He didn’t want to hurt them any more than he wanted to hurt Gabriella or Mia.
Yet he’d managed to hurt all of them.
Maybe it was time to stop running. It wouldn’t be the first time his mother was right. And really, what kind of brother figure could he be for Mia if he never let himself be a part of a family? Worse, what kind of partner would he make for Gabriella, who deserved every ounce of happiness possible?
He hoped it wasn’t too late to own up to his mistakes and do better. Turning the key in the ignition, he fired up the bike and did a U-turn.
He was going to give Heartache another chance. He just wondered if the people he loved would be willing to give him one, too.
The Hasting familylawn Olympics started after Sam’s toast. Gabriella appreciated the organization that must have gone into planning the reunion weekend as Sam’s friends and relatives divided into groups to play tug-of-war or lawnbowling, ladder ball or cornhole. Some of the teens got the little kids together for hopscotch and dodge ball. She saw Mia and Davis take charge of a ring-toss game, laughing and sharing a blue snow cone.
Normal. Happy.
Gabriella could see why Mia wanted to stay here. She practically glowed with contentment in spite of all that had happened to her over the past few years. What a strong, resilient girl. Gabriella would still find a way to talk to Clay about counseling for her, and do her best to intercede on Mia’s behalf to stay in town. But Gabby felt sure Mia would be okay.
Wandering around the fringes of the party while a bluegrass tune played through the outdoor amplifier, Gabriella didn’t feel much like celebrating when her heart weighed her down like a stone. She approached the head table where Lorelei held Sam’s son, Aiden. Gabby recognized the baby after seeing Amy Finley holding him for much of the party yesterday while Sam played host.
“Lorelei.” She took a deep breath and plastered a polite smile into place, unwilling to be a sad note in the guest-of-honor’s day.
Clay’s foster mother turned, the baby gripping a couple of her dark curls in his tiny fist. Cherub cheeks grinned happily from a blue blanket covered in cartoon trains as Lorelei cradled him to her chest. She hopped up from her seat, excusing herself from her husband’s conversation with Harlan Brady, one of the older farmers in the area. Gabby remembered stopping at the fruit stand on his front lawn with her mother sometimes.
“Gabriella. I’m so glad you stayed.” Lorelei slung her free arm around Gabby’s neck and pulled her in for a quick hug. “Have you gotten to hold my grandson? He’s at hismost charming right now since he just woke up from his nap and had his bottle.”
Gabby wasn’t sure if she replied before she had the baby in her arms. A miracle of trust that anyone would hand her this precious bundle when she had never held a child before. She held her breath as she stared down into wide blue eyes. A drooly grin brightened the boy’s features. He made a cooing sound as he kicked his feet.
“Oh.” Her fingers curved around the spindly legs through the blanket. “Am I holding him well enough?” she started to ask before realizing Lorelei had turned away, replying to some joke Harlan had made about needing more babies at her house.
No one seemed to notice that Gabriella was an inexperienced baby-holder. Her heart melted to have a baby in her arms and these nice, warmhearted people trust her with the child. She knew Sam would have, too, of course. But Lorelei barely knew her.
Surrounded by this family—a family by choice if not by blood—Gabriella was humbled by their love for each other. Their joy in being together.
Gabby had lived alone on the West Coast for two years since Sam and her brother had both returned to Heartache, making herself an outcast instead of building roots for herself. It occurred to her she wasn’t all that different from Clay in that respect. She’d been a loner, too, only reaching out to people online or through the website’s hotline.
But she didn’t want that isolated life anymore.
The truth roared through her with a new fierceness. And, actually, the roaring grew louder.
Peering up from Aiden’s adorable little face, she spied the source of the noise. Clayton’s motorcycle growled once more as he parked it on the street.
“I knew he’d be back soon,” Lorelei murmured, turning toward Gabriella again with a beaming smile. “He might be hard-headed, but my boy has never been hardhearted.”
It took Gabriella a moment to realize she meant Clayton.
Just how much did Lorelei know about her argument with Clay, she wondered?
Flustered, Gabriella didn’t want to face Clay with an audience around. If he was even returning to speak to her. Maybe he’d only come back to retrieve Mia. Her feet itched to be walking in the other direction right now.
“Actually, I need to leave early today,” she told Lorelei. “I just wanted to say goodbye.” She lifted Aiden in an effort to return the baby as Clayton strode closer.
“Gah!” Aiden made a gurgly noise as he grabbed her hair and tugged.
Lorelei smiled warmly as she pried the tiny fingers loose. “He likes you.”
Clayton’s voice rumbled near Gabriella’s ear. “He’s not the only one.”
Gabby’s heart knocked around her chest louder than the crashing bowling pins in the lawn game nearby. She could only take so many hits in a day.
“May I speak to you alone for a moment?” Clayton asked her quietly.
