by Nicole Casey
She laughed.
“Nope,” she replied, leaning forward to kiss my lips. “But then again, he barely approves of me.”
She paused and smiled at me, her eyes searching mine.
“You don’t want to marry me,” she giggled but the hope in her eyes was unmistakable. “You hardly know me.”
She was giving me an out and I didn’t want to take it, not in the least. Instead, I doubled down.
“That is one of the many reasons I’m asking you,” I replied honestly. “I’m asking you because I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the first time I saw your face at the Lakehouse. I’m asking you because I think, no matter what, you and I would have met somewhere down the line because when I look at you, I feel like I’ve known you before. I’m asking you because the day you walked away from me, I sat there for a long moment, willing you to come back. I’m asking you because I genuinely want to marry you, to provide a life for our child as a family. I’m asking you because, as odd as it sounds, I think I loved you from another life already, Ayla. So please, don’t question my motives. They are pure.”
I watched her face soften with each word and I felt my breath catch as her eyes filled with tears.
“I know they are,” she murmured, pressing her mouth to mine again. “How are we going to do this? Where would we live? What will— “
“Everything will come together, I promise. You’ll never have to worry about anything again, Ayla because I’m not letting you go again. I was a fool to do it in the first place.”
Her face flushed red and she stared at me imploringly. I could see she wanted to believe everything coming out of my mouth. To say I wasn’t nervous asking her was an understatement but the proposal had slipped naturally from my lips. All I had said to her was 100% true. There had not been a day where Ayla hadn’t crossed my mind, regret for how we’d parted weighing on me.
She was back, her child in my womb and that was not something I was about to take for granted.
“Well?” I breathed into her ear. “What do you say, Ayla? Will you marry me?”
She nodded, her fingers twining into the hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me closer again to lock my mouth against hers. I felt like she was clinging to me for dear life.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I will.”
Epilogue
AYLA
“You know, Gennifer is going to be pissed when she finds out you got married here,” Kennedy chuckled.
“You think so?” I answered but truthfully, I didn’t give a rat’s ass what Gennifer thought about anything. I was eight and a half months pregnant and bursting out of my off-white chignon dress. I had far more important matters on my mind than hurting Gennifer’s feelings.
I had a much deeper connection to the Mountainside Resort than she did, after all. She had had a bachelorette party there. I had found my entire life’s purpose.
I couldn’t believe that even after all these months, Laz still wanted to go through with this marriage. I had purposely waited unto the last possible moment to go through with it, sure he’d change his mind after all but each day had been filled with nothing but promise for the future.
I’d stayed in Tennessee, telling my parents I was laying low until the birth of my child. I hadn’t mentioned the part about getting married to the father of my child, mostly because I didn’t want to inflict them on Laz until after I knew it was really happening.
So much had changed in such a short time, I was overwhelmed by what the future was going to bring for both Laz and me.
I had, however, caved and told Kennedy all that had occurred, stemming from that lost night when I’d gone “missing.”
“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Kennedy growled at me. “I would have told you to go claim what was yours. You could have saved yourself months of uncertainty if you’d just reached out to someone.”
I realized now that I’d let myself assume the worst by getting caught up in my own mind. Was I maturing?
I certainly hoped so for my son’s sake.
Spring had sprung in Gatlinburg and while the remnants of winter remained, sunshine braved its way to light the mountains with its golden kisses. It was a beautiful day for a wedding.
Even if my nerves were frayed.
It wasn’t only the wedding that had me on edge. There had been a fantastic showdown with Helena when Laz had told her his plans and informed her that he was getting remarried.
Ultimately, she packed her meager belongings and moved on but I couldn’t help but think we hadn’t seen the end of her.
Laz told me she had gone to stay with Gary who had apparently left his wife to stay with Helena but who knew?
“You shouldn’t look so freaked out,” Kennedy instructed me. “Everyone gets nervous before they say, ‘I do’ but it’s natural.”
I eyed her skeptically.
“Is this coming from someone who doesn’t even remember getting married?” I teased her.
“I remembered the second time we did our vows,” Kennedy retorted, apparently annoyed at the reminder. “And I was nervous then, even though I was already married.”
I didn’t press the issue. Kennedy was only trying to help after all and I was grateful to her for being there for me.
There was a knock on the door and I jumped at the sound. Kennedy shot me a look which told me to calm down.
“Come in!”
The door opened and a maid smiled warmly at us.
“The groom is ready for you, Ms. Winter,” she explained.
“I’ll be right out,” I promised, turning to stare at myself in the mirror one last time.
The pregnancy had been kind to me, undoubtedly. There was a slight more fullness to my face but all the weight I’d gained was in my belly. I looked beautiful, my hair pinned into a chignon at the back of my head, releasing a few stray strands to embrace my face.
The gown was simple but dainty and I wore a crown of roses about my head instead of a veil. I didn’t feel the need to hide my face from Laz. He was the only one whom I wanted to see me every minute of every day.
“Ready, sister?”
I cast Kennedy a lopsided smile.
“You are my sister,” I told her earnestly. “Thank you for being there for me.”
“You’re certainly a pain in the ass like a sister,” Kennedy joked and I snorted. I knew I’d been insufferable at times but in the end, Kennedy had never given up on me. I owed her a debt of gratitude.
“Let’s do this,” I said, accepting her arm and we moved toward the cottage door. It wasn’t really necessary but because of the slush that had not quite dried and given my state of impregnation, Laz had acquired a limo for me to ride to the main hall where we would be married.
The driver held open the door and I slid inside, gasping in shock when I saw who was inside.
Before I could turn around to hurry out, Helena’s hand reached out and pulled my arm back.
“Just wait,” she hissed and I looked desperately behind me. Kennedy slipped inside, her eyes widening with surprise to see the shapely redhead. My friend had no frame of reference to realize that I was sitting with Laz’s ex-wife.
“W-what are you doing?” I squealed, wrenching my arm away from her. “You can’t stop this from happening, Helena!”
The woman scowled at me and rolled her luminous eyes like I was annoying her.
“Honey, if I wanted to stop your wedding, I wouldn’t kidnap you to do it,” she grunted at me.
“Wait, this is— “Kennedy demanded as the door slammed behind us and the driver moved away.
“Yes, yes, I’m the batshit crazy ex-wife,” Helena interrupted, her face darkening with anger. “I’m sure you’ve heard all the stories.”
I didn’t know what to say about that but I stared at her, waiting for Helena to tell me what she wanted.
“I came here to say something and then I’ll be out of your lives forever,” Helena continued. I was barely breathing, mostly because I didn�
�t believe her but I found my eyes darting over her, looking for a weapon.
“I made a lot of mistakes,” Helena muttered. “Marrying Laz was the biggest one.”
I bristled. Did she think I was going to change my mind because she was talking shit about my husband-to-be? She was more delusional than I’d thought.
“Thanks for the warning,” I snapped angrily. “Now go.”
“No, you fool,” Helena barked at me. “I made a mistake marrying Laz because I almost broke the only decent man I’ve ever known in my life. I think that’s why I married him. There’s a goodness in him that I wanted in my life. He had this way of making me feel like I was always protected, even when I was at my hellfire worst. He never gave up on me, even though I gave him so many reasons to walk away. Shit, I had to divorce him, even after everything I did.”
Kennedy and I exchanged looks of confusion.
“The best thing I could have ever done for Laz was leave him alone but he was so good and he wanted to fix me so desperately,” Helena continued, a look of sadness clouding her features. “I didn’t want to lose that, Ayla. That’s why I dug my claws so deeply into him but it was wrong. He didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”
The limo rolled toward the main lodge but we were fixed on Helena’s every word.
“I came here to tell you that I’m going to do what I should have done the first time I ever looked at him. I’m going far away. You can stay here in Gatlinburg. I’m going north, maybe Montana.”
I didn’t bother to ask what was in Montana. I just wanted to believe her.
“I wanted to tell you, woman to woman, Ayla, that you’ll never find as good a man as Laz. I hope you can make him happy. He deserves it. And he always wanted to be a father.”
The vehicle stopped and Helena reached for the door handle on her side.
“Good luck and congratulations, Ayla.”
“Helena!” I heard myself call out. She looked at me and Kennedy muttered something about letting her go in my ear but I couldn’t.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked. Her eyes grew wide and a wry smile formed on her lips.
“It’s time I started to take care of myself for once,” she said and I could hear the sincerity in her words.
She raised a hand in departure and disappeared, leaving me alone with my friend.
“Do you believe that?” Kennedy scoffed and I smiled slightly.
“Yes,” I replied. “I actually do.”
“I guess anyone can mature,” Kennedy offered dubiously.
“Let’s hope so,” I agreed but I was talking about myself, not Helena. Suddenly, I felt a whoosh of relief overwhelm me.
I was truly free to marry Laz and stay in Gatlinburg now, to raise my son in the snow of the mountains, to leave behind my insipid life without the threat of Helena resurfacing. I could be a mountain woman, tucked away, making love by a fireplace with my husband and our son.
“A-are you smiling?” Kennedy gaped in shock. “Now you’re smiling?”
“Now I’m free,” I replied.
The minister handled the service quickly and sweetly but I barely remembered any of it. All I could do was stare hopelessly into Laz’s eyes and wonder what had made him the man he was.
Helena was right—he is a good man.
“Do you take this man, Lazaro Payne, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
“I do.”
“Then by the power vested in me, by the State of Tennessee, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may— “
I doubled over, gasping in pain, cutting off the minister in midsentence.
“Oh my God, Ayla, what’s wrong?” Laz demanded, grabbing my arm to steady me. “Is it the baby?”
I groaned as a contraction took me again and I nodded.
“H-he’s coming!” I gasped.
Kennedy squeaked with joy.
“I’ll call the hospital to prepare them,” she promised, waving at Julian and the twins who sat on chairs behind them. “The baby’s coming!”
She was more excited than me but that was because I had never expected the pain to feel like that.
“Laz go get the Jeep,” Kennedy instructed but I yelled out.
“No!” I cried. “No, not yet!”
Everyone looked at me in surprise.
“Honey, you’re having a human person trying to come out of you. You need to go to the hospital,” Kennedy told me, trying to keep the annoyance from her tone. “Prolonging it won’t make it any less of a fact.”
“I’m…” I inhaled sharply. “Not going yet.”
“Ayla,” Laz said sweetly, looking into my eyes. “I know it’s scary but— “
“I’m not going until you kiss me,” I managed to choke out. “I-I don’t want to have this baby without being married!”
Understanding filled his eyes and without hesitation, he leaned forward to kiss me sweetly.
“There,” he breathed. “Is that better?”
My body sagged against him and I nodded.
“Much,” I rasped. “Now let’s have this baby!
THE END
Snow and the Seven Men (Sneak Peek)
Blurb
I never expected to fall in love. And with not just one man… But SEVEN filthy rich and hunky…drillers. At least that’s what they told me.
Sasha Snow
I was sent to Iceland on behalf of Mirror, Mirror Inc. as a scientist.
Unfortunately, my jealous and evil manager, Queenie was there with me, and she literally turned this magnificent journey into hell.
The only thing that made me feel better was Hunter Davis, my handsome co-worker, was gonna be there too.
But what I didn’t know, was that on this isolated island, there lived seven even stronger and sexier men.
Dan, Graham, Harry, Seth, Bash, Stevie and Jim.
Rough, rugged, and wild, their bodies were to die for and they were all ready to share.
The question was: was I ready to handle seven giant…um, drills?
The Seven Men
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl who traveled far, far away, straight into our arms.
Her skin is as white as snow, her eyes are brighter than the shiniest star, and her lips are as red and tasty as cherries.
She was perfect for us, and we all wanted her.
It was forbidden, yet so delicious that we couldn’t help but taste her.
And once we did, there was no turning back…
Snow and the Seven Men is a standalone reverse harem romance with seven protective alpha male. No cheating or cliffhangers, and a Happily Ever After guaranteed.
1
Sasha
It’s hard to concentrate when you’re in the presence of overwhelming pheromones. I know this as fact—I’m a scientist. Okay, maybe not a pheromone scientist but I know enough to know that when Hunter Davis is around, I can’t focus on spreadsheets and statistical data without shooting him a sidelong look which inevitably strains my eyes, taking me away from my work until I catch Queenie’s deadpan stare from across the room.
His mere presence affected me on a primal level, sending waves of headiness through my slender frame and raising the temperature of the lab at Mirror, Mirror to an unsterile level.
Of course, that was all in my head and my workspace was functional and efficient, as documented by the government, no matter what my body was saying.
Our research was state-of-the-art and evolving, even if my heart was caught in my throat every time I caught a whiff of Hunter’s subtle Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Eau. He wasn’t supposed to be wearing cologne inside the lab but no one ever called him on it and I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to rat him out.
That day, however, I didn’t much care that I’d been covertly staring at my workspace companion. There was a charged excitement as we tied up loose ends in preparation for our upcoming trip to Hof, Iceland. Even Queenie seemed to
be in a better mood than usual as we scurried around, collecting our research and closing down the shop for the month of December.
This trip was going to be groundbreaking for so many reasons. Our work on eco-friendly fuel was finally paying off and if all went well, we would come back with the necessary research and hopefully craft a prototype to present to the powers-that-be. We’d been working tirelessly, no one more than me.
I was the one who had come up with the concept of converting Icelandic moss into energy, if only in theory. Naturally, it took a team of us to put that concept and after two years, we’d been granted the funding to go to Iceland and collect the samples we’d need to make it a reality.
In my secret heart, I hoped that Queenie’s bosses would notice my hard work and promote me so I wouldn’t be working under that miserable bitch anymore.
Maybe I’ll take Hunter with me when I go, I thought wryly and while it was an idle thought, my ears turned bright red at the thought.
Cursed fair skin. Every emotion was as plain as day on my face, regardless of how I tried to hide it.
Carefully putting a cache of slides into a case, I was vaguely aware of someone standing behind me.
Casually, I glanced over my shoulder and my pulse quickened instantly as I peered at Hunter, a strand of ebony hair slipping from my chignon to fall into the thick black lashes over one blue eye. Hastily, I brushed it away and beamed up at him.
“Hey,” I said. “What’s up?”
I hoped my voice didn’t depict the nervousness his nearness invoked but it was hard to say. I always felt a little tongue-tied and school girlish around him.
“Just stopping by to see how you’re coming along,” he replied lightly. “About ready to get going?”
I glanced up at the clock and realized with amazement that the day was almost over. We’d been so busy with the last-minute prep, the day had flown by, it seemed.
