Starting Over In Wickham Falls (Wickham Falls Weddings Book 9)

by Rochelle Alers

  He spent days and nights searching his memory as to what he may have said to turn her off but could not come up with a plausible explanation for why she’d decided to break up with him.

  She’s pregnant! It was the only thing he could think of to elicit her abrupt change in behavior. They’d made love once without using protection, and he’d made her promise to tell him if she was pregnant. He didn’t want to think she was carrying his child and rather than trap him she’d elected to absolve him of all blame for not using a condom.

  Pressing his head against the back of the executive chair, Langston decided to wait and give her time to come around. If they’d had an argument or disagreement, he would’ve understood her wanting to break off with him. He loved Georgina and knowing she wasn’t going anywhere made his decision to wait more satisfying.

  * * *

  Georgina handed Jacklyn her jacket, picked up Sophia and rubbed their noses together. “How big is my favorite girl?” She’d called Jacklyn to let her know she’d planned to come to Alexandria the weekend before Thanksgiving.

  Sophia raised her arms above her head. “This big, Auntie Gigi.” She looked over the child’s head and met Jacklyn’s eyes.

  “That’s what they call you, Georgi. And when are you going to make that a reality?”

  She set the child on her feet. “What are you talking about?”

  “We need to talk. Sophia, Momma and Auntie Gigi have to talk so I need you to go and play with your dolls.”

  Sophia stomped her foot. “I don’t want to play with my dolls! I want Auntie Gigi.”

  “What’s going on here?” Peter asked as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Georgina stared at the tall, imposing agent with a military haircut. His face was deeply tanned, which made his green eyes much more vibrant. “What did I tell you, Sophia, about talking back to your mother?”

  “She won’t let me stay with Auntie Gigi.”

  Peter picked up his daughter. “Your mother and auntie have business to discuss that does not include something little girls need to hear.”

  Jacklyn mouthed a thank you to her husband. She’d told Georgina that she met her future husband when she’d attended Howard University. She was an undergraduate while he was enrolled in Howard Law. He graduated, applied to the FBI and a year later they were married.

  “Come into my office where we can have complete privacy.”

  Georgina sat and glanced around the office. Jacklyn had lit a fire in the fireplace. “I love this room. It’s like a warm hug.”

  Jacklyn smiled. “It’s my favorite room in the entire house. I tell Peter that I don’t need to go on vacation because this space is my sanctuary.”

  “You have a wonderful family.”

  A beat passed. “Thank you. And I hope beyond hope that you would also become part of my family.”

  Georgina knew it was time for her to open up to Langston’s sister as to why she decided to break up with her brother. “Langston and I are no longer seeing each other.” Jacklyn’s jaw dropped with this disclosure. It was apparent he hadn’t told her that they had split up. She continued revealing what she’d overheard Langston talking to his mother about, asking her for money, despite his pronouncement that he did not need it. “I dated a man who had a gambling addiction and strung me along for eight months with the intent of using me to bail him out. Do you realize why I refused to date anyone in high school?” Jacklyn shook her head. “It was because I heard boys talking about going out with me because my father owned the department store and I stood to inherit everything once he retired or passed away.”

  “You eavesdropped on a conversation where you only heard one side?”

  Georgina knew Jacklyn was angry when her hands tightened into fists. “I’d heard enough.”

  “For someone who’s so incredibly talented, you are just as naive. Don’t you dare open your mouth to defend yourself until I have my say, Georgina Powell. Langston would never need your money because he has a net worth of seven figures. I minored in finance and he’s trusted me with his investments. The advance and royalty payments from Langston’s books made him a very wealthy man. He had me run the figures before he bought the newspaper and the house from our parents where we were raised. He was talking to our mother about asking me to withdraw money from one of his accounts to cover year-end raises for his employees. And that should be a lesson to you about jumping to conclusions without hearing both sides of a conversation.”

  Georgina placed a trembling hand over her mouth. She’d misjudged the only man whom she wanted to marry and have children with. “I’m sorry, Jackie.”

  “Don’t tell me, Georgi. You need to call Lang and apologize to him.”

  Reaching into the back pocket of her jeans, she took out her phone and tapped his number. “Yes, Georgina.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m in Alexandria with your sister.”

  “How long do you plan to be there?”

  “Long enough for you to get here.”

  “Hang up. I’m on my way.”

  * * *

  Georgina sat on a bench at the rear of the Lindemann property, baring her soul to Langston. “I’m sorry I misjudged you. Can you forgive me?”

  Reaching for her hand, Langston massaged the back of it with his thumb. “I’ll have to think about it but on one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Marry me, Georgina Powell. Marry me and make me the happiest man in the world.”

  Resting her head on his shoulder, she cried without making a sound. “Yes, I will marry you,” she whispered. “When?”

  Shifting to face her, Langston anchored a hand under her chin and kissed the tears dotting her cheeks. “I’ll leave that up to you. I’d like to give you a ring for Christmas, but it’s your call when it comes to setting a wedding date.”

  Georgina placed light kisses at the corners of his strong mouth. “I’d like a Valentine’s Day wedding.”

  “Will it fall on a weekend?”

  “I don’t care, as long as I become your wife on the day set aside for lovers.”

  Angling his head, Langston gave her a long, healing kiss, sealing her promise and their future. “Let’s go inside and give everyone the good news.”

  “I’m certain Sophia is going be ecstatic when I try to explain to her that she’s going to be Auntie Gigi’s flower girl.”

  Georgina said a silent prayer of gratitude that she’d gotten a second chance at love with a man who’d come back to Wickham Falls to start over and begin a new life with her.

  * * *

  Catch up with the residents of Wickham Falls with these great romances in the Wickham Falls Weddings miniseries:

  Second-Chance Sweet Shop

  This Time for Keeps

  Dealmaker, Heartbreaker

  Available now wherever Harlequin Special Edition books and ebooks are sold!

  And for more characters starting over and finding love, try these other titles:

  The Texan Tries Again

  By Stella Bagwell

  Southern Charm & Second Chances

  By Nancy Robard Thompson

  The Best Intentions

  By Michelle Major

  Only from Harlequin Special Edition!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Reluctant Fiancée by Lynne Marshall.

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  The Reluctant Fiancée

  by Lynne Marshall

  Chapter One

  Brynne Taylor sat across from her fiancé, Paul Capriati,
on a late-afternoon Saturday date at the Rusty Nail. The restaurant was located out of town, off the highway, nestled against the copper-colored hills accentuated by the amber hues of early September and the pine green of cedars. The golden-colored knotty pine–paneled walls were decorated with buffalo, mountain goat and assorted deer heads, and there wasn’t a single cozy booth to relax in, yet Brynne and Paul continued to go back time and again. It wasn’t the most romantic place in the world, or convenient, but it was where they could depend on a good steak and a decent grilled salmon meal.

  This part of Utah wasn’t a sophisticated hub, its ancestors being rugged ironworkers who built log cabins and learned to survive tough winters. But being the entryway to the state’s great national parks, the scenery was nothing short of gorgeous and the air pristine. And Cedars in the City, population thirty thousand, prided itself on being a festival city, Shakespeare being their number-one event. It began in June and continued through September at the local university, where Paul worked. A festival of plays and a championship rodeo helped round out the continual tourist appeal.

  “How’s the steak?” Brynne asked, sensing something more than food was on Paul’s mind.

  “As always. Good.” Yet he put his fork down, and stared kindly at her with his large hazel-brown eyes.

  “What?”

  One side of his mouth lifted, creating a look about her passionate professor of history she’d come to adore over the past two years. “It’s been six months.”

  Ah, but this topic, she did not adore. “Since my mother died,” she finished his sentence. Mom was the only relative she’d ever known, having never been told about or met her maternal grandparents. A father had never been discussed beyond where she’d gotten her copper hair, even when Brynne had asked straight out. She likewise put down her fork, knowing the topic of conversation would soon change and would require her undivided attention. Because she also knew what he wanted.

  Paul surprised her, reaching across the table for her hand, squeezing. “You look beautiful today.”

  He always liked when, instead of her usual single braid down the back, she wore her hair up in a twist, allowing him the pleasure of undoing it later, when they made love. Though today he’d have to wait until much later, due to a reading at the bookstore.

  She smiled coyly. “Thank you. And...?” Knowing without a doubt what he’d bring up next.

  “And I want to marry you. You know that.”

  “We are engaged.” For a year and a half! She lifted her left hand to show the beautifully set diamond, the ring that waited for its mate.

  “But not married.” He let go of her hand. “Look, I know it’s been hard for you, losing your mom. I understood why we needed to cancel the wedding. But glance outside. Fall is practically here, and who wants a winter wedding in Utah?”

  Spring had been their first choice, and the plans had been put into action last January for mid-March, but then her mother contracted a virulent, fluke virus that wound up killing her within two weeks. Shocked and devastated, they’d canceled the wedding. She’d had to quit the job she loved at the hospital and dive into helping Rory, her mother’s business partner and closest companion, run the bookstore. From as far back as she remembered she’d wanted to be a nurse. Never a businesswoman. But since Mom died, that obligation had to come first.

  Brynne had been flailing on all levels since. Especially where Paul was concerned. Of course she loved him, but he had expectations about marriage and family that sometimes sent shivers through her. If she said I do, she’d be obligated to give him the family he’d always wanted. One big like his, not like the old saying she preferred, “and baby makes three.” They’d supposedly worked out their differences before their originally scheduled wedding, but since her mother died, for the life of her, Brynne couldn’t remember how or why she’d agreed to his wishes. Her foot pressed against the wood planked floor as though it was a car brake.

  “We could wait for next spring?” She’d try the hopeful route, one that bought her more time. His long Roman nose twitched, a sure sign he didn’t like her answer.

  “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  “You can move in with me?” How many times would they have this conversation?

  “We already discussed this. Sleeping over was one thing, but moving in wouldn’t be at either your house or mine, but ours. A new place. A place we’d make our home. Together.”

  She shook her head, her stomach beginning a familiar pinch whenever this conversation got rehashed. “I don’t have time to house hunt now. It’s taking every single minute to figure out the bookstore business.”

  “Rory knows how things work, doesn’t she?” His expressive eyes revealed he didn’t understand. Would he ever?

  “You know how Mom was—a total control freak, and private as all get-out.”

  So private that sometimes it almost felt like her mother was running from something, and hiding, as though looking over her shoulder. She picked at her paper napkin with the Rusty Nail restaurant logo on it. “You’d think Rory would know the biz inside and out, but... Not to mention the fact she took Mom’s death worse than me. You know how tight they were. She’s been depressed and forgetful, and so, so sad, since. I think she’s completely forgotten how to smile.”

  “But she’d worked there for, what twenty years?”

  “It’s not the same, and that leaves me grappling to keep things going. For Rory’s sake, and all of Mom’s hard work.”

  “You sure you’re not just being nitpicky, like your mother was?”

  “You think this is a case of fruit not falling far from the tree, huh?”

  “You do have your control tendencies.”

  It irritated her when he was right, and she couldn’t deny her being extra hard on Rory had something to do with wanting to run the bookstore by the book, like a nurse would, when Rory had a more laid-back style, as in completely unorganized. “You think so? Why?”

  “Because you’re your mother’s daughter, and you’re meant to be a nurse, delivering babies, not running a bookstore.”

  “Yes, well, I’m on my sixth month of leave of absence now. I think they may fill my position.”

  “They’d take you back in a heartbeat.” He sighed, clearly frustrated as he often was when talking about rescheduling their wedding. “And you are doing a fantastic job of keeping the only indie bookstore in the city open. Though I do wonder at what price.” There was never any doubt that he believed in her, just not in waiting until she felt ready to walk down the aisle.

  She’d been thrilled about their wedding plans, couldn’t wait to tie the knot, but then Mom died, and she couldn’t disconnect those sad thoughts from her wedding. It’s that her death is still too fresh in my mind. I’d be walking down that aisle thinking of her instead of you. And on our day, I only want you in my thoughts, she’d told him the day they’d canceled without rescheduling their wedding. The day she’d officially begun her sabbatical from nursing—and marriage.

  “I’ve taken on the bookstore in honor of my mother’s memory.” How many times did she have to say it before she’d believe this was what she was meant to do? Her appetite took a hike.

  “I understand. She deserves it.”

  “The city needs it.”

  “True, but I also know how close you two were. I can only imagine how much loss you feel.”

  Then why, on so many levels right down to her gut, did she question if she knew her mother at all? There were so many unanswered questions about her life before Brynne had been born. Questions that would never get answered because she didn’t have any relatives to ask. Though Mom and Rory were closer than close—a hunch Brynne had never had the nerve to verify—even Rory didn’t know the answers. She focused back in on Paul, who was watching her in all earnestness. She could practically read his mind.

  What about you? Don’t you deserve you
r own life? With me? She waited for Paul to repeat his usual comeback whenever this stalled out marriage topic came up. He was a great guy, and understanding, but how could she explain this to him? Now that she was an orphan, she just wasn’t ready. Not yet. The thought of starting a family without her mother’s support and backup, seemed overwhelming. After a beat, surprised that he hadn’t said his usual spiel, she pushed some steamed vegetables around her plate before peeking at him again.

  At first Brynne was distracted when he tilted his head and a wave of his thick brown hair fell over his forehead. Then, without a thought, he brushed it back. He really did take her breath away. He deserved some kind of response. “And you’re the most wonderful man I could ever hope for. I love you, Paul, but that bookstore is a mess.” It’s not just my responsibility to the bookstore that’s holding me back. It’s also partly you...and me...and all those babies you want. How could they discuss such a topic in a public restaurant?

  Had she said bookstore out loud? Oops, wrong strategy with a man who lived to solve problems. One who’d thought they’d already worked out the first part about babies before they’d scheduled their wedding.

  “You employ young, bright minds from the university,” he continued, “who could probably step up and help you. You’re underutilizing them. Why not make Nate, the business major, a manager, put his passion for success to work in your favor?”

  “It all sounds lovely, but who has time to train anyone?”

  “Which is why I’m suggesting we elope.”

  What? “That came out of nowhere.”

  His hand was back squeezing hers. “We could go to Vegas, get hitched and be back in time for my Monday classes and your normal business hours.”

  “And face the wrath of your family?” His big fat Italian family who always found a reason to throw a party? She’d never hear the end of it if they eloped, and who wanted to get off on such a wrong foot with future in-laws?