The Protective Groom: Billionaire Marriage Brokers

by Lucy McConnell

  “Where’s Uncle Noah?”

  “He’s upstairs. Do you want to push the button on the elevator?”

  “Yep.” Addison scampered across the room, and Cody gave Harley a one-armed, very brotherly hug.

  “He’s doing really well.” Harley gave them the latest updates from the doctors. As soon as Noah had woken fully, she’d called Paige, thinking his family should be alerted, and they’d been in constant contact as Paige packed up her family, made flight reservations, and even when they landed. They were going to stay in Harley’s guest wing for a few days before getting back to Serenity Stables. As soon as he was able, she and Noah would fly to Norco and meet the rest of his family.

  “I haven’t told him you’re coming, so wait here and I’ll go in and then you can surprise him. He’s going to be thrilled.”

  Harley steeled herself against the butterflies she knew would attack her the moment she saw Noah. She swung open the door, and all her preparations didn’t matter. The moment she saw him, she was completely gone all over again.

  Noah lifted one side of his mouth, his dimple drawing Harley to the bed, where she gave him a proper hello. “You get prettier every time I see you.”

  “Noah! I left like ten minutes ago.”

  “I know. You’re amazing,” he muttered against her lips making Harley grateful she wasn’t hooked up to a heart monitor. As it was, Noah was doing a good job of making his go nuts. The nurses had long since given up on checking him when that happened, because every time they’d found him and Harley kissing. In apology, and because she had no intention of stopping, Harley filled the nurses’ station with fresh flowers, boxes of chocolate, and chocolate-covered strawberries, and gave them each gift cards for a night out with their significant others. After that, someone had hung a heart-shaped “do not disturb” sign on Noah’s door and they didn’t have any more interruptions.

  Noah’s lips moved to her cheek. Harley leaned into him.

  Harley felt a heavy tap on her arm and pulled back to see Addison staring wide-eyed at the two of them.

  “Addison!” Noah exclaimed. His cheeks blushed pink, and Harley laughed. She’d completely forgotten Paige’s family waited in the hallway.

  “Daddy and Mommy kiss all the time too.” Addison climbed over the heavy plastic rails and landed next to Noah.

  “What are you doing here?” Noah asked Addison, but his eyes were on Harley. Later, he mouthed. Harley bit her lip.

  “I came to bring you the surprise.”

  “Oh, right. Do I get to guess?”

  “Nope.” Paige came in, belly first, followed by Cody.

  Noah gasped. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” He tickled Addison.

  She squirmed and shrieked. “I tried to, but you told me to mail it to you and I couldn’t.”

  Noah laughed, clearly delighted at the news. Everyone found a place to settle, and they talked about everything from baby names to Scooby-Doo.

  Addison climbed into Harley’s lap and tucked her head between Harley’s neck and shoulder. Harley breathed in her honeysuckle-and sunshine-scent.

  Paige smiled fondly. “We were up at four this morning to make our flight, and I’m afraid I slept more than she did. If you’ll excuse me.” Paige stood. “I’ve got to find a ladies’ room, and this one hasn’t gone for a while either.”

  Addison hopped off the bed, bouncing from foot to foot. “Hurry.”

  “I’ll walk with you. I need to make a few calls.” Cody followed Paige out of the room.

  Noah pulled Harley next to him, and she found her new favorite place in the world: tucked under his arm with her head on his good shoulder.

  “I think I figured out what to get the woman who has everything.”

  “Hmm?” Harley smiled. “What’s that?”

  “How about one of those?” He indicated where Addison had just run from the room.

  Harley’s cheeks flushed.

  “If we got started soon, he’d be in the same grade as his cousin.”

  Harley raised an eyebrow. “What if it’s a she?”

  “Don’t tease me, woman. A daughter would be awesome.” Noah kissed Harley’s temple. “Did I come close?” he whispered.

  Harley placed her palm on his chest. “Yes.”

  Noah started. “Really?”

  “Don’t look so surprised.”

  “What about your companies and investments and mergers and—”

  Harley placed her finger over his lips silencing his concerns. “All this merging and acquiring and such is good business, but it should support the things that truly matter in life.”

  Noah found her hand and pressed her palm to his lips. “You are what matters, love.”

  “I love you, Noah Baker.”

  Noah kissed her in response. His arm tightened and he deepened the kiss, stealing her breath away. Harley gripped the top of his T-shirt, holding on for all she was worth—which was quite a bit. She wasn’t letting Noah get away, and thankfully he’d explained that he’d like to stick around—for as long as they both shall live.

  Newsletter Information

  Lucy McConnell loves to keep in touch with readers. You can have new release information, cut or forgotten scenes, and news about what’s going on behind the desk by signing up for Lucy’s email.

  As a thank you, the to-die-for brownie recipe Janel used to steel Nick’s heart in The Academic Bride, will be sent directly to your inbox. Use them wisely for they are powerful brownies.

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  For more information about other books by Lucy McConnell, continue reading.

  Thank you for reading The Protective Groom. If you enjoyed Noah’s story, you may also enjoy the story of how his sister, Paige, became a BMB bride in The Country Bride. You can read a sample of the book on the next few pages or pick up a copy by clicking on the title below.

  The Country Bride

  Chapter 1

  A light breeze crossed Cody’s skin. Goose bumps prickle to life as he stared at the oasis in his backyard. Counting his blessings could take him days, and that was why, in moments like this, he felt shame for wanting more. Not more things—just one thing that he’d had once and loved more than life itself. But Kylee wasn’t coming back, and he had a little girl who needed a goodnight kiss.

  Being as quiet as possible, in case Addison had already fallen asleep, Cody climbed the stairs. At the top, he stooped to pick up one of Addison’s Princess Pony books off the floor and heard Ava’s voice as the nanny tucked Addison into bed. Not wanting to interrupt a story, he leaned against the wall outside to listen in.

  His daughter soaked up stories, remembering little details and adding her own during the telling. For the life of him, Cody couldn’t understand why her kindergarten teacher classified Addison as learning impaired. She was bright. Yes, she struggled with letters and such, but some kids learned faster than others. When the school year ended, he withdraw her name from the roster of that good-for-nothing school. He’d need to find a new elementary for fall, but he hoped this summer would be a time for Addison to regain her confidence.

  “… and the king sent a proclamation throughout the land that the prince could marry a woman no matter her station in life.” Ava’s voice was like too much salt on popcorn, and Cody frowned.

  “What’s station in life?” asked Addison.

  “Well, back in olden times, a person’s station was decided by the amount of money they had. If they didn’t have any money, then they had a low station. If they had a lot, like the king, then they had a high station,” answered Ava. “So the servant girl was able to wed the prince and move into the palace with her child.”

  “Did she get a new daddy?”

  Cody cocked his head to listen closer. Addison’s voice had taken on a slightly different tone, the one she used when she was thinking things through, and he wondered what was going on in that little head of hers.

  “She did get a new daddy.” Blankets rust
led, and Cody heard Ava set the picture book on the bookshelf. “What about you? Do you want a new mommy?” asked Ava.

  Cody about swallowed his tongue. The only thing keeping him from barreling into the room like a mad bear was that a small part of him wondered if Addison felt like she was missing out. He did his best to provide for her every need, but there were some holes a father couldn’t fill in a little girl’s life. He’d hoped he had at least a few more years before the subject came up. She was only eight months old when Kylee died, so she had no memory of her mother. In many ways, Addison was well beyond her age.

  Ava continued, “A mommy would be able to tuck you in at night and take you to school and come to your class with cupcakes on your birthday. Mommies bake cookies and make dinner and braid your hair and take you shopping. They love you forever and ever. Would you like that?”

  Cody held his breath in the silence, but it didn’t stay quiet for long. Addison must have nodded, because Ava continued. “Maybe I could be your mommy. We could be a real family.”

  Cody’s curiosity evaporated under the angry inferno consuming his mind, and his face turned scarlet. Ava had gone much too far with this fairy tale. It was one thing to make advancements toward him when Addison wasn’t around—which Cody laughed off or sidestepped to the best of his ability—but it was completely inappropriate different to brainwash his daughter into believing she needed a mother or that they weren’t a real family without one!

  “Bedtime!” Cody announced as he burst into the room.

  Ava stepped away from the bed, yanking her hands back as if she’d been caught stealing from the till.

  Cody wished she had just stolen his money. That would have been forgivable. Manipulating a child, his child, was deplorable. Walking quickly to Addison, Cody kissed her on the forehead and then the nose. “Are you snug?” he asked, tucking the blankets around her legs and working to hold back his anger. There was no need for Addison to think he was upset at her.

  She giggled. “Yes!”

  “Good.” He tickled her knees until she squealed. “Love you.”

  Addison kissed his stubble-covered cheek. “You’re like a porcupine, Daddy.”

  He tickled her once more, just for good measure.

  “Love you,” she said.

  Cody straightened and met Ava’s gaze. He motioned for her to follow him out, and he didn’t stop until he was at the bottom of the stairs. With each stair, his steps grew heavier until, by the time he reached the bottom, he was stomping. “Ava,” he began, working to keep his voice low so as not to disturb his daughter, “I overheard what you said to Addison.”

  Ava bit her bottom lip and shifted so she was closer. “I hope it wasn’t too forward. I think we’re both thinking the same thing, and I wanted to gauge her feelings on the subject.”

  Cody leaned away from her. “And what is it we are both thinking?” Might as well hear it all.

  “I’ve seen the way you watch me, and together we are so good with Addison.” Ava’s hands went to his chest and slid up to his shoulders. He fought the urge to swipe them away as if they were spiders or snakes. “You need to let go of the past, Cody. Let me help you forget your pain, forget Kylee.” Her hands caressed his arms. “We could have a June wedding.”

  Cody jumped away. He didn’t want to forget Kylee. Why would he? She was the bright star in his life. “Ava, this isn’t happening.” He wagged his finger back and forth between the two of them.

  Ava’s arms had remained frozen in the air at his sudden withdrawal. Only now did they drop to her side. “Are you sure you wouldn’t at least consider us?” she asked, her voice small. “We could keep it under wraps and just see how things went.”

  Cody tried to picture a life with Ava. It was preposterous. He’d hired her because of her degree in education—he’d thought she’d be able to help Addison catch up before starting school in the fall—and she’d worked on Addison’s reading; but he felt no spark, no draw, no attraction toward her. Though she was what many men would consider fetching, the idea of making her his wife was repelling. “I’m sorry,” he said evenly.

  Ava’s lips pulled back into a sneer.

  In her seamless transformation from sugar sweet to downright nasty, Cody’s remaining doubts about sending her away were set free. How much of Ava’s happy countenance was balderdash and how much of it was sincere, he’d never know, nor would he care to take the time to contemplate the question. Her true colors were written in that scornful look.

  “I’m wasting my time here.” Ava flounced up the stairs.

  Cody followed quickly behind—not because he wanted to change his mind or keep her here, but because he wanted to stand guard over Addison until this wretched woman left his home. He stood in Addison’s doorway, making a mental list of the things he had to do once he escorted Ava out. Top priority was changing the key code to the front gate so she could never get back in.

  Following Ava out the back door, Cody grabbed his cell phone. Neither of them said a word as Ava chucked her suitcase in the back seat of her sedan. She slammed the door and, with a final flip of her hair, gave Cody the bird and pulled out.

  Cody raised an eyebrow at the farewell. He hit a button on his cell and pressed it to his ear. The squabble with Ava was a minor inconvenience. As the owner of several dealerships, he’d learned to let angry gestures roll off his back so he could move on. Tonight, he had more pressing matters to spend his mental energy on than an exploitative nanny. By the time her taillights hit the main road, Ava was already a distant memory.

  As he listened to the phone ring, Cody’s eyes roamed the pool, the private hot tub with a waterfall, the palm trees, the palm fronds, the closely cut grass, and the padded lounge chairs. The yard was meant to be a piece of paradise, and yet he hardly used it.

  “You’re the boss.” Christopher gave his customary greeting upon answering the phone. He was twenty years Cody’s senior if he was a day, and Cody enjoyed his company.

  “Just checking in to see if we’re all ready for the auction tomorrow.”

  “We? You mean you’re coming?”

  Cody got the impression he was needling him. “By we, I mean you.”

  “Right. We’re good. Gray Jet and Gray Rose should fetch a fair price. The two geldings will bring in some good money with the training they’ve had. It’s Annie May who’ll bring in the big bucks. You sure you want to part with her?”

  Cody clenched and unclenched his hands. Annie May was the offspring of May June, Kylee’s champion barrel-racing horse, who had died in the same accident that took Kylee’s life. He hadn’t seen Annie May since the day Addison had climbed into one of the stalls and he’d banished the horses from his property. Kylee had meant for Addison to have Annie May when she began racing, but that wasn’t going to happen. Horses were a huge part of Kylee’s life, and for Cody, being around them was like scrubbing an open wound. He didn’t hate the animals. He still respected them. Because of that respect, he was doing what he believed was best for Annie May. She would be much happier learning to compete and answering the athletic call that came through her bloodline. Selling her wasn’t an act of desperation; it was, at least in his mind, an act of mercy. “I’m sure. When do you pull out?”

  “I’ll leave the stables at six in the morning. That will give me time to get the horses settled and happy before they go on the block.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks.”

  “Yep.” Christopher hung up without saying goodbye. From anyone else it would seem rude; from Christopher it was familiar.

  An hour later, Cody was at the keypad in the front of the house, his guilt over selling Kylee’s horse tucked safely away.

  The front door was more of a front gate as it sat between the one-bedroom guest house that functioned as a pool house and the side of the garage. Once through the gate, you were in the backyard, and then there were two doors into the house itself. The first one on the left opened into the living room, which was connected to the kitchen and dining
room in an open floor plan. The second door went to the master suite.

  Cody had just gotten through the ten-step process of resetting the four-digit code when the sound of tires on his tree-lined drive brought his head up. A black SUV pulled into the open parking area in front of the garage. His friend Gabe Russell got out and went around to open the door for his wife, MaKayla.

  Cody groaned, even as he pasted a smile on his face. With everything that had happened with Ava, he’d completely forgotten Gabe was coming to pick up a donation check for The Children’s Center. Gabe wanted to open a branch of the charity in Norco, near one of Cody’s dealerships, and, knowing how much good the foundation was doing in other areas, Cody had immediately agreed to help.

  He waved hello and quickly punched in the new code for the front door locks. He’d have to send the information to the maid service, the cook who came three times a week, and the maintenance company in the morning.

  “Good to see you.” Gabe offered his hand.

  Cody shook it, making himself relax and forget his own sorrow. Gabe was a good guy, and this meeting should be pleasant. “You too. MaKayla, how are you doing?”

  “Good. We’re moving ahead with the expansion, and it’s busy but going well.”

  “Wonderful. Why don’t you come inside?” Cody held out his arm to indicate that MaKayla should go first.

  She gasped when she stepped through the gate. “This is beautiful! It looks like the resort we stayed at on our honeymoon.”

  “Without the ocean view,” amended Gabe with a smile. He slipped his arm around MaKayla’s thin waist and pulled her to his side. “We should go back. Soon.”

  MaKayla’s eyes sparked with desire as Gabe kissed her neck.

  Cody felt like an outsider in his own backyard. He cleared his throat. “Do you want me to leave you two alone?” he teased. “Just be careful; Addison’s window is right there.” He pointed to the one overlooking the pool.

  MaKayla’s cheeks turned a pretty pink color, and Cody could see why Gabe had fallen for her fast enough to elope. “We’ll be fine, thank you.”