Sweet Resolve (The Lucky #2)

by Jill Sanders

  He’d been at Amy’s house several times now. Not a thing was out of place, just like her. There wasn’t a hair on her head that wasn’t where it should be. Her clothes looked like they had all been neatly pressed and laundered before she even set foot outside.

  He looked at her next to him, remembering the times when her hair was tangled in his hands. When her clothes were crinkled from being thrown on the floor. How she looked panting underneath him.

  He took her hand in his. She leaned closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “So, are you two going to the DMRA party together?” Kristen asked, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at them.

  “DMRA?” he questioned.

  She chuckled. “Denver Metro Realtor Association party, it’s in a month.”

  He remembered it now. He’d actually gone to the party once, with Bella. He glanced over at Amy and saw excitement in her eyes.

  “I’d planned on it,” he fibbed and was quickly rewarded with her smile.

  “If you like parties, what about . . .”

  “Don’t even think about it. Not yet.” Amy glared at Kristen as she twisted her watch vigorously. He could see she was nervous about what her friend was trying to say.

  “Why not?” Kristen’s smile spread slowly on her face. “You know, it’s only four months away. Besides, I just bet he’d like to go.”

  “To what?” He glanced between the two friends.

  “Our wedding,” Aiden piped in.

  He looked at Amy and felt a little uneasy as thoughts of his parents’ marriage flew through his mind. He didn’t know one couple who had made marriage work, nor did he think it was possible at this point.

  “See, now you’ve scared him.” Amy squeezed his hand as he tried to deny it.

  Kristen and Amy laughed. “That is the same face you made when you tried to hide the fact that you’d TP’d Mr. Ragan’s car in grade school. It was the reason you had a month’s detention,” Kristen joked.

  He laughed and then smiled at Kristen. “Tell you what, if you save a dance for me, I’ll be there.”

  “Then it’s a date,” Kristen jumped in.

  When Logan pulled his car to a stop in front of her place, Amy turned to him. “I should have warned you about inviting them,” she said.

  “It turned out okay.” Still, he wished she would have opened up to him more and told him why she’d felt the need to invite them.

  She glanced over at him. “Call it one of my knee-jerk impulses.”

  He brushed a hand down her hair. “Why?”

  She blinked and tilted her head. “Why what?”

  “Why did you have that impulse? Why invite them tonight?”

  She leaned back in the seat. “I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed.”

  “About us?” he interjected.

  “We do have quite a history.”

  He chuckled. “Fair enough. But, I thought things were going well.”

  She didn’t want to tell him why she’d freaked out. The truth was, she didn’t even know. She’d felt the need to be alone the other night, but when he’d called, she’d found herself falling into his web. And, more importantly, she’d enjoyed it.

  There wasn’t a part of her life that she hadn’t planned out completely. Becoming a partner at RMR was and should be her number one priority. Fraternizing with the competition wasn’t going to get her closer to her goal.

  “I haven’t had any long-term relationships,” she blurted out. “Not like you.” She waited.

  “Okay.” His smile was reassuring.

  “The longest relationship I’ve had lasted two weeks.” Closing her eyes, she rested her head back on the headrest. Then, his fingers tangled in her hair, gently pulling her face until she was looking at him.

  “Because of knee-jerk impulses?”

  “I’ve seen relationships go south. I guess it’s my way of avoidance.” That and her desperate need to control everything. Ever since the night her mother had thrown all her belongings into boxes, she’d felt a deep urge to keep everything in its place.

  He started moving his hand to her neck. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said right before his mouth touched hers softly.

  When he broke the kiss, she relaxed. “How about coming inside for a nightcap?”

  His smile was quick, then he rested his forehead on hers. “I’ll take a rain check. I’ve got an early morning meeting.”

  Her eyebrows arched in question.

  “I’m showing the listing you missed today. Early,” he added.

  “I could . . .”

  His finger went over her lips as he shook his head. “Not until I replace your battery cables and make sure you won’t get stranded again.”

  She thought about getting stuck again, then nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll give you this one.”

  “Besides, Kristen only mentioned it a dozen times that you two are dress shopping tomorrow.”

  She giggled. “Yes, so she did.”

  “Have fun.” He leaned over and kissed her again.

  After letting Daisy out, she had a hard time getting to sleep that night. Maybe it was the loneliness she was feeling. For the first time, she was missing one man in particular.

  The conversation from the evening kept playing over in her head. She had been nervous when Kristen had mentioned the wedding to Logan. After all, she knew by the way he’d talked about his parents’ marriage that he didn’t think too highly of the institution. Come to think of it, neither did she. But she was a woman and part of her kept dreaming that someday she’d find the perfect man and they would live happily ever after. But was it Logan?

  She was thankful when Daisy jumped up on the bed with her and snuggled down. She’d moved the bed of dogs into her room for the night.

  Logan had taken them to the vet the other day. It was the first time she’d trusted a man with a key to her place, which he’d promptly returned after letting her know that Daisy was current with her shots and the puppies had been given a clean bill of health. They would need their puppy shots when they were a little older. When she’d gotten home that night, she couldn’t help but smile at all the extras he’d bought for the small family.

  Daisy had a new dog bed, toys, collar, and a matching leash. Even though the dog never left her side when she took her on short walks, she knew it was city ordinance and had used it ever since. He’d also purchased a larger whelping box for the puppies to be in and doggy pee pads for the nursery. Amy had laughed when she noticed that each puppy had her very own individually colored collar that they could easily grow into.

  Finally, she settled down with Daisy snuggled next to her.

  The next morning, she woke when her phone chimed. Reaching over, she glanced at the screen and read the text message, then jumped out of bed. She pulled on a bathrobe as she rushed to her front door.

  “Morning.” Logan smiled back at her as he handed her a cup of coffee and held up a box. “Donuts?”

  She stood back when Daisy ran out the door to do her business.

  “How are they doing?” He looked back toward her guest room.

  “Wonderful. I moved them in with me,” she said, then took a sip of her coffee. It was just the way she liked it and she moaned when the sweetness started to rush through her.

  “Oh?” he said.

  “I was lonely. Besides, Daisy likes to escape the puppy box and jumps up on the bed with me every now and then,” she added, reaching down to twirl her bracelet as she looked up at him.

  He walked in and set the box of donuts down. “I figured you’d want some extra sugar to get you going. Especially if you’re going to spend the day trying on bridesmaid dresses.” She thought she saw him cringe but wasn’t sure. Most men hated thinking about weddings, or spending time dress shopping. She could tell Logan was no different.

  “Of course, after eating a few of those,” she glanced down at the chocolate-covered goodness and felt her stomach growl, “I’ll have to try on dress
es that are two sizes bigger.”

  He took her by the shoulders and smiled at her. “You’d have to eat a truckload. I know it’s early, but I wanted to stop by before I head into the mountains.”

  “I could still . . .”

  He stopped her by wrapping his arms around her. “Don’t even think about it. Besides, I have another showing before I’m supposed to help my uncle with an open house.”

  She settled into his arms feeling wonderful. He smelled sexy, causing her to wish they had the entire day to themselves.

  “Now, let’s eat. I’m starved,” he suggested.

  “You’re always hungry,” she joked.

  His fingers tightened on her hips. “At least when I’m around you.”

  She felt her pulse kick as his fingers brushed through her hair. Only then did she realize that she had just rushed to the door without even brushing her hair or teeth.

  “Have I told you how sexy you look in the morning?” He leaned closer to her and ran his lips across hers.

  She shook her head.

  “Hmmm, sweet too.” His mouth played over hers until they heard the puppies crying and watched Daisy come back in through the open front door.

  When Logan left, she rushed around the house getting ready for her day with Kristen. When she was almost ready, Kristen surprised her by texting that she was on her way to pick her up.

  What do you mean? Pick me up?

  Aiden hired us a car for the day. Come outside.

  After picking up her bag, she locked her door and walked out. She was totally shocked to see a long white limo pull into her parking lot.

  “Aiden did this?” she asked as Kristen jumped out from the back door before the driver could walk around and open it for her.

  “Yup, it’s all ours for the day.” Kristen giggled and hugged her. “Have you had breakfast?”

  “I’ve had enough sugar to fill that limo,” she said as she climbed in the back. Amber, Aiden’s half sister, was already sitting on the long seat. Ashley, Aiden’s youngest sister, was spending the summer abroad, but would be home in time for the wedding in mid-November.

  Their first stop was at a bagel shop to get Kristen a sandwich and coffee. The second was to pick up Reagan, another bridesmaid, then Stephany and lastly Carolyn.

  Then the five women hit the first bridal shop on a long list Amy had printed out for Kristen. Amy was taking her role as maid of honor very seriously.

  By the fourth shop, they had found the bridesmaids’ dresses. They were long, flowing, spaghetti-strap dresses in different colors, since Kristen couldn’t narrow her wedding colors down to just one shade. Amy chose the pink for herself, and Amber chose a softer blue. Then Stephany looked stunning in burgundy, and Carolyn chose the purple, while Reagan chose a light yellow.

  After the shop had fitted everyone for their dresses, they headed out to the next shop with only one goal. To find the perfect wedding dress.

  Kristen was such a free-spirited person, no one dress suited her best. At least that’s what Amy thought, until just after they had stopped off at Olive Garden for lunch.

  The next shop was nestled in historic Cherry Hills. Amy spotted the dress the moment they walked in.

  The narrow straps that held up the soft white silk would look perfect on Kristen. The skirt of the dress was covered with an older-looking lace and flowed all the way to the floor then made a longer train.

  When Kristen tried it on, everyone else agreed that this was the dress. They looked around the store for a veil, but then Amy got an idea.

  “What do you think about us making your veil?” She’d watched the process on a show a few months back and had wanted to try it ever since. Besides, it had looked like fun and she loved doing crafts with Kristen.

  “What?” Kristen looked confused.

  “Sure, it’s not like we have to sew anything. I mean, what I was imagining is something simple.” She walked over to the counter and asked the clerk for a pencil and paper. Then sketched out what she had envisioned. “Something like this.”

  She turned the paper around and showed the other ladies.

  “Oh, it’s perfect.” Kristen exclaimed. “But, how . . .”

  “We can sell you the material,” the clerk who’d been helping them said. “Here.” They all stood back as she began digging through boxes. “Everything you’ll need except a hot glue gun and needle and thread.”

  “This is going to be so much fun,” Carolyn said, jumping up and down.

  So, the next stop was to Amy’s house again, since they didn’t want to go back to Kristen and Aiden’s apartment in case he happened to show up.

  Everyone cooed over the puppies for a while before they opened a couple bottles of wine and dug into their new project.

  “We’ve ordered our announcements,” Kristen said as she pulled out an envelope from her bag. For the next few minutes, everyone enjoyed passing the card around. “We’re going to include this picture.” She handed over a picture that Amy had taken of the pair with her cell phone when they had gone on a hiking trip near Red Rocks.

  “It’s perfect,” she said, smiling at her friend.

  Spending the entire day thinking about and planning her friend’s wedding made it hard to keep her mind off her own future wedding. Which only made her think of Logan.

  She was growing more sure of their relationship. He was going out of his way to show her how much he cared for her, which was making her feel even closer to him than before.

  By the time the third bottle of wine was done, they had put together the most beautiful veil she’d ever seen. It was a simple ring that would fit over Kristen’s curly hair, covered in dainty flowers and baby’s breath. The veil part hung in the back, down past her shoulders and had a floral mesh design all around the edges. Part of the veil would swing over and cover Kristen’s face, since she wanted Aiden to lift it in the ceremony. They had attached a larger silk flower to one side of the ring, which matched the design on the shoulder of her wedding dress perfectly.

  “Wow, we should go into business making these,” Amber joked as she drank another sip of her water. She was a singer and had a performance later that evening, and she wanted to be fresh and alert.

  “Why not?” Kristen smiled. “Or better yet, host parties for brides and let them make their own.” Everyone giggled.

  Just then, there was a knock on the door. When Amy walked over, she couldn’t hide the smile as she peeked and saw who was standing outside.

  When she opened the door, Logan’s eyes traveled around the messy crowded room. “Uh.” She watched him take a step backward.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to her until her bare feet touched the tips of his shoes. “Everyone this is Logan, Logan . . . everyone.” She giggled, then turned back to him and saw him smiling down at her.

  “Looks like I missed the party,” he said to the room.

  “We were just finishing up.” Kristen said. “Amy, I’m going to hang this in your guest-room closet. I can’t take it back to my place and have Aiden finding it.” Her friend carried her veil into the other room.

  “Yes, I need to get back. I’ve got a performance in a few hours.” Amber glanced at her watch.

  “We should be going too.” The other ladies looked among themselves with smiles on their faces.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Logan hadn’t planned on Amy’s house being crowded with women or that her place would look like a tornado of lace and silk had blown through it. He was happily surprised to see her slightly drunk and held onto her when she teetered as her friends left.

  “Well”—she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck—“now it’s just us.” She leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips.

  He chuckled until the kiss stirred something deep inside. Then he was pulling her closer and wishing she was sober so he could enjoy himself.

  When he stepped back, she frowned up at him.

  “How about some dinner?” he a
sked.

  “Food is good. I could eat.” She swayed, so he took her shoulders and steered her toward the sofa.

  “You sit. I’ll prepare us something.”

  “You?” She stopped dead, almost causing him to trip over her. Then she turned around and looked up at him. “Cook?”

  “I’ve been out on my own for a while now. I have learned a thing or two in the kitchen.”

  She snorted with laughter. “I remember your moves in the kitchen.”

  He chuckled and pushed on her shoulders until she fell back on the sofa. “Sit.”

  By the time he was done scrounging around her kitchen, he knew there was no way he was making anything without a quick stop at a store. When he walked back out to her living room, Amy was curled up and fast asleep on the sofa.

  Being extra quiet, he took her house keys and locked up behind him.

  When he returned half an hour later with two large bags of groceries, she was still fast asleep with Daisy curled up at her feet.

  He tried to be as quiet as he could as he cooked garlic-roasted salmon on a bed of seasoned Brussels sprouts. One of his favorite and better meals.

  By the time he’d set her table and lit her candles, he heard her moving around in the other room. When she walked into the dining room, his smile froze a little. She’d changed into a flowing dress and had loosened her hair from the braid she’d worn earlier.

  “Hi.” He felt his mouth go dry as he looked at her.

  “Hi.” She walked toward him. “Something smells wonderful.” She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. His hands went to her hips, holding her close to him as he buried his face in her hair.

  “Mmm, yes, something does smell wonderful.”

  When they finally sat down to eat, he was having an even harder time keeping his eyes off her. He watched every small move she made, focusing on her lips especially.

  When their plates were empty, they moved into her living room, which he noticed she’d taken the time to clean while he’d been cooking.

  “How about some music?” she asked as she walked over to her stereo and punched a button. Instead of soft music flowing out, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” pumped out loudly.