John then asked, "And Matthew? Who is he and what does he do?"
She turned to stare at John. Peter saw how his brother's face was white as their mom said, "Matthew hasn’t opened up to my return yet. From what I understand, he performs as Matt Kilroy."
“The singer is my brother!” Vicki scooted closer to Colt. "Is that why you had to tell us now? You didn't want to start the new year with two families?"
“He doesn’t want his stage name to be revealed as a Morgan.” Their mom shook her head and wiped her face. At least tears hadn't emerged, so Peter could breathe as his mother said, "We're all one family. All six of you are my children with your father, and for better or worse, you all need each other too."
Peter then stood and stormed to the door. The room went absolutely silent.
He summoned his maid. "Caro, bring Elizabeth Morgan to the study. She was the pregnant lady with my mother earlier."
No one said anything as he retook his seat. The room remained silent. He placed his hand on Belle's shoulder and asked, "What?"
His sister smiled and asked, "Is that all? Are you okay with this?"
"Belle's going to marry me. I'm happy for Mom that she has all of us and a home she returned too."
His mother then teared up. Peter's heart stilled. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. He held his breath as Belle squeezed his hand.
A moment later, Caro knocked on the door and then opened it. His mother stood and opened her arms to hug the young woman with blonde hair. The woman hugged her and didn't stare at any of them. The rest of them stood.
When their mom was done, she turned around and fluffed the woman's hair. "Peter, John, Victoria, this is your sister, Elizabeth Morgan."
Peter hugged Belle. He had his family. Mom had hers. He kissed Belle's check and then said, "Elizabeth, you're invited to our wedding."
“Okay.” The woman's eyes were wide as she held their mom. "Thank you."
Chapter Twenty Eight
Belle twirled in her Vera Wang silhouette silk bridal gown and checked her veil. This was perfect. The violin solo played as all the guests were seated. Her father beamed in the mirror behind her until she turned around.
She stared at her father's blue eyes and tried not to cry as he said, "Belle, you look beautiful."
Truly she had never thought she'd get married. She wrapped her arms around him as the music cued. Peter's sister's walked down the aisle, but Belle hardly looked. She swayed on her feet.
"Thank you, Dad."
"This whirlwind romance of yours is surprising. I can't believe you want to plan two weddings."
"This is just for family. The bigger one, next Christmas, is for Peter and his business."
He patted her arm as she tried to steady herself. "I don't want to lose my little girl."
She turned to stare at him. Any moment now, she would marry Peter, the man of her dreams. Her heart raced.
"Don't think of it that way. Think about how you are getting a son."
Her father whispered, "Your husband-to-be commands the entire room just by standing, sweetheart. I'll be fine as long as you are happy."
Em, the bridesmaid, now stood at the altar. Any moment it would be her turn. No one was here to steal her day from her, and her shoulders weren't so tense. She nodded her head.
"I am. Does Sophie have Mom's picture?"
Her father squeezed her hand as "Here Comes the Bride" began to play. She took a step forward as her father said, "Yes. They are both happy for you."
He hadn't moved. She tugged his arm. "That's our cue, Dad."
The ushers threw open the door as her father said, "Are you sure? Now's the last chance."
Her gaze landed on Peter's eyes immediately. Nothing would stop her now. She took a giant step and tugged her father.
"Walk me down the aisle."
He stayed in step, but whispered, "Happy Valentine's, sweetheart."
Peter seemed to want major events on holidays. A light bubble was inside her stomach and butterflies emerged as she drew closer to him. As his hands shook her father's, and he placed them on her back, goose bumps grew everywhere. This was all that mattered. With him, she had her chance to live happily ever after.
The End
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For some, joining the FBI is a long-term goal. For billionaire John Morgan, joining the Bureau is a stepping stone to proving his father is culpable for his sister’s death. After his estranged father dies, John is forced to return home and face the ghosts of his past. That proves to be more difficult than he could have ever imagined.
Alice Collins lives a peaceful life. As a farmer’s daughter, she knows what it’s like to work hard for what you want. After losing her best friend under inexplicable circumstances, her world viewpoint shifted until her small town sensibilities convinced her to attend Mr. Morgan’s funeral.
Soon, the past and the present collide and Alice is caught in the crosshairs. John comes to her aid, complicating matters for both of them.
Can a handsome billionaire on a vendetta truly fall for a small town girl or does he have something else in mind? Can a small town girl, if she gives her heart to him, ever fit of the House of Morgan?
Drama seems to follow Victoria Morgan everywhere, but she’s determined to mend her past and reclaim what was so cruelly taken from her.
Colt Collins moved on after the affair that left him heartbroken. After finding the child he bore with his ex, and serving in the US Marines, he builds a new life with his daughter on the family farm. Now, set to marry a woman he knows he can trust, he comes face-to-face with the love that abandoned him and their daughter many years ago.
When Victoria returns to town to attend her father’s funeral, the truth about what happened to her daughter is revealed, leaving Victoria willing to do anything to be in her child’s life again, even if that brings her face-to-face with the man she hurt so long ago.
Is there forgiveness after all the lies, pain, and betrayal? Can the love Colt and Victoria once shared be rekindled? Will this family torn apart by a cruel act be reunited?
Heir to a billion-dollar fortune, Peter Morgan yields a power few can deny, but behind the strong, confidant façade lies a broken man. For years he’s grappled with feelings of abandonment and pain. He’s always believed his dead father was to blame for his mother’s abandonment and now struggles to trust women. But, despite his mistrust, his ego is still large enough to bet against them. When he hatches a bet with his brother, the last thing he expects is for that bet to change his life and his heart.
Jilted at the altar, Belle Jordan wants to move past the hurt and forgive the man she lost. She believes attending his wedding will be the first step in healing, but unbeknownst to her, a handsome heir to a billion-dollar fortune has targeted her in order to win a secret bet.
Will what was supposed to be a friendly wager turn into something more? Can broken hearts be mended or will this bet lead to more long-lasting trust issues for Peter and Belle?
Dr. Luke Morgan lives the privileged life of a trust fund baby, but with little memory of his mother and a strained relationship with his father, it’s difficult for him to reconcile between who he is and who he wants to be. That self-doubt is heightened when he learns that the man who gave him all money could buy as a banker was actually his father. As more painful secrets come to light, Luke is disgusted by his fabricated past and is led to believe his “family” name is the reason his sister’s child was kidnapped.
After months spent rejecting Luke’s advances, one kiss changed everything for Caro Soliz. Now, her world is about to change again. Just like her mother before her, she’s accepted a position as the Morgan family maid. This time, her reunion with Luke leads to a whirlwind romance that throws both for a loop.
Can true love flourish in the face of so many unanswered quest
ions? Will Luke’s family secrets lead them on a path to doom? Will Caro risk inviting Luke home to meet her family?
When Penny Knightheart moves back to Miami, she knows she’ll be thrust back into the drama that used to be her life. With a gold-digging mother clamoring for anything she can get her hands on and friends with a flair for drama, it’s all Penny can do to not get sucked back into it, but they’re the least of her problems when she runs into Jay Marshall, her former crush who kept her firmly in the friends’ zone for years.
No one is happier to see Penny than Jay. No sooner does she arrive when he sets a plan in motion. His investors need reassurance that he can keep a stable relationship with a relatively stable woman. No one fits the bill better than the ever-loyal Penny. There’s just one hitch – after reuniting with her, he finds himself wanting her more and more. That definitely wasn’t part of his plan.
Soon, a pretend date sets off a whirlwind of trouble. From mothers who want full control of their children’s lives to the loss of Penny’s new job and obstacles neither Penny nor Jay could have seen coming. On top of that, she just might be falling for Jay all over again.
Can these longtime friends build a lasting relationship from scratch? Will their full-proof plan lead to disaster?
Kindle Scout Winner
Erica Mira, a Florida native, decides to drive up to Maine in the middle of winter to meet an investor, and ends up crashing into a tree in the middle of the blizzard. After climbing up the mountain to the chateau seeking shelter, she meets Gabriel.
Gabriel's not leaving this chateau without clearing his name of his dead wife's murder or the crimes she set him up for. He's not had company in years, let alone the company of a woman.
Erica storms in and her passion for life changes everything.
Kimberly Mira spends every day of her adult life fighting to forgive herself for mistakes in her past. When an invitation to her sister’s wedding arrives, Kimberly believes returning home may be the key to healing, but getting there won’t be easy. With limited funds, she sneaks aboard a plane with the intention of returning home to beg for forgiveness. When disaster strikes, she soon finds herself in a strange place with a handsome man, whom refuses to speak to her.
A medieval castle on an island off the coast of Maine sounds like the ideal location, but for Raphael it’s more than a place to call home; it’s the perfect location to execute his plans and gather intelligence for the NSA. When a beautiful woman washes up on the shore, his plans go awry.
Assassins have marked Kimberly as their target and are bent on leading an assault on the castle to find and murder her. Doing so means they’ll have to go through Raphael first, but he may not be the only in the mysterious castle they’ll have to contend with.
Can Raphael keep Kimberly safe from harm? Will the mysterious happenings in the castle push her away or help to bring them together? Can the assassins be stopped before it’s too late?
Gerard Collins has always had political aspirations, but now that his name is on the ballot for the U.S. Senate, his dream of a political future is thrown into jeopardy unless he can successfully help his FBI agent brother bring down the Boroni family, Boston’s largest crime family.
Actress Nicole Wyland has raked in millions after a string of blockbuster movies, but for all her success, she’s been unlucky in love. A return home to Cape Cod, long after she escaped, hoping to never return, may be just what she needs to find her true self again. But, when she tries to make amends over a long-held contentious relationship with the Senate candidate, her plan to find herself takes an interesting turn.
Sparks fly immediately when Nicole and Gerard reunite, but with both vying for something larger than themselves and so many obstacles in front of them, can the sought-after movie star and the man with everything to lose find love or will politics, corruption, and the promise of success tear them apart?
Party girl. Art thief. All around bad girl. It’s what all the newspapers call socialite and heiress Kate Sparrow. It’s all untrue. Kate’s been set up and she’s following the orders of the FBI to get the real criminal, her father. She’ll have to put up with her sister, the wedding fiasco, and her own fears that someone is after her, trying to stop her to get what she needs to prove her innocence.
Doctor Daniel Collins joins his brothers on a cruise to the wedding of his young cousin. His cousin begs him to keep a close watch on the bride’s sister, Kate. He's to keep her from ruining the wedding.
Kate doesn’t trust Daniel's help in her life, but the man’s interference is blocking a few problems. She lets him. After all, he spent a few years in the military and having a friend like Daniel is nice. But when her fears become true, someone is after her, pretending to be in a relationship with the sexy doctor has its benefits. What she hadn’t planned was opening her heart to trusting him. But if she doesn’t open up, she’s going to lose out on far more than her life, she’d lose out on love.
Gigi Dumont never forgot how she walked away from the only man she ever loved.
She’s a teacher who has led her students to the finals of an international French competition to be help in Paris. The night before the trip, the principal tries to cancel the trip before he, in turn, loses his job to her high school boyfriend, Sean Collins.
Sean Collins has survived cancer, a divorce, and Gigi having aborted their child back in high school. He assumed he’d hate her, if they ever crossed paths again. But he discovers she’s exactly what he wants.
When Gigi and Sean are stuck together for a week in Paris, Gigi feels she has lost all her control. How can she survive her attraction to Sean? The man’s sexier now than he was back in the day, and once upon a time, he’d had her heart. She finds herself falling for him, even knowing forever is impossible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion.
She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.
In 2016 Electing Love, the third Collins Brother book will be published as well as Stormy Peril. Both continue in the romantic suspense category. More books might be scheduled, so stay tuned on her newsletter and sign up at http://eepurl.com/bHX79L.
She also write science fiction/fantasy romance, and in 2016 Mything the Throne and Queen Uncovered will be published. Eventually she wants to put this category under a pen name, so watch her newsletter for updates.
Her website is www.victoriapinder.com and you can sign up for her newsletter there to stay tuned to all of Victoria’s new releases.
Secret Bet (The House of Morgan) Page 19
