Between Marriage and Merger

by Karen Booth

  A member of his dad’s security detail was standing outside when Noah arrived at the front door. Noah had to once again talk his way in. Since the kids had left home, their dad had practically turned the house into a fortress. As the guard radioed for approval, Noah stood with his hands stuffed into his pockets, noticing how the grounds and house were starting to look dilapidated. There were browned-out sections in the hedges and green algae bloomed near the foundation. Maybe his dad was losing touch with reality. Or maybe this deluded attempt to grab the Grand Legacy was about money and a man desperate to maintain a level of success beyond that of his own children.

  “You can go in now. Mr. Locke is waiting for you in his study.”

  “Thanks.” Noah saw no point in being rude to the guard. He was doing his job.

  Noah strode through the familiar marble-floored foyer, under the antique crystal chandelier and to the left, down the long hall that led to the private quarters. Even this space, which could have easily been more humbly decorated, had a fine Persian runner and museum-quality paintings in gilt gold frames. The house was deadly quiet. A library had more life.

  His father’s study door was open and Noah didn’t wait to go in. This would not be a long visit.

  “Noah.” Like a king who has no time for commoners, his dad didn’t bother rising from his seat behind the tank of a desk to greet his youngest son. “I was hoping you’d bring your lovely fiancée. Or is there trouble in paradise? Perhaps you should’ve stayed in Florida with your friends, the Hannaforts.”

  Noah stood dead center in front of his dad’s desk. “Honestly, things could be better. That’s for sure.”

  His dad was smugly fighting a smile, but Noah noticed how much he’d aged. His salt-and-pepper hair was thinning more, his wrinkles were more pronounced. “Sit. Let’s catch up.”

  “I’m good. I’m not staying.”

  “If things could be better, I take it your brother is having a hard time after we had our conversation?”

  “It’s not just Sawyer. I’m having a hard time with it, too. You can’t have the hotel, Dad. It rightfully belongs to us.”

  “You mean it belongs to your brother.”

  Noah shook his head. “No. It belongs to all three of us now. Sawyer cut both Charlotte and me in on it.”

  “He’ll bring you two on board, but he won’t give his own father what is rightfully his?”

  His father’s sense of entitlement had always bothered Noah. “I like how you care about fatherhood when there’s something in it for you. Sawyer brought us in to protect the hotel from you. The Hannafort deal is part of that.”

  “So you admit that you’re cutting a deal with one of my oldest business rivals, on a property that should belong to me? Do you have any idea how insulting this is?” The anger in his dad’s voice was clear, but Noah preferred it that way. No hiding his true feelings.

  “You treat everyone like they only exist to do your bidding and this is what you get.”

  His father’s nostrils flared. “This is not what I get. I want the damn hotel.” He pounded both fists on the desk. The sound reverberated through the room, but Noah stood firm. He didn’t let it faze him.

  Noah planted both hands on his father’s desk and looked him square in the eye. His pulse pounded in his ears. Rage coursed through his veins. “You don’t get the damn hotel. Great-Grandfather saw you for what you are. You never cared about it. You cared about appearances. Your own flesh and blood cut you out of the will and you can’t stand the way it made you look.” Now that he was on a roll, he couldn’t stop. Noah reached into his pants pocket. He fished out the printed page he’d brought from the office, placing it on his father’s desk. “We know about Dan Lewis and what he did to Lily’s computer.”

  His dad hardly glanced at the picture. “I’m impressed. Dan’s one of the best in the business.”

  “I don’t really care what he is. The reality is that you tried to sabotage our company and we have the evidence. We’ll bring charges of corporate espionage against you, but I’m hoping it won’t get that far. I’m hoping you can finally learn to let your children live their lives.” It felt so good to get that off his chest. Avoiding a brass-tacks talk with his dad had left a huge weight on his shoulders.

  “Fine. I’ll just give Lyle Hannafort a call after you leave. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Tell Lyle whatever you want. I called him from the car a half hour ago and explained everything.”

  As that bit of news settled in the room, his dad’s eyes reflected the defeat Noah had come for, but didn’t relish. He didn’t want things to be like this. But his dad had insisted on stirring the pot. Hopefully this could be the end. “So you told him the engagement was fake?”

  “Was, as in past tense. Today, I ask Lily to marry me for real.”

  Fourteen

  Even from across the street, Noah could see that Lily’s favorite bookstore, Petticoats and Proposals, was packed. A steady stream of people was filing inside. More were out chatting on the sidewalk in front of it. This was not what he’d expected. Lily had always said she liked Fridays because the store was especially quiet and she could sit in the back corner and read in peace. Would she even be there? There was only one way to find out. Even when turning up at a busy romance bookstore with a bouquet of roses and a ring in your pocket was a sure way to look like you were trying too hard.

  The signal turned green and Noah marched across the street, his heart pulsing at a rate he wasn’t sure he’d ever reached when running. He spotted the sign on the door as soon as he got closer. An author was doing a reading and signing tonight. Judging by the crowd inside and out, this author was extremely popular. Noah really hoped Lily was a fan.

  Noah pulled the door open. A bell jingled against the glass. A gray-muzzled beagle sauntered past him, winding between the people gathered, not noticing Noah at all, exactly as Lily had once described him. The bookstore had that familiar aroma of paper and coffee and ink. Lily loved it here. She’d talked about it many times. The stories contained on these pages represented the part of her that refused to believe anything other than love conquers all. Even when real life had shown her that loving someone only hurts, she still clung to the notion that it simply wasn’t the right love. She’d taught him that. And now it was time to show her that their love was the right one, the one they’d both been waiting for.

  He walked past the front counter, where the clerk was busy ringing out a customer. Noah walked down the center aisle between the bookshelves. This was the moment when everything would either come together or fall apart. He had spent a lifetime avoiding scenarios like this, never pushing things to their limit to test how strong they were. Whether he’d realized he was doing that or not didn’t matter. He couldn’t allow it to happen anymore.

  He reached the back of the store and looked left, seeing only more books and customers. He turned right, and down at the end of the aisle was exactly the picture Lily had painted for him—a comfortable red chair and a reading lamp next to it. Noah’s heart sank. The chair was empty.

  A young woman approached him. “Can I help you find a book? Or did you get lost on the way to a photo shoot for a romance novel cover?” She nodded at the bouquet in his hands.

  Noah felt foolish, but he was determined. “I’m hoping you can help me find one of your customers. Her name is Lily and she comes here almost every Friday night. She reads in this chair. She told me all about it.”

  A look of recognition crossed her face. “Pretty blonde?”

  Noah nodded eagerly. “Yes. The most beautiful blue eyes you’ve ever seen.”

  “I know exactly who you’re talking about. Come on.” She waved Noah to the center of the store, near the back room where the reading was taking place. When they arrived at the door, she pointed to the front of the jam-packed room. “She’s right there,” she whispered.

 
Noah scanned the rows and rows of people, and the instant his eyes landed on Lily, his heart flip-flopped in his chest. There she was, as gorgeous as ever, listening intently to the author’s reading. “How do I get in there?”

  Several people standing in the doorway turned around and shushed him.

  The clerk pulled him aside. “You can wait until she’s done with the reading. It should only take another twenty minutes or so.”

  He considered this option, but it didn’t feel right. “I don’t want to wait. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for her.”

  A look of charity and pity crossed the woman’s face. “Maybe text her?”

  Noah hated his phone, but it might work. Otherwise, he’d be forced to walk into that room. Talk about scrutiny—getting down on bended knee and popping the question was likely to get healthy critiques from romance readers. He fished his phone from his pocket. Turn around. I’m here.

  He watched as she scrambled for her purse. He’d never studied a person’s facial expressions more than at that very moment. When a smile crossed her face, the relief he felt was immense. She turned and their gazes connected. The room of hundreds of people seemed to fade away.

  “Come here,” he mouthed.

  She got up, but it was no easy task to make her way through this room. Noah watched as Lily had to sneak her way out, crouching down and tiptoeing past row after row of people. By the time she reached him, she practically stumbled out of the room. “What are you doing here?”

  The women who’d shushed him turned around again. He knew he had to redeem himself. “I’m here to hopefully make everything better.” He held up the bouquet as evidence.

  A wide smile crossed Lily’s face and she took the roses from him and smelled them. “Thank you. They’re lovely.”

  “You’re welcome. Can we talk?”

  Lily looked around. “Outside? There’s no privacy in here.”

  Noah was so relieved. “Yes.”

  Out they went onto the street. Lily tugged on her coat and Noah helped her, but every second he had to put this off was grating on him. “Did something happen with the computer and Sawyer and your dad?” Lily asked. “It doesn’t seem like you’d bring roses if there was more bad news.”

  Noah told her the whole story, complete with the admission that even Sawyer didn’t know about yet, that he’d called Lyle Hannafort and told him everything.

  Lily clasped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe you spilled the beans.”

  “I had no choice. I didn’t want us to live under the shadow of that anymore. It wasn’t right.”

  “And it didn’t jeopardize the deal?”

  Noah shook his head. “In the end, the almighty dollar was stronger than a silly story in a tabloid or a fake engagement.”

  A contented smile crossed Lily’s face. “If flowers are your way of inviting me back to work, I would’ve come back anyway. I love working for you and Sawyer. I’m so relieved it all got worked out.”

  He took Lily’s hand and knew this was his moment. This was his chance to go for everything he thought he’d never have, his one shot to get the girl. Right there on the sidewalk, he dropped to one knee. Lily’s eyes were bigger and more beautiful than he’d ever seen. Her smile grew, too. “Lily, I love you. I love you more than anything in the whole world and I can’t even conceive of a life where you aren’t at the center of everything.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue Tiffany bundle, hoping this was the right thing to do. “Will you be my wife?”

  When he popped open the box, Lily gasped. She reached for the ring, her hand trembling. She didn’t even take it. She only looked at it in awe. “Noah. The sapphire. Your mom’s ring.”

  “The right ring. The only ring. The one you were meant to wear.”

  She gazed down at him, her eyes watery, but it was unlike the other times he’d seen her cry. He saw happiness and joy. He saw everything he’d ever wanted. “Yes, I will marry you, Noah. Yes, I will be your wife.”

  Noah rose to his feet and pulled the ring from the box, slipping it onto Lily’s finger. “That other ring looked pretty good on your hand, but this one is perfect.” He took another look at her and didn’t wait, pulling her into his arms and planting a suitably hot kiss on her lips. He couldn’t wait to get her stuff back from her apartment and move her in, again. This time, for real.

  Lily ended the kiss and grinned. “I’m so happy, it’s ridiculous.” From inside the store, the muffled sound of applause came. A customer opened the door and hoots and hollers erupted from the store entrance. The window was lined with customers who must have seen the proposal. Lily laughed. “It appears we’ve attracted a crowd.”

  Noah wanted one more kiss. “This is one time I don’t mind anyone watching.”

  * * *

  Lily’s second visit to the New York City Clerk’s Office for a wedding was much more romantic than the first. She gazed at Noah, knowing now that he was hers. The years of longing for him were nothing more than part of their journey, the story they could tell their children someday. She’d done her time with unrequited love. Now she had it—Noah’s affection, his devotion and his glorious self. She couldn’t have been any happier if one of her favorite authors had written this happy ending. It was the one she never saw coming.

  “By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Noah grinned like a goof, but there was that sexy edge to it, the one that said he couldn’t wait to get her home and take off her clothes. Of course, there would be no tearing off the wedding dress. There would be careful and judicious removal of said garment, followed by hours of hot sex. She was going to get everything that Lily Locke was entitled to. Or Lily Foster-Locke. She still wasn’t sure which was better.

  “Do I get to kiss her?” he asked the clerk, suddenly seeming unsure of himself.

  “Come here.” Lily popped up onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. The kiss was steamier than was probably warranted for a government building on a Tuesday, but Lily didn’t really care.

  They both lingered for a moment, lips still a whisper away from each other. Their breaths were in perfect sync. The spark between them, the magnetic pull that made it impossible to stay away from Noah, was making its presence known. It took everything Lily had not to kiss him again. Lily heard a woman in the office speak. I want a man to kiss me like that.

  Lily sighed, contented, and landed back on her heels, still grasping Noah’s arms. She not only had a man to kiss her like that, she got to keep him. This was so much better than the first time she tried to get married, aside from the obvious upside of the desired outcome. Today felt like a happy dream, the kind you never want to wake up from, rather than an unthinkable nightmare. But even better, the pain she had gone through the first time was now a good thing. If she hadn’t been dumped, she never would’ve moved to New York. If she hadn’t moved to New York, she never would’ve found Noah.

  She slipped back into her lovely new reality when Noah spoke. “Can we get out of here? I’m starving.”

  Charlotte was the first to congratulate them. Sort of. “Don’t you dare screw this up, Noah. Or I will hunt you down and slap you silly.”

  Lily laughed, but Noah’s forehead crinkled with annoyance. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to let Lily out of my sight.” He took her hand and squeezed it three times.

  Sawyer appeared and held his arms wide for Lily. “I need to give my new sister-in-law a hug.” When they were cheek to cheek, he said one more thing. “I hope you know how sorry I am that I ever doubted you.”

  Lily waved it off. “Water under the bridge. I don’t believe in grudges.”

  “So I’ve been told,” Sawyer said.

  Kendall was right behind him. “Welcome to the family, Lily. I hope we can become good friends.”


  “Absolutely,” Lily replied.

  “Now let’s eat.” Noah kissed Lily’s temple. “On to the Grand Legacy.”

  With a wave of his hand, Sawyer made way for Lily and Noah to lead the procession out of the building. A stretch SUV was waiting to take them to lunch at the hotel. Noah and Lily sat in the back, holding hands.

  “I can’t even believe today, Noah. It all feels like a dream. Pinch me.”

  “That sounds like something for later tonight.” He nuzzled her neck and kissed that delicate spot beneath her ear, making her go weak in the knees, even though she was sitting.

  “I can’t wait.”

  The car pulled up in front of the hotel and they all climbed out. Sawyer, Kendall, Michael and Charlotte filed straight into the revolving door, but Noah held Lily’s hand and kept her back.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Everything is perfect. I just want to make sure you’re okay with not having the wedding here at the Grand Legacy. Of not going through with the things you started planning with Marcy. I hope you know that I only made this suggestion because I didn’t want to wait, but if you want to have a more formal ceremony, we can still do that. I don’t want you to feel cheated out of your perfect wedding.”

  Lily raised her hand and dug her fingers into Noah’s hair, admiring his fine face that she now got to kiss as much as she wanted. It was so sweet that he was concerned about this, but it was time and effort wasted. “I don’t need the perfect wedding, Noah. I got the perfect guy.”

  * * * * *

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