The Fairy Tale Bride (16 page)

Mary glanced over her shoulder. “I could tell you, Adam, but I’d have to kill you.” She gave a little smile. “Found a way to make it up to her?”

His mind was spinning. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. And exactly how he wanted to do it.

He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a note. “When Lisa comes looking for her keys, give her this.”

Mary gave him another smile. “Adam Brady, you better do right by this girl. She’s part of Marietta’s family.”

He paused, looking around him and thinking about how much he’d grown to love this place in the space of a few months.

He met her careful gaze. “Here’s hoping I’ll be part of Marietta’s family too.”

‡

L
isa hurried along
the street. It was only a ten minute walk from Marietta Hospital to her salon. Mary had been most mysterious. Just thanking her for spending time with Alice and Faye and telling her there was a surprise for her back at the salon.

Her heart flip-flopped as she walked along. She was still mad with Adam. Still mad with him for not telling her about himself. It wasn’t the fact that he’d won the lottery. She didn’t care about how much money he had in the bank. What she wanted in a relationship was trust. The thing that had obviously been lacking between her and Joe.

She couldn’t be in a relationship with someone she didn’t trust. And that worked both ways. If Adam couldn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth about himself, maybe the connection she’d felt between them wasn’t there at all?

The sun was setting, leaving the sky streaked with pale orange and lavender. She passed a few familiar faces on the way home. The smell of pizza drifted down the street towards her. Her stomach growled. It was the first time she realized she was hungry. Living next to a pizza parlor was both a blessing and a curse. They did a gorgeous lighter style pizza with the middle missing and filled with salad. It made her mouth water just to think about it.

As she neared she narrowed her gaze. Something wasn’t quite right in the bridal salon. She never left the lights on at night. And even though the main chandelier wasn’t lit – there was definitely some kind of flickering light coming from the shop. Was it a fire?

Her heart-rate quickened as she started running along the street. She reached the door and pushed it open. What on earth was going on?

She sucked in a breath. The whole shop was lit by flickering candles in all shapes and sizes. It was magical. The white lights reflected off the crystal chandelier sending a whole array of rainbow colors across the walls and satin gowns. Blue, red and purple glimmered all around her.

And in amongst it all was Adam. He stood up from behind the counter where he was still lighting candles. His shirt shoulder was scuffed with dirt and one of the buttons was missing. His hair all mussed up.

He caught her gaze, looked down and shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t have time to get changed.”

She looked around. It was like a fairy tale in here. But she wasn’t a child. She was an adult. “What are you doing, Adam?”

He stepped out hesitantly from behind the counter. “I’m trying to find a way to say sorry.”

She bit her lip and stepped forward. His chest was only inches away from her nose. “To say sorry for not telling me about who you are?”

He gave a little nod of his head, but she hadn’t finished yet. “To offering me money to help keep my business afloat – even when I told you I didn’t need it? Or want it?”

She was feeling angry again – insulted by his actions. Part of her should feel comfort that he’d been prepared to reach out. But her independent streak just wouldn’t let her consider that.

His hand reached out and touched her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Lisa. I’m sorry that a reporter told you who I was. But I had good reason for keeping secrets. Winning the lottery makes you a target. It’s hard to know who wants to be friends with you, and who wants to be friends with your bank balance. Moving to Marietta got me away from all that. It gave me a chance to do a job I loved and to make a whole new bunch of friends who didn’t have any idea about my past.”

But Lisa was stuck on his first words. “And that’s what you thought about me? I might be interested in you because of money?” She turned away in disgust but Adam caught her arm and pulled her back around towards him.

“No. Of course not. It’s just made me wary of people. It’s made me take time to get to know them.” He looked around the shop and held out his arms. “But I wasn’t the only one with secrets, was I?”

She flinched, “This is the strangest apology I’ve ever heard.”

Her hand rested on the counter. One of the dresses was still there after the girls’ dressing-up session today. It was the sample dress – covered in pale pink ribbons. She took a deep breath and pulled it towards her.

Adam was still looking at her. The flickering light seemed to darken his chocolate-brown eyes. “I need to know, Lisa. I need to know what it is that you want.” He pressed his hand over his heart. “I know what I want. I know what I’ve found here. But I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”

She felt tears brimming in her eyes. It had only been a few short weeks but Adam had touched her heart in places she’d never even known existed. He was questioning her. He was asking her about her own issues. Her own abilities to trust. He was putting himself out there for her. This wasn’t just about him. She had to reach out too.

She looked down at the dress and blew out a long, slow breath. “This was a sample dress,” she said slowly. “A sample of the dress I planned to wear at my wedding.”

She saw him flinch but she had to continue. “I picked this dress because of the bows.” She touched one between her finger and thumb. “Melody and I talked about this. Grace loved pink bows. She had them everywhere – on everything. Picking a dress like this,” she said, holding it up in the flickering candlelight, letting the glimmers of red, purple and blue hit it like a magic firework display, “meant that Grace would still be with us on my wedding day.” She sighed. “It wasn’t even the dress of my dreams. But it meant something. It meant something to us both.”

“And now?” Adam’s voice was wary.

She breathed in. Closure came in lots of different ways. “Now, I think this dress would be perfect.” She met his gaze. “Perfect, to be made into a christening gown for my new niece. Perfect for a way to keep a little of Grace with us.”

He reached out and touched her hair, running his fingers through her soft locks. “Have you spoken to your sister?”

She shook her head. “Not yet.” Her hand reached up and closed over his. “But I will. I’m hoping I will have someone to introduce to her.”

She stepped forward, her body coming into contact with his. Her other hand putting the dress back on the counter and the flat of her hand resting on his chest. “What is it
you
want, Adam? What is it you’ve found?”

He nodded slowly. His other hand anchored on her hip as he pulled her even closer. “I’ve found Marietta,” he breathed. “A place I want to call home. I place I can see myself growing old in. And I’ve found love.”

His heart was beating steadily under her palm. She tipped her chin up towards him. “Anyone you plan on growing old with?”

He gave her a smile. “There might be.” He traced a finger down her cheek. “But she’s tricky.”

Lisa raised her eyebrows. “She is?”

He nodded. “Oh yeah. She’s got a nickname you know. It kinda puts pressure on a guy.”

“Which nickname?” she whispered.

He bent down and murmured in her ear. “I mean, how’s a guy supposed to propose to the Fairy Tale Bride?”

Her skin prickled and her breath caught in her throat. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. Adam’s arms were around her. Just where she wanted them to be. She slid her hands up around his neck and smiled. “I’d say you were off to a good start,” she whispered.

“Well, that’s something,” he replied. He pointed to the table in front of her – something she hadn’t even noticed. A heart-shaped chocolate surrounded by candles. Something was glittering in the middle. She stepped forward and let out a gasp.

It was gorgeous. Silver piped icing covered the top of the heart.
Will you marry me?
And underneath, set upright in the chocolate was a ring – a single sparkling diamond.

“How on earth…” She spun around to face him.

But he wasn’t standing. Now, he was on one knee. “I think this is the traditional method,” he said, glancing down. “Sorry about the clothes. I hadn’t quite got around to changing.”

She shook her head and sat on his carefully balanced knee, nearly sending him sprawling. “I think you’re perfect.” She put her hands back around his neck. She touched the collar of his damaged shirt. “This is you, Adam. This is who you are. The doctor who puts his life on the line for other people. The one who doesn’t stop to think about himself.” She tapped his other shoulder. “We’re going to have to have a chat about that.”

“We are?”

She nodded. “We definitely are because I love you, Adam Brady. You have a responsibility to come home to me at night.”

His brow wrinkled. “Is that a yes? Because I haven’t had an answer yet and Sage guaranteed me her chocolate heart would swing it.”

Lisa leaned over and plucked the diamond ring from the chocolate and nibbled around its edges as she slid it on her finger. “Oh, that’s definitely a yes!” she said as she pushed him back towards the freestanding rail of dresses.

They landed flat in the middle of the multitude of satin and silk that billowed around them.

“I’m a great believer,” she said, laughing as she turned on her side towards him and stroked his cheek.

“Believer of what?” His eyes were fixed on hers. Adam Brady had got his girl.

“That every girl should get her fairy tale. ’Cause I’ve just got mine,” and she pressed her lips against his leaving him in no doubt about how the fairy tale ended.

The End

If you enjoyed
The Fairy Tale Bride
, you’ll love the other Montana Born Bride stories!

The Blushing Bride
by Dani Collins

Bride by Mistake
by Nicole Helm

Finally his Bride
by Maisey Yates

Kiss the Bride
by Rachael Johns

Two Nights with His Bride
by Kat Latham

Scarlet Wilson
wrote her first story aged 8 and has never stopped. She’s worked in the health service for over 20 years, training as a nurse and a health visitor, and now currently works within public health. Writing romances is a dream come true for Scarlet and she’s published with Harlequin Mills and Boon, Tule Publishing and Entangled Publishing. Scarlet lives on the West Coast of Scotland with her fiancé and their two sons. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached via her website
www.scarlet-wilson.com

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