Wish on the Moon (29 page)

George and Anne exchanged knowing looks, then
Anne said to Mandy, "Honey, let's go to the attic and see if we can
find that other box of ornaments. I know there's one with an angel
for the tree top."

"But Mitch just got here and I want him to
read me a story."

Mitch rubbed his nose against hers. "I
promise I'll read you a story after I talk to your mom for a little
while. I would really like to see that angel if you can find
it."

She wriggled in his arms so he set her down.
"Okay, I'll find it. Maybe you can read two stories?"

Even though his insides were tied in knots,
he chuckled and winked. "Maybe."

Laura still hadn't spoken or moved from her
position next to the tree after George, Anne, and Mandy trekked
upstairs. Mitch gazed at her, trying to read any signal, attempting
to find a sign she was glad to see him. There was none. The twinkle
lights blinking on the tree were shining in her hair. She was a
Christmas gift he'd almost lost. He hoped it wasn't too late and
she didn't hate him for his stupidity.

Okay, Riley, jump without the parachute. You
have no choice unless you want to go back to York alone. He stepped
toward her and the movement seemed to wake her up.

Her hands fluttered and she stepped back. "Is
it Dad?"

He resisted the urge to yank her into his
arms and didn't move closer. "No. This has nothing to do with
Ray."

He could see the pulse at her throat beating
rapidly. "Then why did you come?"

Honesty was the only way to go. "Because I
couldn't stay away."

Her eyes widened. "I don't understand."

His voice was husky with emotion. "I think
you do. Do you love me, Laura, the same way I love you? I do love
you. I was a fool not to admit it sooner. I guess I wasn't ready.
But I'm ready now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I
know I hurt you and I'm sorry. If you give me the chance, I'll
spend my life trusting you, loving you, taking care of you--"

She launched herself at him and he almost
fell back from the force. But he righted them both and then lifted
her until her feet dangled and her mouth was even with his.

She latticed her fingers deep in his hair. "I
love you," she whispered.

The skin of her cheek was so, so soft under
his thumb. The love and tenderness he felt for her shook him so
badly his hands trembled. His head dipped and he rediscovered the
wonder of kissing Laura. He took his time and tasted, sipped,
reveled. But as always, the passion between them burst. His
strength met her strength. His maleness met her femaleness. His
need met her need.

No kiss with Laura was ordinary. Each was
exceptional, unique, mind boggling. Her lips caressed his. Her
hands stroked his neck until he thought he'd go mad. He couldn't
play any longer. His tongue pushed into her mouth. She shuddered
and her legs went round his hips. Passion rose in him swift and
complete. His hands automatically cupped her bottom as her arms
locked tightly around his neck.

Their hunger was naked and wild, ferocious.
He kissed her over and over, forgetting they needed to breathe. She
returned each kiss, encouraging him, needing him, assuring him this
was only the beginning.

The beginning. They couldn't go any farther,
not here, not now, not with Mandy and Anne and George two floors
above.

He tightened his arms before he slowed down
the intensity. At first, her yearning increased as he calmed the
storm. Then she caught his mood and gently withdrew. His lips
separated from hers only after clinging for an eternal moment.

"We have to wait," he murmured.

She laid her head on his shoulder. "I know.
But...I don't want to."

He chuckled and slowly let her slide down his
body so she'd know how much he didn't want to wait either. Only he
knew something she didn't know yet which made the wait more
bearable.

He lead her to the sofa sitting crookedly
across the center of the room. There was one more hurdle to cross.
She'd said she loved him. But he had to find out about the
rest.

Inconspicuously, he took the box out of his
jacket's pocket, slid off the leather garment, and tossed it to a
chair. "I am going to stay a while, aren't I?"

She straightened his shirt collar. "You can
stay as long as you want. I don't know what you have in mind--"

He produced the velvet box and placed it in
her hand. "That depends on you. Open this."

When she did, her eyes glistened and her
lower lip quivered. "Mitch, it's beautiful. The midnight sky
meeting the sea. Sapphires and a... Oh, my! A blue diamond. This is
one of your designs, isn't it?"

"It's yours now. Will you marry me,
Laura?"

She looked stunned until she broke into a
radiant smile again and answered, "Oh yes, Mitch! I'll marry you."
She stroked his cheek. "Was there any doubt?"

"Plenty of them. I didn't even know if you'd
consider marriage again."

She held out the box to him. "Put it on for
me?"

He gently pushed it onto her ring finger. She
admired it then threw her arms around him. "I love you." She backed
away and frowned. "What made you come? Did Dad say
something...?"

"Your father didn't say anything. Even when I
told him I was flying out here, he kept quiet as if he was afraid
he'd spoil something."

"He couldn't spoil this. Not in a million
years."

He had to straighten out everything between
them. "Laura, about Carey. I called him and..."

His words were lost as the thumping of feet
tripped down the steps. Mandy ran to the sofa with a precarious
hold on a white satin angel trimmed in gold. "We found it. Are you
gonna stay and help decorate the tree?"

He lifted her onto his lap angel and all. "I
sure am. Then I'll read those stories before you go to bed." He
leaned over to Laura and whispered into her ear, "And then I have a
surprise for you."

***

Mitch lead Laura into the hotel, a secret
smile on his lips. She'd never known such happiness. She felt
loved, desired, needed. They hadn't had any more time to talk alone
as they hung ornaments on the tree and put Mandy to bed. But he'd
kissed her freely, touched her often, and with mysterious smiles
promised the fulfillment of what their fulminating kiss had
begun.

Now, she stood beside him at the entrance to
a hotel room almost shaking with anticipation. When he unlocked and
opened the door, she gasped. There were flowers everywhere! From
roses to daffodils to tiger lilies. At least ten baskets were
strategically arranged, filling the room with fragrance.

She turned into his arms and drew his head
down for a deep, soul-felt kiss. He swept her into his arms, kicked
the door closed, and carried her to the bed. They broke the embrace
to undress, but they kept coming together again and again to kiss,
to caress, to excite, to love. When both their bodies gleamed from
anticipation and pulsing heartbeats, when neither could wait a
second longer to be one in mind, heart, and body, Mitch thrust into
her, driving to her core. Her legs latched around his hips, her
fingernails dug into his shoulders, and she cried his name when the
crashing of their ultimate union claimed them both.

They floated into their future, their arms
tight around one another. Mitch rolled to his side and gathered her
as close as he could get her. "I didn't think it could get any
better. But I was wrong. Commitment makes loving even more
powerful."

"Any more power and we'd blow up the
hotel."

"We're going to have to find someplace more
permanent to fill with flowers."

Her hair fell across his shoulder as she
angled her head to look at him. "Either York or Harrisburg is fine.
The commute's not that long--"

"You want to go back?"

She brushed her cheek against his chest.
"Dad's there. Nora's there. Dad and I had a long talk before I
left. We've forgiven each other. I think we understand each other
in a way we never could. In part because of you and your
mother."

"You're sure about living there?"

"Your business is there."

"I can move the business anywhere. I want you
to be happy."

"I'll be happy. As long as we can visit Anne
and George."

"You could keep your investment in the house
so they won't be strapped."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"I don't think I'd mind anything you do." He
placed a spray of kisses along her throat and hot desire curled in
her womb again. Before she could give into it, she said, "Let's
call Dad."

His brows quirked up. "Now?"

She nodded.

He reached for his cell phone and handed it
to her.

She called her father, gave him the good
news, then handed the phone to Mitch when Ray asked to speak to
him. Mitch smiled for the first few minutes then suddenly looked
shocked. His gaze caught Laura's and she felt bowled over by the
depth of love there.

When he finally said good night to Ray and
both he and Laura had spoken briefly to Nora, he replaced the
receiver. His first words were, "Ray told me about the will. You
love me that much? That you were willing to give up your
share?"

She took his face between her palms. "I love
you more than that."

His fiery lips sought hers and he brought her
on top of him. She met his passion with hers, knowing they both
knew how to sacrifice, how to compromise, how to love. She had no
doubts about their future, only hope and the belief she'd found
true happiness with a man she'd love, honor and cherish until
time's end.

EPILOGUE

Laura's ecru taffeta and lace wedding gown
swept behind her as Mitch ushered her away from their reception
onto the patio overlooking the rose garden. They could hear the
murmur of friends and relatives inside the dining room's glass
doors. Nora and Ray were seated with Mandy letting her snack on
another hors d'oeuvres. Thousands of stars dappled the sky and a
full moon fell in swaths of light over the garden before them.

Mitch took off his tux jacket and put it
around Laura's shoulders. "I don't want you catching a cold for our
honeymoon. We're going to spend a perfect Valentine's Day."

"In Tahiti. I can't believe I'm actually
going there. It's fascinated me since I was a child."

"And you began wishing on the moon." His
smile was in his voice.

"Yes. I did it last night," she
confessed.

"What did you wish for?"

"That today would be perfect." She stroked
his cheek. "And it is. Carey looked so proud standing up there as
your best man. I think he really likes his new job. Selling medical
equipment is profitable right now."

"He doesn't even seem to mind the suit he has
to wear." Mitch curved his arm around her shoulders. "I wished last
night too." After his call to Ray from Independence, he'd told her
he'd wished on the moon before he'd flown there to ask her to marry
him.

"What did you wish this time?" she asked
seriously.

"That I could always make you happy."

"We'll make each other happy."

He produced an envelope and handed it to
her.

"What's this? You already gave me earrings to
match my ring for a wedding present."

"This is different. Open it."

She undid the flap and pulled out two cards.
"These are season's passes for the ice skating rink. Neither of us
knows how to skate!"

"I figured it was about time we learned so we
can teach Mandy. What do you think?" His eyes were playful,
tempting her to have fun with him.

When she threw her arms around his neck, his
coat fell to the ground. But she didn't care. She'd never be cold
as long as she was close to him. She remembered the wish she'd made
on the moon when she was sixteen. She'd wished for a man who would
love her forever. Her wish had been granted.

****

From the Author:

Wish On The Moon was originally published as
a Silhouette Special Edition under the pseudonym Kari Sutherland
and is set in the town where I grew up—York, Pennsylvania. From my
early books to my most recent, I have kept the emotion of my
characters as the focus. Though styles change, characters change,
and trends change, the important element of a romance doesn't
change—the hope that there can be a happily-ever-after. Since Wish
On The Moon, my first Special Edition, I have published over
seventy novels, making both the USA Today List and series
Bestseller Lists. Living in Pennsylvania with my college sweetheart
and two cats, I spend most days writing, editing, cooking and
gardening. Believing in the power of love and commitment, I look
forward to writing relationship novels for a long time to come. For
more about me and my latest releases, including excerpts, photos
and short stories, please visit my website
(http://www.karenrosesmith.com). To keep in touch day to day,
follow me at Facebook and on Twitter. Look for more of my books on
Smashwords.

OTHER KAREN ROSE SMITH BOOKS AVAILABLE ON
KINDLE:

Always Devoted

A Man Worth Loving

Because of Francie

Everyday Cinderellas

Everyday Prince Charming

Forever After

Garden of Fantasy

Love in Bloom

Nathan's Vow

Kit and Kisses

Mom Meets Dad

Ribbons and Rainbows

Toys and Wishes

Wish on the Moon

Excerpt from NATHAN'S VOW:

Prologue

Don't answer it.

Don't answer it.

Do
not
answer
it.

Gillian Moore convinced herself to ignore the
intrusive sound of the ringing telephone as the golden L.A. sun
swept through her open living room window, along with the balmy
June breeze.

Her phone rang a second time.