by A. E. Radley
“Amazing that my house was suddenly bought by some anonymous developer,” Holly mused.
Victoria turned to look out of the window. “Not surprising, it was practically falling down. I’m sure a new property there would turn a good profit. For whoever purchased it.”
Holly knew that Victoria had bought the property. It was such a Victoria way to ask her to move in. She was secretly pleased, being back under the Hastings roof was a dream. But she wouldn’t let Victoria off the hook too easily.
“Thank goodness your guestroom was still available,” Holly said.
Victoria turned to look at her seriously. “You’ll always have a place here, no matter what happens.”
She knew Victoria meant it, too.
“I appreciate that.”
Holly picked up a stack of clothes and piled them into the chest of drawers, ignoring Victoria’s sigh. She didn’t know if that was because Holly was bunching up clothes and shoving them into a drawer, or because of the low-quality clothing she preferred over the designer couture that Victoria bought her.
Of course, Victoria was doing remarkably well in other ways at accepting that Holly wanted to be independent in many things.
“What time is the gala tonight?” Holly asked.
“Eight. I intend to arrive at nine.”
“And you’re sure you want to go together?”
Victoria chuckled. “Of course. We’ve been seen out several times. Tongues are already wagging, we may as well confirm suspicions. As long as you’re sure?”
Victoria’s doubts crept up every now and then, and Holly was always quick to quash them. She dropped a handful of socks back into the suitcase and walked over to the armchair where she knelt in front of Victoria and looked up at her.
“Am I sure that I want to be seen with and linked to the most beautiful woman in New York?” Holly asked with a grin.
Victoria blushed and looked away. “Stop,” she muttered, but it was obvious she enjoyed the compliment.
Holly stood up and pressed a soft kiss to Victoria’s cheek before returning to her unpacking. She’d need to hurry if she was going to unpack, eat, and get herself ready for a gala.
“You know what they’ll say?” Victoria attempted to sound disinterested, but it didn’t fool Holly.
“That I’m a gold digger?” Holly asked.
“That I’m a cradle robber,” Victoria said.
“I don’t care what they say,” Holly confessed. “I just pity anyone who doesn’t feel as happy as I feel every day.”
It was true. She was happy every day. Overwhelmingly so. They’d been dating for just over two months. They’d quickly undone the power of attorney to provide Holly with the autonomy that she desperately sought. As far as she was concerned, Victoria still owned her heart.
Victoria had used her contacts to provide Holly with the opportunity to write for a couple of large lifestyle websites. She still worked part-time as a receptionist, but the side income was steadily growing, and she knew that before long she’d be able to work from home and focus on her writing.
While Victoria had used her network, Holly knew that she had only been accepted based on her skills. Most significantly, Victoria had understood how important that was to Holly. It would have been easy to just click into Victoria’s family and live a life of luxury without having to lift a finger. But Holly would have been miserable. She had to find her own success.
She realised that she had been caught in her own little dream world for a while, and Victoria had yet to speak. She looked up and caught the older woman staring at her with a slack jaw.
“What?” Holly asked.
“I… I’m just surprised to hear you say that. I feel the same way,” she admitted.
“I know. I can read you like a book.” Holly winked.
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Hardly.”
Nearly, Holly thought. She’d gotten very good at reading Victoria over recent weeks.
“How much will the house cost to renovate?” Holly asked.
“We’re not renovating, we’re tearing it down and—” Victoria’s eyes widened and she stopped her mouth immediately.
“I knew it!” Holly jumped for glee at being able to trick her. “I knew it was you. I told you that my room was cold, that I saw one cockroach in the yard, and suddenly the landlord has an offer he can’t refuse and gives us all one-week notice. I knew it was you.”
“You were living in third-world conditions,” Victoria defended her actions. “I couldn’t, in good conscience, allow you to carry on your recovery there.”
“You know I’m all but recovered, right? My physio is next to nothing, it’s basically an exercise class these days. And my memory, well, nothing’s changing there.”
“How do you feel about that?” Victoria asked.
“About my memories not returning?”
Victoria nodded.
Holly shrugged. “It’s fine. If I remember things, then that’s great, but if I don’t, that’s fine, too. I’m more invested in the new memories that I have now. And my journals have given me loads of information on things that happened before.”
She knew that Victoria still worried about Holly’s memories returning and Holly running for the hills. Holly did everything she could to reassure Victoria that would never happen.
It was remarkable how sensitive Victoria was. Holly would never have guessed that beneath the cool exterior lived a very insecure woman. But she loved it. It gave her the opportunity to constantly offer love and support, and Victoria lapped it up.
“Knock knock.” Gideon’s voice floated down the stairs from the main hallway. “Can I come down? Are you all decent?”
Victoria rolled her eyes and shook her head. Gideon had been teasing them about their relationship since the moment Holly accidentally let it slip.
Holly chuckled. “Come on down,” she called back.
He entered the guestroom and looked at them both with a cocky grin.
“Moving in together already, so sweet,” he drawled. “Though you are taking the separate bedrooms thing to a whole new level.”
Holly noticed the light tint of a blush on Victoria’s cheeks.
“I’m sure I won’t be down here for long,” Holly said. “When you’ve found someone you want to be with, it’s hard to stay away. Even if you feel you should for the sake of respectability.”
Victoria looked mightily pleased with herself. She raised her chin and looked towards the window. “To hell with respectability,” she murmured.
Gideon looked as surprised as Holly felt, but he gathered himself together quickly enough.
“Hear, hear,” he said. He turned to Holly. “Now, what are you wearing for the gala? The Valentino, surely?”
Although he was facing Holly, it was obvious that the question was directed to Victoria.
“Of course,” she said. “She’ll be the talk of the town.”
“She will,” Gideon agreed. “You both will.”
“I’ve been trying to convince her to stay home,” Victoria said. “To save herself.”
Holly chuckled. She walked over to the armchair where Victoria sat like a queen and deposited herself in her lap. She wrapped her arms around Victoria’s shoulders.
“And I’ve been trying to tell her that it’s all worth it and that I’ve never been happier.”
“One day, I’ll convince you how wrong I am for you,” Victoria joked.
“Never,” Holly said adamantly. “You’re the person who found me when I had nothing, you breathed life back into me. And then I found out that I’d been in love with you before I even knew who you were. I’m never letting you go.”
“Good, because listening to you both complaining about each other was such a dreary pity party,” Gideon said.
Holly looked at Victoria and raised her eyebrow. “Shall I?”
“Yes, do.”
Holly reached down, pulled her Converse Low Top off her foot, and threw it at him.
It jus
t missed him as he rushed out into the hallway.
“I’ll be upstairs when you can behave yourselves,” he said between fits of laughter.
Holly giggled. She turned to Victoria. “I don’t think I can behave myself,” she said seriously.
“Me neither,” Victoria admitted as she reached up for a kiss.
The Story Continues…
Free Short Story
If you enjoyed Bring Holly Home then you’ll love the free short story, Holly Hollydays.
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Also by A.E. Radley
Keep Holly Close
Former personal assistant Holly Carter is settling into her new life as a mother, a journalist, and partner of magazine editor—and former boss—Victoria Hastings.
The arrival of an anonymous email threatens to split the happy couple up. They have to work together but will they be able to overcome both Holly’s amnesia and Victoria’s reserved demeanour to find the perpetrator?
Patreon
I adore publishing. There’s a wonderful thrill that comes from crafting a manuscript and then releasing it to the world. Especially when you are writing woman loving woman characters. I’m blessed to receive messages from readers all over the world who are thrilled to discover characters and scenarios that resemble their lives.
Books are entertaining escapism, but they are also reinforcement that we are not alone in our struggles. I’m passionate about writing books that people can identify with. Books that are accessible to all and show that love—and acceptance—can be found no matter who you are.
I’m at the beginning of my writing career and have already published over ten books, have attained best-seller status around the world, and am a Lambda award winner. I have plans to write many, many more novels. However, writing, editing, and marketing books take up a lot of time… and writing full-time is a treadmill-like existence, especially in a very small niche market like mine.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel very grateful and lucky to be able to live the life I do. But being a full-time author in a small market means never being able to stop and work on developing my writing style, it means rarely having the time or budget to properly market my books, it means immediately picking up the next project the moment the previous has finished.
This is why I have set up a Patreon account. With Patreon, you can donate a small amount each month to enable me to hop off of my treadmill for a while in order to reach my goals. Goals such as exploring better marketing options, developing my writing craft, and investigating writing articles and screenplays.
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My readers are some of the kindest and most supportive people I have met, and I appreciate every book borrow or purchase. With the added support of Patreon, I hope to be able to develop my writing career in order to become a better author as well as level up my marketing strategy to help my books to reach a wider audience.
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About the Author
A.E. Radley had no desire to be a writer but accidentally turned into an award-winning, best-selling author.
She has recently given up her marketing career and position as Managing Director in order to make stuff up for a living instead. She claims the similarities are startling.
She describes herself as a Wife. Traveller. Tea Drinker. Biscuit Eater. Animal Lover. Master Pragmatist. Annoying Procrastinator. Theme Park Fan. Movie Buff.
Connect with A.E. Radley
www.aeradley.com
Also by A.E. Radley
Lost at Sea
Annie Peck finds herself in a terrible situation and is literally running for her life. A chance encounter with a surprising lookalike leads her towards a risky solution.
Captain Caroline West knows she is lucky to be one of the few women cruise ship captains in the world. Sadly, not having a standard nine to five job means relationships are nearly impossible and she's all but given up on finding anyone.
Join these two women for an all-expenses-paid cruise of the Mediterranean and find out what happens when an identity thief with a heart of gold meets the rule-abiding woman who could throw her in jail.
Also by A.E. Radley
Flight SQA016 - Book One in the Flight Series
Spurred on by overwhelming and ever-increasing debts, Emily White takes a job working in the first-class cabin on the prestigious commuter route from her home of New York to London with Crown Airlines.
On board she meets Olivia Lewis, who is a literal high-flying business executive with a weekly commute, a meticulous schedule, and terrible social skills.
When a personal emergency brings them together, will Emily be able to swallow her pride and accept help from Olivia? And will Olivia be able to prevent herself from saying the wrong thing?
Also by A.E. Radley
Going Up
A ruthless executive. A destitute woman. Both on the way up.
Selina Hale is on her way to the top. She's been working towards a boardroom position on the thirteenth floor for her entire career. And no one is going to get in her way. Not her clueless boss, her soon to be ex-wife, and most certainly not the homeless person who has moved into the car park at work.
Kate Morgan fell through the cracks in a broken support system and found herself destitute. Determined and strong-willed, she's not about to accept help from a mean business woman who can't even remember the names of her own nephews.
As their lives continue to intertwine, they have no choice but to work together and follow each other on their journey up.
Other Books by A.E. Radley
The Road Ahead (Book 1 in the Around the World Series)
The Big Uneasy (Book 2 in the Around the World Series)
Grounded (Book 2 in the Flight Series)
Journey’s End (Book 3 in the Flight Series)
Going Up
Mergers & Acquisitions
A Swedish Christmas Fairy Tale
Huntress
Keep Holly Close (Book 2 in the Remember Me Series)
Ice Cream Wars
Climbing the Ladder
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Copyright © 2019 A.E. Radley
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.