Friday, February 9
Skye
It’s been exactly one month since Stephen Lund crashed into my life. In thirty short days, he’s changed it completely. Then again, I never imagined for a moment that the guy who offered to take me to Finn’s wedding—the one who made my head spin and my heart race—had ulterior motives. I still don’t know the whole truth, but after six days of stewing and wondering, one thing is clear: We need to talk. Finn is right about that.
What happens today will decide everything.
Nervously, I smooth down the floral print skirt of my dress as the valet takes my car. Then I step into the open breezeway of the Four Seasons.
I’m so confused right now I’m not even sure what to hope for, but Stephen has a ticket on a flight off the island tomorrow. He has since the day I met him. So it’s now or never for this conversation. Unfortunately, I had to wait until nearly sunset before my stomach settled. In the past week, I’ve learned that mornings and pregnancy hormones don’t always mix well.
In my purse, my phone vibrates. I pull it from my clutch to see an encouraging text from Finn. After sending back my thanks, I tuck the device away.
Thank god he’s been such a steady friend. Without him and Dana, I would have been so lost.
The evening I kicked Stephen to the curb, the house we’d shared for three amazing weeks felt empty and ghost-filled. I’ve worked there for six years. Erma and Dean have promised that it’s my future. And for the first time I couldn’t stand to be inside those four walls.
I’d known I was falling for Stephen fast and hard, but I didn’t realize how wretchedly in love I was until he was gone. Until I slept in our bed to be near him and smelled him on our sheets. Until I remembered all the laughter, flirtation, and pleasure we shared. Until his absence ripped me in half, leaving me incomplete, bleeding, and alone.
When I called Finn, he and Dana came running, held me while I sobbed, and listened through all my tears. They’ve been great. They’ve held my hands. They especially encouraged me to call my parents and tell them everything. Finn knew it would make me feel better. He was right.
I worked up the courage to pick up the phone the next morning. My parents were understandably shocked by my pregnancy, but supportive of whatever I choose to do. I’m not precisely sure how I’ll juggle being a mom, but I don’t need to know that today. I need to figure out my next steps with Stephen first. As much as the hurt part of me wants to curse him and cut him cold out of spite, this is his child, too. And if he doesn’t want anything to do with our baby, it’s his loss.
If he writes off both me and his kid, that will prove that Sherry was right—and hurt so damn bad.
But even knowing that’s a distinct possibility, my stupid heart refuses to love him any less.
So here I am, at the Four Seasons, wearing a dress that feels more like armor, to settle this. There are too many memories at Aloha Rainbow. If we’d talked there, I’m not sure I would have been able to stop myself from begging him for just one more idyllic night in his arms.
My heels click across the tile floors of the elegant open-air lobby, decorated mostly in muted tans and creams with lots of greenery, illuminated by classic wrought-iron light fixtures. My heart clatters even faster than my footsteps, so fast I swear it’s pounding out of my chest. By the time I reach the elevator, I’m trembling visibly. It’s tough to catch my breath on the ride up to the top floor.
I step out of the car, and a quick glance at the plaque tells me Stephen’s suite is at the end of the hall to my right. All I have to do is find the courage to make my way down there and knock.
Why does he want to see me? The question has been haunting me for two days, since Finn persuaded me this meeting is necessary. Is this his last-ditch attempt to get his hands on Erma and Dean’s land? Or does he want to buy me off so he doesn’t have to bother with anything as pesky as fatherhood?
That doesn’t seem like the man I know…but did I know him at all? And if he really is that asshole, I’ll handle the future alone. I’m strong. Sure, I want Stephen Lund—more than I thought possible after only knowing him for a handful of weeks. But if he bails, I will survive.
I have to.
The thought bolsters me as I trek to the end of the hallway.
What if he tells you he loves you again?
My footsteps falter. I don’t have an answer for that. And after everything that’s passed, how could I ever believe him again?
I press a hand to my unsettled stomach and knock.
When the door opens, I’m shocked to find the senior Lund standing there, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, a pressed pair of khakis, and a kind smile. “Hi, Skye. Good to see you again. Come in.”
“Mr. Lund.” I nod politely and ease inside, lip-biting and stiff.
I can only imagine what this man must be thinking…
“Call me Douglas,” he invites, shaking my hand in a warm clasp between both of his. “Please, sit.”
I peek through the entryway, into a sitting room that’s bigger than the caretaker’s cottage I live in. It’s understated and lovely, with a view of the ocean that is absolutely breathtaking. What I don’t see is Stephen.
Did he change his mind?
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Bottle of water? Soda? I’d offer you something with teeth but…”
I’m pregnant, and he knows it. Besides, I’m not sure I’ll be here long enough to drink anything. “No, thank you.”
“If you change your mind, there’s a mini-fridge behind the bar. Help yourself to whatever you want.” He tosses me a smile. “But it’s a good thing you can’t drink Scotch. Stephen already availed himself of it all the night he left you. Thank you for coming to put him out of his misery.”
Misery? Because his deal isn’t going through? “Thank you for letting us meet here.”
What else can I say?
“Stephen will be just a minute more. He’s thrilled you’re willing to talk.” I’m surprised when Douglas’s smile widens. “When it’s all said and done, I think you’re going to be happy, too. I sincerely hope I’ll see you again very soon.”
With a tip of his head, he exits the suite and leaves me completely confused. For two days, I’ve had visions of this powerful Wall Street mogul berating me. I thought he’d accuse me of getting pregnant on purpose and call me a gold digger. Instead, he went out of his way to be warm and welcoming.
What the heck is happening right now?
I resist the urge to pace to the window and look out at the sun setting over the shimmering Pacific. I want to be braced for the moment the suite’s interior door opens and Stephen steps out. I have a speech rehearsed. I’m staying focused on the baby and being an adult about our parenting arrangement. Deep down, would I like to know if any of the romance between us was real? Sure. But I’m not asking. Is it really important anymore?
My heart says it is. It has no sense; I’m not listening.
As the sun sinks closer to the horizon, the door opens to my right. I whirl around. The sight of Stephen Lund in an impeccable gray suit knocks the breath out of me. When those bright blue eyes of his fall on me, I can hardly speak.
I need to be practical, not star struck, damn it.
“Skye. Thank you for agreeing to see me.” He gestures me into the rest of the suite, where there’s a massive living/dining room with more panoramic views. There are fresh roses on the table. Two glasses of cold bubbling liquid beside a bottle of sparkling cider. The lights are low. We’re completely alone.
It feels terrifyingly romantic.
I put on my best business face. “I thought it was important that we talk. I have a custody arrangement in mind. I wrote my ideas up so you can look—”
He stops me from digging into my clutch. “Before you go there, I have a few things I’d like to say. First, I didn’t romance you for the property. I need you to know that.”
“You already said that. And I’m just supposed to believe you?”
“No. Someday I hope you’ll trust what I tell you, but I know today isn’t that day. So I’m going to prove it.” He withdraws some papers from the pocket of his jacket and hands them to me. “These are generally considered confidential, but I have David Chang’s blessing to share them with you. It’s an e-mail string. Would you mind reading it? Start at the bottom.”
I’m not entirely sure what he thinks this will accomplish, but I admit I’m curious. “All right.”
Three minutes later, I’m blinking and struggling to take it all in. But one fact is completely clear: Stephen tried his damnedest for weeks to tempt Chang with other properties besides my beloved Aloha Rainbow.
“This is real?”
“One-hundred percent. I’ll be happy to pull it up on my phone, if you’d like to validate.”
The evidence seems so black and white. I can only think of one reason he’s so insistent to prove his point. Hope sparks bright and dangerous.
If Stephen wasn’t lying about wooing me for the property, what else wasn’t he lying about?
I fold up the paper and hand it back to him, my thoughts racing. “You think I jumped to conclusions?”
“The natural one, given what Sherry was spewing. And I’ll fully admit that for my first day or two at Aloha Rainbow, I didn’t care much what happened to the place. It would have been a great deal for me. I would have made bank while I gained professional independence from my father. And if that had to happen on someone else’s back…” He shrugs. “Well, that’s business. Then I got to know you.”
“Why bother trying to convince me that I matter now? I’m here to offer you really liberal visitation, so if that’s what you’re after…”
“Fuck visitation.”
I suck in a breath. So Stephen wants more. Like pie-in-the-sky more?
He crooks a finger at me. “Come here, honey.”
My stomach pitches and tightens again. “What do you want?”
“Dance with me.”
Of all the things he could have said, I didn’t see that one coming. Now I’m really nervous. And way more excited than I want to admit. “Why? There’s no music.”
He holds up a finger, withdraws his phone from his pocket, and launches a soft, sultry R&B tune before he reaches out and takes me in his arms.
Honestly, I never imagined being this close to Stephen Lund again. But he presses me into his body, then begins dancing with me—slow, smooth, sensual. Being this close to him is heaven.
I can’t help myself; I sigh into him. I fill my nose with him. I cuddle close and revel in his hardness everywhere I’m soft. I prove just how horribly weak I am when it comes to this man—and in the moment, I just don’t care.
“I don’t want to visit my child any more than I want to visit you,” he murmurs against my ear.
A shiver zips down my spine. “Then what do you want?”
“You said once that you’d rather go through the hard times with someone you love than have a perfectly carefree life alone. I’ve lived that easy-breezy, pointless life of solitude. Being with you for those three amazing weeks taught me that I want more. Don’t make me settle for less.”
I hold my breath. “What are you saying?”
“I want more. I want everything. I want you.”
“Stephen, I—”
He lays a finger over my lips. “I’m not done. Let me finish.”
The song fades out, and Bruno Mars fills the speakers, crooning about getting married. The same song we danced to at Finn and Dana’s wedding. It brings back a happy memory of the night I really fell for Stephen. I can’t hear this tune and not think about him, about us.
If we had a song, this would be it.
“What are you doing?”
He cups my cheek and delves into my eyes. “What I’ve wanted to for a while. Hear me out. I deserve that much since you lied to me.”
I gape at him. “No, I didn’t.”
“You did.” A slow smile stretches across his face, somehow playful and sexy at once. “You said we didn’t have a song, that you weren’t that kind of girl. But the second this song came on just now, your face softened, you held me tighter, and your lips parted as if you were inviting me to kiss you.”
Though he’s not wrong, I could cling to my pride and protest again. But I’m dying to know what he’s up to. “What’s your point?”
“You have no idea how badly I want to take you up on that invitation.”
Given the hot suggestion in his eyes, I think I do. The same answering note flares in my belly. “That doesn’t make this our song.”
“I want it to be.” He strokes a soft thumb across my cheek. “I’m hoping to make it ours.”
Then he gets down on one knee.
My eyes widen and I gasp when he pulls a little box from his pocket, flips it open to reveal a sparkling ring that’s very real and even more beautiful than the fake, then smiles up at me with hope all over his face.
“Skye Nicole Ingram, we’ve only known each other for a month. But I don’t need longer to know that you make me smile, make me think, and—I admit—make me want to kiss you breathless for the rest of our lives. You amuse, befuddle, and intrigue me. Most of all, you made me fall madly in love with you. If you say yes, I’ll be the best fiancé—and husband—ever, listening, laughing, and loving you, from now until death do us part. Will you do me the very real honor of marrying me?”
His words are an echo of the playful proposal he uttered shortly after we met. But this speech is solemn and heartfelt. His eyes will me to say yes.
What’s left of my anger dissipates. I blink, struggle to breathe. My heart clutches inside my chest.
“Say something, Skye. I turned down my dad’s offer to run Colossus for you. He’ll continue helming the company, and I’ll relocate here to start a new subsidiary that specializes in Asian and Pacific interests so I can be with you. I made plans for us to elope to Vegas. All I’m asking in return is one little word. Just say yes.”
I’m so touched, I can’t speak. Stephen blurs in my vision. My throat closes up. How can I possibly say no? I love this man. I’ve loved him almost from the beginning.
“You sacrificed everything?” His deal, his dream job, and his home. All for me.
He really does love me. I blink, and the tears fall down my face.
Stephen stands, towers over me, and cups my face. “I’ve sacrificed nothing if I can have you as my wife. Before I met you, I carefully orchestrated everything in my life, but my whole existence had no meaning. I didn’t plan to fall in love with you, but you opened my eyes. You showed me what I’ve been missing. Falling for you was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
There’s only one thing I can say, but it’s not easy through my tears. “Yes.”
He grips me tighter. “Yes, you’ll marry me?”
I smile. “Yes. I’ll marry you. I love you.”
He laughs as he yanks the ring out of the box and quickly slides it on my finger. “Honey, I love you, too. More than anything.”
We’re engaged—for real. I can’t believe it. More happy tears fall. He swipes them away with his thumbs before he kisses me breathless, reminding me of just one of the many reasons I’ve never been able to resist this man.
As I melt into him, he eases away and glances at his watch. “How soon can you be packed?”
I’m confused. “For what? To spend a few days here with you?”
He shakes his head. “Our flight to Vegas leaves in three hours.”
“What?”
“I figured you’d like something spontaneous…”
He’s not meticulously planning our wedding? “I don’t have a dress.”
“We’ll get you one.”
“That takes time. Weeks. Months, even.”
He winks at me. “Not when you have money.”
“But we haven’t invited anyone.”
“Who do you want there?”
He’s making this sound so simple. “My parents. Finn and Dana. Erma and Dean.” That’s it. Those are the most important people in my life.
“I’ll get them there ASAP, along with my dad, Amanda, Bethany, Nia and Evan. Beyond that, I don’t need anyone except you.”
I’m not sure exactly when this ceremony will take place or where we’ll live or how any of the practicalities of our life together will work. But I know I’ll have Stephen by my side. “I don’t need anyone else, either.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to make you feel that way for the rest of your life.”
Then he smiles down at me and cements that vow with a kiss that holds all the promise of our tomorrows.
* * * *
Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Shayla Black, discover Forever Wicked, Dirty Wicked, Pure Wicked, and More Than Protect You.