by Tessa Layne
"You mean Mrs. Penny Fischer," she corrects.
I pull her close and drop a kiss on the top of her head. "I don't care what you call yourself, so long as you call yourself mine."
"Pushover," she teases.
"And proud of it."
She blows me a kiss and slips back inside the dressing room.
I make my way back to the men's changing room on the other side of Kirkwood Hall. Danny's passing out shots of his Special Reserve. He hands me a glass. "Welcome to the club. I never thought I'd be first, and I certainly never thought you'd be next, but I wish you and Penny all the happiness.
Harrison pulls out a box of Cubans. "It's time to step outside, my man. We've got time."
I'm more than ready when the string quartet fires up and my mother finds me. She smooths my lapels and looks up at me, misty-eyed. "I'm sorry your father's not here to see this. He'd be so proud of you."
We don't often discuss my father, or the state of my parents' marriage just before he passed, but hearing these words makes a lump form in the back of my throat. "I think he'd have liked Penny."
My mother's smile is painfully close to a grimace. "I think so, too." She blinks rapidly. And it hits me square in the chest - she's carried a torch for him all these years. She sniffs and smiles again, more naturally this time. "Walk me to my seat?"
I escort my mother down the short row of chairs. Our wedding is small, only forty of us. The party after in Rozelle Court is much bigger, and there will be dancing. True to my word, there are no sides, and only Harrison and Lisa are standing up with us. Jackson, our in-house counsel is presiding. I take my place between him and Harrison and turn as Lisa and little Polly walk down the short aisle together.
My heartbeat kicks up a notch, but nothing prepares me for the sight of Penny at the back, standing between the columns in a pale pink dress that looks like a longer version of the green one she wore. Her hair is a mass of twists and curls, and I have no idea how it's put together, but I'll enjoy pulling out the pins and watching it cascade down around her much later. On her head is a simple wreath of flowers over a floor-length veil. Her bouquet is a riot of white and pink flowers and greenery. She looks like she could have stepped out of a photo from the twenties, and it takes my breath away.
I feel my mouth pull up and I don't care if I'm grinning like a crazy man - I'm marrying brilliant, beautiful Penny Fischer. Right now. And I couldn't be happier.
Epilogue
We've danced until our feet hurt, and Penny's settled on my lap, snuggled close watching the rest of our guests dance and laugh. The crowd parts briefly enough that I catch a glimpse of Lisa and Owen dancing with a giggling Polly. How that kid hasn't dropped from exhaustion yet, is beyond me.
Penny gasps, then giggles, shaking her head.
"What is it, wife?" I ask, turning her face and stealing a long, slow kiss before she can answer.
"Look, look at them."
"Look at who?"
"Them." She waves at Lisa and Owen. "Now look at Polly. Do you see it?"
I shake my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I never noticed it before, but look at Polly's smile. Look at her dimples."
"Okay," I say, still not following. Polly is half Chinese, so I see her mother's eyes and black hair most prominently.
"Now look at Owen when he smiles."
I catch Owen at just the right time - as he's picking up Polly and tossing her in the air. It hits me like a sack of bricks.
"See it now?" Penny asks eagerly.
"I can't unsee it." I look at Penny. "Do you think he's?" I can't finish the question, because for three plus years, Lisa's been mum about who Polly's father is. But now that Penny's pointed out the dimples, the resemblance is as clear as day. There's no doubt about it. Owen Donahue is Polly's father.
THE BEGINNING OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER (for Penny & Stockton)
Thank you for reading Penny & Stockton's story. I hope you loved them as much as I loved writing them! Read on for a preview of Owen and Lisa's story in Baby Magnet.
ONE CLICK BABY MAGNET NOW!
Owen
Corporate Raider, Ruthless, Devil in a Three-Piece Suit. As CFO of Steele Conglomerate, I’m all this and worse. My only salvation is a nightly confessional at the altar of Lisa Liu’s bar. So when some d-bag leaves her high and dry, facing single motherhood – I step in—find my absolution.
But Lisa doesn’t need rescuing and doesn’t want a Knight in Shining Armor. She wants all the things I can never give her - commitment, marriage, a family. But the more time I spend with Lisa and her daughter Polly, the more I want a shot at heaven.
Lisa
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that road runs right through Owen Donahue – my biggest mistake I’ll never regret. He wasn't supposed to be anything more than my favorite regular. But now that he’s pursuing me with the same relentless determination he reserves for corporate takeovers and offering me the moon, I keep saying yes when I should be saying no.
I can never tell Owen what happened the night our drinking game went too far – because the best thing that ever happened to me is the one thing that will make him walk away.
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Meet the Heroes of Resolution Ranch
They’ve laid their lives on the line before but now they’ll have to wear their hearts on their sleeve for the women they love…
Police Chief Travis Kincaid Has Rules….
· Never leave the door unlocked
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Years ago, the former Navy SEAL learned the hard way that breaking the rules only leads to disaster. Since then, he’s followed strict rules to stay focused on his career and keep his heart locked away where it won’t cloud his judgment.
Too bad the woman he’s fallen for was a born rule-breaker.
In spite of her shady past, Travis finds himself bending the rules… repeatedly, for single-mom Elaine Ryder. In the aftermath of Prairie’s devastating tornado, Travis must come to a decision about his future. More importantly, he’ll have to decide whether breaking the rules one last time will cost him everything he holds dear… or give him his heart’s desire.
Download A HERO’S HONOR today
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A brand new steamy contemporary romance series filled with rodeo hotties and the women that bring them to their knees…
He’s an ex-con. She’s the sweet virgin he can never have.
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As far as Maybelle is concerned, Ty Sloane can go jump in a lake. The cocky bull rider is a thorn in her side, both at the ranch and on the road. But he makes her feel things no man has ever made her feel, and as she learns about his past, she can’t help but develop a soft spot for him.
When trouble finds Maybelle on the rodeo circuit, Ty puts it all on the line for the sweet young woman who’s captured his heart, even though it may cost him his freedom.
Download RIDE HARD today!
Also by Tessa Layne
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HEART OF A REBEL
opposites attract/workplace
HEART OF A WRANGLER
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HEART OF A HORSEMAN
star-crossed lovers/second chance
HEART OF A HERO
old flame/PTSD
HEART OF A BACHELOR
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HEART OF A BAD BOY
fake engagement
HEART OF A BULL RIDER
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HEART OF A RANCHER
enemies to lovers
A HERO’S HONOR
single parent/workplace
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frenemies to lovers
A HERO’S HAVEN
secret identity
A HERO’S HOME
opposites attract
MR. PINK
billionaire secret romance
MR. WHITE
billionaire secret identity
MR. RED
billionaire secret identity second chance
MR. WHISKEY
billionaire secret identity workplace
WILD THANG
billionaire secret crush sports romance
PU$$Y MAGNET
billionaire workplace sports romance
O MAGNET
billionaire fake engagement sports romance
BABY MAGNET
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virgin/workplace/opposites attract
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secret identity/frenemies to lovers
RIDE FAST
