Promised Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  Marissa closed her eyes and leaned in, prepared to lose herself in the sweet bliss that was kissing Nick, knowing he felt the same way she did.

  But she didn’t get that kiss. The sound of a clearing voice shattered the moment. “I don’t mean to interrupt.”

  Marissa’s eyes opened at the sound of her mother’s voice. Like a teenager being caught out, she took a step away from Nick. But his hand shot out and held hers.

  Her dad’s lips turned up into a wry grin, but he didn’t say anything. “They’re getting ready to cut the cake in there and I thought you might not want to miss it.”

  Marissa nodded and with her free hand, smoothed down her dress. “Thanks, Mom. We’ll be right in.”

  “I’d tell you to take your time, but...” He winked and disappeared inside.

  As soon as he was gone, Marissa laughed. “Do you think she suspected anything?”

  “I sure hope so.” Nick pulled her hand and spun her into a quick kiss. “I’m done pretending I don’t love you. I want everyone to know. I want to shout it out and I promise you right here and now, I’ll never again make the mistake of not feeling each and every one of my feelings for you all the time.” He kissed her again. “And, more importantly, I’ll make sure you know exactly what all of those feelings are. And that’s a promise.”

  “I believe you.” And she did. With all of her heart, she believed every word he said. “Now, let’s get in there before they send out a search party.”

  The cake cutting, like everything else Jenny had planned, was perfect. Especially the way she smashed an icing-covered piece right on her groom’s nose. While the kitchen staff was preparing and slicing the rest of the cake, the DJ announced the bouquet toss. Marissa usually snuck off the dance floor and tried to hide during the traditional toss, but with Nick by her side, and her mother smiling at her across the dance floor, this time she made her way out to the dance floor with all the other single women, including Jenny’s cousins, some old school friends and the requisite children.

  She felt silly as the music started to play, but when she turned and saw Nick watching her carefully, those feelings vanished. She turned forward again as Jenny, her back to the crowd, raised her arms behind her head in preparation and then turned and walked directly to Marissa, where she put the bouquet in her hands before kissing her on the cheek. “It’s about time,” she whispered in her ear.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “After this, I promise your maid of honor duties will be over.” Jenny handed Marissa a cup of coffee the moment she walked into the ballroom where the gift opening brunch was being set up.

  Marissa took the cup greedily. She’d stayed up dancing with Nick all night and like the good best man and maid of honor that they were, they’d waited until the bride and groom had made their exit before they snuck away. It had been close to two in the morning before Marissa had finally slipped off her shoes and crawled into bed.

  Alone.

  Nick had been the perfect gentleman, and despite the fact that she would have loved nothing more than to spend the night wrapped in his arms, Marissa was determined to move slowly with their relationship. At least in some ways. It was too perfect, and she didn’t want to spoil anything by rushing.

  “How are you so perky?” she asked Jenny after her first sip of hot coffee. “I’m exhausted. You should be dead on your feet.”

  “No way,” Jenny said. “Sleep is what honeymoons are for.” She giggled. “Well...that and other things.”

  “Ew. You’re talking about my brother.” Marissa made a face, but she laughed and shook her head.

  “Right.” Jenny grabbed her by the shoulders and stared her in the face. “Let’s talk about you and Nick.”

  “Oh no.” Somehow Marissa managed to wiggle out of Jenny’s crazy strong grip. “I don’t think this is the right place. Let’s talk tomorrow.” She grabbed the notepad where she was supposed to write down all the gifts and made her escape.

  “But we leave for Jamaica tomorrow,” Jenny called after her.

  That was exactly the point. Marissa smiled but her escape was short-lived when a moment later her mother grabbed her arm and steered her to the buffet line. “Good morning, sweetie.”

  “I’m not hungry, Mom.” She was actually starving but there was no way she wanted to be cornered by her mother at that moment when guests would start arriving at any moment. It was bad enough she and Nick had shared their moment on the dance floor for everyone to see; Marissa wasn’t interested in shanghaiing any more of Jake and Jenny’s wedding festivities.

  “You need to eat.” Her mother used that tone that meant business, and Marissa knew it was pointless to try to resist. Her mother plucked the notebook from her hands and replaced it with a plate. “Even a piece of fruit. You had a late night.” Her mother raised her eyebrows and Marissa was pretty sure she was going to completely combust in a humiliated flames.

  “Mom!”

  “Well, didn’t you?”

  “It wasn’t nearly as late as you’re insinuating. I think you raised me better than that.”

  Her mom laughed. “Good point.”

  Marissa chose a cinnamon bun with extra icing and moved along the line but her mom was right behind her. “For whatever it’s worth, I think it’s pretty great,” she whispered into her ear.

  “What?”

  “You and Nick.”

  “I knew what you meant, Mom.” She turned. “I just...”

  Her mom’s eyes were filled with tears. “Years ago, I thought maybe you two would...but it doesn’t matter. You found each other now.”

  She smiled and nodded. “We did.”

  “And your father and I couldn’t be happier.”

  Marissa shook her head and looked away before she, too, started crying. “Well, don’t marry me off just yet, Mom. It’s all still pretty new.”

  “Is it?”

  * * *

  Nothing could bring Nick down from the high he was feeling when he woke up the night after the wedding. Not even the blinking light on his cell phone that told him he had a message.

  It hadn’t been hard to ignore his phone the night before. The most important people to him in the entire world were in the same room as him. But now, with Marissa already gone to the gift opening, there was no more avoiding what he had to deal with.

  His father.

  He’d left the suite behind and opted instead for the fresh air of the mountains to make the call he was both dreading and looking forward to. Nick didn’t bother playing the message, but simply pressed the buttons that would connect him to his father.

  It didn’t matter that it was Sunday. His dad always worked. At the expense of everything. His relationship. His children. Everything.

  The more his dad had worked, the more his mother had pulled away into some other life, that as a child he’d never understood. Now he knew she’d had a string of lovers and other interests to keep her occupied. Anything but her own family. It was one of the many reasons he’d found refuge with the Duncan family.

  Despite the dysfunction of his family, it had always been understood that Nick would work for the family business one day. He’d never questioned it.

  Until now.

  It wasn’t a decision he’d reached only the night before, although finally confessing his love to Missy definitely helped concrete how he was feeling. And besides his feelings for her, he’d never been so sure about anything in his life.

  He didn’t want his father’s life.

  The call was answered on the first ring. “Nicholas, where are you?”

  His dad hardly ever used his full name.

  “You know where I am, Dad. Jake Duncan got married yesterday and I—”

  “That was yesterday. And I told you to be on that plane. Nick, in business, as in life, you have to make choices and—

  “And I made one, Dad. I’m done.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “I’m done. With this business. I quit.”

  It felt bett
er than he’d imagined to say the words out loud.

  “What?”

  “I quit, Dad.” It felt even better to say them for a second time.

  “You can’t quit.”

  “I just did. I don’t want this.”

  “What’s wrong with you? You don’t want to be head of a multi-million dollar business company one day?”

  Nick walked along the path that led around the building to the courtyard and pond where he’d kissed Missy for the scavenger hunt photo. Had that really been two days ago? So much had changed. Especially the kisses.

  “No, Dad,” he said. “I don’t. Not if it means being like you. I want more.”

  His father scoffed into the phone and Nick could almost imagine him sitting behind his desk, getting more and more worked up as he realized Nick wasn’t bluffing. “You want more than a power yacht in the Caribbean? A vacation house in Spain? A new sports car every few months? You want more than that?”

  “I do.” Nick smiled because the answer was so easy. “I want love. I want to marry the woman I love and one day have children of our own. And you know what? I want to know those kids. Like, really know them. I want to go to their Little League games and dance recitals. I want to give them the family they deserve instead of sending them in search of it in the family of their best friend.”

  On the other end of the line, his dad was quiet. For a moment, Nick wondered whether he’d gone too far. “I see,” he said after a moment.

  “Dad, I didn’t—”

  “It seems I was wrong about you.” He cut him off. “You’re not cut out for this job at all. I expect your resignation on my desk in the morning.”

  The line went dead and instead of feeling remorse, all Nick felt was relief as a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He powered his phone off and tucked it into his back pocket before heading inside.

  Despite the crowd of people milling about, he saw her the moment he walked into the room. She sat next to Jenny and Jake, who were surrounded by wrapping paper and tissue. She was bent over a notepad, frantically scribbling things while Jenny opened gifts and Jake tried to look interested.

  Missy radiated. She was stunning. She was his.

  Just thinking it felt good.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” He made his way through the piles of paper and kissed her on the cheek, right there in front of everyone. She blushed, but turned her gorgeous eyes on him. “I was going to steal you away but you look like you have your work cut out for you here.”

  “You can’t have her yet,” Jenny said. “We have a few more.”

  “Seriously?” Jake groaned. “Not that I’m not grateful for everyone’s generosity but I really think the tradition of the gift opening is more of a way for a bride to torture her new husband than anything else.”

  Nick laughed and pulled up a chair. “I’ll help.”

  “You will?” Missy raised an eyebrow.

  “If it means spending more time with you, sweetheart. Absolutely.”

  Jake groaned again. “It must be love.”

  Everyone laughed, but Nick locked eyes with Missy and with complete seriousness said, “It’s most definitely love of the deepest kind. And it may not be wrapped in fancy paper and tissue,” he waved his hand over the mess they were sitting in, “but, sweetheart, my love is the gift I promise to give you every day for the rest of my life.”

  Nick didn’t care that it was cheesy. He was suddenly feeling like being very cheesy. Especially if it made Missy look at him that way. And when she leaned over and pressed her lips on his and kissed him, being cheesy was the very last thing he cared about because he’d meant every word.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed Promised Gifts, you’ll probably enjoy The McCormicks! You can download the first in that series, Love in the Moment and check out an excerpt, right after a note from the author. And for more free books and exciting news make sure to stay in touch with Elena!

  About the Author

  Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than twenty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins and their two cats, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after.

  To learn more about Elena:

  www.elenaaitken.com

  elena@elenaaitken.com

  Also by Elena Aitken

  The McCormicks

  Love in the Moment

  Going for the Moment

  Only for a Moment

  One more Moment

  In this Moment

  From this Moment - Available Jan 11, 2018

  Castle Mountain Lodge

  Unexpected Gifts

  Hidden Gifts

  Unexpected Endings - Short Story

  Mistaken Gifts

  Secret Gifts

  Goodbye Gifts

  Tempting Gifts

  Holiday Gifts

  Promised Gifts

  The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 1-4

  The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 5-8

  The Springs Series

  Summer of Change

  Falling Into Forever

  Winter’s Burn

  Midnight Springs

  Second Glances

  She’s Making A List

  The Seasons: Volume 1

  The Seasons: Volume 2

  Fighting For Forever

  The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10

  The Springs—Stone Summit

  Summit of Desire

  Summit of Seduction

  Summit of Passion

  Stone Summit Trilogy

  Bears of Grizzly Ridge

  His to Protect

  His to Seduce

  His to Claim

  Hers to Take

  Destination Paradise

  Shelter by the Sea

  Escape to the Sun

  Hidden in the Sand - Available Winter 2017

  Escape Collection

  Nothing Stays in Vegas

  Return to Vegas

  Drawing Free

  Sugar Crash

  Composing Myself

  Betty & Veronica

  The Escape Collection

  Halfway Series

  Halfway to Nowhere

  Halfway in Between

  Halfway to Christmas

  Love in the Moment

  Please enjoy an excerpt from the next series The McCormicks - Love in the Moment - Available Now!

  Ian McCormick stole a glance at the woman sitting next to him. He’d picked her up only ten minutes earlier from the bus station and already he’d run out of things to talk about. In fact, beyond the general introductions they’d exchanged, they really hadn’t spoken at all. He felt as if he should say something to break the silence, but every time he opened his mouth, he drew a blank. What was he supposed to say to the younger half-sister he’d never met?

  The sister that he’d never had any desire to meet, not since finding out about her existence almost ten years ago. As far as he was concerned, Ian could have gone the rest of his life without knowing about Chelsea or her sister, Amber’s existence. And he really didn’t see any need to get to know either of them. After all, they were the reason his entire life had imploded all those years ago.

  Okay, that wasn’t entirely fair. It wasn’t their fault that their father had led a secret life, with a completely different family. A family he’d finally left his other family for, leaving Ian, his brothers, and his mother all alone. No. It wasn’t the girls’ fault. But all of the reasoning in the world hadn’t made it any easier for Ian to wrap his head around it. Despite the fact that it had been almost a decade ago.

  He snuck another look at the girl who had barely looked up from her phone since she’d sat down in the jeep. There was definitely a family resemblance. She had their father’s green eyes, just like he did. An
d the dark, thick hair. He hated to admit it, but there was no denying she was his sister. And it wasn’t as if he could spend the whole summer not talking to her. He’d made a promise to Declan, his second youngest brother.

  “It’s not her fault,” Declan had said on the phone. “Chelsea and Amber aren’t to blame, Ian. You need to get over it.”

  Dec was right. He did need to get over it, especially since she was going to be staying with him all summer. He took a breath and opened his mouth to say something, but didn’t have a chance.

  “I know you hate me.”

  Ian shut his mouth dumbly.

  “And I suppose you think you have a reason to,” Chelsea continued. “But it wasn’t my idea to come here, you know? Declan pretty much insisted that it would be good for me or something, and…well…I kinda trust Dec. Besides, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go.”

  He swallowed hard, giving himself a moment. “I don’t hate you.” As he spoke the words, he realized they were true. “I just don’t know you. And Declan’s right. It will be good for you here.”

  “You don’t even know why he said that.”

  “I don’t need to.” Ian slowed the jeep to take the turn that would lead them out of town, toward the cottages. His house sat at the end of a row of other log cabins that were used primarily by summer people. Most of the houses were built by families who came from the city for the summer months, and they were still locked up tight because the season wouldn’t start for another month or so. It was quiet, but Ian liked it. At least for now, while he was getting settled. And it was true, he didn’t know why Declan thought it was a good idea for Chelsea to get out of the city for the summer, but he had a few guesses, and there was no doubt that a little bit of quiet would be good for her, too. “I trust Declan, too,” he said as the jeep bumped over the dirt road. It was impossible not to trust Declan. Out of all of his siblings, Dec was definitely the most trustworthy, and the most compassionate and caring and…he was pretty much everything good in the world. “If he thinks it’ll be good for you out here, he’s probably right.”