“The other driver.”
She buried her face in the curve of his neck. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”
“You have to. There is a wedding to plan, and I have a business to run.”
“Are you hurt? I shouldn’t have climbed on your back. I’m so sorry.” She lifted the hem of his shirt. “You’re bruised!” She trailed her fingers across his chest.
“From the seatbelt. I should be all better in time for the honeymoon.”
She cradled his face. “I’m sorry I had my phone off. You needed me.”
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
“So, are you okay? I don’t mean muscle aches and bruises.”
He pulled her to his chest. “When I saw the tarp covering that other driver, it made me think about how we have one life. I don’t care about money, or family businesses, or being from completely different backgrounds. I just want to spend my one life with you.”
She sighed.
He kissed her cheek before continuing. “Sitting on the beach, watching the sun set over the water; counting down the seconds to New Years; walking cobblestone streets in Europe—I want you beside me, holding my hand.”
She brushed her lips on his. “Logan Cooper, if you make me cry again, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Or if I ever get stung by a jellyfish . . .” He braced for a poke in the ribs.
She shook her head. “When do I start?”
“Use this week for planning the wedding. Start next week.”
“You trust me to make all the plans?”
“Whatever you want is fine with me. All I want that day is to hear you say I do. Beyond that is up to you.”
“Anything I want?”
“Whatever you can afford.” He winked.
Chapter 25
Nellie put her dressy slacks back on the hanger and flipped through items in her closet. What was an office manager for an automotive repair shop supposed to wear? She grabbed a pair of khakis and a loose, feminine blouse.
Looking pretty wasn’t against the rules.
She slid on a pair of flats before grabbing her purse off the table. Coop had offered to pick her up, and she wished she’d said yes. Making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she glanced around the room, then ran out the door.
Walking into the office only minutes before the shop opened, she expected Coop to be at the front desk. He wasn’t. His office was empty. She walked into the garage and noticed the jeans sticking out from under a car.
“Hello.”
A chuckle sounded from under the car.
She bumped his leg with her foot. “I made it.”
Coop slid out from under the car. “You aren’t wearing a skirt.”
Shaking her head, she walked back toward the desk.
“Your office is next to mine. I’ll be there in a sec.” He disappeared back under the car.
Working together might be more fun than she’d imagined.
When she opened the office, she laughed so hard she snorted. The office was decorated just like her bedroom at her parents’ house, which hadn’t been updated in years and years. The walls were painted purple, and posters of boy bands covered one wall.
She felt him walk up behind her. “This is why you insisted I didn’t start for a few days.”
“You needed time to plan the wedding, and I wanted this to feel like your space.” He tickled her neck with his beard.
She spun to face him. “You’re crazy.”
“About you, I am.” He kept one arm tucked behind his back.
When she tried peeking around, he shifted.
“What are you hiding?”
“Oh, this?” He held a rolled-up poster. “Something for your other wall.”
She unrolled it halfway and stopped. “No way!” Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she stepped into her office before unrolling it the rest of the way. She stared at the poster of a shirtless Coop, posing in a muscle-man stance.
“Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to get a poster made of yourself?”
“I can’t believe you.”
“You should see the one I had made for your bedroom wall. But that will have to wait until after the wedding.”
The bell over the door jingled.
“Logan Cooper, you didn’t!”
He winked. “I think we have a customer.”
The three-month wait until the wedding seemed like a really long time.
Chapter 26
Tugging at his collar, Coop reminded himself not to lock his knees. Passing out during the wedding would be bad—very bad. What was the hold up? He scanned the crowd.
His mom dabbed her eyes. His dad nodded. Nellie’s mom beamed, but the tissue clutched in her hand made Coop smile. He wasn’t the only one who’d likely shed a tear.
Nellie had done a fabulous job of planning the wedding in such a short timeframe. Who knew the old once-burned building could be so beautiful? Tiny lights dangled from the ceiling. Guests filled a mix of pews and chairs. Rays of sunset poured into the space, bathing the whole room in a warm, perfect light.
He glanced over at Tanner, who looked completely comfortable in his monkey suit, and Seth, who had probably never worn one before.
Tanner pulled his gaze away from his girlfriend just long enough to flash Coop a smile.
The music started, and two little girls flitted up the aisle, dropping rose petals. They stopped near the front and waved at their dad, Milo, a friend of Tanner and Nellie. Coop’s nephew followed them up the aisle, looking as happy to be there as a cat in a room full of dogs. He tossed the pillow up in the air and caught it, and Coop stifled a laugh. His sister, Caroline, looked like she might pass out.
The rings were in Tanner’s pocket, and Coop was glad he’d insisted on that.
Two of Nellie’s friends, who had flown in for the wedding, marched up the aisle. Coop wanted them all to hurry. Once everyone was in place, he’d get to see Nellie.
The music changed. The crowd stood. Coop’s heart rate skyrocketed.
Clutching her dad’s arm, Nellie stood at the end of the aisle. Coop couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She made him believe in happily-ever-after.
Coop fell backward on the bed. “Europe. I can’t believe it.”
“Thanks to the long plane ride, I managed to get some sleep. Someone kept me up all night after the wedding.” Nellie climbed on top of him, her hair curtaining them onto their own private heaven.
“Nellie Cooper. Have I told you how much I love the way that sounds?”
“About a hundred times since we left the airport.” She pressed her lips to his, the sugary drizzle from her pastry adding a nice surprise. “Any regrets?”
“About you? Are you crazy?”
“About selling the shop.”
For weeks, he’d waffled on the decision, but here, now, he had no regrets. “No. They said I could work there as long as I wanted and you, too. I have much less pressure, and I still get to do what I enjoy. The best part is I get to spend three months with you in Europe. I’m not quite sure Seth was up to covering for me.”
“There is a long list of things I’ve never done, and I want to do them all with you.” Nellie ran her fingers through his beard.
Coop tickled her and rolled her over. “What about all the things that neither of us want to do? Can we just skip those? Never have I ever eaten a toad, and—honestly—I don’t want to.”
“Snails?”
“I might be willing to give them a try, but only at a restaurant.”
She cradled his face. “We never talked about kids.”
“Let’s start now.” He winked and toyed with the button on her blouse.
She swatted his hand. “I’m trying to be serious.”
“If you want them, I want them. One, two, five, eight. I don’t care how many, and I hope they all look like you.”
“I do want kids.” Those chocolate pools sparkled with excitement. “Where should we vis
it first? There’s so much to see.”
“And it’ll all still be there in a couple hours.” He pulled her closer. “I was serious about starting now.”
Epilogue
One year later . . .
Coop opened one eye when the first squeak sounded, and he slid out of bed. Nellie deserved to sleep.
He stumbled to the crib on the far side of the room and scooped up both wide-eyed bundles. Bouncing them, one on each arm, Coop wandered out to the living room.
His life had shifted from wedded bliss to exhausted happiness. And he wasn’t sure life could get any better, except with maybe a little more sleep.
“You boys need to let your mommy sleep.” He secured them each in their carriers and ran back down the hall to close the bedroom door.
Whimpers started before he made it back.
“I’m coming.” He carried the boys into the kitchen. “Let’s see what goodies Mommy left for you. Ooooh! Milk! How does that sound?”
Coop carried the babies and bottles into the living room. He’d mastered the perfect arrangement for feeding two infants at the same time. With one tucked in the crook of his arm and the other resting against bent knees, Coop used his free hand to hold one bottle and his chin to hold the other.
Burping was a whole other adventure.
Once the boys were full, calm, and fitted with clean diapers, Coop laid them on his chest. Patting their behinds, he told them a story. “Once upon a time when Daddy was wrenching on a car, a beautiful princess stomped into his shop. He saved her from the oil slick, and she fell into his arms, capturing his heart.”
He never made it very far into the story before those little eyelids drooped closed, but he told them the story all the way to the end. “And the most beautiful woman Daddy had ever seen, stood next to him and said that she’d love him forever. After that, they lived happily ever after.”
When he finished, quietly and carefully, he tiptoed down the hall and laid them back in bed. He held a breath as they stirred and released it when they stilled again.
The bed jostled, and Nellie woke up just enough to realize Coop was crawling back into bed. Seeking warmth, she scooted until her body pressed against his. More than a year after meeting him, it was still her favorite place to be.
He wrapped an arm around her.
“Thank you.” She barely breathed the words so little ears wouldn’t hear Mommy’s voice.
He kissed the top of her head. “Love you. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
She dropped a kiss on his bare chest, burrowing closer. Months ago, she couldn’t imagine ever loving him more, but then she saw him holding their boys. That carved out a whole new Coop-shaped section of her heart, and he filled it.
Since he still got up every morning to go work at the shop, she understood what a sacrifice it was to get up in the middle of the night. Willingly giving up sleep so that she could rest made her love him even more.
She never realized her happily-ever-after would be so tiring. “Did you tell them the story?”
“Our fairy tale? Yeah. I’m not sure who likes the story more—them or me.”
Head resting on his chest, she closed her eyes, letting his heartbeat lull her back to sleep. “Love you, Coop.”
Check out the next book in the Bluebonnets & Billionaires series!
Next Door to the Billionaire
Read on for an excerpt!
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Next Door to the Billionaire - Excerpt
Chapter 1
Tanner closed his office door and opened a browser. He hoped that searching How to break off an engagement would result in some sort of helpful advice.
Tomorrow night, he would meet Angela for dinner and deliver the news in a diplomatic way. He tried to think of a nice way to say it, but there wasn’t one. Tanner didn’t love her, and marrying her wouldn’t change that.
Watching his sister, Nellie, and her fiancé, Coop, Tanner realized the vast difference between a match made for business and a relationship grounded in love.
His search yielded no great ideas, so he shut off his computer and left the office. When he spotted the diner on his way home, he pulled in.
A slice of pie was what he needed to help him think.
Just inside the door, he spotted the Please Seat Yourself sign, so he wandered toward the booth in the back corner. He noticed the cute blonde in jeans and a white t-shirt emblazoned with the diner’s logo taking orders at another table.
While he waited for her to make her way over, he picked up a menu tucked next to the napkin holder and flipped to the desserts.
She approached a minute later. “Evening. Can I get you someth—” Her eyes expanded to the size of saucers, and her ordering pad hit the floor. When she bent down to pick it up, her head connected with the edge of the table.
“You okay?”
“Sorry, yeah.” She rubbed the top of her head. “What can I get you?”
“Sure you’re all right?”
“Uh-huh.” She tapped her pen on the paper. “I’m good.”
“I’ll have a cup of coffee and a slice of pecan pie.”
“It’ll be right out.” She hurried off to the kitchen.
Tanner leaned back and crossed his arms, enjoying the quiet.
When the waitress returned carrying the pie and coffee, he made a point to read her nametag. “Thanks, Olivia.”
She wrinkled her brow. “How . . .”
“Your nametag.”
“Oh. Ha! Thought for a second you . . . were . . . maybe psychic or something.” She laid the check on the table. “No hurry. Just let me know if you need anything else.”
After gobbling up the pie and sipping the coffee, Tanner caught her attention. “Do I pay here or at the register?”
“I’ll check you out in front. I mean, I’ll ring you up.”
He dropped a tip on the table and made his way to the register.
Tanner glanced up as his office door opened. Only one person didn’t bother knocking when the door was closed.
“Hello, Grandfather.”
“Your relationship with Angela is proving beneficial. Lance called this morning to say he was on board for the project. It’s only a trial partnership, but it’s a great start.”
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with the engagement.” The words sounded false even as Tanner said them, but he hoped it was true, given what he was about to do.
“It has everything to do with it.” Grandfather laughed and dropped into one of the wingback chairs. “I set it up nicely for you, didn’t I? With my hint, I mean.”
“Saying that you spotted a ring in my pocket and expected a big announcement soon wasn’t really a hint. I’d have preferred that you not said anything.”
“But it got me what I want.” He pushed up out of the chair and left the office.
Tanner struggled between his dislike of his grandfather and an allegiance to the family business. Grandmother, who died long before Tanner was born, had willed the company to his mom or her children once Grandfather passed away.
Mom didn’t want anything to do with the business, and Nellie chose her fiancé over the corner office. That left Tanner to fill the role, and he wanted to make it work. For him, it was more about continuing the family business than inheriting loads of money and occupying the corner office.
At five, Tanner glanced at the clock, he’d been so busy, he hadn’t called his fiancée to arrange dinner. Breaking up would have to wait until another night. Tired, he headed home. He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, anyway.
When he got to the house, he noticed Coop’s truck in the driveway next door. While Tanner would’ve enjoyed the company, he felt like the third wheel showing up at his sister’s house when Coop was there.
They never acted as if it was a bother. And it wasn’t as if
they never got time together. They worked together all day long. Even so, Tanner trudged into his own house and changed clothes before deciding on dinner.
He’d barely made it into the kitchen when someone knocked at the door. Very few were on the list to get through at the gate, so Tanner swung the door open without peeking through the window. It was probably Coop or Nellie.
“Hello, Tanner baby.” Angela flashed a grin and held up two grocery bags. “I was thinking about how wonderful you were and decided to make you dinner.”
“Oh.” Tanner hadn’t expected his fiancée, and it took him a minute to realize he was still blocking the door. “Sorry. Come on in.”
“I’ll have to kiss you after I put these down.”
“Let me get those.” He reached for the bags.
She handed them over then gave him a peck, without actually touching his lips. “Such a gentleman.”
He couldn’t remember a real kiss since the engagement. She reserved real kisses for when they were in public. In private, she blew air kisses and patted his cheek. All the more reason to follow through with the break-up.
She turned on the oven, and while it preheated, she chopped vegetables. “Go have a beer or whatever you like to do, this will take a few minutes.”
Tanner grabbed a pale ale and wandered out to the living room. He flopped onto the sofa and turned on the television, hoping the noise would be loud enough to drown out his thoughts. Did she know he was about to end the engagement? She’d never shown up unannounced before.
Five minutes turned into ten, and Tanner had his speech prepared. Once they finished dinner, he’d speak his mind. Was it rude to wait until after she cooked? He couldn’t interrupt her now. She was holding a knife.
If he told her before they ate, she might not stay for food, and then he’d feel bad since she cooked. There was no good alternative. Lost in thought, he jumped when she dropped into his lap.
Dating the Billionaire's Granddaughter Page 12
