The judge came and stood where the minister had been. He pulled out several documents and a pen. “First, congratulations to you both, Mr. and Mrs. Davis. As we had discussed, the paper that I hold in my hand will finalize the adoption process. If you don’t mind both signing here, first on the one for Bethy, who shall officially be Bethy Davis effective immediately, and second, please sign the next document to officially change Jamie’s last name to Davis as well.”
They both signed and returned the papers to the judge. He then called Jamie and Bethy up to stand with them. “I present to you the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Beckett Davis, and their son and daughter!”
Before anyone could say a word, a voice rang out loud and clear. “My family!”
You could have heard a pin drop as Jamie’s words seemed to echo on the ocean breeze.
Danielle bent down and said, “Yes, Jamie, we’re a family now.”
Jamie smiled and said, “Mommy, Daddy, can I get out of this suit now? It itches.”
Beckett looked at his wife and then his children. This island was a magical place for all types of healing, and he wouldn’t care if they never left it.
“Mrs. Davis, are you ready to go home?”
She turned to him with such love in her eyes he ached to be closer to her. “I already am.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Danielle had everything she wanted. Beckett’s business was doing extremely well, but unfortunately, that meant he needed to leave the island more often than she would have liked, sometimes for two weeks at a time. He was no longer in the Marines, yet she somehow felt like a military wife. She worried about locations he went to overseas to install or update hi-tech security systems. He was so good he had the US government contract for all embassies.
They had been married exactly one year today, and although she didn’t think it was possible to love him any deeper, she fell in love with him more and more every day. The tough Marine, not afraid of anything, was a loving father and a very romantic husband. They had spent the entire day today with Bethy and Jamie on the beach. He never said one word about it being their anniversary today, but neither did she. Could he have forgotten?
It would not matter to her if he had because he treated her as though every day was their anniversary. Their love was deeper than the island waters, higher than the moon, and brighter than the shining sun, and no one could ask for more than that.
Danielle waited on the bed for Beckett to finish reading the children a bedtime story and tucking them in each their own room. She knew it was only a matter of time until the kids told him they were too old for such things, but for now, they humored him and let him do it anyway. The way Jamie and Bethy acted you would have thought they had been together since birth.
Worrying that Jamie wouldn’t return to his normal self was no longer an issue, as he was happy and full of life. There were a few times she saw him staring off in the distance and knew he was trying to remember something, but before she could talk to him, his sister picked up on it and brought him back to the present. Sometimes by tossing a pillow at his head. Life is good.
She was hoping Beckett would return to the bedroom soon, as she tired so easily lately. Her eyes were already threatening to close but not tonight. He had been traveling, and she had missed him so much. Sleep could come tomorrow.
He came into the room with a small gift bag in hand. He didn’t forget.
Danielle sat up on the bed, smiling, awaiting whatever sweet surprise he had brought for her. He joined her on the bed.
“I thought those two were never going to go to bed,” he said, letting his eyes roam over her seductively.
Her body warmed from his look. She reached for him, and he handed her the bag instead. Whatever it was, she didn’t want it as badly as she wanted him.
Danielle took the bag, pulled out the lavender tissue paper, and found a long, rectangular box. She opened it and inside was a beautiful necklace, two hearts entwined as one. On the back, he had engraved one word. Always.
Her emotions were already loopy, and this didn’t help. Her eyes welled up. “Thank you. I love it.” Then she reached to the bedside table and took out her own gift bag.
He reached inside, pulled out the gift box, and opened the watch she had chosen for him. When he turned it over, he smiled. She’d also had his gift engraved with one word. Always.
He bent and kissed her lightly. “Thank you, baby, I love it.”
Beckett was watching her closely, not saying anything. “What is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. There’s something different about you. I can’t figure it out,” he said as he studied her.
She loved how he knew everything about her, even the slightest change didn’t slip by him. “I’ve been thinking about this villa.”
He looked around and then back to her. “I thought you were happy here, but if not, we can go anywhere you want to go.”
Beckett was so serious when he said that; it touched her heart. She knew he loved this island as much as she did, but just knowing he would leave if she asked was enough for her. “I just wish it was bigger, that’s all. You know, a four-bedroom maybe?”
He arched a brow and looked deep into her eyes, as though searching her soul. His eyes lit up. “Are you saying . . .?”
Danielle nodded. “Our family is growing once again.” She put her hand softly on her stomach.
Beckett’s hand covered hers, and he bent and kissed her stomach before coming up to meet her gaze again. “I won’t mind if we need a six-bedroom someday.”
Danielle laughed softly. Easy tiger, one baby at a time.
As he pulled her into his arms and held her tenderly, as though she were a precious jewel of some sort, every fiber in her body echoed what was in her heart. She was where she was truly meant to be. I love you, Beckett, now and always.
The End
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Other books by Jeannette Winters
Betting on You Series:
Book 1: The Billionaire’s Secret (FREE!)
Book 2: The Billionaire’s Masquerade
Book 3: The Billionaire’s Longshot
Book 4: The Billionaire’s Jackpot
Book 5: All Bets Off
Barrington Billionaire Series:
Book 1: One White Lie
Book 2: Table For Two (Coming in April)
Book 3: You and Me Make Three (Coming 2016)
Book 4: Virgin for the Fourth Time (Coming 2016)
Book 5: His for Five Nights (Coming 2017)
Book 6: After Six (Coming 2017)
Excerpt from The Billionaire’s Secret
Billionaire Jon Vinchi is a man with one passion: work. His friends decide to shake him up by entering him as a prize at a charity event.
Accountant Lizette Burke is dressed to the nines and covering for her boss at a charity event. She’s hoping to land a donor for the struggling non-profit agency that employs her.
She never expected to win a date with a billionaire.
He never thought one night could turn his life upside down.
One lie stands between them and happily ever after. Too bad it’s a big one!
Prologue
“Incredible, I never knew that about him.”
Still wearing their black suits from earlier that afternoon, the four men now sat in silence, silently recalling their memories of Brad from the past ten years of their friendship.
The loud crash of a waitress dropping a glass brought them back to the present. One of the men said, “I don’t think any of us knew.”
All four nodded in agreement.
“I still can’t believe it. Only twenty-eight,” another said.
“That could have been any of us in the accident.”
The somberness of the moment overtook the noise of the bar. The men raised the beers they’d been nursing and said in unison, “For Brad.”
Five years later
“So are
you telling me Jon’s not showing up for this meeting, either?” Trent Davis asked as their monthly Skype meeting began. His frustration was apparent not only in his tone but in his facial expression as well. He continued, “Who knows what lame excuse he’ll have this time. Maybe it’s time we reconsider continuing on with this.”
“Trent, I wouldn’t consider you having a date with a hot brunette as a valid excuse for missing last month’s meeting, either,” Drew Navarro added sarcastically.
“You’re just jealous, Drew,” Trent stated.
Ross Whitman knew even though both Drew and Trent were extremely serious about business, they had also been equally fierce competitors in everything else they did since they’d met in college a little more than fifteen years ago. Even now, although they were all thirty-four, there were times he was convinced they were still living in their college frat house. If he didn’t get them back on the issue at hand, this meeting could go on all night without them accomplishing anything.
“We’ve invested so much in this,” Ross said. “The four of us may have started this organization, but there’s no reason we can’t continue building Takes One with only three of us.”
Drew wasn’t ready to throw in the towel on this project, or on Jon. “We have to remember why we started this.” The three men thought back to Brad and his secret mission in life: to make a difference in the lives of those who were suffering, one person at a time. What amazed his friends to this day was how Brad had been able to do so much with so little money. He was the only one of them who hadn’t pursued a career in big business. No one had understood why until he passed away. The day of his funeral, they’d all committed to continue with his mission in his memory. “Our objective was a priority to Jon when we started, and I believe it still is. We just have to wake him up and remind him of that fact. Anyone want to bet if I’ve still got the magic touch to make things happen after all these years?” He laughed. No one commented. “Wise choice, because you know you were going to lose your money.” He laughed again. “Let me make some calls. I think I’ve got an idea that might do the trick, and if it doesn’t work, then I will agree to continue what we started without Jon’s involvement in Takes One.”
Both Trent and Ross agreed—and were glad they weren’t on the receiving end of whatever Drew was plotting.
Chapter One
Jon Vinchi sat behind his mahogany desk, everything in order except for one piece of mail, which it seemed someone had intentionally left right in his line of vision. He could tell by the envelope it was an invitation of some sort. Matt, his personal assistant, handled all invitations for him with a standard response: a polite “Regrets, I cannot attend,” and a gift or donation suitable for the occasion.
Jon buzzed the intercom for Matt. On cue, his assistant appeared at the door and asked, “Do you need something, Mr. Vinchi?”
Without looking up, Jon held out the envelope and said, “You missed one.”
Matt did not reach for the envelope, instead responding, “Mr. Vinchi, that is not an invitation. It’s the itinerary for the charity fundraiser that you’re participating in Friday evening.”
Everyone knew Jonathan Vinchi not only did not attend events, he definitely did not participate in them. Jon slid the contents of the envelope out. His eyes quickly scanned over the itinerary and stopped abruptly at his name.
“What the hell?” Jon muttered loud enough for Matt to hear. Jon brushed the itinerary to the edge of the desk toward Matt like it was an annoying fly and said, “Get on the phone and let them know I will not be there Friday.”
“Mr. Vinchi, I have to admit I was surprised when I saw the itinerary as well. I placed the call first thing this morning to inform them of the error. The—”
“Good,” Jon interrupted. “Then this is no longer an issue.”
Clearing his throat, Matt continued, “Not exactly. Mr. Scott, the chairman of the event, informed me you had emailed him personally to volunteer.”
It was unlike Matt to drop the ball. Not wanting to spend all day going back and forth on this, Jon said harshly, “Really, Matt? I personally volunteered? And you believed that load of crap?” Shaking his head in disbelief at the entire situation, he barked, “Fix it!”
“Mr. Vinchi, I have tried. Mr. Scott said they could not change the program at this late date, as the programs are already printed and in place. It’s three days before the event.” After a short pause, he continued. “I’ve tried everything, including requesting a copy of the email they stated they received from you, but everything seems to be in order.”
Jon knew he hadn’t sent such a request. Firmly he said, “Send it to me.” Without delay Matt turned and left the office to forward the email.
Jon could not wait to see this so-called proof from the event’s chairman. Once he had it, he would call Mr. Scott himself and end this charade. He wasn’t going to buy any excuse about a late cancellation. This wasn’t his error; it was theirs. There was no way he was participating in that event on Friday night.
The ding on his computer announced the arrival of Matt’s email. He figured one quick phone call and the misunderstanding would be resolved, then he could turn his full attention back to his business, where it needed to be. Glancing quickly at the email, it looked like it came from his personal address. However, the message was signed “Jonathan Vinchi,” and he never used his full name—he always used Jon. To everyone else, the email would look legit. There was no way the chairman would have known this email wasn’t from him. He was furious, but the error wasn’t the fault of the chairman or the event planner. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to set him up, and he had a feeling he knew exactly who it was and how he would deal with them.
Grabbing his cell phone, he sent a text message to his three associates: “Conference call NOW!” What the hell were they thinking? Jon thought. He was well aware his duty to their organization for these types of events required nothing more than sending a nice donation. If his friends thought someone should participate in person, they should have submitted their own names, not his. He was too busy for this nonsense. Yesterday he had received a notice from the FDA informing him of the software changes they required. If he did not meet their thirty-day resubmission deadline, the entire project would be kicked back, and he would need to start the submission process again. The proposal had to be perfect this time. If not, he was sure his competitors would swoop in on this opportunity to launch their own devices. He had spent the last two years on this project, and he was so close—only twenty-seven days left to make all the necessary corrections. He could not afford distractions now. Too much was riding on this; his name was riding on this.
He remembered what his father always told him: “No one remembers the name of the person who came in second.” These words motivated him all through high school to earn a full scholarship to Boston University, where he earned his BA and master’s degrees in computer science, and then his PhD in robotics engineering at MIT. Those degrees had driven him to start his own business, Vinchi Medical Engineering, and at age thirty-four, he still lived by those words to keep the company on top.
The intercom buzzed. “Your conference call is ready on line one, Mr. Vinchi.”
“What the hell were you guys thinking?” Jon barked as soon as he got on the line. Not waiting for them to answer, Jon continued, “Whose bright idea was it to submit my name to participate at this event—or any event, for that matter? This type of thing has your name written all over it, Drew. Is this your doing?”
As always, Trent said it the way it was. “If you had attended the last meeting, Jon, you would have been brought up to date for this and would have had the chance to voice any opposition to your participation.”
It was a moot point, Jon knew he’d missed their last meeting—actually, their last few meetings—due to his own business needs. But this stunt wasn’t solely about the meeting, and he knew it. “Trent, I have always supported the decisions you guys have made in the past, but I am not supp
orting this one. What makes you think I will even show? I don’t have time for this nonsense.”
“Time is valuable to all of us, Jon. We all have our own companies to run besides supporting what is needed for Takes One. Either you’re fully invested in this, or you’re not. There are times when it takes more than sending in a donation, and this is one of those times. When we started Takes One five years ago, we committed to doing this kind of work. Yes, there are the donations we grant anonymously, but the organization is about so much more than that, and you know it,” Trent said.
Jon knew Trent wasn’t only talking about this event. He was referring to Brad and how fully invested he had been in this type of work.
Ross said, “Takes One has never been about us. There are a lot of people who benefit from it, Jon. Friday night is about what our organization can do now and in the future.”
Once again, these were all facts Jon already knew, but at the moment Ross’s comments weren’t helping. Their timing to pull this type of shit couldn’t have been worse.
Drew added, “There’s no way to retract your participation Friday night. It’s only one night of your life—actually, just a few hours. Let’s get through this event. We can save the rest of the discussion about the future of Takes One for our next monthly meeting.”
Jon knew it was true—there really was no way to avoid his participation without tarnishing his own name and making the people he was ultimately trying to help suffer. But he was far from through discussing this issue. Jon said, “Trust me, Drew, I will be on the next call and we can discuss your involvement in this setup in more detail.” Whatever his friends and colleagues were up to, he wasn’t going to be a pawn in their game. It used to be fun betting who could outdo whom with some outrageous prank, but he had left those days behind when he graduated college. You don’t have such luxuries when you’re the owner of a business. At the end of the day, everything rides on you, and you stand or fall alone.
All Bets Off: Betting On You Series: Book Five Page 18