Awe-Struck, Book 2 (14 page)

Gabe was grateful to the cops for surrounding them, shielding them from the flashing cameras of the paparazzi, especially since Sunny was only wrapped in a sheet.

Gabe gingerly stepped into the back of the ambulance holding his side, Sunny crawled in after him.

“You did good setting up that tracking on Sunny’s phone.” Dete
ctive Rhodes complimented as he and Hernandez stood outside of the ambulance.

“Thanks. Oh hey, can you get the cab driver’s info and the little boy who pointed out what apartment Sunny was in. I owe them big time and I intend to make sure they’re taken care of.” Gabe said to the men.

“Will do.” Hernandez said before closing the doors to the ambulance.

~~~

Sunny was taken to x-ray while Gabe was in surgery getting sown up from the stab wound, which miraculously hadn’t struck anything vital.  The doctor tending to her cleaned and examined her eye, putting in a few stitches right below her eyebrow where the knife handle had split it open. She had even been thoughtful enough to bring Sunny some green hospital scrubs to replace her sheet.

“It doesn’t look as if any other damage was done to your eye. There are no bone fractures. So everything should heal up just fine.” The doctor said as she looked at the x-rays.

“Thank you, doctor.” Sunny said holding a cold compress up to her swollen eye.

“Oh and by the way, the whole hospital has been watching you guys since the first story rolled out about you two. And we are huge fans of you, and you two together as a couple. It’s about time the underdog gets the guy. You have inspired so many women here to be themselves, to be more accepting of their bodies. And I’m sure there are more than just us out there that you’ve inspired. You’ve been so brave through all of this mess. It’ll be worth it when it’s all over.” The doctor said kindly before walking out of the curtained off ER room.

Tears rolled down Sunny’s face. That was exactly what she needed to hear. To know that all the pain she had been through, that
they
had been through wasn’t for nothing. That not only would she have the man of her dreams, but she’d inspire women to feel comfortable in their own skin, which was a gift that Gabe had given her to begin with. He had truly made her come out of her shell, made her feel like she was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen. And it brought a new level of confidence to her personality.

Pulling herself together, Sunny wiped her face and slid off the hospital bed and walked around the curtain, walking over the nurses’ station to find out the status on Gabe. The hospital staff all smiled at her as she made her way over.

“Hi Sunny! Coming to see if Gabe is out of surgery?” One of the nurses smiled kindly at her.

“Yes, please.” Sunny smiled back shyly, now that she knew they were the talk of the hospital.

“It looks like he just got out. He’s in recovery, on the third floor in room three-oh-two. Normally we’d ask you to wait about thirty minutes for him to wake up. But we don’t see there being a problem with you going up to sit with him until he comes to.” The nurse smiled conspiratorially at Sunny.

“Thank you so much. I appreciate it.” Sunny grinned.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad that you two are okay. Who knew that Josiah Caldwell was a complete psycho?” The nurse exclaimed.

“I know. He has put us through hell.”

“Well that’s all over with now. Man, Gabe did a number on him. He wasn’t even recognizable!”

“Yeah I know.” Sunny looked down awkwardly.

“Oh I’m sorry. Please go to Gabe, I didn’t mean to hold you up. And congratulations on your engagement!” The nurse said in a rushed voice.

“Thank you.” Sunny said sincerely before she turned and walk
ed to the elevators.

Once on the third floor, Sunny quickly walked down the hall looking for room 302. When she found it, she walked in to see Gabe in the hospital bed. He looked so still and vulnerable. She quietly walked up to the bed and leaned over to press a gentle kiss on his lips. The small touch made him stir. Sunny backed away a bit and Gabe’s eyelids fluttered open, striking blue to warm honey. He gazed at her for a moment before grabbing her face and pulling her towards him for a punishing kiss. He kissed her like it was the first and last time they’d ever kiss again. It wasn’t sexual, it was desperate.

“I love you so much, Sweet Girl! And I’m so sorry for everything…for yelling at you about my mother and for not getting to you quick enough. Hell if I would have known that asshole was waiting to take you; I would’ve brought you on stage with me to accept that award. Hell, I wouldn’t have even talked you into coming! Someone else could’ve accepted the award for me. ” Gabe said vehemently as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“Gabe don’t apologize for that rat bastard. You couldn’t have known that he’d take it so far. And you got there just in time.” Sunny clutched his hand to her face.

“No I didn’t. Look what he did to you.” Gabe looked at her swollen eye and then bent her head down to give it a gentle kiss.

“I know, but this I think I can e
ventually get over. If he had touched me, r…raped me; I may never have recovered from that. And you got there before it could happen. And for that I am grateful.” Sunny smiled sadly at him.

A knock sounded on the door and they both looked up to see the detectives standing in the doorway.

“Sorry to disturb you both. But we wanted to check on you and to give you an update.” Detective Hernandez started.

“That’s fine detective. Go ahead.” Gabe replied, scooting over on the bed and pulling Sunny onto it next to him.

“Stop it, you’re going to rip your stitches.” Sunny protested.

“I’m fine and I want you next to me. Continue detective.” Gabe ignored Sunny, making her smile.

Both detectives smiled at them before continuing.

“Well Josiah is going to live, despite your best efforts Gabe. But his face won’t be so pretty anymore. So his acting career is shot, though the only movies he’d be filming are the ones about prison gang rape.” Detective Rhodes joked, making everyone laugh at an otherwise serious subject.
“And the usher that helped Josiah is being held for questioning.”

“You’ll need to come in again to make a formal statement on the events of the night. And you’ll need to testify in court.” Hernandez was all business as usual.

“Done.” Gabe responded immediately.

“Alright then. We’ll just let you folks get some rest.” Hernandez said as they started to back out of the room.

“Thank you, detectives.” Sunny said before they left. They just smiled and nodded as they left the room.

“So…do you still love me? Will you
forgive me for being such a dick about my mother?” Gabe said nuzzling Sunny’s neck.

“Of course I still love you. But the only way I’ll forgive you for yelling at me like a crazy person is if you stop acting like a total douche and give her a chance.” Sunny raised an eyebrow at him in challenge.

“Did you just call me a douche?” Gabe gaped in disbelief.

“If the shoe fits…and in this case it’s a perfect sized fourteen. In this situation you were being a douche and you know it.” Sunny said not backing down.

“Alright fine. You’re right. But I don’t have to like it.” Gabe pouted, sticking out his bottom lip.

Sunny leaned over and kissed his protruding lip, “Thank you.”

Gabe pulled her close, grimacing slightly. Sunny rested her head on his shoulder and they both sighed happily as they drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. The storm had finally passed.

Chapter 11

“What if she doesn’t like me?”

Two weeks after the
MTV Movie Awards
, Sunny and Gabe were on the tarmac at the airport waiting for his mother who was coming in from Spain a month before the wedding. Francesca was going to help Sunny and her mother with the wedding and spend some time with Gabe so that they could get to know each other.

Gabe had been nervous for the last two weeks since he finally accepted the idea of having his mother in his life. And since Redemption had wrapped up filming a week ago, Gabe had nothing but time to be a bundle of nerves, preparing for his mother’s arrival.

“Baby she’s going to love you!” Sunny soothed and reassured him. “Stop thinking that she left you because she didn’t love you. She left you so you could have the opportunity to have a better life. And you have an amazing life. Should she have stayed here with you? Maybe. But she was distraught and irrational and alone in a strange country after your father died. So just give her a chance, okay?” Sunny reasoned.

“Okay.” Gabe said quietly like a little boy that had been scolded.

Gabe’s private jet had landed and was now pulling down the tarmac. He’d had his jet pick her up in New York when her flight from Spain had landed there. The plane stopped several feet away and the jet door opened, letting the stairs down.

A beautiful older woman appeared in the doorway of the plane. She had long dark wavy hair with a streak of gray in the front. She was of medium height and had beautiful olive skin. Sunny could see where Gabe got his hair and skin tone from. He must have gotten his hei
ght, size and blue eyes from his father.

At the first sight of his mother Gabe squeezed Sunny’s hand in a death grip, as they walked to the bottom of the stairs. As Francesca came down the stairs Sunny could see the tears streaming down her face. As she came closer
, Gabe released Sunny’s hand and shoved his into his pockets and looked down at his shoes, in a shy closed off way.

Luckily Francesca wasn’t having any of it. The moment she stepped onto the ground from the stairs, she threw herself at Gabe, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

“Mi amor. Mi hijo. Este momento es como un sueño. He esperado toda mi vida para ver una vez más!” Francesca sobbed against Gabe’s chest.

“Uh, I don’t understand.” Gabe said choking back emotion, as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around his mother.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Francesca stepped back to hold him at arm’s length to look up at him. “I said, ‘My love. My son. This moment is like a dream. I’ve waited my whole life to see you again.’”

Tears began to run down Sunny’s face as she watched mother and son meet for the first time. And try as he might not to cry, a tear still escaped Gabe’s eye and rolled down his face. He broke away from his mother’s hold to self-consciously wipe
d his face and tried to clear his throat that was thick with tears.

“Uh, it’s great to finally meet you Francesca.” Gabe responded, holding back.

At Francesca’s disappointed face, Sunny nudged Gabe. She grabbed his hand and gave a gentle encouraging squeeze. He looked down at her and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry…mom.” His voice quivered at the word ‘mom’. “I’ve wanted to know you my whole life too. I used to dream of you when I was little. I don’t mean to be distant. I just found it easier to stop dreaming of you years ago. Just give me a little time to get used to it.” Gabe finally said being truly honest with the older woman.

“That’s all I can ask, after I left you to fend for yourself all those years.” Francesca wiped at her still damp eyes, her eyes landing on Sunny.

“Hello, Francesca. I’m so glad you’re finally here.” Sunny smiled at the older woman.

“Oh Sunny! My dear girl. You’ve changed my life. I could never repay you for all you’ve done for me.” Francesca said hugging Sunny tightly.

“Yes you can. You’ll repay me by being a part of our lives.” Sunny said, hugging her back. “And by smothering Gabriel with love.” The last part Sunny whispered in Francesca’s ear.

“You can count on it.” Francesca smiled brightly.

~~~

Gabe had never felt more emotions in one day in his entire life. Once they had gotten home, Gabe had shown Francesca to her room. When she was settled and unpacked, she had brought out a family album that had photos of his family in Spain as well as a several clippings of pictures of himself that she had cut out of magazines or printed from her computer.

She had followed his entire career, trying to stay as close to him as possible. Gabe had also brought out the things she had left him in the hospital. When she had seen the photograph of herself and his father, she had burst into tears. Gabe had found out that the picture was the only one that she’d had of her late husband, but she had felt it would be better for him to have it. She had just kept the image of him in her memory. So seeing the photo again brought back memories of joy and sorrow for his mother. She had never remarried after his father died. She’d said that no one could ever replace the love she had for Erik. Several months ago, Gabe would’ve thought she was crazy to say that, but after meeting Sunny, he knew that she was it for him as well.

When they had started discussing what they were going to do for dinner, Francesca had refused to let anyone cook but her. She had made an authentic Spanish meal that had Gabe and Sunny swooning with every bite. They had talked and laughed over stories of the past. And at some point after the meal, Sunny had mysteriously slipped away, giving them alone time.

Throughout the course of the day Gabe had felt proud to finally know about his family and a new understanding for why he was who he was. He felt sadness for what he and his mother had lost and a renewed need to also find his father’s family to learn about that side of him as well.

So when he found out that he even had a grandmother who had wanted to be here for his wedding but couldn’t fly, he started to formulate a plan for their honeymoon; that involved a trip around Europe. He couldn’t wait to ask Sunny what she thought.

“I am so proud of you, hijo.” Francesca said as Gabe walked her to her bedroom door. “You have made a wonderful life for yourself and picked a phenomenal woman. You’ve been through so much struggle that only good things are to come.” Francesca said with feeling as she clasped his face in both hands.

“Thanks mom.” Gabe swallowed back emotion. “I hope so.”

“I know so.” She smiled up at him, staring at him a moment. “You remind me so much of your father, it’s like I’ve been put in a tim
e machine. You have my coloring, hair and skin. But the rest is all Erik. It’s like he’s looking out through your eyes. I hope he can see what a great man you’ve become.” Francesca wiped at her eyes that had filled with tears again.

Gabe just nodded his head unable to speak. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek and then turned and headed up to his and Sunny’s bedroom. As he walked into the room Sunny was walking in from the bathroom, ready for bed. Gabe walked over to her silently and dropped to his knees in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his now damp face against her warm soft stomach.

Sunny reached down and stroked a hand through his hair. “You okay babe?” Sunny asked, looking down at him.

The emotions that had built up in him all day, (
hell my entire life
) and the knot that had been logged in his throat throughout the day, all finally came to the surface. His shoulders shook with silent sobs as his tears soaked the front of Sunny’s robe and he gripped her tighter.

“Oh my God, Gabe! Baby, what’s wrong?!” Sunny exclaimed frantic with worry. Sunny reached down to lift his chin up with one hand and brushed his hair back from his forehead. “Gabriel, talk to me.”

“I never thought that this would ever happen. I have a family…a….a
mom
. I have people who love and care about
me
. And it all started with
you
. It’s
all
because of you. You’ve changed my life. I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I did yesterday, but I do. I love you
so
much, Sweet Girl!” Gabe said passionately looking up at Sunny with shining blue eyes.

Sliding down to her knees as well, Sunny took Gabe’s face in her hands looking deeply into his eyes. “You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have a family and to be loved. And I’d do anything to make that happen for you, Gabe. I love you.”

Gabe grabbed Sunny’s face and crushed her lips with his in a desperate kiss. His tongue flicked at her lips and she opened for him, giving him permission to stroke his tongue into her warm mouth. He slid his hands down her throat to the opening in her robe and pushing back he made the silky material fall back down her arms, baring her naked torso.

They hadn’t made love since the night before Josiah had
kidnapped Sunny. After that night Sunny had had night terrors waking up screaming and struggling in the middle of the night and Gabe hadn’t wanted to dredge up memories of that moment for her. Plus, he had still been healing from the knife wound. So they had spent the last two weeks just cuddling, Gabe comforting her instead.

So Gabe hesitated, wanting to touch her large lush dark chocolate tipped breasts, but he didn’t want to push her. Sunny realized he was waiting for her approval. She took his hands in hers and placed them over her bare breasts. He looked into her eyes as he brushed his thumbs across her hard nipples, her mouth opened on gasp and her eyes went from warm honey to molten liquid.

She pulled his shirt up over his head and raised her hands to his shoulders and pushed till he fell back on the floor and she straddled his hips. His heart filled with pride, since it was rare that she initiated getting on top.

“Never doubt how beautiful you are Madison.” Gabe said softly, making her flush with pleasure.

Looking down shyly, Sunny raised her hips slowly undoing his pants. He lifted his hips to help her pull his jeans and boxer briefs down his legs. He tugged at the knot on the belt of her robe pulling it the rest of the way open and pushed it off of her beautiful curvy body. She rose up to hover over his hard length. He grabbed ahold of his erection and positioned it at her wet opening.

She threw her head back as she lowered her tight warmth around him. When she was fully seat on him, her body stretching to accommodate his impressive girth, she rolled her hips rubbing her clit against him. She cried out at the feeling of the friction. She quickly threw her hands over her mouth in surprise.

“Oh, shit! Your mom! We can’t be loud. I don’t want her to hear us.” Sunny said, looking back at the door.

“Don’t worry Sunny. She’s downstairs, she can’t hear us.” Gabe tried thrusting up, but Sunny pushed back down, only to groan at the sensation.

“Yeah, right. I distinctly remember a certain incident in a certain movie trailer, where we nearly brought the roof down with our cries and put on a show for the whole world to hear.” Sunny looked down at him with a cocked eyebrow.

“Alright…alright. You have a point. Just try to keep it down then, because there is no way I could stop now…you feel too good.” Gabe groaned the last part as he felt her walls contract around him.

“Okay I’ll try.” Sunny said skeptically.

Gabe grabbed Sunny’s arms pulling her forward to give her a hard kiss. He briefly stroked his tongue with hers. Breaking the kiss she pushed up and rested her hands on his chest to gain some leverage. Her hips rose up gliding up his hard shaft to the tip and then slid back down clenching her inner muscles around him as she went. Gabe gritted his teeth at the sensation.

Gabe reached for her hips to guide her down his length, ready to control the pace. Looking up at Sunny, Gabe was in awe at how stunning she was. Her hair framed her round face in wild disarray, her brown skin had a warm golden glow, her lips were soft and plump swollen from his kisses and her eyes glowed with love and passion for him as she enveloped him with her lush curves. Even with the fading black-eye and now tiny scar below her eyebrow from that terrible night, Gabe thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He thanked the Gods for bringing this magnificent woman into his life, and prayed that he wouldn’t do anything stupid to fuck it up.

Just when Gabe thought that the feeling of her pumping hips up and down on his cock couldn’t get any better, she changed her position slightly. She brought her feet up on either side of him, putting her weight on them to where she was squatting over him and grabbing hold of his arms for balance she started to bounce. She slammed down onto him over and over; the smacking of their skin resonated throughout the room.

“Fuck! Sunny!” Gabe shouted.

Unprepared for the onslaught of sensations her new position brought, Gabe’s sack started to draw up in the first sign of his climax, unwilling to finish before her, he grabbed her hips and lifted her off of him and flipped her onto her back. She squealed at the quick movement and then moaned in the back of her throat as Gabe buried his face between her legs.