Free First a Dream (Dreams Come True #1) by Emma Nichols

he broached the subject, which had been left untouched. “So, about your little ones…”
    Isabella smiled shyly. “Yeah, Rebecca and Konnor. Where should I begin?”
    “Skip the conception.” He teased. “And the births. What are they like now?”
    She rewarded him with a giggle. “Fine, but you’re missing out.” Isabella gave him an exaggerated wink.
    Out of nowhere, he interrupted her. The impulse to reveal what popped into his head was too great. “You know who you remind me of sometimes, Bella?”
    “Who?” Isabella asked as she leaned back looking mildly uncomfortable and laid a hand on her chest.
    “My mother.” He grinned at her, pleased with his compliment.
    Isabella inhaled sharply, then blurted, “Well, I would love to know how. Otherwise, everything just grew a little strange and uncomfortable between us.” She frowned.
    With a chuckle, Gabriel shook his head. “Well, I don’t speak about my mother often. My parents divorced when I was very young.” He paused, watching for a reaction.
    Isabella nodded, but still seemed dismayed.
    “I don’t see her much either, but she is petite like you. She has these amazing eyes, similar to yours. You have this light, this sparkle. I can tell you have about a million things going on in your head. You are so alive, yet so timid.” He paused for a moment when he saw something in Isabella’s face. “I don’t know. Maybe that isn’t the right word. I get my languages confused.”
    “Yes, how many languages do you know again?” Isabella was teasing him now.
    “Four, but I want to learn Italian.” He took a sip of his drink. A slow song came on, and he decided to try to ease her mind away from the crowd. “Come on.” Gabriel lured Isabella from her chair. “I want you alone, under the stars, dancing beside the water.” He swiftly led her down the deck stairs to the water’s edge, a beautiful, secluded location. Isabella stood next to him shivering. Gabriel rubbed his hands up and down her arms for a moment. “Are you cold, Bella?” Again he found himself in unfamiliar territory. He truly cared for this woman already and worried over her comfort.
    Isabella numbly shook her head.
    Carefully, he pulled her into his arms. He could feel her breathing slow. “Tell me about your family, Bella.” He used her new nickname every chance he had because he noticed how it made her smile.
    Finally she looked up at him. “What do you want to know?” Her head tilted to the side exposing her lovely long neck.
    Immediately, he fought the impulse to nuzzle her, to kiss all the way from her collarbone up to her temple before claiming her lips. This woman was so alluring, and utterly unaware of her charms. Gabriel shook his head and forced himself to focus on the conversation, which would’ve been easier to do, had she not been pressed against him. “Well, what was it like growing up?  You haven’t told me anything about your parents or your siblings, or your ex-husband.”
    Isabella frowned, and tightened her grip around his neck before speaking. “He’s not my ex yet, remember. I don’t know what to tell you. My sister, Angelica, and I have never been close, especially lately.” She smirked sadly, making him suspect there was a story there. “I haven’t seen her since right after mid-terms. My mother and I used to be close. Our family seemed really happy, but then my parents split up. She changed. Or maybe I just noticed it more without my father there. Daddy and I were positively inseparable.” She ended with a sigh.
    “So, tell me about your father,” he murmured into her hair while inhaling her scent. She smelled like vanilla and flowers. It was an intoxicating combination and he knew he could get lost in the smell of her for hours.
    “My father died when I was barely a teenager. I feel guilty because I can’t remember him as clearly as I used to be able to. I used to smell Old Spice and be able to recall every aspect of his face, remember how