by J. J. Bella
Molly simply smiled as Peter called Karl. Winnie and Molly passed the time until Claude arrived practicing a silly song that she learned in a recent lesson. Winnie had also recently learned to count to a hundred in Spanish, and was eager to show off this new skill to Molly. Peter simply watched as the two interacted, a smile on his face. Molly met his eyes as she listened to Winnie count.
“Hey, Win-Win!” said Claude, sauntering in the front door.
“Claude!” shouted Winnie, running to Claude and wrapping him in a big hug.
“Karl will be here in a few minutes,” said Peter. “You want to get out of those clothes?”
Molly looked down and saw that her t-shirt and jeans were covered in paint splotches and scuffs from moving furniture around.
“Yeah, I’ll be just a minute,” she said, Claude sharing a knowing look with her.
Molly dashed upstairs and into the dressing room. She would’ve liked to have taken a shower and spent a good hour or so getting ready, but she knew she didn’t have time. Instead, threw on a black cocktail dress and pair of matching flats, give her face a quick rinse, and applied just a bit of makeup. She tied her hair in simple, high ponytail before making her way back downstairs.
“Damn, girl!” said Claude, looking her over as he played with Winnie. “You clean up nice in twenty minutes!”
“Oh, you stop that,” she said with a wink.
“You do look wonderful,” said Peter.
Molly blushed, and the two were on their way.
Karl led them to their car, which wasn’t the luxury sedan that he typically drove, but a small limousine. Molly slid into the opened passenger-side door, looking around at the spacious interior of the car, complete with a small bar and ample seating.
“This…is nice,” said Molly.
“Hey,” he said. “Special occasion.”
Peter cracked open another bottle of champagne and poured a pair of bubbling glasses as Karl drove them away from the house. The ride was in silence, both of them enjoying both their wine and one another’s company, the brilliant evening lights of the city passing them by.
After a time, they arrived at a bistro that was a little off the beaten path. The small building was set just along the coast of the San Francisco Bay, and the light-draped patio that the hostess led them to afforded a picturesque view of the water.
Looking around, Molly saw that the six other tables on the patio were empty.
“No one else here?” she asked.
“I went ahead and booked the patio,” Peter said. “The evening seemed to call for it.
The hostess led them to a small, intimate table, and Peter put in an order for drinks as she departed.
“I want to thank you again,” said Peter, settling in his seat. “You did a wonderful job.”
“My pleasure,” said Molly, as a waiter brought the two a pair of cocktails.
They sipped their drinks as they looked out onto the bay, the moonlight reflecting a silvery sheen in the water.
“So,” said Molly. “You had a change of heart?”
Peter shook his head.
“I acted foolishly; there’s no other way to describe it than that.”
“I’ll say,” said Molly, her tone stern.
Peter nodded, accepting the criticism. “I shouldn’t have started the lie to begin with, and I especially shouldn’t have brought someone else in on it. That’s simply too much to ask of someone.”
Molly took a sip of her drink, the alcohol previously consumed making her feel bold.
“Is that all?” she asked.
“Let me start from the beginning,” he said. “I was married once, just as you’ve learned. But, I may have led you to believe that she and I simply divorced. I lied- it was a lie of omission, but a lie nonetheless.”
He took another sip of his drink and looked away, as though steeling himself for what he was about to say.
“Amanda and I married about eight years ago; a couple of years before Winnie was born. When we wed, we were ready to start a life together- a family, a home, everything. But soon after Winnie was born, Amanda was diagnosed with cancer. It struck hard and fast, and over the course of Winnie’s first year, I had to watch my love grow frailer. She died just before Winnie turned one.”
“After Amanda’s funeral, I decided that I couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t go through the pain of losing someone close to me so suddenly, and so senselessly. When she was pregnant with Winnie, she was the picture of health, and just a year later she wasted away. I’ll never forget how she looked those last few weeks; she was a shade of her former self.”
“So, I did the only thing that made sense: I swore off relationships. I dated here and there, but nothing serious. Looking back, I see how confusing this must have been for Winnie, for the mother she barely remembered to be replaced with a procession of random women, but what’s done is done. But when I saw you for the first time, Molly, I felt a stirring that was unlike anything I’d felt in years. I thought you were beautiful, of course, but there was something about you that I couldn’t describe; something that made me want, need to get to know you better.”
“And when I saw how you were with Winnie, I knew you were something special. But when she slept together, I got scared; there’s no better way to put it than that. I tried to push you away, and it almost worked. But thank God it didn’t, because the moment you were no longer in my life, I realized just how much I needed you in it.”
“So, here we are. I know what I did was wrong, and I hope someday that you can forgive me. But now, all I can ask is if you’d like to make what we have, well, official.”
With tears in her eyes, Molly responded. “You mean, like boyfriend and girlfriend?” she asked, aware of how silly the question sounded.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Of course, I will, and of course I forgive you.”
Peter smiled. He rose from the table and extended his hand to Molly. She took it, and he raised her from the table. The moonlit bay their backdrop, Peter brought Molly close, placing his lips on hers, the kiss he gave her the sweetest she’d ever had.
19
One year later…
“Mol, where did you put the mock-ups for the Hanson place?” called Peter, his voice projecting upstairs to Molly’s office on the third floor.
“They’re on your desk, where I told you they were,” she responded, her eyes focused on the redesign of a Mission District home that she was currently finalizing.
“I don’t see them,” he called in response.
“The other desk!”
A moment passed.
“Ah. Got ‘em!
It was a big day for Molly and Peter. A year of work had gone into the Blind Style app, and today was the day they were going to be showing it to potential investors. The first floor of the house had been set up as a mixer of sorts, and they were currently in the middle of finishing up the last mock-ups for their display.
Alternating between two different paint colors, Molly settled on one and saved it, realizing that she’d vacillate between the two for hours if left to her own devices; better to pick a one and just have it done.
“Hey, Molly?” asked a sweet voice from the entrance of the office.
Molly turned around and saw that it was Winnie.
“Hey, little lady,” said Molly, flashing Winnie a smile before hitting “save,” then “print.” “What’s up?”
“People are starting to show up.”
Molly took a quick glance at her watch, seeing, to her shock, that it was already six o’clock.
“Um, can you, keep them busy?”
“Keep them busy? How?” asked Winnie.
“I’ve got an idea- how about you play that Debussy piece you’ve been working on? I bet they’d love that.”
“I just started practicing it,” said Winnie. “I’m not very good at it.”
“Nonsense,” said Molly, watching the designs shoot out of the whirring printer. “I’ve
heard you, and you play it beautifully.”
“Really?” asked Winnie, her voice bright.
“Really. Go let them hear! They’ll love it! There might even be some ice cream in it for you later.”
“OK!”
And with that, Winnie set off, her little feet pattering down the stairs. Minutes later, she heard the soft tinkling of piano keys working their way through “Clair de Lune.” Molly sighed, figuring a cute kid playing piano would buy them five minutes.
Stacking the designs, Molly rushed downstairs to the second-floor office, where Peter was getting his own displays together.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Yeah, just finishing something up,” he said, standing over keyboard to his computer. “And…done.”
He pressed a final key, and his designs began printing.
“How you feeling?” Peter asked, walking close to Molly.
“Nervous.”
“Don’t be.”
“Easy for you to say; you’re never nervous.”
He flashed her another smile before collecting his printed designs.
“What if we don’t get any funding?” asked Molly.
“We’ll get funding,” said Peter. “We’ve got a great app- we’ve been working on it for a year, and it’s had the benefit of having the best interior designer in the city working on it.”
“Oh, stop,” said Molly, feeling her face turn red.
She smiled, noticing how they’d been together for nearly a year, and he could still make her turn red with just a word.
Peter crooked his head, listening to the sounds of Winnie’s piano-playing drifting up from the first floor.
“Wow, that sounds great,” he said.
“I know, but we still need to get down there.”
Their designs ready, Peter and Molly started off towards the first floor. But just before she could step out of the office, Peter planted a kiss on Molly’s lips.
“It’s going to go great,” said Peter.
Molly smiled, letting Peter’s unflappable confidence work its magic on her.
Finally, the two of them headed downstairs.
To their surprise, the living room was already full of dozens of potential investors. Peter and Molly worked their way through the crowd, shaking hands, schmoozing, and walking those interested through the designs they had out on display.
And the centerpiece of their designs, of course, was the entire first floor that Molly was in charge of renovating.
“This is wonderful, Molly,” said Mr. White, looking around at the first floor. “You really did an incredible job.”
“Thank you, Mr. White.”
“It makes me regret that you’re leaving us after only a year; we could really use your talents, if you’d be interested in sticking around.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think going into business for myself suits me.”
“Well, best of luck.”
Molly weaved her way through the crowd, spotting Claude standing off to the side, sipping a glass of champagne.
“Wow,” he said, looking over the crowd. “I can’t believe the faces I’m seeing at this little shindig. It’s a damn who’s-who in this room.”
“Yeah,” said Molly, watching Winnie charm a circle of party-goers who’d gathered around her. “Hopefully one of them decides to invest.”
“They’ve got to,” said Claude. “This app is incredible; I’m gonna use it for my new place, assuming it gets off the ground.”
“Here’s hoping,” said Molly.
Just as she finished, Peter gathered the attention of the crowd. Taking his place at the front of the room, he gave a rousing speech, thanking the investors for coming, and walking them through the app. The crowd watched him in rapt attention, hanging on his every word as he talked about how Blind Design was the final word in interior decorating apps.
And, of course, he finished his speech by drawing special attention to Molly, who he described as the “impeccable taste” behind the app.
When he was done, Molly and him were swarmed with investors barraging them with questions; all of the Silicon Valley elite were dying to know more.
But one investor stood out above the rest: Richard Stanley.
Taking Peter and Molly aside, he made his opinions known.
“I’m pleased to see that you’re becoming something more of a family man,” he told Peter as he led them both to the back deck. “And if you’re still interested, I’d love to be a part of Blind Design.”
“I- we, would love that, Mr. Stanley,” said Peter, putting his arm around Molly.
The investment secure, Peter and Molly were free to enjoy the party, popping open bottles of champagne and sharing their success. After several hours, the room cleared out, leaving only Molly, Peter, Claude, and Winnie.
“Let’s head outside,” said Peter, watching as Claude began to nod off sitting up on the couch, Winnie resting her little head on his leg.
“Sure,” said Molly, walking outside onto the deck.
“Beautiful night,” he said, looking up at the full moon in the midnight sky that sat among the glittering sea of stars above.
“It is,” said Molly, curious as to why Peter brought her out here.
“After Amanda passed, I never thought I would be able to love again,” he said, looking into Molly’s eyes. “But this last year with you, Molly, has changed all that. You’ve made my life immeasurably more joyful, and I never want it to end.”
Molly’s heart swelled at his works, and tears welled in her eyes.
“And there’s nothing more than I would love than for you to be my wife.”
He reached into his jacket pocket, and Molly became ecstatic when she realized what he was about to do. Peter withdrew a gold ring topped with a large, beautiful stone and held it towards Molly.
“Molly Brimley, I love you. you’ve made me the happiest man alive, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor o-“
“Yes!” cried Molly, throwing her arms around Peter. “Of course I will!”
The tears flowed from her eyes as the two embraced, Peter slipping the ring on her slim finger.
“What’s going on?” asked Winnie, rubbing her eyes as she stood with Claude at the door. “Is Molly sad?”
“No, Win,” said Molly kneeling down and showing her the ring that Peter gave to her. “Your daddy and I are getting married!”
“Yay!” cried Winnie, jumping with joy.
“I’m so happy for you,” said Claude, giving Molly a hug. “Both of you. Now let me get you some champagne!”
Claude disappeared into the house as Molly, Peter, and Winnie hugged and celebrated the new family they were going to be. And Peter and Molly were both thrilled with the success of their app. Looking into each other’s eye, they kissed, their hearts overflowing with love and hope for the joyful future that awaited them all.
THE END
About the Author
J.J. “Jane” Bella has always enjoyed reading since she was a little girl, reading everything she could get her hands on.
Today she loves to write contemporary steamy romance stories for her favorite readers.
Plotting sexy and sweet novellas while walking her dogs has always proven to be an exciting experience on a hot summer day.
Wouldn’t you play with strong Alpha Males, wild Bad boys, and wealthy Billionaires if they provided you with happy endings too?
J.J. lives in New England with her husband of many happy years, three children and two family Papillions.
You may just find her writing on the lake, at the ocean, by a brook, in the middle of a NE snow storm, or on the deck in the Fall.
She also loves to hear from her readers and to share Hot new sweltering stories with everyone.
[email protected]
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Bonus Stories by Alison White
Read on for two searingly hot romances by Alison White.
“My Billionaire Next Door”
and
“Dirty Business”
My Billionaire Next Door
It was a dream come true. I went to sleep poor and woke up rich, thanks to the hundreds of millions of dollars my parents won in the lottery.
There’s a lot of perks to having money. Meeting my rich billionaire neighbor was just one of them. Even in my new life I seem to fall for all the wrong guys.
He’s rude and puts me down. Yet, I can’t stop picturing those eyes and wondering what it would be like to have him.
1
Molly Newton turned left down a hallway and stopped. This wasn’t where she expected to be. She thought this hallway went to the stairs that led to the lower floor, but she faced another bedroom. She turned back around and finally found the stairway.
She forced herself to laugh. How ridiculous to get lost in your own house. She’d just moved in after having only seen the place once. There were still boxes to be unpacked, but not many. The moving company had done pretty much all the work. She’d never moved without doing all of the packing and lifting and carrying before. It was kinda nice, but felt almost too easy. Many things these days felt too easy, too new, too strange.
Today, she would explore her new neighborhood and hopefully meet some people. Maybe it was a mistake moving into a different neighborhood from her parents, but she had felt at the time that she needed to spread her wings and really get out on her own. Well, as on her own as she could be sitting on a few million in the bank thanks to her parents.
After a lifetime of barely making ends meet—and often times failing to—her parents had done the unthinkable. They’d struck it rich by winning 286 million in the lottery. Since Molly was their only child, they’d given her a hefty chunk of it to set her up for life. None of them quite knew what to do with themselves anymore, and this new rich lifestyle felt odd and unsettling. She hoped having her own place in her own neighborhood would help her set a new identity so she could figure what life should be now that she could afford to do anything she liked.
