A Chance for Us (Willow Creek Valley Book 4)

by Corinne Michaels

  A Chance for Us

  WILLOW CREEK VALLEY #4

  CORINNE MICHAELS

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Bonus Scene

  Books by Corinne Michaels

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  A Chance for Us

  Copyright © 2022 Corinne Michaels

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN - ebook - 978-1-942834-59-5

  ISBN - paperback - 978-1-942834-60-1

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written consent of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

  Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative

  Editing: Ashley Williams, AW Editing

  Proofreading: Michele Ficht, ReGina Kay, & Julia Griffis

  Cover photo © Sandra Holzfuß

  Model: Kevin Luetolf

  Dedication

  For Jan and Pang. Thank you for loving Oliver enough to push me to write his story. If it weren’t for you, this series would have never happened. You were right, Oliver Parkerson is pretty amazing and deserved to find a love for the ages.

  One

  OLIVER

  “Two weeks, Oliver! Two freaking weeks and we’re not even close to ready! Again! You did this to us again! I could kill you. I could wrap my hands around your neck right now,” my sister screams as she signs a sheet one of the construction workers hands her.

  I give Stella my signature grin as the worker walks away with wide eyes. I’m used to her going off the rails about things. However, I’ve always got it under control.

  Well, that’s not entirely true here. I don’t have this handled, but I’m not going to let them know that. I’m actually freaking the fuck out.

  The wedding we had planned a few months ago we had to cancel and refund all their money because we weren’t ready to open. It was a big blow to the resort, and even though I managed to book another wedding for our new projected soft opening week, we’re still not ready.

  “It’ll be fine, Stella.”

  “No, it won’t. Do you see this?” she asks, pointing at the ground.

  “Yes.”

  “What do you notice about this?”

  I shrug. “It’s gray.”

  “I hate you. I swear to God, I hate you. How about the fact that it’s concrete? Are the floors supposed to be concrete?”

  “Foundation is often that.”

  She groans and throws her hands up. “Lord help me!”

  I take pity on my twin, tossing my arm around her. “Relax. It’ll be fine. The flooring will come in, and we’ll get it installed before the guests arrive.”

  The look of utter hate she sends me would make most men cower. God, she’s mean. “You don’t know that.”

  “No, but I am not going to worry about it. Maren knows that the resort isn’t even open. It’s why she got the place for less than fifteen thousand dollars.”

  “Yeah, a fucking wedding for fifteen grand, another brilliant idea of yours.”

  “I thought so,” I retort. I’m in charge of all the special events, pricing, and adding all the little details to make something go from affordable to profitable. I never really thought of myself as a sales guy, but I’m pretty charming and was able to prove myself. One of the few talents I have, other than annoying my siblings, is planning. I see everything as a puzzle, and I’m going to use that to make us a lot of money.

  At least that’s the plan.

  This issue might be a bit out of my reach.

  “It wasn’t. You booking a wedding as our soft opening was stupid.”

  “Go big or go home,” I repeat our estranged father’s motto and instantly hate myself for it.

  “Really?”

  “It slipped,” I admit.

  Stella sighs. “I can’t help but think we bit off more than we could chew.”

  “We might have, but we’ll do the best we can. If we have to put down temporary floors or spin some bullshit that it’s all part of the rustic décor, we’ll do it. No one will know but us.”

  “As if the floors are the only thing not done?” My brother Josh enters the room. He opens his folder, running a finger down a page as he reads. “Delay in the kitchen sinks, chef just fired the entire kitchen staff for being idiots, furniture leg broken on the sofa in the lobby, electrical issue in the upstairs left wing, the lighting wasn’t what we ordered for the guest rooms . . .” He lifts his eyes to me. “Should I go on?”

  “I don’t know what else you’d like me to say. I booked it weeks ago and they’re paying. In order to secure the loan, we needed to show we’d have actual revenue, and booking all the rooms did that as well as allowed us to hire the chef who isn’t happy.”

  “We could’ve done a wedding after we had a better plan and knew what the kinks in the resort were.” Josh pinches the bridge of his nose. “It’s just with Delia and the baby, Grayson busy with his kids, and Stella sneaking off with Jack constantly—”

  I groan at that image and start to fake gag. “Gross.”

  “I am not sneaking off with Jack,” she defends herself. “We’re newlyweds who like the . . . forest.”

  “You like nothing about nature,” I remind her.

  “I like wood.”

  I deadpan. “Get out.”

  She laughs. “Grow up. I’m married and have a kid. Jack and I want another, and I’m ovulating.”

  “Seriously, can one bleach their own ears?” I ask Josh.

  “I sure as fuck hope so.”

  Stella rolls her eyes. “Brothers.” Then she turns her attention to me. “There’s nothing we can do about the delays and issues, but we have to have a plan. By us having to move the deadline up to accommodate this wedding, it cost us a lot in overtime fees. I know your intentions were good with wanting to help your friend and needing to secure the loan, but it really wasn’t good business.”

  Maren called me in the hopes I was still working for my father, needing a place to get married. Time wasn’t something she had an ample amount of, so I did what I could to help her out and with the income loss from the previous wedding, this seemed like a win-win.

  “I get it, but she’ll be here tomorrow and I’m not going to tell her or her fiancé that the venue isn’t ready. We’ll tackle whatever we can this week, and I doubt she’ll complain.”

  “Maren and Oliver might not complain, b
ut the people actually paying for the wedding will,” Josh adds on.

  And that is the issue we’re all worried about. A soft opening is a great chance to work out the kinks and make sure that everything is in order. I know this. I’ve been a part of an opening several times. Doing a wedding is a whole other thing. It’s going to be a complete shit show. I never would’ve agreed to this, but there was something in her voice that I couldn’t ignore. A sadness that I felt deep in my soul. I had to say yes to her, regardless of the outcome.

  She was desperate, and I could tell she had been crying before the call. At first, I brushed it off as her being happy to be engaged, but . . . I don’t know.

  Stella grips my forearm as I start to walk away. “Wait, the groom is named Oliver?”

  “Yes . . . as much as I like to think I’m one of a kind, there are other men with that name.”

  “I know that, jackass. You just never mentioned his name or had her fill out the wedding sheets I asked for so I could order things I needed.”

  Stella and her spreadsheets. It’s no wonder she and Jack are so perfect. He’s just as crazy about his paperwork. “I didn’t think we needed more sheets.”

  “Yes, well, you didn’t run The Park Inn here. You know, the one that was featured in bridal magazines. I did. I was the one who handled it, and while I know you’re smart, I do have some experience too.”

  I give her the smile that usually dazzles everyone. “And you will make a perfect assistant to me.”

  Josh chokes a little and then steps in before our sister can beat the shit out of me. “Let’s make a list of what else needs to be done in this room so we can move to the next.”

  “A few of the guests are friends from college,” I say, hoping to steer the conversation in a better direction.

  Stella laughs. “Like your ex.”

  She couldn’t resist.

  I grumble. “Yes, Devney is the maid of honor.”

  “That won’t be awkward,” Stella says with a grin.

  Josh snorts and shoves me. “Maybe that’ll make up for the fact that you’re an idiot to agree to this. Having to watch your ex with her husband.”

  “Yes, we’ll call it penance,” I say with exasperation.

  I need to move this conversation away from the woman I thought I’d marry. It’s not that I am still in love with her two years later, because I’m not, it’s just that no one wants to see the woman they loved married to another man. I’m glad she’s happy. I really am. Her heart was never mine, and I accepted that—begrudgingly. However, my heart was hers, and it broke the day we ended things.

  “I heard Devney had a baby,” Stella says as we move through the room, each noting things that are wrong.

  “Drop it, Stella,” I warn.

  “I’m not being cruel, Ollie. I’m just saying that I saw it online. There was a picture of her and Sean . . .”

  I huff, turning to look at her. My sister is concerned that it’s going to be bad for me. Well, it’ll suck, but I’m a big boy and can handle it. “I saw it. She’s married to him, so I assumed they’d have kids too. I’m not worried about seeing her if that’s your concern. We ended things so she could be with him.”

  “Doesn’t mean that your heart isn’t going to hurt.”

  “My head hurts, that’s for sure,” I counter.

  She smiles, her hand resting on my arm. “I just love you. That’s all.”

  “I love you too, but I promise, Devney is the least of my concerns. I’m glad she’s moved on and found what she wanted.”

  Stella sighs deeply. “Good.”

  We head through the next two rooms without talking about exes or weddings. When we get up to the front, a car is there, and my fucking heart stops.

  Not beating, just hovering in my chest.

  The air leaves my lungs, and I can’t force myself to inhale.

  She’s gorgeous.

  This woman who just exited the driver’s side is absolutely stunning.

  She’s an angel, blonde hair flowing around her. I don’t move as I watch her turn and move toward me. Her long legs and slim body make her appear as if she’s floating rather than walking.

  The passenger door opens, and I look away for the briefest second and realize the woman who slides from the car next is Devney, which means the angel walking toward me is Maren.

  Holy shit.

  It’s been years since I last saw her, and I don’t remember her being this arresting. She was always pretty, smart, funny, but I never really saw her. Until now.

  She smiles as she reaches me, but there is something in her gaze that stops me from speaking. “Hey, Ollie, it’s good to see you.”

  I swallow, hoping I remember how to speak. “Yeah. Hey, Maren.”

  She looks toward the car where Devney is lingering. My ex lifts her hand to wave, and I return the gesture.

  Maren turns back to me. “It’s been a long time.”

  Yeah, no shit, and time has been really good to her. “It has. How are you?”

  Her gaze goes to the ground before her big, green eyes meet mine. “Well, not so good. I . . . I have a problem, and I think you’re the only one who can help me.”

  I blink. “Me?”

  I’ll do anything for her. No, wait, she’s getting married—here. In two weeks. What the hell is wrong with me?

  She nods.

  “How can I help?” I ask, trying to slip back into business mode.

  Maren bites her lower lip before speaking. “I need you to marry me.”

  Two

  MAREN

  ~Forty-eight hours earlier~

  “Are you excited about the wedding?” Mark, my boss, asks as he walks into my office.

  “Yeah, I’m just stressed. So much is going on, and Oliver is still on that mission, which I haven’t forgiven you for sending him on.”

  My fiancé and I both work for Cole Security Forces.

  We’ve only been together a short amount of time, but we clicked the moment we met. It was fast, fun, and now, I’m going to marry Oliver Edward Kensington III. Well, I will if he gets his ass home in time for the wedding at the resort that my friend from college, who is also named Oliver, owns.

  He raises his hand. “Hey, I didn’t tell you to get married with, like, three weeks’ notice.”

  “Well, I appreciate your agreeing to step in to be our officiant.”

  Mark grins. “That is my specialty. Plus, you gave me a reason to dust off my license and expand it to cover the entire fifty states. I’m an excellent minister.”

  “Natalie and Liam would beg to differ.”

  “And yet, here you are, begging for my services.”

  I laugh. “I don’t recall that part. I believe it was you who said it’s tradition and you’d do it for free.”

  He waves the comment off and then sits in the seat in front of me. “Were you able to workup some options for the team going out next week when you’re on your destination wedding and honeymoon?”

  I grab the file and hand it to him. “Of course.”

  I work as an analyst for one of the most elite security firms and assess risks and possible outcomes before my team goes out and executes the missions. I see angles and issues and possibilities, and I’m always two steps ahead of them.

  He opens it and studies the contents. “These are good.”

  “I wouldn’t leave for two and a half weeks without making sure the guys were taken care of.”

  “I didn’t think you would.”

  “Now, if you could get my groom home . . .”

  Mark shrugs. “I have no control once they’re gone, but at the last check-in, they were wrapping up. All will be fine.”

  I really hope so. This wedding, while being as close to shotgun as a wedding can be, matters to me. With my father’s cancer treatments and the constant complications, this is the only chance I have to make sure my dad gets what he’s always dreamed of—to walk me down the aisle.

  Even though he’s never met Oliver, he’s bey
ond happy it’s finally happening.

  My phone rings and my father’s name flashes across the screen. “I have to take this.”

  “No problem. I’ll go annoy Natalie.”

  I laugh and then swipe the video call.

  “Hi, Daddy.” I smile as his face fills the screen. Some days, it’s easier for him to video call since it hurts to talk and I can usually read his face allowing him a respite from trying to speak.

  “Hi, Princess.”

  I smile at the nickname. “You look handsome.”

  He grins. “Always look your best. Are you . . . all . . .” He struggles to speak. “Ready for your big . . . day? I can’t wait. And Linda is excited too.”

  That last part is a lie. My father, the most loving and caring man I’ve ever known, is married to a vile human who I call Satan’s sister. Linda is, well, the worst. She’s a bitch who believes that nothing other than her feelings matter. Not that he was married before, has siblings, a daughter. No, none of that is relevant in her mind.

  I loathe her, but she’s the gatekeeper to my dad, so I pay the fees, which means I have to be nice to her when she gets on the phone and then poke a voodoo doll after the call.

  “I can’t wait to see you.” I leave off the other person intentionally.

  “Same.”

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, sensing a hesitation in him.

  Daddy sighs, which sends him into a coughing fit. After a few seconds, he gets it under control and he clears his throat. “Today we got some news.”