The Widow and the Orphan (14 page)

“Yes,” Viv sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with one of Jane’s burp cloths.

“I thought it was when I saw it on the hanger, but now I know for sure.” Pepper’s eyes were watering again and she waved her fingers in front of her face to keep from messing up the dress.

For the first time in weeks, Pepper felt like herself. She continued to preen in front of the mirror while Madeline brought her different veils to try on. She laughed and smiled like she did before the cancer stole all of that away. Viv hugged her tight and fed Pepper’s ego with all kinds of compliments. Even Jane, who woke up and began babbling, smiled brightly when Vivienne held her up to see.

Maybe I
can
be happy
. Pepper made a choice to let the weight of her troubles fall to the floor every time Vivienne fluffed the train or Molly brought her another accessory to try on. She ignored all of the inner doubt and turmoil so she could have her bridal moment and not feel guilty about it. She even thought she’d be able to make those conscious choices more easily in the future, with the first one over and done with. At least she hoped the future could be like that.

“I don’t care if pomegranates aren’t in season right now. The groom wants apple and pomegranate crisp for dessert so he’s going to have it!”

Aiden glared at the phone as though the person on the other end of the line could see how ferocious he looked. Pepper tried hard not to laugh out loud.

“That’s right. I said apple and pomegranate crisp.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “Google a recipe for crying out loud! And you better not overcharge us for it!”

“Aiden,” Pepper whispered. “Don’t worry about the money.”

Aiden shushed her and returned to berating the caller.

Letting Aiden become their de facto wedding planner turned out to be the best decision she and Gabe could have made. Trying to keep their lives as low key and peaceful as possible was difficult enough. Without all of the wedding headaches to worry about, things had definitely improved at home. Gabe was feeling better and Pepper’s stress levels were way down, evidenced by the lack of empty wine bottles in the garbage can and her lengthening thumb nails. Some days she was even able to go as much as a few hours without remembering that cancer was the third party in their relationship.

The clatter of Aiden’s phone on the desk brought Pepper back to reality.

“There. That’s fixed. Gabe will have his favorite dessert.”

Pepper smiled and patted Aiden’s hand. “Thanks, man. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Organize your own wedding?”

Pepper grinned and looked around at the cluttered mess that had become Aiden’s office. Usually, he was the most organized person, bordering on OCD. But now there were loose papers, file folders, and scripts scattered from one end of the room to the other. All the wedding paperwork and information was spread out on his desk next to his computer and phone. Piles of unopened mail lined the window ledge. The red light on the office phone blinked wildly with voicemail messages gone unheard.

“I hope you aren’t taking too much on,” Pepper said softly. “You look kind of backed up around here.” The last thing she wanted was to feel guilty for using Aiden as the wedding coordinator when he obviously had a taxing full-time job already.

“Don’t even think it. Everything can wait until after the wedding. It might not look like it, but it’s all organized chaos right now. As soon as I get all your details locked, I’ll be back to EJR Productions in a hot minute.”

Pepper knew she needed his help. Viv had been pissed initially when Pepper didn’t come to her for help in planning every single detail of the big day, but had quickly gotten over it when the baby threw up all over the first wedding invitation sample Pepper showed her. That day had ended in a lot of laughter when they both came to the understanding that they each had a lot to learn in their new roles and lives, from babies and motherhood to weddings and cancer. The biggest takeaway for Pepper, though, was that she and Viv would always find their way back to each other, no matter how many tragedies or bumps in the road kept them apart.

Thumbing through some of the mail, she saw a flat FedEx envelope. “Wouldn’t something from FedEx be important?”

“Get out of there! You’ll mess up my system.” Aiden tapped her hands until she dropped the stack back in place. “Don’t you have your own office with mail to be opened?”

* * * * *

Aiden chased Pepper out. There was nothing that irritated him more than someone questioning his abilities. He’d been handling Gabe’s business for almost ten years. It was all about clockwork and procedure to him, and the last thing he needed was for his boss’s fiancée to be all up in his business.

Still, Pepper’s comment about a FedEx being important stuck in his craw. As he rolled his chair toward the window sill so he could grab the letter, both the office and cell phone rang at the same time.

“Dammit.”

The cell’s caller ID showed the number of another wedding vendor. The office phone’s display showed “unknown.” That was rare, but still, with the wedding only six weeks away, Aiden was pulled to answer the cell first, leaving the unknown caller to cycle over to voicemail.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Aiden maneuvered the car into the mall parking lot, easing his way along to the valet stand.

“Bugger off. I will not have you choosing my wife’s Christmas presents.”

Aiden sighed and gave his boss a sideways glance. “The doc said you aren’t supposed to expose yourself to germs.”

“I’m wearing a mask and gloves. I won’t touch anything. I’ll just point and you make the purchases.”

Gabe was insistent that he do his own shopping for the holidays. He had already chosen many things online and they had been shipped to the office because Pepper was too ready to snoop into any deliveries that came to the house. She was worse than a small child trying to catch a glimpse of Santa on Christmas Eve, but that was one of the things he loved best about her. He desperately wanted to be able to surprise her with a few things at the very least, since this holiday was likely to be far less happy and carefree than their last. To make sure she wouldn’t catch him at his prison break, Gabe had sworn Aiden to secrecy and they had driven to a mall more than an hour away.

Gabe managed to pull himself out of the car on his own, and then shuffled over to a bench to sit and wait while Aiden got the wheelchair out of the trunk. Once he was settled in the contraption, Gabe fought the shame and embarrassment he felt at being pushed through the mall by the young man.
He’s definitely getting a raise
.

True to his word, Gabe had donned a baseball cap, surgical mask, and latex gloves before they entered the mall. His lap was covered with a light blanket and he wore a yellow windbreaker zipped up to his neck.
Oh, I’m not obvious at all
. Still, his desire to find some trinkets and treasures for the love of his life overshadowed the doctor’s warnings.

“Which way first?”

“I chose this particular shopping mall because it contained some of the finest stores. Please roll me to Tiffany’s,” Gabe instructed.

Over the course of two hours, until Gabe was almost too exhausted to speak, they went from store to store, looking for the perfect gifts for Pepper. Ruby and diamond earrings and a matching bracelet from Tiffany’s. A handbag, wallet, umbrella and stylish raincoat from Burberry. A book on kittens and a calendar filled with them from a bookstore. A dress from one store. Shoes from another. Every time Aiden suggested that they’d gotten enough, Gabe had squelched him and insisted they keep going.

“I think that’s it, boss. Seriously. I need to get you back.”

“Yes, fine.” Gabe acquiesced but with reluctance. He didn’t want to go home until he had been able to buy away all the guilt he felt from knowing this would be his last Christmas.

* * * * *

“Where the
hell
have you been?”

Pepper stormed out of the house to the driveway as Aiden pulled in. Waving her phone wildly, she glowered at the young man behind the wheel. “I’ve been texting and calling for three hours.”

“Sorry.” Aiden’s eyes pleaded with her to calm down and when she looked past him to the passenger side seat, she saw Gabe there, fast asleep.

“For fuck’s sake, Aiden,” Pepper sighed. “What did he do?”

“I can’t tell. He swore me to secrecy.”

Shaking her head, Pepper didn’t know what else to say or do. “Okay, let’s get him in the house.”

While Aiden got the wheelchair out of the trunk, Pepper crossed to the other side to open the passenger side door. “Honey?” she said softly, rubbing a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, can you wake up?”

After a few more promptings, Gabe’s face twitched and he looked at her in surprise. “Oh. I didn’t think I was that tired.”

Pepper smirked, then kissed him quickly on the tip of his nose. “Well, whatever clandestine mission you were on really wiped you out. Can you walk?”

Gabe straightened himself up and considered it. “I believe I can, actually.” He moved very slowly, but he finally got his legs out of the car and then pushed himself into a standing position. He wobbled once and Aiden rushed forward with the wheelchair at the ready, but Gabe waved him away. “No, I’m okay.”

Without assistance, he took methodical steps into the house.

Pepper turned to Aiden and lifted her shoulders in surprise. “Maybe the nap helped?”

Aiden shook his head. “Maybe.”

He followed her into the house where Gabe had already made it to the kitchen. He was looking in the refrigerator for something. Aiden folded the chair and stored it in the closet and then invited himself into the kitchen as well.

“What are you looking for, babe?” Pepper came up beside him and looked inside the fridge. There wasn’t a ton of stuff because she hadn’t shopped in about a week and with Gabe’s appetite ebbing, there wasn’t much need to fill it up.

“I’m a bit peckish.” Gabe turned his face to her and grinned.

“That’s great!” Pepper sang. “What do you think you want? Go sit down, I’ll fix it!”

Gabe batted her away like she was one of the kittens going for his shoelace. “I can do it. Let me be.”

Pepper threw her hands up in defense and backed away. “Fine, do your thing.”

She joined Aiden at the island and the two of them watched in fascination as Gabe pulled a container of yogurt out and a banana.

“I do not need an audience, thank you very much.” Gabe smirked at them and took his snack out to the patio.

“All right, ‘fess up. Where did you two go?”

“Nope. Not tellin’. As you can see, he’s no worse for the wear and feeling very feisty. Let him have his secret.”

Pepper wasn’t happy to be left out of whatever had gone on, but she shut up about it. There was no use trying to get them to tell her, especially when the outing seemed to have done Gabe a world of good.

* * * * *

“Just hear those sleigh bells jinglin’, ring-ting-tinglin’ too.”

Pepper hummed along to the music as she placed ornaments on the Christmas tree. It was a twelve foot artificial Douglas Fir she had gotten on sale the year before when the holidays were over. It was taking all of her control to keep a smile on her face. When she’d gotten the tree last year, she had thought of all the many years of Christmases she and Gabe would have together. Now, it looked like there would only be one more. She wanted to be hopeful that he would beat the cancer, but hope only stretched so far. True, Gabe was experiencing a bit of a resurgence, but Pepper was becoming exhausted with worry and she didn’t know how to stop herself from doing it.

“We shall never keep the children out of the tree, darling.”

Gabe was referring to the kittens, who were batting at the lowest branches already. He handed up another box of colored glass ornaments to her. She balanced it on top of the ladder and then began hanging them in no particular pattern.

“Eh, we’ll manage. I won’t put any of the glass ones too low.”

“It’s looking lovely.”

“Thanks!” Pepper grinned down at him. “You know how I love Christmas.”

It was true. She loved the season and decorating and gift-giving and all of it. What she did not miss from Michigan was the snow. She had never been more pleased than to give that up. Gabe, however, enjoyed snow and skiing and all things winter. Last year, they had spent two weeks in Aspen, but there was no chance of a repeat this year. To compensate, Pepper put plastic clings of snowflakes on every window in the house.

“Time for a break.” Gabe tugged at her arm.

Pepper descended the ladder and he pulled her by the hand to the couch. He pushed gently on her shoulders to get her to sit. “I have something for you.”

“What? No!” Pepper tried to protest. It was still a few days till Christmas. She was just as anxious as he was to exchange presents, but she knew they had to be patient.

Gabe shushed her and pulled a small wrapped box from his pocket then sat down beside her. “There will be plenty more for Christmas day, but I couldn’t wait for you to see this one. You can’t technically have it yet.”

Pepper frowned and accepted the box from him. “Well, that sucks. What’s the sense of giving me something I can’t have right now?” She knew immediately it was jewelry from Tiffany’s by the signature blue box.

“Go on!” Gabe urged, his face as excited as any child’s. “Open it!”

Pepper tore off the white bow and ribbon and lifted off the top. Inside was a smaller, black velvet box. She pulled it out and popped it open. Inside lay two circles of diamonds, alternating black and white. They sparkled and twinkled by the light of the flames crackling in the fireplace. They were absolutely gorgeous and she understood why she couldn’t have them right then. It was her wedding band.

“Oh, Gabe,” she sighed, love for him making her heart want to burst. “They’re so beautiful.”

Gabe beamed with pleasure and leaned over to kiss her on the lips. “I’m glad you think so. I was going to have something designed to go with your engagement ring, but when I saw these at Tiffany’s, I knew they would go together perfectly.”

“Can I try them on just to see?”

“Absolutely not.” Gabe reached over and snatched the box from her fingers and snapped it closed. His eyes twinkled with mischief as he put the box back into his pocket. “These rings will not grace your finger until our wedding day. I just wanted to tease you.”

Pepper laughed and grabbed him by the shoulders, playfully shaking him back and forth. “You’re awful!
So
not fair!”

Before she knew what was happening, Gabe had clutched her own shoulders and pulled her forward so that he fell onto his back on the couch and she was settled on top of him. “How about a consolation prize?”

He waggled his eyebrows at her and then covered her mouth with his own.

Pepper returned the kiss with every bit of passion he put out and gladly accepted the second place gift.