The Undercover Bridesmaid
Page 19
“The fact that he tried to kill you—twice—is a pretty good indication you should have thrown him off a cliff. Or you could let the authorities toss him into prison and throw away the key.”
“Guess I’ll take the latter,” she joked, and then sighed. “How do you know when you can trust someone?”
“You’re looking at him right now, and in case you need more convincing, I’m also an Eagle Scout. It’s part of my motto, including the one I took with the FBI.”
“Very funny,” Chloe said. “I always wondered how you could keep working for the FBI after the accident. After Jenna’s death, I lost my nerve so I resigned. I knew I couldn’t be a good agent. Instead, I feared I’d become a liability to other agents and hurt someone, even accidentally.”
“Perhaps you’re much more suited to weddings,” Liam said with a grin. “But I don’t see the role of bridesmaid as your only future.”
“Oh, you don’t, huh?”
“I see you as the main attraction one day. All in white. With a boatload of diamonds around your neck.”
“No thank you! Diamonds are not necessarily a girl’s best friend!”
“Will you finally be my best friend?” Liam asked quietly, kissing her again. “And possibly my future bride?”
Chloe’s eyes widened, staring into his face. “Are you proposing, Agent Esposito? It’s quite sudden, isn’t it?”
“Nope. It’s been almost two years in the making, but at the moment, I’m proposing something else.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m taking you to the hospital for smoke inhalation. You need another chest X-ray.”
Epilogue
Chloe cracked open her eyes to find Liam gazing at her while she slept. She tried to speak, but her voice came out parched and husky, despite the medicine and liquids they were giving her.
“See, I’m much better,” she croaked, noticing the doctor standing on the opposite side of the bed railing.
“This time around, we’re keeping you an extra day,” Doctor Abbott said. “We want your vocal cords to heal some more, so please try to limit talking to what’s absolutely necessary. Hand signals are good,” he added with a smile.
“Listen to the good doctor,” Liam told her, pressing Chloe’s fingers to his lips.
“Your chest X-ray hasn’t changed, and I want that to improve as well,” Doctor Abbott went on. “You just had to leave here yesterday to be in a wedding.”
“It was a really important wedding,” Chloe whispered.
“The wedding of the decade—in more ways than one,” the doctor said, raising both eyebrows, and Chloe let out a hoarse laugh.
After the doctor left, Liam scooted next to Chloe on the bed, taking her in his arms. He kissed her long and slow and so passionately, Chloe swore she went cross-eyed. She would have collapsed into a swoon if she hadn’t been lying down already.
Liam murmured, “Doctor’s orders say that kissing is good for healing.”
“Doctor Abbott said that, did he?” She laughed, but the giggle turned into a cough.
Liam grabbed the water bottle and straw from the side of the table, and Chloe sipped at it slowly.
“You need to keep drinking, too,” she told him. “You’re just lucky you got discharged this morning. I think the doctor likes you better.”
“You are not to be trusted, Chloe Romano. If we turn our backs, you’ll make a getaway.”
She made a face, knowing he was right. They sank against the bed pillows, arms wrapped tightly around each other, not speaking for several long moments.
Chloe breathed him in and held him close, amazed that they were actually alive and together, yet wholly comforted by this amazing man that now belonged to her.
“Hey, I have something to tell you,” Liam said suddenly. “We found Brett Sorenson.”
Chloe sat up. “Give me the details!”
“They arrested him when he landed in Georgia early this morning.”
“Where were the diamonds? How did he get away with them in his suitcase?”
“Ssh, sh, no talking now.”
“Ergh,” Chloe growled under her breath.
“First you might want to know that the Romano mansion has been saved. Water and smoke damage, but carpets and furniture and paint can all be replaced. The kitchen will need a major overhaul. Your aunt is pleased that she can redo the cabinets now.”
Liam grinned, and Chloe tried to punch him in the shoulder, but he caught her hand and kissed it instead.
“They searched Brett’s hotel room and nothing turned up, but after the fire was extinguished at your uncle’s house, the real diamonds were found hidden in one of the guest rooms. Intact and perfectly fine.”
Chloe’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”
“You’ll never guess who the guest room belonged to. Katey Higgins, Mercedes’s assistant.”
Chloe’s jaw dropped. “No! That’s the last place we would have searched.”
Liam nodded. “The one and only innocent Katey. Except not so innocent. She comes off as young and silly, but she’s actually much older than she appears. Trained in a family organization of jewel thieves to crack safes and enter locked offices—by her own father, who is also Brett’s boss. Diamonds are an obsession with them. Katey had full access to everything in the house, of course.”
“She watched me open the safe when the diamonds first arrived in the armored vehicle and Mercedes tried them on,” Chloe whispered, trying not to strain her raw throat. “If she was trained in cracking combination locks, she listened as I first put in the numbers. She knew from the start how many numbers she had to figure out.”
“Exactly. And …” Liam paused, reaching out to hold Chloe’s hand. “Brett purposely gained your confidence for all the reasons we talked about last night. If he got close to you, it would be easier to both incapacitate you and earn your trust—and then Sorenson gave himself an alibi with your date an hour before the wedding while Katey was up to her shenanigans in Max Romano’s office.”
“I figured that was the reason Brett didn’t speak in the kitchen when he was tying me up. He knew I’d recognize his voice. But you know what else I recognized, although I wasn’t cognizant of it at the time with all the fear rushing through me?”
Liam frowned. “What’s that?”
“When I felt my assailant’s wrist, and the texture of his suit coat, it came to me later that I had been dancing with that very same man.”
“Davis Jewelry has their diamonds back. Two crooks—maybe more—are locked away awaiting trial. And,” Liam added, his voice turning low and sexy, “I have you. I’d say it’s a job well done, Agent Romano.”
Chloe placed her hands on either side of Liam’s face. “Thank you for going into the house for my grandmother. Thank you for searching the kitchen when I was locked up. You knew the house was already on fire and you came for me, too.”
“I always come back for my partner,” he told her, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I only have one question left to ask you, Chloe Romano.”
“Hmm?” She snuggled back into the pillows once more.
“How does Savannah sound for our honeymoon?”
Chloe growled. “That is not funny, Esposito.”
Before she could say another word, Liam was kissing her deeply and passionately, and Chloe knew she was truly swooning for the first time in her life. This man made her feel things she’d never felt before. He always had.
Perhaps Mercedes was correct. When you met the right man, you just knew deep inside. You didn’t have to convince yourself.
When Liam finally broke from Chloe’s lips, he said, “I’m going to make you laugh for the rest of your life. And you’re going to be the most beautiful bride South Carolina has ever seen.”
“I’m going to make you sign a contract that you won’t rent any diamonds for the ceremony.”
He chuckled. “You don’t need diamonds to dazzle me, my love.”
“There’s only one
thing I need to know before this goes any further. If you don’t like old movies and southern plantations, we’re just not compatible, Agent Esposito.”
“Those are deal breakers, huh?” He nuzzled her neck, sending shock waves of desire through Chloe in spite of the antiseptic smell of the hospital surrounding them.
Being with Liam was inexplicable happiness, even lying in a hospital bed with a raspy voice and weak lungs. Despite suppressing their feelings for each other during their time at Quantico, the passion and budding love had never disappeared. In fact, it was more intense than ever.
“I can’t visit Savannah until the bad taste of Brett Sorenson is gone,” she said now. “But there’s this gorgeous plantation on the Mississippi in Louisiana called White Castle. They have a honeymoon suite, and we can watch Gone with the Wind on DVD all night long. I have the Blu-ray edition,” she added with a saucy grin.
“I have an even better idea for our honeymoon nights,” Liam said huskily. “I can give you a preview if you’d like.”
“You need to be a good boy until we’re married. But you can kiss me like Rhett Butler kissed Scarlett when he left her stranded on the road to Tara.”
“I’ll do you one better,” Liam said, gathering Chloe up in his arms. “I’ll kiss you like a man in love with the woman of his dreams.”
“Honestly, I never thought I’d be someone’s dream,” she said, her voice catching.
“Believe me, that’s all I could do for the last two years—dream about you while you held me at arm’s length.”
“Rules are rules,” Chloe said flippantly. She was enjoying teasing him, but emotion welled up in her chest when she gazed at this incredible man. “I do love you, Liam Esposito,” she added in a soft voice. “I’ve always loved you.”
“And I love you, Chloe Romano—I mean, Scarlett O’Hara.”
She laughed, swatting at Liam’s arm while his lips came down on hers, and the walls of the hospital melted away while their future became a reality at last.
Three weeks later . . .
Hi Chloe!
Enclosed please find a check for services rendered on October 7th. Quoted price is doubled for bravery in the call of duty—and almost losing your life. Use it for your own beautiful wedding.
Hugs and Kisses!
Your favorite cousin,
Mercedes
P.S. Our honeymoon in Italy was divine!
P.P.S. Didn’t I tell you that I’d match you up with the love of your life during my wedding weekend? And Liam Esposito is the perfect catch, girl! You have very good taste.
Maybe I should go into the matchmaking business alongside my estate sale enterprise. . .
Dear Romance Lover
I hope you enjoyed reading The Undercover Bridesmaid! I love writing sweet romance that sweeps me into new and wonderful worlds. The diamond research for the story was particularly fun.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my other romance novels on Amazon, including my Secret Billionaire Romances. They’re all FREE on Kindle Unlimited, too.
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xo,
~Kimberley Montpetit
P.S. I will be eternally grateful if you have a moment to write a quick review of THE UNDERCOVER BRIDESMAID on Amazon. Reviews help other readers find enjoyable sweet romance, plus it helps me to be able to keep writing new books! A thousand thanks!
About the Author
Kimberley Montpetit once spent all her souvenir money at the La Patisserie shops when she was in Paris—on the arm of her adorable husband. The author grew up in San Francisco, but currently lives in a small town along the Rio Grande with her big, messy family.
Kimberley reads a book a day and loves to travel. She’s stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland, sailed the Seine in Paris, ridden a camel among the glorious cliffs of Petra, shopped the maze of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.
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Also by Kimberley Montpetit
A romantic & bestselling series set in Snow Valley:
Risking it all for Love
Romancing Rebecca
Sealed with a Kiss
Unbreak my Heart
The Secret of a Kiss
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The Neighbor’s Secret
The Executive’s Secret
The Mafia’s Secret
The Owner’s Secret
The Billionaire’s Christmas Hideaway
The Fiancé’s Secret
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Keep reading for a sneak peek at the first chapter of The Neighbor’s Secret and The Executive’s Secret, part of Kimberley’s Secret Billionaire Romance series!
THE NEIGHBOR’S SECRET: A Secret Billionaire Romance
By Kimberley Montpetit
It was the perfect day for a wedding. After months of trying on wedding gowns, ordering invitations, and searching every bridal boutique in Toronto for the perfect shoes, Allie Strickland was ready to walk—maybe even run—down the aisle of the church and into Sean Carter’s waiting arms.
She’d licked stamps to post the more than one hundred announcements until her tongue was dry. She’d suffered through at least that many long-distance phone calls with her mother that sometimes ended in arguments and tears.
If she didn’t stop weeping, Allie’s mother joked, their tiny town of Heartland Cove was going to flood over. The calls and planning were finally over, and Allie’s wedding day was here.
That morning she’d taken her big fat red marker and made an X on the calendar.
“Mrs. Sean Carter, here I come,” she whispered as she capped the pen and tossed it inside a packing box.
During their five years of dating, she and Sean had gone through grad school together, first jobs, and now Sean was climbing the ladder to become a partner with Learner & Associates Law Firm.
Tonight she’d be with the man of her dreams forever. No more work interruptions. No more hurried lunches. No more agonizingly long street car rides to get to one another’s apartments. Lately, they’d just meet somewhere for a late dinner.
Tomorrow, new renters were moving into her apartment on Bloor Street. When she and Sean returned from their honeymoon to the Bahamas, Allie would unpack the boxes sitting inside Sean’s apartment and officially move in.
Allie’s stomach jumped as she checked the time on her phone. Her wedding began in ninety minutes and it would take at least half of that just to get through Toronto traffic.
She sent a text to Sean and then tried to take deep breaths in an effort to settle her nerves while staring at tightly packed buildings and Roger’s Stadium glinting in the late afternoon sun.
With her brother Jake at the wheel and the car full of her mother, sister, and best friend Marla on their way to the Episcopal Church, Allie’s brain went over her luggage packed for fun, sun, and the beach.
Three bikinis; red, black, and purple.
Slinky dresses for candlelit dinners.
Five pairs of shoes, including a pair of running shoes.
Lingerie and toiletries.
She couldn’t wait to get on that plane tomorrow morning and leave work and stress and family behind.
Seven perfect days with Sean. Finally, finally, finally.
“I don’t think Toronto has ever looked lovelier,” Allie sighed happily, pressing her nose against the window glass like a kid.
She was excited, anxious, and terrified all at once—and missing Sean. She hadn’t seen him in three days due to his working overtime so he’d have a few days off for their honeymoon.
“I promise we’ll have a longer honeymoon when I’m finished with this current trial,” he’d said last week. “A cruise of the Greek Islands in autumn.”
“You know all my dreams,” she’d told him, throwing her arms around his neck and feeling the beat of his heart against hers.
Pulling her arms down, Sean had given her a peck goodbye. “You know I have to be in the courtroom at seven a.m., Allie.”
She’d frowned, turning away to stare out the window of her apartment. It was a spectacular view of downtown and the lake. She’d been lucky to get this flat a year ago and hated to let it go, but Sean had a bigger place so she’d reluctantly given up her dream apartment.
“That case has taken over your life. Our lives,” she said, trying not to whine. “We haven’t been out in ages. We’ve hardly kissed in months.”
“But we’re getting married in a few days, Allie. Be a grown-up and get used to the hectic life of a criminal defense lawyer.”
She despised those moments when he treated her like a child. But all she could say was, “But I miss you. Don’t you miss me?”
As soon as she spoke the words, Allie chomped down on her tongue. Sentiments like those merely underscored his assessment of her as a petulant child.
“Your dress!” Mrs. Strickland suddenly shrieked from the front passenger seat, motioning to Jake that there was a red light before throwing a glare at her daughter in her wedding finery.