Grand Lake Colorado Series: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection

by Alexis Winter

  “He’s beautiful,” Violet says as she looks down at the tiny little boy in her arms.

  “He’s perfect,” I agree, unable to tear my eyes off of him myself. He has a head full of dark curls, dark blue eyes, and the softest, pinkest skin.

  “Can you believe this? Our drunken stupidness created this,” she gushes with a wide grin.

  I laugh. “He is pretty amazing. What are we going to name this little guy? We never settled on anything.”

  “I’m thinking, if it’s okay with you, we could name him William Michael Evans. William after my father and Michael after you.”

  I smile wide. “I love it. He looks like a Will.”

  She smirks at him. “What do you think? Is your name William?”

  The baby makes a cooing sound, and it’s decided.

  Jane walks in a little while later with Margo. “Let me see him! Let me see!” Margo demands.

  I pick her up in my arms so she can look down at him. “He’s cute, but what can he do?”

  We all laugh. “He’s a baby, honey. He won’t do much of anything but eat, sleep, cry, and poop for a long time,” I tell her

  She frowns. “So he can’t play ball with me?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What about color?”

  “Nope.”

  “Can he at least eat Goldfish?”

  “Nope. He’ll have to grow into all those things.”

  “Well, that’s boring,” she finally says, wiggling until I put her down. She runs over to the chair in the corner and sits down, taking Jane’s phone away from her to play games.

  Jane leans over and looks down at William. “He’s gorgeous, guys! How did you two make something so perfect?” She reaches out, and he wraps his fist around her finger.

  “Just lucky, I guess,” I reply, knowing that it’s the truth.

  Jane is nice enough to keep Margo while we spend another two days in the hospital. Finally, everyone is free and clear to go home. I load William into the car as carefully as I can and climb behind the wheel.

  “You don’t think he’s too warm back there, do you?”

  I shake my head. “I think he’s fine, honey. Just relax. Babies are pretty resilient.”

  “Easy for you to say. You’ve had one before. He’s my first, and I’m terrified that I’m going to forget to feed him or something,” she jokes.

  “Trust me, he won’t let you forget that,” I remind her, picking up her hand and pressing a kiss to the back. “Don’t forget, my parents are going to be coming in this week. They miss Margo and want to meet you and William.”

  “Oh, first time meeting the parents. Now I’m nervous.”

  “Don’t be. They’ll love you,” I promise, “and they already love William. I’ve been sending them pictures.”

  The drive home is long since we didn’t go to the hospital in town. Violet and I were away when she went into labor, and we had to rush to the closest hospital. She ends up falling asleep on the ride home, and I try to drive slowly and smoothly as to not wake either of them up. We finally make it home, and I press a kiss to her forehead. “We’re home. Wake up, sleepy head.”

  Her eyes flutter open. “Oh, that didn’t take long at all,” she says, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

  “You need help in?”

  “I’m fine. Just get Will for me, please.”

  I take his seat out of the truck and carry it into the house with all the bags. We only make it to the living room before he’s crying, ready to eat again. Violet sits on the couch as I take him out of the seat. I hand him over, and she’s already got her top opened and is feeding him.

  “See, I told you he’d remind you.”

  She smiles up at me as she leans back on the couch. “Can I get something to drink and a snack? I swear, you’d think I wouldn’t be as hungry now that he’s out.”

  I laugh. “Your body lost a lot in delivery. You need to build it back up so you heal. What sounds good?”

  “Hm…peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk.”

  I kiss the top of her head from the back of the couch and turn on my heel.

  “Oh, and a sliced apple, too, please.”

  I make her snack and take everything back into the living room. I hold her plate in my lap and hand her what she wants to eat as she feeds William. Moments after they’re both done eating, the door flies open, and Margo comes running in.

  “Finally home! How far did you have to go to pick him up? Geez.”

  “Well, we missed you, too, Margo.”

  “Yeah, I missed my toys!” Without another word, she goes running for the stairs.

  “Well, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve now become an old toy to Margo,” Violet says.

  I smile. “Don’t worry. So have I.”

  “Can I hold him?” Jane asks.

  “Of course,” Violet agrees, handing him over.

  Jane sits in the recliner, holding the baby and watching him like he might do a trick. “He’s amazing. So, you’re finally moved in?” she asks, looking up at Violet.

  Violet nods. “Yeah, only took him eight months to talk me into it, but all my stuff is finally here and he’s sharing a bed with me.” She smiles over at me.

  “What are you going to do with your place here in town?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know. Keep it, sell it. We haven’t talked about it yet.”

  “Well, I have an idea.” Her brows raise.

  We both look at her, waiting for her idea.

  “You could rent it to me. The lease on my apartment is about up, and I’ve been looking but haven’t found anything that’s caught my eye yet.”

  “Oh,” Violet says. “Yeah, Jane. I think that would be a good idea. Then I can keep it, but you’ll be there to take care of it.”

  “Really?”

  Violet nods. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my house anyway.”

  “We can hammer out the details after you’ve gotten your rest.”

  “Yes, next week. I’ll be busy this week with a newborn baby and meeting the parents.”

  “You haven’t met yet?”

  “Not yet…” she says, but I can hear the worry in her voice.

  Later in the week, my parents finally make it. The three of us greet them at the door. Margo jumps into their arms, hugging and kissing them. Finally, I get to introduce Violet.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Violet.”

  They both bust open and gush love everywhere just like I knew they would.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Mom says. “Now, where’s my grandson?”

  “Right this way. Come on, Dad. I’ll help you with the bags.”

  Violet leads Mom into the living room where Will is asleep in his bassinet. I help Dad get the rest of their luggage in.

  Mom is already leaning over the baby, tears in her eyes.

  “Do you want to hold him?” Violet asks.

  “Haven’t you ever heard you’re not supposed to wake a sleeping baby?” Mom says. “I don’t want to disturb him. I’ll wait for him to wake up.”

  Violet laughs. “If you wait for that, you’ll be waiting a long time. All this kid does is eat, sleep, and poop.” She picks him up and sets him in Mom’s awaiting arms. He doesn’t even stir.

  “Well, he’s a good sleeper now, isn’t he?”

  Violet nods. “He really is. Unless you’re feeding him or changing him, he wants to be left alone to sleep. I’m probably the only mother who can’t complain about her newborn baby’s sleeping habits.”

  Mom sits on the couch with William, and Dad goes to sit beside her. He looks over at his grandson fondly. “Well, he sure is something,” he says.

  “He’s perfect,” Mom gushes.

  “Do you have any special requests for dinner? I was just planning on getting started.”

  Mom’s head pops up. “You mean, you cook too?”

  Violet laughs. “I love to cook. I own a bakery in town.”

  “That’s right. Carson
told me that. Whatever you want to prepare, dear, is fine with me. I’ll eat anything.”

  Violet smiles and goes into the kitchen with me following behind her. I put my hands on her hips and spin her around to face me.

  “See, they love you.”

  She smiles and her face flushes with color. “I don’t know. They may just be being polite.”

  I snort. “If my mother doesn’t like someone, she lets them know. And she loves you.” I lean in and press my lips to hers.

  “Alright, go away so I can start on dinner.”

  I laugh but leave her alone to create her masterpiece while I go catch up with my parents.

  When I get back into the living room, Margo is sitting in the floor at Mom and Dad’s feet. She’s rolling a car up Dad’s leg, and he’s pretending that it tickles by putting on a fake laugh, which only makes her laugh. Mom is holding William, still completely engrossed with him. I sit in the recliner at their side. While I catch up with my parents, Margo goes to help Violet in the kitchen with dinner. Their favorite thing to do together is cook, and I feel extremely lucky that Violet can cook and bake and that Margo loves helping her as much as she does.

  A little while later, we’re all instructed to come into the kitchen, and we sit around the table. In center is fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, homemade mac and cheese, corn, green beans, slaw, beans, and rolls. It’s like a southern Thanksgiving.

  “This all smells amazing, Violet. Did you do this all yourself?” Mom asks.

  Violet smiles. “It was nothing, and Margo helped, didn’t you?” she asks her, and Margo bobs her head with a proud smile.

  “Good job, Margo,” Mom says.

  “Everyone, before we start, I have a little announcement to make.”

  Everyone quiets down, and all heads turn their attention to me. I, however, turn to look at Violet. I reach out and take her hand. “Violet, I know we’ve had our own little way of doing things, and most people would consider them backwards. But for us, I don’t think there was ever any other way. I love our story and the way everything has always managed to work out even when neither of us thought they would. And I know we haven’t been together for all that long yet, but already we have it all. So I thought…”

  Margo stands up in her chair, small box in her hand. “Will you be my new mommy?” she asks, opening it just like we practiced.

  Violet’s eyes flash from me, to her, and back. “What?”

  “What do you say? Will you marry me and make me your husband, make Margo your daughter?”

  She smiles as tears form behind her eyes. She nods. “Yes, of course I will,” she breathes out.

  My heart, which was just racing, is now calm, even. I take the box from Margo’s hand and remove the ring, sliding it onto Violet’s finger. She looks at it, and a sob breaks through. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me in for a long hug.

  “This is perfect. Thank you.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper. “Thank you for having my child, for loving me even when I wasn’t worthy of that love, for making Margo happy and being the mother that she needs, and for making me the luckiest man alive by agreeing to marry me.”

  She laughs. “You have a lot more items on your list than I do, but”—she laughs again—“thank you for finding me. I was just as lost as you were, and you found me and pulled me back into the light. I never thought I’d find you.”

  I pull back and press a soft kiss to her lips, knowing there will be more time for that later when nobody is looking. Unfortunately, she’s just had a baby and we can’t go past kissing, but right now, all I want is to kiss her and show her how much I love her.

  I pull back and her cheeks are flushed.

  “Welcome to the family, honey,” Mom says.

  “I look forward to getting to know you, but first, I look forward to eating this delicious-looking meal,” Dad jokes.

  We all laugh.

  “Alright, alright. Let’s eat,” I say, taking my seat once again and passing the serving dishes around for everyone to fill their plate. William starts to cry from his bassinet in the living room, and Violet scoots her chair back, but I stop her.

  “Eat. I’ll get him.” I stand up and leave the kitchen, picking up William. He really is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen…other than Margo. They’re tied on the cuteness scale.

  “What’s the matter, little man? You lonely in here all alone?” I ask, picking up his pacifier and sticking it back into his mouth. He takes it easily; he’s always happy. I carry him back into the kitchen to eat with him in my arms.

  “Someone was just a little lonely in there,” I tell everyone as I take my seat at the table.

  “You want me to hold him so you can eat?” Violet asks.

  “No, go ahead and eat. We’re just fine, aren’t we?” I look down, and his dark eyes are locked on mine.

  It’s crazy how you can go from feeling like you have nothing left in the world to feeling like you have everything. I thank God every day that he gave me the strength I needed to move out of Chicago. I thank Him for helping me to heal, which opened me to a new love with Violet. And I thank Him every day for my loving family. I can’t help but to thank Kate too. She came into my life like an angel. She lit the world on fire and showed me things I know I never would have seen otherwise. And somehow, I feel like she’s had a hand in bringing Violet into our lives. She knows that Margo needs a mother in her life, and she found the perfect one. It’s rare for someone to find their soulmate in life, and it’s unheard of to have found two of them. I know I’m lucky and special, but I truly believe that God sent me who I needed back then. He sent me Kate. And Kate, she knew exactly who I’d need when she left, and she sent me Violet. I really am the luckiest man alive.

  * * *

  If you LOVED The Grand Lake Colorado Series be sure to check out the Slade Brothers!

  * * *

  Billionaire’s Unexpected Bride

  * * *

  “The rules have been broken,” he says. “We can’t pretend like they haven’t.”

  * * *

  I don’t break rules. EVER.

  1. NEVER mix business with pleasure.

  2. DON’T put my job in jeopardy.

  3. Absolutely do NOT fall in love with a client.

  * * *

  Guess I should say . . . I didn’t break them, until I met my new billionaire client, Drake Slade.

  * * *

  Arrogant, rude, hated by everyone in town, and 100% NOT my type.

  Billionaire’s Unexpected Bride SNEAK PEEK

  “The rules have been broken,” he says. “We can’t pretend like they haven’t.”

  * * *

  I don’t break rules. EVER.

  1. NEVER mix business with pleasure.

  2. DON’T put my job in jeopardy.

  3. Absolutely do NOT fall in love with a client.

  * * *

  Guess I should say . . . I didn’t break them, until I met my new billionaire client, Drake Slade.

  * * *

  Arrogant, rude, hated by everyone in town, and 100% NOT my type.

  * * *

  The day my perfect LA life was uprooted to move to middle-of-frickin’-nowhere Colorado was the day I was convinced my life was over.

  * * *

  Raise and promotion be damned, what good is it if the only place in town is a Dollar Store?

  * * *

  But here I am, wearing a denim skirt and cowboy boots, rootin’ and scootin’ my way around town, and square dancing my way into Drake’s bed.

  * * *

  Don’t worry, I have a plan. Sort of.

  * * *

  He’s just a little distraction to make my time here pass. After I get the town to love him, I can move back to LA.

  * * *

  Now I just need to convince my heart . .

  Chapter 1

  CELESTE

  “WHITE chocolate mocha with an extra shot?” the barista asks with a pleasant smile the moment I st
ep up to the counter.

  I smile and nod. “You know me so well, June,” I say as I pull the card out of my purse, passing it over.

  She quickly swipes it and hands it back before getting to work on my coffee. As I wait, I check the time on my phone and begin going through some emails. I click on one from my friend, Jenny. The subject line reads: Rumor Has It . . .

  Guess what I’ve heard being passed around the office? You’re moving from Los Angeles to Colorado! They’re giving you a promotion and you’ll be running the firm out there, being handed the largest client on the books for that office! Congrats, hon! P.S. Try to act surprised. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer. Love ya.

  Upon reading those words, my mouth drops open. Where did she hear this? Is it true? Am I getting the Colorado account? If I am, when will I be leaving? Are they going to tell me today?

  “Celeste?” I hear it like a whisper that creeps into my head, snaking its way through all my spinning thoughts. “Ma’am, your coffee,” the barista finally says, causing my eyes to jump up to her as she holds out my coffee.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” I say in a rush as I reach out and take the paper cup. “I was lost in this sea of work emails.”

  She offers up a small smile, but I’m sure she thinks I’m some kind of space cadet by the faraway look on my face.

  “Have a great day,” she says in her sweet voice.

  “You too.” I smile as I drop some cash into her tip jar and walk toward the door with a little extra pep in my step. Suddenly, I can’t wait to get to work. I can’t wait to find out if the rumor is true. If it is, I can’t wait to shove it down Jeremy’s throat. Jeremy has been my rival since college. We fought neck and neck for valedictorian, and I only beat him by a few points. I thought I was done with him and our competition, only to be surprised on orientation day. I walked into that board room thinking I had the world at my fingertips. I stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes landed on him, and his mouth dropped open when he looked up and saw me.