by Gina Kincade
White and pink flowers with small pockets of vibrant reds decorate the tables, chiffon bows hanging from the back of each chair.
“I should have gotten married here,” my sister continues, looking around the space in awe.
“You haven’t even been married a year. Too soon for wedding regret.” I bump my shoulder against hers.
Sierra laughs, shaking her head. “Never regret. Just, wow. And my anniversary is next week.”
“I know, Sisi,” I say, my eyes searching and finding Keira. “There’s Keira.”
Sierra clutches my forearm, but I never turn my gaze from the beautiful woman floating toward me.
“She looks stunning,” Sierra murmurs.
“She is,” I agree, drinking in her flawless, creamy skin, the rich gold of her gown, and the dazzle in her blue eyes. The gown accentuates her curves, sticking to her like a second skin before pooling around her ankles, a delicate train flaring out in her wake. Her shoulders are bare, a small diamond pendant nestled in the hollow of her collarbone, drawing my attention. Her hair is braided and twisted into a complicated up-do, with small crystals throwing the candlelight like a prism.
My hands curl into fists as she approaches, my heart practically galloping out of my chest. I already want to peel her dress off. Slowly and carefully. Taking my time.
I want to unwrap her like a secret present on Christmas morning and relish every gasp that falls from her mouth.
This woman is going to kill me—in the sweetest way possible.
“Lachlan.” Her smile is innocent as she stops in front of me.
“You’re right, love. I can’t handle you in this dress.”
She giggles and my sister snorts.
“He can’t handle you in a paper bag, either. You look beautiful, Keira.” Sierra wraps her in a hug, kissing her cheek.
“Thanks, Sierra. You look incredible, too. I can’t believe you have a baby now. Did you bring her?” Keira looks around.
“No,” Sierra says, shaking her head. “She’s already sleeping for the night, so Mom and James agreed to watch her.”
“Mums night out?”
“Exactly.” My sister smiles, waving as Daisy and Finn enter the gala.
But Daisy is already pulling my cousin toward the dessert tables, completely oblivious to Sierra, Keira, and me.
“Let me go grab Daisy before she inhales all the doughnuts.” Sierra shakes her head.
“Go.” Keira pats Sierra’s back. “Grab a champagne on your way.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” my sister calls over her shoulder.
“Before or after you became a mom?” I ask, but she just laughs, waving at us.
Turning toward Keira, I take her hand in mine. “You look beautiful, Keira.”
“You’re making all the women in here hate me,” she murmurs, her eyes darting about, as it does seem like everyone’s eyes are suddenly on us.
“No. They’re just admiring you.”
“Or gossiping about us.”
“Probably that. Dance with me.” I slip her hand around my elbow and lead us to the dance floor. Taking her in my arms, we sway to the soft music the band is playing.
“I didn’t know you could dance like this, Lach.”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Keira.”
She laughs, probably recalling how she spoke the same words to me nearly two weeks ago. “Tell me then.”
“All in due time.” I grin, twirling her. “First, you tell me, are you mine yet?”
When she’s back in my arms, I drop my head and brush a kiss across her lips.
Grinning up at me, her face open and radiant, the way I remember from when we were in uni, Keira nods. “Always, Lachlan.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.”
Dropping my mouth to hers, I seal our future with a kiss that draws most of the attention in the room, if the throat clearing, whistles, and laughter are anything to go by.
But neither myself nor Keira care; we’re too busy making up for lost time.
***
“You look happy.” Nanna smiles, her hand clutching a flute of champagne.
“So do you.” I grin back, dipping to kiss her hello.
“It’s the champagne. I’m really miserable.”
“I don’t believe you.”
She chuckles, her eyes bright and clear. “This gala has brought many couples together. I know many think it’s foolish to spend so much money on a dance. But the event raises a lot of money with the silent auction for charities that Arthur and I always supported. And it is a very special place to fall in love.”
“Or admit it,” I agree, looking around at the dancing couples. Keira’s mom and dad sway to a song. My sister stuffs a cupcake into her mouth while Daisy hordes doughnuts and Finn walks away, pretending not to know them.
“It’s about time, my dear boy.” Nanna clutches my hand, squeezing. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I peer down at her, about to tell her that my marketing efforts were absolutely nothing.
“For giving me one last great love.”
“Nanna,” I murmur, my heart squeezing painfully in my chest at her words.
“No, I needed to see her happy.” Her eyes find Keira in the swell of dancing bodies. They cling to her granddaughter, pride lining her face, her expression bittersweet. “And this past week, you’ve given her the ability to relax, to enjoy the moment, to believe in hope again.”
“I’ll do everything I can to always bring her happiness.”
“I know that, Lachlan.” She turns, smiling up at me. “I’ve always known that.”
I squeeze her hand back. “And now I believe it, Nanna.”
“I’m glad. Make sure you try the cheesecake. It’s heavenly. An American baker, I believe.”
I chuckle, already knowing Daisy is to thank for the cupcakes, the doughnuts, and now the cheesecake.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Nanna.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Lachlan. May you and Keira celebrate an infinity of them together.”
Epilogue
Keira
Five Months Later
“You’re kidding me!” I exclaim, my head swimming with the news Lachlan just shared.
“I’m not.” He flashes an easy grin, leaning against the small table in the cellar of the shop.
“You’re really moving back,” I say, stepping in between his feet as he wraps his arms around me, dropping his face into the crook of my neck.
“I start in Anderson’s Edinburgh office on Monday.”
“Wow. That’s—this—thank you, Lach.”
“We’re done with long distance, babe.” He presses a kiss just below my jawline. Straightening up, he chuckles. “But having me here means our presence is required at Friday night dinners at Mom’s.”
“I can’t wait.” I lace my fingers with his. “The past five months have been…” I swallow past the lump of tears clogging my throat. “…difficult.”
“I know, love.” Lachlan tucks my hair behind my ear, his palm cupping my cheek. “But you know she’s watching over you.”
“Us.” I turn into the warmth of his touch.
“Nanna’s probably up there giggling, corrupting heaven by taking bets on how long it will be before I can convince your dad to let you move in with me.”
At this, my head snaps straight up. “Wait, what?”
Lachlan chuckles, dropping his hands to my hips and pulling me forward. “I got an apartment about five minutes from my mom’s house.”
“You did?” Surprise colors my tone because, well, I knew nothing about this.
Lachlan nods. “And it needs to be decorated and—”
“Oh, I have so many ideas.”
“I knew you would.” He smirks, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a folded-up piece of paper.
I smooth it out, a bundle of nerves racing up and down my spine, as I read the top line. And my breath catches in my throat.
Glancing up at Lachlan, my eyes wide, my hands shaking, he smiles. His expression is perfectly serene, his voice calm as he taps the paper.
“I didn’t mean to buy it without your ever seeing it but—” He turns the paper over where an address is scrawled in pencil. “—it was the closest place I could find to where Nanna and your granda lived after they first married. Seemed like a good place to start a life. Make a new beginning.”
“You bought me a flat,” I whisper, my eyes focused on my name listed next to his on the line of owner.
“We bought a flat.”
“No, I didn’t contribute a single cent and—”
Lachlan’s hand closes over mine until I’m forced to look up.
“Everything we do, we do together. Everything we create is ours. Make a home with me, Keira.”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Lachlan leans forward, brushing a kiss against the tip of my nose. He glances up at the ceiling and chuckles. “He already said yes, Nanna.”
“What?”
“I spoke to your dad an hour ago. He’s available to help us move your stuff this weekend, if you want.”
“Oh my gosh.” I shake my head, my emotions a whirlwind, catching me off-guard with their intensity. Elation, joy, eagerness, excitement.
After four months of grief from Nanna’s loss, sprinkled in with moments of gratitude for Lachlan’s love, I’m in desperate need of a new beginning, a fresh start.
I laugh, folding the deed and slipping it into my pocket. “We bought a flat.”
“It’s a starter apartment, until we build our house.”
“A house?”
“Aye, well, where are all the children going to sleep?”
“How many are you thinking?”
Lach slides off the table, tossing his arm around my shoulders. “Four or five.”
“Four or five?”
“Enough for apple picking and horseback riding.”
Happiness radiates from my being as some of the restlessness in my stomach settles. Finally, a certainty in the future wraps around my shoulders. Reaching up, I lace my fingers with Lachlan’s, and know that Nanna is watching over me, like a guardian angel.
Or cupid.
Because Lachlan Begay is my one great love.
And Nanna knew it all along.
“Come on, I’ll help you pack.” He opens the door to the shop.
Stepping out into the sunshine, I breathe in the fresh flowers and blue skies. My body relaxes into Lachlan’s as a calmness rolls through me.
It’s been a tough year for me with a lot of changes. But with Lachlan at my side, I’m ready for the future.
I’m finally home.
Connect with Gina Azzi
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Also by Gina Azzi
The Kane Brothers Series:
Rescuing Broken (Jax’s Story)
Recovering Beauty (Carter’s Story)
Reclaiming Brave (Denver’s Story)
Finding Love in Scotland Series:
My Christmas Wish
(One Last Chance FREE prequel)
One Last Chance
This Time Around
The College Pact Series:
The Last First Game (Lila’s Story)
Kiss Me Goodnight in Rome (Mia’s Story)
All the While (Maura’s Story)
Me + You (Emma’s Story)
About the Author
Gina Azzi writes Contemporary Romance with relatable, genuine characters experiencing real life love, friendships, and obstacles. She is the author of The Kane Brothers Series, Finding Love in Scotland Series, The College Pact Series, and Corner of Ocean and Bay. All of her books can be read as stand-alones.
A Jersey girl at heart, Gina has spent her twenties traveling the world, living and working abroad, before settling down in Ontario, Canada with her husband and three children. She's a voracious reader, daydreamer, and coffee enthusiast who loves meeting new people. Connect with her through www.ginaazzi.com.
Royal Masquerade
Carly Carson
3 Flames
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Copyright @Carly Carson, 2019
Edited by Marie Wiestz
About Royal Masquerade
Alessandra is forced to adopt a name that isn’t really hers, when she returns to Austria to claim an inheritance…that isn’t really hers. She’s certain that her Romany grandmother left her the property nestled in the foothills of the Alps.
Raul, heir to the Stirling dukedom, is determined to unmask Alessandra’s masquerade. He knows she’s lying. More importantly, he needs the same property she’s claiming, and he’s sure that his need is more desperate than hers. Because the duke is not all he seems, either.
This battle will be fiercely waged.
Not in a court of law.
But in the hearts of Alessandra and her fairy-tale duke.
Chapter One
Alessandra Ranieri cracked open the side door leading into the festive ballroom at the Duke of Stirling's castle. Waltz music and glittering lights spilled into the opening. Her heart sped up, clogging her throat with a combination of nerves and excitement.
Plus dread.
What had possessed her to think she could crash the Valentine's Day Ball at the Austrian home of one of the Royal Dukes of England?
She pushed the door open further. She needed to see more, to know what she'd be sneaking into. She hadn't dared to approach the ball through the set of double wide doors at the front, where a receiving line would greet guests. Receiving lines weren't for gatecrashers. Plus, the ball organizers would undoubtedly have security present. A charity ball hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Stirling would be studded with the richest women in Austria, as well as many from throughout Europe, and their jewels would need protecting.
Through the two foot opening of the doorway, she saw flashes of brilliant reds and snowy whites whirling by, offset by the sober formality of black tuxes. Everyone looked beautiful, and carefree, and rich. Three things which she was not.
However, she was bold, and that would have to make up for all the rest.
She stepped through the doorway, and moved further into the room, past the first row of candlelit tables. Hothouse flowers nestled in tall crystal vases, the mixed scents perfuming the air. The tiny lights sparkling overhead twinkled in her eyes, as if promising her all her wishes could be won in this fairy-tale world.
Still, she saw only red and white. Why were all the women dressed only in those colors? Of course, this was a Valentine's Day ball, but—she stared down at her own sapphire blue gown.
Whoops. She hadn't gotten that memo about a dress code. Must be with her missing invitation.
Her hopes and plans for the ball began to deflate around her, as if someone had pricked a hole in her bubble of optimism. Already, she'd made a mistake. But she wouldn't be defeated at her first setback.
She lifted her head, only to catch her breath as a tall man with a face made for sin danced by, his footwork impeccable, his arms holding a striking blonde who was laughing up at him.
Jealousy pierced her, sharp and ugly. She pushed it aside. She was not born for a life like this one, elegant and surreal. She had to remember that, and also remember her goal.
The man's dark eyes latched onto hers for a moment, and it seemed that everything was encompassed within his gaze - her past, her present, even her future. Who was this man who could hold her transfixed with just a glance?
He was swept away by the dance, and she forced herself to re-focus on her goal.
Sh
e'd thought the ball would be the perfect place to test out her identity, to see if people would believe she could be a long-lost daughter of the Austrian Alps, home to claim her heritage. But she hadn't counted on being quite so noticeable, a blue jay in a field of penguins and cardinals.
A tall man with toffee colored hair and laughing brown eyes appeared from nowhere and bowed slightly at her. "A beautiful stranger enters our world," he said with a merry grin. "Where did you come from?"
Ack. Was it so obvious that she didn't belong? She pasted a smile on her face.
"I'm returning to Austria, after many years abroad," she answered, deliberately broadening the scope of his question.
"Aha." He held out a glass of white wine. "You're American."
She accepted the wine gratefully. She could use some moisture in her mouth. This was more nerve-wracking than she'd expected.
"I was actually born in Austria," she corrected him. "But raised in America." She couldn't deny her American accent, nor, after all these years, could she speak German well enough to pass as a native.
He held out his hand. "I'm Stephano diCarlino. Pleased to meet you."
"Alessandra Ranieri," she answered, trying out the name for the first time in her new life. He didn't seem to recognize the name, however.
"I must ask," he said, "how you dared to violate the dress code on the invitation?"
Shoot. Just what she didn't want to talk about.