Sweet Surrender (Returning January 4th 2025)

Chapter 9

Gabriel woke the next morning to find Cassandra curled up against him, her face buried in his chest. Wrapping an arm around her, he kissed the top of her head. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her lavender shampoo. He could get used to waking up this way every morning.

At that moment, Gabriel's cell phone rang. Swearing silently, he reluctantly released Cassandra and grabbed the phone from the nightstand. He checked the caller ID and saw it was his grandmother. He accepted the call.

"Good morning, Bea," he said quietly. "How's Napa?"

"Wonderful, dear," Beatrice Dorsey said. "You'll never guess who I ran into yesterday. It was the Reynolds. You remember them, don't you?"

"Sure," Gabriel said, slipping out of bed. "How are Liam and Shelley?"

"They're doing well," Beatrice replied. "Their granddaughter, Paige, is getting married in the fall."

"Pass along my congratulations, won't you?" Gabriel said as he walked around the bed.

"Of course," Beatrice said. "Her engagement has me thinking that it's time for you to settle down."

Gabriel walked into the bathroom and closed the door. "Bea, I don't-"

"Now listen," she interrupted. "I know the perfect girl for you."

"I already have the perfect girl, Bea." Gabriel leaned against the vanity. "She's asleep in my bed right now."

"In your bed?" Bea said. "What's her name?"

"Cassandra," Gabriel said, smiling. "You'll like her, Bea. She reminds me of you a little."

"I want to know everything," Bea demanded. "How long have you known her? How long have you been together? Why am I just now learning about her?"

"We've known each other for years," Gabriel said. "We haven't been together for long. I've wanted a relationship with her for some time now, but until recently she wouldn't give me the time of day. I never told you about her because there wasn't anything to tell."

"I'm coming home Monday afternoon," Bea announced. "Bring her to my place for dinner Monday evening. I'll have Carrie prepare something special. I have to go, dear. Talk to you soon."

"Talk to you soon." Gabriel ended the call and set the phone on the vanity. He emptied his bladder, washed his hands, and left the bathroom.

Cassandra was sitting up in bed, her cell phone in her hands. She was replying to a text from her father.

"Good morning, darling," Gabriel said.

"Good morning," she mumbled, putting her phone back on the nightstand.

Gabriel perched on the side of the bed. "Where's Charlie? I don't see him anywhere."

"He woke me up around five, wanting out of the bedroom." Cassandra ran a hand through her hair. "I got a text from my father. He wants to meet me for coffee this afternoon. He wants something, Gabriel. Lately, he only wants to see me when he wants something from me."

"I'll meet him and see what he wants," Gabriel volunteered.

"He's not your responsibility," Cassandra said.

"We're in a relationship, darling." He reached for her hand. "Couples help one another. Now I don't know how your past relationships worked, but this one is going to involve sharing each others problems. Got it?"

"Yes," she said.

"I talked to my grandmother a little while ago." Gabriel shared with her the phone conversation he had.

Cassandra arched an eyebrow. "You call your grandmother by her first name?"

Gabriel grinned. "She doesn't like the word grandmother. She said it makes her feel old. So all her grandchildren call her Bea."

"She sounds like quite the character," Cassandra said.

"She is," Gabriel said. "She wants us to have dinner with her Monday evening." He cleared his throat. "I think it would be best if we kept the fact that I gave a loan shark money to cover your father's gambling addiction a secret."

"And that you demanded I move in here with you," Cassandra added.

"Demand is such a strong word, darling," Gabriel said. "I prefer the word encourage."

Cassandra snorted. "There was no encouragement involved. I'm sticking with demanded."

"If it makes you feel better, sweetcheeks." Gabriel kissed her cheek and then headed for the closet.

Gabriel stepped into the coffee shop, his gaze scanning the crowd. Spotting Cassandra's father, he made his way toward the man. He bypassed the counter. There was no need to buy anything. He wasn't planning to stay long.

As he drew near to the table, Mr. Barnes glanced up from his coffee. The older man's eyes widened in surprise. "Mr. Dorsey, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Cassandra couldn't make it, so I volunteered to come." Gabriel pulled out a chair and sat down. "And please call me Gabriel. Mr. Dorsey is my father."

An expression of disappointment crossed Mr. Barnes face. "I'm sorry to hear she couldn't make it. I was hoping to talk to her about something."

"What might that be?" Gabriel inquired.

Mr. Barnes shook his head. "I'm sorry but it's something I want to discuss with my daughter."

"Fair enough," Gabriel said. "How are you doing with the gambling?"

Cassandra's father averted his gaze. "I'm doing all right. I haven't visited the casino in almost a week."

He was lying. If there was one thing Gabriel hated more than anything it was being lied to. "How much do you owe?" he demanded to know. "That is why you want to talk to Cassandra, isn't it? You need more money."

Mr. Barnes fidgeted. "I don't owe-"

"Not another lie," Gabriel uttered through clenched teeth. "How much do you owe?"

"$5,000," Mr. Barnes sighed. "I was so sure I was going to win."

Gabriel leaned forward and said coldly, "You will never win when it comes to gambling. The addiction will win every single time. You are fooling yourself if you think otherwise. You need help."

"I don't need any help," Mr. Barnes snapped, his eyes flashing.

"Oh, you need help when it involves my money," Gabriel shot back. He pushed his chair back and stood. "Until you agree that you need help and get that help, stay away from your daughter."

"You can't keep me from her," Mr. Barnes said.

"Wanna bet?" Gabriel sneered. "As usual, you would lose. You have a nice afternoon." He turned and strolled out of the coffee shop. On the way to the car he called Cassandra.

"Did you talk to my father?" Cassandra asked, coming on the line after the third ring.

"No hello?"

"Hello, Gabriel," she said dryly.

"That's better." He told her what was said between him and Mr. Barnes.

"Would you really keep me from him?" Cassandra wanted to know.

"Of course not," Gabriel answered. "He's your father, even if he is a crappy one."

"Thank you for meeting with him," Cassandra said softly. "It means a lot."

"You're welcome, darling," Gabriel said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'll see you at home."

"See you soon." Gabriel ended the call, smiling to himself. She thought of his home as her home too. He was slowly winning her over.

A/N: Thank you for your support. I appreciate you. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Have a great weekend! :)