Cover to Covers (36 page)

He
breathed in the scent of her lilac perfume and whispered, “Me, too.”

As she
moved through the doorway, Tyler’s hope for the future was reignited. Their lives had come full circle. The happiness he had longed for was once again within reach, only this time he vowed to ardently grab hold of it with both hands, and never, ever, let go. 

Epilogue

Tyler was sitting at his
Napoleon desk across from three middle-aged gentlemen dressed in tailored dark suits with stern-looking faces. He was going through a neatly formatted report with dozens of colorful charts and graphs as he listened to one of the men speak in a rather monotone voice.

“We have new contracts coming in daily for the alternative energy d
ivision, and if that keeps on track it will be one of our fastest growing enterprises. The oil leases for sixty-eight percent of our wells are secured for the next four years, and we—”

“Bill, just give me the bottom line,” Tyler in
serted. “I know the P&L numbers, what I want from you guys are the projections. I need to get everything settled before I go out of town tomorrow.”

“Well, Tyler, it’s like we said,” Bill returned
. “The projections for the alternative energy division are very good and we have—”

“Where are the Oklahoma gas pipeline numbers?” Tyler leafed through the report.

“We did not include those for this year since the line won’t be up and running until next year,” another of the accountants replied.

“But I need to see expenditures, Harry
.” Tyler tossed the thick report on his desk. “We’ve had enough delays with all the political games and I want to be kept informed on what kind of expenses we are drawing from that project.”

“Of course, Tyler. I’ll get Mitch to send those to you before the day is out. I know we—”

“Dude, what are you doing?” a man’s voice called from the doorway to Tyler’s office.

Standing inside the doors was a thick man with wild blond hair, wearing a T-shirt with “Surfers
Do It in Waves” plastered across the chest, faded blue jeans, and dingy white tennis shoes. Beneath his tanned arm was the small, white body of Bart. The dog’s red tongue was hanging from the side of his mouth and dripping drool all over Tyler’s expensive beige rug.

“Tyler, it’s time.” 

Tyler looked up at him. “Time for what, Jake? And why is Bart here?”

Jake scurried up to his desk. “
Mojo called me. Her water broke when she was at lunch with your mom and Gary. They are taking her to the hospital, and she wanted me to get you.”

Tyler stood from his desk. “But
she still has another month to go.”

Jake shrugged. “I guess no one told little Eva that.”

Tyler grabbed for his black suit jacket on a chair beside his desk. “I can’t believe this. When I left the house, everything was fine. She was packing for our honeymoon.” He checked for his keys in his jacket pocket. Then, as if remembering the men seated at his desk, he coolly announced, “Gentleman, you’ll have to excuse me, it seems my wife has gone into labor.”

“Good luck, Tyler,” Bill
voiced as Tyler jogged out of the office. “Whatever you do, just tell her to keep breathing.”

When
Tyler passed through his black leather-covered doors, Jake slapped his shoulder, almost knocking him to the side. “Isn’t this great? I come in town for your wedding and end up getting to meet my niece, too.”

“
Jake, are you sure everything is all right?” Tyler begged.

“Call me and let me know how it goes,” Lynn said,
coming up to him.

He nodded to her. “I will.”  

“And, Mr. Moore? Relax, everything is going to be fine.”

He
took in a deep breath, trying to calm his rattled nerves. “Thank you, Lynn.”

“
Hurry up,” Jake exuberantly yelled. “I’m double parked downstairs.”

Tyler
pointed to Bart. “You can’t bring the dog to the hospital, Jake.” 

“Mo
jo didn’t want him left alone in your big mansion,” Jake admitted. “She said he would be afraid.”

Tyler took the dog from under
Jake’s arm and handed him to Lynn. “Can you dog sit for me?”

Lynn warily
examined Bart’s face. “This will cost you.”

Tyler
grinned at his secretary. “Add it to my bill.”

“We’ve got to go, Tyler,” Jake i
nsisted next to him.

When he reached the silver elevator doors in the reception area, Tyler hurriedly pushed the call button several times.

“Pretty exciting stuff, eh?” Jake commented beside him. “It’s just like what Mojo writes about in those trashy novels of hers. A real ‘happily ever after,’ you know?”

“No, Jake,” Tyler proclaimed as the elevator doors opened. “This isn’t anything like Moe’s romance novels. This ‘happily ever after’ is better…because it’s real.”

The End

About the Author

Alexandrea Weis is an advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New Orleans. Her first novel,
To My Senses,
introduced readers to the world of Nicci Beauvoir and garnered numerous awards and rave reviews. Her popular second Nicci Beauvoir novel,
Recovery,
won the Gold Medal for best romantic suspense from The Reader’s Favorite Book Awards 2011, was named best Romantic Suspense novel by the Spring 2011 NABE Pinnacle Book Awards, and was a Finalist in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards in 2011. Her fourth novel,
Broken Wings
, won best Contemporary Romance by the NABE Pinnacle Book Awards in 2012, was a finalist in the USA Book Awards for Romance in 2012, and was a finalist in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards for Contemporary Romance for 2012. Her sixth novel,
Diary of a One-Night Stand,
was released in August 2012 and was named a Paranormal Romance Guild’s Best Reviewed of 2012. A permitted wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans.