Marrying the Millionaire (40 page)

Gazing into Kayla’s eyes, Richmond put
his hands on the lower part of her stomach. As the music slowly
faded, they made their way over to the red and white ten-tiered
wedding cake, draped in long pearls.

All of their family and close friends
encircled them. Leslie, Suade, Dirk, Drake, Willa, Sandella,
Braylon, Alana, Zeke, and other members of the community. Even
Jason was there. She’d been so wrong to judge Jason before getting
to know him.

Richmond had spoken with Jason about
the life insurance policy Salina had left him. Come to find out,
Salina had left the policy to Jason so he’d be able to afford a
nice nursing home for his elderly mother. After Richmond had
confronted Jason about the policy, he’d taken him to Beaufort and
showed him the nice facility his mother was in, all because of
Salina.

Kayla’s eyes roved over the
happy faces of her lovely guests. Everyone they’d invited had come
out to support them on one of the happiest days of her and
Richmond’s lives. Everyone was there, except for Russell. Still
upset with him, Richmond didn’t even bother sending his own father
an invitation to his wedding.
I
understand.

The wedding event planner handed
Richmond the microphone. Cupping Kayla’s hand, Richmond’s eyes
brimmed with tenderness and passion as he held her gaze. Seeing
pure love for her in his eyes, her heart danced inside her
chest.

Just then, Kayla spotted Russell
walking past the double doors at the rear. Not daring to come
inside the ballroom, he remained just outside the open doors. Thank
God Richmond hadn’t seen him.

Richmond cupped Kayla’s hand. “Kay,
you’ve made me the happiest man on this Earth. I’m going to make
sure the smile that I see on your face right now forever remains
there. I love you, Kay.”

Her lips pulled into a
smile. “I love you, too, Richmond.”
Poor
Russell and Richmond. I hope they’ll be able to put everything
behind them one day.

Richmond continued. “We’d like to
thank everyone for attending our wedding. We know you’re all
getting ready for Christmas, and that’s why we kept our special day
short and simple. But before you leave, there’s something we wanted
to share with you.” He draped an arm about Kayla’s shoulder.
“There’s going to be a new addition to our family. Kay is
pregnant.”

Cheers and applause resounded
throughout the room. Richmond hefted CJ in his arms while Kayla
lifted Isabelle in hers. Cradled in their parents’ arms, Isabelle
and CJ giggled, then embraced each other, too.

The next book in
The Brides of Hilton Head Island
is out now!

Click the link below to
read
Marrying Mr. Right,
Book Three.

MARRYING MR. RIGHT-AMAZON

Every good man deserves a
good woman.

Please enjoy the following excerpt
from Marrying Mr. Right…

MARRYING
MR. RIGHT

The Brides of Hilton Head
Island

Book Three

CHAPTER ONE

Ten Years Ago

LAVENDER HUES SETTLED AROUND THE
clouds in the early evening sky. The fading reddish-orange sun
lowered behind huge oaks. Earthly scents of nature permeated the
humid air of the dense forest. Green leaves scattered the
grounds.

“
Where are we going, Zeke?”
Sixteen-year-old Taylor Spelling wondered as she followed her
handsome boyfriend, Zeke Balfour, further into the woods. On the
other side of town. More like the luxurious side of town. Or as
some would say, Hilton Head Island’s filthy rich side of
town.

Branches crunched beneath Zeke’s new
white sneakers as he traipsed through the forest, gently holding
Taylor’s hand. Leading Taylor around a burly oak, Zeke’s sexy lips
pulled into a handsome smile, showing off his straight white teeth.
“It’s a surprise, Taylor.” His deep voice echoed throughout the
forest, stirred her girly senses.

Traipsing beside Zeke,
Taylor’s stomach churned with fear because she had a big secret to
tell him. What she had to tell him would change his life forever.
Scared to divulge her secret to Zeke, anxiety spurted through
Taylor.
How do I tell him this? How? Oh
God, I hope he doesn’t hate me after I tell him.

Overwhelmed, Taylor ducked beneath a
thick branch to avoid it from scraping her right cheek. “A
surprise? What kind of a surprise, Zeke?” she asked, nervous
tension spreading through her bones.

Zeke chuckled. “If I tell you, it
wouldn’t be a surprise. Now stop asking so many questions, and just
be patient. We’re almost there, my love.” A senior in high school,
at eighteen years old Zeke had big, bulging biceps, a hard,
muscular chest, and everything about him looked so incredibly
scrumptious. Just delicious.

Darkness descended down on them. Nets
flew in the air. A green grasshopper jumped about the slender
grass, then over Taylor’s brown, flat sandal.

Clasping Zeke’s big hand with her
small one, Taylor admired her boyfriend’s manly sex appeal. Silky
dark brown hair, deep brown eyes, and white tanned skin, Zeke had
dimples buried in his jaws. A star quarterback football player at
Island Bay High School, all the girls on Hilton Head Island loved
themselves some Zeke Balfour, especially her. And from what Zeke
showed Taylor, he felt the same way about her. According to him, he
had eyes for only one girl—her. Hopefully after she shared her
secret with him, he’d still feel the same way about her.

Knowing she had to tell him today,
fright rushed through Taylor’s veins. Wandering farther away from
Zeke’s parents’ mansion, an evening summer breeze sailed over her
natural curly hair, blowing unruly strands across her
lips.

Kicking at the wooden
sticks and leaves along the way, Taylor’s heart beat at the base of
her throat. Zeke clench her hand harder. Severely distraught, she
lowered her gaze to the dried burnt grass. Her troubled mind
drifted.
I’m nothing but trouble. My
mother is so disappointed in me. I can only pray that Zeke won’t
hate me. Momma says I need to tell Zeke tonight. If I don’t, she’s
going to speak with his mother. For all I know, Momma may be
telling Zeke’s mother about me now.
Overwhelmed about her biggest mistake, Taylor felt her eyes
water
. Ohmygod, how do I tell him
I’m—

“
We’re here!” Taylor’s gaze
snapped up to find a wide lake surrounded by trees in the near
distance. To her left, a long rope with a black tire attached at
the end dangled from a thick branch.

Smiling his behind off, Zeke pointed
upward. “Do you like my surprise?” Taylor’s eyes left the makeshift
tire swing and hiked up the big tree. A small tree house sat at the
top of the oak. “I built us a tree house so we can have some
privacy. This, my love, is just for the two of us.” Proud, he
patted his rigid chest. “I built it myself.”

Shocked, Taylor’s mouth parted. Eyes
roaming over the wooden treehouse, she covered her heart. “Did you
really build this, Zeke?” she asked, transferring her gaze from the
nice surprise to him.

Zeke’s dark brown eyes
sparkled. He lifted his shirt, revealing a book tucked between his
stomach and jeans. He drew the book from between the band of his
clothing and extended it to Taylor. Reaching for the book, she read
the title.
How to Build
Treehouses.

Smiling, Zeke folded his arms across
his chest. “Yes, I built it all by myself. Other than you and me,
no one is allowed in our treehouse.”

Our
treehouse
. Her insides beamed with
appreciation. That was just like her Zeke—always so good with his
hands. Those big hands of his were exactly the reason why she was
now in all this freaking trouble. His talented hands had moved all
over her body. His big hands had touched and fondled her. Had
teased her. Pleased and pleasured her.

Taylor’s eyes lowered to Zeke’s big
hands, now resting at his sides. Oh my, how she loved his big,
powerful looking hands. Her gaze climbed up the length of his body.
And she loved his big, powerful looking body, too. And Lord knows
she shouldn’t, but she loved his big, powerful manhood between his
muscular thighs as well. Thinking about all the big things Zeke
had, heat coursed through Taylor’s veins.

“
I’m so impressed with your
talented skills, Zeke.” Taylor’s eyes once again hiked up the wide
tree, stopping when they reached the top. Deep purple hues
highlighted the dark sky. A soft glow gleamed from the carved
window of the tree house.
Zeke built this
just for us.
Taylor cupped Zeke’s jaw.
“Thanks, Zeke. It’s so beautiful.”
I’m so
sorry I’ve ruined your life. Ohgod. Ohgod.
Frightened, Taylor’s eyes burned as she fought to hold back
her tears.

Zeke’s eyes roamed over Taylor’s face.
Taking the book from her hands, he pecked her lips. “Because my
father is in charge of my allowance, the treehouse is all I can
afford right now. But one day I’m going to build you a big house.
It’s going to be a mansion. Bigger than my parents’
home.”

Filled with utter sorrow,
Taylor’s lips curved into a bland smile. “I’d never need a home as
big as your parents’ house. All I’ll ever need is you.”
And our
— she couldn’t
even bring herself to say the word inside her head.

Zeke’s lips pulled into a
handsome smile. Staring at her like he loved her, he tucked a piece
of curly hair behind her ear. “With all the children I plan on
having with you, we might need a home bigger than you think. As
soon as I graduate from college, I’m going to get you pregnant
every year until I’m twenty-six.”
It’s too
late for that.
Zeke continued. “Now come.
Let me show you the inside.” Turning away from her, he held on to
the handmade wooden ladder tacked to the tree and began climbing
upward.

Watching Zeke climb toward the top of
the treehouse, Taylor cupped the lower part of her belly. A big
wasp flew by her head, buzzed in her ears. Curious as to what the
inside of the treehouse looked like, Taylor mounted the ladder
behind Zeke. When she reached the top, Zeke extended his hand palm
up towards her. She placed her hand in his, and he gently pulled
her inside.

With her hands and knees
pressed into the blue rug covering the floor’s wooden planks, her
eyes combed over the small inside area.
Wow.
A woodsy pine fragrance sailed
up her nose.

Zeke had the inside of the
treehouse decorated like a small, cozy cottage. A red checkered
blanket, two fluffy white pillows, a few books, and two flashlights
were stashed in the right corner. A bright lantern glowed in the
left corner beneath the carved out window. On the center of the
blue rug lay a handful of white daises with long green
stems.
Oh, Zeke is so romantic. I can’t
believe he built this all by himself. Just for me. Just for
us.

Sunny cheerfulness swarming through
her soul, Taylor sat on her rear, crossed her legs Indian style.
Zeke picked up the white daisies, handed them to her. Nose on the
petals, she sniffed the delicate perfumed flower. “You’re so
romantic, Zeke.” Fingers holding the long green stems, she lowered
the flowers to her lap.