The Barnes Family Romances: (Books 1-3)

by Normandie Alleman

  I straightened my shirt. It had been foolish to think I could have a woman like Chloe.

  Fierce, independent women these days didn’t want a man they saw as stodgy and traditional. A man who’d committed his life to the priesthood wasn’t a man who could commit to them, at least that’s what they thought.

  Of course there were the usual preacher’s wife candidates. They brought me casseroles, flirted with me at the after services, and fell all over each other to heed any committee I dreamed up. But they left me cold.

  I had no desire for a fawning partner who was also committed to the church. God forgive me, I wanted the opposite. I wanted a raw and dirty girl who would challenge me every day of my life.

  Lord help me, I wanted a sinner I could save.

  Someone who could save me in return.

  I wanted Chloe Thomas.

  And dammit, I was going to have her.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Chloe

  I was still wobbly when I got back to my apartment. Collapsing on the threadbare couch with the lumpy springs, I wondered how I’d gotten mixed up with a priest.

  Sure, he was sexy as hell, and since he wasn’t Catholic he hadn’t taken a vow of celibacy, but still—talk about a dead-end relationship.

  And where had he come up with the idea of marriage? Was he just going to marry every woman he felt like fucking? That seemed like a Looney Tunes way to date.

  Had he been married before? Could priests get divorced? Probably not, but he sure knew his way around a woman’s body. That had surprised me.

  I’d taken the night off, and after I took a nap I met Pepper for dinner at her parent’s new fusion restaurant.

  After we took the first sips of our cocktails, I burst out, “So you want to hear something crazy?”

  “You met a guy.”

  “Um, sorta.” I wasn’t about to rat him out and tell her about the insane chemistry between Eduardo and me or how we’d found ourselves in a compromising position in the church sanctuary. She knew him as “the bishop” of her church for God’s sake. But I had to tell somebody!

  “Spill,” Pepper pressed.

  “Okay. So, I’ve been proposed to.”

  “You mean someone wants to marry you?” Pepper looked alarmed.

  “Is that so hard to believe?” I asked defensively.

  “No, it’s not that. I just didn’t know you were even dating anybody.”

  “We’re not really dating.” I chewed my bottom lip.

  “I’m not following. What’s the rush? Does he need a green card?” Pepper acted as if I were speaking Chinese.

  “I guess it’s because he’s eager to consummate the marriage.” I blushed.

  Her eyes rounded. “I’ll bet I know who it is.”

  I tried to keep from grinning, but I couldn’t help myself. “Bishop Soto.”

  “Oh, my God!” Pepper squealed. “Our priest is horny for you!”

  She took a sip of her drink. “I don’t know whether that’s adorable or disgusting.”

  I made a face.

  “Both,” Pepper decided. “Well, he is hot. I don’t think any female could miss that bit of information about him. Is he kinky?”

  “Pepper! I don’t know.” But a tingle inside me said he might be.

  “Well, if you’re considering marrying him, I suggest you find out.”

  “I’m not marrying him.”

  “Do you love him?” Pepper asked.

  “I barely know him.”

  “That might not matter.”

  I snorted. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “No. There’s research that suggests that arranged marriages are more successful than the ones people choose for themselves.”

  “Really? That doesn’t sound right.”

  “It’s true.”

  “So, what does that mean? That humans are too dumb to pick the right mate for themselves?”

  “Or that you can grow to love someone, regardless of your initial attraction. But surely you’re attracted to him. I mean, you have a pulse, right?”

  I nodded. “He is gorgeous, and the chemistry between us—well, chemistry is not the problem.”

  “And you like him? You get along?”

  I shrugged. “I guess so. He does have a lot to offer, but I can’t picture myself as the wife of a priest. I mean, can you?”

  Pepper shook her head. “But it is a new world. People don’t have sticks up their asses like they did a few years ago. Now it’s all about accepting everyone. Maybe that will be good for you.”

  “Well, it’s not going to happen.”

  “Oh, Chloe, give the guy a chance. I think it’s tres romantic that he wants to marry you. Most men these days just want to hit you up on an app, screw you in their car, and drop you off before they go watch a game with their friends. At least you have a man who respects you, who wants you, not just your snatch.”

  She had a point there. “Dating” had become “hooking up,” and there was no romance in that.

  “Maybe you could get to know each other better. Make sure you’re on the same page, see if you want the same things. I mean, does he want kids? Do you?”

  Though we hadn’t discussed it, I imagined Eduardo would want kids. All you had to do was watch him with the kids he coached to know that. Nobody signed up for a job like that unless they liked kids.

  Me? I’d never seen kids in my future. It wasn’t that I was averse to them . . . it was just that I was completely focused on my career, and I didn’t want to set that aside to have children.

  We had a delicious dinner, and when I left the restaurant I was stuffed.

  Pepper and I promised to meet again soon, and we went our separate ways. On the way home, I thought about what she’d said about Eduardo.

  Perhaps she was right, and I needed to get to know him better before I wrote him off completely.

  On my way home, a lightbulb went off over my head.

  Hadn’t that blonde at the bank asked if I had a husband who might be able to co-sign for my loan?

  I bet Eduardo had stellar credit . . .

  Before I went to bed I sent him a text.

  “Can we talk?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Chloe

  “If we’re going to get married, there are a few things about you I think I should know.” The next day I stood in Eduardo’s office negotiating his marriage offer. I paced the floor, while he leaned back against his desk wearing an amused look.

  “Sounds wise,” he agreed. “Shoot.”

  “Are you a virgin?”

  He shook his head, and I laughed. “The plot thickens. You want to tell me about that?”

  He didn’t even blush. “I wasn’t always a priest, Chloe. In fact, I think, as my wife, you will appreciate how skilled I am at pleasing a woman.”

  I swallowed hard. It was obvious he wanted to unnerve me, and it was working. The way he talked about pleasing a woman, looking directly into my eyes, letting me know that he knew exactly how to fuck, and fuck well—it made me wet and I completely lost my train of thought.

  There was something about having a priest discuss sex with me that turned me on ten times as much as it would have had he been any other man. Or maybe it was just him that got me so worked up. Either way, he wrecked me.

  “How do you know so much, about it?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “I’m quite interested in sex,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “Isn’t that kinda weird for someone in your line of work?”

  “I don’t believe so. The Lord created sex. I doubt he would have done that if he didn’t intend for us to enjoy it.”

  “But there’s sex, and there’s sex.”

  Not very articulate but he seemed to get my point, because he leaned in and whispered devilishly in my ear, “I’m aware.”

  My heart skipped a beat, and I forced my gaping mouth closed. Then I cleared my throat. “You’re not expecting children right away though, are you?”

  “No,�
�� he said in a patronizing tone. “I know you want to focus on your career.”

  He was making this too easy. There was a catch somewhere, and I was going to find it. Frustrated, I asked, “So you’re fine not having children? I find that hard to believe.”

  “I do like the idea of being a father one day, but I see no reason to rush things.”

  “What if I never want to have children?”

  “Is that how you feel? Like you’re sure you never want to have children?”

  I stomped my foot. “That’s not my point.”

  “Chloe, we can’t just plan out our life in every detail for the next twenty or thirty years. God has a way of leading us in the direction we are meant to go.”

  “But, I don’t know if I believe that.”

  “Have you ever heard people say life is what happens when you are making other plans?”

  I nodded.

  He shrugged. “It’s kind of like that. We don’t have to know the answers to every question. All you have to know is that I love you and I want to be your husband. I know you don’t love me . . . yet. But I like to think that there’s a chance that you will grow to.”

  A sharp pang of guilt stabbed me in the gut. How could I take advantage of this man? He was so pure, so good, so kind, and here I was just wanting a marriage certificate and his credit so I can get a loan. He deserved someone with more character than me.

  “I don’t know. I feel bad . . .”

  “I understand I’m taking a risk. But that’s my decision, Chloe. I want someone to share my life with, someone I can care for, someone who will be my partner, and I want that person to be you. If you don’t like spending time with me, if you can’t imagine living with me, sleeping with me, then say no. But if you want to give us a chance, I hope you will. I think we’ll be happy together.”

  All this talk of intimacy was making me uncomfortable. So, I decided to change the subject back to something I could deal with. “So, the sex is in?”

  “Oh, it’s definitely in. But so is me helping you get a loan for your bake shop.”

  The way he lumped me having sex with him into the same utterance as me getting money from him made our agreement sound like prostitution. I considered mentioning it, but I’d heard too many men over the years say that when they got married they definitely paid for it.

  In many ways, sex was just a kind of currency in relationships, and I was too worldly to pretend it wasn’t.

  “And if I say yes, what’s the next step?”

  “I will have my secretary Kay make some arrangements, and we will have a wedding.”

  “Wait, actually have a wedding? Not just go to the justice of peace at the courthouse?”

  “Chloe, I am the Rector of a church. I can’t see that my congregation would be very happy if I ran off and got married without them being a part of it.”

  I gulped. “So not just a wedding, but a church wedding?”

  He started to roll his eyes but stopped himself. Taking a deep breath, he reminded me, “Chloe, I’m a priest. We should be married in a church.” He took my hands in his. “This is just going to take some getting used to.”

  That was the understatement of my life.

  He smiled. “I get that. It will be an adjustment for all of us.”

  And I got the feeling he meant not only he and I, but also his congregation.

  “I’m not sure how good of a reverend’s wife I’m going to be.” I couldn’t picture myself leading Bible study and heading up church projects and such.

  “You’ve already got the bake sale thing mastered,” he teased.

  I made a face.

  “That’s okay. Just be yourself, and everything will be fine. The church is tolerant of women and the various roles they play. I’ve met several priests whose wives have high-powered careers and are not very involved in their congregation.”

  “Yes, but I’ll bet some people don’t like that.”

  He squeezed my hand. “You can’t please all the people all the time. In fact, there is not a woman out there I could marry that everyone would love, but this is my choice—not theirs.”

  I searched his face for some indicator that this was all too good to be true. But Eduardo was as earnest a man as I’d ever met and what he was describing sounded perfectly reasonable to me.

  Who knows? Maybe our marriage would last.

  But I wasn’t sure if I could grow to love someone.

  I’d closed off my heart so firmly it might never open up, but if anyone stood a chance, why not Eduardo?

  I squeezed his hand back, hoping some of his confidence would transfer to me.

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s do it.”

  His eyes lit up as he picked me up and twirled me around. “Whoo hoo!”

  When he set me down he said, “You won’t regret this, Chloe. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making your dreams come true.”

  I couldn’t help but smile back. “If you say so.”

  “I do,” he said. And then he kissed me.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Eduardo

  I only informed the congregation about the wedding during services the week before. We sent quick overnight invitations to Chloe’s mother and a few old friends of mine, but for the most part our wedding would be attended by members of my congregation and a few of Chloe’s friends.

  Kay picked out the flowers, a pretty combination of spring flowers that looked good to me. Kay was surprised Chloe didn’t have more of an opinion about it, but I knew my bride-to-be had other things on her mind besides cruising wedding magazines.

  The star soprano from the church choir offered to sing “Ave Maria” for the processional, and the organist would play Pachelbel’s Canon as Chloe walked down the aisle.

  The most important thing to me was that the man who had been a father to me growing up, Reverend Morley, agreed to officiate our ceremony. He and his wife Sue flew in from Virginia in time for the rehearsal dinner the night before, and I’d never been prouder than when I introduced Chloe to them.

  After Lucinda Barnes told me she believed Ziggy Barnes was my real father, I called Rev. Morley and accused him of keeping this information from me. He insisted he had no idea who my real father was, and said that he’d only been aware there had been a benefactor whose identity had always been kept from him.

  My mother must have known who my father was and where the money came from, but since she’s gone, the only people I could lash out at were the Morleys. I knew it wasn’t right, but I was angry and hurt that I had been lied to by my mother.

  Inviting them for the wedding was my way of mending fences, and fortunately, they weren’t the kind of people who held grudges. In fact, they were thrilled to attend my wedding.

  “Why, Eduardo, I had no idea you were even seeing someone,” Sue Morley said when I picked them up from the airport.

  “It was all very sudden,” I said.

  “Well, we can’t wait to meet her. She must be quite a young woman to have made such an impression on you so quickly,” Reverend Morley said.

  She had, though not in the way he meant.

  Chloe had awakened a side of me that I’d locked away out of guilt and a misguided need to punish myself. She’d made me realize I was alive, and it was time for me to start living.

  If I said I didn’t have any doubts in the days leading up to the wedding, I would be lying. A niggling voice in the back of my head tried to warn me that lust was not the bedrock on which to build marriage, but I firmly ignored it and embraced my impulsivity with open arms. Chloe and I might not have a long-term relationship under our belt on which to build, but I was convinced I knew what was best for me.

  And that was Chloe.

  Once we were married I’d give her the money she needed to open her bakery. She would think it was a bank loan, and that was fine. It wasn’t important for her to know it was from my trust. She could pay it back as her business became profitable as I knew it would be.

  I wa
s all sorts of confident that we would live happily ever after.

  When I walked up to the altar and turned to see her walking down the aisle towards me wearing that white dress, my chest tightened and I couldn’t imagine ever feeling more love for another person than I did in that moment.

  She was a vision, the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen—with a little crown of pearls atop her head, her big brown eyes looking at me like I held the keys to the stars.

  I knew she was going to look good, but I had no idea she’d make me melt like that.

  Thank God we’d booked a photographer, because I wanted to remember that moment always.

  “Repeat after me,” Reverend Morley was saying. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  “With this ring, I thee wed . . .” I said, slipping the ring on her delicate finger.

  It felt like I was completing something important.

  I had a job that I loved, a calling really, that gave me great fulfillment. There was room for constant growth which I craved, but what had been missing in my life for the past several years was the companionship of a partner.

  Looking down at her lovely face, I truly believed I could bring her happiness.

  I vowed then and there to do everything in my power to make my new wife’s dream come true.

  After the ceremony, we had a simple reception in the parish lounge with coffee and pastries from Miss Bain’s bakery as well as a modest cake.

  The whole affair was nothing fancy, but I hoped to make it up to her on our honeymoon.

  After cutting the cake, Chloe and I smiled for the camera pretending to feed each other a bite. “I have a surprise for you this evening,” I whispered in her ear.

  “You do?” She giggled nervously. “I thought we were just getting ready to go on our honeymoon tomorrow.”

  “I realize were going to be exhausted, but I wanted to take you out for a nice dinner. I’ve booked us a private dining room at Evangeline’s.”

  “Evangeline’s?”

  “Yes, have you eaten there before?”

  She shook her head. “I used to work in some of the Thibodeaux’s restaurants, but I’ve never been there. Never been able to afford it honestly, but I’ve always wanted to go.” The appreciation on her face told me I’d made the right call.