All Tied Up (Business of Love Book 2)

by Ali Parker

  By the time I was completely dressed and my hair was curled and my minimal makeup was done, Rick’s driver buzzed my unit and I made my way downstairs to meet him. He put a blindfold on me. I tried to bargain with him not to have to wear it.

  “I don’t like not being able to see, Henry,” I told him.

  Henry clicked his tongue. “Does anyone?”

  “Fair point.”

  “Either you put the blindfold on, or we don’t go.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled.

  “You look lovely today by the way, Kimberly.”

  I blushed as he tied the blindfold at the back of my head. “Thank you.”

  “New dress?”

  “Yes. From Rick.”

  “He has good taste.”

  “Yes, he does,” I agreed.

  Henry took my hand and led me to his car. When I was buckled into the back, he placed a coffee in my hand. “Your favorite, of course. Careful. It’s hot.”

  I sipped my latte as Henry drove me who the hell knew where. I tried to pay attention to the turns he was taking. I cracked open the window to see if I could catch any familiar scents—I didn’t know why I suddenly thought I was a bloodhound but it seemed like a good idea. Maybe I could catch a whiff of a passing pizza place or bakery.

  No such thing happened.

  When the car stopped, Henry reminded me not to take the blindfold off. I left it where it was and he guided me out of the car. I held my coffee and he walked me across the pavement and then onto grass. We walked about thirty paces before I heard a wooden gate latch open. It creaked on hinges as Henry pushed it open and then walked me through. My feet found more pavement and we continued forward.

  “Are we close?” I asked.

  “Just about there, Kimberly. Hold tight.”

  My stomach was alive with butterflies. I’d never had so many surprises for my birthday before. Vanessa and I usually had a full girls’ day planned, starting with brunch and mimosas on a patio somewhere if it was sunny. But this year was different. This year, Vanny let Rick take the reins, and I had a feeling he’d knocked it out of the park.

  Henry stopped walking. “Here we are. Hold on just a moment.”

  I stayed where I was. It was terribly quiet, wherever we were. Aside from some chirping birds and the sound of lazily buzzing bees nearby, I couldn’t hear a damn thing.

  Which meant we weren’t in public.

  Someone began untying the blindfold.

  It fell away and I opened my eyes against the blinding sunlight.

  Rick was there, standing right in front of me. He was all I could see and I instantly broke out into a wide grin.

  “Happy birthday,” Rick said as he cupped my cheek and leaned in for a kiss. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  I put my hands on his sides. “Thank you. I love the dress. And the earrings are incredible. You didn’t have to do all this.”

  “I wanted to. You had to look the part.”

  “The part for what?”

  “The birthday girl, of course,” he said, stepping aside and revealing his back patio.

  It was decked out in birthday décor. Everything was turquoise and white and gold and beautiful. Balloons were tied to almost every piece of furniture. I could tell an immense amount of effort had gone into the decor.

  But that wasn’t what took my breath away.

  What stole my breath was all the people who had turned up to celebrate with me.

  Vanessa and Rhys stood at the front of the group with their three-month-old baby girl, Lily, balanced on Vanessa’s hip. Vanessa’s parents and her brother were there too, all grinning at me. I spied Jackson and Hailey, and his sister Katie with them.

  “What?” I whispered. “How long have you been planning this?”

  “For months!” Vanny called.

  “We were all sworn to secrecy,” Jackson said.

  There were tons of other people there too. Some of my favorite wedding clients were there, some of whom I hadn’t seen in ages. Two were very pregnant. Old friends from school were there and new friends I’d met along the way. In total, there were at least thirty people and every single face was one I loved and cherished.

  Rick sent me off to make my rounds and joined my side again with a cocktail for each of us. I sipped at my refreshing spiked lemonade and chatted with friends from all different stages of my life. I couldn’t believe so many people had made the effort to come and see me today.

  I’d never felt so loved before.

  Katie, Jackson’s twin sister, met me at the bar with a big bear hug. “I haven’t seen you in so long, Kimmy!”

  “Don’t call me that,” I said, poking at her ribs.

  She laughed and swatted my hand away. “Oh please. It’s what I always call you. You look great. And this man of yours? He really outdid himself, didn’t he?”

  “He did,” I agreed. “How long are you here for this time?”

  “I fly back to the islands tomorrow morning. I know. Everyone thinks I’m crazy coming for such a short amount of time but I have so much work to do there, and truth be told, I’m loving every second of being there. It’s my dream come true.”

  I put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not crazy. I know exactly how you feel, Katie. And I would imagine Jackson does too, right?”

  She nodded. “Us career-driven folk are doomed to be in love with our work, I guess.”

  “It could be worse. We could hate what we do.”

  “True that,” Katie said. She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m going to go harass Jackson and Hailey and see if I can get them liquored up enough to make out. I’m sick of sitting around waiting for those two to hook up and just do us all a favor and confess their love for each other already. Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck!” I called after her.

  When I turned to head over to the salad bar, I bumped right into Rick’s chest. He was grinning deviously at me.

  “What’s the smile for?” I asked suspiciously.

  “I have one other little thing for you.”

  “Oh? Should I be nervous?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  He chuckled. Then he called for his daughter, who I didn’t even realize was home. Chessie came out the sliding glass doors off the dining room. She beamed at me and walked through the crowd, who parted and watched Rick’s little girl, knowing another birthday gift was coming.

  “It’s just something small,” Rick said. “A gesture more than anything. But I think it’s time you had one of these.”

  Chessie came up to me and I crouched down. She pulled a flat wooden box out of the pocket in her sparkly blue dress and held it out to me. “This is for you, Kim. From me and Daddy.”

  I looked back and forth between her and Rick. “From the both you of?”

  They nodded and Chessie moved to stand with her father, who scooped her up in his arms. I stood with the box and slowly lifted the lid.

  Inside, lying upon a bed of red velvet similar to what the rose petals looked like in my apartment, was a gold house key. It was studded in Swarovski crystals that glittered magically in the sun.

  I looked at Rick.

  “Will you move in with us?” he and Chessie asked in unison.

  My heart exploded. No more waking up alone. No more falling asleep on the phone talking to the man whose bed I wished I was in. No more solo dinners or breakfasts. No more same old routine.

  I pulled the key from the box and clutched it to my chest. “Absolutely, I will.”

  Chessie clapped her hands together and they moved in on me for a big hug. Then Vanessa was there pushing champagne into our hands and tapping her own glass against ours, insisting we turn this into a real party because she needed to let her hair down.

  “I did so much pumping to prepare for this moment,” she said. Then she fixed a serious gaze on me. “Drink up, bitch.”

  I drank. Rick pulled me into his side and kissed me. “I hope you didn’t just
say yes because everyone was watching.”

  I shook my head and gazed up at him. “No, I’m ready. More than ready. I can’t wait to live with you and Chessie. But be warned. You’re finally going to see firsthand how much of a disaster I can be. I won’t be able to hide it any longer.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “You’re my disaster. You won’t scare me off. I told you. I’m all in.”

  “Damn straight.” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “Is there tequila at this party or what?”

  Vanessa’s super-enhanced mom ears heard me. She spun around. “Did you just say tequila?”

  I laughed. “Sure did.”

  “You know what goes really well with tequila?” Vanessa asked.

  Rick scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully. “Let me guess. Mountain Dew?”

  Vanessa pointed at him. “Smart man. Kim, lock him down.”

  I gazed up at the man of my dreams. “Oh, don’t worry. I intend to.”

  The End.

  Want More?

  Have you read Vanessa’s story?

  Grab your copy HERE!

  Insider Group

  Well hello again! Thank you so much for grabbing one of my books. I sure hope you loved it.

  I’d hate to part ways now that you are through the book. How about we stay in touch? We have a great family of readers on my Insiders Newsletter Group that you just can’t miss out on.

  We do exclusive giveaways, facebook parties, Christmas cards, event invites, and sneak previews for this amazing group.

  And as a HUGE thank you for joining,

  you’ll receive a free book on me!

  Join Here

  About the Author

  Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. The man is hot. Hello.

  She’s a creative at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Tennessee with her hubs, teenage son, two grown daughters and first grand baby (yes!). Telling a good story that revives hope, reminds us of love and gives a vacation from life is all she’s up to.

  Questions, comments or concerns? You can always email her at Ali@aliparkerbooks.com.

  Let’s connect…

  Website ~ Insider’s Group ~ Facebook

  Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Twitter

  The Parker’s Playground

  All Tied Up

  Business of Love 2

  Copyright © 2020 by Ali Parker

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.

  First Edition.

  Editor: Eric Martinez

  Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art