Gabe. Gabe was certain he’d never felt as stupid as he did when he’d driven away from Celina tonight. He banged the heel of his hand against the steering wheel and huffed. How could he have done that to her? He wanted her to know he would never leave her, not walk away when things got rough. Gripping the steering wheel, he pushed the accelerator closer to the floor. He needed to see her face and tell her again how sorry he was. He really would wait for her. Sometimes, the fear that she wouldn’t let him in got the best of him. When he pulled into her driveway, his headlights fell on an unfamiliar, beat-up truck, and he parked beside it. A man was pushing on Celina’s front door. Without hesitating, Gabe jumped from the vehicle and ran. Only a few long strides separated him from the man, and the darkness did him no favors. Why hadn’t he replaced the burned-out porch light sooner? When his heavy boot hit the wood of the porch, the man abandoned his mission to push the door in and turn

“An inflatable house and slide?” Celina stared at the enormous blow-ups in her parents’ yard on Saturday morning. Celina’s dad was finally up and about, and he’d agreed to watch Emma until Celina and her mother could get the decorations up. Her mother met her at the car to help unload the party supplies. “She’s gonna love it! Gabe went all out on this one.” “This was Gabe?” Celina asked, although she wasn’t surprised. Her mom grabbed a box of gift bags from Celina. “He rented them for the whole weekend. She can come back over and play after church tomorrow.” “I can’t believe he did this!” She couldn’t have afforded the rentals on her own, and they were even a bit out of her parents’ reach as well. Celina dropped off the boxes in her parents’ living room. “I’ll be right back.” Stepping outside, she pulled her cell from her pocket and called Gabe. Gabe answered, “Matthews Rentals where the fun never ends. How can I be of service?” Celina laughed. “Mr. Matthews, I seem to have tw

Gabe.Gabe had assumed she’d have a beautiful voice, but he hadn’t known it would shatter his world to hear her.It was the sound he’d been searching for his whole life. He was in awe. His hand had taken on a mind of its own when it reached out to feel the song, and she’d let him.He’d been on dozens of dates, and most of them ended without the sparks. It wasn’t something he could put a label on, but he knew when it wasn’t right.When he’d met Celina, she’d felt different from the start. Maybe it’d been her insistence that she wanted to fix her own leaky sink. Her determination had been admirable. Then he’d seen her with her daughter, and he’d been a goner ever since.But that voice. He’d known from the moment he’d heard her voice that he wanted to hear it again and again.He’d been overcome with the need to hold onto it, and she’d let him. When she sang that first word, he knew he’d never be the same again.She finished the song, and his hand had drifted to her cheek. He wanted to ki

“He’s here! He’s here!” Emma shouted as she ran for the door.“Don’t you dare open that door, little missy!” Celina yelled, both hands securing an earring in her ear, as she jogged down the hallway after Emma.“It’s Gabe. I saw him through the window.”“I don’t care. You never open the door for anyone.”Gabe was almost finished with the bathroom remodel, so they’d agreed he should give it a rest for a day and just come pick them up early for dinner at Rusty’s. He was playing tonight and wanted to spend some time with them before his set.Celina opened the door to find Gabe, as she’d suspected, with one large box that stood as tall as his chest and a smaller box cradled in his arms.“Good evening, ladies.”Would his smile ever allow her to keep her breath? She hoped not. The happiness in his eyes had her insides doing a triple step.“Gabe!” Emma launched her tiny body into his arms, and he quickly moved the box into one hand to pick her up.“Hey there, sunshine.”“Is that for me?” Emma

Celina straightened her skirt as she stepped out of the car. The church parking lot was packed, and she’d had to park in the adjacent grass lot. Gabe sprinted toward them dressed in a blue-and-green checkered button-up shirt and khaki pants. The late-April morning was warm, and his sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. His smile was radiant as he approached her. It’d only been two weeks since he’d changed her world and told her he loved her. Celina’s days had been filled with a happiness equivalent to bunnies and rainbows ever since. Last weekend was Easter, and Gabe had attended church with her and Emma. After the service, they’d eaten lunch with Celina’s parents and Gabe hid and hunted Easter eggs with Emma until sunset. After a fun-filled day without a nap, Emma had fallen asleep in Gabe’s arms, and he’d carried her to Celina’s car and then inside her house to bed. This weekend, Celina and Emma were visiting Gabe’s church. She wasn’t convinced that a move needed to b