by Lila Kane
He distracted himself with the road and drove around a few potholes before nearing the clearing they’d picnicked at. “Where is it again?”
“Just uh…” She gestured to a tree coming up on their right. “Pull over here.”
He slowed the car but narrowed his eyes at the road. “Where’s your van?”
“Right here,” Anna said, nodding. “Pull over.”
He did as she instructed and left the truck running, not seeing her van anywhere. “What’s going on?”
She blew out a breath and spread her hands. “Okay, my car’s not out here.”
“Anna.”
“I just needed to get you out, to talk—”
“I do have a house we can talk in. In fact, we were just there if you remember.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to talk here because…I’ll show you.”
He didn’t move, his hand squeezing the keys still hanging from the ignition.
“Please, Beckett. Just a few minutes and I promise you can go if you don’t want to stay. You can even leave me here.”
“I’m not leaving you here,” he said with a huff, turning off the truck and reaching for the door handle.
His shoes squished in mud when he got out of the car. He cursed, then rubbed his hands over his face. God, he hadn’t realized how hard this week had been until just now. How much of a toll it had taken.
Anna met him on the other side of the car, her hands tucked in her pockets. “Can we walk over here just a bit?”
“You can’t tell me right here?”
Her smile was apologetic. “Nope.”
His lips twitched, but he held back. Whatever she was doing had obviously been planned. He didn’t know whether to be flattered or pissed, but at the very least, he wanted an explanation. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to trudge across the clearing to get one.
He followed her through the grass, dodging tall weeds and keeping his eyes from her backside. Didn’t need that distraction right now. When they’d walked several feet, he noticed something at the edge of the clearing.
“Since you didn’t have lunch yet, I thought maybe we could start there.” She glanced over and saw his face, and quickly continued. “Or—not. Whatever you want. If you need to go or you don’t want to be here—”
“Anna.”
She wrung her hands. “I know it’s wet. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but see? Chairs, so we don’t have to use a blanket, and—”
“What’s going on?”
She reached out, gripping his hands with cold fingers and tugging him toward the chairs. “So we’ve got fried chicken just like last time and the strawberries. Also—”
“The time capsule.” His eyes zeroed in on the tin box he’d dug up for their last picnic. “Did you do this?”
“Yeah. And it was hell to find. I think another critter got to it, which is why there are sort of…pieces everywhere.” She shook her head. “Not the point.”
He eyed her outfit and the flush to her cheeks. “Is this what you were doing before you came to my house?”
“Yes. Poppy helped me and dropped me off at your house and everything.”
“I didn’t hear her car.”
“It was down the road a bit so you would believe my story about the van.”
His lips twitched again. “All this to get me out here?”
“Yes.” She squeezed his hand.
“Why?”
“Because I realized the time capsule was missing something.”
“What?”
“My new wish.”
He released a slow breath, taking in her words, trying to sort through how he felt about them. “What’s your new wish?”
“You.”
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For a moment, it looked like he didn’t believe her. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, only stared at her. Finally, in a low voice, he said, “Are you sure?”
She swallowed and nodded, her stomach a mass of nerves. “One hundred percent, without a doubt. Tell my entire family, and my extended family kind of sure. I love you, Beckett.”
A thousand emotions flickered across his face before he crushed her to him, arms like a band of steel around her. “I love you, too,” he murmured, voice next to her ear.
His lips found hers, warm and urgent, before they traced a path across her cheek and down to her jawbone.
“Beckett,” she whispered, body already responding to his.
“You lied to me about your car.”
Her stomach jumped, but when she glimpsed his face, he was smiling. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m sorry.”
He smiled. “I forgive you.”
“And I’m sorry about…everything else. I—I was scared about falling in love again. I was scared it wouldn’t work out.”
“You were scared of being hurt.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Anna. I might mess up—threaten to kick your ex-fiancés ass or something—but I’ll never intentionally hurt you.”
She laughed, but it was close to a sob. “I know.”
When her eyes filled with tears, he brushed her cheek with his thumb. “Don’t cry. This is a good thing.”
“It’s a great thing,” she said.
He kept her hand in his, pulling her to the chairs. The clouds parted, speckling the field in sunlight.
“What about France?” he asked.
“You knew about it?”
“I knew about it.”
“It’s not where I need to be. I need to be here with you.”
And she meant it with her whole heart. It had taken her nearly thirty years to find what had been right in front of her the whole time.
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’ll take you someday.”
She nodded. “I’d like that.”
“And what about…” His voice trailed off.
“Tom?” Anna asked.
He winced. “Yes.”
“He came over that day because Catrina broke off their engagement and asked him to move out.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And he apologized.”
Beckett narrowed his eyes. “Really,” he said again.
“Really. I was surprised, too, but we kind of worked through things. Anyway, he moved back to the city.”
“Best news I’ve heard all day.”
She smirked. “He’s out of the picture.”
“I should have told you about Poppy and our plan,” Beckett began.
“No, Poppy told me everything and you guys didn’t do anything wrong. I—I just wasn’t ready for the next step. I guess I needed an out, and that was a good one.”
He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “You talked with Poppy?”
“I did. We’re good.”
“Good.” His lips curved. He kissed her again, lingering, taking his time, letting his hands roam.
When he eased back, she said, “One more thing.”
He arched an eyebrow. “What?”
“After our picnic, we should go tell my family.”
“About us? They already know. Pretty sure I had a hand in that one.”
She grinned. “I mean officially. We’ll do it right this time.”
He cupped her cheek with his hand. “I’d like that.”
“I love you, Beckett. And I want everyone to know it.”
He grinned. “I love you too, Anna Keller. But you know your family is going to make a big deal about this.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less. Just remember, you’re part of my family now.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Which means Poppy is half your responsibility.”
He laughed, and it was the best sound she’d heard in weeks.
Turn the page for a sneak peek at book two in the Keller Weddings series, THE PERFECT FIT, or preorder your copy now.
Summary
Fitz Tennyson doesn’t believe in forever. His parents have been through a series of marriage
s and divorces and have proven to him that long-term love doesn’t exist. When he’s sent by the editor of his magazine to write a story on Keller Wedding Consultants, he meets Summer and all the sudden his ideas of romance are turned on their head. Not only is the attraction instant, but he finds himself falling for a woman whose beliefs are the exact opposite of his.
Summer knows Fitz’s type. Cocky, arrogant, and most of all, a relationship nightmare. She’s in the business of happliy ever afters and Fitz Tennyson definitely isn’t looking for long-term love. Then why can’t she stay away from him? When he integrates himself into her life, she finds herself falling for him—the real him. He’s everything she’s looking for except for the most important thing: He doesn’t want to get married.
When things start to get serious, Summer’s ready to run. She can’t stand the idea of a broken heart and would rather get out before it happens. Fitz is in over his head, but he can’t let Summer go. He’ll do whatever he can to earn Summer’s trust and show her the kind of person he’s grown to be before it’s too late.
Chapter One
Postcard perfect.
Fitz jotted the words on a notepad he pulled from his jacket pocket. Main Street Park Creek was just as close to perfect as it could get. Cute town, tight community, ideal wedding venue.
“Shit.” He frowned when his pen ran out of ink.
Fantastic. Just what he needed. As if it wasn’t bad enough he had to be in perfect Park Creek, covering the perfect wedding planning company and all their perfect brides and grooms.
Fitz shoved the pen and notepad back in his pocket and decided to make use of his powers of observation instead. Despite his irritation, the town did have its own special charm. And he was a day early—might as well take his time. Get a feel for the place.
It wasn’t the best story assignment he’d ever gotten—in fact, far from it. But it could be worse. The parent company of the travel magazine he wrote for merging with the same one who owned a wedding magazine was a smart move. But that didn’t mean he enjoyed being a team player. They hadn’t asked so much as told him to cover this story, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
Headquarters for Keller Wedding Consultants sat down the row of storefronts on his left, sandwiched between the bakery and flower shop. All three had baskets of flowers and inviting benches set out front. The storefronts looked more like cottages than businesses. More charm.
In fact, he didn’t know why Kiss the Bride! magazine hadn’t found this place sooner. They were going to eat this up.
He gazed across the street. Keller Designs. The last piece of the puzzle. This family had it pretty much covered, didn’t they? Flowers, cakes, dresses, and as far as he understood, the only male in the family acted as photographer.
Fitz shook his head, his lip quirking. Family business. He wouldn’t be caught dead working for his mother. Or his father. And he had no siblings to speak of—not that he’d consider working with them either.
He watched a handful of giggling women exit Keller Wedding Consultants. Half walked to the flower shop and the other half to the bakery. He stepped off the curb and strolled over to Keller Designs instead. It didn’t look as busy. He might as well get a head start. The sooner he got the information for this article, the sooner he could get back to his real job.
A soft chime above the door tinkled when he walked through. He heard the sound of laughter and then saw a woman peek out from behind a display where she stood with two other women.
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said, dimples flashing.
“No problem.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. No problem at all. He pretended to browse, listening as she talked with the women, laughter in her voice. And when he caught another glimpse of her, long legs, strong shoulders, and those dimples again, he froze.
Damn. How long had it been since he’d felt that zap of attraction? Too long.
He searched his mind for her name. Sunny? No, Summer. That’s right. She had to be Summer. The youngest of the Keller children. And far too attractive to be unattached.
He found himself leaning around a mannequin to try to see her hand. Married? No, wait, he’d read that, too. None of the children were married, though they all helped run the wedding planning company.
Fitz smiled. Interesting. And maybe an angle he could work.
Then he checked that thought. No, he was writing an article about the business, and the editors probably weren’t after the juicy details. They wanted to know how Mrs. Keller had gotten the place up and running, learn more about each of the businesses within the business, and maybe a couple stories about their bigger weddings. They’d play it up with photos, too. The family all together. Each of the stores. A shot or two of a cake, a centerpiece, a dress, the venue—which he heard was a barn.
Still, it was a pretty good spread. The article would probably boost business for the family at the very least.
“This one,” Summer said to the women. “It’s perfect. Magical.”
Magical? Sounded like a line. But a sale was a sale, right?
“You should try on the rest, too, though,” the older woman said. Probably the mother of the bride. “Just in case.”
“Of course,” Summer said. “Let me get you set up in the room on the end here.”
She hauled four dresses to the changing area and settled them on a rack, disappearing inside the closest room with one of them. Once the women vanished, she flashed her dimpled smile again and walked to Fitz.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
Blue. Her eyes were blue, like jewels. Like the ocean. Deep, tropical waters. “Magical, huh?”
“Excuse me?”
“You said the dress was magical.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear with a grin. “It is. It’s the perfect one for her.”
“How do you know? She hasn’t even tried it on yet.”
“I know. I have a sense for these things. Like the bride and groom—I met him last week. They’re perfect for each other, too.”
He angled his head. “There’s no such thing as perfect. You know most marriages end in divorce, right?”
She lifted a brow calmly. “I’m not in the business of divorce. I just see what I see.”
He grinned. Feisty. He liked it. Sure, he didn’t believe a word she was saying, but she looked good saying it.
“If you don’t believe in marriage, you must not be a groom.”
He shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t believe in marriage, I just don’t believe in forever.”
“Why not? It does happen sometimes.”
“Love? Forever?” He chuckled. “Doesn’t happen.”
“Is that so?”
“My mom—she’s on her third marriage. My dad is ending his fourth. So yeah, I believe in marriage. A profitable industry. But forever? No such thing.”
“And definitely not forever and perfect, right?”
“Precisely.”
Something flickered behind her gaze. He couldn’t tell if it was frustration or amusement, but then a squeal from the dressing rooms made them both jump.
The bride appeared, hands over her mouth. “Oh, my God. It’s perfect.”
She stepped in front of the mirror, doing a little twirl. The bell of the dress flared out just slightly and a shimmer caught the light from the overhead chandelier.
The mother of the bride oohed and ahhed and fluffed up the dress on the bottom, nearly melting on the floor. “Not too poufy, but just enough. Not too shimmery, but just enough.” She turned to Summer, a smile wide on her face. “You’re right. It is perfect.”
Summer arched her brow at Fitz, lips twitching. “If you’ll excuse me.”
He held in a chuckle. Well, what did he expect? Brides were primed for the magical. They were in love. They wanted to believe the world and everything in it was perfect, as was their life.
Maybe Summer did have a knack for calling it like she saw it. Or maybe she just got l
ucky.
But, Fitz thought as he left the shop and headed across the street, he was intrigued. And he just might have to find out a little more about Summer Keller.
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Summer skimmed her pencil down the paper. A small train, soft and lacey. Just enough to give the dress some romance. She leaned back, tapping the end of her pencil on the desk. Just a little more romance. She added scalloped edges to the lace and nodded.
Perfect.
She rolled her eyes. Okay, perfect to her.
What the hell had that been earlier? Men hardly ever came into her store, and they were never alone. Unless they were picking up something for someone. Or purchasing a gift.
The man who’d come in this morning hadn’t been doing either.
So what was that all about? And damn, why couldn’t she get that cocky smile out of her mind? Yeah, he had a kind of cynical view on love. Maybe the world in general. But he’d challenged her, and there was something about a man who knew his own mind that she found intriguing.
Even if he was wrong.
She heard footsteps behind her and then her oldest sister’s voice. “Meeting in fifteen.”
Summer straightened. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked to see if she’d gotten a text.
Jillian propped her shoulder against the wall, glasses dangling from her fingertips. “I didn’t text you.”
“Why not?”
“You wouldn’t have seen it anyway.”
Summer grinned and scooted her chair away from the desk. Her space was small back here, just enough to fit a mannequin, which wore a simple wedding gown right now, her sewing machine, and room to bring clients in for alterations. She would love her own studio, somewhere she could spread out and create. Her favorite was wedding gowns, but anything flowy and romantic gave her a little thrill. And that was…
…wishful thinking. No, a dream. And unnecessary. She loved her job. She didn’t need anything more.
Jillian peered over Summer’s shoulder and eyed the newest sketch. “That’s beautiful.”
She closed her sketchbook with a shrug. “It’s getting there.”
“Is that for a client?”
“No. Just an idea.”
Jillian put on her glasses and opened the sketchbook again, examining the drawing. “I like the cap sleeves. Romantic.”