“What?” he asked, confused.
“Nothing,” I smiled, and added, “We could watch the channel that airs the ball drop downtown.”
He pointed at the balcony and reminded me, “We can watch it from out there, if it’s not too cold.”
I nodded and smiled. I had forgotten he had such an amazing view from the balcony, as it almost wrapped around the entire floor.
“There’s also fireworks right outside at midnight.”
“Got it. Entertainment is a check.”
We walked arm in arm toward the elevator to wait for George and Richard. When they stepped off the elevator, the two were bubbly and vibrant, in the middle of their usual banter like nothing had happened. I knew then that whatever they had been through, they would be okay.
I briefly thought about my parents, and resolved that I would go to see them before too long. It was shaping up to be a Happy and Hot New Year indeed.
Bonus - Epilogue
Fourteen Months Later
I had just returned from Phoenix after visiting my parents for a week. Finally, a weight was off my shoulders for the first time in almost five years. Five years—that was the amount of time which had passed since I had seen either of them. It took a lot of soul searching, and a heaping dose of Matt’s wisdom and unwavering support to get me out there, but God, was I ever glad I followed through and did it.
Dad had aged well, and when I saw him the first time, I broke down. I didn’t get it until that moment. I really missed having him in my life. I didn’t realize how much until right that second. Dad had never gone out of his way to hurt me back then. All he did was his usual silent supporter thing. He allowed my mother to be who she was and tried to stay impartial. I had resented him for that for years, but now all of a sudden, I couldn’t find one good reason to hold it against him.
Mom was a slightly different story. We had learned several months back that the tumor in her neck was benign, so thankfully, I wasn’t returning home to a devastatingly somber situation. Still, every unfair or cruel thing she had ever done to me all came back to the surface when I saw her. There was still a clear barrier between us, but I was most surprised that those memories didn’t elicit rage or fury on my part. That was progress. During my first day there, I was certain restoring a warm and mutually respectful relationship would be years in the making. Then something changed.
I can’t even say what it was, or whether it was me, or from her. All I know is that after spending an hour with her flipping through my grandmother’s old photo album, it hit me. She was still my mother, and last time I checked, we only got one of them. All I could do was hope for more weeks like that.
My redeye flight landed at JFK Airport the day before Valentine’s Day. I couldn’t believe I had survived the week without Matt. We had been living together for fourteen perfect months, doing so much together when he was off-duty on weekends or evenings. Every day I woke up wondering whether our bubble would burst. I mean, how could things between us be this good for so long without something awful happening, or one of us becoming bored stiff? Every day he would prove me wrong.
Even the drama with Joy couldn’t put a wedge between us.
Joy.
That Joy.
I only wished I had the stomach to prepare me for anticipating the lengths she would go through to sink her bitchy, smug, filthy rich claws into Matt. During the first half of the past fourteen months, Joy had claimed she was pregnant, convinced us it was Matt’s baby, got Matt to commit to being there for his child, only to find out a month before the due date that she had been faking the pregnancy all along. There were two reasons we had all found out the truth. Joy’s arrogance, and the fact that news still travels fast in a big bustling city such as Manhattan.
She was so overconfident, she showed up at a private spa massage session in town without her precious baby belly. In less than an hour, one of the massage attendants had sent a text message to Richard with a picture of the tiny-waisted, clearly-not-pregnant, lying-through-her-teeth Joy. Wasting no time, Richard had forwarded it to Matt and me.
In a way, I was glad Matt was at work at the department store headquarters, and not doing a shift at the fire house, or fighting a fire, though I would have paid a bundle for him to have been at home with me so I could see for myself. According to his executive assistant, Matt had gone from relieved, to angry, to furious enough to punch a hole in his office wall, then back to his calm self again. At that point, he had his assistant send the information to his lawyer, who expediently agreed to request that formal charges of fraud and criminal impersonation charges be brought against dear Joy. The charges had more bark than bite in this case, though. Joy was never after Matt’s money, and without that intent of financial gain, the prosecutor did not support the request. Still, the threat of jail time ended up making Joy think. We didn’t hear from her for over seven months, so for now, it was behind us.
Matt was stuck at work, and sent a car to wait for me at the airport arrivals level. We were on our way home through the wintery city streets of Grand Central Parkway when Lucas, the new driver, took a turn I didn’t expect.
“We’re not going to the radio station, are we?” I asked, leaning forward to duck my head through the limousine’s glass partition so I could get a better view through the less tinted windscreen.
Lucas shook his head as he made eye contact through the rear view mirror. “No, Ma’am. Mr. Lewis asked me to take you to meet him somewhere else.”
“Oh? At this hour?” I checked my watch. “It’s not quite seven-thirty in the morning, and I don’t believe they open this early.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I believe he’s already there.” Lucas took a hand off the wheel for a moment and pointed at the seat beside him. It was my ice-skating bag, and it looked like my usual ice skates, scarf, mitts and hat were in there.
“Ice skates? I’m afraid I’m confused, Lucas. Matt wants me to meet him this morning so we can go ice skating?”
“That’s correct, Miss Samuel. He told me to let you know he’ll explain everything as soon as you arrive.”
I was still confused, but nodded and left it alone. Matt would explain soon enough. “Thanks, Lucas.”
Leaning back in my chair, I looked out the window and welcomed the bustle, sights and sounds, and building traffic on the roads. The trip took just over forty-five minutes, and soon we were driving up Center Drive inside Central Park to get to Wollman Rink.
Matt was standing outside one of the security teams’ SUVs when we made it to the closest walkway to the rink.
He pulled my door open. “There you are,” he said, holding a hand out for me to climb out. “Get over here. I’ve missed you.”
“Gosh, I missed you too.” I let him pull me into his arms, and buried my head in his chest, glad to share in his warmth, to inhale his smell, to feel his touch and just to be near him again.
He pulled back slightly and lifted my chin up so I could look at him. His head dipped down to mine and he planted an ice-melting, breathtaking, heart-stopping kiss on my lips, reminding me without words that yes, I was his and that could never change.
“Mmmm. I missed that too.”
“Me too.” I smiled up at him, stoked that he could still make me giddy from just one brief kiss.
“How was your trip?” he asked when we finally pulled apart.
“Good. Better than good. I know you never pressured me to go out there, but you were right that seeing them in person would make a difference. They want to meet you, you know?”
“Yeah? They will. Soon, I’m sure.” He nodded toward the walkway. “Let’s take a walk…oh, let’s grab our skates.”
“We’re really going ice skating this early in the morning?”
He gave me a mysterious look. “Sure. Why not?”
“Are they even open?”
“They are for us. You always said it was the most fun thing to do in the neighborhood in winter. I figured I’d welcome you back to the cold with something y
ou enjoy.”
I chuckled. “Matt. You know I was just gone for a week, right?”
He pulled me into his arms again. “I do. It felt like longer.”
“It did. Okay let’s get skating before standing this close to you gets me all frisky.”
“Let’s do that,” he said, then he added, “I’m already there.”
Smiling, I turned to grab my skates from the limo, and Matt got his. We headed down the path arm in arm, catching up on the highlights of my trip and how his week had gone. I turned and found it strange that none of his security detail were following behind us. I would have asked him, but when I turned to look up ahead again, I saw it.
A long, bright red carpet had been rolled out at the entrance to the skating rink closest to our walkway. It extended right to the middle of the rink. At the end was a table covered in an equally bright red tablecloth, and on it were two silver dome plate covers.
“What’s that?” I asked. “Are we having an outdoor breakfast to celebrate too?”
“Not quite. Before you put on your skates, come with me.”
He led me to the entrance and we walked to stand beside the table. Turning me to face him, he looked down toward me, staring into my eyes, seeming to think of what he would say. For a moment I was worried, but that moment quickly passed.
“Kate, I fell in love with you the first second I saw you. You’re the kindest, most amazing, bravest woman I’ve ever met…you’re beautiful…and smart…patient, trusting, persistent…and so sweet…” he trailed off for a moment, still looking into my eyes.
I couldn’t stop myself. I wasn’t expecting this, and words tumbled out of my breathless mouth while he took a breath. “Matt, wait…oh my God, Matt are you…are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
He nodded. “I hope I wasn’t too forward, but I spoke to your parents two nights ago.” I couldn’t even speak, I was so close to tears. “Kate, I don’t want to go another week, or month, or year without making sure you know how I feel about you…about us.”
Matt reached over to one of the covers, lifted it off a silver tray and revealed a red jewelry box. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I could barely keep myself upright. All I could do was stand there with my shaking hand over my speechless mouth.
He got on one knee, opened the box to show a massive pink diamond solitaire engagement ring set in what looked to be white gold, and stared up at me with somewhere between reverence, admiration and adoration.
“Kate Samuel, I love you more with each passing day. You came into my life by chance, and now…you’re my everything. Marry me.”
My eyes and head said yes, but no words would come for a few seconds, until I had to force out a breathy, enthusiastic, “Yes…yes…yes! I’ll marry you! God, I love you, Matt.”
He got to his feet and kissed me deeply, then he took my left hand and slowly slid the stunning ring up my wedding finger.
“Do you like it?”
Unable to look away, I nodded, then I told him, “Absolutely. I love it…it’s perfect.”
“It belonged to my great grandmother. She wore it for almost fifty-five years before she passed.”
“I hope to wear it for as long…or longer.”
“I’d love that.” He kissed me on the forehead, took my hand, and pulled me back across the carpet and off the rink. “Let’s get these skates on…or would you like to maybe do something else to celebrate?”
“I can think of a few things,” I told him playfully, nestling into his chest, still gleeful and giddy and ecstatic about being engaged to Lieutenant Matt Lewis. “Let’s go home, baby.”
I’ve never left his side since.
THE END
Disguise Complete Series
Includes:
Disguise
Reveal
Release
Bella Wild and Bella Love-Wins
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
DISGUISE SERIES COMPLETE BOX SET
Copyright © 2015 Bella Wild and Bella Love-Wins.
First edition. December, 2015
Written by Bella Wild and Bella Love-Wins.
All Rights Reserved.
Book One - Disguise
Prologue
December
ALEXANDRA sat in the living room sofa, looking at the Christmas tree she and her father had put up earlier. She was on a rare break—at home in Tucson for the holidays.
Out of nowhere, her dad asked, “Alexandra, are you sure this guy is right for you?”
He was talking about Wilkes, Alexandra’s boyfriend of six months who had flown out with her for the holidays. She understood why Dad was asking. Wilkes had spent the majority of the weekend on the phone or his laptop. Her father thought it was rude, but she could live with it. Wilkes was…busy…a lot. They both were. As top artists in the music industry and celebrities, it came with the territory.
She laughed at the question, because, well, she was pretty certain Wilkes was not ‘The One’. For the time being, though, Wilkes Barracks, country music’s rising star, was a perfect match for her. At least he was in some respects—on the surface, anyway. To start with, she liked his height, and he was dark and handsome in that Sullivan Franco kind of way. And God, she could lose herself in his smoldering gray eyes.
“He’s the responsible Wendy-like adult to my never-ending child-like Peter Pan, Dad,” she told him. “Wilkes is the closest thing to ‘right’ as I can get. Plus, he’s got great American values. He’s a country music singer, for goodness sake. That should be a mark in his favor, as you love country music so much.”
“Right,” Dad said dryly with a smirk. “I seem to remember you thinking along the same lines with that last character you dated…and, the one before that.” He sat beside her and looked over at her, a serious expression on his face. “Alexandra you’re a lot more mature than you give yourself credit for. Sometimes I wonder if you’re playing a helpless damsel role so you can be saved by a knight in shining armor. Remember that attracts dragons, too. And shiny armor means he’s probably had someone else fighting his battles.”
“But that’s what I have you for, Daddy. You get to slay my dragons.”
“It’s the twenty-first century, Alexandra. I didn’t raise you that way. The person I see when you’re with these guys is not who you really are. And none of them deserve you.”
She smiled softly. There was no point arguing. Convincing her father anyone was deserving of dating his lavender-haired rock star princess was out of the question. To begin with, she was an only child. Not to mention, her mom passed away when she was fourteen. She was all her father had for the past decade. Alexandra felt maybe he couldn’t stand the thought of her having boyfriends or getting married at some point. The way she saw it, she was no different from every woman who wanted to have a soul-shaking love. At this point she was open to a slight bump instead of a full soul shake; whatever it took, she needed to get out of her shitty romantic rut.
She hoped this relationship would be the big break from past romantic screw-ups. It included her failed relationship with actor Tanner Young, which came after a dismal break-up with model, Jacob Ingram, preceded by a train-wreck of a fling with a guy named Pietro she had met on her last tour. Basically, when it came to love, she could sing about it, but at twenty-four, she had experienced every variation of Mr. Wrong available, and Wilkes came off as Mr. All Right to her.
It’s not that she was desperate to settle. She didn’t see herself as a bombshell, with her less than curvy—okay, fine—boyish figure, but she liked to think she was a decent catch. Alexandra’s best friend Eva would say she had the blue, slightly slanted, diamond-shaped eyes, lush lips and her two platinum albums going for her. The truth was, she was ready for a nice, predictable relationship to get bored with, like the rest of the lucky people out there.
“Speaking of love, how’s your love life going, Daddy?” Alexandra asked sneakily.
/> He rolled his eyes and launched to his feet. The conversation was over. Her father thought she didn’t know about the mystery woman. Alexandra was positive Dad was seeing someone. For the first time since she knew him, he had gone to a lingerie shop to buy a Christmas gift. She came across the Victoria Secret gift box he had tried to stash out of sight in the hall closet. Looking at his towering six-foot-three height, broad shoulders, handsome face, and silvering black hair, she could see why any middle-aged to older woman would be into him. For some reason, he didn’t seem ready to let her in on who the mystery woman was.
“Don’t stay up too late,” he called out. “Santa Claus won’t come if you do.”
She laughed as he left the living room. As usual, it was Christmas Eve and she was still wrapping gifts; ever the procrastinator. It felt so good to be home, but she had a million and one things sitting on her to-do list back in LA. Because of that, she was already gearing up to leave, and had only flown into Tucson the day before. Her record label wanted to start planning out a new album. There were songs to write, people to see, interviews to muddle through—the usual hurrah.
Her ‘job’ as a performing artist, making Billboard hits for her record label, cut into her family time. That was a given. As rewarding as it was to share her talent and songs with fans around the world, she craved simplicity. At least her father understood. He was an investment banker and ran his own firm. They both had crazy-hectic schedules, which made getting together that much more rewarding when it did happen.
Wilkes ambled into the room, breaking her train of thought when he slid aside her long, thick, purple ponytail to kiss the nape of her neck. The kiss sent a jolt of need through her. That was one good thing about Mr. All Right. His touch always got a reaction out of her. It was too bad he himself was cool to her.
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