“Grandfather,” Antonio chuckled. “You can’t just name him. Lucy and I haven’t decided on a name yet."
“Oh, now. I’m only joking. But really, you two need to hurry up and give this little guy a name or else.”
“Understood, sir.”
“And as for you two,” Toni said as he turned to Lucas and Maxine. “You already denied me the pleasure of seeing you get married. The least you can do now is hurry up and give little Romero here a cousin to play with.”
“Now, Granddad, I already told you. We just happened to be in Vegas on a getaway and got caught up in the excitement. We’ll have a big reception here. We promise.” Maxine was gushing as she held her husband’s arm by the fireplace. They gazed lovingly in each other’s eyes. “I just didn’t want to delay sealing our relationship anymore.”
Maxine blushed. “Thank you for that kind message you placed in the papers this morning, Toni,” Maxine chimed in.
“Well, I mean it. You’re welcome, Maxine, and welcome again to the family. This is cause for a celebration!” Toni beamed. He called out to the butler who came in promptly. “Please arrange for the barbecue and break out the champagne.”
“Yes, sir,” the butler complied happily.
“Two new members to the Romero family.”
“And you’ll be next, right, bro?” Lucas turned to Zack and gave him a nudge in the arm.
“I don’t think so, bro!” Zack shot back. “Seriously. Good for you and Antonio but me and marriage are like fire and ice. No offense, guys.”
Lucas grinned.
“Never say never,” Toni cautioned.
“Grandfather, that means nothing to me except the title of a good Bond movie. Thanks but no thanks.” Zack lifted a glass to his lips from the butler’s tray.
“Oh, sir. You have a visitor at the door.”
“I do?” Zack said to the butler before placing his glass down on the table. He excused himself and went into the foyer. He froze. What on earth was this woman doing here?
“Hi,” the timid woman said as she stood by the main door.
“Please leave.” Zack’s tone was clipped and stern.
“I don’t blame you. But I just want to apologize to you and your family, Zack.”
Zack glared at her. She was a very pretty woman. He’d seen her, along with other reporters camped outside on the lawn during one of their media circuses but reports had been confirmed that it was her cell phone that was used to record the private conversation between Lucas and Toni that spurred another media fiasco. Luckily, the woman who had the pregnancy claim was called out as a fraud and admitted she lied about being pregnant by Lucas but the whole thing with the fake engagement claim almost cost his brother his happiness.
“It really wasn’t my fault.”
“Oh, really?” Zack stood erect with his hands in his pocket, his chin up.
“Yes. I have nothing to gain by being here. I’m no longer working for…any media. But,” she paused wringing her hands. Gosh, the girl was a bundle of nerves. Nothing like the story-hungry young reporter he’d seen lingering about in the shadows. “Someone played a practical joke on me and my phone was missing. The next thing I knew, it turned up there in the boardroom.”
“Thank you for coming here…” he probed.
“Blue. Blue Monroe.”
And what a sexy name that was. Too bad he didn’t trust women and he trusted female reporters even less. “Blue Monroe,” he continued. "I’ll relay the message to my family.”
She looked into his eyes almost as if she wanted to say something more. “Thank you. And congratulations on your cousin’s birth.”
With that, she turned and let herself out of his family’s home…and out of his life. There was something challenging and dangerous about her but Zack tried to play it off. Would he ever see her again? Would he want to see her again?
***
For the next sizzling installment of The Romero Brothers “The Playboy Billionaire” (Zack Romero and Blue Monroe’s story) join Shadonna Richards’s email signup at www.shadonnarichards.blogspot.com and join her list where it says “Sign Up” so you can be the first to be notified of hot new romance novels.
Books by Shadonna Richards
THE ROMERO BROTHERS
The Billionaire’s Second Chance Bride (Book 1) *also part of the Bride Series
A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (Book 2)
The Playboy Billionaire (Book 3)
THE BRIDE SERIES
An Unexpected Bride (Book 1)
The Jilted Bride (Book 2)
The Matchmaker Bride (Book 3)
His Island Bride (Free) (Book 4)
An Unexpected Baby (The sequel to An Unexpected Bride) (Book 5)
The Billionaire’s Second Chance Bride *also part of the Romero Brothers Series (Book 6)
The Belmont Christmas Bride (March 2014) (Book 7)
The Bride Series Collection (Books 1-5 and other stories)
WHIRLWIND ROMANCE SERIES
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO (Free) (Book 1)
Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (Book 2)
Accidentally Falling for the Tycoon (Book 3)
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO 2 (Book 4)
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO 3 (Book 5)
The Billionaire’s Whirlwind Romance (Books 1-3)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SHADONNA RICHARDS, USA Today Bestselling Author
Shadonna Richards enjoys reading and writing about the magic of romance and the power of love. She has sold over 300,000 copies of her bestselling romance novels, the Bride Series and Whirlwind Romance Series, in the past eighteen months. Born in London, England, she has a B.A. Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Nursing. Winner of Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write 2010 Day Two Challenge, she is also a member of Romance Writers of America. She's a proud mommy and wife and lives in Canada with her husband and son.
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.shadonnarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/authorshadonnarichards
SOME INTERESTING FACTS:
* All books in her Bride Series (as of May, 2012) have hit the #1 spot in their categories
* Three of her Bride Series novels simultaneously occupied the Top 5 Hot New Releases in Romance Anthologies in May 2012 *
Five of her Bride Series novels were simultaneously listed in the Top 20 Bestsellers list in Romance Anthologies in May 2012
* Her novels: The Matchmaker Bride, His Island Bride and The Bride Series (Novels 1-4) made the Top 100 Most Wished For list in April 2012 & May 2012 in the top 10 spots
* She made Amazon's Top 100 Most Popular Authors in Contemporary Romance at #48 in March 2013
* She made Amazon's Top 10 Most Popular Authors in Contemporary Romance in November 2013
A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (The Romero Brothers, Book 2) Page 12
