AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’d always been very spiritual, and somehow she felt something changed between them that night. Watching those luminous balloons float up in the hundreds as they stood with the rest of the crowd in the breathtaking region of Chiang Mai had been so fragile and breathtaking to witness. Had Adam felt it, too?
A Thai couple they’d befriended earlier had invited them to a local dance, and when they arrived, they found it was filled with mostly young children, all dressed immaculately in suits for the boys and white frilly dresses for the girls. Thank goodness Gabrielle had thought to listen to the dress code their friends had mentioned, and though they stood out in the midst of the smiling and shy pre-teens, they felt like they were part of the beautiful innocence that permeated the decorated hall. It had to be some kind of prom, but Gabrielle didn’t even mind – it was all so delightfully gorgeous, and so were the kids.
“I can’t believe this is our first dance – well, since that one night four months ago,” she said, blushing. Their hands were linked in between them as they waltzed to the ballroom music.
Adam smiled, twirling Gabrielle’s arm over her head and bringing her to face him again smoothly. “Your moves have decidedly improved since then. I knew it – all you needed was a good teacher,” he said huskily, as they met for a moment in the middle before the dance drew them apart again.
His eyes grew smoky as he gazed at her in her simple white dress that made her look like a doll, as the hem swished at her thighs. “You’re beautiful,” said Adam deeply.
Gabrielle had heard him say the words before, but something about this moment made the air tremble around them. They were barely touching apart from their linked hands as they danced, yet Gabrielle could not have felt more impacted by his intensity.
When he looked at her and smiled at her like that, she was hit with a sudden insight that nothing could ever pull them apart. Was it real, or just part of her fading dream? Now that there were just a few days left of their trip, could he be feeling the same sense of desperate hope that they could make this work?
***
How strange that Gabrielle was even more confused than she had been before they left for their Thailand trip. She’d thought she’d had it all figured out in her head but now she wasn’t sure. Adam could be thoughtful, affectionate, generous. He opened up to her in ways she’d never expected. They still had a long way to go, but suddenly being with him didn’t seem so impossible. Neither did their differences feel as insurmountable as they used to.
He’d been full of surprises all through their holiday, but on their arrival back home, it seemed like he’d saved the best for last. He drove them to the private gates of a one-story mansion, set within a scenic four-acre plot. Stepping out of the car, Gabrielle turned to Adam with questioning eyes.
He simply smiled. “Shall we look inside?”
As he led them into each corner of the awesome spread, Gabrielle could barely take in the whole scene. Six bedrooms and bathrooms, a refrigerated wine cellar, and a dream chef kitchen with high-end everything left her gasping. There was also the swimming pool, featuring a fountain, and an enormous six-car garage.
She loved the pristine theme of the overall décor: cream, white, beige, with splashes of color in the masses of flowers, paintings and accents in each room.
“I bought the place, then had it renovated over the past couple of months,” Adam said. “I’m glad they could get it finished in time for our return. I hope you like it, though you can simply change whatever you want.”
Gabrielle turned around to face him, shaking her head in confusion. “Adam, what…?”
“I think we should move in together,” he said plainly.
She just gasped again, staring at him speechlessly. He smiled and came forward, resting his big hand on her abdomen. At over four months, she was noticeably pregnant, though her waistline hadn’t totally disappeared yet. She wasn’t sure, but she felt like she’d already started to sense the baby’s movement. The awe she felt every morning when she woke up and saw a new change in her body seemed mirrored in Adam’s eyes as they scanned her all over.
“This is the part where I ask you what you want, but I want you to hear me out first,” he said, sighed deeply and then let his hand fall reluctantly from her belly. “I’m not good with declarations, so I’ll keep it simple. It took me a while, but I finally decided to stop pushing away my feelings out of pride. I just want to be with you.”
As he spoke, he sought out her hand in his left and linked their fingers. “So no matter what, hold on tight to my hand. Don’t ever think of quitting on me, on us.”
