The Dating Series

by L. P. Dover

  I grimace at the way she says those words. “The fact that I’m here, should tell you something London. I would go to the ends of the earth for you.”

  She scoffs again. “Don’t you mean Alyssa? Does she know you’re here slumming it?”

  I push off the railing and drop to my knees in front of London. She doesn’t bother stopping the swing from moving forward and smacks into my chest. I groan. She mumbles an apology and stops moving her foot. I take a chance, a big risk, and place my hands on her thighs. I expect her to punch me or push me away, but she doesn’t.

  “I don’t even know where to start with that comment, London. Not once have I ever made you feel like you are beneath me in anyway.”

  She glances at me and I can see a tear falling from her eye.

  “When I got to where my family sat for the regatta and couldn’t find you, I thought you got called into work or something. It wasn’t until I saw Alyssa and people started congratulating us on our engagement that I knew something had happened. When my mom told me everything, I had never felt so sick in my entire life.”

  “Imagine how I felt seeing that ring on her finger or thinking you were getting ready for the race when you were actually fucking her.”

  Her words make me bristle. How Alyssa could be so mean is beyond me. “The night before the race, I was on my boat. I wasn’t anywhere near Alyssa. She put it there, London. Not me. When my stepmother saw you sitting with my mom, she called Alyssa and they concocted this whole plan. I am not, and have never been, nor will I ever be, engaged to Alyssa Worthington.”

  “Why would they do that?” she asks through a stream of tears.

  “Because they’re bitches. They don’t care who they hurt as long as they get what they want.”

  “I am hurt,” she whispers.

  “Me too. And I’m angry. I’m so pissed off at my father for encouraging his wife to be tactless, and for him thinking he can control my life like this. To dictate who I’m with. He of all people shouldn’t judge anyone for who they fall in love with since his wife used to be a stripper.”

  London’s eyes go wide and I nod. “Yep, he cheated on my mom with her.”

  “They said some pretty nasty things to me.”

  I move from my position and sit down next to London. This time, I take the risk and pick her hand up, threading our fingers together. “My mom told me. I hope you know that I would never say those things about you, and I don’t look at you as someone who isn’t my equal. I meant what I said about Dawson’s. I want you to run the restaurant, to make it your own. I want us to be partners. I wish I could tell you to ignore what my dad said, but I know how words linger. I will never ask you to forgive him or forget. You can hold a grudge for the rest of your life, and I’ll support that. People like him and my stepmom, don’t deserve someone like you in their life.”

  London turns slightly, rocking the swing into motion. “You said ‘people shouldn’t judge anyone for who they fall in love with’.”

  I bring her hand to my lips and press a kiss there. “London, I am falling in love with you, and I’m falling fast. Ever since you started at the yacht club, I’ve wanted to ask you out. If I had then, it wouldn’t have been fair to you or Alyssa, because she and I were together. But when we broke up, all I could think about was getting back to the club to see you. That night I arrived, and you were working, I told myself that this was my chance. Our time.”

  London leans forward and kisses me. It’s chaste but perfect. As much as I’d love to make out with her, I have a feeling her mother is lingering by the window.

  “You know, I saw a barn behind the house. I’ve never done the ‘roll in the hay’ thing.”

  A hand comes down hard on my chest and I cower. “Sorry,” I mutter while trying to control my laughter. I look deep into London’s eyes and say, “In all seriousness, London. Come back to Newport with me. Be my partner at the marina, but more importantly, in life. I don’t want to spend another night without you by my side. Three years has been long enough.”

  Nine

  London

  ONE YEAR LATER – September

  Max has done it again with another Kingstown Regatta win! I stayed long enough to be by his side for the main interview, but I had to get back to our restaurant. That’s right…our restaurant. The past year has been a whirlwind of craziness. Sometimes I don’t even think it’s all real. Max won the regatta again without Vance and Yates as his mates. They competed against him, but they were no match for Max. And tonight, we celebrate. Not at the yacht club, and not at any of the other hoity toity places Max used to frequent all the time, but at our own pride and joy…Dawson’s Restaurant and Marina. We could’ve named it something else, but Max wanted to restore the old place to its original charm. It belongs to us both, Mr. and Mrs. Max Richmond. That’s right, we’re married! Instead of having a huge wedding, we eloped to the Maldives and only had our close family and friends there. It’s been the best five months of my life. So far, at least. I know more good times are about to happen.

  I hop out of my car and hurry to the restaurant entrance. Everyone will be showing up shortly and I have to make sure tonight is perfect. Ever since we opened, we’ve been booked solid. The one thing I made sure of when I agreed to open the restaurant with Max was that it must appeal to everyone, not just high society. I want everyone to feel welcome.

  When I walk inside, Kim is in the dining room, checking over all the tables. She looks up at me and smiles. “Everything is all ready for tonight, Mrs. Richmond.” The sound of my new name never gets old and she knows I love to hear it.

  “It smells amazing in here,” I gush, feeling my stomach growl.

  A couple of the best chefs in Rhode Island work for us and we’ve already been featured in several magazines. Even August Cahill, a foodie expert who travels around the world to various restaurants gave us a stellar review. It’s all been a dream come true.

  Cars start pulling into the parking lot and the growling in my stomach turns to quivering nerves. I want tonight to be epic. Max deserves all the success in the world. He’s done so much for me. All I wanted was to be a manager of a restaurant and now I’m the proud owner of one. When he isn’t helping me with the restaurant or the marina, he spends his spare time on the water, giving young sailors the chance to learn from the best. I have no doubt he’s training future regatta winners.

  Derek, one of our servers, rushes out from the back and waves when he sees me. “Congratulations, Mrs. Richmond.” Then he grins at Kim. “And to you too.”

  Kim beams. “Yeah, if it wasn’t for my boyfriend helping Max out, there’s no way he would’ve won.”

  She winks at me and I laugh. After last year’s regatta, Max ditched Vance and Yates and hired two brothers to help restore the marina. It turns out they had sailing experience and they ended up replacing Vance and Yates. They didn’t come from wealthy families, but they’re hard working and just all out good men. When Kim met Jason, the oldest of the brothers, she fell in love with him instantly.

  “And if it wasn’t for my husband, you wouldn’t have met Jason,” I quip back.

  She nods. “True. I owe you guys for that.” Boats start pulling into the marina and we watch them dock. There’s one vacant boat slip, waiting for its owner. Our crew has already decorated it with balloons. I knew without a doubt that Max would win again.

  It doesn’t take long for his boat to come into view. Everyone piles onto the docks, jumping up and down with excitement. Camera crews are in the parking lot, lights flashing as they record this epic moment.

  “I bet our old boss at the yacht club is pissed,” Kim says happily. “Their business has gone downhill since we opened. How many of their staff have left there to come here?”

  “Six,” I answer.

  She snorts. “And I know they’re much happier here. They talk about how amazing you and Max are all the time.”

  That makes me feel good. I have accomplished exactly what I wanted. I don’t wish for an
y business to fail, but the yacht club messed up by only allowing certain people access. Not to mention, management treated the employees like shit. It’s one of the things I was going to change if I became manager. With my staff, I can treat them the way they deserve to be treated…with respect.

  Max pulls into the dock and so many people rush up to help him and Jason, and Jason’s younger brother, Alex, tie up the boat. Taking Kim’s hand, I pull her toward the door. “Come on.” It’s been an amazing day for so many reasons. I feel like I can barely contain the excitement.

  Max shakes hands and hugs a few people here and there, but when he sees me, he runs up the dock and I jump into his arms. He swings me around and sets me down quickly, his lips on mine. Cameras flash all around us. Max winks at me and waves at all the reporters and all the people crowding around in the parking lot.

  “Thank you for joining us tonight. If you don’t have a reservation, we still have room on the patio. As a backup, we hired some extra help tonight in case I won. They should be here shortly. We don’t want anyone being unable to celebrate with us tonight.”

  The crowd bursts out laughing and more cameras flash. Max wraps his arm around my waist, and we walk up the stairs to the restaurant patio. “This is going to be a good night.”

  “Yes, it is,” I agree. “My parents will be arriving soon and so will your mother and Mark.” My parents love Max and I’ve gotten really close to his mother. She keeps asking when we’ll give her grandchildren. Little does she know I already have a little Max in my belly, or maybe even a little London. We don’t know which one yet. Today marks the end of the first trimester. We’ve been waiting to tell people until after I hit this milestone, just to be on the safe side. I remember the morning I took the pregnancy test. I’ve never seen Max so excited. He waited by the bathroom door and we both looked at the test together. When it came up positive, he ran around the house and we both cried with joy. He’s going to be an amazing father.

  We walk inside and our staff gets everyone to their tables, with ours being in my favorite corner with the best view of the water. Derek knows exactly what we want and gets our food and drinks out to us. The pregnancy has made me super nauseous at times, but tonight, our chef made his famous chocolate cake. Nothing is going to keep me from eating it.

  A lot of people walk by our table to congratulate Max and he enjoys every minute of it. Once we’re done with dinner, Derek brings out my cake and I eat every crumb of it. Max chuckles under his breath when I wipe the chocolate from my lips. “Damn, that was sexy, babe. You should’ve saved some cake for later.”

  I wink. “I’m sure I can get us another piece. I’ll eat it off of you.”

  “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” he teases.

  “There they are,” my mother squeals. She rushes over to us and Max stands to pull her into a hug.

  My dad hugs me and kisses my cheek. “I’m so happy for you and Max, sweetheart.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  He lets me go and my mother takes his place, her grip tight as she hugs me. “Oh, honey, this has been amazing. You should hear all the great things everyone is saying about this place.”

  “If it wasn’t for London, this restaurant wouldn’t be what it is,” Max tells her. “I owe all the success to her.” My mother lets me go and Max takes my hand, kissing it when he lifts it to his lips. Kitty and Mark walk in the door and his smile widens. “I think it’s time I make an announcement now that our families are here. What do you think?”

  My parents look at me with curious stares, but I shake my head. “You’ll find out soon,” I say to them. “For now, just sit down and relax. Dinner’s on the house tonight.”

  Max squeezes my hand and pulls me toward the middle of the floor. Kitty and Mark wave at us and we wave back. I know it’s killed Max not being able to tell people our great news. Before we can get to the podium, someone steps in our way. I didn’t see him come into the restaurant, but standing right in front of us is none other than his father, Sheldon Richmond.

  Max tenses and grips my hand tighter, drawing me in closer to him. “What the hell do you want?”

  Sheldon lifts up his hands. “I’m not here to fight, son. I’m only here to congratulate you. You did amazing out on the water today.” If I didn’t know any better, it almost looks as if he’s sad. He doesn’t have the arrogant demeanor about him like he had a year ago. After the regatta, Max wanted nothing to do with him. Sheldon and his wife weren’t even invited to our wedding.

  “Thanks,” Max says impatiently. “If you don’t mind, I have other people I need to talk to right now.”

  Sheldon places a hand on Max’s arm, and for a second, it looks as if Max is about to punch him. I squeeze his hand, hoping he keeps his calm. Sheldon glances down at me and sighs. “I owe you an apology, London. I’m sorry for the things I said about you. It was wrong.”

  Max scoffs. “What about your bitch of a wife? She needs to be here apologizing too.”

  Sheldon shakes his head. “We’re done, son. I filed for a divorce a month ago. She’s not a part of my life anymore. I just hate it took me so long to see how wrong I’ve been. I just hope one day you can forgive me.”

  Max’s shoulders slowly relax, and he looks around the restaurant. There are people watching us curiously. It’s not a secret that Max and his father have been on the outs for a while. After last year’s regatta, it was all over the headlines.

  Sheldon holds out a hand and Max stares at it for a second before taking it. “I don’t know what to say,” Max says as he shakes his hand.

  Tears form in Sheldon’s eyes. “Say you can forgive me. That’s all I want.”

  Max lets his hand go. “It’s London’s forgiveness you need, not mine.”

  Sheldon looks to me and I can see the pain in his eyes. People do change, I firmly believe that. I can’t deny Max the chance to reconcile with his father. “It’s okay,” I say. “All is forgiven.”

  Max stands protectively next to me, his hard gaze on his father. “But I’m warning you, Dad. If you so much as hurt my wife again, we’re done.”

  Sheldon agrees with a nod. “I won’t, son. I promise you that.”

  Max releases a heavy sigh. “Good. Then stay put, I have something to say.” He drags me to the center of the room and picks up a glass and spoon from one of the tables. He taps it to get everyone’s attention. “Can I have your attention, please,” he calls out. The rooms goes quiet and everyone looks at us. Max drapes his arm over my shoulders and rubs my arm soothingly. I’m not the type who likes to be the center of attention and he knows it. “I want to thank you all for coming tonight,” he announces. “I’m glad my crew and I get to celebrate with some of our closest family and friends. It means the world to us that you’re here.” He smiles at me and then focuses back on the crowd. “It seems that there’s another reason for us to celebrate tonight.”

  I happen to look over at my parents and Kitty and their eyes widen in surprise. I’m pretty sure they know what Max is about to say.

  “We’re going to have a baby!” he shouts.

  Everyone in the room hollers with joy. Kitty rushes down to us, followed by my mother who has tears flowing down her cheeks. “Oh my God,” Kitty cries. “How long have you known?”

  I grin at her sheepishly. “Several weeks.”

  My mother hugs me again. “Oh, honey, this is fantastic. I’m so happy for you.”

  Once they’re done kissing all over him and after everyone shakes his hand to congratulate him on fatherhood, he steals me away and we head outside to get some fresh air and some much-needed alone time. We walk down to his boat and climb aboard. The stars are so bright, and the moon is full, making the ocean glow with its light.

  Max pulls me into his arms and stares down at me. “I love you so much, London.”

  “I love you too.”

  He kisses me gently. “I have so much to thank you for. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t be a husband with an
amazing wife, and I sure as hell wouldn’t about to be a father. I wish you knew how excited I am for that.”

  I cup his cheeks in my hands. “You’re going to be a great dad, Max. And just so you know, I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. You’ve made all my dreams come true.”

  His lips close over mine. “And now we get to live in them.”

  “Yes, we do.” I look forward to forever.

  THE END!

  Praise for A Date for the Masquerade

  Owen and Ensley’s journey to their own Happy Ever After fits in wonderfully to this cute novella series. The authors have hit a grand slam with both this story and this series.

  —Crystal W

  I really loved the mystery that came with this book. There is something sexy about two people totally falling for each other, yet have no idea who the other really is.

  —Christina W

  A lovely little novella that took its own sweet time to kick into gear but when it did there was no stopping it, it smoldered its way to a much-deserved conclusion.

  —Books Laid Bare

  One

  Ensley

  “Talk about a year we’ll never forget!” Jordan exclaims as she gets into my car.

  Once she’s in, we head on our way to the radio station. “Tell me about it. We’ve made more money this past year than we have in the prior seven years combined.”

  All it took was planning a party and having the right people in attendance, which was the Valentine’s Day ball in Raleigh for the mayor’s daughter. After that evening, we booked up solid. We even planned a few weddings here and there. Those aren’t exactly what we’re known for, but I’ll still prepare them. One day, I’ll be able to plan my own. I’ve been envisioning it my entire life. What Jordan and I do love most is the Halloween season. Masquerades and costume parties are my specialty. I have a soft spot for them. Maybe it’s because my parents made it one of the best times of my life growing up. My mother would paint my face to go with whatever costume I had picked out, we’d decorate Halloween cookies, and then Halloween night, we’d hit all the haunted houses in the area. They keep waiting for me to have kids so they can spoil them as they did me. Unfortunately, I’m thirty-two years old and have yet to meet my soulmate and start my own family.