His Hush-Hush Baby - Holly Rayner Page 0,62
and that thing he’d been fiddling with turned out to be a ring box. As Diane watched with a dropped jaw, he popped the box and kneeled in front of her.
“Please?” He smiled that million-dollar grin that had won her over the first day they met. “Marry me?”
“So this is what you were up to,” she said. “Flying your parents in.”
“Guilty as charged, but how long am I going to need to stay down here before I officially make you mine?”
“Not a second longer.” Grabbing his shoulders, she hauled them both to standing and kissed him on the mouth. “Absolutely yes!”
Their parents clapped and hooted, and Mackenzie banged her palms on the table, excited that everyone else was excited. Kai took the diamond ring from the box and slipped it onto Diane’s finger.
“I thought you’d forgotten,” she whispered to him.
He gave her a funny look. “Forgotten about the ring?”
“No, forgotten about ever proposing. About getting married.”
Kai looped his arms around her. “Never. Diane, I’ve been thinking about this day since the moment I met you. I knew the second I laid eyes on you that I’d found something special.”
“Aww,” Ruby cooed.
Diane’s face warmed. “You are so sweet.”
“Congratulations, you two.” Kai’s dad clapped.
“Really. Congratulations.” Trevor’s tears were now a definite.
Diane pecked Kai on the cheek, and he responded by dipping her and kissing her full-on.
“Okay, okay,” she said laughing, standing up. “Parental units!”
“Sorry, parental units.” Kai laughed. “Cover your eyes.”
“Gamma!”
Diane gasped and looked at Mackenzie. “What, sweetie?”
“Gram…ma!” Mackenzie turned in Ruby’s lap to gaze at her.
“Oh my God,” Diane said. “That’s her first word other than ‘dat.’”
Ruby nuzzled her cheek into the top of Mackenzie’s head. “That’s right, sweetheart. I’m Grandma.”
Tears of happiness streamed down Diane’s face. It was such a little thing, but it meant everything.
Kai squeezed her hand. “We have a great family. We’re pretty darn lucky.”
“Yes.” She gazed across the sparkling blue water, then turned her attention back to the people gathered around them. “I’d say we are.”
The End
I hope you’ve enjoyed Diane and Kai’s story! Keep reading for the first chapter of the previous book in the Babies and Billions series, The Jilted Bride’s Secret Baby
Happy reading!
Love, Holly x
The Jilted Bride’s Secret Baby
Prologue
Part 1: Leo
“I’ll explain when you get here,” Leo Harvey said into his cellphone.
He heard his best friend Danny sigh. “Leo, man, are you serious? This is crazy. Think about what you’re doing. You can’t just—”
“Danny, are you my friend?”
“Yes.”
“Then just do this for me, all right? I need you right now, bud.”
Danny emitted another sigh. Then, as usual, he gave in to Leo’s persuasions. “Okay, hold tight. I just have to get keys from one of the resort managers. Be there in five.”
The line went dead, and Leo slipped his phone into a pocket of his slacks.
The button-up shirt he wore felt constricting at the collar. He knew it wasn’t—he had all of his shirts custom-made and this one fit especially well. But still, it felt too tight, like it was choking him. He hastily tore at the top two buttons until they were unfastened, and then gulped in a breath of the humid island air.
Tilting his head back, he looked up at the sky where it peeked through the layer of palm fronds that sheltered him from the sun. The sky was pristine blue, dotted with just a few puffy white clouds, and there was no sign of rain, which he’d heard was common in Fiji in April.
Perfect day for a wedding, he thought as he listened to the surf crash against the beach just on the other side of the stucco wall he stood next to. Too bad there isn’t going to be one.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was one fifteen—just thirty minutes before the ceremony was to begin. Even though the wedding had been meticulously planned, and there were over two hundred guests on the private island just for the event, Leo knew without a doubt that the ceremony would not happen. Years of event planning had taught him one thing for sure—it’s pretty darn hard to have a wedding without a groom.
He heard a car approaching.
He stepped away from the little alcove he was standing in, out from under the shade of the palms. The early afternoon sun was hot and bright, and he shielded his eyes to see a sedan crawling across the white pebbled drive that led away from the luxury resort. Danny was behind the wheel.
Leo lifted his hand in a wave