A Man Like Mike (21 page)
Authors: Sami Lee
He smiled back in just the same way. “I love you, Evie,” he said, his words soft with sincerity. Then he gathered her in his arms and kissed her.
It was the sweetest kiss she had ever known. It tasted just like the shared future she had told him she wanted—like hope and faith and togetherness and love. Most of all it tasted like love.
Within moments, they were surrounded. Denise was trying to hug both of them while Allen was patting Mike on the shoulder in approval. They had to break apart, and when they did they were laughing, purely overjoyed with each other.
There was a smattering of applause around the waiting room, then a nurse approached. “I love a happy ending,” she said. “You two can take Bailey home this afternoon.”
Home
.
The word filled her with happiness, and she closed her eyes on a sigh.
“Hey.”
Mike’s soft utterance made her open them again. His expression had sobered. “I missed you.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “I’ve been so miserable without you.”
His lips twitched. “Can’t live without my cooking, huh?”
“It’s not just your cooking I miss.”
He cocked a brow. “My dazzling charm?”
“Are you by any chance, fishing for reassurance?”
“The least you can do, seeing as you walked out on me, you beautiful, adorable idiot.”
“Not a fat-headed one?”
“Definitely not fat-headed.”
She dropped all suggestion of jocularity. “I will never,
never
leave you again, Mike.”
His sigh shuddered against her, his heartbeat stuttering against her breast. He rested his forehead against hers, ran his hands over her hair. “Would you be willing to put that in writing?”
“You want a contract?” Eve asked, perplexed.
“Sort of.” He pulled back to look into her eyes. “I want a marriage certificate.”
Eve gasped, her heart stumbling.
Mike didn’t take his eyes off her. “You’re looking at a guy who wants to spend the rest of his life making you happy. Who wants to open a restaurant here—Barry and I are working on that. Who wants to have more kids—you and I can work on
that
, if it’s what you want, too. I want you by my side for all of it. Will you, please,” his lips twitched hopefully, “marry me?”
Eve thought of all the times in her life she’d longed for a family, of the times she’d yearned to be truly, deeply loved, of how she’d feared, deep down that none of those things would ever happen for her. She felt the past crumbling away, losing its last clinging grip on her, and felt this moment becoming a new memory that would mark the beginning of the rest of her life.
Tears flowed from her eyes, and Mike wiped them away with his thumbs. “These
are
happy tears, aren’t they, Evie?”
Eve nodded. “Oh, they certainly are. The answer’s yes, Mike.” She thought of what he’d said about more children, thought of the cottage and knew it was where they’d raise them, where they’d raise Bailey. Together, always together. She knew she was beaming as she smiled at him. “Yes to all of it.”
by Lily Malone
Christina Clay only wants the best when it comes to her family’s iconic Australian wine company, and Tate Newell has the best marketing brain in the business. But there are some people in the world Tate doesn’t want to work for and Clay Wines’ eccentric chief executive is high on his list. Christina collects causes like some women collect shoes, and every time she opens her mouth, he’s reminded of the one person he wants to forget.
Sometimes, to get a woman
out
of your head, you have to let her in.
Before Christina can say
Crocodile Dundee
, she’s in a two-seater plane flying into the heart of central Australia to visit Tate’s childhood roots: the remote cattle station his family still own and run. It’s a ‘research project’ he says, to see just how ‘wild’ she wants her new wine brand to be.
Battling the demons of a previous miscarriage, Christina soon has a project of her own in mind when it comes to Tate, and less than a day into her outback research trip, her ovaries are ticking. She wants a baby and a brand. And in Tate, she’s found the one man who can give her both.
His Brand Of Beautiful
from Amazon.com
Click here to buy
His Brand Of Beautiful
from Amazon.co.uk
by Charmaine Ross
Abbey Miller and her friend Jennifer have been picked from a live audience to take part in reality television show Makeover Miracle. This is Abbey’s worst nightmare, and brings back deep memories of being teased and the brunt of cruel jokes. The last thing Abbey wants is her soul to be laid bare for the whole of Australia to see, but being the true friend she is, she agrees to help Jennifer, who desperately wants to change her life.
Quinn Campbell, the producer of Makeover Miracle can see Abbey crumbling live on stage, and after she vomits into a wastepaper basket, goes to her aid, not expecting see such a sad, haunted look in her eyes. There’s something about Abbey that reaches out to him. The look in her eyes brings back long buried memories of his sister and his failure as a brother to help her.
This is a story about one woman’s journey through harsh emotional abuses and the man who is able to make her believe in herself. Set against the beautiful Dandenong Ranges,
Makeover Miracle
is a story about forgiveness, understanding, personal growth and, of course, falling in love with that one special person.
Makeover Miracle
from Amazon.com
Click here to buy
Makeover Miracle
from Amazon.co.uk
by Anna Clifton
Alex Farrah has just one resolution: don’t get sacked by the new boss. Enter one modern-day knight to rescue her from a run-in with a pile of mud. But will upending Alex’s entire life be the next job on her knight’s ‘to-do’ list, whether she likes it or not?
Legal eagle JP McKenzie has just one resolution: never get involved with a woman who won’t stand up for herself. That is until a muddy Alex Farrah lands in his life with a crushingly big mountain of family expectation in tow. So what else is a modern-day knight to do?
Falling For The Lawyer
from Amazon.com
Click here to buy
Falling For The Lawyer
from Amazon.co.uk
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ISBN: 9780857990358
Title: A Man Like Mike
Copyright © 2013 by Sami Lee
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