Hearts So Big (Timeless Love Series Book 3)

by Mj Fields

  “What the hell is going on in here?”

  I look over my shoulder as Autumn walks off the elevator.

  Stella runs in and slides across the floor.

  “Oh my God, what is that you’re wearing? Are you trying to ruin your chances of getting laid tonight by Aaron Esposito, Aaron Esposito, Aaron Esposito?”

  “He happens to be a huge fan of granny panties.” She smiles then looks at me. “These still doing it for you?”

  I nod over my cup of coffee then wink.

  Then she runs up the stairs.

  “Really?” Autumn asks.

  “Apparently.” I shrug.

  “Is that a thing?”

  “It is. There’s a secret brotherhood and everything.”

  When she furrows her brows at me, I smile.

  “You’re lucky you’re so damn handsome, or I’d give you an earful.” She walks past me and toward the stairs with a bag in hand.

  I look at Artois. The poor bastard isn’t happy with his yellow bow tie and matching cuffs on, but Stella insisted we all bring the sunshine today.

  “Don’t look so pissed off. I’m wearing the same tie.”

  Two minutes later, everything is quiet. This makes me nervous. Really fucking nervous.

  Five minutes later, I can’t wait any longer.

  When I walk into our room, I’m expecting a mess. But what I get is quite the opposite.

  Stella is wearing a black, form-fitting dress that hits just above her knees with pin-dot-sized white polka dots and a thin yellow belt high around her waist, accentuating her curves.

  Autumn sees me first. “We lost the granny panties, and it all came together.”

  Stella turns and smiles at me. “Mom sent this to Autumn for today. What do you think?”

  “Stunning.”

  Sexy. I’m getting hard. I want to tear it off or maybe pull it up and fuck you with it on.

  “On my half of the shelf in the closet is a gift from Bruno. He wanted you to have it today.”

  Natasha pops out of the closet with the box. “This?”

  I don’t even have the chance to respond before Stella snatches it, runs to the bed, and tears open the brown packing paper.

  When she pulls out a pair of stilettos that match the belt, she hugs them and squeals. Then she turns and finds my eyes.

  I wink.

  She winks back and holds them out, swaying them back and forth. “Wanna help me put them on?”

  “Wanna be late for your release?”

  She nods and grins.

  Autumn and Natasha laugh as I walk away because, if I don’t, I’m going to cause a scene.

  “You ready in New York?” I smile at Ginny and the crew on the monitor as Stella paces, oblivious to the fact they are live.

  “We sure are. You ready, Stella?”

  She looks up and grins at her mom, waving with both hands as she shakes her head in the negative.

  “Better get there. We go live in … ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.” I wink then open the door at the same time that the staff hits the button, raising the blinds that have hidden the view of the “site” from the outside world.

  Stella’s eyes widen as women begin to come in.

  “That’s the one from the video!”

  Stella looks at me inquisitively.

  “I love that video. My daughter is obsessed with the Staten Island Starlet, and they say it was the same designer.”

  “You didn’t,” she whispers.

  “May have leaked the possibility.”

  “I’m gonna hurt you.” She narrows her eyes, but it’s obvious that she doesn’t mean it.

  I bend down and give her a quick kiss. “Be pissed later, Stella. Right now, enjoy your moment. I bet you sell out within the hour.”

  “Oh, please.” She laughs.

  I point at the screen. “New York’s got a line two blocks down the road.”

  “No way.” She laughs again then looks at the screen and covers her mouth. “Ohmygod.”

  “Go and enjoy, baby. This is all because of you.”

  “It’s because of you.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t even carry a purse. Now go mingle, help with the kiosks, have fun.”

  It takes but minutes for them to recognize her. Selfies are taken, she’s asked to sign inside the bags, to sing, and she’s handling it all the way Stella does—with a smile.

  Tyler, one of our school friends, is my point man in New York. He messages me within an hour, telling me that all the “Staten Island Bags,” as the public has dubbed it, are sold out in store. There were two thousand in New York. Here, half that.

  Half an hour later, the bag is sold out online, on both sites.

  “Can I steal you for a moment?” I ask Stella as I smile at the women surrounding her. I wave to Natasha, Autumn, and Angela, and then hit Ginny’s number to get her on Facetime. When she answers, I hold up the phone.

  Stella, not knowing I called her, looks at her. “Is everything okay, Mom?”

  “The Staten Island sold out.”

  “Shut up.” Stella laughs. “All five hundred of them?”

  Ginny laughs. “You mean two thousand?”

  “Shut up!” She looks at me and laughs. “You broke a promise!”

  “I took a gamble on you. Worked out.”

  “And the interactive kiosk site thing”—Ginny laughs again a little incredulously—“is that a glitch or are they really all out, too?”

  Stella looks at me, and I smile, telling her, “Sold out.”

  “Shut. Up!”

  “And Tyler just messaged that the online store itself is also out.”

  “Shut! Up!”

  “So, what’s that mean?”

  I look back at the woman who is clearly eavesdropping. “It means, whatever we have here in store is for Staten Island.”

  And just like that, they are all buying two bags.

  Four hours after Simply Stella’s first launch, we lock the door and close the blinds in New York and London.

  Stella thanks everyone profusely and tells them all how much she loves them. She also invites everyone here for dinner then looks at the monitor.

  “When I figure out when we’re coming back for a visit, we’ll have dinner at the Staten Island dinner cruise.” She looks at me. “Right?”

  “You’re the boss, babe.”

  “Well”—she looks around the room, doing a full turn, and then looks back at the camera—“I guess that’s it?” She looks back at me. “Are we done?”

  “One last thing. I am proud of you for taking a chance on your dream. Not many people do that. You fought your little ass off to get through school. You worked while attending college. You’ve done everything with grace, class and, of course, some of that Stella sass. You’re an inspiration, Stella McCarty. Too many of us give up. So, I’m going to ask you to help me make my biggest dream come true.”

  “Of course. Let’s get at it.” She smiles.

  When I kneel on one knee, her eyes grow wider, her smile bigger, and then she starts giggling nervously. When I pull the ring from my pocket and open the box, her mouth gapes open as she looks at the ring that I had designed for her.

  The pale-yellow, square, cushion cut diamond is a beauty, accented by a row of white diamonds around it. On the platinum band are diamonds haloing the ring.

  “Marry me, Stella? Be my wife, my partner, my everything?”

  She nods up and down quickly. “Yeah. Um, yep. I mean, yes, yes, yes!”

  As I stand, I slide the ring onto her finger then wrap my arms around her, lifting her and kissing the lips of the woman who brings the sun to even the grayest of days.

  “I promise you, Stella McCarty, I’ll make you smile forever.”

  About the Author

  USA Today bestselling author MJ Fields write books that scorch pages and melt hearts. Her style is raw, gritty and authentic. Love an alpha and a strong heroine? She does too.

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  Acknowledgments

  To each and every one of my readers and blogger friends that decided to take a chance on this book, thank you. Your support and love of written words means the world to me. I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

  To Kris- Thank you for stepping in when I was past my original edit date. <3 U.

  To Donna- Thank you for all the finishing touches that you make to ensure I don’t look like a total idiot. So excited to have you.

  To- Bobbie, Diana, and Elizabeth, your feedback and encouragement help more than I can even put into words.

  To Mandy- Thank you for loving Aaron Esposito, Aaron Esposito, Aaron Esposito.

  To my reader group, Ladies of Love and Steel- You make me laugh, you make me smile, and you make me remember daily that I have made the choice to surround myself with HEARTS SO BIG, mine grows bigger each day. Forever Steel, ladies.

  To my ARC crew- I love your passion and support for every book I put out. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you.

  To -Bobbie, Jamie, Paige, Ivy, Laurie, Renee, Christa, KA, through thick and thin….

  To – Kate Stewart, you talked me off the ledge… again. I love you!

  To Autumn- I hope you never forget how much I appreciate you, even when I’m crazy AF. Thank you.

  To Ally- I’m sorry for using one of your friends’ names in a book. But it’s like this, Stella, Elijah and Aaron weren’t really supposed to have a story. But then her character wouldn’t shut up and it was obvious he had to be the good guy, since he IS a good guy. I’m ‘woke’ enough to realize that I would have seen him hanging around and would have probably disliked him at no fault of his, if he was the bad guy in the story. Also sorry for using ‘woke’ I know that irritates you. (Hehehehe) Ps- You are the yellow to my gray.