Everything I Need, page 24
“Granny is.”
“What if we wanted to get married here in Journey’s End? Couples get married in the bride’s hometown, don’t they?”
“You tell her.”
Melody opened her mouth, gearing up for a semi-hysterical rant about keeping their wedding to an intimate and manageable affair, like Baptiste and Samira were about to have, when he subtly tipped his head to a distant point off to their right. A group of photographers, who’d been thwarted by Baptiste’s security personnel and barricade, had their telephotos trained on them, a fact that Melody kept forgetting.
“Careful,” he murmured. “The paps would love a shot of us fussing at each other. Think of what the body language experts on staff at the Daily Universe would make of that.”
She rolled her eyes before leaning in a bit closer. “Wonder what they’ll make of this?”
Grinning, he met her halfway for a lingering kiss that left them both a bit breathless and glazed. Melody was just debating whether she wanted to dive in again when a shadow loomed over their table.
“You two lovebirds engaged yet?” Tony asked, drawl mitigated a bit by the cigar clamped between his teeth. He’d brought a server with him. The man distributed a glass of champagne to Melody, whisky to Anthony and bourbon to Tony. Tony slipped him what looked like a hundred-dollar bill, much to the man’s astonished delight as he hurried off. “I don’t see the ring.”
Melody kept her jaws firmly shut on that one as she tipped her head for Tony’s kiss and watched him drop into the vacant chair on the other side of her. She also resisted the urge to finger the gold chain that was tucked into her bodice, at the end of which hung her precious ring. She and Anthony had of course decided not to upstage the wedding tomorrow by mentioning their engagement, but they hadn’t made plans beyond that. Melody, for one, favored keeping their secret for a while longer, at least until Anthony had moved to Journey’s End and passed the bar exam.
Anthony shot his father a disbelieving look as he toasted him in thanks before sipping his whisky.
“As if we’d tell you if we had.”
“What?” Tony said, the soul of bewildered innocence. “I can keep a secret.”
“Apparently you can’t,” Melody said, giving him the side-eye. “Did you wait a full hour before you blabbed to Anthony that you and I had talked on the phone the other day?”
“Oh, that.” Tony flapped a hand and puffed a few smoke rings over their heads. “That wasn’t blabbing, per se. That was me trying to nudge things in the right direction.”
“I don’t need nudging,” Anthony said, slinging an arm around the back of Melody’s chair. “I’m smart enough not to let Melody get away. I think we can all agree on that.”
“Can we?” Tony asked pointedly.
She and Anthony exchanged a quick glance during which their mutual adoration shone through. The more she tried to keep her smile down to a minimal level, the more her overflowing emotion seemed to escape through her overheated cheeks. Anthony, meanwhile, gave her a swift and possessive once-over that telegraphed his desire to swallow her whole. If the paparazzi snapped a shot of that look, the body language experts would stay busy for weeks to come.
“Yes,” Melody told Tony. “You can.”
“Well, thank God for small favors,” Tony said, beaming as he raised his glass and they all toasted. “And I suppose it’s too much to ask whether you are also getting your legal career back on track, son?”
“No, it’s not too much to ask,” Anthony snapped. “And allow me to mention that you are setting a new land speed record for nosiness tonight. Is it all the bourbon?”
“That’s a distinct possibility,” Tony said cheerfully, getting up again. “I just need to know what to tell the lawyers about your trust.”
Anthony’s face went blank. “My trust?”
“Yep. I’m thinking I might release a fourth of it to you lovebirds on your wedding day. Maybe a bit more when you pass the bar exam and the bulk when you pop out a kid or two. A man who’s got sense enough to marry Miss Mel and get his career back on track has sense enough to manage his money and do something worthwhile with his life. How do you like them apples?”
He strode off without waiting for any response, waving over his shoulder at them.
She and Anthony looked at each other, neither quite knowing what to make of this sudden reversal of fortune.
“How do you feel about this?” she asked him, stunned. “Excited?”
Anthony cocked his head and thought it over for a minute.
“It’s fine. I knew the money would come one day.” He ran his hand through her hair, cupping the back of her head and bringing her in for a quick nuzzle under cover of whispering in her ear. “And I already have everything I need, don’t I?”
“What a coincidence,” she said, kissing him back. “So do I.”
He stared at her, that wonderful hand stroking her nape.
“You know what’s going to happen to you when we get home tonight, don’t you?”
“I was hoping, but I don’t like to assume.”
His eyes gleamed at her in the candlelight. “Generally a good policy, but this is a sure thing.”
“Good.”
“And how would you like this sure thing tonight, Dr. Harrison?”
She pursed her lips while she thought it over. “I think I feel like a cowgirl tonight.”
“Really?” he said with a flare of unmistakable interest.
“Really.”
“Look!” Nick, looking triumphant, arrived at the table with Jean-Luc nestled in the crook of his arm and sat across from them. Though his earlier bout of smiling seemed to have abated for now, the baby gurgled happily and watched everything with an avid gaze. “I charmed the nanny into giving him to me. Baptiste and Samira are still dancing”—he tipped his head toward the dance floor, where the newlyweds-to-be were regarding each other as though they’d decided to move the wedding night up twenty-four hours—“but when they’re done, you’ll need to distract him for me. Otherwise, I’ll only have the baby for thirty seconds.”
Melody smiled indulgently at him. “I’m surprised at you, Nick. Wasting time with a little baby when there are all these beautiful women here tonight.” She pointed to the dance floor, where she had no problem identifying a couple of unabashed and staring females who looked as though they’d love to make a Nick sandwich later on. “And I thought I saw at least one redhead in the bunch. What if they all get away?”
“Don’t worry.” Nick flashed his killer smile, all white teeth, grooved dimples and Latin charm. “I’ll make up for lost time later. And of course the baby will help attract more women.”
He smiled down at the baby, who studied him closely, seemed to decide he was an okay guy and smiled back. Nick laughed with delight. But then, without warning, his face twisted with what looked like quiet despair. Melody watched, riveted, as he hastily ducked his head, swiped his eyes and switched the baby to his shoulder, the better to press kisses to his fat cheek and cup his curly head.
Luckily, Nick was too absorbed with the baby to notice Melody and Anthony exchanging a worried look.
“Is he okay?” Melody whispered.
Anthony nodded sadly, leaning in to murmur in her ear.
“He was married out of school. His wife immediately got pregnant. Right before she was due to give birth, she was hit by a drunk driver. She and the baby died. It was a boy.”
“Oh, my God,” she said, pressing a hand to her heart. “That’s terrible.”
“I know.”
They watched Nick, who seemed to have recovered and was now bouncing the baby on his lap.
“I can’t imagine him married, though,” Melody continued. “He seems far too into women.”
“He’s got to do something to cope,” Anthony said. “I’ve always thought that—”
“Hat’s off to Samira for catching a billionaire who also makes wine,” said a new female voice.
Melody cringed and glanced around in time to see her sister Carmen’s unsteady arrival at the table. Carmen dropped into the nearest chair, sloshing some of the red wine from her goblet onto the pristine white tablecloth.
Anthony, who had just met Carmen that afternoon, shifted uncomfortably.
Nick watched Carmen, sudden shadows darkening his face.
“Baptiste knows what he’s doing with a grape, doesn’t he?” Carmen continued before sipping appreciatively. She reached the bottom of her glass in an alarmingly short period of time. “Maybe he has an extra billionaire friend he can introduce me to, now that I’m single again.”
“Why don’t you take it easy on the wine?” Melody asked her, trying to keep her voice low and pleasant.
“And why would I do that?” Carmen said. “We’re at a party, aren’t we?”
“You wouldn’t want to get yourself into any trouble,” Nick said before Melody could answer, his jaw tight and his lyrical Italian accent a bit thicker than usual. “There are less destructive ways to blow off steam.”
Carmen looked startled, although whether it was from being called out by a complete stranger with a baby or being confronted by one of the sexiest men present, Melody couldn’t say.
Carmen, being Carmen, recovered quickly enough.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.
Nick’s gray-eyed gaze swept her up and down as he absently patted the baby. “Domenico Rossi. My friends call me Nick. Who the hell are you?”
“Carmen Harrison.”
“My sister,” Melody supplied apologetically, embarrassed to have any association at all with Carmen at this drunken moment.
“Ah.” A flare of recognition crossed Nick’s face. “A lovely Italian name for a beautiful woman. You should think of other ways to pass the time, Carmina. You can’t handle your alcohol.”
Carmen barked out a bitter laugh. “Truer words were never spoken, Domenico. That’s probably why I got that DUI after just one glass of wine at dinner last week. But now that everyone thinks I’m an alcoholic anyway, I may as well act the part.”
Nick’s heavy brows sank lower, threatening to engulf his entire face.
“Or you could find another hobby to keep your mind off your troubles. As I say.”
“Like what?” Carmen snapped, bemused.
Nick shrugged. “Sex works very well for me.”
Carmen made a strangled sound.
Melody and Anthony exchanged raised-brow looks.
Unsmiling, Nick stared Carmen dead in the face.
Until she recovered enough to surge to her feet.
“Fuck you and your sorry advice,” she told Nick. “What do you know about me and my troubles?”
“Nothing at all,” Nick said smoothly, still patting the baby. “But I know about troubles.”
Melody and Anthony sat there, frozen inside their astonishment.
Carmen and Nick seemed to have a tough time tearing their eyes off each other. But she finally managed it, blinking and turning to Melody.
“Anyone else want more wine?” Carmen asked, picking up her glass with a crooked smile. “Speak now, or forever hold your peace.”
She swept off without waiting for any response.
“Sorry about that,” Melody muttered, wishing that she had another glass of wine.
“Your sister isn’t what I expected,” Nick told Melody, eyes flashing as he watched Carmen work her way through the crowd, to the bar. “I thought she’d be more like you.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Melody muttered.
“Is she all right?” Nick asked.
“No,” Melody said. “And I plan to find out exactly what’s going on as soon as I can.”
“I think she needs you, darling,” Anthony said with a sympathetic rub of Melody’s shoulder.
Baptiste and Samira returned from the dance floor just then, looking flushed and happy. Until Baptiste looked down and realized that Nick was now Jean-Luc’s BFF.
“I see you’ve kidnapped my son,” Baptiste said, putting his hands on his hips and trying to look severe as he glared down at Nick. “Luckily, no harm seems to have befallen him. Otherwise I would have to kill you. And I would hate to do that because getting thrown in jail might make me late for my wedding tomorrow.”
“I’m allowed to hold the baby,” Nick said defiantly. “As an honorary uncle and a member of your wedding party. Ask Samira.”
“It’s true,” Samira told Baptiste. “It’s all in his contract.”
Chuckling, Baptiste took the baby, raised him up high, took a whiff of his diaper and made a face before offering him back to Nick. “Let’s see how committed you are to Jean-Luc now that he needs to be changed.”
Nick grimaced, stood and put up his hands as though being held at gunpoint.
“Jean-Luc? Who is Jean-Luc?”
They all laughed.
Nick checked his lap and his cuffs, smoothed his hair and gave himself a couple of spritzes with his breath spray.
“I think I will see what kind of mischief I can get into tonight,” he told Melody with a wolfish grin.
“Knock yourself out,” Melody said, laughing and shaking her head.
“Just make sure you’re not late for the wedding,” Samira and Baptiste both said.
More laughter on all sides as Nick waved and strode off.
Baptiste hitched the baby on his hip and turned to Samira, his eyes filled with sensual promise. “Let’s find Mrs. Smith so she can put the baby to bed. You and I have some consummating to do.”
Samira squawked with mock outrage as she smacked his arm.
“Kindly do not put our business out there in the streets!”
“What?” Baptiste, to no one’s surprise, remained entirely unrepentant. “What do you think they’ll be doing before the night is over?”
“He’s got us there, darling,” Anthony told Melody, one brow raised.
“And don’t think you’re fooling anybody,” Samira warned Melody as she linked arms with Baptiste and they turned to go. “There’s a ring dangling at the end of that little chain there. I know it.”
Anthony stiffened, managing to look like a mask-wearing bandit sneaking out of a house with a bag of loot slung over his shoulder, but said nothing.
Melody, meanwhile, worked hard to maintain her poker face as she fingered her chain.
“What, this? Why can’t it just be a pretty gold necklace?”
“You are no Viola Davis,” Samira said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as they walked away. “Make sure you keep your day job.”
They headed off, leaving Melody to blow out a relieved breath. “I think they fell for our clever denials, don’t you?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Yeah, I pretty much sang like a canary. I feel like I’ve been interrogated by James Bond.”
They laughed together for a beat or two, until the music changed and the sound of Joe Cocker’s gravelly voice came over the speakers as he launched into “You Are So Beautiful.” And suddenly there was no room in Melody’s world for anything except her fiancé, how much she loved him and how far they’d come since they first danced to this song on the magical night they met.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one feeling this way.
Anthony stood and extending his hand.
“Dance with me.”
She stared up at him, pausing for effect.
“I thought you didn’t dance?”
His dimples deepened.
“The old me didn’t dance. The old me also didn’t smile much, didn’t think about what he was doing with his life and doubted he’d ever fall in love and get married.” He shrugged as he took her hand, pulled her up, tugged her to the dance floor and reeled her in. “Times change, don’t they?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She trailed her fingers along his nape for the thrill of feeling him shiver. “You’re still everything I could ever hope for.”
He pressed his lips to her temple for a lingering kiss.
“And you’re everything I need, Dr. Harrison. You’ve always been everything I need.”
Read A JOURNEY’S END Now!
Thank you for reading Everything I Need! I hope you enjoyed watching Anthony and Melody fall in love as much as I enjoyed writing their story!
QUESTION: Do you have any other contemporary romance series?
ANSWER: Yes!
If you love small towns, family sagas and sexy brothers, you’ll want to read A JOURNEY’S END, the novella that began my Journey’s End series, today! And it’s FREE!
Here’s a teaser:
Can two wounded people find happiness together?
Meet widower and loner James Harper, who avoids romance like the plague.
And vivacious single mom Miranda Lowe, whose nasty divorce blew up her life.
What happens when they’re stranded together one dark and stormy night? Come to Journey’s End and find out…
If you enjoy sexy and emotional contemporary romance novels, read A JOURNEY’S END now!
And if you enjoy reading stories about rich and powerful men falling crazy in love, then don’t miss my Warner Family series. The first book, TENDER SECRETS, is available for FREE! Download now!
Want to stay up to date on all my news about upcoming book releases and deals? Sign up for my newsletter and Facebook page.
Finally, thank you in advance for helping me spread the word about my books, including telling friends, mentioning them on your social media and/or leaving reviews on the retailers. Word of mouth sells more books than anything else, and I appreciate your help.
Turn the page for an excerpt from A JOURNEY’S END…
Chapter 1
“Hit me. Hurry.”
Grinning, Miranda Lowe passed the oversized cappuccino mug across the counter to her friend Zoya, who was red-nosed, bleary-eyed and hunched inside her puffy jacket looking distinctly the worse for the wear.
“Here,” she told Zoya. “Drink some quick. Before your hands start shaking.”
Zoya took a grateful sip, her eyes rolling closed. “One of these days, I’m going to get you drunk so you’ll tell me what you put in here that makes it so addictive. It’s chicory, right?”
