Beautiful Ties
Copyright © 2014 by Alicia Rae
All rights reserved.
Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations
Editor and Interior Designer: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing,
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No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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To Cole, Chase, and Jake—
You boys light up my world.
Words can never express how much I love each of you.
Today was my brother, Kyle’s, wedding.
Only a few short hours ago on a sandy beach in Lake Tahoe, California, he had said, “I do,” to his bride, Lily, the woman who had stolen his heart.
Nearly every guest had been moved to tears as the loving couple had pledged their vows to one another in front of their family and friends under the clear blue skies. I was unbelievably happy to see my brother so in love. I had felt truly honored when Lily asked me to be one of her bridesmaids.
It was only times like these that made me wish I had a special someone in my life. The rest of the days, I would be perfectly content with being alone. I had been blessed with a great job and wonderful family and friends to keep me busy. But when I was surrounded by love, I couldn’t help but yearn to have it myself.
Every man who had caught my eye always seemed to be taken already, or he would be a one-night kind of guy. Even worse, I would find the ones with no aspirations who were seeking out a free ride in life. Sometimes, it had seemed like the odds were stacked against me.
I wanted a partner, someone to share my hopes and dreams with, a man who would kiss me good night, and a companion who would pull me close after a long, hard day of work or just because he wanted to. I wanted a fairy tale and my career. Tying those two notions together had not been working out in my favor so far. Therefore, I’d pushed aside those romantic daydreams of falling in love someday and locked them tightly in a box as I decided to focus on advancing my profession to its fullest potential.
Many mixed emotions flooded my thoughts while I observed Kyle and Lily dancing at their reception in the newlyweds’ backyard. I felt like that locked box was being rattled.
“I can see your mind racing a mile a minute, sweetheart,” my mother, Grace, said, coming up from behind me.
She stood at my left side. I turned my head to meet her gaze as she warmly put her arm around me.
“I’m just so happy for Kyle, Mom,” I said.
“Me, too,” she sighed. Her eyes shimmered as she watched her son and new daughter-in-law dancing together under the beaming lights. “I feared that his military days had wounded his chance at love and happiness, yet that beautiful woman waltzed into his life and shifted the very ground he had been walking on. I feel like I owe her so much for saving my boy.”
I leaned my head against hers, savoring this moment with her. “I couldn’t agree more, Mom,” I said softly. “She gave us our Kyle back.”
“Yes, she did,” my mother agreed while rubbing my arm affectionately. “I can’t wait until it’s your turn to be swept off your feet,” she added, catching me off guard.
Gosh, I love my mom so much.
This woman was my rock. I would be lost without her unconditional love and support.
She was one of those people who always knew when someone was lost in deep thought, and she would come to soothe away the worries. Whether one of her children had needed tending to a playground wound or had just wanted a loving hug, my mother would always be there. It was one of many traits that I endlessly admired about her. She had a heart of gold.
I let out a quiet, nervous laugh at her reassuring outlook on my nonexistent dating life. “Uh…I don’t think that will be happening anytime soon but maybe someday,” I offered, not wanting to get my hopes up.
“Love happens when you least expect it, Abbey,” my mother replied.
I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was glowing on the inside. And next, she would bring up my dad, Gavin.
“I was just like you, you know. Independent, strong, content, and then
bam
”—she raised her other hand to snap her fingers gently—“your father came out of the blue—”
“And snatched you off your feet,” I finished her sentence with a tender smile on my face. I’d heard this story over and over for many years.
“That’s right.” She chortled softly. “Well, speaking of your father”—she glanced around—“I better go find him.”
“Okay. I better find Brooke, too. She was supposed to be ordering us another round of drinks.”
“Have fun, sweetie.” My mother smiled before walking off.
I found Brooke, Lily’s maid of honor, by the reception bar. At the sound of Lily’s laughter filling the air, my head turned to see Kyle once again twirling her around the dance floor in beat to the music. I smiled affectionately at the couple before I suddenly felt eyes burning into me from afar. I slightly rotated to the right to see Lily’s cousin, Jason, whom I had walked down the aisle with only hours before, looking at me with such heat in his eyes that my body temperature raised a degree or two. His gaze had me shifting on my feet.
I had been deliberately avoiding Jason since the ceremony. When I’d hooked my arm with his before he led me out for the processional, his touch had made me weak in the knees, and the husky scent of his cologne had etched itself into my memory. By the time he had dragged me the first five steps, I’d felt like a silly teenager swooning over the first good-looking boy at school. To avoid any embarrassment, I had promised myself that I would stay far away from him for the rest of the night.
His body had delicious temptation written all over it, but his demeanor screamed that he was not boyfriend material. He was the good-for-one-night-of-hot-passionate-sex type. And I was over that type.
Yep, completely over it.
I wanted the fairy tale that my brothers, Ryan and Kyle, had each found with their wives.
Yet, my eyes were betraying me right now as they locked on Jason’s ever-present features for the second time today.
The strands of outdoor lighting hanging throughout the backyard allowed my eyes to take in his dirty-blond hair. From what I assumed was a result of spending many hours out in the sun, a few natural highlights outlined the front of his face. His gorgeous eyes had a certain darkness about them that oozed sex with a mixture of pleasure and mischief lurking in the depths of them.
I had to fight the sudden impulse to close the distance between us, so I could get a better peek at him. Every attempt I made to look away, I failed miserably. It was as if he had some sort of magnetic pull over me. He must have reciprocated the feeling because his younger brother, Damon, was standing next to him, talking, and Jason did not seem to hear one word as his stare was transfixed on me.
Jason let out a slow, deliberate grin that was illuminated by the glowing lights. I sucked in a deep breath as I forced myself to divert my attention back to Brooke.
“Whoa,” she said, sounding completely stunned while fanning her face. “With the way you two were eyeing each other, I feel like I was peeping in on a private moment.”
