by Ford, Mia
You’re Everything I Need
A Forbidden Romance
Mia Ford
Copyright © 2018 by Mia Ford
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Blurb
1. Cooper
2. Lexi
3. Cooper
4. Lexi
5. Cooper
6. Lexi
7. Cooper
8. Lexi
9. Cooper
10. Lexi
11. Cooper
12. Lexi
13. Cooper
14. Lexi
15. Cooper
16. Lexi
17. Cooper
18. Lexi
19. Cooper
20. Lexi
21. Cooper
22. Lexi
23. Cooper
24. Lexi
25. Cooper
26. Lexi
27. Cooper
28. Lexi
29. Cooper
30. Lexi
31. Cooper
32. Lexi
33. Cooper
34. Lexi
35. Cooper
36. Lexi
37. Cooper
38. Lexi
39. Cooper
40. Lexi
41. Cooper
42. Lexi
43. Cooper
44. Lexi
45. Cooper
46. Lexi
47. Cooper
48. Lexi
49. Cooper
Epilogue – Lexi
50. Sneak Peak: Saving Her
About the Author
Also by Mia Ford
Blurb
Losing my wife wrecked me – only my little girl pulled me through.
She found Lexi for me too.
Ran up to her in the park calling her “mommy.”
My heart nearly broke.
Then it started pounding.
Flaming red hair and blue eyes I could drown in.
The spitting image of the woman I lost.
I can’t risk losing Lexi too.
Perks of being a millionaire – I gave her a job.
Disadvantages – she’s making my mind go to places it shouldn’t.
Places that make my breath catch and my body hot.
She wants me too – I see it in those perfect eyes.
But we’re both hiding secrets, and one of them is big.
So big it means this romance is forbidden.
We have to let go, but it’s tearing me apart.
Can facing our pasts, and the dangers they bring, give us a second chance?
1
Cooper
“Okay, Aubrey, you go and play, sweetie. Daddy just needs to make a phone call, okay?”
“Yes, Daddy.” She gives me a giant smile that melts my heart. “Thank you.”
My gorgeous little brunette two-year-old races off to the swings. She has dark hair just like me, but everything else is her mother. Those sparkling blue eyes are all Nora, which damn near breaks my heart. I sigh loudly and take a seat on the nearby bench while I make some phone calls. I need to keep myself distracted.
“Hey there, Adam. How’s it going? Things all good at the office?”
“Yeah everything is under control. You know you can trust me, I’m the manager.”
I laugh out a throaty sound. “Good, good, I just wanted to check in. You know what I’m like.”
“I know, I know, the fashion line is your baby, but trust me, I’m doing okay.”
“The photo shoot is going well? Are all the models are behaving?”
“The models are… you know, being models, but they’re doing their best. They all want to be the face of Ventry. I overheard some of them saying that it’s a stepping stone to big things.”
I have to admit, that does make me feel good. I brought this fashion line from the ground up, turning it into a billion-dollar business in a relatively short space of time. It took up a lot of my time and life, but I love it. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It helped me watching my mother work in fashion her whole life. I learned the ins and outs, the tips of the trade, and I’ve used that to my advantage.
“So, there’s no massive drama? Nothing I need to be worried about?”
“All is good, Cooper, you honestly don’t need to worry.”
“I know that… but you know I will anyway.”
“I know you will. But don’t let it interrupt your family time. It’s important.”
I slide my eyes closed, really hearing that. I know I risk becoming a workaholic. If it weren’t for Aubrey, I wouldn’t be out of that office at all, but I have to be. It’s a good thing really, but the control freak in me won’t let go. I wish I could split myself in two so I could be everywhere at once.
“I know, that’s why I’m enduring the hell of the children’s park right now.”
“Ooh, I bet you’re loving that. All those screaming kids.”
“Oh, it’s so much fun!”
“Oh, sorry. One of the girls is calling out to me…”
“Well, that’s great. Thank you, Adam, I’ll try and let you get on with it a bit.”
“Thanks, boss, and I’ll see you as usual on Monday morning so you can review everything.”
Maybe this is supposed to be the time where I take a step back and just enjoy the fruits of my labor, but I still can’t do that. I’m obsessed with making sure everything is perfect, I’m key to the success of the company.
Well, now I am; once upon a time it wasn’t just me.
I huff sadly as I hang up the phone, confronting the truth that I’m trying to ignore today. It’s six months ago to the day that my whole life was turned upside down. Six months ago, that drunk driver crashed into Nora, killing her instantly. Six months since the whole foundation of my existence changed, and now I’m a bit lost.
Luckily, I have a lot to focus on, but unfortunately, everything I have reminds me of what I’ve lost. Aubrey, obviously; that parts a kicker. Every so often, it’s hard to look at my daughter because she reminds me of her so much. Back in the early days when it first happened, every time I looked at Aubrey, all I saw was Nora’s face as she was crushed to death. The only mercy of the accident is that it killed her instantly. She didn’t suffer.
I can’t even fully throw myself into work either because that reminds me of Nora. She didn’t start it with me, she wasn’t there in the beginning, but as soon as I spotted her across that bar and our romance started to blossom, she helped me. It started with the odd suggestion here and there, but soon she really became a part of the company.
I don’t think it’s the same without her.
I rub my forehead, trying to will away the headache that bangs at the base of my skull. I wonder what Nora would think of me now. Would she be proud of how I’m trying or would she want more of me? Sometimes I feel like I’m spread a little thin trying to be everything to the fashion line and Aubrey, never quite giving enough to either one. She was always so much better at organizing everything than me.
I miss her. I miss her so much that it hurts. Losing her has left a giant gaping hole in my chest. People have told me that I should think about moving on but I don’t think I’m there yet. That’s something I’ll just play by ear. Sure, I was a playboy back in the day, before Nora came along, but at thirty-two years old with a child in tow and a business to run, I can’t go back
there.
She changed me. She turned the playboy off the moment she came into my life and I don’t think there’s any turning that side of me back on. It would be disrespectful to my wife’s memory.
Having her ripped from me when I was least expecting it has broken me. I thought we would grow old together, that we’d have more children, and more of a life. Usually, I can get on day-to-day now, I don’t wallow in pity quite so much as this, but it’s the six-month anniversary, so I’m taking the day to be pensive.
“We’re sorry, Mr. Ventry. We have some bad news for you…”
Those were the worst words that I’ve ever had to hear. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
I snap my eyes open, needing to get back into the present moment before I lose myself in grief completely, but as soon as I do, panic coils up through me. I can’t immediately spot that shock of brown hair, which is troubling. I know this park is big and she could be anywhere, but I bolt up from my seat regardless, needing to get to her. Without Nora here, she’s my sole responsibility, and I cannot stand to lose another person I love.
“Aubrey!” I cry out, dragging all eyes on me. “Aubrey, where are you?”
My chest feels tight, all the air squeezes out of my lungs, I can hear myself rasping desperately. A fuzziness encases my vision, I become so dizzy that I can barely stand. This is horrible, the more that the seconds tick past, the more freaked-out I become. My heart actually aches. This is horrible.
“Aubrey, where are you? Answer me, sweetie, I need to know where you are.”
You hear about this sort of thing on the TV, kids going missing while their parents were busy on their phones, doing work. I just never thought that it would become me. Horrifying images flicker through my mind as I scan my eyes over lots of different children, none of which are Aubrey.
“Oh my God.” All of a sudden, I spot her and the world around me stills. Silence surrounds me as my body calms itself down. My daughter is safe, nothing bad has happened to her, I don’t have to worry. “Aubrey!”
She spins to look at me and gives me that award-winning smile all over again. Tears almost well up behind my eyes as I scoop her up for a hug. Funny how it only takes a second for everything to change.
That’s a lesson I definitely should have learned already!
“Oh, Aubrey, you had me so worried then, I couldn’t see you for a moment.
“Mommy.” That one word shatters every inch of me. “Mommy. Look.”
“No, darling. Mommy isn’t here. It’s just me.”
A part of me thought that she’d soon forget about Nora because of her young age, but she hasn’t. She talks about her a lot as if she’s still here. It breaks my heart, I know that she must miss her terribly.
“No, Mommy. Look.”
I follow her eye-line, more because I’m intrigued than anything else and the sight I see stops my heart dead in my chest. It is Nora, she’s standing there in front of me, like a ghost from the past. I freeze, I can’t move even an inch, not that I’m sure I want to. This is the closest I’ve felt to her in six long months.
Same flame red hair, same piercing blue eyes, same heart-shaped face, same curvy body.
“Hi…” the vision speaks.
“H… hi.” It’s Nora, but not quite. She’s about ten years younger than her, like Nora in her early twenties. Not that I knew her until she was in her mid-twenties but I’ve seen a lot of photographs. I can see why poor little Aubrey would mistake this woman for her mother. It’s just a shame that it isn’t.
“Your daughter is so cute. She’s a real sweetie, we’ve just been talking.”
Immediately, like I do with every woman I see, I run my eyes up and down her clothing, and this is where the similarities between this woman - who might actually be real rather than a ghost after all - ends. Nora loved a floral print. She was always so pretty, so feminine, so sweet. Pinks, pastel colors, frills. This woman has much more of a black, grungy biker chick look. She’s like the girl in trouble at school, hiding behind the bike shed with a cigarette hanging out of her lips. The sort of girl that I would be super intrigued about…
“Thank you, yeah, Aubrey is a sweetie.”
“I’m sorry you thought you lost her. She just spotted me and ran towards me.”
“It’s okay, it’s my own fault, I got distracted for just a second.”
I put Aubrey down and watch her run back off to the slide, completely unaware of the drama that she’s just caused. Not just with the disappearance, which I’m still pretty breathless about, but the fact that I’m now standing with a woman that looks so much like my wife, it’s hard to digest.
“I’m sorry about that, she must think you look like her mother.”
I try to laugh it off so it isn’t too awkward, but I’m sure that the strain shines through.
“Is her mother not here?”
“Her mother… isn’t alive anymore.” That tears yet another hole in my chest. “She died a while back.”
“Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. That’s horrible.” The woman looks up at me through her eyelashes. “Do you know what, you look a bit stressed, like it’s been one of those days. I was just about to get a coffee from the little stand over there. Do you want one?”
I probably shouldn’t say yes, I don’t know if I have the emotional capability for small talk with this very special stranger, but it seems like my body has other ideas for me. My head nods without my permission.
“Great. Well, if you take a seat, I’ll come and find you in a minute. How do you like it?”
“Black with one sugar.”
“Ooh, sugar. You know that’s stuff is bad for you, right?”
As she smiles, my heart flip-flops again. That’s exactly what Nora always used to say to me. It’s almost as if this is a sign, a message from her from beyond the grave. This really feels like someone I should get to know, even if I’m not exactly sure why.
2
Lexi
Fuck, he’s hot. I drag my fingers through my mussed up flame colored hair. So hot.
If I wasn’t running away from something complicated and very messy, he’s exactly the sort of guy I would be interested in. I particularly love the tall, dark, and very handsome type with chiseled cheekbones and warm brown eyes to die for. I love his friendly face as well, and the way it seems like there’s something oddly familiar about him, but I’m not supposed to be looking for anything like love, especially not lust.
Even if he gives me a deep and delicious thrill, there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Two coffees, please,” I say to the woman behind the counter. “Both black, one sugar.”
“Coming right up.”
She pops gum in my direction, immediately getting my back up. The sound of gum popping reminds me of the man I’ve listened to doing that for the last four years. Ever since I was eighteen years old, I’ve been with the same man, I thought that was a sound I’d listen to forever more, but obviously it didn’t work out like that.
I pay the woman and take the drinks over to the bench where my brand new friend is sitting.
“Here we are.”
“Thank you.” He takes the drink from me and sips it. “This is well needed. Thank you.”
“So, you are having a bad day then? I thought as much.”
“Yeah, you could say that. It’s been a bit of a stressful one.”
“Care to share?”
He eyes me out the side of his eyes, trying to check me out. I give him a mysterious smile, not giving too much away. I prefer to keep it like that, with others at a distance. It’s easier than letting people in, I learned that the hard way. Maybe this is what I should do more often to protect myself better.
“It’s just work stuff getting on top of me, that’s all. It’s hard juggling my business and daughter. I always feel like I’m never quite giving enough to everything.”
Wow, that was more honest than I was expecting. I’m a bit taken aback actually.
“Well, your
daughter seems very well-rounded and happy. I don’t think she’s suffering at all from whatever it is that you do. What’s your business?”
“It’s a fashion line. Ventry.”
“Oh wow.” I roll my eyes in a dramatic fashion. “Clearly that isn’t suffering, is it? It’s one of the biggest lines on the planet. I have to say I think you’re being a bit too hard on yourself. You’re juggling well.”
A small smile plays on his lips. “Well, thank you, that’s nice to say.”
“You want to hear about a shitstorm of a life, I should tell you about mine.”
I sigh loudly, the popping sound still weighing heavily on me.
“Go on then.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, go on then. I want to hear about your shitstorm of a life. It might cheer me up.”
“Really?” Actually, it might do me some good to get it off my chest. I haven’t had anyone to talk to since it happened. “Well, last night I left my boyfriend of four years in Delaware, just last night.”
“Last night? Any particular reason?”
“Yeah. I caught him in bed with the woman I thought was my best friend.” A heat creeps up my cheeks. This still gets me, the two people I trusted betraying me. I don’t think I’ll ever recover. “So there’s that.”