by Helen Lacey
“You look so beautiful,” he said and grasped her right hand when she reached him.
“You look pretty good yourself,” she said and moved closer. “Have you come to help me schmooze and sell some of this amazing artwork for charity?”
“Absolutely. The place looks incredible. And the turnout is good. Better than we hoped.”
“Three pieces of art have already sold,” she said, clearly delighted. “And there have been bids on four others. At this rate we’ll reach our goal well before the end of the evening. I have to give a speech soon...you know, thanks to the artists who donated their work and to the people who’ve helped this night come together.”
“I’m really proud of you. This event is all your doing.”
“Not all,” she corrected. “I couldn’t have done it without your support and guidance. So, thank you. By the way, your parents are here,” she said and her mouth flattened a little. “Not together, I might add. Your mom arrived with Kieran and your dad arrived alone. But at least they’re here.”
“As are yours. But I don’t think we’re in for any fireworks tonight,” he said and grinned. “I’m sure everyone will be on their best behavior. Even Jonah.”
She laughed softly. “I think I saw him hanging around the door looking for his first chance to escape.”
“I’m sure he’ll do his best to have a terrible time,” Liam said and rubbed her fingers. “But you never know, he might surprise us. Speaking of surprises,” he said and led her off to the side to a little alcove so they could speak privately. “Your father came to see me this afternoon. I think we’ve come to an understanding.”
She nodded, as though it was no surprise at all. “I’m glad. I hope he can find some place of peace where your father is concerned. Once the baby comes, there’ll be a christening and then birthdays... I want to share that with my family. With our families.”
“We will,” he promised and touched her stomach discreetly. “How’s our little champ doing?”
“She’s good.”
“She?”
Kayla smiled. “Just a feeling.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said softly, grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth. “I like the idea of my daughter having me wrapped around her finger, just like her mom.” Something glittered on her hand and he turned her palm over. The platinum-and-diamond band he’d slipped onto her finger that night in Vegas over a month ago was securely in its place. “You’re wearing your ring?”
She nodded. “For good. Forever. I love you, Liam. More than that, I need you. Always. And I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to say the words to you. I’d tell the world if I could.”
Like stars aligning, Liam experienced a strange and almost surreal sense of peace that started deep down in his chest and then worked its way across his skin and through every molecule he possessed.
“You’re saying them to me,” he said and touched her cheek. “And that’s all that matters. So, go give your speech and when you’re done we’ll do that schmoozing you wanted.”
She smiled and stepped away and he watched her walk through the crowd, her golden hair shimmering beneath the lights. He was about to seek out his father when both his brothers sidled up beside him. Kieran had a beer in one hand and Liam raised a curious brow.
“Hair of the dog,” Kieran said and grinned. “You should try it.”
Liam grimaced. “I’ll pass.”
Jonah made a scoffing sound. “You two girls can’t hold your liquor.”
“Has your blonde from last night given you the slip?” Kieran asked and took a drink.
Technically the youngest O’Sullivan—since he was born three days after Sean—shrugged one shoulder. “Two nights in a row looks too much like a relationship.”
“You sentimental fool,” Kieran teased.
Liam laughed. Maybe having another brother wasn’t so bad, after all. Jonah was even more uptight than he was. It would be a nice change not being considered the most disagreeable O’Sullivan around.
“You look happy,” Kieran said and jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.
“I am,” he admitted.
“I almost envy you,” his brother said and drank some more beer. “Incidentally, I heard that Kayla wiped the floor with everyone today. Mom said it was something else. It must be nice knowing the woman you love has your back.”
Liam looked at Kieran and nodded. “It is.”
“Yep. I definitely envy you.”
“Now who’s being sentimental?” Jonah said just as the music stopped playing.
Liam’s attention was quickly drawn to the stage. Kayla stepped onto the small podium and began to speak, her lovely voice filtering throughout the room. And then he felt and heard nothing but her.
* * *
Kayla took a deep breath and adjusted the microphone. She’d practiced her thank-you speech a dozen times in her head and the words began to roll off her tongue.
“Thank you so much for coming tonight. My name is Kayla R—” She stopped, meeting Liam’s loving gaze across the room and changing her mind midsentence. “My name is Kayla O’Sullivan, and I am the curator of the Cedar River Museum and Art Gallery.”
She heard a few gasps, saw a few heads turn in Liam’s direction. And also saw him smiling just a little. So, she went on, thanking the artists, the local dignitaries attending, the hospital volunteers, Shirley and Ash and the caterers and anyone else who’d helped pull the event together. When she was almost done, she paused and took a breath. She could see close to one hundred pairs of eyes directed toward her, waiting for her next words. She spotted her parents and saw her dad smile reassuringly.
With her gaze fixed back to Liam, she continued, “And lastly, I’d like to thank my husband, Liam, who has generously funded this evening’s event. The O’Sullivan family has a long history of charitable work in our town and I’m very proud to now be a part of that legacy. So, thank you, Liam... I love you more than words can say.” She saw his stunned expression, took a breath and smiled. “And thank you to everyone for coming tonight and making the event such a success. Please, enjoy the rest of the evening.”
There was a short applause and she quickly handed the microphone back to the musicians and stepped off the stage. She watched as Liam said something to his brothers and then headed directly for her. By the time he reached her Kayla’s knees were shaking and her heart was full of love for him.
“So, not exactly the world,” he said and grasped her hand, linking their fingers intimately. “But close enough.”
She smiled. “I think I’ve shocked a few people already today.”
“Yes,” he said and drew her close. “I heard about your family meeting today.”
Kayla shrugged and moved into his embrace. “I was staking a claim on what was mine.”
“And what’s that?” he teased.
“You,” she replied. “Us.”
“I like the sound of that. Do you know what else I would like?” he said, smiling.
“What?”
His arms tightened around her. “To marry you again,” he said, stunning her. “In a chapel in this town with our family and friends around us.”
Kayla’s heart rolled over. “I’d like that very much.”
“So, would you have any objections if I kissed you right about now, Mrs. O’Sullivan?”
“Not one.”
His mouth met hers in a sweetly passionate kiss that made her swoon and then smile when she heard a few whoops and cheers around them. It was the happiest moment of her life. And she was happier still, knowing there was more to come. Her life with Liam. Their baby. Their family.
Which was everything.
Epilogue
“So, I have to ask,” Liam’s brother Sean said as he adjusted his tie for a
bout the third time in as many minutes. “Why are you doing this if you’re already hitched?”
Liam glanced at Sean and grinned. “Because I want to marry the woman I love in front of our friends and family. Because I want to see her in a white dress. Because I want my brothers standing at my side for the most important moment in my life. Take your pick,” he said and tapped his younger brother on the shoulder.
Sean had arrived in Cedar River less than six hours ago, Kieran the day before. And Jonah two days earlier. He was incredibly grateful that they’d all made the effort to be part of his wedding.He looked at each of his brothers. All three, wearing dark suits with a flower in the lapel, waited for him to make a move and head through the door and into the chapel.
“Thanks for being here,” he said. “It means a lot to me.”
They all nodded. Even Jonah, who Liam suspected had agreed to be a groomsman despite his continued resistance to the idea he was an O’Sullivan.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Kieran said and grinned. “Besides, every time I come home I remember how much I like this town.”
Sean groaned. “I knew it, you’re gonna move back here, right?”
Kieran shrugged. “Maybe,” he said casually. “If I can get on staff at the hospital.”
“What about you?” Sean asked, looking at Jonah. “You got any plans to ditch Portland and settle in Cedar River?”
“Not one,” Jonah replied. “Although, now that my mother has decided she wants to spend more time here, no doubt I’ll be commuting when I want to see her.”
Liam looked at the three men. All different. But all bound together by blood. Which felt even more important to him now that he had Kayla and a baby on the way. Now he understood why his father had fought so fiercely to keep Jonah in his life. And why he still did, even though his youngest brother rarely gave J.D. the time of day. Family. The only thing in life that truly mattered.
“Okay,” he said with a smile and took a deep breath. “Let’s do this. I want to go and marry my wife.”
Then he turned on his heels and left the room with his brothers right behind him.
* * *
As the car pulled up outside the chapel, Kayla experienced another flutter of nerves in her belly. Silly, she supposed, since she and Liam were already married. But, somehow, this truly felt like her wedding day. Maybe it was the beautiful lace dress, or the flowers, or the fact that she was sitting in the back of a limo with her father...whatever the reason, she was brimming with happiness. And a few pre-wedding jitters.
“Everything okay, love?”
She met her father’s gaze and smiled. “Fine, Dad. I just can’t quite believe I’m here.”
Derek’s gaze softened. “He’s a lucky man.”
Kayla smiled. “I’m the lucky one. Liam is the kindest and most amazing person I have ever known and I feel so incredibly blessed to have him in my life. And thank you,” she said and gently squeezed her father’s arm, “for giving him a chance. I know how difficult it was for you to accept this...to accept us.”
Derek shrugged, his eyes glistening a little. “He loves you...that’s all I could ask for.”
“He does,” she said and smiled again. “He really does.”
As they stepped from the car, Lucy, Ash and Brooke were quickly by her side, straightening her veil and fluffing her small bouquet of tiny white roses. Kayla ran a hand down the lace gown, felt her small baby bump and sighed happily.
“You ready?” Ash asked, hugging her.
“Absolutely.”
Kayla took her father’s arm and followed the bridesmaids up the steps and into the chapel. She heard music, saw people rise as Ash, Lucy and Brooke headed down the aisle and waited with her father until it was her turn to follow. She spotted her grandmother and her aunt in the front row and her mother at the end of the aisle, and Liam’s parents on the other side.
And then she saw Liam standing by the altar and everything else faded around her. He looked so handsome in his dark suit, and when their gaze met she saw love and longing and her heart brimmed over. When she reached the altar, Liam held out his hand and as her father released her, Kayla moved toward the man she loved, entwining her fingers with his.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said, his voice the only sound she could hear.
She smiled and moved closer. “You’re here.”
His blue eyes glittered brilliantly and he laid a gentle hand against her belly as they turned toward the preacher. “We’re here,” he said softly.
In that moment, she knew that nothing and no one would ever come between them. They had each other—body, heart and soul. And for always.
* * * * *
Look for Ash’s story, the next installment of THE CEDAR RIVER COWBOYS Helen Lacey’s new miniseries, on sale August 2017.
And catch up with Kayla and Liam’s friends and family by reading the previous books in THE CEDAR RIVER COWBOYS miniseries for Harlequin Special Edition:
THREE REASONS TO WED
LUCY & THE LIEUTENANT
And
THE COWGIRL’S FOREVER FAMILY
Available wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold.
Keep reading for an excerpt from MEANT TO BE MINE by Marie Ferrarella.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Special Edition story.
You know that romance is for life. Harlequin Special Edition stories show that every chapter in a relationship has its challenges and delights and that love can be renewed with each turn of the page.
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Special Edition every month!
Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards & Instantly earn a FREE ebook of your choice.
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever & whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS.
Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!
Register Today & Earn a FREE BOOK*
*New members who join before April 30th, 2017 will receive 2000 points redeemable for eligible titles.
Click here to register
Or visit us online to register at
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001
Meant to Be Mine
by Marie Ferrarella
Prologue
Tiffany Lee’s eyes lit up the moment that she saw him.
She might only be four years old, but she was a woman who knew her own heart and her heart belonged to Monty. That was what he told her his name was when she got up the nerve to ask him.
Monty.
His family lived in the house down the block and had only been there a couple of months, but it was long enough for her to make up her mind that when she grew up, she was going to marry him.
“Let’s go, Tiffany, you are making your sisters late for school,” her mother scolded.
She was deliberately dawdling, hanging back until Monty could catch up to her. He went to
her school, as did his sisters.
“I’m trying to button my sweater, Mama,” she said, seizing the first excuse she could think of. It was a cool spring morning and her sweater was hanging open because she’d put the buttons into the wrong holes and had to start again.
Her mother looked at her impatiently. She had rules about being late. Mama had rules about everything. She said you couldn’t grow up properly without rules to guide you.
“You do not need to button your sweater, it is not cold,” Mei-Li Lee told her youngest born. “Just hold it against you. Now come!”
“I can help you button that,” the boy who had caught her young heart offered, coming up to her. “It won’t take long,” he promised.
She stood their, perfectly still, watching as his fingers pushed each button on her sweater through a hole. She felt like a princess and he was her prince.
And someday, she thought again, he would be her husband.
“Take your time, dear,” Theresa Manetti told the dignified looking, slightly flustered Asian-American woman sitting in the chair beside her desk. “I have all afternoon.”
That wasn’t entirely true. At the moment Theresa had approximately half an hour to spare, but she didn’t want the other woman to feel pressured or rushed.
They were sitting in her back office. The owner of a thriving catering company that had enjoyed more than a dozen years of success, Theresa had practically every minute of her time accounted for. But the award-winning chef trusted her people to capably carry on without her supervision for however long it took her friend, Mrs. Mei-Li Lee, to get around to asking what Theresa already knew in her heart the woman wanted to ask.