as long as I draw breath. You’ll never be alone again, I swear it.” He held her tightly and continued to stroke every part of her body that he could reach. His touch was gentle and calming. Several minutes later, he looked down at her to find her eyes closed. Summer was sound asleep. Despite having spent most of the day in bed, she was still exhausted. Gabe turned out the light and settled them both in bed, keeping Summer at his side, his arms surrounding her, making her feel safe and sheltered, even as she sighed in her sleep and tightened her hold around him.
My God, I love this woman with everything that is in me. I would do anything for her. I’d die for her. When I call her ‘
mi vida, mi amor, my corazón’
, it is not exaggeration. She is my life, my love, and my heart. If her father felt this way about her mother, it’s no wonder he fell apart when she died.
Diós
, I pray I’ll never be put to such a test.
Gabe fell asleep praying for Summer’s health, happiness, and safety. Always.
Chapter Fourteen
Only two days before the engagement party, and Summer was surprisingly very calm. Gabe had done such an exceptional job of making her feel loved and important in his life, she felt confident and comfortable being put on display, knowing he’d be by her side.
The press would be allowed to take pictures and ask questions – be introduced to her, really – an hour before the guests were scheduled to arrive, and then they would be escorted off the property. Gabe’s own publicity team would be the only people allowed to take pictures during the party, other than guests.
Being used to buying her clothes off the racks at shopping malls, Summer had to adjust to dressmakers being called to measure and design clothes exclusively for her. She vaguely remembered her mother doing the same thing when Summer was little, but she was out of touch and practice with the whole idea. Her soon to be mother-in-law assured her that it was the only way to handle her wardrobe from now on, since she’d be under the microscope for awhile.
Several designs and fabrics were shown and chosen. A beautiful red cocktail dress was being made for her for the party. The bodice was strapless and beaded and hugged her every curve to perfection. The skirt had a sheer, beaded lace layer over red satin that also clung to her and fell to mid-thigh. Matching red, satin, strappy sandals with insanely high heels complimented the outfit. Her hair would be worn up, and her make-up would be dramatic. She was determined to be the talk of the party for other reasons besides the engagement. More importantly, she wanted to wow her soon to be husband and make sure he was proud to have her at his side. And yeah, okay, she knew Celia would be coming, and she definitely wanted to send a message to her. And if that made her shallow, so be it.
Gabe had to leave town briefly a couple of days before and promised to be back tonight some time. It had been the first nights they’d spent apart since their trip to Spain, and neither of them liked it. At all. Even before they started going out as a couple, they’d seen each other every day at some time or another after she’d been hired as Marisol’s tutor. Summer was amazed that after only knowing each other a couple of months, she absolutely could not imagine her life without Gabe and Marisol at the center of it.
Summer looked down at the engagement ring she and Gabe had picked out together. Thank God she’d been present, since some of the rings they’d been shown – and that he’d wanted to buy – would probably have required a sling to carry around the weight of the rocks they’d held. The jewelers all tried to talk him into the biggest, most expensive designs they had, insinuating that size signified the amount of love he felt for her. It took her awhile to convince Gabe that bigger wasn’t necessarily better, especially considering how small her hands were. They’d finally agreed on a diamond and ruby setting, although Gabe had insisted on a larger center stone. It was their first major compromise, and they’d done well.
Gabe’s preparation for the party was so much simpler than hers. He’d be wearing a classic black tux. That’s it. No fittings, no shopping, no accessories. All he had to do to prepare was to take his usual shower, take out his clothes from his closet, put on his shoes, run a brush through his curly hair, and he’d be ready. Guys had it so much easier than girls.
Marisol would also wear a red party dress, so she would match her new mamá, and she had sparkly, red sequined shoes to match. Summer had met with Pablo to go over how to handle the press and what they were likely to ask her. He was thrilled that she was so fluent in Spanish. Even though Argentinean Spanish was slightly different from Mexican Spanish, he assured her that her
Latina
roots would make for an instant hit with Gabe’s fans, which were largely Hispanic. The fact that she could answer questions equally well in both languages would be a news story in itself, especially since there were already rumors that she was from the United States, probably due to her mother’s heritage. Although there were many blonds in Argentina, people generally associated her coloring with American women.
Pablo’s plan was to begin the press conference in English and then throw out a question in Spanish and have her answer it in the same language, which was likely to cause quite a stir. He assured her that he and Gabe would be with her the entire time, but he didn’t anticipate any difficult questions, since Gabe was popular with the press, not to mention that allowing the press time to photograph and question them was a courtesy. They could just as easily have banned them.