Otis felt a huge swell of emotion at her words. He rushed forward, taking her face in both his hands and kissing her lips with so much passion and pent up frustration. They held on to one another for what seemed like forever as everyone in the room remained stock still. It was as if they all understood that they weren’t out of the woods yet.
“Brooke,” Otis whispered, staring into her eyes as he continued to hold her. “I love you. I am … so in love with you.”
She quietly burst into tears. “I love you too!”
This time, when they kissed, the entire dressing room erupted into cheers and whistles.
*****
It had been a lively and boisterous holiday gathering at Cory and Donna’s home as they played host and hostess to the entire Jagged Ivory clan for Christmas dinner. And with the Thank Heaven world tour now over, each of the guys was extremely anxious to get back to a little bit of normalcy. It had been a hell of a run though - 149 shows in 42 cities around the globe, sold out stadiums everywhere they went, two weddings and one narrowly-escaped divorce, two “move-ins,” one drug overdose and a trip to rehab, two recovering addicts, one eight-year-old son, two babies on the way, a sex scandal, and the surrender and reformation of a long-time confirmed player. You’d think they’d all be sick of each other by now and want to go their separate ways for a few weeks, but … that wasn’t the case. This was, after all, their family.
Brooke had quickly come to realize that when she spent two weeks traveling around Asia with the band last month. The way they looked after one another was both admirable and touching. And the way they had each welcomed her into their family had won her over. She sat now, watching the controlled chaos in the large living room as everyone was exchanging gifts and laughing and talking. She felt like she’d gotten to know them all pretty well in the past month, and she smiled as she looked around at them all.
Noah and Mercy were locked in a steamy kiss, oblivious to the happy disarray going on around them. Those two were so much in love, and everyone had been excited to learn that he had given her an engagement ring on Christmas Eve. It was beautiful, a large, princess-cut garnet set on a diamond encrusted band. It was so stylish and artsy, just like Mercy herself. They were planning a Valentine’s Day wedding.
Buz and Janie were all smiles as they watched Bobby opening a gift. They were ecstatic because they’d just learned that she was expecting a baby girl, and they were planning to name her Sandra, after Janie’s mom.
Benji and Fae had finally made it official, getting rid of her old apartment and moving her into his new house. His Christmas gift to her had been to commission a local artist to recreate her beloved faeries on their dining room walls.
And Cory and Donna were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their baby boy, Devlin, hiring Kay Ivory to decorate the nursery.
“Here’s one I think Santa forgot,” Otis said, handing Brooke a small, thin box.
“I don’t think Santa is the forgetful sort,” she said, smiling at him.
“No?”
“Mmm mmm,” she mumbled.
“Well, open it anyway,” he insisted.
“Otis, you’ve already given me this gorgeous necklace to match my earrings,” she smiled, fingering the large heart-shaped diamond at her neck. “And I love it.”
“I gave you that necklace because you are the only woman I am ever going to give my heart to,” he said quietly, looking into her eyes. “And it’s important to me that you know that. But this is something just for you. Open it.”
Brooke’s smile grew bigger as she tore into the paper and removed the lid from the box. And she frowned as she pulled out what looked like a legal document. She glanced up at Otis as she unfolded the piece of paper. And her frown only deepened as she read it over.
“What? I don’t understand,” she said looking up at him. “What is this?”
Otis smiled at her. “It’s the partnership papers for the De Luz studio. Cleo is expecting you to sign them and get them back to her ASAP.”
She stared at him, still not fully understanding. “Otis … what does this mean?”
He took a deep breath, really hoping that she wouldn’t be upset with him. “I talked to Cleo and we worked out a deal. I put up the cash but everything is in your name, baby. You’re now half owner of the De Luz Studio and Cleo is your partner. All you have to do is sign the papers.”
“Otis …”
“No! No arguments, Feisty,” he said sternly. Then he smiled at her again. “This is your dream, baby. And like I said, all it takes is for one person to believe in you and get behind what you’re doing. I love you. And you know how I get a kick out of turning your fantasies into reality.”
She teared up as she stared at him. “I love you so much, Otis.”
The End.
Thank you for reading!
Visit http://jaggedivory.com to immerse yourself in the Jagged Ivory experience!
Also by Lashell Collins
The Pierced Trilogy
Pierced By Danger
Pierced By Love
Pierced Ever After
Pierced By Christmas: A Holiday Novella
Pierced (Boxed Set)
The Jagged Ivory Series
Jagged Hearts
Jagged Dreams
Jagged Addiction
Jagged Secrets
Jagged Surrender
Visit http://jaggedivory.com to immerse yourself in the Jagged Ivory experience!
The Kelly Family Series
Ethan: A Kelly Family Novella
Storm: A Kelly Family Novella
Frankie: A Kelly Family Novella
Marina: A Kelly Family Novella
Where There's Smoke: A Kelly Family Novel
The Lunar Falls Series
Secrets of Lunar Falls (coming in Fall, 2014)
About the Author
Lashell Collins is an American author of romantic fiction. Between her book characters and the ones she knows in real life, her plate stays pretty full. But she loves to hear from readers, so connect with her in the following ways:
Find me online:
https://www.facebook.com/LashellCollinsAuthor
https://twitter.com/LashellCollins
http://lashellcollins.com
Sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date on all of my new releases:
http://tinyurl.com/m8tzmqn
Are you on Pinterest? Visit my Pinterest page to see my book boards. I've pinned images of the people I envision for my characters, and things that inspired me while I was writing the stories!
http://www.pinterest.com/lashellcollins1/
If you enjoyed reading about the boys of Jagged Ivory and their journeys to true love and happiness, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book too.
Recommend it. It’s a crowded virtual bookshelf out there, so I would appreciate it if you would help other readers find this book by recommending it to your friends.
Review it. Please tell other readers why you enjoyed this book by reviewing it at Amazon or Goodreads.
Complete Table of Contents
Dedication & Thanks
Also by Lashell Collins
Jagged Hearts Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Jagged Dreams Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Jagged Addiction P
rologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Jagged Secrets Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Jagged Surrender Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Also by Lashell Collins
About the Author
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 101
