Alberto followed her and raised his voice. “Rossie, you’re so perfect all the time. Not all of us can be like you.”
The older couple in the back row of the church turned and stared at her. Butterflies grew in her tummy and she waved like she was still hosting the wedding but then turned back to Alberto. “I’m not looking for perfect, but I deserve love and loyalty.”
“You’re being childish, leaving me now,” he said so everyone in the church heard.
The entire congregation stood and stared at her.
Her cousins in the backseat of the other row took out their cell phones to record her. Her mother stood at the door ensuring no one dared join her right now. Rossie shrugged and stepped backwards as she made a peace sign for her cousin’s video feed and then told Alberto, “I don’t need to answer that. Goodbye.”
As she closed the church doors behind her, she knew she only had seconds before people crowded her as her mother would stop Alberto from leaving.
Luckily Clara had pulled her 1990s rusty green sedan that needed to be junk-piled to the front of the church, with her behind the wheel. Without a word, Rossie hopped into the front seat and pointed toward the road as guests called her name behind her. “Clara, let’s go.”
Thankfully Clara didn’t ask many questions as they weaved out of the palm tree-lined side streets and headed toward Collins and the beach. Once they were far away from anyone they knew, Clara asked, “Where are we going?”
Right. Rossie went to lean back on the head rest, but Clara didn’t have them. She held her head higher and stared at her friend’s mousy brown hair and big glasses. Clara worked too hard and had so little, but she had the biggest heart in the world. Rossie sucked in her breath and said, “I have two first class tickets to Paris. And you have a passport with no stamps.”
Clara shook her head and her face went white. “I can’t afford-”
The honeymoon in Paris had been Rossie’s idea. She’d planned it in more detail than her own aborted wedding. “Everything is paid for. And I need company.”
Clara bit her lip. Rossie didn’t say anything as the emotions Clara had clearly went to war. Clara was the worst poker player in the world, but she turned her beat-up old car inland on Oakland. “Okay. We’ll have to stop at my place. I’ll need one minute.”
“Not a problem.” Rossie closed her eyes. Her heart still beat too fast. Clearly, she was pumped on energy, but soon she’d have to figure out how to handle whatever she did next.
Once the anger left, she’d run out of fuel. Clara would at least keep her grounded while she figured out what to do.
As her friend parked her car near a chain of restaurants and her brakes rolled a little, Rossie felt slightly guilty. If Clara had skill, she’d have hired her to work with her. Working weddings paid well enough to buy a car, but Clara wasn’t interested in weddings or makeup or hair.
Clara held out a hand and raced between the restaurants to the small stairway that led to her studio apartment.
Rossie didn’t bother following. Her body itched in the gown, but as she looked in the backseat, she didn’t see her suitcase. It must be in the trunk.
Clara returned before Rossie could even figure out how to open the passenger door from the inside. Clara showed her the passport. “I’m so excited to see Paris.”
From her phone, Rossie went online and canceled Alberto’s ticket and had her travel agent rebook under Clara Fortuna. Once Clara was behind the wheel, Rossie said, “Thank you for saving me back there. This trip is seriously the least I can do.”
Clara’s smile grew brighter than Rossie had ever seen as she headed back toward Miami and the traffic of the highway. She tapped the steering wheel as she said, “In a few hours, we’ll be at the Eiffel Tower.”
At least the air conditioner still cranked cold air in Clara's bucket-of-bolts car. Rossie took a deep breath and tried to focus on anything but what had just happened. Goodness, she should have changed as the dress now dug into her skin. “Is that what you want to see first?”
Clara dodged incoming traffic like the Miami driver pro she clearly was. “Yes, but it’s your hon-” Both of them froze, but then Clara quickly said, “vacation. You get to pick.”
She’d hoped that kissing Alberto under the moonlight while in Paris would give their relationship a much-needed shot of desire. Now she let out a snort and said to her friend, “We can and should see the Eiffel Tower. It sounds like the perfect place to relaunch myself.”
Clara took the exit and passed homeless people on the street as she headed toward the airport and avoided the tolls. “Relaunch?”
Clara drove fast and efficiently. Rossie was hyper-aware of people on the street pushing shopping carts and she wanted to escape and get out of her conspicuous dress and expensive jewels. “I’m clearly an idiot when it comes to love. I don’t want to ever date another Alberto again.”
Clara started to go into economy parking, but Rossie shook her head and said, “Valet and I’ll pay.”
Her best friend recoiled as if she’d been slapped, but she didn’t say a word. Clara drove her old sedan to the front door and jumped out of her seat.
Rossie studied the passenger door, unsure how to open it until Clara opened it from the outside. Rossie handed the valet her credit card, who then brought her bag from the trunk.
She couldn’t wait to change and no longer look like a runaway bride. She took the handle and her card back after the valet ran it through his scanner.
Clara handed him the keys and followed her inside, carrying a small handbag as she said, “You said Alberto fit your lifestyle when he proposed on his friend’s yacht.”
Money wasn’t an issue. Rossie's business paid well though Alberto’s business was failing, not that she let that be known. Now he didn’t matter at all. Once they were home again, Rossie would help Clara with her resume.
Clara needed a better job but for now they would enjoy Paris. Rossie led the way into the nearest women’s bathroom. Without asking, Clara helped her unzip the wedding dress and pushed her bag into the stall as Rossie said, “But I don’t want to marry a man just because he has money.”
Clara said through the stall door and clearly spoke so that Rossie heard above the water running in the sink, “You said you shouldn’t discriminate and say no just because he could afford more than you ever could.”
“I was an idiot.” Rossie finished tugging up her simple cotton white dress she’d bought to change into at the end of the wedding. She looked at the expensive dress one more time and then carried it out, leaving it on the child’s changing station next to the trash.
Clara checked that her dress was zipped and buttoned at the top in the back. Rossie let her and Clara said over her shoulder, “No. You’re the sweetest person I know.” Now, that wasn’t true. If she was sweeter, she’d have helped Clara more lately, but Clara continued, “It’s why I’m here now, because you know I can’t afford even an economy ticket.”
Now that she looked almost normal, Rossie looped arms with Clara and patted hers as she said, “You’re here so I don’t turn around and do something stupid to prove myself.”
Rossie walked her friend to the kiosk and swiped her credit card which showed two first class tickets. She then scanned her driver’s license and had Clara do the same as she asked, “What do you mean?”
With a few buttons, she now had boarding passes. Perfect. Rossie hit print as she said, “I broke up with Austin and then instantly fell in love with Alberto, ignoring all advice. In fact, you have two jobs when we get to Paris.”
Clara helped her with her bag that was mostly just makeup to put it on the scale as Rossie reached in and found her carry-on and passport. “What are they?”
The gate agent wrapped the baggage claim sticker around the handle and handed her the ticket. They walked toward security and Rossie whispered, “Keep me away from all men whose name starts with A.”
Clara laughed, her small bag on the conveyer belt as she and Rossie
waited to pass through the body detectors. “Okay, that sounds easy. There are twenty-five other letters.”
For the first time in hours, Rossie laughed. Good. Laughing was better than crying and she didn’t want to ever cry. Once they'd both gone through, Clara grabbed her luggage and they hustled toward the international terminal. Rossie said, “And two…”
“Yes?” Clara batted her lashes and for a second Rossie saw her friend’s eyes glisten with tears.
Her stomach felt like she’d been punched. This wasn’t fair. She hadn’t meant to ever cry. She swallowed and shook her head.
Their plane was already boarding. Rossie walked with her right toward the ticketing agent. “Have fun and try to get me to have some fun. I don’t want to think about today, ever, but at some point, running in my dress is going to get to me.”
Clara nodded as if she’d just made a solemn vow. Her throat ached--not good. Rossie wasn’t upset. She couldn’t be. She fixed everything, including weddings.
Alberto was clearly the wrong guy, but she’d get her life back on track, fast. And she’d do it without tears. Tears were for people like Clara, not her. Vulnerability was weak and Rossie Diaz was never that. And besides all that, Alberto was Mr. Wrong and didn’t deserve tears.
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Forbidden Princes and Forbidden Lords
A charming royal romance. Antonio has a month to find a wife, so he listens to his IT department to meet his perfect match.
Prince Antonio Aussa is almost out of time. If he doesn’t find a wife within the next two weeks, he’ll be forced to forsake his destiny and disappoint his parents.
Kristin Wells is desperate for money. If she doesn’t find a well-paying job soon, her dream of finishing grad school will die.
When Kristin walks into Antonio’s Miami office, he sees a way out of his royal dilemma, but first he needs to convince her to go along with his plan. Before either knows what’s happening, their whirlwind pretend romance turns into something more. But soon their seemingly perfect union stirs up more trouble than they could have ever imagined, jeopardizing their agreement.
With everything on the line for them, can the couple from opposite worlds find a way to make their arrangement work, or will their deeper connection cause them to lose everything in the end…including each other?
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Forbidden Crown
One playboy prince is about to get schooled when his one night stand is everything he never wanted.
Marcus Aussa is bound by duty to find a bride. The task should be easy enough for the handsome prince, but finding the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with is vastly different from what he’s accustomed to. But when his oldest brother welcomes his new bride and her friend to Avce, Marcus thinks he may have found the perfect woman.
When Renee Brown agrees to escort her best friend on a trip to Avce, she knows it will be the experience of a lifetime. Her theory proves true when she meets Marcus, the crown prince’s handsome younger brother. What begins as innocent flirty turns into a whirlwind summer fling, and she’s okay with that. But their short time together draws them closer than expected – so close that known assassin’s target both. As the danger increases, Marcus’ protective nature takes hold. Now, neither can imagine their lives without the other.
When their time together comes to an end, will they welcome the distance or will they do whatever it takes to be together forever?
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Forbidden Prince
The little sister of an ex-girlfriend is supposed to be off limits, even for a royal prince. However when the matchmaker proclaims Amy is his match, Lucio Aussa goes and discovers for himself the girl he completely overlooked.
Political consultant Amy Fields only experienced jealousy once in her life, and that’s the way she’d like to keep it. Watching her older sister carry-on with the boy she absolutely adored in high school enough to make her never want to feel second-best again.
Now, successful in her own right. She’s making strides in her career and meeting interesting people, but one client takes a keen interest in her life – so much so, he’s determined to ensure she never finds a happy ending with the boy she loved long ago.
Prince Lucio Aussa can have any woman he wants, but he’s grown tired of superficial relationships. When his brother convinces him that he can find the perfect bride online, Lucio reluctantly agrees to go along with the plan. The search dredges up old feelings about Amy’s older sister, and prompts him to want to rekindle their broken relationship. But when the internet search points to Amy as his perfect mate, that changes everything. Now, he must reconcile the feelings he had for her sister with the realization that Amy is far more interesting than she ever was. To make matters worse, as his feelings for her grow, an enemy emerges threatening to ruin any hope of love for either of them.
Can the overcome their preconceived notions about each other and find common ground together or will yet another obstacle stand in their way?
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Blackwell marriage clock is ticking when he meets Donna whose traveling to check off items on her bucket list. Neither were ready for the chemistry that throws both of their lives in a different direction.
Donna Smith has always dreamed of seeing how the other half lives. When she finds herself out of a job, she uses her downtime to finally get out and see the world, and her first destination is to witness a royal wedding in Avce.
With the first item checked off her bucket list, she sets out to check off the remaining items one by one…as soon as she can figure out how to sneak into the reception undetected and find a handsome stranger to lock lips with.
Blackwell Oberlin, the Duke of Oakley Woods, promised his father he’d one day marry, but on one condition: she has to be someone unlike anyone he’s ever met. When on a whim he plants a kiss on a beautiful stranger, he thinks he’s met the one, but before he knows what’s happened, she’s nowhere to be found and he can’t stop thinking about her.
Using his money and influence, he hires a security team and a girl with a sophisticated algorithm to find her. But when he does, will it lead to a happily-ever-after?
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Remy must find a bride and hires the Royal matchmaker, only to get denied. Cassidy’s former childhood best friend will never be the one. However his grandmother’s dying wish puts them on a collision course.
Cassidy Bright is infamous in Avce for her ability to help others find love. Her algorithm has never failed. Behind the scenes, though, no one knows who she based her program on, and she’d like to keep it that way. But when her muse requests her services, she’s not so inclined to oblige.
Remington Burke IV, the Earl of Sky, has everything he wants, except a wife. At the urging of his ailing grandmother, he seeks out help from the only person he knows can help him – Cassidy. Marriage is almost guaranteed, but she’s reluctant to let him see his match. The longer they squabble about it, the more attracted to her he becomes.
Could the woman of his dreams be the geeky girl with the magical algorithm or has desperation clouded his judgment?
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One spoiled lady who gets what she wants lands in muddy
waters and in the backyard of a French, vineyard owner who doesn’t put up with any of her usual behaviors.
Lady Chelsea Bright is many things, but a romantic is not one of them. With her family in dire straits, she must marry a wealthy suitor to ensure their security, but that means she’ll have to sacrifice her art and travel to Paris to meet Duc Astorre Manfredi, and never submit her art for a showing that was set up for her.
Alexandre Travers has one goal in mind – to rebuild his family’s vineyard in the South of France. That means he must concentrate his efforts on producing the best grapes possible and completely rebranding the organization because there’s no room for error. The last thing he needs is distractions, but that’s exactly what he gets when a distracted driver crashes her car on his property and destroys all his hard work.
Chelsea needs a ride to Paris but volunteers to stay and help repair the property and despite the trouble she’s caused, but these two opposites soon find themselves growing closer. Soon, that budding friendship begins to look and feel like love, but is it enough to make Chelsea abandon her plans and begin anew?
An unexpected romance set in both wine country and Paris between two opposites with almost nothing in common except undeniable chemistry. Find out what happens in this modern day opposites attracts meets second chances romance!
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Forbidden Monsieur
He’s a bad boy noble with two weeks left to either marry…or lose his fortune.
Stefano Durnova, the Marchese of Normanni, has less than two weeks left to find a bride or be forced to sacrifice his title, inheritance, and lands. With the clock ticking, he’ll be pushed to resort to desperate measures, but he never expected to ask a total stranger to marry him.
Forbidden Monsieur: Princes of Avce Page 14