The backup bride proposa.., p.26
The Backup Bride Proposal, page 26
He shifted to face her. “I don’t have a lot of close relationships. Everly is one of them. When someone tells you something in confidence, you don’t betray that confidence. Not to anyone. If you told me something in confidence, even if not betraying that confidence would hurt someone else, I wouldn’t betray you. Not for anything. And I know it hurt you and, God, I’m sorry about that. But I just felt it wasn’t my story to tell. Was I wrong? Probably. I mean, yeah, I was. And I’m so sorry that I hurt you. You are the last person I’d want to hurt. I’m in love with you, Mae. I’ve bungled everything and I don’t exactly know what to do to fix things between us.”
Mae’s heart pounded so hard against her chest she could barely hear herself think. Listening to Kane’s words as he poured his heart out was the most honest truth she had ever heard. She knew he’d been in a tough position between her and his close friend. It wasn’t just a bunch of flowery talk, but real, honest, brutal talk. Had he screwed up? Absolutely. Was there a perfect fix? No. But wasn’t that what love and relationships were all about?
Love. He’d told her he loved her. Had she even heard that right or was that what she wanted to hear?
She finally took a seat on the bench, and Kane sat next to her.
“Trust has been a big issue for me,” she said. “And when you don’t have faith in me enough to trust me with your secrets, it hurts me.”
He took in a deep breath. “You’re right. No one and nothing should come between us. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
She believed him. She didn’t know why. Wait, she did know why. Because she loved him, because when he said something to her he meant it. Because he was loyal and true to his friends, and that would translate to her. She had to have faith and make that leap with him. It would be hard, but she had to do it. If she wanted to love again, she had to do it. And maybe that was the big thing she’d been looking for all this time, the one thing that would make her put the past away for good.
“You love me?” she asked.
“Hell yeah. Heart and soul.”
She should have been elated, so why did her heart squeeze so painfully? “Love hurts. How come it hurts so much?”
He took her hand. “Because real love can be painful sometimes. I know this because my heart hurts being without you. Because I love you so much it feels like someone has reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart, trying to break it. Because the thought of losing you is an unbearable thought that I refuse to even contemplate. I need you, Mae. I need you to be the sun in my mornings, the balm to my pain, the reasonable to my unreasonableness and the answer to all my questions. I don’t feel whole anymore unless you’re with me.”
She laid her hand on top of his. “I love you, too, Kane. When I said love hurts, I meant that it hurts to be without you. I don’t ever have the expectation that you have to be perfect. In fact, it would bother me greatly if you chased an idea of perfect, because I surely am not. So don’t try. Just be you. And just love me.”
“I do love you.” He pulled her against him and kissed her, a searing kiss that made her feel whole again. She didn’t know how long the kiss lasted, but enough that she felt warmed through and through.
When he pulled back, he swept his thumb over her bottom lip. “We’re breaking for the holidays in a couple of days. Can you take some time off?”
“I think I can arrange that. What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking the Maldives. Just you and me and a lot of sun and sand and sex and making plans for the future.”
The future. She couldn’t even imagine a future with Kane. It was fraught with lifestyle and geographical impossibilities. She also couldn’t imagine a future without him in it, so she looked forward to working out the details. Because that was what you did when you loved someone.
Her lips lifted. “Well, I don’t know. That kind of trip sounds like a hardship, but I’d suffer through it for you.”
“See? You’re always thinking of me.”
She curved her fingers around his neck to pull him closer. “It’s the sacrifice I make for love.”
He swept his hand around her neck and kissed her, and she knew that no matter what plans they made, it would work out.
Epilogue
One Year Later
This was Mae’s first official movie premiere. She was happy it was going to be in Oklahoma. And, okay, it wasn’t the official premiere. That would be in Los Angeles next week. This was the early premiere for a select few, but to her? It was more than fancy enough.
“You look gorgeous, and stop fussing.” Brenna smoothed her hand down the back of Mae’s dress, a black off-the-shoulder full-length gown that made her feel incredible.
“I’m not fussing.” She turned and looked at Brenna, her hair falling in burnished red waves over her shoulder. “You look stunning. That copper color is amazing with your skin and your hair.”
Brenna laid her hand over the slight bump of her belly. “It’s too bad I haven’t hit the looking-pregnant part yet, so now I just look like I had too many burritos for lunch.”
Erin laughed as she moved in to hug her sister. “I know exactly how that feels. But you look gorgeous.”
So did Erin, in a silver gown and dangling silver earrings.
“Hey, we’re all beautiful and our men will be falling at our feet tonight,” Honor said, wearing a shocking red gown that clung to her curves.
“So true,” Mae said. “And isn’t that what really counts?”
“It’s all that counts,” Maureen said, looking particularly stunning herself in a green gown as lush as her home country of Ireland.
They had gotten ready at the hotel near the movie theater so they’d have plenty of time and space, plus have some time for socialization before they faced the cameras. It wouldn’t be as hectic as the L.A. premiere, but Mae had decided to look on tonight as practice.
Once ready, they headed out to the main part of the suite where the men were congregating—and drinking.
Mae couldn’t help but take in a breath at the sight of Kane. The man could wear a tux quite well. Then again, he took her breath away in dusty jeans and a cowboy hat, too. Fortunately, she got to see a lot more of him in dusty jeans these days, and that sure made her happy.
They’d bought several hundred acres of land not that far from the Bellini property, and the big house they’d designed together was already under construction. It was close to the vineyard so she could still do the job she loved, and close enough to the airport for Kane to fly in whenever he wanted—which, happily, was often. The plan was for him to set up his production office there in a separate building, while also raising a wide variety of animals. Mae couldn’t wait to move in. She drove to the construction site a couple of times a week to check progress, and it should be completed by spring.
In the meantime, they lived in a lovely rental house that was much better suited for the two of them than her small condo had been.
Kane turned to look at her and smiled, leaving the group of men to walk toward her. The way he looked at her never failed to make her heart do that happy leap. It probably always would.
He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She couldn’t help the little shiver of delight that skittered down her spine. “Why, thank you. You look rather dashing yourself. I might take you home with me tonight.”
“Well. Aren’t I the lucky one.”
“You two should get married,” Jason said as he walked by, winking at them.
“Yeah, when are you going to ask her to marry you?” Erin asked.
Mae pulled her gaze from Kane and grinned at Erin. “Oh, he asks me at least once a week.”
“She’s making me wait,” Kane said. “It’s torture.”
Honor shook her head. “What in the world are you waiting for?”
Mae laid her hand on Kane’s chest. “I’m going to marry him. I’m just making him work for it.”
Kane laughed, then leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Don’t make me wait too long. We need to get started on those two sets of twins, ya know.”
Heat flowed through her and she looked up at him. “Then, yes.”
“Yeah?” he asked. “Really?”
“Yes.”
His eyes grew darker. “Can you find us a spot on the Bellini Weddings calendar? Sometime really soon?”
“Oh, I think I can carve out a spot fairly quickly. For you.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, and she wanted nothing more at that moment than to be alone with him.
But then the door opened and one of the assistants walked in. “They’re ready for us.”
She looked up at Kane. “Let’s go do this.”
He smiled down at her. “And they lived happily ever after.”
Yes, they would.
Acknowledgments
••••••
To my former Berkley editor, Kate Seaver. Without you, this series wouldn’t have existed. Thanks for the dinner and brainstorming session where Boots and Bouquets came to life. And thanks for the sixteen years of working together. It was a blast.
To my editor, Leis Pederson, thank you for your keen insights on how to make a book better. I appreciate you so much.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Jaci Burton’s
Housebroke
Chapter
one
Hazel Bristow lined up all her babies, preparing them for their early evening walk. Today she waited until almost dark because even though it was late summer in Orlando, it was still muggy, and just chasing after these hellions all day inside was a sweat-inducing activity, let alone taking them on a long walk.
Of course as soon as she dragged the harnesses and leashes out, there were excited tail wags and butt wiggles. Even from Gordon the pug, who at twelve years old couldn’t make it more than two blocks but gave it his best effort. Which was why she always brought the stroller along.
She got all five dogs hooked up and prepped the stroller, and they were out the door, Lilith the Chihuahua leading the way, even though she was the smallest of the pack. But Penelope the golden retriever was too busy sniffing every blade of grass in the front yard, and Freddie the dachshund had to pee on every bush they passed, and they hadn’t even gotten off the property before Boo the pit mix parked his butt at the end of the driveway, refusing to go any farther.
“What’s wrong, Boo?”
He looked up at her with his sad eyes, pulling on the leash to head back toward the house. She frowned and studied him, trying to figure out what the issue was. Then it hit her.
“Oh, right.” She looped the leashes around the stroller, knowing they wouldn’t go anywhere without her. “I’ll be back in a sec, kids.”
She dashed inside and found Boo’s stuffed bear by the front door. She grabbed it and hurried back outside to find all five dogs waiting ever so patiently for her, though Lilith looked like she was ready to bolt any second and take the rest of them on the walk by herself.
“I’m so sorry for the delay, Lilith. We can go now.”
She handed Boo his bear. He gently took it in his mouth, and now they were ready to roll.
The dogs always started out at a brisk pace, especially Boo, who was the youngest and full of energy. Which suited her just fine, too. Even with the heat, she enjoyed walking.
She loved this neighborhood with its nice homes and amazing trees in every yard. It had always felt friendly and homey to her. She was so grateful to her friend Ginger for letting her crash here, even though the house was currently for sale. And empty. But it was a roof over her and the dogs’ heads, and she’d find something else soon. She’d promised her friend it would only be a short stay, and she’d keep the place superclean, which she had. And since Ginger and Greg had already moved out, Hazel felt like she was providing a service by keeping an eye on the place.
Plus, Hazel didn’t have a lot of stuff, so it was easy enough to pack up and vacate whenever Ginger alerted her that the real estate agent was coming by to do a showing. Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately for Ginger—there hadn’t been any activity for the past few weeks. Which had worked out well for Hazel, though she knew she was going to have to find another place to live soon. But right now? It was awesome, and she liked to imagine she and the dogs actually lived in the house.
As was typical, Gordon’s tongue started hanging out after about fifteen minutes, so she scooped him up and placed him in the stroller, where he promptly turned in a circle, curled up and went to sleep. The rest of the dogs kept up the pace, though after thirty minutes she could tell they were hot and ready to head for home. So was she.
They made their way back to the house, and she unhooked the dogs from their harnesses. Everyone ran for their water bowls to hydrate while Hazel put everything away, then she went to the fridge for the pitcher of water, pouring herself a glass. She drank the entire thing, breathing out a relieved sigh when she finished it. She washed and dried the glass and put it away just in case someone wanted to come look at the house. She never left dirty dishes or anything lying out, because just packing up the dogs and their things made it enough of a rush to leave.
Not that she had much.
She changed into her swimsuit, then opened the back door, and all the dogs ran outside.
The best thing about this house was the pool. It was screened in to keep the bugs out, an important thing in Florida, so she could swim any time of the day or night. It was also great therapy for Gordon, whose arthritis had gotten bad in the past year.
She grabbed his swim harness and put it on him, smiling as his tail swept back and forth.
“You ready for a little dip, baby?” she asked as she walked over to the steps and waded into the pool.
Gordon followed her to the side of the pool. She reached for him, and his short legs were already pumping before she set him in the water. She walked around the shallow end, letting him swim while she held on to the harness for support.
“You like the water, don’t you, Gordon?”
Gordon didn’t answer, of course, but she could tell from his goofy pug smile that he loved it. Because when Gordon didn’t love something, he let you know with lots of grunts and whines.
So did Boo, who jumped into the deep end and swam around for a while before making his way to the steps. He got out, shook the water off, and lay down under one of the shade trees.
“You’ve got to have some Labrador in you, Boo. You just love your swims.”
Boo rolled over on his back, stuck his feet up in the air and went to sleep, ignoring her praise.
Typical. She continued to enjoy the cool water, though at times she wished she could swim laps. Sometimes she did, late at night, after the dogs were all asleep. She’d come out here and slice through the water, remembering the times she’d have a late night swim in her own pool, at her own house, enjoying that quiet. Before her marriage went to hell and she lost everything.
Well, there was no point in reliving the past, was there? That part of her life was over. There was only now, and now was pretty great.
Temporarily great, anyway. This wasn’t her home.
Not wanting to overtire Gordon, Hazel kept track of the time. Gordon would spend all day in the water if he could.
The other dogs would swim on occasion, but not every day, preferring the copious amounts of shade over in the grassy area of the yard. And it was getting late, so she scooped Gordon into her arms, unzipped him from his harness, and placed him on the ground, letting him shake off the water. Of course he’d dry in no time, so she grabbed a towel and dried herself off, put on her T-shirt, and headed into the house to get dinner ready for the dogs.
They all followed, knowing the routine.
She stood at the kitchen peninsula, prepping their food, the dogs sitting and waiting patiently nearby. All bets were off once she set the bowls down and told them to eat. Then it was slurping and crunching and Hazel should probably think about making her own dinner.
Except she needed to make a plan. She had the foster dogs, and the agencies she worked with paid for their medical care and provided a stipend for their food, which was great. But as far as income? She had mostly…Okay, she had nothing. And that wasn’t going to put a roof over her head and gas in the car.
She took odd jobs here and there to pay the bills, but long term it wasn’t ideal. And she was dipping into her meager savings more than she wanted to.
She sat on the fold-up chair and watched the dogs eat, realizing she was going to have to come up with something more permanent and soon. Living day-to-day and sometimes hour to hour just wasn’t cutting it.
For her or for her dogs.
* * *
••••••
Lincoln Kennedy pulled into the driveway of his next project, a nice four-bedroom in a prime location in Orlando. He turned the engine off in his truck and wished it was still daylight so he could take a look at the outside of the house, but that would have to wait until morning.
What a shit day. Shit month, actually. He gripped the steering wheel, wishing he’d had time to take a long vacation to somewhere tropical and shake off the dregs of his breakup with Stefanie.
It had all boiled down to the money. His money. Once Stefanie had found out how much he had, she’d changed. He thought the two of them had a chance at something, but she’d turned out to be no different than any other woman he’d ever had a relationship with. He’d been judged by his wallet, and once a woman found out his was fat, she saw him differently. Wanted things from him. Planned a future based on his income.
