It Had to Be Fate (An It Had to Be Novel Book 3)

by Tamra Baumann

  She slipped her hands around his waist and held on tight. “Me too but—”

  “Tomas dropped the custody suit. Details to come, but only after I kiss you. I’ve waited all day.” He leaned back and grinned so hard his face hurt. “You look so beautiful, by the way.” Then he softly laid his lips on hers and closed his eyes, reveling in the sweet sensation.

  She pressed her supple body closer and circled her arms around his shoulders, deepening their kiss.

  His mother’s words finally made perfect sense to him. Love and family were all that mattered. He’d lost so much in the last month and a half, but all he’d cared about was finding a way back to Casey and the boys. He planned to stay forever, if they’d have him.

  Meg cleared her throat and broke the spell Casey had cast over him. “Could you guys save that for later? I’d sort of like to get married here. And didn’t you promise me an original song, Zane?”

  Casey gently broke their kiss first, and then beamed a sweet smile at him. She whispered, “I’m so glad you’re here, but I guess we both have jobs to do.”

  “Yeah.” Keeping his voice equally low, he said, “Don’t tell Meg, but this song is one I wrote for you and only you.”

  Happy tears sprung to her eyes. “Thank you, Zane. It’ll be our secret. Literally, or Meg will be pissed.”

  “Got it. See you after.” He gave her one last hug and then headed down the aisle to join Caleb.

  All of the guests broke out in applause. It was nice the town welcomed him back too.

  Caleb and Ty ran toward Zane and nearly knocked him down as they tackled him in the aisle. Caleb said, “You’re back! That’s so awesome!”

  “Yeah, it is. I missed you guys.”

  Caleb nodded hard. “We all missed you too, Zane.”

  Ty finally released Zane’s waist. “I knew you’d come back for your favor!”

  “Of course I did. I’m not letting you off the hook that easy.” He tussled the top of Ty’s head. “You got your cast off.”

  Ty held up his arm. “Good as new. You’re going down in Mortal Crush.”

  Zane laughed. “No, you’re going down, buddy. I’ve had a lot of time to practice.”

  He glanced around at the townspeople, who all watched their reunion with smiles on their faces. Yeah, it was definitely good to be back.

  Zane grabbed his hidden guitar from behind the white fabric and took his place. Meg held up her hands in a “hurry up already” gesture, so he strummed the first note—and never took his eyes off Casey’s as he sang to her. Telling her how much she meant to him, and how much he needed her in his life, and that he never wanted to be without her again.

  Tears slid down Casey’s cheeks as she smiled and listened. He’d never enjoyed a performance more in his life. When he’d played the last note and everyone clapped, Casey laid a hand over her heart and thanked him.

  He winked and laid his guitar down, hoping it’d be a quick ceremony. He couldn’t wait to hold Casey again.

  After the longest half hour of Zane’s life, Josh finally kissed Megan and everyone cheered. That was Caleb’s cue to play the upbeat tune Meg had chosen. It was one of Zane’s own songs, so he stayed to help Caleb out, but was tempted to push up the tempo of the music so everyone would clear out quicker. When the last person finally disappeared into the reception tent, he and Caleb shut it down.

  Caleb said, “That was awesome, Zane. Thanks for playing with me!”

  “Welcome. You’ve been practicing. I’m impressed. But now, I really need to talk to your—” His cell dinged. It was from Casey.

  Meet me in the guesthouse?

  Be right there.

  “Caleb, I’ll see you inside in a few, okay?”

  “Sure.” Caleb headed up to the reception and Zane jogged down the beach to the guesthouse. He turned up the hill and there she was, standing on the steps, smiling, waiting for him with arms wide.

  He was the luckiest guy in the world.

  He’d waited weeks for this exact moment. When he could finally be alone with her, to tell her all the things he’d so desperately wanted to share with her these past few weeks, and to make love to her. To show her just how much he loved and missed her.

  He took the steps two at a time and then wrapped her up in a hug. “That was the longest half hour of my life.”

  “Tell me about it.” Casey took his face in her hands and kissed him so soft and tenderly he sighed.

  It was so good to be back.

  She slowly ended the kiss, and then smiled at him. “I’ve been relieved of my maid of honor duties for one hour. Meg’s orders. Seemed everyone knew about this but me, huh?”

  “Yep. Anderson Butte is known for keeping secrets, right?” He lifted her up, kissed her delectable neck, then snuggled her soft chest against his as he carried her to the bedroom. “I wish it were more time, but I guess we’ll just have to use it wisely.” He kicked the bedroom door closed behind him. “I love you, Casey.”

  “I love you more, Zane.”

  He shook his head. “Not possible.”

  Casey couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she and Zane joined the reception. When she glanced toward the front where everyone was gathered, she wasn’t sure who was smiling wider, she or her sister. Meg had just mischievously shoved more cake in Josh’s face than his mouth.

  Typical Meg. Good thing Josh was a patient man.

  She took Zane’s hand and led him to the cake table. They scooped up two plates, and two wineglasses, and then found their seats. The DJ played the “Chicken Dance,” so everyone else rushed out to join in.

  As Zane dug into his cake with his usual enthusiasm, she said, “Thank you, but I still can’t believe you gave your houses to Tomas. And all that money. I hate that he’ll walk away the winner.”

  “I’m the winner.” He laid a kiss on her forehead and then went back to his cake. “My mom told me family and love are all that matter, and she was right.”

  “Moms are always right. And girlfriends.” Casey forked a bite for herself and smiled. Dax was a genius.

  “My mom used to say the same thing.” He paused for a drink. “Besides, when was the last time Tomas remembered to call the boys on their birthdays?”

  “Never. I always have to text him to remind him to call before they go to bed.”

  “Ben told me that. I’m counting on Tomas being like those people who win the lottery and completely implode. All he has to do is forget a birthday or miss a call or visitation with the boys, and he loses all the cash.”

  “But he still gets the houses.”

  “The house your dad sold me today across the lake is the only house I need. The rest were just a better alternative to hotel rooms. Worst case, Tomas pays more attention to his kids. But I’m guessing because Ty’s birthday is next month, and history has shown Tomas will forget to call, he won’t get much more cash than what I’ve already given him. And that won’t even cover the yearly taxes and upkeep on the homes. He’ll freak when he figures that out and will probably have to sell at least one of them.”

  She blinked at him. “My dad sold you one of his houses?”

  “Not just any house. Number Eighteen.”

  That was their largest, most profitable rental property. She couldn’t believe her dad had done that. He never sold their houses surrounding the lake, they only rented them to the rich and famous. Dad must like Zane. Or he’d done it so she wouldn’t leave. Either way, it had to have pained her father to do it.

  She said, “I love that house. It was my great uncle’s. He was the one who was responsible for the whiskey the boys were looking for and that Eric and Tara’s dad will start distilling here again soon.”

  “It’s incredible and the only house I own now, and that feels good too because I’m not going to tour anymore. I never loved that part anyway. I’m going to write for other artists, so you’re going to be seeing a lot of me.”

  Her heart nearly burst at that news. “I think we can adjust.” She leaned over
and kissed his cheek. “I’m so glad you’re back. And thank you for making those changes for us, Zane. But if you ever need to go back on the road, we’ll always have FaceTime, okay?”

  “Deal.”

  She glanced around the tent. Her whole family was out on the dance floor. “Tara looks especially pretty tonight, don’t you think?” Tara, a statuesque blonde, always looked pretty. It was just a bonus she was nice and perfect for Ryan.

  Zane nodded as he devoured the rest of his piece of cake. When she moved her plate in front of him, he started in on what she hadn’t eaten. “Seriously, this mountain air makes me so hungry.”

  And yet the man didn’t gain weight. It was so unfair. She turned her attention back to the dance floor. “Even my dad and Sue Ann are dancing. That’s unusual.”

  “Uh-huh.” Zane took a slug of wine. “This is really good.”

  That was it. Zane wasn’t taking her hints. She picked up his hand and tugged. “Let’s join everyone.” He lifted a finger, finished off the last bite of her cake, and then let her drag him out to the dance floor. “I don’t even know if you can dance, Zane.”

  “Your toes are going to figure that out pretty quickly.” He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close.

  “They’ve been numb for hours anyway.” She snuggled her face into the crook of his neck and breathed in his sexy aftershave. Luckily for her toes, Zane had been kidding. He was a good dancer.

  He whispered, “Do you see your grandma and that guy over there?”

  Casey was pretty comfy where she was, but reluctantly lifted her head to see Grams slowly rocking back and forth to the music. “Yeah, that’s Zeke. Meg and I are wondering if something is going on with them.”

  “Oh, there is. A guy doesn’t walk away late at night with a spring in his step whistling ‘Dixie’ like Ty and I saw him do because he’d just enjoyed a rousing game of Parcheesi.”

  “My grandmother loves Parcheesi, but when was Ty out late enough to see that?”

  Zane blinked. “Um . . .”

  “He snuck out while he was on restriction, didn’t he? He is such a stinker about that.”

  Zane grimaced. “I walked him right back. He wanted to tell me that he owed me a favor for saving his life. He said even if it meant killing a guy.”

  Casey leaned back and laughed. “Where would he get a crazy idea like that?”

  “Oh, it’s not crazy. It’s a real guy-code thing.”

  That Zane said it with a straight face made her smile. “Speaking of guys, did you see the way Josh’s whole face lit up when he saw Meg start down the aisle?”

  “Yeah. It was like he just saw his first dirt bike.”

  And the same way Zane had looked at her, but times ten. That was a memory to tuck away forever. “I’ll have to tell Meg you said that. Maybe then she’ll finally understand how special that moment was. She’s such a tomboy.”

  “A tomboy with a diamond the size of a skating rink on her hand. That thing could blind a guy on a bright sunny day.”

  Casey glanced over Zane’s shoulder. Meg and Josh were mingling with the crowd and showing off Meg’s whopper of a ring. Meg looked happier than she’d ever been in her life. “What surprised me is that Meg picked that out herself. I guess she does have a tiny girlie side in her.”

  He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. “Meg told me earlier that you’d always wanted a girl. And that she was hoping I’d be the right guy to make that happen.”

  Casey laid a soft kiss on his lips. “Me too.”

  Zane was quiet for a moment before he finally said, “The reason I bought that particular house from your dad was that it had the most bedrooms of all his properties. I’m knocking down a wall and combining two of the largest ones for a studio, but that still leaves me with plenty more. I wouldn’t mind painting a few of them pink.”

  “And I’d help you do that.” Maybe she’d get a little girl of her own yet. Zane would be such a good father. He’d already proved that with her boys. The thought made her smile into the crook of his neck.

  He suddenly stopped dancing and took her hand, then tugged. “Let’s go outside for a minute.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I want to show you something.”

  She followed along, practically jogging in her heels. “Zane, what’s the rush?”

  “Sorry.” He slowed his steps and wrapped his arm around her waist.

  When they got to the dock, and under the gazebo, he pulled her close and slid his hands along the sides of her face. He stared into her eyes with such intensity it felt like a warm hug to her heart, and then he tilted her chin to the angle he wanted before slowly lowering his lips to hers. He kissed her so sweetly and tenderly it made her eyes misty.

  When he slowly leaned away she whispered, “That was lovely, but what did you want to show me?”

  “How I’d plan to kiss you after we say our vows.”

  Her hand flew up to her chest and covered her heart. That was the sweetest thing a man had ever said to her. The mist in her eyes turned to full-out tears.

  He said, “I was hoping you’d let me make a reservation for this spot in exactly a year plus however many days you’d like to pick from now. Whatever date works best is fine with me. That ought to give us plenty of time to know if I’m the right guy for you, don’t you think?”

  She nodded through her tears. He’d been unwelcome in her hotel at first. Now she couldn’t imagine living without him. She hadn’t done the responsible thing, for the first time in her life. Instead, she’d left their relationship up to fate, and it had been so very kind to them. “I’d be happy, and honored, to make that particular reservation for you, Mr. Steele.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  It just so happened that my acknowledgments were due during the last week of my day job as a real estate appraiser. I was feeling trepidations about giving it up to write full time, but also extremely grateful to those I had worked with for the past twenty-five years. I will miss my coworkers, Monique and Debbie, and my business partner, Stephanie, along with so many more in the mortgage and title business. Thank you all for the well-wishes as I start this new chapter in my life. (No pun intended.)

  As always, I want to thank my critique group, Robin, Sherri, and Louise. You guys are the best. And I wish only the best for my dear friend Laurie Sanchez as she faces the greatest battle of her life. I look forward to celebrating your victory very soon!

  I am so grateful for my editors at Montlake, Maria Gomez, Charlotte Herscher, my poor copy editors, and the rest of the Montlake team for making this business of publishing books such a joy!

  Thanks to my agent, Jill Marsal, whose tireless work ethic is simply amazing. I am eternally grateful to her for putting up with an overthinker like me.

  And a tremendous shout-out to all of my kind readers. Without you, my dream of being a full-time writer would have never come true, so a heartfelt thank-you for your support.

  Lastly, thanks to all my many family members for always supporting me, encouraging me, believing in me, but mostly for just loving me. There is no greater gift than that.

  READ ON FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT TAMRA BAUMANN’S NEW NOVEL:

  IT HAD TO BE THEM

  A hypochondriac could be a doctor’s worst nightmare, but Ben Anderson had reason to be particularly fond of the one sitting on the padded exam table in front of him. She was the mother of the only woman he’d ever loved.

  He’d run every test he could think of on Kline Grant’s mother but could find nothing wrong with her. She’d had a new dire illness every Monday for the last six weeks and today was no exception. He was tempted to borrow her phone and delete her WebMD app.

  “I have just the thing you need.” He grabbed a small bottle of vitamins from his white lab coat and handed it to her. “Take one every morning for a month, and you’ll be good as new.”

  Mrs. Grant flipped her glasses to the top of her gray head and frowned at the label he’d had his nurse, Joyce,
dummy up for him. “What is this?”

  “It’s a new miracle drug and perfectly safe.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “You trust me, right?”

  She lifted her chin and smiled at him. “You know I do, Ben. Did I mention Kline is finally coming home?”

  Her words were a punch to his gut. It’d been over ten years since Kline had been back. “No, you hadn’t mentioned that.” He looked away from her curious eyes and busied himself with notes in her chart while his system settled.

  “I told her I wasn’t well enough to travel all over the darn world to visit wherever she’s teaching now, like I have in the past.”

  Tahiti, last he’d heard. Kline had wanted out of Anderson Butte so badly, and had lived in four other cities and three countries since their breakup. Not that he kept track of her or anything. “You’re well enough to travel if you want. Sand, blue water, and warm weather might do you good.” Of course that made him think of Kline in a bikini, dammit.

  Mrs. Grant waved her hand. “Oh, she’s done with that job. It’d only been until the regular teacher came back. I told her we need a science teacher here while her cousin takes maternity leave soon. But you know Kline. Itchy feet. No way she’d ever come back to live in this one-stoplight town . . . blah, blah.”

  Good. Because Kline had broken his heart so hard he had sworn he’d never get close enough to another woman to let that happen again. He’d let her go, thinking she would come back after a year or so because she had missed him. After five had passed, he’d moved on to just plain being pissed about it. Hopefully she’d be in and out and they wouldn’t run into each other.

  “She’s coming tomorrow and plans to be here through the end of the month. Then she’s thinking of substituting in Denver for the rest of the school year.”