Redemption (The Bet) (9 page)

Sabrina giggled and slapped a hand on Gabe's head. "Oh yeah, defending your Mommy against me? We shall see about that, my little butterball!" Gabe's hands became a battalion of tickling fingers waging war on his daughter's stomach. She laughed a storm, her face turning such an awful shade of pink that Ronnie had to jump to her rescue.

Ronnie grabbed Sabrina from Gabe's
hands and hugged her, then stuck her tongue out at her husband. Not one to stand there and be mocked, Gabe put on his most threatening face, shrugged up the sleeves of his shirt and prepared to do some serious damage.

Ronnie's eyes widened upon realization and slowly she backed away with Sabrina in her arms. She tried to warn off her advancing husband.
"Gabe stop, I was just playing…"

"You should run."

Smile unable to leave her lips, Ronnie continued to back away, not knowing whether to laugh, flee or surrender. "Gabe…I have, Rina."

Gabe shrugged as he glared at his wide-eyed daughter. "Oh don't you worry, the little butterball will get hers too."

"Gabe!" Ronnie fled the minute Gabe lunged for them, her and her daughter's laughter ringing throughout the first floor of their two-story home. Gabe chased them through the living room, across the dining room where Liam was teaching Eric how to play a new game. The two boys looked up as their parents came storming in, with Ronnie taking coverage behind their chairs.

"Dad, what's going on?"
Eric asked, rising excitedly to his knees on the chair he watched his Dad's face, which was red from all the running.

"Your Dad is being a bully and won't leave us alone," Ronnie met Gabe's dancing eyes as he tried to maneuver around the table and chairs. "I think we should gang up on him and teach him a lesson," her eyes fell back to Eric's grinning face. "What do you think?"

"Yeah I wanna be on Dad's team!" Liam descended from his seat, video game forgotten on the table, he ran to his father's side.

"Come on, Mom," Eric jumped from his seat, excitement causing him to grab Ronnie's hand and pull. "Let's go and find something to get them with." Ronnie was led out of the room and couldn't help but make another face at her husband, who looked like he was ready to tackle her to the ground.

When involving the kids, things are always bound to get a little messy, proven parental fact #56. Ronnie and Gabe knew this, but honestly they didn't care, because no matter how messy the situation, the only thing that mattered was that they were having a great deal of fun with their children. So instead of it being three kids and two adults chasing each other around the house, there were three children and two very big kids representing Mom and Dad who wielded their respective water guns. The teams where slightly unfair and maybe that was the reason why Gabe and Liam were soaking wet from head to toe, while Ronnie, Eric and Sabrina remained dry. They aimed their cocked water guns at their opponents.

"Surrender?" Eric asked as he pointed his gun at his brother.

Liam pouted as he looked up at his father. "Dad?"

"Son, it is a known fact that we Akers men never, ever surrender in the heat of battle. We live strong, we love long and we die fighting!" Gabe's short speech was followed by gladiator cry as he and his eldest son trudged forward, rushing his wife, Eric and Sabrina. Their water guns squirted as they tackled their opponents to the ground.

On their backs and now just as wet as their adversaries, Ronnie and Eric reluctantly conceded defeat. "You fought a brave battle, but the victory is ours." Gabe announced as he sat astride Ronnie's hips, a happy and wet Sabrina in his arms. He placed a kiss on the side of her mouth before turning laughing eyes to Ronnie. "And as my prize I demand a kiss."

"Anything the brave knight wishes." Ronnie replied. Keeping her eyes on Gabe's descending face, she reached for his abandoned water gun and moments before Gabe's lips met her own, Ronnie brought the gun to up and squirted water in her husband's face.

Eric rolled over with laughter. "Good one, Mom!"

"Daaaad you're not supposed to kiss the enemy!" Liam whined in exasperation.

They all turned their heads at the sound of the doorbell. "I'll remember that next time." h
e stole a kiss anyway before sitting up and relinquishing a squirming Sabrina to Ronnie. "I'll see who it is."

"Alright my little ducklings, time to get cleaned up and maybe if you're good I can convince your dad to take us to Coopers." Coopers was a relatively new Pizza and arcade restaurant located downtown. They catered to the fickle pallets of toddlers and preteens alike.

"Yes Coopers! Can we get a triple cheese pizza, Mom? And play in the arcade? Can we Mom? Can we?"

"Like I said we'll go and do all those things only if you're good, now let's go upstairs and all get cleaned up."

Gabe listened to the retreating footsteps of his family, before walking to the door.

"Hi Gabe
…what the heck happened to you?" Elle greeted taking in Gabe's damp attire.

"Ronnie and Eric happened. Hey little squirts, give your uncle Gabe a hug." Gabe teased and laughed when Isabella and Dylan dodged his advances.

"No way!" They chorused, dodging his advances.

Ellie stepped into her godfather's
home and closed the door, her children not too far behind her.

"Where's Soph?"

"Devlin took her out for the day, something about bonding."

"H
ow'd you manage to pull that?"

Ellie shrugged, refusing the offer of a beverage she flopped down on Gabe's LazyBoy. "I didn't pull anything. It was surprisingly Soph's idea. Believe me Dev and I were just as shocked as you are. But I'm glad she made the offer."

"That girl of yours surprises the heck out of me every day. But you're right; it's good that she came up with the idea, shows that she's growing."

"Or that she's up to something."

"Uncle Gabe, where are Liam and Eric?" Dylan asked, his patience having worn thin three minutes ago.

"Upstairs, you can go up if you want and while you up there can you ask your Aunt Ron to bring me a shirt when she comes down?"

"Sure!" Dylan jumped to action, ready to run his way up the stairs and find his best friends.

"Wait for me I want to come too!" Bella stood from her seat next to her mother and ran after her disappearing twin.

"So, what makes you think Sophie's up to anything?"

Ellie shrugged again. "Just a feeling."
Ellie wasn't stupid enough to believe that their little talk this morning had taken effect so quickly. Sure, her daughter could be trying to appease her by trying extra hard in liking Devlin, but again, Ellie wasn't born yesterday. Someone who'd been obsessed with something as long as Sophie’s been obsessed over Nicholas did not simply abandon their ideas for new ones.

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No," with a small sigh Ellie's shoulders hunched forward and she began to fidget. "I actually came over to tell you guys something."

Gabe frowned, taking in Ellie's demeanor, worry instantly overcame him. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

"Oh, Ellie what a nice surprise." A freshly clothed Ronnie entered the room and handed Gabe a clean shirt. "What's going on?" her smile disappeared she looked between Gabe and a fidgeting Ellie. "Gabe?"

"I don't know, Ellie said she had something she wanted to tell us."

"Ellie?" Ronnie implored.

Suddenly nervous Ellie rubbed her clammy hands along her jeans before giving both her guardians a wide smile.
"Devlin proposed." She raised her hand and flashed the ring.

Ronnie’s reaction was instantaneous as she assailed Ellie with a congratulatory hug and questions that Ellie had barely enough time to answer.

“Jeez, Ron, give the girl a break.” Gabe chided, pulling her away from their flustered goddaughter.

"Oh, Ellie!
Sweetie, this is great news! I'm so happy for you!" She said after a beat, beaming with pride.

"Is this what you really want, Ellie?"

"Of course it's what she really wants, honestly Gabe what sort of question is that? It's about time Ellie married and moved on with her life and Devlin proposing is by far the best thing that could've happened." Ronnie thoughts mirrored Ellie's own. It was wonderful to hear her words spoken out loud, put things back in perspective.

"Ellie?" Gabe sure as hell didn't believe her.

"Of course this is what I want, Gabe! God I'm going to get married!" She squealed then turned and hugged Ronnie, who shared her squealing with enthusiasm of her own.

You didn't live with someone for the majority of their lives without learning their mannerisms. Gabe knew when his goddaughter was truly happy, he knew when Ellie was sad, and he knew what pissed her off. He also knew when Ellie told the truth and when she was just shoveling a pile of crap. Right now, his goddaughter was ankle deep in shit and Gabe wanted to call her out on it, but he knew it would only result in an argument that would piss off not only Ellie, but Ronnie as well. Gabe was not in the mood to rekindle his affair with the couch and his left hand tonight, or the rest of the week for that matter.

Gabe had nothing against Devlin, matter of fact he liked the guy. He did well by Ellie and her kids, he wasn't hung up on himself and he was a hell of a lot smarter then all those other fuckers Ellie had dated in the past. Seeing them together, anyone could tell just how deeply Devlin loved Ellie, but the question was whether Ellie loved him just as deeply? Gabe wanted to think so, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Ellie wasn’t being completely honest with herself.

"Just as long as you're happy and it's really what you want." Ultimately it was better to see her in the arm
s of a man who loved her, then in the arms of some rat bastard who didn't know how to appreciate her. "Congratulations, Ellie," Gabe whispered against her temple. "You deserve this."

Ellie smiled, tugging
on Gabe's shoulder length hair before saying. "Thank you, it means a lot to me that you understand how much I need this. That's why I'd like it if you and Dad gave me away…together."

"Ellie…
I don't know what to say...."

"Say yes."

Lifting her off her feet, Gabe twirled a screaming Ellie around. "Of course it's a yes!" He settled her back on the ground. "So when's the big day?"

"We haven't decided yet, but probably soon."

"This is incredible, I still can't believe you're going to get married, Ellie! There's going to be so much to do, planning for everything, and not to mention your engagement and bachelorette party! You remember how Gabe and I had ours combined?" How could she forget?

The night she'd witnessed her guardians drunk off their asses, naked and having sex on
the hood of her brand new car was an image Ellie wouldn't soon forget. The image was forever imprinted on her brain and every time the subject was brought up, Ellie found herself blushing to the roots of her hair.

Gabe and Ronnie didn't know to this day that she'd seen them that night and Ellie chose to keep it that way.

"No strippers for Devlin or myself, that's all I ask."

"But they're the best part!" Gabe bleated and received a punch on the arm for his effort from his scowling wife.

"Just how many bachelor parties have you attended to know that strippers are the best part, Hon?" Ronnie asked, face deceptively calm.

Knowing that road led to nowhere but trouble, Gabe wrapped his arms around Ronnie waist and attempted to pull off the best Puss-in-Boots impression that he could. "Only ours and you were
 the best stripper there was. I did love that sexy cop uniform you had on. Do you still the handcuffs?"

"Oh, Ew....God just Ew!" Ellie protested glaring at the two people who'd forgotten she was in the room.

Ronnie pinched Gabe's arm as she pulled away, a very prominent shade of rouge tinting her cheeks. Gabe waggled his eyebrows at his smirking spouse and chuckled. "Be lucky that I love you so much."

"Every day, sweetheart." He planted a kiss that took both their breath away.

"God you guys are seriously giving me a cavity here. I hope Dev and I don't become this sappy." Looking at them, in each other's arms, so utterly besotted with each other after so many years, Ellie couldn't help but envy them their profound love.

She
fingered her ring, wondering whether she and Devlin had what Ronnie and Gabe shared? Of course they loved each other and of course the sex was great. But was it a necessity? Was there a deep rooted fear of not being able to survive without each other if one was to ever leave? Was their passion so volcanically hot that when they made love it surpassed all things physical? Did they balance and ground each other when it counted most?

Ellie wanted to think so, wanted to believe that she and Devlin shared those things, but the fact of the matter was that it wasn't so. But, she was positive that it would come later. Gabe and Ronnie had been together for
 years before achieving this level of intimacy. She and Devlin would have that; it was just going to take time.

The soft touch on her arm drew Ellie from her thoughts. "What?" She smiled to soften the sharpness of her tone. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"