by Kirk, Cindy
You cad.
The words she’d uttered ran through her mind like a grade B movie.
Cad? Did anyone even use that word anymore?
Grace set her lips in a grim line remembering the shock in Nick’s eyes. Whether he was familiar with the word or not, she was sure he’d gotten the message. But if he had the nerve to ever call her again, she’d be glad to let him know in no uncertain terms what she thought of his immoral behavior.
That’s why, when the Land Rover pulled into an alley blocking her path and Nick pushed open the door, Grace got in.
“Mind telling me what you’re doing walking in this weather without a coat?”
Grace had to give him points for his acting ability. Obviously he had even more talent for deception than she’d realized. And even though the best defense had always been a good offense, Grace wanted to tell him that only worked when both players were in the game. As far as she was concerned, this game was over.
“Mind telling me why you didn’t tell me Melanie was pregnant with your baby?” Grace shot back.
“Melanie is pregnant?”
If she hadn’t seen the two of them together, the shocked look on his face would have been believable. Instead it was laughable.
“Oh, c’mon, Nick.” Grace couldn’t keep the disgust from her voice. “I just saw the two of you. It was obvious—”
“Saw us?” Nick’s voice was filled with confusion. “Where? What are you talking about?”
“You know very well what I’m talking about.” Either Nick was a pathological liar or he thought she was incredibly stupid. Either way, Grace refused to play along. “I suppose you’ve already forgotten that I slapped you?”
“You slapped someone?”
“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing—”
Suddenly Nick started laughing. “I can’t believe it. You hit Sal.”
Grace frowned, not finding one ounce of humor in this whole situation. “Sal?”
“My older brother.” Nick shook his head and chuckled. “He’s the one married to Sara Michaels. People say we look a lot alike, except his eyes are hazel and mine are blue.”
Grace thought back. She remembered the man’s startled gaze, but she couldn’t recall his eyes.
A knot formed in the pit of her stomach. “Your sister-in-law’s pregnant?”
Nick nodded. “Due in April.”
“But why were they at the Grotto?” Grace had a feeling she didn’t want to know.
“To meet you.” Nick’s gaze met hers. “My whole family is there now, waiting for us.”
“But why?”
“Because I asked them,” Nick said. “I told them I wanted them to meet the woman I was going to marry.”
Grace’s heart slammed against her rib cage and all she could do was stare.
“I’m serious.” Nick put the vehicle into park and shut off the engine. “I love you, Grace. Please say you’ll be my wife.”
Grace hesitated and thought of her greatest fear—that she’d profess her love and he’d back off, or maybe even laugh at her. But the more she pondered the point, the more she realized that the Nick Tucci she’d come to know and love was an honorable man. He wouldn’t say he loved her if he didn’t. He wouldn’t have brought up marriage if he wasn’t serious.
The lump in Grace’s stomach now rose and blocked her throat. “You really want to marry me?”
Nick nodded and his gaze softened. “If you’ll have me?”
“I slapped your brother.”
Nick seemed to find her horrified tone amusing. He smiled and took her hands in his. “Don’t worry. He’s used to it. When Sal was a cop, people were always punching him.”
Grace pulled away from his amused smile and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe I acted that way.”
“Sweetheart, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine,” he said. “I should have told you how I felt long before this. But I didn’t want to rush you. But when your aunt told me you loved me—”
“Aunt Nellie said that?” Grace sat up straight. “I told her that in confidence.”
“She didn’t betray your confidence,” Nick said. “She thought I already knew.”
“Still, she had no right—”
“She has every right. She loves you and wants you to be happy,” Nick said. “I want to be happy, too. And I will be if you’ll agree to be my wife.”
Grace could scarcely breathe. “Is this a dream?”
“It’s no dream.” Nick folded her into his arms. “I love you. I want you to be my wife, Grace. If you will, I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
She gently touched his cheek. “I love you, Nick.”
He smiled and she could see happiness in his eyes, happiness and contentment and a deep inner peace.
“And I will marry you,” Grace said softly. “But I do have one condition.”
Nick stilled. “What’s that?”
Grace flashed an impish smile, unable to stay serious for a moment longer. “That you stand between your brother and I the first time we’re introduced.”
Nick laughed out loud. “Sweetheart, don’t you worry about Sal. He’s going to love you. All my family will.”
“Your family.” Grace sat up straight. “They’re waiting at the restaurant. We need to go.”
“Not so fast.” Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny velvet box. “First you need to put this on.”
Grace slowly opened the lid and stared at a glittering diamond that had to be at least three carats. “It’s beautiful.”
He carefully lifted the ring out and took her left hand, placing it on her finger. “Forever.”
Grace swallowed hard and met his gaze.
“Forever,” she said. And as his lips lowered to hers, she found herself hoping what everyone said was true: that forever was indeed a long, long time.
Epilogue
“I could stay here all day.” Grace cuddled up next to her husband of three weeks. Between his body heat and the thick down comforter, she was toasty warm.
“Me, too.” Nick’s eyes took on a wicked gleam and his arm tightened around her.
Though they’d been husband and wife for almost a month, Grace couldn’t help but blush. Such intimacy was still new to her. But the simple touch of his fingers against her skin reawakened her desire. Grace turned her face to her husband, eager for his kiss. If she’d known what she’d been missing, she would have eloped instead of waiting almost a year to become Nick’s wife.
Just as Nick’s mouth closed over hers, Grace caught a glimpse of the time on the bedside clock. Her heart skipped a beat. She jerked upright, ignoring his frustrated moan. “It’s eleven o’clock.”
“So?” Nick tugged at her arm, his eyes dark with promise.
“We have to be at Paul and Nellie’s in less than a half hour and we’re not even dressed.” Grace swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.
“We can have turkey and stuffing any old time.” Nick patted the empty spot beside him on the bed.
His gaze slid over her body and Grace had to force herself to remember that this was Paul and Nellie’s first Thanksgiving as husband and wife.
“We can’t disappoint Nellie,” Grace said. “She’s been working on this dinner all week.”
“With your help,” Nick pointed out.
“It was a pleasure.” Grace smiled, knowing the words were true. Her closeness with her aunt was only one of many things she had to be thankful for this year. She also had a new husband, a new home and—her hand strayed to her stomach—hopefully a new baby on the way.
She and Nick had decided they wanted to start a family right away. And though she hadn’t taken a pregnancy test yet, all other signs indicated she’d conceived.
“And, even if we’d skip the dinner, which I’d never do,” Grace added, “we can’t skip church.”
Nick was silent for a long moment. “We do have a lot to be thankful for.”
/> “We’ve been truly blessed,” Grace said in a soft voice, grabbing her robe and pulling it on. “Last year at this time I was convinced I’d never have a love of my own.”
“I was starting to think the same thing,” Nick admitted. “And then I realized that love had been right under my nose all along.”
“‘To everything there is a season,”’ Grace murmured. The familiar verse had been going through her head all week as she’d reflected on the past year.
If she’d met Nick earlier, he might not have been ready to settle down. If love had come quickly and easily, she might not have appreciated it as much.
Her gaze settled on her husband and her heart warmed. She’d reaped a bountiful harvest, one that, God willing, would bear fruit for years to come. And for that, and so much more, Grace knew she’d spend the rest of her life giving God thanks and praise.
* * *
I hope you enjoyed Grace and Nick’s story. I have to admit I loved it that Nellie and her doctor also found their happily ever after in this heartwarming story. Are you as eager as I am to return to St. Louis and this group of friends and family? If so, dive into WITH JUST ONE KISS, the next book in the Seriously Sweet St. Louis series. Buy Here or read on for a sneak peek:
Sneak Peek of With Just One Kiss
Chapter One
Christy Fairchild could have sworn Elvis winked at her.
One minute the paunchy king of rock ’n’ roll, resplendent in a white jumpsuit, was pronouncing her and David Warner married, the next he was giving her a knowing smile as she and her new husband were hustled aside to make room for the next couple.
“You two are lucky we had a cancellation.” The shapely assistant with the bouffant hairstyle and overdone makeup à la early Priscilla Presley smiled and handed them their wedding pictures. “Most chapels in Las Vegas are booked a year in advance for Valentine’s Day.”
“It was a last-minute kind of thing,” Christy murmured as she took the photos, the huge marquis diamond on her finger twinkling in the light. She stared down at the ring.
“Regrets?” Her new husband’s voice was warm against her ear.
It had been six months since she’d had a real date and a lifetime since David had been a part of her life. But tonight, on the spur of the moment, she’d scrapped her plans to do a little shopping and instead married a man she hadn’t seen in ten years.
“Not a one,” she said, smiling up at him. It surprised her that she actually meant the words. Normally she was a worrier, second-guessing every decision and analyzing everything to death. The combination of the antihistamine she’d taken earlier and the glass of wine she’d had in the lounge with David must have affected her more than she’d realized.
“Chrissy.” His voice was deep and low. He was the only one she’d ever known who called her by that name. “Do you want to go back to your place or mine?”
Christy looked up and met his gaze. A shiver of anticipation traveled up her spine.
They were married. It had been her dream when she was seventeen. Now it had come true.
Had she ever known a more handsome man? His broad shoulders filled out his dinner jacket to perfection and his dark hair gleamed in the fluorescent glare. But it was his eyes that captivated her. They were hazel, but could change to gold or green depending on his mood or the clothes he wore. Right now there was a curious intensity in their golden depths that was as unsettling as it was exciting.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?” Christy reached up and ran the tip of her finger along his jawline. “Or that you’re irresistible when you smile?”
A forgotten dimple flashed in his cheek. “So does that mean you won’t be able to tell me no? No matter what I ask?”
“Right now I’d say—” her voice sounded husky even to her own ears “—your wish is pretty much my command. Tell me what you have in mind.”
His eyes darkened and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but he never got the chance. Before he could answer Christy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, deciding it might be best if she showed him first what she had in mind.
Christy’s lips curved into a smile even before she opened her eyes. What a beautiful dream it had been. She and David Warner toasting each other with champagne in the Jacuzzi, kissing on the balcony, making love in her king-size bed…
Her eyes popped open and her breath caught in her throat. The smell of his cologne, the taste of his lips, the feel of his hands on her skin was so vivid, so graphic she could almost believe it had been real.
But how could that be? She’d never been with a man before, not in that way. A warmth stole up her neck.
It must have been the whole Valentine’s Day thing, she decided. Since she’d never been in Las Vegas before, staying over after her seminar ended had seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately she’d been unprepared for the hype that went along with this day for lovers. That explained why the wedding chapel had been in her dreams. And David Warner? That wasn’t hard to figure out. Her best Valentine’s Day celebration had been with him her senior year in high school.
Christy smiled wryly. Dreaming of wedding chapels and an old boyfriend had to be a sign of a seriously deficient social life. She was going to have to get out more.
Though even if she did find time to start dating again it’d be a long time before she’d be standing in any wedding chapel saying her vows. Marriage for her was a lifetime commitment and she wasn’t going to marry any man until she knew he was the one she would be with forever.
No wonder her subconscious had brought up David Warner. At one time she’d been convinced he was her “forever love.” When he’d asked for his ring back right before high school graduation, she’d thought her heart would crack in two. But their breakup was the best thing that could have happened. They’d been totally wrong for each other. She realized that now.
She shook her head. Thank goodness she’d outgrown that youthful foolishness. Wisdom now tempered her actions, and consequently her life ran like clockwork. Staying over an extra day in Las Vegas had been an impulsive move, but after six months on the road she thought she’d earned a break.
Today she’d be back on schedule. She’d check out of the hotel, grab a plane back to Chicago and be in her apartment in Lincoln Park before dinner. Though she didn’t have to present her ideas regarding the next series of seminars to her manager for a couple of weeks, Christy wanted to get a jump start. Order brought calm to her life. She didn’t like being late and she didn’t like rushing. That’s why she’d be at the airport well ahead of her ten-o’clock flight.
Rolling to her side, she glanced at her travel clock. She took a second look. Nine-thirty?
Christy bolted upright and the bedcovers dropped to her waist. The moment they did Christy became conscious of cold air hitting her bare skin.
Bare skin?
Christy dropped her gaze. Her eyes widened. Where were her cotton pajamas? Though many people slept in the nude, she never had.
“Christy?”
Her head jerked up and her mouth dropped open.
David Warner stood in the bathroom doorway wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. Still damp, his hair spiked up, while the dark strands on his chest glistened with drops of water.
She blinked once.
He didn’t disappear.
She blinked again.
He shifted from one foot to the other and stared, a strange look in his eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest. He was real. Standing in her hotel room. Looking even more incredible at twenty-eight than he had at eighteen.
Christy gasped, suddenly realizing where his gaze was focused. With one swift yank she pulled the bedspread up to her neck, wishing with all her heart that she could pull it over her head.
Instead, she lifted her chin and ignored the rapid beating of her heart and the heat burning her cheeks. “What are you doing in my room?”
If he’d noticed the curtness in her tone, it didn’t sh
ow. His gaze searched hers. “I think you know the answer to that.”
A shiver traveled up her spine and her sense of unease skyrocketed.
It couldn’t be true. It was just part of the nightmare.
“We met in the lobby?” he prompted, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “You said you were in Vegas because of some seminar. I was here because of my grandfather’s birthday.”
It had been part of the dream, the chance meeting by the front desk, the decision to stop in the lounge for a drink to catch up on old times.
“You were supposed to go to the Wayne Newton show at the Stardust,” she said slowly, keeping her gaze focused on his face and trying to ignore his broad shoulders and muscular chest.
He nodded, his expression inscrutable. “But we got to talking and one thing led to another.”
One thing led to another.
Christy tried to still her rising panic. She’d been tired and hadn’t had much to eat for dinner but still, she couldn’t have had more than a drink or two. Besides, there wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to make her abandon her moral values and go to bed with a man she hadn’t seen in ten years. Still, the evidence seemed overwhelming.
“You spent the night,” she said, surprised she could sound so calm. “You and I made love.”
She said it as a statement of fact, hoping he’d tell her no. Instead he nodded.
“You do remember.” He studied her face with his enigmatic gaze for an extra beat.
Her chest tightened and it was all Christy could do not to break down and cry. How could she have gotten so off course? This man she barely knew had held her, kissed her, caressed her. And not only had she let him, she had the feeling she’d encouraged him.
She took a deep breath. “I always vowed that the only man I’d ever sleep with would be my husband.”