Love in the Moment: The McCormicks—Book One

by Elena Aitken

  “It’s good news.” Jade walked through the room, her stilettos clicking over the wooden floor. “Gwen and I had a little chat yesterday.”

  “Right.” He looked at Gwen. They’d gone over the contract that had been offered, and they’d both actually agreed it was a good deal. She was going to take the deal. “Did something change?”

  “Oh yeah.” Gwen walked around to meet Jade. “But you’re going to like it. I hope.” She bit her lip, which only made Ian want to kiss her again. He forced himself to look away in order to concentrate.

  “Gwen had an idea and I think it’s great, so we took it to the producers last night. Early this morning, they agreed.” Jade slipped a stack of papers out of the folder. “We have a new contract to sign and this one includes you.”

  “Me?” Ian started to get an idea of what it was they were talking about. “Why would I need to sign anything?”

  “They want you, too,” Jade said. “To be part of the show, that is. At least your character. It’s kind of based on Gwen’s life and you’re an important part of that.”

  “The show?”

  “Yes, the show. Remember? The contract?”

  “I remember. I don’t understand why I need to sign.”

  “The producers loved how everything played out in real life. They want to keep it as realistic as possible. It’s your story—it belongs to you guys.”

  “Which means, we’ll both be executive producers.” Gwen looked so excited, she was almost bouncing.

  “So it’s not a reality show? I don’t have to actually be in it?”

  “No, silly.” Her smile slipped a little. “Are you okay with all this? Because we can change it if you want. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to—”

  “I’m happy to do it.” He crossed the room and pulled her close. “I’m happy to do anything as long as I’m doing it with you.” He kissed her again and this time he didn’t care whether Jade was standing right there or not.

  “Seriously, you guys are kissing again?” Chelsea groaned.

  “As much as possible,” Ian murmured. He looked at his sister. “What are you doing here anyway?”

  “I came to help and tell you I got a phone call.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Which is it? You’re helping or telling me about a phone call? Because I can’t imagine you’re actually going to help out.”

  Chelsea laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m not helping. That’s why Mitch is here.”

  “Mitch is here?” Jade’s composure slipped a little.

  “Not at the moment,” Ian said slowly. “He’s out on the boat with a customer. But he’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Whatever.” She pulled herself together. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Yeah right,” Gwen mumbled.

  Ian turned his attention back to Chelsea. “Who called?”

  “Amber.”

  “Amber?”

  “Your other sister…” She stuck her hand on her hip and rolled her eyes.

  “Amber?”

  “That’s her.”

  For all the progress they’d made together, Ian sometimes forgot that she was still only slightly older than a teenager. Except, of course, in moments like this. “I know who Amber is.”

  “Right. Well, I think I convinced her to come visit.” The attitude evaporated, replaced by the version of Chelsea he liked better. “She just graduated from college, you know?”

  “I didn’t.” Ian felt a twinge of guilt that he didn’t know something so major about his sister.

  “Well, she did it. She’s the ‘good sister.’” Chelsea held up air quotes. “Whatever. But now that she’s an accountant—super boring, if you ask me—she doesn’t seem to want to work.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s decided to take a break before getting a real job. I think she wants to do some backpacking, but the idea scares the hell out of her so she took a summer job and then she’s going to visit a friend who just moved to Nebraska, of all places. But I’d really like her to come here instead.”

  “Nebraska?” Ian shrugged. “Do you think she’ll come?” It surprised him, but he actually liked the idea of meeting his other sister. A lot.

  “I think so. But not until after Halloween. She wants to stay in Nebraska for some kind of festival.”

  “Well, that’s a few months away. Maybe we can get Mitch back here for that, too,” Ian added as his brother walked in. “Amber’s going to come for a visit,” he explained to his brother. “I thought maybe you could come back for that.”

  Mitch hung the boat keys on the rack. “Maybe I’ll still be here.”

  “What?”

  “Why?”

  Ian and Jade spoke at the same time, but Mitch addressed the woman when he said, “There are a few things I’m starting to like about this town.”

  Jade flipped her hair back. “Is that right?”

  “I didn’t say I was talking about you, sweetheart.” He winked. “Besides, I thought you were just here visiting a client.”

  “That’s the other part of our news,” Gwen chimed in. “The show is going to be filmed here, in Cedar Springs. Which means that—”

  “You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me.” Jade looked directly at Mitch when she spoke. Ian could feel the heat from the sparks that were flying between them from all the way across the room.

  At his side, Gwen slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed. “I think things between the two of them could get interesting.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deep before taking her left hand and the diamond ring he’d put there as soon as he’d had the chance. “Of that, I have no doubt.”

  *

  THE END

  *

  If you enjoyed Love in the Moment, you’ll probably enjoy the next book in the series, Only for a Moment. Check out an excerpt, right after a note from the author. And for more free books and exciting news make sure to stay in touch with Elena!

  The Springs

  If you loved this book make sure you check out The Springs series. Below you will find links to all the books in the series, enjoy!

  *

  Summer of Change - Trent & Samantha’s story

  Falling Into Forever - Rhys & Kari’s story

  Second Glances - Malcolm & Kylie’s story

  Winter’s Burn - Slade & Beth’s story

  Midnight Springs - Jax & Bria’s story

  She’s Making A List - Trent & Samantha’s story

  Summit of Desire - Malcolm & Kylie’s story

  Summit of Seduction - Seth & Cynthia’s story

  Summit of Passion - Marcus & Deanna’s story

  Fighting For Forever - Rhys & Kari’s story

  The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10

  About the Author

  Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than twenty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins and their two cats, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after.

  To learn more about Elena:

  www.elenaaitken.com

  elena@elenaaitken.com

  Only for a Moment

  Please enjoy an excerpt from the next in the series - Only for a Moment - Available NOW

  The boat cut through the gentle waves of the lake, smooth and easy. Mitch McCormick grinned and pressed down on the accelerator, urging the boat to move faster still. He knew he was pushing it. The engine was brand-new and his brother had given him explicit instructions to “warm up the boat gently.”

  “Screw gently.”

  He pushed further and with a satisfying roar of the engine, the boat surged forward. The wind blew his hair back from his face. He tilted his head up to the sun and let out a yell. It was these moments, when he could steal away from Docksid
e—his brother’s brand-new marina—to enjoy the fresh mountain air on his own, that he truly felt free.

  Mitch hadn’t even been back in Cedar Springs a full month, but it didn’t matter. He was home. It was funny how the tiny town in the middle of the mountains where he’d spent his summers as a kid had always been more home than any other. Maybe it was because they had so many great memories there as a family. Maybe it was because those summers had been when he’d really grown up. But maybe it was just because there was no place quite as wild and open to possibility as the middle of a mountain lake on a hot summer day.

  Not that it mattered. It was only the beginning of July, and even if Mitch did have to return to the city and the pretentious private school where he worked, he was at least going to have the summer to enjoy himself.

  He was about to push the throttle even further when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

  Ian.

  He laughed and shook his head before he slowed the boat and answered the call. “You have a tracker on me?”

  “Should I?”

  “No.” He stifled his laughter. “Not at all. What’s up?”

  Mitch knew exactly what was up. The Fourth of July celebration was that night and Ian was going crazy with his share of the preparations. As the new business owner in town, and the first summer of the Dockside being open, it was important that they do a good job with their assigned duties. Which, as far as Mitch could tell, only involved helping to haul the barge out into the lake, where the fireworks would be set off.

  “When were you planning on getting back here with my new investment?”

  Ahh. It wasn’t about the celebrations at all, but Ian’s precious new boat. Not that Mitch could blame him. His big brother had sunk a lot of money into the Dockside, an investment that seemed to be paying off as the town became a bigger tourist attraction than it had ever been. But still, there must be stress associated with it all.

  Not that Mitch had any idea. He was simply a schoolteacher on a break from his life.

  “Simmer down. I’m on my way back.” Just so he wasn’t lying, Mitch steered the boat around and started to head back, very slowly, in the direction of the marina. “I’ll take good care of your baby. What’s the hurry, anyway?”

  “I need to get to a meeting.”

  There it was. The real reason for the call.

  “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in five. Three if you let me open ’er up.”

  “Five is fine.” Mitch could almost see Ian rolling his eyes. “Drive easy. It’s a new engine. You have to warm it up.”

  “Leave it to me, brother. I got this.” Mitch disconnected the call and put the boat into gear.

  Ever since Ian and his fiancée Gwen had signed the contract to have Gwen’s blog, and subsequently, their love story, turned into a television show, there’d been a never ending stream of meetings, phone calls, emails, and all types of distractions for Ian, which left Mitch to take care of the main operations of Dockside for the last few weeks. Not that he minded. It gave him something to do to distract him from everything he’d left back in the city. Or mainly, whom he’d left in the city. Not that she was worth too much of his mental energy.

  Especially considering there had been other distractions, too. Mitch’s lips curled up into a smile, thinking about what that particular distraction had been. And damn, it was definitely worth smiling about.

  Jade Johnson.

  Just thinking about the tall, sexy brunette made his dick twitch. Damn. From the moment Gwen’s agent had showed up in town, Mitch couldn’t take his eyes off the woman. And although there’d definitely been a few perks to that, primarily the night of the summer solstice festival—a night he wasn’t going to soon forget—there was also one major problem with Jade.

  She was a stiletto-wearing, designer bag-toting, full-fledged, first-class, high-maintenance city girl.

  The exact type of woman Mitch usually avoided. No, scratch that; he usually ran screaming in the opposite direction. In his experience, and he’d certainly had his share, that type of woman was nothing but trouble. High maintenance, full on, drama type of trouble. Not only did they want to be wined and dined where only the best would do, they wanted it all the time. He knew that type. His bank account knew that type. And he’d emptied his wallet one too many times to fall for it again.

  It wasn’t just the money either. He’d never be able to take a city girl out in the boat, let the wind blast through her hair and the sun kiss her skin before having a picnic on the beach where they’d eat a healthy dose of sand with their lunch before making love with the waves of the lake licking their toes.

  No. A “makeup just right, not a hair out of place” type of girl would definitely not go for that type of thing. And dammit, that’s what he wanted.

  It was a feeling that had surprised him, too. His brothers used to refer to Mitch as a player, never with the same girl longer than a week. And for a long time, it was a title he’d deserved. For his entire adult life, the very last thing Mitch wanted was to be tied down.

  Until Bethany.

  Maybe it was because she’d been his longest relationship. Maybe it was because she used to whisper to him about the future. Maybe it was because she’d wanted him just as much as he’d wanted her.

  Whatever it was, Bethany had changed his view on commitment and settling down. He’d really thought she might be the one. At least until she’d slept with the principal at the school they both taught at.

  That was definitely a game changer.

  His experience with Bethany had absolutely changed the way Mitch felt about her. But to his surprise, it hadn’t changed how he now felt about commitment.

  Seeing his big brother so happy with his own love had only fueled the want.

  “Shit.” He cursed under his breath. The boat ride was supposed to have cleared his head. The idea was to forget Bethany and women altogether, and strip his mind from any stress. Like a form of meditation. And most of the time it worked. But as he approached the shore and the marina appeared, the only thing Mitch could do was curse.

  His mind was definitely not clear.

  He guided the boat into a stall, hopped out and easily tied it securely to a cleat before he jogged down the dock to the main office. Maybe busying himself with some work would help.

  “Hey.”

  “Mitch!” Gwen pulled him into a tight hug before she leaned in to his ear. “It’s about time you got back. Your brother is a total stress case about this meeting.”

  “Not to worry.” He kissed his sister-in-law to-be on the cheek and slid out of her grasp. Mitch genuinely liked Gwen, and he was thankful she’d forgiven him the transgressions of his youth, which mostly involved calling her Giant Gigi when they were teenagers. Not that it was any kind of excuse, but ten years ago, Gwen didn’t look anything like the stunning woman she’d grown into. After a massive weight loss, a new haircut, and some contact lenses, she was a totally different person.

  Which was what she’d based her blog on. The blog had become a huge hit earlier in the summer when Gwen exploited her past feelings for Ian and tricked him into a relationship. It was all pretty messed up, really, but when the truth came out, love won the day, and Mitch couldn’t be happier for both of them.

  “Get out of here,” he said to Ian, who was frantically typing into the laptop. “I can handle anything you have for the rest of the day. What needs to be done?”

  Mitch only half listened while Ian gave him the rundown on what needed to be done around the Dockside. Finally his big brother was satisfied and ready to leave.

  “Come on, Ian.” Gwen tugged his arm. “I told Jade we’d be there five minutes ago.”

  “Jade?”

  Gwen turned and raised an eyebrow in his direction.

  “Jade’s going to be there?” He was vaguely aware that he probably sounded like a moron, but damn, Jade was worth sounding at least a little foolish for. Especially if it meant the possibility of a repeat night like the one they’d
shared only a few weeks ago.

  “Of course she’s going to be there.” Gwen winked at him. “She’s working on this with us, remember?”

  As if he’d forgotten.

  “Maybe I’ll see her later.” He shrugged and turned back to the laptop in an effort to play it cool. For a man who didn’t want anything to do with a designer label chick, he sure wasn’t doing a good job convincing anyone. Especially himself.

  *

  They’d been looking at head shots and resumes all morning, and Jade Johnson was more than ready for a break. Not that she didn’t enjoy spending her time looking at pictures of hot men; she did. But there was only so much one woman could take before she started getting a little hot under the collar herself. But it wasn’t any of the men in the photos who were making her squirm in her seat in the vinyl booth at the Grizzly Paw.

  It was one man.

  One man who had only been one time and that’s all it could ever be. One night.

  Mitch McCormick was not the type of man Jade needed in her life. Even if he was smoking hot in a strong, confident, just a little rough around the edges type of way.

  Damn.

  No. She mentally chastised herself. Mitch was a one-time thing only. She didn’t need to get involved with his type. Or any type, for that matter. Just like her mother had always told her: “A man is good for one thing, and one thing only. Beyond that, if you want to make something of yourself, don’t get attached. Never get attached.”

  And she did want to make something of herself. Now with Gwen and Ian’s show taking off, things were finally starting to happen. She loved being an agent, and she wasn’t giving that up, especially considering her clients were largely authors and didn’t require a ton of hands-on work. But working on Mr. Summer was a huge opportunity. Not to mention, it would be fun and exciting. A man—especially a man like Mitch McCormick—would be nothing but an unnecessary distraction.

  Besides that, she’d done pretty well in her life up until now with her mother’s advice. Men may be good for one thing only, but some of those men were definitely better at that thing than others.

  Jade felt her face flush at the memory of the way Mitch had slid his hands down her skin to cup her breasts and tease her nipples into hard points before pushing her up against the wall of the Dockside gift shop and—