“You looked like an angel walking toward me barefoot in that white dress, which was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen. That knot in the front had my hands twitching to undo it the entire time we were saying our vows.”
That made her smile. “Good. You were pretty sexy yourself standing there with the sun setting behind your back.” She sighed.
“So you’re not disappointed that we did something small?”
“Sawyer, we’ve been over this a million times. I didn’t want anything big, plus we had a big party here a few weeks later so that we could celebrate with all our family and friends. It was perfect.”
“We do throw a good party.”
“That we do,” she said and snuggled down a little more into the blankets. Sawyer’s arm tightened around her. “That we do.” Sleep was calling and she softly kissed his chest one last time.
“I wonder what we’ll celebrate back there next,” he said, unaware that Regan was just about out cold.
“A christening,” she said quietly before yawning.
Sawyer jerked up, effectively knocking his wife from his arms. “What?”
Regan pulled herself up to get her head onto her pillow before facing him. “A christening. You know what they are, right?”
He nodded, but his expression was pure confusion. “Whose christening?”
“Oh, that,” she said around another yawn. “I wanted to wait until after the wedding—you know, didn’t want to take the focus off of Mom and Max.” She rolled onto her side to get more comfortable and was finally about to drift off when Sawyer shook her awake.
“Regan? Stay with me here,” he said a little frantically. “What are you saying?”
With a huff of irritation, she rolled onto her back and looked at him. “We’re having a baby.” Another yawn. “Good night.”
When she made to roll over again, Sawyer’s hand on her arm stopped her. “What? When?” he stammered. “How?”
Regan opened her eyes and looked at him with disbelief. “We are not having the birds and the bees talk now, Sawyer. It’s late and I’m very tired. It’s a lot of work hosting a wedding in your home while growing a tiny human being inside you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because you would have gotten all goofy and not let me do anything and then everyone would have known that I was pregnant. Besides, I’m kind of enjoying your reaction right now. I don’t think I would have gotten this at some other point in time.” She giggled at his indignation. “This really wasn’t how I planned on telling you. I was hoping that after the wedding when everything was cleared away and we were back to normal around here, I’d surprise you with the news over dinner or something.”
“Oh, you surprised me all right,” he said, his expression turning to one of wonder as he placed his large hand over her flat tummy. “There’s a baby in there.”
Regan nodded. “Sure is.”
“When? When are we due?”
“I haven’t seen a doctor yet, but—”
“Then are you sure? How can you be sure if you haven’t been to the doctor?”
“I took eight pregnancy tests, Sawyer. Honestly, I don’t know how you missed the fact that I was taking out the bathroom trash on a daily basis.”
He shrugged. “I figured you were a bit of a neat freak.” He looked up at his wife’s face and saw his whole future there. Them, children, and a lifetime of love. “I can’t believe how lucky I am. That I have you. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you.”
“I feel the same way,” she said softly.
Leaving one hand on her belly, the other cupped her face. “I know that you hated me when we met, but I’m so glad you changed your mind.”
“It wasn’t you that I hated, Sawyer, it was the situation. And now, looking back, I am so thankful for it. If Max had never approached my mom that day, none of us would be here right now experiencing all this happiness.”
“So the show was good for something,” he teased, laughing when Regan rolled her eyes.
“Yes, for something. I’m still annoyed that they snuck in some private footage of us, but it all worked out for the best.”
Nodding, Sawyer shifted and reclined next to her. “I heard from the head of the network the other day, and he offered me another show.”
Regan turned and looked at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because it meant nothing. They can keep waving the salary increase and the merchandising shares, but they don’t seem to understand that it’s not about the money. It was never about the money for me. I do what I do because I love it. I love the craft. Plus, I don’t want to have to travel and be away from home for such long periods of time again. And if I had known then what I know now, I could have driven that point home even more.”
“What did he say?”
“What could he say? I told him that I’m enjoying being back to regular carpentry work and small renovation projects that let me work more closely with the homeowners. He wished me well but said that he’s still hoping to find a project to bring me back.”
Regan smiled with pride. “That’s because you’re amazing and they probably lost a large part of their viewing audience when you left.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I do. That one episode where you were shirtless for most of it kept me going while we were apart.” Regan had shared with him all about her marathon of episode-watching.
Laughing, he pulled her in close and turned out the bedside lamp. “Well, lucky for you that you don’t need to watch it on TV, you’ve got the live show right here.”
Regan giggled at his cocky tone, but was willing to agree. “I am indeed a very lucky woman.”
Sawyer kissed the top of her head and sighed. “I’m the lucky one. You changed my whole world and showed me all that I was missing. And now? I have even more to look forward to and it’s all because of you. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she said sleepily, and this time, she really did get to go to sleep.
Keep reading for a sneak peek of the next book in the Montgomery Brothers series from bestselling author Samantha Chase
Chapter 1
“Don’t these people have jobs?” Christian Montgomery murmured to himself as he sipped his morning coffee.
For a while now, he had taken to having his coffee out on his deck before going into work. It was a chance to breathe in the fresh air and have some peace before the craziness of his day. People-watching had become his favorite hobby, and as odd as it sounded, he found it relaxing and therapeutic.
Scanning the sand, he smiled at the small circle of people doing yoga off to his left. Every day they were out there stretching and holding their poses, and it was almost hypnotic to watch. At times, he even found himself deep breathing along with them, as he imagined they were doing.
Not far from them was a trio of fishermen. Not once had Christian ever seen them catch anything, but they were out there religiously every morning—rain or shine. That was one hobby he had never had an interest in. It looked boring. Those guys were there before Christian came out on his deck, and he imagined they stayed out there long after he left for work. He could only hope they caught some fish.
Then there were the surfers. They were also hypnotic to watch but offered a bit more excitement. There was no way he could even imagine himself doing what those people did, but it was cool as hell to watch. Some of them were amazing at it, while others sort of…well, they tried.
Which reminded him…
“Oh, this is glorious! I could totally get used to this!”
Great. His mother was awake and encroaching on his peaceful time.
Looking out at the waves crashing on the shore, he took another sip of his coffee before turning to look at his mother. “You’re up early.”
She took a long sip of
her own steaming coffee before answering. “Well, as much as I complain about your father’s snoring, it appears I can’t sleep without him.” With a serene smile, she added, “Besides, I was hoping to have a few minutes with you before you left for the office.”
He’d been avoiding this sort of thing. After getting ambushed at Megan and Alex’s engagement party with the news that his mother and aunt would be coming home with him, Christian had been doing his best to stay out of their way. But apparently, his reprieve was up.
He almost jumped at the feel of his mother’s hand covering his. She looked so sweet, yet he had a feeling there was more to this trip to San Diego than starting some sort of wellness program.
“You work too hard,” she said, point blank. “Monica and I tried waiting up for you, but we were both exhausted and couldn’t wait any longer. What time did you finally come home?”
“I don’t know. Sometime around eleven.”
She made a disapproving sound. “Were you working all that time or did you happen to have a date?”
It was a challenge not to roll his eyes. “I was working, Mom. I wouldn’t have blown you and Aunt Monica off for a date.”
“Well…you should,” she argued lightly. “It wouldn’t kill you to get out and date more.”
“Mom…”
Placing her mug on the deck railing, she faced him. “Christian, you remind me so much of your father.” Then she paused. “And that’s not a compliment.”
Okay, this was new.
“I don’t know everything that happened in London and I don’t want to know,” she stated. “What I do know is that it’s gone on long enough. You work too much, you spend far too much time alone, and I can’t ignore it anymore.”
Christian sighed wearily and drank the rest of his coffee before putting his mug beside hers.
“I get that you’re disappointed in me—”
Her soft gasp stopped him.
“Christian, I could never be disappointed in you. Ever,” she said vehemently. “But I look at you and I can see you’re not happy.” Reaching up, she cupped his cheek. “No mother wants to see her child unhappy. You need a life outside of work.”
“That’s not what Dad thinks,” he mumbled.
“You know you don’t have to do everything your father says, don’t you?” Her words were soft and firm and when Christian looked at her, he saw a hint of a smirk on her face. “Your father is a very intelligent man, but not everything he says is the gospel truth. As a matter of fact, I think it’s safe to say that where anything outside of work is concerned, your father doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Christian couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re pretty feisty early in the morning,” he teased.
She waved him off. “I’m feisty all the time, but no one seems to pay attention.”
So many thoughts were racing through his mind. It was easy to stand here and say he didn’t have to listen to his father—or anyone for that matter—but actually doing it without letting the guilt eat away at him were two different things. And it didn’t matter how old he was or how independent he was, for some reason his father could make him feel like an incompetent child with a few choice words.
“Christian,” she went on, interrupting his thoughts. “If you’re not happy in this career, you know you can change that, right? Just because you have the Montgomery name doesn’t mean you have to work for the company.”
“Everyone else does.”
This time her smile was patient and loving and so completely a mom look. “Your brother doesn’t, and for years your sister didn’t.”
“And now she does,” he gently reminded.
“But she turned down the opportunity for a big promotion because she realized she wanted more out of her life. And from what I understand, you helped her realize that.”
He felt himself blush. Clearing his throat, Christian turned and leaned on the railing. “Yeah, well… I hated the thought of Megan getting trapped like I am.”
He realized a little too late what he’d just admitted.
“Sweetheart, you’re not trapped,” his mother said quietly, her hand covering his again. “If there’s something you want to change, you should! Life is too short to stay in a place that makes you miserable.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m miserable—”
“But are you happy?” she quickly interrupted.
That question gave him pause. “Sometimes I think I am.”
Beside him, she sighed. “Do you like living in San Diego?”
“What’s not to like? I’ve got a great house right on the beach. The view alone makes it pretty spectacular.”
“Christian, you’ve been living here for five years and this isn’t even your house. If you like it here so much, why not find a place of your own and settle down?”
It was way too early in the morning for this conversation.
“Mom, Ryder and I have an agreement on the house. He’s fine with me living here, and he knows if he wants to sell, I’m the first one who’ll put an offer in.”
“You’re avoiding making any commitment here,” she gently chided. “It’s your cousin’s house and your father’s company, and I would love to see you pick something that was yours and enjoy it.”
“Bollocks,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair.
With a small laugh, his mother scolded him. “No need for that language.”
He almost laughed with her. After spending so many years living in London, Christian had picked up a lot of the lingo and every once in a while, it came out.
Usually when he was annoyed.
“Mom,” he said with a huff of frustration. “This is not how I want to start the day—arguing with you about my life choices.”
“I’m not arguing—”
“You are,” he corrected.
“I’m concerned, Christian. There’s a difference.”
As much as he didn’t doubt that, the truth was that he just wasn’t in the mood for this particular discussion, so as a distraction, he hugged her. “And I love you for it.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Now, tell me how your search for a wellness provider is going.”
If she knew why he was changing the subject, she kept it to herself. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well things are falling into place. Patricia in human resources has been amazing!” She stepped out of his embrace and sat on the nearby chaise. “We’re going to be holding more interviews—but it’s a formality. Monica and I met the perfect applicant already.”
“So then why keep interviewing?”
“This particular applicant we haven’t formally interviewed yet, so we’re covering our bases.”
“Mom,” he admonished. “That’s not a great way to handle this.”
“Oh, hush. Trust me on this one. I want to have backups, but I am confident that once we do the formal interview, everything will fall into place.”
He studied his mother for a long moment and realized he didn’t want to get too involved in this. Just admitting that to himself let him relax. With a smile, he said, “I do trust you. You’ve done great things with this program, so who am I to tell you how you should be doing things?”
“Thank you.” She smiled proudly. “But the best part of the whole thing was how Patricia was able to secure office space that would require little to no work to modify.”
He nodded, thankful for that little bit of news. The last thing he wanted was to deal with the headache of office renovations.
“Basically, you won’t have to worry about a thing,” she continued. “All you need to do is be pleasant and greet whoever we hire in a way that won’t scare them away.”
Christian laughed. “I’m hardly scary, Mom.”
“You could smile more.” She was about to say something else but instead glanced toward the hous
e. “I promised your father I’d call him this morning and you know he’ll worry if I don’t.” Walking over, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back inside.
The whoosh of relief at being alone came out before he knew it. As much as he loved his mother, she could be a bit exhausting.
Especially this early in the morning.
Turning his attention to the beach, a slow smile spread across his face. “There you are,” he said quietly.
With a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure his mother wasn’t coming out, Christian immediately returned his attention to the shore. Every morning, dozens of surfers came out and started their day by riding the waves. When he’d first moved to San Diego and into his cousin Ryder’s house, he’d been a bit annoyed at the constant sea of bodies practically right outside his door. It didn’t take long for him to realize they weren’t the least bit interested in him, they were here for the ocean. Nothing more, nothing less. And the longer he lived here, the more he appreciated all of the activity on the beach—particularly the surfing.
Surfing had never been something that interested him before, but one morning he’d come out on the deck with his cup of coffee and noticed one surfer in particular. Christian didn’t know any of them personally, but had named them each based on what he’d observed. For instance, there was Surfer Dude—a young guy with sun-bleached blond hair and a tan who embodied exactly what Christian has always envisioned a surfer would look like. Then there was Older Surfer Dude, who was exactly as described. After that the names were a little more random: Tie-Dye Guy, Too-Tan Girl, and Burly Guy. They were the regulars, but if someone new caught his attention, he usually gave them a name while he watched them.
Seriously, this had been his greatest form of entertainment.
Then there was her.
No nickname would do her justice.
With long red hair pulled up into a ponytail and skin that was far too fair to be out in the sun for long, she stood out in a sea of blond surfers. From this distance, Christian couldn’t be certain how tall she was, but if he had to guess, he’d say she was on the petite side. Dressed in long-sleeved black Lycra that encased an incredibly curvy body, she was completely captivating. Today’s bikini bottoms were neon pink. Her legs were just as spectacular without the fabric as they were with. If he was a bolder guy, he’d head to the water and pretend he was a surfer to get a closer look at her and maybe introduce himself.
Exclusive / a Touch of Heaven Page 32