by Vaughn, Ann
Finally Home
by
Ann Vaughn
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Text copyright @2014 Ann Vaughn
All rights reserved
Cover art by Sommer Stein
Perfect Pear Creative Covers
www.facebook.com/PPCCovers
Cover photo provided by:
CJC Photography
Cover Model: Adam Rose
For Shilpa "The Editor"...you've stuck by me through thick and thin, been my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on since we were twelve. I couldn't do this without you, I hope you know that.
For Denise "The Continuity Queen"...you talked me through some hard parts on this one, through some times when I was ready to throw in the towel. Thanks for sticking with me and helping me see that some times less is more!
For Tabitha "The PA"...thanks for all you do and continue to do for me to keep things running when I've gone MIA and for all the other times in between.
For Christine "The Warden"...there are no words. I would not be where I am today without all your help and belief in me. Thank you doesn't seem to be enough, but all I can say is Thank You for believing in me.
For my Sinful X Sisters: A.D. Justice, A.M. Madden, J.M. Witt, L.L. Collins and the three without initials: Ren Alexander, Skye Turner and Tricia Daniels. I really can't recall how I got soooo lucky as to be included in this group, I'm sure it was "The Warden" who roped me in, but I thank God every day that I have all of you in my life. My Group Therapy Safe Place, as I call our group: I couldn't survive without all of you. Each and every one of you has helped me through a really tough stretch and I love you all so very, very much. I really and truly hope that one day I will get to meet all of you face-to-face. I may bawl my eyes out and hold each of you so tight you'll have to call the white jackets in to haul me away. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your love and support.
For my Amazingly Awesome Alpha Street Team: you guys blow me away with your generosity and tireless efforts on my behalf. Each and every one of you have come to be close friends and people I rely on daily. I had no idea when Tabitha set up a street team for me that the members would come to mean as much to me as each and every one of you do. Thank You doesn't seem to be enough for all you do. I hope you enjoy your time on my Funny Farm. I know the Guys and Gals of the Home Series love every second of it, especially The Ego, Malibu Ken, Trouble and his Apprentice ;)
Finally, for my husband, my son, and my daughter: I love you all con todo mi corazon
Special Acknowledgments:
Thanks to Jennifer Reyes from Jen's Book Reviews, who won a contest to name Colt & Sarah's baby boy, Chris.
Thanks to Sommer Stein at Perfect Pear Creative Covers for being the perfect partner and sounding board for cover designs. I know that the work you did on the cover for Finally Home was hard but it looks absolutely amazing and I love it!!!!!
Thanks to Chris Correia at CJC Photography for morning chats and advice and all that fun stuff!
And special, special big, huge Texas-sized THANKS to the wonderfully talented A.M. Madden, for two reasons: 1) for checking all my Italian phrases so The Commander sounds authentic in his cursing ;) and 2) for the use of Devil's Lair, Jack and Leila, and Jack and Leila's special song, "The Reaon I Am".
For Adam:
Thanks for being such a good sport and allowing my crazy readers to call you The Commander. I hope you've enjoyed it all and not thought us all too terribly insane!! I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors. Thank you for being a part in bringing Finally Home and The Commander to life.
Also available by Ann Vaughn:
Long Way Home
Finding Home
A Home for Christmas
Finally Home
Praise for A Home for Christmas:
"Another awesome book by Ann Vaughn!! Every book is a homerun for me! They are so well written and draws you in from the very first page. Ann Vaughn has definitely to the top spot on my favorite author list!" ~Tabitha, Amazeballs Book Addict Blog
Praise for Finding Home:
"This book was really good. I loved that it was steamier than the first. Also, characters that were in the first book were brought into this one. Be sure to read Long Way Home before this book. Ann Vaughn did an excellent job writing and has kept me wanting more from her series." ~Christine, Sinful Thoughts Book Blog
Praise for Long Way Home:
"This book will hook you from the beginning. I was laughing and crying. I was angry, and at one point I just wanted to hug Shane. Overall this is an amazing debut by author Ann Vaughn. Make sure you check it out!" ~Chelsea, Amazeballs Book Blog
Prologue
The Springfield Founders Day Ball was one of the highlights of the social season in the small but affluent town of Springfield, Texas; a suburb of Dallas. It was held at the estate of the Adtkisson family, Springfield's founding family, and it was by invitation only. The Ball was the culmination of a weeklong festival, and every year, the social elite of Springfield dressed to the nines and attended the Ball that also served as a fundraiser for the Adtkisson's various charities.
Mike Casiano hated going to events such as the Founders Day Ball. He avoided it whenever possible. Since joining the Navy five years ago, he hadn't been able to attend one. Now that he was home on leave, his mother would not let him escape going. He'd forced his best friend, Riley Stanton, to attend as well, though Riley would have had to come anyway, since his mother also wanted him there. So, now they stood up on the balcony overlooking the ballroom floor, both dressed in their Naval dress white uniforms. Both were suffering from their mothers trying to set them up with an endless stream of debutantes. Both he and Riley had danced with a few of the ones they couldn't avoid, but for the most part, had remained impassive toward all the girls. Mike and Riley were both Naval officers and SEALs, which attracted a lot of female attention, but both had decided to put their careers first and not get entangled with any women during their service. They had one team member, Pete Zigler, who was married; and though it seemed to work well for Zig and his wife, Mike and Riley decided they didn't want to put the burden of worry on someone the way they'd seen Melissa Zigler suffer every time they shipped out.
"Hannah Stevens is on the prowl tonight," Riley said, pulling Mike from his thoughts. "She's already made the rounds of several of the Adtkisson brothers."
Mike looked down at the dance floor, studying the woman in question. Hannah was the daughter of one of his father's associates. She was very pretty, knew it, and was determined to marry someone just as wealthy if not even wealthier, than she already was.
"My mother tried to get me to dance with her earlier," Mike confessed.
"Yeah, mine, too. Think we've been here long enough to satisfy them?" Riley asked. "I'm ready to get out of this thing and go have a beer."
Mike glanced at his watch. They'd been there two hours. Surely, that was enough time to satisfy their mothers' social obligations. A movement at the base of the stairs caught his eye. He saw Kacee Adtkisson, the Adtkisson's only daughter, and one of her friends. Kacee, he knew, was about seventeen or eighteen years old. She was beautiful, the way all the Adtkisson's were, blonde hair, and blue-green eyes. If their families hadn't been such good friends, Mike might have considered Kacee an interesting prospect as she grew older; but he'd known her since the day she was born and while he could admire her beauty, he knew there could never be anything between them other than a familial affection. His eyes drifted from Kacee to the petite girl bes
ide her; and felt his heart leap in his chest. The girl beside Kacee was beyond what words his brain could conjure up at the moment. Her hair was a pale blonde, bordering on platinum and framed a face that looked like smooth porcelain. She was wearing a dress the color of emeralds, and though she was several inches shorter than the statuesque Kacee, he could see that she had some amazing curves going on.
"Who is the girl there with Kacee Adtkisson?" he asked Riley casually, his eyes still on the girl. When Riley didn't immediately answer, Mike tore his gaze from the beautiful girl and looked over at Riley, surprised to see a bit of an uncomfortable look on his friend's face. "What?"
Riley rubbed the back of his neck. "That's my cousin. Lainey Riley."
That revelation surprised Mike and he turned to look back down at the beautiful girl, now seeing the family resemblance. It hadn't occurred to him that this could be Riley's cousin, because in all the years he'd known Riley and heard him speak of her, he'd always pictured a little girl...not a teenager on the brink of womanhood.
"I guess I always thought she was a lot younger."
"She's seventeen," Riley said, "she's just small for her age."
Mike agreed that she was petite, but that was definitely no little girl he was seeing. She was absolutely beautiful, but in an ethereal sort of way; like an angel. Still, he could understand Riley's reluctance; he had a little sister.
"Let's get out of here," Mike said, putting his hat on.
At the base of the stairs, Lainey Riley stood with Kacee Adtkisson, both girls having just left the dance floor after dancing with a couple of guys who both seemed to have two left feet. The girls were laughing over their adventure when Lainey looked up and saw her cousin, Riley and his friend making their way down the stairs. She'd had her eye on Riley's friend the whole evening. She'd never seen a more handsome guy before in her life. He had the most unusual eyes she'd ever seen. Even from across the room, she'd been mesmerized by them. They were the palest blue she'd ever seen, so light they were nearly translucent, but had a thin, dark blue ring around the edge, making them stand out even more. He had dark hair and darkly tanned skin, making those eyes just seem to pop. In his dress white uniform, he overshadowed every other man in the room, which was saying something, since the Adtkisson men were extremely good-looking.
"Riley?" she said when the guys got to the base of the stairs where she and Kacee stood. "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, Tink, we're outta here. Enjoy the rest of the evening," he said, then he and his friend walked away.
"Do you know who Riley's friend is?" she asked Kacee, her eyes on his retreating back.
"That's Mike Casiano, Jeannette Chandler-Casiano's son," Kacee told her, referring to Brad Chandler's sister. Lainey knew Brad Chandler; he was her mother's boss and Kacee's father's best friend and attorney.
"He is gorgeous."
Kacee laughed. "Yes, he is...but do his eyes not scare you just a bit? They kinda give me the creeps."
To Kacee, Lainey just shrugged, but to herself, she thought they were the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. In the years to come, Lainey hoped to see Mike Casiano again, but for nearly ten years, he had not returned to the Founders Day Ball. She learned later that he was Riley's SEAL team leader and wished that Riley would bring him home with him when he visited but he never did.
Chapter One
“You’re coming out with us tonight, right?”
Lainey Riley looked up from her computer to see her best friend and business partner, Kacee Adtkisson, standing just inside her office door. Kacee’s long-distance boyfriend, Connor Douglas, was in town and she wanted everyone to come out to dinner and celebrate with them.
As much as Lainey loved her friend, she didn’t really feel like going out and being the only single girl in their crowd.
“I don’t know, Kace, I’ve got a lot of paperwork to catch up on,” Lainey hedged.
“It’ll all still be here waiting for you on Monday. Come on, Lain, please?”
Lainey sighed. She’d never been able to say no when anyone asked her for something.
“All right, I’ll go, but please, no match-making, OK?”
Kacee shot her a look of pure innocence. “Now, would I do that? Don’t answer that. Come on, shut your stuff down. You can give me a ride. Connor is meeting us there so I can go home with him.”
“Fine,” Lainey said, shutting her workstation down. “Let’s go.”
True to her word, Kacee hadn’t arranged for some poor lonely guy to be waiting for Lainey when they arrived at the bar for drinks and dancing. The first half of the evening she spent laughing with her friends and watching Kacee reunite with Connor. She was happy for her friend but couldn’t help the wave of jealousy that washed over her whenever Connor stole quick, passionate kisses from Kacee.
She was just about ready to call it a night when she saw Kacee’s eyes light with recognition a minute before her older brother, Kevin, approached their small table. Lainey sent Kacee a narrowed glare but Kacee’s eyes widened and she lifted her hand, indicating she had no clue her brother would be coming. Lainey had dated Kevin for a short time a couple of years ago.
“Hey, beautiful,” Kevin greeted Lainey, kissing her cheek. “How about a dance?”
“Kevin,” Lainey protested, even as he took her hand and was helping her to her feet.
“Come on, one dance, for old times' sake,” he said, his green eyes twinkling.
“Fine. One dance,” she conceded.
When he pulled her into his arms for the slow dance that had begun and kissed her fingertips, Lainey knew something was up.
“OK, what is this really about, Mr. Adtkisson?”
“I missed you, that’s all,” he replied with a wink.
“Kevin.”
He laughed. “Always could read me, couldn’t you?”
“Like a book.”
“Fine. Mom is trying to get me to escort Hannah Stevens to the Founder’s Day Preview Dinner.”
“So, why don’t you? You’re always griping that you never go out with anyone new.”
He gave her a pointed look. “Lainey. It’s Hannah Stevens,” he said, as if that explained everything.
“Hannah is a very lovely young woman,” Lainey said, a smile tickling her lips.
“Oh, yeah, she’s really lovely...and has balled everyone in my parents’ country club. I don’t want to be next on her list. Come on. Save me. Please?”
She shook her head. “You’re hopeless.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I suppose.”
He lifted her off her feet and twirled her around, causing her to laugh and squeal.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
As they laughed together, neither was aware of a man in the shadows, glaring at them. He watched her laugh up into the Rich Guy’s face as they danced. He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, like two perfect emeralds. It wasn’t fair that it was the rich guy who was on the receiving end of those beautiful eyes. Her hair, so blonde, so pretty...he wanted to sink his fingers in it, feel each and every curl. He knew that curls such as hers were no longer in style, that most women wore their hair long and straight, but to him, it made her short curls all that more appealing...she was unlike any other woman in the room.
Rich Guy had pulled her closer and his lips were hovering close to her ear. Whispering sweet nothings, perhaps? What right did he have to hold her close, just because he had a lot of money? And he knew the guy was rich. He’d seen him in here before. Knew he drove a Porsche. He angrily crushed his cigarette and finished his beer, all while glaring at the couple dancing in the center of the dance floor. It should be him with her. He was just as good looking as the Rich Guy, wasn’t he? Hadn’t she said she was blessed to have met someone like him? Hadn’t she smiled at him and kissed his cheek? It should be him receiving her attention.
Lainey Riley was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen...and the nicest he’d ever met. She was probably one of the
most genuinely caring and sincere people he’d ever come across. He could tell she actually cared about him. That rich bastard didn’t have any business with her, not when...
“You all right, buddy?” the bartender asked, distracting him.
“Yeah, fine,” he snapped. He settled his bill and left, giving the couple on the dance floor one final glare.
It was well past two in the morning when Lainey finally made it home. Despite her efforts to leave early, she was glad she stayed. She and Kevin played at dating when she was in college but decided they were better friends than romantic interests. Still, she enjoyed his company and had been a bit tempted when his good night kiss sparked a small flame between them. Thankfully, common sense prevailed and kept them from anything they’d both regret in the morning.
She was just about to climb into bed when her phone rang. Confident that it was Kevin, she didn’t even bother glancing at the caller I.D.
“I thought we agreed to call it a night, you goof.”
“He doesn’t deserve you,” said a gruff male voice she didn’t recognize.
“Excuse me?”
“The Rich Guy. He doesn’t deserve you.”
Lainey felt a chill run down her spine. “Who is this?”
“After he left you, he went straight over to another woman’s place. He’s doing her right -”
She immediately dropped the receiver. For a moment, she stared wide-eyed at the phone. What was that? Who was...she jumped when the phone rang again. Curious, she glanced at the caller I.D. It read Unavailable.
