She turned away so that Tag couldn’t see her misting over. It’d break his heart if he thought he’d hurt her. And to be fair, he hadn’t. Her expectations simply hadn’t met up with reality.
“Poor me, right?” Rachel let out a small laugh as she swiped her eyes. “Crying over a trip to Hawaii. Boo-hoo.”
“Tell me what you need, Rach,” said Isa, ever the practical planner. “I’ll outline a bullet-point list and we will get through this day without sad tears. It’s Christmas. Miracles happen.”
“You’re right. I need to stop thinking about it and be present with what is.” At least that’s what the self-help book she was reading suggested.
Isa waggled the wine bottle. “Would you settle for ‘present but slightly tipsy?’”
That she would. Rachel held up her glass for a refill.
Chapter 3
Reese Crane
In a silver wrap-dress that Reese had bought her, Merina glided through Eli’s warehouse. His wife’s arms were loaded with gifts. She walked straight to the decorated tree and squatted in high-heeled black shoes to arrange them. The boxes complemented her metallic-colored dress, they themselves wrapped in silver and gold paper that was shinier than the Crane itself. But there wasn’t a luxury hotel hiding within those identical boxes, no.
There were Christmas ornaments carefully hand-crafted by Merina herself.
She’d always loved design and buildings and décor. This year, she’d taken a glass-blowing class with the Esther Langley, a retired artist who lived in Chicago. Merina had been hooked. She came alive at the prospect of learning a new skill, and he’d loved seeing her attack a fresh goal with verve.
Especially since she was awful at it.
The glass ornaments were lumpy and opaque where they should be smooth and transparent. When she’d told him she couldn’t gift them to his family because they were too ugly, Reese had bitten his tongue and kissed his wife’s forehead.
“They love you. I love you. You poured months into this project. You should wrap them.”
“Even though they’re ugly?” Merina showed vulnerability on the rare occasion, so that delicately asked question paired with the soft bend of her eyebrows had crushed his heart like an aluminum can.
It reminded him of a moment early in their marriage of convenience when she’d run from him to cry in the shower. She’d been lonely, and he’d been an insufferable jackass. They’d both known that sex wouldn’t fix it, but had indulged anyway, making love for the first time of what became many.
“You make ugly palatable even to the pickiest connoisseur,” he’d told her. Then he’d lifted her chin gently. “Look at me. A broken disaster, yet anyone who sees me with you believes I’m a catch.”
That had earned him a lengthy kiss followed by sex on the kitchen counter—his favorite. Magda, his house manager, had scuttled out to the garage the second Reese touched his lips to his wife’s.
As well Magda should have. She knew from experience that when they started, they didn’t stop.
“I included a one-hundred-dollar gift card to Chow Main in each of the boxes,” Merina whispered now. She raised an eyebrow. “Just in case.”
“Perfect,” he praised, cupping her jaw with his hand. He held her gaze for long enough that her beautiful face split into a smile.
“What?”
“If I had to go back. If I had the option to make the executive order to replace all of the Van Heusen’s doorknobs with keypads, I’d do it all over again.”
“You’d wreck my beloved boutique hotel?” She pressed her hand to her collarbone, feigning shock and knowing exactly what he was getting at.
“Yes.” He pulled her closer. “If you wouldn’t have marched over to the Crane during a downpour, if you wouldn’t have plunked a disembodied doorknob onto my desk, if I wouldn’t have gotten a solid look at a pair of pointing nipples through your silk shirt or your fantastic ire—” He earned a pinch for that “—then you wouldn’t be standing here in my arms and I’d be a lonely, lonely billionaire.”
“Lucky you.” Then she kissed him.
In spite of their not being alone, he kissed her back. Long, slow. Deep.
“What a bunch of horndogs,” Tag interrupted.
Reese’s lips froze on his wife’s, but Merina was smiling. She turned her head to take in Tag, letting go of Reese to prop her fists on her hips and scold him properly.
“Taggart Crane.”
“Don’t.”
Reese grinned. His youngest brother hated his full name.
“When is this ‘big surprise’ actually happening?” Merina whispered harshly, first checking for Rachel. She was talking to Isa in the kitchen, their voices low, their expressions animated. Reese had told Merina there was a “surprise” in store, and that it involved Rachel. That was all she knew. Tag had made him promise.
Tag peeked over one giant shoulder to assess the coordinates of his fiancée, then muttered a non-descript, “Soon.”
“Soon?”
“Yeah, soon.” His smile pulled into a frown. He looked sorry he’d approached at all.
Serves him right, Reese thought.
“Bro,” Tag said to him. “A minute?”
“If it has to do with the surprise,” Merina crossed her arms over her breasts. “Then I want in, too.”
God, Reese loved this woman.
“Fine. But only because I need your help,” Tag said.
Reese chuckled. He’d let his brother believe that his giving permission was the reason Merina was following them across the warehouse instead of retreating into the kitchen, but he knew the truth.
What his wife wanted, she got.
Merina Crane
She knew it! She knew Tag was acting weird for a reason. He was the laid-back one. The everything-rolls-off-my-back-one. The oft underestimated brother who worked hard but made it appear really, really easy.
Merina loved her brother-in-law. Tag was especially tender once you got to know him. Reese hid behind his formality, Eli put up a grouchy façade to ward off anyone who came close, but Tag? Tag wowed the world with his smile. No one ever asked the guy who appeared okay what was wrong.
“Do not tell me you’re getting cold feet,” she asked, now in the know. If Tag even hinted that he was having second thoughts about marrying Rachel—the sweet, gorgeous, lovely, strong woman standing in Isabella’s and Eli’s kitchen—then Merina was going to kick him right in the nuts.
“No!” Tag said in a harsh whisper, checking over his shoulder for Rachel again. “I don’t want to screw it up. I want her to be… I want to do it the right way.”
“Your engagement was pitch-perfect, Tag,” Merina told him. “You know her. You know what she likes. She’ll love it because she loves you.”
“Yeah. Or she’s tired of waiting and has decided I’m not worth it.”
“Tag,” she argued softly. He looked nauseous, and he couldn’t be more wrong.
“I did everything backwards and for the wrong reasons,” Reese said to his brother. “And Merina is still by my side.” He took her hand and wove their fingers together, then pinned her in place with his drugging, navy blue stare. She’d always been particularly weak where his looks were concerned, and he knew it better than anyone.
“Plus I find him devastatingly attractive,” she told Tag.
Tag made a face like he’d just licked a snail. “Gross.”
“Rachel finds you irresistible,” Merina said. “Not only because you’re almost as attractive as Reese—” her husband grinned “—but because you’re a catch and a half. You dote on her. You’re so in love with her it’s apparent to anyone within a fifty-mile radius. Your plan will work not because it’s the perfect way to marry her, but because she loves you, so any plan is automatically perfect.”
Tag’s true blue irises filled with so much relief that Merina nearly stepped back from the force of the blow. For once he didn’t cover with a smile. He swept forward and scooped her into a tight bear hug. “Tha
nk you.”
“You’re welcome.” She hugged him back, her words slightly muffled by his thick caramel-colored hair. When he lowered her to her heels, she affectionately patted his furry cheek. “And start acting normal. We’re drawing attention.”
She turned and kissed Reese briefly before walking into the kitchen to join Isa and Rachel. Once there, she accepted a full wine glass from Isa and affected an eye-roll for Rachel’s sake.
“Sentimental boys, the lot of them.”
The second Rachel looked away, Isa’s mouth flinched into a half-smile.
Oh yeah, Eli’s wife knew exactly what was in store for tonight.
Chapter 4
Alex “Big” Crane
Fancy Christmas dinner. My three sons and their significant others. Rhona at my side, her hand on my knee. Perfection.
So to speak.
As damn close as one could come, anyway. Never in my life did I dream that after burying the love of my life, Luna, I’d find another woman with whom to share my heart.
Luna wouldn’t want me to be lonely. I know that.
Rhona knew it, too. It’s why she was so slow in her approach. This old Marine considers himself wise, but where Rhona was concerned I’ve been a bit of a buffoon. The day she flat out told me that she was interested in more than working with me, the moment she grabbed my face and stood to her toes and touched her lips to mine...
It was everything I didn’t know I wanted. And when she made love to me for the first time, I was a goner. She snagged my heart long before she sat on my cock, but getting sweaty with her was what sealed the idea of forever.
Never thought I’d fall so hard, so fast. Not again.
Rhona and I are getting married next month. We’re going to Hawaii, but we haven’t told the kids that they’re going. They are, though. Every damn one of them. I bought an island for the occasion.
You heard me.
A damn island.
I know, I know, completely ridiculous. So what? I’ve lived a life and a half in the short time I’ve been here and it isn’t as if I’m taking my wealth with me. Plus, Rhona deserves to be pampered. And it’ll rope my boys into taking the breaks they need. Workaholics, the lot of them.
Wonder where they got that from, I think with a soft grunt.
Under the Christmas tree in the living room are three fat envelopes. In them, the plane tickets and itinerary for Rhona’s and my wedding. I can’t wait to see their faces when we tell them. Especially since Tag and Rachel will be married right before we open gifts. I’m looking forward to seeing the longing erased from her sweet face.
“Are you nervous?” I ask my bride-to-be. “About the ceremony?”
Rhona’s eyes twinkle with mischief. She likes having a secret, and she told me as much when she was online getting ordained for the occasion. “No. I’m great under pressure.”
She gives me a foxy wink, and hell and damn. Wish we had a dark corner to hide in so I could make her shatter in my arms for the second time today. I’ll never get sick of that.
Dinner was incredible. Rhona insisted on making the food—including a slow-roasted slab of prime rib. At the last minute I talked her into a catering staff to serve and clean up, not wanting her to fret. They had arrived, set up, served, and vanished as requested.
Rhona baked Christmas cookies as well—butter, my favorite—and chocolate chip, the crowd-pleaser. Two full platters are in the kitchen, and my two lovely daughters-in-law Merina and Isa are nibbling away when they’re supposed to be setting them in front of me. My soon-to-be-daughter-in-law, Rachel has a smile glued to her face, but it might be for show.
If she only knew …
“I don’t think Rachel suspects, do you?” Rhona whispers, reading my mind. I take in her beauty, her soft smile, and smile back. I love this woman. I tell her ten times a day.
“No. I don’t believe she does. But it’s about time to put her out of her misery, don’t you think?” I tip my head toward Tag who is standing rigidly at the appetizer table where there are a few leftover wedges of cheese and crackers.
“You need to tell Tag to stop eating his feelings.” Rhona giggles. “Why is he so scared of matrimony?”
“He’s not. He’s scared of letting Rachel down. His nerves have sneaked past that indelible smile of his. I’ll talk to him.” I stand from the table and make my way to my youngest son.
That hair. Never in my life have I understood his penchant for wearing it past his elbows, but he’d always insisted that “the ladies love it.” That may have been why he grew it out, but he kept it long for Rachel. She loved it, and she was the only woman who mattered to him.
“How are you, son?”
“Good. I’m good.” His smile is more out of habit than genuine.
“Take advice from your old man, yeah?” I grip his shoulder, having to reach up to do it.
“Sure. Okay.” He shrugs like he doesn’t care either way, but he does. Too much. Tag’s stature isn’t the only big part of him—beneath that mountainous exterior lies a huge, caring heart.
“That blonde in the kitchen is your forever girl,” I tell him. “As long as God lets you keep her.”
I watch my son’s throat work as he swallows past a lump of emotion. His blue eyes drill into mine.
“Be the man she fell in love with. Confident, cocky—”
“Fantastic in bed.”
Well. At least his grin is back.
“She’s going to need you to catch her when you knock her off-kilter. Are you ready to marry the love of your life?”
The dab of hesitation I witnessed in Tag’s expression earlier fades in a blink. He’s everything I raised him to be. He’s strong. He’s certain. He’s a good man and he will make a loyal, wonderful husband. Exactly what Rachel needs.
“Hell, yes.”
“Good.” I nod with finality. “Get ready.”
Chapter 5
Rachel Foster
Rachel’s eyes flashed around the room. A burst of energy seemed to come out of nowhere. Alex and Rhona had left the table and were now standing by the tree, their heads bent like they were sharing a secret.
Isa and Merina were plucking roses from the vases dotted around the warehouse and comparing them like they were trying to choose the prettiest ones. Reese was talking to Tag, his expression as stoic as ever, but his eyes trailed to Rachel for the briefest moment.
What the…?
Then Tag faced her, his expression of determination was so animalistic that her heart lodged in her throat. Everyone in the background faded away as he stalked toward her.
Tag.
She’d fallen hard for him at a time she wasn’t looking. He’d helped her overcome her timidity, helped her ask for what she wanted. What she needed. What started out as a sexual exploration had morphed into head-over-heels true love. As cliché as it sounded in her own head, she couldn’t help thinking that whenever she stared into his eyes, she saw her future reflected in them.
He approached, a sly smirk on his firm mouth.
Her answering smile erased when his lips lowered to steal a kiss guaranteed to make her feel like the only woman in the room.
“Love you, Dimples.”
She’d never tire of hearing that nickname. “I know.”
He pulled back, his smile still there, but smaller than before. More careful. More cautious. Oh, he was definitely up to something.
“I have a question for you.”
“Okay.” Her hands gripped his substantial biceps to ground herself for whatever he was about to say.
“Will you marry me?”
“Déjà vu.” She held up the hand where her engagement ring sat. “Didn’t we cover this already?”
Tag’s expression was suddenly serious. “I mean now.”
Her mouth parted softly. “Now?”
He nodded across the room where Rhona stood in front of the tree where Alex had left her, a leather-bound Bible in her grip. Reese and Eli were arranged side by side on Rhona’s rig
ht, their hands formally clasped in front of them. Merina and Isa were standing to Rhona’s left, perfect single red roses in their hands.
Before Rachel could process what was happening, her hulk of a fiancé lifted his cellphone and pressed a button. His eyes on hers, phone to his ear, he said, “Come in.”
The warehouse door slid aside and her mother and father came in, slipping off their coats to hang them on the rack just inside the door. Tears pricked Rachel’s eyes as they grinned back at her. They were dressed in their finest outfits—dad in a dark suit and tie and mom in a pale blue pantsuit. Her mom blew kisses and her dad winked and Rachel felt a tear slide down her cheek.
“Don’t cry, dear.” Her mom stole a quick kiss to Rachel’s temple and patted Tag’s cheek.
“Rhona is recently ordained.” Tag cupped Rachel’s face with one broad palm. “I’ve had this planned for damn near a month. It’s not traditional. It’s not big. Exactly what you asked for.
“Tarzan.” Her watery eyes caused Tag’s gorgeous face to blur. She had asked for simple. She didn’t want a big affair. She didn’t want a million gifts. She didn’t want the fuss of a big, fancy to-do. Tag had argued at the idea of a small wedding. He’d said that when that day came, he wanted big. He wanted extravagant. To properly celebrate all they were to each other, he’d argued for a proverbial circus.
“But this isn’t what you want,” she whispered, turning toward him.
“I want you, Dimples. Forever. I don’t care how it happens.”
She climbed as high as she could to hug him and he bent and met her the rest of the way. “I’ll make it up to you on our honeymoon,” she whispered into his ear.
“Damn straight.” She heard the teasing sensuality in his voice before he let her go. And then she saw that he was as overcome with emotion as she was. His eyes were damp, his nostrils flared.
A Crane Family Christmas (Billionaire Bad Boys Book 4) Page 2