Jacob's Ladder: Gabe (Jacob's Ladder #1)

His image blurred before me as I let myself go and sobbed openly. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. He had asked Linc’s permission to marry me. He loved my son enough to ask him if he would be okay with us getting married. Gabe loved me enough to want to include my son in one of the biggest decisions of his life. Just when I thought I couldn’t love him any more than I already did, my heart grew just a little more.

“Rae?” he questioned.

“Yes! Yes, of course I will marry you!” I cried as I lunged forward. I threw my arms around his neck and the momentum sent us toppling to the ground. As I lay there entwined in Gabe’s arms, I began kissing every square inch of him that I could reach—his cheeks, his nose, his mouth, his neck, his temples. I tried to emulate what he did with his kisses, to show him just what I wanted to say but somehow couldn’t. I wanted him to know he had made me the happiest woman on earth by loving me and loving my child.

At the sound of applause behind us, I couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity of the moment. There we were rolling around on the top floor of the Eiffel Tower while tourists clapped for us. I knew this was a moment I would remember for the rest of my life.

“I guess we better get up,” I said.

“They could just step over us,” Gabe suggested with a grin.

“Whatever. Come on.”

Once I pulled myself off him, Gabe rose to his feet. When we were both upright again, He reached into the turquoise box in his hand. I was shocked that he had managed to hold on to it after me tackling him.

Taking my hand in his, he slid the ring on my finger. “Now it’s official. You are the future Mrs. Gabriel Renard.”

Although it was dark outside, I held my hand up to gaze at the ring. “It’s beautiful.”

“You really like it?”

“I love it. It’s everything I could have hoped for.” I winked at him. “Okay, maybe it’s a hell of a lot bigger than what I ever hoped for, but I’ll take it.”

Gabe laughed. “While I normally like to think when it comes to rings, go big or go home, it was Linc who brought me down a carat.”

I widened my eyes at Gabe. “You picked a bigger ring?”

He nodded. “But Linc made the very good point that it wouldn’t be very practical in your line of work.”

I realized then that he had not only asked Linc’s permission to marry me, they had gone ring shopping together. “I’ve got to say I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when you two were looking at rings—and when in the world did you take him to Tiffany’s?”

“When you guys flew up to New York for the opening of the tour.”

I laughed. “Now I remember. You guys were acting so weird that day, and although you said you were just going shopping, you wouldn’t let me come with you.”

Gabe nodded. “I had to lie and tell you we were going to hit several music stores to shop for guitars, which I knew was the easiest way to get you to stay at the hotel.”

“You’re right, but it never dawned on me when you two got back that you didn’t buy anything.”

“Oh, trust me, we bought something.”

“I can’t wait to call him and tell him the news. Let’s see, if it’s nine o’clock here, then it’s three o’clock there. What would he be doing right now?”

“Your dad will have just picked him up from school, and they’d be heading back to the shop or to his and Stella’s house. They’ll probably make a pit stop at Harts and Flowers for Linc to get a snack and for your dad to get a coffee.”

It warmed my heart that Gabe knew the little ins and outs of Linc’s schedule. “You’re right. We’ll call him the minute we get back to the hotel room.”

“Speaking of the hotel room, what do you say we head on back?”

“But it’s only nine o’clock—the night’s still so young. I mean, they don’t call it the City of Light for nothing,” I protested.

Gabe pulled me into his arms. Nuzzling my neck, he asked, “Don’t you want to go back and make love for the first time as an engaged couple?”

As his warm breath fanned over my skin, I shivered. “Yes, I do,” I murmured.

“Then let’s get the hell out of here.”

Although I wanted to stroll the streets until the wee hours of the morning, I decided to give in to both my fiancé’s voracious sexual appetite and my own—but I wasn’t going down without a fight. “Let’s make one thing clear, Mr. Renard: tomorrow there will be no sex of any kind until I’ve toured the Louvre and seen Notre-Dame.”

“What happens if I wake up with morning wood?” Gabe asked as we started for the elevator.

Batting my eyelashes, I replied, “You can jerk it out during the shower you’ll be taking so we can leave the hotel to see the Louvre and Notre-Dame.”

Throwing his head back, Gabe chuckled heartily. “Wow, I thought the sex wasn’t supposed to wane until after the wedding, not after the engagement.”

“I only said I was momentarily withholding in order to see the sights. Once I’ve seen those two things, you can take me back to the hotel and ravish me continuously until it’s time to go to dinner, which will be at a romantic restaurant of my choosing.”

“Damn, you drive a hard bargain,” he replied playfully as we got on the elevator.

“But you love me anyway, don’t you?”

He smiled down at me. “I sure as hell do.” He dipped down to plant a tender kiss on my lips. “I love you more than I can ever say, even with the words I can string together in the lyrics of a song.”

“I think you did a pretty amazing job with the ones on Ray of Light.”

“True, but I wrote those before we were engaged, before we were really truly and completely in love. I can’t imagine how I will write now.”

When he furrowed his brows, I gasped. “Don’t tell me you think you’re going to get another case of writer’s block?”

“Are you kidding? Between getting engaged and getting married, I’ll have plenty of material to work with.”

I exhaled a relieved breath. “You had me worried there.”

“Sorry. I was only trying to think how I could possibly put everything that has happened this last year into just twelve to fourteen songs.”

“If anyone can find a way to do it, it’s you. You’re an amazing songwriter, not to mention an amazing fiancé.”

“And lover?”

“Oh yes, very much an amazing lover. You’re going to be an amazing stepfather to Linc, too.”

As we started out into the crowd leaving the Eiffel Tower, Gabe said, “I’m not so sure about being Linc’s stepfather.”

His words and tone caused my heart to shudder and restart. “You aren’t?” I asked tentatively.

Gabe shook his head. “He and I were talking, and I think it would be better if I adopted him.”

Oh. My. God. Had he just said what I thought he had? My knees gave out and I lunged forward. I would have face-planted in front of the Eiffel Tower if Gabe hadn’t caught me.

“Jesus, Rae, are you all right?” Gabe demanded as he slid a strong arm around my waist.

“I’m fine. It was just a little bit of a rush.”

Since I was still a little shaky, Gabe steered me over to a bench. After I sat down, he knelt in front of me. “Feeling better?”

“Yes.”

Frowning slightly, he said, “If you don’t want me to adopt Linc, I don’t have to.”

“You think I almost passed out because I don’t want you to adopt my son?”

“Yeah.”

I cupped his face in my hands. “I would be honored for you to be Linc’s father. Besides marrying you, nothing would make me happier.”

Gabe’s face lit up. “Really?”