Nate got up and went over to the bed, giving his daughter a kiss on her cheek before slapping Daniel on the back. “It’s okay, son. She wants you, and I think it’s a pretty good choice. Be good to her.”
Nate stood for a long time, holding Lydia’s hand and watching as his daughter came fully into consciousness. “I was so afraid I would lose you,” he told her.
“Oh, Daddy, I hated that you were hurting, and I really, really wanted to wake up. I was afraid that if I did, Corrine would see me as a threat, someone who could tell the police how she’d caused the accident by grabbing the wheel and forcing the car into that tree—and then left me there unconscious. Daddy, she really wanted to hurt me—she undid my seat belt but kept hers fastened. I think she thought she’d killed me then, and oh, how horrible it was. She was glad that I was dead!”
Tears streamed down Lydia’s face, and Nate gathered her into his arms. “Hush, now, love. It’s all over. Corinne will be taken into psychiatric care and will never be able to hurt you again.”
Lydia sniffed. “I feel like I’ve missed out on so much. Daniel, I thought when you didn’t come to visit me, that maybe Corinne had been telling the truth and it was she you loved, not me.”
Noelia winced at the world of pain in Sleeping Beauty’s voice.
“Then I heard you fighting with Daniel, Daddy, and knew you hadn’t changed your feelings toward him. I almost woke up when he came to visit, but then you stormed in and ordered him out again.”
Noelia put her arm around Nate’s shoulders. She hated to see the pain on his face, but she knew that all these things had to be said before the chapter in their lives could be closed.
“I am so very sorry, Lydia. All I knew was that someone had been in the car with you and left you there without getting help. I’m afraid, well, Daniel was a rather convenient scapegoat. But that’s over. I was wrong, and we’ll all start anew now. Even an old dog like me can change its ways.”
Lydia smiled and held out her arms to hug her father. Then she lay back against the pillows, clutching Daniel’s hand. “You know, I had the strangest dreams. I dreamed that Mom was here in the room, sitting with me. She kept telling me to wake up, that you’d keep me safe, but I was too afraid.”
Nurse Jones and a white-coat-wearing doctor came into the room. He introduced himself as Dr. Ralph Sawyer and said he needed to examine Lydia. “Welcome back to the real world, young lady,” he said, as the nurse shooed everyone from the room.
A few minutes later he called them back. “I’m not sure what kind of miracles you folks did,” he told them, “but Lydia is definitely out of danger and is demanding to see someone called Daniel.”
Daniel flicked a questioning glance at Nate. “Go on, Danny, go and talk to her. Make up for all the time you’ve missed. We’ll be back shortly.”
“Just use your common sense and don’t tire her out, she still needs some rest and recovery time,” Dr. Sawyer warned.
Nate turned to Noelia. “Noelia, I think we should leave these young folks alone, don’t you? I could really use some breakfast after all this excitement.”
Noelia was more than happy to agree.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lydia and Daniel were married in church on an unusually warm day the following September, with friends, family, and lots of Marina Cove well-wishers, as well as most of the staff of Marina Cove Hospital who could get away, to witness the event. Kelly had kept her word, and a delighted Ronnie Catelli got his story and was there with a photographer for an extra news piece.
Nate walked down the aisle tall and proud beside his daughter, and he smiled broadly as he “gave her away” to the young man he’d grown fond of in the past few months.
Noelia sat in the front pew with Kelly and Sasha, and all three cried a little as the ceremony unfolded. Noelia felt as if she were watching her own daughter get married. She also cried for the wonderful way everything had worked out. She loved seeing Nate so happy, and to see his daughter so well and completely recovered from her ordeal and so much in love with the tall, handsome groom made her heart lighter.
The service was sweet and celebrated the obvious love between the young couple. The only odd thing, and people commented on this later, was a stray cool breeze that seemed to dance around the couple, tugging gently at the bride’s veil before disappearing.
Where did it come from? people asked. It was September, the doors and windows were closed, and the heating system was turned very low. Just one of those odd happenings that you get in buildings as old as the church, everyone agreed.
But Noelia and Kelly exchanged knowing smiles. Hadn’t Jackie said she would be at her daughter’s wedding, in spirit?
Noelia’s garden was once more the venue for a wedding reception. Nate had been so impressed by Mary Atwell’s praise for the reception Noelia had managed to arrange in her garden, with a marquee, fairy lights, and a dance floor, as well as delicious food from local caterers, that he had asked if they could use the space for Lydia’s wedding celebration.
Noelia had been happy to agree, even though it meant quite a bit of extra work for her–work which Nate enthusiastically joined in to help during their free hours, working well into the evening before they retired for a late dinner to Noelia’s home–and then to her pretty, newly painted bedroom.
Mary Atwell and her husband Troy Matthews were at the church and at the reception. “Wasn’t that a beautiful wedding? And the reception is splendid! I don’t know how you do it, Noelia.” Mary cast an assessing glance at Nate. “I’m so glad the two of you hit it off after my little informal dinner party. Maybe there’ll be another wedding in the future?”
Kelly and Noelia watched as Mary and Troy moved off to speak to other guests.
“She never stops, does she? She won’t be satisfied until every single person in Marina Cove—and beyond—is hitched,” Noelia said.
“Oh my, lady, you look happier than I have ever seen you!” Kelly whispered as the wedding speeches began. “I can see that Nate is good for you.”
Noelia blushed. “Yes, he is. I never thought I would find another man I would be happy with, but Nate is wonderful.” She looked fondly over to where he was standing at the wedding party’s table, giving a speech that made his daughter blush and her groom grin. “Even my boys like him—and I think they’ve adopted Lydia as their sister.”
“What I’d like to know is when are you guys are going to make it legal?” Kelly said. “Think of the example you’re setting for the church ladies, not being married and all . . . ” she added mischievously.
“What bothers you the most is the example I might be setting for all the brides who come in wanting our help with their weddings—they might think, hey, that middle-aged lady is living without benefit of clergy, why don’t we save our money?”
Kelly laughed so hard Noelia had to pat her on the back. “How well you know me! So, what’s your answer?”
“To be honest, Kelly, Nate and I have been too busy to even talk about future plans.”
“But not too busy to . . . Oh, hello, Sasha! Who’s that nice young man we saw you with?”
“He’s just someone I might get a contract with to redo his home,” Sasha said, blushing enough to make Noelia and Kelly laugh. “Seriously, it’s not serious, just business.”
“From the way he looks at you, I’d say it’s at the very least funny business,” Kelly quipped, sending Noelia into more giggles. Sasha shook her head and walked away. “The lady doth protest too much—I think our Sasha may have found her match.”
“You do know that you’re getting to be as bad as Mary, always trying to get people hitched,” Noelia accused.
“Yes, but for me it’s business. The more brides, the better our bottom line at Wedding Bliss looks.”
“You are so cynical, Kelly Andrews! I suppose you think the more often people get divorced and marry again, the better!” Noelia accused.
“Oh, no. I’m far too much a romantic at heart to want to see peop
le lose their happily ever after.”
The reception went on well into the night, and Nate and Noelia were exhausted when it was over. A couple of hours earlier, they’d tied old shoes and tin cans to Daniel’s pickup truck and waved the happy couple off on a short honeymoon at a weekend cottage Mary Atwell had loaned them as a wedding gift.
Now the guests and the bridal party were all gone, and they finally had some time alone. They sat quietly at Noelia’s kitchen table, looking out into the dark garden where her night blooming plants glowed silvery in the light from the moon.
“Magical,” Nate said, pouring them both a glass of red wine.
“The garden? Yes, I love it and look forward to getting it back now that the wedding is over. The marquee company guys are coming to take all their things away tomorrow morning.”
“Would you ever consider moving away from here?”
Noelia was quiet for a few moments. “You know, I do love this little house, and not just because this is the place we bought when Andre and I were first married. It’s more than that—it’s the first house that was ever my own, and it’s come to be even more so now. It has so many happy memories—ones that you, my dear, have been adding to over the past few months.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“I’ve been very happy with you, Noelia. I feel like I’m alive again. You’ve given me something I never thought I would find.”
They sat close together then, drinking their wine and enjoying the quiet.
“It was a brilliant idea to let your sons go and stay at my place to look after Honey,” Nate said. “It gives us some time to ourselves—and we’ve not had too much of that since all this wedding stuff got under way.
“But it was a lovely wedding. Lydia looked so happy. No one would believe that a few short months ago she was in a coma, and everyone was despairing that she would ever come out of it.”
Then Nate took Noelia’s hand and led her down the short hallway to the bedroom that had become theirs. In fact, since they had painted it together, it seemed even more their own special place.
They snuggled under the covers together. “You’re very quiet, Nate,” Noelia said. “Was it hard to see your daughter married? I thought you’d grown to accept Daniel.”
Nate propped himself up on one elbow so he could see her face. He kissed her gently and then ran his fingers down her soft cheek. “I am happy that Lydia is married. I know she loves Daniel and I think he is devoted to her—he certainly showed that as he waited for her. But I have a confession to make.”
Noelia swallowed. This didn’t sound good. Whatever could Nate, who seemed such a straight arrow kind of guy, have to confess?
“Do you have another girlfriend tucked away somewhere?” she asked, keeping her voice light.
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just, well, I know your secret, Noelia.”
Noelia’s stomach plummeted. She thought they had no secrets, except for the one big one she’d kept from everyone for years. Her secret. Whatever would he think?
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I know about the writing.”
“You know that I’m Mimi L’Amour?” she asked, shocked.
He nodded.
“How . . . how did you find out? The only other person with the slightest idea of my secret is Kelly, and I know she would never say a word.”
Nate chewed his bottom lip—the spot she had so recently been kissing. After a few moments he looked up at her and said, “I hope you won’t be mad, but remember the day we had takeout at your place? After you’d been in a fight with that young woman at Wedding Bliss?”
Noelia snorted. “It wasn’t exactly a fight—you make it sound like we had a real old claws out and hair pulling set to. What really happened was I was trying . . . ”
Nate stopped her by capturing her mouth in a long, lazy kiss. “I know what happened, my dear. Anyway, I went looking for the bathroom, and I got the wrong door. I saw it was your study, and I confess, I was so eager to learn all I could about you, that I went over to the desk and read one of the letters there. It was from your publisher.” Noelia was silent, and he looked at her anxiously. “You’re not mad at me, are you? Honestly, I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
Noelia smiled and shook her head. “I’m not mad. I’m just surprised that you never said anything.”
“Well, I was embarrassed that you might think less of me, think I was snooping . . . ”
“And I thought you might think less of me because I write romances. Some people are very snobby about what they call ‘literature,’ and look down on love stories. Even though they are among the bestselling books.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Noelia. I am proud of your work. And I would never question the beauty of your writing.”
“You’ve read some of my books?”
“I doubt there’s a man in Marina Cove or the whole of the U.S. who hasn’t read them. In fact, any man whose wife, girlfriend, or significant other has the books has probably flipped through at least some of your books. They’re fascinating . . . ”
“A reviewer once described them as ‘a look into the soul-deep desires of women.’ I loved that,” Noelia grinned.
“It sounds beautiful. Just like you. And how about we investigate some of those soul-deep desires again?”
“And just what did you have in mind?” Noelia’s heart was beating a little faster as she trailed her fingers along the curve of his rib cage and began to slip farther down, following the taut line of his stomach.
“Oh, my,” he breathed. “I’m thinking of page seventy-four in At the Duke’s Command.”
Noelia sighed. “I think I remember that. Yes, that would be fun . . . ” And her nimble fingers continued on their journey of exploration until Nate clasped her hand.
“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to ask you a question I’ve wanted to ask for a while now.”
“What question?” Noelia’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I hope it’s not the one a lot of readers, mainly men, ask. They want to know how I research those books, and you wouldn’t believe how often I get emails or letters through my publisher from guys offering to help with the research.” Noelia clamped her lips together. “I warn you, it always makes me angry.”
“It makes me angry, too. If anyone helps with your research, it’s going to be me.” He ducked as she swiped at him.
Nate reached and grasped both her wrists in his long fingers. “Just insurance in case this question makes you angry,” he whispered into her ear.
“Oh, Nate, go on. Whatever you want to know.”
“I want to know if you’ll agree to be my wife? Marry me, Noelia Russo.”
She didn’t answer, and Nate became aware of moisture against his chest. “I’ve upset you? I didn’t mean to . . . Are you really crying?”
Noelia sniffed and, freeing her hands, swiped away the tears.
“It’s just that I’m so happy. Oh, Nate, of course I’ll marry you!”
“Can we do it soon? I don’t want to be apart from you for another minute.”
And his mouth fastened on hers in a kiss that promised a lifetime of loving.
Acknowledgments
No book ever arrives in the reader’s hands without a lot of creative input by many people. In the case of The Sleeping Beauty Bride, that includes the talented staff at Crimson Romance, and especially Senior Editor Jess Verdi, Imprint Manager Julie Sturgeon, and Executive Editor Tara Gelsomino. And, of course, the readers who asked for another Wedding Bliss book! Thank you!
Turn the page for an excerpt from
Saving Maggie
Chapter 1
The woman in the sexy little red convertible looked perky from behind. Her glossy long hair was pulled up in a careless ponytail and swayed from side to side like a cobra charmed by an Indian flute as she bopped to the music from the car radio.
Even at a car’s length away, the driver behind her thought this was the sort
of hair a man could run his fingers through and grasp playfully. He wished now he were piloting his own expensive roadster rather than the sedate brown sedan he’d rented especially for this trip. His own car was the sort that would impress the kind of girl who drove a bright red convertible with the top down on a windy spring day.
He imagined himself overtaking her, seeing her look over at him, her eyes widening in admiration as she took in his expensive ride and wealthy, groomed good looks.
Then she’d remember him and smile . . .
He gunned the accelerator and with a disdainful purr the rental spurted forward, pulling alongside her. He glanced over, hoping to catch her eye. But she stared straight ahead, singing along to some mindless pop music and oblivious to his look of longing.
He didn’t matter to her. She didn’t remember. She didn’t smile.
Irritated now, he jabbed the accelerator and zoomed past her. He knew soon they’d meet again.
Then he’d refresh her memory.
• • •
Maggie Kendall was just leaving Fried Heaven with two cups of the diner’s delicious coffee balanced in her hands, when a tall, dark-haired stranger pushed open the door so suddenly that it caught her, and hot coffee sloshed wetly down the front of her white silk shirt.
“I am so sorry!” His handsome face flushed with embarrassment as he grabbed a wad of paper napkins from a dispenser on the nearest table and began to mop at the spill. His touch on her upper breasts was electric—it sizzled all the way down to her toes, leaving her breathless. Brushing his hands away, she snapped: “You’re making it worse. My office is just across the road and I can clean up there.”
The man snatched back his hand as he realized the inappropriate intimacy of his touch. Blushing, he tossed the damp napkins onto a table and jammed the offending hands into his suit pants pockets. “I . . . at least let me pay for your dry cleaning,” he stammered, but Maggie was already halfway out the door.
The Sleeping Beauty Bride Page 18
