Always (Time for Love Book 4) (21 page)

“We know that,” Sarah said. “It would be great if you and Greg end up together!”

“Yeah, right. Dream on, girls,” Gemma said. “Not only is the man a confirmed bachelor, but he hasn’t shown any romantic interest in me whatsoever. And since he’s the last single Carmichael, don’t you notice how every woman out there wants to snare him? If I were a man in his shoes, why would I want to tie myself down to one woman when there’s a plethora clamouring for my attention? No. Greg seems more trouble than he’s worth.”

“I guess you have a point,” Amanda said.

“Gosh, he’s hot, though. I wonder what sex with him is like?” Gemma mused.

Brenna laughed. “Listen to you!”

Gemma rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I know. It must be this place. Or thinking about what it’s like in those private cottages. How romantic.”

“Hey, girls,” Sarah said. “Are we going to let Gemma give up on her New Year’s resolution, even though there’s still time?”

“No,” Brenna, Amanda and Rebecca said in unison.

“What do you mean?” Gemma whined.

“You still have a few days left,” Sarah said. “At least try to fulfil the part where you have someone to kiss at the stroke of midnight. Forget about the happily-ever-after for now.”

Gemma sighed. “I don’t want to be the pathetic one who stands there all by my lonesome while you all kiss your men. But what choice do I have?”

“You know, Gem, you didn’t even ask one guy out, and you had all year,” Amanda said.

“I haven’t met one who was commitment material,” Gemma justified.

“Is that really it? Or are you all talk and no action?” Amanda demanded.

“There wasn’t anyone interesting enough,” she said weakly.

Brenna looked at the other women. “Girls,” she said quietly. “How about we promise not to kiss our men on New Year’s Eve unless Gem has someone to kiss herself.”

The other three nodded their heads eagerly.

“I can’t ask you to do that!” Gemma cried. “It's not fair to you. You all fulfilled the resolution. You should go ahead and pash to your heart’s content. Besides, where am I gonna find one?”

“Jeff invited a handful of single friends, and so has Connor,” Sarah said. “I’d say there’d be at least eight of them unattached, including Greg. You can
practice
on them. Flirt outrageously. Kiss one or two on New Year’s Eve. Just have fun! Those guys won’t bat an eyelash. They’re used to being approached by women. Then, when we’re back in Sydney, you’ll have more confidence doing it with a man you like.”

Gemma made a mewling noise.

“See? It’s all because you’re scared,” Rebecca said with a shake of the head. “And to think our group New Year’s resolution was your idea.”

“Fine,” Gemma said with a sigh. “I’ll
think
about it. Now let me go back and practice for tomorrow night. Bren, as I’ve said, keep Ash away.”

“No problem.” All the earlier talk about sex already had Brenna looking forward to seeing Ash again.

*****

B
renna patted her palms with a serviette. Geez, they were getting sweaty. She shouldn’t be the one to get so anxious. Gemma had more right than her to feel the nerves. Her friend was the one who’d be playing the piano while singing a song she’d written for Ash.

It had taken Brenna five days to write the words to the song. Gemma had been working with a musician friend of hers to create a melody for it. She’d heard the final version just before they left Sydney, and it was beautiful. She couldn’t wait for Ash to hear it.

Most people had already finished their desserts. Jeff, Sarah, Connor and Amanda had already made short speeches, thanking the guests for attending their engagement party. Any second now, the MC would request Gemma to make her way to the front, where a band had been playing for them during dinner.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the MC said.

Ah, here was the announcement. Brenna glanced at Gemma, who smiled nervously. She gave her an encouraging wink.

There was a delighted murmur, then clapping, from the crowd when the MC announced that a professional pianist from Sydney was now going to play a few pieces.

Brenna watched while Gemma gracefully made her way to the stage, fierce pride hitting her. Gemma was a talented pianist who made her living teaching kids how to play the piano. But she’d never performed in front of a crowd that included some very wealthy and famous people. What was more, she’d be singing too! A song no one had ever heard of and that Brenna had written.

Oh, God. Now Brenna felt sick too—for herself and for Gemma.

Her heart was in her throat for her friend, but she calmed herself down. Gemma was a phenomenal talent. She’d blow everyone’s socks off.

Ash reached for her hand from under the table.

She glanced at him, surprised that his hand was as clammy as hers. He smiled, his nervousness apparent. She guessed he was feeling for Gemma as well.

“Good evening, everyone,” Gemma said through the microphone. “This first song I’m going to play is written by a very good friend of mine. It’s dedicated to the love of his life.”

Brenna raised her eyebrows. Love of
his
life? It should have been love of
her
life. Gemma must be more nervous than she’d thought.

As Gemma played the first notes, Brenna frowned. This didn’t sound like her song. Had Gemma and her friend changed the melody without telling her?

Then Gemma started singing the first verse. Brenna’s mouth dropped and tears rushed to her eyes. Ash squeezed her hand again. It was
his
song. She recognised the words. It was the one where he’d written that even when his heart was broken into tiny pieces, each of those fragments kept beating for the woman he loved.

She turned to Ash and mouthed
I love you,
trying desperately to stop the tears from falling. Oh yes, he’d surprised her. She wasn’t expecting this. He’d said he didn’t want anyone else but her to see what he’d written. Now everyone was hearing it.

She focused her attention back to Gemma. She was singing beautifully and playing flawlessly, enthralling each person in the room.

At the end of the song, everyone stood up, giving Gemma a standing ovation she thoroughly deserved.

“Thank you, everyone,” Gemma said as everyone sat back down. “Before I play my next song, I want to hand the show over to someone else first for a few minutes. Ash, it’s your turn.”

Brenna’s head whipped towards Ash in surprise. He stood up, then... knelt on one knee beside her. The tears she’d been trying to hold back now came out unrestrained. From the other side of her, Amanda handed her a tissue.

“Bren,” Ash started nervously, his eyes moist.

“Wait, wait!” someone cried. Connor came running with a microphone and handed it to Ash.

Everyone in the room chuckled, including Brenna and Ash.

“Thank you, bro. I’m glad you remembered,” Ash said to Connor. “Now let me start again.” Ash cleared his throat and took Brenna’s left hand. “Bren, I love you. I’ve loved you for so long and I know I’ll never stop loving you. I can’t imagine feeling this whole, this complete, this happy with anyone else but you. I want
us
for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

Brenna sniffed and nodded her head, emotions blocking the word from coming out of her throat.

“You have to speak through the microphone, baby,” Ash joked, pointing the mic at her mouth.

She chuckled. “I love you, too, Ash. And yes, I’ll marry you,” she said clearly through her tears.

Applause rang out, and there was another standing ovation.

Ash slid a beautiful, brilliant diamond ring on her finger. Then he gave her a long kiss on the lips before sitting back down in his chair, grinning happily at her.

Brenna glanced back at the stage where Gemma was patiently watching them. She mouthed
thank you
to her friend, who smiled in response.

Ready?
Gemma mouthed back.

She nodded.

Gemma went back to the piano stool and positioned the microphone close to her mouth. “Okay,” she said. “It’s time for our next song. This one was also written by a very good friend of mine—one of my sisters-by-choice, in fact—and it’s dedicated to her new fiancée, Ash Payne.”

Brenna heard Ash gasp. She moved her seat closer to him so she could lean on his chest while they listened to Gemma singing the song she’d written for him.

She could feel his heartbeat against her back as he hugged her tight.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you,” he whispered, as he raised his hand to his face to wipe a stray tear.

*

“M
erry Christmas, honey,” Brenna said, kissing Ash on the dance floor after the MC announced it was midnight.

When she let go, she caught Gemma greeting the people around her. Gemma was about to go to Sarah, but stopped when Jeff pulled Sarah for a kiss. Then Gemma swung around only to find Rebecca and Zach kissing. Amanda and Connor weren’t far away, locked in a tender embrace.

Then she saw Gemma smile ruefully. She followed her friend’s line of sight and saw Greg hugging one of the pretty female guests—the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur who was equally as powerful as the Carmichaels.

“We have to find someone for Gemma,” Brenna said to Ash, knowing it would be harder for her friend on New Year’s Eve.

Ash sighed. “All we can do is introduce her to nice single men. The rest is up to her. I do hope she finds someone, too. Being in love is bliss. Pure bliss.”

She smiled at him, loving his statement. She bet there was a big stretch of time there where he’d thought the opposite.

“I love you, Ash,” she said, kissing him again.

“Will you love me always?”

“I’ll love you always.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Good. ‘Cause my life is dull and grey without your love.”

She chuckled, recognising that as a line from the very first song he’d written for her.

Well, she didn’t want dull and grey either. She wanted Ash. Always.

###

T
hank you for reading!

Gemma and Greg’s love story is next.
Click here for pre-order links
to
At Last (Time for Love Book 5).
It is discounted by 25% while on pre-order.

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T
his series started with Rebecca and Zach’s romance. If you haven’t read
Forever (Time for Love Book 1)
yet,
click here to get your copy
.

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I
f you’re all caught up with the
Time for Love
series, you may want to check out a
free
book,
Will To Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 1)
.
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The Love Story of Clarise Carson and Will Matthews

CHAPTER ONE

V
ictor will be there with me, looking like his usual gorgeous self. He assured me he'd be very attentive. Everyone will see how mad we are for each other. Well, hopefully, that's what they'll see. Surely this will work. It should stop my dear sister from going ahead with her matchmaking plans. If it doesn't, well, plan B is to die from embarrassment. It will work
, Clarise Carson thought confidently before taking a deep sigh and returning her focus to her last piece of work before she ended the working day.

After a final review, she was done with her latest article for
Lifestyle by Design
, the popular monthly magazine read by those with loads of disposable income keen to know which restaurants and bars were worth going to, which exotic destinations they could holiday in next and which new gadgets they must own to make their busy lives easier.

She was still salivating at the memory of the glorious food she had at Stillwaters, the newest restaurant in Sydney, owned by an upcoming Australian chef, and the latest establishment she had researched and reviewed.

Yes
, she nodded.
They definitely deserve this glowing article.
She knew the new restaurant would soon have a very long waiting list of patrons wanting to dine there once next month's issue became available.

Satisfied with her day's accomplishments, she shut off her laptop, grabbed her handbag and walked into the office of Victor Michaels, the magazine's very good-looking head graphic designer.

"I'm done for today, darling. Are you ready to go? I'm starving," she said to Victor. "I'd also like to talk to you again about Megan's engagement party this Saturday night. Seriously, if you can't go with me, I don't know who else to ask," she said, voicing her worry.

"Just give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go. And of course, I'm going with you to your sister's party," Victor replied with a grin. "I'm really excited about it. I'm already looking forward to meeting your family and showing them just how much I want you," he said in a low, sexy voice.

If it hadn't been Victor who made the comment, she would have blushed. Instead she laughed and settled herself on a chair and waited for him to finish.

Renewed hope flowed through her. Having Victor for her date should stop Megan's plan to introduce her to single men at her and Rick's engagement party. Who knew how many of them they had invited? And it was supposed to be a small affair only! She shuddered at the thought of being introduced to a line-up of bachelors, with everyone there knowing what was going on. That would be way too embarrassing!

I wouldn't make a spectacle of myself, even though Megan thinks she's only doing me a favour.

She had wondered why Megan was so intent on playing matchmaker. She wouldn't be surprised if their mum was in on it, too. Both of them must have felt sorry for her when she broke up with Daniel, especially when she'd asked if she'd ever meet 'The One'. She winced. She could still remember her conversation with her mother.