I blew out a breath. “Not enough to marry him.”
Markus shuttered his eyes again. “You didn’t say no, though.”
“Markus, we lived together for three years. Would you rather I had said I lived with a man I didn’t love for three years?”
“I don’t know …”
He stood, and I jumped up next to him. “I love you, Markus, and I want to stay here, in Squirrel Hill, with you. I know that. But please don’t ask me to be rude to Joe.”
Markus pulled me back into his arms. “Are you really going to stay, Laina, even though he’s offering you a chance to stay in New York? And probably a twenty-thousand-dollar ring?”
“Even then.” I stared up at him. “Twenty thousand? Really? You think it’s that expensive? Maybe I should consider a short engagement —”
Markus cut off my silly words with a kiss, then pulled back. “Sit.” Buddy sat. “Not you, Buddy, but good boy.” Markus petted Buddy on the head and then headed to the dresser. He carried the wrapped box to the bed and set it in front of me. “An early gift.”
“But it’s not even December …”
“Open it, Laina.”
I pulled on the ribbon, unraveling the red satiny plastic, then set it on the bed. I carefully ripped the gold paper back to reveal a plain white box, about the size of a notebook. Inside, wrapped in tissue paper, was a stack of papers bounded together by a black binder clip.
“Go ahead,” Markus urged.
Instead of unclipping the papers, I lifted up the first page to reveal the title, With Any Luck. I smiled up at Markus. “That doesn’t sound like sci-fi.”
“Keep going.”
I turned the page. The next page was titled: Dedication.
For Alaina, the love of my life.
With Any Luck, someday you’ll be my wife.
I wrote this play for you, my love.
“Markus …” My eyes watered up instantly. “You wrote a play? For me? Wife?”
Markus dropped to his knees. “This wasn’t where I planned to do this. I wanted to do it later tonight, when we were all alone, but I’ll never let you go again without you knowing how I feel.” He lifted my hand off my lap and held it in his. “Will you marry me, Alaina? Someday? It doesn’t have to be next week or even next year. We can take all the time you want. But will you be mine, forever?”
“Oh, Markus. Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.” I sniffed to hold back the tears as he slid the ring onto my finger. It wasn’t as grand as the one Joe had offered, but it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Markus crawled up on the bed and pulled me into his arms, kissing my forehead, cheeks, nose, then finally my lips again. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“And how about the play?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want you to star in it. I’ve been writing it for years, but I’ve only been able to finish it since you came home. I already showed it to my agent, and he loves it. Thinks he can sell it.”
“But …”
“We’ll be together.”
“But what about Raylene?”
Markus kissed my nose. “After Raylene gets better, baby. These things don’t happen overnight.”
“You really wrote a play for me?”
“I really did. No one else could play the role, I assure you. It was written just for you.”
“Markus, that is quite possibly the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”
His cheeks lifted. “You haven’t seen anything yet. I have twenty-some years of making up to do. And I’m going to start by kicking your ex-boyfriend out of the house.”
“Markus, don’t you dare! In fact, you stay here.” I slid the ring off my finger, but then glared at him when he narrowed his eyes. “There’s just no reason to cause a scene. That ring will go right back on my finger in fifteen minutes. But you’re going to give me fifteen minutes, do you hear me? You gave me twenty years to come home to you … you can give me fifteen more minutes.”
“Deal. But if he’s not gone in fifteen minutes, I’ll help him leave.”
“Feisty. I think I like this side of you.”
Markus shook his head. “Alaina, you have a skewed image of me, I think. I wasn’t as sweet and innocent as you appear to think I was.”
“You weren’t?”
“No. Not even close.” He laughed. “We’ll save those stories for later, though. Pillow talk. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes. Maybe we can start then —”
I raised my brow. “Aren’t you coming downstairs?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Buddy and I’ll wait for you right here. I’d hate to be one of those houses that has a domestic disturbance call on Thanksgiving.”
“What are you talking about?” I couldn’t imagine Markus doing anything to cause a scene.
“Alaina, didn’t you see the way he stepped in between us? Trust me, Joe and I shouldn’t be in the same room when you tell him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”
“We’ll be right here.” Markus slid down to the floor and scooped Buddy into his lap. He held up the ring. “Hurry, I don’t want this ring to ever come off your finger again.”
I smiled, then stepped out the door, pulling it behind me.
In the hallway, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d made it to thirty-nine without getting engaged, and now I’d had two men ask me on the same day.
Only one of them was the man I’d been in love with practically my entire life, though.
Oddly enough, it appears Fate knew what she was doing after all. When I thought I was down on my luck, she’d just been re-writing a better scene. The happily-ever-after I always loved in stories would now be mine.
Not just Markus, but my life here in Squirrel Hill, Mom, Raylene, and Buddy were all part of my happily-ever-after.
18
HEA x 2?
Fifteen minutes later, I raced up the steps to my room.
Markus and I had forever for pillow talk and to make up kisses … and more. Today was Thanksgiving, and I planned to milk it for all its worth, making up time I’d missed with my mother and sister over the years.
Joe left without argument, telling me that if I ever changed my mind, he’d transfer back to New York, but for now, he’d keep the job in Chicago.
We’d talked outside in Joe’s vehicle, so I didn’t hear what Howard, Raylene, and my mother were doing. But Howard was still there, as indicated by the beautiful Audi S5 in the driveway.
I opened the door to my room, but paused in the doorway.
Markus was lying back on the bed, playing on his phone. It reminded me of when we were seventeen. He looked up at me with those bright green eyes. “Is he gone?”
“Yes.” I laughed.
“Then come here.” He held his arms open, an irresistible request.
I bounded across the floor and leapt into the bed. “We can’t stay here long, you know …”
“I know.” He lifted my hand and slipped the ring back on my ring finger, kissing my hand. Then he lifted his head and locked eyes with me. “I love you, Alaina. Thank you for finally making my dreams come true.”
“It’s been my dream, too, Markus. I just let other things get in the way.”
Markus cupped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him. His lips met mine, and I melted into him.
Breathless after his kiss, remembering our night in his truck twenty years ago, I pulled back. “You know … I should have known.”
“Known what?”
“That you weren’t as pure as I imagined. Sweet boys don’t do … you know … what you did to me twenty years ago.”
His mouth turned up in his widest grin. “You’ve thought about that, have you?”
“All the time.” I sighed.
“Maybe …” He kissed me softly. “If you don’t have any plans. Maybe we could make this a short engagement, and get right to the honeymoon.”
>
“That sounds perfect.”
He pulled back. “Really?”
“Really. I don’t want to plan a large wedding with Ray being so sick. What if we just got married now, and then we can have an actual wedding ceremony after she feels well again?”
Markus nodded. “I like the way you think, Alaina Ackerman. Okay, let’s go hang out with the family, and then we’ll start creating some new holiday traditions.” He pulled me into his arms and then slid off the bed, standing with me cradled in his arms. “I definitely have a lot to give thanks for.”
He stood me up and we walked downstairs, Buddy on our heels.
In the kitchen, Raylene was sitting across from Howard, and Mom was stirring something on the stove.
“Guess what, Laina?” Raylene said as soon as Markus and I stepped near the table. “Howard just told me that other than one scene in West Virginia, the entire movie will be filmed in and around Pittsburgh.”
I looked at Markus and then Howard. “Yeah, but I still need to be home.”
My sister glared at me. “We’ll discuss what you need to do later. I just wanted you to know.”
Got it. Obviously, she didn’t want to tell Howard about the cancer. “So, you and Howard …”
Howard laughed. “It’s been a long time, but I couldn’t resist. I was here visiting my parents anyway.”
“Have you guys dated?” I asked.
Howard and Ray exchanged a look, but my sister spoke. “Not exactly …” Raylene’s eyes dropped to my hand. “Laina!” My mother turned at the excitement in Raylene’s tone. And then Raylene scooted back in her chair. “Come. Let me see. Is that what I think it is?”
Now Mom was beside me. “Oh, honey! I thought it would never happen!” Mom grabbed Markus and squeezed him before she hugged me. “You two will make the best couple ever.”
Raylene stood and hugged me, then Markus. “Congratulations, you two.”
Howard stood next. “Congratulations!” Then his gaze met Raylene’s. “I should get back to the house.” Raylene nodded. Howard turned to me. “Alaina, we’ll talk Monday. I’m sure we can work out something.”
“Thanks,” I said, then nodded for Raylene to walk Howard to the door.
Raylene had done a great job of turning the focus off her and Howard to me, but there was definitely something there.
Maybe my sister would get her happily-ever-after, too.
The story is never over, as there’s always one more story to share …
If you haven’t read Some Lucky Woman (Jana’s Story), turn the page for a sneak peek, or just head on over to my website, www.CarmenDeSousaBooks.com, for links to it and all of my books.
Sneak Peek
How it all started...
Here’s how the movie Alaina was auditioning for made it to the big screen…
After Jana Embers divorces her unfaithful husband, she writes the runaway hit, You Don’t Need a Man, encouraging women to go after what they want in life. But then an injury lands her in Dr. Kijek’s office, a physical therapist who hates her simply because she wrote a book about not needing a man. Or so she thinks…
Some Lucky Woman
“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.” – Oscar Wilde
1
Temporary Insanity
Temporary insanity, I thought as I swung the tire iron I’d plucked out of my Toyota Tacoma against the headlights of my husband’s four-wheel-drive Tundra. I felt bad for hurting such a beautiful truck, but I’d done everything for that lying, cheating, two-timing son-of-a-bitch, and this was the only way I could think of to hurt him.
Certainly, even a fresh-out-of-college attorney could get a jury of my peers to understand why I had to take revenge against Dick Embers. And since I didn’t have the stomach to pull a “Lorena Bobbitt” job, a “Carrie Underwood” meltdown would have to suffice.
Maybe that would be my defense … She’d been listening to the radio, Your Honor, my attorney would plead on my behalf, and well, the next thing Jana Embers knew, she’d come to with a tire iron —
“Jana!” my husband’s shrill tone hit me just as I smashed in the second taillight. “Oh, my God! Are you insane?”
I looked up at my soon-to-be ex-husband and forced a smile. “As a matter of fact, I am. Meet your creation, Dick!” I swung the heavy steel rod down on the lip of the tailgate, leaving an indentation that no dent-remover tool in the world would ever be able to pull out.
Dick Embers pressed his clenched fists to his head as he assessed the damage, but then stopped gawking and chased me as I ran to the front of the truck. “Give me the tire iron, Jana,” he said as calmly as I’d ever heard him speak.
I swung the heavy metal against the hood. “Fifteen years! I’ve given you everything within me for fifteen years. And you repay me by getting some bimbo pregnant.”
Dick raised his hand as though he expected me to hand him my weapon. “It was a mistake, Jana. I didn’t mean —”
“A mistake?” I swung my makeshift bat into the chrome grille as though all the bases were loaded and I was going for a home run. “Wearing different color socks is a mistake.” Whack. “Sending a text to the wrong person is a mistake.” Whack. “Sticking your penis in the wrong woman isn’t a mistake, Dick!”
He dropped his head. “I’m sorry —”
“Sorry?” I jabbed at a piece of dangling metal that hadn’t fallen. “Sorry because you got caught? Sorry because you didn’t use a condom?” My eyes on him, I backed up to the driver’s door, hopped up on the running board, and then bashed the windshield with all my might. “I made you who you are, Dick Embers. If it wasn’t for me, you never would have been promoted at that stupid car dealership. I handled all of your follow-up calls for your work and still found time to wash and cook and clean. I changed all the diapers, handled all the discipline for our son …” I continued to bring down the iron rod on the front window over and over, aggravated that the safety glass refused to shatter. “We had sex all the time, as often as you wanted …”
Dick took a step toward me, so I jumped off the side step and held the tire iron on my shoulder, ready to swing it against his head if he came near me. Self-defense, my attorney would call it. Mrs. Jana Embers was in fear of her life after she’d gone temporarily insane.
“Please, Jana,” Dick whined.
“Please, what?” I screeched.
“Please forgive me.”
“And have to share you with a woman for the next eighteen years while the child the two of you adulterers created grows up? No. Uh-uh. Not this woman, Dick. I gave you fifteen years. I’m certainly not stupid enough to give you another day.”
I walked backward in the direction of my Tacoma, surprised to see that every corridor of the apartment building where Dick had moved into this week had people standing in the doorways.
Ignoring the surrounding stares, wondering why no one had called the police yet, I raised my chin to Dick as I opened the door. “Oh, I’ll be filing for divorce first thing in the morning.”
The crowd cheered, some whistled, one woman called out, “Atta girl!”
Surprised, I twirled my weapon as though it were a baton and curtsied. I skipped to my truck and hopped inside, feeling the most alive I’d felt my entire life.
Shaking too violently to avoid spillage, I used both of my hands to lift a cup of coffee to my lips, wondering when the police would show up. The adrenaline from my crazed attack on Dick’s Tundra had worn off, replaced with the fear that I might be spending the next sixty days in jail.
I’d called my cousin on my way home in case I needed someone to drive my fifteen-year-old son to school and then be available to bail me out of jail. Now we just sat across from each other, staring in silence, fearing the rap on the door that would surely come at any moment. I’d never been incarcerated before. I wasn’t very large. So how would I defend myself in jail? I wondered briefly if the arresting officer would let me take my tire iron. Probably not. Especially since i
t would be marked as exhibit A on the evidence table.
Angela reached for my quivering hands. “I’m so sorry, Jana. Is there anything I can do? Is there something else you need to handle? Not that I can beat up a truck or anything.”
A laugh burst out of my mouth that quickly turned into a sob. “No … but … thank you. Before I went on my rampage, I went online and transferred every penny out of our joint accounts, which sadly wasn’t as much as I’d hoped. I dumped every penny into Eric’s account, since it was the only account that didn’t have Dick’s name on it. Then I called all our credit card companies, reported the cards as lost, and ordered new cards. I’m not sure what else I can do.”
“So this is really happening?” Angela asked.
I swiped at my tears. “What else was I supposed to do, Ang? Not only did he cheat on me, but he also didn’t use protection. God only knows what type of disease that woman might have … or any other woman he might have been screwing.”
Angela blew out a long breath. “You’ve just been together so long. Heck, you’ve been married since I was in grade school. I’ve known Dick almost my entire life.”
“Yeah … me too,” I said on a sigh. “Since I was nineteen. Believe me, I didn’t plan to be a single mother at thirty-four. And what will I do to make money? I have a B.A. in business, but what good is that when I haven’t worked outside the home in fifteen years? I’ve spent nearly half of my life helping him make it to the top. And then he —” I burst into tears again, as I’d been doing for the last week. It surprised me that I had enough water left in my body to shed any more tears.
Angela got up from her chair and wrapped her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, Jana. I really am. I wish there was something I could say or do that would make you feel better.”
I sniffed and looked up at my cousin, who also happened to be my best friend. “Ever think about contract killing?”
Angela laughed. “No, and I’m gonna forget you asked that.”
[What's Luck Got To Do With It 02.0] Down on Her Luck Page 14
