Mr. Red

by Tessa Layne

  “Mama, can’t you see he doesn’t deserve our hospitality?” Kimmie’s voice rises.

  Her mother stands. “Everyone deserves our hospitality.”

  “Please, I just want to talk to Alison.”

  Her father shakes his head. “I’m afraid that’s not possible right now.”

  My heart jumps to my throat. “Why? Is she okay? Please, I just-”

  “My sister is the strongest, most loving, kind-hearted, forgiving person I’ve ever known,” Kimmie starts, voice shaking. “If it had been me, I’d have made you fall in love with me, then squashed you like a bug.”

  I have no doubt of that, and I have to respect the fierce love she has for her sister. “I didn’t realize… I didn’t know.” My excuses are lame, and I’m sure to her they must seem empty. “When I was a teenager…” I clear my throat. “I was a horrible person. And I’m truly sorry I hurt your daughter-”

  “It wasn’t just Katie-bug,” Kimmie interrupts. The nickname pierces my heart. “It was all of us.”

  “Enough, Kimberly,” her father says. “This is Alison’s story to tell.”

  “No, abeoji.” She shakes her head vigorously. “It’s our story too, he broke our hearts, too.”

  I’m filled with a sick kind of dread. “I don’t understand.”

  “Let me spell it out. Your group tortured Katie to the point she was suicidal. I just happened to come home a day early from college to surprise everyone, and- and-” her voice catches, and she bats away a tear. “And she was in the bathroom with a handful of pills.” She aims me a look so hateful that a shiver rolls down my spine. “An hour later, and she’d have been gone. She was smart, see? Too smart for her own good- she’d gone and researched the perfect toxic cocktail.” She sniffs. “We nearly lost our brightest star because of you and your fucking friends and she still won’t tell me what happened that day that pushed her over the edge.”

  I do. I take a step back, her words more painful than any of my brother’s punches. My throat’s so tight, I can’t breathe. I wasn’t lying when I told Alison I don’t remember a ton about high school because I was stoned through most of it. But this, I do remember, clearly. Somehow, Lara had managed to steal her enormous underpants out of her gym locker, and she and our friend Pete had written ‘fat ass’ in black marker and strung them up the flagpole at lunch, while the rest of us stood around laughing. And I remember the next day, she wasn’t in class. Or the day after that. She never came back.

  The flowers slip from my hands as my knees buckle. I never wanted to die. As bad as it was with Jason, I never wanted to die. And I can’t wrap my head around what the world would have missed out on, knowing who Alison/Katie is now.

  “We got her help. And we moved back here, to Mama’s hometown. And when Katie was better, she asked to change her name to her middle name. And I lost my sweet Katie-bug forever,” Kimmie finishes. “So I appreciate your apologies, the flowers. But sorry doesn’t cut it. Not for me. Never for me.”

  “That’s enough now, Kimmie,” her mother says.

  I look at the three of them. Kimmie, standing arms crossed- judge, jury, and executioner- her parents looking torn apart. My eyes sting and I become hot all over. “I had no idea, and I swear, I will spend every day of the rest of my life making up for this. And if she’ll have me, I will spend every day making sure Alison knows how loved she is- how much I love her.” I think back to the words I exchanged with Jason. “I know my words may not have meaning right now, but if you’ll give me the chance, I will show you. Every day.”

  Mrs. Park grabs a tissue and dabs at her eyes. Mr. Park speaks. “We love our daughter very much. And I believe you do to. And it is honorable for you to come here and offer your apologies. But Alison has been the one wronged, and it will be her choice who she lets into her life.” His face turns to stone. “And we will fully support her in whatever decision she makes.”

  I nod, fully understanding his meaning, and sick with dread at the implications.

  “But she is not here. She flew home to California this morning.”

  Of course. “I see.”

  Mr. Park raises a finger. “Kimberly is right about Alison. She is strong, and she has a gentle heart. Don’t give up hope.”

  A gentle heart and a filthy mouth, I think wryly. And that’s why I fucking love her.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Alison

  I’m exhausted. And covered in mud. I drop into the chair in my tiny office, and open my laptop. I’ve been home for three days, but I haven’t had time to decompress and process the disastrous visit home. The first of the winter rains arrived in the form of an all-night gully washer. Carla and her crew and I have been repairing washed out fence posts, assessing exposed vines, and making a plan to get a cover crop planted as soon as possible to prevent further erosion this winter.

  My heart hurts, reliving all the crap I thought I’d put behind me, all the self-loathing, that thankfully now feels foreign. I’m stronger now, I can see that clearly. And I have to admit, I’m stronger because of the way Nico loves me. He didn’t tease me when I felt brave enough to let him see my affirmations on the bathroom mirror. He’s never, not once, been repulsed by my curves, or my stretch marks. He sees the best version of me every day.

  So why couldn’t I tell him?

  Shame. Pure and simple. There’s no other reason. I’m ashamed of my former obesity, I’m ashamed that I was a victim- that I didn’t have the skills to stop it, or the courage to tell someone who could. And Kimmie’s been right this whole time. If I’m serious about letting him love me, he needs to know all of me- including the bits I’m ashamed of. I glance over at my phone, voicemail filled with his calls, none of which I’ve listened to. My hand hovers over the device, but then I hear a rumble and feel the earth shake. I clutch at the desk, momentarily filled with panic. Earthquake? Then I hear the distinctive whine of a semi. “Who ordered a delivery?” That truck sounds big and it’s going to ruin the drive with all the mud.

  I jog out of the office and raise the garage door. And shake my head to make sure I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing. For starters, there’s an enormous moving van that’s pulled up to the now-completed farmhouse. And Nico. Nico’s leaning against the side of his car holding a box and an envelope. My heart leaps at the sight of him. He looks good. Yummy. He’s in his James Bond suit, down to highly polished loafers that will be ruined in the mud if he takes even one step. I can’t help but stare, because not only does my heart ache for him, my body does too.

  He stares back, a hungry look in his eye. I cross the muddy expanse of yard and stop within arm’s reach. “What are you doing here?”

  He lifts the box. “You left your shoes at your parents.”

  My pink shoes. The ones that I still haven’t wrapped around his neck. I let out a breathy laugh. “So I did.”

  His mouth kicks up and his eyes light in the triumphant way they do when he knows he’s pulled one over on me. He extends the envelope.

  “What’s this?”

  “I’ve been thinking.”

  “Just as long as it’s not more wine names.”

  “Better. I got to thinking about our living situation, and how there’s no room for an office for a wine conglomerate. And then I got to talking with Dec about your concern about who would own the property in the future.”

  For a hot second, my stomach drops to my toes. He’s not here to talk, he’s here to sack me. But he wouldn’t look at me like he wanted to rip my clothes off, if he was through with me. Would he?

  “So, I made a deal with Declan and Austin. I move headquarters here to Fieldstone, and Declan gives me the farmhouse.”

  I gasp, tears springing to my eyes. “Noooo. I was supposed to have right of first refusal. He promised.” I glare at him, willing my tears to stay behind my eyelids. “It’s in my contract, and I will sue your ass off for this. I swear, Nico.”

  He grins. “Open the envelope.”

  I grab it, and tear open the
flap with shaking hands. I rifle through the papers, very quickly seeing it’s the title to the winery, and my name’s on every page. I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Since you made it clear you won’t live anywhere but here, and the trailer is too small for both of us and my office, I made a deal with Declan.”

  I can see where this is going, but I don’t quite believe it yet.

  “He agreed to be bought out only if you got the title. I made him a very generous offer on your behalf.”

  “But I don’t have that kind of money.”

  His eyes light. “But I do.”

  “So now I owe you? There’s no way I can pay you back. Not for years.”

  He shakes his head. “If it’s so important to you to pay me back, I’m sure we can work out a plan that’s…er…” his mouth quirks. “Mutually beneficial.”

  I study the paperwork again. “I really own this?”

  “Mmmhmm. It says so right here, midway down the first page.” He leans over and points to the first place my name shows up, arm brushing mine. My chest pounds as a hot current of want runs up my arm.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  His voice is thick when he speaks. “Say you’ll forgive me, or at least give me the chance to earn it every day for the rest of my life. I… have no excuse for the shitbag I was in high school, and I’m still struggling with the fact that you nearly ended things, and what my life would be like without you in it.”

  “You talked with my family.”

  “I did.” He gently takes the papers, swings around and tucks them under the box which he places on the roof of the car. Then he turns back, takes my hands and drops to his knees. He starts by kissing the backs of them.

  “You’ll ruin your pants.”

  “Don’t care.” He tugs me down into the mud with him. Of course, I’m already covered, so I don’t care either. “First things first- We’ve taken out restraining orders on Veronica and Lara, not only are they not allowed within five hundred feet of any of us, they’re also banned from this property and any property connected with the Case family name.”

  I feel like a weight has been taken from me. One I didn’t know I carried. I think I’ve spent most of my adult life looking over my shoulder, worried I might run into one of them.

  He continues. “I behaved badly at the wedding. I should have-” but I stop his mouth with a kiss.

  His arms wrap tightly around me and he deepens the kiss with a groan. I meet his tongue with a groan of my own. It’s only been a few days, but I’ve missed him with an ache that’s hard to describe. “I should have told you,” I say when we break apart. “I was afraid you’d only see me the way I was, not the way I am now.”

  “I love you. The you that’s in front of me.”

  “And I love you too- the best you, not the you who was a fucked-up teenager.”

  “I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

  I shake my head. “You don’t, I want us to be us, to not have the specter of the past hanging over us. There’s something else I need to tell you, too.”

  “You’re pregnant?”

  He looks so hopeful, I burst into laughter. “No. And children are a conversation for another day.” I shake my head. “No. I had lap band surgery about six months after my divorce.”

  He looks confused. “Why?”

  “Because I was tired of the constant diets, of losing ten pounds and gaining five back. I… didn’t like who I was, or how I felt. A-and I wanted a fresh start. That’s part of why I don’t eat much at one sitting.”

  His face is serious, when he speaks. “Do you like who you are now?”

  “More since you’ve been in my life. It helps, hearing the constant verbal affirmation that I’m okay this shape. I’ll never be… small.” That’s still something that eats at me, and maybe it always will, but I no longer look in the mirror and hate what I see, and that’s a small victory.

  “I don’t care,” he rumbles, kissing the spot on my neck that sends heat straight to my pussy. “I love you just the way you are right now, and whatever way you are in the future.” He captures my mouth, kissing me with such tenderness tears spring to my eyes.

  We’d still be kneeling in the mud kissing if not for the throat clearing of the truck driver. “Excuse me, Mr. Case? Do we have permission to unload?”

  Nico turns to me. “I don’t know, do we?”

  “Have permission to move your headquarters into my farmhouse?”

  He nods solemnly.

  I can’t help the grin that pulls my mouth up. “I, er, think we can reach a… mutually beneficial agreement.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Nico

  It’s bud-break. The winery is a riot of spring green- a new season, a new chapter of life. The perfect time for us to begin the newest chapter of our lives together. I’ve filled every corner of the crushing pad with bouquets and swags of pink peonies and roses, and about fifty of our closest friends and family stand with me as I wait for my future father-in-law to walk his breathtakingly beautiful daughter down the short aisle.

  My brothers are here, all of them- Jason with Millie, and their daughter Sara Anne, Declan and Emmaline, and Austin, though Macey is home, about to bring another Case baby into the world.

  I only have eyes for Alison, and she for me as she joins me up front. I take her hand and catch a flash of pink at her feet. I lean in and whisper. “Are those my favorite shoes?”

  She side-eyes me with a smirk and an arch of her brow.

  I fucking love this woman. She knows as soon as I can sneak her off to a corner what’s happening. Those shoes have been wrapped around me plenty of times in the last few months, but this time will be sweeter, better. I’m so caught up in my fantasy I nearly miss the judge’s question. “Do you Nico, take Alison to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, forgive, and partner with in all things?” We added that last part, but we like it.

  “Hell yes, I do,” I say, leaning in to seal my promise with a kiss. I know it’s not time to kiss her yet, but ask me if I care? Because of this woman, I’ve been given the most precious gift of a second chance- at life, at family, at love. And I’m not taking it for granted. Not for a second. So yeah- I’m kissing the bride. Twice. And as much as she’ll let me until death do us part.

  * * *

  THE BEGINNING OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER

  I hope you enjoyed reading Nicholas & Alison’s story. Are you ready for more of Tessa’s Bad Boys? Download MR. WHISKEY next!

  I knew she was sin in stilettos the second I laid eyes on her…

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  But did that stop me? Hell, no.

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  Because I’m nothing, if not a risk taker. And Roxi Rickoli, with a snake tattoo climbing up her leg and hinting at unparalleled pleasure, tempts me like the devil himself.

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  And while I can’t get enough of the wild redhead who runs my bar, I know that fate is a cruel mistress. And when she comes calling, someone must pay…

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  Coming in August

  Sin & Tonic Anthology

  Bar, pub, speakeasy, tavern, cocktail lounge. What do all these have in common?

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  They're places for drinking, places for talking, places for meeting, and in this anthology, they're places to fall in love. Pull up a seat, grab a drink, and enter the worlds of four romance authors for some steamy heroes, strong heroines, and sexy-as-hell sin. Cocktail recipes to seduce your sweetie included!

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  Wild Thang- USA Today Bestselling Author, Tessa Layne

  When billionaire Mason Carter discovers his longtime crush Luci Cruz has packed her bags and is leaving town forever, he’s got twenty-four hours to convince her to take one last chance on love. Will a wild night at a notorious speakeasy and a trip down memory lane be enough to win her heart?

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  All In- USA Today Bestselling Author, Mira Lyn Kelly

  There ought to be laws against what happened to that wedding cake, abandoned or not. Sure, it was sexy, good fun of the dirtiest variety but it was the kind of mistake career-minded wedding planner Lanie Malone won’t repeat. At least not until next Saturday when she’s once again face to face with Jason Henley, the bossy, all-trouble hotel owner who won’t settle for just one night.

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  French Kiss- R. L. Kenderson

  Jake Russo has fought for everything he's earned, and he's not about to give up the bar he’s sweated over to spoiled Lacey Scott. She can kiss his ass and go back to where she flew in from. But what happens when she kisses him instead? And what if he does a lot more than kiss her back?

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  Irish Legend- K.C. Enders

  Bartender Finn O'Meara, the self proclaimed Irish Casanova, has met his match. He's planned everything to perfection, and he's got the girl right where he wants her. There's just one little twist - will she come around? Or is he just a legend in his own mind?

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