by Lori Wilde
Reporters started shouting questions again, but Paige didn’t answer them. Instead, she fished in the pocket of her shorts and pulled out the piece of paper holding the speech she’d planned to make to the reporter tomorrow.
Then she read it. “I’m here in Honey because I want to be. I wasn’t running away from something. I was running to something. I wanted a different life. I’m sorry if people were worried about me, but I needed to get away from all the craziness in my world. I needed to be with people who sincerely cared about me. People who were nice to me not because they wanted something but because they simply are nice people.”
A flurry of questions started again, but she ignored them. “I don’t feel bad about leaving Dallas. I don’t feel bad about calling off my wedding. It was the right thing to do. The only regret I have is that I may have hurt some of the kind people I have met in Honey. I didn’t mean to lie to you, and I’m very sorry. That’s all I’ve got to say.” She looked over the crowd. The reporters and photographers were looking at her like she was a carnival prize; her father and Adam looked smug, and the residents of Honey looked baffled.
As much as she hated it, there was no time like the present to get this over with. Then she could move on with her life. A life she very much wanted to include Max.
Dreading the task, she asked Max to stay with her, then she walked down the steps and started talking to every reporter. She said the same thing over and over and posed for countless photos until finally, the press left. As she talked, she found her gaze drifting often to Max. Although a lot of good things had come out of her stay in Honey, he was the best. She hoped they could work things out.
Once the reporters left, she walked over to where Adam was standing watching her. He glared at Max when they got close, but she no longer cared. She couldn’t believe she’d once thought herself in love with the man. Sure, he was handsome in a slick way, but he didn’t make her heart race the way Max did. He never had.
“Good to see you,” he said.
“Can’t say the same,” she pointed out. “Why didn’t you just drop this?”
He glanced at Max. “Hey, cowboy, mind giving us some space?”
“It’s up to Paige,” was all he said.
Paige smiled at him, happy he was here with her. “I want him to stay.”
He shrugged. “Fine by me. You know, running away like that was very childish. Your dad and I were worried.”
She laughed at that one. “No, you weren’t. You wanted to use me to get publicity. You should be happy that I didn’t tell the press the real reason why I left you.”
Rather than respond to her taunt, he ran one hand through his sandy-blond hair. “Yeah, well, that’s water under the bridge as they say. Hey, guess what? I signed the contract I’d been hoping to get. They really upped the money. Now that I’m well known, they think it will pull in more spectators. Especially women.”
She hated that he had gotten exactly what he’d wanted, but there was nothing she could do about it. Well, maybe there was. She could put him in the past and live a happy life. “Great. Well, since you accomplished what you wanted, then you have no reason to keep chasing me.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s been nice, Alyssa.” With a glance at Max, he said, “Guess he’s my replacement, huh?”
“Goodbye, Adam,” was all she said. Then she threaded her hand through Max’s and headed toward her father. He was standing outside the café, talking to the one remaining journalist. Typical.
She was partway across the parking lot when she encountered Diane. She let go of Max’s hand long enough to hug her friend. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you.”
Rather than being upset, Diane hugged her back and laughed. “I knew something was up. I told Kyle that something wasn’t right.”
“I’m so relieved you aren’t mad,” she said.
Diane shook her head. “Not at all. You proved me right. So who is Max?” She glanced at him. “Are you her bodyguard?”
Still, she didn’t want to share all the details so all she said was, “Something like that.”
After another hug and a promise to talk the next day, Paige left Diane and headed toward her father. She looked up at Max. “Are you okay?”
The smile he gave her warmed her heart. “I always am when I’m with you.” Then his smile turned into a grin. “Sappy, I know, but it’s true.”
She leaned up on her tippy-toes and kissed him, not caring if people took their picture. “I love sappy.”
Fortified by the kiss, she continued toward her father. He flashed his trademark wide smile at her when she got close.
“Hey there, Alyssa. Wish you’d stopped by when the television folks were here so they could listen in on our conversation,” he said. “Shame to lose this opportunity.”
Paige sighed and shook her head. “No, it’s not, Dad. I only want to talk to you. I don’t want it broadcast all over Texas and the world.”
He frowned but agreed. “Fine. But it seems to me that lots of people are interested, and we shouldn’t disappoint them.”
Exasperated, she walked into the café with Max and waited for her father to follow. His expression made it obvious that he wasn’t happy about Max being there, but she didn’t care. This wasn’t about him.
Once inside, she sat at one of the tables away from the door and waited until her father sat across from her. Max stayed across the room near the door, his arms folded across his chest. He didn’t like her father, and she couldn’t blame him.
“So, Alyssa…”
“Paige,” she said. “I prefer being called Paige. I always did.”
She knew that would bother him. He’d never liked her middle name. Her mother had selected it, which was why she preferred it. But her father must have decided it wasn’t worth a fight. “Fine. Paige. You’ve made a real mess of everything.”
“I don’t think so. I think I did the right thing. You and Adam should have dropped it. You both knew why I called off the wedding.”
“Now, dear, that’s not true,” he said, his tone annoyingly patronizing. “We both care deeply about you and were worried. Why else would I hire Walker here to find you? I will say, he didn’t do his job right. I’m certainly not going to pay him, but that doesn’t matter now.”
Paige glanced at Max. He didn’t react to her father’s insult, but she wasn’t about to let this stand. “Yes, you are going to pay him. He did what you wanted. He found me.”
Her father’s laugh was hollow. “Lot of good it did me. He never told me where you were, which was the whole point.”
“I don’t care,” Max said. “I don’t want your money, Roger.”
Deciding to take a different approach, Paige looked directly at her father. “If you want me in your life in any way, you will pay Max. You also will donate generously to the charities since you ruined the end of this carnival. In return, I’ll see you a few times a year. That’s it, Dad. Take it or leave it.”
She expected him to protest, but instead, he sighed. “Fine. I’ll pay Walker and give money to whatever the other thing is you mentioned. I know you don’t believe me, but I really do love you.”
Paige wanted to believe him, and maybe in his own way, he did. But his way wasn’t healthy, and she needed to create her own life away from him.
“I guess,” she said.
He adjusted his tie and then said, “When are you coming back to work?”
“I’m not. I’m going to stay here, in Honey.”
Her response seemed to surprise him. “Why? This hick town has nothing to offer. Come back to Dallas.”
Paige found her gaze drifting to Max, and they shared a smile. “This town has everything I want, and I plan to stay. I’ve never been happier. I love everything about this town.”
10
Max watched as Sugar ran around the backyard, obviously happy to finally be outside. Man, he was tired and glad the day was over. Paige and he had stuck around to help close up the booths, and then they’d headed
back to her house.
Now he was watching Sugar to make sure the little dog didn’t get into any trouble. When she finally happily trotted over to him, he opened the back door to let her in.
“Sugar is happy again,” he said, closing and locking the door behind him. He turned around to talk to Paige, but before he could say anything, she walked over and kissed him deeply. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
“I love you,” she said when the kiss ended.
He cupped her face. “I love you too. You mean everything to me.”
The smile she flashed at him was pure flirt. “I do?”
“Yes, and I’ve been wondering how you feel about the future. Were you sincere when you told your father you wanted to remain in Honey?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On where you are,” she said. “I want to be where you are.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her again. “Is that a fact?”
“Very much so,” she said.
“So what if I decide to buy a ranch near Honey? You want to live there with me?”
“Are you asking me to spend my life with you? Because it sure sounded that way to me,” she said.
“That's because that was exactly what I was asking.” He kissed her again, then added, “If you're interested.”
She pretended to think. “Sharing our future. Hmmm. You know, that sounds awfully like a proposal to me.”
Max gently lifted her arms away from his neck and then dropped to one knee.
“We didn't do anything in our relationship the traditional way, but I'm doing this right.” He held her hand, gazed into her eyes, and asked, “Will you marry me?”
“I would love to marry you,” she said, leaning down and tugging him to his feet. “I'm the luckiest woman alive.”
“I guess tossing that salt over your shoulder did the trick,” he said with a grin.
“Maybe.” She kissed him, then said, “Personally, I think my luck changed when I met and fell in love with the most fantastic person in the whole world. You'll love me forever, right?”
“I swear on my brother's head,” he said with a laugh as he slid his arms around her. “And you can't do better than that.”
Epilogue
“Think we have any chance of making it out of here in one piece?” Max surveyed the room, his hopes fading fast. Danger was everywhere.
Next to him, Paige sighed. “I don't know. It could be tricky. Ever been in a situation this tough before?”
Max counted the people between them and the door. Hal was waiting and so was Alma. In fact, all the wedding guests had formed two lines, leaving a narrow walkway to the front door. Even Paige's father and grandmother were part of the gang.
Every single person lined up looked suspicious. But the clincher was his brother, who stood near the front, a broad grin on his face, a devious glint in his eyes.
“I've survived a lot, but this...” Max gathered Paige close. “This doesn't look good.”
“Come on, you two. If you want to leave on your honeymoon, you're going to have to go by us,” Hal said in a singsong voice. “But don't worry. We won't do anything to you.”
Any chance he had of being believed disappeared when the crowd broke into laughter. Oh, yeah. These people were planning something.
“Hal, you're a terrible liar,” Paige hollered. “You promised you wouldn't do anything to us if we had the wedding reception here at the café.”
Hal’s eyes grew wide, and he feigned innocence. “Did I? Well, you know better than to trust me.”
Max sighed. He and Paige had worked hard planning this wedding. Everything had been perfect. The ceremony had gone off without a hitch. The reception had been great. For a while, he'd even started to think Paige had been right to hold the wedding in Honey rather than in Dallas.
But now...he surveyed the gauntlet between them and the door. This had been a big mistake.
“Come on, it won't be too bad,” Travis teased. “You can take it. You're tough.”
“Remind me to kick you off my ranch when I get back from my honeymoon,” Max told his brother.
Travis laughed. “Coward.”
That was it. Max gave Paige a lingering kiss, then told her, “Every day, my love for you grows. I love you more than life, so I'll protect you. I can shield you with my body.”
“I love you, too,” Paige said. “And I'm not worried about these people. We can take them. We’re tough.”
Max was thrilled to hear her say that. Nodding at the two lines that had formed on either side of the door, he said, “Assuming we make it through.”
Paige laughed. “I believe in us.”
He couldn’t help smiling. He believed in them too. In the last few months, they’d bought a ranch near Honey and were remodeling the house. They planned on raising therapy horses and had already finished fixing up the barn.
Things were going great.
Now all that was between them and their future was making a run for the door. On the way, they’d be surrounded by soap bubbles. Thousands and thousands of soap bubbles. Each person in the two lines that had formed held a truly impressive bubble gun.
“We can do this,” Paige said. Her smile was sexy and bright, and Max had never loved her more than he did at this moment. Life with Paige was going to be amazing.
“Come on, Max,” Travis said, baiting him. “Show your new bride how brave you are.”
Paige threaded her fingers through his. “So, Max, are you with me?”
He looked at the woman he loved so deeply. “Yes, I'm with you. I'll always be with you,” he promised.
She laughed and gave him a quick kiss. “My hero.”
Then they began to run.
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Love and light,
Lori and Liz
About Liz Alvin & Lori Wilde
Liz Alvin
Liz Alvin has loved reading and writing for as long as she can remember. In fact, she majored in literature at college just so she could spend her days reading great stories. When it came to her own stories, she decided to write romances with happy endings because she’s a firm believer in love.
She’s been married to her own hero for over 30 years. They live in Texas near their adult children and are surrounded by rescue dogs and a rescue cat.
Lori Wilde
Lori Wilde is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers’ Weekly bestselling author of 89 works of romantic fiction. She’s a three time Romance Writers’ of America RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Readers’ Choice Award. She has won numerous other awards as well.
Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide.
Her breakout novel, The First Love Cookie Club, has been optioned for a TV movie.
Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University. She holds a certificate in forensics, and is also a certified yoga instructor.
A fifth generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World; where they run Epiphany Orchards, a writing/creativity retreat for the care and enrichment of the artistic soul.
Also by Lori Wilde & Liz Alvin
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Handsome Cowboy
Handsome Hotshot
Handsome Wrangler
Handsome Hero
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Texas Rascals Series:
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Nick
Kurt
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Jonah
Copyright © 2020 by Lori Wilde & Liz Alvin
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