I can’t stop looking at this ring,” Ava said on the ride over to the mansion.
“Look all you want while I look at you,” he said, pulling her close against his side.
They found Caroline in her playroom with Muffy and Rosalyn. Will had already called Rosalyn to tell her the news and that they wanted to share it with Caroline. The moment they arrived, Rosalyn greeted them with a big smile and headed upstairs.
Caroline’s eyes were questioning and she looked intently at Will. He picked her up and put his other arm around Ava, pulling her close.
“Caroline, I told you I wanted to ask Ava to marry me, which I did. She accepted.”
Caroline grinned broadly, looking at Ava. “Will you live here again?”
“Yes, I will live here again,” Ava said, putting an arm around Caroline so they formed a circle. “You will be my little girl.”
“Caroline, your daddy will always be your daddy, but if you want to just call me Will, that might be easier for you. And if you want, I’m sure it would be all right with Ava if you call her Mommy.”
Caroline looked at Ava who nodded as she smiled again. She glanced back at Will. “I’ll call you Daddy Two.”
They all laughed while they hugged. Ava had tears of joy that spilled over her cheeks. “Will, Caroline, this is the happiest day of my life.”
“Let’s pick a wedding date. Caroline, you can be our flower girl.”
The little girl beamed.
Epilogue
Ava stood in the narthex of the church, holding Caroline’s hand. Her sisters and close friends waited until the signal and then they began the walk down the aisle. The friends went first, next Summer and finally Trinity, who was maid of honor.
After Trinity, Ava bent to kiss Caroline. In her silk-and-tulle dress, the same shade of blue as the bridesmaids’, Caroline looked like a doll. She smiled at Ava and started down the aisle with a basket of rose petals on her arm.
Ava’s heart beat with joy while she watched Caroline carefully scatter rose petals as she walked down the aisle.
When Ava kissed her father’s cheek, he patted her arm. “I hope you live long and happily,” he whispered and she smiled in return.
Trumpets sounded and the wedding march began. Rising to their feet, guests turned while the wedding planner motioned to Ava to start down the aisle.
The groomsmen in their black tuxedos were handsome, all tall and each one smiling. When her gaze flew to Will, her heart skipped with joy. Her handsome husband-to-be stood smiling at her, his gaze locked with hers. They would bind their lives together forever and Caroline now would be her little girl, too.
Joy reigned supreme as Ava could not stop smiling. She paused to give her mother a rose. Will’s mother had been unable to attend, something he accepted without surprise. Ava gave another rose to Rosalyn, who sat alone on the opposite side of the aisle.
Finally, Ava’s father placed her hand in Will’s and she went through her vows in a daze of happiness.
Afterward at the country club reception, she danced with Will. “This is the happiest day of my life.”
“Mine, too. We have a week to ourselves and then we’ll come back to get Caroline and take her to Florida where she can meet all the princesses she wants.”
“Will, this is paradise. I am so happy.”
“Not half as happy as I am. You’ve given us so much joy and I am so in love with you, I shock myself. Caroline is radiant with our marriage. She loves you and loves having a mother.”
“I know. I love her.”
“Do we really have to stay for this reception?”
She laughed. “Of course, we have to. Everyone is here to see and talk to us.”
“No, they’re not. They’re here to eat and dance and have a good time with friends. My brothers and Garrett are here for the reasons I just named.”
“Maybe your family, but otherwise, they are here to see us, so we stay.”
“I’ll try, but I can’t wait to get you alone. I want to peel you out of that dress and kiss you from head to toe.”
“Will, you stop that now. Smile and dance and behave.”
“Impossible.” He grinned and spun her around.
“Will, I want Caroline to have a little brother or sister.”
“We will get started on that soon. Very soon,” he said, his arm tightening around her waist.
She laughed, thinking she was the luckiest woman on earth to have such a handsome, wonderful husband and an adorable little girl.
Twice Garrett had been on the verge of confessing his identity.
“What about you and marriage?” Sophia asked, breaking into his thoughts.
“I’m a workaholic, I suppose,” he said. “I haven’t ever been deeply in love, and I don’t feel ready for marriage.”
As he gazed into her eyes, he wondered what it would be like to come home to her every night—to make love to her night and day. His thoughts surprised him.
He hated not telling her about the Delaneys, yet he had heard the bitterness in her voice when she spoke of her father, felt her anger smoldering.
He realized she was staring at him with a quizzical smile. “What?” he asked.
“You haven’t heard one word I’ve been saying, Garrett. What are you thinking about?”
He focused on her lips before looking into her eyes again while desire consumed him.
He didn’t want to admit the truth yet and the burden of guilt was becoming unbearable, but one way to avoid both was to stop her questions with kisses.
Dear Reader,
This second story in the LONE STAR LEGACY series involves the celebration of two people falling in love in spite of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Love and romance are wonderful, breathtaking, sometimes overwhelming. The road to romance is a fascinating journey.
Set in glittering Dallas and the snow-covered Rockies, The Reluctant Heiress shows how the Delaney brothers discover a half-sister who has to be brought into the family. To achieve this goal, the brothers turn to a trusted friend and valued employee, Garrett Cantrell.
The first meeting between the handsome Garrett and striking Sophia Rivers ignites fires in each of them. Sophia cannot resist Garrett even though she knows she should. Trust is fundamental, and forgiveness is a part of Sophia’s and Garrett’s story.
