“You okay, darling?”
Mom brought my attention back to her and Donovan. “Yeah. Just… happy.” For some reason, admitting that was embarrassing. I suppose after all those years of being miserable, I hadn’t quite gotten used to being seen any other way. I flipped one of the burgers, drawing the attention away from me. “There was a nicer grill, but this was the only one in red. It just seemed perfect, considering those ridiculous glasses Walden wears every now and then.”
Mom smiled, not deceived. Nor was Donovan, but neither called attention to it. Thankfully.
Donovan took another sip of beer and leveled a gaze at me. “I’m assuming there’s an announcement in a bit, since you gathered all of us up at once. You two adopting or something?”
Mom must not have noticed his smirk, because she let out a squeal that rivaled Olive’s. “Really! More grandbabies!”
“No, Mom.” I dropped the spatula in my effort to grab her arm. “Don’t even say that out loud.”
Disappointment cut across her face. “Are you sure?”
“Oh my God, completely.” I pointed to Lacy, who was crossing the bridge to join Walden playing with the kids. “Talk to my twin about that. No babies from me. Ever.”
She wasn’t distracted. “Then you’re moving back full time?”
“No.” I sighed. “I’m back often enough that I started renting my cabin by the week at times. Let’s count our blessings, okay?”
She glowered.
I scooped up the spatula from the ground, gave a matching look to Donovan, and handed it to him. “This was your fault. Go wash it up.”
He plucked the spatula out of my hands. “We’ll talk about this attitude problem tomorrow, and I’m charging double.” With a wink, he sauntered away.
“I wasn’t trying to complain, dear. I’m so happy to have you back more often. I’d given up hoping that would ever happen.” Mom slipped her hand into mine and leaned her head against my shoulder as she joined me in looking out at our family. “And I love Walden. He’s… he’s just lovely.”
“Yeah, he really is, isn’t he?”
“So….” Her tone grew cautious. “There is some sort of news, isn’t there? This isn’t just to show off the new grill.”
“No, we just wanted to get everyone together. Not everyone had seen Walden’s garden; it’s not to be missed.”
“Hayley and her family were the only ones who hadn’t seen it.”
“Well, they shouldn’t have to miss it just because they were at Disney World last time.” Even I wasn’t buying my excuse. But thankfully, Mom let it go.
Burgers had been eaten, the sun had fallen, and the lights were glowing. Soon it would be time to serve mom’s pies, but Walden and I had managed to sneak off to the lamppost. Clearly everyone knew where we were but left us alone, probably assuming we were taking a page out of Andrew and Joel’s playbook and having a make-out session.
Walden chewed on his lip. “Are you sure you’re ready to tell them?”
For some reason, I wasn’t. Just like it felt strange to let them see me happy, it was oddly exposing to let them in more. That was what I planned on talking to Donovan about the following afternoon. “I think we’re risking getting killed the way it is. If we wait any longer, I’d say my mother would murder us for sure.”
Walden chuckled. “Maybe. Although, I’m guessing Lacy or Andrew might beat her to it.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right.” I searched his eyes in the dim light, trying to find doubt or regret. “What about you? You sure you’re ready?”
“Oh yes. Completely.” Nope. No doubt. No regret. In his eyes or in his tone.
“I’m sorry your parents wouldn’t come.”
He shrugged, and there wasn’t even a glimmer of sadness. Walden was better at just accepting what was than me. “I’m happy, babe. More than I ever dreamed. I don’t want anyone here who wouldn’t be just as happy for us.”
I kissed him. Under the strings of lights overhead, amid the night sounds around us and the chatter and laughter of my family just a few yards away. “I love you, Walden Thompson-Bryant.”
He smiled, such a beautiful, content smile. “And I love you, Gilbert Thompson-Bryant.” He shook his head. “Wow. That’s really something.”
“It really is, huh?” So strange. And wonderful. “Mom and Donovan both suspect something is up.”
He shrugged. “I’m sure everyone does. What’d you tell them?”
“That I really, really love raspberry preserves.”
He gasped. “You did not. You can’t tell them that.”
“I don’t know why you’re embarrassed by that.” I took his hand, running my fingers across his knuckles.
“You deserved better. I thought it was perfect at the time. But really? I proposed to you over breakfast. Talk about lame. And by putting the rings on top of the jar of raspberry preserves?” Walden shook his head. “I should’ve done it at the lake at least or here. I should’ve done it here.”
“No, you said that was when you fell in love with me. Over burnt breakfast and raspberry preserves.”
“Well, I should’ve lied. Or fallen in love with you somewhere better.”
“I think it’s perfect.” I let go of his hand and reached into my back pocket. “Speaking of, here you go.” I held out a silver envelope.
He took it, glancing at me questioningly. “What’s this?”
I shrugged. “The bill for the new grill. You didn’t think that was a present, did you?”
He laughed. “Shut up.” Without waiting he ripped open the envelope and held up the paper rectangle to the light. He sucked in a breath, then flipped the pages back and forth, reading them again. “We’re going to London?”
I nodded. “You proposed. I figured the least I could do was plan the honeymoon.”
His eyes were wide, huge. “But London? I’ve never even been out of the country.”
“Well, to be honest, I do have to spend a few hours working. I have a new client. I figured I wouldn’t mind meeting her face-to-face. And it was a perfect location for a honeymoon.”
He studied the tickets again, then flinched and looked at me suddenly. “A client? In England? As in… the queen?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “God, you’re adorable. No. Not the queen. I don’t think my skills are surpassing the royal jewels yet.” I patted his leg. “No. Victoria Beckham.”
“Oh, that’s really….” His eyes widened even further, and his words were barely a whisper. “Does that mean we get to meet David Beckham?”
“Seriously? I give you tickets to London for our honeymoon, and you’re thinking about another man?”
Walden actually blushed and looked ashamed. “Good point. Sorry.”
“I’m just teasing you. I know I’m hotter than David Beckham, come on.” I winked and kissed his cheek. “And, no, we won’t meet David. I already checked. He’ll be out of the country. Do you really think I’d ever introduce you to someone that looked like him? Did you somehow get the impression I wanted to lose you to another man?”
“As if you could.” He kissed me, gently rubbing his thumb over my jaw, then pulled back and met my eyes. “Thank you. For everything.”
“No, sweetheart. Thank you. You’ve made my life wonderful again.” I gave an exaggerated shudder. “All right, before I gag on all the sweetness, I might as well get it over with all at once.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out a small box. Walden had used cheap rings to propose but asked me to design rings for us. I stood up. “Come over to the light so you can see.”
Walden let out a shaky breath. “You told me this morning they weren’t ready.”
“I know. I wanted to give them to you here, in your garden.”
“Oh. I’m glad you did.” He sniffled, already close to tears. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. It’s not like I didn’t know they were coming sometime.”
“You’re nervous? I’m the one who hopefully didn’t fuck this up.”
“You designed them. There’s no way you fucked them up.” He took the box from my hand, opened it, removed the rings and held them up to the light. He sighed, glanced at me, then looked back at the rings. Then sighed again. A good sign. “They’re gorgeous. I like that you went simple.”
“I thought it fit us.” I’d crafted a wide silver band. I pointed to the narrow ring of rose gold that cut through the top third portion. “That color kinda reminded me of raspberry preserves?”
He choked out a laugh, but I could tell he was close to tears. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. You falling in love with me is the most astounding thing in my life, and if it was over raspberry preserves, then I wanted that represented in what binds us together.” I cleared my throat. I was not going to cry. “Then I pounded it. One, I think it’s just prettier that way, but I also wanted to remind you that I love you the way you love me. With all your dents and bruises and blemishes. It makes you more beautiful. It makes you able to love me.” I wiped the back of my hand over my eyes. “They okay?”
He nodded, nearly frantically, unable to speak. He grabbed my hand, chose the smaller one and slid it over my finger. He sniffled loudly and managed to croak, “I will always choose you.”
I plucked up the matching larger ring and put it on his finger, having to press a little harder to get it over his knuckle. “And I will choose you, always.”
Then we kissed, his arms around my neck, me pressing against the small of his back to get him closer to me, so I could feel every firm curve of his body. I hadn’t been looking for anyone like Walden. Hell, I hadn’t wanted anyone at all. But now that he was there, I wasn’t going to let one day go by where he didn’t know exactly how perfect for me he was.
Finally, Walden broke the kiss, wiped his eyes, cleared his throat, and slipped his hand into mine again. “You ready to tell them we eloped in San Francisco this morning?”
I wasn’t sure that I was, but I nodded. “Yeah. Who do you think will scream louder? Mom or Andrew’s dad?”
Walden laughed. “Oh, no doubt. Andrew’s dad. No doubt.”
With that, we stood, and walked down the path, out of the garden and headed toward the bridge to break the news to my family.
To our family.
About the Author
Rosalind Abel grew up tending chickens alongside her sweet and faithful Chow, Lord Elgin. While her fantasy of writing novels was born during her teen years, she never would have dreamed she’d one day publish steamy romances about gorgeous men. However, some‐ times life turns out better than planned.
In between crafting scorching sex scenes and helping her men find their soul mates, Rosalind enjoys cooking, collecting toys, and making the best damn scrapbooks in the world (this claim hasn’t been proven, but she’s willing to put good money on it).
She adores MM Romance, the power it has to sweep the reader away into worlds filled with passion, steam, and love. Rosalind also enjoys her collection of plot bunnies and welcomes new fuzzy ones into her home all the time, so feel free to send any adorable ones her way.
Website: RosalindAbel.com
Website: LavenderShores.com
Author Note
Dear Reader:
I hope you were swept away as Gilbert and Walden found their path to love and acceptance. I fell head over heels for them and think of them often. Funny how characters weave their way into your heart like dear, dear friends. There’s much more romance and beauty to be found in Lavender Shores. Next month, Donovan receives a chance to love a man he’s dreamed of for over a decade, though no love comes without a price. Follow him on his dramatic, sexy, and heartwarming journey in The Veranda.
Thank you so much for reading The Garden. If you fell as madly in love with Gilbert and Walden as I did, I would greatly appreciate a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Please drop me a note on Facebook or on my website (RosalindAbel.com) whenever you like. I’d love to hear from you. Also for fun, hop on over to LavenderShores.com to have a behind the scenes peek at what the town looks like, read its rich history, and get to know the characters just a little better.
Much love,
Rosalind
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to Lucy Lennox, who continually offers friendship, support, and wisdom. So much gratitude to Devon McCormack, Poppy Dennison, and Ashley McLoughlin for their grace and patience around all the ins and outs of self-publishing and talking me down from ledges.
Janie, thank you for the hours and hours you gave to beta reading and for the love you show my men.
Desi, you make me brave. AngstyG, you make me beautiful. A huge, huge thank you to all of the lovely souls who proofread the ARC versions of The Garden and helped me look somewhat literate (in completely random order): Melissa Brus, Cinnamon, Kristell Harmse, Ron Perry, Rob Andresen-Tenace, Terri Grooms, Michael Bailey, Kelly Miller, TL Travis, Jill Wexler, Lucy Campbell, Kelli Gordon, and Patrice. Thank you all, so very, very much!
A further and special thanks to some of my dear readers and friends who support my passion: Andrea Johnson, Fiona Wilson, Katie Pizzolato, Maggie Johnson, Marcia Gleason, Rob Andresen- Tenace, Robert Winter, and those of you who wanted to remain anonymous. You make a huge, huge difference in my life and in my ability to continue to write. I’m humbled and grateful beyond belief! So much love to you all!
Love, R.A.
Also by Rosalind Abel
The Palisade, Book 1, Out Now
The Garden, Book 2, Out now
The Veranda, Book 3 (August 2017)
The Shipwreck, Book 4 (September 2017)
The Hideaway, Book 5 (October 2017)
Preview of The Veranda
The Veranda
Lavender Shores, Book 3
(Available August 2017)
Donovan Carlisle helps countless people in Lavender Shores with his skills as a therapist. It seems, however, that his ability to enable others to live their happiest life only works outside of himself. Donovan truly loves his life, but isn’t able to find a relationship that satisfies his heart’s craving. Maybe the problem is that the only man he wants is off-limits.
Spencer Epstein came to Lavender Shores to find himself. Instead, he married one of the local town beauties. He’d thought his prayers had finally been answered. Then, he met his pregnant fiancée’s brother. It turned out those answered prayers were just cruel twists of fate.
A decade later, after a divorce and crumbling of all Spencer thought was set in stone, he sees his brother-in-law at a masquerade sex party. He takes full advantage of the anonymity and acts on the desires he’s held at bay all those years. The problem is, those silent and frenzied moments didn’t satiate anything. The fire and heat between the two men only grows as secrets are uncovered and they must determine if the cost of their passion is too high.
Read An Excerpt from The Veranda
Donovan
Two minutes in and I needed to leave. I’d had a ton of fun two years ago, but I wasn’t in the mood for a sex party. No matter how festive.
“I always figured Elle Woods was a top, but seriously? A bottom coming dressed up as Billy Elliot? Cliché, much?” Paulie nudged my arm with his elbow, nearly causing me to spill my drink. “The use of the dog leash is pretty creative, though. Well, not creative, but fun. Definitely fun.”
I followed his gaze and found the pair through the wall of windows in the living room. A man in a tutu was bent over the patio table as Elle Woods fucked him from behind, every once in a while giving a tug to the dog leash wrapped around his neck. I narrowed my eyes, trying to make sense of the fuzzy brown thing bashing into Billy Elliot’s leg between thrusts. “Oh my God, is that a stuffed dog?”
Paulie giggled. “Bruiser Woods.”
“Excuse me?” I spared him a glance but couldn’t keep my gaze away from the fornicating couple for too long. Maybe if I were in the right mood, the scene would be hot. But I wasn’t, and the two men playing dress-up felt like a freak show. Although, I was just as dressed u
p as they were. Kinda.
“Bruiser Woods. Elle’s Chihuahua.” Paulie huffed. “Are you kidding me? You’re a therapist for gay men and you don’t know your Legally Blonde characters? Obviously your clients aren’t aware of your deficiency, or they’d never pay whatever ridiculous hourly rate you charge.”
“Not all my clients are gay men, and I don’t….” I started to move away from the doorjamb I’d been leaning on when Billy Elliot’s face blossomed from red to deep purple. “Paulie, I think you might have a problem.” At that moment, Elle unwrapped the dog leash from Billy’s neck and swatted his ass. I watched for a second longer as Billy’s skin returned to a human color. I turned back to Paulie. “You sure this is a clean party? The sun’s not even down yet, and things are getting a bit carried away.”
He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. “I should kick those two out. It’s only polite not to fuck outside until night, and they didn’t follow the costume rules. No mash-up at all.” He winked. “But no drugs, rest assured. Only poppers and alcohol, my friend. I only play clean, rules of my house. Although, I do have a tray of magic brownies hidden in the pantry, for my inner circle only. Of which, you are most definitely a part.”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.” I shook my head, gave a final glance at Elle, Billy, and Bruiser, and sipped my piña colada, the straw catching on my wolf snout prosthetic. I focused on Paulie. I loved the guy and it had been a long time since we’d gotten to catch up. “Speaking of not following rules. Neither are you. You’re not even from a musical.”
Paulie sucked in a breath. “Cinderella is a musical, you bitch.” He placed his wineglass on the bookcase next to him and spun around, hiking the countless yards of fabric of his ball gown around his waist, revealing his bare ass, which he shook in my direction as he grinned over his shoulder. “I had to special order this lion tail butt plug. My musical mash-up is subtle.” He dropped his skirt and lifted his chin in a truly princess manner.
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