Jillian lifted her chin and studied his face. “What’s wrong?”
Lex ran his knuckles along her cheek, stroking her cheekbones and gently sloping jaw line. He wanted to watch her fall asleep every night and see her face first thing in the morning.
“Your father offered you what you wanted. A chance to go back to performing live, something that meant a lot to you, yet you turned him down. Why?”
She bit her lower lip and made a face. “Being back with my family was more important than the troupe. Sure, I’d probably have gotten the best of the best to ride with me, but it wouldn’t have felt right. We were special because we were a family.”
“So, you won’t miss the thrill of performing live?”
She grinned. “Oh, I’ll definitely miss that. Who doesn’t like adoring fans?”
“You could get adoring fans if you went to Armenia with your grandmother. A whole country fawning over the last Zakarian Princess.”
She gave an unladylike snort. “Did you really buy that? The woman is lonely, and I’m her only relative. She would have said anything to make me listen to her.”
Lex had thought so too, especially after the things she’d said before Jillian and her family joined them. As soon as they’d left San Juan, Lex asked Douglas to check into UAN and Zakarians. Just before they came to bed, Lex had read the preliminary report Douglas had sent. UAN was alive and thriving in Armenia, and they needed a way to connect to the younger generation, just like Mrs. Petrosian had said.
The woman was also right about Zakarians. There were once two Zakarian princes who fought valiantly to free their people. The people considered them heroes and revered them. They would definitely welcome a Zakarian princess. Like Mrs. Petrosian had said, Jillian’s story would have made headlines. But it would have also brought the faceless bluebloods—whoever they were—to Jillian’s door.
That was the one thing Lex found unacceptable. He could share Jillian with her people, circus goers and bikers from hell, and even the annoying Hollywood crowd, but if it put her life in danger, screw them all. Bubble wrap wouldn’t be enough to keep her safe.
“Now you are worrying,” Jillian said, stroking his chin. “What’s going on behind those intelligent eyes, Alexander?”
“I can give you a family. We are many and loud, but they’ll welcome you and love you like one of their own.”
She grinned, turquoise eyes twinkling. “For a second there I thought you meant babies.”
His chest tightened as he imagined her with his child. “I can provide those too if you can settle for one adoring fan.” He swallowed, mouth dry and stomach clenching with nerves. “You’d never have to perform to be loved and adored.”
She sat up, the smile disappearing from her face. “What are you saying?”
Lex followed her, taking her hands. “I’m saying that I’m crazy about you, Jillian Finnegan. I’m saying that you have me. Probably did the moment you looked at me in your clown makeup and smiled.” Her eyes grew luminous. He scrambled off the bed and knelt in front of her. “I’m saying I don’t want a year with you, not if I can have a lifetime.”
Tears filled her eyes, and he hoped they were tears of joy.
“I’m saying,” he added, speaking slowly, “that we tear up that agreement and get married in two weeks for real.”
She swiped at the tears. “No. We can’t tear it up. Never.”
His heart dropped and got lodged somewhere between his nuts and knees. She was turning him down.
Jill shuffled until her legs landed on the floor on either side of him. She reached forward and cupped his face. “Without that contract, we would not be here and I would not be giving up adoring fans for one. That’s all I need, Lex. One adoring fan who gets me. And that’s you.” She kissed him. “I plan to frame that crazy contract and look at it every time you—”
He pulled her down, crushing her to him. “There’s so much I need to tell you,” he said gruffly. “About me and my friends.”
She grinned. “The same friends who risked their reputation to rescue you? I like them already. Well, there’s one I particularly dislike, and another I’d seduce if you’re ever mean to me.”
Lex groaned. She was going to complicate his life, but what a life they were going to have. He scooped her up, threw her on the bed, and joined her, trapping her with his leg. “Try it and I’ll bury him six feet under while you watch. You are mine. You’ll always be mine.”
She evaded his lips before he could kiss her. Cupping his face, she repeated, “Just like you are mine, Lex Fitzgerald. You’ll always be mine.”
Thoughts of his friends and her grandmother ceased to matter as they got lost in each other.
EPILOGUE
“Tell me again who will be there,” Jillian asked as they approached the mansion. Sunday had arrived too soon. She wasn’t ready to meet the rest of Lex’s family or to get married next week.
“Everyone.” Lex gripped her hand. “They’ll see how crazy I am about you and welcome you with open arms.”
Crazy about her wasn’t love, but it would do. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she remembered her father’s reaction. He hadn’t bought their engagement despite what Lex had gone through for her. He probably wouldn’t until she was with child.
Her mind didn’t just go there. She and Lex might have agreed to give this marriage a try, but theirs wasn’t a conventional relationship. Yesterday’s visit with Father O’Malley—the Fitzgerald family’s priest—had been equally weird. She knew nothing about pre-wedding counseling, but she hadn’t minded answering personal questions. She was proud of her family and her upbringing, and she was confident about her future with Lex. Whether Father O’Malley believed that she and Lex were perfect for each other was another story, though. Not that it mattered. They were getting married in six days. She, Jillian Finnegan, was getting her fairytale wedding after all.
She glanced at the ring Lex had given her, and her throat closed. Lex had surprised her with it two nights ago and proposed again. It was gorgeous, a center stone surrounded by smaller ones set in platinum.
Jillian stopped admiring the ring when Lex entered the gate and she saw the cars lining the driveway. She had to clear her throat before asking, “How many are here today?”
He chuckled, brought the Bentley to a stop, and hurried around to open her door. The Bentley was nice, but she missed the Phantom. She finally got to see his collection of cars. Some were vintage, while others were custom-made just for him. He had a thing for foreign cars.
“Will you stop worrying? Look at them peering at us. They’re eager to meet you.”
Jillian glanced behind him and saw a few faces at the window, mainly kids. At least there were children. If the adults proved to be too much for her to handle, she’d join the kids. She was great with kids.
The walk to the door was the hardest she’d taken, but as soon as the door opened, there were cries of “Uncle Lex is here” as girls and boys, ages anywhere from three to seven, converged on him.
Lex was right about being a favorite uncle. They all wanted his attention. He touched cheeks and heads, complimented the girls’ cute princess dresses, and shook hands with the boys. Their parents weren’t far behind, some of them carrying younger kids.
“Jillian, I’d like you to meet Miss Raelynn Fitzgerald and Ella Fitzgerald Noble.” He indicated the older girls.
“This is for you, Miss Jillian,” Ella said, giving her flowers, which Jillian hadn’t seen in all the hugs. They looked hand-picked.
“Thank you, Ella,” Jillian said, going down to her knees to accept the sweet gesture. The little girl was adorable with straight black hair and bright blue eyes. “They’re beautiful.”
“I picked flowers for you too, Miss Jillian,” Raelyn said. She was equally adorable with blonde curls. She glanced at Ella and grinned. Serious competition there.
“They’re lovely, Raelyn. Thank you.”
A boy pushed the two girls. “Move for Shif, Ella,
” a boy said.
“Sean,” both girls protested.
“Shif wants to give her a flower, too,” Sean said. He was clutching the hand of a girl around his age. Jillian put their age to be around three. They looked like twins with dimples and curly brown hair. He was already watching out for his sister, who was trying to hide behind him. She extended a red belladonna lily.
“Thank you, Shif,” Jillian said, completely captivated by the twins. “Nice to meet you, and you too, Sean Fitzgerald.”
Shif giggled, but the brother said, “It’s Shif and Sean Fitzgerald Knight.”
“And Shif is short for Siobhán,” a woman said. “She’s named after our aunt. I’m Jade, Lex’s sister. This is my husband, Vince.” She pointed at a man who reminded Jillian of Dom. They had the same intensity. “The twins are ours.”
Jillian met Raelynn’s parents, Eddie and Amy Fitzgerald. Faith Fitzgerald and her husband Ken Lambert and their sons, Ronan and baby Lucas. Jillian finally realized why Estelle and Lex had kept mentioning Faith. She was family and a couture designer. Jillian appreciated the dress Estelle had given her even more.
Next was Ashley and Ron Noble, Ella’s parents, and their baby son Cian. Jillian wondered if it was spelled with a C like her brother’s name. Baron and Kara Fitzgerald had one son Neil, and Chase—Baron’s twin—and his wife Nikki, had the latest addition to the Fitzgerald family—eight-month-old daughter, Celeste. The only single Fitzgerald was Dean, a cousin from Montana, who’d traveled with Chase and his family. He had the Fitzgerald good looks and charm. But it turned out he wasn’t the only one unmarried when the group joined the rest of the family in the backyard.
Jillian worked hard to keep up with who was married to whom and their children when she met Lex’s other cousins, uncles, and aunts. Sean, Dean’s twin, was married to Ava and had two sons. There was Eddie’s father and his wife Iona and their younger daughter. Faith’s father and stepmother, both professors at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and their boys. A power couple, lawyers to the stars…
They were so many younger ones, some without children. Some had flown from Texas, Montana, and even San Diego.
“Aunt Viv and Aunt Siobhán won’t be here for a couple of hours,” Estelle said.
“See, that wasn’t bad,” Lex whispered.
“Do you do this every Sunday? Everyone comes from all over the country for a family dinner?” Jillian asked.
Lex chuckled. “No, every other month. Today is different.”
“How?”
“They’re here to meet you,” he whispered. “You’ll meet the rest at our wedding next week.”
There were more of them? Jillian was impressed and a bit overwhelmed by his family. She wasn’t surprised to see serving bowls and trays from Eros. Deanna, the owner, was around too. Like before, she looked nervous.
For the next several hours, Jillian watched the Fitzgeralds mingle with each other. The men—even the older ones—were gifted with good looks and doted on their women. The Fitzgerald women knew how to pick them, too. Their husbands were all gorgeous. While the children splashed in water, the men played a game of basketball, and their women cheered. Lex’s skills were impressive, but his younger brothers kept ganging up on him and teasing him.
“He usually doesn’t play,” Jade explained. “He must be trying to impress you.”
“Jade!” Ashley said. “You’re terrible. Don’t listen to her, Jillian. Poor Lex tends to get the job of overseeing things.”
“Not that we don’t mind our men showing off their skills,” Faith piped in.
“Especially when they do it shirtless,” Kara said, eying her husband.
“And sweaty,” Amy added, blowing Eddie a kiss.
The women laughed, drawing the attention of the players. It was easy to see the striking resemblance between the Fitzgeralds. Jade and Ashley could pass for sisters, but Faith stood out. She was stunning.
“So when is the wedding?” Faith asked, and everyone focused on Jillian.
Jillian groaned. Lex should be answering this question. When they’d met with Father O’Malley a few days ago, he wanted to know why the rush, too. Lex had told the good father that they didn’t want to wait.
“Next weekend,” she said.
Their shocked expressions made her cringe. Eyes went to her stomach, and she knew what they were thinking—she was pregnant. She didn’t correct them, and they didn’t get a chance to say anything because two elderly women arrived and everyone’s attention shifted.
“Aunt Viv and Aunt Siobhán,” Ashley said and sighed. “Don’t let her scare you.”
“Her bark is worse than her bite,” Kara said. Nikki and Amy nodded.
“Her” was Aunt Viv. Lex had told Jillian all about his Aunt Vivian, the matriarch of the Fitzgerald family. She tended to ask personal and intrusive questions. Jillian had come prepared.
“So where is the woman who’s stolen Lex’s heart?” one of them asked, her voice carrying. Jillian concluded she was Aunt Viv.
Lex left the game to introduce Jillian to his aunts. Siobhán was sweet and welcomed her to the family. Aunt Viv, on the other hand, studied Jillian as one would a bike she was about to purchase. Jillian was sure she noted everything about her. Something about her reminded Jillian of her Armenian grandmother.
Then the question Jillian had been expecting and dreading followed. “Who are your people, Ms. Finnegan?”
“Aunt Viv,” Lex warned.
“It’s a reasonable enough question, Lex. Quit hovering. Go back to your game. Sit down, Ms. Finnegan.”
Jillian sat, but Lex didn’t leave. “It’s okay,” she reassured him. She waited until he went back to the game before saying, “My father owns a circus, Mrs. Fitzgerald.”
The woman went pale, her hand going to her chest. “Circus?” she asked, making the word sound like a slug. “Like Circe du Soleil?”
“No, ma’am. Nothing that fancy. Bay Area Circus is small.”
“Oh, Lord,” she murmured. “Do you work in his circus?”
“I did until I was eighteen.” This wasn’t so bad. Jillian leaned back and caught Lex’s worried eyes. She waved. He smiled and went back to the game. She glanced at the two women. They were watching her intently as though expecting her to continue. “Then I left for Hollywood, but I still perform with my family sometimes.”
“So you never went to college?” Aunt Siobhán asked.
“No, ma’am. I learned all I needed to know from my family.”
Color rushed back into Aunt Viv’s cheeks, and her eyes flashed. “Oh, that impossible boy. How can he do this to us?” Aunt Viv glanced at her sister. “Looks like we have our work cut out for us, my dear Siobhán.”
Jillian wasn’t sure what “our work” meant, but she was going to enjoy sparring with this woman. And if she failed, she’d send her grandmother to deal with her.
THE END
BIOGRAPHY
Author Ednah Walters writes about flawed heroes and the women who love them. From her international bestselling Runes series (which focuses on Norse mythology and legends) to her Guardian Legacy series (which focuses on the Nephilim, children of the fallen angels. Whether she’s writing about Valkyries, Norns, and Grimnirs, or Guardians, demons, and Archangels, love, family, and friendship play crucial roles in all her books When not writing YA and NA books, she writes contemporary romance under the pseudonym E. B. Walters.
You can visit her online on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorEBWalters
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eb_walters
Blog: http://enwalters.blogspot.com
Her websites: www.author-ebwalters.com (Adult Romance)
www.ednahwalters.com (YA)
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM EDNAH WALTERS
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