High Stakes

by Cheryl Douglas

  “There they are,” Alisa’s nana said, drawing her granddaughter into a warm embrace. “It’s been too long since Grandad and I have seen you, young lady,” she said, pointing a finger at her.

  Even when her grandparents were scolding her, Alisa always felt the depth of their love and affection. “I’m so sorry,” she said, pressing a kiss to her grandmother’s faintly lined cheek. “There’s no excuse for my bad behavior. Forgive me?”

  “Forgiven,” she said, laughing, as she pat her back. “Well, well,” she said, extending both hands to Liam. “And this must be your handsome new husband.” She winked at Alisa. “He’s even more striking in person than he was in those pictures we saw of him online.”

  “For God’s sake, Elaine, you didn’t have to tell the boy we were readin’ up on him,” Jared Turner said, rolling his eyes at his granddaughter.

  “What kind of grandparents would we be if we didn’t check out the boy who swept our princess off her feet?” She pressed a kiss to Liam’s cheek before she turned the wagging finger on him. “But a quickie wedding in Vegas? Our girl deserved better than that.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, ma’am,” Liam said, giving her an indulgent smile. “And I promise to make up for it. Maybe I’ll fly everyone out to my…” He cleared his throat before smiling at his bride. “Excuse me, our home in Barbados and we’ll renew our vows on the beach, in front of our family and friends.”

  Jared chuckled as he reached for Liam’s outstretched hand. “I love Bridgetown. You can count me in. Jared Turner.” He crooked a thumb toward his wife. “And this here’s Elaine.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Turner, it’s a real pleasure. I was looking so forward to meeting you after all the wonderful things Alisa told me about both of you.”

  Alisa watched the exchange between her grandparents and husband with pride. Liam had an incredible ability to put people at ease and gain their trust. Which explained how he had convinced her to marry him. Not that she needed much encouragement, and every moment she spent with him reaffirmed what she already knew: marrying him would go down as one of the best decisions she ever made.

  Jared released Liam’s hand and gave Alisa a one-armed hug. “It sure is good to see that pretty smile back on your face, darlin’. It’s been too long.”

  Alisa leaned her head on her grandfather’s strong shoulder. Both of her grandparents had supported her during the break-up and they never hesitated to run interference with her father when he didn’t agree with some of the decisions she made. They routinely reminded him that he was Alisa’s age once, and they hadn’t tried to prevent him from making mistakes or growing up. She knew no matter what happened, she would always have strong allies in them.

  “I am happy, Grandad. Happier than I’ve been in a long, long time.”

  He squeezed her shoulder as he kissed the top of her head. “Now that’s what I like to hear.” He smiled at Liam. “Anyone who can make my girl this happy is all right in my books.”

  Liam gave Alisa that intimate smile that she’d learned he reserved for her alone. “It works both ways, sir. In the short time I’ve known her, your granddaughter has changed my life, made me re-evaluate what’s important.”

  Elaine slipped an arm around Liam’s waist. “That’s what love’ll do for you, my dear. Help you realize that there’s more to life than makin’ money.”

  Liam laughed. “Who would have thought?”

  “Tell us about your beautiful daughter,” Elaine said. “Abby, isn’t it?”

  Alisa realized her grandparents must have been doing their homework if they knew about her new stepdaughter.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Liam reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. He handed it to Elaine. “She’s the other love of my life.”

  Alisa’s heart expanded with the satisfaction of knowing that he wasn’t trying to safeguard his heart anymore. He felt as she did, they were both all in, and no matter how difficult it may be to synchronize their busy lives, they were determined to find a way because being apart was no longer an option.

  “Oh my, isn’t she a pretty little thing?” Elaine pressed a hand to her cheek. “You know, she reminds me a lot of Alisa at that age, except for the coloring, of course. It’s obvious the camera loves her.” She passed Liam’s phone to her husband. “Look at that, Jared. Isn’t she a beautiful girl?”

  He lowered his silver-framed glasses to get a better look at the image. “She certainly is.” He smiled at Liam as he handed the phone back to him. “You must be very proud of her.”

  “I am, sir.”

  “Well, we can’t wait to meet her,” Elaine said. “When do you think you’ll be able to bring her out?”

  Liam glanced at Alisa. “Um, I’m not sure. Soon, I hope.”

  “Does she like to ride horses?” Jared asked, sliding a hand into the pocket of his dress pants.

  “I can’t say she’s ever been riding,” Liam said.

  “Well, we’re gonna have to do somethin’ about that,” Jared said. “You bring her out to our ranch anytime; we’ll show her how it’s done.” He patted Alisa’s back. “Couldn’t get this one off her horse at that age.”

  “Is that so?” Liam asked, grinning at Alisa. “I’d love to see her ride sometime.”

  Alisa’s face flushed when she thought of last night, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of rattling her in front of her grandparents. “Maybe I can arrange that sooner rather than later, Mr. Bryson.”

  He raised an eyebrow as he responded, tongue in cheek, “I look forward to it, Mrs. Bryson.”

  Alisa quickly realized she would never tire of hearing him call her that. She’d hesitated to use her married name on her new business cards, but when the printer called about her order, she knew she had to prove to Liam that she was willing to meet him halfway if she wanted this marriage to work.

  “Well,” Jared said, slapping Liam on the back, “it sure was nice meetin’ you, son. I hope we’ll be seein’ a lot more of you.”

  “You can count on it, sir,” Liam said, shaking his hand.

  “Does that mean you’ll be moving to Nashville?” Elaine asked, looking hopeful.

  Alisa knew it would make more sense for her to move, especially if her business was a success. Her expansion plans included branching out to another major city within a year, and San Francisco would be an excellent option, but leaving her family would be difficult. After spending so many years away at school, she’d realized that Nashville was the only place she wanted to call home. But if she had to choose between her husband and her hometown, Liam was the obvious choice.

  “We’re still working that out, Mrs. Turner,” Liam said, casting a quick glance at Alisa. “Hopefully we’ll be able to figure it out soon.”

  “Wouldn’t be easy for you to make the move,” Jared said, brushing a hand over his thick shock of white hair. “Your business is in San Francisco, right?”

  “To be honest, my business takes me all over the world.”

  Elaine reached out for her granddaughter’s hand. “I know it’s none of my business, but I sure would hate to think of you living there all alone, without your friends and family to lean on, especially since Liam’s gone so much.”

  Liam suddenly looked ill at ease for the first time since he walked in. “I wouldn’t ask your granddaughter to do anything that made her uncomfortable. That, I can assure you.”

  Elaine smiled as she reached for Liam’s hand with her free hand. “I know that, honey.” Her bright eyes shone as she smiled at Alisa. “It’s just that this girl is so special to me, to both of us. It’s difficult to imagine her not bein’ around all the time. When she was away at school, we missed her somethin’ fierce, but at least she came home for all the holidays. This way, she’d be gone for good.”

  “I do have a private jet,” Liam said, quietly. “It certainly makes impromptu trips easier, and I’d be happy to have my pilot pick you up whenever you felt like visiting.”

  Alisa felt the cold grip of fear begin to
take hold as she began to realize Liam expected her to make the move to San Francisco. Obviously, in his mind, that was the only way for them to be together. Of course, she’d considered the possibility, and she was prepared to follow through if that was their only option, but living in a strange city, without her family and friends, with a husband who traveled more than he was home was a daunting prospect.

  “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Alisa said, squeezing her grandmother’s hand. “Liam and I haven’t even discussed the possibility of me moving.”

  He shot her a curious glance. “Um, no, we haven’t discussed it, but…”

  That single word hung in the air until they all looked at each other awkwardly, waiting for someone to break the silence.

  “Well,” Jared said, finally. “Whatever y’all decide, your grandmother and I’ll support your decision. Won’t we, Elaine?”

  Elaine’s eyes traveled back and forth between Liam and Alisa. She was a very intuitive woman, and the tension between the newlyweds was obvious. “Of course we will.” She reached for her husband’s hand. “Why don’t we give these kids a few minutes alone?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Jared muttered, heading off in the direction of the buffet tables.

  “I think this is something we need to discuss in private,” Alisa said, taking his hand to lead him out to the pool area. It wasn’t easy to make a quick getaway when everyone was anxious to offer their congratulations, but Alisa was determined.

  Once they’d wandered far enough from the house to ensure some privacy, Liam gently pulled on her hand, forcing her to stop. “Sweetheart, I don’t want to upset you, especially not tonight. Maybe we should table this conversation until next weekend, when we have more time to discuss our options.”

  Alisa didn’t want to argue with him, especially since he was flying out in a few hours, but she needed to let him know how she felt. She ran her hands over his chest. “I meant it when I said I love you, Liam. I want to be with you. We’re married now, so obviously one of us has to be willing to make the move.” She sighed. “I realize I’m the logical choice, given your commitment to your business, but I have responsibilities here, too.”

  “I understand that.” He kissed her tenderly. “I wouldn’t want to do anything that would make you unhappy. I know how much your family means to you and how hard you’ve had to work to start this new business.” He brushed her hair off her shoulders. “No one knows better than I do how demanding that can be. Most new businesses succeed or fail within the first year…”

  She couldn’t help but feel defensive when he reminded her of the depressing statistics. “I have no intention of failing.” She crossed her arms. “So, if that’s what you’re hoping will happen—”

  “Stop,” he said, leaning in to kiss her. “I’ll do anything and everything I can to help you succeed. I may not know a lot about fashion, but I do know a lot about business, and that could serve you well. If you’re willing to accept my help.”

  She slipped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his chest. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  “I understand. A hell of a lot has happened in a short period of time. It’ll take us some time to adjust to all these changes.”

  “I want this marriage, and I want you. Don’t ever doubt that.” No matter what happened, she wanted him to leave here tonight knowing she was committed to making this work.

  Liam locked his hands behind her neck. “I’m glad to hear you say that. When I flew in last night, I didn’t know what to expect.” He chuckled. “To be honest, I was just hoping you wouldn’t be angry that I’d crashed your party. We’ve already come so much further than I ever expected to, in terms of making decisions about the future. We know the most important thing: that we want to be together. The rest will work itself out. I’m not worried, are you?”

  As long as she had him in her life, she felt confident she could face any challenge. He gave her an inner strength and peace she hadn’t even known she could possess. Until she met him, her life had been a series of forks in the road that seemed to lead nowhere. Now, her destination seemed so clear. She was meant to be with him. “I’m not worried.”

  “Good.” He leaned in to kiss her when Trey opened the French door in the kitchen.

  “Okay, you two, get your butts back in here. You’re not allowed to bail on your own party.”

  Liam laughed and raised his hand. “We’ll be right there, Trey.” He brushed his lips back and forth over hers as he gripped her hips. “Next weekend can’t get here soon enough.”

  “My sentiments exactly.”

  Liam was pulled in a dozen different directions as everyone who cared about Alisa wanted to know more about him. The CEO of Titan Records, Luc Spencer, finally cornered him by the bar.

  “So,” Luc said, handing Liam a scotch. “Everyone knows you’re in the hotel business, never been married, have a daughter, give a good amount of money to charity…” He sized him up with one shrewd glance. “Tell me something the background check didn’t.”

  Liam tried not to choke on Luc’s words as he swallowed the scotch. “I expected Trey to give me a hard time, but you too, huh?”

  Luc smiled, but he obviously wasn’t amused. “I love Alisa like she was my own daughter, so when she leaves for Vegas on a business trip and comes back married to a guy twenty years older, you better believe I’m gonna have questions.”

  “Fair enough,” Liam said, leaning an elbow on the bar. He dealt with men like Luc every day, and he’d learned a long time ago how to win these battles. “Ask me anything you want.”

  “Why haven’t you ever been married?”

  “I have some trust issues, and I’m a workaholic.” He smiled at Luc over the rim of his crystal glass. “Is that reason enough?”

  Luc tipped his head to the side. “You say you have trust issues, yet Alisa tells me you didn’t ask her to sign a prenup. Why?”

  “I trust her.”

  “That’s stupid. You don’t even know her.”

  Liam grinned. He liked this man. He was used to people standing on ceremony with him because of his money and perceived power. The fact that Luc was also successful gave them the freedom to be straight with one another. “Like you, Luc, I’ve learned to trust my gut. We wouldn’t be able to build our businesses if we didn’t trust our instincts. I always knew when or if I met the right woman, I’d know instinctively that she was the one. I’m not prone to making stupid mistakes.” He glanced at his wife, who was entertaining two small children across the room. “Marrying a woman I wasn’t sure about without benefit of a prenup would have been stupid.”

  “You’re tellin’ me,” Luc said, bringing his glass to his lips.

  “So, that should tell you one thing. I don’t intend to divorce Alisa, nor do I intend to let her divorce me.”

  Luc frowned. “What the hell does that mean? You can’t force her to stay married to you if she doesn’t want to.”

  Liam laughed. “I met your lovely wife earlier. If Marisa wanted to divorce you, would you let her?”

  “Hell, no!”

  “My point exactly. I realize I can’t force Alisa to stay married to me, but I can give her every reason to want to stay married to me.”

  Luc sneered. “You can give her material things, but that’s not gonna be enough to keep a girl like Alisa satisfied for long, you need to know that.”

  “I wasn’t talking about material things. I knew if I ever got married, it would be once, and only once, which is why it took me so long to make that decision.” He smiled when he caught sight of Alisa dancing with a pretty little five-year-old girl with dark ringlets and big blue eyes. “I can show her how much I love her every day, support her in every way, prove to her that she can trust me and count on me, be her best friend, lover, and her shoulder to cry on. I think if I do all that, the fancy houses and trips around the world will just be the icing on the cake, don’t you?”

  Luc laughed out loud, drawing t
he attention of the few people standing around them. “Damn, Trey was right about you. You’re a straight shooter, and I like that. What’s more, I respect it.” He raised his glass. “I wish you and Alisa a lifetime of happiness, Liam.”

  “Thanks,” Liam said, tipping his glass against Luc’s. “That means a lot.” He turned toward the bar, away from the other guests, prompting Luc to follow suit. “So, this Nick Sinclair, he’s with your label, right?”

  Luc scowled. “For the time being. I hate what he did to Alisa. If I’d known what a worthless piece of shit he was, I never would’ve signed him.”

  “He makes you a lot of money though, right?”

  “Why the hell do you think I’m keepin’ him around?” Luc smirked. “If he was dead weight, I would’ve taken pleasure in cutting him loose. I talked to both Trey and Alisa about it, and they know keepin’ him on was just a business decision.”

  “I can respect that,” Liam said, quietly. “Since you were so curious about me, I have to assume you know everything there is to know about that guy.”

  Luc raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to know?”

  “For starters, what’s it gonna take to get him to leave my wife alone?”

  Luc chuckled. “I wish I knew. I’ve told him. Trey’s told him; he just doesn’t wanna back down. He seems to think she’ll give him another chance someday.”

  Liam hated that he felt the need to ask, but Luc probably knew Nick better than anyone else in this room. “You think she would have, if she hadn’t met me?”

  “Nah, I think she was done with him as soon as she found out he cheated on her. That’s one thing Alisa won’t tolerate. Can’t say as I blame her. That one was always a deal breaker for me, too.”

  “Yeah,” Liam said, turning back to the crowd. “Without trust and loyalty, you have nothing.” If only he could get over the nagging feeling that Nick Sinclair hadn’t played his last card.

  Chapter Sixteen