Sisters in Bloom (Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters #2), Contemporary Romance (30 page)

Kaylie took Danica’s hand. “Oh my God. This belongs to Blake’s cousin?”

“Yeah. Treat Braden,” Danica said in a breathy voice. “This is too much.”

Blake put his hand on the small of her back. “He was happy to comp us the venue. It’s his wedding gift to us.”

“He must be loaded,” Kaylie said.

“Kaylie!”
Maybe Kaylie hasn’t changed that much after all
.

Kaylie smiled, and covered her mouth with her hand. “Oops. Sorry.”

Blake took it in stride. “He is loaded. His entire family is well off, but you’d never know it. All five brothers, and his sister, too. But they’re good people. Very humble, generous to a fault.”

“And from what Blake told me, each one is more handsome than the next, and yet they’re all single. Even Savannah, their sister.”

Kaylie furrowed her brow. “Are they all gay? I mean, women must flock to them, and guys to her.”

Blake shook his head as he checked in at the registration desk.

“They’re not gay; trust me, they all play the field. A lot,” he said as they headed to their separate rooms, agreeing to meet for a quick bite once they were settled in.

Danica brought her wedding checklist to the café to go over it one last time.

“Everyone arrives Friday. Sally and Max are bringing our dresses with them; the flowers and food are all set, and Treat has reserved an entire island for the ceremony. Oh, and of course a boat, too, to get to the island.” Danica let out a relieved sigh, wondering what she might have forgotten. She still couldn’t believe that they were really getting married. She grabbed Blake’s hand, and when he turned his green eyes toward her, the yellow specks that had always intrigued her were dancing in the light.

He put his other hand on her cheek and said, “Yes, we’re really doing this.”

He’d been reminding her every chance he got that she would soon be his wife. Danica found it funny. He’d been the player when they’d met, not her, and yet he was the one afraid she’d leave him at the altar. “Yes, we are,” she assured him.

“Oh, please. Get a room.” Kaylie set the menu down as the waitress arrived and took their orders.

The waitress’s pearl-white teeth contrasted against her deeply tanned skin, and colorful beads were weaved through tiny braids in her long dark hair. Danica expected some sort of island accent, but when the summer beauty spoke, she was as American as apple pie. “I’ll be y’all’s waitress today. What can I get ya?”

They ordered tropical drinks, salads, and sandwiches, and Danica watched Kaylie survey the young waitress as she sauntered away, her hourglass figure expertly defined beneath the long, tight skirt and slinky tank top. She waited for Kaylie’s snarky remark.

Kaylie moved her chair closer to Chaz and said, “Wow, she is gorgeous. If that’s what the tropical sun does to a girl, then I’m never leaving.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” Danica was only half joking.

Kaylie swatted the air. “I’m old now, sis. I’m almost thirty, with two kids to boot.”

“If that’s old, then what does it say about me?” Danica asked.

“You’re right. At almost thirty-two, you are old. I’m still a spring chicken.”

The waitress brought their drinks and meals, and Blake raised his glass. “To two marriages. May they last forever.” They all clinked glasses.

Chaz took a drink, then asked, “What time does your father get in?”

Kaylie groaned.

“Play nice, Kaylie,” Danica said. Kaylie hadn’t seen their father since right after she graduated from college, when she’d found out about his long-term affair and he’d moved away and married his mistress. “He, Madeline, and Lacy get in today around six.”

“Madeline is coming, too?” Kaylie asked with a long sigh.

Of course, Kaylie already knew their father’s wife was coming. Danica shook her head at her sister’s penchant for drama.

“Please tell me why he’s coming on Wednesday when our wedding isn’t until Sunday,” Kaylie said. “I’ll need more of these, please.” Kaylie sucked down her drink and held up the glass, indicating to the waitress that she wanted a refill.

“Slow down, girl. You should at least be coherent when he arrives,” Danica said. “He wants time with us, and he knows we’ll be busy the day of the wedding. I told you all of this, and you agreed.”

“I didn’t agree,” Kaylie said with a vehement shake of her head. “You just didn’t listen to me when I said it would ruin my week. And that girl is coming, too. At least I don’t have to be nice to
her
,” Kaylie said.

Blake and Danica exchanged a worried glance. They’d anticipated how Kaylie might react to meeting their half sister, Lacy—their father’s love child—who was born just a few years after Kaylie, while their parents were still married.

When the twins were born, Kaylie had refused to call her father. Danica had taken it upon herself to give him the news about his grandchildren, and through her father, she’d made contact with Lacy. Although Danica had yet to meet her in person, they’d been exchanging emails, phone calls, and even a few handwritten letters over the past year and a half. Kaylie had been livid at her for weeks about contacting their father, so Danica decided to keep her relationship with Lacy a secret…just until Kaylie settled down. And by her reaction, it appeared that the subject of their father was still an open wound.

“Kaylie, I let you make most of the decisions, and you won on the dress decision. You were worried about Chelsea and Camille forgetting the dresses, or something happening to them, and practically demanded that Max be in charge.”

“She’s Chaz’s work wife. She gets everything done perfectly,” Kaylie said with a wave of her hand.

“Work wife? Whatever. Listen, whether you like it or not, Lacy is our blood relative,” Danica said carefully.

Kaylie pointed at Danica. “Half. If even that. I mean, how do we know she’s really his? We don’t know this Madeline woman. Maybe she’s a slut. I mean, she has to be to break up a marriage, right?”

Chaz had heard this from Kaylie dozens of times. He pushed back from the table. “Do you mind if I go lie down for a bit? I’m beat.”

Kaylie touched his thigh. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, babe. I’m fine. I’m just gonna rest a bit so that I’m awake when your family arrives.”

So, Chaz has learned the art of escape
.

They kissed, and Kaylie turned back to Danica and Blake. “Sorry. He’s been working a lot.”

Danica had given up her therapy license almost three years earlier, when she’d realized her feelings for her new client—Blake—were not therapist-client appropriate. Even now, so many years later, she still could not ignore the therapist’s voice inside her head. Danica tried to hold back the worry that nipped at her nerves, but as she watched Kaylie suck down another drink, the words tumbled out.

“Kaylie, is something wrong between you and Chaz?”

“What? No, of course not. Why?”

Danica shrugged, trying to downplay her concern. “He just seemed to take off awfully fast when we started talking about Dad.”

Kaylie rolled her eyes.

There’s the old Kaylie
.

“He thinks I’m being childish about the girl.”

Danica saw the pleading in her eyes;
Support me. Tell me I’m right
. She’d decided, after almost turning down Blake’s proposal because of her sister’s relationship drama, that she would play things straight from then on. She was done putting her own feelings aside in order to save Kaylie’s from being hurt. Danica was sticking to her guns and allowing her true feelings to be known; she was determined to no longer placate Kaylie’s needy side—
too much
. Her relationship with Lacy, however, was excluded from that straightforward deal. That subject had to be handled with kid gloves.

“Well…” Danica said.

Blake kissed her cheek and stood. “I’m gonna check out the gift shop. I’ll meet you back at the hotel?”

“Sure.” She watched him lazily, sexily saunter away, his thick, muscular back swaying with each step, and her favorite pair of jeans hugging his—

 “What are you, fifteen?”

Danica hadn’t realized she was licking her lips until Kaylie’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She snapped her attention back to Kaylie. “What?”
Oh God. I’ve turned into one of those sex-crazed girls
. She made a mental note to tame her libido. At least in public.

“You look at him like he’s a Chippendales dancer and you’re made of one-dollar bills.” Kaylie crinkled her nose, like she was disgusted at the thought.

“Don’t you look at Chaz like that sometimes?”

Kaylie shrugged. “I guess. But once you have kids, you kind of put all that stuff aside.”

Uh-oh
. “Kaylie, now that the guys are gone, can we talk about Dad and Lacy? Just you and me?” She’d tried to bring up her father at least once each month since the twins were born, and each time, Kaylie had refused to discuss him. Danica had to try, just one last time.

“Why do you do this? Why do you feel the need to ruin a perfectly beautiful day? Isn’t it bad enough that he’s coming to the wedding?”

No need to beat me over the head with a stick. Lesson learned.

***

To continue reading, be sure to pick up the next

LOVE IN BLOOM RELEASE:

SISTERS IN WHITE,
Snow Sisters
,
Book Three

Expected publication date November 9, 2013

***

Watch for the full
LOVE IN BLOOM
series:

Sisters in Love, September 9, 2013

Sisters in Bloom, September 9, 2013

Sisters in White, November 9, 2013

Lovers at Heart, December 9, 2013

Destined to Love, January 9, 2014

Friendship on Fire, February 9, 2014

Sea of Love, March 9, 2014

Bursting with Love, April 9, 2014

Hearts at Play, May 9, 2013

As I wrote
Sisters in Bloom
and lived with Kaylie, Danica, and each of their friends and family members (even if only in my mind), I realized that the number of people I would need and want to thank has grown significantly, reaching far back into my childhood and extending through my forty-something years. If you have interacted with me in any way, you’ve touched my life and inspired me. Since that would take too many pages to print, I would like to send a worldwide, heartfelt thank you and virtual hug to those who have touched my life, and if you have interacted with me in any way—via email, telephone, social media, or in person—you have touched my life.

To all of the generous bloggers, authors, readers, and reviewers who have supported my efforts, I toss you virtual chocolate kisses. Your time, energy, and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated.

All of the members of Team Pay-It-Forward, the staff of the World Literary Café, my sisters from the Women’s Nest, and friends from around the world, thank you for your continual, unwavering, and fervent support.

My editorial staff deserves a gold medal for their patience, keen eyes, and inspiration. Kristen Weber, Penina Lopez, and Colleen Albert, I am indebted to you for helping me to refine my writing and giving my readers the quality they deserve. No one likes to be caught “peaking” when they should be “peeking.”

A special thank you goes to Melissa Ann Rich, who came up with the name of Danica’s youth center, No Limitz. It’s perfect, and I hope you feel that my writing did the name justice.

Writing would not be possible if not for the incredible support of my family (nuclear and extended). I love you to the moon and back—and you’d better send Jess with me or I might lose my way.

Melissa Foster is an award-winning, International bestselling author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the 
Women’s Nest
, a social and support community for women, and the 
World Literary Café
. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on 
Fostering Success
. Melissa hosts Aspiring Authors contests for children, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.

Visit Melissa on her
website
, chat with her on
The Women's Nest
, or social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Melissa’s books are available on
Amazon
.

www.MelissaFoster.com