“Mine too,” I whispered as he stared into my eyes.
“I fell in love with you within moments. It was hard to juggle everything and us but the moments we spent together were the best times of my life. I never knew that someone could do that for me before.” He cracked the box, and I caught the sun shimmering against the stone. “I love you. I love you and Sienna more than anything, and I want to show you the world. I want to give you more babies and smiles. Will you marry me and allow me that honor?”
“Oh, my God.” I dropped in front of him, a mess of tears. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him with the box pressed against my stomach as he stabilized me with one arm. “Yes, Jacob. A thousand times, yes.” I laughed through my tears. “Here in the house?”
“Doing it on the beach for the wedding weekend seemed like it would be taking Lach’s thunder away. I needed something that was ours.” He replied before kissing me softly. “This view with the sun going down just struck me the first time we saw it at night.”
I turned my head to see that sky awash with orange, pink, and purple as the sun lowered behind the hills. “You’re right. It’s beautiful.”
“You’re the beautiful one here.” He assured me as I looked at him again. Jacob moved his hand with the box and slid the ring on my left hand as I struggled to see in the now dim light. He chuckled and led me into the kitchen with a soft warning before turning on the light. I looked down to see a diamond set in a band with smaller ones that shimmered in the kitchen light.
“This is… gorgeous.” I breathed, in shock at the sight.
“Yeah, well Sienna helped me pick it out. She’s all about that bling.” He joked as I looked at him with wide eyes. “Truth. I wanted her to be a part of it.”
The idea of my daughter picking out a ring with Jacob made me cry again. He held me and whispered soothing words to me as I lost it completely. One of my biggest fears was finding someone that could love us equally, and that would work with me as a team. I found that and more. “I wish I could have seen you guys,” I wept as he stroked my hair.
“The sales staff got a kick out of it.” He told me with a chuckle, and I nodded as I tried to regain my composure again. “Sienna might have gotten a necklace the same day. Nothing too crazy but she loved it, and now she can wear it around you.” He smiled. “I made her promise to wait.”
I cried for several moments as I stared from my ring to his face. When I was calmer, we turned on lights and walked through the home to take in the space. It was perfect with a private area for my mom and rooms across the house enough for Sienna and us. Her room had the balcony over the outdoor patio, but she understood that she needed to be safe. It was perfect, and I outlined my ideas for it in each room, using my hand more than necessary to make it catch the light. Jacob chuckled and dragged me across the master bedroom to look out over the large, green yard.
“Magic is going to happen here. We’re going to spend time with friends out there and watch our babies grow up. We get to see your mom experience every part of that.” I hugged him and breathed in his minty scent.
“I’m so glad she’s a part of this,” I told him as I smiled. “Was she at the store too?”
“Nah., She did give the ring a thumbs up.” Jacob laughed, and I wrapped my arms tightly around him. “Everyone did.”
“Are they all out-front waiting to surprise me?” I teased as he smirked.
“No way. I needed you alone to do this.” He kissed me hungrily, and I slipped my arms tightly around his neck. He told me to wrap my legs around him and led me to the walk-in closet, dropping me on to a soft blanket.
“Oh, my God. You planned this?” I asked as he lit a couple of candles in the corners of the large room.
“Hell, yes. I wanted to break this place in as soon as possible. Jacob crawled towards me and kissed me again.
Chapter 15
Jacob
(Six Months Later)
I was sitting at the breakfast nook in the kitchen answering an email as Rory breezed by on the way to the fridge. She took out a bottle of water and handed one to me. “Priscilla sent me some prints from a gorgeous shoot today. Let's check it out for a possible wedding spot.”
“Where are they now?” I asked as she smiled.
“It’s in Greece. The sand is so pretty, and the water is this light blue color that makes me actually want to go into it.” Rory wasn’t the swimmer that Sienna was. “Look!” She showed me the iPad, and there were a few shots on a beach with a couple that I presumed was getting married.
“That’s nice,” I told her, seeing how happy she was as I smiled.
“There’s more than one beach so we could look around, but it’s a great backdrop. I think everyone would be willing to come out for it.” She said, and I nodded in agreement.
“We’ll book something and take Sienna before she starts preschool,” I assured her as she pouted. “Baby, she’s growing up.”
“I know that, but I don’t have to like it.” She replied as I shook my head. We didn’t have a set date, but we did want a beach wedding with the right weather. We’d been busy settling into the house the last few months. It was comfortable and perfect, and I even left the blanket in the closet for our time outs.
“There are a few more rooms that we could fill up with babies, so you don’t have to worry about it.” I reminded her as she raised a brow at me.
“Always wanting to knock me up, aren’t you?” She asked lightly as something chimed. “More pictures!” She sat beside me, and I glanced at the shots of the young couple. “I’m going to have fun with these. What a gorgeous pair they make.” She shot me a pointed look. “I’ll bet he’s not pressuring her into having his children.”
I barked out a laugh as she saved the shots into a file. Mom was in town with some friends since she was getting strong enough for some activity now. Sienna was over at Everett’s with the kids, likely spending the night. “Yeah, like you don’t enjoy the practicing as much as I do.” Her telltale blush gave her away. “Want to go out for some dinner tonight?”
“That’s a good idea. I think we’re on our own.” She nodded, and I leaned over to kiss her cheek. Over dinner, we planned a trip to the beach in Greece. A month later, we were touring the island with Sienna and making plans for a small, intimate wedding. We found the perfect stretch of sand with a backdrop of some rocks and a gorgeous sunset. Ever since I proposed at that time of night, I got it in my head that we needed to get married at the same time.
Rory had a meeting with a planner before we left for home and had a solid idea before we got on the plane. Sienna was excited, and the girls talked intimately on the flight as I closed my eyes and listened to their whispers. I’d ask my best friend to stand up for Rory, and I would likely ask his wife. They were getting closer by the day. Everyone in our life would play a part.
Chapter 16
Rory
(10 Months Later)
I shifted in my seat as Priscilla curled the last strand of hair in an effort to soften my natural curls. The breeze blew through the hotel room as laughter carried from the patio outside. I knew the girls were enjoying lunch and some champagne while I got ready for the wedding.
My wedding. My ceremony.
After so much planning, it was happening on our little slice of paradise in Greece. Our closest friends and family were here with us, and I was walking down the aisle with Mama and Sienna. My little girl was wearing a soft pink dress that flowed around her legs and already looked beautiful.
My dress was a soft cream lace slip of a thing. It clung to my breasts and torso without being obscene and flowed loosely down to my feet. I was wearing a diamond drop necklace that Jacob gave to me, and my hair was going to be flowing down my shoulders with just some flowers wound through it. I watched as Priscilla managed to get them into the curls with a satisfied smile.
“He’s going to lose his mind when he sees you.” She told me as I flushed. My makeup was al
ready complete, and I didn’t want to start crying just yet. It was a natural look, but my eyes popped with the liner, and my cheeks were sculpted beyond belief. I was going with a deep pink stain that wouldn’t budge through the endless kisses I’d get from Jacob today.
“Not if I do it first.” I murmured as I rolled my shoulders. I knew that Delila was back there shooting candid photos, but I was used to it by now. I had so many pictures to frame of moments that she caught so perfectly. She was five months pregnant, but I’d never guess it if I couldn’t see her stomach under the floral dress that she wore.
“How’s it going?” Peyton asked as she walked in wearing a dress a shade darker than the one that Sienna was wearing. “Oh, shit. You look so beautiful.” She covered her mouth, and I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry. Weddings make me cry.”
“Hormones are what is making you cry. I know all about it.” Delila said behind us, and we all laughed. Peyton was three months pregnant with their first baby.
“Okay, but the wedding part would still do it,” Peyton argued lightly as someone else came in from the balcony. I glanced over to see my mom in her soft coral dress and our eyes locked. She walked over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“You look so pretty, Rory.” She said softly as I covered her hands with mine. We both knew that this was my second wedding but weren’t focused on it. My dad was watching over me, and I thought that Kyle might be as well. He’d like that we were so cared for and that his little girl was growing up happy.
“Thank you, Mama. Is Si ready to go?” I asked, and she chuckled.
“Beyond. I’m glad it’s just a half an hour from now because she’s exhausting me.” Mom was so much stronger than before. She did more every month, and I loved seeing her off with her friends as she lived the life she deserved.
That time passed quickly as we finished up the last touches. I was walking barefoot on the sand since my dress flowed around my feet, and it was so soft and warm. Mom and Sienna walked with me as the other girls followed, each with their own part in my special day.
We reached the informal path that blocked my view from the guests and paused as Priscilla checked my hair one more time. I clutched the pink roses and cream lilies in my hand as I stood still. The sound of a harp drifted over, and I knew that it was time. They were playing a particular song for Peyton to walk to and then switching to the song that Jacob and I selected together.
I hugged Peyton before she headed down and around the bend, rocking in place as Mom watched me. When that song ended, I took Mama’s arm, and Sienna held onto my dress so I could keep my flowers. I let out a breath as my song started, and we all took that first step towards a new life.
It was the life I was meant for, and I smiled at the idea of the baby I still needed to tell Jacob about. It was new and a bit of a surprise to me, but I had a plan to tell him about it against the sunset when we were wrapped in each other’s arms later.
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thanks for buying this book. I hope you enjoyed your read. Also, I have attached a sample of another steamy story below. Please have a look.
Love
Claire Angel
SAMPLE: BILLIONAIRE BOSS: A SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE
BLURB:
I was hurt too many times, and now all I could think about women, was that they were all expendable.
Life was good. Everything that I needed was there at the drop of a hat. I was happy. Until things weren’t enough.
Getting a whiff of Amelia, seeing her brilliant smile, was enough to make me see red when I thought my assistant would dare look at her too long.
I didn’t trust myself when I was around Amelia and that was a hard pill to swallow. When she left the office with Dominic, both of them laughing, I felt the hot prickles of jealousy go through me.
I hated that I wanted her so badly. And the worst part was that she wanted someone else.
Dominic was handsome and he had good luck with the ladies. He said he was monogamous, but it didn’t look like he was a committed man, when he was making Amelia laugh and carry on.
What were the two of them talking about? I really wanted to know.
***
Prologue
Phillip
I loved Mona. I loved every inch of her and after she told me that she was pregnant, I loved her even more. It was still a little sketchy how we finally came together when my sister’s wedding was canceled with Steven. But now we were together. I could not see it going any other way. We had lived on a bubble of love, not seeing the ground because we were so high up.
I was so preoccupied with being so high in the sky, that I did not realize it until the very last moment, that I was actually falling. I was falling, I wasn’t flying at all. I’d been on a collision course with the ground for some time and didn’t even know it.
Amber gave me a call out of courtesy and I didn’t know what to say to her. Everything had ended weird between us and I tried to push past it. It was easy to forget about it, after she told me why she had called. She called to tell me that Mona and Jesse had done a swab test when the baby was first born.
I didn’t know anything about it and I wondered why I wasn’t called. It also told me that all of Mona’s talk about the baby being mine, was all crap. She’d known. The timing was complicated, but the swab test seemed to prove it. I had to wait a minute to hear the findings, but I was sure it was going to be Jesse’s.
When Amber told me that it wasn’t Jesse’s, I was flummoxed on what I was supposed to do. If Jesse wasn’t the father and I wasn’t with her early enough to be the father, then who else was she with?
I’d never felt anger, like I did then. I felt like a fool and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to live that down. There was just no way.
It all sent me reeling for a while. I started drinking a little too much and I got in way too many fights. I lost touch with my best friend; someone I’d known my whole life. Everything had changed and I was alone.
I could have let that get the best of me, but I decided that I wanted more out of life. I wasn't going to let Mona and her cheating and another man's baby, stop me from getting what I really wanted.
So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I picked myself up and moved on. I started another company that quickly grew into more companies. Before long, I was at the top of my game and making more money than anyone else in the city. I was buying and selling companies for profit, making deals to make all of my new friends’ money. The day that I stepped foot in New York, was the day that everything changed.
I had changed. I had learned my lesson about cute little secretaries and wanting women that I couldn't have. Mona had been my best friend’s lover and I had wanted her. I had known better, but I had still pushed the situation. Now I could easily see that it was one of the worst decisions I had ever made. I would have been better off, with anyone else.
Now, I hired only male secretaries. I had kept the same one for almost five years and Dominic had become one of my friends. That was a good thing, considering that I had lost the one I had before. The best friend that ran off with my sister and left me in a jilt.
I was finally where I wanted to be, and I was working hard to make sure that I stayed there. I had nothing else to give women in general and on the same token, I didn't want anything in return.
I was rich, handsome, and just a little cold now. I liked it this way. The people that worked with me, knew how I was, but only Dominic and a handful of other people, really knew the truth.
I was not made this way. I was created.
Chapter 1
Phillip
“As much as I like having these little conversations with you Dominic, the point is that I'm not going. I don't care how important it is. You need to find a way to cancel it. That is your job, isn't it?”
“Half the time, my job is talking you into doing what you know you have to do. I don't know why you are making this more
complicated than it has to be. You need to go; you need to shake a few hands and then tell everybody your brilliant ideas of how you are going to make them lots of money. For a fee of course.”
I couldn't help but chuckle at him. Dominic always seemed to know exactly what I needed to hear. I was trying to get out of the shareholders meeting, because it was never one of my favorite things to do. I would have much rather kept the company private and reaped all the benefits, but I was told a million times over, that the best course of action was to go public. So, I did. But now, that meant that I had obligations that I would rather not have.
“It is not just that I have to go Dominic. You know that they're going to make me say something. Then I'll have to have a speech put together.”
“It's a good thing that I already have it written for you, isn't it? You know what you have to do, so I'm not going to talk you into it. Just tell me that you're going to go, and I will say nothing else about it.”
“Of course, I'll go. But do I have to like it?”
“No, you don't. But you don’t have to whine about it either. I’ve told you before, that what you choose to do, is up to you.”
“Aren’t we in a bad mood?”
“No, just tired. Chanel kept me up all night.”
I waved him off and told him to go somewhere else with his girl problems.
“You just don’t get it.”
My mood turned dark. “Yes, I do get it and I also know what will likely happen. I have watched you go through many of these little situations. They never last long and you will take a month to recover in between. Why don’t you let me take you to the titty bar and you won’t have to worry about it? They come home with you, do what you want and then leave. It’s the greatest thing ever and you will stop being in this mood of yours.”
The Guy Next Door Amazon Final Page 9
