by Lizzie Shane
She grinned, going up on her toes and nipping his lower lip. “Better get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.”
And the last of the tension in his chest from the long week unknotted. He kissed her, long and deep, one thought repeating in his mind.
God, he loved this woman.
He lifted his head reluctantly. “I told my mother we’re engaged.”
Her eyes widened. “Did she have a stroke?”
“I think she’s gonna be okay with it. She told me this whole story about my father and the nanny—apparently yesterday stirred up some baggage.”
Samira’s eyes widened with instant sympathy. “Oh wow.”
“Hey. Stop it. You aren’t allowed to feel sorry for her until she apologizes to you. And then, word of advice, don’t feel sorry for her. She’s a barracuda. Any softer emotions you display will be exploited without mercy. And if she gives you shit about talking me out of running for office, remember your trump card—she loves weddings and we’re going to have one.”
“Actually, I was thinking about that—”
“Our wedding?” he grinned.
“You running for office. I don’t want to teach the girls that we let fear stop us. So even if I don’t love being in the public eye, I want to do it. I really think we can make a difference. You’ll be amazing and even if I’ll never be a Jackie Kennedy, I want to try.”
“I’m not asking that of you. I want you to be happy and I won’t—”
“Aiden. Shut up.”
He pinned his lips closed.
“I love you. And the world is shifting—and we can be in a unique position to make it better. I told myself it wasn’t what I wanted because I was scared—and I still am a little. I might suck at being a politician’s wife, but I believe in you enough to support you. I am strong enough to be with the man I love even when it isn’t always going to be easy.”
“You are strong. You’re also incredible and gorgeous and brilliant. I’m sure you could arm-wrestle Michelle Obama if that’s what you wanted.”
She snorted. “I was thinking maybe I’d shoot for more of an Annie Glenn type vibe.”
“Whatever you choose, I’m choosing you. We can figure out the rest later. You, me and the girls. We’re a team. That comes first.”
She smiled. “Deal.”
A smart man would keep his mouth shut, but he still heard himself asking, “So we’re good? You really aren’t going to bolt on me again?”
She shook her head, tugging a little on the ends of the tie she still held. “No more running away.”
“I think we’ve already established that I would chase you if you did.”
She grinned. “Good. I’ll chase you right back.” She tugged on his tie, pulling him in for a kiss, and he went with a grin.
And then neither of them said anything for a long time.
EPILOGUE
Samira tugged on Aiden’s tie—she’d gotten in the habit of pulling him toward her by it whenever the mood struck her and he certainly wasn’t complaining, especially when those same ties had been used to attach her to bedposts more than once—but today she wasn’t trying to drag him off to bed. She adjusted the knot, smoothing it out, making it perfect.
“He’d be so proud of you,” she murmured, her attention still on the tie.
“I hope so.” He grimaced. “I’m a little surprised my mother didn’t hire a speechwriter to give me some talking points for the eulogy.”
“She wanted to,” Samira commented with a wry grin. “I talked her out of it.”
That was one of the most surprising developments of the last seven months—the strange alliance between his mother and his bride. His mother had indeed apologized to Samira. She and Samira had navigated around one another cautiously—like two foreign powers feeling one another out, both with nukes at the ready—but then Aiden had disagreed with his mother one day, Samira had taken Regina’s side, and the two had been fast friends ever since.
It was an odd sort of partnership, but they were now working together on his campaign—which was more than a little frightening. When the two of them put their heads together, he hadn’t stood a chance.
He and Samira had debated the decision to run for office long and hard, but his wife had finally declared that they did not live their lives in fear. That wasn’t who they were.
His wife.
He liked thinking it. He liked saying it. He loved seeing his grandmother’s ring on her finger.
They’d been planning a small wedding for the spring, just a few family and friends, but Aiden hadn’t wanted to wait and in the end it had been just the two of them and the girls at the court house, with Scott and Jackie as witnesses.
Samira had worried that her motherin-law would never forgive her for leaving her out of the wedding, but it had actually been Samira’s parents who seemed to be the most upset not to be invited—and Samira was coming around to the idea of having a second ceremony for their families as originally planned in the spring.
Though now they were planning around another event.
Samira hadn’t gotten pregnant at the wedding like she’d feared, but their lack of attention to condoms had caught up to them a couple months later—a fact which had probably gone a long way to cementing the alliance with his mother. She did love grandchildren.
Things were still tense between Samira and her father, but they were speaking again, even if just cautiously. Aiden and Samira had taken the girls to visit her parents once, back in August. The subject of Trevor had never come up and her folks seemed eager to visit DC when the baby was born.
And whenever her father brought up her unlimited potential, she told him quite confidently that she was living up to it. With Aiden. Together they were going to have an impact. They were going to change the world.
She still didn’t like being in the public eye, but Aiden had seen in the last few months how much courage she had, facing down her fear of being on display—sometimes catching his eye and making faces just for him when she felt the most awkward.
There had been a few uncomfortable moments, fitting their lives together, and there would be more, but they got through them like they got through everything. Together.
Like they would get through this.
Aiden swallowed thickly and Samira smoothed her hands over his shoulders. “You okay?”
He nodded, tugging her into his arms. “I’m glad you got to meet him.”
“Me too.” She tucked her cheek against his chest. “I was thinking we should name the baby Dalton.”
Dalton Raines.
His throat closed off and he swallowed hard before he could answer. “I’d like that.”
His grandfather hadn’t really been all there when he met Samira. He’d called her beautiful, smiling at her vaguely, and patted Aiden absently on the hand. Dalton hadn’t known him, hadn’t known what was happening, Aiden was sure of it, but then, the next week, out of the blue, he’d grabbed Aiden’s hand and shoved a small box into it. A box containing his wife’s engagement ring.
He’d never remarried. That ring box had been in the top drawer of Dalton’s desk for the last forty-five years. Carol’s ring.
He’d pressed it fervently into Aiden’s hand. “Don’t let her get away,” he’d urged.
“I won’t,” Aiden had promised, squeezing his grandfather’s hand.
The ring wasn’t large or ostentatious. Dalton had met and wooed Carol when he was still making his fortune, but it was all the more precious for that.
Aiden touched the ring now where it rested on Samira’s finger. It had fit perfectly without having to be sized. One of those little moments of serendipity.
“We should go,” he murmured and she nodded against his chest. She stepped back and he took her hand, weaving their fingers together. A team. On their way to the funeral of a great man. To say goodbye. And to carry his legacy into the future.
A legacy of strength, and wit, and love.
THE END
Abou
t the Author
Contemporary romance author Lizzie Shane is a Golden Heart winner and three-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award. Born and raised in Alaska, she still lives in the frozen north when travel doesn’t call her away and uses the long winter months to cook up happily-ever-afters (and indulge her fascination with the world of reality television). She also writes paranormal romance under the pen name Vivi Andrews. Learn more about Lizzie and her books at her website or follow her on Facebook.
Thank you for reading Dirty Little Secrets! If you enjoyed it, remember you can always leave a review at Goodreads to help other readers find it, or sign up now to receive Lizzie’s New Release Newsletter so you don’t miss any of her release announcements and exclusive sneak peeks. And don’t miss the rest of the series…
Other Books by Lizzie Shane:
Reality Romance
Marrying Mister Perfect (RR#1)
Romancing Miss Right (RR#2) – 2016 RITA® Finalist
Falling for Mister Wrong (RR#3) – 2016 RITA® Finalist
Planning on Prince Charming (RR#4)
Home for Christmas (A Reality Romance Holiday Novella)
Courting Trouble (RR#5)
The Bouquet Catchers
Always a Bridesmaid – 2017 RITA® Finalist
Little White Lies
Dirty Little Secrets
The Decoy Bride – Coming February 2018
MARRYING MISTER PERFECT
(Reality Romance, Book 1)
Sometimes it takes a reality television show to show you the love that’s right in front of you…
To Louisa Tanner, Jack Doyle is perfect—heart surgeon, loving single father, and best friend a girl could have—so it’s no surprise when he’s tapped as the next Mister Perfect for the reality dating series Marrying Mister Perfect. But watching her secret crush romancing gorgeous women on national television? That flat out sucks—even if he will never see her as more than a pal.
Jack is skeptical of reality shows as a path to love, but drastic measures are needed to shake him and Lou out of their rut. His friend deserves better than being his live-in nanny and will never chase her dreams if she is busy taking care of him and his kids, so he vows to take the show seriously and find a new wife.
But the more stunning women he woos on command, the more he begins to realize the only woman he wants just might be the one he left back home. How can he seduce his best friend without jeopardizing their friendship? Especially when the cameras are always rolling…
ROMANCING MISS RIGHT
(Reality Romance, Book 2)
They aren’t in it for love… but love has it in for them.
Marcy Henrickson isn’t looking for love as the latest Miss Right on the reality dating show Romancing Miss Right. She’s realistic enough to know the odds of finding true love on national television are astronomical—but the chance that the exposure will boost her next book onto the New York Times Bestseller List? That’s a risk worth taking. And if she’s the one picking from the handsome Suitors, how can she possibly get hurt?
The last thing Craig Corrow wants is to fall in love. San Diego’s Favorite Bad Influence is looking to transition from local radio shock-jock to national television host and a reality dating show is his ticket to fame and fortune. He’s there to stir things up and Miss Right is just another pawn in his game plan…
Until he meets Marcy and she isn’t the fake reality princess he was expecting. She’s all too real—and so is the way he feels about her. But when he’s faced with a choice between love or money, can this bad boy give up his villain ways and get the girl?
Finalist for the 2016 RITA® Award for Best Mid-length Contemporary Romance
FALLING FOR MISTER WRONG
(Reality Romance, Book 3)
Between ‘I will’ and ‘I do,’ there’s room to fall.
Caitlyn Gregg just agreed to marry ‘Mister Perfect’ on national television. There’s only one problem: as soon as the cameras stop rolling on their whirlwind reality show romance, she realizes she doesn’t love him. Returning home to Colorado as the show begins to air, she has only her doubts for company—until she accidentally sets her apartment on fire and finds herself in the arms of oh-so-sexy firefighter Will Hamilton.
Sparks fly—and not just from her singed apartment—but Caitlyn is engaged to another man and is contractually forbidden from talking about the engagement, breaking it off, or seeing other men until the show’s finale.
Will doesn’t know what to make of Caitlyn’s hot-and-cold routine, until he turns on the TV one night and sees her being wooed by another man. Thinking she must be gunshy after what is about to be a very public break-up, he tells her they can take it slow… but their insane chemistry has other ideas.
Falling hard for Will is against all the rules and every week she dreads Tuesday, knowing any episode could be the one that drives him away. When the truth comes out, will Caitlyn lose the man of her dreams because she already said yes to Mister Perfect?
Finalist for the 2016 RITA® Award for Best Mid-length Contemporary Romance
PLANNING ON PRINCE CHARMING
(Reality Romance, Book 4)
What would Cinderella do?
Wedding planner Sidney Dewitt is always the fairy godmother, never the heroine of her own love story—until she’s selected for the reality dating show Marrying Mister Perfect. It might finally be her chance to ride off into the sunset, but when she sneaks out of her room on the night before the show begins to catch a glimpse of her prince, the man she meets is far from Prince Charming.
The jaded—and recently divorced—host of a television show celebrating love and marriage, Josh Pendleton doesn’t believe in fairy tales anymore. He’s done with love and getting involved with a Suitorette is the fastest way to destroy his career, but there’s something about Sidney he can’t get out of his head.
On a show where everything is staged, could this be real?
COURTING TROUBLE
(Reality Romance, Book 5)
She’s trying to live down her reputation. He’s trying to live up to his.
Elena has always been impulsive, until one wild night on a reality dating show earns her a reputation she can’t escape. She wanted to be famous, but now she’s infamous and determined to redeem herself. No more impulsive Old Elena. New Elena is going to be respectable and sweet if it kills her—and her first task is attending the wedding of the woman who beat her on the show.
Secret Service golden boy Adam Dylan never wanted fame, but when he’s caught on camera saving the daughter of an A-List actress the video goes viral and he becomes America’s favorite hero. But there’s more to the story than the media hype. Now a sought-after celebrity bodyguard, he’s determined to earn his heroic reputation—even if that means nothing more glamorous than working security at a celebrity wedding.
When one of the wedding guests doesn’t want to take no for an answer, Adam comes to Elena’s rescue. It’s been a long time since anyone has stood up for her, but her reputation can only drag him down. Elena knows she should keep her distance, but it’s oh so tempting to give in to her wild impulses just one more time.
ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID
(The Bouquet Catchers, Book 1)
She’s all heart. He’s all business.
Parvati Jai knows better than to pin any romantic hopes on Max Dewitt. She may have had a crush on her best friend’s older brother since she figured out what boys were good for, but she’s looking for Mister Forever—not a workaholic entrepreneur with a romantic attention span that tops out at two weeks. Yet with her business failing, her newly-engaged best friend vanishing into a love bubble, and even her teenage niece announcing she’s getting married, Max becomes the one person she can rely on—and the idea of a little fling with him becomes even more tempting.
Max knows his little sister’s best friend is off-limits…until Parvati confesses she once had a crush on him and he can’t help seeing her in a new—and very intri
guing—light. He’s never been good at letting people past his charming facade, but something about Parvati makes him want to let down his defenses.
But even if he lets himself fall for her, how can he convince a woman who knows all about his love-‘em-and-leave-‘em ways that he finally wants forever?
LITTLE WHITE LIES
(The Bouquet Catchers, Book 2)
It all started with one harmless little fib…
Fifteen years ago Candy Raines moved to California to get far away from her high profile political family—and all the baggage that comes with them. She’s built a damn fine life for herself in Tinseltown as the resident tech specialist for Elite Protection, complete with the perfect nostrings relationship. If she had to invent a husband to get her Machiavellian mother off her back, that lie is just the price of her freedom. But now her sister is getting married in a splashy society wedding and Candy has to make an appearance—with her husband.
Ren “Pretty Boy” Xiao has plenty of secrets of his own—secrets Candy has helped him hide—so when the woman who never asks for help tells him she needs him to pose as her husband for a week, he can’t refuse. Especially when it gives him a chance to see behind Candy’s many masks and reignites his hope that he might finally convince her to take their relationship beyond friends-with-benefits.
But when they arrive at the wedding, they realize the secrets run deeper than they could have imagined—and nothing is darker than Little White Lies.
And look for The Decoy Bride, coming February 2018.
