Johnny (Connelly Cousins #2)

by Abbie Zanders

  “Let’s do this.”

  Kyle opened the door, and the first thing Stacey saw was Johnny waiting for her near the altar. Dressed in a black tux with a crimson cummerbund and bow tie, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. A wave of incredulity washed over her as the truth lit her up from within: this man loved her, and she was going to spend the rest of her life with him.

  Then he smiled and she forgot everything.

  The guests stood and turned to look toward her expectantly. With some gentle prompting from Lina, she began her journey down the aisle. Flanked by Kyle on one side and Lina on the other, Stacey resisted the urge to rush and took small, somewhat jerky, baby steps.

  Johnny’s eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise. It was the first time he’d seen her without her wheelchair or the boxy walker she’d progressed to. The day after he’d proposed, Stacey told Marissa she wanted to walk down the aisle, and Marissa had embraced the idea.

  The look on his face made the last two months of grueling effort well worth it.

  By the time she reached him, his beautiful green eyes were shinier than usual. He moved beside her and wrapped his strong arm around her waist.

  “Lean on me,” he said quietly as they faced the priest. “I will never let you fall.”

  She believed him.

  The rest of the service passed in a blur. Before she knew it, they’d been pronounced man and wife and Johnny was kissing her. A profound sense of both relief and joy overwhelmed her. His kiss promised a lifetime together, and she eagerly returned it with equal fervor.

  Beneath the flowing skirt of silk, her legs finally gave out. Before she knew what was happening, Johnny had scooped her into his arms.

  “Told you,” he winked.

  “I never doubted you,” she grinned.

  The reception was a joyous affair. The hall was filled, mostly with people she’d never met. Stacey gave up trying to remember names after the first few dozen introductions.

  “I think the whole town is here,” Stacey confided to Lina as they shared a rare moment of quiet.

  “Pretty much,” Lina laughed. “I think they felt cheated when Kyle and I did a quick civil at Judge Kelley’s.”

  There were definite advantages to doing things that way, Stacey thought. She’d wanted to be married before her final trimester, and, as she’d discovered, planning a wedding in two months was not easy. Thankfully, Lina had suggested using a professional wedding planner, who had turned out to be a godsend. She would have never been able to pull it off otherwise.

  “Krissy did an amazing job,” Stacey commented, looking around at the elegant, perfectly coordinated décor – white linens, crystal vases holding crimson roses, strands of faux pearls and delicate bouquets of baby’s breaths artfully placed about.

  “Yeah, she sure did,” Lina agreed. “This looks like something straight out of a bridal magazine.”

  “It is,” Stacey confessed. “I fell in love with the theme, and Krissy turned it into a reality.” Her eyes landed on a group of exceptionally large, dark-haired men clustered around Johnny. They looked a lot like Michael. She’d met them all in the receiving line, but they started blurring together after a while.

  “So those guys are your cousins, huh?”

  “Yep,” Lina grinned. “They’re the Callaghan branch of the family. The older man is my Uncle Jack. He and my Aunt Kathleen had seven sons. They live across the river in Pine Ridge.”

  “Damn good genes in this family,” Stacey murmured, rubbing her baby bump.

  Lina laughed. “Yeah, I suppose so. Great guys, too. All Navy SEALs, like their dad.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Uh-huh. Most of them aren’t active anymore, well not officially, anyway,” Lina said, averting her eyes. “Sean and Shane, the twins, just completed their six-year terms, and only Kieran – he’s the youngest – is still in the program. That’s why he couldn’t be here.”

  “You can’t make this shit up,” Stacey said, shaking her head.

  “That’s our crazy family for you. Never a dull moment. And now you’re one of us. Are you regretting it yet? Because it’s too late to back out now.”

  “Never,” Stacey grinned. “You’re stuck with me, and I love the idea of a big, crazy family.”

  Lina’s expression softened. “I’m sorry your mom couldn’t make it, Stace.”

  Stacey took a sip of her sparkling white grape juice. Nearly all in attendance were here because of Johnny. Strangely enough, that didn’t bother her overmuch. Her years of self-imposed seclusion were prohibitive to forming friendships, and her mother was the only living family she had left.

  “It’s probably for the best.”

  “She’s still mad about the surgery, huh?”

  “Among other things.” Stacey’s eyes immediately sought out Johnny as the familiar feelings of disappointment threatened to overwhelm her. She found him near the bar, talking with his grandfather, his brother, and Kyle. As if he sensed her gaze, he turned her way and smiled at her in that panty-melting way he had. The same one that turned her into mush and warmed her from the inside out every single time.

  Her mother didn’t understand why Stacey hadn’t contacted her before agreeing to the operation. Nor could she understand why Stacey had refused her offer to move in with her and complete her rehab in Denver. Stacey loved her mother, but Grace Mallory made it abundantly clear that she did not approve of her daughter’s choices. In Grace’s opinion, writing romance was not something mature, intelligent, respectable women did for a living. Nor did they break their mother’s hearts by having risky, life-threatening surgeries without discussing it with them first. And they certainly did not “get knocked up” and “shack up” with bikers working menial labor, no matter how physically aesthetic they were.

  Stacey wasn’t about to share that with Lina, though. There was no sense hurting her best friend – now her sister – with her mother’s unique blend of high-brow education and small-minded toxicity. She hoped that one day, that would change, but until then, Stacey knew where she belonged.

  “Maybe she’ll come around,” Lina mused as if reading her thoughts. “Grandchildren have a way of changing things.”

  “Maybe,” Stacey agreed, but those thoughts were for another time. She refused to waste another moment thinking about it. Today was her wedding day. She was officially married to the most wonderful man in the universe, and he was heading her way. Her heart pounded in anticipation. Would it always be like this?

  “Yes,” Lina chuckled, and Stacey realized she’d spoken her thoughts out loud. “That’s the way it works with croies. Maybe you should include that in one of your stories,” Lina teased.

  Yeah, Stacey thought. She probably would.

  “Are you ready to begin your honeymoon, Mrs. Connelly?” Johnny asked, leaning down to kiss her.

  “So ready,” she breathed.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” Johnny swept her into his powerful arms and carried her out to the hoots and hollers of the rowdy crowd. In the back of the limo, he wasted no time in pulling her onto his lap. Given the feel of steel beneath her bottom, he had missed her every bit as much as she had him.

  “So tell me,” he said between deep, passionate kisses. “If we were in one of your books, how would this night end?”

  Stacey grinned wickedly. She couldn’t wait to show him.

  Thanks for reading Johnny and Stacey’s story

  You didn’t have to pick this book, but you did. Thank you!

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  Thanks again, and may all of your ever-afters be happy ones!

  Abbie

  If you liked this book...

  ... then you might be interested in my Callaghan Brothers series. Celina’s cousins are seven hot Irish brothers, former Navy SEALS who have formed their own off-the books team. Each has his own specialty, which is fortunate, because they need each other when they’re faced with their biggest challenges yet – finding and keeping their croies, the women fated for them and them alone.

  Check out this excerpt from Dangerous Secrets...

  Taryn felt instantly at home in the Pub. She’d spent most of the last eight years working in one just like it. Unofficially, of course, but no one ever questioned it and that kind of thing had never really mattered to Charlie.

  It gave her an idea.

  It took some effort to get to the bar, but not all of it was unpleasant. With the level of noise and density of the ebullient crowd, Taryn quickly discovered the most effective method for making forward progress was a well-placed hand in a strategic location. By the time the men turned to see who had taken such liberties, Taryn had disappeared once again.

  It was the younger guy who spotted her first. A brief raise of his eyebrows and a flickering glance toward the window was followed by a dazzling smile. “So she is courageous as well as beautiful,” he said, handing two filled mugs to the man on her right. “What’s your pleasure?”

  Taryn returned his smile with one equally devastating. It was a skill she had mastered years earlier. She also let her eyes linger on his lips just a second longer than necessary as she ran her tongue lightly across her lip. Ian’s eyes flashed. Gotcha.

  God bless the male sex, they were so easily baited. “You’re very busy tonight.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed, leaning against the bar as if there weren’t two dozen people around her vying for his attention. “A little.”

  “Looks like you could use another bartender.”

  Ian’s grin widened. “You offering?”

  “Oi, Ian,” called Jake. “What the - ” Jake stopped when he saw who had captured his brother’s undivided attention.

  “She says she can help out behind the bar,” Ian informed him with a grin.

  “Is that right?” Jake walked over, gathering a few orders along the way. “You tend?”

  She nodded, her smile fading a little. This was the man who had pinned her with his gaze through the window. He was much bigger close-up. Definitely related to the younger guy, but infinitely more intense. Harder. She suppressed a shiver. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  * * *

  The closer Jake got to her, the stranger he felt. He likened it to an electrical current flowing through his body, which, unfortunately, he had experienced. Comparatively speaking, this instance was much more pleasant.

  Who had eyes like that? Layered, like a custom paint job. If he had to guess, he’d say her eyes were purplish with a couple of clear coats of smoky gray on top, the exact hue of the sky moments before a summer thunderstorm. It had to be a trick of the lights, though, because no one could actually have eyes like that. Thankfully, there was no trace of the haunted look he’d seen earlier, making him think he might have imagined it.

  “What was that last order?” he asked, locking his blue gaze with hers.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The last order I took. What was it?” He fixed her with a level gaze.

  “Oh, come on, Jake,” began Ian, but Jake ignored him.

  The woman took a breath. He knew, because his eyes were drawn to the subtle rise and fall of the nicely-endowed chest peeking through that jacket.

  “Two pints of Killian, one Irish coffee, a Baileys and cream no ice, and two fingers of Grey Goose with a splash of lime.”

  The corners of Jake’s mouth twitched. “What’s the secret to pulling a good draft?”

  She appeared to consider his question for a moment, then leaned forward. Jake mimicked the movement, putting his ear within inches of her lips. Even with all the noise, Jake had no trouble hearing her low, quiet-toned answer. “Giving it just the right amount of head.”

  The twitch became a full-fledged grin.

  It was a crazy idea. Jake didn’t tolerate just anybody behind his bar. But he was desperate. Plus, for some strange reason, he liked the idea of having her back with him instead of out in the rowdy crowd. Quite a few of the men were already looking at her as if she was a tasty snack. He rationalized the impulse by telling himself he wasn’t doing it for her or even him, for that matter; having someone like that behind the bar was simply good for business.

  “Right,” he said. “You’re hired. Get your ass back here.”

  The smile she gave him lit up the entire room, but it quickly faded when she tried to move. He understood the problem immediately: to get where he was, she would have to cross the length of the long bar and around the other end, which, given the current mob, would take about half an hour. She looked at him helplessly.

  “Oi, Big John!” Jake barked. “A little help for my new barmaid, please.”

  A huge, bearded man shifted next to her; plate-sized hands circled her waist and she was suddenly suspended over the bar. A host of cheers and catcalls went up in the immediate vicinity as Jake grabbed her out of the air and brought her down on the other side.

  Jake was stricken by yet another strange sensation as his hands closed around her waist. It was like hitting the sweet spot on a baseball bat, or releasing the perfect three-point shot, knowing it was going to be a total swish without even having to look. And his thumbs didn’t skim the underside of her breasts. They didn’t. Because if they did, he’d have to think about how full and firm they were against his fingers, and that would be bad...

  Dangerous Secrets is available on Amazon now:

  US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PX02PU0

  UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PX02PU0

  Germany: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00PX02PU0

  Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00PX02PU0

  Australia: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00PX02PU0

  ... and other Amazon locations

  About the Author

  Abbie Zanders loves to read and write romance in all forms; she is quite obsessive, really. Her ultimate fantasy is to spend all of her free time doing both, preferably in a secluded mountain cabin overlooking a pristine lake, though a private beach on a lush tropical island works, too. Sharing her work with others of similar mind is a dream come true. She promises her readers two things: no cliffhangers, and there will always be a happy ending. Beyond that, you never know...

  Also by Abbie Zanders

  Contemporary Romance

  Dangerous Secrets (Callaghan Brothers, Book 1)

  First and Only (Callaghan Brothers, Book 2)

  House Calls (Callaghan Brothers, Book 3)

  Seeking Vengeance (Callaghan Brothers, Book 4)

  Guardian Angel (Callaghan Brothers, Book 5)

  Beyond Affection (Callaghan Brothers, Book 6)

  Having Faith (Callaghan Brothers, Book 7)

  Bottom Line (Callaghan Brothers, Book 8)

  Five Minute Man (Covendale Series, Book 1)

  All Night Woman (Covendale Series, Book 2)

  Celina (Connelly Cousins, Book 1)

  The Realist

  Celestial Desire

  Time Travel Romance

  Lost in Time I

  Lost in Time II

  Paranormal Romance

  Vampire, Unaware

  Black Wolfe’s Mate (written as Avelyn McCrae)

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