by Susan Meier
Trembling knees and all.
As she approached the limo, the back window lowered...
“Hey.”
Her heart stumbled. Her breath stopped. All thought of her mother disappeared. “Mitch?”
“Sí.”
What the hell? The surreal feeling of everything being out of place washed over her and made her dizzy. Then her ring caught the light and bounced it back at her and she understood what was going on.
“You forgot to take back the ring. Is that why you followed me?”
“I know you still have the ring. But that’s not why I’m here. Julia doesn’t think you should see your mom alone.”
Confusion bubbled up again. The whole situation felt like one of those crazy dreams where nothing made sense. “Julia?”
“Julia and I.” The limo door opened. He stepped out. “We had a small chat the morning of the wedding and she reminded me how hard this might be for you.”
“You talked about me on her wedding day?”
“She let me out of my commitment to be the best man. But we both forgot I’d have to wait for the jet to return to Spain.” He laughed. “So I got my tux back from Riccardo and did my duty. And now I’m here. With you.” He pointed at the aging town house door. “To meet your mom.”
It still didn’t quite sink in. “You’re coming with me?”
“Yes. Lila, this is a huge deal for you.” He shook his head. “I can’t imagine how I’d feel right now if I hadn’t seen my mom in over a decade.” He caught her hands. “I know the story. I know you feel she hates you. How could you think you can face this alone?”
The thought that he could do something so sweet and yet refuse to love her filled her with unbearable sadness. “I’ve faced everything in my life alone.”
“Not this.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. How could he not see that having him pop into her life, even for something important, only hurt her? “You don’t have to do this.”
“That’s the beauty of love.”
Her head snapped up.
“I get to do all kinds of things I wouldn’t ordinarily do.” He paused, smiled. “Because I love you.”
Her lower lip trembled. She had the sudden, urgent sense that this couldn’t be real. That she had to have misinterpreted. Or that he’d qualify his statement by saying something like “I love you as a friend.” “You love me?”
“Apparently more than I ever loved Julia because she sees it.”
That she hadn’t misinterpreted. She laughed through her tears.
“Come here.” Holding her close, he whispered, “I thought I wasn’t good for you. That I’d hurt you. But when I thought I was fighting feelings for you, what I was really fighting was changing. Falling in love with you was changing me. I didn’t see it until Julia said it.” He laughed and hugged her close. “You don’t have to worry that I’ll hurt you.”
She believed him. Everything else in her world suddenly seemed easy.
“If your mom doesn’t want you—we will deal with it. Because you will have me...and my mother and dad and Julia and Alonzo, Riccardo and his parents...and Nanna. Especially Nanna.”
Tears filled her eyes as indescribable joy filled her heart. She pulled back, caught his gaze. “I love you too.”
“It certainly took you long enough to say it.”
“Two weeks is hardly—”
But he cut her off with a kiss. A slow, heartfelt I am in this for real kiss. She melted into him, knowing that absolutely everything in her life had changed.
All because she couldn’t resist him when he’d asked for a favor.
He broke the kiss. “Just one thing, though.”
“One thing?”
“Ochoas work for Ochoas. I’ll expect you in the office on Monday.”
She laughed.
He caught her hand and turned her toward the door of her mom’s town house. “Shall we?”
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
EPILOGUE
THE WEDDING TOOK place on a beautiful August day. The vineyard looked spectacular. The sun beat down on vines bursting with red grapes ready to be harvested.
Fixing Lila’s veil, Julia sighed. “Alonzo and I should have had an August wedding. It’s so pretty today. So special.”
Lila turned to her with a smile. “I heard your June wedding was just gorgeous. And I saw the pictures.”
“I don’t think the pictures did justice to my gown.” She turned Lila to the full-length mirror where they both could see the elegant bodice and full georgette crepe skirt of her exquisite gown. Julia turned Lila right then left as Sally fussed with the long train that flowed behind Lila.
“I think you need to stand angled just slightly to the right to make sure the camera picks up the sparkly embellishments in the skirt.”
Sally rose and rolled her eyes. “You’re too picky, Julia.”
Julia shrugged. Sally and Julia wore identical one-shoulder dresses but Sally’s was blue and Julia’s a vivid shade of coral.
“I like things to be perfect.”
“Well, I think Lila is perfect, just the way she is.”
Lila caught Sally’s hand. “Thank you.”
“I think she’s perfect too.”
Lila, Julia and Sally all turned toward Lila’s mom, who closed the dressing room door behind her. A short woman with strawberry blond hair and a dusting of freckles, she looked so much younger, so much happier than when Lila and Mitch had called on her the year before. Not only had Mitch found her a good apartment, he’d given her a job as the receptionist for Ochoa Online and paid her a large enough salary that she could support herself. Lila had lived with her mom off and on in the past year and they’d gotten to know each other.
Today, dressed in a pretty pink gown, Francine would give her daughter away.
Lila walked over and took her hands. “You look wonderful, Mom.”
Francine leaned in and kissed Lila’s cheek. “You are amazing.”
“No. Just finally figured out who I was.”
“Well, Mitch helped,” Julia said, fluffing her black hair to make sure it was perfect.
Sally sighed with disgust and put one hand on her hip. “Really? How?”
“Well, he is the one who talked her into pretending to be his fiancée, forcing her to come out of her shell.”
Sally caught Lila’s gaze. “How much do you tell this woman...and why, for heaven’s sake?”
Lila walked over and gave Julia a squeeze. “Because she’s my sister-in-law, and she’s a lot smarter than you think.”
“Thank you!” Julia said, returning Lila’s hug. She glanced at her watch. “We need to get going. The ceremony starts in five minutes. We’ll need at least two minutes to get to our staging area.”
Sally led the way out the door, followed by Julia. Lila took her mom’s hand and together they walked to the small tent behind the rows of seats set up to face the vineyards and the setting sun. Lila and her mom had been instructed at the rehearsal the night before to stay in the tent until they heard the first notes of “Here Comes the Bride.”
Lila took a deep breath.
“Nervous?”
Lila grinned at her mom. “Not even slightly.” This had been the best year of her life. A year to make amends to her mom, who also made amends to her. A year to really fall in love and be in love with the most wonderful man in the world.
How could she possibly be nervous?
Then the first notes of “Here Comes the Bride” sounded and her stomach filled with butterflies. She pressed her tummy. “Well, I’ll be darned. I am just a little nervous.”
Her mom laughed. “Come on. Once we get started up that aisle and you see Mitch, you’ll be fine.”
They ex
ited the little tent and all eyes turned toward them. Lila sucked in a breath and walked down the aisle, smiling at her guests. People she knew very well now. Family.
They got to the end of the aisle, her mom handed her over to Mitch and the ceremony began.
She promised her life and her fidelity to a man who could be as stubborn and exasperating as he was handsome. He promised his life to her, then he grinned. And she remembered all the reasons she loved him.
The minister announced that he could kiss the bride and he did. With one arm supporting her back he dipped her and kissed her like a man so happy he couldn’t get enough. Then he brought her back to her feet, pulled her into a dance hold and together they did a bit of a samba.
The crowd laughed. Mitch grinned and Lila soaked it all in.
Family.
Silliness.
Love.
That was all there really was in life.
All she really wanted.
* * * * *
If you’ve enjoyed this book,
then you won’t want to miss
A MISTLETOE KISS WITH THE BOSS
by Susan Meier.
Available now!
If you want to read another fake fiancée
romance, then be sure to indulge in
CONVENIENTLY ENGAGED TO THE BOSS
by Ellie Darkins.
Keep reading for an excerpt from
THE MILLIONAIRE’S REDEMPTION
by Therese Beharrie.
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The Millionaire's Redemption
by Therese Beharrie
CHAPTER ONE
‘AND THE SOLUTION you’ve come up with is marriage?’
Lily Newman’s steps faltered at the words. Not because she was at an engagement party—her best friend Caitlyn’s—where marriage was supposed to be celebrated, but because of the anger that stiffened every word she’d overheard.
There was something familiar about the voice, though not because she knew the person speaking. It was just something in the tone... But that was ridiculous, so she focused on the fact that since she didn’t recognise the voice entirely she couldn’t be overhearing either of the individuals she was celebrating that evening.
She looked around to check whether she might be caught eavesdropping. Not that she wanted to be doing that. She had come upstairs to have some time alone. Yes, maybe it did have something to do with seeing her ex-fiancé Kyle arrive with the woman he’d cheated on Lily with. Okay, maybe it had everything to do with that.
Because she hadn’t wanted to face it, she’d escaped the lavish party Caitlyn’s wealthy fiancé Nathan was hosting at his newly purchased home, thinking she might as well explore considering the time she would spend there once her friend was married. But her exploration had ended fairly quickly when she’d heard those angry words from the room she was now standing outside.
‘Mr Brookes, we think—’
Brookes was Nathan’s surname, she thought, and realised why the man’s voice had sounded so familiar. He was one of Nathan’s family. Perhaps the brother Caitlyn had told her Nathan had a tenuous relationship with. The one she’d never met and knew not to bring up in front of Nathan after Caitlyn had told her not to. She knew she should give him his privacy, and was about to leave when the man spoke again.
‘It doesn’t really sound like you were thinking at all, Jade.’
The voice hadn’t risen in volume, but Lily felt a chill go through her.
Poor Jade.
‘We...we actually did put a lot of thought into this, Mr Brookes.’ A male voice took over from Jade, though his words were no more confident.
‘Then take me through your thought process.’
Careful, Lily thought.
She looked around again, saw that she was still alone, and leaned against the wall.
‘We did the research.’ Jade was speaking again. ‘The file we mailed you has all the results from various avenues—test groups, opinion polls, social media. Yes, you’re a successful businessman now, but you’ve done that largely outside of the public eye. People still remember you as the man who lost the Shadows Rugby Club their chance to compete internationally. They remember you as the man who would do anything to win a game, but took it too far in the end.’
There was a pause, and then Jade continued hesitantly. ‘And then all the attention was on your suspension, and the partying you did during the year after your last game for the Shadows...’
‘You’re not telling me anything new.’ The words were flat. ‘I hired you because I knew that it would be difficult to...restore my image. But I’m doubting my decision now, since you’re telling me marriage is the only way I can do that.’
‘It’s not the only way,’ the other man Lily had yet to identify said quickly. ‘But it’s the fastest way. And considering that the buy-out is time-sensitive...’ He trailed off.
There was silence for a while, and Lily pushed away from the wall. Guilt spread through her when she realised she shouldn’t be listening to a private conversation. Sure, she wanted to know more about Nathan’s mysterious brother—if that was who he was—but it was purely out of curiosity. There really wasn’t a reason for her to listen to Nathan’s family’s business.
She turned away, forcing herself to act like the confident woman she was trying to be and face Kyle, but she paused when she heard the voices in the room again.
‘I shouldn’t have asked you to come to my brother’s engagement party.’
So he was Nathan’s brother.
‘We can discuss this tomorrow, after the TV interview.’
Her thoughts froze when she realised the man was now walking towards the door, and her legs moved just in time to avoid being caught. She hurried down the passage and turned the corner that led to the stairs...
And then stilled when she saw the man she was trying to avoid walking up them.
Kyle.
His date—the other descriptions in her mind weren’t quite as polite—was giggling as he whispered something into her ear. Lily had never bothered to learn the woman’s name—why would she need to know the name of the woman she’d caught naked in her fiancé’s arms?—but she did remember the red hair and petite frame.
It made her pull at the dress Caitlyn had begged her to wear a few days ago. It was too tight, Lily thought desperately. She wished
with all her might that it wasn’t in a shocking red colour that did nothing to hide the curves Lily had plenty of—too many, in fact.
Her pretend confidence was already dwindling, she realised. And although there was a part of her that told her it was to be expected when she was about to face the man who had broken her down throughout their relationship—who had cheated on her—she had expected more of herself.
It also did her no good to notice how much smaller than Lily Kyle’s date was. She watched the man she had once thought she loved slide a hand around the woman’s tiny waist, pulling her close enough that there was no space between them. They were sneaking away to fool around, she realised, nausea fierce in her belly. How many times had she thwarted Kyle’s attempts to do just that with her when they were at parties? He hadn’t only found a woman smaller than her, Lily thought. She was also the risk-taker Kyle had always wanted and Lily would never be.
In the split second before Kyle saw her Lily decided to take a risk. She wanted Kyle to think that she had been making out with someone upstairs. That the thing she had refused to do with him—the thing he had found someone else for—she was now doing with someone other than him.
She would probably think that it was a terrible decision later, but as she fluffed her coiled curls and rubbed her lips together to smudge her lipstick she only hoped one thing—that Nathan’s brother had a sense of humour.
‘Lily?’
Kyle’s voice immediately sent her skin crawling and her heart galloping. She couldn’t believe that she’d once found that voice attractive. Now she heard the slime curl around every word.
She lifted her eyebrows. ‘Kyle? I didn’t see you there. How are you?’
The of-course-you-saw-me glint in Kyle’s eyes set her teeth on edge and had a small part of herself recoiling.
‘I’m well. How are you? I heard you managed to get that bookstore up and running eventually.’