Redemption in Love (Hearts on the Line) (32 page)

He snorted. “She and I would’ve been utterly miserable. I was more in love with the idea of marrying a pretty young woman who’d look good on my arm. Thankfully, she realized that too before things went too far. It would have been a complicated—and expensive—mistake.”

“That’s not all. Your family’s perfect too. They’re so intimidating. Everyone’s so well-educated and well-read and well-traveled and well-mannered and everything. I’m like an ignorant country bumpkin next to them.”

Gavin frowned at her. “That’s crazy. My family loves you, and we aren’t golden the way you think. Look at Jacob, for god’s sake. And Meredith. She had a baby out of wedlock, you know. Uncle Tony thinks money falls from the sky. I understand if being surrounded by staff bothers you, but it’d make me feel better if you have somebody with you at all times, at least until you deliver the baby.” He kissed her gently. His heart expanded with warmth and joy when she responded, opening her mouth to let him in.

“I guess Brooke can do that,” she said against his lips.

“We can sell the mansion and move into the penthouse,” he murmured. “It’s smaller and much more manageable.”

She pulled back a little. “No. That won’t be necessary. I know you like the house, and so do I.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. Gavin, what I want is you. It doesn’t matter where we live so long as I have you with me.”

Relief and love coursed through him. He laid his forehead against hers, his eyes on hers. “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you, too.” She smiled. “Guess we’ll have to call our lawyers, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“We still have to pay their fees, don’t we?”

“Yeah.”

“How much do you owe Craig?” she asked, anxiety tightening her voice. “I bet Samantha’s really expensive.”

God, his wife was adorable when she worried about money. You would think she would have gotten used to having lots of it around by now. “I don’t know, maybe around two hundred thousand all told?”

“Two hundred thousand dollars?” She gasped. “If I’d known they’d cost that much, I would’ve never asked for a divorce I didn’t want in the first place.”

He chuckled. “Honey, it’s nothing. I’d pay twenty times that if I could keep you.” He kissed her mouth. “Love you.”

“Love you.”

* * *

The morning after she’d gotten discharged from the hospital, Amandine didn’t get up until well after eight thirty. She rolled over and blinked when she saw Gavin sitting in his boxers in one of the comfy armchairs in their bedroom, tapping away on his laptop.

“Morning,” he said, closing the computer and putting it aside.

“Good morning.” She frowned. “Shouldn’t you be at work by now?”

“Nope.”

“Is today some kind of holiday where every financial market in the world shuts down?”

“Nope.” He crawled into the bed and pulled her closer.

She went willingly, her body going pliant over his larger and warmer one. “Then?”

“I’m taking today off.”

“Really? Can you do that?”

“Of course I can do that. I’m the boss.”

“But you almost never take any time off.”

“Well… It’s kind of a half-assed day off. I’m working from home until the two-week vacation you gave everyone’s over.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “Then once everything’s settled at the firm, and the associates have taken over most of the funds, I’m cutting back. Only three days a week. I promise I’ll be home by six, so we can eat together. Speaking of which, Brooke told me you haven’t been eating well. Something about nausea…”

Uh-oh. Amandine wasn’t so sure about the stern gleam in her husband’s eyes. “I am pregnant, and I occasionally feel the effects of morning sickness,” she said primly.

“I’m sure you do, but Brooke also told me you don’t eat when you’re stressed.”

“The traitorous wench.”

He shook his head. “Loyal. I sign her paychecks.” He ran a hand over her belly. “I didn’t tell you this earlier, but I want you to know I plan to change. If I ever do anything that makes you unhappy, just tell me. I’m going to do my best to make you happy, and I want you to tell me if I’m doing it wrong. Don’t let things fester between us.”

“Okay. I promise.” She took the hand on her belly and kissed each fingertip, her gaze on his. “You’re already doing a great job, Gavin. If you make me any happier, I might die of it.”

“Not the worst way to go, but I ask that you persevere.” His tone was light, his face relaxed as he linked their hands and kissed where their fingers joined. “I’m going to devote at least sixty years to making you happy.”

“Oh my gosh.
Sixty years?
”

“At least. I plan to live for a very long time with the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

“You’re going to make me the luckiest woman alive.” Amandine’s eyes filled with tears as the sweetest ache spread in her heart. “I love you.”

Thank you for reading
Redemption in Love
. I hope you enjoyed it!

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You’ve just read the third book in the
Hearts on the Line
series. The other books in the series are
Vengeful in Love
(Natalie Hall & Alex Damon, available now),
Reunited in Love
(Kerri Wilson & Ethan Lloyd; available now),
Sweet in Love
(Brooke de Lorenzo & Pete Monroe; out in March 2014) and
Forever in Love
(Catherine Fairchild & Blaine Davis; out 2014).

I love to hear from readers. Feel free to write me at
[email protected]
or follow me on Twitter
@nadialee
, or like my Facebook page at
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. Say hello and let me know which one of my characters is your favorite or what you want to see next or anything else you want to talk about! I personally read all my emails, Tweets and Facebook comments.

Coming up next in the Hearts on the Line series is Brooke de Lorenzo and Pete Monroe.

Sweet in Love

Her best friend's brother never looked so hot…

Brooke de Lorenzo knows Pete Monroe is off-limits. They crossed that line once, in a make-out session that rocked her world, but anything more would be complicated. Messy. Unbelievably hot. And deep down, she’s afraid the younger man might just break her heart.

Pete’s worked years to make sure he will be worthy of Brooke, and he’s not going to wait any longer. He’s going to show her what they have is very real, and that forbidden fruit is the sweetest and most satisfying.

BROOKE DE LORENZO WAITED, sitting at a kitchen table made of pale wood, while her older sister Sandy put her sleeping toddler in bed. Wisps of steam rose from the hot green tea in two white mugs. Both of them sported the family business name
Custom Flooring
in red block letters edged with double gold lines. When their father couldn’t do the work any longer, Sandy and her husband had taken over the business.

Though the kitchen table was cheap and worn, the tiles were top-notch. Not ostentatiously expensive, but appropriate for their modest home and so well laid, a photo of them could have been used for the company website.

Sandy made her way back to the kitchen, walking briskly, her bare feet sidestepping the Lego blocks and toys littering the hallway. She was dressed in a black T-shirt that said “I Heart NYC” and patches of intriguing colors—faded orange, peach and pea green—stained her white Capri pants. She sat down in her chair hard enough to make it creak.

“Ah, finally,” Brooke said.

“Finally,” Sandy agreed. “She’s cute, but way too willful.”

“Wonder where she got that from?”

“Probably her aunt.” Sandy looked at Brooke meaningfully.

“Hey! That’s slander.”

“So sue me.” Sandy rolled her dark eyes. Her features were more Asian, taking after their mother, who had been half-Korean, while Brooke’s were more Caucasian. Sandy also inherited their Italian father’s tall, sturdy frame: almost six feet tall and muscled from the work she did at the company.

“Anyway, about the flooring,” Sandy said, “If Amandine wants to do it, that’s fine, though I think it’s a shame to cover the current floor up. Hardwood, right?”

“Yup. Oak.”

“And not even five years old.”

“I know. But she’s pregnant and determined to turn one of the guest rooms into a proper nursery before the due date. Oak apparently isn’t appropriate.”

Sandy sipped her tea. “It’s just funny to hear somebody complain about top-quality oak.”

“She says it’s too hard and slippery.” Though Brooke saw her best friend’s point, she sort of agreed with Sandy. Oak as good as the stuff in Amandine’s mansion was perfect for any room.

“Well, it’s her money.”

“Her husband’s really. And he’s loaded,
and
he doesn’t care how much she spends as long as she’s happy.” Amandine’s husband Gavin had given her a private jet on their third anniversary. New flooring was nothing.

“I can get her an estimate by next week.”

“Thanks, sis.”

“Hope she has her baby soon, so you can stop babysitting her twenty-four seven.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad. And the housekeeper, Luna, started staying over three days a week, so that frees up my time. Besides, I don’t have to be there when Gavin’s home, and he’s home more often now. I was actually able to move out.”

“Oh good. So that means you’re coming to church three weeks from now?”

Three weeks?
Something was going on, and Brooke gave Sandy’s question due consideration: one second. “No.”

“We have a new member. A really nice older lady.”

“Okay…”

“She owns a laundromat.”

“Uh huh. And?”

“Oh.” Sandy cleared her throat delicately. “Well, there’s a son. Mid-thirties. Single. And a doctor.”

There it is
.
And just like Sandy to leave the most important item for last
. “I don’t suppose you know his specialty?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. Cardiology.”

Not bad
. “So why is he still single?”

“No time to date. You have to study to be a cardiologist. I certainly wouldn’t want a partier to operate on my heart.”

“True,” she said and stood up. “Okay, I gotta go. Tomorrow’s going to be another busy day at work.”

“More baby clothes shopping?”

“Yup. I so enjoy spending Amandine’s husband’s money.”

Sandy’s chortle faded as Brooke let the door close behind her.

She drove back to the city where she lived in a cheap no-frills apartment. The Sunday afternoon traffic wasn’t that heavy, for L.A. It was good that Sandy’s marriage was working out again. She looked content, which was what mattered.

So why do
I
feel so dissatisfied?

Brooke had a good life. A good home. A car that was barely three years old with a job that wasn’t overly demanding and paid well. In fact, it was great. She basically got paid to hang out with her best friend all day long.

And yet…

Should she just suck it up and go to church? Being single with an unemployable degree—English Lit—in one of the most expensive cities in the country didn’t reassure her father. If she made the effort to mix a little, at least, maybe he’d be satisfied.

Until the next time someone with an unmarried doctor or lawyer son joined the congregation. For somebody who didn’t go to the church, he knew an awful lot about what went on there, thanks to all those talkative uncles on her mother’s side of the family.

She parked her car. As she was climbing out, her phone rang. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number. Should she ignore it? But what if it was something to do with Amandine?

Brooke worked as Amandine’s assistant, and it wasn’t unusual for her to get calls from people she’d never met. She didn’t travel in the same social circles that Amandine did.

“Hello?” she said.

“Hey, Brooke.”

That voice. Her entire body clenched with shock.

“It’s Pete.”

“I know.” Pete Monroe, Amandine’s younger brother. How could she forget? “What can I do for you?”

A short pause. “I’m in the neighborhood. Wanna grab an early dinner?”

“Uh, it’s only five thirty. I’m not hungry.” Her stomach seized the moment and growled loudly. She cringed. Could he have heard it? Maybe she should’ve had the grayish chicken noodle soup at Sandy’s. Her sister wasn’t the best cook, but it would’ve been better than her stomach making an embarrassing noise.

“If you want to make it a little later that’s fine. I heard from Amandine there’s a great Chinese restaurant near your place. Wong Lotus.”

The images of succulent lobster meat smothered in butter-soft sauce danced in her mind, and her mouth watered.
I wonder if Pavlov had a dog named Brooke?

“My treat,” Pete continued. “Come on.”

“Fine.” If he was buying, she was definitely getting lobster Cantonese. “I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.”

She sat back in the driver’s seat and checked her makeup in the rearview mirror. Smoky eyeliner and dark eye shadow made her eyes pop. She could, however, use more lip gloss. She dug into her purse and found a tube. She should look good, but not to the point that Pete might think she’d gone to any special trouble just for him. They’d been staying away from each other since that afternoon when she’d lost her mind—seriously, that was the only explanation for what she’d done. So why was he reaching out to her all of a sudden? She liked it better when they were avoiding each other. Life was easier that way.

Not that life had made it easy for her to ignore him. First, he was her best friend’s younger brother. Brooke couldn’t stop Amandine from talking about her brother from time to time without revealing the incident from almost eight years ago. And second, Pete worked for Amandine’s husband Gavin Lloyd, who also signed Brooke’s paychecks.