Jennifer Probst - All the Way

Andy threw the pen on the desk and groaned. “Why do I always get dragged into this stuff? She warned me, you know. Told me not to buy into your macho bonding crap and stay strong. Said if I breathed a word to you about her she’d cut off my balls. Gavin, she wasn’t kidding. Don’t mess with a woman who’s pissed off and is good friends with your wife.”

A ghost of a smile passed Gavin’s lips. “I don’t care, I need some help here. I need to stop that review, then find her.”

“Sorry, I’m only Lifestyle and Health. Susan’s her friend who got her the gig at Foodie magazine, though. Maybe she could help?”

“Get her on the phone.”

“Pushy, huh?” Andy grumbled but scrolled through his contacts. After a few conversations, he handed him the phone.

It took Gavin a while to convince Susan the planet would fall apart if that Hotspot Feature went to press. Finally, he secured a deal and hung up the phone.

“What did she say?”

“She needs a replacement column right now.”

“Oh. I don’t know where Miranda keeps her reviews.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re writing another column. Right now.”

Andy’s mouth dropped open. “You’re nuts. I can’t whip up a review. I’m Lifestyle and Health.”

“So you keep saying. You and Elaine eat out a lot. You accompany Miranda. I want you to write something now, Andy, and email it to Susan in the next half hour.”

Andy moaned. “This is a nightmare. Why do these things happen to me? Why do I always get involved?”

“Because you’re one of the good guys.”

“Sounds like a bad western.” He paused. “Even if I can pull this off, you still don’t know where she is.”

“I know people. I’ll find her.” He turned to stride away, then glanced back. “I’ll confirm you sent the article to Susan in a bit. And Andy? If you don’t help me, you’ll have to live with the knowledge you broke up a perfect relationship.”

“Perfect? You two never had a perfect relationship. I don’t need this kind of pressure. See, this is what happens when a person tries to help out a friend. I get dragged into a lover’s mess, and I’m the one who gets blamed if it doesn’t work out. Is this fair? Gavin, are you listening to me?”

Gavin hid a grin as Andy’s voice echoed down the corridor.

…

Miranda lifted her face toward the sun and allowed the warm rays to pour over her in a lover’s caress. She sighed with pleasure and let her gaze sweep the jagged mountain peaks that lay in the distance. The scent of wood and damp earth rose to her nostrils, and she enjoyed the crunch under her feet as she walked up the twisting pathway toward the cabin.

A bird cried out. She smiled as the sound echoed through the trees and once again felt a deep sense of peace and healing. Funny, she’d never been able to settle here without bad memories of her lost parents. Her grandmother used to drag her away from the city during the summers in an effort to get her away from the riffraff. Fresh country air and home cooking, she used to admonish. As a child, she craved the excitement of others, and not a cabin where the nearest mall was miles away. After her grandmother passed, it hurt too much to stay here, with memories of the only parent she’d known drifting in the air.

But now, she only experienced a knowledge that she belonged here. Miranda ran her fingers down the bark of an old oak tree. Sadness tugged at her belly and brought a familiar wave of longing. Only a week. Seven days. In a way, it felt like an entire lifetime since she’d last seen him. Touched him. Laughed with him.

She tilted her head toward the sky and imagined him flying to China, off on a new adventure. When she’d first met him, she’d been an impulsive child-woman, hungry for passion and afraid of love. After he left, she’d ruthlessly cut out those qualities and believed they were a sign of weakness. But the walls she built locked out all emotion, until the iciness closed off any feelings left.

This time, she allowed herself to experience the pain without running away. This time, she allowed herself to see the entire relationship without blinders, without rage, without blame.

She remembered the book she picked up last night in an effort to ease the hurt. The author stated there were three lessons in life, the three things that matter the most. Loving well. Living fully. Learning to let go.

Miranda took a deep breath. She knew what she needed to learn from her relationship with Gavin. Though she loved him, she needed to let him go.

Karma.

She walked back to the cabin and thought about the review. The mail would be there by now, and she’d arranged for an issue to be delivered to the cabin today. She flipped open the box and took out the heavy brown envelope. She turned the glossy pages until she reached the HotSpot feature. The sunlight glinted and blinded her for a moment.

Miranda blinked.

Jade Aloha A Rare Find

She skimmed the review of the Chinese restaurant that was a favorite of Andy’s. He’d always begged her to review it, but the place was mostly take-out, so she refused. Miranda checked the date and wondered if Susan sent her the wrong issue.

She shook her head in disbelief. Something had gone wrong. Oddly, the whole review sounded a lot like Andy’s voice. What was going on?

The sound of a car dragging on gravel pulled her attention away. As if observing the scene in a dream, she watched the familiar black Mercedes stop at the end of the drive. Seconds passed that felt like hours, and then the door opened.

She and Gavin gazed at one another for a long while. Despair shook through her. With the grace of a tiger, he closed the distance between them and an animal moan slipped from her lips. Golden brown hair blew gently in the breeze and settled in disarray. Steel-blue eyes glinted with purpose, and he stared at her as if he saw right into her soul. Fierce masculine energy burned in waves around his figure, told by his locked jaw, the set of his shoulders, the proud tilt of his head. The air sizzled with tension.

She took a step back as she caught the hot desire in his gaze. He looked her over like a possessive Dom about to claim his woman, and her nipples immediately peaked with interest.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she tore out.

He considered her question. “Because I have no choice. I didn’t get what I wanted yet.”

“I can’t do this, Gavin. I gave you the review for Mia Casa. I walked away with my head held high and even understood. But don’t toy with me and my feelings. Why aren’t you in China?”

“I’m not going to China, Red. I never was. Brando screwed up and God help him, he’s gonna pay big-time for this mess. You don’t know the stress I’ve been through this past week.”

Her mouth fell open. “You? Your stress? Are you kidding me?”

“No. Next time, if you think I’m flying off to China, just ask me. It would save us both a lot of legwork.”

She shook her head and tried to grasp for sanity. “This is not happening. Gavin, you need to go home, now. It’s too late for us.”

He clenched his fists and cocked his head. “Don’t piss me off, Red. It’s my turn to talk now, and you’re going to listen.” An outraged squeak escaped her lips, but she was too angry to speak. He nodded with approval. “Better. I’ll keep this simple. I made a huge mistake the first time I walked away from you, and I’m not making another one. I also figured out I love Mia Casa. I’m staying. I’m going to run the restaurant with my brother and make it a success. I’m going to buy a big ass house in the city and get a dog. I’m going to play cook, waiter, and peacemaker to my crazy Italian family. I quit Mackenzie & Associates last week.”

She stood in the sunlight, staring at the man she loved, struck completely mute. She waited for the Disney music to cue up and a fairy Godmother to appear from the woods. Nothing happened, though. The wind whispered through the trees. A flock of birds flew overhead, their high-pitched screeches breaking the silence. Miranda stared into his eyes for endless moments as the realization sank in.

“What about the review?” she choked out. “What happened?”

He shrugged. “I stopped it. Had Andy re-write it. If Allison ever read it, she’d tear you apart. Your whole career would be shot. I needed you to believe in me. In us.”

He loved her. He chose her.

She was enough for him. More than enough.

“Why?”

“As Sinatra would say, ‘Who knows where the road will lead us, but if you let me love you, I’ll love you all the way.’”

She blinked. “What?”

He let out a disgusted groan. “Ridiculous Sinatra-isms. Okay, I’ll do this my way. Because I love you.” Shaking his head, he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a black box. “I’m such an ass. I did this all wrong. Damn Brando. I had dinner, and champagne, and roses all set up. I was going to put the ring in that chocolate truffle dessert you love. Now I screwed the whole thing up. Ah, crap, here we go.”

He dropped to his knee in front of her. Snapped open the lid. And looked up at her, blinking in the rays of light. “I love you. I want to wake up with you every morning and make love to you every night. I want to grow old with you, and when we finally part this life, I want to spend my next one doing it all over again. Just with you.” He hesitated, then clenched his jaw in determination. “I want you to marry me, Miranda. I want you to be my wife.”

Her heart split wide open, filled with joy and love and deep-seated knowledge that Gavin Luciano was the man she’d spend the rest of her life with. A tear escaped her lashes and ran down her cheek. As if the tear had been her answer, he rose from the ground and closed the distance between them. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he kissed her, sweetly, thoroughly. Her lips trembled beneath his, and when he pulled away, her voice broke on a whisper.

“Yes.”

He slipped the ring over her finger. “I understand why you ran from me. But there will never be another reason for either of us to run again. If you try, I’ll find you every time.”

She laughed as his familiar arrogance shimmered beneath his statements. Miranda wrapped her arms around him and snuggled deep into his arms. “Yes, oh Lord and Master. Will you keep me barefoot and pregnant, too?”

“Not a bad idea.” He buried his face in her mane of curls and breathed in.

She held him close as her world suddenly righted and became whole.

Miranda gasped and shook the paper in front of her. “That bitch!”

Gavin glanced at Brando in worry. His brother took one look at his wife’s furious face and slowly backed away toward the kitchen. “Sorry, dude, you are so on your own. I told you she’d be pissed.”

Gavin ignored the funny pitch in his gut and reminded himself not to be a wuss. He needed to make a decision for the good of Mia Casa. He had no choice.

And he was about to pay the extreme penalty.

He signaled for Dominick to pour him a glass of Chianti and slid it as a peace offering across the table. “Here, baby, what’s upset you?”

She grabbed the wine glass and pushed it back at him. Gavin winced.

“Did you know about this?” she shrieked. One finger jabbed at the black-and-white print of The Gazette, where the column Allison Speaks highlighted the headline. “She gave the restaurant four stars! Four! She never, ever gives four—for God’s sakes, even Chef Pierre got three-and-a-half stars. When was she here? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Gavin kept on his feet in case he needed to make a quick exit. “I wasn’t exactly positive she was going to write it up, but she did call me to ask some questions about the menu. I’ve seen her in here a few times, but figured she was only eating here to piss you off.”

Miranda glowered and tapped her nail against the table. “Oh, this means war. She only rated Mia Casa so high because I trashed it. How dare she? You were doing just fine on your own without her stupid compliments.”

He choked back laughter. “Umm, sweetheart, shouldn’t you be happy for us? I mean, yes, we’ve been doing well, but a review by Allison can make a huge difference. Bring in a bigger crowd. “

That lower lip stuck out and imitated Brando’s famous pout. Except on his wife, it was so damn hot he wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless. Already, he grew to monstrous proportions at the idea of getting his hands on her naked body. His life revved up from black and white to Technicolor, and he loved every damn second of it. Even the fights.