“Hey, kid, your sins are forgiven,” Gabe assured him, coming closer to kneel in front of him. “You know what you did wrong and you know you scared the sh…stuffing out of us.”
“You can say it,” he whispered. “Poppy’s not here.”
“That’s not why I don’t swear around you, Rafe. I want you to be better than I am.”
His little eyes filled, shocking Gabe. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“I know you are.” He reached forward and hugged his son, his heart swelling with love. “But I want you to forget about it and have a good time tonight. Mum and Dad are finally getting hitched. Same last name, one big family.” With more to come, he hoped. “Big party tonight with dancing on the beach.”
Rafe squished his face in disgust.
“I know,” Gabe said. “Dancing sucks, but the food will be awesome.”
“You’re not mad at me?” he asked for at least the fiftieth time since they got home.
“I’m not mad, I’m not disappointed, I’m not anything except ready for you and me and Mum to have one last name. Rossi.”
“The best name in the world,” Nino added, coming over to put his dinner-plate-sized hands on their shoulders. “You know what it means to be a Rossi?” Nino asked.
Rafe blinked. “I get to be a super-secret spy someday like Dad and Mum were? Or an FBI agent like Uncle Colton?”
Gabe curled his lip. “We’ll keep you out of that hotbed of cluelessness, but I don’t think your great-grandfather means what are you going to be when you grow up. He means what you are now. Right, old man?”
Nino drew his bushy brows together and reached to his own bow tie, adjusting it with no small measure of pride. “It means, first and foremost, you are Italian, the country where I was born.”
“So I’m going to cook?”
“You already cook,” Nino assured him. “It also means you come from a long line of…” He took a deep breath and looked up, thinking of the right word and making Gabe lean a little in curiosity. A long line of what? Do-gooders? Investigators? Bodyguards?
When Nino didn’t finish, Gabe did. “Gun-toting, hand-waving, opinion-giving badasses.”
Rafe smiled but looked up at Nino. “What were you going to say, Great-Grandpa?”
“I was not going to say badasses.” He sliced Gabe with a look, then his expression softened. “But I guess it was the same thing. I was going to say you come from a long line of people who do what has to be done even if it seems difficult or scary.”
“Like going out in the storm to find the rings?” he asked.
Gabe gave a soft laugh. “Not exactly. It’s one thing to be a badass. It’s totally different to behave like a lunatic. The long line of badasses also has to demonstrate some common sense up here.” He rubbed his knuckles on Rafe’s head in a light tease.
“And in here.” Nino leaned forward and put his huge, spotted hand on Rafe’s chest. “Every Rossi has a good heart.”
“Well, there is JP,” Gabe joked. “Every family has one of those.”
“A good heart,” Nino repeated, ignoring Gabe. “And we use it to make decisions out of love. Like the one your father is making today.”
“You love Mummy,” Rafe said, a little mystified by the whole idea.
“So much it actually hurts.”
“Yeah.” Rafe looked down, a little boy embarrassed by the gooey conversation, no doubt. But then he looked up and met Gabe’s gaze with one that was clear, sharp, and freakishly mature for his age. “I love her that way, too. And you.”
Son of a bitch, he was going to weep like a wimp on his wedding day. He held it together and gave Rafe another hug, thanking whomever or whatever decided his life should be this perfect. How the hell did he get so lucky?
Nino smiled and gestured for the two of them to get up. “It’s going to hurt more if she beats you to the altar. Let’s go, men. We have a wedding to attend.”
Rafe scooted off his chair, using his sling to brace the pillow with its well-tied rings, and the three of them walked outside to a shockingly gorgeous sunset.
“Bareass Bay never looked better,” Gabe whispered to Nino.
“I heard that, Dad.”
Gabe snorted and gave his son’s head a playful poke, but kept his gaze on the tones of tangerine and turquoise in the sky, the air crystal clear and fresh, like paradise had been washed clean by the storms.
Gabe and Nino delivered Rafe to Ari, the wedding planner waiting for him. Then they walked over the small wooden bridge, taking in the sixty or so people who sat in rows of white-backed chairs waiting for the wedding to start.
“I never thought your day would be this traditional,” Nino said. “I mean, it is you. I figured you’d hang off helicopter blades or tie the knot on a hillside in an unknown location.”
Gabe laughed as they reached the sand and walked down the planks that created an aisle, smiling at the familiar faces who turned to see the groom and best man arrive. He nodded to some distant cousins, including Johnny Christiano, a good guy even if he worked for the overrated Bullet Catchers up in New York. “Lila wanted the whole white wedding on the beach thing.”
“And you want to make her happy.”
He shot his grandfather a look. “Do you have any idea what I went through to prove that to her today?”
“Poppy told me.”
“She did?” Gabe tried not to show his shock as he glanced over the crowd and checked out the row of impressive men standing up for him. Zach, his cousin, the only human who made Gabe wish he could wear an eyepatch. Marc, his older brother, a sharp investigator and loving father. Colton Lang, his brother-in-law born with a stick up his ass that only Vivi could remove. Mal was there, of course, another in-law like Lang. Even JP looked right as a groomsman, though he’d probably piss Gabe off before the night was over.
“So what did you think of today’s escapade?” he whispered to Nino.
“Stupidest thing I ever heard in my whole life, Gabriel.”
“Seriously. Thank you.”
“But it told me everything I needed to know about this marriage,” Nino added.
They reached the front, and Gabe slowed, more interested in what his grandfather was going to say than the sea of well-wishers, family, and friends who’d come to Florida to witness this wedding. “Like what?” he asked.
Nino smiled up at him, his old brown eyes misty. “That you and Lila will be just like me and my Monica.”
“That’s high hopes, old man.” He didn’t remember his grandmother too well, but years of hearing about her had placed my Monica on a pedestal few women would ever reach. “What makes you think that?”
“Because you love her more than you love yourself, and that, Gabriel, is the key to a long and happy marriage.”
“You think?”
“And lots and lots of…the good thing.” He lifted one bushy brow. “And I don’t mean chicken cacciatore.”
Gabe snorted and got into place. “On that note, let’s do this.” He turned and surveyed the crowd, acknowledging friends with smiles. He threw an air-kiss to his mom and a nod to Dad, next to her in the front row. Suddenly, music started pouring out of the speakers, and Gabe’s smile faded.
Holy shit. I’m getting married.
“You okay?” Nino whispered, probably sensing Gabe’s sudden full-body shock.
Was he? Did he really want to settle down forever with just one woman? After the life he’d led?
He swallowed and kept his eye on the back of the makeshift church on the sand, where a row of women lined up in different shades of the same simple and elegant gown. Vivi, in a peach tone, her dark hair tamed into a smooth style, her pixie-like features more beautiful than ever. Samantha, in pink, whose gaze went immediately to Zach. Gabe leaned forward to see his cousin, his hands-down favorite guy in the family. Zach stood military straight like the former Army Ranger he was, his one-eyed gaze straight ahead, a hint of a smile on his lips as he looked at his wife.
Then Devyn, Marc??
?s wife, floated in on a cloud of pale blue, and finally, Chessie, who wore lemon yellow and the rare choice of contacts instead of her usual glasses, so everyone could see the blue eyes that only two Rossis had. Well, three, including Rafe.
That little guy came next, walking slow and serious next to tiny Gabrielita, who wore white and the expression of an overwhelmed girl as she dropped flower petals from a basket. When she slowed her step and fear suddenly crossed her precious features, Rafe leaned closer and whispered something to her, and she continued.
Gabe’s damn heart shattered into a million pieces.
Nino gave a slight whimper, and Gabe glanced at him, not at all surprised to see tears in the old man’s eyes. “I love that boy,” Nino said. “He’s you, all over again. Bad to the bone and good to the core.”
“The good part comes from Lila,” Gabe whispered.
“You can say that again.”
Rafe and Lita arrived at the front. Chessie took her daughter’s hand, and Rafe looked up at Gabe with a question in his eyes. Gabe gave him a thumbs-up, and was rewarded with the brightest smile he could remember.
The music shifted to a different chord and slowed a little, drawing every eye to the other side of the beach. Behind him, the sun sent a golden glow over everything, including… Oh God. Look at her.
Was he ready to marry her? Change his life and build a new one with her? Love her more than he loved himself?
A thousand times yes and more.
He felt his jaw go slack as Lila floated in with no escort, just as she wanted to.
Her father and mother had to be watching, Gabe thought, from that special place in heaven for innocent lives lost on 9/11. But she was perfect as a solo bride. One last time, Isadora Winter, who had given up her name, face, and identity to fight people like the ones who took her parents, would walk alone. Now, she’d be Lila Rossi.
And she’d never be alone.
She held her head high, her blond hair shining in the light, her dark gaze locked on Gabe. The tiniest smile lifted her lips as she slowly came up the aisle on the white runner, clearly enjoying this moment when she gave up her independence and last name to irrevocably tie her life to his.
Gabe had no doubts. No doubts that this would be a long and happy marriage. No doubts that they belonged together forever. No doubts that they would spend the rest of their lives laughing, working, building a life and family and love.
She finally reached the end of the aisle, and Gabe took a step forward to join her, taking her slender, smooth hand in his and gesturing for Rafe to come stand with them, as they’d decided.
Her eyes glistened as she looked up at him. “Gabriel, my angel,” she whispered.
“Isadora, I adore ya,” he countered under his breath, as always.
He lifted her hand and brought her fingers to his lips, then turned to the minister who would guide them through their vows. Love, honor, cherish, and, hell, obey. Of course he would. He would do whatever it took to keep her happy today, tomorrow, and for the rest of eternity.
* * *
Read on for a Bonus Barefoot Bay Short Story!
But first, would you like to read the books featuring the characters who appear or are mentioned in BAREFOOT DREAMS? Here’s a complete list of who’s who and where to find them! ALL of my novels stand entirely alone and can be read in any order…but this is the order in which they were written:
The Guardian Angelinos Series
Edge of Sight (Zach and Samantha)
Shiver of Fear (Marc and Devyn)
Face of Danger (Vivi and Lang)
The Original Barefoot Bay Quartet
Barefoot in the Sand (Lacey and Clay)
Barefoot in the Rain (Jocelyn and Will)
Barefoot in the Sun (Zoe and Oliver)
Barefoot by the Sea (Tessa and Ian)
The Barefoot Bay Billionaires
Secrets on the Sand (Amanda and Zeke)
Seduction on the Sand (Frankie and Elliott—and the Goats!)
Scandal on the Sand (Liza and Nate)
The Barefoot Bay Brides
Barefoot in White (Willow and Nick)
Barefoot in Lace (Gussie and Tom)
Barefoot in Pearls (Ari and Luke)
Barefoot Bay Undercover
Barefoot Bound (The Prequel—Gabe and Nino!)
Barefoot with a Bodyguard (Kate and Alec)
Barefoot with a Stranger (Chessie and Mal)
Barefoot with a Bad Boy (Gabe and Lila)
Barefoot Dreams (Gabe’s Wedding)
Barefoot Bay Timeless
Barefoot at Sunset (Emma and Mark)
Barefoot at Moonrise (Beth and Ken)
Barefoot at Midnight (Libby and Law)
Special Mention: TAKE ME TONIGHT (A Bullet Catcher Novel featuring Johnny Christiano and Sage Valentine—one of many romantic suspense novels in the Bullet Catchers series.)
For details, excerpts, and more information on all of my books, visit www.roxannestclaire.com and be sure to sign up for my newsletter to receive a FREE copy of SPACE IN HIS HEART, a stand alone romance with suspense.
Not ready to leave Barefoot Bay? Here’s a BONUS short story! Years ago, a hurricane blew through this island, and from the debris rose Casa Blanca Resort & Spa. On the night of Hurricane Damien, across the island…another adventure was unfolding during the storm. A woman on the run, a determined Navy SEAL, both caught in the…WHIRLWIND. Enjoy!
Whirlwind
A Barefoot Bay Short Story
by Roxanne St. Claire
Billie waited until the last possible moment to delay the inevitable. With the wind rocking the rusted corrugated metal of the trailer and fat drops splattering like a thousand hammers against the roof, she watched a soundless, ancient television set. Over the past two hours, the hurricane’s path had changed dramatically, shifting east over the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of passing by as a rainy, windy night, the storm was bearing down on Florida’s West Coast barrier islands, ready to do some major damage to the vulnerable shores of Barefoot Bay.
Clutching Nutmeg, Billie soothed the nervous little terrier with loving strokes, sharing sips of bottled water with her four-legged companion to buy every extra second before evacuating.
Billie Jo Taylor was scared, but she wasn’t stupid enough to try and ride out a hurricane in a two-room mobile home. She had to go to the school shelter, where they’d probably demand an ID she didn’t want to show them, and all the Mimosa Key locals would stare at her, wondering who the hell was the crazy blonde lady with the ratty looking dog. Everybody knew everybody on this island…except nobody knew her. And that was how she’d planned to keep it until this damn storm blew in.
Still, the longer Billie waited, the easier it would be to slip into the shelter and hide in the bathroom, possibly undetected until morning.
The lights flickered, drenching her in darkness, making Nutmeg bark and quiver in fear. But the power came back after a second, something which probably wouldn’t happen the next time. An outage was inevitable, and the least of what she’d have to endure if she stayed.
“It’s time, Nutsie.” She settled the dog on the bed next to the overnight bag that held most everything that mattered in the world—including the package that had landed in her PO Box yesterday. She hadn’t had time to get to the library computer and log on to her eBay account to post auctions, and with the storm, who knew if there’d even be a library tomorrow?
She pulled out the soft leather box just to look at the contents one more time, touching the large military watch that made her pulse jump when she’d found it online. The seller had been a fool, taking only twelve hundred dollars. Billie’s years of owning an antique store had given her a flawless eye, and a Laco in this condition was worth almost five times that much.
This watch was her ticket to her next destination…wherever that may be. She’d been on this island, hiding in the rented trailer for almost four months, slipping in and out of town for what she needed in a beat-up old truck she’d b
ought for next to nothing. Four months was enough time for Frank Perlow to use his considerable resources to find her. It was time to move on, except now she had to go to the damn shelter and risk exposure.
A gust of wind whistled through the cracks of the drafty windows, startling Nutmeg.
“Shhh.” She petted the dog’s head with one hand, but fingered the timepiece with the other. This would get her enough money to run, hide, and survive another four months. Maybe by then Frank Perlow would be dead. It was her only hope.
She turned the watch over and read the inscription she’d already memorized.
I am what you will be. I was what you are. R.M.S.
“Back in the old days,” she whispered to Nutmeg. “I would have created a whole World War II display around this. I’d have one of my historian friends write up a story about this RMS person. Robert Martin Smith, a hero who died in action. Or Raymond Michael Simmons, a seasoned vet.” Whoever bought this would truly appreciate a fine piece like this and the deep history behind it. “Back in the old days, this would have been a showpiece in my store.”
But the old days disappeared the night she accidentally walked into her apartment and saw something she never should have seen. Everything, including her precious antique shop and well-ordered life, fell apart as she ran. And hid. And prayed he didn’t find her.
With a sigh, she stuffed the box back in her duffel bag, refusing to think of how much being in the wrong place at the wrong time had cost her.
“All right, baby. We’ll go now and…” She stopped talking, a distant sound humming louder than the wind. Was that a car engine? All the way up here in the deserted, forested tip of Barefoot Bay? Nutmeg heard it, too, lifting her furry little head and cocking her ear.
The rumble grew louder, more distinct, then bright beams of headlights streamed in through the corners of the blinds she kept pulled tight. Instinctively, she dropped to her knees.