Dangerous Delusion

by Rhonda Brewer

  Nick was waiting for the song to finish so he could introduce Kurt. His uncle was going to sing a song to Kristy and Bull. It was the first time in years that Kurt sang in front of a crowd, but he’d come to Nick and Aaron a couple of days before the wedding to ask their help to pull off the surprise.

  The song was called, I loved her first by Heartland. It was such an appropriate song for a father to sing to his daughter, and Nick was certain there wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house when Kurt was done. He’d be surprised if Kurt actually got through the song.

  A few minutes later, Nick jumped up on stage and the surprise for Kristy commenced. As he predicted, tears flowed like a river, but Kurt managed to get through the song. There was just one more surprise to pull off, and that one had his heart pounding.

  “Thanks for the warning about Dad’s surprise.” Kristy punched him softly on the shoulder.

  “I was sworn to secrecy.” Nick laughed.

  “It’s not fair for your girlfriend to look better than the bride.” Nick glanced down at Kristy and smiled.

  “You look stunning.” Nick wrapped his arm her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.

  It wasn’t a lie. He’d never seen his cousin look more radiant than she did in her wedding dress. Nick knew he was one of very few who knew Kristy was also pregnant.

  “Thanks, Nick. Are you ready for all this?” Kristy whispered.

  “To marry her? One thousand percent.” Nick couldn’t stop grinning if he tried.

  He’d mentioned he wanted to propose to Lora in a conversation with Kristy the week before. She excitedly came up with a plan for him to do it at the wedding when she was supposed to throw the bouquet.

  “What if she’s not ready?” Nick whispered mostly to himself as he hugged his cousin.

  “Are you kidding me? When she sees you down on your knee, she won’t be able to say no. I mean, you’re proposing to both Lora and her daughter.” Kristy smiled up at him, and his hand went to the two small boxes in his jacket pocket.

  “I hope you’re right, Kristy.” Nick blew out a breath.

  “I just came over to give you the two-minute warning.” Kristy laughed. “As soon as that song is over, you’re up.”

  Nick’s heart thundered in his chest as he tried to relax but when the Deejay announced that all single women gather in the center of the floor, Nick swallowed and straightened his shoulders. Of course, they were all aware of the plan and made sure they were behind Lora. Isabelle brought Molly to the front as well and placed her next to her mother.

  “Okay, are you ready?” Kristy yelled over her shoulder as she gave Nick a wink and he nodded.

  “Come on, Kristy,” Isabelle shouted.

  “Yeah, we’re getting old waiting here.” Jess laughed.

  “One,” Kristy lifted the bouquet in the air, “Two,” that was his cue.

  Nick stalked toward his cousin and snatched the flowers as she held it in the air. They’d been bought especially for this occasion. It wasn’t actually Kristy’s bouquet. The only one to look surprised was Lora. Nick stopped in front of Molly and pulled a pink rose out of the bundle and handed it to the little girl.

  He turned to Lora and held out the rest of the flowers to her. Lora took it reluctantly and glanced around the room at the group of people staring at her and Nick.

  “Nick, what are you doing?” Lora leaned toward him and whispered.

  “Lora, the first time I saw you at the grocery store something hit me in the chest. I’m guessing it was cupid’s arrow. So, I’m not taking any chances with you catching the bouquet and someone else catching the garter.” Nick winked at his Aunt Cora.

  “Nick,” Lora smiled.

  “I never thought I’d find someone I could love as much as I love you. You give me more with a smile than anyone I've ever met. You make me want to be a better person because who I am with you is who I really want to be.” Nick stole the line for the song he sang for her as he pulled the white box out of his pocket, and dropped to one knee.

  “Oh. My. God.” Lora’s hand cover her lips and her eyes filled with tears.

  “Lora, you and Molly are the best thing that ever happened to me. No matter what I say, what I do, there's only one thing in this world that would make me the happiest man on earth.” Nick swallowed hard. “If you would agree to be my wife. Lora Norris, will you marry me.”

  Nick held his breath as Lora stared at him, tears flowing down her cheeks, one hand trembling against her mouth, and the other clutching the flowers to her chest.

  “Mommy, are you gonna say yes?” Molly tugged on Lora’s dress.

  “Yeah, Mommy, are you gonna say yes?” Nick winked, but his heart felt as if it was about to jump out of his chest.

  “Yes. yes,” Lora whispered and nodded her head frantically as she held out her hand. “My God, yes.”

  Nick never felt so relieved in his life as he did when he slipped the ring on Lora’s slender finger. He jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around the woman of his dreams. She squealed as he spun her in a circle and covered her mouth with his own.

  “Are you sure?” Lora gasped when he finally ended the kiss.

  “I’m one hundred percent positive. I just have one more proposal.” He placed her back on the floor with another quick kiss to her temple.

  Nick knelt back on the floor in front of Molly and took the little girl’s hand in his. She smiled shyly at him and he tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

  “Molly,” Nick looked into the little girl’s eyes that were so much like her mom.

  “You don’t call me Molly.” The little girl reminded him, and the group around them laughed.

  “You’re right. I apologize. Lollipop.” Nick cupped Molly’s cheek.

  “Yes, Nick.” She grinned.

  “I love your mommy very much, and she agreed to marry me.” Nick reached into his pocket. “But I can’t marry her unless you tell me it’s okay.”

  “It’s okay, Nick.” Molly smiled at her mother.

  “Do you see this little box here?” Nick held up a small pink box.

  “Uh, huh.” Molly nodded.

  “This is my promise to you, Lollipop. I promise to be the best step-dad I can be, and I’ll protect you, wipe your tears, and pick you up when you fall. I’ll teach you things and answer any questions you have about life or love. I’m not perfect, and I’m going to make mistakes, but there’s one thing you need to know and never forget. I love you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.” Nick smiled when Molly handed her rose to her mother.

  “I love you too, Nick.” Molly wrapped her little arms around his neck and hugged him.

  “I have a question for you, Lollipop.” Nick pulled back to see her face.

  “What?” She tilted her head and glanced down at the box.

  “Molly Lollipop Norris, will you let me be your step-dad and take this necklace, so you always remember how much I love you.” Nick opened the box that contained a gold pendant in the shape of a heart with the word’s Daddy’s girl in the center.

  “No,” Molly shook her head, and Nick's heart sank.

  “Molly?” Lora crouched next to her. “I thought you loved Nick.

  “I do, Mommy.” Molly glanced at her mother then back to Nick.

  “But you don’t want him to be your step-dad?” Lora looked as heartbroken as Nick felt, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

  “No,” Molly wrapped her arms around Nick. “I want you to be my real dad.”

  Nick wasn’t usually an emotional man, but when Molly revealed her wish, he could hardly keep the tears from spilling out.

  “Is that okay, Nick?” Molly pulled back and stared at him.

  “Lollipop, that is more than okay.” Nick handed the necklace to Molly and Lora helped her put it on.

  “Do you know what that says, Molly?” Lora asked as she held up the pendant.

  Molly shook her head as she picked up the small heart in her tiny fingers and held it a
way from her chest.

  “It says, Daddy’s girl.” Lora’s voice cracked.

  “I am Daddy’s girl. Right, Daddy?” Molly threw herself into Nick’s arms and hugged him tightly.

  “That’s right.” Nick’s voice came out in a croak, but at that moment he didn’t care.

  “I love you, Nick.” Lora wrapped her arms around both him and Molly.

  If there were ever a point in a person’s life that was considered the happiest, Nick would have put that moment as number one. He was sure there would be more, but it was difficult to believe he could ever be happier than he was at that very moment.

  Epilogue

  Aaron stood at the top of the stairs and grinned down at Nick as he proposed to Lora. The twinge of jealousy struck again for the hundredth time at being the only one to have love and lose it. Of course, nobody knew how he felt about Bethany.

  There wasn’t a day that went by in his life that she didn’t enter his thoughts. It was stupid, because he hadn’t seen her since he was eighteen years old. His last day of high school when she told him she was leaving town. Leaving him the day after he'd took her virginity and she took his.

  “When are you going to take the plunge?” Aaron turned toward the older man next to him.

  “I don’t see that happening anytime soon, Father Wallace.” Aaron chuckled.

  Father Wallace was the principal of Holy Cross Catholic School, and a dear family friend. The school went from Kindergarten to grade twelve, and separated into three buildings. Elementary, junior high and high school.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that, Mr. O’Connor.” Father Wallace winked.

  “I’d make a wager, but I’d be afraid you’d send me to detention.” Aaron chuckled.

  Father Wallace narrowed his eyes and then let out a hearty laugh. He was one of those priests that you felt comfortable with, and sincerely cared about his students. Aaron always looked up to the man.

  “I’ve actually been meaning to call you.” Father Wallace turned to face him.

  “Why? What’s up?” Aaron turned toward the father.

  “Holy Cross has its one-hundredth birthday coming up next September. We’re planning a huge celebration, and I was wondering if we could count on you to help.” Father Wallace asked.

  “What could I help with?” Aaron volunteered at the school a couple of times a month, and he enjoyed helping with the music program.

  “Besides the entertainment? We need someone to help with contacts.” Father Wallace pulled a card from his inside pocket.

  “The entertainment is no trouble. Everyone in our band went to Holy Cross, but the contacts, I’m not sure what you mean.” Aaron sipped his beer.

  “That’s our secretary’s number at the school. She has the list of students and most of them we have current information, but there are a lot who left the province.” The sadness in Father Wallace’s voice was undeniable.

  “You want me to see if I can find the ones you don’t have information for.” It finally clicked what the priest was asking.

  “Yes,” The priest smiled and held out his hand.

  “I think I can manage to do that.” Aaron shook the father's hand.

  “I was also hoping to ask if you knew how to get in touch with Bethany Donnelly as well.” He’d thought about that name every day, but to hear it out loud was like a punch in the gut.

  “No. No. I haven’t talked to Bethany since the last day of high school.” Aaron turned back to the railing and stared down at the people dancing below.

  “Oh, I thought you two were great friends in school.” Father Wallace copied Aaron's stance.

  “We were, but you know. You grow up and go your own ways.” Aaron lied.

  “Oh. Well, I do appreciate that you can help us out. It’s a big milestone for the school. I’d like to see as many old students attending as possible.” He slapped Aaron on the shoulder. “It’s good to see how great all you boys turned out.”

  “A little worried about us, were you, Father?” Aaron chuckled.

  “Not for a minute.” The priest walked away leaving Aaron as alone as he felt inside.

  He always tried to keep everyone from seeing just how isolated he felt. Aaron lost the only woman he ever loved twelve years earlier, but he didn’t know what he’d done.

  He still remembered that day as if it was yesterday. She’d walked toward him on the beach where all the graduates were having a bonfire. School was out, and they were celebrating. He watched her walk toward him, and he smiled from ear to ear. Aaron reached for her when she got close to him, but she stepped back so he couldn’t touch her.

  She told him she was leaving Newfoundland to go live with her sister in Ontario and wouldn’t be coming back. Aaron was so dumbfounded that she was almost halfway across the beach before he ran after her. Bethany told him to leave her alone and said she never wanted to see or hear from him again.

  She’d been his first, and nobody ever came close to how it felt to be with her. He knew what his brothers meant when they said being with the women they loved was different than anybody else.

  Nick was the only one who knew how devastated he was when Bethany left, but he didn’t grasp just how long it took Aaron to get over her. Probably because he still wasn’t, and he doubted he ever would.

  About the Author

  What does someone say to describe themselves? You could start with giving what others say about you. Scratch that. It doesn't really matter what others think about you. It matters what you think of yourself. So here we go.

  First of all, I'm a wife and mother. I'm also a grandmother. That alone would fulfil any woman's life and to be honest it does. But.....

  I'm also a writer. Someone who loves to tell stories of love, suspense, heartache and of course happily ever after. For most of my life, I've written those stories for myself. A type of therapy, I suppose. I love the characters I create. They become part of who I am because there's part of me in them.

  So.... Now that you know this about me. I hope when you read my books, you fall in love with them.

  You should also know that I'm a Newfoundlander. What is that you ask? Well we're a proud people who live on an island, off the east coast of Canada. Some people believe Canada ends with Nova Scotia. It doesn't. If you keep going east, there is a beautiful island full of amazing people and magnificent scenery. That is where my stories are set because let’s face it. The best stories always come from the places you know and love.

  If there is anything else you would like to know about me. Ask me!

  O’Connor Brother Series

  Read about the sexy O’Connor Brothers

  In Books 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

  All are available on

  Amazon and

  Kindle Unlimited.

  Dangerous Therapy

  Book 1

  Officer John O’Connor is giving up on life after a terrible accident. His family are at their wits end when he refuses any kind of therapy. The only thing keeping him sane is his dreams of a beautiful woman he pulled in for a traffic violation months before.

  Physical Therapist Stephanie Kelly is healing from a broken heart. When she is hired by Nightingale’s personal care and physical therapy, she’s ecstatic, but she's shocked when her boss asks her to take on a new patient. Shocked because the patient is her boss's nephew and he’s not exactly keen on therapy. He’s also the cop who's been heating up her dreams.

  As Stephanie helps John get back on his feet, they grow closer, but someone is out to hurt Stephanie, or worse. After multiple attempts on her life, John’s family tries to figure out who’s after the woman he loves and stop them before it’s too late.

  Dangerous Abduction

  Book 2

  Widower James O'Connor has been fighting his growing attraction to his brother's sister-in-law for four long years, but when someone breaks into her home, destroying everything she owns, James takes her and her young son into his home. The break-in wasn’t random. Marina and her son are in
danger, and James swears to protect them, but can he keep them safe?

  Marina Kelly dedicates her life to caring for her sweet little boy, Danny. Since she broke free from her abusive husband, she's sworn off men, but when James O'Connor keeps entering her thoughts and her dreams, it takes everything she has to keep her feelings hidden. Now, her sister and parents are out of the province, and she's in danger, Marina has no choice but to accept James’s help and try to hide her attraction and growing feelings.

  The attraction between them impossible to resist. Only her ex's family secret may tear it all apart. Can Marina and James unravel the family's hidden mystery without losing each other?

  Dangerous Secrets

  Book 3

  Ian O’Connor has everything going for him. He’s got the O’Connor drop dead good looks, an incredible body and to top it off he’s a doctor. Why wouldn’t anyone want the man but none of that was the reason Sandy Churchill was head over heels in love with the man. After he had stood her up for their first official date, she was weary of taking another chance. When she ends up in the hospital because she turned her back on a criminal determined to get away from her, Ian admits that he loves her and wants another chance. A secret from his past throws Sandy into a tailspin, but she has a secret that she’s hiding from everyone.

  Ian’s on cloud nine when he finally takes a leap of faith and tells the woman he’s loved for four years how he feels and wants a chance to make up for his screw up. They have two weeks of bliss, but a murder and secrets come back to haunt him. Sandy’s reaction tells him there’s another reason why she’s avoiding him. She’s hiding something, but he has no idea what and to make matters worse there’s danger coming from her past that could hurt the people he loves the most.

  Dangerous Beauty

  Book 4

  When you come from a privileged family, you’re expected to follow a particular path in life. Unless you’re Emily Bradshaw. Defying her father, Emily turned down a full scholarship to Dalhousie University. Instead, she followed her dream and opened her own salon in the small town of Hopedale with her friend. She’s happy. Then her mother vanishes. Her father receives threatening messages and hires Newfoundland Security Services to protect his children. Emily doesn’t like the idea, especially when the man that walks into her salon dressed in a black leather jacket makes her weak in the knees. Emily knows she’s in danger but not the kind her father is worried about.