Back to December (Ward Sisters Book 1) (46 page)

As she stepped onto the deck, her father took her arm. “You look beautiful, princess. You sure you're ready for this?”

“I've never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Good. Because he deserves you. Work hard to make each other happy every day, okay?”

“I promise, Daddy. I love you.” She kissed his cheek.

“I love you too, Emily.” He helped her down the stairs and they walked the carpet Christopher had put on the lawn so her insanely high heels wouldn't sink into the grass.

Emily knew that she should have seen Rick first, since he was so large standing at the altar. Or that she should have noticed Meg, since she wore a red maid-of-honor dress.

But the only person she could see was Rob.

Beautiful, as always, in his perfectly tailored Armani suit, his grin spread from ear to ear. The mischievous upturn of his smile that had made her heart skip a beat that first night at dinner, had drawn her into his orbit, and she never wanted to break free.

A series of images flashed through her head – a highlight show of their relationship, starting with that first smile. All of it led up to this moment, when she would agree to be his for the rest of her life. Nothing could be more right or more perfect. Her heart couldn't be more full.

As she stood next to him and her father kissed her cheek and shook Rob's hand, Rob gazed at her with so much love she thought she might fall over. He whispered, “Nice dress.”

She laughed, “You like?”

“It really should be a crime to be that beautiful.”

“Well, lucky for you, I'm only taking one guy home with me tonight. I'm pretty sure he's about to put a ring on my finger.”

“Smartest move he ever made.”

“Don't ever forget it.”

“I promise. I never will.”

“You two done with the private wedding ceremony?” Nina joked. They nodded and laughed. “Dearly beloved...”

To Matt, Isabella and Nicholas for their perseverance while I birthed my third baby, known as my writing career. I love you all more than anything. Thank you for loving me back enough to let me do this.

To the women in my life who love books as much as I do. All my favorite women love to read. Coincidence? I think not. You know who you are and you all know I love you.

Last but never least, I can't express enough gratitude to Laurie Breton. Thank you for believing in me and for threatening to kick my butt if I didn't publish something and soon. Thank you for slogging through the ridiculously long first draft (and second, and third, and fourth...) and for having the guts to tell it like it is. I've always been happy to call you aunt and thrilled to call you author, but now I'm pleased to call you friend and proud to call you mentor. You can never know what this has meant to me.

In Memory of my grammy, Jean Marie Gage Peaslee. I know she's sitting in heaven, smiling. Miss you.

Dear Reader,

I hope you liked taking Emily and Rob's journey with them as much as I loved writing it. When I began
Back to December
, it was several years ago and had a slightly different bent, but the core of the story was the same: a woman unexpectedly meets and falls in love with a movie star. By the time I got to the end of the first official draft of this book, I'd created a whole world of people who were interconnected.

One day, I was writing through a block and I wanted to know what Emily's bodyguard Liam thought during a scene. Before I knew it, I'd written twenty pages. Suddenly, I was writing a story for Liam! And thus, the series was born. Since then, the series has expanded and at least three spinoffs are planned. These characters have a lot to say.

Here's a sneak peak of Liam's story,
Only One
, Book 2 in the Ward Sisters Series. Enjoy!

All my best,

Lucy Gage

©2014 by Lucy Gage

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2013

Second Printing, 2014

ISBN 978-1534968363

[email protected]

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Harpswell, Maine, present day...

Jenna pulled up to the big, white house with its New England charm, complete with a huge front porch. Numerous cars occupied the driveway, but since this place had been an inn, there were still parking spots. Unfortunately, there were none near the door.

“You ready for this?” Christopher asked. Jenna nodded.

Fake it til you make it
, she thought.

Rob and Emily were getting married and that meant there would be a crowd of people here soon. The gathering wasn't the issue, however; the problem was that one of those people would be Liam.

As Emily's full-time bodyguard, Liam now lived with their boss, Rob Deacon, aka movie star Deac Roberts. Jenna hadn't seen Liam in seven torturous, heartache-filled months when she wondered if he still loved her or if he'd changed his mind. She'd despaired for six months because she hadn't told Liam his baby grew inside her.

Jenna and Christopher, who was Rob's stylist, had discussed Liam during the entire flight to Maine from L.A. She couldn't hide her pregnancy. These days, Jenna could barely get out of her own way. Concealment was impossible unless she was seen from the neck up. That wasn't going to happen.

Christopher walked ahead to the house door and his massive frame engulfed the whole doorway. From a distance, Jenna observed Chris' air kisses upon Emily's greeting, and heard his compliment that she was glowing. He shouted over his shoulder, “Come on, big girl, you're lagging behind.”

“Ha-ha. You'd walk slower if you were me, too.”

Christopher replied, “Thank God I never will be. My figure couldn't handle it.”

She stepped into the house and hugged Emily, whose eyebrows shot up her forehead. Apparently, Rob had neglected to mention her pregnancy.

“I'm glad to see you!" Jenna said. "I'm so happy Rob finally came after you. He knows." She put a protective hand over her belly.

“Knows?” Emily asked, brow pinched in confusion, eyes narrowed.

“About the baby. I told him.”

Emily's face suddenly paled. Did she
still
not trust Rob? Jenna clarified, “It's not
his
baby! I meant I told him. Because he's my boss. And I'll need to take time off when the baby is born.”

Her breathing relaxed and Emily smiled. “Right. Of course! How far along are you?”

“About seven months. Actually, it's 34 weeks on Monday.” If Emily did the math, she'd know what that meant.

They walked toward the back to the kitchen, where Rob's former make-up artist, Reggie, stood alongside a tall brunette who Emily introduced as her best friend, Meg.

Reggie hugged Jenna, rubbed her belly and offered her friend  a knowing look. Nervous, Jenna's smile wavered and she thought,
Yeah, it's
about to get real
.

She and Christopher stepped onto the deck. Across the expanse of wood, Liam stood in a small group. As handsome as ever, his recently-cut wave of brown hair accentuated his high cheekbones. His shoulders shrugged with a stifled laugh and his smirk made her smile. God, had she missed him.

Liam finally noticed her and Chris. His eyes found Jenna's and heat rushed through her body. Those gorgeous lashes framed twinkling brown eyes, the chocolate orbs that had first caught her attention, and her heart clenched at the memory. A grin spread across his face as wide as the one he'd given her at the Malibu house in January, the night when, after three years, he'd finally said he loved her.

Then his eyes strayed down her body to her breasts, which had grown from a C to a DD since the last time she saw him. As his gaze traveled to her hand on her belly, he wobbled.

“Grab him, Rob!” Emily shouted a second too late, because Rob barely caught Liam's arms before his best friend collapsed. In the process, Liam's head whacked Rob's nose. Rob lay his friend on the chaise before he asked for a cloth for his nosebleed.

Jenna gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. He knew that the baby was his, or else he wouldn't have reacted that way. Her hand instantly covered her mouth to stifle a cry of relief.

She looked down at the red-haired woman, who'd dropped to her knees beside Liam. She'd also gasped and panicked as he fainted.

“Oh, my God! Is he okay? What just happened?” Red asked and looked at Emily.

And that was when she saw Jenna.

Red's eyes teared, her mouth drooped in a wobbly frown and her eyelids drifted closed for a second before a tear rolled down her cheek. When Rob told her to head into the house, that he'd take care of Liam, she agreed without a word as Meg helped her stand.

She must be Liam's girlfriend.

Lucy Gage started her writing career under another name, but the same vivid imagination and love of books still fuels her daily life. When she's not writing, Lucy spends time with her friends and family, creating inspiration for her writing. She loves to hear from fans, and you can find her at:

Facebook
: Author Lucy Gage

Twitter
: @LucyGageAuthor

Instagram
: @authorlucygage

email
:
[email protected]

A boxed set of the first four Ward Sisters books is currently available. Her fifth book,
Time to Begin
, is available now, both for individual sale and as part of the
Affairs of the Heart
boxed set. Book six in the Ward Sisters Series,
Just Realized
, is available now.
Steal Your Heart
, Book 1 in the Vega Brothers Series—a Ward Sisters spinoff—launches in 2016.