Until There Was Us

by Samantha Chase

“The only dessert I plan on having is you,” he said silkily, and Megan knew she was blushing.

  “And I am more than willing to let that happen and have the chocolate all to myself.”

  “Deal.”

  Together they cleaned up and packed away the leftover food and then huddled close around the fire. “This would have been a great time to make s’mores.”

  “Next time. I promise.”

  And the funny thing was she was already looking forward to it. She had a feeling that with a little preparation, this could be a really cool experience—with clothing that was actually hers, some food options, and possibly a bigger tent, she could be completely on board with coming out to the woods again.

  “You’re on.” Alex was sitting behind her with his arms around her, and she could feel him chuckling. Playfully, she elbowed him. “What’s so funny?”

  “I was expecting a little more of a fight.”

  She shrugged. “Well, the food was good, the tent is almost comfortable, and other than the wild animal who I had to fight for my granola bar, this hasn’t been all that bad. And…no bears.” Another shrug. “I’m considering that a win.”

  “You realize that every time you talk about your trip into the woods, your encounter with what I’m guessing was a squirrel gets wilder and wilder, right?”

  “If a squirrel roars, then I guess it was a squirrel.”

  He laughed harder. “Now it roared at you?”

  She nodded furiously. “And its fangs were very scary.”

  Hugging her close, Alex kissed her on the head. “Then I guess you’re lucky I’m here to protect you. Your last granola bar is safe.”

  “Whew!” Megan replied with a dramatic sigh. “My hero.”

  He kissed her again. “Always. That’s always what I want to be.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about because you’ve always been that to me.” Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled. “You came into my life, and you saved me.”

  His laugh was a little softer this time. “I don’t see how. There wasn’t anything wrong with you. You were fine.”

  But she shook her head. “No. I wasn’t. You took me by the hand and showed me all I had been missing. And I’m so thankful for that.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, gazing into the fire.

  “You realize we’re both unemployed right now,” he said lightly. “You may not have a choice but to enjoy this lifestyle. It could be our new home.”

  Megan laughed out loud. “I don’t think so. When we get home, you know Tony and everyone else will welcome you back with open arms.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Or—”

  He pulled back and looked at her. “Or…what?”

  “Or…this could be your chance to start something of your own. You know it’s something you’ve always thought about, and maybe now is the time to do it.” Megan knew she was taking a big risk to bring up something like this when they were seemingly getting back on track and he was more relaxed than he’d been in weeks. But for some reason, she couldn’t help herself.

  “I don’t know…it would be a lot to take on. I’d have to find a place and order equipment and find clients and—”

  “And you know none of that would take you very long. You already have some clients of your own, so that wouldn’t change.”

  “I quit on all of them.”

  “And I’m sure they’d all take you back in a heartbeat,” she countered. “And you know you have a big enough network within the medical field that you wouldn’t have a problem finding more clients.”

  “That would still leave finding a place.”

  “Since we both have nothing but time on our hands, I imagine we could spend some of it looking at prospective locations,” she said lightly. “And who knows, you might find something right away.”

  “Equipment isn’t cheap, Megan. I have a decent amount of money in savings, but…I don’t have a business plan in place.”

  She turned in his arms and looked at him. “Give yourself fifteen minutes with Gabriella, and she’ll have one for you. She’s scary smart and organized with stuff like that. Trust me.”

  “What about—?”

  “Oh my gosh!” she cried out with a laugh. “We don’t have to decide this right now, do we?”

  He shook his head.

  “Good.” She kissed him soundly on the lips. “Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

  With a nod, he said, “I will. But that still leaves you.”

  “Nah, I’ve still got a job with Zach. I’m just taking a short leave of absence. I told him I’d call him when we’re home and let him know when I’ll be back in the office but that he shouldn’t expect to see me for at least a week.”

  Alex chuckled. “You think you could survive out here for a week?”

  “Hmm…it wouldn’t be my ideal way of spending my vacation time, but right now, I can’t complain. I’m pretty happy right where I am.”

  His smile grew. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And if you had your choice of where to spend your vacation time, where would you go?”

  “It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m with you, I’m a happy girl.”

  “But if you had the choice—”

  She groaned dramatically. “If I had to choose…I’d have to go with something tropical. I’ve never gone to Hawaii or anyplace like that, and I’ve always wanted to. So…yeah. Someplace beachy would be nice.”

  Alex stood and stretched. “You know it’s required that when you go on a beach vacation, you have to wear a bikini, right?”

  She came to her feet and considered him for a moment. “I did not know that. But I’m not sure that’s the right look on you.”

  Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her tightly. “Smart-ass.”

  “That’s right, and you love that about me.”

  He looked down at her as he stroked the soft skin of her cheek. “I love everything about you, Megan Montgomery. And as much as I enjoy camping, we are going to pack up tomorrow morning and go home and book a flight to Hawaii right away.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Seriously?” she squeaked.

  “Seriously,” he said. “I think we both deserve a little private time away to think about this next phase of life. And you’re right—the time is right for me to branch out on my own. But by doing that, it means it may be a while before I can go on vacation again. So let’s do it now and do it right.”

  She looked over her shoulder at the tent. “And there’s no way we can pack up right now, right?”

  He laughed and hugged her again. “Too dark. But trust me, we’ll be up plenty early and on our way.” When she frowned at him, he was confused. “I thought you’d be happy about that.”

  “You love camping, and now—because of me—you’re leaving. I’m sorry. I’m being selfish. We don’t have to leave in the morning. We should stay as long as you want to. Hawaii can wait.”

  “But I can’t,” he argued lightly. “Megan, I do love camping, but I can come and do this anytime. Going to Hawaii with the woman I love? I’ve never done that before, and you know how much I love trying new things and being adventurous.”

  She grinned. “And you think going on vacation with me is going to be an adventure?”

  He leaned in and kissed her softly, thoroughly, on the lips before saying, “Sweetheart, the last vacation we planned, you didn’t show up. I have a feeling getting you to the airport and keeping you out of work mode is going to be an adventure in and of itself.”

  She hated how he was kind of right.

  “And once we land? I plan on keeping you busy exploring the islands during the day and then keeping myself busy exploring you all night.”

  She smiled sexily. “Sounds exhausting.”

  “Yeah, bu
t you are more than worth it.”

  * * *

  They didn’t get to leave the next day for Hawaii, but they had a flight out for the day after. And as much as Megan was disappointed they’d have to wait, it meant she had a little more time to prepare properly.

  “I can’t believe how desperately I needed this.”

  “You camped out for one night. It was hardly as if you were wandering the desert for a month,” Summer teased.

  “I would do it all again,” Megan commented, “but I wasn’t prepared for the lack of—”

  “Being clean?” Gabriella offered. “Personally, I’ve never camped, but I know what Zach looks like when he comes home from a trip, and I’m always amazed how he can stand himself.”

  “I camped out once,” Summer said from her massage chair. “Giant tepee, king-size pallet on the floor—”

  “Hot spring right in your room,” Gabriella finished for her. “Sweetie, that’s hardly roughing it.”

  “For me it was.”

  Megan purred as her feet were massaged. “I think that sounds like my kind of camping.”

  “I thought you said you enjoyed camping with Alex,” Summer said.

  “I did. It was fine. But a hot spring right in my own personal tepee? That sounds way better!”

  They all laughed and then sat quietly as their chairs massaged them and their feet were pampered.

  This was definitely the best way to prepare for a trip.

  “Do you have everything you need for Hawaii?” Gabriella asked.

  “I think so. I’m not thrilled with my bathing suit, but Alex and I agreed we’d shop when we got there. As it is, he was bummed I was coming out with you guys today for mani-pedis.”

  “I’m sure he was fine once Zach and Ethan showed up,” Summer commented.

  “Oh, sure. Pizza and babies. Every single guy’s dream Saturday,” Gabriella said with a small laugh.

  “Alex loves kids,” Megan said with a serene smile. “He’s going to make a great dad someday.”

  “Someday soon?” Gabriella asked with a grin.

  With a shrug, Megan squirmed in her seat to get more comfortable. “Who knows? We’re starting a whole new phase of life. It’s anyone’s guess what surprises await us.”

  “Ooh…I like the sound of that,” Summer said.

  And for the first time in her life, Megan realized that being hyper-focused on having a plan was overrated. She couldn’t wait to find out what the future held for her and Alex.

  And she wanted to be surprised by all of it.

  Epilogue

  Two months later…

  “Can you zip me up?”

  Alex walked over to where Megan stood with her back to him and her slinky black dress open all the way down her spine. He moved in close, placed his hands on her hips, and kissed her nape. “It seems a shame to cover all of this.”

  They were standing in front of the full-length mirror in their bedroom, and he could see her blushing.

  He loved to make her blush.

  “How about I promise to let you uncover it all later,” she said in a breathless whisper as Alex went back to raining tiny kisses along her spine.

  “How about we just cancel and stay in?”

  Megan laughed softly. “We can’t cancel, Alex. It’s our engagement party.”

  Straightening, he slowly worked her zipper up, and once it was in place, he gently grasped her shoulders and turned her to look at him. “Maybe it’s just me, but it seems crazy to have an engagement party when we eloped two months ago.”

  In an act that still amazed him, Alex had suggested that they get married in Hawaii, and Megan had agreed. He had to admit that he’d first said it as a way of teasing her about her trouble with taking risks or doing things spur of the moment, but his girl had surprised him and said yes!

  It was quite possibly the first time he didn’t mind being proven wrong.

  “Not everyone knows that,” she gently reminded him.

  “Our parents know, our siblings know, your cousins know—”

  She gave him a patient smile and kissed him quickly on the lips before stepping away. “I know what you’re saying, but you also said you still wanted to have a traditional wedding.”

  “I thought we both said that.”

  She continued to smile as she slid on a pair of mile-high shoes. “We did. So this is part of what goes with the whole traditional wedding scene. It’s a small cocktail party—”

  “For a hundred people,” he murmured.

  “Get used to it. The Montgomerys don’t do anything small. You should know that by now. You’ve been to enough of our celebrations.”

  He laughed. “That’s true, but it’s a whole other story when I’m directly involved like this.”

  Next she put on her earrings. “Too late to back out now. You already married me.”

  And with a smile of his own, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “And I love you so much that I’m willing to marry you again.”

  That made her giggle, and he loved the sound. Actually, he loved everything about her. Looking at Megan right now, he was reminded of the woman he had first met back at Zach and Gabriella’s wedding, and he was so happy to see her feeling comfortable in her own skin. Finally! She enjoyed her job with Zach, she enjoyed dressing up like they were tonight, but she also enjoyed lazing around the house with him wearing one of his sweatshirts with her hair up in a messy bun. He loved both those sides of her.

  “Tomorrow everyone’s planning on going over to Zach’s,” she reminded him. “I know you mentioned stopping in at the new clinic to see how much work the contractors accomplished today, but I’m hoping you can do that early in the morning. I want to be able to spend some time with my brothers while they’re here, and I want you there with me.”

  Tonight was going to be his first time meeting Carter—which he was looking forward to—and Alex had to admit he was curious to catch up with Christian. Last time they’d seen him, he seemed to be in much better spirits, and Megan had mentioned—several times—that she thought he was dating someone new. Tomorrow would be a time for them to be able to be a little less formal and really get a chance to talk.

  “Is Christian bringing a date tonight?” he asked.

  “Not that I know of, but I’m hopeful!”

  “Your aunt and uncle haven’t been to San Diego lately, have they?”

  Megan laughed and picked up her beaded purse. “Christian hasn’t mentioned it, but you never know with those two. They can be pretty stealthy when they want to be.”

  Then she stopped and struck a sexy pose.

  “You look beautiful,” he murmured, moving in close again. “Are you sure we can’t stay home? We’ll text them all our wedding picture from Maui.”

  Megan swatted at him playfully. “Stop! It’s going to be a wonderful night, and we’re going to have fun. Remember that. Aren’t you the one who’s always reminding me to make the most of every day?”

  Dammit, that did sound like him.

  Actually, it sounded like Danny.

  And with a silent prayer of thanks to his friend, he took his wife’s hand and led her from the bedroom. “Come on. Let’s go celebrate us.”

  For more Samantha Chase check out the

  Shaughnessy Brothers: Band on the Run series

  One More Moment

  On sale September 2018

  Take a sneak peek at Book 3 in the Shaughnessy Brothers: Band On the Run series from bestselling author Samantha Chase

  Shaughnessy drummer Julian Grayson’s personal life is in disarray and all he wants is to fly under the radar for a while. Enter social activist Charlotte Clark, who cheerfully undertakes the salvation of a guy she thinks is homeless and down on his luck.

  Prologue

  On any given day, Julian Grays
on considered himself to be a big fan of music. Any music.

  Not today.

  Right now, the strains of classical harp music were grating on his last nerve and it took every ounce of strength he had not to scream out to stop.

  He chuckled softly to himself at the image. After all, how would it look if the groom threw a fit while standing at the altar as he waited for his bride? The lighted garden of the Hotel Bel-Air was set up for their evening nuptials, and Julian felt it was only right that he refrain from doing anything to upset his guests or his bride.

  Another laugh—only this was mirthless.

  His bride. Right. Dena was many things, but his seemed the least fitting. It was an odd thing to be going through his mind on his wedding day, but there it was.

  Standing to his left were his four closest friends—bandmates Riley Shaughnessy, Matt Reed, Dylan Anders, and their manager, Mick Tyler. Julian had hit the jackpot where these guys were concerned. Not only were they a tight unit with Shaughnessy, but he genuinely liked them and knew—no matter what—each of them would have his back.

  “You sure about this?” Riley asked from beside him. “It’s not too late to back out.”

  Julian’s back instantly stiffened. To any onlooker, they were five smiling men facing the front of the garden where the bride would appear at any moment. The road to the altar had been rocky, to say the least, and the guys all knew it. He wasn’t proud of it and he knew most people wouldn’t understand why he’d stuck it out for so long or put up with so much.

  Honestly, neither did he.

  “Jules,” Riley murmured without breaking his smile or turning his head. “I’m serious. Say the word and—”

  “I’m good,” Julian said quietly but firmly. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it to make sure people didn’t argue with him. Between the tone and his six-foot-two frame, people knew better.

  Looking around the garden, he had to admit he was impressed. It felt intimate and yet there were two hundred and fifty people sitting and smiling at him.

  Dena had insisted on booking this space and the staff had been beyond accommodating. No one had batted an eye at any of their requests—which came in the form of menu changes, lighting suggestions, and privacy clauses.