Turbulent Intentions (22 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

The wedding reception was well underway in one of the downtown Seattle Crown Plaza’s large ballrooms. The hotel staff was busy catering and tending to the needs of the guests as the jubilant wedding party celebrated with laughter and good spirits.

Meanwhile, a whole different sort of excitement was taking place in a neighboring janitor’s closet where Ace had taken his latest prize.

The woman moaned, her legs spread and resting on the shelves holding various cleaning supplies. Ace, almost in boredom, thrust himself to completion inside her. Barely even a hint of sweat showed on him, he’d been so uninvolved with the woman. He gave the unnamed girl one last kiss before pulling out, tossing the condom, and gathering his pants.

Staggering a bit when he stepped from the closet, he stopped to get his bearings. His head was spinning from the amount of alcohol he’d consumed.

Stumbling around the corner from the hallway to the entrance of the adjacent ballroom, Ace entered the party with a crash and a calamity of broken dishes and spilled champagne. The music ground to a halt as the partygoers turned in his direction.

“Ace?” Nick was the first one to recognize the brother he hadn’t spoken to in seven years.

“What are you doing here?” Maverick asked as he came to stand beside Nick.

“I invited him,” Cooper said. “I didn’t think he’d show. I wish he wouldn’t have now,” he added, as the three looked at their brother still sprawled on the floor.

“Hey, the black sheep has returned home for the matrimonial bliss of his eldest brother. I thought that entitled me to some celebrating,” Ace said, not caring if his brothers were looking down on him—literally and figuratively. What was new?

“Maybe you shouldn’t have returned if you still haven’t grown up,” Nick coldly told him.

“Come on, help me up,” Ace said.

With a sigh Nick reached down, and then Ace didn’t look so drunk anymore. He planted a right hook against Nick’s jaw, sending Nick sprawling to the floor, knocked out.

“Ace!” Cooper shouted, outraged by the unwarranted hit.

Stepping forward, Cooper grabbed Ace by the collar of his shirt and threw him through the doors and out into the lobby.

“What the hell is going on? You disappear for years only to show up at my wedding—my freaking wedding, Ace,” Cooper thundered. “I invited you because I’ve missed you. But if you’re going to act like a fool then I can’t do this,” he finished.

“Sorry, bro. Just wanted to say congrats! Way to go on your sexy bride. Didn’t mean to knock out your butler, but come on, the guy’s a real bummer, man, a killjoy.” The room still spinning, Ace staggered and slurred, turning toward the hotel door to make an exit.

“Butler? That butler is your brother, Ace. You knocked out Nick, you idiot!”

“I don’t have any brothers. Piss off.” Ace walked out of the hotel and flipped Cooper the bird as he hailed a taxi.

“Let him go, brother. He’ll come around someday,” Maverick said, suddenly by Cooper’s side, his hand on his shoulder. “For now you have to forget about him. There’s still a party in there. Plus, if I were you, I might be a little concerned. Uncle Sherm has been dancing with Stormy for quite a while now.”

“What about Nick?”

“Nick’s fine. He’s sitting upright and eating solid food already,” Maverick said with a laugh. “All kidding aside, really, Nick’s fine, maybe a little embarrassed, but he’s fine.”

Reassuringly, Maverick put his arm around Cooper’s shoulder, ushering him back inside. He ached for his brother, but Ace would eventually come around. He had to—he was family.

EPILOGUE

Stormy rubbed her rounded belly as she attempted to plant some spring flowers. This was her favorite time of year, but the larger she got, the harder it was for her to garden. She was going to have to do something about that.

When she heard the back door open, she sat back and turned, smiling. Cooper was home early. But it wasn’t Cooper moving toward her, it was Uncle Sherman.

“Are you checking up on me again, Sherman?”

“Not at all,” he lied.

“It’s okay. I haven’t been alone for more than thirty minutes at a time since I hit my thirtieth week of pregnancy. Cooper has all these worries of me falling down or going into early labor. He’s cut back on so much time at work, pretty soon there’s going to be a hostile takeover,” she said.

“Okay, you might have busted me. And yes, Cooper has called nonstop this morning wondering if I’ve arrived yet, but I have missed you,” he said as he stopped next to her.

“It’s only been three days since I saw you last,” she told him.

“That’s three days too long,” he said with a laugh.

“Well, since you’re here, you can help me stand. It’s either that or I roll around like a baby seal until I find just the right position to push myself up.”

She was only partially kidding.

Sherman reached for both her hands and gave a tug, helping her to her feet.

“I don’t think there’s much more room in there for my great nephew,” he said as he gently patted her stomach.

“Yes, I’m hoping he decides to make an early arrival. I don’t think I can last another two weeks. I can barely walk,” she said as she slowly made her way to the house. “Let me get us both a drink and you can visit with me in the shade. The sun is warming up pretty dang quickly.”

“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll get the drinks. I know where everything is,” he said.

“Nope. You’re a guest here, and I’m pregnant, not injured.”

She left him spluttering on the back porch while she went inside and got a tray with iced tea, glasses, and some of her favorite oatmeal cookies.

They sat and munched on their snacks as Stormy tried to ignore the pains in her stomach. She knew they were nothing more than Braxton-Hicks contractions.

But when the next one hit, searing pain shot through her stomach, and the ground became wet. Wide-eyed, she looked up.

“Oh, I think it’s time . . .”

The hospital waiting room was crowded with friends and family pacing back and forth. Time seemed to drag on and on as Nick impatiently watched the clock hand tick down. With his mind working in overdrive he had to break the silence.

“What could be taking so long? Is there something wrong with the baby? Did something happen to Stormy?”

Evelyn chuckled as she rubbed her son’s back. “Not to worry, my son. It just takes time . . . trust me.”

“That’s true but . . .”

Nick was interrupted by the large double doors swinging open and Cooper walking into the room. He removed his mask to reveal a grin that spread from ear to ear, but he was speechless.

Nick piped up, “So . . .”

Clasping his hands together, Cooper said, “It’s a healthy baby boy.”

The family wasted no time rushing down the hall, led by the new father, straight into the hospital room. Stormy sat on the bed with her little bundle of joy enveloped in his powder-blue blanket.

Cooper sat on the edge of the bed holding Stormy’s hand as the family members fought over who got to hold the baby next. He couldn’t keep the smile from his lips. What a fool he’d been such a short time ago to think this wasn’t the life he wanted to live.

And what a difference he was seeing in his brothers, who were grumbling at each other, both fighting to hold the baby first. But then they were so gentle as they gazed at their nephew in adoration.

Mav won the argument and with gentle hands picked up the bundle. He grinned as he looked at the bright eyes before him, and using a soft voice, said, “I’ll definitely be your favorite, little guy.”

Finally, Mav passed the baby boy to Nick before he had a heart attack. Nick was the most eager of all to be involved. That was something Cooper had never thought he’d see.

Nick cradled William to his chest as he began speaking. “You really turned out much cuter than I thought you would after having my older brother as your dad,” he said, making several people in the room chuckle.

Cooper wasn’t one of them.

“Now, I have a lot of stories to tell you about him. I’ll start with the time your dad was helping me climb a tree and . . .”

The story continued as Cooper leaned down and kissed his wife.

“I love you, Mrs. Armstrong,” he whispered.

“I love you, Green Eyes,” she replied.

“How about we kick all of these people out and get working on baby number two,” he said with a waggle of his brows.

Stormy laughed deeply at her husband’s sense of humor. It very much needed to be improved. “You’re a brave man to say that to a woman who’s just given birth. Now kiss me and shut up.”

He gladly did.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Wow, I can’t believe how much I have enjoyed writing this book—this entire series, actually. Since my daughter took an interest in flying and got her private pilot’s license, I have become just as fascinated with planes. I still don’t like flying on the little ones, but I have to admit, they are a thrill. It’s even somewhat enjoyable once I’ve had a glass (or five) of wine.

I worked for the airlines as a customer service rep for years, and while doing that made some lifelong friends as well, so I’ve been around these confident pilots for quite some time. There truly is something about them that gives them a little extra swagger because they know they can do something most people can’t. I model my heroes after these sexy men in my life.

I have met a new family at Montlake and I’m so glad I’ve joined them. I adore my editors, Maria and Lauren, who have pushed me to be a better writer. They have been instrumental in truly making this story the best it can be. Their encouragement and tough love have made this a fun story! As always, I want to thank my family and all my dear friends. I am nothing without them, and their continued support means the world to me. I had help from those sexy pilots with different things in this book, as well. So thank you, Drew, Pat, and Chris.

A special thank you as well to Adam and Eddie, who I worked with at the airlines, and who are still great friends, who don’t fly anymore, but still love planes as much as the rest and have a vast knowledge of the industry.

Finally, thank you to my fans. Your excitement, love of the books, and encouragement make me want to write day and night. Thank you for bringing me into your homes and for the love you give me. Words will never be able to express what you mean to me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2014 Edward Hart

Melody Anne is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of the popular Billionaire Bachelors, Surrender, and Baby for the Billionaire series, as well as the young adult Midnight series. She collaborated with J. S. Scott and Ruth Cardello for the anthology
Taken by a Trillionaire
.

Melody holds a bachelor’s degree in business but found her true calling when she was first published in 2011. When she isn’t writing, she cultivates strong bonds with her family and enjoys time spent with them, as well as with her friends and beloved pets. A country girl at heart, she loves her small town and is involved in many community projects.

Melody has earned a spot on multiple bestseller lists and is a three-time Amazon Top 100 bestselling author. Best of all, she gets to do what makes her happiest—live in a fantasy world 95 percent of the time. Learn more about her at
www.melodyanne.com
and follow her blog at
www.authormelodyanne.blogspot.com
.