Love, Laughter & Happily Ever After: A sweet romantic comedy collection

by Ellie Hall

  “Cool,” Beckett said. “I’m excited to read the series.”

  “Really?” Camdyn said, nervous about him reading her work. He’d asked her a lot of questions about her writing and, like any author, Camdyn had talked about her characters and their stories as if they were real people. But she didn’t think an attractive twenty-eight-year-old male model—okay, Beckett was a marketing genius—would want to read her books. “You know my target audience is middle-graders, right?”

  “Yeah, but isn’t the new one you’re working on targeted for an older audience?”

  Yes. And Maksim may or may not resemble Beckett Young. She’d have to be careful about not making it too obvious if he really did read her books.

  “That’s the goal.” She slipped her notebook into her purse, feeling nervous about meeting some of Beckett’s business associates while posing as his girlfriend. Especially since Beckett had mentioned the reason he was attending the wedding was to show the two owners how committed he was to Jessup and Porter Marketing Firm and possibly woo a few of the wealthy guests to let Beckett help with marketing their various businesses.

  Beckett also said that Houston Porter, the senior partner, was planning on retiring next year and since he didn’t have any sons to take over, he was looking for his replacement from within the office. Camdyn wondered why Beckett didn’t do the obvious thing and date Paisley Jessup since her daddy was the other owner. When she’d asked Beckett, he’d said that Paisley wasn’t his type. So now Camdyn was also obsessing over what kind of girl was his type since she’d done a little social media stalking on Paisley and discovered she might be Jessica Alba’s secret twin sister.

  “Are you sure you want me to be your girlfriend and not just a friend your bringing as a date?”

  “I’ve answered that question two times,” Beckett said, decreasing the speed as he veered toward the exit. “And the answer is still yes.”

  “Okay, just checking.”

  “But maybe I should be asking you if you want to be my girlfriend?”

  Camdyn had to remind herself not to shout out a loud YES because the question was for a hypothetical girlfriend. “Of course.” Her voice squeaked a little so she cleared her throat. “We made a deal.”

  “And we have ground rules,” Beckett teased.

  “Right.” Rules that were created for her since Beckett made it clear their agreement had a no-strings-attached clause, and Camdyn was already close to breaking rule number one before they had even left her apartment.

  Honestly, she’d been infatuated with Beckett since the first time she’d ever laid eyes on him. But Camdyn had never told anyone how she felt. Not even Nikki. There were times where Nikki must have suspected Camdyn was crushing on her brother because she would ask her if she liked Beckett, but every time, Camdyn vehemently denied it. She didn’t want to risk ruining their friendship like what had happened with Shandy, another girl in their friend circle, when she’d confessed she was in love with Beckett.

  Of course, the friendship going south may have had more to do with a sixteen-year-old Shandy sneaking into Beckett’s bed during a sleepover, wearing nothing but her lacy bra and panties. Fortunately, Beckett wasn’t into committing felonies with a minor and kicked the girl out before making Nikki call Shandy’s parents to come and get their wayward daughter.

  Still, Camdyn wanted to talk to Nikki about these crazy feelings because she was her best friend. Even though Nikki had always told Beckett that her friends were off-limits to him, Camdyn wasn’t underage and she wasn’t about to jump into bed with him. Nikki would probably make an exception for her, right? Unless it ended badly and made everything weird. Just like it was weird now that she and David weren’t dating.

  So yeah, Camdyn figured it was for the best that she didn’t talk to Nikki since the relationship with Beckett wasn’t going anywhere. She and Beckett were helping each other out. And so far, Beckett was fulfilling his end of the bargain wonderfully. His sultry scent alone had revealed an inner romantic side Camdyn didn’t know existed.

  Before they went their separate ways, she had to find out the name of Beckett’s cologne in case she lost her inspiration once the weekend was over. If her romance muse refused to show up for work, she could spray the scent on her pillow, blankets and maybe her clothing to unlock her creativity.

  Glancing out the side window, Camdyn took in the lovely scenery. She loved everything about Savannah, from the Southern live oaks draped with Spanish moss to the historic houses, the waterfront, and amazing food. She was starving and wished they could veer off course and eat at her favorite restaurant in downtown Savannah, but Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room was only open for lunch and it was approaching seven-thirty in the evening. There were plenty of other good places to eat but Beckett promised to feed her once they arrived at the estate for the meet and greet.

  The Savannah skyline faded as they drove along the expressway leading to Wilmington Island. At last, the GPS declared their final destination was only a few miles away. Camdyn’s eyes got wider and wider as Beckett drove past homes that looked more like hotels. Minutes later, they arrived at the Riverfront Estate. Camdyn’s gasped when they drove through tall iron gates and she got her first look at the fifteen-bedroom estate the bride’s father had rented for the weekend. The French Caribbean-style house was twice as big as the previous homes, rivaling the all-inclusive resort Nikki and Jeff had booked for their honeymoon in the Bahamas. The guard at the gatehouse had given them a map, which showed there three guest cottages on the estate as well.

  “Oh my gosh, this is gorgeous,” she said as Beckett followed the car in front of him.

  “Yeah, this is how the other half lives,” he said, waiting for a kid wearing an orange vest to give him the okay to park next to a line of very expensive cars.

  The second Beckett cut the engine, Camdyn heard the beat of a song vibrating the air by her favorite country artist Colin Wilde. He’d married a girl from Georgia, not far from where Camdyn had grown up. At least the other half had good taste in music.

  “Sit tight,” Beckett said when she started to open her door.

  Camdyn’s body swayed to the beat. She loved dancing and almost couldn’t sit still as Beckett came around to her side of the car. The volume of the music flared when he opened her door, and Beckett held out his hand to help her out of the car. His Southern manners were sweet and gentlemanly and so incredibly romantic, which was interesting since he wasn’t the first man to open her car door for her and help her out.

  “Thank you,” Camdyn said, stepping out of the car and trying to ignore the flock of butterflies taking flight inside her tummy just from holding his hand. A light, warm breeze caught the edge of her dress. “Whoops,” she said, pulling her hand free to subdue the hem so it didn’t reveal the color of her panties to Beckett and the trio of girls walking their way.

  Before leaving her apartment, Camdyn had changed out of the formal cocktail dress into a flirty coral-colored dress. She’d worried it would be too casual but now she felt slightly overdressed compared to the three women who looked like they were ready to start their shift at Hooters.

  “Hello, ladies,” Beckett said, infusing that Southern charm of his as he moved to shield Camdyn while she smoothed her skirt down.

  “That’s not Malorie,” a snooty girl said instead of returning Beckett’s friendly greeting.

  Camdyn’s Spidey senses were telling her the snooty voice belonged to Paisley Jessup. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her statement. It meant Beckett had needed her as a girlfriend for the reason he’d said and not because he actually might want her because he was into her.

  “You are correct,” Beckett said. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Camdyn Taylor.” Beckett turned and snagged Camdyn around the waist, pulling her to his side. “Camdyn, this is Paisley Jessup,” he said, indicating the Jessica Alba lookalike, only this version had angry eyes and her lips were thinner.

  “Hey,” Camdyn said, leaning into Becke
tt’s side to establish her role as his girlfriend and perhaps stake her claim while she was at it.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you and Malorie broke up?” Paisley said, shooting flames of volcanic ash at Beckett with her light brown eyes.

  “I guess it never came up at work,” Beckett said, a hint of irritation in his voice. “Are you going to introduce us to your friends?”

  Paisley pinned a hostile glare on Camdyn, her nostrils flaring like a bull about to charge. This only made Camdyn dig her heels in deeper or, in this case, snuggle closer to Beckett. She barely refrained from sticking her tongue out.

  “Krissy and Heidi,” Paisley said, not bothering to point out who was who.

  “Hey, I’m Heidi,” a cute redhead said. “And this is, Krissy.”

  Krissy, who had the body of a Victoria’s Secret model, swung her long, dark hair to the side while she openly checked Camdyn out. “You look different from when you were on Sweet Georgia Singles.”

  “She wasn’t on SGS,” Paisley snapped. “I just told y’all that she isn’t Malorie.”

  “Riigghht,” Krissy said, drawing out the word as if she was pretending to understand a complicated math equation when she really had no clue what the answer was. “So you’re not Malorie?”

  Bless her heart. Krissy’s porch light was on but there was obviously no one at home. “No, I am not Malorie.” Did Camdyn need to repeat her name here?

  “Yeah, you don’t look a thing like her,” Krissy said. “You have blonde hair and blue eyes.” She tossed her dark hair over her other shoulder. “And you’re way prettier.”

  Paisley made a choking sound and her eyes bugged out like she was one of those squishy toys that you squeezed in the middle.

  “Why thank you, Krissy,” Camdyn said, wondering how this girl could possibly think Beckett’s former girlfriend looked anything like Camdyn. Malorie was from Brazil with sleek black hair and eyes the color of dark cocoa. Oh, and she was about five inches taller than Camdyn’s 5’4. “That’s really sweet of you to say,” she said, pinching Beckett’s side when he snickered.

  “So sweet,” Paisley said with a smile that was as fake as her boobs.

  The music cut off and there was a screeching sound like someone was using a microphone and got too close to the speakers. Then a deep voice welcomed everyone to Stephanie and Kirk’s wedding.

  “Sounds like things are getting underway,” Beckett said. “We’re going to head on back to say hey to Stephanie and Kirk and then get something to eat.” Beckett let go of Camdyn’s waist and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “Ready, babe?” he asked with a sexy grin that made her insides do funny things and her brain go all fuzzy.

  Several seconds ticked by as Beckett held her gaze, a slightly worried look forming on his face. Oh, wait. He was talking to her. “Yes, I’m ready…pumpkin,” Camdyn said, adding the lame term of endearment as an afterthought.

  Amusement crinkled the corners of Beckett’s eyes before he tugged on her hand and led her toward the party.

  “I’m not sure Paisley bought that I’m really your girlfriend,” Camdyn whispered when they were out of earshot from the girls following behind them.

  “I know, pumpkin,” Beckett said, taking a slight detour to lead her off of the path. “That’s why I need to do this.”

  6

  “Do what?” Camdyn hissed as Beckett continued leading her away from the stone pathway. “Kill me off and then dispose of my body?”

  Beckett smiled but didn’t answer her. He didn’t care if Paisley believed him or not. It was just a great excuse to finally do what he’d wanted to do for the past three hours. Kiss Camdyn Taylor.

  He just needed to find a spot that was secluded enough Camdyn wouldn’t resist him but still visible to Paisley and her Paisleyettes. Okay, that wasn’t fair to Heidi. She seemed like a nice girl. And Krissy. Well, she wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the chandelier so he couldn’t fault her for being friends with Paisley.

  “I think you’re going the wrong way,” Camdyn said. “The food is the other direction and I’m hungry.”

  Yeah? Well, so was he. “This should work,” he said when they reached a small outdoor patio that was shadowed by the pool house.

  “Work for—” Camdyn’s words were swallowed up when Beckett swooped down and covered her mouth with his. Her lips were soft and warm and kissing her was like nothing Beckett had ever experienced. It was like waiting in a long line for the new rollercoaster and then finally…finally it was his turn and the ride was even better than he’d ever imagined.

  Camdyn kissed him back with a simmering passion that had Beckett’s heart pounding and his head spinning. He had to make a conscious effort to keep his hands planted on her hips so he didn’t break one of her rules. He wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted but they had to come up for air sometime. He edged back and peered into Camdyn’s blue eyes. Her pupils were large and she looked as dazed as he felt.

  “I think you convinced her,” Camdyn said, her voice sounding sexy and raspy like it was morning and she’d just woken up.

  Beckett wasn’t sure how she knew Paisley might have witnessed their kiss since he could barely remember his own name. “Yeah,” he said, his tone just as gravelly as Camdyn’s. “Glad our plan worked so well.”

  Camdyn’s blue eyes cooled a few degrees before she untangled herself from his arms. “Yep, gotta stick to the plan.” She smoothed a hand down her skirt and gave him a smile that didn’t quite make her eyes sparkle. “Let’s go mingle.”

  Beckett was a pretty smart guy, at least according to his 3.9 GPA, but he had no clue what he’d said or done just now. “What’s wrong?” he asked, jogging to catch up to Camdyn since she’d taken off for the party like she’d run out of oxygen and it was the only place she could get air.

  “Nothing’s wrong.” She picked up her pace, which was easier for her to do now that she’d opted to wear more practical shoes she’d called wedges. “I’m just super hungry.”

  He didn’t get a chance to delve any deeper since Camdyn had already entered the courtyard where the party was well underway with music, laughter, food and several bars where the alcohol flowed like a fountain of soda at a kid’s party.

  Camdyn made a beeline straight for the nearest bar. He didn’t think she was a drinker. Beckett rarely indulged because people said and did stupid things when they were drinking, and he liked being in full control of his faculties. He relaxed when he came up behind Camdyn just in time to hear her order.

  “I’ll have a virgin Miami vice, please,” she said to the bartender.

  “Where’s the fun in that?” the bartender asked her with a wink. He held up the bottle of rum. “You sure you don’t want any of the good stuff?”

  “No, thank you, Hunter,” Camdyn said, reading the guy’s nametag. “I’m deathly allergic to any alcohol. The last bartender who spiked my drink ended with someone calling 911 and then the police hauling him off to jail.”

  Beckett knew Camdyn wasn’t allergic to alcohol. The rest of her story was true, though. Her drink had been spiked at a party and luckily his little sister had caught the whole thing on video and then called the police after making sure Camdyn didn’t drink it.

  Setting the rum down, Hunter’s face blanched as white as the pina colada syrup he picked up to make her drink. “You should really wear a bracelet or something,” Hunter said.

  “Hmm, not sure that would help if no one bothers to check my wrist before disregarding my wishes,” Camdyn said with a sweet smile.

  While Hunter made her drink, Beckett had to stay behind Camdyn to wait for the woman in front of him to get her order. He didn’t like the way Hunter kept shooting Camdyn longing looks that said he totally wanted to meet up with her once his shift was over.

  “Here you go,” Hunter said, placing a beautifully symmetrical red and white drink in front of Camdyn. “One virgin Miami vice for the prettiest girl here.”

  Finally, the woman in front of Beckett left
the bar, and he moved in close enough to catch Camdyn’s flowery scent. “She is the prettiest girl here,” Beckett said, wrapping a proprietary arm around her waist.

  Hunter’s lips flattened into a tight line. “What can I get for you, sir?” he asked, his tone not nearly as friendly as when he was talking to Camdyn.

  “I’ll have the same thing as my girlfriend.”

  “Are you allergic to alcohol too?” Hunter questioned, his voice spiked with enough sarcasm to get drunk on.

  “Nope, but I will be kissing her tonight. A lot. And I don’t want to risk her inadvertently getting any through osmosis.”

  Camdyn covered a laugh with a hiccup and then pinched Beckett’s forearm as if to say, you are getting in trouble for that later on. He wanted to return the pinch, only a little lower to say, I sure hope so.

  Hunter didn’t look like a biology major so hopefully he wouldn’t know Beckett was full of crap. Giving Camdyn one last longing look, the guy turned to make Beckett’s drink.

  “That is so not true,” Camdyn murmured, this time elbowing Beckett in the side.

  Leaning down, Beckett’s mouth brushed the top of Camdyn’s ear. “The part about me kissing you is true,” he whispered, feeling rather pleased with himself when she shivered.

  “We’ll see about that,” she said with just enough sass to tempt him to push her hair to the side and place his mouth against the skin right below her ear. Just thinking about kissing her neck stoked a roaring fire low in his belly. Before Beckett could make a move, Camdyn sidestepped away from him to pick up her drink. “I’m thinking about amending the kissing rule to only one per day and maybe not quite so believable.”

  Her words put out the fire like someone had just dumped a five-gallon bucket of ice water over Beckett’s head. He hoped she wasn’t serious. Also, did she think that kiss had all been a show for Paisley and her friends? Okay, so that was the excuse he’d used but it wasn’t all for show. The truth was, Beckett had wanted to kiss her more than he’d wanted anything in a long time. And, let’s not forget, Camdyn had kissed him back.