He stepped back so Lottie, May, Charlie, Scarlett, and Luanne could wrap their arms around her. “I’ll see you at the altar.”
“’Kay.” She couldn’t have wiped the goofy, lovestruck grin from her face if someone paid her.
May winked and flicked her hand at him. “Shoo, we’ve got this.”
He saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Mom, we’re just alike.” Lottie held the skirt of her dress out for inspection.
It took Hailey a minute to realize that they did match. “Did Beau give that to you?”
“Sure did.”
May adjusted the bun on Lottie’s head. “He swore us to secrecy.”
“Are you surprised, Mom?”
She laughed. Surprised was the understatement of the year. “Pretty much.”
Charlie handed her flowers tied together with a blue satin ribbon. “Here’s your bouquet.”
Hailey’s head spun. She and Beau had planned to get married at some point. In fact, they had gotten the marriage license the last time they were in Texas, but with the tour, recording the next album, and dealing with Lottie’s homeschool curriculum, it’d fallen to the bottom of their to-do list.
She wasn’t complaining. It’d been an amazing nine months, and touring with a family had gone better than either of them could’ve imagined. But now that the day was here, meeting him at the altar was all that mattered to her.
Charlie pushed Hailey behind her and held her arms up in a stop motion. “Stop right there, Honey. Drop the Aqua Net, and nobody gets hurt.”
Honey’s booming laugh rang through the building. “Darlin’, it’s just a little hairspray.”
“With you, it’s never just a little.” Scarlett snorted.
“You know the sayin’, the bigger the hair, the closer to God.” Honey lightly patted her red locks, then glanced at May, whose hair was bigger than Hailey had ever seen it. “Kids these days don’t know what looks good anymore.”
May laughed, then kissed Hailey’s cheek. “I’m so happy for you, Hailey. He’s one of the good ones.”
Well, damn, just when she’d gotten her tears under control, they started up again. “He is.”
May looped her arm through Honey’s. “Let’s go find our seats and leave these young ’uns to their flat hair.”
“Mom, guess what?”
Hailey glanced down at her daughter. “What?”
“I get to be your maid of honor.” Lottie waved her smaller bouquet to prove her point.
Hailey kissed her forehead. “I couldn’t have picked a better one myself.”
Charlie handed her a tissue. “We’re going to sit too. Do you need anything else?”
She gazed into the faces of the women who’d become more than friends, and loved each one of them for different reasons. Charlie, because she was loyal and true. Scarlett because she understood what it was like to love someone everyone wanted a piece of, and Luanne because she loved Beau almost as much as Hailey. “No, I’m good. I’m just so glad you three are here today. I love y’all.”
They all three hugged her among a chorus of, “We love you too.”
Once they were gone, she took several steadying breaths.
Lottie slipped her hand into Hailey’s. “Mom, are you okay?”
Was she? She was surrounded by people who truly loved her and wanted the very best for her, and about to marry the perfect man for her… Yeah, she was just fine. “I’m great, baby. How do you feel about all of this?”
“I’m really happy. Beau asked me yesterday if he could marry you, and I said, heck yeah! Now I’ll have two dads.”
Hailey smoothed her hand over her daughter’s hair. “Yes, you will.” Lottie and Derek’s relationship had improved over the last few months. She didn’t know what’d brought about the change in her ex-husband—maybe being away from Zachsville—but whatever it was, she was happy for it. The silly gifts he’d sent Lottie and the regular phone calls had gone a long way in healing their relationship. A girl needed her daddy.
Her father appeared at her right and held up his arm. “May I?”
Another ball of emotion lodged in her throat. She took his offered arm. “Yes, please.”
She, her dad, and Lottie made their way to the entrance of the beer garden. May stepped up to them. “Remember, Lottie, start down the aisle when the music begins.”
Lottie nodded with all the gravity and seriousness of someone in charge of a nuclear switch. “Got it.”
Hailey glanced around the bar again. She pointed to the section that’d burnt during the fire. “Did you rebuild that wall, Dad?”
He shook his head. “It was Beau’s idea. I only hired the contractor.”
“Seems silly to pay money to build something that’s just going to be torn down in a few weeks.” She waited for the pang of regret to hit her, but except for a tiny pinch, it never came. Selling was the very best option for everyone. The nonprofit had already helped several women and their families, but the infusion of cash would expand the number of services they could provide. She loved running the foundation in a way she’d never loved running Boon’s.
“Not silly. Beau knows how much getting married here means to you, and so do I. I think it’s appropriate that the last thing to happen at Boon’s signifies the start of something lasting and new for you.”
The question she’d been too afraid to voice shoved through the emotional lump in her throat. “Do you think Mom would be disappointed in me?”
“No. I don’t.” The certainty in his voice caused a stray tear to roll over her lower lid.
“But she loved this place so much.” She’d made her peace with her decision to sell the bar, but still, the question lingered.
Her dad squeezed her hand wrapped around his arm. “She did love this place, Hailey, but she loved you more. Your mom lived her life exactly as she wanted. I think she’d approve of you living the life you want. She’d be as impressed as I am at the choices you’ve made, and how big your life has become.”
Well, crap. At this rate, she’d need a box of tissues to get through the next hour. “Thank you, Dad.” She glanced around. “For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” He tilted his head in Beau’s direction. “But he’s the one you should thank.”
“Oh, I plan to.” She winked and laughed at the face he made.
“There are some things a father doesn’t need to know.”
She leaned into his shoulder. “I love you, Dad.”
He kissed her head. “I love you too, Hailey.”
The music started, and Lottie made her way down the aisle. As Hailey watched her daughter move toward the man who’d become her father in every way except in name, a sense of rightness permeated her body, and all she wanted to do was get to Beau. She tugged on her father’s arm. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her father chuckled.
They nearly beat Lottie to the front, which did not please her daughter. “Mom, you’re too fast.”
“Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”
Everyone laughed, and Beau took her hands in his. The carnival lights strung among the trees that surrounded the beer garden made the gold in his hair flicker like fireflies dancing in the night. His black suit fit him perfectly, and the happiness flaming in his emerald irises warmed every part of her. She was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Justice of the Peace Norris stepped forward. “Before we begin, Beau has something he’d like to say to Lottie.”
Beau winked at Hailey, probably because she had confusion written all over her face. “Be right back.” He pulled something from his jacket pocket and knelt before Lottie. “Lil’ Bit, I’m not just marrying your mama today and making promises to her. I’m making promises to you too. So if it’s okay with you, I’d like to make those promises in front of our family and friends.”
Lottie’s tear-filled gaze never left Beau’s face, and she nodded.
He blew out a big breath and smiled. “Good.” He took her ha
nd in his. “Lottie, I wasn’t there when you were born, or when you took your first step, or when you said your first word, but I promise to always be there for you from now on, when things are fun and when things aren’t so fun. I promise to take care of you and teach you to take care of yourself. I promise to dance in the living room with you, take you fishing, and listen when you have secrets to tell. I also promise to give your boyfriends the evil eye and to clean my shotgun every time one of those rascals picks you up for a date.” Lottie’s laughter dislodged a tear that was hanging on her lashes. Beau wiped it away with his thumb. “And I vow to love you and cherish you and take you for ice cream every chance we get. I’m the luckiest man in the whole world to have you and your mama in my life.” He slipped a birthstone ring onto the third finger of her right hand and sealed his vows with a kiss to her forehead. “I do take you, Lottie girl.”
Lottie threw herself at Beau and squeezed his neck. “I do take you too, Beau. I do. I do. I do.” She pulled back and admired the ring on her finger. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lottie turned to Hailey with awe painted all over her face. “Look, Mom.”
Hailey took her daughter’s hand and inspected the ring. This man. How had she gotten so very lucky? “It’s beautiful.” She kissed Lottie’s finger. “He’s pretty great, huh?”
“He’s awesome.”
Beau stood and placed a hand on Lottie’s shoulder. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to marry your mom now.”
“Yes, please.” Both Hailey and Lottie said at the same time.
The audience laughed, and more than a few of them were wiping their own tears. Beau clasped Hailey’s hand in his. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
JP Norris cleared his throat. “Can we continue?”
Beau’s lips kicked up in a killer grin, and he raised one tawny brow to Hailey in question. “Are you ready?”
There was no containing the joy that spilled from her heart and spread across her face. She closed the distance between them and tilted her face to his. “I was born ready, Heartbreaker.”
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Running From a Rock Star
Brides on the Run, Book 1
Light seared through Scarlett Kelly’s eyelids. She buried her face in the cool pillow to block the glare, but even that slight movement caused an explosion of agony. Pain and nausea crashed into her like a train on fire.
After several minutes of panting through her symptoms, the misery subsided long enough for her to peel open her dry, sticky eyes.
Her conservative dress and equally unadventurous bra stared at her from a condemning puddle on the floor.
Stomach tight, she slid her gaze slightly farther to the right to identify the black pile in her peripheral vision. A motorcycle jacket. Combat boots. Black jeans. And…a guitar? Yes, a beat-up guitar leaned against the wall on the far side of the room. And poker chips littered the carpet like crushed confetti after a wild party.
What the—
Suddenly, something warm cupped her naked breast. She peered down at the large hand connected to a tattooed arm, connected to a…
Oh. My. Lord.
She rotated her head, and a stifled gasp jammed in her throat as she stared into the sleeping face of the man who shared the bed.
Gavin Bain? A thrill skittered through her. The sunlight shone on his raven hair. His smooth bronze skin. Fascinating tattoos. Bam! A memory surfaced through her muddled brain. She’d traced the lines of one of those tattoos, the ninja star on his chest. She’d touched and then kissed her way… Oh, heavens, had she done that with this rock god?
She, Scarlett Kelly, children’s author and poster girl for responsible living, had sex with Gavin Bain. Gavin Bain, the rock star, AKA The Delinquent.
Her brain tried to piece together the previous night. She rarely drank and certainly not to excess. Even during the worst time in her life, alcohol hadn’t been involved.
An acute case of bed-head made pushing her red curls from her face a painful challenge. Why had she drunk so much? It all came back in flashes of utter dismay. The Children’s Writer’s Conference in Las Vegas. Nervous anticipation of signing the contract that would save her family financially. That dream blowing up in her face. Then the added humiliation of overhearing herself described as a No-Fun-Nun.
She’d shown them. Look at her now, naked in a strange man’s bed, the absolute picture of wholesomeness.
I’ve got to get out of here.
She held her breath as she removed his hand and slid from the bed. Moving unsteadily, due to her pounding head and sour stomach, she searched for her clothes, careful to be as quiet as possible.
The purse, bra, dress, and boots were easy. But where were her panties?
A panic attack threatened, and her whole body trembled. Could she have removed her underwear before she got to the room? If so, she hoped that memory stayed hidden. She gave up on the lost undies and headed for the bathroom.
Lord, she needed to pee, but after a prolonged study of the toilet, decided it would be too loud and leaving an unflushed toilet was just bad manners. Even though she’d become, by all appearances, Slutty McSlut Slut, she couldn’t bring herself to be impolite. So she dressed as fast as her shaking hands allowed.
The reflection in the mirror caught her eye, and the blood pounding through her veins turned to ice. Her head jerked toward her image so fast her brain vibrated. For the briefest of seconds, she saw her mother. A tiny whimper cut through the silence, and she ran trembling fingers over her face. People always said she looked like her mother, but now, while making the walk of shame, the resemblance was uncanny. The mental mantra she’d been repeating her whole life reverberated in her head. I am not my mother. I am not my mother. I am not my mother. She grabbed her purse and fled the pristine bathroom.
A cool breeze from the air conditioner drifted up her dress and skimmed her bare bottom. She didn’t ever go commando—too much freedom. Restrictions were safe. Without restraint, a girl could find herself hung over, panty-less, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown while covertly fleeing a rock star’s hotel room.
Oh, wait. That already happened.
She glanced at the door. Nine feet, and she’d be free of this disaster. Logic screamed escape. Compulsion kept her rooted to the spot, and it became imperative that she find her underwear.
I cannot leave without them.
Where could one pair of basic white panties hide? The chandelier was blessedly free of them. Nothing on the drapery rod. But a photo on the desk made life as she knew it come to a screeching halt.
A gaudy cardboard frame held a picture of her and Gavin under a red neon heart. The Valentine Wedding Chapel of Love spelled out in rhinestones around the frame’s border.
It couldn’t possibly mean what she thought it did.
Nooooo.
Next to the picture, the condemning proof—a marriage license issued by the State of Nevada, sign
ed by Gavin Michael Bain and Scarlett Rose Kelly. Her vision blurred, causing the letters on the certificate to dance like cartoon characters.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and glanced back to the gorgeous sleeping man in the bed. A wave of vertigo slammed into her, along with the memory.
She’d told him she’d only have sex with her husband.
With shaking hands, she grabbed the evidence of their reckless night and shoved it into her purse.
While her hard-won reputation exploded into a million pieces, her inner wild child made a victory lap around the room. If that hussy had been driving the bus last night, then she was the reason for this catastrophe.
How could she have been so irresponsible? What was she going to do? No good answer for the first question, but she knew the response to the second. Find the panties and get the heck out of Las Vegas.
She dug through the comforter at the foot of the bed. She kicked at his pile of clothes. She checked behind his guitar.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
They had to be under the bed.
Crap.
Not interested in waking The Delinquent, she cautiously made her way to his side and quietly lowered herself to the floor, ignoring the sweet smile he had on his face while he slept. The white material peeked out between the headboard and the mattress. Hallelujah. She reached in and yanked them free.
All the extra movement pounded dizzying pain into her skull. She bent forward and
rested her head on the soft carpet, and waited for the room to stop spinning.
“Are you praying?” asked a sleepy male voice.
She squeaked, then slowly turned her head without lifting it from the carpet. Amusement sparkled in Gavin’s smoky gray eyes.
“Yes, I’m praying you’re a very bad dream.”
He rolled his eyes as if that couldn’t possibly be true. “Good one. Why are you really on the floor?”
Running After a Heartbreaker (Brides on the Run #4) Page 30
