Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-16 (Gansett Island Series)

by Marie Force

  Jared could almost hear her gulp. “I’ll do everything I can.”

  “Very good. Let me know when the closing is scheduled.”

  “We’ll need to travel to the mainland—”

  “We’ll do it here. I’m spending fourteen million dollars, Ms. Chase. Surely they can come to me.”

  “Of course. I’ll let them know.”

  “If you could messenger a letter of agreement to me today, I’d appreciate it. I’ve got plans to make.”

  After she assured him she’d send over the letter, Jared thanked her and ended the call, returning his phone to the bedside table. He put his arm around Lizzie and held her close.

  “What plans do you have to make?” she asked in the sleepy, sexy morning voice that had been one of the things he’d most missed about her while they were apart. Who was he kidding? He’d missed everything about her and was thankful to wake this morning with the promise of forever with her.

  “Our wedding.”

  She propped herself up, pushing the mane of hair back from her face. “Our wedding? I thought you bought the place for Alex and Jenny to use.”

  “I did, and it’s all theirs as soon as we say ‘I do.’”

  “And when is my wedding taking place?”

  “Two weeks from today.” He loved the way her eyes bugged out of her head.

  “Are you out of your mind? You expect me to marry you in two weeks?”

  “You’re lucky I’m giving you that long. If it were up to me, we’d be on a plane to Vegas today. I figured you’d probably want your folks there and maybe a few friends.”

  “Two weeks.”

  “Some friends of Jenny’s just had a two-day engagement and managed to pull off a beautiful wedding. I figure with two weeks, we’ve got all the time we need.”

  “I have to go back to work on Monday!”

  “You’re probably going to want to ask for some time off since you just found out you’re getting married in two weeks.”

  “Jared, you’re acting crazy.”

  “I’m crazy, insane, over-the-top, out of my mind in love with you, and now that I’ve got you back with me—where you belong, I might add—I want a second ring on that finger, and I want it two weeks from today.” He kissed her and then tipped his head and kissed her again. “Okay?”

  Probably because she could see how badly he wanted it, she said, “Okay.”

  “You can go back to work on Wednesday. I’ll take you. We both have things to sort out in the city. And you, my love, have a very sexy wedding dress to buy.”

  “How sexy are we talking?” she asked with a coy smile that made his heart flutter.

  “Sinfully sexy.”

  “I’ll see what I can scare up.”

  “Babe, I want to have this fight now so we can get it out of the way.”

  Her lips pursed adorably. “What fight?”

  “The one about how I’m paying for this whole thing.” When she began to object, he pressed a finger to her lips. “I’m paying for it, Lizzie.”

  “You’re not paying for my dress.”

  “I’m paying for all of it.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Lizzie…”

  “Jared.” The look she gave him left no room for negotiation.

  “Please? It would make me happy to buy you a sinfully sexy dress.”

  “And I love you for that, but I’ll buy my own sinfully sexy dress, and I’ll knock your socks off with it.”

  “I pay for the rest.” He went with a statement over a question because he really didn’t want to talk anymore. Not when he had the love of his life naked in his bed. There were so many better things they could do besides talk.

  “You can pay for the rest. But the dress is mine.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine.”

  “Can we have sex now?” he asked.

  Her tentative glance told him she had something on her mind.

  “What?”

  “Why don’t you say it the way you used to?”

  “Say what?”

  “What you just said. You never would’ve asked so politely before I messed things up between us.”

  “You didn’t mess things up on your own, Lizzie, and I was always polite.”

  Her brow lifted in a haughty expression that made him laugh out loud.

  “Okay, maybe not always, but I was most of the time. Wasn’t I?”

  “You were real with me, and I liked it. It took me awhile to get used to your brand of ‘realness,’ but once I did, I liked it.” Her hand lay flat against his chest until she dragged it down to his belly, setting off a chain reaction that had him hard and ready in under a second. “I liked it a lot.”

  Realization dawned on him all at once, and he offered a wolfish smile. “So you wanna fuck?”

  “There it is!” she said, laughing as she reached out to cup his cheek. “Don’t be different with me.”

  “I didn’t mean to be.”

  “Don’t be careful with me either.”

  He turned his face into her palm and placed a kiss in the middle. “I’ll always be careful with you. You’ve given me the greatest honor of my life by agreeing to marry me.”

  “That’s very sweet of you to say, but I hope you know what I mean. I want you to be you, Jared. The way you were before, not some cautious version of yourself. It’s not going to blow up in our faces again. We won’t let that happen.”

  “I got ya, honey. So are we gonna fuck?”

  Laughing, she said, “I don’t know if I can. I’m so sore from yesterday’s gymnastics.”

  “Oh, baby,” he said, kissing his way down the front of her. “I can work around that.”

  Epilogue

  Two weeks had never gone by faster, Elisabeth thought as she stood before a full-length mirror in one of the upstairs bedrooms at The Chesterfield to take a final, critical look at herself before the biggest moment of her life. The dress was, indeed, sinfully sexy, clinging to her breasts and fitting tightly to the rest of her. While it was definitely sexy, it was also simple. She’d rejected dress after dress for being “too much,” until she found one that was just right. There was no train, no bows, no frills, and she loved it. She only hoped Jared wasn’t hoping for something fancier.

  That thought summarized all the last-minute nerves she’d experienced as the days flew by in a flurry of activity. True to his word, he’d left the firm over the strenuous objections of his partners, who would feel his loss painfully in their wallets. But Jared had stayed focused on the life they had planned for themselves and the partners had finally accepted his resignation.

  Elisabeth had given a week’s notice at the shelter and proposed that Aimee be promoted to take her place. The board of directors had agreed, and though they were sad to be losing Elisabeth, they were excited to move forward with Aimee in charge.

  Jared had closed on the Chesterfield Estate yesterday and had been ready with all the things they’d ordered from the mainland—and paid a small fortune to have shipped to the island in time for theirs to be the first wedding at the new venue.

  Because of the short timeframe, they’d skipped invitations and spread the word digitally like the modern couple they were. The thought gave Elisabeth a fit of the giggles. He was modern and hip. She was always trying to catch up and keep up. She had a feeling that wouldn’t change after they were married, thus her worries about whether she’d be enough for him long term.

  As she worked her way through last-minute nerves, she tried to remain oblivious to the photographer who snapped her every expression. This wasn’t just any photographer. Oh no… Her fiancé, being the businessman he was, had given exclusive rights to photograph their wedding to one of the top bridal magazines in the world, knowing the images of them and their fantastic wedding venue would bring The Chesterfield more business than they could handle.

  Elisabeth had agreed to it because she couldn’t deny it was a brilliant marketing strategy, but with the stipulation that the p
hotographers and magazine team remain in the background during the wedding. So far, they’d been terrific about respecting her boundaries.

  A knock on the door preceded her sister and parents into the room. “Oh, wow,” her sister, Melanie, said as she took in the full ensemble. Jared had insisted on bringing hair and makeup people to the island for the big day, so she could have all the pampering she would’ve gotten in the city. Because she wanted to look beautiful for him, she’d chosen not to fight that battle and couldn’t deny his people had done a masterful job.

  Her hair was down around her shoulders the way he liked it, in an array of soft curls that were held back from her face by a single clip in the back. Tiny blooms from the Chesterfield gardens had been artfully woven into the design, and her bridal bouquet was made of white hydrangeas that Alex had cut for her. As her maid of honor, Mel wore a periwinkle gown she’d chosen for herself and carried deep blue and purple hydrangeas.

  “How are things downstairs?” Elisabeth asked her family.

  “Everything looks lovely, honey,” her mom said as she dabbed at tears. “I can’t believe how quickly the two of you pulled this off.”

  “I can’t take much of the credit,” she said. “It was mostly Jared.”

  “He’s a good man,” her dad said gruffly. “He’ll take very good care of my little girl.”

  “Yes, he will.” That much she knew for certain, and with that realization went the rest of her nerves. Everything was going to be fine as long as she and Jared faced the challenges that lay ahead together.

  “It’s time,” Mel said. “Are you ready?”

  Life with Jared would be as far removed from the life she’d imagined for herself as it was possible to get, but she had no doubt it would be a grand adventure. “I’m ready.”

  She quite simply took his breath away. Watching Lizzie come to him on the arm of her father, Jared could only stare in amazement at the woman he got to spend the rest of his life with. It could never have been anyone else, he realized as she approached him, her smile dazzling and confident. And as requested, her dress was sinfully sexy. If she hadn’t come back to him, if they hadn’t put things back together, he never would’ve gotten married. That much he knew for sure now.

  He’d asked David to stand up for him, in large part because of his friend’s role in ensuring that Lizzie didn’t get away. The other reason he’d asked David to be his best man was because the good doctor was the first, genuine friend Jared had made since he struck it rich and saw his entire life change almost overnight.

  His parents and siblings sat in the front row, watching the proceedings, but he didn’t feel as close to them as he did before money changed everything. One of his goals was to bridge that gap at some point, but not today. No, today was all about Lizzie and their new life together.

  When she and her dad reached him, Jared shook her father’s hand, extended his arm to Lizzie and turned to face Judge Frank McCarthy, who’d happily agreed to marry them at the spot they’d chosen overlooking the ocean.

  Their guests included the huge band of friends Jenny had introduced them to at the impromptu shower-slash-bachelor party she and Alex had thrown for them the weekend before. Jared and Lizzie had immediately bonded with Jenny’s crew of island friends, including the McCarthy brothers and their wives/girlfriends/fiancées; Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy; their daughter, Janey, and her husband, Joe; Jared’s decorator friend, Sydney Donovan, and her husband, Luke Harris; the island’s police chief, Blaine Taylor, and his wife, Tiffany; Dan Torrington and his fiancée, Kara Ballard; and Owen Lawry and his fiancée, Laura McCarthy. Jared and Lizzie had enjoyed them all so much, they’d invited them to join in the wedding festivities.

  Lizzie had also insisted on inviting Ned Saunders, the cab driver who’d been so kind to her, and his fiancée, Francine. The posse of new friends was just another reason Jared couldn’t wait to settle into their life on Gansett Island, which would happen after he finally took his wife to Paris.

  She held his hand and smiled at him as they listened to Judge McCarthy talk about marriage and commitment and the importance of love and daily laughter before he led them through traditional vows and the exchange of rings. Then he pronounced them husband and wife, and Jared kissed her, and she kissed him back, and he could honestly say it was, without a doubt, the single best moment of his life.

  The elated glow stayed with him through the party that followed—calling it a reception was far too tame for what transpired on the Chesterfield lawn that afternoon. Jared knew he’d never forget the way she’d smiled all day. He’d never forget the way she’d felt in his arms as they danced for the first time as husband and wife. And he’d never forget the way she’d gazed at him with so much love when he carried her up two flights of stairs to the honeymoon suite Sydney had put together for them in record time.

  After he carried her over the threshold, he made no move to put her down. Rather he studied her gorgeous face, trying to commit every detail of how she looked right then to memory.

  “Happy?” she asked him after a long silence.

  “I’ve never been happier in my entire life.”

  “Neither have I.”

  “I’m going to make you happy every day, Lizzie. I promise.”

  “I promise the same thing.”

  Smiling, he waggled his brows suggestively. “Wanna fuck?”

  She smiled at him but shook her head deliberately.

  He froze.

  Her hand caressed his face soothingly. “No, Jared. Tonight I want to make love.”

  Filled with relief to have all the questions answered and a lifetime to spend with her, he kissed her softly and sweetly. “That I can do, my love. That I can do.”

  Turn the page to read Gansett After Dark, Owen and Laura’s story!

  Chapter 1

  The creak of the rocking chair on the new wooden deck, the warm afternoon breeze off the ocean, the heat of the baby asleep on his chest and the bustle of the town he now called home soothed and calmed Owen Lawry. Along the newly painted white porch rail were flower boxes containing the pink, lavender and white impatiens Laura had nurtured all summer.

  Every square inch of the Sand & Surf Hotel had been renovated in the last year, leaving the scents of sawdust and fresh paint behind. They’d been operating at full capacity since Memorial Day, and it was indeed thrilling to see the hotel open and once again full of happy visitors.

  Almost a year ago, Owen had stood on this same deck and watched the last ferry depart on Columbus Day. It had felt symbolic then. With that ferry went his old life as a footloose and fancy-free troubadour, traveling from gig to gig, following the seasons and the work.

  He’d stayed that day. He’d stayed because of Laura. He’d stayed because he could no longer imagine a day—hell, an hour—without her. And he’d never regretted it. Not for one second. Her son, Holden, the child they were raising together even though another man had fathered him, was now as much Owen’s as he was Laura’s. Earlier in the summer, they’d been surprised to learn they were expecting twins together. He who had never wanted the constraints of commitment or marriage or family was now as committed as any man could be, and he’d never been happier as their wedding date got closer with every passing day.

  Just one thing stood between him and the future he wanted so desperately with Laura, Holden and the twins—his father’s trial. The thought of seeing his father again for the first time in more than a decade made Owen feel sick and anxious and fearful, as if he were still a five-year-old who couldn’t figure out what he’d done to stir his father’s wrath.

  In a few days, he and Laura, his mother and Laura’s father, along with several friends who would be testifying, would depart Gansett on the ferry and travel to Virginia for the trial. Frank was coming to help out with Holden while they were in court. Owen didn’t want Laura to come, but she insisted on being there for him. He hated the thought of her sitting in the courtroom listening to the nightmare that had been his life in vivid deta
il that would shock and horrify her.

  But he would’ve done the same for her. He would’ve insisted on being there, even if she didn’t want him to come.

  The screen door opened, and Owen glanced over his shoulder as his mother came toward him.

  “I was wondering where you guys had gotten off to,” Sarah Lawry said as she sat in the rocker next to them. She tucked her chin-length blonde hair behind her ear. “Is he asleep?”

  “Out cold.”

  “You could put him in his crib, you know,” she said in a teasing tone.

  “I much prefer this.” Holden’s wispy dark hair brushed against Owen’s chin, so soft it felt like an angel’s wings.

  “I always did, too.”

  Owen looked over at her. “Are you going to talk to Charlie before we leave?”

  “I’m having dinner with him tonight.”

  “Will you tell him where we’re going and why?”

  “I want to. I need to. I know I do. It’s just… It’s hard to talk about.”

  “He deserves to know, Mom. He’s been an amazing friend to you for months now.” Owen directed his gaze toward the ferry coming toward the breakwater, bringing another group of tourists to the island. This time of year, the ferries came and went all day and well into the night. “Think of it this way. You’ll be talking about it a lot in the next week or so. May as well get it all over with at once so you never have to talk about it again.”

  “You make good points, and I’m going to try tonight. That’s the best I can do.”

  “I’ll tell him if you want me to.”

  “That’s very generous of you, but it needs to come from me. I owe him that much.”

  “I’m still trying to figure out a way to talk Laura out of coming with us.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen. She’s quite determined.”

  “I know.”

  His mother reached over to put her hand on his arm. “She loves you, Owen. She wants to support you through this. You have to let her.”