The Billionaire's Final Stand

by Melody Anne

  “I had something to do that couldn’t wait,” Austin called back, his face bright as he held tightly to Kinsey’s hand, letting everyone in the room know what, or rather, who couldn’t wait.

  “What’s more important than your father’s wedding?” Joseph asked, his eyes zeroing in on their joined fingers.

  “I had to convince this lovely woman to marry me, though I don’t know how I did it,” he said with pride.

  The room was nearly silent for a moment, with just the sound of the music playing in the background, as his words sunk in. Cassie was the first to rush over and give the two of them a hug.

  “Ah, very good, boy,” Joseph said, his voice a bit quieter, emotion in his tone.

  Austin knew exactly how he felt.

  “Champagne,” Joseph called, and the waiters appeared with trays full of sparkling flutes. The adults grabbed the bubbling refreshment, while the children and pregnant women took sparkling cider.

  “We have so much to celebrate. So much indeed. Here’s to romance, marriages, children, and family,” Joseph called.

  Everyone raised their glasses and moved through the room, excitement overflowing from every corner.

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  One month later, Austin stood on the beach as he dipped his wife in his arms and kissed her tenderly. When he stood back up, he turned and looked at the faces of his family, joy radiating off him in waves.

  “I’d like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson,” the preacher said as Austin and Kinsey began walking down the aisle of grass, their bare feet hardly touching the ground.

  Austin led her to a large tent where the music was playing, and he immediately pulled her onto the dance floor.

  “Have I mentioned today how much I love you.”

  “Once or twice,” Kinsey replied before resting her head against his solid chest.

  “I can’t believe I managed to win you, Kinsey, but I’ll be grateful till the day I die. I love you more now than I ever thought possible.”

  “I love you, Austin Anderson. I can’t believe I ever ran from your arms.”

  “You were wise, woman. I plan to wear you out,” he told her, his brows lifting as he attempted an evil grin.

  “Promises, promises.”

  “Receptions are unnecessary. I say we sneak off to our room. I have plans for you,” he said as he stopped moving and looked into her eyes.

  “I agree,” she answered, excitement lighting her face.

  Austin grabbed her hand and they started to slip away, excited they seemed to be eluding Joseph, and the rest of the family.

  “I’m going to-”

  “Turn around so you can cut the cake,” Cassie interrupted them with a very satisfied expression on her face.

  “Cass…” Kinsey pled.

  “Oh, no. Payback’s such a pleasure,” Cassie said as she snuggled in-between the two of them and started pulling them toward their guests.

  “You’re just mean,” Kinsey said, knowing full well she deserved it.

  “I know. I’ve been waiting since my wedding for this moment. Suffer, really, really suffer,” she said with an evil grin.

  Kinsey gave up the fight and let Cassie lead her back to the reception. Payback really did suck, she thought, as she eyed her husband with longing.

  ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

  “You never did finish your story, Mom. With all the excitement of dad waking up, and then the two weddings, I forgot for a while, but what happened with the corporation?” Amy asked as they sat by the fire, the kids sleeping, and the adults enjoying a midnight snack.

  “I guess I did leave you hanging. To answer your earlier question, yes, this is the same corporation your grandfather began. The board met and voted Joseph as CEO a few weeks after our wedding. Neilson was furious and threatened to take us all down. It truly was sad he turned out that way,” Katherine replied.

  “What ever happened with him? I don’t remember ever seeing pictures of him?” Lucas asked.

  “It was quite tragic, actually. We didn’t hear anything for several years. Then one day a woman showed up on our doorstep, carrying a child in her arms, saying she was Neilson’s wife. She had to have been twenty-five years younger than him. Joseph wasn’t home, and I didn’t know what to do so I invited her in, which probably wasn’t wise. She told me Neilson had died of a heart attack, and she had nowhere else to go. I told her to wait until Joseph got home and we’d work things out. In the morning, when I woke, she was gone. She took ten thousand dollars your father had in his office, and disappeared. Joseph searched for her, knowing that’s what his father would want, but we only came up with dead ends. We never did find out if she was speaking the truth, or not.”

  “That’s so sad,” Emily said.

  “Yes, it is indeed. We would’ve given her the money, but maybe she was just a stranger, and wanted to get what she could before we found out. We’ll probably never know.”

  “Did Neilson really die?” Trenton asked.

  “Yes. We were able to confirm that. If he was married, though, it wasn’t legal,” Joseph said, obviously still bothered over the events, even after so many years.

  “I’m sorry,” Bree said.

  “Me, too, sweetie. If the child is an Anderson, we would’ve done right by him,” Joseph said.

  “Yes, we never would’ve taken out our anger with Neilson on an innocent kid,” George added.

  “That’s because you’re honorable men. They just don’t make them like you anymore,” Austin said, looking at his father and uncle with pride.

  “We had a great father to look up to,” Joseph said, and George agreed.

  “Our story had a very good ending, though. As you all know, we lived happily ever after,” Katherine finished with a smile as she looked at her husband.

  “May each of you have the same. One day, you’ll be telling your own children the beautiful story of your beginning. Relationships are built on the good and the bad, it’s how we handle each situation that defines our character. Thank you for being here for Katherine while I was sick. Thank you for being here every day for each other,” Joseph said, raising his glass.

  “Here, here,” each person called.

  They stayed up long into the night, reminiscing about the past and planning for the future.

  Epilogue

  Joseph looked across the table, his eyes shining as his family gathered. Noise reigned as everyone spoke at once, all of them happy to be together another year. He truly loved Thanksgiving.

  As usual, he had much to be thankful for. He had yet another year together with his wife. He looked at her, still so beautiful. He’d known how truly scared she’d been while he was in his coma last year. He hated that he’d put her through such a horrible ordeal. He’d made a promise to her years earlier that he’d never hurt her again, but he hadn’t been able to keep the promise.

  He vowed he’d do everything in his power to never let it happen again. He’d gotten rid of his fast cars. He no longer needed that thrill. The only excitement he needed was the sight of his wife beside him, each night and morning, and of course, the love of his ever growing family.

  Sitting closest to him were George and Esther, looking like kids on their honeymoon, even after being married almost a year. George looked over and winked at him, making Joseph smile. His brother was a great man.

  Then there was Lucas and Amy. They’d been married eight years already. Joseph couldn’t believe how time had flown. Their children were growing so fast. He loved all his grandchildren, and great-nieces and nephews equally, he told himself, but Jasmine had a special place in his heart. She was the first. His very first granddaughter. She was the beginning of the next generation. There was a bond between them he thanked God for every day.

  His eyes continued to sweep across the table as he took in Alex, who at that moment, leaned over and whispered something in Jessica’s ear, making her blush. She didn’t realize anyone was
watching and Joseph smiled again as she leaned in and kissed Alex.

  Jacob groaned loudly at their display, and they split apart, both of them laughing while Alex picked his son up, then hugged him close. Jacob protested, but Joseph saw the love on the boy’s face.

  Mark and Emily were talking to Trenton and Jennifer. They’d become so close. All of the kids loved each other, but Emily and Jennifer had really hit it off. Joseph loved seeing his growing family also become friends.

  Mark said something that had Trenton laughing. Emily slapped Mark’s arm, but the smile on her face said he wasn’t in too much trouble. Mark turned and kissed her, stopping all protests. When he pulled away, she was flushed and looking very pleased.

  Young Trevor was turning into a man. He’d soon be breaking hearts. He was as handsome as his father. Not that looks mattered if the heart wasn’t pure.

  Trenton suddenly got up and grabbed Jennifer’s hand. He thought with all the chaos around them no one would notice if he slipped away for a few minutes. Of course, Joseph noticed everything. He smiled as he watched his nephew take his wife away for a moment of privacy.

  Joseph’s eyes moved to Max next. Max had sure been stubborn in finding love. They all had, but Joseph had doubts about Max settling down. He shouldn’t have worried, though. Cassandra was his perfect match. She brought out a joy in Max that was radiant.

  No matter where the two of them were, Joseph always noticed that Max was touching her. His hand on her back as they were standing, or grazing her knee where they sat. He loved her, and his every action showed that.

  Bree was laughing at something Chad said. He was sitting across the table from Mark, and the two men were having an animated conversation. Probably talking about Trenton sneaking off.

  The two of them were most likely jealous they hadn’t thought of it first. Chad turned and looked at Bree, his hand shooting out to tug her close as he kissed her, leaving her looking breathless before he turned back to Mark and started talking again.

  Finally, there was Austin. He was sitting in the corner, Kinsey perched on his lap with his arms around her as she cradled their daughter, Isabelle, close. She was less than a week old, so tiny and delicate, just like her mother. Joseph knew the happy couple also had the kind of love that would last.

  His family was complete. All of his children and nephews and niece were happily married, having children, and living their lives to the fullest. He couldn’t ask for anything more.

  He sat back and watched, watched the way his family interacted, the way the children played, and how they all responded to one another.

  “We’ve done well, Katherine,” he said, his voice low.

  “Yes, Joseph, we have,” she agreed. “You know, if I weren’t so happy about this beautiful family, you’d be in trouble, right?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, trying his best to sound innocent.

  “You can’t fool me, Joseph Anderson. However, I’ll let you think you can,” she said, her eyes filled with love.

  Joseph gazed at her for a moment, then he leaned in and gave her a kiss, his lips lingering for a long while. Even after forty years of marriage, she took his breath away.

  He stood up and waited for the table to grow silent. With the growing number of family members, it took a little bit longer each year. He was content to wait.

  “We’ve come to another Thanksgiving. As with each year, we have much to be grateful for. We have good jobs for ourselves, and for many employees. We have our health, some days of course, it’s better than others. Most importantly, we have each other.” He stopped for a moment as he fought the emotion building in him.

  His family was silent as they waited, eyes starting to mist all around. Katherine stood next to him, taking his hand in hers. She looked up at him, her eyes glowing, then turned and faced the table.

  “We have each other today, tomorrow, and forever,” she finished quietly.

  Everyone raised their glasses as they called out their agreement and toasted their thanks.

  ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

  “What do we do now?”

  “I don’t know, George,” Joseph answered.

  “I mean, I can’t complain. I have a wonderful new bride, beautiful grandkids and my family all together again, but…”

  “I know, brother, I know,” Joseph moped.

  The two men sat in the den, sipping their drinks as they warmed themselves by the fire. The family was gathered in the sitting room, everyone too full to move around much. Joseph and George had snuck away for a drink.

  “Well, it shouldn’t take that long for the grandkids to grow,” George said as he perked up.

  “Hmm, you have a good point there,” Joseph replied as he sat a little straighter.

  “Yeah, look how the last ten years have flown past. Heck, the last twenty-five for that matter. I forget at times how old I’ve gotten.”

  “Bite your tongue, George. We’ve aged well, like a good scotch, we’re not old,” Joseph admonished.

  “True, Joseph, very true.”

  “When this all started, I wanted grandkids. I thought my boys were never going to settle down. Now that I have them, I miss the planning and sneaking around. I got quiet clever in ways to trick them all,” Joseph said proudly.

  “We’ll just have to figure out other ways to keep entertained until those kids get a little older,” George sighed.

  “Joseph, time for dessert,” Katherine said as she and Esther stepped into the room.

  “We’ll be right out, dear,” Joseph called back.

  “We truly are blessed men,” George said as the women left, his eyes gazing at the door his new bride just walked through.

  “Let’s join our family, George. I’m not ready to quit celebrating, yet.”

  “I’m so glad you’re back, Joseph. I don’t think I would’ve made it had you not come out of that coma,” George said as they stood, putting his hand on Joseph’s arm.

  “If anything ever happens to me, you will not stop living your life, George Anderson. If something were to happen, I’d just sit down with our dad and catch up while I waited for the rest of you to finish what you needed to. If you want to make me happy, then live. Promise me that you’ll always live life to the fullest, no matter what.”

  “You’re a great man, Joseph, one of the few. Now, enough of this. Let’s find our wives.”

  The two brothers walked through the door, optimistic about the future that lay ahead.

  I hope you enjoyed the seventh book in The Billionaire Bachelors Series. Please see Melody Anne’s other romance series: Baby for the Billionaire, where the Titan cousin’s fight their own losing battles of finding true love.

  Melody also has a young adult series out: Rise of the Dark Angel. The first book is Midnight Fire, second, Midnight Moon, and coming soon, Midnight Storm.

  Also look for Melody’s new and exciting series: Because of Honor. What will a true hero truly fight for when it counts.

  Make sure you join Melody on Facebook for important updates, and chances to win thousands of dollars in prizes, contests running each month. You can also sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.melodyanne.com.

  See a couple excerpts from some other new and exciting authors

  *Maid for the Billionaire by Ruth Cardello

  *Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks

  Both titles are free for a limited time.

  Bluegrass State of Mind

  A Bluegrass Series Novel

  Kathleen Brooks

  Prologue

  Her bare feet pounded down the concrete stairs. Her panty hose were ripped from snagging the cold metal strips on the edge of each stair. Her feet stung with every step she took. She heard the door above her open. She pushed herself faster. She couldn’t let him catch her.

  She jumped the last stair on the sixth floor, the impact of the jump reverberating up her body. She felt as though she had stopped breathing two floors
ago. Her lungs burned as she forced her legs to move faster. Her hand was sliding along the railing to brace herself as she raced down the stairs at breakneck speed.

  She heard him yell her name. She turned around to see he was now just one floor away. The look cost her dearly as she missed a step and had to slow down to steady herself.

  Her heart beat in turn with each slap of her foot. Faster. Louder. She just had to make it to the garage. He would kill her if she didn’t. He called her name again as if she were a disobedient child. He was taunting her, triggering her fear. Her heart felt as if it would explode as she ran faster and faster down the stairs.

  She didn’t feel the cuts causing her feet to bleed. She didn’t feel the pain running up her legs. All she knew was she had a couple more flights to go. She tried to suck in a breath of air but could only manage a small gasp. He was closer now. She could feel him right behind her.

  The door to the garage was so close. She could see it now. She had to reach it. He closed in on her. She could hear him breathing. She willed her legs to move faster. He reached out his arm to grab her…

  Chapter One

  McKenna looked around and saw nothing but black, four-plank fences and green grass for as far as she could see. Daffodils were playing peek-a-boo with the bright morning sun. She looked down at the GPS in her cherry red BMW M6. Only five more miles until her destination. Bringing her eyes back up to the narrow country road, Kenna gasped and hit her brakes as hard as she could.

  The stabilization in her car kicked in and kept it from fishtailing off the road. She fought for control of the car as her brakes locked. A massive horse was standing in the middle of the road, calmly watching her scrambling for control over her car. She rested her head against the steering wheel and let out a shaky breath when she stopped the car in the opposite lane. Hearing tires squealing, she lifted her head and saw an old pick-up truck heading straight for her, fishtailing out of control. Kenna shifted into reverse and floored it. The truck skidded by her, narrowly missing her car. The truck came to a sudden stop in the grass ditch off the side of the road.