A Virgin for a Vow

by MELANIE MILBURNE

  * * *

  Luke couldn’t stop thinking about the island. The sun, the sand, the beach, the bay, and the rock they had dived from. The way the island cut out the rest of the world, created a safe haven where they had been in touch with nature. He couldn’t stop thinking about the amazing food Abby had cooked and the long lazy meals where they had sat under the stars sipping champagne.

  But most of all he couldn’t stop thinking about Abby.

  She was in his thoughts every minute and every second of the day and night. She was in his body. He would close his eyes and feel her soft little hands moving over him. He could feel her mouth, her lips, her tongue. Her smile was imprinted on his heart. Every time he pictured her smile his heart would contract as if it was being squished between two thick books.

  Every time he went home from work his house seemed emptier and lonelier than it ever had before. Even work wasn’t as enjoyable and fulfilling as before. Especially with Kay shaking her head and casting him rolled-eyed looks all the time.

  She’d stopped lecturing him but as he was leaving work that day he found Abby’s latest column open on her computer screen. Luke had so far resisted the temptation to read whatever lies Abby was peddling lately, but this time he couldn’t stop himself from reading. It wasn’t a long piece but it was heartfelt and honest. In it Abby shared how she had grown up through the foster system because her parents had had drug and alcohol issues. She spoke of how desperately she had wanted to fit in, to be normal—all the stuff she had told him during their time together.

  His heart ached for her, revealing all that to the public. It was such a brave and dignified thing to do, for she crafted it in such a way to help people who were struggling with the same issues as her parents so they didn’t feel judged, but rather to let them know help was at hand. She went on to say her pretence over being engaged to Mr Perfect was something she deeply regretted because there was no such thing as a perfect partner. The only thing you could wish for was to be the best partner you could be and that love would take care of the rest, if you were lucky enough to find someone who loved you.

  Luke read that line twice because his vision had suddenly blurred.

  If you were lucky enough to find someone who loved you.

  Abby loved him. Why had he found that so hard to believe? Or had he been too frightened to believe it? Too worried it wouldn’t last or would be snatched away from him. But he had been the one to sabotage it. He had found someone to love him and he had left her behind alone. He hadn’t even asked her to come with him when work called him away. He had made his work a higher priority than Abby.

  But his only priority was Abby.

  Hadn’t the last few days demonstrated that? He was walking through life like a ghost. His life was meaningless without her sunny presence casting out all the shadows that had doggedly surrounded him for so long. Why had he been such an emotional coward? Had he ruined any chance of a future with her?

  He wanted to see her straight away but there was one thing he had to do first. He should have done it years ago. He raced home to pack up Kimberley’s things, shooting her parents a text to say he would be around to drop them off as soon as he got a chance.

  He folded the clothes and placed them in a cardboard box and gently closed the lid. It was like closing a chapter of his life.

  His phone pinged with an answering text from Kimberley’s parents to say they were in the area—could they drop in for a minute to pick up their daughter’s things? Luke was desperate to go and see Abby but he couldn’t fob off Kimberley’s parents. Surely he owed them a few minutes?

  He opened the front door an excruciatingly long hour later to find Peter and Tanya Norman standing there. ‘Come in,’ he said, greeting them as he normally did with awkward hugs and handshakes.

  Tanya looked like she’d been recently crying, but then that wasn’t unusual. ‘Luke...there’s something I have to tell you. I think it’s time to tell you the truth about what happened the night Kimberley was...killed.’

  Luke looked at Peter but he was doing his stoic father and husband thing, although he reached for his wife’s hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

  ‘The thing is...’ Tanya swallowed. ‘Kimberley was going to break up with you. She was interested in someone else but didn’t have the courage to tell you. She didn’t cheat on you. I know that for a fact. She was just finding it hard to bring things to an end with you because you were always so good to her. I think the only reason she didn’t tell you about it that night was because she felt like she had betrayed you by allowing herself to fall in love with someone else while still in a relationship with you.’

  Luke couldn’t get his brain around the bombshell news. Kimberley had been about to leave him? No wonder he’d thought their relationship was past its use-by date. But he’d always blamed himself. ‘Why didn’t you say something before now?’

  Tanya looked ashamed. ‘I felt it would hurt you too much to know she had fallen in love with someone else. You were always so good to her. So kind and patient when I know she wasn’t always an easy person to be with. But I think that’s because she wasn’t in love with you. She’d been so hurt by her last relationship and you were a safe person, someone she trusted to take care of her. But in the end she wanted more. She wanted what everyone wants. True love.’

  Luke wanted to be angry but somehow couldn’t summon the energy. Kimberley’s parents believed he’d been in love with her. He didn’t think it served any purpose to tell them he hadn’t been. ‘Thank you for telling me,’ he said. ‘It was very courageous of you.’

  ‘I was worried when I saw you and Abby Hart had broken up,’ Tanya said. ‘I was pleased you had found someone. Really pleased. I thought I wouldn’t be when the time came but I was. But then I felt terrible when I saw you’d broken up. I wondered then if it had anything to do with what happened with Kimberley. I couldn’t let another moment pass before I told you what I should have told you years ago. She might not have loved you as you loved her but she did love you. It just wasn’t the right sort of love.’

  Luke opened his arms and welcomed her into a warm hug. He reached out with one arm and included Peter as well. No one said anything. They simply stood in a circle of three, honouring their memories of Kimberley.

  And for the first time in five years Luke felt an enormous weight lift off his shoulders.

  * * *

  Abby had been mentally preparing for the fallout after her column went live but the opposite happened. Her inbox was filled with messages of support and encouragement, her Twitter feed went nuts and Felicity even mentioned something about a pay rise.

  But, even so, it didn’t make her heart feel any lighter.

  Ella had phoned her every day since Abby had been back in London but she had been surprisingly tight-lipped about her older brother, saying only that she was reluctant to take sides as they were both adults and had to figure out this stuff on their own.

  But Abby was worried Luke might never figure out his stuff. His stuff had put his life on hold for five long years. Would he end up an old lonely man with no one by his side?

  Would she end up alone?

  Who else did she want but Luke? He was her Mr Almost Perfect. The man who had stolen her heart with his first frown.

  Sabina came into Abby’s office cubicle carrying a huge bunch of red roses. ‘These are for you,’ she said.

  Abby’s heart gave a stumble. ‘For me?’

  ‘Yep and there are more. Like heaps more.’ Sabina nodded towards Reception. ‘It’s like a florist’s shop out there. And a fruit shop.’

  Abby frowned. ‘Fruit?’

  ‘Strawberries,’ Sabina said, eyes twinkling. ‘Chocolate-coated ones and champagne. A dozen bottles of it.’

  Abby’s legs were shaking so much she could barely stand and it was a moment or two before she could get her voice to work. ‘Who’s it from?’

  Just then a tall figure appeared outside Abby’s cubicle.

  ‘Th
ey’re from me,’ Luke said and then proceeded to go down on one knee in front of her. ‘Darling, please forgive me. I’ve been a stupid fool. I can’t believe I left you on that island all on your own. It was such a crass and hurtful thing to do. Please say you’ll forgive me. I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you. I’ll even buy the damn island so we can go back there and have a proper holiday without me acting like a jerk and storming off as if work is the only thing I care about. I care about you. I love you.’

  Abby could barely see through tears and threw her arms around his neck. ‘Oh, Luke, of course I forgive you. I’ve ached to hear you say those three little words. I love you so much I’m just about bursting with it.’

  He smiled at her with such tenderness her heart squeezed. ‘You are the love of my life. I’m only half a person without you. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man on the planet?’

  Abby choked back a happy sob. Could there have been a more heartfelt proposal from a man in love? ‘Oh, darling, of course I’ll marry you. But what changed your mind? I thought you were—?’

  ‘I’m ashamed of how I pushed you away when all I’ve ever wanted from the moment I met you was to hold you close. I love you, my darling. I think I’ve probably loved you from the first time you smiled at me.’

  ‘I can’t believe you just proposed to me in front of all these people,’ Abby said, glancing at the assembled crowd outside her office cubicle, including Sabina, who was looking all dewy-eyed as if she’d been watching a romantic movie.

  ‘I don’t care who’s watching,’ Luke said. ‘They can stream it live on Twitter or wherever else for all I care. I want everyone to know how much I love you.’

  Abby hadn’t thought it was possible to feel such happiness. Luke loved her. He wanted to marry her. It was a dream, a fairy tale come true. ‘Ella is going to be beside herself. I’m beside myself.’

  He stood up and then held her close. ‘You’re beside me and that’s where you’re going to stay for the rest of our lives.’

  Abby stroked his face, her heart feeling so full when she saw the love shining in his gaze. ‘I was so sad when you left me behind. But I realised when I got back to London I had to stop lying about how perfect my life was when it was anything but.’

  He held one of her hands against the deep thud of his heart. ‘I can’t promise you a perfect life, I can’t even promise to be a perfect partner but I can promise to love you and protect you for as long as we both shall live. Now, I think these people are waiting for us to seal this promise with a kiss.’ His eyes glinted. ‘Shall we get on with it?’

  Abby smiled and lifted her mouth to his. ‘Yes, please.’

  EPILOGUE

  One year later...

  ABBY CAME OUT to the sun-warmed terrace at the villa on the island, where Luke was waiting for her to come back from the bathroom. Their island—Luke’s and hers. Luke insisted it was his gift to her but he had already given her so much.

  She hadn’t thought it possible to be so happy and contented. They weren’t a perfect couple by any means but their love for each other more than made up for that. Her lonely childhood felt so far away now. The love Luke showered her with more than compensated for the disadvantages she’d suffered as a child. Not a day went past without him telling her he loved her. He always said it first, not just when she said it to him. He showed it too in thousands of ways. Little things he did for her, like ignoring his phone when it rang when she was telling him something important, or even when she was telling him something unimportant. He made her feel important. He made her feel the most important person to him and that was something she was so grateful for.

  Abby kept the pregnancy dipstick behind her back and came over to where he was sitting on a sun lounger with a book resting on his lap. ‘What are you reading?’ she said, leaning down to plant a kiss on his head.

  He captured her by the hand and brought her down on to his lap, quickly shoving his book aside. ‘Work stuff, but you’re way more interesting.’ He suddenly frowned. ‘Hey, what’s that you’re hiding behind your back?’

  Abby smiled and brought her hand from behind her to show him. ‘Guess what? We’re having a baby.’

  Tears shone in his eyes and he swallowed deeply. ‘Oh, darling, that’s wonderful. I can’t believe it. We’re having a baby.’ He gave a delighted laugh and gently cradled her head to kiss her. ‘You’ll be the most amazing mother, I’m sure of it.’

  Abby looked lovingly into his eyes. ‘And you will be an amazing father. I’m so proud of the way you’ve worked on your relationship with your dad since we got married.’

  His broad smile warmed her heart. ‘I know he’s not perfect, nor ever likely to be anything close to it, but he’s making an effort so the least I can do is make one too.’

  Abby kissed him on the lips again. ‘Maybe he’ll make a much better grandfather than a father. Some people are like that.’

  Luke stroked her cheek, his expression so full of love it made her breath catch. ‘You’ve taught me so much about relationships, my darling. You make me a better person. More understanding, more accepting, more forgiving.’

  ‘You’ve taught me heaps too,’ Abby said. ‘Like how to be honest about what I want. And right now, I want you.’

  Luke brought her mouth back down to his and gathered her close. ‘Perfect, because I want you too.’

  * * * * *

  Read on for an extract from THE INNOCENT’S ONE-NIGHT SURRENDER by Kate Hewitt

  Coming next month

  CLAIMING HIS NINE-MONTH CONSEQUENCE

  Jennie Lucas

  Ruby.

  Pregnant.

  Impossible. She couldn’t be. They’d used protection.

  He could still remember how he’d felt when he’d kissed her. When he’d heard her soft sigh of surrender. How she’d shuddered, crying out with pleasure in his arms. How he’d done the same.

  And she’d been a virgin. He’d never been anyone’s first lover. Ares had lost his virginity at eighteen, a relatively late age compared to his friends, but growing up as he had, he’d idealistically wanted to wait for love. And he had, until he’d fallen for a sexy French girl the summer after boarding school. It wasn’t until summer ended that his father had gleefully revealed that Melice had actually been a prostitute, bought and paid for all the time. I did it for your own good, boy. All that weak-minded yearning over love was getting on my nerves. Now you know what all women are after—money. You’re welcome.

  Ares’s bodyguard closed the car door behind him with a bang, causing him to jump.

  “Sir? Are you there?”

  Turning his attention back to his assistant on the phone, Ares said grimly, “Give me her phone number.”

  Two minutes later, as his driver pulled the sedan smoothly down the street, merging into Paris’s evening traffic, Ares listened to the phone ring and ring. Why didn’t Ruby answer?

  When he’d left Star Valley, he’d thought he could forget her.

  Instead, he’d endured four and a half months of painful celibacy, since his traitorous body didn’t want any other woman. He couldn’t forget the soft curves of Ruby’s body, her sweet mouth like sin. She hadn’t wanted his money. She’d been insulted by his offer. She’d told him never to call her again.

  And now…

  She was pregnant. With his baby.

  He sat up straight as the phone was finally answered.

  “Hello?”

  Copyright © 2018 Jennie Lucas

  Continue reading

  CLAIMING HIS NINE-MONTH CONSEQUENCE

  Jennie Lucas

  Available next month

  www.millsandboon.co.uk

  ISBN: 978-1-474-07161-1

  A VIRGIN FOR A VOW

  © 2017 Melanie Milburne

  Published in Great Britain 2017

  by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

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