by Claire Adams
James drew even with me as we approached the first buoy. I pulled back on the throttle and gunned it. The wind felt amazing in my hair. I felt freer and more relaxed than I had in a long time.
There was something about being out on the open ocean with a gassed-up watercraft and the love of my life hot on my heels that was positively exhilarating.
I shot past the second buoy first, throwing my hands up in the air in victory, an insanely wide grin spreading on my face.
I won! I can’t believe that I actually won!
James rounded the buoy not a second later, wearing a grin that made my heart race and skip a beat at the same time, if that were possible. Around him, it was. I was living proof of that fact.
“Well done, angel. Let’s get back to shore. You ready for your prize?” His eyes had taken on the turquoise hue of the water around him, shining with excitement. Whatever the surprise was, it was sure to be good.
“What? You don’t want a second chance to beat the master?” I joked, already pointing my nose in the direction of the shoreline.
I wanted that prize. I hoped that it involved the motel on the beach and then lunch at the Spanish place. That would be the perfect day off.
“Not today. Besides, we both know who the true master is.” He teased, but his heart wasn’t in it. He fidgeted with the choke chain, eyes pinned to the beach behind me.
James didn’t fidget. Ever. He didn’t get nervous, but he sure looked it as he gestured for me to take the lead and stayed close in my wake.
My heart pounded. If the prize was having that effect on him, it was bound to be downright amazing for me.
Once we reached the beach, he reached for my hand and wound his fingers through my mine as he guided me down the shore without a word. In the opposite direction of the motel.
Damn. Although it had been a while since we’d done anything sexual in a public place, maybe we were—
He stopped abruptly, interrupting my dirty train of thought. I scanned my surroundings. A familiar rock outcropping confirmed what I suspected: we were at the exact spot where we’d sat when he’d first told me about Harper.
A quick glance at his expression told me that he remembered, too. Now that I thought about it, his expression wasn’t one that I could remember having seen before. The love suddenly shining in his eyes nearly floored me.
My knees buckled. My throat went dry. My heart stammered. My body trembled.
God, I loved him. So damn much. My heart soared in my chest as I drank his gaze in, beating like it wanted straight out of me and into him. Like a magnet pulled my heart to his.
James turned to face me, gathering both of my hands in his. Those unfamiliar nerves played in his eyes for just a second before they were gone. He took a deep breath, locking his eyes with mine as he sank to one knee.
My vision blurred. My heart raced. Everything in my world narrowed to those eyes and the man that was on his knee looking up at me with pure, unadulterated love. Adoration.
What the? He couldn’t be doing what I thought he was doing. It wasn’t possible. James didn’t believe in marriage. I’d always known that.
And yet… Hope surged through me. I blinked.
“I had a speech planned.” His voice cracked with emotion. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. “But now, looking up at you, it’s all gone. All I can think about is how much I love you. How I still can’t believe that out of the millions of men on this planet, you chose me. How I will never know how I got that lucky.”
“James,” I breathed, heart hammering in my chest. I struggled to form thoughts, let alone words.
“From the second you walked up to me in that office and kissed the shit out of me, I knew that you were one of a kind. That there was no other woman like you. You intrigued me. I couldn’t stay away from you, even if I knew that I should. I remember the exact moment that I realized that what I felt for you was so much more than intrigue. That I realized that I had fallen in love with you. I remember the exact moment that I realized that, somehow, you loved me back.”
He squeezed my hands. My breath caught in my lungs, and my heart pounded like never before. I squeezed back.
“Exactly two years and one month ago, I told you that I loved you for the first time. Today, I’m asking you to let me tell you that, to let me prove it to you every day for the rest of my life.”
James unzipped the pocket on his board shorts and pulled out a ring. My hands flew to my mouth.
“I love you, Gabrielle Ralls. Will you marry me?”
His eyes were wide. His tongue flicked over his bottom lip. He held the beautiful, intricately designed ring up. Offering it to me.
I dropped to my knees in front of him. “Yes.”
A deep breath that I hadn’t realized he’d been holding escaped. The most radiant, beautiful grin spread on his face. Absolute joy shone in his eyes. He slid the ring onto my finger.
It fit perfectly. I gaped at it. Then at James.
I pinched myself. I wasn’t dreaming.
We’re engaged! James really wants to marry me! My inner cheerleader zoomed around my brain so fast that I felt slightly dizzy. My heart swelled. I laughed. I had never felt that way. I hadn’t imagined it was possible to be that happy.
James tugged me to him, wrapping his arms around me. “Thank God,” he whispered against my lips, pulling me in for a kiss that made my toes curl.
At that moment, I knew that he was mine. The bad boy star athlete that I had fallen in love with, and the incredible man that he had become, was all mine. Forever.
An errant thought broke free. “Wait, you actually let me win?”
“Totally worth it.” He smirked, lowering his lips back to mine.
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EXECUTIVE
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Noah
“Today is a very special day for Stone Medical Supplies,” I said into the microphone. “Four years ago today, I started this company with a dozen employees. And now look at us.” I raised my hands out to the hundred and fifty employees standing before me. An explosion of clapping and cheering filled the room. During lunch, a hired crew transformed the lobby of my building into a wide-open space with two bars, several food stations, and a DJ booth. I still felt the warmth inside of me from when I saw the faces of my employees when they saw what I had planned for them this afternoon. They deserved this party. And the cost wasn’t a deterrent. I’d made enough pounding the pavement over the years to be able to open my own business, providing for myself, my family, and everyone in front of me. I made eye contact with as many of them as I could, hoping that I could convey my appreciation for each and every one of them.
“After leaving Big Pharma five years ago,” I continued, “this company was a risk. But delivering quality medical supplies face-to-face to our customers in St. Paul was a dream I’ve always envisioned for us. And while you might not see the significance of four years versus a bigger milestone, I wanted to be the one to tell all of you that we’ve tripled our figures in the last quarter, the highest this company has ever seen!”
People whooped and hollered.
Pride swelled within me, and I waited for them to calm down before I went on. It took them a minute. Friday Fever had kicked in, plus the open bar and food had given my employees more enthusiasm.
“I don’t want to keep you too much longer, but in all sincerity, this company wouldn’t have thrived without every single person standing in front of me. I know the future of this compan
y is in good hands with all of you and I hope this party shows my appreciation. Enjoy!”
I placed the microphone on the stand and walked into the crowd as they cheered. I clapped for them as well. Then it was like a horserace for the food and drinks. Most of them took off for the bars, which was why I chose to have two of them.
I cued the DJ to start the music, and he started up with a pop song I recalled hearing on the radio recently, though I couldn’t remember the boy band. A few of the women jumped up and down hearing the song, and I grinned at seeing them outside of their serious expressions when behind their desks. I liked seeing my hard workers cut loose.
“Thank you so much for all this, Mr. Stone,” Emily Getreur said, coming up alongside me. She was the head of accounting and really needed some downtime. With the increase in figures, she’d stayed late with me and a few others to get our numbers in on time for the quarterly reports.
“You’re welcome, Emily. How are your daughters?” I asked.
Emily’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She loved to talk about her twin daughters and their various school activities.
“Oh, they can’t wait to graduate later this year,” she said.
“Be sure to have them complete the essay for the Stone scholarship,” I said, further promoting the four-year tuition-free scholarship dedicated to employees’ children. My pay packages were competitive, but I knew what it was like to have debt.
“Oh, they will!” she said.
“Enjoy yourself.” I moved through the crowd, and several employees thanked me for the party. And as much as I wanted to mingle with them, I had Gina coming by soon. And as much as I was close to my employees, I knew they would be able to enjoy themselves a little more without the boss nearby.
Speaking of the adorable devil, Gina bounded into the lobby, shooting through the crowd as if fired from a cannon.
“Daddy!” she cried, running right past me toward the stairs to the second floor.
Gina’s nanny, Layla Porter, looked like a drowned rat as she shuffled through the crowd calling for Gina. She tugged at the tips of her short graying hair as she scanned the crowd. I glanced out the window. I didn’t realize it had been pouring outside. With Gina’s excitement, it looked like she’d forgotten her coat and Layla had forgotten an umbrella.
“I got her!” I called to Layla over the music.
Layla’s head snapped in my direction and recognition flooded her face. She waved at me and stopped walking to catch her breath.
I tried not to cringe at her. She looked exhausted. A sinking feeling weighed in my stomach. I pushed it aside and bolted after Gina before she took her first step onto the stairs at the far end of the lobby.
“Honey,” I said, and she turned around.
Her big brown eyes widened, and her crooked grin spread ear to ear. “Daddy!” she exclaimed and attached herself to my leg. “I missed you. Is this party for me?”
“No, honey,” I said with a smile. “Let’s go upstairs, and you can tell me about your day,” I said, lifting her up and holding her against my hip.
She rubbed her tiny hands over my chin. “Scruffy, Daddy.”
I smiled. “You don’t like it?”
“Umm, I guess.”
I dug my face into her neck and growled. Her cries of laughter rattled my ear drum, even over the thumping bass music from the DJ booth.
Once we reached the top of the stairs, she took off into my office at the end of the hallway. She had her own corner with a desk and art supplies which she called “work.” Sometimes I wished my job involved crayons and colored paper.
I glanced down the stairs and saw Layla slowly ascending. She looked more weathered lately, and this was the perfect opportunity to speak with her about how she was getting along with Gina. She’d called me earlier in the day and asked if she could talk with me. Since I wasn’t going to leave the building before the party, I asked her to come in with Gina. I wondered if that had been a bad idea. Lately, she and Gina remained at home for most of the day. Gina had plenty of toys and a massive swing set outside, but she required a lot of activity to tire her out. Layla wasn’t a spring chicken, and bringing Gina to the park or anywhere else was a handful.
I had a bad feeling about this conversation, but I wasn’t one to shy away from it, especially when it was about my family. If Layla wasn’t the best for Gina, so be it. But a part of me wanted to be wrong about this, even though my intuition was rarely wrong.
“Mr. Stone,” Layla said.
“Layla,” I said, waiting for the floor to drop from under me.
“I think you know what I’m going to say,” she said. “Your daughter is a beautiful child.”
“But energetic?” I offered.
“Very,” Layla said when she reached the top of the stairs. She leaned heavily on the railing. “It’s not her fault. I remember my own children at her age. But I’m not a woman in my twenties anymore. I have grandchildren of my own. Ones who I can give back to my children when I’ve had enough. I’m getting too old for this.”
“I understand,” I said, putting on an impassive expression while inside I wanted to scream. It had been hard enough to get Layla on board after meeting Gina. I’d had to convince her that Gina was only excited because Layla was new in her life. It didn’t take long for Layla to get to know the real Gina as my little ball of never ending energy.
“I can stay on until you find a replacement—” Layla said.
“That’s not necessary,” I interrupted. Layla had held her tongue long enough about the subject. Whether out of politeness or the fact that she knew the end of the quarter was my busiest time. “I’ll have her over the weekend, and I’m sure we’ll have several applicants by Monday.”
“I’m sure you will,” she said. “I’d like to say goodbye,” she said.
“Of course,” I said, leading her down the hallway to my office. All the while, I couldn’t help but bite my lip about the whole situation. Come Monday, what the hell was I going to do with Gina?
An hour later, Layla left with her final paycheck. She and Gina had colored for a little while, and Layla brought up the topic of her leaving. Layla was such a patient and kind woman, which was why I’d hired her in the first place. When she opened the door to leave, the sound of the music from the first floor flooded into my office.
Today was supposed to be smooth sailing with the party. And now I had Gina and no nanny. I could care for Gina, I was her father after all, but with the company doing so well, I needed someone to keep Gina busy at least until she was old enough to go to school. I considered sending her to preschool early, but I wanted to hold off until she was at least four. I had the means to have a nanny, and I wanted to preserve her childhood as much as I could.
“Daddy, sit,” Gina said and patted the child-sized chair next to her. I shoved away all thoughts of my nanny woes for now and focused on my daughter.
I kissed the top of her head and sat in the chair, leaning forward, so I didn’t put my full weight on the legs. I didn’t know the effect of Layla leaving would have on Gina so that coupled with the possibility of breaking her chair might be the deciding factor in a total meltdown.
“Here, take a purple crayon,” she said, handing over the crayon.
I took a stray coloring page and started to fill in the picture with my purple scrawl. “Honey, I want to talk about Layla.”
Gina sighed. “I know you like her. I don’t.”
I stopped coloring. “You didn’t like her?”
“She nice, but she’s too slow, Daddy,” Gina said.
I pressed my lips together. Layla would have agreed with her at that moment. “So, you’re okay with her leaving?”
“Yeah,” she said, concentrating on her coloring. “I want to come to work with you. I miss you. You’re too busy.”
I frowned, feeling the familiar pang inside of my heart that I felt each morning when I left Gina at home. Hearing it from her made the feeling even worse. More than half the time, I sa
w Gina sleeping more than awake since I left early and arrived home late over the last several months. Sure, we’d hit record breaking sales, but at a very personal cost.
I reached over and lifted Gina and placed her on my lap. She grabbed my thumb with one of her hands and held it while she filled in my coloring page.
I wrapped one of my arms around her and pulled her close, inhaling her scent. She was the most incredible thing in my life. It wasn’t the first time I was in utter disbelief that I’d made such a beautiful thing. I needed to show her how special she was to me. I needed someone who she liked and who loved her back, just as I would if I had the time to watch her all day. This time I would have to find someone younger who could give Gina everything she needed and wanted at this age. I needed someone who could keep up with her too.
Where was I going to find someone like that?
Chapter Two
Jess
I ran up to the entrance of Baker’s Brothers Records, holding the hood of my jacket tight against my face. I shouldn’t have even bothered to straighten my hair that morning. Even with the slick yellow jacket, the rain somehow managed to turn my brown hair into a rat’s nest.
The door opened, and I stepped back, letting some guy out first. He barely looked at me as he sprinted toward his car to avoid the thick raindrops from assaulting him. By the time I registered what had happened, the door had closed in my face.
“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath and pulled open the door, stepping inside of the warm record shop.
Whenever my best friend, Sierra, worked at Baker’s Brothers, she always cranked the heat since she claimed she was cold-blooded. But we both knew it was her lack of body fat. Usually, I sweltered, but today it was perfect.
I slipped off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack next to the entryway. I shivered and tossed my wet strands over my shoulder. In the heat of the room, I was sure my locks would be dry by the time I left.