Cart Before The Horse Read online

  “So now what happens?” Tracy broke the silence.

  “Gabe already talked to the fire chief. It’s all a loss. Nothing is salvageable. He called the insurance company, and they’ll be out today to assess the damage, and I begin to rebuild

  my life.”

  “You did that the night of your birthday.”

  Holly let out a pleasurable sigh, thinking about the backward blessing that had happened that night. “Yes, I did.”

  “Listen, seriously don’t come in. Take some time. I left a bag out back of the restaurant, so hurry and go get it. It’s some things for you, though I know Gabe has taken care of everything for you.”

  “Yes, he has.”

  “But you’re okay, right? You wouldn’t lie to me.”

  “Tracy, I’m fine.” She plucked at Gabe’s oversized shirt she was wearing.

  “You sound okay. That’s not like you. You should be

  frantic.”

  Holly ran her fingers through her hair and smiled. “I know. And you’d think I’d be stressing over the fact I didn’t load up my arms with my designer shoes, but Tracy, it didn’t matter to me. All I could think about was getting myself out of the build-

  ing and calling Gabe.” She rubbed her stomach. “He needed me and the baby, and we needed him.”

  “God, I think you’re perfectly normal now.”

  Holly laughed. “I’m in love with both of them, and I don’t ever want a day to pass when we’re not together.” She glanced at the picture and sighed. “This wasn’t exactly how I thought we’d start living together, though.”

  “It works. Okay, go down and get the bag. I don’t want it walking away and to see a homeless man on the street in your new maternity clothes.”

  “Thank you. I’ll call you later.” Holly hung up and looked up to see Gabe in the doorway. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  His forehead was creased and his mouth turned down. “I was worried about you.”

  “Gabe, I’m fine.” She moved to stand from the chair, but the baby kicked harder than it ever had, and she sat back down with her hand on her stomach.

  “What’s wrong?” He was to her in a flash, kneeling on the floor before her.

  “Here.” She took his hand and set it on her stomach. They waited. It was faint, the smallest of movements, but when his eyes flashed up at her, she knew he’d felt it.

  “She’s wiggly,” he said, grinning widely.

  The weight of the night before lifted off Holly’s chest. She took a deep breath, inhaling the moment. “Isn’t that amazing?”

  Gabe pulled her to her feet and cupped her face in his hands. “I love you. I can’t imagine ever loving anyone else as much as I love you.” He kissed her hard on the lips and her head spun. “I’m running downstairs for some orange juice. I’d say champagne, but…”

  He quickly kissed her again and hurried out of the

  apartment.

  Holly sat back down in the chair and looked at the picture next to her. Did he mean it? Did he truly love her more than anyone else—including Jasmine?

  Holly heard Gabe on the stairs and opened the door. He skillfully balanced a tray bearing an assortment of bagels, cups of fruit, slices of bacon, and of course orange juice. Dangling from his finger, under the tray of food, was a brown shopping bag with woven handles, stuffed with multicolored tissue paper. “Max found this out back when he drove up this morning.” He set down the tray and handed the bag to her.

  “It’s from Tracy.” She reached inside and laughed as she held up the voluminous maternity dresses to her body. “I’d say she’s trying to make sure I have plenty of room to grow.”

  “And grow you will.” He raised his glass of orange juice in salute.

  Her jaw tensed as she narrowed her glare at him. “Don’t scare me.”

  Gabe grinned at her. “Why does that scare you?”

  “I’ll be big.” She dropped the dress back into the bag and scanned her eyes over the food on the table, but didn’t pick up anything to eat. How could she even think of eating? “I’ve already gained ten pounds.”

  “And your nose will get big.” He picked up a piece of bacon and bit off the end as she stared at him.

  “My nose?”

  “Yeah.” He swallowed hard, and she saw the edges of his mouth straining to keep from letting that grin turn into an enormous smile. “All of my sisters’ noses got big. I don’t know why the nose. I mean, really, your ankles swell enough and then your stomach is…” He stopped. “I’m shutting up now.”

  She took a breath to tell him how insensitive he was, but a knock at the door stopped her. Gabe quickly rose to open

  the door.

  She shouldn’t have been surprised to see her mother standing there, but she was. Trudy raced past Gabe and right to Holly, taking her arms in her hands and scanning them as if she were a toddler who had just fallen on the playground.

  “You’re all right? You’re not hurt? You didn’t get burned?”

  She dropped her hands. “The baby. The baby is okay? Did you breathe in too much smoke?” She turned to Gabe. “She

  looks pale.”

  “Trudy, she’s fine.” He walked to Holly and kissed her gently on the cheek. “I’m going down to see how Max is doing with the inventory for the bar. It figures that would be the first thing Chandra gave up doing. Trudy, please have a seat and some orange juice, and if you’re hungry just let me know and I’ll send up some food.”

  “Thank you, darling.”

  He left, and Holly humored herself by thinking about how he had her mother eating out of his hand. No one had ever had control over Trudy Jacobs quite like her father and Gabe did.

  “He is a wonderful man,” her mother sighed.

  “Yes, he is.” Holly draped the dress over the back of the kitchen chair. “So what are you doing here?”

  The lines in her mother’s forehead deepened, and her shoulders dropped. “What am I doing here? Holly, your house was destroyed. All of your belongings were ruined.” She lifted her hand to her chest, which Holly had seen her do many times as she tried to explain how Holly had disappointed her, but this time she wore concern in the lines around her eyes. “Don’t you think I would be worried about you?”

  The glow that always surrounded Trudy Jacobs had been extinguished. It took Holly a moment to realize that her mother hadn’t been thinking about herself when she’d showed up at their door. She was thinking about Holly, and this was what maternal concern looked like. Holly was in unfamiliar territory. She wasn’t sure how to handle her mother in this capacity. “Gabe called you?”

  “Of course he did.” There was a crack in her voice, and she cleared her throat. Holly knew that meant tears were close; and when her mother sat down, took a napkin, and dabbed her eyes, Holly was sure they would flow free. Instead her mother’s lips settled in a tight line as she collected herself. “He called me the

  minute he got you home last night. He made me promise not to run over here. He said you were fine and just needed to rest—but really, Holly, I wanted to be here. I couldn’t sleep all night. But I knew you were in good hands.”

  “I certainly was.” Holly sat down. She’d grown annoyed with Gabe looking over her, checking for any injuries. He’d hovered until she’d yelled at him to give her some space. But he never had gone far.

  There was a peace in having had Gabe by her side all night and having him wrap his arms around her, cocooning her as though he were protecting her. Love had made the tears she’d shed over the loss of her belongings seem trivial. Love had calmed her and given her a tranquility she’d never known.

  Her mother picked up a glass of orange juice and took a sip. “I’m glad he’s taking you to the doctor anyway. I’d feel better knowing you and the baby were okay.”

  “Doctor?” A bubble of anger lodged in her chest. “He didn’t mention it.” When was he going to realize she was fine? She hadn’t gotten hurt.

  “It probably slipped his mind.” Her m
other picked up a bagel from the plate in the center of the table and broke it in half. “But first we are going shopping. Your father made me promise to buy you some very nice things.”

  Holly shook her head. “Mom, I don’t need anything. Gabe got me some things last night. Tracy brought some over this morning.”

  “I don’t care. I’m here to spoil you.” She bit into the bagel. “I didn’t do that enough while you were growing up. It’s time I did a little of it now.”

  The anger that had risen in her subsided, and shock threatened to choke her. Holly picked up her glass of orange juice and drank it down until she’d emptied the glass. The spoiled Trudy Jacobs wanted to spoil her. When she thought of it that way, the anger made another brief appearance. What had taken her so long?

  Holly took a deep breath and felt the baby begin to hiccup. When she set her hand on her stomach, concealed by the table so her mother wouldn’t worry, she was reminded that people change and it can happen so quickly. Even she had to admit, she’d become a completely changed person in the matter of a few months.

  She looked at her mother, who, for the first time that Holly could remember, looked content.

  Trudy held to her word. She shopped long after Holly dropped to order a smoothie and rest at a small table in the corner of the mall.

  “Look at this!” Her mother hurried to the table and pulled out a white lacy nightgown.

  Holly looked around to see if anyone was looking.

  “Mother!”

  “It’s a wedding present.” Her mother’s grin made Holly want to smile. “You don’t have time for a bridal shower, so I’m going to get you a few things. I’ll wrap the others up, but I wanted to show you this one.”

  Holly felt the heat rise in her cheeks as Gabe’s cell phone rang in her pocket.

  She pulled it out. “Hello.”

  “Holly, it’s Gabe.”

  “Hello, my darling.” She eased back in the chair, loving the feeling of bliss that ran through her when she heard his voice.

  “Listen, I can’t make it to the doctor’s appointment with you. My mother just called. They got an earlier flight and they’ll be landing at the same time. I tried to tell her to rent a car, but they don’t want to drive in Denver. As if Boston is any better.”

  Holly stifled her laugh. “That’s fine.” She still didn’t think she even needed a doctor’s appointment.

  “Take your mother, and I’ll meet you back home. I can’t wait for you to meet my family.” His voice was light, but it

  dragged dread right into her gut. She wasn’t sure if it was the thought of meeting his mother or taking hers to the doctor

  with her.

  “We’ll be fine. I’ll keep you updated on what the doctor says. But just so you know, I’m fine.”

  “I know you are. You’re being a real trooper about it all.”

  “That’s me, Trooper Holly. Besides, everyone has decided that I need new things and they want to buy them.” She glanced over at her mother, who dug through the many shopping bags as though she were hiding the contents from her. “I’m being spoiled, and I did nothing to deserve it.”

  “You’re you, Holly. That’s reason alone. I have to go. I

  love you.”

  “I love you. Goodbye.” She hung up and slipped the phone back into her pocket. With Gabe not going, it was a perfect time to cancel the appointment. Holly looked at her mother, still digging around in the many bags she’d accumulated. It was a moment Holly never thought she’d share with her mother, but as she watched the joy in her mother’s eyes as she hid the gifts within the bag, she knew inviting her to the appointment would be a turning point in their relationship. The thought scared the hell out of her. But it needed to happen. Holly was about to become a mother. How could she love a life so much, as she loved her child, if she didn’t move forward with the very woman who’d given her life? “He can’t make it to the doctor appointment with me. He thought you should go.”

  Trudy snapped up her head, and Holly was sure she saw tears forming in her eyes. “That would be an honor.”

  It was done. Holly and her mother seemed to be moving forward in an adult relationship. And who would have thought it would start out with backward steps on Holly’s part.

  Holly’s mother had dropped her by the burnt-out shell of a building, which had once been Holly’s home, and she was able to retrieve her car. Thank goodness someone had parked in her

  space in the garage, forcing her to park on the street. The only thing she had left of material value was her car.

  She parked out back behind the restaurant and gathered the many shopping bags her mother had left her with from the passenger seat. Gabe’s car was parked between hers and a minivan with car seats, which she assumed was a rental car of one of

  his sisters.

  With her arms loaded down, she managed through the busy kitchen and up the stairs to the apartment, where she could hear the roar of laughter and voices carrying multiple conversations. But one stood out. Gabe. She smiled.

  His serious tone made her stop. “She scared me to death. When I started driving, I could see the smoke billowing over the buildings. It’s been a long time since my heart beat so hard I didn’t think I would survive.”

  “She’s doing okay, right?” The voice was a woman’s, one Holly didn’t recognize.

  “She’s fine. She called and said the baby is fine too. I, however, am still a wreck.” His voice cracked.

  Holly swallowed. How would she make it up to him? She took another step toward the door and stopped again.

  “I had a nightmare last night. I don’t think she heard me, but, Mom, it was so real.”

  “You have to push the accident out of your mind.”

  “I thought I had. I even talked to Jasmine, and she told me to move on. But this dream was different. This time it was Holly in the car.” His voice cracked again, and he cleared his throat. “I swear, Mom, I woke up and thought I was having a heart attack. It was horrible.” The tone of his voice had dropped to a strained whisper as though he could hardly speak at all.

  The bags slipped from Holly’s hands and tumbled down the stairs. She let out a curse.

  The door to the apartment flew open, and a wide-eyed Gabe rushed out to her. “Holly, what happened?” He reached for her, grabbing her shoulder and looking her over just as he

  had the night before.

  “My mother bought so many things. I guess there was just too much to carry. It’s all clothes. Nothing that would break.” She turned to pick up a bag.

  “I’ll get them.” He loosened his grip on her shoulders and reached for her hand. “First I want you to meet my mother.”

  A woman peeked her head out the door and then stepped into the hall. Holly recognized her warm, proud smile from the pictures on his mantel.

  “Mrs. Maguire,” she said, reaching her hand toward her. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  “It’s Gladys, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you.” She pulled Holly into a hard embrace and held her tight. “Gabe has been talking about you for months. I feel like I know you already.”

  She released Holly, but held her arms to look her over. “Oh, look at this little thing.” Gladys laid her hand on Holly’s stomach, and the baby moved as though responding to his grandmother’s touch.

  Holly sucked in a breath. The baby’s response had caused a stir of emotions inside of her. There was joy, fear, and tears from both that threatened to break free. Her own mother hadn’t touched her or felt the baby, but the baby knew when a loved one was there. He’d moved at the doctor’s office and now, under the loving hands of his grandmother, he assured them both he was okay.

  Gladys tilted her head and let out a sigh. “I am so happy for you both.”

  Gabe retrieved the bags from the steps below her. “C’mon. Come meet some more family.”

  Holly stepped into the small apartment. There were wall-to-wall people, and they all had their eyes on her. She sm
iled broadly and tried to keep her nerves from surfacing. She’d faced a roomful of strangers before and turned on her charm to win them over. But this was different. This wasn’t about a pay

  check, this was about making sure Gabe’s family loved her. There was much more at stake.

  Gabe set the bags at the door and reached for her hand. She grabbed hold, letting him steady her as she tried to calm herself.

  Gabe pointed across the room. “Well, starting over there is my father, Paul, and my uncle George.” Both men waved. “Meghan and Jeff and their boys, Todd and Conner.” Gabe introduced her to twelve more relatives, all of which had flown from the East Coast to spend Thanksgiving with them and share their wedding day.

  She was absolutely sure she wouldn’t remember any of their names.

  “Grandma Gertie couldn’t make it.” His face softened

  with sadness.

  She squeezed his hand. He was obviously disappointed at her absence. “She’s not ill, is she?”

  “Not a day in her life.” The smile on his lips was back. “She’s eighty-nine and afraid to fly. So her request is that we Skype her on the computer so she can watch the ceremony. Do you have any objections to that?”

  Holly laughed. “None.”

  She was glad that her mother hadn’t returned to Gabe’s place with her. She was already enjoying his family immensely, and she knew she wouldn’t have been as open if her own parents were there. The families would meld on Thursday over Thanksgiving dinner. Then, she was sure, she would become fully aware of how different their lives had been growing up.

  The room was loud and laughter filled it, but when the door opened again and Chandra walked through, the noise level rose. She was greeted with hugs and kisses. The children ran to her, and she smothered them all with smooches and tickles.