The Way You Are
Page 18
Ruby’s mother came out the door and sat down next to her husband. “What’s going on here, Stewart?”
“Well, Garrett has just told me that he’s quite fond of our Ruby. They want to see where their mutual attraction to each other will take them.”
She scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Why?” he asked.
Garrett met his stare, and he refused to look away. This must be how things were done in the upper echelons of society, and he noted it wasn’t much different than sizing someone up in the ’hood.
“Because! He’s a security guard, and she’s your daughter.”
In a nutshell, she’d just summed up all his insecurities in once quick, concise sentence.
“You’re wrong, Cheryl. He’s much more than a security guard. He saved our daughter’s life. He’s military.”
“Stewart, I just think that—”
“Cheryl, I love you dearly, but this isn’t about what you think. This is about what Ruby thinks. Is this something you want, honey?”
Garrett broke his stare with Stewart and glanced over at Ruby.
She smiled and nodded. “Very much so, Daddy.”
“Then you have my blessing,” Stewart said as Ruby’s mother got up from the table in a huff and went back into the house.
“Don’t worry about her. She sometimes forgets that I was nothing but a roughneck on an oil rig when she met me, and her father hated my guts.”
Garrett looked around at his surroundings again. “Did you inherit an oil rig, then?”
Stewart sat back and shook his head. “No. After a few years on the rigs where I learned everything I could, I inherited some acreage, and I found oil there, then parlayed that money into other oil finds.”
His respect for the man grew by leaps and bounds. He truly was a self-made man, not someone born with a silver spoon in his fist. He’d get along with Ruby’s father, and he’d also learn a lot from him.
“I think this is cause for some beers. You two up for knocking back a few?”
Garrett nodded and glanced over at Ruby, who squeezed his hand under the table and grinned.
“Let’s do it, Stewart,” he said sitting back, his muscles and mind relaxing for the first time since leaving Arizona.
A few minutes later, they each had a Budweiser in their hands, which surprised Garrett as he would expect a billionaire to drink something a little more high-class.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Garrett,” Stewart said. “If you make my girl happy, then you make me happy.”
They clinked bottles and Garrett smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind, Stewart. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Epilogue
One Month Later
Garrett sat under the umbrella on the Venezuelan beach, chuckling as he watched Ruby frolic in the waves. He slipped on his sunglasses as the bright sun reflected off the pristine white sand. She screamed and laughed as she tried to dodge them, only to oftentimes trip over her own feet and land face-first in the sand as a wave slammed into her.
Yet, she got up and did it all over again. She might not be terribly graceful, but she proved tenacious.
After being pounded by a large wave, she pulled herself from the surf and came toward him while adjusting the top of her light green suit. It looked like the girls were about to make an appearance.
“How was it?” he asked as she sat down in the lounge chair across from him.
“Wonderful. I wish you’d come in.”
“I will in a bit. I’m enjoying relaxing and looking at my sexy mama play in the ocean,” he said, taking a sip of his Cuba libre, or rum and coke.
A very tanned man in white shirts and white shorts approached them and grinned. “Can I get you anything else?”
Ruby nodded. “One more of these, please,” she said, tapping her empty glass.
Garrett noted the way the waiter’s gaze caressed her curves, and he shot the man a nasty look.
Ruby’s shoulders, thighs, and the top of her feet looked to be a little pink. He should suggest they go inside, but he also knew what that would lead to—not that he minded in the least bit. Since arriving at the resort three days ago, they’d done nothing but make love, drink, and sit on the beach. Tomorrow, they’d hit some shops in the main town and see some of the sites.
To take this trip, Ruby had delved into her trust fund, claiming she had nothing to prove to anyone anymore. Joe took care of all the travel arrangements, flying them in on a private plane, setting up the pickup from the airport, and supplying them with fake passports. No one could find them.
Before they’d left, Ruby had also insisted on buying a house they’d found tucked away on the outskirts of Dallas. It had about a hundred acres of natural land surrounding the property, which fit his needs to shift and roam. Joe took the money and purchased it under one of his shell companies so it could never be traced back to Ruby.
For Ruby to work for Joe, some essential skills had to be learned. Garrett had been educating her about guns and showing her some basic martial arts. She was a natural on the gun range, but her clumsiness had her struggling with the martial arts. It would simply take time.
The waiter brought her the drink, and she sipped it.
“That tastes so good,” she murmured, sitting back in the chair.
Things seemed to be working well between them, and he had never been happier. His feelings for Ruby were so strong, he wondered if he’d fallen in love. Having never been in that place, he wasn’t sure. He felt different, and his heart pounded a little quicker when Ruby was around. Not quite ready to say the words, he’d think about it a bit more. Whatever he felt, he wanted the feeling to continue, and to grow. She made him laugh and happened to be one of the nicest human beings he’d ever met. And don’t even get him started on what she did to him sexually … the woman was the perfect package for him.
Her mother had warmed to him a bit, and he’d become friends with her father. He’d found he really liked the man, and he’d learned a lot from him about the way the world worked from his point of view. Garrett respected the hell out of him as he had started with nothing, busted his ass, and now had the world at his feet.
John was still in rehab, and Stewart had insisted he do a minimum of one hundred and twenty days. Ruby’s parents had gone to visit him, but she had stayed behind, not wanting to see him. Garrett didn’t blame her in the least bit. He didn’t think he could meet the man without giving in to the urge of punching him in the face.
Yes, the future looked bright, and the more time he spent with Ruby, the easier it seemed to be to let go of the anger and need for revenge. Maybe Joe had been right—maybe he could still be effective in helping the rest of his unit, but have a slice of happiness for himself.
He glanced over at Ruby. “You’re looking a little pink, honey.”
“Am I?”
“Yeah. We better get your fine white ass inside.”
She laughed and got to her feet. “You’re so bad.”
They gathered their things, and as they walked down the beach, he draped his arm over her shoulder, and she slipped hers around his waist.
Yes, things were good for them. The future might be a little tricky, but they’d work through it.
He kissed the top of her head and held her close.
In Ruby, he’d found his happiness and future. She was perfect in every way for him, just the way she was.
An explosion in the jungles of Guatemala left Marine Zachary Johnson completely blind. While struggling to come to terms with his disability, a strange phenomenon starts to happen: whenever he stands in front of a mirror, he sees snippets of the future.
As man with a dark past, Zach is recruited by the secretive and elusive Joe Smith to help in the underground war against a clandestine faction of the government only known as Group Nine.
Zach finds himself partnered with Ella Frolic, Joe’s old lover; a cold, angry woman with a chip on her shoulder. As they work together toward their end
goal, Zach is able to thaw Ella, bringing out her true personality, and both find themselves caught up in a whirlwind romance neither ever expected.
As the last phase of Joe’s plan falls into place, everything goes terribly wrong, and Zach ends up in the clutches of Group Nine.
Will Ella save her lover, or is she the one responsible for his capture?
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Other Books to Enjoy by Carly Fall
The Six Saviors Series - in reading order:
The Light Within Me
Finding My Faith
REBORN
Beverly’s Rebirth
Destiny’s Shift
Tangled Fates
The Dream Walker
Atonement
Contemporary Romance:
Chica Bella
Time or Money
Against the Ropes
Paranormal Romance
Betrayed (Angels of Affection Book 1)
Forgiven (Angels of Affection Book 2)
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You can get a free read from Carly Fall by going HERE
About the Author:
Carly Fallis a wife, a mother and a slave to the dog, Nicky.
She loves to laugh, thinks chocolate and wine should be considered their own food group, and wishes Christmas happened twice a year.
She is the author of the award winning and Amazon best selling series, the Six Saviors, as well as paranormal and contemporary romance.
To connect with Carly:
CarlyFall.com
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