by R. J. Groves
He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face as she walked down the aisle towards him, and he couldn’t stop the image that formed in his mind of her doing just that, but in a white dress instead of mauve.
***
The ceremony was beautiful and passed without a hitch. Andie hadn’t been kidding when she’d said that it would be small and intimate—family, mostly, and a few close friends. But even so, it was still the most beautiful wedding Harley had ever seen. Andie really did get her happily ever after, after all. Harley glanced over at Joey, his eyes on her, and couldn’t help but wish that she would get hers, too. After all, Darlington Vineyard had already worked its magic on Andie and Tay. Maybe it still had some magic to spare.
Harley smiled as she recalled the way Joey had looked at her as she walked down the aisle. Seeing him there at the end and seeing the way he looked at her … well, she’d felt like a princess. She’d felt like it was her own special day, not her best friend’s. And with all the glimpses she’d caught of him watching her, his eyes burning with a fire that made her toes curl and a delicious shiver run down her spine, she wondered if he’d felt the same.
She had to wait until after the ceremony had finished and the bride and groom were whisked off for their couple photographs before she could get Joey alone. He led her between the vines, her heart pounding in her chest, and as soon as they were far enough away from the rest of the crowd, he turned towards her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her until her knees went weak. It felt the same as before—if not better. God, she’d missed him. Everything about him. And she knew, in her heart, that he wasn’t back for long, but he was here now. And that was all that mattered.
After a while, he pulled back, just enough to rest his forehead against hers. ‘Hello, beautiful.’
Her cheeks grew hot, and the fire spread through her body. Oh, what she’d give to hear him say that all the time. ‘Hey,’ she managed.
‘I missed you.’
‘I missed you, too.’
He kissed her again, tenderly this time, holding her close. For a moment, she felt as though time really had stopped. He pulled away again, lifting her hand to his lips. It still sent her stomach flipping in ways she’d never imagined possible.
‘I was wondering when I might get you alone,’ he said.
‘Me, too,’ she said, still amazed that he was here again, even if it was for his sister’s wedding. ‘How long are you back for?’
He hesitated, and she feared that he might have only been back for the wedding and no more. ‘I wanted to talk to you about that.’
He lowered her hand, but still held it. His expression was so serious that it made her think of the worst possible conclusions. He was breaking up with her. He was going away for an indefinite amount of time—deployed, maybe, where his life might be in danger. Oh, God.
‘What is it?’ she whispered, mentally readying herself for the worst.
‘Harley, my ship has been decommissioned.’ Harley shook her head, not understanding. ‘They’re sinking it,’ he explained. ‘My ship is no longer my ship. And they—they gave us a choice.’
‘What kind of choice?’
His brow creased, a sadness in his eyes. ‘To transfer to another ship somewhere else.’
Meaning he wouldn’t be able to come back as often—if at all. ‘Oh.’
‘But I don’t want to go to another ship. My ship was just that—my ship. It was my home. Going to another wouldn’t be the same.’
Her mind was still reeling from the news that he wasn’t going to be so close to her anymore. ‘Oh, Joey, I’m so sorry.’
He shook his head. ‘I took the other option.’
She frowned. ‘What other option?’
He swallowed, squeezing her hands, a smile playing at his lips. ‘To go down with my ship.’
She blinked a few times, trying to figure out what kind of cryptic riddle he was giving her. ‘Joey, what—’
‘I’ve discharged, Harley. I’ve left with my ship. I’—he held both of her hands now, pulling them up between them—’I’m back for good.’
She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right at first, but his words were there, clear as day. I’m back for good. ‘Really?’ It was barely a whisper.
‘Really.’
His smile was contagious, and she couldn’t help but feel the excitement welling inside her. She flung her arms around him and kissed him as he swung her around, making her feel as light as a feather. He lowered her to the ground, and she looked at him with amazement.
‘But—are you sure? I thought being a sailor was your life.’
He shook his head. ‘That ship was my home—had been since I started. And when they told us it was being decommissioned, I realised that it was no longer the case.’ He cupped her cheek in his hand. ‘You are, Harley. You’re my anchor now. You’re my home.’
‘But what about work? What will you do?’
‘Turns out Tay has a lot of contacts. He’s lined me up with a job using my degree.’
She blinked back the tears, still unable to believe what she was hearing. A wave of relief washed over her. ‘You really mean it?’
‘I really mean it. I’m back for good. I love you, Harley, and I’m all in. So what do you say, beautiful?’
Before Harley knew what was happening, he’d dropped to one knee and held a small velvet box between them. She wasn’t sure if her heart stopped beating completely or if it beat so quickly that it seemed as though it had stopped. He cracked the box open to reveal an amethyst set in a ribbon of gold and smaller diamonds, almost identical to the pendant he’d given her except in the form of a ring. Her hand reached to the pendant that hung around her neck. The pendant that had given her a bit of comfort those past weeks when she had really felt the distance between them.
‘Joey,’ she breathed.
‘I got this when I got your pendant,’ he said, a slight shake in his voice. ‘I knew then that I couldn’t live without you. Marry me, Harley? Be my fiancée for real? I promise I’ll never leave you again.’
No words would come, so Harley simply nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek as she pulled him to his feet and flung her arms around him, kissing him with a passion she’d never thought she was capable of. He broke the kiss and removed the ring from the velvet box.
‘Yes?’ His eyes shimmered with that mischievous look she’d loved from the start and his eyebrow shot up.
‘Yes.’ It was barely a whisper, but his smile showed he’d heard it. He slipped the ring on her finger and lifted her hand to kiss it without breaking eye contact. She bit into her lip, the butterflies beating hard at her insides. Would she ever get used to the way he made her feel? She hoped not. If she could feel like this every day for the rest of her life …
‘I love you, beautiful.’ It seemed to have so much more meaning than any other time he’d said it and her love for him bubbled inside her.
‘I love you, too. So, so much.’
They kissed again, this time not rushing. They took the time to explore each other, to make up for the months apart, and Harley’s heart soared with the knowledge that she would never have to deal with an impending deadline again. That Joey was back for good. And he had really, truly come back for her.
For the first time ever, she knew what it really meant to be happy and in love. And as she stood in Joey’s arms, her heart fuller than she’d ever thought possible, she sent a silent thank you to the vineyard for having just a little magic to spare.
Thanks for reading Be My Valentine. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you liked this book, here is my other title; Save The Date. Keep reading for a sneak peek.
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Bestselling Titles by Escape Publishing …
Discover another great read from Escape Publishing …
Save the Date
R. J. Groves
One dressmaker. One billionaire. Two broken hearts. How long could it last?
Darlington Vineyard is the perfect wedding venue, and Andie Gray has always made sure she had a date booked, with or without a fiance. Her dreams come true when she lands the perfect man to go with the perfect venue, but then she discovers he’s not who she thought he was. All of a sudden love and fairy tales no longer make sense, leaving her questioning everything about her life…
Taylor Ballin knows what he wants, and love isn’t it. He’s been burned before, and it won’t happen again. How was he to know that offering to pay for his sister’s wedding would bring bridal seamstress Andie Gray, with her maddening allure, into his world and tear down the walls he’d built around his heart?
She’s the kind of woman he’s spent ten years avoiding, and he’s everything her ex is. But the pull between them is unavoidable and neither of them can fight it. Perhaps a no-strings-attached kind of deal is exactly what they both need.
Or is it the one thing they should avoid?
Read on for a sneak peak of Save the Date by R. J. Groves.
Chapter 1
Andie couldn’t tear her eyes away from the mirror.
She looked—felt—pretty. Prettier than she ever had before. Her breath caught in her throat. It felt like a chokehold. She wasn’t used to these mixed feelings. She wasn’t used to feeling beautiful and shattered at the same time.
Ever since she was a child, she’d dreamed about her perfect wedding at that beautiful vineyard in Darlington, with fairy lights and paper lanterns as far as the eye could see. Surrounded by flowers and loved ones. A wedding that looked as though it had just been pulled from a Disney movie. She’d always wanted it, dreamed of it. It would be perfect. Magical. She’d believed in fairy tales, and that was going to be hers.
Not anymore.
She struggled to believe in anything now.
‘You ‘kay, babe?’ Harley said, plucking another pin from her mouth and sticking it in the side of the wedding dress.
Andie blinked at the mirror, forcing herself to breathe again, her eyes drifting down at the magnificent wedding dress she was wearing. It shouldn’t affect her like this. It was just a dress, after all.
‘Tell me again why I have to wear this thing?’ she said, her voice shaky. She forced herself to take another deep breath before she worked herself into a panic attack.
Harley pulled the remaining pin from her mouth and stuck it in near Andie’s hip. Andie cringed as the pin pierced her skin. She hoped she wouldn’t bleed on the dress. For Harley’s sake.
‘Your measurements are closer to the model’s than mine,’ Harley said, frowning at the last pin she’d just stuck in. She tugged on the fabric and Andie felt like her insides were being squeezed up to her throat. ‘I need to pull it in a couple more inches. I swear that girl has no hips.’ Harley leaned to the side to write her notes in her book.
Andie turned a little and eyed her reflection. As beautiful as this dress was, the mermaid cut just didn’t feel flattering on her. No doubt that model thrived in dresses like this. While the model was only slightly curvy and mostly skin and bones, Andie was a tad more generous in the hips and chest, her waist a little thicker.
‘What’s wrong with the mannequin?’ Andie said, glancing up at the time. She had a ten o’clock who should be arriving any moment, and she did not intend on meeting them in a wedding dress.
‘You can only do so much on a mannequin,’ Harley said, rising to her feet and gathering up her work. ‘And since this monster refuses to come to the fittings and insists on complaining the fit is wrong at the photo shoot, I need to make do with what I’ve got.’ She stilled, studying Andie. ‘It’s never bothered you before.’
Andie swallowed. She’d tried not to let what happened affect her work. She knew it would be hard to continue working in a bridal shop after her engagement fell through. But she had to try her best. Had to keep herself distracted.
‘That was before …’ she muttered, feeling herself taking short, quick breaths. God, it was hard to breathe in this thing.
‘Of course,’ Harley said, her expression apologetic. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t think. It’s still recent.’
Indeed, it was. Six weeks had done nothing to ease the pain. She heard the phone ring from the front room, and Harley grimaced at her, her arms full of fabric scraps and notes.
‘Do you mind getting that?’ she said. ‘I need to deal with all this before I forget what needs to be done.’
Andie’s eyebrow lifted and she glanced down at the dress she was wearing. ‘In this?’
Harley grimaced again. ‘I know. I’ll only be a minute. Then I’ll help you get out of that thing.’
‘Fine,’ Andie muttered, shuffling towards the front room.
Shuffling, because that’s all she could do in this damn thing. It hugged her body so tightly she worried that bigger steps would either kill her or make her burst out of the dress. And Harley had put too much work into it to damage it now. She reached the phone just in time and booked in yet another anxious bride for an appointment. She wondered why so many brides were anxious when planning the biggest day of their lives. She hadn’t been anxious about her wedding at all.
Perhaps she should have been.
Writing a note next to the appointment in the book, she hung up the phone and heard the jingle as the front door opened.
Great.
Her ten o’clock was here and she was still in this damned dress.
‘I won’t be a moment.’ She finished writing the note and glanced up.
She froze.
Had she stopped breathing again?
It was magnificent.
He was magnificent.
Broad, strong shoulders filled his suit well. She’d warrant the rest of his torso was just as solid beneath his shirt. Shoulders like that almost guaranteed it. His suit was tailored to fit and boy, did it fit him well. His strong thighs seemed to hold promises. Was that possible? And his shoes were neat, polished, squared at the toes. She lifted her gaze and felt her heart pound against her chest.
He was taller than her. If she had her highest heels on, she would only reach his shoulders. God, even his neck looked strong. He had dark brown hair that was slightly too long but neatly trimmed, a perfectly square jaw sporting trimmed stubble, and his eyes—she couldn’t quite discern them. His gaze made her feel both intimidated and as though she was a specimen.
This was not her ten o’clock.
Her ten o’clock went by the name of Libby Ballin.
And he was no Libby Ballin.
***
She was like a wild deer caught in the headlights.
Her eyes were wide and round, her auburn hair tied in a neat bun at the base of her head, her fringe resting to one side. Her nose was straight, her chin pointed, her neck slender. Something stirred inside him and he banished the feeling. His eyes followed the rest of her, falling to the roundness of her breasts looking as though they might burst out of the strapless dress. Tay’s gaze followed her curves, lingering at her supple hips before he realised what she was wearing.
A wedding dress.
He cleared his throat, dropping his gaze. A feeble attempt to regain control over himself. Hell, when had he ever been the kind of guy to lose control around a beautiful woman? His eyes shifted back to look at her again—still frozen in place—and he diverted his gaze once more. Obviously, the woman was here for a fitting. And therefore, was already with someone. Not that it mattered. He had neither the time nor the patience for relationships.
‘I was assured we had the first appointment.’
He barely recognised his own voice. Rough. Choked. Annoyed? He sure as hell felt annoyed. He�
�d told Libby to get the first appointment of the day. He was short on time and needed this done and dusted as soon as possible. He didn’t have time to wait until another woman finished a lengthy fitting. Hearing no response from the woman, he glanced back. She still hadn’t moved. His whole body clenched, though from annoyance or stopping himself from taking her in his arms, he wasn’t entirely sure. Perhaps a bit of both.
‘Does anyone work here?’ he called out, a little louder to reach anyone out back.
He didn’t shift his gaze from the woman, and hadn’t missed her flinch when he’d called out. Curious. He took a step closer, then another. She blinked. He could see the rise and fall of her chest and he hated that each heave made him pulse below the belt.
She’s unavailable.
He stopped when he reached the reception desk. ‘Pretty dress,’ he said, hoping it sounded casual instead of choked. ‘When’s the wedding?’
She blinked again, her brow creasing, something changing in her eyes. They were mysterious. A shade of green that could almost be mistaken for brown unless you were up close. He nodded, indicating the dress she was wearing. Slowly, her eyes dropped. His eyes followed, noticing her white knuckles as one hand pressed against the appointment book and the other clutched a pen.
‘Oh,’ she said shakily, slowly releasing the pen and lifting her gaze to meet his again. ‘It’s not … mine.’ His eyebrow lifted. Her cheeks reddened. ‘I’m just helping Harley with some adjustments.’ She laughed awkwardly. ‘This is supposed to be for a photo shoot but the model refuses to come for the fittings.’