Chapter 30

Gabe

Gabe felt the warmth of the long-sleeve shirt instantly envelope his body. Someone had turned the thermostat to frostbite lately, and the February air was frigid but still as he made his way back into Celina’s house for dinner.

When Rhonda Manning had stopped by the store today, he’d thought it was a nice surprise to see her. When she and the giggling Emma had told him the reason for their visit, he’d been bursting with excitement at the second chance to see Celina.

Finding out that Emma was Celina’s daughter was a shock at first, but Rhonda had felt the need to whisper to him the details of Emma’s paternity. Apparently, Celina’s ex-husband had abandoned her soon after Emma’s birth.

Rhonda’s abbreviated tale of Celina’s relationship with Emma’s father had stoked a fire inside him. He’d been relieved to find out that Celina was single at first, but then, the realization that some jerk had left her and Emma sickened him. He’d been captivated by Emma since meeting her, and he co