Layla, Kendall’s trusted friend and owner of the restaurant, took a few minutes out of her busy night to sit with the two women. “Kendall, honey, I know you’re hurt and confused right now, but keep your head up. Stay strong.”
If anyone knew about being strong, it was this woman. She raised a daughter on her own and took over her family’s restaurant when both her parents were killed in a car accident. Kendall’s turmoil felt insignificant next to the struggles her friend had to overcome in her life.
Kendall squeezed her hand. “I just need a little time to get my strength back.”
“Well, you take the time you need. Everything will work out, you’ll see.” Layla motioned to a waitress then stood up, hugging Kendall and Mandy. “I have to run. I’m here if you need anything.”
“Thanks Layla. Go crack that whip.”
“You know I will,” she threw over her shoulder. Laughter erupted from the table. Layla was one tough cookie.
Always consoling, always positive, Mandy encouraged her sister not to make any quick decisions she would later regret. “Kendall, trust me. Things will work themselves out.”
“How can you say that? The only man I have ever loved used me.”
“You don’t get it do you, sis? The man you love saved your life today. There’s no telling what Foster would’ve done to you.” Her voice cracked. “Mason did what he had to do. Cut him a little slack.”
The chirp of her cell phone distracted Kendall for the fourth time that evening. “Geez, doesn’t he ever give up.” Like the other three times before, she pushed the reject button, sending the call straight to voicemail. Not surprisingly, a minute later, the vibration in her hand alerted her there was another message.
“At least talk to him. Hear him out.” Mandy handed the waitress cash and dropped a tip on the table. They ambled out into the early evening. Finally, a little crispness filled the air, pushing away the mugginess of summer.
The soft fingers of dusk lowered on the skyline as Mandy pulled up onto the curb next to Kendall’s driveway. Kendall was looking down into her purse, busy digging for her keys. She gave her sister a quick peck on the cheek, then stepped out of the car. Mandy muttered, “Bye. Talk to you tomorrow.” A smile crept across her face as she drove off, leaving Kendall standing on the curb staring after her. Her sister’s petite arm jutted out of the car window, madly waving goodbye. Confused at the sudden rush, Kendall waved goodbye and turned to walk up the driveway. She stopped dead in her tracks. Her gut clenched at the sight of the familiar Tahoe parked next to her Rogue.
Mason.
Her vision swam. She couldn’t think straight. This man betrayed her, deserted her, almost killed a man in her house, and left her emotions out in the open. Kendall eased the unlocked front door open. The turmoil from earlier in the day was gone. Her overturned coffee table now stood on four legs, books and candles placed where she normally kept them. The couch that always sat in front of the kitchen counter now stood against the opposite wall, next to the fireplace in anticipation of an early winter fire. Everything was rearranged, giving the room a different, but welcoming, feel.
She roamed around, running her fingers over the end tables, the fresh sheen of furniture polish coating them. Candles burned on every table. She inhaled slowly, letting the heady scent of cinnamon comfort her.
Baffled, she turned in search of Mason. He had to be here somewhere. “Mason, where are—“
He emerged from the guest bedroom, carrying his worn duffel bag. He stopped in the doorway and leaned his back against the wall. He didn’t speak, didn’t make a move. Just stood there, silently watching her.
Blue jeans, un-tucked T-shirt, and barefoot. His dark hair was mussed and slightly damp like he had just gotten out of the shower. Kendall sucked in a quick breath. Damn, why did he have to redefine sexy? Her heart melted at the sight of him, standing there so sure of himself. Her vow to live her life without a man, without Mason, was slowly going down the drain.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey. Wha- why did you rearrange my furniture?”
“If you don’t like it I’ll put it back. But I figured if things were moved around, it wouldn’t remind you so much of what happened.” His dark eyes never faltered from hers.
“Oh.” He did all this so she wouldn’t be reminded of Foster. He was always thinking of her needs. A thrill pulsed through her veins. She moved further into the center of the room, needing to keep a little distance between them. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He still didn’t budge. His piercing eyes and sure stance were a little unnerving. The man had more confidence than anyone she knew.
Kendall eyed the bag in his hand. “I see you came to get your stuff.”
“Yeah, you said to get it out of the guest room.”
“I did.” She didn’t realize she was rubbing at her throat until she followed Mason’s gaze. Her hands stilled. “I, uh, I think it’s best we go our separate ways.”
A heavy thumping noise startled her. She flinched until she realized it was only the duffel bag hitting the floor. Mason eased away from the wall. With a gleam in his eye and lips twitching into a smile, he approached and went down on one knee in front of her. That crooked, sexy, devilish grin lit his face. He gently took her left hand, kissed it, and gazed deep into her eyes.
“I’ve walked away from you, and hurt you, for the last time. I promise.” He cradled her hands in his.
She pulled away from him and stomped to the guest room door. Bending down, she picked up his bag and turned around only to collide with his solid chest. “Here, take your bag...out of the room...just go...”
Kendall’s fingers burned as they brushed against his rough skin. Taking the bag out of her hands, he turned away. He stopped next to the front door. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized he was one step away from walking out the door. She took a tentative step into the middle of the living room, her eyes darting from his face to the bag held firmly in his hand. He was going to leave. She knew deep in her heart, if he walked out this time, there would be no turning back. She would have no one except herself to blame for sending him away. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak.
“Do you want me to go?” The tightness of his voice surprised her.
“I...you need...to...”
“Say it, and I’ll walk away. It’s not what I want, but if it makes you happy, I’ll go.”
Words caught in her throat. “Mason.” She didn’t even realize she had uttered his name.
It only took a second for him to make up his mind. Breezing past Kendall, he dropped his duffel just inside her bedroom door. “There, it’s out of the guest room.” In the next instant, he was towering over her. “Kendall, I love you with all my heart, and I don’t want to live my life without you in it. You’re everything to me. Marry me.”
“No, you’ll just leave me again. You don’t do commitments. And you’re talking marriage? Really?” She turned from him so he wouldn’t see the indecision tearing at her. Could she believe what he was saying? Dare she allow herself the peace of trusting him? Her heart said yes, but her mind had to be certain.
Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. A tingle of awareness shot through her body as he snuggled her next to his chest. She looked down to where his hands met, just below her belly button. The light reflected off something shiny. A ring? Her legs turned to jelly, but somehow she managed to stay standing.
Mason’s warm breath tickled her ear. “Ken. Kendall, I’m not going anywhere. The day of your parents’ party, I realized you are my life. I wanted to give you this ring that night.” He ran his hand up her arms to her shoulders. With the barest of pressure, he gently turned her so they were face-to-face. Nose-to-nose. “I never made a commitment to any woman. It was always you I wanted. Please, do me the honor of being my wife. I love you.”
“Mason-“
He went down on one knee and smiled that damn irresistible smile of his. “I’m going to keep asking until I’m satisfied with your answer.” This time he placed the solitaire on her finger. “Kendall Reed, will you marry me?”
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Happy tears for the first time in a long time. The love reflected in his eyes confirmed he was here to stay. Forever. “I love you too, Mason. Yes,” Kendall breathed. “Yes, I will marry you.”
“And just so we’re clear on one thing. This is all personal.” He sealed his promise with a kiss.
Epilogue
Five months later
“Hurry. In here.” Mason laughed as he pulled Kendall into an empty closet at the community center. “Ten minutes, and then you can go back to the reception.” He pushed the door shut behind them and braced his arms around her, trapping her between the door and his tuxedo-clad body. His eyes glazed over as he lowered his head to hers for a long, slow kiss.
When they finally came up for air, Kendall cradled his face in her hands. “Everything was beautiful. Thank you for giving me the wedding of my dreams.”
“Anything for my beautiful bride. I will always do everything in my power to keep you happy. And safe.”
Her soul warmed at the depth of emotion in Mason’s voice. Two weeks earlier, they attended Foster’s hearing. He broke down and admitted his wrongdoing. The investigation uncovered lists of names of people Foster and Tom stole money from. The police discovered bank account numbers of their many overseas accounts.
Foster admitted to every prank he pulled while stalking Kendall. Before sentencing he turned toward her in the courtroom and mumbled, “I’m sorry for everything.” Kendall didn’t know if anyone else bought the apology, but she damn sure didn’t. Nothing about his tone or posture indicated he was sincere.
Although many years would pass before he saw the outside world, the judge’s sentence was not the maximum Foster deserved. As he was led from the courtroom, his gaze caught Kendall’s. He sneered just before breaking into a bout of hysterical laughter. Her blood ran cold.
Mason pulled her back into the present with another soul-thrilling kiss before they went back to mingle with their guests.
“Kendall and Mason, such a beautiful wedding. We are so happy for you two.” Julia hugged her son and daughter-in-law, tears filling her eyes. “And you look lovely in that dress. It suits you perfectly.”
Mr. Hernandez stood back and watched the interaction between Julia and Mason. A smile crossed his face.
“Thanks, Ms. Black.” Kendall ran her hands over the smooth satin. Her client, Edith, had insisted Kendall let her help find her dress. She stocked several in her boutique, but they searched online until they found the perfect one. “We’re glad you could make it.” Kendall stepped back to hug Mr. Hernandez.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.” Julia grabbed Mason’s hand and held tightly. “Congratulations, son.”
“Thanks Julia. I mean, Mother.” Mason bent and placed a kiss on her cheek before Julia and her date turned to leave.
Kendall took hold of her brother’s arm as he walked up to them. “Hey, Bobby, where’s Mandy? I want to thank her for the decorating. She did a beautiful job.”
Bobby shrugged his shoulders. “Last I saw her she was dancing with Marks.”
“Marks—”
“Mandy dancing with Marks—”
Mason and Kendall exclaimed in disbelief at the same time.
Connie and Layla walked up at that moment. Connie walked into her husband’s embrace. “Actually.” She smiled. “I saw them sneaking out the back door like teenagers about five minutes ago. Together.”
“Interesting,” Mason mumbled as he gathered his bride in his arms.
“Very.” Kendall answered back. “Oh, Layla, thank you so much for putting this wedding together. You did a wonderful job.” Kendall embraced her friend.
Layla’s laughter filled the space around them. “It was so much fun. Thank you for letting me put my dream of wedding planning to use. And I couldn’t have done all the decorating without Mandy. She was a huge help.”
Kendall pulled Layla aside so the two women could speak privately. “You really should pursue that dream. After the wedding you did for your cousin, I was convinced that was your calling. Besides, you said yourself you’re tired of running the restaurant.”
A smile spread across Layla’s face. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about giving it a shot. My Grandpa in Alabama hasn’t been doing well lately and he could use some help running his bar. He’s even agreed to let me use that space to host some weddings, although he really doesn’t want to close the bar.”
“Sorry to hear he’s not doing well, but I wish you the best of luck starting up a business there on the beach. What about Edward?”
Layla’s eyes clouded over. “We are done. Turns out he is the creep you suspected he was.”
Kendall clasped her friend tightly. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, really, it’s all good. Better to get rid of him now than later.”
Mason’s arms went around Kendall’s waist. “You trying to steal my bride?” He asked Layla.
“No way, Mason. She’s all yours. Good luck, you guys.” She turned to join some friends passing by.
Mason led Kendall to the dance floor.
“Everything okay with Layla?” he asked.
“Yeah. She finally dumped that creep she was seeing. She’s thinking about selling the restaurant and moving to Alabama to take care of her sick grandfather.”
“I hope everything works out for her.” He pulled Kendall closer.
Kendall wrapped her arms around his neck as they swayed to the music. “I’m sure it will. Layla’s a strong woman. And hey, we can run over to the beach anytime to see her.”
“Before we start planning vacations, we’ve got our honeymoon to get through. And do I have some plans for you.”
Anticipation soared through Kendall’s body at the suggestive words Mason whispered in her ear. “Umm, I can’t wait to see what those plans are.”
He put a finger on her jaw and tilted her head up so she could see his eyes. “I love you, Kendall Reed Black. Don’t ever doubt that.”
She placed a light kiss on his lips. “And I love you, Mason.”
A word about the author...
Taylor Anne lives in Southwest Louisiana with her husband and their combined family of four children; two daughters, two sons. Taylor holds a full time job and writes romantic suspense in her spare time. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Bayou Writers' Group.