Happily Ever After: A Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Piper Rayne

  Sweat glistens on his forehead and runs down the side of his face. The afternoon sun beams radiantly on his tanned skin and I have to swallow hard to take in the vision of him.

  I’m not normally nervous, when it comes to him but I am now. And now when I look at him, his glorious torso on display for my greedy gaze, I see a man I want.

  And now I have my answer.

  I’m going to ask him to be my date for the wedding.

  Chapter 3

  Leo

  There she is…

  Ivy Marie Carson.

  She’s just arrived and is in the kitchen with her parents. Out the corner of my eye I can see her gazing outside. As usual, I’m never sure if she’s just looking out to see Cory, or if she could be watching me.

  Sometimes I think she’s watching me. That could be my imagination though, because I want her to be. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want her to be watching me.

  Cory’s talking to me about the upcoming football season. Everything he’s saying is interesting and I’m listening well enough to nod my head and acknowledge what he’s saying with a yes, or a no. But, I’m not really paying attention.

  The same thing happens to me every time she’s nearby. It happens every time I’m here for dinner which is near enough every Sunday. Every Sunday for the last fifteen years.

  It’s laughable, especially for a guy like me. I’ve never lacked a woman on my arm and I’ve never had to try to get attention. I think I might be bold enough to declare that I could have any woman. Except that one. The one I most want.

  “I don’t think this shed is going to hold up for much longer,” Cory states.

  I return my attention to him as he points at the wood at the base of the shed. I’m inclined to agree with him. That whole section has rotted away and looks unstable. The support slabs we used to fix it last time are already weak and if that goes I can imagine the whole wall coming down.

  “Gawh, I hate to be the bringer of bad news,” Cory says through gritted teeth and runs a hand over his trimmed beard. “I think the time has come to say goodbye to this family heirloom.”

  “Your dad’s not going to want to get rid of it.” I shake my head.

  “It’s not safe anymore.” He cries out.

  I look over the shed, already knowing what Mr. C’s going to say. Getting him to part with a shed that’s like a child to him is going to be a task and a half. He’ll start with a walk down memory lane reminding us that his father made the shed from the oak wood of lakeside. Then he’ll start harping on about how that particular oak is solid and meant to last for time to come.

  He’ll remind us of all of that just like last time and the time before that, and the time before that too. It won’t matter that the poor shed has seen fifty years and is older than us.

  I would say that statement of time to come, has seen its time, and that time was at least two years ago. The poor shed is on borrowed time now.

  “Do you want me to break the news to him?” I ask with a raised brow. “He might be more open to listen if I tell him.”

  Cory’s face lights up like it usually does when I make these offers and I just laugh.

  “Yes, please. You know what he’s like. He’s just going to think I can’t be bothered even though we’ve been out here for the last two hours trying to fix the thing.” My friend wipes a hand across his forehead.

  I nod my understanding. “No worries. How about we just finish replacing that beam.” I point to the area we were working on where the nails have come free. “We can work on it until dinner, then I’ll speak to him.”

  Cory smiles and bumps fists with mine. “This is why you’re my best friend. You got my back.”

  Footsteps crunching against the gravel path behind us has me looking over my shoulder to see the lovely Ivy approaching us with that beautiful smile on her face. She’s carrying a tray with a jug of fresh lemonade and looks like she’s floating toward us.

  Today she’s wearing blue. It looks striking against her brown skin and her shiny black hair. I take a moment to admire the way the dress hugs her curves in all the right ways, and ends mid-thigh.

  Her large brown eyes twinkle when she gets up to us and her smile widens disarming me. I got it bad for Ivy, have for years. And I’m sure Cory would punch me from here to London, if he had any idea of how much I like her.

  “Hi guys,” she says looking from me to Cory.

  “Well hello Princess Ivy,” I answer, doing my best to sound like she’s not enticing the hell out of me in that dress. “Thank you for bringing sustenance. A man could perish in this heat.”

  She laughs when I run the back of my hand over my forehead and sigh. Her laugh is the best sound ever and I always find myself wanting to joke around just to hear it again.

  Cory rolls his eyes at me and gives Ivy his habitual kiss to her cheek.

  “Man up, Leo. This is not heat. It’s barely spring,” Cory states before downing the glass of lemonade.

  “Whatever,” I huff.

  “Mom said to make sure you drink the whole jug before dinner,” Ivy says. “It is too hot out here.”

  “Too hot and we’re not making headway.” Cory shakes his head with a kick to the shed.

  “No?” She presses her glossy pink lips together.

  “Not this time,” I answer. “But don’t worry I’ll brave the task of telling your dad.”

  “Will that be before or after dinner?” she looks at me and her eyes sparkle. Just for a few seconds our eyes lock and I allow myself to take a peek into the window of her soul.

  There’s something different about her today. I can’t quite place my finger on what though. To me, she’s beautiful but there’s something alluring about her, and it’s not just the dress. There’s something else.

  “After. I think that’s best.”

  “Jinks, me too,” she agrees and returns her focus to Cory. “Dad’s always more agreeable when he’s got pie in his belly.”

  “Just be ready for a major break down,” Cory says, his cheeks puffed out, before he shakes his head.

  “I’ll go get the mint chocolates out then.” Ivy says with a lift of her eyebrow. I love the way she does that. It’s so cute that she can lift an eyebrow.

  “Good idea.” Cory says. The two of them are so close, it’s like they can read each other’s thoughts.

  One last smile and she saunters away. While Cory crouches down to grab the hammer from the tool bag, as his attention is elsewhere, I gaze at Ivy as she makes her way back up the garden path.

  Before she goes through the door she glances back to me and a little smile inches across her lips.

  Yes, there is definitely something different about her today.

  Although I know not to hope it’s to do with me, I still hope.

  Through the whole evening, I covertly watch her as we eat dinner and before trying to talk her dad into getting rid of the shed.

  I do it as I leave the Carson family home and jump in my car to head back home.

  By the time I arrive home I ask myself how many more years I plan to live like this. I need to get over my infatuation with Ivy, move on.

  I’ve known since I met Cory when I was thirteen, and she was sixteen. Despite the age difference we became friends. I was immature and too young for her then, but as we’ve aged, the age difference seems less of a barrier between us.

  When I met Cory, I was the new kid who just blew into town from L.A.

  Dad had just taken over business at Haller Enterprises, the global property development company my family has run for the last seventy years. Grandfather had just gotten sick and Dad moved to Chicago to help him.

  Mom was still alive then, and I didn’t have guilt in my heart for all the things my father blames me for. Most notably my mother’s death.

  Jackson, my older brother by eight years, still does his best to play referee when Dad starts his blame fest.

  My refuge has always been the Carsons, even before Mom died. Dad was al
ways blaming me for something because I was the kid they weren’t supposed to have. The fact that I even know that is bad. He blamed me for that too because he said that was the start of my mother’s heart problems. My birth. My old man took every chance to tell me that, and thought I was ungrateful because I always gave my mother cause to worry. So of course it was my fault when she had the heart attack that killed her.

  I climb into bed and push my family out of my mind. My Sunday ritual of going to the Carsons began when I was sixteen, just after Mom passed away. It was my escape. Cory’s family embraced me as their own, enveloping me in their family love. . .something I never got with my own family.

  As well as the love from Cory’s parents and family, I get to see Ivy. Ivy. Her name teases my lips.

  Only God knows how many times I imagine asking her out. Then I imagine all the ways she’d shoot me down.

  She’s off limits not just for the fact that she’s Cory’s sister, but he’s warned me off. Year ago, he suspected that I had a thing for her. He asked me not to go after her as he never wanted to choose between his best friend and his sister. “If things don’t work out between you two, I don’t want to choose.”

  It made sense. But what he didn’t know was that I really liked her. It wasn’t just a thing. And my feelings for her have only deepened to an extent that I barely date. I’m at a crossroads with Ivy. I haven’t yet decided what to do.

  I look over the stack of papers on my desk and loosen my tie.

  I can already tell I’m going to be here until late tonight even though I put in a few extra hours a few weeks back to make sure this didn’t happen.

  With the new football season on the horizon this is the sort of thing that happens every year.

  The continuous request for PR events in the weeks leading up to training piles up and Mac, the owner of the company, doesn’t trust anybody to work on these requests besides me.

  I’m the type of agent who goes above board to please everybody. I’ll admit too that I love my job a little too much. I’ve been working with Virgo Sports Management for the last five years. I started right out of college and my career as a successful sports agent took off the summer I stepped through the doors to the firm.

  Cory and I have always centered our lives around football. I always knew he was going to be great, and because he treated me like a brother I made sure I took care of him when the time came. I represent the stars, the best players in the sports world so I ensured Corey had the best deal possible when he was drafted by the Hawks two years ago. That for him was when his career took off and I couldn’t be more proud.

  My phone beeps on the desk and I glance over at it to see who it is. It’s Janice, my secretary. She’s supposed to be taking all my calls.

  I answer it just in case it’s Mac trying to get through to me.

  “Hey,” I say.

  “Hi Leo,” Janice replies. “I know you’re busy but I have Ivy Carson here to see you.”

  Instantly my back goes ramrod straight. I can’t remember the last time Ivy came to see me at work. I only ever see her at her family’s house every Sunday. She came to my place a few times when I just moved in, but that was with the family to check the place out and for my housewarming party.

  “Are you still there?” Janice asks.

  “Yes,” I answer quickly, realizing I was just staring at the wall. “Send her in.”

  “Sure. She’ll be with you in a few seconds.”

  She hangs up and I run a hand through my hair to neaten it. All I have is seconds before the door knocks.

  “Come in,” I say and the door sways open revealing a nervous looking Ivy.

  She’s dressed in red today and I can’t quite decide which color I like on her more. Red or blue. Both enhance her beauty.

  Pathetic. I need to get myself together.

  “Hi,” she smiles, walking in.

  I push to my feet and walk over to greet her. “Well hello Princess Ivy.”

  The light scent of roses and honey tickles my nose when she gives me a quick hug.

  “Sorry to interrupt, I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.” She brings her hands together and gives me a little smile.

  “That’s okay, don’t worry about time. It’s good to see you.” I gesture my hand to the comfortable sofa against the wall. “Let’s sit.”

  We sit down and I face her. She nibbles her lip when she’s nervous about something, and I’m now wondering what’s going on.

  “I have a favor to ask.” She looks at me directly and I pathetically drown in her dark eyes.

  “A favor?” I incline my head to the side.

  “Yes. I’m actually taking you up on an old offer you made a while back.” There is hope in her voice, and I scratch my chin wondering what offer she’s talking about.

  “I don’t remember, sorry. Do you want to refresh my memory on that offer?” My elbows rest on my knees as I give her my full attention.

  “Yes. It was when I– ,” she pauses and blinks rapidly before continuing. “Um, when I didn’t get my scholarship.” Just like always when there is any reference to that lost opportunity the spark in her expression dulls. It’s been years but it seems that she’s still hung up on it. It bothers me since she’s successful in her business. Her missing out on the scholarship made her achieve more than she would’ve had she become ‘just an athlete’.

  “You said if there was anything you could do to help me I should just ask.” She continues and I can see there is caution in her eyes.

  I scratch my chin still trying to reconcile what she wants, from an offer made so many years ago. “Ivy that was more than a decade ago.” I laugh.

  “I know, but I really need your help. It’s a PR problem and. . .you’re the perfect guy to help me. Pretty please.” She flutters her lashes and I’m a goner. Who am I kidding? She only needs to look at me, and I’m gone. . .seriously.

  I’m not sure if she realizes she could have just started with asking me for help. Then again since I’m convinced something’s going on she might have skipped past that logic. She does things like that when she’s nervous.

  “I was thinking if you help me I could offer Porter a free place at my camp this year,” she adds.

  Porter is my six-year-old nephew. He would love to go to her summer camp.

  “Okay, I’m sold. What’s the PR problem?” I lean towards her, and I see her back straighten.

  “The company I normally use isn’t able to handle my contract this year. They’re small but they usually do everything, and have done so since I’ve been up and running. The owner has a family emergency and has flown to Australia and is unavailable for the next month. I don’t feel anyone in her company has the skill set that we need. The owner suggested getting another company. I just don’t know if I should, or even if I do, where to start.” She threw her arms in the air. “I need help.

  Okay… this does sound like maybe she was just nervous to ask for my help. Am I a fool for being a little disappointed?

  “I can help,” I say too quickly, and then lean back to look less eager.

  “Thanks so much.” I can see relief sketched across her face.

  “Do you have any ideas so far on what you’d like, or the types of companies you’d like to work with?”

  Her eyes widen and she presses her lips together, as though she’s nervous and unsure of what to say. This is not like the confident woman I’m used to seeing each Sunday.

  “Actually, no. I was thinking that maybe we could meet tomorrow for coffee by the river. Of course, only if you’re free.”

  I stare back at her as suspicion spikes my nerves. Ivy is a woman who is as busy as I am. She’s not a let’s-grab-coffee kind of person.

  I search her eyes and see something more beneath her gaze. Something I won’t question because it entices me to hope that what I’m seeing is what I want to see.

  A spark of interest?

  I’m playing the game, whatever that may be. “What time?”


  “Whatever time is good for you.”

  I lift my cell phone and check my calendar. I’m busy all day but a meeting at ten can be moved. “Ten?” I suggest.

  “Perfect.” She smiles in return and I feel the nerve endings in my fingers tingle.

  “Well, I’ll see you then.” We both stand and walk to the door of my office.

  “See you tomorrow.” She gives me a quick hug and leaves.

  I stare at the back of her, before closing the door. What is going on? I don’t believe her story and hope she’s not in trouble.

  Chapter 4

  Ivy

  Pathetic and ridiculous…

  Either of those are perfect descriptions for me.

  Pathetic for not being able to be straight up with a guy I’ve known for fifteen years and ask him to be my date for my friends’ wedding. Stupid, for using some stupid story just so I could lure him to a place I could feel comfortable to ask him the question.

  I should’ve just asked him yesterday at his office. But no, I came up with some ridiculous reason to get him here. I roll my eyes at my immaturity.

  I certainly give beating around the bush a new meaning.

  So here I am, sitting at one of the tables outside the coffeehouse gazing out to the river. I have my fingers crossed that nerves won’t take over today and I can just see Leo as Leo. A guy I should be super comfortable with.

  Not Leo, the guy I’ve been crushing on forever.

  I got here early so I could calm down and go over the printouts I have of the PR firms I want to show him. That part of my ruse was real.

  After dinner on Sunday I picked my brains for ideas on how I was going to ask Leo to go to the wedding with me. Then yesterday when Arabella, the lady who’s been doing my PR called the idea practically dropped in my lap.