by Lauren Smith
“Layla?” she called as she started stripping out of her clothes.
“Yeah?”
“Tanner really moved into your place because Jared threw him out?” She couldn’t picture it. Jared loved his brother.
“Oh yeah, it was a whole big thing. He told Tanner to move in with me because he needed the apartment all to himself. Apparently he has plans for the room, not that he told Tanner. Tanner said he overheard Jared on the phone with some furniture companies.”
Furniture companies?
“Is Jared doing okay otherwise?” She was desperate for any news of him she could get. Layla didn’t answer her right away.
“He…well, he gave his boss an ultimatum. Partnership or he walks. I don’t know what else. That was all that Tanner found out.”
“He did? Did it work?” Mr. Pimms was a jerk as far as she’d heard, and she couldn’t picture him accepting an ultimatum.
“Yeah, as far as I know. Jared said he was coming tonight. I don’t think he would if he wasn’t working at the firm any longer.”
Felicity bit her lip, happy for him, but she was sad that it had all come too late for them.
She slid the gown up and opened the door. “Zip me up?” she asked her friend.
Layla tugged the zipper up the dress and handed Felicity a pair of beautiful diamond earrings.
“Remember the shoes with the bows? You should wear those.”
Felicity almost said no. Those were special shoes she wore only for Jared. But he’s not my man anymore.
“Come on, put the shoes on. You look so good in them! Let’s make all those men downstairs jealous. And yeah, I know you can’t drink, but I’ll buy you some Shirley Temples from the bar,” Layla encouraged.
“It had better be a lot of Shirley Temples with extra cherries.” Felicity slipped her shoes on and peeked at herself in the mirror.
She had a tiny bit of makeup on, but she didn’t see the point of going all out. She retrieved the shoes from her closet and slipped them on.
I will not think about him or how much I miss him.
She grabbed her purse and followed Layla to the door. Her friend was already spinning around in a mock dance, and Felicity couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe tonight would be fun after all. They rode the elevator down to the grand ballroom floor. Jazz music boomed out of the speakers, and gold was everywhere and on everything. The opulence of the Roaring Twenties was everywhere in the ballroom. There were towers of glasses of champagne, chocolate fountains, and glitzy professional dancers who whirled on special tables throughout the room.
“Wow,” Layla said. “I’m so glad that Thad let Tanner and me come to this. Can you believe this?” She twirled in place, the beads on her gown dancing in the sparkling light.
“Where is Tanner?” Felicity asked, looking over the hundreds of faces in the room. Thad said about two hundred people were on the guest list. He hadn’t been kidding. It would be easy to hide out here and avoid Jared if she stayed on the fringes.
All I have to do is see Thad and thank him for inviting me and for letting me stay in the suite.
“I left Tanner at the cash bar, and he should still be there waiting for me. I’ll grab him real quick, and the three of us will hit the dance floor.”
“Sounds good.”
Felicity watched Layla slip into the crowd. She didn’t follow her. Her heart still wanted her to run back upstairs and hide from the world and the pain. When she walked away from Jared, she tore a hole inside her heart, one so big she was afraid it might never heal.
What do you do when the love of your life can’t be in your life?
The music changed from jazz to a swelling orchestral piece. The people closest to her left the dance floor to get in line at the bar. The slowly rotating lights bounced off the shimmering chandeliers, creating the effect of falling stars on the people below.
And there he was.
A tall, well-dressed man with his back to her. Just beyond him stood Thad, who met her gaze and said something to the man, who turned. It was Jared. His eyes fixed on her, his hands in his pockets. He looked dangerous with a heavy shadow of stubble, and his full lips were set in a determined line. The man had that brooding, sexy expression down to perfection.
Jared. My Jared. Her heart was bleeding, but her soul was shaking off its dust and starting to sing.
Don’t go to him, don’t…
Her feet moved at the same time his did. When they were only a few feet apart, Felicity held her breath. Jared slid one hand out of his trouser pockets and reached for her, but he stopped short of her cheek. His eyes burned as he stared at her.
“Felicity.” Her name escaped his lips like a prayer whispered fervently at midnight. “How are you…and the baby?” His eyes stayed locked with hers.
“I’m okay. We’re okay.” She touched her abdomen. I miss you. “You?”
A rueful smile crossed his lips. “Awful.” He glanced away, and then when he finally looked at her again, she saw the ghost of tears in his eyes. The expression was shattering and crushing all at once. They were in this beautiful place, and here they were, falling apart in front of each other.
“Would you give me one dance, princess? For old times’ sake?” He held out one of his hands, palm up.
The world seemed to collapse around her, leaving only the two of them standing there. His hand was a lifeline, and she couldn’t say no.
“One dance.” She could barely get the words out. She took his hand, and he pulled her into him until they fit like two halves that had never been separated. They began to sway, slowly at first, and she couldn’t believe how wonderful it felt to be back in his arms.
They began to dance as a singer crooned about being loved when she was no longer young and beautiful. Jared’s strong arm curled around her back, and she pressed her cheek against his chest. For a few minutes she could relive the dreams she’d once had.
“Felicity, would you let me tell you something?” he asked in a low murmur, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, making her shiver.
“Yes,” she whispered. Please don’t break my heart any further, she begged him silently.
“After you left, I threatened to quit my job at the firm.”
“Jared, no—”
“Pimms gave me my partnership interest instead.” He smiled down at her.
“That’s wonderful! Everything you worked so hard for. Congratulations. I’m happy for you.” She was thrilled for him, but it didn’t heal the broken pieces of her heart.
“I’m not done, princess.”
She glanced up and tried to pull away from him a little, afraid of what else he might say. “Jared, I—”
He held her tighter. “I told him I wanted him to consider opening a branch in Los Angeles.”
Her lips parted, and she sucked in a breath. Did he mean what she was too afraid to hope he could mean?
“He seems warm to the idea. He’d set me up with a location, I’d recruit the other lawyers.” He paused, licked his lips, and rubbed a hand along her back. “I have some money saved up. We could buy a house. With a yard, near a park with a playground.”
Felicity couldn’t breathe. The air had been sucked out of the room, and all she could do was focus on the way the blood roared in her ears and how she was glad he was holding her so she wouldn’t pass out.
“What I’m trying to say is…” His hold on her tightened as though he was afraid she would pull free. “Would you give me another chance? Let me prove to you that I’m your man, the one to care for you and the baby? I want to be there for you when you’re in pain, and I want to be there to see that first smile, to help our child learn how to walk, and to argue with you over who gets to pick the baby up from daycare and…” He trailed off, his voice catching.
The baby. He was doing all this to help with the baby. She blinked back tears.
“Jared, you don’t have to do all this for the baby.”
He cupped her chin, and she had to look at him.
“It has nothing to do with the baby, princess. I have wanted you from the beginning, and the baby is just a happy accident.” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “When we were at my parents’ house over Christmas, I asked my mother for my grandmother’s ring. I was planning to propose to you in the spring. I just wanted time for you to finish school and for me to work on my plans to move to Los Angeles with you if that’s what it took.”
Her throat burned, and she couldn’t breathe. “You wanted to marry me?” She’d ruined everything. There was no way he still wanted to marry her.
“Want to marry you.” He reached for one of her hands and got down on one knee and pulled a small velvet box out of his coat pocket.
Oh God, what’s he doing? Why is he kneeling? Surely he’s not going to—
“At the risk of having you crush my heart a second time, Felicity Hart, my heart, would you marry me?”
She couldn’t get the word yes out. She simply dissolved into tears and pulled him to his feet so she could hug him.
“That’s a yes, right? Please say it’s a yes—people are staring,” he asked her in all seriousness.
“Yes, God, yes,” she murmured, wiping at her tears. She was crying so much she could barely see him through blurry tears. “It’s these damn pregnancy hormones. I cry at the drop of a hat.” She hated crying, but in that moment she didn’t care. She threw her arms around his neck and dragged his head down to hers for a kiss. Fourteen days without him…and her memories hadn’t lived up to the reality of his kisses. He ravaged her mouth as though he was starved, and she opened up to him, letting his tongue duel with hers. The smattering of applause nearby made her blush and pull away from him, ducking her head shyly. It was so easy to lose herself in the moment when she was with him.
“And you were worried she’d say no.” Thad chuckled as he walked over and slapped Jared’s shoulder.
“You knew?” she asked, one eyebrow rising.
Thad smirked. “Yeah. Why do you think I kept you in my suite? I didn’t want you running off so he couldn’t find you when he was ready to ask you.”
“Thanks.” Jared chuckled and cuddled Felicity closer.
Thad smiled and walked over to where Layla and Tanner were standing at the edge of the crowd. Her friend gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed, “We’ll talk later,” before she pulled Tanner out to the dance floor.
She was smiling and couldn’t stop. “Why do I think I was somehow played here?”
“You weren’t. Thad let me know you were safe. I just had to get everything ready and give you time to miss me.”
She had missed him. So much. She’d taken to sleeping in the black T-shirt because she couldn’t lose that last bit of him. More than one night she’d woken up dreaming he’d slipped into her bed and was making love to her only to discover it was all a dream.
“Wait. What did you have to get ready?”
He kissed her forehead before meeting her gaze. “I got my job sorted out, and Tanner’s room is now a nursery. I got a few hints from Layla and your mom, so I believe I got it right. Anything you want to change we can. I left the walls blank, though. I thought you might want to paint them.”
Felicity bit her lip, tears coursing down her cheeks. “So that’s why you kicked Tanner out? Layla told me, but I couldn’t believe it.”
Jared shrugged. “He wanted to move in with her. I just sped things up a bit.”
“Felicity!” someone called, and they both turned to see Sabine striding toward them. She wore a dark-green slim-fitting gown that shimmered, with gold strap sandals completing the look of a forest goddess.
“Hey, Sabine.” She released Jared and faced her boss.
“I just heard the good news from Thad that you’re engaged, but I wanted to add some extra good news. Mrs. Burroughs at the Art Institute called me this morning and said the tours you did with the patrons really impressed her. She asked for your résumé and looked it over and wanted to know if you’d be interested in an assistant directorship. You’d be working right under her. She knows you can start work in May after school. Do you want the job?”
Felicity glanced at her boss, then Jared, completely shocked.
“It’s your dream, princess. I’ll follow you anywhere.”
In that moment life was simply too full, too good, a dream within a wonderful dream. She couldn’t contain the joy that was bursting out of her at the seams.
“Tell the institute I’ll start May first.” She took Jared’s hand and squeezed it.
Her boss grinned. “Excellent. And congratulations, sweetie.” Sabine kissed her cheek and went off to greet a group of guests who had walked into the ballroom.
Jared spun her in his arms so she faced him. He curled his fingers around the back of her neck in a gentle, possessive grip.
“You make me happy, Felicity. Happy beyond imagining.” He swallowed hard and smiled so broadly it made his eyes sparkle.
“You really want to marry me?” she asked, smiling enough to make her cheeks hurt. She still couldn’t believe it.
His gaze sobered, and he looked at her intensely as he stroked her bottom lip with his thumb. “I realized there was nothing for me in a world without you, and I’d do anything to win you back.”
Felicity felt the same way, that life without him was no life at all. Like a taste of Eden before being banished, she’d been adrift without him, and he without her.
“Tell me our life will be wonderful?” she asked.
He lowered his head, and when their mouths were inches apart, he whispered, “I won’t tell you. I’ll show you.” And then he kissed her. She shivered at the tender ravishment of his mouth and the sweet promise of the shared life and love that awaited them.
Epilogue
Felicity stood in the nursery of her and Jared’s apartment, putting away the naptime books and collecting the recently washed onesies to put away in the dresser. The crib was empty which meant Jared had taken the baby for her breakfast. The morning sun made the walls glow with light. It was a fine Saturday morning, and she had all day to spend just as she wished. After a long but enjoyable week at the Art Institute, she was glad it was the weekend. She smiled as she let her gaze drift from wall to wall. She’d painted stories that had made her childhood happy.
There was a rotund yellow bear snoozing beneath a tree, a hive full of honey far out of his reach. The next wall showed a young girl perched on a window seat, white curtains billowing into her room. A distant star above a London skyline shimmered, and the silhouette of a boy who could fly covered part of the window, a tiny fairy above his shoulder. The next wall showed a boy wizard riding in a boat toward a distant castle, a distinctive scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. The last wall showed a sleeping princess and a prince on one knee beside her bed, inches away from giving her love’s true kiss.
“Somebody is hungry for her bottle.” Jared’s sleep-roughened voice made her turn toward the door. He stood there bare-chested, wearing flannel pajama pants. In his arms he cradled their three-month-old daughter, Hayley Hart Redmond.
Felicity walked to them and reached up to take her baby, but Jared stepped back, smiling.
“My turn. You go back to bed, princess. Gummy bear and I will be just fine, won’t we?”
He bent his head to nuzzle the baby’s cheek before he kissed Hayley’s brow. Hayley unfisted one of her tiny hands and placed it on Jared’s chiseled jaw, her gaze so serious.
“She’s giving me that look again,” he said with a laugh. “I wonder what she’s thinking about?”
Felicity giggled. “I think she’s trying to show her displeasure at being called gummy bear.”
Jared took Hayley’s little hand in his and kissed it. “Don’t look at me, gummy bear, your mom is the one who named you that.”
“I did not,” Felicity protested, still laughing as she followed Jared into the kitchen to warm up a bottle. He held the baby in one arm, easily cradling her as though he’d been around children and b
abies all his life.
Felicity came over to him and leaned against his back, hugging him.
“How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?” She’d whispered this almost every morning since Hayley had been born.
Jared, just like every morning, met her gaze and replied, “A princess deserves nothing less than a prince, and for you I’d do anything and be anything. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she murmured.
He held the baby between them, and Hayley cooed and wriggled her tiny hands, exploring Felicity’s loose hair and tugging gently. This world held love, beauty, and hope. It was a world where a woman could have all her dreams come true.
Thanks for reading Legally Charming. I hope you enjoyed it!
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You’ve just read the first book in the Ever After series. I plan to write more books about Thad and Angelo soon!
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If you’d like to read the first three chapters from Forbidden: Her British Stepbrother, the first book in another fun, steamy contemporary romance series of mine, please turn the page.
Forbidden: Her British Stepbrother
Chapter 1
