Paradise Falls
Page 17
“What makes you think it’s a girl? I think it’s going to be a boy. A little boy that will look just like his daddy and drive me just as crazy.”
Russ laughed and pulled her in for a kiss. A kiss to seal the promise of happily ever after. A kiss to let her know that no matter what he would always be there.
CHAPTER 28
Bryce Garret leaned back in his chair, laced his fingers behind his head, and closed his eyes. He had taken risks before but the risk he had taken on Russ was his greatest gamble of them all. Things turned out like he had hoped but not without too many bumps along the road for his liking. This should have been a piece of cake, throw his granddaughter and Russ together, sit back and watch the sparks fly. There wasn’t anything in this world that he wouldn’t do for Amanda even finding her a husband.
He had been certain that Russ was the right choice for his granddaughter. When he had first met Russ, the man was just starting to build his own empire and he doubted that the man even remembered the meeting. Russ had shown a determination that rivaled his own and Bryce knew that he would turn that same determination toward a relationship if he ever found the right woman.
All he had to do was make sure that the two most stubborn people he knew met. He hadn’t planned on how out of control things had gotten between them but it all turned out. Now as long as Amanda says yes to Russ’ proposal Bryce could relax for a bit before moving on to his next project. He sized up the man now sitting in front of him, Bryce and Greg’s father had been friends for years so when Henry let it slip that Greg was looking for a new agency to handle Bassett Hotels he had made contact.
Bryce leaned forward and rested his arms on his desk and returned his attention to Greg, “Did you make sure that he made it to the island without and issues?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good then by this time they should be engaged.” When he had first gotten Russ’ phone call trying to find out where Amanda had gone he had had his doubts about telling the man. After all, if everything he had heard was to be believed then Russ had messed up and broken Amanda’s heart. Once Russ had revealed his plan to ask Amanda to marry him there was no way he was going to stand in the way. Wasn’t that why he had sent Amanda to one of Russ resorts, that way he wouldn’t have any trouble getting to her.
“Greg my boy, I couldn’t have pulled this off without you. Thank you for being so trust worthy. If either of them ever found out, they would never let us hear the end of it. I thought Amanda was going to explode when she couldn’t find the original file that she sent to you. Switching them was a stroke of genius. Wish I would have thought of it.” At Greg’s chuckle, he went on. “If there is ever anything I can do for you let me know.”
Greg watched the cunning old man and smiled. “I will sir, I will. You should have told me who Amanda was when you approached me with this plan of yours. I hadn’t seen her in months and I didn’t recognize her at first. You could have told me when you were sending her to the hotel. Sending her early almost caused things to spiral out of control. I would have helped keep things in line, not let it get so out of control and messy. We almost ruined both of their lives. We did ruin the relationship between Amanda and Janice.”
Bryce sat back in his chair and smiled at him. “I do feel partially responsible for that, but truth be told, Amanda had to learn to stand up to Janice at some point. It was the only way they could heal the rift between them.” He knew Greg wanted to say something, to know the story behind the animosity between Janice and Amanda but that story would have to wait. “Have you learned nothing from Amanda and Russ? Life can’t be controlled. If life was easy, then they would never learn to appreciate each other. I know how badly things could have gone but I trusted that things would work out. This was how their story had to unfold. They had to learn to trust each other and themselves if they are going to make it and believe me they are going to make it.”
Bryce watched as Greg stood and extended his hand toward him. After a firm hand shake Greg headed toward the door without a backward glance. Bryce thought about Greg and the promise he had made to Greg’s father. Once Amanda was settled then he would start working on keeping that promise and he knew the perfect person for him, but he would have to table that for the future, there was something more pressing on his mind.
Once the door clicked closed Bryce hit the intercom and barked out an order to his assistant, “Get me Janice’s whereabouts.”
The End
About the Author
AJ lives in Arizona with her husband, three boys, and two dogs. She loves spending time with her family, writing, and deciding which book in her to be read pile to read next. Her love of reading quickly sparked her love of writing and growing up she loved to make up characters or situations involving random people on the street. While she reads other genres, Romance is where her heart is. Nothing is better than a happily ever after, especially since she received her own when she married her high school sweet heart.
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