“And next vacation, we’ll take her.”
“This time Italy. Next vacation, what about Disney World?”
Her heart leaped. “Oh, Bonnie will love it!” So would she.
He laughed. “Disney World it is.”
Without warning, he caught her waist and, next minute, her feet were off the ground and her voluminous fairy-tale skirt whooshed out as he spun her around. The crowd clapped and more flashes went off before he set her gently down and his focus shifted.
“There she is.”
Trinity looked over her shoulder. The baby was sitting on her grandfather’s hip, studying him solemnly as she pulled his moustache and he talked, probably passing on some Harrison family story. Zack’s mother joined the pair. She said something to them both, pointed to the dance floor, and all three laughed and group hugged. Trinity’s heart swelled to double its size. Bel couldn’t have wished for better grandparents.
“I’m glad your parents have worked out their differences,” she said as they continued to dance and other couples began to join in.
“Dad always said that for any venture to succeed you must be prepared to weather the storms. After all these years of hard slog, my mother wanted some time with him. It was hard to let go and give up what he’d worked his whole life to achieve.”
“But he hasn’t given it up. He’s passed it on.”
“An equal share to all his children with each sibling having an equal say in decisions.”
“Do you ever feel cheated? I mean you wanted to be the sole chairman of Harrison Hotels for so long.”
“I feel only blessed.” His palm ironed up the back of her gown as he urged her closer still. “The worst time of my life was when I thought I’d lost you. Anything to do with the company pales in comparison. I intend to spend the rest of my life making certain we stay as happy as we are tonight. I want to wake up to your beautiful, smiling face every morning for the next fifty or sixty years, until we’re confined to wheelchairs, content to watch our hoards of great-grandchildren grow up.”
She blinked back happy tears enough to ask, “Are you saying…?”
“We’ll discuss it later, when we’re alone and can invest some quality time in pursuing the matter of expanding our family.”
Trinity’s step faltered and she tramped on his foot. Had she understood right? They’d had hypothetical discussions but hadn’t made any firm decision, as far as she knew.
His gaze on her lips, he curved a fingertip around her cheek and chin. “You still want to try for a baby, don’t you, honey?”
Tears filled her eyes, clogged her throat. Her reply was husky, trembling. Overjoyed!
“Zack, I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. I want Bel to have brothers and sisters.” The wish was so strong, she felt weak with the hope.
“Then let’s get started.” He nudged his chin one brother’s way. “Mason’s got three and one on the way. Reckon we can top that?”
“I’d like to try.”
As they laughed and spun around on the floor, Trinity concentrated to remember every detail and then lock this instant of pure perfection away in her heart forever. Those moments were building up and she knew there’d be so many more.
“You’re the most beautiful bride that’s ever been,” he told her. “I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
“I wonder if you’ll think that when those 3:00 a.m. feedings come around.”
“I’m looking forward to it, the same way I’m looking forward to every minute of our lives together.”
Never more content, she drank in the handsome, strong lines of his face. “How is it that every single day there’s something more to love about you?”
Zack looked at her with only devotion and delight in his eyes and then his head lowered and his wonderful smile covered hers.
As Trinity gave herself over to the sparks flying through her blood and dreams of tomorrow forming in her head, for a heartbeat she remembered how dark her existence had once been a long time ago. But she’d weathered each day and each fateful step had led her to this phenomenal present…to a wonderful husband, beautiful child and fabulous future she couldn’t wait to meet.
Natalie Anderson
“You’re wearing my T-shirt.”
Returning home after a daring rescue mission, all James Wolfe can think of is sleep. So he’s furious to find a beautiful stranger curled up in his king-size bed! Normally no woman ever gets between his sheets without prior invitation—who does she think she is?
Disgraced celebrity Caitlin Moore has been offered a place to stay and she won’t give it up—not with the paparazzi outside, baying for her blood! Reluctantly she agrees to share the apartment with James—but, with enough electricity to short-circuit the whole of Manhattan, keeping to their own sides of the bed might prove impossible.…
NATALIE ANDERSON adores a happy ending, which is why she always reads the back of a book first. Just to be sure. So you can be sure you’ve got a happy ending in your hands right now—because she promises nothing less. Along with happy endings, she loves peppermint-filled dark chocolate, pineapple juice and extremely long showers. Not to mention spending hours teasing her imaginary friends with dating dilemmas. She tends to torment them before eventually relenting and offering—you guessed it—a happy ending. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, with her gorgeous husband and four fabulous children.
If, like her, you love a happy ending, be sure to come and say hi on facebook/authornataliea and on Twitter @authornataliea, or her website/blog: www.natalie-anderson.com
For Sylvie and Evelyn, two pieces of pure delight in my life
New York, the city that never slept. James Wolfe never slept either—at least not in planes, trains or automobiles. And with back-to-back long-haul flights, horrendous delays and now traffic at a time when in any other city there wouldn’t be any, he’d gone more than forty hours without and was about to flip. Only a few more minutes and he could fall into bed. His bed—no hostel bunk, no hotel bed, no hastily built bivvy in a newly popped-up tent city. He couldn’t wait. He willed the traffic to part to let the taxi keep on moving. To take him home.
‘You been travelling?’
Given the cabbie had picked him up from the airport, this was obvious. But James automatically pulled on a smile. The guy had recognised him and James wasn’t about to burst bubbles by being rude. Uncomfortable as it was, public attention was now part of the deal. So he nodded and tried to speak. But the words wouldn’t come together in his strung-out mind.
‘Can’t talk about it, huh?’
James slowly shook his head.
‘You look beat.’ The cabbie didn’t seem to expect a reply to that.
Finally the car pulled up outside his apartment building. The cabbie offered to help James with his bag. Given all he had was a small carry-all it really wasn’t necessary. He managed the ‘no thanks’ with a smile. Then the guy wanted to