One Last Time ?: Bad Boy Bachelors of Orange County BK 1

by Gray, Khardine

  Her face brightened as I said that. “Well, here’s what I think you should do.”

  “What?”

  “Stop worrying. There’s a really hot guy walking up the path. Looks like Dylan, and from the way he’s looking at you, I think he feels the same.” She smiled and nodded.

  I snapped my gaze right around to the path and looked ahead to see him.

  My heart lifted along with my soul because I saw what Abby meant. She smiled at us both as he approached and left.

  I stood up not knowing what to expect but hoping for the best.

  “Hi.” I smiled at him.

  “Hey.” He kept his gaze trained on me. In the bright sunlight, his eyes twinkled with a warmth that seeped into me. “I’m sorry I left this morning. There was some stuff I had to take care of.”

  “Stuff?”

  “Yeah. It turns out there’s this girl I met that I can’t get out of my head.” He smiled. “The funny thing is, I had this gut feeling from the minute I first saw her that she was going to be a girl I’d want in my life. I knew it, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

  Fresh energy bloomed within me on hearing that.

  “Really? That sounds like a very interesting being considering you’re a no-strings-attached perpetual bachelor.”

  “Tell me about it. It’s very shocking. With all my hard work to keep my spot in her bed, I transformed into the opposite. I’m not the no-strings bachelor anymore. And the idiot I was asked this interesting being to be no-strings-attached exclusive with me. Then I was an even bigger fool for thinking she could be my girl for a few weeks, but what I really wanted was her to be mine forever.”

  My heart leapt with the excitement that raced through me. “Dylan…”

  Affection glowed in his eyes as he gazed at me and reached out to touch my cheek.

  “Taylor, I’m done being vague. I want to be with you, and I’m here to tell you that plain and simple. The situation with my dad and the company is nothing. It’s a long story, but I sorted it out, and I did that when I realized what mattered most to me. That was you.” He held my gaze for a few seconds then continued. “I left this morning because it was hard to talk about since there’s a lot more to the situation with my Dad that I haven’t really spoken about. Not to you and not to him. It’s to do with the way things have been since my brother’s death. This whole thing wasn’t just about me being with you. I know I’ve been gone all day without a word, but I’m here. I’m here because I love you.”

  Those words lifted my spirit so high, soaring into the heavens. I stepped closer and cupped his face.

  “I love you too,” I told him. That was the first time I’d said it to any man I’d been with. It was so nice to have this moment with the guy I’d found true love with. “I love you too, and I understand. Do you want to talk about it now?”

  He nodded and smiled then leaned forward and kissed me. “Walk with me on the beach?”

  “I’d love to.”

  I smiled as he took my hand.

  Epilogue

  Taylor

  * * *

  Six months later…

  I held out my hand again, looking at my gorgeous engagement ring.

  It sparkled and twinkled against the bright lights that lit up the hall.

  There were so many people here for the Christmas ball. I looked forward to this event every year.

  This year was different because I’d gotten the chance to plan it with my husband-to-be, my new business consultant.

  While Dylan still worked with his father and things went to plan as they both hoped, he worked for me too, and this event was looking like it was going to be our best ever.

  The theme this year was Ice. There were ice sculptures and an ice bar. Everything we could get that was made of ice was here, and it looked near enough close to what I thought it would look like walking around in Narnia or on Frozen.

  It was a combination of our ideas, and I loved it. Just like everything else we did.

  Dylan proposed to me last month. He took me to Paris and asked me to be his forever under the stars of the Parisian sky. I’d felt like the woman who had everything in that moment, and since then, I literally walked like I was floating on a cloud of happiness.

  I smiled when I saw him walking toward me. I’d been standing by the drinks table looking at everyone dancing.

  He’d been talking with my parents near the ice sculptures.

  He slipped his arm around me when he got up to me and leaned in close to give me a kiss.

  “I think it’s time to go,” he whispered into my ear. “Everything’s perfect here.”

  “I think I’m inclined to agree with you, but wouldn’t it be bad of us to leave in the middle of the party?” I giggled when he placed hot kisses down the side of my neck.

  “It would be rude, but I have this vision of you naked on my bed. You with the moonlight beaming off your perfect body and me devouring you.” His warm breath caressed my skin, heating up my insides with the passion and desire of which he spoke. I couldn’t help but imagine his perfect body too, and me devouring him.

  “Imagine it, Taylor. Hot, right?” he added with a smirk. “So, I’m going to insist that we leave now, or we’ll end up in a closet again.”

  “A closet, oh my goodness.” I giggled. “That wouldn’t be good.”

  “No, I already checked. They have thin walls here.” He released me and walked backwards with a smile. “You coming, soon-to-be Mrs. Patterson aka my girl?”

  “Yes, Mr. Patterson. I’m all yours.”

  I was all his, and he was mine.

  Knowing that completed me.

  * * *

  Thanks so much for reading and allowing me to share my stories with you.

  If you loved Taylor and Dylan’s story you’ll love Abby and Gilly’s story in Pregnancy Scandal. Happy reading.

  Hugs xxx

  Pregnancy Scandal Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  Abby

  * * *

  “You lucky thing, look at you in your little dress.” Bella ran her gaze over me and shook her head.

  “I know, right?” Porsha agreed. “Now we have every reason to be super jealous. I don’t think I’ll be able to fit into my clothes ever again.”

  I stifled a groan and gave my friends a smile. Better to smile at them when they said things like that. Better to humor them because they thought wholeheartedly that it was me whose life was good at the moment and not them.

  Bella was nearly nine months pregnant and looked like she was ready to pop. Porsha was four months pregnant. She got married in the fall last year, practically a few months after announcing her engagement.

  Weddings and babies, that was what filled the lives of my two close friends from high school.

  “Porsha, dear, I am certain with the extent of your love for running and working out that you’ll snap right back into shape and fit in your little dresses in no time,” I replied, pointedly staring at her because my words were true.

  Of the three of us, she was the one who worked out the most and had more of an athletic body. Bella and I were the kind of girls who did the bare minimum to keep our bodies looking like the goddesses we were. Porsha, however, took it to the next level to make sure she looked like the queen.

  “Whatever, I’m so tired now as it is. I don’t think I’ll be able to do anything when the baby comes.” She ran her freshly manicured hand through her blonde mane and yawned.

  Bella laughed at her and stood up, or rather rocked her body from side to side in the beautician chair until she was able to pull herself up.

  Porsha started laughing at her. “God, is that what awaits me?”

  “Hey, don’t make fun of the more than heavily pregnant. Also, you can’t say you’re tired. Neither of you.” Bella pointed to both of us. “I’m so exhausted my lashes need rest. At least my nails look pretty. I can give birth with some dignity.”

  I smiled at that. I’d never known Bella to leave her
house if her fingernails and toenails weren’t perfectly manicured.

  We’d organized this morning’s getaway for her. Breakfast at the cute little café on Main Street, then the salon for some pampering. I’d taken the day off from work because it was easier, and I had other plans today that I was excited about.

  “You can give birth in dignity and look like the hot mama you are,” I told her.

  “I can, and you can make sure the new mom and baby pics are decent. You know what Kirk is like. He’ll let anything go, and before I know it, I’ll have all these hideous pics of me all over Facebook and Twitter.”

  I giggled, remembering the last time. Kirk had posted a picture of her with a cream mask on her face and her hair a mess. She’d looked like a cross between a troll doll and that meringue mask scene in Mrs. Doubtfire.

  “Yes, Abby,” Porsha agreed. “You’re the free spirit, so I’m going to put you in charge of my new mom and baby pictures too.”

  Free spirit…

  Yes, that was me. I couldn’t even get upset anymore or feel hurt. It was stupid to for being told the truth. I was the free spirit.

  I’d known these girls since high school, and we’d been the same then. Close.

  That was what I called it because I had several categories of friends. I thought people used the term too loosely. So, I was close with them, but we weren’t best friends.

  If that were the case, they would have known that I’d felt somehow lost last year when their lives changed so dramatically with news of a wedding and babies while mine didn’t. It changed them. I was thrilled for them, but it had opened my eyes to my own situation.

  I came from a very rich family who practically owned Orange County. Speak the name Cartwright anywhere, and people would know who I was and who my family were. We were that kind of family.

  My father and uncles owned Cartwright Enterprise, a business empire which included the marketing consultancy firm I worked at with my mother and two sisters.

  I was rich, successful, talented, and beautiful, and until last year, very happy with the way my life was.

  Then it hit me that something was missing. Something was missing from my life, and it was my fault because of the frivolous lifestyle I’d lived. My friends were the ones who got it right.

  And me?

  I just lived and didn’t think of what living really meant.

  My actual best friend noticed that something was off straightaway. Shouldn’t have surprised me because he always did.

  Gilman Hawkins, aka Gilly, and I had been friends since birth, and I was pretty certain if there was truth to some form of pre-existing life, we were friends there too.

  He got me. That was the best way I could describe our relationship. He got me and understood me, and I was the same with him. That was why he would be the very first person to hear the new plan I had for my life.

  I’d tell him first, then my sisters, then Porsha and Bella. Of course, depending on how things played out.

  “I’ll take the pictures myself and vet the others from everyone else,” I promised them both. “You guys won’t have to worry. Just look pretty with your babies.”

  Bella smiled and gave me a hug, trying not to squeeze her bump into me.

  “You’re the best, Abby,” she said.

  “Yes, the free-spirited girl is definitely the best,” Porsha agreed, giving me a hug too. “Please wear that yellow bikini I won’t wear again. It’s so pretty. I don’t want it to go to waste.”

  I laughed and agreed.

  They thought they had it so hard, being so big and not able to move because they were carrying babies.

  The truth was, I would have given anything to be in their shoes. I’d take the stretch marks, the needing to pee every minute, the swollen feet, and the weight gain. I’d take it all for the amazing chance to have a new life growing inside me.

  I think most people would have fainted if they’d heard me say such a thing. I might have too a year ago. Not so much now.

  I really did want that, and all being well, I’d get what I wanted. Soon.

  They both yawned together and laughed.

  “Come on, you guys need to go home.” I grinned. We’d been out all morning, so I could definitely understand them being tired. I was meeting Gilly in ten minutes for lunch at the diner.

  “Yes, please, home sounds good. I’m going to sleep for a week and hopefully be in labor when I wake up,” Bella said. “You guys have fun Saturday.”

  “Heck, yasss,” Porsha gushed, nodding with conviction. “One last shindig with the girls before parenthood truly strikes.”

  I laughed. “Yes, shindig is correct.” I was pretty certain it was going to be one crazy shindig.

  Saturday was the big day for Taylor, my sister. She was getting married. This whole week was busy because we were holding her bachelorette party on Wednesday in Vegas just for the night, then the wedding was Saturday. We’d had to reschedule the bachelorette party because she got food poisoning last weekend when Dylan, her fiancé, took her fishing and cooked up some shit he christened his version of paella. They both got sick, and I had to take care of them. This week would be interesting in more ways than one.

  My sisters were all crazy when we got together. We were even crazier with friends. Porsha was coming on Wednesday. I wasn’t sure how she would flair out, though, if she was already complaining of tiredness.

  The three of us left the salon, said our goodbyes, and went our separate ways.

  I just had a short walk down the road.

  A short walk I was practically skipping through because I couldn’t wait to tell Gilly my news.

  It was the very best idea I’d ever come up with. It was a hundred percent that.

  It came to me two weeks ago. I’d had another awful date, and I thought the hell with it. Dating was shit. It was absolute shit when you thought of all it entailed. And it was tiring. The people who managed to find each other and stay together were the absolute exceptions. It was good for them, but I really doubted it was as easy as they made it look.

  Like my parents, for example. They’d been married for thirty-five years. They spend five years of it being just them before they had me, and they were so wrapped up in each other now they weren’t that different from newlyweds.

  When I looked at them, I couldn’t see the relationship they had happening for myself.

  But… I’d tried. I tried to make it happen and see how far I got. I’d been dating for the last six months and got nowhere. I’d signed up to five dating sites, not because I couldn’t get a date but because I wanted to choose better people. To me, though, all that got me was nowhere, and my lack of sex for the last four months was driving me crazy.

  I had the answer though. I figured it out and realized what would make me happy. When I thought about everything in fine details, I knew this was perfect because I’d seen it change people.

  My answer was this… have a baby.

  Yes.

  Have a baby.

  Just thinking about it gave me the sense of warmth. The kind you get when you made the right choice about something.

  I wanted a baby because that would be an extension of me. An achievement. A child. My own child I could love and cherish, look after, and give everything.

  And I didn’t need a man in my life to do that. Well… I just needed him for the baby making, and then he wouldn’t have to stick around.

  I’d seen so many mothers do it. Raise their children by themselves, and they were fine. It would certainly be a quick route to happiness, and I wouldn’t have to go through all the shit of finding this elusive Mr. Right. Mr. Right Now could still be the man. All I needed was his sperm.

  I entered the diner and was immediately enveloped by the aroma of delicious fattening food. There was Gilly sitting in the corner looking through the menu, and just to the right of him sat a group of women at a table checking him out. To his left were two waitresses checking him out, and over on the opposite corner were some guys who lo
oked like football fans whispering and looking his way.

  He always either had women checking him out or fans looking at him. Apart from being uber-gorgeous with his dark mane of spiky hair and a body built like a tank, my best friend was the quarterback for The Centaurs, the prestigious NFL team.

  Two weeks ago, they made record when they won the Super Bowl. They beat The Gladiators, who’d won it for five years in a row.

  Both teams were owned by my father. Some people believed that it was because of that why Gilly got accepted into the team, but when they saw him play, they knew nothing was further from the truth.

  I skipped toward him, and he lifted his head, acknowledging me with his unusual-colored silver eyes.

  I smiled when I saw he was wearing his lip ring today in the barely-there piercing at the corner of his lip. It made him look cool with that sexy edge. It was so much the better that the lip ring he was wearing was the one I got him for his last birthday. It was a little pewter-colored hoop with a ball in the center. When he wasn’t wearing his lip rings, the piercing blended in with his beard and no one knew any different.

  “Gilly,” I beamed, smiling from ear to ear as I slid into the seat in front of him.

  He smiled and looked at me. “Someone’s in a good mood.” He chuckled.

  “The best,” I bubbled. “Are you okay?”

  He sighed. “It’s just one of those days. Tell me why you’re in such a good mood on a Monday. You hate Mondays nearly as much as I do.”

  “Today is perfect.” I nodded.

  He quirked a thick brow. “What happened?”

  I brought my hands together as nerves and excitement filled me. This was it. Time to tell him the best news of my life.

  “I’m going to have a baby,” I squealed.

  He gasped, eyes turning to saucers, and brought his hands up to his mouth. “What! God, you’re pregnant?” he asked a little too loud, and the people at