“You seem deep in thought,” Iris said, looking up at him.
“I was. For so long I wondered if I’d ever fit in or be a part of a family, but I’ve found my home with you and Jayden.”
But there was one pressing piece of business he still had to attend to when he returned to Los Angeles and it couldn’t wait.
* * *
“Dane, what are you doing here?” Jason asked when Dane stormed into his manager’s office bright and early on Monday. “You should be filming.”
After Iris had stunned him with her trip to North Carolina, they’d taken the weekend to get reacquainted in every sense of the word. But now it was time for business.
“Yeah, I should, Jason, but instead I’m here,” Dane replied with a satisfied smile. “To fire you.”
“Excuse me?” Jason huffed. “W-what the hell are you talking about, Dane?”
Dane narrowed his eyes. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Jason. I guess you thought a dumb schmuck like me would never find out that you went behind my back to my woman and lied to her. Put doubts in her head about the relationship.”
“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true,” Jason countered. “You were losing your edge after you worked so hard to get here. I was helping save your career. That’s my job!”
“Well, I don’t need your brand of help anymore. You’re fired.”
“You can’t do that. We have a contract,” Jason said.
“That I have the right to terminate on ethical grounds. If you recall, there’s a morals clause in the contract.”
“I was doing what was best for you and I stand behind that,” Jason said. “How else do you think you got here, Dane? I’ve stood behind you, boosted you up, been your advocate when no one would look at you. And now, you’re turning your back on me for a woman who couldn’t even get laid to have a kid?”
The punch was quick.
Dane had tried to remain calm, but he wouldn’t abide anyone talking ill about Iris. “That woman is my fiancée, soon to be my wife, and if you ever disrespect her again, you’ll live to regret it.”
“I’ll blackball you,” Jason responded.
Dane laughed. “I’d like to see you try. You must forget who the celebrity is here, who has the star power. Because if you come after me, I promise you I won’t rest until I ruin you, Underwood.”
“Just go, Dane. I hope you’re happy with all that domesticity.”
“Oh, you can believe it, I will be,” Dane replied. After saying his piece, he strolled out, leaving a stunned Jason staring after him.
When he got outside, Iris was waiting for him in his convertible with the top down surrounded by cameras and reporters eager to get a quote and a glimpse of the enormous rock he’d put on her finger just that morning at the jewelry store.
“You ready?” Iris asked, glancing at him from the driver seat.
“I am.” Dane slid inside the car and rode off into the sunset with the woman he loved.
Epilogue
Six months later...
Dane nervously waited under the simple arbor draped in white chiffon and laden with fresh white roses. He glanced around at the family and friends gathered on the sunny La Jolla beach for his simple yet elegant wedding to Iris Turner.
Fallon, Gage and Dylan were there in the first row. Seated beside them was his sister-in-law, Maya. She was holding her new baby girl, Elyse, who was sleeping peacefully. Then there were his parents Henry and Nora Stewart. They’d finally visited Jayden when he was in the hospital and now were attempting to get to know their oldest grandchild. Dane didn’t expect much, but he appreciated the effort if nothing else for Jayden’s benefit. Whitney was there, but Dane frowned when he didn’t see Morgan. Where is she? She’d been instrumental in ensuring Iris found him six months ago in North Carolina. And she’d been excited to finally meet his parents.
Dane shook off the unease and glanced at his soon-to-be mother-in-law, who was beaming proudly at him. Charles Turner would be walking Iris down the aisle, while Shelly was her maid of honor. Ayden stood beside him as his best man. It was hard to believe Jason, someone he’d considered a friend, had sold him out and wouldn’t be in Ayden’s place.
But today wasn’t a day for looking back.
He was looking ahead.
And as the waves gently lapped the shore, he saw Iris walk down the aisle in a stunning gown fit for a queen.
His queen.
The ceremony was sweet and heartfelt, with each of them saying vows they’d personally written. The words were easy for Dane because he’d never found a woman quite like Iris. He was proud to stand before God and everyone he knew and pledge his undying love and devotion to her. It was all the more special because Jayden, their ring bearer, was standing by. After all the chemo treatments, the transplant had been a success. Dane had recovered easily once his stem cells were harvested, but had worried incessantly over Jayden. Luckily his son accepted the transplant and after spending months in the hospital under quarantine to prevent any infections, Jayden bounced back. He wasn’t 100 percent yet, but his health had improved by leaps and bounds, which was why Dane and Iris felt it was finally time to get hitched.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the reverend said. “You may kiss your bride.” Dane lifted Iris’s veil, pulled her into his arms and planted a big one on her mouth. The kiss wasn’t meant to elicit passion, but that was what he felt. Because Iris did it for him. She always had and she always would.
And now she was his forever.
They walked down the aisle with Jayden at their side to their happily ever after.
* * *
If you loved
Dane and Iris’s story,
you won’t want to
miss it when
Dane’s assistant, Morgan,
reveals her big secret,
in the next installment
of The Stewart Heirs.
Coming soon
from
Yahrah St. John
and
Harlequin Desire!
Keep reading for an excerpt from One Night to Risk It All by Katherine Garbera.
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Desire story.
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One Night to Risk It All
by Katherine Garbera
One
Inigo Velasquez lived life at a fast pace and liked it that way. As the youngest and arguably handsomest of the Velasquez brothers, he enjoyed life to the fullest. No tying the knot and settling down for him. Plus, his career as a Formula One driver kept him on the road and away from his matchmaking mama for most of the year.
He had to give his mom credit, though. It took some real determination to arrange a setup at a party on New Year’s Eve, one that wasn’t even taking place in their hometown of Cole’s Hill, Texas. Back home, Inigo was always on his guard for his mom’s maneuvering, but tonight they were all the way across the country at the Hamptons home of his brother Alec’s baby mama, Scarlet O’Malley. Inigo had mistakenly assumed that his mom’s network wouldn’t be able to produce any potential bridal candidates this far afield.
He had to give her high marks for finding a woman who was hitting all of his hot butto
ns. She was tall, probably an inch or so shorter than his own five-foot-ten frame. She had long blond hair with some darker streaks that hung down her back. She wore a chemise-type shift dress that was brilliant sapphire blue and complimented her silvery eyes perfectly.
She didn’t let her height keep her from wearing heels, and she was by far the most stunning person in the room. She moved through the well-heeled, moneyed crowd with ease, which made him wonder who she was.
“Mom, you’ve outdone yourself,” he said as his mom came over to him with a glass of champagne in each hand. She handed him one, which he took and knew he’d have to nurse all night. He was already training for the upcoming season, and that meant watching his alcohol intake.
“Thanks, sweetie,” she said. “It’s really only a glass of bubbly.”
“I meant the woman,” he said.
“What woman?”
“Are you seriously going to pretend that the only single woman in the room isn’t here at your behest so that I accidentally meet her?” he asked.
“Inigo, I didn’t invite anyone for you to accidentally meet. I wanted my boys to settle down in Texas. But Mo is the only one who married a Cole’s Hill girl. Diego divides his time between London and Texas, and it looks as if Alec is going to be doing the same, commuting between New York and home. I want my boys close so I can spoil my grandchildren,” she said.
Inigo couldn’t believe how he was the only Velasquez brother still single. Diego, his eldest brother, had married British legacy jewelry designer Pippa Hamilton-Hoff. Alec had Scarlet, and Alec’s twin, Mauricio, was now engaged to his long-time on-again, off-again girlfriend, Hadley.
“So, she’s not for me?” he asked.
His mom shook her head and started laughing. “Honey, it’s amazing that with your ego and inflated head you can even get the helmet on at the start of a race.”
“Ha-ha, Mom. You know it’s not that far-fetched that you’d try to set me up,” he said.
“I know. Which girl is it?” his mom asked.
He nodded in the blonde’s direction.
His mom whistled between her teeth. “She’s a looker. How do you know she’s single?”
Inigo tried to play it cool, like he hadn’t asked around to find out who she was. But his mom, who was watching him, just smiled and shook her head. “You like her?”
“Don’t get any ideas,” he warned her. “I have a big year coming up, and I’m focused on being number one.”
“I know you are, baby. And your father and I are very supportive of that,” his mom said. “But if you like her...maybe you should go and introduce yourself to her.”
“I might now that I know you didn’t meddle to get her here,” Inigo said.
“Might what, son?” his father asked as he came over, putting his hand on his shoulder and squeezing.
“He might go talk to that girl,” his mom said. “Here, finish this for Inigo. He’s training and shouldn’t be drinking.”
“Whatever you say, darling,” his father said, taking the champagne flute from Inigo’s hand. “What a party! Several people have already confused me with Antonio Banderas tonight.”
His mom swiped the glass from his father’s hand. “Obviously you’ve had too much to drink if you think that’s what they said.”
Inigo smiled at his parents joking around with each other. Seeing them together always made him think of relationship goals. But they had gotten together back when life was simpler. Now the world was faster, meaner and more connected. He had to hustle a lot to stay relevant off the track while still winning races on it. There was no time to find someone and get to know them in the real world the way his parents had.
But someday he did want that...when he was like thirty or, hell, maybe forty, depending on how his career went.
“Which girl are you looking at?” his father asked when his mom spotted one of her favorite Food TV chefs and wandered over. This party had everyone at it, and frankly it was the kind of shindig that he tried to avoid except when his sponsor made him attend.
Sponsors and family. They were the only two things that he ever allowed to pull him away from racing.
“Dad, you can’t call women girls anymore,” Inigo said. “But she’s the blonde in the blue dress over near the French doors.”
“You know I meant no disrespect,” he said. “Hell, you and your brothers still look like boys to me. Guess it’s my age.”
“Don’t be all aw-shucks with me. If Mom or Bia heard you, you’d be in trouble,” Inigo scolded.
“I know. Maybe I’d better go back and find that lady who thought I was Antonio Banderas,” his dad said.
“I wouldn’t. Unless you want to start the new year with Mom ticked off at you,” Inigo said.
“True. How’d you get to be so smart?” his dad asked.
Well, Inigo hadn’t been drinking all night, the way his father clearly had, which made everything sharper, but he smiled at his father and winked. “From you.”
His father clapped him on the back. “Of course you did. I like your gir—woman. Have you talked to her?”
“Not yet.”
“What are you waiting for, son?” his dad asked. “She’s alone. Go.”
His father gave him a nudge toward the blonde, and at that moment she glanced over at him to see his father pushing him toward her. Their eyes met, and he knew that he was hooked when she shook her head, smiled at him and crooked her finger.
* * *
Marielle Bisset had almost skipped tonight’s party. It wasn’t her normal scene, but her good friend and fellow social media influencer Scarlet had been insistent that she at least make an appearance and meet representatives from some of the brands that she’d been working with. Scarlet had been her mentor for the last six months. And once she’d realized that the other woman was pregnant, Marielle realized this might be the chance she’d been waiting for.
Scarlet had taken Mari under her wing when Mari had come back from a disastrous year abroad. Scarlet had been more than a mentor to her; she’d been really good at teaching Mari how to accept her flaws and own her past mistakes so she could be a better person.
She’d been slowly growing her YouTube channel and working on increasing her numbers so that she could become a style guru like Scarlet, but it was hard to build that kind of influence. Marielle had been doing it for a little over a year now and felt like she was just starting to find her own place in the noisy world of influencers.
She’d come back to the Hamptons and her parents’ home after a disastrous affair with a married man that had left her shattered. She shook her head, wishing it were just as easy to shake off how bad she’d felt when she finally realized he was married. She’d been hiding out in East Hampton for the better part of the last five years in between traveling the world and searching for answers about herself. She’d been making peace with her mistakes, keeping a low profile and building her internet-based influencer business. The scandal and hurt she’d caused had left her broken.
Glancing around the room, she locked eyes with a hot guy who was being shoved in her direction by an older man.
He had dark brown hair, but from this distance she wasn’t sure of his eye color. He bore a strong resemblance to the older man, who was laughing. She couldn’t help but smile at them. It was clear that they had a strong bond—probably father and son.
Her gaze locked with the man’s, and she felt a zing go through her. Dang. It had been a long time since she’d felt anything like that. He looked embarrassed, which was cute, so she crooked her finger at him, and he arched one eyebrow at her as he made his way across the room.
“So someone thinks you should meet me,” she said. “But you needed a shove?”
“Uh, no, that’s my dad. And he’s in full-on party mode,” he said, then groaned. “Not that I needed my dad to push me toward you or that I always
hang out with my parents.”
She just laughed. He seemed so genuine and real that for a moment she wasn’t sure he belonged here. “It’s okay. Your dad seems like a lot of fun. I haven’t seen you at any of the other parties this holiday season, so I’m guessing you’re not local.”
“No. Texan born and raised. Are you a local?” he asked.
“Sort of. My parents have a house here. I grew up in the city but summered out here,” she said. Oh God, she was rambling. But it was totally his fault. Up close she saw that his eyes were a deep, dark chocolate brown and that he had a small scar in his left eyebrow. His jaw was strong and his mouth firm, but he smiled so easily that it distracted her.
“How do you know Scarlet?” he asked.
“She’s sort of my mentor. She’s been so great about answering all of my questions and helping me to come up with a business plan as an influencer,” she said. Scarlet had been the first person to take her seriously when she’d suggested that she wanted to make a career out of social media. Her father had been disappointed that she hadn’t landed a husband by now.
But that was her dad. Always making her feel like a disappointment. Not like this dude’s dad, who was watching them and smiling in a sweet way. His dad seemed like a really nice guy. Or maybe a silly drunk, she thought as he turned and moved toward the bar. She realized she’d seen him at the bar a few times tonight.
“Your dad is too funny,” she said.
“He’s a mess. He’s just enjoying the fact that all of his kids are here tonight. Normally at least one of us is away on every holiday, so he’s thrilled we all are here.”
“That’s so cute. Usually it’s the mom who’s like that,” she said.
“Yeah, my mom is a newscaster in Houston, so when we were growing up, she was gone a lot and Dad was the one who did all the school pickups. They are both pretty fabulous,” he said. “I’m pretty lucky in that they both made us a priority but weren’t too overbearing.”
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