The Mitchell Brothers Collection: A Feel-Good Romance Box Set

by Jasmin Miller

  Cleaning my face as best as I can without an actual tissue, I pull back and stare straight into his eyes. “Take me upstairs to bed.”

  “Monica, I—”

  The fight is visible in his eyes as I swallow loudly. “Please, Gabe. I just need to forget about all of this. Because despite what Ivan said, I did care, and I did mourn. I was hurt so badly that I locked myself into the bathroom whenever I could, just so I could let go of it all in peace, without people watching and judging me.”

  “Don’t. I don’t want you to believe a thing he said. You’re nothing like that. Do you hear me? Absolutely nothing, and I really hope you know that. And I’ll try my hardest to prove it to you. You’re everything he didn’t see, and it’s his loss he missed out on this wonderful person you are.”

  I smash my lips against his.

  No one has ever said anything this nice to me before. Not even close.

  All I’ve ever heard from guys were sentiments close to what Ivan told me.

  I know they weren’t all true, but some of them were. I’ve always had big dreams and was nothing but focused.

  But right now, this amazing man in front of me has my full attention.

  He kisses me back with a fervor that surprises the hell out of me, making me gasp into his mouth as he gets up from the chair and carries me inside like I weigh nothing.

  I hang on for dear life, and for the first time, a spark of fear ignites inside me that this will end badly, like everyone had warned me before.

  Twenty-Three

  Monica

  “Okay, okay. Time-out.” Charlie’s sitting next to me on the shiny new wooden floor at the academy, the mirrors reflecting all around us.

  Both she and Mira stopped by to bring me lunch since Charlie is apparently concerned about me losing too much weight with all my dancing and working out. In reality, I think she just likes to eat in company these days. I don’t know why some women feel so bad about eating more when they’re pregnant. I’m not saying everyone should eat for two, but all this freaking out over it is just sad.

  I might totally be talking out of my butt though because what do I know about pregnancies?

  Well...I just walked straight into that one. Didn’t even need anyone else’s help.

  Regardless, I’m glad she’s here. They stayed the night in London after the festival, and Charlie already gave me an earful because I didn’t call or text her about everything that happened. Somehow, it felt right to wait and tell her in person though.

  Leaning over to Charlie, I steal another piece of watermelon from her bowl, licking my fingers after shoving it in my mouth.

  “Mira, please stop driving your car on the mirror, or I’ll take it away. Okay?”

  “Okay, Momma.” Her bell-like voice carries across the room, making me grin.

  We all know it’s just a matter of time before she does it again. So far, she’s mostly been good though, sitting on the other side of the room in front of the mirror with a little basket of toys. I’ll probably need to clean the mirrors later, but at least she’s having fun.

  “Thanks, sweetie.” Charlie turns to me, her focus back on me. “So, let me get this straight. Ivan called to not only tell you the dance company wants you back, but also that you’ll be offered a solo? And then he apologized for his total dick behavior last year?”

  I burst out laughing despite the topic. Listening to Charlie use any kind of bad language never gets old. She’s the absolute sweetest person, so it’s hilarious coming from her.

  “Stop laughing, Mo. He was a total dick. Dickwad. Douchebag. Whatever you want to call him.” She gives my shoulder a push but can’t hold back the grin either.

  I amuse her and nod. “You’re right. About everything you said.”

  “Wow. That is so cool. The solo part, not Ivan. Even though I am glad he apologized. It was obviously long overdue.” She spears a piece of strawberry with her plastic fork. “Did the director call you then?”

  “He did. I don’t know what Ivan told him, but he was thrilled nonetheless to offer me the solo and to officially welcome me back on the team as a dancer. And not just as a part of the behind-the-scenes crew like I’d talked to him about before.” It still seems surreal all of that happened less than twenty-four hours ago.

  My dream—the one I’ve been working toward my whole dance career—has finally been offered to me.

  This is huge. Really, really huge. The biggest accomplishment in my career.

  Charlie lowers her head, staring intently at her bowl. “Does that mean you have to leave even sooner now?”

  I’m about to open my mouth when I hear her sniffle. “Oh, come on, don’t do that to me. Are you crying?”

  She wipes at her eyes furiously before peeking over at me. “Sorry, it’s the hormones. Sad dog commercials are the worst.”

  I can’t help myself and chuckle. “Are you comparing me to a dog commercial now?”

  Shaking her head, she sticks her tongue out at me. “No. The dog commercials are way worse than you. Back to the topic. How much longer do you have?”

  “Around two weeks, depending on when I can get a flight.”

  Her lower lips juts out as she nods. “So soon.” After a deep breath, she goes back to her fruit bowl. “Are you going to be okay working with Ivan?”

  My hand flies to her elbow, startling her so much she almost drops the grape she picked up. “Oh, I haven’t gotten to that part yet. When I woke up this morning, I had a few text messages from him on my phone. He said there was more he’d wanted to tell me when I hung up on him, but that he understood why I did it, blah blah blah. Anyway, he wanted to tell me that he took some sort of consulting-slash-trainer job for a major musical movie that’s going to be filmed next year, so I won’t have to worry about seeing or dancing with him anytime soon.”

  “Oh my gosh, that’s terrific. I mean, not his new job, I don’t give a crap about that, but that you won’t have to deal with him at all.” She pauses for a moment. “I guess that definitely sealed the deal for you, huh?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  We’re both quiet for a moment, but I know she’s watching me. I’m sure she probably expected some cheerleading moves and somersaults. If I’m honest, I kind of did too. I’m still wondering why on earth I’m not completely over the moon like I should be.

  Like I want to be.

  I mean, this is it, right?

  My ultimate dream.

  So, why don’t I feel the excitement and thrill I thought I would? Maybe it’ll take me some time, especially after the break I took from dancing. Even though that seemed to have actually done me some good, now that I look back on everything that’s come from it.

  As if she’s sensing my slight uneasiness, she clears her throat, grabbing the large water bottle from beside her. “So, how are things with Gabe?”

  The grin spreads across my face before I can stop it. “We’re good.”

  She sputters a little when she laughs, wiping some water off her chin. “Ah, I see. That good, huh?”

  “He’s a really good friend, C. No guy has ever been this nice to me before. Not only has he helped me get back to dancing, but he’s also been there for me whenever I needed a shoulder to lean on.”

  “I’m sure he has been.” Charlie wiggles her eyebrows, making both of us burst into a bout of laughter.

  I shake my head at her. “That was terrible.”

  “Still true though, wasn’t it?”

  All I do is shrug my shoulders and grin. While I’m sure she knows there’s something going on between Gabe and me, I don’t want to share any details about it. Usually, I’m the first to share any and all info with her, but when it comes to this, it somehow doesn’t feel right.

  Maybe it’s still too fresh?

  Plus, I think Charlie would still be freaking out about the whole possibility of this fling ruining the friendship and dynamic of our group, so better to keep the info to a minimum.

  Mira came running over when she he
ard us laughing, dragging her little doll behind her, one of her soft arms and hands brushing along the floor. “What’s funny, Momo?”

  She has a big smile on her face when she stops in front of me, her blonde curls sticking out of her pigtails at odd ends. I poke her little belly, making her giggle. “Your momma is funny.”

  She doesn’t waste a second and climbs on Charlie’s lap, snuggling into her arms and around her growing belly. “Momma’s the best.” Then she waves at Charlie’s belly with a big smile on her face. “Hi, baby sister.”

  My head snaps to Charlie. “Baby sister?”

  Charlie shakes her head. “Mira’s convinced it’s a girl.”

  “Ah. I see.”

  “Speaking of. I keep forgetting to tell you. We’re gonna have a gender reveal party next week. Hannah will go to our appointment with us, where we find out what it is, and the doctor will give her an envelope with the gender, so she can get decorations, et cetera, according to that. We won’t find out what it is until the party either.”

  “Oh, I love that. I can’t wait to see what you’re cooking in there.”

  “Me too.” She rubs her belly with a soft smile on her face, two seconds before yelling after Mira, who’s banging stuff around again.

  This moment instantly reminds me of Gabe and the conversation we had the other day about kids and how they’re worth it, despite all the work and craziness they create.

  My thoughts stay with Gabe long after I say goodbye to Charlie and sweet, little Mira, following me all the way back home as my mind keeps going over the words I said to Charlie.

  Gabe has been an awesome friend, a friend who deserves a special thank-you for everything he’s done for me. I’m giddy when I think of the perfect idea, but first, I have some work to do to put this sexy little getup together.

  Twenty-Four

  Monica

  My bedroom looks like a small bomb exploded right in the middle of it—an Arts & Crafts store bomb, to be exact.

  They don’t have one of the big ones here, but thankfully, the small one I found off Main Street had everything I needed. Although I had to admit I might have overdone it a little bit when I waltzed out of there with several huge bags full of stuff. I hope the result will look close to what I have in mind, which will make it all worth it.

  Luckily, Gabe was locked away in his office when I got back, making it easy for me to sneak all the bags into the house and up to my room without getting caught and spoiling the surprise.

  I’ve been working on my little project for a few hours now, finally about to put on the last touches. My arms hurt from all the work, but since it turned out even better than I imagined, nothing can sour my mood right now.

  The sudden knock at the door startles me.

  “Monica, are you in there?” Gabe’s deep voice drifts through the thick, brown wood. “Can we talk for a moment?”

  My heart skips a beat as I look around me. Panic begins to build in my chest as I stare at the door. There’s no way I’m going to let him ruin this. “Don’t come in, please. Give me five minutes, okay?”

  It takes him several seconds to reply. “All right. I’m gonna wait for you downstairs.”

  Holding my breath, I listen to his retreating footsteps until I sigh with relief. That was a close call. Not that the world would’ve ended if he’d seen it, but I have this certain expectation of how he’ll look when he sees the surprise for the first time, and now I want to know if I’m correct about it or not.

  Less than five minutes later, I’ve finished up and put away all of the evidence. I refrain from rubbing my hands together like a crazy person, but I’m so excited about this, I could burst at the seams.

  I hop down the stairs with a big smile on my face, almost running into Gabe when I turn the corner to walk into the kitchen. I can’t help myself and smack his tight butt, startling him for a moment as he turns around to face me.

  “Hey, there you are.” He studies me, his eyes roaming over my face. “You okay? You look a little flushed.”

  “Me?” I purse my lips. “Of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?”

  He looks relieved, and I wonder what’s going on. “Good. I’m glad to hear that. How was your day?”

  I ignore his question and focus on his statement instead. When I last saw him this morning, everything seemed normal. “Are you okay? Why are you acting so weird?”

  His eyes widen for a moment, and I wonder if he didn’t realize he was acting differently. “What? Yes, everything’s great. I guess I was just worried something was wrong.”

  That takes me by surprise because I can’t come up with a single thing that would make him think that. “Why?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve gotten used to you stopping by the office when you come back home. Today, you went straight to your room.”

  Ahh, that makes sense, I guess. And here I was, upstairs for the past few hours, trying to put something together to show Gabe how thankful I am. All the while, he was worried I was upset with him for some reason.

  I take a step toward him, closing the distance between us. “Charming, everything’s good. But, there’s actually a reason I didn’t stop by your office today. It’s a good one though.”

  “Oh yeah?” He still looks a bit wary, but that look melts away as soon as his arms snake around my middle to pull me close to his body.

  “Absolutely.” I go up on my toes to press my lips to his, planning on keeping this one light.

  What I didn’t factor in was Gabe. Apparently, he has the opposite in mind when he moves one of his hands up my spine and into my hair, holding me in place while he deepens the kiss.

  “Tell me more.” He murmurs the words against my lips, neither one of us wanting to pull back.

  Staring up at him, I bite my lip. I wasn’t planning on showing him his surprise until later, but I’m so pumped about it, I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.

  Looking up at him from under my lashes, I suddenly feel a little nervous. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  At my admission, he stands a little straighter. “You do? What is it?”

  I grin at the eager look on his face. “Obviously, I’m not gonna tell you. Plus, describing wouldn’t do it any justice. It’s something you have to see.”

  He tilts his head to the side and gives me a silly grin. “You know you don’t have to ask me twice. What are you waiting for? I want to see it.”

  His eyes travel up and down my body before inspecting me all over, as if my surprise is going to magically pop up out of the blue.

  “It’s in my room, silly. Give me about half an hour to get everything ready, and I’ll meet you back down here, okay?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” He hesitates for a moment. “Is that the only reason you were in your room?”

  His earlier words suddenly make sense. I haven’t really spent any time in my room since we shared our first night together. Today, not only did I bypass the usual office stop, but I also locked myself in my room.

  I give him a nod with a big smile, hoping it will make any doubts he has disappear.

  Because things are good.

  “Well, in that case, I can’t wait.” He bends down to give my forehead a soft kiss. “I’m going to head to the office and try to write until you’re ready.”

  “Perfect.” He doesn’t know yet how perfect, but he will soon enough.

  It takes me a little longer to get ready, but once I’m satisfied, I make my way down the stairs as quietly as possible. I don’t want Gabe to see my surprise before I’m ready for him.

  He’s in his office just like he said, typing away on his keyboard. I peek around the corner, studying him silently before knocking lightly on the doorframe. I only show my face though and keep my body hidden. “I’m back.”

  His fingers type furiously for a few more seconds before he pushes a few buttons and closes the laptop. He does it all so fast, I have to laugh.

  Talk about anticipation.

  He
slowly spins in his office chair to face me. Black, thick glasses sit on his nose, making him look even sexier than usual. Fumbling for them, he pulls them off, throwing them on the desk. He barely ever wears them, but I enjoy seeing him in them every chance I get.

  With a small grin on his face, he leans back in his chair, folding his arms casually behind his head. “I’m ready for my surprise.”

  He acts a bit cocky, and mixed with the nerdy writer look, it’s hot as hell.

  I’m as giddy as I can be when I grin back at him. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

  “You bet I am.” He gently rocks back and forth in his chair, a quiet squeaking noise accompanying the motion.

  “Well, let’s see then.” I let out a nervous breath and round the corner all the way. It’s more than just a little satisfying to see his eyes almost bulge out of his head when he gets his first good look at me.

  Gabe stares at me with his mouth wide open, rubbing his hands over his eyes as if he’s trying to make sure he isn’t imagining me right now. “What...what on earth are you wearing? This can’t be real. Holy shit, Monica.”

  Twenty-Five

  Gabe

  That’s it.

  Monica is going to give me a heart attack.

  One way or another, she’ll be the end of me. If I wasn’t a hundred percent sure before, I’m absolutely certain of it now.

  Standing in the doorframe, she’s staring at me in her little getup, all innocent eyes, and red, pouty lips.

  “Come here.” The words come out in a low huff, the desperation easy to detect in my voice, but I don’t care one bit. I’m far beyond the point of trying to sound unaffected, when in reality, I’m ready to let my tongue hang out and salivate over her. This woman does it for me in all the right ways, and I’m not going to hide that fact.