AT LAST
Melissa Schroeder
Harmless Publishing
Contents
About At Last
Prologue
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
The Lost Night
Brando and Kaitlin’s story
TASK FORCE HAWAII
Seductive Reasoning
Hostile Desires
Constant Craving
Tangled Passions
Discover Melissa Schroeder’s Military Romances
About Melissa Schroeder
Also by Melissa Schroeder
About At Last
A woman who gets under his skin.
Aeden Fitzpatrick has been annoyed by his sister’s best friend for as long as he could remember. She is snooty and a know it all, and he just doesn’t like her that much. Of course, it doesn’t keep him from fantasizing about her, or getting irrationally angry because she dates so many men. That all changes the night of his sister’s wedding. One night and he is hooked. But Wendy has obligations so he will just have to wait.
She never expected love.
Wendy has always assumed she would never fall in love. She had made sure to date the kind of men who knew the score. Her childhood had proven to her that she was unloveable and she refused to take that from a man. Aeden changes all of that in one long, amazing night. Now, six months later, she’s not sure what will happen, but she knows she’s in love.
A twisted obsession
Wendy returns to find out she is a local celebrity but she could care less. All she wants is to return to work and figure out what is going on with Aeden. Their courtship isn’t without it’s bumps in the road. Their chemistry in bed doesn’t help deal with their conflicting personalities. But when someone starts to stalk Wendy, Aeden realizes that he doesn’t want to live without her in his life. When the stalking turns sinister, the lovers must fight for everything they hold dear…including their lives.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
At Last
Copyright © 2016 by Melissa Schroeder Edited by Noel Varner
Cover by Brandy Walker, TEZ Graphics
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First electronic publication: Nov, 2016
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ISBN: 978-1-939734-40-2
For my Baby Belle.
I will miss your sweet smiles, your melodramatic sighs, and the way you loved us all unconditionally. You will always be in my heart and I can’t wait to see you again with your sister Shelby over the Rainbow Bridge.
Prologue
Aeden Fitzpatrick rushed out of the train and through the milling crowd. Too many damned people at the airport. It figures she would leave the weekend everyone else decided they needed to go on one final fling for summer. Worse, he was running late because he had gone to the wrong fucking airport. Now, he had a one-way ticket to Boston he didn’t need.
His phone vibrated. When he saw his sister’s face on the screen, he wanted to growl.
“Where are you?” Kaitlin asked.
“I’m busy.”
There was a pause. Of course there was. She was either going to start crying or barfing. Aeden He wasn’t sure which one, but that is all she had been doing since she found out she was pregnant.
“You’re supposed to be here to say goodbye to the Santinis.”
Dammit. He forgot he was supposed to be at a brunch with her new in-laws. In fact, his brother Declan had planned a special menu just for the families and closed down his restaurant Fitzpatrick’s for the occasion.
“Is Wendy there?” he asked, hoping the woman in question had changed her mind.
“No. You know Wendy’s leaving today. She’s waiting at the gate.”
Dammit. Life never did go right when it came to that woman. Couldn’t she be late once and miss her flight? At least she could have been standing in security.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Before she could say anything, he turned off his phone. He scanned the departures and found her flight. He had less than twenty-five minutes to make it to her.
He jogged past families and irritated businessmen as he hurried down the long hallways. Aeden was out of breath by the time he made it to the end of the terminal. He scanned the throngs of people, and his heart started to sink. Anger and disappointment weighed heavy on his shoulders. Dammit, he couldn’t have missed her. Then, a flash of a blonde ponytail caught his attention, and the heaviness on his soul dissolved.
She was third in line. His family had always said he was loud, so he shouted her name. She turned in his direction and her mouth hung open. He didn’t wait. He strode forward and people seemed to get out of his way.
Still, she didn’t move. It was as if she were glued to the floor. When he reached her, he took her bag, and set it down on the ground.
“Aeden, what the hell are you doing here?” she asked.
It figured she would ask him in that tone. It was as if she thought he had lost his mind. And he had. It was the only explanation he could come up with.
“What am I doing here?”
Did their night together mean nothing to her?
“Yes.”
He couldn’t answer her any other way. There was only one action that would get her attention. Aeden cupped her face and slammed his mouth down on hers. He had the pleasure of watching her eyes flutter shut before he shut his own. When he pulled back, his world had tilted.
“That. That is what I’m doing here.”
When she opened her eyes, tears shimmered in her blue gaze. “Aeden…”
He shook his head. “No, don’t say anything. You have to go. I have to stay. We’ll just call this…to be continued.”
She chuckled, although tears filled her voice. “Okay.” She brushed her fingers over his cheek. “Be careful.”
He nodded. “You too.”
He stepped back and watched her go through the gate. She gave him one last look over her shoulder, then she walked through the door.
For a long moment, he couldn’t catch his breath. It was if the center of his world had just been sucked out of him. The idea that he had no way of seeing her every day, or even talking to her, was almost too much for him to accept. A month ago he would have scoffed at anyone who thought he would miss the woman. Now, he couldn’t even think of what to do since she was leaving.
Even knowing he should leave so he could avoid questions from his family. Aeden just could not seem to make himself go. He stood by the window and waited until he saw the plane back out, then make its way to the runway.
It was going to be a long six months.
Chapter 1
Exhaustion weighed heavily on Wendy’s shoulders. She�
�d been traveling for close to forty-eight hours. Buses, trains, planes…she felt close to collapsing. And she couldn’t wait to see how big her friend Kaitlin had gotten. Her best friend was close to thirty-six weeks pregnant. She had pictures of Kaitlin, but seeing her in person was better.
The burden of the journey grew with each step she took toward the gate. Wendy knew who would be there. Kaitlin and her new husband, Brando Santini. And probably Kaitlin's parents. No one from Wendy’s family even knew she was in Africa for six months. She hadn’t contacted them and, more than likely, they never even noticed.
If she weren't so used to it, it would have made her sad. What made her sad, though, was that she just didn't expect anything from her family. She hadn’t for years.
She shook off those sad feelings as she stepped onto the train that led to the baggage claim. There was one person she didn't know about, and that was Aeden Fitzpatrick, Kaitlin's oldest brother. He had been a thorn in her side for years, until that night. She could remember it as if it were just last week. The taste of his kiss had haunted her for six months. And, if had been just a kiss, that would have been different. But that one embrace had led to the most incredible sex of her life. She'd talked to him while she had been gone, but they had tried their best to keep it platonic. Neither one of them knew what was going to happen when she arrived back home.
And that fateful day was finally here.
More than one butterfly danced in her belly. She wasn't sure if Aeden was going to be at the airport to meet her. She hadn’t asked when they talked a week ago. Mainly because she had been afraid of his reaction. The truth was, she didn't want him there as much as she wanted him there. It was the push-pull of their relationship…the yin and the yang. She was afraid of what would happen, but she wanted to see him at the same time.
Yep, she was kind of insane.
A man pushed past her, in a hurry to get off the train. Irritation flashed through her, but it was vague and just mildly annoying. Typically, she would have called out to him, but she didn't have the energy. At this point, she was just happy to be back home.
She stepped off behind him and made her way to the baggage claim. There, with her Santini by her side, stood a huge Kaitlin. Tears sprung into Wendy's eyes, and a surprising surge of energy she wasn’t aware she possessed propelled her forward. She hurried over to her.
And found herself in a huge hug.
“Oh, you look so good,” Wendy said.
She pulled back and found Kaitlin’s eyes as wet as hers.
“You must be confused. I'm massive.”
“Massively gorgeous.” She stepped back but held onto Kaitlin’s hands. “God, you look good.”
Kaitlin handed her off to Brando, who hugged her and kissed her cheek, then to Kaitlin's parents.
“You have gotten too skinny, Wendy,” Deidre Fitzpatrick said.
She shook her head as Mike Fitzpatrick picked her up in a big bear hug, and gave her a big smack of a kiss on the cheek.
When he set her down on the ground, he said, “We'll get her some more meat on those bones, don't worry.”
She smiled. “And I’m ready for it. I would kill for some of your bangers and mash, for sure.”
“Do you have any luggage?” Brando asked. She smiled at her best friend's new husband. The Marine was just as gorgeous as she remembered; with that puppy dog look in his eyes and one helluva body—he was a Marine.
“One, and it's pink. I had the rest shipped back.”
Although she hadn't had much in clothing, she'd had a lot of things the children she had worked with had given her. It had cost a pretty penny, but it had been worth it.
Brando found her bag quickly enough and brought it back.
“The boys wanted to be here, but all of them were on shift or had just gotten off. Declan said he expects you to show up tomorrow for a big bowl of potato soup.”
She smiled as they stepped out of the terminal. It was later than she had thought, and there was the nip of a fading winter in the air. She had missed fall, but then, she loved all the seasons.
“Oh, God, that feels good,” she said as the cool air danced over her flesh. It had been a long time since she had felt this kind of weather. “Believe it or not, I missed Baltimore weather.”
“Ladies, wait here. Kaitlin, sit down and rest,” Brando ordered.
Then, he trudged off with Big Mike to get the car.
Kaitlin shook her head. “That man is always telling me to rest. It is annoying.”
Wendy smiled. “Yeah, but you two look good together.”
Kaitlin returned the smile. “He's read every damned book there is on baby birthing, as he puts it. He's excited.”
“So sweet.” And she would not feel envious. Maybe just a tiny twinge of jealousy, but she was so happy to see that Brando and Kaitlin were excited about the baby.
“I'm just glad you made it back in time.”
“I wouldn't miss it for the world.” She leaned down so that she was eye-level with Kaitlin's belly. “Hey, there. This is your Aunt Wendy, and I’m going to spoil you so bad.”
Kaitlin laughed. “Oh, God.” Then her eyes got watery again. “I'm sorry.”
“Oh, sweetie, no mother-to-be should ever say they are sorry about crying. It's your right.”
Deidre smiled. “It's so good to see you girls together again.”
“It’s good to be together again,” Wendy said.
“I filled up your refrigerator, so you have a lot of food in there. Declan did make a few of your favorites, and they are in the freezer.”
“Why have I not married him yet?” She looked at Kaitlin. “Is he seeing anyone? Do you think he would just be happy cooking me food and sleeping in another room?”
“What's wrong with sleeping in the same bed as my boy?” Deidre asked.
Wendy shuddered melodramatically. “It would be like sleeping with my brother, and I am so not into that.”
There was a second of silence, then they all started laughing. Brando parked in front of them and frowned. He got out of the SUV. “I told you to rest.”
Kaitlin said nothing but smiled as she let him help her into the vehicle. Wendy sat in back, happy to be able to stretch out a bit.
“You look exhausted,” Mrs. Fitzpatrick said.
“I am. Forty-eight hours of traveling are not all it's cracked up to be. Even if I did fly first class from London to DC.”
“Well, you just close your eyes and get a little rest on the way home.”
“No, I think I can make it,” she said, as Brando pulled into traffic. But soon, she found her eyes growing heavy, and she decided a little nap wouldn't hurt.
* * *
“Hey, we're here,” Kaitlin said. Wendy blinked and realized she had slept all the way home. It took her a second to realize she wasn't at her home, though. They were parked out on the street in front of Fitzpatrick’s, Declan’s Bar and Grill.
“What?”
“Okay, so here is the thing,” Kaitlin said, turning around to face her. “Declan wanted to throw you a party. I said that maybe you would be tired and he said that you wouldn’t be tired if I promise to make her a steak.”
Oh, she didn't want to be there, truly. She wanted to take a long, long shower and go to bed.
Still, this was her family. The people who loved her, and she loved them. And, honestly, she couldn't wait to see them all. She would have preferred to have showered and brushed her teeth—not to mention sleep for five days, but she couldn’t let Deidre down.
“Hell, yeah, I want a steak, and it better be bloody.”
She scrambled out of the SUV and rushed to the front door. There was a sign on the door that said it was closed for a family event. She opened the door and stepped into the restaurant. The moment she did, a cheer went up, and everyone started clapping. A massive banner that read: Welcome Home, Wendy, hung above the bar. It was then that she realized Declan had closed the restaurant on a Friday night for her. Tears sprung to her eyes again, as
she started looking around the room. People from the hospital were there, along with a lot of the folks she knew who worked for Declan. And, firemen. Firemen were everywhere.
Then there were the Fitzpatricks. It was hard to miss Kaitlin’s brothers. All tall, blonde, and gorgeous. Declan picked her up off the ground and swung her around. “You are too skinny, woman.”
He set her down on the ground and smiled down at her. Big and brawny, Declan was the only brother who hadn’t gone into fire and rescue. The long hair and goatee were definitely an indicator, but his inability to handle the sight of blood also had something to do with it too, she was sure.
“Where is this steak I heard about?” Wendy asked.
He smiled. “Coming right up. John threw it on as soon as Mom texted you were here.”
She nodded, then squeaked when the youngest Fitzpatrick hugged her from behind.
“We missed you,” Emmet said, before handing her off to Connal.
“Yeah. Kaitlin was so worried that you wouldn’t make it back in time. She would not shut up.” He hugged her and then Seamus stepped up.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes. And yeah, Kaitlin was bad.” He tugged her into another Fitzpatrick bear hug, then whispered in her ear, “But she wasn’t half as bad as Aeden.”
She looked at him and saw the understanding in his eyes. Keeping secrets from the Fitzpatricks was hard. Even though she hadn’t said anything to anyone, and she was sure that Aeden hadn’t either, they all knew something had happened. There was just no way around it.
“And where is he?”
He made a face. “He had to work. He tried to switch nights but, you know.”
Yeah, she did. If there was one thing a nurse understood, it was that there were times when things just went wrong. His hours as a fireman weren’t much better than hers. She was disappointed, but she didn’t let it show. Much.
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