“No. I don’t…” I couldn’t focus on words, and I stuttered.
“You don’t?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk. I just want to pull you up into my arms and kiss the ever loving fuck out of you.” She laughed, and I grabbed her at the same time she leaped into my arms. My lips were on hers within seconds. She tasted sweet, just like I remembered. I kissed her tenderly at first, then, I just couldn’t pull away as the need intensified, solidifying my love for her. But then the room filled with applause, and I ended the kiss as well as my death grip around her waist.
“Go on. Take off. We’ve got this.” Kate and Jess stood there grinning.
Without hesitating, I untied my apron, tossed it to Kate, and grabbed Grace’s hand. I didn’t give a rat’s ass if the restaurant burned down, not as long as I could hold Grace in my arms. I tugged her non-stop all the way to my house. When we were inside, I grabbed her again, tugging her to me. I placed my hand on the nape of her neck and drew her mouth to mine again. This kiss was even more heated than the one at the restaurant. When I gently pulled away, our eyes held.
“Are you really back?”
“If you’ll have me.”
“Of course, I’ll have you. Will you have me? My parents are shits. Can you live with that?”
“Your parents don’t define you, Leo. I know who you are. I’ve always known.”
“I love you, Grace. My life has been hell without you.”
“I know the feeling because I love you, too.”
“Good. Because I didn’t think I was going to survive much longer without you.”
“I’m yours, Leo. I’ll always be yours.”
“Who was that guy I saw you with in Southern California?” I had to ask. Otherwise, it would needle at me until the day I died.
“Guy?” Her lack of memory of him was a good sign.
“I drove down there last week to see you, to tell you it wasn’t me who killed your father, but it looked like you were already involved with someone when I saw you walking across the street with your arm wrapped around his.”
“Oh. That was Jax. He was my boss at the bar I was working at, and I wasn’t involved with him. He was simply guiding me through the heavy traffic. I’m sorry if it looked like something else to you. It was innocent. I couldn’t have been with anyone but you. There just wasn’t room because you take up so much of my heart. You never left it.”
I sighed with relief. No matter how much I hated seeing her arm in his, I wouldn’t press it. She was back, and that was all I cared about. “I love you so damn much that sometimes I wish I could shrink you and stick you in my shirt pocket to keep you close to my heart so I’d always have you there,” I said, tangling my fingers in her soft and long, dark curls.
“Maybe I could just wear your shirt.” She chuckled.
“I’m good with that. You look better in them than I do.”
Epilogue
Grace
One year later
“Are you sure you want to do this, Grace? I mean, I love fucking you, but I can wait. It shouldn’t be too much longer, and I don’t want to risk hurting you or little Leo.” Leo gently pressed his hand against my swollen belly. I was nine-months pregnant and feeling very sensual.
“What about little Leona?”
“I’m pretty positive it’s a boy. The Amorelli men just don’t make girls. Our little male swimmers are much faster and stronger. No way is this a girl. Right, little Leo?” He skimmed his hand across my stomach as his lips pressed little kisses on my belly button as he spoke.
I rolled my eyes at him. “You mean to tell me that there has never been a female in the Amorelli line?”
“Nope.”
I scoffed. “I find that so hard to believe. Now that I’m Mrs. Amorelli, I plan to do a full ancestry search on the internet. And besides, I’m pretty positive you’re nothing like any of the other Amorelli men.” Especially his father.
I didn’t like that my baby’s grandfather was a murderer. Finding out that he’d killed my father in a jealous rage was hard to accept, but I knew Leo was nothing like his dad, and he’d proven it to me many times.
“You might be right, there.”
“Thank you. Now, please, Leo, pleasure me before I burst. I want you to fuck me.” I couldn’t believe how much I wanted him. I didn’t think I’d ever wanted anything more in my entire life. This pregnancy kept me deep in sexual desire, especially this last week.
“I like when you talk dirty, baby, but you’ll need to watch that language once the baby comes. Did you hear what your mommy wants me to do to her, little Leo?”
“Leona.” I teased.
“What, you don’t want to name him Leonardo?”
I laughed.
“We don’t have to. I just assumed since you never said anything when I mentioned it that you wanted to.”
“No, it’s okay. I love your name. And, if it’s a girl, we’ll call her Leona.”
“Not Grace?”
“No. Leona Grace Amorelli.”
“I like that.”
Leo had taken back his rightful name before he and I married exactly nine months ago tomorrow. He didn’t want me to take a fabricated name. There was nothing false about us. He’d even changed the name of the inn back to Amorelli’s.
The wedding had been small and took place down on the beach, everyone standing around in his or her bare feet as we said our vows. Kate stood beside Leo. She’d made an excellent best man and even wore a tux to match his. Kristen was my maid of honor, her dress was pink this time and short. I insisted that she get something she could wear again, and she was more than happy about that. I’d worn a simple, long, white gown that I’d found at the local boutique downtown. It was strapless and perfect with lace along the top edge of the bodice and hugged my body in all the right places as though it were made for me. My mother and Oliver were there, and all the rest of the employees from the inn. When my mother learned the truth, she was angry at first, but after a while, she knew she couldn’t put any blame on Leo for what his parents had done and she could see how much Leo loved me.
Just before Leo had placed a ring on my finger, I squatted down and dug my hands deep into the sand. “Grace, what are you doing?” Leo had asked as I stood, holding a little sand crab in my palm. “Another witness,” I proclaimed as it crawled over my hand. “I never want to live anywhere where these little guys can’t bury themselves in the sand.”
Leo smiled. “That’s a promise I will enjoy keeping,” he said and then slipped the ring on my finger. “I love you, Grace.”
“I love you, too, Leo.”
As I lay on the bed now, nine months almost to the day later, waiting for Leo to get undressed, I winced as a foot skidded across my stomach, kicking hard against my ribs. Leo grabbed my hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just some heavy-duty kicking.” According to the doctor yesterday, the baby was in position, and I had no doubt as another kick caused me to moan at the minor discomfort.
“I told you it’s a boy. He’s going to break the mold of Amorelli men being inn owners and become a football star.” I let it go. I didn’t care what sex the baby was, as long as it was healthy.
I unbuttoned Leo’s shirt I had on, letting it fall wide to expose my large stomach. I wore Leo’s shirts mostly all the time now that my tummy was so big. I didn’t feel quite so much like a hippopotamus wearing his button-downs as I did when I wore those tight, stretchy T-shirts from the maternity store. Though, these last couple of weeks, even his shirts were getting to be too tight around my midsection.
“I want you inside of me. Now, Leo! Please. Don’t make me beg.”
“Okay.” He obliged, laughing. Then he pulled his pants down and I straddled his legs, my big stomach resting over his. I was already wet. As always. Leo never had to prepare me. There was never a time where I hadn’t been ready and wanting him, though I enjoyed when he took the time to pleasure me in every way possible. His magic fingers a
nd tongue could always bring me to climax quickly. But this time, I was hungry to feel him inside.
Completely immersed in me, he pumped into me. Then he stopped all of a sudden as a gush of water flowed from me.
“What the…?”
I groaned. “Oh, no. My water just broke.”
Leo jumped off me and quickly shrugged into his jeans. “Okay. Let’s go.” He latched on to my hand and pulled me up from the bed. “I’ll get the bag.”
“Uno,” I panted as the Italian number slipped from my lips naturally as a wave of pain took hold of me. “Due…”
“You’re counting?”
I was. It comforted me. When I’d left Leo the day I’d discovered it was my father’s name in that newspaper article, I’d also left the love I had for my father behind in that shed. I’d severed all thoughts of him as if they’d been sliced away from that part of my brain. All the good had vanished, stolen from me the instant I’d read that he’d been having an affair with Leo’s mother. My love and respect for the man who’d always been able to comfort me with the memory of his words all through my life, even though he was gone, had left me that day.
I hated Gina Amorelli for the truth she and Len had kept from Leo, but at the same time, I was thankful to her for coming to me and giving me back the love and respect I’d thought I lost for my father, now knowing he wasn’t an adulterer. She’d restored the memory of the love he’d had for both my mother and me. The little bit of Italian I remembered that he’d taught me would always give me strength.
“Tre,” I huffed out.
“Why are you counting? Don’t count, Grace, breathe. Remember?” Puff, puff, puff, he breathed out at me as his eyes held my gaze and his cheeks puffed out. I breathed with him.
I couldn’t contain the laughter that poured from me when the pain resided. “You look like a puffer fish.”
He frowned. “How can you joke at a time like this?”
I could joke. I really could. However scary having this baby was, I could joke about the pain because I had Leo’s love and my father’s untainted memory.
As we quickly dressed and hurried to the car, I continued my count. “Quattro…”
“And stop counting. Breathe, dammit,” Leo ordered as he helped me into the front seat of the SUV and then hurried over to the other side to slip behind the wheel.
“It’s what I do. I’ve never done this before. I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be nervous, sweetheart. We’ve got this. I’m right here,” he said as he searched his pockets for the key, only to realize he’d already stuck it in the ignition when I pointed to it. He was a basket case, but I was okay with that. I had faith in Leo. He’d healed my broken heart in so many ways. He was my everything.
Leo
Three years later
My toes were covered with sand. In fact, my entire body was buried deep in the stuff up to my neck, as little Leona poured more sand over my legs. I wiggled my toes as some of the granules slipped away, making her giggle.
“Daddy, stop moving,” she demanded, her little personality so much like her mother’s.
“Leona, don’t you think you’ve buried Daddy in the sand long enough? How about we let him up and then he can take us for a swim in the water.” Grace still didn’t like to go into the ocean without me. But I was okay with that.
We’d come back to where we met, staying at the same cottage on the beach in Bora Bora that Grace had stayed in. Being on the beach with the sand was a much better option for Leona. We could have left her at home with Grace’s mother, but I wanted to bring her. I was there for work, and I always brought Grace and Leona with me when I had to travel. I never wanted to leave them home. I missed them too much. Grace and Leona were my everything, and I wanted them with me all the time.
I’d thought I lost Grace the day she stumbled across that old article about her father’s death. It had felt like my life ended that day. I’d known she had to leave. Known she’d never look at me the same way again. She would always see the man who’d murdered her father.
My mother had been the cause of the entire chain of events. I’d never forgive her for that, but there was a fine line between forgiveness and acceptance. It had torn my heart to pieces the day Grace’s father died. I never forgave myself, but I endured. It had taken years and years just to accept the pain I felt, thinking I’d killed a man. And just when I thought my heart was mending with Grace’s help, it had shattered again when she left me.
I’ve since accepted what my mother did, though I haven’t forgiven her. I was extremely grateful, however, that she’d finally told the truth, freeing me from those demons. Even though it had turned out that my father was a murderer, he was a good man. He was my hero until the day he died—maybe from a broken heart or the lie his life had actually been.
“Daddy, let’s go swimming!” Leona stood up and pulled my hand from the sand. “Come on, Daddy.” She may be just like her mother, temper wise, but she didn’t share the same fear of what lurked beneath the surface that Grace had.
“Okay, okay. Hold onto your pants, little lady.” I brushed sand from my body as I stood. White powder granules stuck to me like glue.
She giggled and swished her light brown braid off her shoulder with her sandy hand. “I don’t have any pants. I’m wearing a bikini, like Mommy.”
She was. And man, if she wore one of these when she got older, I didn’t think I would be able to let her out of the house. Boys would be swarming like bees.
It was hot and difficult to get Leona to stay under the umbrella. Her delicate skin would burn if we stayed out here much longer. It was time for a swim and then a nap—at least for Leona.
I had other plans for her mother.
So many good things had come from Grace: Leona, the truth about Grace’s father, the hidden lies revealed. Though I still hated my birthday, I didn’t keep it a secret from anyone anymore. In fact, it was today, and Grace and Leona were there with me to celebrate.
Also by Susan Griscom
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A Young Adult love story for ages 14+, involving destruction, friendship and love.
A Paranormal Romance
Immortal Hearts of San Francisco Series
Tempted by a Vampire
Captivated by a Vampire
Rocked by a Vampire
The Whisper Cape Trilogy
Whisper Cape
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A Secret Fate
A Gypsy’s Kiss
A Gypsy’s Kiss is a spin-off from The Whisper Cape Trilogy — ten years later. Breena gets a love story of her own. If you enjoy ice hockey and sports romances with a supernatural flare, then this book is for you.
The Emotional Stuff
There was a magnitude to love poured into this book. And I’d like to give some love back. Love to my husband, who’d taken me to a backyard dinner/concert on a chilly October night somewhere in the middle of Nevada where the played a song that touched my heart and changed me. Thank you for suggesting we go see that band, honey. And thank you for always having my back, even when it gets too heavy to hold. You put up with me when I’m so focused on a project that I forget to make dinner and never complain. You just go ahead and cook it. I never would have discovered that I had a passion for putting words down and forming stories without you. You gave me the opportunity to learn who I was and what I wanted. So, thank you, honey.I love you to the moon.
There was love from my characters, Leo and Grace. I know you only exist in my mind, but you also live inside my heart and I will forever be grateful for your presence in my head begging for me to tell your story no matter how touch it seemed to be at times. I give my love back to here with your story.
Love and thanks to my dear friend, Heidi Hudson. You never fail me and always seem to know the perfect t
hing to say to me to pick me up. Thank you so much for always being there for me.
Love and thanks to my wonderful friend, Trallee Mendonco, when I called upon you to proof my book. Thank you for stepping up to that challenge. I will forever be grateful for your skills.
Love and thanks to my wonderful, PA, Amber Garcia, whom I’m labeling as wonder woman, because you never cease to amaze me with all the things you do on a daily basis. Thank you for all you do for me.
Love and thanks to my mom and her life’s experiences that helped shape a couple of scenes in this book. My mom’s a strong woman and has had many struggles in her life. Her struggles are not out of the ordinary, but she has always come out the victor. She always manages to build herself up, even after all the obstacles that have threatened to take her down. I admire her so much for all she has accomplished, and thank her for being a wonderful example of what a strong woman is.
Love and thanks to my kids and grandkids. You’re always a constant flow of love. Not only in your support of my writing, but in the way you live your lives. You make me proud.
Love and thanks to my Facebook friends. Yep. That might be you. Thanks for putting up with all my posts about my books and for reading and sharing about them. It is amazingly wonderful to see someone share something about my books. If you read my books, and love them, please take a moment and write a short review or post on Facebook about how much you liked it and please, tell your friends about my books.
Love and thanks t my street team members, you build me up buttercups, especially when I’m feeling down and you keep me on my toes when I need a push. Thank you for all that you do to help get the word out about my books. You will always hold a special place in my heart.
Love and thanks to my beta readers for Broken Wide Open, Heidi Hudson and Amber Garcia. Thank you so much for your early and quick reading of this book. All your suggestions were very helpful.
Broken Wide Open: A Stand-Alone Romance Page 19
