Priceless (Finding Love Book 5)

by Paris Hansen

  “How is the most beautiful bridesmaid in the world doing?” Braeden asked as he slipped his arms around the waist of his date.

  She leaned back against him, her head resting on his shoulder. They stood like that for a moment, watching the family in front of them celebrate. The wedding had been perfect, but it was the present Erin had picked out for her dad and Brooklyn that had brought the house down.

  Turning in his arms so she could face him, Andi looked up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her eyes were shiny with tears, her cheeks red and damp. Even though she’d been crying, Andi was still the most beautiful woman in the world. Every day Braeden was thankful she was in is life. He’d never forget what a lucky bastard he was.

  “I can’t believe you kept the adoption papers a secret from me. A little warning would have been nice. I would have made sure to have more tissues handy.”

  Chuckling, Braeden swiped a thumb along her cheek to catch a tear that had slipped from her eye. “I’m sorry, but Erin swore me to secrecy. I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone, not even you.”

  “I get it, I don’t like it, but I get it. I started sobbing like a lunatic as soon as I realized what was in the box.”

  “I wish I’d been over here so I could’ve held you while you cried. Can I make up for it with a dance?”

  Andi smiled up at him before nodding her head. He smiled back at her then lead her out onto the dance floor. Maneuvering their way through the couples, Braeden found the perfect spot and pulled her back into his arms. The world around them seemed to disappear as they danced, one song melting into the next.

  It was moments like this that he lived for, the woman of his dreams wrapped in his arms, the outside world barely a blip on their radar. They’d been living in the perfect bubble for months, just the two of them, but he knew it couldn’t last. They were going to have to let the others in at some point; they just needed to make the decision.

  “When do you think we should tell everyone we got married?” Braeden asked quietly, although there was no one around them that might have heard the question.

  Leaning back a little so she could look up at him, Andi nibbled on her lower lip as she thought about his question. They’d spent a week as an engaged couple before deciding they didn’t want to wait any longer to be married. A quiet trip to the courthouse was all they needed. They both knew people would be sad they didn’t get to watch them exchange vows, but after eighteen years of waiting to be together, neither Braeden or Andi could find it in themselves to care what anyone else wanted.

  “We definitely shouldn’t wait much longer. It’s already been almost three months. The girls are gonna be pissed.”

  “Your brother too,” he pointed out.

  “Yeah probably, but I think everyone will understand when we tell them why we waited. I didn’t want anything to overshadow this,” Andi said as she looked around the room at her family and friends.

  They hadn’t meant to keep their marriage a secret from everyone, not for three months anyway. Enjoying married life just the two of them had seemed like a great idea at first. They were going to give it a couple of weeks before coming clean. Then Brooklyn and Declan finally picked a date, and plans for their big wedding took off. Neither of them wanted to steal the lovebird's thunder, so they kept their quickie wedding a secret.

  “We should probably tell them before we tell them our other news,” Braeden said as he brushed a hand against her still-flat belly. “We can’t tell them both things at the same time. It’ll blow their minds.”

  “Tomorrow then? After all of this is over and everything’s back to normal?”

  “Tomorrow sounds good,” he said as he brushed his lips against her forehead.

  Every day, it blew his mind that he had a tomorrow with the woman in his arms. After everything they’d been through, Braeden found himself occasionally pinching himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. A year ago, he wouldn’t have believed that his life could be this good. Yet there they were, married and expecting, hopefully, the first of many children. Braeden was finally living out his dream, and it was all because of his wife.

  Andi laid her head against his chest, a contented sigh escaping her lips as she snuggled against him. They’d stopped dancing, yet hadn’t left the dance floor, but that didn’t matter to either of them. While the other wedding guests danced around them, Braeden held on tight to his wife and thought about what the future might hold. Looking around the room at his family, Braeden realized it didn’t matter what life threw at them moving forward. As long as they had each other, he knew everything would be okay.

  In forty years, when their kids had kids, they’d all sit around the living room at one of their houses reminiscing about the old days — about how he and Andi proposed to each other or how Gabriel meeting Savannah changed all of their lives. They’d talk about how much Brooklyn and Declan couldn’t stand each other, but were secretly falling for each other. They’d remember Meghan’s bravery and Oliver’s ability to wear her down.

  But more than that they’d talk about the love they shared. Not just between the couples, but between them all. Thirty-two years ago Braeden stumbled upon the family he didn’t know he needed. The day she stepped between him and a bully, Andi Reese gave him more than he bargained for and he’d forever be grateful for the little girl that saved him.

  ✽✽✽

  Andi - Seven Years Later

  “Cayden James Reese, don’t you dare get your pants dirty before this wedding even starts.”

  Andi smiled as she watched her sister-in-law stomp toward her son. Since they’d arrived at the wedding venue, Andi had heard similar things yelled at the various children running around the building. The children were antsy and more than ready to get the show on the road. All they could talk about was cake and getting out of their fancy clothes. She wasn’t sure how they were going to get the little buggers to sit still during the ceremony. Braeden’s suggestion of locking them all in a closet was starting to sound better by the minute.

  “Mom...mom...mommmmmmmmy….” a tiny voice whined next to her.

  Looking down, Andi came face to face to with a miniature version of her husband, but in female form. Crouching down so she was at her daughter’s level, she brushed a strand of dirty blonde hair away from her face. Of course, the time she spent doing Ruby’s hair that morning had been a colossal waste. One of her braids was already completely undone, while the other was slowly unraveling. Looking over her shoulder, Andi tried to find her other daughter, and sure enough, if it weren’t for the waves in Penny’s hair, you’d never even know the braids had been there.

  “Yeah baby, are you having fun?”

  Ruby shook her head as she put her hands on her hips. The sass was strong with this one. “Is it time to take this dress off yet?”

  Andi laughed. She should have guessed that was why her daughter had come over. Neither of her kids appreciated dresses much; they were a lot like their mom that way. Although, Penny was a bit of a girly girl, Ruby was all tomboy. If she hadn’t been threatened with corporal punishment before leaving the house, Andi had no doubt Ruby would have ruined her dress within fifteen minutes of arriving at the wedding.

  “Sorry, but you still have a little while before you can change. Remember what your daddy said. If you do a good job and behave yourself, you can have an extra big piece of cake.”

  They were not above bribery in the Clarke household. Andi knew a lot of parents wouldn’t approve, but she and Braeden didn’t care. Getting the twins to behave for the wedding was far more important than winning a trophy for being parents of the year. Thankfully, they were in good company as bribery seemed to be a common theme amongst their group. Savannah and Gabriel’s oldest daughter Ryan was the only one who didn’t seem to need the added incentive. She was always too busy with her nose stuck in a book to get into any kind of trouble.

  “Will you do me a favor and remind your sister about what your daddy said. I want to be able to give you b
oth extra cake later.”

  Ruby tilted her head in thought, then gave her a giant gapped toothed smile. “Okay, mommy.”

  Andi watched her daughter run off, yelling for her sister at the top of her lungs. Standing back up, she watched her six-year-old daughters talk to each other in their animated fashion. As they spoke, their cousins joined them, until the six kids were huddled together hatching some kind of scheme. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she could guess. At any moment, four little bodies were going to end up conning their parents into giving them extra cake.

  “Uh oh, I think we’re about to be in trouble,” Andi whispered to her husband as Cayden and Wyatt went running toward Brooklyn while Ryan and JJ went running toward Savannah and Gabriel. Andi looked back over at her girls and was completely unsurprised by the mischievous smiles on their identical little faces.

  “Really guys?” Savannah said as she walked toward them, her two-year-old daughter Everett on her hip. “You had to use extra cake to bribe them with?”

  “It’s a wedding, Savannah. What else could we have used?” Braeden asked. “Oh hey kids, be good, and you can have one of those centerpieces.”

  Andi bit her lip to try to fight back her laughter, but it didn’t work. Thankfully, Savannah thought it was just as funny as she did.

  “Okay, you’re right. That little hellion is going to be bouncing off the walls enough as it is, but if extra cake is all it takes to keep him on the straight and narrow during the ceremony, then, by all means, he can have extra cake. I’m pretty sure my sister is going to be less agreeable though.”

  They all turned at the same time to find Brooklyn marching toward them, a scowl on her lips. “I hear the kids are having a slumber party at your house tonight, Braeden. That’s really nice of you to invite them all over.”

  The thought of five rambunctious kids under the age of eight running through her house made Andi’s stomach drop. Originally, she and Braeden had wanted a house full of kids, but having two straight out of the gate had shown them that a smaller family was way more their speed.

  “I think a slumber party sounds awesome.”

  Whipping her head around to look at her husband, Andi glared at him. “I’m sorry, what the heck are you talking about?”

  Braeden gave her one of his panty-melting smiles, but it did nothing to change how much trouble he was going to be in if the other two women took him up on his idea. This conversation couldn’t be happening. She needed someone to come out and tell them it was time to take their seats. Once the wedding started, everyone would forget all about the nonsense coming out of her husband’s mouth.

  “Come on, babe. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Maybe Jude and Violet will want to come too. And we can take Everett so Savannah and Gabriel can have a night to themselves. It’ll be a blast.”

  “You’re being serious right now?”

  Braeden smiled at her again. “Of course, I’m being serious. We can build a fort in the living room and camp out in there. I’ll make pancakes for everyone in the morning.”

  Andi stood staring at her husband, her mouth hanging open. She always knew he was crazy, but now it seemed like he might actually be certifiable. As much as she loved the kids, she wasn’t sure if she could handle having all of them in her house. Hell, some days she could barely handle the two she had.

  “It would be nice to have the house to ourselves tonight. It’s been way too long,” Savannah said as she batted her eyelashes at Andi.

  “You know your brother’s going to be a wreck tonight. It would be a big help if we didn’t have the twins underfoot.”

  Andi glared at Brooklyn. Pulling the brother card was a low blow, especially given the circumstances. No matter how much she tried to fight it, Andi knew she wasn’t going to win. She was being ganged up on and the minute Meghan and Oliver heard about the plan, they’d lean on her too. Who wouldn’t want a night without their kids in the house?

  “Fine. We can have a slumber party at our place tonight, but that means you guys owe us big time. I expect a night of babysitting from each of you.”

  “Done,” Savannah said quickly.

  “Wait a minute, you’re getting multiple nights of no kids, while we’re each only getting one night of freedom out of this. How is that fair?” Brooklyn asked.

  “Nine kids, Brooklyn. We’re going to have nine kids, seven of which are under the age of eight, running wild in our house tonight. Not to mention my husband tends to revert to adolescence whenever the kids are around. I will have earned the multiple nights of no kids after this.”

  “Hey…”

  “Honey, you know I’m right,” Andi said before Braeden could finish his protest.

  “Brook, she’s got a point. Would you want to deal with all of them and Braeden?” Savannah asked her sister.

  “Hey…”

  “Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal,” Brooklyn said quickly once again interrupting Braeden’s protest.

  Before Andi could say anything else, the door behind them opened up. Her brother stuck his head through the gap, his eyes rimmed in red. The wedding hadn’t even started yet, and he was already crying. It was a good thing her purse was filled with tissues.

  “Hey guys, we’re ready,” he said before letting the door close behind him.

  Andi helped Brooklyn wrangle the children, then ushered everyone inside. The rest of the wedding guests were already seated like the normal people they were. They all stopped what they were doing and stared as the circus rolled in. Half of the kids went to the front of the room where they sat with her husband and Gabriel and Savannah; the other half stayed back with her and Brooklyn so they could get ready for their very important jobs.

  Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down at her daughters. They were both so eager to be a part of the festivities. She just hoped they didn’t end up throwing the rose petals at each other instead of on the ground. Behind them, Brooklyn handed JJ the pillow he would carry down the aisle as the ring bearer. The rings tied to the pillow were fake, but he didn’t know that. He stood up straight, proud that he was given such an important task. Nobody would ever dare tell him that Wyatt and Cayden hadn’t been interested in the job.

  “Okay girls, I’m going to go take my seat now. Your dad and I will be right up front.”

  “Okay, mommy,” they said in unison, giant smiles gracing their cute faces.

  She made her way up the aisle quickly so they wouldn’t see her cry. The second she sat down next to Braeden, she pulled a tissue out of her purse.

  “I’m never gonna make it through this wedding,” she admitted as she dabbed at her eyes.

  “I don’t think any of us are,” Braeden said as he pulled a tissue out of her purse for himself.

  Five minutes later, with more rose petals on the ground, then in her daughter’s hair, Andi and her family stood as a familiar song began to play. Looking at the people seated around her, she realized she wasn’t the only one already crying. The bride hadn’t even entered the room yet, and tears were streaming down everyone’s faces. The doors at the back of the hall opened slowly; a collective gasp rang out in the room as everyone finally got their first look at the bride.

  Andi’s breath caught as she watched Erin walk down the aisle on the arm of her father. The little girl she helped raise was now a brilliant, beautiful woman who was on the verge of starting a life of her own. At twenty-six she was about to marry the love of her life, just mere months after achieving her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Pride welled in her chest as Andi thought about everything Erin had been able to accomplish.

  As Declan handed Erin over to her soon to be husband, Andi realized just how right everything felt in that moment. She was surrounded by more love and happiness than she ever thought possible. While she held hands with the man who was the other half of her soul, she was getting to watch one of the most amazing women she knew marry a man who worshipped her. She had two kids that gave her life meaning, and nieces and nephews she loved with
her whole heart. She had friends that were more her family than her parents had ever been.

  No matter what their group faced in the future, she knew the bond they’d forged over the years was unbreakable. As cheesy as it sounded, she knew their love would conquer all and there was no better feeling than that.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Did you enjoy Priceless? If so, see how it all began with Restless, the first book in the Finding Love series.

  If you have time, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Thank you for reading!

  Acknowledgements

  Holy crap. I finished a series. I think I actually said those exact words after I typed The End on Priceless. When I started this journey in 2015, I had no idea what would happen. I thought maybe I’d sell a few books to friends and family, but that it would take me a while to finish the entire series. Here we are less than four years after I pressed publish on Restless and I now have five books out in the world and readers all over the globe. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m making my dreams come true.

  I will forever be grateful to everyone who has picked up one of my books, even if you didn’t enjoy it, I’m still so thankful you gave me a shot. To those that have loved the books and asked for more, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support and desire to read my books has kept me going and made me realize what I’m capable of.

  Christina - Every day you deal with my crazy and constant badgering. You’ve made me a better writer and it shows in each book that I’ve published. I’ll never be able to repay you for everything you’ve given me. Thank you for being a friend.

  Taracina - Five books in less than four years and you know I couldn’t have done it without you. These books have gotten better and better over the years because of your support and feedback. Thank you for everything.

  Sami – I know you don’t think you play as important a role in these books as the others do, but your feedback is absolutely valuable. Your comments always make me smile and tell me that I’m headed in the right direction. I’m excited every time I know you’re reading one of my books.