“Nah. This doesn’t count as one. Muriella’s getting a bonus,” Stone said, going along with me, much to my relief. He pushed off the counter to greet us, shaking Daniel’s hand and clapping his shoulder. He kissed my cheek while Muriella ignored the whole thing. “Want a beer?” he asked as if we were in his home, and I stifled a smile.
“We’re having champagne,” I informed him. Stone made a face just to aggravate me. “You’re drinking some too. We have things to celebrate.”
“I’m all for it,” he returned good-naturedly, heading to the refrigerator to pull out the good stuff.
“Have you heard anything?” M demanded, without looking up from the saucepan on the burner.
I started to speak, but Daniel beat me to it, so I moved to the cabinets to retrieve four glasses. “Free and clear on all charges.”
Muriella froze, her expression blank. Daniel gripped the edge of the counter. “That’s good news.” Her voice was as flat as her face. I looked to Stone for help, but he gave me a noncommittal shrug.
“You sound like you’d rather I wasn’t going to be around.” Daniel gave her a tentative smile. She didn’t return it.
“You know that’s not true.”
“Muriella, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just…” he trailed off.
“Well, you did, but you don’t need me to tell you that.”
This was a side of Muriella I definitely wasn’t used to. Daniel looked at me helplessly. I didn’t know how to fix this. I couldn’t stand to see the two people I loved most so distanced from each other.
So I opted to try to lighten things up again. “You sneak!” I said as I retrieved a serving platter for the beef tenderloin I’d spied roasting in the oven. “Look what she’s been hiding from us.” I held up a half-empty bag of Mars bars and tossed Daniel a piece and then one to Stone before digging in myself.
“It’s been crisis mode around here,” she justified, swiping for the bag. I held it out of her reach, and Daniel snatched it. Muriella went after it, but he held it above her head. She was too petite to even have a shot at getting it, which didn’t mean she didn’t try. Daniel tossed the bag to Stone, who hid it behind his back. She charged him and held out her hand. “I just want one piece.”
“How bad, darlin’?” he asked, cocking his head, one of those dark brows lifting.
Muriella let out a little growl before moving back to the beef tenderloin. I brought the serving platter over to her and bumped her hip with mine.
Daniel held out his hand, a piece of candy in the center of his palm. She appeared uncertain before plucking the peace offering. He gave her a hopeful smile. She didn’t return it, shoving the candy in her mouth.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Stone put the bag of candy in a cabinet M wouldn’t be able to reach without a stepladder. I made a mental note to hide the ladder so she’d have to beg him for the chocolate. And she would. Mission temporarily accomplished. The mood in here wasn’t quite so stifling anymore.
“I think it’s time to do some celebrating,” Stone said, pouring champagne and handing each of us a glass.
“I’ll drink to that,” I said, accepting the champagne flute with a meaningful nod. “To health, happiness, love, and family.”
We clinked glasses and tossed the bubbles down our throats.
“Um, Vivian. I don’t know how I missed it, but what the hell is that on your finger?” Stone said, gawking at my diamond.
“Exactly what it looks like.” I held out my left hand, feeling giddy as I watched the black diamond sparkle in the light. All eyes were on the ring, admiring it. Muriella and I hadn’t even had a chance to be girls about it.
“I’ve agreed to be her husband,” Daniel said, eyes bright with mischief.
“I thought I agreed to be your wife,” I argued.
“When’s the big day? Why haven’t I been invited yet?” Stone asked, doing his best to sound put out.
I swatted Daniel in the arm. “I thought we were supposed to get married today?”
Daniel glazed right over me. “Actually, I haven’t discussed this with Vivian—”
“Were you going to?” I asked, giving him a pointed look.
“Probably not,” Daniel said easily. “But I was thinking the four of us could leave on Sunday. I’m not waiting any longer for V to be officially mine. My patience has run out, but we’re not doing it in a courthouse.”
“Where are we going?”
“Want to know or be surprised?”
“We’re going to my mountain, aren’t we?” I guessed, and Daniel faked frustration.
“Too fucking smart for your own good.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “You didn’t want a big wedding, did you?” he asked as an afterthought, looking slightly panicked.
“You know me better than that. I want you in a three-piece suit, but I might not even wear a dress,” I said, and Daniel beamed at me.
“You’re wearing a dress,” he insisted, leaning close to my ear. “Because I want to fuck you in it, and then rip it off you and do it again.” He bit my earlobe, and I flushed all over. “Need the air conditioning on, Princess?”
Stone and Muriella cleared their throats at the same time, and I flashed them a grin. “So you’ll both come?”
“I think I could manage a few days off,” Stone said, and Muriella went rigid. I couldn’t tell if she didn’t want to go or didn’t want to take the trip with him. “Where is your mountain?” Stone asked.
“New Zealand,” I answered casually, taking a sip of champagne.
Stone nearly choked on the swallow he’d just taken, and then started to laugh. “Should have known it wouldn’t be in the Rockies.”
“Still think you can manage? We want you there, Stone,” Daniel said earnestly.
“Wouldn’t miss it. I haven’t been around as much over the last few years, but that doesn’t change that y’all are family to me.” Stone’s words couldn’t have been more perfect.
Daniel gave him a satisfied smile. “Good.”
“Why aren’t we going tomorrow?” I asked, holding out my glass to Stone for a refill.
Daniel looked pleased with himself. “Can’t wait to marry me?”
He slayed me with that sparkle in his eyes. Daniel had put us through hell, yet somehow things were better between us than they’d ever been, and that was really saying something. With no more hidden secrets, he was like a freer version of himself.
The vault doors were completely gone, and I finally had what I’d always wanted from him…everything.
Epilogue
Daniel
“You ready for this?”
Stone gripped my shoulder. I smoothed down my tie and folded my hands in front of me. The sun was just breaking day, the lake taking on a pinkish hue.
I turned my attention toward the back door of the house.
“Should’ve done this a long time ago.”
The minister cleared his throat while his wife stood poised with her camera.
“We’ll do the short version,” he said.
“As short as you can,” I confirmed. I remained glued to that door, my heart thudding in my chest, even as a calm washed over me. Vivian was finally going to be my princess in every sense of the word.
These last few days had taken all my self-restraint to be patient and give Vivian the wedding she deserved, even though once she said yes, I wanted to get married immediately. But the time had given me a chance to reflect. I wasn’t happy with where things were with Muriella, but with Vivian, everything was crystal clear. I’d been wrong to push her away. It was a mistake I’d never make again.
That proverbial clock in my head had been smashed. Time—however much of it was left—no longer mattered. Here. Now. That’s what counted.
The door popped and creaked as it slid open. I straightened, straining for even a glimpse of her.
Muriella stepped onto the back deck first. Her gaze immediately went to Stone before shifting toward the house. She offered a hand, and Vivian�
��s arm appeared as her fingers slid into M’s. My pulse quickened.
A slippered foot gave way to a sleek leg. I swallowed thickly. White satin taunted me until I finally saw her face.
My legs shook when we locked eyes. Hers shimmered like my necklace around the column of her throat. Fierce possessiveness gripped me. We’d waited long enough. I wanted her now.
She led M down the steps of the deck. As soon as her feet hit the grass, she took off at a sprint. I met her halfway. She leapt into my arms, her legs locking around my waist.
Her lips crashed onto mine. We hadn’t spoken any vows, but this was us. This was her way of telling me she was mine and always had been.
“I love you.” Her fingers wove into my hair as she nuzzled my nose.
“Uh, lovebirds, we haven’t gotten to that part yet,” Stone called from behind us.
I ignored him and whispered in her ear. “You really are my everything.” I tightened my grip on her back. Her eyes softened and shimmered.
“Can we get married now?”
I carried her over to where the minister, Muriella, and Stone stood waiting for us. I set her on her feet and took both of her hands in mine.
“The quick version please,” Vivian instructed.
“We’ve already established that.” I squeezed her fingers.
“Shall we begin?” the minister asked.
“Yes,” we answered in unison.
Stone snickered. Even Muriella cracked a smile.
The ceremony began, but I didn’t hear any of it until Vivian vowed to be mine. Two simple words bonded us together for eternity. When I spoke them, I felt a subtle shift inside of me, like all the pieces finally locked into place, and I was whole.
Vivian didn’t wait for permission to kiss me. Her mouth met mine as the minister pronounced us husband and wife.
“No escaping now,” I murmured. No more desperate ground. My whole life had seemed like one battle after the other, but I’d won, and I’d savor this victory for eternity.
“That goes for you too.”
“I never really went anywhere.”
“Now you really can’t.” She nipped my bottom lip. I picked her up and carried her toward the lake. “D? What are you doing?” Wary eyes darted toward the chilly water.
“We’ll be inside later,” I called over my shoulder.
“Wait. We didn’t get pictures,” she protested.
“You want them?” I stopped walking.
She touched my cheek. “You will too one day.”
I motioned everyone to the shoreline. We posed until Vivian was satisfied, and I realized once again she was right. These were photos I could hide for her to find.
I smiled to myself as she twined her fingers with mine and led me along the edge of the water away from everyone.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked me as we walked.
“I never thought I’d have this. That I could need someone the way I do you and feel it as a source of strength instead of weakness. What you’ve given me, I—”
She cut me off with a tender kiss. “It’s nothing compared to what you’ve given me. When you asked if you could seal that envelope for me, I had no idea that moment would change my life.”
She touched my cheek and I leaned into it. Then she looked up at me. “You know, we never talked about what else was in that letter.”
“Are you okay with it?”
“No.”
I bristled. “We don’t have a prenup, so technically, I guess it’s half mine again, but you know I don’t see it that way.”
“I can’t believe you gave me and Muriella everything.”
“Except this.” I gestured toward the house. “That’s yours.”
“You know I treasure this place, but you’re avoiding the issue.”
I kissed her forehead. “No issue. I needed to take care of you. That was the only way I knew how.”
“Your money isn’t what I need.”
“I thought it was all I had to give.”
She rested her palm over my heart. “This is all I’ll ever want.”
“You have it.”
“Muriella doesn’t want the money either.”
My gaze wandered toward the house. “I won’t take it back. It may be my only chance to do right by her.”
“She’ll come around.”
“She hasn’t yet.” I dug my fingers into her hips. “I’m getting impatient.”
“Maybe Stone can get through to her.” Her brow wrinkled, unsure.
“I only know of one other person who wronged her. She’s never forgiven them, and rightly so.”
Vivian worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “This isn’t the same.”
“But she’s stubborn. And this has gone on for days.”
The woman who had needed me since she was a teenager no longer did. Now that she barely spoke to me, I realized I’d always needed her far more than I’d admitted.
I smoothed my thumb over the crease in Vivian’s worried forehead. “I’ll never forgive myself for putting her in such danger and driving her away.” My grip on Vivian tightened.
Determination filled her eyes. “We’ll just have to figure out a way to make her forgive you.”
“Together.” I dropped my forehead to hers.
“Together. Always.”
Time had just begun.
* * *
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One to Take
Tia Louise
Prologue
Running. Must keep running…
All around are shadows. Streetlights expand and contract before my eyes in the greenish-gloom of a moonless night.
“You failed. We know you failed. You failed AGAIN!”
To my right is a brick wall. I’m barefoot, and my gown is too thin. It’s too white and too thin, and I’m shaking so hard. It’s so cold. Must keep running…
Whispering voices, “You can’t escape.”
Wet pavement is under my feet. I almost slip on the slime covering it. The noise of traffic tells me I’m in a city, but nothing is familiar. I’m lost.
Keep running…
An alley yawns to my left, and I dash down it trying to escape the hissing voices, only the further I run, the narrower it grows. It’s closing in on me… It’s a dead end!
Turn back! Only… They’re there.
Walking slowly, they close in on me. They’re dressed in black with buttons and badges. Black uniforms and guns. I can see the whites of their eyes, the whites of their teeth.
Sinister smiles with glittering eyes above them. “You can’t escape.”
Dodge to the right—Oh! Water! I’ve slipped. I’m falling…
My stomach flies to my throat as the asphalt zooms toward my face.
“NO!” I scream, kicking the covers off my legs as quickly as possible, slapping back the hands. A large one reaches for my arm, and I slap it away. “Don’t touch me!”
I frantically push higher, my back against the headboard. My stomach cramps so hard, I bend forward. Sweat coats my skin in a thin sheen, causing my entire body to shake.
“Mariska!” Stuart’s voice finds me in the darkness. Commanding even in sleep, he steadies me with his strength. With a trembling exhale, I collapse to a sitting position on the pillows. “You’re okay. It was a dream.”
Just a dream. The room slowly comes into focus as I blink away the haze. Tan walls dotted with brown wooden shelves. Our blankets are a jumbled heap at my feet, and the familiar, comfy suede leather chair faces me from across the room. I’m warm and dry and safe.
I can just make out the broad, sculpted shoulders of my fiancé silhouetted in the dim light, and I reach out to smooth his dark hair, a messy bedhead. I can’t see his hazel eyes, but I know they’re serious, focused as always.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sorr
y…” I don’t know what else to say. I haven’t had such a vivid nightmare in years. Not since I met Stuart.
“I’ve got you.” Strong hands pull me to his chest. “You’re okay.”
One final tremor, and my muscles begin to relax in his embrace. I rest my cheek against his bare skin inhaling his warm scent, cedar and Stuart, and we slide down into the blankets. He pulls them over us and a deep sense of protection calms my fears as I lie in the shelter of his arms.
He rubs my back slowly, slowly soothing us both with his touch. “Go back to sleep now.”
I hold him, listening as his breathing gradually returns to normal then to the slow rhythm of sleep. I can’t sleep. Even safe in his strong arms, my eyes are wide open. I try to make sense of the dream, replaying all of it. It wasn’t anywhere I recognized. Everything was unfamiliar to me.
Blinking in the darkness, I wish for my dream journal. I wish for my grandmother, my Yaya. She could interpret dreams, but I never could. I only have them, then I have to wait for the events to occur to understand the meanings.
I don’t want the events of this dream to occur…
A shimmer of fear moves through my stomach, and I clutch Stuart tighter. His muscles flex as he pulls me closer. Several long, troubled minutes pass before I’m able to close my eyes again, but the nightmare lingers in my subconscious.
Daydreams
Mariska
June in Montana is nothing like December. The last time we were here, at Stuart’s uncle Bill’s ranch, the vast expanse of prairie was pale beige and deep brown under a steely winter sky. Now the grasses are deep green dotted with darker sagebrush. Bluebonnets mix with bright yellow balsamroot, and in the distance, the mountains are a smoky purple haze rising above it all. Waterfalls roar over black rocks along the Missouri River, and as always, the Technicolor sky spans as far as the eye can see into the horizon.
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