April Fool Bride

by Joan Reeves

  "We are friends. Or, we're trying to be."

  "How can you be friends with the woman who ruined my life?"

  The question set off alarms in Maddie.

  "Jake, honey. She didn't ruin your life. She just set you on a different path."

  "She threatened me. Blackmailed me into giving up my scholarship at Rice. Told me to leave Houston, or she'd have me arrested for rape. I worked my ass off in high school for that scholarship." His voice rose. "If Maddie hadn't come to my room that night, my whole life would have been different." His voice trailed off. Then, in a quieter voice he said, "I lost everything that night. Constance kicked me out of the only home I'd ever known. Told me if I did what she said that she'd let you keep your job. How do you think that made me feel? I hated her for years."

  He didn't say it, but Maddie realized that he must have hated her too. She felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest. She couldn't breathe. She'd never known. She'd thought she had embarrassed Jake so much that he'd left of his own free will after that night. That had made her feel terrible, but to know he'd been forced away made her heart break. How could Constance have done that to him?

  Oh, God. It wasn't just Constance. If she hadn't been so desperate to have Jake love her…if she hadn't been so selfish maybe she'd have stopped and thought about the repercussions for him. Now she knew the price Jake had paid for her foolishness, her arrogance. She was as much to blame for ruining his life as Constance.

  Maddie didn't want to hear any more. She crept silently away from the door. As she hurried up the stairs, the sash to her robe fell from the last belt loop. The truth haunted Maddie. She'd loved Jake, but her love had been selfish, damaging. She walked into the bedroom and looked at the bed where he'd taken her to heaven last night. She'd been right. She should never have yielded to him. Jake would never love her.

  How he must disdain her and her marriage of convenience. She was just as arrogant as Constance. She'd tried to take advantage of Jake because she thought he was unemployed. She'd dictated the terms. She hadn't felt such self-loathing in a long time. Yet, that didn't help her breaking heart.

  Why had Jake married her? Not for love. Not for money.

  For revenge.

  Chapter 11

  Jake rolled his shoulders to release the tension. It was late. He'd got all the pent-up anger out of his system and promised his mother he'd "be nice" to Constance. Why had he been arguing with his mother when he wanted to be upstairs making love to Maddie? He took the stairs three at a time. The room was dark. Maddie must have closed the drapes. Silently, he went to the bathroom and undressed. When he slid under the covers, he reached for Maddie. She wasn't there. He rolled over and snapped on the light.

  "Maddie?"

  Had she somehow gone to the bathroom while he was walking to the bed? He went there. No. He returned to the bedroom. Had she gone to the kitchen for a snack? He rushed to the back stairs and started down. A few steps from the bottom, he saw the sash to Maddie's robe. Oh, no. He could picture her standing outside the kitchen door as he sounded off to his mother. How his words must have hurt Maddie.

  He went back to the bedroom. This time he saw the stapled pages on the floor next to her side of the bed. When he picked them up, his breath caught. Even though he'd hit the highlights at dinner, these pages spelled out exactly how wealthy he was. He imagined Maddie thought the worst after reading this. He saw the sticky note on top of the report. Amy.

  He went to find his cell phone.

  "Yes, I've talked to Maddie tonight, and yes, I know where she is," Amy said. "I'm not supposed to tell you though."

  Jake used all of his charm to no avail. Finally he fell back on the truth. "Maddie found out I was lying about needing money. That's bad enough. But she overhead me talking with my mom. I think she may have heard only the damaging parts of that conversation. Amy, I need to find her. I can't let her think what I know she's thinking. It will break her heart. Please. Help me."

  Amy didn't say anything. He hadn't felt this helpless since Afghanistan. When Amy finally spoke, he felt giddy with relief.

  "She went to her townhome. Come by my place, and I'll give you the spare key because I know she won't let you in. There's no alarm system. She was grieving and just starting to do a slow burn so I know that red-headed temper of hers will be in full fury by the time you get there."

  Jake drove as fast as the other freaks on the road at two in the morning, and Houston had their fair share of crazy speeding kamikazes after midnight. He reached Amy in record time, grabbed the key, got directions, and hit the street again. To his surprise, Maddie's townhome was in a gated community fairly close to his mother's subdivision. Or maybe that wasn't so surprising. He punched in the code Amy had provided and found Maddie's home in less than five minutes. Ready to do battle for the woman he loved, he unlocked the door and went inside, snapping on a lamp in the living room. Before he could think what to say to awake her without scaring her to death, she appeared in the darkened doorway to his right.

  "Jake. What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Maddie didn't move any closer.

  "Amy is the answer to both."

  "Some friend," Maddie huffed. "You can give me my spare key and go back to Amy and tell her…tell her, I don't know. Tell her whatever the hell you want to tell her."

  Crimson painted her cheeks. Her green eyes flashed fire.

  "I'm glad you're angry. I prefer that over having you heartbroken."

  "How very magnanimous of you."

  "Maddie, I know I screwed up. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. Then after we made love, I was afraid you'd take it badly."

  Maddie closed the distance between them. She fairly trembled with anger, but her voice was unnaturally calm. "Why, Jake. How hard can it be to tell poor stupid Maddie that you made her the biggest April Fool joke in the history of the world?"

  "No. That was never my intention."

  She didn't give him a chance to say anything else. "How you must have laughed when I persuaded you to marry me. I've got to admit that I admire your patience. You waited years before I presented you with the perfect opportunity for revenge. How patient you were. I can only hope that the satisfaction you derived from adding last night's sexcapade to your list of coup d'états made up for all the years of waiting."

  "Now just a damn minute," Jake managed before she interrupted him again. This time there was no mistaking the fury in her voice.

  "Why the only thing you haven't done is sell your story to the paparazzi. I'm sure they'd pay big money if you told them how you got Mad Maddie to marry you and pay for the privilege. How you got me to love you!"

  The last came out as a shout. Maddie paled. Her hands covered her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears. Before he could move, she ran back through the darkened doorway and slammed the door.

  Jake rushed to the door, but she'd locked it. He pounded on the door. "Maddie. Sweetheart, unlock the door."

  "Go away. Just go away. You've got everything from me now. What more do you want?"

  Her sobs were like a knife in his chest. He leaned his forehead against the door and took a deep shuddering breath. Then Jake did the bravest thing he'd ever done in his life. "What more do I want? You, Maddie. I want you. I need you. I want our marriage to be real, not a business contract."

  He waited. The sobs ceased. Encouraged, he said, "I want to be the father of your babies. I want to go to bed each night with you in my arms and wake each morning to find you there."

  He heard a soft click as she unlocked the door. He opened the door. Maddie stood there, tears shining in her emerald eyes. "Is that all you want?"

  He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her to him. "I want to love you so deeply that you will never doubt where my heart lies. I want you to love me the same way."

  Jake kissed her then. Maddie wrapped her arms about him, treasuring the moment, the kiss. Then his lips left hers, and he held her tight against him so that she felt the ste
ady, reassuring thud of his heart. "I love you, Maddie. Even when I thought I wanted revenge, I think I really wanted you."

  That was the last rational thought she had. Jake's hands and mouth stole her breath away as much as the soft words of desire he whispered as they walked together to the bedroom. He worshiped her with his hands, his mouth, his body. She generously returned the favor.

  When they lay with their bodies joined, Maddie laughed softly. Jake grinned and thrust his hips drawing a soft moan from her. "Are you laughing at my love making ability?"

  Maddie giggled. "No. I'm laughing because yesterday I resolved to use birth control when we did this again."

  She felt a tremor pass through Jake. "Does that mean you're not on the pill?"

  "Wow. You really do have a high-powered brain," she said, pulling him down for a kiss.

  Jake kissed her leisurely, taking his time, and enjoying her mouth while he moved slowly inside her. "Is this a bad time to have unprotected sex?"

  "Not if you want a baby," Maddie gasped. Frantic, she cried, "Oh, Jake. I'm so…so close."

  Jake moved faster. His voice was low, urgent. "I guess…we could stop…and get some condoms."

  "Right. Like that's going to happen." Maddie cried. Then she could speak no longer, only feel.

  Jake held her, praised her, told her how much he loved her as he succumbed to his own pleasure.

  Later, when sanity had returned, he pulled the cover over them and curved his body around hers. He loved the way they fit together in all ways. Just before sleep claimed him, Jake said, "I'd like to name the first baby after my dad."

  "Only if it's a boy," Maddie said, drifting to sleep in his arms.

  Epilogue

  Maddie held Maureen Constance Graciella Becker, and Jake held Christopher Edward Becker as the priest, Jake's cousin, christened the twins. The two little scamps actually remained quiet during the ceremony, much to their parents' surprise.

  Maddie looked at the two grandmothers, Constance and Graciella. She could hardly believe how everything had changed once Jake had come back into her life.

  She and Constance had made peace. It had been a cancer scare that had made Constance reach out to Maddie in the hope of changing their contentious relationship. With his mother's loving coercion, Jake had changed his attitude about Maddie's stepmother, and he'd helped Maddie overcome the resentment she'd felt toward her stepmother. It hadn't been as difficult as Maddie might once have thought when she discovered the truth about Connie, which is what she called her now, without any derision intended.

  Connie had been a battered child and an unwed mother at fifteen. With no support or family to help her, she'd given up her baby for adoption. She'd been so hurt by those she'd loved, that she'd vowed never to risk her heart again for fear of rejection.

  Now, Connie was looking for the son she gave away. In the meantime, she was practicing her mothering skills on the twins.

  Maddie bounced their baby girl who was beginning to fret just as their baby boy decided to get cranky too. Without a word, Jake and Maddie swapped babies, and the twins settled down again. For the moment.

  When the ceremony ended, Jake kissed Maddie lightly on the lips then whispered, "Have you given any thought to my proposal?"

  Maddie pretended confusion. "Was that a proposal or a proposition?"

  "Don't toy with me, Mrs. Becker. I might hide your birth control pills." His eyes heated as he gazed at her.

  A look of horror crossed her face. "Oh, you wouldn't dare! And don't look at me like that. We're in church."

  "I promise to behave if you promise to renew our vows on our anniversary."

  "Are you sure? Wasn't one April Fool joke enough?" Maddie teased.

  "No. I've decided April Fool's Day is my favorite holiday." He handed Maureen to his mother and took Christopher from Maddie and handed him to Connie. Then, before God and the congregation, he took Maddie in his arms and kissed her as if it were their wedding day instead of their babies' christening.

  "Wow, you really know how to get a concession from a negotiation," Maddie breathed when he released her.

  The congregation burst into applause. Jake laughed and hugged her to him. "You know how I love a good negotiation. Almost as much as I love you, Red."

  The babies cooed and Maddie recorded the precious sound in her memory. She would treasure the moment and all the ones that followed just as she treasured Jake, her first love. Her husband. Her heart.

  Forever.

  The End

  About April Fool Bride

  Thank you for buying and reading April Fool Bride. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I liked the characters and the story so much that I didn't want it to end, but I'll revisit them with the next All Brides Are Beautiful Romance, due to be published in a few months.

  As a writer, and as a woman, I believe in the power of love to change lives. That's what a romance novel is all about--change caused by love and the resulting commitment that's made because of that love. That's the power of love in action.

  Recommend April Fool Bride. The highest praise an author can receive is for a reader to recommend her book to others. I hope you liked April Fool Bride and will help other readers find Maddie and Jake's story by recommending it to your friends, readers' groups, and discussion boards.

  Review April Fool Bride. Authors live and die by reviews. I'd appreciate it if you'd take a few moments to post a short review. If you leave a review, please let me know so I can personally thank you. Send a note to: mailto:JoanReeves@outlook.com. I'll send you a token of my appreciation.

  Mailing List for Readers. Sign up for WordPlay, for special news for readers and receive a short story (not available elsewhere) as a gift. (If you're a writer, you might also be interested in Writing Hacks, my free newsletter for writers. Sign up and receive a free copy of one of my nonfiction books for writers.)

  Quality Control. I care about producing error-free books. If you find a typo or format problem, send a note to: mailto:JoanReeves@outlook.com so I can correct the file. Just send me the sentence that contains the needed correction, and I'll do a Search/Replace to fix it. I'll even send you a token of my appreciation for your effort.

  My Motto: "It's never too late to live happily ever after!"

  Thank you again for reading April Fool Bride.

  Sassy, Sexy, Sizzling: Other Books by Joan Reeves

  Welcome to my world of love and laughter! All of my books are available at most ebook sellers with audiobook editions also available. Visit my Website or Blog for more information about the various editions. (Print editions of all books will be available in late 2014.)

  If you'd like to learn more about Joan and her books, visit:

  * Website

  * SlingWords Blog

  * Sign up for Free Email Newsletter for Readers

  * Joan's YouTube Channel

  Here are my novels that are currently available at the same ebook seller where you bought April Fool Bride.

  Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones

  Lots of southern charm, a ten-year-old betrayal, a man and a woman who should have ended up together. Review: "If you liked Sweet Home Alabama, you'll love Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones!"

  Just One Look

  Kids play doctor, but these doctors play seduction games. Review: "I loved this book! If you haven't read JUST ONE LOOK, you're missing out on a great story. It's humorous, sexy to the max, and just plain entertaining."

  Nobody's Cinderella (Book 1, San Antone Two-Step)

  Darcy is a cliché--a woman in love with her boss. She should have heeded that old advice: be careful what you wish for! Review: "ANOTHER WINNER! Just enough conflict, steam, misunderstandings, and humor. If you haven't yet read Joan Reeves...what are you waiting for?" (Book 2, Cinderella Blue available October 2014.)

  Old Enough to Know Better (Book 1, The Good, The Bad, and The Girly):

  A woman with a past. A man who wants to be her future. Passion brings them together,
but will desire last? Review: "This is truly a feel-good book… Sean is wonderful and sexy and Stormy is aptly named. She is complicated and emotional and needs to feel the love and lust of a good man. The two of them together is very sweet and yet very steamy. A must read!"

  Romeo and Judy Anne (Book 2, Texas One Night Stands)

  Eccentric small town characters, an overbearing school board president, and the temptation of a secret lover! Judy Anne has all she can do to keep her passion from turning into the biggest scandal little Clayton Bend, Texas, has ever seen. Review: " The multi-generational aspect of the story brought a very realistic dimension to this romance... it would be hard to resist the sexy, music-loving, full-of-surprises Roman/Romeo for long."

  Scents and Sensuality

  Sweet lies, sweet seduction, and hot passion. Is it Love or just Lust? Review: "...perfume business sets the tone for the sensuality that runs through this book. If you like a hot, sensual read, this is your book. You can almost smell the pheromones..."

  Still the One

  Funny, sexy marriage of INCONVENIENCE! Burke Winslow needed a wife – but he didn't have Ally, his ex, in mind for the position! Review: "Curse the talented Joan Reeves when she keeps you awake all night with her latest comedic romance, Still The One, romantic comedy at its best."

  The Trouble With Love (Book 1, Texas One Night Stands)

  By-the-book Deputy Susannah Quinn has all she can do to resist Special Agent D. E. Hogan. Hang on to your Stetson as the fun and games begin in this sexy romp that's as hot as a bowl of Texas chili! Review: "I just finished The Trouble With Love and "I LOVED IT. This is my first Joan Reeves book. I couldn't put it down. I loved how she had multiple romances going on."

  Hello, Readers! Can We Talk?

  Joan Reeves, Bestselling Author of Contemporary Romance, began her career with New York traditional publishers. When ebook reading devices made ebook reading and publishing easy, she embraced a new career path as an independent author/publisher. Most of her popular romantic comedies have appeared on various genre bestseller lists.