How to Lose a Fiancé

by Cami Checketts

  She glanced up at Brody, who was standing quietly next to her. He stared down at her, his brilliant blue eyes almost calculating.

  Kaimbrey met his gaze evenly. “So, will I see you again?” she asked.

  Brody smiled. “I sure hope so.”

  She planted her hands on her hips. “Do you now?”

  A voice piped up from next to them. “Well, do you get the million dollars or not?”

  Kaimbrey looked over at Emma. Brody’s eyes turned stormy. Kaimbrey knew Brody would always treat the older lady with respect, but he was obviously unhappy that she was pushing them right now.

  “Not,” Kaimbrey said, decisively. “No proposal. Not even close,” she muttered under her breath.

  Brody arched his eyebrows and his eyes warmed. His mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile.

  Emma shrugged. “Well, you win some, you lose some.” She sauntered away to talk to other guests.

  Kaimbrey rolled her eyes. “Or if you’re like me, you always lose.” She’d definitely lost tonight—the chance to start her charity, certainly, but losing the chance to be with Brody was even more hurtful.

  “I never thought I’d hear talk like that from you,” Brody said.

  “Yeah, well, you don’t know me very well.”

  “I think I do.” He took her hand and led her farther away from the scattered groups of people. When they were alone, looking out over the lake, he turned her to face him. “I think I know you pretty well, Kaimbrey Jackson.”

  She tilted her head, giving him a challenging look. “Is that so?”

  “Yeah. You’re a sassy, feisty, independent, smart, beautiful, charitable woman who would do anything to help others.”

  She smiled tremulously up at him. “Th-thank you,” she murmured.

  Brody lifted his free hand and trailed his fingers along her jaw. He bent closer, and her stomach filled with warmth. “You’re also the woman who’s completely captured me and who I’ve fallen in love with.”

  Kaimbrey’s eyes widened and her pulse quickened. “Back up a bit. Did you say … fallen in love?”

  Brody usually had a boyish mischievousness about him, but right now he looked adorably appealing. “Yeah, I guess I did.” He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. His body brushed against hers. “Any chance you might be feeling the same?”

  Kaimbrey arched up onto tiptoes and wrapped her arms tight around his neck. “There’s a huge chance. Just depends if I decide to take that chance or not.”

  Brody smiled, bending closer to her, and his breath brushed across her cheek. “How are we going to know if you’ll take that chance?”

  “It’s risky … for you, that is.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Well, it’s all contingent on the next kiss. If you don’t have my head in the clouds, I might not be feeling the same.”

  Brody grinned and bent even closer, whispering against her lips. “Well, there’s no risk at all, then.”

  Kaimbrey tried to sass him about his overconfident answer, but his lips had taken possession of hers with such warmth, desire, and love that she could hardly stand on her own two feet, let alone tease him. Luckily, she didn’t have to stand up, as he was holding her tight enough that her feet were dangling above the ground.

  The kisses continued, and Kaimbrey had never felt love and devotion like this strong, teasing man showered upon her. She was soaring with happiness. She knew she’d still do anything to start her charity—well, not anything, because she would never trick someone again, especially not this beautiful man. She might not have secured a fiancé or a million dollars, but she was in Brody’s arms, and right now, that was all that mattered.

  When they finally broke apart, Brody held her close, giving her a smirk. “Now the thing I don’t understand …”

  “Wait, there’s something the great Brody Jepson doesn’t understand? I thought you were the expert in everything.”

  “Most things.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Kissing.”

  She sighed against his lips. “Definitely in kissing.” They kissed again, and when the kiss ended, she’d forgotten what they’d been talking about.

  “What I don’t understand,” he started again, “is if your charity is all about helping people learn to help themselves, expecting them to work around your house, providing employment specialists, expecting them to secure a job and pull themselves out of poverty … then why are you just waiting around for a handout to start it?”

  “Excuse me?” Kaimbrey pulled back and glared at him. “I am not just waiting for a handout, but you try to build a house for families in need and start a charity working for sixteen dollars an hour with no benefits.”

  Brody chuckled. “Oh, K.” He brushed the hair from her neck. “I have a proposal for you.”

  “Y-you do? What kind of proposal are we talking about here?”

  “The ‘start your charity’ kind.”

  “Oh.” She was strangely disappointed. Being in Brody’s arms clouded her mind, and all she could think about was a marriage proposal. Emma’s money was gone, but it wasn’t about that anymore.

  “I don’t think you need some million-dollar endowment. I think you need someone who’s got a decent amount of money put aside, who’s willing to partner with you, provide some start-up capital, and be willing to work just as hard as you are to get your house ready and your charity going.”

  Her heart started racing. Was he really willing to take his own hard-earned money and help her? “Do you … know that someone?”

  He laughed. “Pretty well.”

  “Would that person want to help me?”

  “I think so.”

  “What kind of payment would that person want?”

  His grin grew. “Lots and lots of kissing.”

  “Yes!” Kaimbrey screamed, throwing her arms around his neck. “The answer is yes!”

  Brody smiled and proceeded to kiss her.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Kaimbrey pushed a large mop across the new wooden floor. She’d had no idea a remodel could be so messy; lately she felt like she was always cleaning. She glanced around the huge gathering area of her new Home for Hope with a smile. Colt and his crew were putting handles on the new cabinets in the kitchen. Cally and Bri were sprawled on the freshly laid carpet in the living room, discussing simple yet inspiring decorations for the main area and each of the bedrooms that a family would occupy. Brody and Tate had made a run for lunch and weren’t back yet.

  Brody had used his own money to purchase a huge older home on the east side of downtown Ogden. Kaimbrey still couldn’t believe he was willing to sacrifice so much for her. He’d also had several clients contribute to a fund that could run and staff the house for over ten years. Cally’s company had stepped up big time and financed the entire remodel, except for the cabinets, Colt insisted those were his donation. Kaimbrey had a stack of applications for employees she needed to go through and determine who could best help the people and keep everyone motivated and safe.

  There were dozens of people who were hoping to stay in the house. They’d kept the selection process pretty quiet, going through government and church organizations to find the applicants. It would be trial and error for a long time figuring out who was the most deserving and who to help first, but they were helping people and that was all that mattered. The people who were accepted to live in one of the seven bedrooms would mostly be families or single moms with little ones. There was a huge bunk room above the garage for only single men. They would only be able to stay if they helped out in the house and garden and worked with the employment specialists to find a job and work themselves into their own apartment. There would be absolutely no drugs or alcohol tolerated, and a security guard would be on the premises at all times.

  The large shop out back had been remodeled into more of a homeless shelter where anyone was welcome to stay for the night, even if they were drunk as a skunk. There would be food
and employment help for those people there, but they couldn’t set up residence unless they were accepted to stay in the big house.

  Arms wrapped around Kaimbrey’s waist, and she leaned back against Brody’s strong chest and inhaled his citrusy smell.

  He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck. “Hey, love.”

  She moaned from the pleasure of being close to him, dropped the mop, and spun in his arms. “Hey, your own handsome self.”

  He grinned.

  “I’d like a proper greeting.”

  Brody chuckled and pulled her up and in, capturing her lips with his.

  “Yeah, because it’s been ten minutes since they kissed,” Colt said from behind them.

  Kaimbrey forced herself to pull back and turn to face her friends and Brody’s family. She kept hoping they’d be her family someday soon. Although she and Brody spent every spare minute together, with him constantly planning fun dates and spoiling her and telling her how much he loved her, he hadn’t proposed yet. It was almost like the mess from her trying to get a proposal for a million dollars had made him gun shy. Six months wasn’t a very long time to date, but she felt more than ready for the next step.

  “You hush.” Brikelle poked Colt’s side. “They’re adorable.”

  Colt smiled down at her. “I thought I was adorable.”

  “No, you’re a handsome stud.”

  Colt laughed and bent to kiss her.

  Tate and Cally were standing next to the kitchen bar and the sacks of takeout. Tate arched an eyebrow. “Everybody’s kissing. Maybe it’s our turn.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She leaned into him and kissed him. Cally and Tate had been married in the fall, shortly after Colt and Bri. Cally had the cutest little baby bump, and Bri had confided in Kaimbrey that they were “trying” to have a baby also. Kaimbrey couldn’t imagine the trying was too hard, but what did she know?

  Brody turned Kaimbrey toward him. “Would you say that this house is officially done?”

  Kaimbrey nodded. “Yes. Definitely done.”

  “Thank the good Lord.” Brody dropped to one knee, pulled out a huge round diamond ring, and said, “Kaimbrey Jackson. I love you desperately and have since the first night I met you. Will you please marry me?”

  Her mouth fell open. His family was tittering around them, but Kaimbrey could only see Brody: his handsome face, his sparkling blue eyes, his strong body, but most importantly his love and devotion to her and what was important to her. Kaimbrey leaned down and kissed him softly. She whispered against his mouth, “I love you. Of course I’ll marry you.”

  Brody tenderly put the ring on her finger, then stood and swept her off her feet, kissing her until her head was cloudy with happiness and the promise of much more kissing to come. He set her on her feet and murmured, “It’s about killed me waiting this long.”

  “But … why did you wait?”

  He grinned. “I wasn’t going to let that crazy million-dollar challenge taint our marriage. I wanted to marry you for you and you alone.”

  “Oh, Brody.” She clung to his neck and fought back tears. “You’re so silly to think that anything in this world is more important to me than you.”

  His eyes were tellingly bright as he murmured again, “I love you,” and kissed her. They ignored everyone around them as the kiss deepened and Kaimbrey’s gratitude and happiness soared. Brody had waited, not because he didn’t want to get married, but because he wanted the house done and to know they were getting married for them and not for any underlying charity donations.

  The door burst open behind them and quick footsteps tapped across the entryway and into the gathering area. Everyone turned to see who it was. Emma Jensen came in with a smile, grasping a large check in her hand.

  Brody groaned and clung to Kaimbrey’s waist. “Are you kidding me? Which one of you called her?”

  His brothers and their wives all lifted their hands innocently. One of the cabinet workers sheepishly raised his hand as well and said, “She told me she’d give me a thousand bucks if I texted her if I ever saw a proposal. Sorry.”

  Emma laughed happily. “I caught wind that you’d bought a big diamond a few days ago and knew it was finally time.”

  “We don’t want your money,” Brody said.

  “Oh, Brody Jepson, stop being silly.” She turned the check around. It was for a million dollars. “I know how successful and independent you are, but you stop and think about how many people your sweet wife can help with this money. I love this concept of people not just waiting on the handout, working and improving themselves and their lives. Kaimbrey could start houses like this in other cities, in other states. Are you really going to make her miss out on the opportunity to help others because of your stubborn pride?”

  Kaimbrey held her breath as she turned to Brody. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I love you so much. It’s okay if you don’t want to take the money.” She gestured around. “We’ve done all this without it. It’s fine.”

  Brody’s gaze flickered to Emma and then back to her. “I love you too. And I know you’ll put the money to good use.”

  The room erupted in cheers. Emma rushed to them and handed over the check, giving them each a hug.

  “Thank you,” Kaimbrey heard Brody murmur.

  “For the money?” Emma winked up at him.

  “No, for bringing us together. She’s more important than any money.”

  Emma squeezed him, her blue eyes bright. “You’re right, and you’re a smart man.” She left them to go touch Cally’s baby bump and chat with the other couples.

  Brody took Kaimbrey’s hand and led her out to the backyard, still full of snow and chilly this bright February day. Soon it would be full of children playing. Kaimbrey could hardly wait. She framed her face with his hands. “You waited six months to propose so Emma wouldn’t do exactly what she just did, and then you accepted it? You’re the best, Brody.”

  He shrugged, but then his eyes got a mischievous glint. “I’m only the best at one thing.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  “Loving you.”

  Kaimbrey giggled as he kissed her; then she admitted, “Yes. Yes, you are.”

  “Please, please say it’ll be a short engagement,” Brody begged.

  Kaimbrey’s fingers were tingling from the cold, but her body was tingling from being close to Brody and imagining being married to him. “Colt and Bri had it figured out.”

  “Two weeks?” Brody’s voice pitched with excitement. “You’d marry me in two weeks?’

  “Shore.” Kaimbrey grinned at him.

  Brody plucked her off the ground and swung her around. “Yes!” he hollered. “I love you.”

  Kaimbrey loved him and his exuberance. This house and all they’d accomplished meant so much to her, but they weren’t Brody. Brody was her entire world.

  Jepson Brothers Romances:

  1. How to Design Love

  2. How to Switch a Groom

  3. How to Lose a Fiance

  About the Author

  Cami is a part-time author, part-time exercise consultant, part-time housekeeper, full-time wife, and overtime mother of four adorable boys. Sleep and relaxation are fond memories. She’s never been happier.

  Sign up for Cami’s newsletter to receive a free ebook copy of The Resilient One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance and information about new releases, discounts, and promotions here.

  I hope you loved Brody and Kaimbrey’s story. Read on for an excerpt of Tate and Cally’s story in How to Switch a Groom.

  www.camichecketts.com

  cami@camichecketts.com

  How to Switch a Groom

  Cally Young clung to her glass of lemonade as she made her way around the beautiful outdoor engagement party at Emmaline Jensen’s stunning lakeside mansion. From what she’d heard it was to be a short engagement. Apparently the couple was getting married two weeks from now. She would’ve asked what the rush was, but she didn’t think she was the person to be a
sking the twitterpated couple much of anything.

  She forced her shoulders back and a smile onto her face. She’d worn her A-line, floral print Carolina Herrera dress to give her confidence. But no matter the price tag or the flattering fit, dressing to impress wasn’t helping her psyche. She should not have come. Closure was highly overrated.

  Cally’s stomach churned as she focused on the beautiful couple. Colt and Brikelle Jepson. Almost. The bride-to-be was petite with long, dark curls and an absolutely gorgeous face. Cally had to admit she liked Brikelle’s style. The future bride wore a knee-length, fitted lace dress and sassy floral-print high heels. The groom was the most handsome man Cally had ever known with his dark hair, blue eyes, and strong, perfect form. The couple sparkled as they looked at each other.

  Maybe this wouldn’t hurt so much … if the groom wasn’t the love of Cally’s life.

  She smiled ‘Hello’ to some of Colt’s mom’s neighbors. Most people here knew her as either Colt’s ex-girlfriend or as the neglected girl whose uber-rich parents never spared any time for her. The locals from Eden and Huntsville were all nice to her, but it was easy to read the pity in their eyes for either her lack of family or the fact that Colt hadn’t waited for her, hadn’t wanted her when things finally fell into place for her to come home and be with him. She didn’t blame Colt. It was all on her. But it still hurt.

  “What are you doing here?” A deep voice came from her right. Cally squinted against the evening sunlight haloing the man’s dark reddish brown hair and focused on the face of Tate Jepson. Colt’s brother, and definitely not a Cally fan, at least not anymore.

  Tate had been a beautiful child, a handsome teenager, and a near perfect young adult, but to see him as a man made her stomach drop and her heart race, as if she’d just been thrown off a cliff. His chestnut hair was thick, framing his model-handsome face perfectly. His startling blue eyes were shadowed by thick, dark lashes and dark brows that she’d think were waxed if she didn’t know Tate so well. He was perfectly beautiful but too tough to be a pretty boy. “Pretty boy” had been a common taunt from his brothers, for which he’d always gotten into a brawl.