Instant Bliss: The Moore Family Book 3

by Brooks, Abby

  Me: I’ve never met anyone like you. I feel like I’ve known you forever. I can’t believe it’s only been a few days. I want to know everything about you but feel like somehow, I already know the answers to the questions I’d ask...

  Willow: Yes! Same!

  Emboldened, Harry composed a reply and hit send, then immediately wished he hadn’t.

  Me: Like when I met you, something in my life changed.

  The pounding in his heart counted the seconds until Willow replied.

  Willow: I feel the same. What is this? Is this how you Moores catch your women?

  Me: You know it. All we have to do is walk up to beautiful women and they become putty in our hands.

  Chuckling, Harry stared at the ceiling, waiting for a reply from the woman he’d become addicted to.

  Willow: Well, now it all makes some kind of sense. Phew. And here I thought something monumental was happening…

  Harry couldn’t have stopped the smile on his face if his life depended on it.

  Me: Can’t wait to see you tomorrow.

  Willow: Same.

  Me: I should let you get some sleep.

  Even as he typed the words, he knew he didn’t mean it. He could talk to her all night and feel good about it.

  Willow: Ha! Like I’ll be able to sleep while wondering what you look like naked!

  Goodnight, Harry.

  Sleep tight.

  He sat up on his elbow at her last text and read it over and over again. Willow’s thinking about me naked?

  So much for ever falling asleep again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Willow

  There was something so funny about Juliet driving a truck. In New York, she’d been defined by pencil skirts and business suits. Sleek hair and power lunches. To see her dwarfed by the steering wheel of a monstrous pickup claiming more than its share of the lane was something.

  Willow stared, taking it all in. “A year ago, if you had told me I’d be letting you drive me anywhere in a beast like this, I’d have laughed and asked what kind of drugs you were on and where I could get some.”

  “I know!” Juliet turned to her, a wide smile making her already pretty face absolutely stunning. “Life sure is full of surprises.” She shook her head as she gave her attention back to the road. “I’m so happy out here. I mean…I miss you, of course, but I really feel like I’ve found where I belong.”

  A weird pang of jealousy stabbed Willow in the chest. “I’m glad you’re in such a good place.”

  For some reason those words tasted bitter and she didn’t understand why. Sure, she missed her friend something awful, but she wouldn’t wish her back to New York at the expense of all she’d found in Bliss. Guilt chased the bitterness from her system. Whatever that was about, she would have to figure it out later and put an end to it.

  “So…” Juliet began with a hint of impish laughter lightening her voice. “Are you excited for tonight?”

  Willow’s heart pounded and she didn’t think she could speak without giving away just how excited she really was. “Yes,” she finally managed.

  “By the sound of it, I don’t think I’ll have to miss you much longer. It’s just a matter of time until you’re living down here with me. Well, obviously you’ll be living with Harry, but we’ll be in the same town again”—Juliet glanced over, a teasing look on her face—“as sisters-in-law.”

  A surge of excitement had Willow beaming before reality crashed into her. She couldn’t move to Bliss. There was nothing for her to do in such a small town. Other than ballet, she didn’t have any job skills and there weren’t any dance companies in a hundred miles.

  Besides, she was so established at ACB, so close to getting promoted to principal dancer…

  How could she walk away from that?

  Even if Harry did ask her to stay with him, she just…couldn’t. She was nothing outside of New York.

  Willow stifled a laugh. What the hell was she thinking?

  There she was, planning how to navigate Harry’s imaginary invitation to move in with him, and she hadn’t even known the guy for an entire week, yet. Her dad always said she spent too much time living in the future and not enough time experiencing the present.

  Maybe she finally needed to take that advice to heart. Stop worrying and start experiencing. She shook her head at the sheer foolishness of fretting over moving in with a guy three days after she met him.

  Juliet chatted happily about last minute wedding details as they drove to Harry’s. Willow inserted the appropriate ooh’s and ah’s as necessary, until they pulled into the driveway and her jaw hit the floor. “Damn,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “This house…”

  “It’s nice, isn’t it? I’ve never been sure which one I like more, Ian’s—well, ours…” Juliet grinned sheepishly. “Or this one.”

  Nice? The house went so beyond nice, Willow didn’t know what else to say. “He’s got good taste, that’s for sure.”

  “I don’t think you could come out of a childhood with Frank and Diane Moore as your parents without developing a sense of style. James’ house is something too, even if it is one of those modern monstrosities.” Julz gave Willie a knowing look as they climbed out of the truck. Both of them shared an appreciation for historic architecture.

  Willow had chosen a simple black dress with a scoop back for the evening, and paired it with high-heeled sandals and simple, gold jewelry. She let her hair air dry to give it some texture then pulled it into a messy up-do. The goal was to come off simple and sophisticated, without looking overdone. Kind of like the decor in Harry’s restaurant.

  She waved goodbye to Juliet and took a cleansing breath before stepping up to Harry’s door. Worry about what she was doing there tried to take root in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it away. I’m focusing on the present, she reminded herself. Not living in anxiety about the future.

  She rang the bell and didn’t have to wait long for Harry to open the door. He was barefoot, wearing a thin T-shirt and a pair of loose sweatpants…somehow managing to look like he belonged on the cover of GQ. He leaned against the door frame and smiled a greeting. “Hey.”

  Willow glanced at her outfit in horror. “Wow. I am totally overdressed.”

  “No way. You look amazing.” He straightened and gestured for her to enter. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

  Internally, Willow thrust a triumphant fist into the air, while externally playing it cool. “Oh yeah? Like how?” She stepped inside and took a moment to appreciate the interior. She was not in a typical bachelor pad. With art on the walls and a cohesive style to the furniture, she felt more like she’d come to visit one of the donors for the ballet, than a twenty-something guy in a pair of sweats.

  Harry grabbed her waist and drew her close, pressing her body to his before kissing her. His fingers traced her back, an explosion of goose bumps racing away from the heat of skin against skin. She parted her lips and invited him to deepen his kiss, which he did, his tongue dipping into her mouth. “About that,” he said pulling back, his forehead pressed to hers. “I’ve been thinking about that all day.”

  He kissed her again. His lips were warm and supple, and he tasted of peppermint.

  “I can’t wait to find out what else you’ve been thinking about all day,” she said suggestively while trying not to show how shocked she was with herself for saying something like that.

  What are you doing? asked her inner worrier.

  Living in the present, she answered.

  Harry traced his fingers along her back. “You’re something else, you know that?”

  “Oh, no. That’s totally you.” Not wanting to seem like she was just there for a booty call, Willow stepped out of his arms. “This place is amazing. It’s not at all like I expected and everything I expected at the same time.” Kind of like you, she finished in her head.

  “What in the world does that mean?” he asked as he took her arm and guided her down a hallway toward the kitchen. />
  “Well, you’re a guy. Living alone. I would expect bare walls and beer signs. Or no art anywhere. Or ugly as sin furniture surrounding a state-of-the-art entertainment center. But this place is gorgeous, with actual thought put into what goes where and how it all comes together. Which is something I’d expect from what I think I’ve learned about you.”

  “Are you saying I decorate like a woman?” Harry flashed her a playful smile and Willow laughed.

  “I guess that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Well, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.” Harry leaned in, offering a good whiff of his cologne. “My sister decorated the place.”

  “Ahh. The infamous Lilah.”

  He nodded and slid a cutting board out of a drawer. “Yes, the infamous Lilah,” he said as he opened the fridge and started choosing veggies.

  “What can I do to help?” Willow wasn’t used to being waited on and didn’t know what to do with herself.

  “You can have a seat and pour us some wine.” He gestured to a large breakfast bar with an open bottle of red wine and two glasses before he gathered his ingredients and deposited them there. “So…” he began with an apologetic grimace. “Before we get too far into the evening, I have to admit that I Googled you.”

  Willow swallowed hard and poured the wine. She really didn’t want to talk about work, which was the only thing a Google search about her would bring up. “Oh yeah? What did you find?”

  “That you’re impressive as all hell, but I didn’t need the videos to prove that. I already knew.”

  She blushed and bit her lip. “Thank you.” She watched his knife fly across the cutting board and waited for the inevitable questions to come. “I have to admit,” she said when Harry stayed silent. “I didn’t feel the need to Google you.”

  His blade stilled as he gave her a quizzical glance. “Really? Why not?”

  “In part it’s because I feel like I already know you. But also, because I want to learn about the stuff I don’t know by being with you.” She watched a blush color Harry’s cheeks and he took a drink of wine.

  “I wonder if Juliet’s gonna mind if I steal her maid of honor for the last couple days before her wedding. Something tells me I’m going to want to spend every possible hour I can with you.”

  Willow definitely liked the sound of that. She would be totally fine spending every second she was in Bliss at Harry’s side. “I don’t know, Julz is pretty low maintenance. She’s never been one to make a big deal about things.”

  “How did you meet?”

  Willow explained how they’d happened across each other at a party thrown by a donor for the ballet, a man who happened to be Juliet’s boss at the time. “When I found out her name was Juliet, I just knew we were destined to be friends.”

  Harry arched a brow. “Because of her name? That was enough to tell you she should be your friend?”

  “Oh yeah. It was like a big pulsing neon sign telling me she was supposed to be in my life.”

  “How so?” He looked genuinely confused.

  Willow steeled herself for this revelation. He was either going to totally get it or totally think she was crazy. “Because my most favorite ballet of all time is Romeo and Juliet. Not because of the story. I mean, the story’s fine, although a little unbelievable. But the music?” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The music is absolutely…” She flared her hands. “I never have a word strong enough to describe what it does to me.”

  Harry stood, frozen in place, just staring at her without blinking. “Prokofiev or Tchaikovsky?”

  “What?” Those names made sense to her, but she was astounded to hear him use them.

  “Whose Romeo and Juliet? Prokofiev’s or Tchaikovsky’s?”

  “Prokofiev. Tchaikovsky is too…” She waved her hand. “Fluffy,” she finally said. “And it’s only a symphonic poem…” She stopped talking as Harry left the kitchen and disappeared into the living room. A few seconds later, the lilting strings of the introduction filled the house and Willow closed her eyes, trying hard to swallow against the emotion the music stirred in her.

  The lump in her throat.

  The tears pricking at her eyes.

  All of it made even more intense to know that she was at Harry’s house and he was playing it for her.

  Her hand rose to her chest and she opened her eyes to find him leaning on the counter, watching her, his own eyes glistening. “It’s my favorite too, but you have to promise not to tell my brothers.”

  Holy, hell! How many hints that she needed to pay attention to this guy could the universe possibly drop?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Willow

  Harry finished cooking while Willow listened to the familiar strains of her favorite ballet. As it turned out, she wasn’t completely wrong about him being a typical guy—he did have a killer entertainment system. The sound quality was almost as good as hearing the symphony perform live. Harry barely spoke as he cooked, which was good, because she might not have been able to bear the music mixing with his voice and the growing certainty that Harry Moore was going to change everything.

  As he worked, he showed her each ingredient, waiting for her approval before he added it to the meal, which she appreciated. Somehow, dinner was still going to squeeze into her official list of Acceptable Meals. Maybe a little higher in fat than she would typically go, but he used healthy fats, so she didn’t feel too bad about it. And when she took her first bite, she didn’t feel bad about it at all.

  “This is so delicious,” she murmured around some of the juiciest chicken she’d ever eaten.

  Harry put a finger to his lips and nodded toward the speaker. “This is the best part.”

  And Willow had to admit that it really was.

  * * *

  They finished dinner and did the dishes in a silent dance around the kitchen. It reminded Willow of the first time they met, except this time, whenever Harry came near, he made sure to touch her.

  A hand on her back.

  A brush of his finger on her shoulder.

  A bump of his hip against hers.

  They finished the dishes during the music for the balcony scene. Willow leaned back against the counter and closed her eyes again, awash in the memories of the choreography and the rich emotions the sweet melody carved out of her soul. Just as the moment for Romeo and Juliet’s first kiss drew near, she became aware of Harry standing next to her. She opened her eyes and found him smiling down at her and damn if he didn’t touch his lips to hers just when the music called for it.

  She pressed into him and it was as if her heart and her body and her soul opened themselves to his. As if he became part of her and she became part of him and she would never again feel whole without him at her side. The rush of emotions left her trembling. It was like looking at the face of God and understanding the meaning of life.

  She ran her hands up his back and dug her fingernails into the corded muscles near his shoulders, needing him to be closer than he was. Needing more points of contact between them.

  Of all the signs in the world, this one had to be the biggest. The boldest. The universe was trying to tell her something, and went out of its way to make it so clear, she’d be a fool to ignore it.

  She was for Harry and Harry was for her and that was all there was to it.

  Life plans be damned.

  Career goals or not, she belonged in his arms.

  Harry finally ended the kiss and Willow realized tears were falling down her cheeks.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern tightening his voice.

  “I’m sorry. It’s nothing. It’s the music. And you. And…have you ever seen the ballet?” She indicated the sound system in the living room with a jerk of her head.

  “No. I’ve never been to the ballet.”

  He hadn’t even known when the kiss was supposed to happen.

  One more sign in a long list of signs. How could she ignore them all?

  “We’re doing
it in February,” she said, trying to bring her thoughts back to reality.

  Harry looked confused. “Huh?”

  “The ballet. American City Ballet is performing Romeo and Juliet.” She shrugged. For some reason, talking about reality didn’t feel all that great.

  “Oh, yeah?” Harry stepped back and gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “You should come.” She swallowed hard, her emotions taking ninety degree turns at break-neck speeds. “I’d love it if you could be there.”

  “Then I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Harry ran a finger down her cheek, smiling through sad eyes. “But, if you’ll forgive me, I’d rather focus on the present, while you’re here, with me. I’m not ready to think about you leaving. Not yet.”

  Willow couldn’t help but agree. “I honestly don’t want to think about leaving either. And we still have most of the week in front of us.” So there’s still plenty of time to finish falling in love with you.

  With a nod of agreement, Harry took her hand. “Would you like to go for a walk with me?”

  “Now? It’s dark.”

  “Which means it’s the perfect time to be outside. I bet you’ve never seen stars like the ones that are out tonight. We’ll grab a bottle of wine and a blanket and walk along the beach until you’re ready to sit, then we’ll get a little drunk and talk and watch the stars.”

  “That sounds perfect.” Like, one hundred percent absolutely the best way to finish the evening. A little wine, a romantic setting, maybe a make-out session...

  Harry threw a blanket over his shoulder, grabbed a fresh bottle of wine and two glasses. “You ready?”

  She looked down at his bare feet. “You going like that?”