The Running Series Box Set: Books 1-3

by DeLaine Roberts

  “We’ll see about that,” Harrison bragged.

  The four of us were enjoying ourselves at dinner in Chicago, with an amazing view of the lake. It had been almost a year since we’d all been together as “happy” couples, and it was the first time Grayson and Alexandra had visited Chicago as a family. They’d flown in to spend time with us, see Logan’s bar, and help with the wedding details.

  The guys went around the corner to the cigar lounge, which gave Alex and me time to catch up.

  “Tomorrow, I have to pick up Harrison’s ring. We also have your dress fitting and will pick up Zoe’s dress and overnight it to her. The hard part will be flowers. The florist swears to me they will be at the dock when we get there in Capri. She’s got the final checklist and…” Monica took a deep breath.

  “Monica, slow down. It’s all going to come together, I promise.” Alex laughed. Then she grabbed me and hugged me tight. I’d missed her terribly.

  “Happiness radiates from you like fireworks. Motherhood and married life sure look good on you.”

  “It will for you too. Speaking of which, have y’all decided on where you’re going to live? I love the loft, but over the bar? I can’t see that being for very long.”

  “It is for right now. One day at a time.” We both laughed.

  “Never pictured you as a saloon girl.”

  “Well, I do love boots, and I’ve learned how to push these boobs up.” I practically lost my breath laughing.

  “I’m so happy things finally worked out for you two. When nine months had passed and you two couldn’t be in the same room with each other without fire extinguishers, I began to wonder if he’d come around.”

  “Yeah, me too. Here they come. Let’s get out of here.”

  We stopped by the hotel to check on the twins. Having Kristina, the baby nurse, in town with them provided a chance to have some child free time. The four of us spent the rest of the evening dancing to Nola’s performance at Logan’s. Alex and Grayson were impressed with her; although, Grayson kept throwing verbal punches about Harrison’s decision to purchase Logan’s and how he was wasting his business talents running a bar.

  “I’m grateful for texting. We rarely leave the girls, but when we have to, Kristina is amazing. She texts and keeps me posted on everything. Thank you for making room for her on the yacht. Dad and Gretchen get too nervous with both babies by themselves if it’s more than a couple of hours.”

  “It will be fun to all be together sailing before the wedding. So glad you’re all here. I’ve missed seeing all of you.”

  ***

  Saturday brought a day full of shopping, last minute gown fittings, and a final check with the florists. We stopped by the jewelers and picked up Harrison’s ring. He never mentioned a preference of a ring, and I was nervous about the one I ordered.

  “Do you want me to hold on to that for safe-keeping?” Alex asked.

  “Hmm, yes. You know me too well.”

  The guys planned a night of bachelor fun at Logan’s. All of Harrison’s buddies were coming out in full force. Grayson made a promise to keep things in check, but somehow, I didn’t believe him, especially when my future husband owned the bar. I had a great sense for the trouble those two could get into together.

  Harrison treated Alexandra and me to a surprise evening at the spa. Once the hot stones were placed on my back, I drifted off to spa heaven and the woes of wedding chaos vanished from my thoughts. No more mental checklist. Pure relaxation invaded my body. Although, I did get a mental picture of the previous year when I’d coaxed Alex into getting her first Brazilian wax for her honeymoon. I thought she would hate me forever.

  “Hey, Alex, do you want to see if they can do a Brazilian for you?”

  “I can hang if you can…” she countered.

  When our visit ended, I felt like a warm, gooey marshmallow. Completely relaxed, but also craving the touch only Harrison could give me.

  I looked over at Alex and she bore a fabulous glow. “Wanna crash their party?” I raised my brow.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  We planned our “party crash” in the back of the cab on the way to Logan’s. The cab driver made eye contact with me several times in the rearview mirror, and I noticed the glint in her eye. She found humor in our attempt to garner attention from the boys.

  When we stepped out of the cab, she said, “For what it’s worth, those must be two great guys to have girls like you two planning fun, instead of being all jealous. That’s cool.”

  She was right. We were having fun, and there hadn’t been any jealousy or thoughts of other women in quite some time. But when she said that, Alex and I looked at each other in quite an arbitrary glance. Without speaking, we both thought of the one person who had emotionally wrecked Harrison and Grayson both. Olivia.

  I took a deep breath and swallowed hard. The lump in my throat wouldn’t leave. Why all of a sudden did I think of her? She’d never been a factor in my relationship with Harrison or had she?

  While he never mentioned seeing or speaking with her, the emotional toil she’d handed him had been a relationship death sentence for him for so long. He’d gone through a whirlwind of women, leaving a trail of broken hearts on several continents. Evil was the word he used to describe her.

  Alex had also suffered by Olivia’s hand. She had a front row seat to the trickery that only witches know how to cast. At the time, I’d encouraged Alex to overlook and overcome the turmoil because she was the one Grayson chose, but now, all of a sudden, I felt small, thinking about Olivia and the hold she’d once had on Harrison. I quickly began to doubt if I would ever be enough for him.

  “Don’t go there.” Alex said behind me as I dug for my keys to the back door.

  I turned slowly to face her as the strong wind blew my hair up and away from my face, leaving my expression nowhere to hide. “How did you know?”

  She touched my arm softly. “I’ve been there, and it’s a dark place. He loves you. You. That’s all you need to remember and never let thoughts of her creep into your life again.”

  “Will I ever be enough for him?” There it was. Doubt. A crack in my heart, open wide for the world to see.

  “You’re so much more.”

  She was right. He had made his choice, and once he knew he couldn’t live another day without me, he’d told the world on Lover’s Bridge. But had I? Where was my doubt coming from? Last minute jitters?

  I suddenly felt overwhelmed and vulnerable.

  ***

  The roar of testosterone met me at the back door. Most of the guys at Harrison’s party were married, but from the sound of the festivities, they were celebrating a night of freedom from their ball and chain.

  Alex and I snuck into Harrison’s office through the back hall. I laughed out loud when I realized how quiet we were trying to be, when, in reality, we could’ve driven a car through the hall and they wouldn’t have heard us for all of the noise.

  Geez, how many were there?

  It sounded like the thunder of a crowd from a football game.

  That’s when Alex almost ripped my arm out of socket, trying to pull me toward the door leading to the front bar.

  I slowly peeked out and gasped. “There’s a damn stripper on the bar?” I growled.

  “On the bar?”

  “Yes, she’s dancing. On. The. Bar.”

  “Let me see,” she said and shoved me aside. She gawked for a few moments. “If she knows what’s good for her health, she’ll leave that Bears uniform on.”

  “Is that what that is?” I asked with a slight laugh.

  “Yep, what’s so funny?” Alex looked at me sternly, then rolled her eyes toward the door.

  “I bet that’s Kimmie. She was Harrison’s fraternity ‘Little Sister’ and she was a cheerleader for the Bears. He mentioned something about her coming by, but I forgot all about it.” I shook my head and took a seat on the corner of his desk. “And to think, the lady in the cab thought we were such heroes.�
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  We both laughed and began chatting away when a low, intended cough at the office door ended our girl time. For a slight moment, I had forgotten our great plan to crash the party, but the deep cough behind me jogged my memory, and my presence seemed to be ruffling some feathers, those of my fearless fiancé.

  I twirled my head around and met sexy, blue eyes drinking me in.

  “You finally decided to show up?” Harrison smiled.

  “No, we decided to go out, so I needed some things from the loft, and we’ll be on our way,” I lied.

  Cough, cough. “I call bullshit. So glad you decided to crash the party. Get over here, gorgeous.”

  Harrison didn’t wait for me to hop off the desk. With his long stride, he reached me in two steps and possessed my mouth with his, his hunger hot and his intent obvious.

  I tasted the remnants of whiskey on his lips. Before we could come up for air, I heard another deep cough come from behind me and a short giggle.

  Pulling back from Harrison’s embrace, I saw Grayson embrace Alexandra and the romantic sparks between them lit up the room like fireworks. I was no longer jealous of what they had, for I had it too with the man of my dreams.

  “So where were you two running off too?” Harrison whispered against my neck.

  “Nowhere.” I laughed. “You were right; we came here to spy on you guys.”

  He leaned back, and I caught the excitement in his eyes. “Glad you’re here; the guys are leaving.”

  “Doesn’t sound like they’re leaving to me?”

  “They don’t know it yet.” He let out a low sexy growl that caused the tips of my breasts to peak.

  Once the bachelor party goers had left the building, the four of us had the bar to ourselves. It was great to relax with wine and dancing. I lost track of time in my lover’s arms. He had a gift for making me forget the rest of the world.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I packed and repacked for the trip, rechecking my piles as Alexandra called out items on my list. Walking space was limited due to all of the open suitcases.

  Harrison tiptoed through the maze of bags on the floor. “This is ridiculous sweetheart; you don’t need this much stuff. Two bags. Can you get down to that?” he quipped.

  “No, I can’t. You’re not supposed to see some of this stuff. Go away.”

  “Fine. I need to go pick up our marriage license and legal documents anyway.”

  My makeup bag fell out of my hands, sending the contents spilling out across the floor. “Oh, shit.” I covered my mouth in shock at the sudden realization I’d forgot something hugely important.

  “You forgot to go by the courthouse on Friday, didn’t you?” he asked, almost angry.

  I couldn’t utter a sound, my voice escaping me, my heart beating a million beats per minute and my throat dry. I nodded my head.

  “How could you forget? I reminded you a dozen times, Monica?” He glared at me then ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  “No?” Forced to blink, my eyes swelled with tears. My voice shook, filled with anxiety. Alexandra jumped up from the ottoman and stood beside me in quiet defense.

  “We can’t get married now. The Italian government is strict about the paperwork; it takes time to process their specific documents you were supposed to fill out. Time we no longer have.” Harrison walked away from me, defeated by frustration and angry all at the same time.

  I heard Grayson ask him from the kitchen, “Dude, what happened?”

  “I told you on Friday they would get busy with shopping and forget all about going to the courthouse to process her documents.” Harrison’s words were deluged with a bite, more like frostbite.

  I melted into the floor, unable to hide my emotions.

  Alexandra surrounded me with her arms in support. “We’ll fix this, I promise.” She rocked with me back and forth, trying her best to soothe the wound. With our plane scheduled to leave in a few short hours, time wasn’t on our side.

  The buzzer rang for the bar door, and Harrison disappeared downstairs. A few moments later, he returned carrying the bag containing my wedding gown and accompanied by Bianca.

  I couldn’t look at the gown, all of my plans for the wedding of my dreams down the drain. I watched as Alexandra and Bianca carefully hung up the bag on the door and quietly spoke with each other.

  “Guys, give us a moment, please,” Alexandra pleaded.

  “No problem. We’ll go put our heads together and figure this out.” Grayson rubbed my shoulder on the way out.

  Bianca with our beautiful creation. The gown was exquisite. She’d outdone herself. I found myself breathless as I tried to stand. I ran my finger across the beaded sweetheart neckline and cried profusely.

  “It’s simply divine. I don’t know how to say thank you?” I hugged Bianca through my tears.

  “Cheer up. I’m certain you’ll figure this out and get married. Be happy, that’s all the thanks I need. Oh and remember me for your future business,” she said through giggles. “It’s going to be just fine; you’ll see. These things always happen. That’s where the stories for your grandchildren come from.” She laughed.

  I didn’t.

  She bid us good luck and farewell. I picked up the makeup that had scattered across the floor and stared at the mess I’d created trying to pack.

  After a few moments, Harrison and Grayson returned from downstairs. Harrison was still on the phone, trying to fix my mistake, I was certain.

  He hung up the phone and walked into the large closet with the contents scattered everywhere. When he came back out, he had changed clothes and was carrying the outfit he’d bought for me to wear in Paris. He wore the matching jeans and black shirt.

  I traced his jaw softly with my finger and searched his eyes for the unspoken message of his actions. While the distance between our bodies was small, it felt like a great divide.

  “You were wearing that outfit in Paris, standing on the Lover’s Lock Bridge, declaring your love for me.”

  “Yes. And you were wearing these. Go change. I have a solution and a little surprise.” He kissed me quickly and shooed me away.

  I knew better than to ask what he was up to. I ran to change and spent a few minutes trying to cover up my tear-stained cheeks. As soon as I peeked out of the bathroom, I noticed Alexandra and Grayson were deep in conversation with Harrison, apparently brewing a plan.

  “Okay, I’m ready. Where are we going?” I asked.

  “You’ll see,” Harrison said with a wink.

  Hmm, his usual answer. Predictable.

  Tate drove all of us to an office complex. On the drive over, Harrison held my hand and smiled. I looked over at Alexandra, and she simply smiled. It seemed everyone knew the plan, except for me. A typical Brooks’ ambush!

  We took a private elevator up to the top floor. When the door opened, the receptionist welcomed each of us by name. A sign behind her read “Forte, Cassavan, Dugan and Brooks”.

  I turned to Harrison very confused. “This is your office?”

  “Yes, I’m a silent partner for the most part.”

  “What are we doing here?”

  “Getting married.”

  I quickly froze in my boots. I couldn’t move another step forward, my legs too weighted in disbelief. “Married?”

  “Yes, we’re having a legal ceremony here. Then we won’t have any issues with the Italian government. I love you, Monica. Nothing is going to get in my way of marrying you. I’m ready if you are?”

  “You fixed everything?”

  “When I called the judge’s office, this was the only option.”

  “I love you so much,” I said, wiping my tears.

  “Then hurry up and marry me.”

  We had a civil ceremony in Harrison’s office with Grayson and Alexandra standing up for us along with his law partners and Judge Townsend officiating. We left the office man and wife. I couldn’t believe it. Talk about a shotgun wedding. Ever
yone was laughing at the chain of events, except for me. I could only shake my head and try to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

  I looked at my hand and studied the diamond encrusted wedding band on the ride back to the loft.

  Married.

  “I still don’t understand how being married already changes things in Italy?” I asked.

  “Since we’re already married, we don’t need the paperwork from the Italian government. Basically, we are having a wedding celebration.”

  “Crazy. We’re married.”

  “Yep, you’re stuck with me forever.”

  He twirled me around in our bedroom, knocking over a plant and some suitcases. He kissed my hand, then kissed my lips sweetly.

  “Hurry, the pilot’s waiting.”

  I finished packing with a sweet peace of mind. Nothing else seemed important anymore.

  I touched my lips and remembered his sweet kiss after our vows. I found it funny how perspective could be changed so quickly.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  We flew into Naples, Italy and drove separate cars down to the Hotel Santa Caterina in Amalfi, Italy. With a nine-hour flight and a six-hour time change, we arrived to a beautiful sunny morning.

  “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks. Congratulations. Your chalet is ready for your arrival.” The concierge escorted us to our room.

  My mind was focused on the title “Mrs. Brooks.” I was still trying to absorb everything.

  We had a beautiful honeymoon suite, the Chalet Giulietta and Romeo. The chalet came with multiple levels and rooms, indoor Jacuzzi, outdoor heated pool, and an exquisite view of the sea.

  “Does this mean we can start our honeymoon?” I teased my husband.

  “Yes,” he said right before scooping me up in his arms.

  We made love surrounded by salty air blowing through our room and the beautiful sounds from nature. Lying in his arms, completely sated and unable to remove the smile from my face, I entwined our left hands and studied our wedding bands.

  “Who was in charge of wedding bands yesterday?” I asked him.