“Are you Emaline’s sister?” Garrett asked Gretchen.
“In a manner of speaking,” she replied.
He swallowed some beer and nodded. “Oh, I get it.”
“Do you?” Juliana said.
They shared a private laugh. It wasn’t the first time someone had mistaken Gretchen and her for biological sisters. Both had long, dark hair and sable eyes—although that’s where the resemblance ended. Gretchen was taller and thinner than Emaline and retreating for a vampire woman. However, she had managed to snag Bertram Fulbright, a conceited but diverting vampire who had slept with everyone in their group but Sonya.
Juliana checked her phone. “Well, it was fun while it lasted: back to diapers and bottles.”
“Is Chad home with Bethany?” Emaline asked.
“No. Abby’s out with friends, and he’s at Ambrose’s. The two of them are on dad duty.”
Emaline stiffened at the allusion to Ambrose’s fatherhood. She had never thought that Abby and he would have children. That was the one thing a vampire woman could never give a vampire man or vice-versa. She wondered if that’s why Gretchen was hesitating to marry Bert.
Garrett stood up as Juliana rose from the table. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Juliana.”
“Likewise. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.”
Gretchen and Sonya left with Juliana, abandoning Emaline with Garrett Thompson. She was sure she wanted to be alone with him, but not sure what she wanted to do with him. The night was still young. She had plenty of time to decide what favors she might or might not bestow on him.
Unexpectedly, Garrett took her hand. “So, tell me about yourself,” he said, capturing her in the serene pools of his eyes.
It wasn’t easy to make a female vampire’s heart flutter, but Emaline’s heart did just that. A barrage of emotions assailed her, ones her people had battled for centuries. She was human, yes; but she needed blood to survive. Somehow, she couldn’t imagine telling Garrett that.
“Your next beer’s on me, Garrett. My family owns this sports bar and restaurant.”
He grinned, and dimples danced in both of his cheeks. “No shit? Well, you are full of surprises, aren’t you?”
More than you can possibly imagine, she thought.
“Was that a relative at the bar?” he asked.
Emaline nodded. “My brother. He’s a manager, but he enjoys bartending. Besides, it is March Madness, you know.”
“That’s college basketball,” Garrett pointed out, but she shrugged it off. She wasn’t interested in any male-dominated sports teams, professional or otherwise.
His grip tightened on her hand. “I want to tell you something right off. I’m divorced, and I have a four-year-old son. He’s the most important person in my life.”
That made Emaline smile. First, because he assumed they were going to have a relationship, and that it mattered; and second, because she admired his candor.
“Well, I’ve never been married, and I don’t have any kids.”
“What about a boyfriend?”
“Oh, I hang around with a few guys…but nothing serious.”
“How would you like to get serious with me?”
“That all depends,” she said, scrutinizing him. “What was the comment you made about me to your buddies?”
“I said, ‘There’s the woman of my dreams.’”
Emaline shook her head and laughed. “Oh, you are good.”
“I have this feeling about us, that we might be good together. What does your woman’s intuition tell you?”
“That you’re in trouble. Serious trouble,” she teased.
~~~~
Gretchen Eberhardt let herself into the townhouse she shared with her vampire lover, Bertram—or Bert, as his friends called him. She’d moved in with Bert two years ago, but neither she nor he had brought up the topic of marriage. Although vampire couples didn’t have to marry, most who bonded did. Vampire families were no different from other families in that regard: Living together without the benefit of marriage was frowned upon, childless or not.
She hung her jacket in the closet where everything was arranged neatly. Bert was nothing if not fastidious, about his home as well as himself. Disdaining clutter, he’d allowed Gretchen to bring few possessions from her apartment, except for her piano. She’d put her furniture into storage, and there her property stayed—a form of psychological insurance.
Gretchen found Bert in the living room, watching TV and reading. He had difficulty entertaining himself and bored easily. It amazed her that he hadn’t tired of her yet or sunk his fangs into another woman by now.
Bert looked up, and Juliana’s image filled her head. Like his former girlfriend, he had curly blond hair and emerald eyes, an engaging smile and a winsome personality that could enchant anyone. Bert Fulbright was anything but innocent. He was a bit roguish, slightly narcissistic, and totally disarming—a vampire’s vampire, if ever there was one.
“How are the girls?”
Gretchen wasn’t stupid. She knew why Bert had relinquished Juliana and Emaline: They were far too confident and assertive for him. Nonetheless, he’d known their bodies as intimately as he knew hers, something she couldn’t forget.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, picking a piece of microscopic lint from his sweater.
Gretchen folded her arms. She saw him staring at the tiny spot of red wine on her white top. “It’s difficult being with your ex-lovers sometimes.”
“Gretchen, they’re your closest friends.”
“I know, and you’ve had all three of us.”
Amusement flickered across his face. “I assure you, I’ve erased all memory of them from my mind. Besides, if it doesn’t bother them, why should it bother you?”
“Because I wonder who’s next.”
Bert pulled her down beside him onto the sofa. “Gretchen…You know I’ve been faithful to you since we’ve been together.” He ran the back of his hand along her cheek and down her neck. “You taste more delicious than any woman I’ve ever had.”
His words, more than his caresses, aroused her. Gretchen was careful, though, to hide her desire from him.
“But you’re not addicted to me, are you?” she said.
“Vampires don’t get addicted to each other. They fall in love, like ordinary couples.”
“And fall out, just as easily.”
Bert stroked her hair. “Are you still carrying a torch for Lance?”
“I got over that, long ago.” It was a snippet of a lie. She had loved Lance deeply, thought of him as her soul mate. He had married a woman named Sally, with two children, and had broken Gretchen’s heart in a way Bert could never understand.
He studied her, his eyes luminous. “I’m not interested in non-vampire women. I’d miss not being bitten, and I have no burning need to have a family.”
“So you’ve told me.”
“Yes, many times, but you’ve never told me how you feel.”
“I’d like to have a family, but I think I’m going to have to give that up.”
He nuzzled her head, kissing her behind the ear. “Does that bother you much?”
Gretchen moved away from him. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”
“I’m a nosy bastard. Why else?”
She laughed, and Bert beamed a smile at her—the kind that could win over the devil himself. He was so beautiful, so fun to be with that it pained her to think of losing him.
The clock on the mantel chimed ten times. Bert wrapped his arm around her. “It’s still early. Want to watch a movie?”
“Sounds good. You pick something out.”
“We’ll pick something out together,” he said.
He kissed her, almost as if he loved her, and she laid her head on his shoulder.
~~~~
Sonya dropped Juliana at Ambrose and Abby’s place. Juliana would have liked to stay up and party the way she used to, but life had changed drastically since Bethany came along
. Her nine-month-old daughter absorbed most of her time and energy, and to be truthful, she wasn’t enjoying parenting as much as she’d expected to.
The baby was sleeping in Vanessa’s playpen—until Zeus woke her up. The black Lab had grown braver and more protective over the years. He showed no fear around vampire children and had become Vanessa’s guardian. Although the dog was accustomed to Juliana, he still barked whenever she entered the house.
Bethany spied Juliana, pulled herself up, and dissolved into tears. Chad took excellent care of the baby, but she needed her mama most. The weight of Bethany’s dependence, the burden that motherhood had thrust upon Juliana, drained her emotionally.
Ambrose kissed her in greeting before she lifted Bethany from the playpen. Chad smiled and waved a beer bottle at her, so typically him. Juliana snuggled Bethany against her and she stopped crying. The baby was as blond as they were—so blond that pink scalp showed through her hair—but she had Chad’s turquoise eyes. Everyone always told Juliana how beautiful her daughter was, but it gave her little consolation now that Bethany was teething and crabby.
She accepted the goblet of wine her cousin offered. Ambrose had sable hair and eyes and was very good-looking. She was sure that Emaline had loved him at one time, but that was in the past. He had married Abby, a pretty, lively redhead. Their little girl with copper-colored hair and deep brown eyes was proof positive of their love. They were the happiest mixed couple alive—and that included Chad and Juliana, who had known each other forever. Her husband and her cousin had been friends since childhood.
Chad patted the sofa. “Sit down, Jules.”
Zeus came over to sniff the baby, just to make sure she was all right. The dog gazed up at Juliana and wagged its tail, then lay down on the area rug. Abby’s cat, Laurel, was nowhere to be seen.
Sipping her wine, she glanced at Ambrose and said, “Next time, you come to our house so that Chad can put Bethany to sleep in her crib and you can keep Vanessa up.”
Ambrose gave her a puzzled look. “I think that’s what we did last time?”
Juliana sighed in frustration. “That’s right. I remember now. Sorry…”
Bethany rubbed her face against Juliana’s silk blouse, staining the material. She could never dress nicely anymore; the baby ruined everything she wore.
“You seem tired, honey,” Chad said. “Maybe you should have stayed home tonight.”
“I’d rather be tired than stuck in the house with a baby twenty-four hours a day.”
Juliana didn’t mean it the way it came out, but her words surprised her cousin nonetheless. He was well-mannered enough not to comment. In fact, Ambrose was excruciatingly polite and it annoyed Juliana to no end, fond of him as she was.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Half the time, she’s at your mother’s.”
She bristled inwardly at Chad’s response. That’s how it had been between them lately, resentments bubbling beneath the surface like lava building inside a volcano.
Juliana heard a door close, then footsteps. “I’m home,” Abby called out, sounding cheerful as always. She had a toddler who got into everything. Juliana wondered how she managed to keep her sanity.
Zeus greeted Abby as she entered the living room. “Hello, baby boy,” she said, petting him.
Ambrose feigned a frown. “I thought I was your baby boy?”
She walked over to the chair, hugging him from behind and kissing the top of his head. “You are.” Abby smiled at Chad, Juliana, and Bethany. “And how is the Browning family? Oh, look at your daughter…She gets cuter every time I see her.”
Chad grinned crookedly. “I think Juliana’s ready to give her up for adoption.”
Laughing, Abby came over to the sofa to admire Bethany, half asleep in Juliana’s arms. “Vanessa whined for two months when she started teething. Poor baby,” she said, bending to kiss Bethany softly on the cheek.
Except for the interval when Abby had broken up with her cousin, Juliana had always liked her; but sometimes, her perky personality irritated Juliana as much as Ambrose’s civility. She was sure that the two of them never shouted fuck you at each other, the way she and Chad did.
Abby plopped down on Ambrose’s lap and he drew her close, gazing at her with the kind of love that only existed in movies or romance novels. For a moment, Juliana thought that her face turned as green as her eyes. Although she loved Chad and knew deep down that he loved her, he had not looked at her like that in a long time. The only romantic thing he had ever done was to dress up like a knight, show up on a horse, and propose to her on Halloween.
Abby dislodged her loafers and the shoes dropped to the floor, one by one. “You’re lucky that Bethany is so attached to you, Juliana. Vanessa is very independent.”
Ambrose smiled at his wife. “Gee, I wonder where she gets that?”
“She adores you. Of course, you’ve spoiled her terribly.”
“That’s because I never thought she was possible.”
Juliana stood up. “I think we should go, Chad. I need to put Bethany to bed.”
Ambrose started to displace Abby, but Chad indicated that he should stay put. “We can show ourselves out, Bro.”
He took Bethany from Juliana so that she could slip into her jacket. Her daughter protested at first, but was too fatigued to continue fussing.
The four of them said good night. As Juliana looked back, she saw Ambrose kissing Abby, and jealousy roiled her stomach again. She thought about Gretchen with Bertram, and her neck tingled. Oh, what she wouldn’t have given for a real love bite.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda Lee Williams writes “contemporary romance with a paranormal twist.” After moving to Denver from Chicago, she taught writing classes at Arapahoe Community College and formed a writers group. Recently, she teamed up with her husband Tim—the artist that illustrated her book covers—to publish her novels on Amazon.
An outdoor enthusiast, Linda enjoys hiking, biking, and birding. She loves critters of all kinds, domestic or wild. During her journeys, she’s called Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, and Colorado home. Wherever she roams, she draws inspiration from her surroundings.
Return of the Runaway Bride
by
Donna Fasano
Copyright © 2014, Donna J. Fasano
Cover design, Rayna Januska
Once upon a time...there lived a lovely young woman named Savanna who was engaged to Daniel, a handsome law student. Theirs was to be a fairy-tale wedding. But Savanna's second thoughts were too big to be ignored, so the would-be bride ran away. As the years passed...Daniel's heart turned to ice. It is this unfeeling man that Savanna faces upon her return. The love of her youth is now a stranger. Could Savanna ever make Daniel understand why she abandoned him? And could she convince the man of her dreams he will always be her Prince Charming?
What reviewers are saying about Return of the Runaway Bride:
“So what did I think about these characters? Spot-on!”
-Misty Baker, A KindleObsessed Review
“I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a sweet and realistic love story.”
-The Autumn Review
“Ms. Fasano's ability to throw humor into her writing adds richness to the story, and had me laughing many times. Fantastic book!”
-Allie-Kat
Please press “Next Page” on your e-reader for the first chapter of Return of the Runaway Bride.
Return of the Runaway Bride
by Donna Fasano
PROLOGUE
"I need to slip down to the kitchen to check with the caterer. I'll be right back to pin on your veil. I won't be two minutes, promise." The woman hesitated at the door and gazed warmly at her daughter. Sudden emotion glistened in her eyes. "Oh, honey, you're going to make a beautiful bride."
Savanna Langford watched the door of her bedroom close as her mother bustled out and then she took a deep, calming breath. Sitting down on the very edge of her bed so as not
to crease the delicate double galloon lace covering her wedding gown, Savanna looked around the room that had sheltered both her and her dreams for all nineteen years of her life.
The pale-green spread covering the bed was sumptuous and soft. The matching curtains ruffling in the gentle breeze allowed the perfect amount of sunlight to shine through the open window. White bookshelves held all the classic novels that should be read by a proper young woman. Everything surrounding her was neat, tidy, pristine. This was a perfect room, in a perfect house, where she'd spent her perfect youth growing up in a perfect world.
And now the next phase of her life was soon to unfold before her. She was about to take part in the perfect wedding and marry the perfect man.
That Daniel Walsh III was the perfect man was no secret. Everyone said so. Danny was loving, caring, kind and gentle. Not only that, but Miz Ida, owner of Watson's Kwik-E Mart, adamantly declared that he was the most handsome man in the county. And Savanna's father had boasted on more than one occasion that Danny would be an excellent provider once he finished his final year of law school and passed the bar. Yes, everyone agreed that Danny Walsh was the best catch in town.
Savanna tipped her chin high and stared at the ceiling. "So what's wrong with me?" she murmured. She knew Danny was perfect, that was one reason why she loved him with all her heart and soul. She'd never met another man like him.
Why, then, when she was about to embark on a lifelong journey with the man of her dreams, was she plagued with such doubt? Why, on what should be the happiest day of her life, did she feel as if she were being followed by an ominous thunder cloud?
There was no denying the dark cloud. It had been hanging over her head now for two full weeks.
She stood and paced the length of the room, twisting the fingers of both hands together this way and that.
"It's nerves," she said in a firm, loud voice. "It's only nerves. Put it out of your head."
Pressing a fist against her solar plexus, Savanna forced the tension from her trembling stomach and the distressing questions from her mind.