“Stay there,” she says, wobbling a little while she inches along. “I’m coming to you.”
“You sure?” I ask as she freezes and crouches when the bridge moves the slightest bit.
Nodding quickly, she says, “Yes. I can’t let you risk your life again.”
“Sure you can.”
“No way. I need you alive, Harrison,” she says with a shaky voice as she inches her way forward. “Because if you die, then I’m never going to be properly kissed — or properly ‘the other thinged’—again.”
I grip the ropes, steadying the bridge for her as she inches her way to me. My heart pounds in my chest, and as much as I want to go get her and carry her back, somehow I know she needs to do this herself. “You’re doing so good, Libby. Keep going.”
She smiles, keeping her eyes focused on the wooden slats just in front of her. “Apparently, I’m an adventurer now,” she says as she freezes and crouches again. When the bridge stops swaying, she says, “Who knew?”
“I did. The moment I laid eyes on you,” I answer as she takes another few steps.
Letting go of the rope, she grabs the front of my shirt and pulls herself toward me. I let go of the bridge and take her in my arms, the momentum causing us both to fall on the ground with her on top of me.
I grin up at her. “You just can’t get enough of my abs, can you?”
Laughing, she says, “Full disclosure? I cannot.”
“Good.” I prop myself up on my elbows and plant a kiss on her to end all kisses — the kind that would leave us both happy if we got struck by lightning right now.
She wraps her arms around my neck, and we stay like this, kissing and exploring each other over our clothes until we’re both panting and have to stop.
Pressing my forehead to hers, I smile. “I can’t believe you came back.”
“I had to. I quit my job,” she says, giving me a soft kiss on the lips.
“You did?” I catch her mouth with mine for another kiss.
“Yes. I just couldn’t tear apart people’s dreams for a living anymore,” she says. “And I sent Richard packing — but only after subjecting him to a very uncomfortable night on a cot.”
I laugh in relief. “Poor bastard. He could have had a lifetime with you, and instead he ends up with a sore back.”
“A sore neck too,” she says with an evil grin. Then her face grows serious. “So now I’m jobless and homeless.”
“Is that so?” I smile as I brush her hair out of her face. “Well, I may have an opening for a business analyst who’s willing to work for the cost of lodging.”
“Can I counteroffer?” Libby asks, kissing me again. “I was thinking more like a not-so-silent investor position,” she says, sitting up and pulling off her engagement ring. Swallowing hard, Libby says, “So what do you think?”
I sit up straight with her on my lap and shake my head. “I can’t take your—”
She puts one finger across my mouth to shut me up. “It’s not charity. I was instructed to spend it wisely, and my research shows this would be a solid business investment.” Then she tucks the ring deep in the front pocket of my shorts and says, “Some seed money for Eden by Paradise Bay.”
“You came up with a name for it?”
She nods, looking nervous. “It’s just a thought. We can keep playing around with it if you don’t like it.”
I give her a quick kiss to settle her nerves. “It has a much better ring to it than ‘terrifying jungle that's probably full of deadly bugs’ island.”
“I thought so too…”
Staring at her for a moment, I’m suddenly aware of everything she’s offering me, and I’m in absolute awe. After all my years of saving everyone else, here she is, saving me. Offering a hint of a smile, I say, “Before I can decide on a partnership deal, I need to know what your plans are.”
She gives me a curious look. “My plans?”
“You know, long-term goals, five-year plan, that type of thing. Very important for any new enterprise.”
She looks up at the darkening sky as though trying to figure it out, then smiles back at me. “I haven’t quite flushed that out yet, but I do know it includes sleeping with my business partner.”
My mouth spreads into a wide grin. “Really? Like how often?”
“Oh, every night, I hope. Days too, when time allows,” she murmurs against my lips. “Other than that, I thought maybe I’d just wing it.”
“So you’re just going to see where it goes?”
“Yeah,” she says with a nod. “For the first time in my life, I thought I’d just let things happen naturally and try not to overthink it.”
“Hmph.” I give her a serious look and rub my scruffy chin. “This may not work, then, because for the first time in my life, I want to make plans and stick with them.”
Her eyes light up, and when she talks, it’s almost a whisper. “What kind of plans?”
“The kind that include a wife and some pale little freckled kids we can chase after with bottles of sunblock.” I raise my mouth to hers and give her a long, slow kiss.
When she pulls back, tears fill her eyes. “I could probably be persuaded to move in that direction at some point in the not-so-distant future.”
“Good, because I intend to do a lot of persuading.” Cupping her cheek with one hand, I plant another kiss on her gorgeous mouth. “I love you so much, Libby Dewitt.”
“I love you too, Harrison Banks.”
“Don’t look now, but we might be about to have a happy ending.”
“Several, I hope.”
EPILOGUE
Inappropriate Airport Greetings
Libby - Three Months Later
I silently stare out the airplane window as we touch down and zip past the palm trees lining the runway. My heart feels like it’s about to explode, and I can barely force myself to stay in my seat. As the plane nears the main terminal, I squint into the bright day, trying to spot Harrison through the window, but we’re still too far away.
In the past three months, I’ve spent the first two learning the ropes at Paradise Bay (when I wasn’t in bed or in the shower or skinny dipping under the moonlight with Harrison). We flushed out a detailed plan for Eden, hocked my ring (which turned out to be disgustingly expensive, so, thank you, Richard), and broke ground on the new villa.
The past month, however, has been hell. I flew home to pack up my life, sell the things I won’t need (like all my winter clothing and boots), and say farewell to everything I know. Alice and I have cried buckets of tears every time we see each other, and even though she’s happy for me, she’s also scared I’m making the wrong decision. She and Jack seem to be doing a little better, so I don’t feel quite as guilty leaving her. They’ve gone for some couple’s counselling, found a babysitter to give Alice every Friday off from being a Pinterest Mom, and are going on weekly dates, and from the sounds of it, the nights are ending happily (if you get my drift).
Surprisingly, Quentin and Alan weren’t complete arses when I went to pick up my things at GlobalLux and sign my exit paperwork. They both seemed a little disappointed to see me go, and Quentin even came close to apologizing for not treating me like ‘one of the boys.’
My grandparents aren’t too happy with me, though, especially Gran. She pretty much called me an utter disappointment and is blaming my grandad for ‘ruining another child.’
The guilt was eating me up, but then one morning Gran went out to do the shopping, giving me and Grandad a chance to talk. I found him in the back garden, sweeping the night’s skiff of snow from the sidewalk.
When he saw me, his eyes lit up. “There’s my girl,” he said, and it almost broke my heart.
Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, I said, “I’m sorry for this big mess.”
“Why on Earth are you apologizing for being happy?” he asked, setting the broom against the garage wall.
“Because Gran’s so upset with you a
bout what I’m doing.”
“Oh, don’t mind her. Being upset is her favourite pastime,” he answered, waving it off. “Besides, she’ll get over it once she meets him.”
“Does this mean…?”
“Yes, we’ve applied for passports.”
Grinning, I gave him a big, squeezy hug. “You’re really going to leave Avonia?”
“I figured it’s about time we see the world. And Paradise Bay sounds like a great place to start,” he said, picking up the watering can.
“You’re going to love it. And you’re going to love Harrison, too. He’s the best man I’ve ever met…present company excluded, of course.”
“He better be the best man you’ve ever met. You’re giving up everything for him,” he said, a look of worry crossing his face.
“He is,” I answered, knowing it was true. “He’s going to take very good care of your favourite granddaughter.”
“You seem so sure.”
“I am. Even though it seems completely crazy, I really am sure.”
And now my eyes are searching frantically for the best man I know as the plane touches down. I spot him leaning against the front of his truck, looking sexily casual. My entire body hums with excitement.
“There he is,” I say to the man next to me. His name is Phillipe, and he’s from France. He and his wife are celebrating their fortieth anniversary. They couldn’t get seats together on the plane. I offered to switch with her, but she hates window seats (and possibly Phillipe, based on the limited interactions I witnessed).
Phillipe leans across me a bit and looks out. “He’s very handsome. I can see why you can’t stop talking about him.”
I grin like a fool, then bite my bottom lip as I wait for the plane to stop. “Oh God, what if this time apart has made him change his mind about me?”
“He wouldn’t have sent you all those sexy texts when we were waiting to take off in Germany,” Phillipe says.
I turn to him with wide eyes because I didn’t think he could read English, and those were some very naughty texts. Very naughty.
Shrugging, Phillipe says, “I was bored, unlike the two of you.” He grins knowingly. “I have a feeling neither of you will ever be bored again. Exhausted, maybe, but never bored.”
***
When they finally open the door, I have to fight the urge to climb over the seats to beat the other passengers to the front. Instead, I wait in the congested line, telling myself to play it cool.
Don’t be too eager, Libby. Men don’t like eager. They like women who are confident and kind of nonchalant.
I walk out into the scented humid air, and I swear my hair makes a ‘boing’ sound as it curls up even more. Squinting into the sun, I wave to him, and I admit, it’s not a confident, nonchalant sort of wave. It’s an ‘oh my God, I’m so frigging excited I could pee’ sort of wave.
I hurry down the steps, basically plastering myself to the guy in front of me. When my feet hit the pavement, I pivot around him and start running, dropping my carry-on as I rush.
Harrison, who clearly was trying to play it cool by the truck, takes three fast steps toward me and picks me up in his arms, kissing me wildly on the mouth. “Christ, I missed you.”
“You too,” I say. “All of you. Especially your length.”
“Don’t forget my girth. I’ve had great reviews on that, too.”
“Believe me, I could never forget your girth.” I wrap my legs around him. “Oh, there it is now.”
He gives me that grin that turns me to butter, then we kiss some more, completely forgetting where we are. Just when I’m about ready to start peeling off his clothes, I hear someone behind me clear his throat.
We pull our faces apart, and Harrison lets me slide down off him. When I turn, I see Phillipe standing there holding my bag, a huge grin on his face. “You forgot your bag,” he says. Then he looks at Harrison. “Congratulations. You’re definitely going to get to do all the things in those texts you sent.”
***
We barely make it back to Paradise Bay before we tear each other’s clothes off. He drove like Rosy the entire way home, and as scary as it was, it wasn’t nearly fast enough.
Harrison booked the Royal Honeymoon Suite for us for two nights so we can ‘properly get to know each other again.’ It won’t be enough time, but with the right person, I don’t suppose there ever could be.
And so, I get my happy ending after all. It’s not the one I thought I’d have, or the one I ever would have guessed I’d want, but it’s perfect all the same — crazy and fun and passionate.
Our future isn’t set in stone — in fact, I guess you could say it’s only drawn in the sand, but maybe that’s how plans are supposed to be made. In the sand, so that when they get washed away, you can quickly draw up a new one together. Oh, Spontaneous Libby is deep.
We have a lot of hard work ahead of us to keep this resort going, but we’re going to do it together. And the truth is, that’s what counts in life. Not what you do, but who you do it with (oh, I didn’t mean that in the sex way, although that fits, too).
Harrison and I lay back, panting and smiling at the ceiling while we recover from round two.
“In case I haven’t told you yet today, I love you,” he says, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I love every inch of your body.” Kiss. “And your brain.” Kiss. “And your soul.” Pulling back a tiny bit, he gives me that intense ‘you’re mine’ look. “I’m so glad you came back so I can spend the rest of my life being your hero.”
“How about a counteroffer?” I say with a grin. “How about we be superheroes together?”
“Deal.”
The Beginning…
UP NEXT FROM MELANIE SUMMERS…
Whisked Away
~ A Paradise Bay Romantic Comedy, Book 2 ~
This fall, come back to Paradise Bay as the Island of Eden is finally ready for its first guests. Lucky for Emma, she’s finishing her Master Chef’s training just in time for the grand opening.
But will big brother Harrison trust her enough to take over the most important kitchen at the resort, serving the rich and shameless?
And will she manage to prove herself or will the attention of a certain celebrity guest distract her from her goals?
Join Emma as she learns that not all that sizzles is on the stove…
Don’t want to miss it? Sign up here for my newsletter for advanced notice of new releases, giveaways, and free books!
https://mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/secret-scenes/
A NOTE FROM MELANIE
I hope Harrison and Libby made you smile, laugh out loud, and feel good! I hope that you fell as much in love with them as I did. If so, please leave a review.
Reviews are a true gift to writers. They are the best way for other readers to find our work and for writers to figure out if we’re on the right track, so thank you if you are one of those kind folks out there to take time out of your day to leave a review!
If you’d like to find out about my upcoming releases, sign up for my newsletter on www.mjsummersbooks.com.
All the very best to you and yours,
Melanie
Special thanks
I am forever working at a ridiculously fast pace, which means I need a LOT of help to keep things flowing. Today, I need to stop and acknowledge the many people who have made this book possible, including:
- Terry Collins, a mergers & acquisitions expert who took time out of her busy schedule to help me understand the business,
- Kristi Yanta, the picky editor extraordinaire who took helped me tremendously with making Harrison and Libby’s story the best it could be,
- Melissa Martin, an amazing proofreader (who I hope goes pro),
- Karen Boston, a terrific editor and proofreader who fit me in at the last minute even though she’s super busy,
- Kellie Bagne, who batted final clean-up to find the last few errors in under a day,
<
br /> - My mom, who helps out SO much around here so I can work, especially when I’m under a deadline,
- My dad, who believes in me no matter what and never minds talking shop,
- My kids for saying, “Yes, you can, Mom!”,
- Kelly Collins and Jenn Falls for always helping me when I get stuck and listening when I’m panicking about a book,
- Tim Flanagan, my map, formatting, print covers, and other graphics genius who took my crazy fun idea and made it happen,
- Nikki Chiem, who is always there for me no matter what, and,
- My husband, Jeremy, (last but certainly not least), for taking the kids out so I can have some quiet, for always supporting me, and being such an inspiration when it comes to both romance and comedy.
Thank you to all of you from the bottom, the top, and the middle of my heart!
You mean the world to me,
Melanie
The Honeymooner (A Paradise Bay Romantic Comedy Book 1) Page 23