Blair looks down to where he’s still holding her hand. He tugs on her arm, pulls her closer.
She gives in finally and sits on his lap, rests her head against his shoulder. Neither of them says anything for a long moment.
“I’ve missed you, Blair,” he says quietly. “You have no idea how much.”
She closes her eyes.
“It’s been terrible,” he admits. “Should have called you sooner, but I was being stubborn.” He lets out a deep sigh. “Things that happened between us that night when you got pregnant, it wasn’t your fault. I’m accountable, too.”
Blair lifts her head to look at him. “Thank you for that.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Earlier with Chase, you called me your wife. Why did you say that?”
He meets her gaze. “Because that’s the truth, too.”
Blair takes this in, allows his words to fill her soul. “Do you know why Isadora means so much to me?”
“No.” He studies her. “Why does she?”
She looks down to where he’s holding her hand. “After everything happened years ago and you left for India, I felt so lost, like I was being punished for the lie. And I thought you abandoned Isadora just like you abandoned me, so I decided to fix her. She needed a lot of work, and I didn’t know anything about cars.” She smiles at him. “But I learned, and as Isadora was restored, so was I.”
“Babe.” Nathan studies her with compassion, tightens his fingers.
“And do you know why I painted her green?”
He shakes his head.
“I spent months picking out the color. Looking at endless paint chips. Just about drove Brody batty with them all. She’s green because I was trying to match her to your eyes.”
Nathan stares at her.
“I didn’t even realize it until you came back. After all these years, I thought I was over you, but I was wrong. The truth is I’ll never be over you.”
Blair pulls away from him and gets up. She walks over to the window, looks out into Brody’s backyard. Surprisingly, there’s a vegetable garden out there.
“I love you,” she says, turning to face him. “Not like a princess living in a fairy tale, though. The way I love you is gritty and real. It’s strong, too. Deep. But it has nothing to do with fairy tales.”
Nathan gets up and comes to her.
“I just think you should know what you’re getting into with me,” she tells him. “Because I don’t live in an ivory tower. I’m not perfect. And I make mistakes.”
“I like gritty and real.” He puts his hand up to hold her head still for him. “Always have.”
And then his mouth is on hers, kissing her with passion. Not soft. No fairytale kisses, but a kiss filled with desire and wanting. Blair moans. She can’t help it, just wraps her arms around him and holds him tight.
Still kissing, they make their way over to the bed, falling onto it. Joy fills her heart along with a relief so strong, she’s dizzy with it. She thought she’d never get to be with him again. Making love with Nathan like this, free from all secrets and lies, is a revelation for Blair. So pure and good.
I finally deserve him.
Afterwards, lying on his chest, Nathan caresses her back. “You were wrong about one thing,” he says. “May not be like a fairy tale for you, but it is for me.”
“What do you mean?” She shifts position, so she can see his face.
“Kept thinking about something when we were apart,” he murmurs. “Trying to figure it out, like finding the right key to a lock. About the way you looked at me that first time we were together in Isadora and I was inside you. Do you remember that?”
“Of course, I do.”
Nathan closes his eyes for a long moment, appears to be struggling for composure. “Finally figured it out, too.”
She reaches up to touch his face.
“Didn’t know what it was because no one’s ever looked at me like that before,” he says, meeting her gaze. “Not ever.”
“Nathan,” she whispers.
“It’s love.” He takes a shaky breath and smiles at her. “You gave me that, Blair.”
By next week, all hell breaks loose. Nathan’s book, Edge of Zen, has hit number one on The New York Times best seller’s list. His blog is getting a crazy amount of activity, and his assistant James has been forwarding an avalanche of email. Fiona is also calling him every day, frantic, trying to schedule a media blitz. He’s even gotten messages from filmmakers interested in buying the rights.
“What else is there to do, though?” Nathan asks, with his usual calm demeanor. “It’s already at number one.”
“Everything!” Fiona shrieks.
“Don’t think so. I’ve got plans this week.”
“Plans? What plans?”
“Important ones,” he says. “Though, maybe you can help out.”
He tells her his idea.
“Oh, my God, I love it! And I can’t wait to read about it in your next book.”
After talking to Fiona, he calls Tori then finally Natalie. Discovers both of them are on board and happy to help.
Good.
Blair swipes her forehead with the back of her hand, then steps back for a second to study her work. She’s building a classic two-tiered cake for a bride whose wedding colors are white and silver gray. Pure elegance.
It’s coming along, Blair decides. In fact, it’s not bad. Since she’s been trying to be less hard on herself, ‘not bad’ is basically code for ‘excellent.’
“Hey, babe.”
Blair turns and is surprised to see Nathan standing in the doorway. He’s leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, and she wonders how long he’s been standing there watching her. He doesn’t usually come into the bakery.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
He uncrosses his arms and comes closer, motions his head at her. “Take off your apron.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
Blair doesn’t move, though, wondering what he’s up to. She notices Natalie now, and Ginger, too, both of them peeking around the corner. “What’s going on?”
Nathan rolls his eyes and chuckles as he comes closer.
“Actually,” she tells him. “I’m work—aaah!”
Before she knows it, Nathan has picked her up by the waist and thrown her over his shoulder. “Oh, my God!” she shrieks. “What are you doing?”
He doesn’t reply, and her whole world is upside-down as he strides with her tossed over his shoulder out through the bakery’s back door.
She hears everybody in the bakery whooping and hollering.
“Nathan!” She’s laughing now, can see Isadora parked in back, and it’s obviously where he’s taking her. “Put me down!”
Once they’re next to the Mustang, he bends low enough so she can slide off his shoulder, landing on her feet.
“Are you crazy?” She pushes the loose hair from her now-wrecked ponytail out of her face.
“Been thinking about that test of yours,” he says, standing close, caging her in against the side door of the car.
“You mean the Bandito Test?”
He nods. “That’s the one.”
“What about it?” Blair glances behind Nathan and sees the whole bakery staff is standing by the back door now watching them. With surprise, she sees Tori is there now, too.
“I finally understand where I fit in.”
“What do you mean?”
He lets out his breath. “I’m not the first guy who bails on you. I’m not the second one who saves you, either. I’m neither of those two.”
“Who are you then?”
“Babe, haven’t you figured it out yet?” He gives her an outlaw’s grin. “I’m the damn bandito.”
Blair laughs. How could I not have seen this all along?
“And just so you know,” he says, his voice low and dangerous in her ear, “this is a kidnapping.”
She reaches up and hugs him tight.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Guess you’ll find out. Your bags and passport are packed away in the trunk.”
“Are you serious?”
He nods and motions over his shoulder. “I had some help with this kidnapping.”
Blair waves to everyone. They all laugh, waving back. “Have fun!” Tori yells.
“And make sure that bandito treats you right!” Natalie calls out.
After they’re in the car and driving, Nathan tells her he has to make a stop. He takes her to Gasworks Park, the same place where they were together in Isadora that rainy night. He even parks in the exact same location as last time.
“I’m not having sex with you in Isadora in broad daylight,” Blair informs him. “Bandito or not.”
He chuckles and tries to look earnest. “Damn, babe, you really know how to kill a dream.”
Blair rolls her eyes.
“Have something for you,” he says. “I never gave you a wedding gift, but hope this will do.”
Blair watches as Nathan reaches into the glove box for an envelope and hands it to her.
“What is it?” She pulls out a folded piece of paper and when she sees what it is, her breath catches.
It’s Isadora’s title.
A new one. And where it says ‘owner,’ she still sees Nathan Church, but right beside it, she sees another name. Blair Thomas Church.
“Now we both own Isadora. I know you haven’t taken my name, but I’m hoping you will.”
Blair closes her eyes as joy washes over her. She looks at him. “Thank you.”
He nods, then glances around the parking lot with narrow eyes, a smile tugging on his mouth. “I don’t think the daylight is that broad.”
She laughs. “Broad enough. So, where are we going now?”
“Home.”
Her brows go up. “Really?”
Nathan takes her hand and intertwines their fingers. “Babe, I’ve been traveling so long, searching the world for something. A place. Never knew whether it existed or not.”
She meets his eyes. Dazzling green. The color she fell in love with the first time she ever saw him.
“But I’ve found it in you,” he says. “It’s home. You’re home to me, wherever I am.”
Blair leans in, kisses him softly.
They’re both quiet, gazing at each other.
“Please, tell me we’re not really going home,” she says.
Nathan chuckles. “Course not, we’re flying to Mexico.”
“Mexico?”
He grins. “Yeah, land of the banditos.”
“YOU KNOW WE’RE doing everything backwards,” Blair says.
She’s lying on the beach under an umbrella, with sunblock that has a SPF rating of one zillion. As a redhead, she doesn’t take chances with the sun.
Nathan’s lying beside her, studying his phone, getting restless. They’ve been here in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula for almost two weeks, and she knows the signs. He’s planning their next adventure. So far, they’ve snorkeled with tropical fish, slammed tequila with local villagers, sampled the most delicious coffee she’s ever tasted, hiked through lush jungles, and climbed a Mayan pyramid.
In truth, they’ve also seen quite a bit of the inside of their hotel room.
“We’re having our honeymoon before the wedding,” she says.
He chuckles. “Babe, you’re married to a travel blogger. Trust me, our lives are going to be one long honeymoon.”
She smiles, but doesn’t say anything more. Just watches him, admiring his profile. His skin has been turning golden-brown since they’ve been here. When he glances at her, the whites of his eyes glow and the green is as clear as the Caribbean waters only a short distance away.
They’ve decided to get married again—a real ceremony, with family and friends to celebrate. She’s already planning her wedding colors and the cake she wants.
Although, in the end, all she really wants is Nathan.
Blair thinks about The Razor’s Edge, about Isabel and Larry, and how Isabel never got to have Larry as her own. She’s grateful that isn’t her fate, too.
I get to live the life she didn’t.
Blair turns back to reading her Kindle. It’s Nathan’s new book. He finished it and loaded a draft of it for her to read.
It’s incredible, which isn’t a surprise. What’s a surprise is that she’s in it. Woven into the storyline is their story, the way they fell in love. So amazing.
Though she nearly choked on her margarita when she saw the title he gave it—Journey to Red Willow Valley.
“You’re not seriously calling it that!”
“Course I am.” His expression goes lazy. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing. It’s brilliant, actually.”
“Knew you’d agree. In fact, I’ve already started work on another book. This one’s titled Exploring the Land of Forbidden Fruit.” He leans closer, lowers his voice. “I’m going to need a lot of research for this one, princess. Probably take me years to finish. You up to the task?”
She sighs with happiness. “I’ll do my best.”
The End
Thank you so much for reading Return of the Jerk! I loved writing Blair and Nathan’s story. I hope you enjoyed spending time with them too. If so, would you please consider the following:
Write a review on Amazon to help other readers find this book. Click to go to the Amazon review page.
To get updates on all my new releases and hear about occasional giveaways please join my mailing list.
If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Year of Living Blonde (Natalie and Anthony’s story), you can get your copy from Amazon here.
It’s also available through Kindle Unlimited. All the books in this series are stand-alone titles and can be read in any order. The next book Some Like it Hotter (Lindsay and Giovanni) should be available spring 2016. Sweet Tori also gets her own book (her hero is a cop, of course!) I don’t have a title yet, but my plan is for a release during the second half of 2016.
SWEET LIFE IN SEATTLE
Year of Living Blonde, Book 1
Purchase from Amazon
Return of the Jerk, Book 2
Purchase from Amazon
Some Like it Hotter, Book 3
Coming Soon
OTHER
Fire Down Below
Purchase from Amazon
I FEEL INCREDIBLY lucky to have such amazing support. My first reader and sister-friend Erika Preston read the earliest draft of Return of the Jerk and as always her suggestions helped make this story the best it could be. Thank you, Erika. You rock! (Fiona thanks you too and you know she doesn’t tolerate anything less than the best!) I’m very thankful to Hot Tree Editing, especially my Editor Kristin Scearce, who did a wonderful job catching errors and helped make this book such a smooth read. I also want to thank all the betas from Hot Tree for their kind words, helpful input, and for their support on Goodreads before the book’s release. My friend Susan Gideon proofread the final manuscript and as always did a fantastic job. Thank you so much Susan. I know I keep saying you’re amazing, but that’s because it’s true! I’m also thankful to Christine Borgford at Perfectly Publishable who did the beautiful interior formatting & design for my last book and now the fantastic job on this one too. Writing can get lonely, but I’m lucky to have the awesome and talented Plot Princesses—Amy Rench, Haley Burke, and Tami Raymen—thank you ladies for your encouragement, inspiration, and for all those meetings that turn into laugh sessions. Köszönöm to my dad, who was kind enough to help me with the Hungarian translation I needed for Nathan. Lastly, I want to thank my wonderful husband, John, for always supporting my dreams. Baby, you are the best! John was also nice enough to come up with most of the alternative names for ‘Red Willow Valley.’ I was only looking for one or two ideas, but he came up with so many and they were so funny, I had to use them all. I mean, only a guy’s brain could have come up with something like ‘my favorite red lunchbox.’ Serio
usly!
ANDREA SIMONNE GREW up as an army brat and discovered she had a talent for creating personas at each new school. The most memorable was a surfer chick named “Ace” who never touched a surf board in her life, but had an impressive collection of puka shell necklaces. (I still have them!) Eventually she turned her imagination towards writing. Andrea still enjoys creating personas, though these days they occupy her books. She’s an Amazon bestseller in romantic comedy and the author of the series Sweet Life in Seattle. She currently makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons.
Some of the places you can find her are:
www.andreasimonne.com
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon
[email protected]
Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2) Page 37