A Heart Decision

by Laurie Kellogg

  He’d assured them they would have plenty of time to stop in Redemption to have their union blessed by Luke’s priest in a private religious ceremony, so they would be married in the eyes of the Church.

  “Are you enjoying the reception?” Ben asked as he twirled her away from himself and spun her back into his arms.

  “Very much. But I’d be enjoying myself even more if I were sure you’re all right.”

  “I’m better than all right.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Seeing you settled and happy is enough for me right now. I just want you to admit Sabrina Elliott would’ve sounded better than Sabrina Marino.”

  “Maybe to most people, but not to me.” She’d been doodling that name since she was fifteen, and now it was finally hers. “You know you went way overboard tonight. The wedding dinner was extravagant enough with the prime rib and lazy man’s lobster, but all those gifts for the guests....You really didn’t need to do that.”

  “I know. But it gives me a lot of pleasure to share my blessings. Thomas went nuts researching the background of each guest to find each one the perfect present.”

  “Now I understand why you kept asking so many questions about everyone.

  Luke’s mother and Ben’s dad danced past them. The two of them were so busy staring into each other eyes they didn’t even notice her and Ben. Luke had told her Jackson had been calling his mom ever since they’d seen each other at Thanksgiving dinner.

  “If things keep progressing the way they have been,” Sabrina nodded toward Ben’s dad and Luke’s mom, “I have a feeling you and your pal are going to be stepbrothers as well as friends.”

  “They’ve both been alone a long time.” Ben shrugged. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have as my stepmother than Teresa.”

  As the music faded, he took her hand and tugged her toward the exit of the tent where Santa, also known as Thomas, waited with her velvet cape. Ben wrapped it around her shoulders and offered her his arm. “Come on. It’s about time I put your husband out of his misery and give you your wedding and Christmas gift.”

  ~*~

  “I can’t accept this.” Luke sank onto the sofa next to Sabrina and stared at the photos of the 170-foot yacht Ben had purchased for their honeymoon.

  “Seeing as the gifts all belong to the bride, you don’t have a damn thing to say about it.” Ben laughed and leaned back in his leather executive chair, propping one foot on the corner of his desk. “If you’ll notice, the title is in Sabrina’s and Annie’s names. Maybe if you and Tyler are nice to them, they’ll let you two freeloaders tag along.”

  Annie’s mouth dropped open as she glanced between Sabrina and Ben. “My name? You’re kidding, right?”

  “Nope. This is your Christmas present. Tyler and Luke are each getting a lump of coal this year.”

  “This is unbelievably generous, Beej.” Tyler handed the spec sheet to Luke. “But there’s no way we can afford the slip fees, let alone the crew’s salaries, for something this size. I read somewhere that the maintenance on a mega yacht can cost as much as ten percent of the purchase price, which I know had to be at least forty million on this baby.”

  “Just a tad more.” Ben raised his thumb in a way that said it was probably a lot more.

  Luke scanned the description and leafed through the brochure full of pictures. Besides a helicopter landing pad and a 25-foot speedboat, the vessel included three jet skis, a hot tub that accommodated ten, and a large game room with video games and even a golf simulator. In addition to the master suite, the boat had seven luxury staterooms, each with an en suite bath, and quarters for the captain and ten crew members.

  Tyler sputtered. “We can’t even pay for the fuel, let along the up-keep.”

  Luke smiled to himself. Actually, he could, but that was a secret he wasn’t ready to reveal just yet.

  “Don’t sweat it.” Ben waved his hand dismissively. “I created a trust to cover all the costs. When and if the Sabrina is sold, the proceeds and the principle of the trust will be split and invested for all of your kids—present and future.”

  Luke could just imagine the amount BJ had to set aside to generate that kind of income.

  “This really isn’t as extravagant as it seems,” Ben explained. “Whenever you or I aren’t using the yacht, the captain and crew will be generating income by running charters. I had that brochure you’re looking at printed to advertise the yacht. And naturally, I’ll be renting it from you as a tax write-off for business jaunts.”

  Tears collected on Sabrina’s eyelashes as she gawked at the picture of the mega yacht. “So this is where Luke and I will be spending our honeymoon?”

  Ben nodded. “That’s why I couldn’t tell you where you’re going even if I wanted to. The back half of the main deck and verandah are off-limits to the crew between the hours of ten a.m. and midnight.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Luke. “So the two of you will have complete privacy.”

  Sabrina grinned at Annie. “I guess I will be able to wear that obscene bikini you and Luke’s sisters talked me into buying.”

  Luke chuckled. “I like the sounds of that.”

  “You get to decide your destinations and stay for as long as you can take off from work,” Ben told them.

  “Uhhh, actually,”—Luke shrugged—“that’s gonna be a long time. I’ve resigned from the force.”

  Sabrina’s gaze snapped to his. “You did what?”

  “Why?” Annie’s forehead wrinkled. “You love being a detective.”

  “But I love my wife a lot more.” He gazed into her eyes as he pressed his lips to her palm. “My new job has regular hours and will get me off the street.”

  “What’ll you be doing?” Tyler asked.

  “On Thanksgiving night, Tony handed me an eight-million dollar check—my inheritance from Nunzio. Apparently, after they learned I was Tony’s issue, my grandfather changed his will to include a trust for me. The money was to be disbursed at Tony’s discretion.”

  Sabrina gasped. “Seriously? And it doesn’t bother you how that money was made?”

  “It does. I tried to refuse the check. But then Dante convinced me that all the good I could do with that size bequest would cancel out any bad karma attached to it.”

  “And that is?” Ben asked.

  “I’m buying the farm behind my house and founding The Redemption Academy, as a private, charity-supported boarding school for at-risk teens serious about turning their lives around. Cal, and a couple of other friends from the force, are coming to work with me as counselors.”

  “Eight million will barely build the place and see you through the first year or two,” Ben said.

  “I know. But something Dante said earlier implied his and Tony’s wedding gifts will help a lot. In any case, I’ll be running annual fundraisers to cover operating expenses.”

  “Then you can count on me for half your budget each year.”

  “I suspected you’d say something like that.”

  “That financial pledge is only good if you include generous salaries for yourself and the rest of the staff in the school’s budget. Just because you’re doing something charitable with your inheritance, doesn’t mean you need to take a vow of poverty. If you pay yourself less than a hundred and fifty grand a year, the deal is off.”

  “Understood.” He squeezed Sabrina’s hand. “Sweetheart, you can have the jobs of school nurse and Dean of Female Residents if you want them.”

  “Of course I want them.”

  Ben held up one hand. “Wait. What about your plans to go back to work at the hospital? You said you really missed taking care of sick kids.”

  Sabrina shrugged. “You were right about me becoming too emotionally involved with my terminal patients. I think I’ll develop a healthier perspective working with troubled teens. I’m sure it can be just as rewarding.”

  “I sincerely doubt you’ll get less involved. That isn’t you.” Ben smiled. “But I’m glad to hear you’re not compromising your dreams because you t
hink it’ll please anyone other than yourself.”

  A twinge of jealousy pricked Luke. He should’ve been the one to help her realize she needed to make some changes in her life, but at least he’d be the one helping her do it.

  She slid her arms around his neck. “I can’t think of anyone who who’s better than you at turning kids’ lives around. I just can’t believe you’re giving up being a cop.”

  “Since I’m planning to live a long and healthy life, I’m not taking any chances—”

  “Wait just a minute.” She grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Long and healthy life? What’d you do with my fatalistic husband?”

  He spread his arms. “You’ve turned him into an optimist, Princess.”

  A suspicious glint twinkled in her eyes. “You went for the genetic testing, after all, didn’t you?”

  “Could be.” He suppressed a smile.

  She punched his arm. “You big jerk, how could you do that and not tell me?”

  “I wanted to surprise you.” He laughed, pulling her close. “That’s my wedding gift to you. I wanted you to know our baby will be okay.”

  Sabrina’s gaze narrowed. “So you’ve been lying to me?”

  “Yup.” And if the results hadn’t been good, he would’ve kept that information to himself—at least until after their honeymoon. “Cal and I went for the results last week.” He caressed her cheek as she blinked away the happy tears glistening in her eyes. “I love you.”

  She cupped his face between her hands and pulled his mouth to hers in a deep, passionate kiss that lasted much longer than was probably appropriate given they had an audience.

  “I think that’s our cue to leave.” Tyler took Annie’s hand and tugged her toward the door.

  “Should I tell the waiters to serve the cake without you?” BJ asked.

  Luke answered with a wave of his hand, shooing him away.

  “I’ll take that as a yes and lock the door on my way out. You can use the servants’ staircase through the study’s back door to get upstairs to your suite without anyone bothering you. I’ll see you at the Christmas brunch at the hotel tomorrow.” Ben hurried after Tyler and Annie and closed the door.

  As soon as the lock clicked, Luke lowered his wife back on the cape spread over the sofa. “I’ve been dying to strip this dress off you all night, Mrs. Marino. Now, how do I get you out of the damn thing?”

  She showed him the invisible zipper down one side of her gown, which he immediately lowered, bearing her breasts.

  “Hmm, I love the feel of the satin and velvet on my bare back. I think I’ll wear my cape to bed every night with nothing under it.”

  “I like the sound of that.

  “I’ll have you know, I couldn’t wait to tear off your clothes, too.” She gasped as his mouth closed over one of her nipples. All at once, she stiffened beneath him. “I just thought of something awful.”

  “Whatever it is, it can wait,” he murmured, and wrapped her in the velvet fabric before lifting her off the sofa. “I think we should finish this upstairs. Once I get started, I won’t want to stop.”

  “We can’t go upstairs.” She shoved against his chest and tried wiggling out of his arms. “I’m not normally superstitious, Luke, but this is our marriage. Won’t we have bad luck if we don’t cut our wedding cake?”

  “Not possible.” He carried her to the study’s rear door and opened it. As he climbed the back steps, she grabbed his hair and yanked his face toward hers. “How can you be so damn sure?”

  “It’s simple, Princess,” he whispered, staring into her beautiful moss-green eyes. “When you married me, I became the luckiest man alive.”

  EPILOGUE

  The last Sunday in January, Luke drove through Redemption for the first time since their wedding. The snow-banked roads had already been plowed, but newly fallen snow still covered the ground and rooftops.

  He pulled the SUV up to the ninety-acre site that would soon be the campus for The Redemption Academy. He smiled over at Sabrina. “What do you think, Mrs. Marino? We’re breaking ground for the administration building and dormitories as soon as the ground thaws.”

  “It’s gonna be beautiful. I’m just worried every kid in New Jersey and Pennsylvania will want to apply.”

  “We’re only planning to admit students through recommendations by judges, teachers, and pastors. And even then, each student will have to financially qualify for one of our scholarships and go through an interview process to ascertain whether he or she really wants to attend here.”

  “That makes sense. We can’t save the kids who don’t want help.”

  “No, we can’t.” He shifted the SUV into first gear and pulled back onto the road. “My goal is for our academy to compete scholastically with the most elite prep schools in the country.”

  Two minutes later, he swung the vehicle into their driveway, and Sabrina burst out laughing. “I think we may have company.”

  A huge banner hung from the covered porch that read, Welcome Home, Mr. and Mrs. Marino. Tyler, Annie, and their children raced out the front door and clambered down the porch steps to greet them as they climbed from the Jeep.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Annie squealed, shifting Sam to one hip before hugging Sabrina. “I can’t believe how tan you both are. I’m guessing it’s an all-over tan.”

  Sabrina wiggled her eyebrows. “We’ll never tell.”

  Annie laid her hand over Sabrina’s stomach. “And I think someone is starting to show.”

  “I know.” Sabrina knelt down and hugged Noah and Mandy. “Fortunately, my husband likes my protruding tummy.”

  That was for sure. He loved laying his head on her belly and talking to their baby.

  “The yacht is amazing.” Sabrina told them. “I can’t wait for us to all go out on it together.”

  He opened the back of the Jeep and pulled out their suitcases. “I think Tyler and Annie need to go out on the Sabrina alone, first, to really appreciate it. We can watch the kids for them.”

  “That’ll have to wait a while.” Tyler said, grabbing two of the bags.

  “So where did you sail to?” Annie asked.

  “Bermuda, the Bahamas, Key West, The Virgin Islands….” Sabrina chuckled. “I think a better question is where didn’t we go?”

  Tyler jerked his head toward the house. “Let’s get out of the cold. Annie made dinner. The roast should be done any minute.”

  Luke trudged toward the house with the other two suitcases. “Is Ben coming?”

  Tyler stopped short and glanced at his wife. They stared at each other for several moments before Annie finally said, “No. He’s gone away for a while.”

  “Gone away? Where?” Sabrina asked, taking Sam from Annie’s arms and cuddling him.

  “It’s actually a miracle you didn’t pass him on your way out of the marina.” Tyler continued up the front porch steps. “He and Thomas are leaving on the Sabrina this afternoon as soon as the crew restocks and fuels her up.”

  Luke stalled on the last step and set the suitcases down on the porch. “The idiot couldn’t have waited one more day so we could see him before he leaves?”

  Annie slowly shook her head. “No. He couldn’t. He’s hurting too much. He needs you to understand.”

  Luke turned his back to them and sucked in a deep breath, trying not to lose it. If he’d been wearing Ben’s shoes, he probably would’ve skipped town, too, to avoid witnessing their marital bliss.

  Tyler squeezed Luke’s shoulder. “He’ll be okay.”

  “Our friendship’s never gonna be the same again, is it?” he whispered.”

  “Probably not.” Tyler shrugged. “At least not until Ben falls in love again.”

  Luke swallowed hard. Considering the pain his friend had to be in after losing Sabrina, it would take one hell of a woman to capture his heart.

  Sabrina cupped his cheek in her palm. “He just needs time to forget about me, sweetheart.”

  “That could take a lifetime, Princes
s.” Luke smiled down at his wife cuddling their baby nephew. “Because, you’re pretty unforgettable.”

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  About the Author

  Laurie Kellogg is a two-time winner and seven-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® award, the winner of Pacific Northwest Writers Association® Zola award, and a Romantic Times® American Title I finalist. She began writing to avoid housework and has since resorted to naming the dust-bunnies multiplying as fast as real rabbits while she plots love stories that are Steamy, Heartwarming, Romantic Fun

  Laurie also writes red-hot romantic comedies under L.L. Kellogg which she’s branded as A Little Naughty and a lot of Fun! If you would like to know more about Laurie and her books visit http://www.LaurieKellogg.com and be sure to subscribe to her blog at http://www.LaurieKellogg.wordpress.com

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