Family Ties (33 page)

Authors: Louise Behiel

“You’re serious?”

Darn woman sounded surprised. Apparently his reticence had been more obvious than he thought. “Of course I’m serious. I don’t pop proposals off to anyone, you know.” He pulled her close for a kiss. “In fact, you’re the first.”

“Oh Gray, I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“Is such foolishness the reason you’ve been little miss efficient for the past couple of weeks?”

She nodded.

“Here I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what I’d done wrong.” He nibbled her neck. “Sheesh woman, don’t scare me like that again.”

“I’m sorry. In Seattle...you seemed....”

“It was kind of weird, wasn’t it?” He kissed her neck. “It did throw me a bit and I got confused for a little while. But not for long.”

“I thought you might want to move there and get to know your family.”

“I do want to know them, but not from next door.” He tucked her against him. “I gave it a lot of thought and realized living with the Mills hadn’t been all bad. And living with the Johnson’s wouldn’t have been all good.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I’ve always been kind of a loner, although,” he tipped up her chin and gave her a quick kiss, “I’ll have to change since we have four children living with us and I’d like to have one or two of our own.”

“Oh Gray, do you mean it?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I mean it.” When she reached up to kiss him, he let her – for a minute. Then he pulled away.

“There’s a few things we have to make clear though.”

“What?”

“For starters, you’ll have two sets of in-laws. But the good news is neither of them live nearby.”

“I can put up with them.”

“I’ll expect you to keep working with these kids. You’re terrific with them and I don’t want you to stop.”

“Okay.”

“Lastly, and this is the big one, I’d like you to check into adopting Bonnie. I know she’s almost an adult and old enough to be on her own, but I never again want her to feel those bottom-feeding scum is all she’s got for family.”

“I think Bonnie’d like that. We can talk to her tomorrow.”

“One more thing?”

“Something more?” she asked with mock seriousness.

“Can we get married quickly? Maybe in Vegas? I can’t begin to come up with seating arrangements in a church but if we eloped it wouldn’t matter.”

“We could get away for a weekend. Dina could stay with the kids and ....”

“The kids come.” He leaned over her this time. “I want my family –
my
family – with me when I marry the woman who made me whole.”

She knew her love was shining from her eyes. “Okay with me.”

“Good.” He took her lips in a searing kiss. “I figure we can be married in twenty-four hours if we hurry.”

“Gray.”

“I’m not taking any chances on you changing your mind, love. I’ve learned none of us knows where tomorrow will take us. I want every minute possible with you.”

She nodded, her eyes pooled with tears.

“I love you, Andie Bowen. With all my heart and soul.”

He kissed her long and hard. “I’ve learned something important – some families happen at birth, some are created by choice. But the best are forged in love.”

♦♥♦
The End
♦♥♦

ABOUT LOUISE BEHIEL

Louise spent much of her life in ‘serious’ pursuits, raising a family, getting an education and working. When she had a block of free time, she looked around and heard a small quiet voice within that said “You’ve read so many books, why don’t you write one?” To prove she couldn’t, she sat down and started writing. Three months later, she had a lousy first draft that is still sitting under the bed.

Writing caught her imagination and she began taking classes and learning about the craft while working full time and raising three teenagers. When she couldn’t find the kind of education and support she needed, she started the Calgary Association of the Romance Writers of America. From an initial group of eighteen women, the group has become more than fifty strong and it continues to support its members in every facet of the writing journey.

Visit Louise on
Twitter
,
Facebook
and her
website
.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed reading about Andie and Gray! They hold a very special place in my heart, as their story was one of the first contemporary novels I wrote. If you are curious about what happens to the other residents on Sunset Crescent, be sure to watch my website (http://louisebehiel.com) for the release dates of the upcoming stories:

Family Lies

Family Values

If you enjoyed Family Ties, please help other readers find it by recommending it to friends or writing a review. And be sure to check back for future titles.

Happy Reading!

Louise