Hard to Fall
Page 20
“Yup.” He grins at me, one tooth missing. “Thanks, Daddy.”
“Welcome, buddy.”
“I really don’t remember you and the boys being this…busy,” my dad says, grabbing Hollis by the hand.
“You’re getting old.”
My mom laughs. “No, he’s finally getting to be part of the rearing of children.”
Five years ago, Senator Walker formally announced his retirement. I’m not saying that his announcement had anything to do with the fact that Saylor and I, plus the twins, moved to the coast because she wanted family close by.
But we all know the truth.
Taylor claps her hands together, still every inch of a supermodel, as she surveys her grandchildren. “Did you know that when I was a little girl, I used an old pillowcase to go trick-or-treating?”
“Really?” Hollis asks. “Is it because pillows are bigger?”
“Yup, but we can do that next year,” Saylor chimes in. She kneels down beside them, pregnant belly bumping against them. The twins giggle. “Sorry, your baby sister is a mess. She’s so wishing that she could go with you tonight.”
“Next Halloween,” Deacon says. “She can be a baby bumblebee.”
“Or a baby Death Star.” Clearly, Hollis Rae has inherited her mother’s love for all things Star Wars, which delights me to no end.
“Take care of our girls,” Taylor’s mom tells me. “Make sure Saylor gets off her feet.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Saylor kisses the twins and then I bend down to do the same. “Watch out for your sister, Deacon.”
“Yes, sir.” He’s a kid after my own heart. Protective and thoughtful. He’d make a great fireman or beekeeper one day. Actually, he’ll make a great whatever the hell he wants to be when he grows up. So will Hollis.
I wrap my arm around Saylor and we watch as the grandparents usher the kids into an SUV to take them into town where they can be with their friends, too, as they go door to door.
Saylor snuggles into my arms for a moment, then sits down on the front porch swing. Off in the distance, I can see my childhood home and winter swans flying over the water.
I never intended to move back home—especially not this close, but since this makes my wife happy, I’m happy.
Do I miss the hustle and bustle of Charlotte, the thrill of the alarm at the fire station? Hell, yes, I do, but the memories are nothing compared to the ones I’m making with my family.
Besides, I’ve joined the volunteer fire department and that keeps me in the game, so to speak. As for Saylor, she not only sold the Forrestville Animal Shelter to Leslie and Lucius for a steal, we make regular contributions so that all of the programs are properly funded. Now we’re foster parents to dogs and cats—when the Empress Padme allows it.
“How’s production?” Saylor asks, stretching out her legs. Her black dress has a slit up the thigh and it falls open, revealing ridiculously sexy striped black and orange thigh highs.
“I have no idea.”
“Bees. Honey. Royal Honey…aren’t you the CEO?” She adjusts the material, hiding her shapely legs from me.
“Oh, that. Yes. We added four new hives. Hopefully, worker bees will start feeding the queens soon.”
“Queens should be fed and often.” She gives me a pointed look.
“Speaking of fairy tales,” I tease, and she lightly taps my arm until I reach over the back of the swing to grab a bag of chocolate bars as well as my iPad.
As I hand over the chocolate bars, I ask, “Remember that story I told you about how the Walkers originally got the Royal Honey honeybees?”
“Yes. I tell it to the twins all the time, although we add to it—like scandals, horse chases, affairs—G-rated, of course, and then we talk about the duty of the queen.”
“What if I told you that it wasn’t a fairy tale?” I show her the screen on my iPad.
ROYALS IN EXILE
Saylor gasps, her brown eyes widening behind her glasses. She grabs the tablet and begins to read. “The Sinclairs, a family of royal siblings, have been living in complete secrecy, while in plain sight, on the outskirts of Charlotte. As the only surviving heirs to a centuries’ old monarchy, the siblings are anxious to return to the Isle of Man.”
Saylor glances up at me. “Isn’t that where your family is originally from?”
I nod. “Close to it.”
“A political uprising was responsible for their parents’ assignation.” She frowns. “Those poor babies. It’s like Luke and Leia, except they were kept together.”
“I’ve made you sad. I didn’t mean to do that.”
She places the iPad beside her and turns to face me. The look on her face is adorably smug. “I know why you showed it to me.”
I tilt my head to one side, rubbing her belly while our daughter kicks at me. It’s one of the best feelings in the entire world. “Do tell.”
“You wanted to show me that fairy tales can be real, but I already know that because I married you.” She kisses me lightly on the mouth.
“You’re my happily ever after, too, Mrs. Walker.”
To those who serve, without ever being in the spotlight
Acknowledgments
As always, thank you to my family for their support and love.
Thank you to Sue Grimshaw for her encouragement and excitement, as well as the entire Loveswept team!
Finally, thank you to my readers, especially the Martinis and my Review Crew. Y’all keep me going!
BY MARQUITA VALENTINE
Take the Fall Series
Take the Fall
When We Fall
After We Fall
Hard to Fall
Royals in Exile
Royal Scandal (coming soon)
The Lawson Brothers Series
Love So Hot
Love So True
Love So Irresistible
Love So Tempting
Love So Perfect
Love So Unexpected
Love So Right
Boys of the South Series
Live for You
Only for You
True for You
All for You
Wish for You
Burn for You
Need You Tonight
Holland Springs Series
Drive Me Crazy
Driving to You
Twice Tempted
Third Time’s a Charm
His Christmas Wish
Just Desserts
Not over You
Be Mine
PHOTO: MATTHEW WINSLOW
MARQUITA VALENTINE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Take the Fall, Holland Springs, The Lawson Brothers, and Boys of the South series. She’s been called “one of the best new voices in romance” (Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews) and her books have been praised as “sexy, fun, and slightly addicting” (The Book Queen). When she’s not writing sexy heroes who adore their sassy heroines, she enjoys shopping, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Married to her high school sweetheart, Marquita Valentine lives in a seriously small town in the South with her husband, two kids, and a dog.
marquitavalentine.com
Facebook.com/AuthorMarquitaValentine
@marquitaval
Read on for an excerpt from
Royal Scandal
Royals in Exile
by Marquita Valentine
Available from Loveswept
Della
I stand there in complete and utter shock at his confession.
My best friend is a frigging prince and he’s kept it a secret from me for ten years. “You’re joking,” I manage to say, although my voice sounds like it has a couple of frogs in my throat.
“Afraid not.” Colin shoves his hands into his pockets, then pulls them back out again, one hand going to an ear, fingers tugging on the lobe. Something he’s always done when he’s nervous. “I hope this changes nothing between us.”
Nothing ever changes be
tween us—and now it really can’t. Bad enough he’s a rich CEO with a highfalutin British accent and I’m…not. I’ve never been ashamed of what I do for a living. Always done my best and taken pride in my work. Colin has never made me feel like I was beneath him.
However, this…this is a game changer. A fairy godmother can’t wave a wand to fix it, either.
I swallow, setting the mop and bucket I’ve been holding onto the kitchen floor. “Will you and your siblings go back to the UK now?” Please say no. Please. Please.
“Not straightaway.” His forest-green gaze avoids mine. He stares at the granite countertop behind me. It’s sparkling clean, thanks to me. “I have to get things sorted here first, and even then, nothing is guaranteed.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Especially while I’m wearing my Maids for Hire uniform and plain white tennis shoes. Even Cinderella’s prince got to see her dressed in a ball gown and glass slippers when they first met.
Only Colin and I have been friends for a decade, so I guess I can’t use Cinderella as an example.
Finally his gaze returns to my face. He reaches out, gently grabbing my hand and sending thrills of pleasure running up my arm. “I need your help, Della,” he says earnestly.
“I won’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I mumble.
“That’s not it.” He shakes his head. The light catches the lighter strands of brown in his dark hair. “You would never betray my family. There is no question of that.” His sexy lips curve into a small smile and my knees threaten to shake. “Ever.”
Slightly mollified by his compliment, I encourage him to continue. “Ask away, then. You know I have your back, even if it’s royal and already has a bodyguard,” I tease.
“I need you to marry me.”
Love stories you’ll never forget
By authors you’ll always remember
eOriginal Romance from Random House
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