Above it All Ch. 08-10

The phone calls were enjoyable. My grandparents were particularly happy about our engagement and assured me that hell or high water wouldn't keep them from the wedding. My sisters were naturally inquisitive, although Liv claimed she knew all along that Gabrielle and I would reunite. She was equally happy with the news, however. Both of them really liked and admired my fiancée.

Gabrielle's parents were pleased and not as surprised as I expected. I thought perhaps my future bride might have tipped them off to her plan, but none of the three revealed any behind-the-scenes strategy. I had talked to Marc and Jeanette on the phone when we were living in Hayward, but not since. They seemed accepting of me, or perhaps more accepting of their daughter's decision. In any event, they wished us well and assured us they would be at the wedding. Jeanette, of course, couldn't resist asking about grandchildren and we assured her that they were in our plans.

I'd kept in touch with Robert Fuller over the years, despite the fact that I was no longer a runner. He sympathized with me when I'd told him of my injury, but suggested a lot of athletes go through that kind of trauma and it's how they handle themselves after the fact that determines their future. He was getting on now, well into his seventies, but still active and alert. He said he'd be delighted to attend the wedding and may come out earlier just to see what kind of a life we had in California. I told him he'd always be welcome at Casa Richter.

~*~

I was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom while Gabrielle was drying off from her shower.

"I guess I should shave this off and get a haircut," I said absently, stroking my beard.

"No! Absolutely not! You're not going to change a thing," she snapped. "That beard and the hair a part of who you are now. You have no idea how sexy you look, do you? When I first saw you a few days ago, I nearly wet myself. I've never seen any man look as gorgeous as you did right at that moment. So forget about messing with perfection."

There wasn't any doubt in her mind, so I smiled and nodded. I wasn't going to fight her over it if she felt that strongly about it. Besides, I'd gotten used to my look and I was happy with it. Problem solved.

We spent Saturday up in Auburn State Recreation Area, hiking. Gabrielle was still very fit and had no problem keeping up with me on the well used trails. The weather was comfortable and the scenery was inspiring. We arrived back at the house tired and hungry. A couple of steaks on the barbeque after a brief swim in the pool were the solution.

It was hard to believe that it had been less than a week since we'd been reunited. Were we moving too fast? I did wonder and mentioned it to Gabrielle.

"Are you having second thoughts," she asked seriously.

I shook my head. "No, but you have to admit, a lot has happened in the past five days."

"A lot happened in the months that we spent together three years ago, Kyle. I've connected those two parts of my life and I don't have any doubt about what I feel."

"Okay," I said with a smile. "You've convinced me. I know it isn't love at first sight, but to have all those wonderful feelings flood back so quickly has really surprised me."

Again, she was shaking her head. "They didn't come back quickly. They never left. That tribute bike is proof of that. We've felt that way all along. There was just an unfortunate interruption that got in the way of this happening three years ago."

I had no intention of arguing with her. For the most part, I agreed with her. It surprised me that she was able to bury the hurt I had caused her and put it behind her. But since she had, I wasn't going to tempt fate twice and argue that we weren't ready.

~*~

"Here's to your future, Kyle," Tom said, raising his glass.

I raised mine and we touched rims.

"You all set for best man duties?" I asked.

"Yeah, as set as I'll ever be. I'm a little nervous being among the power elite of Northern California. I don't want to bungle and drop the ring, or mangle the toast at the reception."

"You've given a number of presentations at work, so I doubt you'll have a problem," I reassured him.

"You are one lucky SOB," he smiled. "You had her, you lost her, then you got her back. Not many guys get that lucky with someone as beautiful as Gabrielle."

"Don't I know it," I admitted.

"So, are you going to reveal where the honeymoon is?"

"Hawaii. We've got a place on Maui for two weeks. I'm hoping the weather will be good in late October."

"I don't envy you scrunched up on a plane for four hours," Tom offered.

"Well ... it probably won't be a problem. John and Georgette have offered their Gulfstream IV, and it will have plenty of leg room."

"Holy shit! A private jet to Hawaii? How lucky can you get?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about marrying a gorgeous woman with a great job and doing something I love to do. I don't know how much luckier I could get," I said with a satisfied smile.

END

My thanks to ErikThread and Derek Wright for their editing prowess and helpful suggestions. Any errors are mine alone.

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