James rolled his eyes. “Don’t get carried away. I’m thankful for what you did, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be doing all kinds of favors for you.”
Ryder laughed. “Not all kinds, but maybe you could come out to our new place and help me with the yard. I know it’s a little soon, but I found a great wooden play set that I want to put back there. I thought we could make a weekend out of it. You and Selena could come and stay, and while the girls get acquainted…”
“You’d get free labor?” James asked with an arched brow.
“I prefer to look at it as quality bonding time.” He placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s been too long.”
James could only nod in agreement. His eyes went back to where Selena and Casey were standing and talking. She looked good there, like she was already a member of the family. There were a lot of Montgomerys in the room, and for the first time in his life, James felt like a part of them.
“Here come Mom and Dad,” Ryder said, interrupting his thoughts. “Let me interrupt the girls so that the introductions can be made.” On the surface, it seemed like a generous thing to do, but James knew his brother was escaping what could quite possibly be an awkward moment.
“Oh, James!” his mother cried as she came and wrapped him in a warm embrace. “I can’t believe that you’re really here and that you’re staying! I never thought I’d see this day.” She stepped back and touched his cheek, her smiling eyes conveying her happiness.
“Me either,” he said, carefully avoiding his father’s serious gaze. “I’m hoping to have the house furnished in the next week or two, and then I’ll have everyone over.”
“If you need any help…” his mother began anxiously, no doubt thrilled to have the opportunity to spend some time with her wayward son.
“He doesn’t need your help,” his father interrupted firmly, and James’s head snapped around to correct him. Before he could utter a word, his father clarified, “His beautiful bride-to-be is going to want to have that honor.” He smiled, something James wasn’t accustomed to, especially where he was concerned. “Welcome home, Son.” Then he held out his hand to shake James’s and as soon as the contact was made, he pulled his son in for the embrace that should have happened years ago.
“Thanks, Dad.” They each stepped back and simply smiled at one another. There was no point in rehashing the past; James had learned that lesson well. Some things were better left where they were. He needed to look at this opportunity as having a fresh start to the life he always wanted.
Just then Selena walked over. “Mom? Dad? I’d like to introduce you to Selena.” His mother immediately pulled her in for a hug, and when she was done, Robert Montgomery stepped forward, and James feared his father would say something upsetting, something that would bring up the past and ruin what had been a pretty joyous evening so far.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Selena. I believe this day is a long time coming. Welcome to the family.” He embraced her and kissed her on the cheek before releasing her and placing an arm around his wife. The two smiled at one another with what he could only describe as love.
And that’s when it hit James: he had spent so many years thinking he knew it all when he really hadn’t. These weren’t people to run away from; they were people he wanted to come home to. People who would always be there for him.
Selena pressed close to his side, and he placed a kiss on the top of her head and finally felt at peace.
James Montgomery was finally home.
Epilogue
Six months later…
“Is it too late to change my mind?” Selena asked nervously as she twisted her hands in her lap.
“I think so.”
“What if I really, really, really want to change it?”
“I’m telling you, I think it’s too late.” James found it incredibly sweet to see his normally calm, cool, and collected wife go into a state of panic. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Easy for you to say; this is all on me,” she said flatly.
“You? I believe I was involved in this little endeavor equally,” he said, taking only a little offense to her minimizing his role. “Now what are you afraid of?”
“What if I don’t like what it’s going to say?”
“We’ll never know if you don’t try.”
“So you’re saying I have to do this? That I have no choice?” She wasn’t angry; her fear and anxiety were getting the best of her. Taking a deep breath, she rose from her spot on the couch and left the room. “You know I hate it when I don’t have a choice,” she mumbled as she left the room.
James sat back and waited for her to return. It had been raining for days. He was tired of the gray skies and overall sense of gloom. That was the downside to having a home that let in so much natural light; it also let in all that natural gray gloominess, no matter how much you wanted to avoid it. Right now he’d kill for a little sunshine, which he knew would go a long way in putting a smile on his wife’s face.
Five minutes later, Selena came back into the room and dropped back on the sofa beside him. “Distract me.”
“How?”
“Witty conversation?”
He laughed. “That’s a lot of pressure on me.” When he saw that she wasn’t smiling, he got serious and quickly searched his brain for a topic that would certainly kill time. “Okay, let’s see. Oh, I talked to Zach today. His team wanted him to postpone the climb due to the questionable weather forecast, but he doesn’t want to. He’s determined to move forward with it, and he doesn’t think he has anything to worry about.”
“Well, that’s just crazy!” Selena cried. “What do the guides say?”
James shrugged. “They told him they feel confident in their ability to lead the team and do the climb. They’re used to some pretty intense weather conditions, but I think that’s a crappy response. I mean, I should hope they can handle it; that’s why they’re the guides. Zach hasn’t done a climb of this caliber before and neither has his team. I told him I thought he should wait.”
“And what did he say?”
“I’d rather not repeat his words. They actually made me blush,” James said.
“Yikes. What about Summer? I thought she had been working with him lately. Can she talk some sense into him?”
“Oh, Summer can talk until she’s blue in the face; Zach isn’t going to listen. I think she’s trying to come up with some kind of crazy scheme to make him miss his flight and therefore miss his window of opportunity to start the climb, but I’m not too confident in her ability to pull it off.”
“Why?”
“Basically, Zach will sic Ethan on her to keep her out of his way. He’s pacifying her right now. He knows she has no interest in working for Montgomerys. She’s just bored. Eventually she’ll move on to something else and leave Zach with a mess to clean up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had her down in the mail room just to keep her out of his way.”
“That’s just wrong. Your sister is a very intelligent and talented woman. Zach should really try to find a place for her within the company. I bet she could be a real asset.”
“I’ll remind you of that when she wants to come here and work with you, and you end up looking for a mail room to stick her in.”
“I would never do such a thing!” She wanted to believe that she wouldn’t, but Selena had a feeling that James was probably right.
Leaning in, James kissed her. “We’ll see.”
“Wait, isn’t Ethan going on the climb with Zach?” James nodded. “Then how could your brother make him responsible for Summer? Is he hoping that it will be Ethan who misses out on the climb instead of him? Because that’s just selfish. Seems to me like poor Ethan is getting the short end of the stick. Zach should be man enough to deal with your sister himself.”
He shrugged. “Zach and Ethan have
been friends for years, and by now Ethan knows how to handle my sister. Trust me when I say it’s better for everyone if Ethan is the one dealing with Summer rather than Zach—especially Summer.”
“Oh, really?” Selena said with a hint of amusement.
“It’s not like that; Zach would kill Ethan if he even considered touching Summer. We all would.” And James would hate for that to happen because he really liked Ethan. He was a good guy and deserved a medal for putting up with this crazy family. “I think Ethan will know how to keep Summer out of the way until they leave for the climb. I’m almost sorry I’m going to miss the whole thing. I wouldn’t put it past Summer to actually end up on the damn climb with them.” He seriously hoped that she wouldn’t though.
“Maybe she’s right,” Selena said as she reached out and took one of James’s hands in hers. “Maybe everyone should stop looking at her like she’s some sort of a flake and listen to what she has to say. There has to be a reason why she is so against this climb.”
“It’s the same one we all have—it’s dangerous as hell and there’s no reason for Zach to keep taking these death-defying risks. He’s getting too old for this kind of nonsense. He’s not a kid anymore, and if something were to happen and he got hurt, the recovery time would not be something he’d want to contend with.”
Selena fell silent at his words, and for a moment they just sat, each lost in their own thoughts. He checked his watch and then looked at her expectantly. “It’s time, kiddo.”
“Already?” she squeaked, and James nodded. “Come with me?” she asked, and together they rose and climbed the stairs and walked into the master bedroom and through to the en suite. Selena stood back and plastered herself against the door and let James go first. “You look. I can’t.” Her voice shook and uncertainty was written all over her face.
“Nuh-uh.” He shook his head and walked over to where she stood. “What did Dr. Walters say to us?”
“That the surgery was a success, but that doesn’t mean we’d get pregnant right away and not to get discouraged.” No sooner had James put an engagement ring on her finger than he had appointments with Casey’s OB-GYN at the ready if Selena wanted to meet with some specialists to see about treatment for their fertility problems.
Sometimes he worried that they had rushed things along, but after so much time apart, they had both been more than ready to start their lives together. With an extremely short engagement and with more than enough Montgomerys with wedding experience on hand, they had been married three short months later. With Casey’s help and all of Selena’s connections, they’d had their wedding at their home with a giant tent set up in the backyard and Montgomery family members for as far as the eye could see.
It had been so long since James had seen so many of his cousins that he was humbled at how they had all made time to come and be a part of his wedding. His uncle William had stood with pride right up there with his groomsmen—it didn’t seem right to leave him out when he had been so instrumental in getting him and Selena back together again. Even now James smiled at the memory of how his uncle had been nearly brought to tears when James had asked him to be a part of the wedding party.
The week they had returned from their honeymoon in Paris, Selena had gone in for the surgery. James couldn’t remember ever feeling so helpless. So much of what they wanted was hinging on the outcome of the surgery. They had discussed adoption and surrogacy, but in both of their hearts, they wanted a child of their own. With so much life experience behind them—with the fact that things don’t always go as planned—they knew that no matter how their family grew, they would be happy—just as long as they were together.
Selena had told him of her fears that the thought of getting pregnant again and then having something else happen to ruin it terrified her. It still pained him when he thought about all that Selena had gone through without him, all the years she had struggled and grieved on her own…and her fears were certainly valid. James had taken her to speak with a therapist, and when that hadn’t completely eased her mind, they sat down with the specialist who was performing the surgery and let her explain everything to them while listening to all of Selena’s fears. That seemed to finally give her a sense of peace. He felt like he had exhausted all his options, and all James could do at that point was promise her that he would be there for her and that she wouldn’t have to go through anything alone ever again.
He only hoped he would be able to follow through on that promise and that nothing bad was going to come their way again. They had had more than their fair share of heartache. He was ready for that little black cloud to move on and away from them and on to somebody else. Even thinking that seemed a bit heartless; all he knew was that they had waited so long and had struggled so hard to get to this point in their lives that he just wanted them to have the chance to have an extended period of happiness.
“Okay then,” he said gently. “No matter what the test says, we’re going to be okay, right?” he prompted.
“I just want it to say positive so much,” she said anxiously. “I know it would be a miracle for it to happen the first time out, but I can’t help how I feel.” She clutched helplessly at his shirt, her green eyes huge with longing.
As much as he wanted to see the results for himself, he needed to comfort Selena first. “I’m just as anxious to have a baby with you as you are, sweetheart.” He cupped her face in his large hands. “If it doesn’t say positive, that just means we’ll have to keep trying and practice a whole lot more.” We waggled his eyebrows at her. “And you know how much I love to practice with you.” Leaning in close, he gently nipped at her neck and then ran his tongue along the slender column of her throat.
She swatted him away. “Oh, knock it off,” she said with a laugh and was thankful for his knack for distracting her. “Now go look before I lose my mind.”
He kissed her one more time.
“Please,” she said.
The truth was, James was a little afraid of what the test was going to say too. While he knew that chances were slim to none that they were going to have success so soon, knowing how much Selena wanted this made him want it to happen for her. For them. He didn’t know how he’d be able to face her with bad news. She deserved to have everything that she ever wanted and more, and he wanted to be the one to make that happen for her. “Okay,” he finally said and turned to walk over to the vanity.
“I can’t watch,” she said and left the room and collapsed on the bed to wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. Finally she pushed up on her elbows and listened for any movement coming from the other room. “James?”
He slowly walked back into the room and sat down beside her. His expression was grim.
She sat up fully beside him. “It’s negative, isn’t it?” she asked and willed herself not to cry.
“I’ve been standing in there trying to figure out what to say to you.” He shifted until he was facing her. “I hate to disappoint you…”
“It’s okay,” she forced herself to say as she swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat. “We can practice, right?” Tears began to well in her eyes and she cursed them. She wanted to be brave for him and not fall apart.
A slow smile crept across his face. “You know how much I love to practice, but it looks like that won’t be necessary because the test read positive!” He couldn’t keep the excitement from his voice, and the look that came across Selena’s face was something he’d remember forever. Placing a hand on her flat tummy, he leaned in and kissed her. “That’s baby Montgomery in there.”
She placed a hand over his in wonder. “It certainly is.”
James couldn’t speak. The road they had traveled to return to one another had been a long one, but now, to have what he was feeling at this moment made the journey worthwhile.
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Prologue
“I don’t like the sound of this.”
They never do, William Montgomery thought to himself. Why did everyone have to question his motives when all of his decisions in the last five years—in business and his personal life—had been raging successes? Montgomerys was at the top of its game; they were a Fortune 500 company with more growth and expansion to come all thanks to his leadership. And as for the family? Well, if it weren’t for him, the whole Montgomery line may have come to an end. Yes, sir, William had gone on a one-man campaign to get this young generation to start falling in love and start families.
His own three sons had been more than pulling their weight in that department. At last count, William was a proud grandfather to four beautiful grandchildren and he had high hopes of watching that number grow. He looked over at his brother, Robert, and frowned. “What is there not to like?” he asked.
Robert was younger than William by all of a year, and yet he always came across as being much older; he took life way too seriously and it didn’t always bode well for his family. Just recently, Robert’s second oldest son, James, had come back to North Carolina after over fourteen years of living apart thanks to the discord between him and his father. William knew his brother loved his kids; he just didn’t seem comfortable with really knowing them.
That was William’s gift. He was a people watcher by nature, and over the years, he had honed his skills to a science. With just a little bit of time and knowledge of a particular person, he was able to figure out who would be a perfect match for them. It was easy with his own sons, because he was with them all on a fairly regular basis. His niece and nephews? It was taking a little bit longer.
Luckily Ryder and James had already known the women they wanted to spend their lives with; William had just given them a push in the right direction. His eldest nephew, Zach, was a challenge; he was getting ready to head to Alaska on some sort of climbing expedition. If William didn’t know better, he’d have sworn his nephew was doing it purposely, to avoid spending time with him. He chuckled. He’d get to him eventually.
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