Table of Contents
Clover Park Bride
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
About the Author
Clover Park Bride
A Clover Park Short
© 2018 Kylie Gilmore
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Nico Marino wants nothing more than his fiancée, Lily Spencer’s happiness, but when she starts having stress nightmares right before the wedding, he fears she has cold feet. Nico will do whatever it takes to give Lily the perfect wedding—no matter the cost. Or level of embarrassment.
Author’s Note
Welcome to Clover Park where everyone gets lucky! To find out more about Ryan, Trav, Shane, Rico, Gabe and other Clover Park hotties, check out the rest of the books in the Clover Park series:
The Opposite of Wild (Book 1)
Daisy Does It All (Book 2)
Bad Taste in Men (Book 3)
Kissing Santa (Book 4)
Restless Harmony (Book 5)
Not My Romeo (Book 6)
Rev Me Up (Book 7)
An Ambitious Engagement (Book 8)
Clutch Player (Book 9)
A Tempting Friendship (Book 10)
And don’t miss my spinoff Clover Park STUDS series:
Almost in Love (Book 1)
Almost Married (Book 2)
Almost Over It (Book 3)
Almost Romance (Book 4)
Almost Hitched (Book 5)
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Chapter One
Nico Marino had one job—keep his bride-to-be happy—and he was failing miserably. How did he know this? Lily’s stress nightmare was back.
“Don’t throw me away!” she hollered at the top of her lungs, her voice hoarse and desperate. It broke his heart. She tossed and turned in bed next to him.
He pulled her close, stroking her back. “Shh.”
“No-o-o! Don’t throw me away!”
He slid his fingers under her silky red hair and squeezed the back of her neck, speaking firmly. “I’m keeping you, Lil, forever.”
She jerked awake, breathing hard, and put a hand to his cheek. “I was having that dream again.”
“I know.” Her dream was based on her asshole dad throwing away her favorite doll when she was little because he decided she was too old for it. Lily’s nightmare was that she’d be thrown away next. She’d always been open about her abandonment issues from her mom dropping her off as an infant to her dad and never so much as a single phone call her entire childhood. Her dream was the same deal—getting thrown away, all alone, abandoned. Her mom was a money-grubbing loveless woman. Her dad was a wealthy powerful man, formal and stiff, who never accepted Lily for the bubbly enthusiastic person she was. It probably didn’t help that Lily chose to use her smarts as an environmental lawyer for the Earth Defense Group while her family represented big oil. She was the black sheep of her family, which was especially hard being an only child, but then she’d met her sister, Missy, four months ago and they’d connected immediately. The sisterly bond was surprisingly tight given they lived thousands of miles apart.
Lily snuggled into his chest, pressing her ear to his heart. He stroked her hair, knowing his heartbeat calmed her. He, on the other hand, was not calm. It was a week before their wedding; he’d done everything in his power to give her the perfect wedding, and now this.
The thing was, Lily came from old family money. She was an heiress with a sizable trust fund. She could’ve had an easy, high-flying country-club kind of life with a country-club kind of guy—her dad even had a guy all picked out for her—but she chose Nico, the guy who fixed her dad’s cars. Sure, he owned his own shop, Exotic and Classic Restorations, but that didn’t change the fact that he was a grease monkey. Nothing more, nothing less. And he refused to touch one cent of her money, knowing how people had hurt her over the years, using her for her money. Besides, he’d been raised to earn his keep.
Nothing fancy about their lifestyle. They lived in a drafty old house in Clover Park that he’d paid for, they didn’t eat out a lot, they weren’t having a luxury honeymoon, and their wedding would be a traditional ceremony with a reception in a park. Lily had taken a chance on him, trading one kind of life for another, and he never wanted her to regret that. If she had cold feet, if she decided she didn’t want this kind of life after all—his chest clutched. He couldn’t let that happen. Everything had to be perfect. This wedding had to be perfect.
He tipped her chin up, his chest still tight. “Why’re you having the nightmare again?” A small part of him hoped it was because of her dad and not the wedding. The last time she’d had the nightmare was when her dad had disowned her. Nico had told George to man up, cut the bullshit, and tell his daughter he loved her. And he did. She was no longer disowned. Problem solved.
“I don’t know,” Lily whispered. “Everything’s going according to plan. I mean, Missy and I have a ton of stuff planned this weekend, crazy busy, but I figure that’ll just be fun sisterly bonding time.” Her sister was visiting all the way from Seattle, their guest for the two weeks before the wedding.
“Is your dad giving you a hard time again?” he asked in a carefully neutral tone. At least that he could do something about.
“No more than usual, I guess. Although he did make it a point to call me yesterday to let me know he didn’t invite his friends to the wedding because it resembled a hoedown.”
Nico clenched his jaw. He wanted to wring George’s neck for raining on Lily’s happy wedding parade. He hoped that was all there was to this nightmare business. Lily didn’t always come out with the whole story all at once. Sometimes she tiptoed around the problem for a bit.
Lily rubbed his chest. “I don’t think an outdoor wedding is much like a hoedown, do you?”
“No.”
“I mean, there is music, but it’s Zoe’s band, and I think they’re mostly swing and jazz. Plus the karaoke.”
He jolted. “Karaoke?”
“Did I forget to mention that? It’s been such a whirlwind. Yeah, the guy making our cake told me he has his own karaoke machine. He’ll bring it no charge. So fun, right? I already have my song picked out. Don’t ask me what. It’s a surprise.”
“Okay.”
Karaoke ranked dead last on things he wanted to do, beating out cramming his six-foot-two frame into a cringe-worthy Smart car and driving it around. No self-respecting car lover would, but that was beside the point. If his bride wanted to sing, then his bride would sing. He knew better than to mention her singing voice resembled a car with bad brakes—screechy and dangerous to innocent bystanders. Lily’s happiness was all that mattered. As long as she didn’t expect him to join her up there at the microphone. He’d cross that bridge when he got to it.
“Do you think my dad thought of a hoedown because it’s fall?” she asked. “There are hay bales, scarecrows, and dried cornstalks decorating Main Street, but it’s not like that’s because of the wedding. I mean, sure, Baldwin Park is on Main Street, but I think our wedding will have more of a fiesta vibe.” She paused. “What do you think?”
He spoke through his teeth. “I think your dad should shut his big trap and be happy we invited him at all.”
She squeezed him around the middle. “You’re so good with the sweet words, honey. I love you.”
“Love you too.” Still tense, he asked, “Is it just the hoedown thing, or is something else botherin
g you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean there’s a reason you’re having this nightmare. Last time it was something serious.”
She sighed. “It’s my subconscious, you know? It’s probably just because I’ve been so busy planning the wedding.”
That didn’t make him feel any better. He wanted the problem to be anything but marrying him. “Are you happy about the wedding?”
“I will be. It’s going to be amazing. Weddings are my favorite kind of party. That’s why I love to crash them.”
Tiptoe, tiptoe. She could talk circles around a problem.
He got to the point. “Do you have cold feet?”
“Do you?”
“No.”
“Why would I have cold feet?”
Which wasn’t exactly an answer. And he certainly wasn’t going to give her the answer that she might have cold feet because maybe this wasn’t the life she wanted.
Focus. Fix the problem. He’d deal with her dad tomorrow. He wound even tighter at the thought. George Spencer was his best client. If Nico lost him and his many wealthy connections, Exotic and Classic Restorations—which he’d spent his entire adult life building up and poured all his blood, sweat, and cash into—would go belly up. The guys at the garage had all been with Nico for years. Shit. He really didn’t want the guys to lose their jobs if this thing with George went bad.
Even if Nico lost everything, he’d sooner work for another garage than take a cent of Lily’s money. At that thought, everything became clear—his job was to protect Lily at any cost. That would ensure her happiness.
He let out a breath. He’d tell George to cut the hoedown shit, and if that didn’t fix the nightmare problem, then he’d know for sure it was something more serious. He gulped.
Lily leaned close. “As long as we’re both awake…” She traced his lips with her tongue, and he went rock hard. Lily’s mouth was his favorite sex toy—pink and plump with a bow in the top lip—and it got him from zero to sixty in one suck flat.
But tonight was about soothing her frazzled nerves, letting her know she was loved in every touch. He rolled on top of her and nuzzled into her neck. She ran her hands over his bare back and let out a soft sigh. He always slept in just his boxer briefs.
“Don’t let me be too noisy,” she whispered. “I don’t want to wake Missy.”
Her sister was sleeping down the hall. Nico was sure Lily’s nightmare screaming had already woken her sister up, but he didn’t want to remind Lily of that. He cradled her jaw and kissed her lush mouth tenderly, loving her soft sweetness.
For a while, he was her happiness, and he took that responsibility seriously, taking her on a slow ride born of love, his mouth covering hers as she let go with a sharp cry.
Chapter Two
“Damn, girl,” Missy whispered across the breakfast table, “you and Nico must’ve been wild last night.” Her sister never sugarcoated anything.
Lily’s cheeks burned, and she busied herself buttering her toast. She’d thought Nico had covered up her noisy enthusiasm with his kisses, but Missy must’ve heard something. Luckily, Nico was in the shower or he would’ve smirked, making her blush reach the red zone. Curse of the redhead.
Missy eyed her over the rim of her coffee cup. “It sounded like you were screaming.”
“Oh, that was just a nightmare.”
Missy winced. “Oops. Sorry. I couldn’t make out the words from the other end of the hall. You okay?”
“Never been better.” That wasn’t exactly true, but she couldn’t tell her older sister her real concern—their time together was running out. Missy had been here for a week and now they only had a week left before Missy returned to her life thousands of miles away. She couldn’t ask her sister to give up the life she had in Seattle and relocate to Clover Park just because Lily would miss her terribly. Besides, this was only their second visit since Lily had tracked Missy down in Seattle. She hadn’t even known she had a sister until her biological mother mentioned it during a drunken ramble.
Missy had been given up as an infant to an orphanage, and Lily had been sent as an infant, two years later, to her dad. The first time Lily and Missy met, they’d hit it off immediately. Probably because they both felt like they had no family left. Lily’s dad had disowned her at the time, and Missy’s adoptive parents had died in a car accident years before. Lily kept in touch after that first visit, and the moment she got engaged, two months later, she asked Missy to be maid of honor. This past week together had strengthened their bond, not just a blood tie but also a real emotional connection.
They didn’t look much alike. Lily was a tall redhead—six feet and busting with curves—and Missy was a petite trim brunette. Missy dyed her red hair brown because she hated looking like their mother. They both had big lips with a dip at the top. Porn-star lips, Missy called them, from their Vegas showgirl mother.
Lily reached across the table and squeezed Missy’s hand. “I’m so happy you could come out for such a nice long visit.” Her voice choked at the end and she took a sip of tea to cover.
“Me too,” Missy said warmly. “I used up all my vacation time and sick days on this visit, so next time you come to me.” Her boss had been nice enough to let her use the sick days for the wedding. Apparently, Missy had never used a single sick day in three years at her job.
Lily warmed at the idea of already planning their next visit. “I absolutely will. Do you love it in Seattle?”
Missy lifted one shoulder. “It’s fine.” She took a bite of toast and chewed, looking out the kitchen window to their wooded backyard full of bright red, orange, and yellow leaves. “Your fall is spectacular.”
Lily had to agree. Even though she grew up here in Connecticut, she still found every fall glorious. “It totally is. Do you love your job?” Missy worked as an executive assistant at a tech company.
Missy turned back to her. “As jobs go, it’s pretty good. I’m making decent money, and the people I work for are nice. I mean, sure, I get the occasional computer nerd asking me out, but it’s no problem saying no.”
Lily’s brow furrowed in concern. She knew Missy had once been in an abusive marriage and it still colored her sister’s view on men. But that was six years ago and her sister had been through therapy. “Do you ever date?”
Missy laughed drily. “I don’t know if I’d call it dating. More like a hookup when the chemistry’s right.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry it’s not romantic. I know you’re all gaga for your man.”
Lily looked at the table, choosing her words carefully. “A very wise woman once told me that even people like us—those abandoned by Taylor—deserve love.” Taylor was their mom.
“Sounds like she was drunk.”
Lily met her sister’s jaded brown eyes. Missy had given her that love advice back when things hadn’t been going so well between Lily and Nico. “There may have been wine involved, but I think you were right.”
“I’m happy for you and Nico, really, but it’s just not in the cards for me.”
“But—”
“Lily, you haven’t seen what I’ve seen,” Missy said in a low voice, her gaze direct. “I’ve been volunteering at a women’s shelter for years. These women…” She pressed her lips together. “All I see is men behaving badly, over and over and over again. I’m sure you got the last good one; he’s the exception that proves the rule. No man is trustworthy.”
Lily struggled for the right words to restore her sister’s faith in men and came up short. In her sister’s shoes, she’d probably come to the same conclusion. She could only hope that one day Missy would find the man that made her trust again.
“I just want you to be happy,” Lily said.
“I’m happy.”
“I’m going to miss you so much when you go back to Seattle,” she blurted, blinking away the stinging tears in her eyes.
“We’ll keep in touch, promise.”
Lily nodded, wiping under her e
yes.
Nico strode in, dark hair wet and slicked back from the shower. His wide shoulders stretched his gray T-shirt, his muscled upper arms exposed. His forearms were also ropey with muscle, his hands large and strong from his work as a master mechanic, though they sure knew what to do with her body too. Add in the tenderness he showed her and was it any wonder she was completely gaga for him? How could she be having stress nightmares with Nico in her life? And Missy? She should be perfectly happy. She had a good man, she had a sister, life was good. Except maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something. Maybe it was a sign of a bigger issue. What did it mean?
“Morning,” Nico said to Missy before leaning down and giving Lily a kiss on the cheek. “You okay?” he whispered.
She looked up at him. “Mmm-hmm.”
He stared at her for a long moment, worry creasing his brow. He was probably concerned about her nightmare last night. Or maybe he noticed her eyes were a little teary.
“Really, I’m fine,” she insisted.
He headed to the counter for coffee. His back was to her when he said, “Figured I’d head into the shop this morning and tackle some paperwork while you’re busy with Missy.”
“We won’t be back until sundown,” she said. “We have a ton of flyers to post around town.”
He turned. “What flyers?”
“Uh-oh,” Missy said.
Nico’s eyes narrowed, aimed right at Lily. “What’s uh-oh?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just our wedding invitations.”
He blinked. “You’re posting our wedding invitations around town?”
“Don’t you remember? We talked about the colors.”
“I thought you just wanted colorful invitations.”
“Well, I did. The white, red, and pink ones went out to family and friends, but today we’re doing the neon ones.”
“Explain.”
“For wedding crashers.” She stood. “Hold on, I’ll get it.” She hurried upstairs, where she’d stashed the brightly colored flyers in her home office.
She returned to find Nico pacing the living room. “Here it is!” She waved the orange flyer around and then handed it to him once she reached him.
Clover Park Bride Page 1