Must Be Fate: (Cody and Clover) (A Jetty Beach Romance Book 3) (23 page)

My face literally hurts from smiling.

The photographer snaps more pictures, then moves us around again. He asks us to hold up our bouquets. Mine is pale pink and white with sweet little pearls. There are matching pearls in my hair, which the stylist somehow managed to tame into soft curls that frame my face and hang around my collarbone. The photographer finally pauses, and I move my jaw around to loosen up my face. I grab the top of my dress and hike it up a bit. It’s a gorgeous champagne-colored strapless dress that goes to my knees. It’s so pretty, although I worry a little that it’s going to slip too far down and show a lot of boob. I guess Cody won’t mind.

Nicole turns to me and smiles, taking a deep breath. She’s positively radiant. Glowing, even. Her wedding gown is sheer at the top, with tiny floral appliques around the sweetheart neckline. It flows down to an A-line skirt of soft tulle. Her blond hair is done in a simple up-do with a clip holding her veil. Looking at her makes me smile more, even though I kind of need a break after so many photos.

“Are you hanging in there?” I ask.

She bites her lower lip. “I think so. I can’t decide if I’m scared or excited.”

“Excited, obviously,” I say. “And you look amazing.”

We’ve been taking pictures with just the women, saving the rest for after the ceremony. Nicole didn’t want Ryan to see her beforehand. She looks so beautiful she’s going to knock his socks off.

“Yeah, excited,” she says, taking another breath. “Thanks for being here with me.”

“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”

I was stunned when Nicole asked me to be a bridesmaid. Her wedding was only a few months away, and she already had her best friend Melissa as her maid of honor. But she insisted. I certainly couldn’t refuse. Truth be told, I squealed and jumped up and down when she asked me. I’ve never been a bridesmaid before.

I’ve never even been to a real wedding before.

The photographer tells us it’s almost time and leads us to the back of the church. The doors are closed, but soft music drifts through. Melissa and I both hug Nicole for the millionth time and take our places in front of her. Nicole’s mom and dad stand on either side of her, and Melissa steps in to straighten her veil and make sure her bouquet is perfect.

I’m so excited I can barely stand it. I do my best not to bounce in my heels.

The doors open and I go first. The men are already at the front, Ryan standing in the center, with Cody and Hunter next to him. Cody looks utterly delicious in his dark gray suit. I wink at him as I walk up the aisle. He grins at me and winks back.

I cry through the entire ceremony.

Ryan fights back tears as Nicole walks up the aisle. It’s so moving, half the audience loses it before the minister even says a word. I can see Ryan’s face through the entire thing, and he looks at her with so much passion, it takes my breath away. They say their vows and everyone in the audience who wasn’t crying before starts. Anyone who doesn’t cry must not have a soul, because it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. Even Cody looks choked up.

His eyes are on me through the whole thing.

I look at him, standing just past Ryan’s shoulder, and smile.

Afterward there are more pictures—lots of them—but soon we’re all in a limo, glasses of champagne in our hands, heading to the reception.

Nicole originally wanted the wedding and reception to be in Ryan’s photography studio, but their guest list got too long. So they opted for a beautiful church in town for the ceremony, and booked a hotel banquet room for the reception. It’s a lovely June evening, so they open the doors to the terrace, and the sound of the ocean carries through. The moon is bright and the waves crash against the sand.

Cody is busy greeting distant family members, so I go outside to get some air. I press at my side, where a shard of metal cut me open. It’s only the slightest bit tender now. It aches when I work too much, so I’m careful, but overall I’ve healed well. I have a scar, but Cody loves to trace it with his fingers or his tongue, so it isn’t so bad. It’s a good reminder of everything I almost lost.

I’ve gone back to work at the Mark, but only part-time. It’s a demanding job, so I need to pace myself while I’m still recovering from the accident. Gabriel has been nothing but supportive. He’s hands down the best boss I’ve ever had. I did quit my job at the café, but it’s still my favorite place to get coffee. I meet Nicole there at least once a week. She’ll be gone for two weeks in the Caribbean on her honeymoon, and I’m really going to miss her.

I take a sip of wine and lean against the railing, watching the waves. My heart is so light after watching Nicole and Ryan get married. I love seeing people so blissfully happy. It gives me hope for humanity.

“Hey, sunshine.” Cody comes to stand next to me and puts an arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, handsome,” I say, and put my wine glass down on a little table.

He pulls me to him, turning me so our bodies are pressed close together. I thread my arms around his neck and he leans in to kiss me.

He tastes like champagne and his mouth feels decadent. He pulls away, but I don’t want him to stop kissing me. Maybe ever.

“So when can we go upstairs to our room?” I ask. “You look hot as hell in this suit, but I’d really like to take it off you.”

He leans in close, his mouth near my ear. “Soon, baby, soon. But we just got here. There’s still dinner, and cake, and dancing.”

“I might be convinced to stay for cake,” I say.

He kisses the top of my head and lets his arms drop, turning back toward the water. I pick up my glass and have another sip, then lean my head on his arm.

He takes my hand and rubs my index finger.

My heart rate picks up.

He moves to my middle finger, rubbing it in slow circles, just above my first knuckle.

I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. His dimples are puckered, but he’s looking out at the waves.

He takes my ring finger between his finger and thumb, rubbing it just like the others. I feel like I can’t quite breathe. Is he going to—

He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it. “We should go in. I think they’re serving dinner.”

I blow out a breath and swallow hard. What was that about?

I take a seat at our table. We’re near the front, seated with Hunter and his date, and Melissa and her fiancé. Jackson is one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever laid eyes on, and the way he looks at Melissa like he wants to eat her for dinner is kind of a turn on.

We enjoy a delicious meal, and then there are toasts by Melissa and Cody. Melissa’s is hilarious and heartfelt, and I almost cry again. Cody’s is tender and sweet, but he ends on a funny note that has the whole crowd laughing and clapping. We drink champagne, eat wedding cake, and chat with the people around us.

After the guests eat their cake, Ryan stands up and takes the microphone, Nicole at his side.

“Nicole and I would like to thank everyone for coming,” Ryan says. “It means so much that you’d be here to share our special day with us.”

There’s a soft round of applause.

“Those of you who know our family know that we’re pretty close,” he says.

I glance over at Maureen and see her beaming at her son. Even Ed, who’s usually pretty stoic, has a huge smile on his face.

“We are so happy to be able to welcome Nicole into our family, as the newest Jacobsen.”

More applause and a few whistles from the crowd.

“But families are meant to grow.” He pauses, his dimples showing as he grins, and there are some gasps.

Holy shit. Is he going to say what I think he’s going to say? I reach over to grab Cody’s hand, my heart suddenly racing with anticipation. But Cody stands up.

“My brother Cody has a little something he’d like to say,” Ryan says. He looks at me and meets my eyes with a smile. Nicole has tears in her eyes again, and she puts her fingers over her mouth. She’s staring at me. Why is she smiling at me like that?

Slowly, I look up at Cody.

The crowd goes silent. I’m positive they can hear my heart beating.

He reaches for my hand and draws me up to standing. Out of nowhere, he has a microphone.

“Clover, I don’t know if it was God, or fate, or the universe who brought us together. But I know one thing with so much certainty, no one could ever convince me otherwise: we were made for each other. We were meant to be.”

I cover my mouth with a shaking hand.

Cody sinks down onto one knee and the crowd gasps. I stare at him, blinking through tears. He cannot be serious. At Nicole’s wedding?

He takes my hand.

“Clover Fields, in the presence of my family, who insisted I do this here because they love you as much as I do, will you marry me?”

I lower my hand and my face erupts in a smile. I laugh, and I can barely get the words out. “Yes! Yes, yes, oh my god, yes.”

He pulls a box out of his pocket and opens it, revealing a pale blue stone set in a platinum band, surrounded by tiny sparkling diamonds. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. He stands and slips it on my finger.

I’m vaguely aware of applause and cheering around us, but nothing else exists. Just Cody’s arms around me, his lips against mine. Lips that have always been meant to kiss me. Forever.

Fate finally got it right.

~~~

Must Be Home
, book four in the Jetty Beach romance series, is coming soon!

Sign up
to hear about new releases and special deals, and for the opportunity to get free advance review copies of new books.

About the Book

If you’ve read the Jetty Beach romances up to this point, you’ve probably started to catch on to a theme in the stories I write. Broken people.

There’s something so compelling about people who bear wounds and scars, and the ways that love can help them heal. Honestly, who among us isn’t at least a little bit broken? One of the main reasons I’m drawn to writing romance is because I believe in the healing power of love. I’ve lived that in my own life, and it comes naturally to me on the page. People are flawed, and exploring how those flaws influence the choices we make is fascinating to me.

My editor called Clover “beautifully broken,” and that’s exactly what I meant for her to be. I hope I’ve done her justice in this book, because she became so special to me. Beneath her optimism and her charming smile, she’s a deeply wounded woman who was abandoned by the two people who should have loved her enough to stay in her life. She’s left with a very skewed concept of her place in the world—she’s always searching, but never finding what she’s looking for. And behind that search is a lot of fear.

She comes to realize that her dependence on “fate” is a coping mechanism, and often an excuse. She’s terrified of letting anyone get too close to her, lest they leave her the way her parents did. That fear dominates her life until she finally learns to trust in what she has with Cody.

Cody was a departure for me in some ways. There’s no sad backstory for Cody. He has a nice family. He’s a successful doctor and business owner. Is his life perfect? Of course not, and he’s not perfect either. But the brokenness that usually draws me to a character wasn’t there for him.

But I realized he was exactly what he needed to be for this story—for Clover. They were both searching for the one to make them whole, the other person to complement their strengths and shore up their weaknesses. And they do this for each other so perfectly. Cody never saw her coming, and Clover couldn’t have guessed she’d wind up with a man like him. But sometimes life’s little surprises are the most magical things.

I love the magic.

Thanks for reading!

If you haven't already, don't forget to
sign up
for new release announcements, and for the opportunity to get free advance review copies of new books.

About the Author

Claire Kingsley writes smart, sexy romances. She's in love with love, and finds inspiration in the stories of broken people who find love and healing together—with a generous dose of steam.

She can't imagine life without coffee, her Kindle, and the sexy heroes who inhabit her imagination. She's living out her own happily ever after in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three kids.