Protecting Her: A Romance Bundle

by Mia Ford

  “I’m sorry, I know you told us all to wait at the reception, but we couldn’t hold out. We’re all too excited to see the baby. Oh, my goodness. Is that her there?” She rushes over to Veronica. “Oh, wow she’s so beautiful.”

  “We?” I have to focus on that part because it freaks me out. “What do you mean, we?”

  “Oh.” Rachel scoops Zaalia up in her arms and holds her as a shield. “I mean everyone from the wedding. We all couldn’t keep away. I know you’re going to be mad at me, but we just couldn’t help it.”

  I suck in a deep breath, knowing now that everyone is about to descend on us. My parents, her parents, all our friends. Instead of sitting and eating nice food, drinking wine and having a good time, they’ve come to share in our joy. I suppose it’s sweet really, if not a little overwhelming. I need to focus on the sweet part.

  “Where are they all then? In the waiting room, hiding out? Do I need to go and find them?”

  “Erm, just outside the door,” she whispers back. “You could just call them in if you want to…”

  I give it a moment while I listen to Veronica and Rachel discuss Zaalia’s name, then I do the dreaded and I call everyone in. I should just enjoy their company and not want to keep my family all greedily to myself. I have the rest of the time in the world for that. And as the room fills up and happy chatter surrounds me, it doesn’t feel like a mistake at all. It’s actually a pretty picture-perfect moment. My wife and all the people who love us, coming to welcome our daughter into the world. Everyone looking like they’re on top of the world.

  I lean back in my chair and really appreciate everything, not taking any of it for granted. We really shouldn’t be here, there are so many times this could have fallen apart, but we made it. Through the high school drama, the challenges at college, the long-distance relationship, the freaking kidnapping and the threat on Veronica’s life… I cannot believe how much drama is has taken to get to this point.

  I love where my life is now, even if I haven’t always liked the journey to get here. It definitely hasn’t been perfect, but we’re here now, just about to start another chapter of our love story, the ‘happy ever after’ part, and I have a funny feeling this will be the best chapter of them all.

  Bring on the future, I cannot wait for it.

  Epilogue – Veronica

  One Year Later…

  “What is all of this?” I ask with a laugh as I enter the kitchen with Zaalia attached to my hip. “Dinner, flowers, even some music. What are you up to, Jordan? This is just too sweet.”

  He shrugs and smirks. “Well, since you’ve been so busy all day with Zaalia’s first birthday party I thought it best to organize something nice for you this evening. It is our anniversary, after all. You haven’t forgotten that?”

  “Of course I haven’t, I guess I just thought… well, I didn’t think anything. It’s been a bit manic today.”

  Actually, it’s been manic all year long. Motherhood is a crazy challenge that I couldn’t be prepared for however hard I tried. The sleepless nights, the endless diaper changes, the feeding… there’s no time for a schedule, no way I can get my days in order quite like I thought I was going to. It’s a good job that both me and Jordan are stationed permanently in the country because I don’t know what I would do otherwise.

  We’ve done this as a team, so while it’s been incredibly hard it’s also been very rewarding. I’m very much enjoying it. Every time Zaalia smiles at me, or coos and giggles, it makes up for how tired she’s made me the night before. I just love her so much and I can’t wait for her to continue on growing into the amazing little girl she is. One year in and her personality is shining through loud and clear. She’s going to be a real character.

  “I cannot believe you forgot after everything you said the day Zaalia was born. Well, it’s just lucky that I managed to remember. I even went out and got you a very thoughtful gift, because I’m so good.”

  As he hands me the parcel he’s even gone as far to wrap for me, I give him one right back. I might have been crazy busy, but not enough to forget completely. “See?” I tease. “I did get you something after all.”

  His eyes widen in surprise, but he waits for me to open it first. I unpeel the wrapping to find a gorgeous little gold chain inside. A bracelet with crystal flowers doted up and down it. It’s so delicate and sweet.

  “Oh wow, I love it. It’s amazing.” I throw my one free arm around him. “Thank you so much.”

  “Well, you’ve been through so much and you’ve really blossomed. I just want you to have a permanent reminder how proud I am of you. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met in my life.”

  These days, I barely think about the past. I can hardly remember those long, endless days where I was locked in that horrible cell with only the promise of death for company. Even now as Jordan mentions it, the memories spark back a little, but they’re so dull. Faded, blurry, as if they’re something I saw in a movie rather than real life. I have too many other memories to take their place. Happy ones. Ones that I actually want to think about.

  “Thank you, again. I love it.” I hand Jordan the bracelet and watch as he fixes it to my wrist. In my mind, this will be a reminder of how far we’ve come together, as a couple. “It’s lovely. Now open your gift, will you?”

  Impatience creeps up through my veins, it makes me feel all buzzing with excitement. Any minute now, Jordan will finally discover what I’ve been cooking up for him too. I’ve had to hold this inside for the right moment and finally, the time has come. I can share everything that I’m absolutely dying to talk about.

  “You’re… you’re…” He holds out the stick to me with a nervous smile. “Is this for real? Are you actually…?”

  “Yep!” I clap my hands together gleefully. “I really am… we’re having another baby. This crazy little family is getting bigger once again.” I glance to my baby in my arms, giggling as I notice she’s asleep. The day must have tuckered her right out. “Zaalia is going to have a little brother or sister to play with.”

  “How did this…? How did you…? Oh, my goodness, I’m just so stunned. This is nuts. I don’t think Rachel will be annoyed that she isn’t here for this announcement.” He sees my guilty face. “Oh, my goodness. Did you tell her first? How is it fair that she always gets to know before me? I suppose the only thing is that I did get to find out today, which is the most monumental day of the year for us… I’ll let it go.”

  He wraps his arms around me and his daughter and we all embrace. Talk about coming far, we’re making it further and further every single day. There doesn’t seem to be any end as to what we’re capable of doing. Nothing keeps us down, we simply get better and stronger all the time. We’re both the heroes now.

  “Right, come on. Let’s sit you down and get something to eat. We aren’t going to have many more peaceful times now if our family is getting bigger, we should enjoy it while we can.”

  I lay Zaalia down in her baby basket and take my seat at the table, opposite my husband of one long year. It feels like a whole lot longer, but at the same time, it feels like only yesterday we had our wedding day. The start of our happy ever after.

  “I love you!” I lift up my glass of what has quickly been changed to orange juice. “Now, and forever.”

  “I love you too, so much, Mrs. Veronica Miller. You are the best wife I ever could have hoped for, the best mom too. I’m so lucky to have you, and I can’t wait for our next baby. This time, I think it’s definitely going to be a boy!”

  We laugh together, knowing that neither of us mind. Every adventure is fun together, no matter what. This baby will share in our intense love.

  It’s going to be wonderful.

  Book 2

  First Time With The Major

  Blurb

  Molly

  I think he wants to control me.

  My life is comfortable, predictable and boring….

  Until,

  That guy next door walks into my café
..

  He says he is new in the town.

  And I wonder if he is experienced with…..women.

  Those hard abs under that crisp shirt make me wonder how HARD I could make him.

  Those Greek God like looks make me want to surrender.

  And that voice…

  My world turns upside down.

  As he whispers my name.

  But how can I do this?

  Should I let go of the fears from my past and try and venture into the unfamiliar future that awaits me?

  Should I let this guy control my desires….and my life?

  1

  Molly

  I laughed as I unlocked the door to the shop, giving my best friend Noel a sharp look. “I can’t believe you told him that. You were on a date and he was being decent. We don’t have a lot of men in this little town, so why run off the ones that are here?”

  “I will not have some man ordering for me at a restaurant. I’m capable of making a proper decision for myself.” She leaned down to slide the muffins she’d made into the display case carefully, tossing her red ponytail over her shoulder.

  This was our coffee shop, called Mountain Brew. Being that we lived in Mountain Home, it certainly wasn’t original but it fit the theme of our little home. We were surrounded by mountains after all and a lot of our customers made a living from those beautiful peaks. I thought the shop was cute with tables and couches sprinkled around the bright, spacious room. I had the idea of adding some bookshelves and taking in donated used books from people in town to give customers something to do when they were here. There were a lot of poor people living around here that didn’t even have books to begin with, so we could provide that. Noel had agreed to the idea, but I knew that she wasn’t thrilled with it.

  I ran the front, and she did all the baking with my assistance. We got up early to be here, darkness settling around the cafe as we danced and sang in the kitchen. We drank too much coffee and laughed while we worked, making me so proud to have done this with Noel.

  I went to college at the University of Idaho and got a degree in Literature, so the books were all me. Noel was more business minded and did all the paperwork and numbers for our shop and I filled in the blanks. I picked out the unmatched, used furniture for the room and decorated the walls with a lot of old pictures of the town. I also had some colorful prints to match the vibrant purple walls and cleaned up the old fireplace in the corner. It was cold here a lot of the time and we needed it, and the old brick mantel attracted a lot of attention. It was a beautiful place.

  I smiled as Mike walked in. He was always our first customer and grabbed a coffee and a Danish before he went fishing. Mike was a retired hotel owner that opened fifty years ago and because of that, was very successful. He kept it up even to this day, and it did well while he fished several times a week and just enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us. “Good morning,” I told him as I straightened my dark ponytail, watching him walk to the front where Noel was finishing with the case.

  “Good morning, my ladies.” He always greeted us with those words and I grinned at Noel as she reached for a coffee mug.

  “The usual today?” She asked him as he pulled out his wallet. She got his coffee poured and grabbed his Danish while I turned on the sign that told everybody we were open for the day. I found a radio station that was light and fun and headed back behind the counter to get organized while Mike settled in the corner table with a newspaper. Noel went back to start making some sandwiches for the lunch menu and check on the soup that she started earlier today while I watched the front.

  There were enough customers to keep us busy, and I loved seeing them every day. I felt like I was part of the highlight of their day as they came in to greet me like they hadn’t seen me for weeks. There were a few older folks that came in, some freelance writers that worked at our tables and just some readers like myself. I watched the writers, wondering if I should do something like that myself since I did have a degree in Literature.

  I also had some things to write about. I had some things to release; issues that were going to ruin me if I allowed it.

  Noel had saved me from hitting rock bottom after college when she suggested that I move back to her home town with her and open a coffee shop. Noel liked that small town life despite having a blast in college where there was a lot to do and wanted to return. We’d lived together in the dorm and become close friends quickly, so I agreed. I didn’t want to go back home to my parents in Malad City but also didn’t have any other plans. I was too broken to want to move forward with my life. I agreed, and she told me that I could stay with her at her parent’s ranch house and open something in the empty building with her.

  I looked at Noel as she came out for a fresh cup of coffee, smiling at her as she looked at me. She was twenty-three and a natural redhead with bright blue eyes, thin and pale. Those looks had all the attention of the local men and she’d started dating a little once we were established in the cafe. She was a little too much for most of them so far and I just laughed and watched from a distance.

  I had dark brown hair and whiskey colored eyes that were a bit wide for my taste. My skin was a shade darker than hers and I was curvier than Noel was, too. I joked with her about how much it irritated me that she could eat double the pastries that I could and not gain a pound while it went right to my hips, but it was mostly in jest. I exercised by hiking around here and doing some exercise tapes at the house, so I was a bit toned. Noel just never stopped moving to begin with.

  I sighed and got back to cleaning the tables that were empty, thinking about the Starbucks that was located near the university. It was always packed with lines of people and didn't offer anywhere to sit, a fact that I brought up to Noel when she first suggested this. I didn’t want that.

  She’s laughed and assured me that this town was smaller and slower. A coffee shop would do great but we wouldn’t be slammed like some of the places you see on every corner in other places. It would be a great place for people to warm up and relax on cold days and just chat on the warmer ones. The hours were early morning to the afternoon, so we had a lot of free time if there was any energy left after baking in the early hours of the morning. We were closed early on the weekends, only staying open until one as opposed the three o'clock like we did during the week.

  By the time we were closing for the day, Noel had gotten a message from her date. He wanted to go to the movies tonight and she asked me what I thought about it as I drove her Jeep home to the large house.

  “Apart from the meal, he sounded nice. I say give it a try,” I told her as I drove down the main road lined with shops and restaurants.

  “When are you going to give it a chance?” Noel asked me as I stared forward at one of three stoplights in our little town. “It’s been two years, Molly. You’re not in college anymore.”

  “I know but I am not ready,” I told her in a tone that made it clear I didn’t want to discuss this. I didn’t want to think about Lance and what he did to me in junior year; what any other man could do to me if I gave him the chance. I didn’t want to face any of it and I jammed on the gas pedal a bit hard when the light turned green, jerking forward as I pressed my lips together. “Sorry,” I told her, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I focused on the road. I was here because of her; working and driving this car, with a roof over my head. I didn’t want to ruin any of that and I forced the past out of my mind as I drove the rest of the way home.

  Keith and Marta Jones were her parents. They were high school sweethearts that got married right after graduation, with Keith going to work for a construction company while she stayed home and did bookkeeping in their home office. He moved up to management and she got more clients and once they had kids, they moved into this house and made it in a small town. It was a dream for some people and Noel had a great childhood. Mine wasn’t awful and my parents were kind people, but we didn’t have a lot of money. I worked hard in school to earn a scholarship for college and sometime
s wondered if it was worth it now.

  I was working in a coffee shop. I loved it but it seemed like something that should be a part time job while I pursued my dream, but what was that? I could read a lot now, but I suppose I always thought I might work in a famous library or teach. I’d never say that to Noel, though. It was a fun job and I loved the customers but life was just a little stale sometimes. It seemed like I should have more being twenty-three with a bachelor’s degree, but a lot of people just worked normal jobs. Didn’t they?

  2

  Molly

  We had roasted chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner that night. I was pretty tired and was going to go to sleep early but Noel rushed out of the house for her date as her mom just shook her head. Noel looked a lot like her though she had her father’s nose and eyes. “She was so mad last night about him and look at her go.” We were washing dishes together and she handed me a plate to dry.

  “She said she’d never go to dinner with him again. Maybe she is just going to try different scenarios now,” I joked as I wiped it clean with the yellow towel and added it to the pile beside me.

  “How are you doing, Molly?” Marta asked as she looked at me with warm brown eyes.

  “I’m great. Everything is going so well at the cafe. We’re busy enough to make something without being insane,” I told her as I glanced at her with a smile.

  “I know. I am glad it’s doing well but what about you? Are you happy here?” She pressed as I looked out of the window to stare at the meadow in front of their house.

  “It’s beautiful here. It’s small and I am getting used to such a small town. Home was slightly bigger.” I paused as I licked my lips. “I just feel like I should be making more of a difference in my life.”