THIRST

by Deborah Bladon

  “You’re talking about me,” he yells back.

  “Your dad,” I correct him as I take one last look at myself in the bathroom mirror.

  It’ll have to do.

  I’ve been awake for two hours. I showered, dried my hair, straightened it, and tried on three different outfits before Rocco woke up.

  I finally decided on a simple blue dress Sophia designed last year.

  “My dad will want you to call him Pop.” Rocco rounds the corner to lean against the doorjamb of the bathroom.

  He’s nude.

  It catches my breath in my throat.

  “Pop,” I repeat back.

  “You’re going to be his daughter-in-law soon so fall into that habit now.”

  “Rocco,” I whisper, tears threatening to ruin my mascara.

  “Don’t tell me that you don’t want to marry this.” He throws his hands in the air. “You do.”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “This is not a proposal.” He moves closer to me. “It’s a promise that when things settle, I’ll be dropping to one knee so I can slide my mother’s engagement ring on that finger.”

  I look down at my left hand. “My head is spinning.”

  “I’ve waited for thirty-five-years to find you.” He tugs me against his body. “I’m not wasting another day.”

  I look up into his handsome face. “I don’t want to waste time either.”

  He slaps his hand on my ass. “I’m going home to get showered and changed and then we’ll go see Pop.”

  I suck in a deep breath. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

  ***

  “I’m not Mr. Jones. I’m Pop.”

  “Pop,” I say his name. “I’ll call you Pop.”

  Rocco’s dad cradles my hand in his. We’re at his home in Queens. His wife, April, is resting in the next room.

  Luke was here when we arrived. I was greeted with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  Rocco playfully pushed him off of me.

  “Chloe and her husband want to meet you.” Pop looks over to where Rocco is sitting in a chair. “Nash too.”

  “We’ll bring dinner over one night.” Rocco leans forward. “I’ll cook something and if April is feeling up to it, we’ll have a Jones family dinner.”

  “There’s no better medicine than that.” Pop glances back at the closed bedroom door. “She’s doing better today. Her energy levels are up. I think we turned a corner.”

  Rocco filled me in on all the details about April’s condition as we rode the subway here.

  The specialist he brought in suggested a treatment plan that April is anxious to start.

  “If there’s anything I can do,” I pause to take in a deep breath. “If I can help you or April with anything, big or small, you’ll let me know?”

  “You can take care of my boy.” He motions to Rocco.

  “I plan on doing that every day for the rest of my life.”

  His brown eyes well with tears. “I’m going to check on my bride.”

  I watch him walk away before I look back over at Rocco.

  “Should we go?”

  “You lead the way.” He slides to his feet, his hand reaching out to me.

  I take it as I stand. “I want to meet with someone. Will you come with me?”

  “I’ll follow you anywhere.” He starts toward the door of Pop’s house. “Subway or Uber?”

  I skip my fingers over the screen of my phone. “An Uber. One is on its way.”

  “Let’s sit on the porch.” He swings open the door and motions for me to walk outside.

  I watch as he uses a key on his key fob to lock the door behind us.

  He waits for me to sit on the porch swing before he takes a seat next to me.

  Taking my hand in his, he turns to face me. “Twenty-four hours ago I thought I’d blown my chance with you.”

  I smile softly, taking in how handsome he looks dressed in a gray lightweight sweater and jeans. I’ll never get over how beautiful he is.

  “I should have known something serious was going on.” I glance back at the door to Pop’s house. “You were so lost when I came over to your apartment that day. It was the day I thought you wanted me to move to California.”

  “I wanted your dreams to come true.”

  “They are.” I lean into him. “I’m with you.”

  He kisses me softly on the mouth. “It’s where you belong.”

  I glance down the street. “We’re on our way to make another of my dreams come true.”

  “Are we?” He laughs.

  “We are.” I wiggle my brows. “Here comes our car.”

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Rocco

  “Here’s to my fiancée.” I raise a glass of champagne in the air. “It was a year ago today that she brought me here and now look at this place.”

  The crowd gathered lifts their glasses in the air as Dexie beams.

  Her hair is longer now, there are more pink streaks and Gaia’s engagement ring is planted firmly on her finger.

  We’ll marry next spring after her fall collection has launched.

  Today, we’re celebrating the upcoming winter collection in the Dexie Walsh boutique in Soho. It’s tucked next to a jewelry boutique, Whispers of Grace.

  That’s owned by my fiancée’s business partners, Ivy Marlow-Walker, and her husband, Jax Walker.

  It was Ivy who reached out to Dexie after seeing Gina’s post on Instagram a year ago.

  Something in Ivy’s message spoke to Dexie’s heart so we came down to meet her at her boutique.

  That meeting turned into dinner a week later that included Jax. We hit it off immediately and I saw something in the Walkers that I admire.

  They’re down-to-earth people who have as much faith in Dexie and what she’s doing as I am.

  They offered her a deal that beat out Suzanne’s.

  I made an offer too, but Dexie wanted to build her company’s future on her own terms. I respect every decision she makes.

  Dexie and her lawyer negotiated with Ivy and Jax to secure a royalty against a small percentage of equity.

  Ivy’s handmade jewelry empire started in her apartment.

  She worked hard for her success, and she’s by Dexie’s side as she does the same.

  They share a studio space above Ivy’s boutique. So far, Dexie has hired two women to help her craft the handbags. She’ll scale up in time, at a pace that works for her.

  She moved in with me a month before she quit her job at Matiz to work full-time on her business.

  She’s as much a part of my family as I am. Poker nights now include her. She’s taken Dylan’s money on more than one occasion. Nicholas’s too.

  Nicholas and Sophia drop by for dinner at least once a week with Winter and their new baby daughter, Reese. They’ve become my close friends as much as they are Dexie’s.

  “She’s here!” Dexie starts toward the door of the boutique. My eyes are stuck on her ass in the tight pink dress she’s wearing. “Rocco, come see.”

  I follow her smiling at people as I pass them by.

  It’s only invited guests tonight including Sophia and Nicholas, Dexie’s mom and sister, my brothers, my sister and her husband, most of my cousins, and my dad and April.

  She’s still in treatment. Some days are good, others are worse, but she gets through each one with a smile as she clings to hope. We all do.

  I spot Gina first as she walks through the door dressed as if she’s about to hit a Paris runway. Her red dress is stunning as is the smile on her face.

  “I present to you,” Gina says as she waves her hand at the entrance. “Marti Calvetti.”

  Marti walks in wearing a simple blue dress with the purse she’s carried for years slung over her shoulder. That’s not what catches my eye or the eyes of everyone else in the boutique.

  “I love it,” Dexie whispers as she wraps her hands around my bicep. “Just look at her, Rocco.”

  I do.
>
  The ear-to-ear grin on my grandmother’s face is beautiful. She walks over to us and reaches out one hand to Dexie and the other to me.

  We take her hands at the same time.

  “What do you think, Rocco?” Her eyebrows inch up.” Do you love it as much as I do?”

  “I love it.” I lean down to kiss her cheek. “I love you.”

  I never thought I’d see the day when my grandmother would walk into a room with blue streaks in her hair.

  But then again, I never thought that I’d be marrying a beautiful woman with pink-streaked hair, a nose piercing and a tattoo on her wrist of the date she first saw me out her window.

  I reach down to grab Dexie’s left hand to plant a kiss firmly over that tattoo.

  This woman has changed my life in immeasurable ways and brought a light to my family that we didn’t know we needed.

  She looks up and into my eyes. “I’ll meet you at the window at midnight, Rocco.”

  “I’ll be there.” I smile down at her. “You can bet on that.”

  ***

  “Do you think she’s happy?” Dexie calls over her shoulder as I walk into our living room ten minutes before midnight.

  I peer at the dark-haired woman living in her old apartment. Two of the blinds are closed; one is still open giving us a bird’s eye view into her life.

  I wrap my arms around my fiancée from behind, tugging her into my bare chest. I traded the black suit I was wearing earlier for a pair of sweatpants. She’s dressed in black panties and a pink tank top.

  “I know I’m happy.” I inhale her sweet scent. “I know five minutes from now when I’m between your legs, I’ll be happier.”

  She reaches up to close the curtains.

  When she turns to face me, I cup her cheeks in my hands. Brushing my lips against hers, I groan when I hear the moan that escapes her.

  “Marry me tomorrow,” I say the same three words I say to her every night.

  “Maybe the day after tomorrow,” she replies the same way she always does, but then she hesitates and goes on, “or maybe two months from now on a Saturday afternoon in Bryant Park.”

  I pull back to stare into her brown eyes. “Are we setting a date?”

  “We’re setting a date.”

  I scoop her up into my arms like the bride she’ll be in just eight weeks. “We need to celebrate.”

  I stalk toward our bedroom.

  “How will we do that?” She peppers kisses on my cheek.

  “I’m about to show you,” I say as I toss her on the bed.

  “Will you show me every day for the rest of my life?” she asks as she watches me slide out of my sweatpants.

  Groaning, I crawl over her, stopping to kiss the inside of her thigh before I move up to brush my lips over hers. “Every single day. You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”

  “I’ll love you forever, Rocco,” she whispers the words against my mouth.

  I know she will and I’ll love her for just as long.

  This is our forever and we’re just getting started.

  A Special Surprise for Readers:

  Thank you for reading THIRST.

  I can’t fully express how much it means to me that you take the time out of your lives to read the words I’ve written.

  I am honored and humbled.

  Five years ago this month I began my journey into self-publishing with the story of Ivy and Jax in the OBSESSED Series.

  I never imagined that my books would reach so many readers in so many different countries around the world.

  Each of my characters holds a special place in my heart and sometimes it feels almost impossible to let them go.

  Rocco and Dexie are two of those characters.

  As a special thank you for all of your love and support these past five years, I’m going to share a special novella with you.

  It will be free and available this spring exclusively to members of my newsletter.

  The novella will feature Rocco and Dexie’s wedding and will introduce you to a new character that I think you’ll love.

  (I’m crazy about him.)

  If you’d like to receive the novella, please join my newsletter subscriber list here:

  Click here to subscribe now!

  I promise that I only send out notifications of new books, or sales. I like to do the occasional giveaway too.

  If you signed up for my newsletter in the past, you’re all set.

  Thank you again for reading THIRST. Here’s to another five years and many more love stories!

  Deborah xo

  Preview of Compass

  A Second Chance Romance Novel

  Gage Burke was supposed to be my happily-ever-after.

  When he dropped to one knee on my twenty-first birthday, I saw the promise of forever in his soulful green eyes.

  I picked the venue, bought the perfect wedding dress, and chose my favorite flowers for the bouquet.

  Every detail was arranged, but days before the ceremony, my fiancé set sail on a new adventure without me.

  I picked up the pieces of my shattered heart and patched it back together.

  I left sunny California and headed east, unaware that Gage felt the same pull to New York City that I did.

  When he walks into the bridal boutique I own, time stops.

  He tells me that I’m his true north and that fate crossed our paths again.

  I tell him to go to hell and to take fate with him.

  I can’t forget what happened between us in the past, even if Gage is determined to chart a new course toward our future together.

  *Author's Note: Although a few characters from my past books make appearances in COMPASS, it's not necessary to read any of my other books to enjoy this breathtaking romance!

  Chapter 1

  Kate

  “I want something that is sleek and fitted, maybe a mermaid style gown, Kate.”

  That’s not what she wants. Corly Brunton has come to my bridal shop every week for the past month to try on dresses. Three weeks ago it was mermaid style and those were all thumbs down from the group of four bridesmaids she brought with her.

  Two weeks ago she was certain that she wanted a princess ball gown. Last week, she went through an off-white, off-the-shoulder phase.

  “I think Natalie has the perfect dress in mind for you,” I say, laughing inwardly because I know my assistant, Natalie, is going to be pissed that I’m dragging her into this.

  “I love Natalie,” Corly slaps her hands together. “I’m ready whenever she is.”

  I slip out of the change room and set out to find Natalie.

  Katie Rose Bridal is busier than normal today. I attribute that to the fact that a member of the royal family tied the knot just a few days ago.

  Whenever a high profile wedding takes over the headlines, business picks up.

  “Natalie,” I call out to her when I see her red hair peek out from behind a rack of new arrivals in the stock room.

  Most of our inventory consists of vintage gowns. Natalie is standing next to a dozen dresses that just came back from the dry cleaners.

  “What do you need, Kate?” Her hands drop to the waist of her simple black dress.

  Everyone who works here, but me, is required to dress in black. What fun is there if the boss can’t break a rule or two?

  “I need you to grab that dress that came in yesterday that you thought would be perfect for Corly Brunton.”

  “The lace one with the beading down the bodice?” Natalie rests her hand on the rack. “Is she back?”

  “She’s in change room four and you’re about to sell her that dress.” I tug on the belt of my red dress. “I thought you’d appreciate the commission on the sale.”

  She narrows her green eyes. “I see right through you, Kate Wesley. As much as I would love to help Corly not find the perfect dress again, I’m busy with a bride of my own.”

  “I can take over that.”

  She scratches her chin. “This bride
’s budget is more than Corly’s. I’m talking way more, Kate.”

  “The commission on both is yours, even if I make the sale.”

  “I’m game.” She starts walking toward a rack of lace dresses. “I’ll grab the dress for Corly and you’ll go help Annalise Brookings find her perfect gown.”

  “She’s in the main showroom?”

  Natalie nods. “With her entourage of seven. Her fiancé and his best man are on the way too.”

  When I first started working in bridal I was surprised whenever a future groom showed up to witness his soon-to-be wife trying on dresses. It’s not that uncommon. We have at least a few men in the showroom every week.

  “What’s Annalise looking for in a gown?”

  “I don’t have a clue.” Natalie laughs as she pulls a gown in a clear garment bag from a rack. “We haven’t gotten that far yet. I came back here to get a new notepad so I could jot down what she likes.”

  “I’m about to find out.” I smile as I turn toward the showroom. “Wish me luck.”

  I take quick steps down the carpeted corridor that leads to the main showroom of Katie Rose Bridal.

  I had it decorated in elegant and sophisticated tones. The benches are covered in cream-colored fabrics. The walls are painted pale peach. It’s the perfect space to choose a dress to wear on the most important day of your life.

  A bride walking back toward the change rooms catches my eye. I stare down at the gown she’s trying on. It has a sweetheart neckline and a lace train. It’s a beautiful dress that has brought a tear to her eye.

  This is exactly why I opened this boutique.

  I round the corner to the showroom and spot Annalise immediately.

  She’s standing near a mirror with a group of women around her. The tiara on her head is a clear sign that she’s the bride.

  I smile as I near her. “You must be Annalise.”

  “That’s me.” She shakes with excitement. “I’m here to find a dress.”

  “I’m Kate.” I reach out to take her hand in mine. “I’m excited to help you do just that.”

  “You have perfect timing, Kate.” Her hand flies in the air next to my shoulder. “My man is here with his best man.”

  I turn to face the double glass doors that open onto the sidewalk in front of the boutique.