Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Well, this is the one where she falls for his father.
And that groom? He’s my ex.
I didn’t realize who the gruff, gorgeous older man was the night he rescued me from a creep in a Manhattan hotel bar. All I knew was that a hot, bearded stranger with a protective streak showed up right when I needed a reminder that real gentlemen still exist.
(Although he left his manners behind after asking me up to his room.)
It was the hottest night of my life, but I never thought I’d see the former Navy SEAL again.
Imagine my surprise at the rehearsal dinner one week later, when my sexy one-night stand is introduced as the father of the groom. Even more surprising? That temptation we felt in New York was no fluke.
In public, we pretend there’s nothing between us.
In private, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
The situation is beyond complicated. Zach never even knew he’d fathered a child until recently, and he wants to earn his son’s trust and respect. As for me, I’m looking for a man who wants to start a family, and Zach has made it clear he’s not that man. He’s fifteen years older, newly divorced, and he lives across the country.
But no matter how many times we draw the line, we keep crossing it.
Nothing so wrong should ever feel so right.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
MILLIE
SEPTEMBER
“It’s official,” I said to my sister over the phone. “I’m cursed.”
Winnie laughed. “You’re not cursed.”
“Oh no?” I walked over to my hotel room window and peeked out at the city lights, blurred by sheets of rain. Manhattan was under siege. “Let’s add things up. A hurricane pummels the East Coast the day I’m supposed to fly home, and my flight is canceled.”
“Lots of flights were canceled, not just yours.”
“I had to spend a lot of money to stay one more night in this expensive hotel.”
“One more night at a four-star hotel is not a curse, it’s an unexpected gift. And you can write it off—you’re in New York on business. I want to hear how it went today, by the way.”
“It was fine,” I said grudgingly. “The usual wedding planner expo—noise and chaos. But I did get a few new ideas. Cottagecore weddings are supposedly going to be the trend for a while, and that’s a vibe that suits Cloverleigh Farms.” I frowned. “But the fashion show bothered me, it was not size-inclusive at all.”
“Seriously?”
“Same old, same old. The models were beautiful, but they didn’t look like any of the real brides I’ve ever worked with. Why can’t there be some curvy girls in these shows, or short girls, or top-heavy girls, or brides with bigger butts?”
“I don’t know.”
“I do. Because archaic beauty standards still abound in fashion, and the wedding industry is no exception.”
“So do something about it.”
“I would, but I’m very busy explaining to you why I’m cursed.”
My sister sighed loudly.
“My ex-boyfriend is getting married next month, and I had to plan the wedding.”
“You introduced them!”
“I know, but it’s still sort of humiliating.”
“Think of it as a compliment, Mills.” Winnie could always find a bright side when I saw doom and gloom. “Even though they knew it might be slightly awkward, they still chose you.”
“They chose Cloverleigh Farms because the bride works at the winery and got a discount,” I corrected. “I just happened to be the event planner there. They couldn’t have one without the other.”
“Still, discount or not, a lot of brides would have gone with another venue altogether rather than let her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend handle the most important day of her life. I think the trust she placed in you is a testament to your professional reputation.”
“I guess.” I turned away from the window and sprawled across the bed on my belly. “But this is the third ex of mine who’s gone on to propose to the very next girl he dated after me. The third, Winnie.”
“So you’re a good luck charm, not a curse!”
“A good luck charm for them. What am I doing wrong?”
“Nothing! Be honest, Millie. Did you really want to be Mrs. Mason Holt?”
“No,” I admitted. “He’s cute, but he was too young for me. I didn’t think the four-year age gap would matter that much, but after a few weeks, I knew it was never going to work.”
“You knew after a few weeks? You dated Mason for months!”
“I know, but the spark wore off fast. Our relationship was strictly platonic by the end.”
“Why didn’t you break it off sooner?”
“Because I felt sorry for him. His mom had recently died, his stepdad was out of the picture, he never knew his real father . . . He seemed so vulnerable.”
Winnie laughed. “This is your problem. You date lost puppies.”
“I can’t help it. Lost puppies are so cute. So loving and needy.”
“Too needy.”
“I like being needed. It makes me feel good.” Rolling onto my back, I sighed. “It’s just really frustrating that I’m thirty-two and still haven’t found the one yet. Honestly, I thought I’d have like three kids by now.”
“You don’t need a man to have a kid, Mills. You just need some genetic material, and I think there’s an app for that.” She giggled.
“Be serious,” I told her, although I’d secretly googled sperm banks near me like ten times in the last few months and then immediately deleted my search history.
“I am being serious. You’d be an amazing mom, and if that’s what you want, you should go for it.”
“I want a family,” I clarified. “I want a dad for my kids, not just someone’s genetic material. And I’d like to grow old with someone. You and Felicity managed to find the one. Why can’t I?”
“Finding the one isn’t something you manage, like a project or an event. It takes time. I might be younger than you, but I kissed a lot of frogs before I met Dex. And even he sort of seemed like a frog at first—twelve years older than me, divorced with two young daughters, grumpy as hell and positive he’d never want to be in a relationship.”
I snorted. “That didn’t last long.”
“No, but it wasn’t easy. And look at Felicity.”
Our middle sister had recently spoken her vows in the orchard at Cloverleigh Farms, after a whirlwind courtship that had involved a fake engagement to her best friend from high school—the one who’d loved her all along. “That should have been easy, but they made it complicated.”