Up for Heir Read online

  Despite the fact that he was living in a state of perma-arousal, he totally agreed with her. “Yes, it is.” They kissed deeply, testing each other’s restraint like the inexperienced teenagers they’d once been. Rather than being flat-out torture, this time around anticipation was tempered by the knowledge that they had forever. “And it’s only going to get better.”

  Epilogue

  Two months later, Hailey found herself wildly hunting through Delinda’s house for Skye. The ceremony was about to begin and, as the flower girl, Skye was the first one scheduled to walk down the aisle. Keeping Skye calm and at her side had quickly become impossible as soon as the Andrade clan had arrived with a large number of children in tow. Small garden wedding? There had to be three hundred people gathered on the lawn beneath a white tent, and families were still arriving. All those guests and the army of staff would have been enough to overwhelm most people, but Delinda took it surprisingly well.

  I wonder what she’d think if she knew I have no idea where Skye is.

  A sparkle from the large diamond on her left hand briefly caught her attention. It stood out here as much as it did against the office clothes Hailey wore for her new job at WorkChat. She’d been reluctant to take the position at first, but all of her worries had quickly fallen away. The purchasing negotiation skills she’d honed in retail were an asset that both Spencer and Jordan said they appreciated.

  Jordan, Spencer, and Hailey—together again—and the mix was just as good this time around. Jordan credited Hailey with bringing laughter back to the office.

  “Hailey!” Alisha, Brett’s soon-to-be bride, stopped Hailey as she was about to rush by her.

  If she asks about Skye, I’m going to lie and say I know where she is. No upsetting the bride; isn’t that what people say? Especially not a pregnant bride. Hailey took a deep, calming breath. “Is it time to gather?”

  “It is,” Alisha said. “We’re meeting in the room before the solarium. Have you seen Eric? Brett is so excited he’s here. I was afraid he’d call last minute and say he needed to be on location for his next movie, but he came. He’s probably with Brett now. At least, I hope so.”

  “I’m sure he is.” Hailey scanned the room for Skye. “The solarium. Check. We’ll be right there.”

  “Hey, thank you for helping Rachelle hold my dress in the bathroom. I’m sure that wasn’t the duty you thought you’d signed up for when you agreed to be a bridesmaid. I would have waited for Nicolette, but when you’re pregnant, it’s better not to risk it.”

  “Anytime,” Hailey said with a smile. Alisha was exactly the kind of sister-in-law Hailey had always dreamed of having. She was humble, funny, and shockproof, and best of all, she loved Skye.

  “Okay, well, if you see anyone else from the bridal party tell them to come now.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Shit.

  As soon as Alisha left the foyer, Hailey rushed from room to room searching. She literally bumped into Alessandro on her way from the library to the solarium. “Sorry. Have you seen Skye?”

  “I have.” The twinkle in his eye made Hailey’s stomach lurch from nerves.

  “Where?”

  “She’s in the bounce house.”

  “Where?” No, he couldn’t have. She’s in a white dress.

  “Out front with Spencer.”

  “He let her go in a bounce house?”

  “Don’t worry; he’s in there with her.”

  “What?” Hailey shook her head, sure she’d misunderstood.

  Alessandro led the way out the front of the house to where there was now a bounce house and blow-up slide. Children of all ages were enjoying both. Hailey walked toward them. A large black pair of dress shoes were lined up beside a much smaller white pair of sandals. The two of them laughed right along with several children.

  Alessandro said, “It’s beautiful, no?”

  “No,” Hailey said with growing horror. Skye’s hair had fallen free of its clip.

  Alessandro gave Hailey’s shoulder a sympathetic pat. “I was here when she said she wanted to go in, but was afraid because there were so many children she didn’t know in there. Spencer took his shoes right off. He’s going to be a good father to her.”

  Hailey nodded. “I know he is, but he couldn’t have waited until after the ceremony? What if she ruins her dress?”

  Alessandro shrugged. “When Skye remembers this day, do you think it will be because her dress was pristine or do you think it will be because of that?” He pointed to Spencer organizing the children in a circle so he could jump in the middle and send all of them flying. “And what will you choose to remember?” Squeals and laughter filled the air, and all of Hailey’s worries fell away.

  “You’re right, but do you mind giving the same talk to Alisha and Delinda?” Hailey said with a laugh.

  “Alisha is expecting a child. She won’t be bothered by mussed hair or a stained dress. And Delinda adores you and Skye. You could do no wrong according to her. Go, get your family—the wedding will be just as beautiful a few minutes late.”

  “You’re trouble; do you know that, Alessandro?” Hailey teased.

  “My wife tells me that frequently,” he answered with another shrug and a pleased smile.

  Hailey walked over to the bounce house. “Spencer. Skye. It’s time to go.”

  Skye kept bouncing. Spencer stood in the middle, looking shamelessly pleased with himself. “I forgot how much fun these things are. Designing something like this in a simulator wouldn’t be easy, but I bet I could do it.”

  “We can talk about all of that later. Alisha’s calling everyone to gather. Skye, we need to get out of there and cleaned up.”

  “Bounce with us, Auntie Hailey. Just one bounce. It’s so much fun.”

  “Maybe later. There’s no time. Come on out, you two.”

  Skye’s bottom lip quivered. “Please? Just one bounce. I promise.”

  There was a light of challenge in Spencer’s eyes. “That is, unless you’re afraid I can bounce better than you.”

  “She’s not afraid of anything. Right, Auntie Hailey? Show him you can out-bounce him.”

  Hailey was about to refuse and cite her still-immaculate hairstyle and dress when she glanced at Alessandro. With his small nod of encouragement, suddenly being perfect didn’t matter as much to her as being part of that memory. She kicked off her shoes, hiked up her dress, and climbed in.

  A moment later, she was holding hands with Spencer, taking turns jumping high to see which of them could toss the children farther—and laughing. Skye joined them, linking her hands with theirs, and they began to jump in unison. It was a time Hailey knew she would never forget, and regardless of when they said their own vows, it was when they truly became a family.

  Alessandro was headed back into the house to tell the bride that the wedding would start a few minutes late, when he came across a concerned-looking Delinda.

  “The wedding procession is waiting on one groomsman, one bridesmaid, and a flower girl. You wouldn’t have any idea where they are, would you?”

  Alessandro led her out onto the step and pointed toward the bounce house where Hailey, Spencer, and Skye were still laughing and jumping around. He expected Delinda to voice her displeasure, but she nodded in approval. “I knew she could make him happy.”

  Although Alessandro adored Delinda, that didn’t hold him back from voicing his own concern. “You were lucky with this one, Delinda. It could have gone bad in so many ways.”

  Delinda linked her arm with his and shot him a bright smile. “But it didn’t, and there’s three left to go.”

  “Does that mean I’ll be invited over for tea again soon?” a redhead asked from beside them.

  Alessandro frowned. “You shouldn’t encourage her.”

  Alethea’s wide smile mirrored Delinda’s. “Encourage her? I’m taking notes.”

  Delinda looked the younger woman up and down with a critical eye. “You should be. The man you brought here with you toda
y, Marc Stone—you’ve been engaged to him for years? It’s obvious he loves you, and since I can’t imagine many men being able to handle someone like you, you should seal that deal.”

  Alethea and Alessandro exchanged a look, then both burst out laughing.

  Still laughing, Alethea leaned in. “Delinda Westerly, will you adopt me? Please?”

  Alessandro shook his head while smiling. “Someone needs to separate the two of you. You’re each bad enough on your own.”

  Looking quite unimpressed, Delinda said, “By ‘bad’ he means so good it puts all else to shame.”

  Alethea winked at Delinda and joked, “Don’t hate us ’cause you ain’t us.”

  Delinda looked like she was about to correct Alethea, then stopped and nodded in approval instead. “Exactly.”

  Acknowledgments

  I am so grateful to everyone who was part of the process of creating Up for Heir.

  Thank you to:

  Montlake Romance for supporting my addiction to alpha billionaires.

  My very patient beta readers. You know who you are. Thank you for kicking my butt when I need it.

  My editors: Karen Lawson, Janet Hitchcock, Marion Archer, Krista Stroever, and Marlene Engel.

  My Roadies for making me smile each day when I log on to my computer. So many of you have become my friends. Was there life before the Roadies? I’m sure there was, but it wasn’t as much fun.

  Thank you to my husband, Tony, who is a saint—simple as that.

  About the Author

  Ruth Cardello is a New York Times bestselling author who loves writing about rich alpha men and the strong women who tame them. She was born the youngest of eleven children in a small city in northern Rhode Island. She’s lived in Boston, Paris, Orlando, New York, and Rhode Island again before moving to Massachusetts, where she now lives with her husband and three children. Before turning her attention to writing, Ruth was an educator for two decades, including eleven years as a kindergarten teacher. Up for Heir is the second book in her Westerly Billionaire series. Learn about Ruth’s new releases by signing up for her newsletter at www.RuthCardello.com.