Love is in the Cards

by K. L. Brady

  Mia fell out laughing to the point at which Tessa was almost annoyed...then she joined in. She had to admit the entire scene sounded just left of ridiculous.

  "You still love him, don't you?" Mia asked as their chuckles tapered off.

  "Are you...? Mia, c'mon."

  "You not only still love him, but you're so in love with him that you couldn't stop yourself from doing the right thing by him, even when you had everything to lose and nothing to gain."

  "How could I, Mia? I mean, he broke my heart."

  Mia chuckled. "I've got news for you, Tessa. You slipped up and got over it. After all these years, maybe you realize that the love between you is greater than the hurt."

  She pursed her lips. "Right in time for him to declare his love for another woman. They're still getting married. Yeah, I'm not winning," Tessa said. "I wish I could replay his speech. He declared, in front of God and sisters, he made the decision to acquire Keep It Real with his mind and his heart. And that I was the only woman he ever truly loved...but he didn't mean now. He meant from before."

  "Whaaaaat?"

  "Then he let the sisters have it, told them that they could reverse the acquisition, but they could never change what we meant to one another."

  "Wow. Humph."

  "Humph? What's humph for?"

  "Didn't you just tell me that he declared his love for another woman?"

  "Yeah. I heard him tell Chandra he loved her with my own ears."

  "Well, from what you just told me, I heard him declare his love for you."

  Tessa opened her mouth to retort, but the words stopped.

  Declare his love for me?

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. She heard what he said, but she didn't listen, not until this moment.

  Maybe Mia was right. But how could she reconcile his so-called profession of love in the face of what she witnessed with her own eyes and ears?

  "Pepper got your tongue?" Mia asked.

  "Well—" Before Tessa formed her response, the doorbell rang. "I've got a visitor. Probably Dad coming to disown me. I begged him to help me get the company back, and then I caved. Hold on for a sec."

  Tessa stopped for a quick check in the mirror. She smoothed her hair, sniffed under her arms, and trotted down the steps. Far from glammed, she declared herself decent enough to answer the door. She peered out the glass panel.

  "Mia, let me call you back."

  "Who is it? Cody?"

  "No. It's...a courier."

  She recognized him almost immediately. It was the same guy who'd delivered Cody's break-up card five years ago. He still worked for Hart, she guessed, and he hadn’t changed a bit or aged a minute. She'd check on firing him when she returned to the office.

  "Can I help you?" She sounded politer than she wanted to be.

  His deliveries were like deflated animal balloons, melted ice cream, and broken dreams.

  "Delivery for Tessa Sweet."

  "I'm she." She waited with anticipation for him to pull a thin envelope from his courier bag.

  He passed her a receipt on a clipboard. "Sign here, please."

  She signed and watched him drive away and then opened the envelope. It was a card. Tears rushed to her eyes as she read it, walked in the door, and closed it behind her.

  On the front of the card: a picture of a round peg and a round hole.

  The outside cover read: We belong together.

  The inside copy, read, simply: Forever. I Love You. K4.

  She knew who'd sent it, and she understood the message.

  What she didn't understand is the reason. She was at once elated and confused.

  A few moments later, the doorbell rang again. She glanced out of the glass panel, thinking the courier forgot something, perhaps the diamond ring and roses.

  But she couldn't be more wrong. The sight stunned her silent.

  She reeled back, checked for crust in the corners of her eyes, and smoothed her hair once again before opening it.

  There he stood. Cody. Looking like a whole entire snack. He sported a fresh haircut, and his skin glistened with Shea butter. Lord, if he smelled as good as he looked, his mere presence in her home might get her pregnant.

  Cody gazed at her as if she were his whole snack, even in her less-than-polished state.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked.

  "Something I should've done a very long time ago. May I come inside?"

  She started to hesitate, to pretend she was going to shut the door in his face, affronted by his relationship with Chandra. But her thought to leave him standing outside looking crazy was as fleeting as her anger. So, she stepped aside and allowed him to enter.

  There they stood and faced one another, lingering in a silence that spoke volumes above any words.

  "I don't understand. Why did you come here?" she asked again. He still belonged to Chandra.

  "Because you're here. Wherever you are, that's where I belong."

  She pressed her hand against her heart to prevent it from exploding out of her chest.

  As much as she wanted to fall into his arms and declare her undying love and commitment, she held her emotions in check. After all, one major issue remained unresolved.

  "What about your fiancée, your wedding? I saw you two together yesterday. I overheard you. You told her you still love her."

  Cody grabbed Tessa’s hand, sat her down on the sofa, and gently kissed her fingers. Every nerve in her body ignited in a way she scarce believed she could feel again.

  "You're right. You did hear me tell her that I love her." He paused long enough to pique her irritation. "But then you left shortly after, am I right?"

  "How did you know?"

  "Because had you eavesdropped on the entire conversation, you would've also heard me confess to her that I'm not in love with her and that I never stopped loving you."

  Tessa's eyes widened.

  "I don't know what I expected when I acquired your company, but deep down, I know what I hoped. Sitting here with you is more than I ever dreamed."

  She stared at his lips. Cody leaned forward until her eyes fell closed, and then he cupped her face in his hands. "I've missed you so much," he whispered.

  His eyes welled, and his voice, even in a whisper, trembled with his sincerity. "I'm so sorry, baby. I swear I'll spend the rest of my life loving away any pain I ever caused. Just promise me, you will give me the chance to prove it. Promise me."

  She nodded and wiped her tears on the back of her hand. "I just...I can't believe it, after all this time, you're here with me. Loving me."

  Her hands traced the small of his back and spine as he planted the softest and sweetest kisses on her forehead, then her eyes, her nose, each cheek, and her chin. Then finally, he grazed his lips against hers before devouring them.

  Their tongues connected and glided in a perfect, slow, grinding rhythm that intensified with each second of delicious release.

  As they slowed to a stop and parted, Cody said, "I love you, baby. I've loved you every day, of every minute since the first day you kicked me in the chicken nuggets."

  She snickered through her tears. "Cody?"

  "I'm saying that I'm ready to be the man you need me to be." That's when he released her hand, dropped to one knee, and pulled out a Tiffany-blue ring box.

  "Wait, are you saying—"

  "Will you do me the honor of...sharing the chair with me for the rest of our lives?"

  Tessa couldn't stop the tears from flowing. In the wisp of a beautiful moment, her deepest wish, her greatest dream since she was ten years old, had come true. She fell into his arms and landed on top of him on the floor.

  He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her in the sweetest embrace before they looked into each other's eyes.

  "Yes," she said through her sniffs and smiles. "Let's bee husband and wife. I love you so much, Cody."

  "My blue dress with butterflies girl. I love you, Tessa."

  "I've got an idea. You know what?" she
said to her fiancé. "You should write that on a card."

  The end and thank you for reading LOVE IS IN THE CARDS. If you enjoyed this novel, please leave a review at your favorite review site. To hear “K4,” please visit: http://klbradyauthor.com/romance-novels/seven-minutes-of-christmas-magic/

  About the Author

  K. L. Brady, a D.C. native, started her writing career in the pages of diaries when she was seven or eight years old. But it wasn’t until her fortieth birthday and an Oprah “Live Your Best Life” moment that she finally answered her calling and wrote her first novel–The Bum Magnet. The originally self-published novel was picked up by Simon & Schuster in a two-book deal and K.L. hasn’t looked back since, penning the follow-up, Got a Right to Be Wrong and self-publishing the first books in two young adult series and a spy thriller series based on her twenty-year career in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

  A certified nerd girl with a love of all things Star Wars, Big Bang Theory and Star Trek, she has a B.A. in Economics and an MBA. She also holds memberships in the Maryland Writer’s Association, Romance Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She’s addicted to writing and chocolate—not necessarily in that order—and currently, lives in the Washington D.C. area with her son.

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  Website link: http://www.klbradyauthor.com

  Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/KLBRADY/

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  Other Books by K.L. Brady

  In the Cards Series – Sweet Romance

  Love is in the Cards – A Novel (Clean, Sweet Romantic Comedy)

  In this second-chance romance, a greeting card company owner’s life is sent into a tailspin when her business is acquired by the ex-boyfriend who dumped her. (Coming October 2020)

  Seven Minutes of Christmas Magic (Clean, Sweet Romantic Comedy)

  Sparks fly when greeting card company executive ruthlessly steals Mr. Right’s parking space before a Christmas party—and then steals his heart. They would be a match made in heaven…if he hadn’t been tapped to steal her work and destroy her career. (Coming November 2020)

  Trouble’s in the Cards (Clean, Sweet Romantic Comedy)

  Coming in 2021.

  Women’s Fiction – Chick Lit

  Got a Right to Be Wrong (Some Strong Language)

  One week before her wedding day, a woman with a life-long struggle with trust issues finds out a life-altering secret about her fiancée and questions their future.

  12 Honeymoons (Clean, Sweet Romantic Comedy)

  After a nasty break-up that lands her court, a D.C. socialite, struggling to find her purpose and love, gets arrested (again) and is forced to perform community service.

  Christmas and Holiday Romance

  Five Golden Rings - A Christmas Novella (Clean, Sweet Romance)

  A.J. and Kristie serendipitously “fall” for one another at the National Tree Lighting in Washington D.C. As fast as destiny brings them together, Murphy’s Law pulls them apart.

  The 12 Daves of Christmas – A Novella (Clean, Sweet Romantic Comedy)

  It’s a comedy of errors when Dave and Gabby attempt to meet one another face to face after falling for one another due to a misdirected text.

  The Bum Magnet (Chick Lit/Women’s Fiction - Some Strong Language)

  After a lifetime of bad relationships, a woman decides to go on an introspective journey to find out why she attracts to the wrong men—a journey hilariously complicated by a new love interest.

  The 007th Day of Christmas (Clean, Sweet Romance)

  Coming in 2021.

  Sincerely, Santa (Clean, Sweet Romance)

  Coming in 2021.

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  The Playmaker Series – Sweet Romance

  Her Perfect Catch (Clean)

  A struggling sportswriter finds the story of her lifetime, and love soon follows, during a trip to the Super Bowl.

  The Player’s Option (Clean)

  When sports agent Ty Baker and C.J. meet at a pro-football conference, sparks fly, and they can both see love in the end zone...until disaster strikes. Each learns the other is trying to steal their biggest client and cut-throat competition threatens to tear them apart.

  The Eligible Receiver (Clean)

  Jet Jamison is hot, successful, wealthy, and can have any woman he wants, the one he truly needs still eludes him, that is, until Veda enters his life. A chance meeting with Jet begins with a sparring match and ends with love at second sight. But she’s got a secret that threatens to tear them apart.

  The Playmakers – 3-Book Box Set

  Her Perfect Catch, The Player’s Option & The Eligible Receiver

  Are you ready for some love and football? This funny and sweet box set contains heartwarming romances featuring sexy professional football stars who deliver hot, flirty days and cozy nights.

  Young Adult - Romance

  Worst Impressions (Clean)

  In this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, shy, basketball loving, tomboy Liz Bennett meets star high school quarterback Darcelle Williams and sparks fly—and she’d like to set him on fire.

  Soul of the Band (Clean)

  A bullied, inner city teen gets a chance to start a new life when, after her mother’s mental breakdown, she is forced to move to a small town in Ohio and joins the high school band.

  Spy Thrillers – The J.J. McCall Series (S.D. Skye)

  The Bigot List (A J.J. McCall Novel #1)

  An FBI Special Agent and her partner are drawn into an unsanctioned hunt for an intelligence community spy when Bureau sources are killed, and an internal investigation threatens to land them atop the suspect list.

  Situation Critical (A J.J. McCall Novel #2)

  An FBI Special Agent and her partner lead an intelligence community task force ordered to find moles throughout the intelligence community, and its first case targets the White House.

  The Shadow Syndicate (A J.J. McCall Novel #3)

  The FBI task force heads to New York to shut down a sleeper spy funding network, landing them in the middle of a burgeoning war between a Russian organized crime organization with links to diplomatic spies and the Italian mafia.

  SpyCatcher (J.J. McCall 3-Book Box Set)

  The Bigot List, Situation Critical & The Shadow Syndicate

  Read the first three J.J. McCall Novels in one great set!