Read the first chapter of His Perfect Family.
Gabrielle Wallace stood so fast that her chair spun and hit the opposite wall. The offensive letter floated to land on her keyboard. She covered her mouth, her hand stifling the scream building from deep inside. She cast her gaze around the room.
How had her mother-in-law found her? Was someone outside watching her even now? Caleb. She had to get Caleb from the daycare, and both of them needed to leave town. Right now. Gabrielle jumped when Brianna touched her.
“What’s wrong?”
Her heart thumped in her ears, making it hard to hear what Brianna was saying.
“Ruth knows where I am.” She forced the words past stiff lips. Ruth Campbell-Wallace. Her former mother-in-law.
The woman who wanted to steal her child and had enough clout and power to do so.
“I have to get Caleb, Bri. What if Ruth takes him?” Gaby clasped Brianna’s forearms until the tips of her fingers went numb.
Brianna nodded. “Okay, I’m coming with you.”
Gabrielle shook her head. She did not have time for this. Every second she was away from Caleb was a second that allowed Ruth to snatch him away.
“Gabrielle, you’re upset,” Brianna spoke in the soothing voice she’d cultivated in the year since she’d married a pastor.
“What if something happens to you and you never make it to the daycare? What happens to Caleb, then?”
Gabrielle flinched. Her husband, Maurice, had died in a car accident. She forced herself to take a calming breath.
“You’re right. Can we go now, please?”
Brianna grabbed her phone, fingers flying over the keypad. “Call the daycare to let them know to expect us.”
Gabrielle nodded and did as Brianna suggested. They exited the office, locked the door behind them, and went to Gabrielle’s car. Gaby got in the back and handed the key over to Brianna. Her friend was right. She was much too frazzled to drive.
She spent the trip peering into the rearview mirror. Was one of those drivers behind them Ruth’s henchman?
Fifteen minutes later, Brianna pulled into the lot of Little Geniuses Daycare behind a familiar black SUV. Gabrielle had memorized the license within a few days of living in Orange Valley. Ugh, why was he here? She scowled at her friend.
“What’s he doing here?”
As if he knew she was speaking about him, the door opened, and a man stepped out. Theodore McPherson. Brianna’s older brother’s black T-shirt clung to every muscle.
“I texted him and asked him to meet us here.”
Gabrielle restrained the desire to sneer. “Of all your brothers, you had to call that one.”
Why couldn’t Brianna have called Everton or Paul? Any of the other McPherson men would have been preferable to this one. She didn’t want Theodore to know about the predicament she was in.
Brianna sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but we need the help.”
Brianna unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face Gabrielle. “He’s the closest person to law enforcement that I know, and we need someone who’ll take our side. Why don’t you report her to the authorities?”
Gabrielle scoffed. “It wouldn’t do any good.”
She’d tried that once. She’d lived with her in-laws for a brief time after Maurice had died. It had been great having someone to help her care for her son because those first few months had been rough.
She’d gone into Martin’s office searching for a large envelope to put some important documents in. She’d glanced at the papers on his desk. Glimpsing her name had made her stop to study the document.
Her in-laws had been drawing up papers to declare her an unfit mother so they could sue her for custody of Caleb.
She had gone to the police to report the matter. The officer she’d spoken with had been unconcerned. Had wanted to know why she wasn’t eager for her child to grow up as the new heir of Wallace Industries.
In Cinnamon Hill, the Wallace name was synonymous with power and wealth. She’d returned to the house defeated. Later that day, Ruth had recounted her conversation with the officer in such detail that Gabrielle wondered if she’d been wearing a wire.
It had taken a bit of scheming, but she’d been able to escape with her son before her in-laws could file their suit. She swallowed. Brianna was right. Again. They needed all the help they could get. She didn’t think Ruth would do anything to hurt her or Caleb, but she wasn’t willing to risk their safety on a whim.
She tuned into Brianna’s words.
“…up Caleb.”
She pressed the flat of her palm to her forehead. Focus, Gabrielle.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I’m still on the approved list, right?”
Gaby nodded. Of course. There had been times she’d needed her best friend to pick up Caleb.
“Tell Pam I’m picking him up today in case Ruth’s people are watching.”
Gabrielle scribbled a note and added her signature. She pressed the paper into Brianna’s palm, just in case.
Please, God, don’t let it be a case where she’d need the letter later as proof against Ruth and her lawyers.
A few minutes later, Brianna opened the back door for Caleb. Gaby snuggled her son in her arms, inhaling his scent of sunshine and crayons until he squirmed out of her embrace. She laughed and buckled him into the car seat. What would she do if Ruth took her son away?
She needed a plan. Ruth knew where she lived. Maybe she could leave Caleb with Bri and sneak into her apartment. That way, she could get some of their clothes before she snuck off again. But where would she go?
Her parents were on a medical ship sailing around the world. She had no idea where they were at the moment. Only that they wouldn’t be back for months. She had no other relatives on the island, at least none she wanted to involve in her problems.
She caught sight of a street sign and gasped. Her eyes flew to the rearview mirror and tangled with Brianna’s.
“Where are we going?”
“To my parents’ house.”
“No. Stop the car right now.”
“Gaby, it’s not safe for you to return to your apartment.”
“I realize that.” She glanced at Caleb, who had fallen asleep. She spoke through gritted teeth, not wanting to wake him up. “That’s why I was going to sneak in and get some of our clothes and stuff.”
“Hmm-hmm.” Her friend navigated another turn. “And then what?”
“And then…”
Her voice trailed off as her eyes stung with tears. And then she’d tear herself away from the life she’d painstakingly pieced together. She’d drag her son away from his playgroup and the woman who cared for him as if he were her child.
She swiped away her tears. She couldn’t afford for them to fall. If she did, she’d never stop crying. Her voice was husky when she spoke.
“I don’t want to bring your parents into this, Bri, especially since you guys are finally finding your groove.”
Brianna nodded. “You didn’t bring them into this. I did, and they were happy to help.”
Brianna had recently mended the relationship with her parents after years of tension.
“Besides, aren’t you the one who’s always saying I should learn to ask for help?”
Gabrielle laughed. She had said that, but somehow it was easier to counsel others than to accept their advice.
Brianna parked in front of a gray and white house with a canary yellow door. She mock-shuddered. “I even enlisted Tonya’s help.’’
That Brianna would willingly work with her older sister because of her made more tears well in her eyes. Their eyes met in the mirror. Bri was wrestling with her own emotions.
“I love you like a sister.” She grinned. “To be honest, I love you more than I love my sister. I refuse to let you face this giant alone.”
Gabrielle was still processing Brianna’s words when the door flew open and the McPhersons converged on the car.
His Perfect Family (Orange Valley Book 5)
Table of Contents
She needs a husband to keep her son; he needs a chance to win her heart.
Gabrielle Wallace is a strong and determined single mother fighting for custody of her son, but complications arise when her former flame, Theodore McPherson, enters the picture.
Theodore is the firefighter who once let Gabrielle slip away and is now determined to make up for his past mistake.
When he discovers Gabrielle needs to be married to retain custody of her son, he volunteers to be her groom, hoping to convince her they can have a forever kind of love.
Their path to ultimate happiness is filled with struggles and hurdles they must overcome to unearth the profound love that God has prepared for them.
Will they be able to put aside their past and find happiness together, or will their differences tear them apart once again?
Find out in His Perfect Family. Follow Gabrielle and Theodore on their journey of second chances, love, and redemption in this heartwarming tale.
His Perfect Family is book five of a Christian romance series set in Orange Valley that will remind you that God is interested in every aspect of your life, including whom you fall in love with.
