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  Her gaze searched his. “So this isn’t about us getting back together?”

  “No.” He reached out to skim his fingertips along her cheek. “It’s just about finding some peace in all of this.”

  Her breath hitched. “Is touching me making you feel peaceful, Brandon?”

  He shook his head. His ache was actually getting stronger. “You have the softest skin, the most innocent face. It’s still hard for me to believe that you tricked me.”

  “I’m so sorry I deceived you.”

  “I know you are.” He didn’t doubt her sincerity. The truth was in her eyes. “I owe you an apology, too. I shouldn’t have brought you to my office that day under false pretenses. I shouldn’t have blindsided you that way.”

  “I understand how hurt and angry you were.”

  “I’m not angry anymore.” He still ached inside, but that might never go away. “I should leave now.” He removed his hand from her cheek. “I did what I came to do.” To forgive her, he thought. Unfortunately, it hadn’t brought him the closure it should have. She didn’t look as if she felt much better, either. He backed away from her.

  Now what was he supposed to say? Tell her to have a good life without him? He didn’t know what parting words to use.

  “Maybe you can stay a little longer,” she said, her voice coming out choppy.

  “What for?” he asked. He sounded disjointed, too. This reunion definitely wasn’t going well.

  She shrugged, a little too heavily, like a butterfly trying to lift its damaged wings. “I made chocolate chip cookies last night. You can have some with me.”

  “Cookies won’t solve this.”

  “What will?”

  “I don’t know.” But suddenly he didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to walk away and leave her behind. But he couldn’t seem to find the strength to stay, either.

  Before he could head for the door, she said, “Alice moved out. I live here alone now.”

  He cleared his throat and replied, “Tommy told me that she rented a condo. He said you’ve been talking to my dad a lot, too.”

  She nodded. “We’ve become really close.”

  It was strange how his father managed to make peace with her, but Brandon couldn’t seem to do it. He was still so lost, so confused.

  She bit down on her bottom lip. “He let me cry to him every night on the phone.”

  His heart tightened in his chest. Clearly, she’d been crying because of him. “I’ll bet you never envisioned becoming friends with my dad.”

  “It’s nice that he’s been there for me. But it’s still been hard, dealing with all of this.” She glanced down at the floor. “I never should have done what I did to you.”

  “You don’t have to keep apologizing.” He couldn’t bear to see more of her sorrow. She looked as lost as he felt.

  She lifted her gaze, fractured as it was. “I told Kirby that I would try to help him find someone to date. I think he’s ready for a new relationship. I believe that he’s a changed man.”

  Brandon wanted to be a changed man, too, to be free of the pain. But he didn’t know how to do it. “I should go.” He couldn’t stay. He was only making both of them suffer.

  “I can walk you out.”

  “No. That’s okay.” He needed to make a clean break. “Thanks for letting me come in and say what I needed to say.” Even if it hadn’t helped, he thought.

  She stepped back. “I’ll see you.” She spoke softly, sadly.

  “I’ll see you, too.” He didn’t know when or if he would ever see her again, but it seemed like the proper thing to say.

  He left her condo and climbed into his car. He was parked in a nearby guest spot, with a view of her front door. He suspected she might be on the verge of crying now, with tears flooding her eyes. Had he made it worse by coming here?

  So what was he waiting for? He should get on the road, escaping as fast as his luxury sedan would take him. But he just sat behind the wheel, mired in pain and torment.

  He glanced at Mary’s door. He couldn’t deny that he loved her. That he needed her. That he wanted her.

  So what was he going to do about it?

  Be the guy who fixes it, he told himself, with the woman he loves by his side.

  Brandon got out of his car and returned to her apartment. He rang the bell, his pulse pounding in his ears.

  She answered the summons, and he sucked in his breath. She did look as if she’d been crying.

  “Do you still love me, Mary?” he asked. He was certain that she did, but he needed to hear it.

  “Yes.” She shivered where she stood. “God, yes.”

  “I still love you, too.” He couldn’t stop the rush of emotion that poured through him, admitting how he felt, letting her know what was going on inside him.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I couldn’t take it if you...”

  “I’m positive.” He knew what was in his heart, and he knew that living without her wasn’t an option. He reached out to her. “Let’s start over. As friends, as lovers, as everything we should’ve been before, but without any lies or secrets between us.”

  “I can’t imagine anything better.” She stepped forward, into the circle of his arms. “I’ve missed you so badly.”

  “Me, too.” He’d barely been surviving without her.

  She cried a little, but he knew they were happy tears, not the sad ones from before.

  They both went silent, steeped in the commitment they’d just made. He closed his eyes and rocked her in his arms, her sweet scent enveloping him.

  She lifted her head and whispered, “Make love with me, Brandon. Be with me.”

  He accepted her invitation, and she led him to her room. He was never going to lose her again.

  They undressed each other, slowly, wanting to make the moment last. They kissed and got into bed. He glanced up and saw the fairy painting he’d given her, intensifying the magic.

  He caressed her, filling his hands with her body. She touched him, too, in the most intimate of ways.

  She had protection readily available. “I bought it a while ago,” she said. “In case you ever spent the night here.”

  He took the packet, but he didn’t open it right away. For now, he wanted to profess more of his feelings, more of what the future would entail. “I want you to move in with me.” He breathed her in, all the way to his soul. “I want to sleep beside you each night and wake up next to you every morning.”

  “I’ll be there, whenever you need me.” She pressed closer to him. “I want all of those same things.”

  He finally put on the condom and entered her, letting the sensation of being inside her engulf him. She moaned when he pushed deeper, and they made love. In the middle of the day.

  Together at last.

  * * *

  As they lay naked, sated from the sex, Mary smiled at her man. Her man. Oh, how she loved the sound of that.

  Finally, they got up and slipped on their clothes. She didn’t put her uniform back on. She chose a simple white sundress from her closet.

  “I can’t wait to see you in a gown,” he said.

  “At a charity ball?” She was prepared to learn to waltz and meet his friends, to be part of everything that was Brandon.

  “Actually, I was talking about our wedding.” He sat on the edge of the bed and swept her onto his lap.

  Her heartbeat skittered. “We’re getting married?”

  “We are if you’ll have me. I want to do more than just live together. I want to take vows, too. But we can take our time and do it right. We don’t have to rush.” He looked into her eyes. “Will you become my wife? Will you do me the honor?”

  “I absolutely will.” She kissed him slowly, romantically. She could kiss him for a thousand years and never get enough. Afterward, she said, “I think t
aking our time is a good idea. We need to relax and get to know each other better. I was hiding who I was before, and now I’m going to be the real me.”

  He nodded. “I’m looking forward to knowing the real you.” He nuzzled her cheek. “I’m already getting attached to her.”

  Mary sighed. This was the best day of her life. Their relationship had started off wrong, but it was perfect now. He was perfect, too, her future husband. No matter what obstacles they faced, they would always have each other.

  “After we have kids, we can move into my country house,” he said. He hesitated. “You want kids, don’t you?”

  She quickly replied, “Yes, of course.” She wanted to create a family, especially with him. “But when I was growing up, I never really understood motherhood.”

  “Because of how depressed your mom was?”

  “I know she was hurting. But I wish she would have sought help instead of shutting everyone out. I still worry about Alice, too, and how wild she is.”

  Brandon gazed at her with admiration, with depth and care. “You’re a good sister. She’s lucky she has you. But getting our families together is going to be tough, with how much Alice probably still hates my dad.” He frowned a little. “Do you think she’s ever going to accept him?”

  “I don’t know, but he’s going to try to develop a working relationship with her. He wants to get her input on what artist should record Mama’s songs.”

  “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “So do I.” She hoped that it would help give her sister some direction. She knew how important those songs were to Alice. They still meant the world to Mary, too.

  “Dad is going to be thrilled when we tell him that we’re engaged.”

  “I’d love for him to walk me down the aisle, the way he did for Sophie. I’d also like for Alice to be my maid of honor and help me choose a dress. So one way or another, she’s going to have to get used to the Talbots.”

  “Considering that you’ll be one of us?” He smiled, lifted her hand. “You and I need to shop for a diamond.”

  “It doesn’t have to be anything overly fancy, but do you think I could have a sapphire or something blue? I want a ring the color of your eyes.”

  “That makes me feel good. But maybe it could be just a little bit fancy. I’m excited about giving you sparkly things. Come to think of it, there are blue diamonds. So maybe we could look into that, along with sapphires or any other stone you want. We can design it together.”

  “Thank you. That sounds fun. We can choose whatever feels right and put it all together.”

  “Marrying you feels right. Being the father to your children feels right.” He paused and asked, “Do you think I should use Cline as my best man?”

  She sputtered into a jovial laugh. “That would be adorable.”

  He laughed, too. Then he said, “Sharing my life with you is all that matters. I can’t wait for you to move in with me.”

  “I’ll pack today.” She wanted nothing more than to be Brandon’s partner. Her heart was glowing, from the inside out.

  “Things are going to be interesting, with us figuring it out as we go.”

  She thought about the world in which he’d been raised. “Maybe I can become a pastry chef for the rich and famous. Maybe that can be my new career. I’m going to get a lot of experience dealing with that crowd.”

  “You can do anything you want, Mary. You’re as talented as anyone I know.”

  In the sweet silence that followed, he slanted his mouth over hers, and they kissed once again. She settled in his arms. No matter what the future held, they were both willing to do their best to make it work.

  Sealing their fate forever.

  * * *

  Don’t miss a single book

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  Sin City Vows

  by Zuri Day

  One

  Breedlove birthdays were always exciting. As the firstborn son of this close-knit clan, Christian knew that well. But as he relaxed against the company limo’s luxurious interior, he had to give it to the family, especially his dad. They’d surprised him at a time in his life when he thought few things could. The gift he’d received just hours ago had been totally unexpected, had humbled the self-confident, almost cocky businessman in him even as it had filled him with pride.

  Now, as they passed the family mansion and reached the estate’s private airstrip, Christian realized one more surprise awaited him. A slow smile spread across his face, highlighting dimples that more than a few times had gotten him out of trouble with authority and into the romantic crosshairs of the opposite sex. One look and he was mesmerized. What he saw was a thing of beauty. Sleek lines, muted earth tones, curves in all the right places. Wow.

  Christian looked over at his brother Adam, who was on his smartphone, texting away. “You knew about this?”

  Adam looked up. “About what?”

  Christian’s smile broadened. “Yeah, you knew about it. Ty is here.” His best friend had cut short his business trip and come to help the eldest Breedlove sibling celebrate a milestone. And boy, had he arrived in style.

  The sound of another car approaching pulled Christian away from the dazzling view. He turned and saw his dad’s newest toy—a black Escalade SUV customized with all the bells and whistles—pull up next to the limo that he’d exited. Their driver, Elvis, hopped out and opened the door for Christian’s mother, Victoria, while his father, Nicholas, eased out the other back door, grinning as he approached his firstborn.

  They knew about this, too? That Tyson had flown in to surprise him on his birthday and show off what looked to be a brand-new Gulfstream G600 jet?

  “Well, son, what do you think?”

  Christian returned his attention to the rare and opulent beauty now backlit by the setting sun.

  “I think I owe Tyson money.”

  “Why?” Adam had finally put away his phone when they pulled up and exited the limo to join the group.

  “To settle a bet. After flying in one of those customized babies last year, we put a thousand bucks on which one of us would be the first to get our
own.” Christian waved his hand toward the plane. “Looks like Ty won.”

  The door of the plane opened. Christian took a step forward as the airstair lowered and someone moved through the doorway.

  “Happy birthday, Christian.”

  He stopped in his tracks, shielding his eyes against the sunlight to get a better view of the newcomer, convinced that the ethereal beauty before him could not be real. A woman—tall, richly tanned, with curly dark hair cascading over one shoulder—beckoned him with a smile.

  Stunned, Christian turned to his mother, who now stood next to Nicholas, her face beaming. “Who is that?”

  “You remember Lauren, don’t you, dear? Faye’s daughter? She was heading this way, and I felt you wouldn’t mind that she caught a ride on your plane.”

  “Wait, what? My...” Christian looked from his parents to Adam. Everyone was smiling.

  Nicholas slapped Christian’s back before placing an arm around his shoulders. “Happy birthday, son.”

  Christian turned back to where Lauren now descended the plane’s airstair. She was dressed in a belted wide-legged jumpsuit that emphasized pert, ample breasts and a small, curvy waist, and Christian noted a casual yet almost regal air about the way she carried herself. The emerald color brought out the golden tones in her skin and highlighted specks of green in the hazel eyes now fixed on him as she neared them.

  He whispered to his mother, almost incredulously, “Is that my birthday present?”

  Victoria continued to smile at Lauren while coyly replying, “Only the plane, son.” Seconds later Lauren stepped into her open arms. “Hello, darling.”

  “Hi, Victoria.” Lauren turned to Christian. “Hi, Chris.”

  “Hello.” He hitched a thumb toward the plane as he looked at her. “So, Tyson isn’t in there?”

  “Who’s Tyson?” Lauren asked.

  “Chris’s best friend,” Adam replied.