by Kendall Ryan
“Are you kidding? That plunging neckline, the midi-length, the way it hugs your curves, that color against your skin? I mean, you always look good, but this is a whole other level.”
I smiled and shook my head. Molly and I had gotten close since I decided to move to Shady Grove for good, and a few months back she even started helping me with some of the remote work I was doing for the firm. She might not know anything about law, but damn, that Molly Wilder could keep track of a schedule and get ahold of a flaky client.
“Well, you don’t look so bad yourself, Mols. I’m loving the way this color complements your eyes.”
A blush crept over Molly’s cheeks, just in time for Charlotte to return from the bathroom to join us at our table near the front of the room, close to the makeshift stage.
“Oh my god, Charlotte! Look at your belly! I feel like it’s grown at least another inch since I last saw you.”
“Don’t I know it. This baby is going to be a bitch to squeeze out.”
“Char!”
“What? I’ve talked to enough women with infants to know what’s in store for me. But that doesn’t mean I love my little honeybun any less,” she cooed, placing her hands on her belly and smiling down at it.
“Well, we can’t wait to meet him,” I added.
“It’s a him? I thought you guys decided you wanted to be surprised!”
“We did,” Charlotte said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Val here just has an active imagination.”
“I just have a feeling,” I shrugged, tossing back the last of my drink.
Molly looked between us, her face an equal mix of happy and sad.
“You two are so lucky,” she sighed, taking her glass in her hand and swirling the amber liquid. “If I don’t find someone soon in this one-horse town, I’ll be doomed to die alone.”
“Oh, Molly, that’s not true,” Charlotte insisted, furrowing her brow and rubbing Molly’s back. Molly forced a weak smile and sighed, to which I clucked my tongue.
“Molly, listen. I’m about to tell you what my mother always told me. These kinds of things always happen when you least expect it. The most important thing you can do is work on loving yourself and becoming the person you want to be. Everything else will happen when it’s supposed to.”
“Easy for you to say,” she grumbled, her eyes darting to the front of the room, where Luke and Duke were schmoozing with some of the older men of the town.
“Do you think either of us were looking for love when we came to Shady Grove?” Charlotte asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Mols, you know better than anyone how unexpected things between your brother and me were,” I added. “This couldn’t be further from how I thought my life would turn out. And don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t always been easy. There have been some real rough patches here and there, a lot of changes to adjust to. But through it all, there’s been a part of me that just knew Duke was who I wanted to be with. Even if that meant I couldn’t make the two-hour drive to get a good taco as often as I wanted.”
Molly snorted at my joke, and I smiled, placing my hand over hers on the table.
“You’ll find someone, Molly. I know it.”
“Yeah well, if you two are any example, it sounds like I need to get out of Shady Grove to find him.”
Charlotte and I shared a look. That was exactly something we’d discussed on more than one occasion, the idea that spending time somewhere new could be good for Molly.
“It might not hurt,” Charlotte said, “but if you’re going to do that, do it soon and get back here before I have this baby because Lord knows we’re going to need help with childcare.”
We all laughed, just as Luke and Duke joined us at the table, each raising an inquisitive brow.
“What are you ladies giggling about?” Duke asked, taking his seat next to me.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Luke added, sliding an arm across Charlotte’s shoulders.
“Nothing,” Molly said, shooting us a look that told us to zip it. She was funny like that sometimes, an open book one second and clamming up the next. My heart ached thinking that watching her brothers find love made her feel lonely. But for as hopeless as Molly felt about her love life sometimes, there was no doubt in my mind she’d find someone soon.
Once everyone took their seats, Luke gave a short speech thanking everyone for coming and explaining what a huge honor it was to be recognized in that way. In typical Luke fashion, he kept it brief, sincere, and to the point, toasting his brother and all the hard work they’d put in over the past almost twelve years.
When Luke was done, the wait staff kicked off the meal with a first course of watermelon, balsamic, and feta salads, a far cry from the greasy, butter-soaked sides this town was used to. They had Charlotte and me to thank for that. Luke and Duke let us take full control of the menu. All they asked is that we made sure there was a decent cut of red meat in the main course.
The band played some lively music while we ate, nothing too crazy, but definitely not the kind of smooth jazz you’d expect at a Manhattan dinner party. After all, we were still in Shady Grove. A representative from the Best in Texas voting board joined us for the evening and sat at our table. He was a lot cooler and younger than I was expecting, and judging by his suspenders and bow-tie, my guess was he was one of those hipster types.
Near the end of the first course, one of the wait staff arrived at Duke’s side and whispered something in his ear. He furrowed his brow at whatever the man said, nodding solemnly. Once he left, Duke turned and placed his hand on my lower back, leaning over to whisper in my ear.
“There’s something wrong in the brew room. They need me to go check it out.”
Before I could answer, he was out of his seat and halfway to the door, pushing his hand roughly through his hair like he did when he was stressed. I stared after him, annoyed that something was taking him away from his own celebration event. He was always hard on himself, and something going wrong in the brew room on such an important night didn’t bode well for his overall well-being.
I turned back to the table to find Charlotte and Luke watching me, worried looks on their faces.
“Everything okay?” Luke asked, looking ready to jump up and join his brother at any moment.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Something in the brew room, I guess.”
Luke nodded, but he didn’t look satisfied. Charlotte and Molly shared a strange look, and I could have sworn Molly was almost smirking, but I just shook it off. Something weird was going on, but I didn’t care what it was. I just wanted Duke to come back and let himself enjoy his night.
By the time the main course was being cleared away for dessert, Duke still hadn’t returned, and I was really starting to worry about him. I tried my best to act normal in front of the Best of Texas rep, but inside, I was freaking out. What if one of the tanks exploded? What if one of the tanks fell on him and he’s suffocating underneath it? Why is no one else freaking out right now?
I watched Charlotte chat easily with Luke and Molly, frustration bubbling up within me. They all seemed so calm, so unbothered by my boyfriend’s disappearance, and I’d had just about enough of it. Craning my neck, I scanned the room for the twentieth time, searching for any sign of Duke, or any sign of distress among the wait staff. But there was nothing. Everyone seemed cool and collected as cucumbers, and it was annoying the shit out of me.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, setting my napkin on the table and scooting my chair back. This got Charlotte’s attention, and she looked at me with wide, worried eyes.
“Where are you going?”
“To find Duke. He’s been gone for like half an hour now. I think something’s really wrong.”
“No, you’ll ruin it!” Molly exclaimed, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth as soon as the words left her lips.
“Molly!” Charlotte hissed.
“What do you—”
But before I could finish my sentence, Duke
magically reappeared through the front door with two women, one on each arm. I had to blink a few times to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Tears stung my eyes as I took in the women, the one on his left with curly dark hair like mine and a kind face, the one on his right with her gray hair swept back into a neat bun at the base of her neck.
They weren’t just any women. It was my mom and grandma, here in Shady Grove for the first time since I decided to stay here.
“Mama! Abuela!”
The whole room watched as I stood and rushed to them, throwing my arms around both their necks at the same time. Tears fell freely down my cheeks and onto their brightly patterned dresses, but I didn’t care. They were here, in the flesh, and I could hold them, touch them. They both cried too, smoothing my curls and gently shushing me, just like they used to do when I was little.
It’s not like I hadn’t seen them since the move. I’d gone back to LA a couple times over the past eighteen months, and we talked on the phone as often as we could, but no matter how often we talked, I missed them, always. So being surprised with them in that moment was one of the most special things that had happened to me in a long time.
And that was just the beginning.
When I finally released Mom and Abuela, I kissed Duke hard, throwing my arms around his neck and peppering him with thank yous. He smiled, laughing and kissing me back, before setting me firmly back on the ground.
“Wait here,” he said.
He then walked to the stage, where the lead singer of the band gave him the mic with a knowing smile. Butterflies filled my stomach as I watched Duke grab the mic and take a deep breath. For the first time in a long time, he looked nervous. And that could only mean one thing.
“Ladies and gentleman, I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I have something important to say.”
The room quieted, and everyone turned their attention to Duke. I took my mother’s hand in one hand and my abuela’s in the other, bracing myself for one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.
“Wilder Whiskey has always been about family. As many of you know, our father left us this place in a pretty bad state. It was hard, but my brother and I turned it all around with a lot of hard work in a few years’ time, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our sister and of the entire community. Then, just when I thought we were on top of the world, a little legal trouble came our way, threatening everything we worked so hard for. At the time, it was devastating, but little did I know, that legal trouble would bring a woman into my life who would change everything, including what I wanted my family to look like.”
Aww’s erupted around the room, and many people turned to look at me, but I barely even noticed them. My eyes were glued on Duke, the love of my life, standing in front of literally everyone we knew, talking about me.
“Valentina, I know you never envisioned yourself living in a small town. You’ve sacrificed so much to be with me, to give this thing a real shot, and for that alone, I’ll be forever grateful. I love you, darlin’, and you’ve made me happier than I thought was ever possible. That being said, I was hoping I could ask you one more thing.”
My stomach dropped. Oh my God, it’s happening. It’s really fucking happening.
“Will you marry me?”
Tears streamed down my face, and it felt like my heart was exploding out of my chest. I realized I was squeezing the life out of Mom and Abuela’s hands, so I let them go, turning to look at them with wide, searching eyes.
They smiled at me, wiping the tears from my cheeks with their soft thumbs.
“I think he’s waiting for you, mija,” my mom said, chuckling softly.
“Lo amamos,” my abuela said, cupping my face with her hand and turning my head to look at Duke.
I practically floated to his side on stage, only vaguely aware of the number of teary eyes watching us. When I stood in front of him, Duke got down on one knee, and the whole room sighed and gasped at the sight. He pulled a little black velvet box out of his suit pocket, and inside were my mother and grandmother’s wedding bands, fused on either side of the most perfect rock I’d ever seen.
“What do you say, darlin’?”
I laughed, a fresh new batch of tears brimming in my eyes as I looked down at that dimpled smile, those glittering green eyes I loved waking up to. It was simple. The simplest decision I’d ever made in my life.
“Yes. I say yes.”
* * * *
Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Kendall Ryan, discover The Bed Mate.
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Sexy Stranger
By Kendall Ryan
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From New York Times Bestselling author Kendall Ryan comes a sexy and sizzling, enemies-to-lovers romp with bite.
He's rude. Arrogant. And too hot to handle.
And she's stranded with him for an entire week.
He knows the sexy stranger doesn't belong in his small town, but he's determined to keep her there. The second she opens her s
mart mouth, he wants to swap a whole lot more than insults with her. She’s got a secret. But he’s got his own agenda.
Buckle up.
Discover More Kendall Ryan
The Bed Mate
By Kendall Ryan
Click here to purchase.
I might be a typical guy, but these last few years, my love life’s been anything but. From crazy ex-girlfriends to one-night stands who are stage-five clingers, my relationships go bad faster than the milk in your fridge. The only constant has been my best friend Maggie.
Fresh off a bad breakup of her own, I invite Maggie to my guys’ skiing weekend knowing she needs an escape from reality. But then something funny starts to happen. I start noticing things about her that I never noticed before.
She’s beautiful and doesn’t know it, she’s funny without even trying, and now she’s suddenly single for the first time in forever.
Sharing a hotel room with her proves to be the tipping point in our very platonic friendship. Suddenly I want to put my hands, my mouth, and my...other parts...all over her gorgeous body. I want to claim her, make sure no man touches her ever again.
But am I ready to screw up the best relationship I’ve ever had for a shot at something more?
On behalf of 1001 Dark Nights,
Liz Berry and M.J. Rose would like to thank ~
Steve Berry