“Right. Looks like he will be starting this afternoon.”
Hapner cleared his throat. “He?”
Lifting my eyes to meet his, I asked, “Is there a problem with that?”
After clearing his throat more times than needed, he shook his head. “No. No, of course not. It’s just I figured I’d be picking my own secretary … I mean … administrative assistant.”
Leaning back in my chair, I smiled. “I’m sure you will be very happy with who HR hired to fill Ms. Stark’s position.”
The door to my office opened, and instead of Marge standing there, it was Lacy.
Well played, Marge. Well played.
“Mrs. Middleton, your meeting is in ten minutes.”
With a smile plastered on my face, I reached my hand across my desk. “Was great meeting you, Mr. Hapner. We’ll be talking soon, I’m sure.”
The poor bastard. It was sort of painful watching him look between Lacy and me. He finally snapped out of it and shook my hand before turning on the heels of his dress shoes and walking out of my door. Lynn stood, gave me a knowing smile, and followed Hapner out the door.
“Thank you, Lacy,” I said as I sat down. When she closed the door, I grinned like the Cheshire cat.
“I think I may actually miss this job.”
Six months later
“OPEN YOUR EYES.”
The sound of Tucker’s voice against my ear made my body shiver.
“I’m nervous!” I squealed as he chuckled.
“Just open them.”
A rush of air left my lungs as I stood and looked at our finished house.
“Oh my. Oh wow. Holy crap.”
Turning, I jumped into Tucker’s arms as Nash let out a relieved-sounding laugh.
“You like it?” he asked as Tucker spun me around and then put me on the ground.
“Like it? Nash, it’s beautiful. I can’t believe y’all got it built in four months.”
Tucker wrapped his arm around my waist. “Perks of having him for a best friend.”
I stood and stared at the two-story house in front of me. It was perfect. It was simple yet filled with all the fun things I wanted. Some I didn’t need but still wanted.
“It’s fucking huge!” Tucker croaked out.
My face heated. It was a big house. Nine-thousand-square-feet huge.
“I needed an office,” I stated.
“Okay, what about the other five bedrooms?” Tucker asked as we walked toward the house. We hadn’t been out in a month and totally left the finishing touches to Nash. He didn’t disappoint.
“One is ours, one is a guest room, and the other three are for little Tuckers.”
My husband’s eyes lit up.
I ran my fingers over the wood pillars on the front porch. “I love that you used the same wood and finish that’s in Sedotto.”
“Yeah, I do too,” Nash said.
We walked into the house and did a quick tour of it before the three of us ended up on the giant covered patio outside. A bottle of champagne sat in ice, and I turned to Nash.
“You do this?”
He nodded. “We do with all our finished homes.”
After popping open the bottle, Nash poured us each a glass.
“To new beginnings,” Nash said with a grin.
“New beginnings,” Tucker and I echoed.
Lifting the glass to my lips, I paused and focused my eyes on the sign hanging up over the outside bar.
The rules of seduction.
Under the title was a list of rules on how to seduce the one you wanted.
My hands went to my hips, and I turned to face both men.
“Who put up that sign?”
Tucker and Nash exchanged looks and then started laughing.
“What better of a housewarming gift than a sign that reminds y’all of how you finally came together.”
Hitting Nash on the arm, I faced Tucker.
“We all know who the master of seduction is. I don’t need any rules.”
With a quirk of his brow, Tucker replied, “Really? If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure I turned the tables around on you in that department.”
“Maybe you should actually go and read the sign, sweetheart. You might learn a thing or two.”
Nash couldn’t contain his smile as Tucker let out a gruff laugh.
“Please. There is nothing on this sign that I don’t already know.”
I watched as Tucker got closer to the sign. Nash moved to my side and bumped my shoulder.
“Congratulations, Charlie.”
My stomach fluttered and I replied, “Thank you, Nash.”
Feeling a warmth rush through my body, I closed my eyes and thought back to the day I opened the letters from my parents, not long after Tucker and I got married.
To my dearest Charleston,
If you’re reading this, something has happened to me. My sweet girl, my dream for you is to find happiness. True happiness. Follow your heart, Charleston, even if it leads you down an unmarked road.
Love you sweetheart!
Love, Mom
Dear Pumpkin,
As I sit here, I’m watching you play on the living room floor. My sweet little ten-year-old mini me. It was your mother’s idea to write you these letters, and I admit I’ve been staring at my page for an hour now. I want you to know how much I love you. I know you will grow up to be an amazing woman, and I know I’ll most likely be hard on you. Please know one thing, I only want you to be happy. I want you to follow your heart, even if at times it doesn’t seem like that’s what I want.
I know you’ll make both your mother and me proud, and if you’re reading this, that means we won’t be there for you when you need us, not physically at least. We will, however, always be with your Charlie. Always. Never forget that.
I love you with all my heart.
Daddy
OPENING MY EYES, I looked up at the sky and smiled before focusing back on my husband.
Tucker started to read the sign. “Seduce my mind and you can have my body. Find my soul and I’m yours forever.”—Anonymous
“What’s this envelope taped on here?” Tucker asked, taking it off and opening it. He stood frozen for the longest time before turning and meeting my gaze.
The picture of the sonogram was in his hand as he read the letter I had written him.
Tucker,
The last time I wrote you a note, I didn’t mean a single thing I wrote down. This time, I have no regrets about anything in my life. In fact, you’ve made me the happiest woman on Earth. Thank you for loving me and being the amazing husband you are. I hope you’re ready for the next phase.
Parenthood. This is going to be fun! Mr. Pootie is going to flip out when he finds out he’s going to be a big brother!
I love you,
Charleston
“Are you serious?”
I nodded with tears in my eyes knowing Tucker would be just as happy as I was.
“No fucking way!” he exclaimed. “We just started!”
“Looks like you’ve got some powerful swimmers there, buddy,” Nash called out as I hit him in the stomach.
The moment Tucker started my way, I started his. We met in the middle, and I threw myself at him.
“Charlie, we’re having a baby?” he asked, his voice cracking from emotion.
“Yes. We’re having a baby.”
He spun me around and cried out, “Best fucking day of my life!”
When he finally put me down, I took his hand and placed it on my stomach.
Our eyes met, and I was taken aback once again by how much I loved this man.
“You and me forever.”
Leaning down, he softly kissed me and whispered, “Forever.”
The End.
LOOK FOR ENTICE Me, Nash and Kaelynn’s story, coming spring 2019!
Since the moment Kaelynn Dotson walked into my world, I haven’t been able to think, eat, or sleep. After having my heart broken by the only woman I�
I vowed to never open myself up to a woman again, but there’s something about Kaelynn that is drawing me to her.
There’s just one problem.
She’s hiding something from me. Trust is something I need, but when it comes to Kaelynn, all the lines seem to be blurred. I know I should take this as a warning and walk away, but for some reason, it’s only enticing me more.
I moved to Austin, Texas, with only one thing on my mind—to help my friend Morgan start a new business. What I wasn’t expecting was her brother. Nash Barrett isn’t like any other man I’ve ever met. He’s confident, sexy, and not afraid to be himself. It’s a refreshing change compared to the men I grew up with back in Utah.
Trying to fight my attraction to him is becoming harder by the day. We come from two different worlds, and even though I’m trying to live in his world, I’m scared the truth will come out.
I’m living a lie.
I’m not the girl from a middle-class family in Utah like Nash thinks. I’m the heiress to a billion-dollar fortune, and that’s not what he’s looking for. He’s had that before, and it left him scarred.
If the truth comes out, I’ll lose the only man I’ve ever fallen in love with … I’m not sure I’m willing to give him up.
A HUGE THANKS to everyone who made this book possible. Elaine, Hollie, Callie, and Christine! I couldn’t do this without y’all, so thank you!
Laura and Tanya, thank you for being the first eyes on the book and giving me your feedback.
To my readers, I hope you enjoy this new series. I love y’all to the moon and back!
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