Hold Me
Page 18
Reese nodded as she sipped her coffee. “It took a while—and probably half the town—to persuade her to agree.”
Aileen smiled as she bit into her cherry turnover. “It was worth it. I’m so thrilled to see my father happy finally. And then Roman has this idea that I have to have the wedding of my dreams.”
Kristina laughed, then made the second cupcake disappear. “Some men! They feel they need to make the dreams of the woman they love come true. What are you going to do with them? And yes, I recognize my brother.”
“Considering you’ve waited twenty-two years already, that totally makes sense.” Nai nibbled her cream-filled brioche, then braved a large bite and released a sigh.
“Two weeks still feels so far away, but it was the closest date when we could book both the church and Tía Irma’s.” Pleasant memories filled Aileen as she breathed in the steam drifting from her flavorful latte. “That restaurant was where we had our first real date, so we wanted the reception to be there, too. Thank you so much for agreeing to be my bridesmaids—or matrons!—and helping me with the preparations.”
Otherwise, she’d worry herself to death if she had to do it all alone. Uh-oh. She’d done her best to surrender her worries to the Lord, but she still kept trying to take them back.
“Our pleasure,” the women said.
“I’m thrilled to be your matron of honor.” Kristina started her third cupcake. “Though by the time I walk down the aisle with you, I’m hoping I might be showing a little.” She patted the slight curve of her belly, and a soft glow appeared in her eyes.
“Did I hear you might be opening another pastry store?” Nai drained her coffee, and Jonah immediately brought her a new cup. “And how come I heard it from Violet and not from you?”
“Because it’s just an idea still! But not a second store. The town’s still too small to support that. A bigger one with more seating. I’m not sure I should do it, but there’s a larger building for rent, and Roman and Jonah are so encouraging.” Aileen fidgeted with her napkin.
Nai thumped her cup with coffee down fast and pushed up her thick glasses. “I can help you with a business plan, profitability projections, and such. But honestly, if you feel God’s leading, you should totally go for it.”
“I second that,” Kristina and Reese said in unison.
“Thank you.” Aileen smiled. “Of course, I’d never be able to afford to do it if Roman didn’t track down my ex. Apparently, Gary’s second marriage didn’t last long, and he’s back in Portland.”
Reese flipped back her strawberry-blonde hair. “How did Roman persuade your ex to pay you back all the child support he owes plus give you some of the marital assets?”
Aileen shrugged. “He consulted with good lawyers, and apparently, the prenup wasn’t as ironclad as I thought. And Gary does owe me child support, so there were no ifs or buts about that. Roman said he had a man-to-man conversation with Gary.” She stumbled. “Not that Roman did it to get rich. He’s already doing more than well on his own.”
Kristina rolled her eyes, then helped herself to a fourth cupcake. “We know Roman well enough not to think that. Come on. But I’m glad.”
“Gary changed somewhat, now that he’s retired, divorced for the second time, and alone.” Aileen drew a circle on the table. “He set up a substantial college fund for Jonah and wants to get to know him. I also reconciled with my mother and helped her get in rehab. I hope she’ll be able to change her life for the better.”
“Praise God for that.” Kristina cupped her hand over Aileen’s. “And I can’t wait for you to become my sister.”
Aileen grinned. “Same here. I feel I can’t be happier than I am right now. There’s no other place I’d rather be than with you ladies.”
Nai glanced out the window at the sound of the motor. “I think I’ll beg to differ.”
As Roman entered the store with a huge bouquet of roses and a wonderful aroma spread through the store, Aileen’s heart expanded. Surely, five, ten, twenty years from now she’d have the same feeling in her chest.
Aileen rose and stepped to him.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, ladies, but I couldn’t wait to see my gorgeous fiancée.” He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.
Every cell in her body filled with joy as he held her. She couldn’t wait to marry this man and spend the rest of her life with him.
Nai was right. There was a place where Aileen would rather be, and that was in Roman’s arms.
She said a prayer of gratitude.
“I love you so much,” Roman whispered to her.
An incredible feeling filled her like the chocolate filling in her brioches. “I love you, too. Forever, ever, and ever!”
THE END
From Alexa…
Did you enjoy Aileen’s story? Then I hope you’ll like Marry Me by Autumn Macarthur. If you’d like to know when the new books in the Chapel Cove Romances series are released, please follow this page. Thank you so much for your interest in our books!
Thank You for Reading!
Thank you for reading Hold Me. If you write even several words on Amazon, BookBub, and/or Goodreads, it’ll mean a lot to me. You can make a difference! I’m grateful to every person who reads my books, and every review matters to me. Authors depend so much on reviews and recommendations, and it’s a great joy for us when our books find new homes.
It’s not easy to start over at forty, and often sad things that happened to us pull us down. Hold Me, as well as Love Me, are close to my heart, and not only because my age is near the heroine’s and I found myself making difficult choices much later in life than I wanted. I’ll be making some difficult decisions now, as well.
I hope you enjoyed this story. Please be on the lookout for Melanie’s story in Book 6 in the series, Marry Me by Autumn Macarthur. If you’d like to know when new books in this series are released, please follow this page. We had so much fun working on this series and will be happy if you enjoy these books.
I do love hearing from readers, and if you email me at alexaverde7@gmail.com or visit me on Goodreads, Facebook, Bookbub, or Twitter, you’ll make my heart sing. And if you’d like to know about my upcoming releases, please follow me on Amazon. Of course, I’d be thrilled if you looked at my other books, and I pray and hope they’ll bring you joy and encouragement.
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Thank you very much for sharing your time with me and my books, and I hope we’ll meet again. God bless you.
With love,
Alexa Verde
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to God for helping me write this book and sending two amazing authors for me to work with, Autumn Macarthur and Marion Ueckermann.
Thank you to my amazing—and very patient—editor, Deirdre Lockhart! I also want to thank my wonderful readers who helped in different ways to make Hold Me what it is now: Heartfelt thanks to Debbie, Trudy, Paula, and Marylin for beta reading this book! Thank you to Dorothy for naming the turtle. Many thanks to Renate, Cindy, Amanda, Susan B and Susan S, Andrea, and Ruth for helping me with desserts. And thanks to Daphnee and Trudy for helping with choosing the breed and Susan B for helping name the dog.
And my gratitude to all of you, my readers, for reading my books and encouraging and supporting me. God bless you!
About Alexa Verde
ALEXA VERDE writes sweet, wholesome books about faith, love, and murder. She has had 200 short stories, articles, and poems published in the five languages that she speaks. She has bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish, a master’s in Rus
sian, and enjoys writing about characters with diverse cultures. She’s worn the hats of reporter, teacher, translator, model (even one day counts!), caretaker, and secretary, but thinks that the writer’s hat suits her the best.
After traveling the world and living in both hemispheres, she calls a small town in south Texas home. The latter is an inspiration for the fictional setting of her series Rios Azules Christmas and Secrets of Rios Azules. Please visit her online, on Facebook and Twitter.
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www.alexaverde.com
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Titles by Alexa Verde
Christian Contemporary Romance
CHAPEL COVE ROMANCES
Love Me (Book 2)
Hold Me (Book 5) this book
Other books in this tri-author series are by:
Marion Ueckermann and Autumn Macarthur
RIOS AZULES CHRISTMAS SERIES
Season of Miracles (Book 1) (Arturo and Lana)
Season of Joy (Book 2) (Dylan and Joy)
Season of Hope (Book 3) (Brandon and Kelly)
In Love by Christmas Box Set
(Season of Miracles, Season of Joy, Season of Hope)
RIOS AZULES ROMANCES: THE MACALISTERS SERIES
Season of Romance (Book 1) (Andrey and Melinda)
Season of Love (Book 2) (Petr and Lacy-Jane)
Season of Amor (Book 3) (Ray and Sylvia)
Season of Mercy
A TUSCAN LEGACY SERIES
Rapsodia (Book 3)
Other books in this multi-author series are by:
Marion Ueckermann, Elizabeth Maddrey, Clare Revell, Heather Gray, Narelle Atkins, and Autumn Macarthur
Christian Cozy Mysteries
THE 12 MYSTERIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES
(Can be read in any order, and each book can stand alone.)
Gabriel’s Secret (Gabriel and Ava)
Noelle on the Run (Juan and Noelle)
Christian Multicultural Romantic Suspense
Sweet, wholesome books about faith, love, and murder
SECRETS OF RIOS AZULES SERIES
Welcome to Rios Azules, a small south Texas town, where rivers and emotions run deep and secrets are deadly.
Dangerous Love Box Set (Color of Danger,
Taste of Danger, Touch of Danger)
River of Danger (Prequel) (Jacob and River)
Color of Danger (Book 1) (Luke and Mari)
Taste of Danger (Book 2) (James and Soledad)
Scent of Danger (Book 3) (Connor and Maya)
Touch of Danger (Book 4) (Ivan and Julia)
Danger Under the Mistletoe (Book 5) (Sebastian and Rachel)