Nothing But This

by Anders, Natasha

  “I’m trying to tell you we’re not divorced,” she said, and this time he was the one who gaped at her.

  “What?”

  “I never got around to signing the papers.”

  She never got around to signing the papers?

  If Greyson hadn’t been in so much pain and therefore extremely conscious of his surroundings, he would have wondered if he was hallucinating. What did she mean, she’d never gotten around to signing the papers? He’d thought they’d been divorced for weeks, and all along she’d still been his wife?

  That was . . . it was . . .

  A little disappointing, actually.

  “But the wedding,” he said, feeling like an idiot. “The dress and the cake. And . . . would you have said yes?”

  “In a heartbeat,” she assured him, kissing him, and his lips spread into a smile beneath hers. Okay, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Weddings were hard work. Or so he’d been told. But he had hoped to start things off on the right note the second time around.

  “In fact,” she said, lifting her mouth from his, “I am saying yes. To the wedding and the dress and the party. We could do a vow renewal. In a church. I think that would be appropriate.”

  “God, I love you so damned much,” he said vehemently, and her smile widened, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. “My life is absolute shit without you and Clara, Olivia. Look what happens when you leave me. I fell off a roof—”

  “Ladder.”

  “We’ve established that roof sounds cooler. Anyway, I’m useless without you.”

  “Let’s make sure you’re never without me again.”

  “Yes. Let’s do that.”

  “Hey, I brought you some clothes, and . . .” Harris’s voice faded as he stepped behind the privacy curtain around Greyson’s bed. His eyes bounced from Olivia to Greyson and back again before his lips stretched into a huge grin. “Soooo, what’s going on here?”

  “Olivia’s agreed to marry me,” Greyson bragged, and Harris’s eyes lit up.

  “That’s fucking brilliant! That’s—” He shoved back the curtain and raised his voice. “Guys, Libby’s going to marry Grey. Again.”

  Olivia laughed incredulously when they heard the shouts of approval and squeals from the crowd gathered just a few meters down the hall. Hurried footsteps rushed toward them, and Tina pushed her way behind the curtain as well.

  “There’s my girl,” Greyson said when he spotted Clara in the woman’s arms. “Did you miss me, sweetheart?”

  “You’re getting married?” Tina was enthusing as she handed Clara over to Olivia, who lowered her so that Greyson could give her a kiss. “That’s wonderful.”

  “We’re already married,” Olivia said with another laugh. She looked so damned happy, and Greyson couldn’t stop staring at her. Unable to believe that this was really his life. His wife. His child.

  But it was. This beautiful woman and this lovely child were his, and he felt so damned fortunate to have them. He had come so perilously close to destroying everything and everyone he cared about the most, but somehow—someway—they had found it in their hearts to forgive him. To love him.

  Olivia caught him staring, and her smile changed, became warmer, more intimate. In that moment, no one and nothing else existed. Nothing but Greyson, Olivia, and Clara. Nothing but the love they shared and the life they would build together.

  It was all he had ever needed and all he would ever want. And this time, he was going to treasure all the gifts he had been blessed with.

  Epilogue

  “Come on, sweetheart, come to Daddy,” Greyson urged, kneeling on the floor as he encouraged his gorgeous nine-month-old little girl to walk toward him. She took a hesitant step, then another . . . before tumbling toward him at a precipitous speed, her gait ungainly but determined. He caught her just before she fell and swung her up in celebration. She squealed in delight, and Greyson turned to Olivia, a huge grin threatening to split his face in half.

  “Did you get that?”

  “I did,” she laughed, holding up her phone. “And it’s on its way to Gammy and Gampa and Gran and Papa.”

  “Good girl, Piper,” Clara said in her high-pitched voice, clapping her pudgy hands as she praised her baby sister. “I knew you could do it.”

  “Yes, you did,” Greyson said, picking the three-year-old up with his free arm and giving her a huge hug as well. “You’re such a great big sister.”

  “Meat’s ready,” Harris called from the back patio, and Clara squealed, wriggling to be let down. Greyson complied, and the girl went tumbling to her plastic table and chair, her small, scruffy rescue dog, Flopsy—so named by Clara because the pup had “big, flopsy ears”—yapping along behind her.

  “Gweat! I’m hungwy,” she announced before sitting down and folding her arms on the surface of the table expectantly.

  “I know you are, munchkin,” Harris said, stepping into the house. “That’s why I put a rush on it.”

  “I hope that doesn’t mean it’s burnt on the outside and raw on the inside again,” Libby grumbled good naturedly, and Greyson chuckled. His wife often gave his brother flack over his grilling prowess, but they all knew that she would rather have Harris at the grill than Greyson any day.

  “I think you’re mistaking me for my brother, Bug. We may look identical, but I assure you, I’m the better cook.”

  “You don’t look identical. Greyson has a much handsomer nose,” she said, waving a dismissive hand, and Tina laughed from her spot on the sofa. She was heavily pregnant with twin boys and didn’t move around easily these days.

  “That’s a low blow,” Tina protested. “I think he looks rakish with that nose.”

  “You’d damned well better,” Harris retorted. “Since you’re the one who’s responsible for it.”

  “I broke it, I bought it,” Tina said with a smirk. Harris sank down on the sofa next to her, his hand going to her huge belly while he whispered something in her ear. She giggled and slapped his hand.

  “You’re a lech, Harrison Chapman. Propositioning a heavily pregnant woman like that,” she said teasingly, and he growled before planting a kiss on her laughing mouth.

  Greyson loved their Sunday-afternoon gatherings. It had become something of a tradition in the three years since they had moved to Riversend. A way to unwind after a busy week. MJ’s was doing phenomenally well under Tina and Olivia’s leadership. Greyson and Harris had successfully set up a division of the company in Riversend and now used it as their home base. They had created quite a few jobs in the town as a result and had quickly made a mark among the townspeople.

  Greyson served on the city council and volunteered at the youth-outreach program with Spencer. And Harris had campaigned to bring several winter festivals—including poaching the cheese festival from the next town over, for some reason—to Riversend in order to promote off-season tourism. It was a very successful pet project, and all the local businesses had seen an uptick in winter commerce thanks to those festivals.

  And at the end of every week, they touched base with Sunday lunch at Greyson and Olivia’s beach house. The original house had been torn down after a year, and they had built a bigger place to suit their needs. Sometimes they went to the hill, where Harris and Tina had built a delightful log house with a fantastic view of both the town and the ocean. Sometimes Sunday lunch was just a family affair, but their friends often joined them as well.

  “Why so serious, my love?” Olivia asked, coming up beside him and winding her arm around his waist. She wiped a crumb from Piper’s drooly chin before lifting her gaze up to meet Greyson’s.

  “I was reflecting on how lucky I am and how incredibly happy you make me. Thank you for my life, Olivia.”

  “I think you mean our life.”

  Greyson draped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Our life. Thank you for our wonderful life.”

  Acknowledgments

  So many things get put on hold while I’m writing a story. Thanks to
my family and friends for always patiently waiting for their “turn” with me.

  Nathan and Lauren, you guys are the best pet sitters and dog distractors in the world. I appreciate you always.

  Thanks to my ROSA ladies. I love hanging out with you—our get-togethers are wonderfully motivating, and I am so proud to be a part of our organization.

  Rae Rivers, brainstorming with you is always inspiring!

  My agent, Kim Whalen, I’m eternally grateful for everything you do.

  I’d like to thank my wonderful Montlake team. You’re all fabulous, and I cannot imagine doing this without each and every one of you.

  Special thanks to my fantastic acquiring editor, Lauren Plude: you’re truly amazing, and I hope we work on many more books together.

  And to the exceptionally talented Lindsey Faber, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have worked with you on this project. Every single editorial note enhanced and improved these stories. You’re a wonder, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  About the Author

  Photo © 2013

  Natasha Anders has been drawing praise and attention as a unique voice in romance since 2012. Her first novel, The Unwanted Wife, was a bestselling sensation and remains a consistent favorite among readers. Her 2017 novel, The Wingman, the first in her new Alpha Men trilogy, was a finalist for a 2018 Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Anders spent nine years as an associate English teacher in Niigata, Japan, where she became a legendary karaoke diva. Anders currently lives in Cape Town.