by Vella, Wendy
“Safe now,” he leaned down to kiss her softly.
Buddy climbed onto his sofa and did a few turns, then closed his eyes. Noah stripped, washed, then joined Lani in his bed.
Pulling her into his arms, he held her tight and lay there holding her until his body relaxed and the knowledge that she was really here in his arms and not being held by a madman sank in. Only then did he close his eyes and fall asleep to Buddy’s soft snores.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Lani’s cake was simple yet elegant. Cream frosting with pastel roses and gold writing. The bride wore ivory, long and floaty, with her hair in a messy bun. And that, thought Noah, was how a man described a bride.
“It’s the bone structure,” Lani whispered in Noah’s ear at the wedding reception, which was held outside on the lawn even though the weather wasn’t what you would call warm, at Cubby and Katie’s house. Huge outdoor gas heaters were warming those who needed it, and Lani was one of those. “Those McBrides all have it.”
“I’ve been told I have good bone structure,” Noah replied, leaning closer so he could inhale her.
In the ten days since she’d been taken from him, Lani Dwight had become almost unrecognizable from the Lani Sullivan he’d met not that many weeks ago.
Her hair had been returned to its normal blonde color and styled. Noah liked it, but then he’d liked her dark hair too. Macy had put her in an emerald green dress that showed off her curves and a short black jacket with shoes to match, which she’d told him several times were killing her. But the biggest change in her was the smile. Lani smiled all the time now and laughed too.
Now that she no longer lived in fear, she was lighter and more open. He’d loved her before, but that had only grown as he’d watched her change.
“I love this part.”
“When the groom makes a fool of himself?”
Cubby wore a dark gray suit and looked pretty good. He was leading his new wife onto the floor for their first dance as a married couple.
“Cubby could never make a fool of himself.”
“Oh, believe me, he can and has.” Noah was always touching her. A brush of a finger or taking her hand in his. Something always drove him to be connected to Lani.
“Are you sure you can leave the Howler for so long, Noah? I’d be fine to go without you if you can’t.”
“We’ve had this discussion, Lani. You’re not going anywhere without me.”
She smiled again. “I was just checking.”
In two days they were starting their journey to California, to her home. Once there, they’d be unraveling the mess that was her financial situation and sorting out wills and what to do with her family’s properties.
“Noah?”
“Hmmm?” He was worried about her facing her past and what she’d find, and how she’d react. It would be hard after so long, facing what she’d lost for so many years. That, plus the memories of her parents.
“I want to live in Lake Howling always.”
“What?” Dragging his eyes from Cubby and Katie, he looked down into Lani’s gray eyes. Another shock. She’d worn contacts.
“I want to live here with you.”
“Okay, that’ll work.” His throat was tight with emotion. They’d never discussed it, but it had been in his thoughts. “But if you change your mind, I’ll follow.”
“I won’t. And, Noah?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to help me work out how we can use the money I’ll inherit. It will be our money. Maybe you could pay off your loan?”
“Lani—”
“I know you have your pride, but I have mine too. I want be involved in your life.”
“You are, always will be. I’m not letting you go.” He leaned down and kissed her. “But how about we discuss all this later.”
“Noah?”
He sighed, then turned his chair and hers so they were facing each other.
“Yes.”
“Mrs. C is thinking of selling the Howlery. I think we should buy it.”
“Do you now?”
She nodded, looking so sweet in her new dress, his heart sighed.
“You do realize we’re at a wedding, don’t you, Lani?”
“I do, and it’s a great place to talk because you can’t walk away from me.”
He cupped a soft cheek. “I’d never walk away from you.”
She kissed him, her lips clinging to his.
“I love you, Noah.”
“I love you, Lani, and I know it’s too early for us to discuss it, but one day I want this with you.”
“Really? Oh.” She pressed a hand to her lips.
“Really. Marriage and babies. Plus, Buddy and Bandit need a proper home. But as I just said, how about we discuss it later.”
“I just wasn’t sure, after Samantha, if you’d want to do it again.”
“I never loved her like I do you.” Noah kissed her again.
“Seriously. Will you two stop that shit? It’s time to dance, not sit here doing the eye thing with each other.”
“Eye thing?” Noah looked up at Buster, who was rocking Emily.
Buster did something that made him look constipated.
“Oh, that thing,” Lani said, clearly understanding him when Noah had no clue.
“So get to it,” Buster said.
“What?”
“Dancing, you idiot. Hot girl right there in front of you. Dance with her, for pity’s sake.”
“On it.” Noah added, “Lani?”
“Yes.”
He cupped her face so she looked at him.
“Whatever we face in California, I will be right at your side. No one will hurt you again, okay?”
She sniffed loudly.
“You have made me whole again, sweetheart. Made me feel like I want to wake up with a smile each day. You, Lani, have healed me.”
“Oh, Noah, it’s the same for me.”
“And now we need to dance, or another one of our idiot friends will have something to say. So take my hand, baby, and let’s show these people how it’s really done.”
He saw the smiles on the people he loved as he led her to the dance floor. There would be challenges ahead, everyone had those, but now he knew that he’d always be facing them with the woman he loved.
Tex and Annabelle danced by, making kissing sounds, so Noah obliged.
“Lani.” She looked up at him. “I love you.”
He kissed her right there on the dance floor in front of the people that mattered most in his life, and Noah could say with all honesty, he’d never wanted anything more.
* * *
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Have you read the first book in my Ryker Falls series, SOMEBODY TO LOVE? Joe and Bailey’s story. Once friends, they were torn apart, but now Bailey’s back in town!
‘I absolutely loved this story!! This is a true testament to how much friendship can impact a person's life!’
-Amazon reviewer
He was the bad boy no one trusted
Bailey’s burned out, and not sure what leads her back to Ryker Falls, but has a feeling it’s got something to do with closure. Bad boy Joe Trainer was once her soulmate, but she isn’t sure she has a soul anymore. Finding he’s made something of his life is a shock, as he’d been on a one-way trip to hell when she left. This new Joe is sexy and enticing, but she knows all too well there’s a devil underneath the urbane exterior.
She was the good girl who never broke the rules
When Joe’s childhood friend, Bailey Jones, returns to Ryker Falls, his life suddenly shifts from settled to off-center. Once they’d been closer than anyone ever guessed; now, they’re chilly strangers. But Joe’s not letting his stubborn, sexy-as-hell ex-best friend stay closed off. He lost her once through his own
stupidity; this time he’s never letting her go. Joe knows he doesn’t deserve a second chance, but he’s never played by the rules before, so he’s not starting now. Game on.
ONE CLICK FOR SOMEBODY TO LOVE!
Bailey + Joe =
‘After fifteen years apart Bailey and Joe were together again. I loved how he didn't give up on her when she clearly wasn't ready for a relationship. Their story was so beautifully written.’
-Goodreads reviewer
Turn the page for an excerpt of Somebody To Love!
Somebody To Love
Excerpt
“Right here whenever you’re ready to concede defeat.”
She let out a huff of breath, then stepped back a few feet to look at him. He saw a face that needed a few pounds and some sleep, but for all that she was pretty, actually more than, Joe thought. Sweet. Satin-smooth skin. Color rode high on her pronounced cheekbones. His eyes fell to a full lower lip that had dropped open as she looked at him.
“Is something....” Joe’s words fell away as he noted the shocked, smoky-gray eyes. “Bailey?”
“Joe?” She whispered his name. While he grappled with who stood before him, she cleared her throat and spoke again, this time louder. “Hello, Joe.”
Gone was the little girl he’d held sobbing in his arms all those years ago; the vision was now changed for life by the twenty-eight-year-old Bailey Jones who stood before him. “You have to follow me, Joe. Come for me and bring me home. Promise me.” He still remembered the last words she’d spoken to him.
“Bailey,” he said again, because he had nothing else. Emotion thickened his throat, blocking words, and his head was suddenly filled with visions of a past he’d left behind long ago.
“C-could you pass me that box, please.”
“What?” He shook his head, trying to clear the images of what he and Bailey Jones had once shared.
“Th-the box of Apple Sours.” She turned her face away and looked to the top shelf. “Could you pass it to me, please?”
Joe made himself walk by her, and reach up. He didn’t know what else to do. Bailey was home. “Just the one?” His voice sounded normal, as if the last time he’d seen this woman was yesterday, not fifteen years ago.
“Three, thank you.”
He handed the boxes to her. “My pleasure,” he said, as if the woman before him hadn’t once been the best friend he’d ever had. At thirteen, Bailey had understood him better than anyone else. She’d been the one person who believed in him.
She put the boxes in the basket over her arm, and gave him a small, tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Eyes that had dark smudges underneath. Tired eyes.
“You here for a vacation?” He made himself talk, act natural, and not give in to the shock that was ricocheting through his body.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m n-not sure how long yet.”
He stood silently while she fiddled with her groceries. They were strangers now, he realized. Of all the scenarios he’d thought up about this day, if it ever came, it hadn’t played out like this. He’d thought they’d laugh, discuss the past like old friends. Instead they were uncomfortable with each other, the distance between them a chasm.
“Well, thanks, Joe. It’s good to see you again.”
“Ryker Falls is sure a long way from Boston to come for a vacation, Bailey.” He made himself talk while he struggled with the fact that she stood before him. No longer a child, but a beautiful woman.
“How do you know I was still in Boston?”
“Maggie.”
“Of course.” She shot him a look, and he saw she wasn’t as composed as she appeared. Her eyes were darker, a sure sign she was emotional. He remembered that, and so much more about her.
“Maggie is very proud of her famous friend.”
“Once famous. I don’t do that now... haven’t for a while.”
“Really? Last I heard you were still wowing crowds everywhere.”
She shook her head. “Ha, no, not for months now.”
“True? Maggs never said. So what’s next for you?”
“I-I... ah, I’m t-taking a break.”
He frowned as she stuttered over the words. Bailey had never stuttered, she’d spoken in a clear, concise voice. He watched her inhale deeply, twice. Of course, more than he had changed in the years since they’d last seen each other, he knew that, he just hadn’t expected.... Hell, he had no idea what he’d expected.
“I decided to come here and see Maggie.” The words were spoken slowly.
See Maggie, not him.
“Quite a lot has changed in fifteen years, Bailey.”
She nodded, but said nothing more. Another change; the old Bailey Jones had filled every gap with words.
She started moving. Reaching his side, she stopped briefly, and looked up at him. Joe noticed a small crescent-shaped scar high on her cheekbone that hadn’t been there when she was thirteen.
“Thank you for reaching the Apple Sours for me.”
He made himself speak. Pushed aside the myriad of feelings choking him, and forced a smile onto his face.
“No worries, I know what your addiction to them was once like. It’s good to see that hasn’t changed. Nice to see you again, Bailey. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
She gave another jerky nod, and something flickered over her face. Sadness, maybe? Whatever, it was soon gone. She managed a shaky smile. He remembered that too. The little girl who had taught herself how to hide away from things that hurt or upset her. She’d often hid her troubled thoughts behind a smile.
“Goodbye, Joe,” she added before leaving.
Want to read more? Click here to read SOMEBODY TO LOVE now!
Other Books By Wendy Vella
Contemporary Romance
The Lake Howling Series
A Promise Of Home
The Texan Meets His Match
How Sweet It Is
It Only Took You
Don’t Look Back
A Long Way Home
And Then Came You
Ryker Falls Series
Somebody To Love
From This Moment
Love Me Tender
Only Just Begun
Historical Romance
Regency Rakes Series
Duchess By Chance
Rescued By A Viscount
Tempting Miss Allender
The Langley Sisters Series
Lady In Disguise
Lady In Demand
Lady In Distress
The Lady Plays Her Ace
The Lady Seals Her Fate
The Lady’s Dangerous Love
The Raven & Sinclair Series
Sensing Danger
Seeing Danger
Touched By Danger
Scent Of Danger
Vision Of Danger
Tempting Danger
Seductive Danger
The Lords Of Night Street Series
Lord Gallant
Lord Valiant
Lord Valorous
Lord Noble
Stand-Alone Titles
The Reluctant Countess
Christmas Wishes
The Earl’s Encounter
Mistletoe And The Marquess
About the Author
Wendy Vella is a bestselling author of historical and contemporary romances
such as the Langley Sisters and Sinclair and Raven series, with over a million copies of her books sold worldwide.
Born and raised in a rural area in the North Island of New Zealand, she shares her life with one adorable husband, two delightful adult children and their partners, four delicious grandchildren, and too many cantankerous farm animals.
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This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or use of this work in any part is forbidden without the express written permission of the author.
Then Came You is published by Wendy Vella
Copyright © 2020 Wendy Vella
