Garth: Arranged Marriage (Members From Money Book 15)

by Katie Dowe

  “What do you want from us?” Olivia said soberly. “And before you start telling us the casket you want to be buried in and the flowers and songs you want, I am telling you right now if you start giving up I am walking out of here.”

  They all turned to look at her in shock and then Leesa laughed. “We all needed that. I am not one to give up, darling.” Her eyes sought the others. Felicia who cried at the drop of a hat had tears in her eyes and Deandra was fighting tears. “You all know me and know that I am never going to give up. We are trying to find a way to tell the children. Leigh-Ann is away in Europe on a modeling gig and the boys are at home. I need someone to talk to Brad.”

  “I will ask Garth to do that. They work together,” Olivia spoke up.

  “Thanks, darling. That man can be so stubborn.”

  “He loves you and cannot bear to think he is losing you,” Ciara said quietly.

  Leesa looked at her for a moment and then nodded. “He is not.”

  *****

  Bradley drank down the liquor and felt the burning in his gut. He had been trying to use the alcohol to make him stop feeling but so far it was not working. He stood in his office on the fifteenth floor of the building with his name on it and stared down at the traffic. He had not spoken to Leesa and he had not slept in the same bed with her for the first time since they had been married almost twenty years now. He had felt like crap but he could not bear to lay there beside her and pretend that everything was fine. She was his life and if he lost her he was never going to make it no matter that they had the three children to think about. She had barreled her way into his life and grabbed him by the heart and the hold had tightened over the years. She had taken him by storm and gave him a life that he had never imagined possible! His green eyes darkened as he saw his door being pushed open. He had told his secretary that he was not entertaining any visitors. “Not now, Garth,” he said abruptly as the man came in.

  “I am afraid it has to be now and Jeremy, Kane, and Patrick are on their way over.” Garth closed the door behind him and came over to the window, looking down. “What are you drinking?”

  “Scotch.” He smiled humorlessly. “I am afraid there isn’t enough for you.”

  Garth looked at the almost full bottle and laughed. “Good one.”

  “My Leesa has cancer,” he said numbly.

  “And you are going to get her the best oncologists in the entire world. We are part of a group of very powerful men and we are not going to sit by and let her die,” Garth told him.

  Brad’s eyes flew to him.

  “My wife was shoved down the stairs and almost died and I wanted to die. One of the reason why we as part of the group are so close is because we love unconditionally and we happen to love women who are strong and independent. We have all faced some near misses and something that touched our lives and we have been able to overcome.”

  “And we are going to,” Patrick Copeland said from the doorway as he made his way over.

  “When one of us hurts then all of us do,” Jeremy said quietly.

  “We are here to help,” Kane reassured him.

  *****

  They were there for the family. Even Prince Alexander and Princess Debbie flew over to give their support. The papers got wind of it and printed that Leesa Wellington an avid supporter of cancer now finds herself in the same condition. Former first Lady Melore Hawkins rallied around her and the wives were there for her. She cried at the enormous support. The cancer was treated aggressively and very soon she was able to leave the hospital and go home. When she did it was to find them all gathered at her sprawling country home with a banner pinned onto trees with the words: ‘Welcome Home Leesa. We love you!’

  Her husband had her in his arms and refused to put her down. He had suffered throughout the ordeal and had lost some weight but there was a gleam of relief on his handsome face. “Are you going to put me down?” she asked him tenderly.

  “Not a chance,” he whispered, his eyes roving her face hungrily. “Never.”

  “I can live with that.” He made his way in the middle of the throng and she stayed right in his arms and said her thanks.

  *****

  Garth grabbed her around the waist and held her fast. It was the middle of September and the renovations for the house had begun. Ophelia was a chubby three-month-old baby adored by everyone including her big brother who called her ‘Lia’ not able to pronounce her name properly. They had started calling her that as well. They were out on the balcony enjoying the fall breeze and having glasses of wine sent over by Princess Debbie. Leesa was doing very well and was up and about in spite of her husband forbidding her to be. Blake Heywood had stood by his wife surprisingly going to visit her whenever he could at the mental facility she had been ordered to spend her sentence but true to form he had started seeing someone else.

  “Hey,” she turned around to face him. She used her hands to frame his handsome face. She loved him so much that it was like a live thing inside her. He and her children meant so much to her! “I am right here,” she smoothed out the frown on his brow. “I am right here.”

  “Bradley almost lost it,” he whispered as his fingers dug into her waist. She was so petite, he thought suddenly. “He told me that if he lost Leesa he was not going to make it.”

  “But he did not lose her,” she soothed and rubbed her hands over his arms as if to warm him with her touch.

  “They have been married almost twenty years and he is still vulnerable.”

  “He is still in love with her,” Olivia corrected him. “We are going to be in love with each other forever.”

  “It’s hard,” he muttered feverishly as he stared down at her. She had become his lifeline and he was not sure he could ever be without her.

  “Did you watch all of Twilight movies?” she asked him suddenly.

  “What?” He stared at her confused.

  “The last one was when Bella and Edward and the rest of the clan had to fight for their daughter. There was always clear and present danger in their lived and people told them that they were not going to make it but do you know what kept them going?”

  “I am sure you are going to tell me,” Garth said dryly.

  “It was their unbelievable love they had for each other and their fighting spirits. We have that. All the wives have that and the husbands as well. We have found something extraordinary and yes, it comes with trials and sometimes terror but we have the greatest force of all and that is love. It will always come through for us.”

  His hands framed her beautiful face. “You are amazing.”

  “That too,” she said teasingly. “I love you, darling, forever and ever.”

  “And beyond,” he whispered as she came into his arms.

  *****

  “It’s just luncheon with the girls,” she told him lightly as she went into his arms. “Since the illness, we have not met up with each other in groups.”

  “Leesa, you need to rest,” Bradley growled as he wrapped his arms around her small waist.

  “I have rested enough and you cannot keep me tied to you forever.” She kissed him full on the mouth and he deepened the kiss.

  “Hmm.”

  She leaned into him and closed her eyes as she felt him hardened against her. “I will be back before you know it.”

  “You had better be,” he growled as he bent his head and kissed her hungrily.

  *****

  “Another bottle of Dom, please, Marty,” Leesa called out.

  “It’s amazing how far we have come,” Carrie Copeland said, looking around the sweeping grounds of the Elite Club with a whimsical look on her face. “I used to work here and had a one night stand with Patrick that started it all.”

  “Maybe we should write a book,” Felicia said with a laugh. “We all have such amazing stories.”

  “Maybe you should be the one who does that,” Kelly said with an amused smile. She looked at her friend Leesa and was amazed at how good the woman looked.

&nb
sp; “Maybe Mark should write a song about it,” Latoya said with a smile. Her husband was one of the top song writers in the world and was away on tour just now.

  “Darling, he writes songs about you all the time, it is really becoming old,” Kelsey said dryly, causing the others to laugh.

  They spent another hour catching up and having a good time before they left.

  Later that evening Olivia sat in her son’s room while his dad read him a bedtime story. He had Ophelia in his arms and the little girl was quiet as she looked up at her dad, her expression rapt. Olivia curled her feet beneath her and rested her head back against the cushions, her mind at ease and her happiness at an all-time high. No matter what happened, as long as they loved each other it was going to be okay!

  The end.

  Throw Him My Way

  When a passion really heats up

  A complete BWWM romance story, brought to you by Ellie Etienne of BWWM Club.

  Heidi loves dogs, and works as a dog walker and trainer.

  But she dreams about being a famous singer, and can be found at every open mic night in town, singing her heart out.

  Everything changes for Heidi when she knocks over a scented candle at a client’s place and WHOOSH, the place burst into flames.

  Handsome fireman Christian Sanders gets everything under control with his team, but Heidi’s sparked a fire in his own heart.

  Soon he’s coming to her performances, and the flames of passion begin to rage between them.

  Plus, he introduces her to a music biz friend who can take her career to the whole next level.

  But when Christian is a no-show at her first big event, Heidi knows there’s something wrong…

  Something seriously wrong…

  Will the trials and challenges put this couple’s flame out forever?

  Or can they rekindle their love and make it last forever?

  Find out in this touching yet sexy romance by Ellie Etienne of BWWM Club.

  Suitable for over 18s only due to sex scenes so hot and heavy, you’ll be burning up.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 1

  “Come on, Apple. Go on, go have a pee.”

  Heidi Richards knew it was very unfair to blame the dog for having a name like that. Heaven knew people seemed to name their kids the most ridiculous things.

  Why, wasn’t Gwyneth Paltrow’s kid’s name Apple? Celebrities seemed to lose all common sense when it came to names. Well, the kid should have plenty of money to pay for the therapy she’d need to get over the trauma of being called Apple during alphabet classes.

  Or apple picking season.

  But her client was no celebrity. She might think she’s one because she had a yoga studio, and it was a fraud of a yoga studio, anyway.

  Really, Drawing the Moonlight was not a part of yoga, as far as Heidi knew. And what Heidi knew was a damn sight more than her client, Zoe the Ditz, knew.

  Even Apple, her unfortunately named poodle, knew more than Zoe the Ditz.

  “Oh, there you are, who’s a good dog, then? Have a treat for a good dog, for doing a good pee. That’s a good girl, Apple. Yes, you’re a good dog…”

  Heidi went off happily into the babble reserved only for dogs.

  She liked people just fine. She got along with them.

  But dogs were perfection, as far as she was concerned. Since she planned to be a successful singer – she was already a singer, but hoped the successful part would follow sooner rather than later – she couldn’t have a dog of her own yet. Her hours were too irregular, and her apartment, pre-success as she called it, too small for a dog.

  But her day job as a dog walker gave her that necessary woof-fix six days a week. Sometimes, she pulled an extra shift on Sundays, too.

  Morning and afternoon, she would walk her dogs, who she thought of as her real clients. At the moment, Heidi had seven clients, and Apple was prickly with other dogs, so she needed a solo run.

  After Apple had had her time in the sun, she would go back to Zoe’s ditzy apartment, say goodbye to Apple, and go on to the rest of the pack.

  Heidi loved them all.

  The afternoon walk was the best, because they were all so happy to see her. In a secret part of her, she considered all of them a little bit hers.

  She judged the people who asked her to walk the dogs in the morning so that they could sleep in, too. Perhaps once in a while, that made sense. But if you could never bother to drag yourself out of bed and take your dog for a walk, what was the point?

  Especially poor Timothy, the Great Dane. He already had a bit of a mournful face, but he really looked towards his silly person beseechingly every morning before giving up and making do with Heidi.

  Heidi was more than happy to give the poor boy what attention she could.

  “All right, Apple, shall we go home, then? Home? Home to Zoe? She should be done welcoming the sun now. Home to Zoe?”

  Apple did a little prancing dance that Heidi took to mean a resounding yes.

  Really, the dog was beyond adorable.

  “Let’s go home to Zoe! Come on, cupcake.”

  They were in perfect harmony, the kind that couldn’t be found through any amount of any asana, by the time they got back.

  Heidi nodded to strangers, and smiled, because that’s what she did. They smiled back because nobody could seem to resist Apple.

  The door was open when they got back.

  “Was Apple a good dog today?”

  Heidi’s opinion of Zoe went up a few notches, as it always did, when she saw how Apple and Zoe greeted each other. They really did love each other.

  “Oh, wonderful, as usual. Apple is amazing. Strikes me every day, how lucky you are. Both of you.”

  Zoe beamed.

  She was a perky blonde. She was probably sweet and pretty, too, but perky was the first word that occurred to most people when they saw Zoe.

  Heidi wasn’t perky. She was tall, languid and statuesque. The fact that she had enough energy and drive for two was usually quite neatly hidden away, until she needed to use it.

  She knew she was good-looking, and used that when she could. She had the pipes to make it big as a singer, and she was marketable.

  She just needed a break, and it would come, any minute. Soon, she assured herself quite often, but the ‘soon’ wasn’t happening quite soon enough.

  “Stay for breakfast?”

  Heidi shook her head a little too fast. Zoe put bran in everything.

  Heidi didn’t have anything against it, but she didn’t like bran pancakes. With kale and agave syrup. Who the hell even thought of such an atrocity? It was just a kale smoothie, and that was atrocity enough, anyway.

  She still wasn’t sure if that kale syrup was supposed to be a joke of some sort.

  “I’ve got another round to go. Have a good day, Zoe. Bye, Apple, you be a good girl, now. Yes, you’re a good girl.”

  A couple of sloppy kisses more, and Heidi left for her big batch of dogs.

  She had her timing right to avoid crowds. It wasn’t a good idea at all, trying to get through the sidewalk with six dogs, three of them quite big.

  So she needed to get both the timing and the route perfect, and she could get to the beach where they all often decided to go for a run.

  As she collected the dogs, she got exuberant greetings. The feeling was always mutual.

  Timothy did his usual pleading look before taking things in his rather long stride and greeting the others.

  In twenty minutes, they were all at the beach, and all of them, including Heidi, wished there could be off-leash time for them to run as much as their hearts desired. Sometimes, she loved the fact that she lived on Coney Island.

  Heidi had always loved running,
the speed and thrill of it. Heidi never wanted to run away, though. She always wanted to run towards something.

  But she could let them have some fun. So, with much whooping and laughing, they all ran, tumbling happily, until they got to the park where they could get some off-leash time.

  As usual, Juno, the little adopted mongrel she walked for free because the old lady, sweet Mrs. Morrison, could no longer take her for the long walks she loved, came and plopped down at her feet after a few minutes.

  Heidi poured her water and settled down to watch the others, keeping an eagle eye on them.

  “Juno, my darling girl, getting on a bit like your human, aren’t you? Well, you’re one of the luckiest ones here. Mrs. Morrison would take you for your walk every single day if she could. It’s only the arthritis that stops her. She adores you, you know that? Of course you do, you adore her, too. So you would know. There now, look at Timothy and Rover. Don’t they look ridiculous together? Of course Rover got the stick. That terrier has got some grip. We’ll just chill here and watch them for a while, shall we?”

  Balls were thrown, as were sticks, and when it was finally time to round them all up and take them back, Heidi was reluctant to do so.

  She didn’t want to give them up. They were so uncomplicated, and so was their love for her, and hers for them.

  They were family to her. Half of them were also family to the senior citizens who often depended on them for any company at all. Heidi was glad the other half belonged to young ‘entrepreneurs’, because she didn’t charge senior citizens as much as she should.

  But Heidi did need them. Heidi was pretty much alone in the world.

  But she didn’t mind, not all that much. She had a good life.

  It would be better when she finally found some real success, but she couldn’t complain, as things were.

  She could afford rent on her tiny apartment. Tiny, but it was hers.