Waiting for Willa (The Big Sky Series Book 3) Read online

  “It arrives tomorrow.”

  “That’s like two days before the wedding.”

  She nods. “Yeah.”

  I take a deep breath and laugh. “We’ve got this. I know people. It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “You’ve broken her,” Christian says, laughing hard.

  “I’m okay,” I reply.

  “It’s going to be the best day ever,” Jenna says with confidence.

  And I believe her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ~Max~

  “YOU KNOW I LOVE Alex, right?” I walk into my house and toss my keys on the table inside the door, then pull Willa to me, kissing her soundly.

  “But?” she asks with a smile.

  “But, it’s convenient that there are grandparents around who enjoy a sleepover now and then.” I pick her up in my arms and head straight for my bedroom. “I’m not at the place where I’m comfortable having sex with him in the house yet.”

  “And I love you for that,” she says, cupping my cheek. Every time she says those words, it’s a dart to my heart. “We’ll get there. Eventually.”

  “If you weren’t a screamer, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

  I grin when she scowls and dump her onto the bed.

  “I’m not a screamer.”

  “I beg to differ,” I reply as I peel her jeans down her legs and toss them over my shoulder. “You’re a vocal lover.”

  “I can’t help it,” she says and reaches for my shirt, tugging it up so she can kiss my stomach. “It’s your fault.”

  “I’m not sorry.”

  Both of us naked now, I crawl over her, pinning her under me, and nibble her mouth from one corner to the other.

  “You’re so fucking amazing,” I mutter against her lips, making her grin. “You turn me on all the damn time.”

  “Good. Because it’s the same for me.” She pulls her knees back in an invitation that I’ll never be able to resist, and I slide home, buried balls-deep. “Oh, my God.”

  “See? Vocal.”

  She bears down, squeezing me, and I groan in pleasure.

  “I’m not the only one.”

  I bite her lower lip and cup her jaw, continuing to kiss her as I move in a fast rhythm, relishing how damn good she feels.

  “You’re mine, Willa Elizabeth,” I whisper. Her eyes open, and she stares at me with those big, brown eyes that never fail to pull me under her spell. “For now and always, you’re mine. I want you to be my wife. I need you with me always, Wills.”

  She plunges her fingers into my hair, holding me close.

  “I am yours,” she says as I tip my forehead against hers. “And it would be the biggest honor of my life to be your wife.”

  I stop and gaze down at her, shocked at what just happened.

  I proposed.

  She said yes.

  There was no ring, no fancy dinner or flowers. Just my heart and hers, making the promise of a lifetime.

  ***

  “My car will finally be done on Monday,” she announces thirty minutes later. We’re sitting in my dark kitchen, eating the leftover pizza. She’s wearing my black T-shirt and panties, and her dark hair falls in loose waves around her shoulders.

  She’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

  “Okay.”

  “It’s about time.”

  “It’s fine.”

  She narrows her eyes at me. “It’s time for me to have it back. They’ve been working on it forever.”

  “Keep the Range Rover,” I reply. “I don’t use it, Willa. And you love it.”

  “I do,” she admits with a sigh. “But that’s a lot. I can’t afford to pay you for it.”

  I stop eating and narrow my eyes at her. “You’re going to be my wife. What’s mine is yours anyway.”

  “No way.” She shakes her head. “I’ll be signing a prenup.”

  “Fuck that.”

  “I will not fuck that. I’ll sign a prenup. Max, your financial planners would deck you for even considering not having one.”

  “And I’d fire them.”

  “This is not an emotional decision. It’s business, and it makes sense. If you think you’ll get half of Dress It Up, you have another thing coming.”

  My lips twitch as I watch her take another bite of her pizza. “We’ll talk about it later. In the meantime, keep the car. You can sell the other one.”

  “We’ll talk about it later,” she says, echoing me. “Did you propose because of all the wedding talk at dinner tonight?”

  “No,” I reply, shaking my head. “I’ve wanted to for a long time, but I didn’t want to rush things. I just know that I need you. You’ve owned my heart for all of my adult life, Willa. I need you, and I guess, in that moment, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

  She leans on her stool, offering her lips for a kiss. I oblige her, holding onto her neck as I take the kiss deeper, tasting pizza and Willa.

  “I’m sorry it wasn’t more romantic,” I say when I pull away.

  “Uh, the man I love proposed in a moment of passion because he couldn’t hold it back any longer. I think that’s damn romantic.”

  “You deserve the pomp and circumstance,” I reply, echoing the words she used earlier. “The ring and the hoopla.”

  “I do enjoy some hoopla,” she agrees with a grin. “And I won’t let you get off easy with a small wedding like Jenna’s, but that’ll all come in time. The important part is right here, in this kitchen.”

  “You, me, and pizza?”

  “Yep. And Alex, of course.”

  “Do you think he’ll be okay with this?”

  She takes a bite, chewing and thinking it over. “I really do. I know it’ll be an adjustment, but you’ve merged into our family so easily already. He goes to you as often as he does me for things like bedtime and help with homework. He loves you.”

  “I love him, too.”

  “I know,” she says. “If it were any other way, we wouldn’t be here.”

  I nod, and then an idea takes up residence in my mind.

  “Question.”

  “Shoot,” she replies.

  “Where are we going to live? We can’t keep two separate houses forever.”

  “Good question.” She finishes her pizza but tosses the crust back in the box, and I rescue it, eating it in two bites. “It would make sense to live here. Your house is bigger and worth much more than mine.”

  “But yours is important to you,” I point out. “You’ve lived there a long time, and you’ve made it a special place for you and Alex.”

  She nods. “Thank you. I do love the house, and it’s the only home Alex has known. The property is beautiful, but so is living on the lake, so we can’t go wrong either way as far as that goes.”

  “I have a suggestion.” I push the pizza box away, take Willa’s hand in mine, and lead her over to the couch, tugging her down onto my lap. “How would you feel about eventually selling both of our properties and building our dream home, on the lake, together?”

  She blinks rapidly, processing the idea. “You would want to sell this house? I thought this was your dream home?”

  “It’s a great house on the lake, and it’s a good investment, but my dream home is the one you and I build together.”

  She swallows hard. “Would you mind if we lived in the farmhouse until the new one is finished? That way, Alex’s world won’t be kicked off its axis all at once.”

  “Of course, I don’t mind.” I kiss her forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay with moving out of that house?”

  “Yeah. That was a dream with another man. I stayed because it was convenient, and I liked it a lot, but it’s time to chase a new dream. Besides, Alex will enjoy planning his own room.”

  “Own room?” I laugh and kiss her cheek. “Christ, he can have his own wing.”

  “How big of a house are we talking?”

  “Well, this house is about ten thousand square feet, so probably about that, or
a little bigger.”

  “That’s right, I’m marrying Mr. Moneybags.”

  “I love you, Wills.”

  “I love you, too.”

  ***

  “The flowers will be delivered here and at the ceremony site tomorrow morning,” Brooke Henderson, the owner of Brooke’s Blooms, says Friday morning. She came to my house to meet with me about wedding plans for Jenna and has taken over as a last-minute planner for the whole affair. My sister may not want a showboat of a wedding, but it’s going to be a nice one just the same.

  “That’s great,” I reply.

  “I’ve also talked to the restaurant, and they’ll be here early in the afternoon to set up for a sit-down dinner for twelve.”

  “Perfect. What about the cake?”

  “Maisey is making it and will deliver it tomorrow, as well. I was thinking we could set it up over here.” She leads me over to the window that looks out to the lake. We spend the next twenty minutes going over plans, and when she leaves, I turn to Christian, who’s been silent the whole time.

  “Are you okay with all of that?”

  “It sounds amazing,” he replies. “Jenna will be thrilled, and that’s all that matters.”

  “Listen.” I tuck my hands into my pockets. “I know that I was pretty hard on you in the beginning. But I want you to know that I like you. I respect you. And if you hurt my sister, my brother is the chief of police, I have more money than God himself, and I can make your death look like an accident.”

  “Awesome.” He smiles and doesn’t back down a bit.

  Fuck, I like him.

  “Now that that’s settled,” I say and reach for my coat. “Let’s go ski a couple of runs before the sun goes down.”

  “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  Christian drives us up the mountain, and I call Brad, Jacob, and Noah, telling them to meet us up there.

  Jacob and Noah are already there, of course.

  “We have to take advantage of the snow before the runs close down on Monday,” I say to Jacob as he and Noah, along with Jacob’s friend, Sebastian, approach. “Brad’s on his way up. He’ll catch us on the second run.”

  “You read my mind,” Jacob says. “You remember Sebastian?”

  “You bet. Why do I get the feeling I know you?”

  Christian snickers beside me. “Because he was in the same People magazine issue you were.”

  I frown, then it hits me. “Shit, you’re Prince Sebastian.”

  “We can just keep it at Sebastian for now,” he replies with a smile. “It’s been nice to have some anonymity.”

  “I bet,” I reply. “It’s one of the things I like about Cunningham Falls. There are celebrities roaming about, but the locals don’t care.”

  “How long are you in town for?” Christian asks him as we retrieve our skis from the back of his SUV, then walk to the chairlift.

  “I haven’t decided,” Sebastian replies. “I just got into town about a week ago, and so far, I don’t want to leave.”

  “You’ll fall in love with it,” Noah warns him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Okay, boys, which run should we take first?”

  “Let’s do chair five first, then meet with Brad and take it from there,” I suggest.

  The snow is perfect, light powder. It’s cold, but there’s no wind, so the skiing conditions are ideal.

  Once Brad joins us, we spend the next three hours on the slopes, laughing and enjoying each other. Because it’s so late in the season, most of the tourists have gone home, giving us plenty of room to play.

  I know that Willa doesn’t love skiing, but it’s so freeing. It’s like flying, and it’s always been something I crave. No matter how long I was away from home, I always longed to be back here, flying down the mountain.

  “This mountain is bloody brilliant,” Sebastian says, breathing hard as he pulls his goggles off. “I’ve skied in the Alps, all over the world, really, and I’d say this ranks at the top.”

  “It’s a hidden gem,” Jacob says. “Not as hidden as it used to be.”

  “And that’s both good and bad for the locals,” Noah replies with a shrug. “For many people, it’s driven the property taxes so high they can’t afford to live here.”

  “And yet, it’s also provided a lot of jobs and opportunities that weren’t here before,” I add. “It’s a catch-22.”

  “Either way, I love to ski on it,” Sebastian replies. “And I’d like to take you all out for dinner, if you’re free.”

  “I am,” Noah says with a grin.

  “Unfortunately for you, but fortunate for me because I’m a lucky bastard, I’d best get home to Grace. She’s been with the baby all day, every day. Now that the season is winding down, I need to be home more.”

  “I need to head home, too,” Brad says. “But thanks for the offer. I’ll see you tomorrow, guys.”

  “Christian?”

  “I’m getting married tomorrow,” he reminds us. “If I don’t go home to help Jenna, she might murder me in my sleep.”

  “What about you, Max?”

  I start to answer, but before I can, everything goes black.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ~Willa~

  “YOU GOT SO LUCKY,” I say, looking up at Jenna. I’m squatting in front of her, pinning the hemline of her wedding dress. “I can’t believe it’s just the hem that needs to be done. Otherwise, it fits like a glove.”

  We’re in my shop, in the back room that I have set up for private fittings and parties. Sometimes, girls like to shop privately, and I’m more than happy to accommodate them. So, I have a beautiful, antique, three-way mirror with a pedestal set up in the middle of the space, and chairs in the corners.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Jenna breathes. It’s just the two of us on this Friday afternoon, fussing over her dress. “And I can’t believe how much Max and Nina are doing to help get ready. Did you know he commissioned Brooke to take over as the planner?”

  “Yes, he told me last night,” I mutter around the pins between my lips. “He’s excited for you.”

  “It’s so fun. And exactly what I wanted. I know that Christian’s fans are hoping for a big spread in a magazine, but we’re private people.”

  “And it’s none of their damn business,” I reply, moving to the other side of her. “I have news.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Max asked me to marry him.”

  The hem is yanked out of my hands as Jenna spins around and pulls me to my feet, hugging me with all her might.

  “Holy shit! Oh my God, Willa! You’re going to be my sister for real.”

  I hold on tight, pure joy surging through my body.

  “Why didn’t you call me when he asked?”

  “We were having sex at the time,” I say with a laugh.

  “Um, we need to change your proposal story. That can’t go in People magazine.” She leans back to look me in the eyes. “I’m so happy for you. So, so happy.”

  “I’m happy for both of us. Who would have thought?”

  She turns with her arm around my shoulders, and we look at our reflections in the mirror. Jenna in her amazing off-the-shoulder, white wedding dress, and me in my deep purple winter dress. Her fair features, and my dark.

  We’re yin and yang.

  And the closest of friends.

  “Who would have thought, indeed,” she says with a grin and glances at my hand. “No ring?”

  “It was spontaneous,” I say with a shrug. “And you know he’ll pick something up for me sooner or later.”

  “I can’t wait to see it,” she says with a grin. “It’s going to be ridiculously amazing.”

  “I hope he doesn’t spend what I paid for my house.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she scoffs. “It’ll be way more than that.”

  I choke on a laugh and have to take a swig of water. “What am I getting myself into?”

  “The ride of your life, my friend. Now, I feel so much better seeing the dress
on. Thank God it ran true to size.”

  “I won’t have to outsource the hemming,” I reply. “I can do it myself. It’ll only take about an hour.”

  “That long for a hem?”

  “It’s not just the outskirt, it’s all of the layers underneath, as well. And you want those layers because they’ll keep you warm out there in the boonies.”

  “Oh, let me show you the wrap I bought,” she says, gathering the skirt and walking to a bag on the chair in the corner. “It’s going to be warm and beautiful.”

  “Oh, Jenna,” I breathe, taking the white, faux fur wrap from her and rubbing it reverently. “This is stunning. And so soft.”

  I wrap it around her shoulders and step back, grinning.

  “You look like a fairy princess,” I say, getting choked up. “And Christian is going to lose his shit when he sees you.”

  “That’s the plan,” she says with a laugh. “Are we finished pinning?”

  “Yep, I have it marked. You can put your clothes back on.” I tug the zipper down in back so she can easily step out of it, and she hurries into the changing room, pulls the curtain closed, and quickly changes into her jeans and sweater.

  Just as she’s stepping into her snow boots, Melanie pokes her head around the corner.

  “Willa?”

  “Hi, Mel. We’re almost done here. Do you need me?”

  “No, I just wanted to make sure everyone was dressed. Brad Hull is here to see you.”

  “Must be wedding stuff,” Jenna says with a grin as Brad walks around the corner, but I can see by the look on his face that it’s not wedding stuff.

  It’s bad.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Well, Willa, we went skiing.”

  I have to sit in the chair before my legs give out from under me.

  “Who? Was Alex there?” I know that my son is with my mom today, but maybe Max picked him up. Wouldn’t he call me?”

  “No, Max, Christian, and some of the other guys. We went up this afternoon for a few runs, but Max was hurt.”

  “No.” I shake my head, focusing on the floor. “No. He’s not hurt.”

  “Jesus, how badly?” I hear Jenna ask as my heart beats out of my chest, and my hands shake. I can’t breathe. Is it hot in here? Why is it so hot in here?