Page 11 of Loving Hard on the Highway (Love Along Route 14)

Gabbie

The morning light filtered in slowly, casting soft golden lines across the rumpled sheets. I stirred first to the scent of him, not fully waking, just enough to shift closer, my cheek brushing the bare skin of his chest. His arm tightened around me without thinking.

My eyes fluttered open, squinting against the spill of morning light, and there he was, hair a mess, our bare legs tangled together.

God, he was beautiful in the morning. Rumpled and real. Mine for a bit longer. I was hoping for forever.

I shifted closer, my bare leg rubbing his, just to see if he’d stir. He didn’t, not yet. So, I rested my chin lightly on his chest and whispered, “Are you asleep, or just pretending so I don’t make you get up?”

His lips twitched, the faintest grin. “If I say sleep, do I get ten more minutes to lie naked with you?”

“I wish. But you have to go see your grandfather.”

He cracked one eye open, slipping his hand up my thigh. “Cruel woman. Can I at least get a little something to eat first?”

“Maybe just a little,” I said, smiling as he began pecking little kisses slowly and lazily down my body. “I know how much you like it.”

He groaned, pleased, attempting to fully get between my thighs.

“No, I’m kidding. You need to go,” I whined. He was so hard to resist. After the night we had, our bodies just craved being together. He rested his head on my bare belly, and the quiet moment between us was grounding and real.

“Seriously, though,” I said, voice softer now, “what time do you have to leave?”

“Now,” he muttered, pressing a tiny kiss on my nipple before getting up and kissing me.

That should not have made my heart flip the way it did, but it did. I kissed his collarbone, lightly, then looked up at him. “You’ll be back, right?”

“What?” he asked, raising a brow. “Gabbie, in case you haven’t figured it out. I’m in love with you.”

I was stunned speechless.

“You’ll save me some breakfast,” Sean said as he got up and dressed.

“If you like blueberries,” I smiled, trying to recover. My heart was beating like crazy.

He looked appropriately scandalized. “You’re really going to make me addicted to those things?”

After pulling a t-shirt on, he fussed with his hair in the mirror.

“You know you look good without even trying,” I teased.

He laughed, a deep, quiet sound that rumbled in his chest. He went to wake Ollie, giving him a quick goodbye cuddle before handing him to me. And then he kissed me like he might miss me already.

“I love you,” he said and turned to walk away.

I grabbed his hand, and he turned back. “I love you, too.”

His eyes lit up, and he kissed me again. I pretended not to melt. As he left, I just smiled and lay back on the bed. This was as real as it gets.

?

I had nearly forgotten how spectacular California’s weather was in early summer.

The air smelled of rosemary, fresh linen, and the soft sweetness of nearby magnolia trees.

In the distance, the gentle rush of the Magnolia River hummed in the air.

The view of the vineyard with the river behind it was simply breathtaking.

I couldn’t help but laugh as Ollie leaped and played rambunctiously with the much older golden retriever that lived in the vineyard.

Even with the construction, it was a stunning house, a mansion, really.

The decor was updated in a traditional style, with authentic and modern touches.

Very cozy. It was the kind of place people dreamed of living in.

“Breakfast is served,” Rosa, a woman in her late forties who I assumed was Skye’s partner, called from behind me.

“Oh wow,” I breathed in deeply. “Everything smells divine.”

“Compliments of the Bundt & Grind Cafe,” Rosa said as she laid everything on the patio table. “They had blueberry muffins and blueberry parfait. If Kayla and I could actually cook, we would have made you blueberry pancakes.”

“Oh, no, this is perfect.” My eyes widened as I sat down to my feast. “Blueberry muffins are my absolute favorite. But doesn’t one of you need to know how to cook to do the breakfast part of the B&B?”

“We haven’t quite figured that out yet.”

We both laughed. Rosa was an absolute delight.

“Did you have a good night?” Rosa asked. “You are glowing.”

“Can you tell?” I must have been beaming. “The room is perfect, and this place is a dream.”

“And the company?” Rosa raised a brow.

I blushed. “The company was fire.”

“Glad to hear it.” Rosa smiled before heading back inside.

I gobbled down my first muffin like a starved hyena. Then remembered I had calls to make. With Rick showing up at my sister’s, I knew Evie and Laurel would be worried. I tried Evie, since Laurel should be at work.

“Hey, are you there? Are you safe?” Evie jumped right in.

“Hi, Evie.” I shook my head. “I’m here at the bed-and-breakfast, and I’m fine. Better than fine. Everything is perfect.”

“Oh my god, you two fucked, didn’t you?” Evie gushed.

“So many times,” I sighed dreamily. “I have never come so hard in my life.”

“Get out!” Evie squealed. “When did this happen?”

“A couple nights ago in Saddleback, and then last night here all night.”

“Oh my gosh, Laurel is calling. Let me put her on with us.” Evie didn’t ask and disappeared for a couple of seconds. “Hey, Laurel, I’ve got Gabbie on the phone.”

“Hey, are you okay?” Laurel asked.

“I’m fine.” I barely answered before Laurel rushed with her next question.

“Are you still traveling with that guy Sean?” she asked.

“Traveling with him,” Evie chuckled. “They are full on having sex. And lots of it.”

“Oh…” was all Laurel said.

“I know it’s fast, but he told me this morning that he loves me. He needed to see his grandfather and his brother. His grandfather has been pretty sick and just got out of the hospital.”

“His grandfather, George Iverleigh?” Laurel asked.

“I don’t know his name,” I said. “Sean just calls him grandpa. But I don’t think it’s Iverleigh because it’s his mom’s dad.”

“No, I’m telling you his grandfather is George Iverleigh of Iverleigh Farms. They supply our meat and dairy at the restaurant. They are all over the U.S.,” Laurel said. “I saw the packaging and looked it up just out of curiosity.”

“Oh okay,” This surprised me, but it wasn’t as if I had asked. “It would be weird to talk about his grandfather’s business when the man is dying.”

“Oh, the grandfather is just the tip of the iceberg,” Laurel continued. “I went on a deep dive this morning. That’s why I was calling Evie.”

“What are you getting at, Laurel?” Evie asked.

“So Iverleigh Farms is an old family business, but the real hot gossip is that George Iverleigh started a tech business in the 80s called Ivetech. George’s daughter married Max Holsten…”

“Of Holsten Industries!” Evie shouted. “Holy shit. They own the InView social media platform and the Lyrix music app.”

“That’s what I’m getting at,” Laurel explained. “Max took over Ivetech and changed the name like twenty years ago. There is a lot of bad blood from what I can find out. Maybe it’s why Sean goes by Iverleigh and not Holsten.”

I sat listening, just taking it all in. It all made sense, though it felt unbelievable. This side of the story was blowing my mind and left me with a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. Why wouldn’t Sean tell me? And what else was he keeping from me?

“Gabbie, you’re being pretty quiet,” Evie chimed in. “Did he ask you not to tell us? Because we aren’t gold diggers. I don’t care how rich he is. If he’s an ass wipe, I don’t want you with him.”

“He didn’t ask me to keep it from you. We just didn’t talk about it,” I managed, trying to fight the hurt in my gut and convince myself as much as to convince them. “I knew he had money and was maybe rich.” That was a stretch.

“But he’s not just rich,” Laurel said. “He is rich rich.”

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal.” I attempted to brush away the feeling. “Anyway, girls, I have to go feed Ollie and call my sisters.”

We said our goodbyes, and I hung up as fast as I could. Why was this happening? Had I rushed into another relationship, only to find out the guy was not who I thought he was? Did he think I was a gold digger? Was he just playing games with the poor black girl he picked up on the side of the road?

I lay in my room, my stomach in knots as every moment of my time with Sean ran through my mind. He told me what he thought of me, but I found that hard to believe.

When I heard the door click, my heart dropped. I was so nervous about what to say and how to bring it up. I desperately tried to convince myself that maybe it wasn’t a big deal.

Ollie jumped up and leaped into Sean’s arms before he had the door shut.

“Hey, little guy.” Sean gave Ollie a rub. “Did you miss me?”

He carried him to the bed where I sat up. I could see the stress on his face, especially around his eyes.

“God, I missed you.” Sean kissed me so tenderly, I believed it.

“How is your grandfather?” I asked.

“He’s better,” Sean sighed. “It’s just hard to see him so fragile. But we talked about so many things. I told him all about you.”

“You did?” I was surprised.

“I did.” Sean gave me a soft smile. “And I think he gave me some really good advice. So, I was thinking we should probably talk.”

“Good.” I took a deep breath. “Because I need to talk about some things with you, too.”

“You can talk to me about anything. Tell me whatever is on your mind.”

“Well.” I took a deep breath. “I want to know what you really think of me.”

I could tell Sean was taken aback. “Gabbie, I think you are amazing and beautiful.”

“Do you trust me?”

His expression went from confused to oh shit in 2.1 seconds. “Gabbie. I do trust you now, but when we first started on this journey, we didn’t know each other.”

“But we got to know each other, or I thought we did. It just feels like there’s a whole side of you I know nothing about. And you didn’t even give me a hint. Do you think I’m a gold digger?”

“No,” he insisted. “If this trip proved anything, it’s that you’re not.”