As if not even hearing Taylor’s question, Victoria went on. “I want to meet with you tomorrow as early as possible. Can you come to the office around eight?”
“Look,” Taylor began diplomatically, “I do have another job to get to and—”
“Forget that!” Victoria interrupted. “You’ll have to quit it. Trust me, Taylor, you’re going to be thrilled at what we’re offering.”
She’d had enough. Sighing heavily with aggravation, she snapped. “Victoria! What the hell is this all about?”
“Jonathan Wade agreed to have the interview printed! It’s hitting the newsstands tomorrow! Newslink gave it the cover! You’ve got a cover story, Taylor! Can you believe it?”
Taylor dropped the phone and fell to the floor as nausea overwhelmed her.
“Taylor? Taylor!”
She picked the phone back up. “Why am I just hearing of this now? How did you get a copy of my story?” she demanded.
“I was all Mr. Wade’s idea. When we notified his people of our displeasure at his refusal to do the story and your subsequent dismissal, he reached out to us, and he was furious. These were the terms he demanded in order to print the story—you weren’t to be told until it was a done deal and on the stands. You obviously made quite an impression on him, Taylor. Bravo!”
Her eyes filled with tears. He’d given it all up for her. Wiping furiously at her eyes, she cleared her throat to finish the conversation. “Um, what does this mean to me in regards to Newslink, Vic?”
“We want you back, Taylor. I am so sorry for how I behaved when you got back from Maine. I cannot even begin to explain myself.” She paused. “The important thing here is that we all got what we wanted, didn’t we? You’ve got your job back with a cover story, we got the exclusive of the year, and Wade’s got publicity for his new book!”
“Oh…right.”
“It’s coming out tomorrow too, funny, huh?” Victoria let out a laugh. “What timing! So, when will you be in? I’ll pick up a couple of lattes and those muffins you like so much.”
“I won’t be,” Taylor replied flatly.
“Excuse me?” Disbelief oozed out of the phone.
“I do, however, expect to be paid for my article and to get reimbursed for the receipts I submitted after I was fired. But honestly? I have no desire to return to Newslink. You have my address. Just mail me my check.” With that, she hung up her phone and then shut it off.
Sitting in silence, she looked around her. In the last month, she’d had to sell her beloved bike, some jewelry, and had eaten more ramen noodles than she’d thought possible, but it had been worth it to have her peace of mind. Now, however…now people would see her article and doors could possibly open for her again. Reality hit her and she jumped around her apartment with glee. She had stood up for what she believed in again and it felt great!
Taylor thought about her job at the bookstore. As much as she loved it, it wasn’t what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Perhaps if she went into freelancing, she’d have some freedom to write what she wanted to and actually accomplish getting her life back from this setback.
She’d get herself a new bike.
The thought made her smile.
At work the following day, Taylor stocked the shelves with the latest copy of Newslink. Her bosses took great pride in pointing out to all of their customers how it was their employee who’d written the cover story! Next came the task of stocking the shelves with Misty’s Return, the new Jonathan Wade book.
She couldn’t help the sense of pride for Mike as she placed the numerous copies on the shelf. Taylor took one for herself and held it behind the counter. She’d curl up with it tonight, maybe even splurge and download the audiobook, too. Not a night had gone by that she hadn’t listened to Mike’s voice on her iPod, listening to one book or another each night on her walk home and then again as she lay in bed trying to fall asleep.
Eager with anticipation for the workday to end, she bolted out the door at 5:01 p.m., waving to her bosses as she left. Deciding she deserved one more splurge, she stopped at a local Chinese restaurant and grabbed some celebratory takeout. Once her check from Newslink came in, she’d be okay, and the thought of one more night of ramen noodles almost made her stomach turn.
In the comfort of her apartment, she quickly changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt, curling up on the couch with the Chinese food and her book. Four hours later, she found herself crying. The hero of the story had finally found the woman he had been longing for, Misty. And she didn’t leave him or escape in the night. The ending had made it abundantly clear that the series was over. Misty had returned and our hero could finally live happily ever after in peace with the woman he adored.
Placing the book down on her coffee table, she went in search of tissues. “Dammit,” she cursed as she saw her reflection in the bedroom mirror. She looked frightful—red puffy eyes, a red nose, and mascara running down her cheeks.
“Why me?” she asked her reflection. “Why didn’t I put up more of a fight? Why didn’t I go back to him?” She had no answers. Walking into the bathroom, she quickly washed her face, but even that didn’t make her look—or feel—any better. Then she shifted the blame onto Mike. Why hadn’t he called her? Why didn’t he come after her? What was the message at the end of the book supposed to mean? Was she Misty? Was Mike supposed to be the hero?
The damn questions were giving her a headache. Clearing up her dinner mess, Taylor headed to bed, setting the book on the nightstand next to her. She realized she’d never downloaded the audio version—but tomorrow was another day.
* * *
Wednesday was her day off, so Taylor took advantage of the opportunity and slept in. Or at least she tried to. Rising from the bed earlier than she wanted to, she was surprised to hear a knock at her door. Padding into the living room, she peered through her peephole to see who it was. Her neighbor, Mrs. Martinez, was standing there.
“Good morning, Mrs. Martinez,” she greeted sleepily as she opened the door.
“Good morning, Taylor. How are you this morning?” The plump and petite gray-haired woman entered her apartment without waiting for an invitation.
“I’m fine,” Taylor managed to say with a smile. “What can I do for you today?”
“I’m sorry to come by so early, but the mailman delivered this to me by mistake yesterday,” she said as she handed Taylor a small package. “I got home late last night and forgot to bring it over, dear. I’m so sorry.”
Assuring the woman it was all right, they chatted about the weather and other niceties before her neighbor was on her way. Closing the door behind her, Taylor glanced at the package. There was no return address on it. Tearing into it, she found an iPod wrapped in a sheet of paper.
“I know you enjoy listening to these” was all that was written on the paper, but Taylor was certain it was Mike’s writing. She searched the room for her earbuds and then plugged them into the iPod, sitting down on the couch. It didn’t take long for Mike’s voice to start speaking—it was the audio version of Misty’s Return, read by him.
Smiling, Taylor curled up on the couch and let the sound of his voice wash over her. Hours later, when the story was coming to an end, Taylor sighed. It was an even more emotional experience than reading the physical book, because she heard the emotion in his voice as he read it. Not only that, the happily ever after would be so hard to hear coming from his voice—especially because they never got to have one.
When at last it ended, there was a short silence and she was about to shut the iPod off when his voice came back on. “Baby, I love you. Please come home. I miss you.” Taylor stopped the recording and rewound it, playing the message over and over again.
Running to her bedroom, she jumped across her bed and grabbed the book. Nowhere in the end did it say those words. He was saying them to her—it wasn’t part of the
Dare she hop in her Jeep and drive up to Maine? Of course, she’d have to take the train out to the Island to pick the car up first before she could leave, but…if it meant going back to him? It would be worth it. Walking quickly across the room, she picked up her phone and called the bookstore to let them know she needed a couple of days off. Her boss gave her more grief than she’d anticipated, but he finally gave in. Next, she showered and packed. Anticipation bubbled up inside of her and her hands were shaking when she finally picked up her bags and locked up her tiny apartment—feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of her.
She had packed lightly, but it was still going to be a little awkward to carry it all the way to the subway and then around Penn Station to catch the train out to Suffolk County. “It will be worth it…it will be worth it…” That’s what she kept telling herself as she made her way up the block.
Taylor was minding her own business when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
“Can I give you a lift somewhere?” came a voice from behind her.
Everything in Taylor stilled for a second before she turned around. “Mike?” She was stunned by the sight of him. “What…? How…? What are you doing here?”
“I sent you a package yesterday,” he said instead of answering her question. “Did you get it?”
She nodded. “This morning. It went to one of my neighbors by mistake.” Her eyes wouldn’t leave his face. She couldn’t believe he was standing here in front of her, in the middle of the city. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here. Or how you found me.”
“I was making sure you came home,” he said confidently as he moved closer, until he was toe to toe with her.
“I wasn’t sure you’d want me,” she said huskily, wanting so badly to lean in and kiss him.
“Oh, I want you, Taylor. I’ve always wanted you.” Pausing, his loving eyes scanned her face. “I was pulling up to your place and saw you walking away. I double-parked so I could get out and catch up to you.”
“Wow,” she said with a happy sigh. “Talk about perfect timing.”
She got up on tiptoes as she tried to kiss him, but he dodged her advance. At the look of confusion on her face, he chuckled. “If I kiss you here, I’m not going to stop.” He rested his forehead against hers. “And if I don’t stop, I’m going to end up making love to you right here in the middle of this city street. People will recognize me now and it will be all over the tabloids.” He pulled back with a knowing smirk. “There’s a big story on me in Newslink. Maybe you’ve seen it?”
She swatted playfully at him. “Oh, I’ve seen it and I’m going to want to hear all about how you came to change your mind.”
“Well,” he began, “I realized—”
She cut him off by putting a finger to his lips. “Later. We’ll talk about it later. Right now I want to get out of the street and go someplace where we can be alone.”
His gaze heated. “I like the way you think.” He took her bags from her hands. “Let’s get back to my car so I can park it properly. Hopefully before I get a ticket.” She nodded and they began walking back toward her place.
At his car, he kissed her quickly and promised to be right back. “I’ll meet you inside as soon as I find a spot.” She almost argued that she’d just go with him, but it seemed silly.
“Okay,” she said with a small pout. Now that he was here, she didn’t want to let him out of her sight.
Within minutes, he was back. And when she opened the door to him, she felt embarrassed for him to be there, knowing how Mike lived. Sensing her uneasiness, he pulled her into his embrace. “I don’t care where you live, Taylor.” It was a hushed whisper against her throat as he began to trail kisses upon her. Her head fell back in abandon. “Besides, after today, hopefully you won’t be living here anymore.”
That got her attention. Snapping her head up, she met his eyes.
“I meant what I said on the recording, Taylor. I want you to come home with me and stay there.”
“You want me to move in with you on the farm?”
He shook his head. “Baby, I want you to marry me and live with me on the farm. Will you?” His plea was so full of emotion and Taylor could read it all in his magnificent eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I will marry you and go home with you and stay there with you forever.”
He lifted her into his arms and wrapped her in his embrace. He kissed her thoroughly before setting her back on her feet.
“Thank you for coming back for me,” she said, looking up at him, smiling with pure joy.
“I should have done it years ago,” he said solemnly and then took her hands in his to lead her toward the bedroom. “But I believe you were worth the wait.”
Kicking the bedroom door closed behind her, Taylor intended to prove to him how much she appreciated his patience.
Epilogue
“Okay, camera two will be on you in one minute, Taylor. The red light will go on and Julie will begin her introductions.” Taylor nodded in understanding as the microphone attached to her blouse was adjusted.
“Mike? Are you all set?” the director asked. Mike gave a curt nod and turned his attention to Taylor.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” he whispered in her ear.
“I can be very persuasive when I need to be,” she said with an angelic smile.
They were sitting on the New York set of a popular morning show. It was the second such appearance in a week. Since her story in Newslink had come out, Jonathan Wade was more popular than ever. The offers had started pouring in to his agent by noon that first day. Taylor saw the tension in his body but knew that as soon as they started taping, he would be a natural.
“Okay, people! Bring it in five, four…” came the prompt from behind the camera.
In fifteen minutes, it was all over and they were being thanked and sent on their way. Climbing into the waiting limousine, Mike reached for Taylor’s hand and pulled her to him. “Thank you,” he whispered right before kissing her.
“For what?” she asked, kissing him in return.
“For everything you’ve done for me. This isn’t as awful as I’d thought it would be—the media frenzy and all.” She gave him a look that screamed “I told you so.”
It had been barely a month since the story had been released and in that time, Taylor had indeed moved up to Maine with Mike; they had gotten married on his boat that weekend by a justice of the peace and honeymooned on it as well. They’d done nearly a half dozen talk shows and Taylor had been offered several jobs with different publications, but she turned them all down.
“Do you miss writing?” he asked as the private car drove them toward their hotel.
“I haven’t had time to miss it yet. Touring with Jonathan Wade has kept me very busy,” she teased.
“Well, I have a plan that I think could keep you very busy for a while if you were to agree to it.” His tone was very businesslike, but his eyes were dark with desire.
“Really?” she inquired. “And what exactly were you thinking of?” She reached over and ran her hand over his chest, purring like a kitten as she did.
“I was thinking that having a baby would keep us busy for a while,” he said softly, leaning forward to taste her lips as his hand skimmed her body and came to rest on her abdomen. “We’ve done quite well with this first collaboration. I figured we could branch out.”
She smiled against his lips. “Hmm. I like the sound of that.”
The car came to a halt in front of the Plaza and Mike helped Taylor out, thanking their driver before they headed up the stairs to the hotel entrance. Then all bets were off. Taking Taylor’s hand, he pulled her toward the elevator, thankful no one else was standing there waiting to get in with them. Once on their floor, they nearly ran to their suite, anxious to get started on this new assignment.
Chapter 1
“Oh, they’re perfect! Exactly what I was looking for.”
Regan Amerson looked at her mother as if she had lost her mind. “Um, they’re not exactly what we had discussed.”
“Of course they’re not—they’re better.”
“They’re bedazzled.”
“Exactly. I think they really grab your attention.”
Regan pinched the bridge of her nose, mentally counted to ten, and sighed. “Mom, we agreed the shirts would be basic black or white with our logo tastefully placed in the corner.” She pointed to the shirt her mother was holding up. “That’s not what I see.”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “I know what we discussed, but those were boring. These are much better.”
“No, Mom, they’re not. They’re the opposite of better!” Regan rarely raised her voice, particularly at her mother, but this time she had been pushed to her limit. “First, they are tacky. Second, we have male employees. Do you honestly think they are going to wear a bedazzled T-shirt?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Regan,” her mother scolded. “I kept your boring design for the guys. I just thought the ladies would appreciate something with a little more…bling.”
“I hate bling! You know it’s one of my pet peeves, and yet you did it anyway! We’re partners, Mom, and we’re supposed to discuss things like this before making a decision. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking it wouldn’t kill you to open your mind a little bit.” Reaching into the box in front of her, Caroline pulled out a shirt in Regan’s size. “Just try it on.” She held it up in front of her daughter and measured it against her just like she had when Regan was a child.
Regan shooed her away. “Stop that!” she snapped. “I’m not wearing that shirt and I won’t allow my girls to wear that shirt. You’ll just have to send them back.”
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