First Kiss

by Bernadette Marie

  It was also something his father picked out for the woman he loved. Likewise, he knew his father loved Olivia. And, if he hadn’t been so stubborn, he probably would have married her and given Gage a name, no matter what people thought.

  Would she understand the sentiment of him giving her a ring his father had purchased? It would be as though it were from both of them.

  That was if she would ever speak to him again.

  Ashley had better get to Aspen Creek as fast as he could before Cade ruined everything.

  Olivia did everything she could to make Gage comfortable while they waited for a seat on a flight back to Denver. She only wished she could make herself more comfortable.

  She’d known heartbreak before. The first time she’d ever felt it was sitting in that damn tree house in Cade’s back yard when her stepfather pulled her from the tree. Over the years, her heart had ached for every Carter man she’d known. But this hurt the worst. He’d lied to her from the very start and now she carried his child.

  How could she have been so foolish to have gone to bed with him? Gage would be devastated in time and angry when he grew to understand.

  If Cade lied about this, he certainly wouldn’t be the best role model for a child. She’d be doing this alone—again.

  The flight was long and bumpy. Denver was hot and dry. Of course, there was traffic the entire way back to Aspen Creek. The drive was already long enough without it. Add that to constant breaks for food for Gage and rest for her, it had taken nearly eight hours to make a four hour trip. She didn’t arrive home until ten-thirty that night.

  The house was dark and looked as sad as she felt. She tucked Gage into bed and headed for the shower. Tomorrow was Monday morning, and even though she’d informed Parker she wouldn’t be there, she had no intentions of taking one more day off of work. She was going to need to save every cent she could get her hands on.

  The look on Parker’s face let her know he certainly hadn’t expected her. He followed her into her office and shut the door.

  “You said you’d be gone all week.”

  She slammed the drawer after putting her purse in it and snapped her head up to look at him. “Change of plans. So are you going to fire me for coming into work?”

  “What? No.” He moved toward her and she backed away. That stopped him. “I just thought…”

  “I don’t care what anyone has thought. I’m back. I’m not going anywhere so let me get to work.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door, and Kat opening it before she was invited in.

  “You have someone here to see you.”

  “I don’t want to see…”

  The man behind Kat walked straight in.

  He had to have been the tallest man Olivia had ever seen, and Parker’s expression teetered on excitement and annoyance. He slid his sunglasses off his face and put them on the back of his neck, just as Cade would do. That only revealed the most stunning set of blue eyes Olivia had ever seen. The sharp contrast with his caramel skin made her speechless.

  “Ms. Baker?”

  “That’s me.” Her voice cracked as he walked toward her with an enormous bouquet of red roses cradled in his arm.

  He held out his free hand for her to shake. “Ashley Wilkie.”

  She took the man’s hand and noticed that when he’d said his name both Parker’s and Kat’s eyes shot wide open. “Mr. Wilkie, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “These are for you.” He handed her the bouquet.

  “Thank you, but…”

  He held up his hand. “I also have this for you.” He handed her an envelope with a card inside.

  It was hard to take her eyes off the man standing before her to open the envelope. When she did, she found an invitation.

  Your presence is requested

  at the marriage of

  Olivia Baker and Cade Carter

  this afternoon at 5PM

  Under the Tree House

  Olivia’s mouth had fallen open as she looked up at the man ginning before her.

  He cleared his throat. “I would have been the Ashley you heard about in Green Bay. My mother had a funny sense of humor.”

  “Ashley?” She let it settle in her mind. “You’re Ashley?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Mr. Carter has been here for the past week with his new coaching job at the high school and settling in so that he could marry you.”

  “Cade was here?”

  Parker stepped forward. “He came in yesterday to see you. He didn’t know you’d left for Wisconsin.”

  “So, he isn’t married or doesn’t have some girlfriend?”

  Ashley shook his head. “No, ma’am. He’s got it bad for you, and trust me, I’ve lived around the man for a long time. I’ve never seen him quite like this.”

  Olivia pressed her fingers to her lips. “He still wants to marry me?”

  “Under the tree at five.”

  She looked at Parker.

  “You weren’t scheduled this week. Perhaps you should go home.”

  At that moment, Michelle walked into her office with Gage on her hip. He jumped down and raced to her.

  Olivia scooped him into her arms and looked back at Michelle.

  Michelle shrugged her shoulders. “I got a call from Cade that said I needed to get Gage to your office right away and then follow you home to help you.”

  Tears were stinging her eyes, but they wouldn’t fall. They were happy tears, and she’d rather keep the stupid grin on her face that she could feel tugging at her cheeks.

  “I think you need to help me get dressed.”

  Michelle was obviously as clueless as the rest of them—all except for Ashley Wilkie, whom she found out later from Michelle was some big time football hero, almost as famous as Cade Carter.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Michelle had followed her home and helped her take Gage from the car. Olivia wasn’t sure why she was surprised when she walked through the front door and found, draped on the chair, a white dress and a new pair of shoes.

  The tears fell then as Michelle walked in behind her.

  “This has got to be the sweetest thing I have ever seen.”

  Olivia shook her trembling hands. “He meant it. He meant it all along. God, he promised me he’d marry me when he was six. And a few more times over the years, but I didn’t think it would ever happen.”

  She walked to the chair and picked up the dress. Under the dress was a tuxedo Gage’s size. The tears streamed full force now.

  As she picked it up to show it to him, she noticed legal papers beneath it. She handed Michelle the tuxedo. On the papers, which were drafted by an attorney in Wisconsin, there was a yellow sticky note. This is what I want from you as my wedding gift.

  Michelle walked up beside her. “What is it?”

  “Adoption papers. He wants to adopt Gage.”

  Cade paced beneath the old tree house in the back yard of his father’s house. A drape of white netting had been hung from the branches and a few folding chairs from the local Christian church had been lined up in the back yard. There wouldn’t be many people at their wedding, but those who were there were the ones who mattered.

  Who would have thought that he’d almost lost everything when he tried to give her the perfect day.

  He’d seen Michelle walk out of the house holding Gage’s hand. That meant Olivia had arrived.

  Gage let go of Michelle’s hand and ran to Cade. He lifted him into his arms and gave him the biggest squeeze a man could give a child. His child.

  Ashley rested his hand on Cade’s shoulder. “I thought I witnessed history that day on that field, but I think I’m about to witness it again.”

  “I’ve waited my whole life for this.”

  The back door opened to the house, and he saw her. The most beautiful vision he’d ever seen.

  The thudding in his chest went deeper than it did that day when he had stood in the same spot with Conner to his side. They’d both been breathless w
hen she walked toward them with her curtain-draped head. Now, here she was—the most beautiful woman he’d ever known, walking toward him in the dress he’d picked out for her—along with Conner’s son.

  She’d been crying, but the smile let him know they were tears of joy.

  “You came.”

  Olivia let out a deep breath. “You’re not living with some woman named Ashley.”

  They both chuckled, and he reached his hand to her cheek. “I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful in my entire life.”

  “Thank you.” She turned to Michelle, and she handed her the papers Cade had left for her. “These are for you.”

  He looked down at them as everyone watched them. The minister to his side waited patiently.

  He turned to the page where she was to sign them and noticed that she had. Marriage was one thing, but to become a father—that moment filled him with a love and passion that even Olivia couldn’t have brought out in him.

  “He’s our son now.”

  “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world. Do you know that?”

  “I don’t think I have yet.” She moved in closer to them and wrapped her arms around both Cade and Gage. “My gift to you is my son, whom I love and I know you do, too. But I have another gift for you. A child of your own.”

  The thudding that had been in his chest moved to his throat, and he could feel the blood drain from his face. “A child of my own?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re…”

  She smiled wide. “Yes.”

  He scrubbed his hand over his face and let it all sink in. “We’re a family again.”

  Olivia nodded. “And I saw what you did to the house. It looks like you plan to make a home right here were home always was.”

  “That was the plan.”

  “I don’t think you could make me any happier, Cade Carter.”

  “Let me try.” He turned to Ashley and motioned to the pocket in his suit. Ashley handed him the ring he held. “This was in my father’s safety deposit box.” He slid the ring on her finger. “If he hadn’t given up everything to settle here and raise me, I wouldn’t have you. If he wouldn’t have given Conner a home, we wouldn’t have Gage. If he wouldn’t have put everything right in place, I wouldn’t have come to the funeral at all. He made sure we found each other. He made sure we were together just as we were supposed to do.”

  “I knew I loved that old man.”

  “I did too. I’d just forgotten how much.”

  Olivia rested her head on Cade’s shoulder. “I want to name the baby Austin, even if she’s a girl.”

  “I think that would be wonderful.”

  “I’m so happy that I’m marrying you right here under our tree so that our first kiss as husband and wife will be in the same place where we shared our first kiss.”

  Cade kissed the top of Gage’s head and then the top of Olivia’s. “Then let’s get married.”

  Enjoy an excerpt from the second book in the Aspen Creek Series

  from

  Bernadette Marie and 5 Prince Publishing.

  UNEXPECTED ADMIRER

  Chapter One – Unexpected Admirer

  A crowded arena on a weeknight was not where Melissa Mathews wanted to be. She’d spent her day teaching thirteen-year-olds the fundamentals of biology, attended a staff meeting, and drove an hour to Grand Junction. She was beat.

  But when she looked over at her son, who stood next to her, his grin as big as the sun, she knew she’d recuperate. After all, it was her fault they were standing with thousands of people who chanted Jesse Charles’s name. She’d won the tickets to see the pop star on the radio. The show had been sold out for months, and she didn’t have the funds to take her son anyway.

  It was a mystery to her why he even wanted to go. Jonah was a huge Jesse Charles fan, but Melissa wasn’t. Oh, he seemed to be a fine role model, but between her son playing his music morning and night and the kids at school incessantly talking about him, Melissa could care less about the man.

  And the night was just beginning. No, she couldn’t have just won some general admission tickets. She won the whole package. A nice dinner at a local restaurant. Front row tickets to the show. And what would a night like this be without meet and greet passes for later.

  Jonah was in heaven.

  Melissa was in a teenager-fueled hell.

  Jesse Charles paced back and forth in his dressing room. He’d been performing since he was ten, professionally since he was fourteen. However, stage fright was a real thing and he had it bad.

  His assistant, Bryce, was busy taking notes and talking on his cell phone in the corner. He’d thought his manager would take the time to fly to Colorado to catch the show, but again, he was busy with his own, fantastic life.

  Jesse let out a sigh. His career was nothing less than spectacular. He was the number one recording artist in America, and the world had taken note.

  But at twenty-five, Jesse Charles was tired.

  Melissa fidgeted with the backstage pass around her neck. The woman at the radio station had told her to keep it under her shirt. She’d seen people mobbed over them. It was killing Melissa to have it pressed against her skin, but the last thing she needed was to have it ripped from her neck. Jonah hadn’t been happy about tucking his in either, but he’d done it. What did it matter anyway? He was going to meet his idol. All Melissa could hope for was to be in bed before two a.m. and that maybe Friday would be quiet for the middle-schoolers she’d have to teach—but she knew better than that.

  The lights in the arena dimmed, and the crowd around her went wild. She looked over at her son. An enormous smile permeated his lips. He hadn’t been so happy in a very long time. Melissa owed him this night. She put her arm around him and gave him a squeeze just as the arena filled with lights of all colors. A whine of a guitar pierced her ears, and from the center of the stage in a smoke-filled cloud, Jesse Charles emerged in all his glory.

  She had to admit, the atmosphere was infectious. Girls swooned and screamed. Jonah clapped his hands and sang along with the songs she was familiar with, but she didn’t know the words. Never would she have expected to enjoy herself, but among Jesse Charles’s fans, she was happy too.

  The show was loud and spectacular—and never ending.

  Melissa looked down at her watch for the third time. The show was moving into its second hour, and the man hadn’t taken a break. He’d sung and danced the entire time—he had endless energy. She, on the other hand, was exhausted.

  Melissa scanned the crowd. She was sure she was the only person aware of the time. She looked back up at the stage, and at that moment, she was sure her eyes connected with Jesse Charles’s. The very moment hit her.

  She diverted her eyes. Certainly he was that good of a showman to make the entire audience feel as though they were the only ones in the room.

  It wouldn’t be long before she’d be right in front of him, shaking his hand. But that was all for Jonah. She wasn’t interested. She was sure he’d say hello, sign a picture, and move on to the next person. Yes, that would be how it would go. She told herself there really hadn’t been any eye contact. Thousands of scantily clad girls screamed his name. If he had seen her, it was probably a look of disgust for someone so average in his crowd.

  Jesse Charles went about belting out the song of the moment. He danced his way to the side of the stage, motioned to someone, and without missing a beat, he was back at center stage making the crowd go wild.

  A few minutes later, Melissa felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “Ma’am, would you mind coming with me?” An enormous man with a security shirt was standing next to her.

  “I’m sorry,” she yelled over the music. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “If you wouldn’t mind just coming with me.”

  He was trying to guide her away from her seat. “My son!”

  She reached for Jonah and grabbed hold of his arm and then quickly picked up their coats.

 
; As she followed the man, another security guard stepped in behind them. Jonah moved up closer to her.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I don’t know.” She reached out for the man in front of her as they headed toward the side of the arena. “Sir, where are we going?”

  “I’ve been asked to take you backstage.”

  Melissa let out a breath. “Is this for the meet and greet?”

  “No.” The guard narrowed his gaze on her.

  “Oh, we have passes.” She pulled the pass from under her shirt.

  “No, ma’am, this has nothing to do with that. Mr. Charles would like to sing to you. He’s requested you on stage.”

  Certainly there was some kind of mistake. The radio station hadn’t said anything about getting on stage.

  Her heart pounded faster than the rhythm of the song blaring thought the arena.

  Jonah had grabbed hold of her hand. “Mom! He wants to sing to you!”

  “I don’t like this.”

  The men were leading them down a corridor The music was muffled, but as they turned the corner, she could see the stage and Jesse Charles was only a few feet in front of them, performing for thousands.

  “What if I don’t want to do this?”

  The security guard gave her a shrug.

  Jonah stepped between them and looked up at her. “Mom, this is fun. Go.”

  When did a ten-year-old tell his mother what to do? But then she noticed the glimmer in his eyes and the smile that still turned his lips up at the corners. She couldn’t let him down.

  She handed Jonah her coat, straightened her clothes, and ran her fingers through the wild curls which went every which direction. This had to be some kind of a joke for the superstar. What a mother wouldn’t do for the joy of her child.