Change of Heart (The Flanagan Sisters, #2) (28 page)

Carly.

He turned, but it wasn’t her. It was another woman who wanted to talk to him. When he extricated himself from her, he spotted Carly and was halfway across the room when someone else stopped him. He met Carly’s eyes and she nodded at him, encouraging him to talk with the people. She understood. Of course she did. This was her life. Not being able to do what she wanted to do.

He understood that now.

He finished talking to the man and finally strode across the room. He made it to her side.

“Carly.” He didn’t know what else to say. He’d been an idiot. He’d said hurtful things, been a complete ass.

“Congratulations, Evan. This is a great turnout.”

He nodded.

“I’m sorry I was late. There was a delay with the helicopter.”

“Helicopter?” What was she talking about?

She smiled. “Turns out if you have enough money, you can hire a private jet and a helicopter in order to make it to the opening night of the exhibition of the man you love.”

His heart stopped. He was sure of it. “Love?”

“I love you, Evan.” Her smile wavered a little, as if she was unsure of his reaction. She took a breath and continued. “When you left without saying goodbye, I realized how hurt you were. You only wanted one thing from me, my support. I wanted to come to the exhibition, but the symposium was so important to my mother, to Zita, and to all of those girls—”

“You don’t need to explain,” he assured her. “If I’d let you explain back then, I would have understood. I saw your speech.” His fingers curled into her hair. “It was so amazing. You needed to be there.” He had to tell her why he’d behaved the way he did, but it was too crowded here, too noisy. Taking her arm, he led her outside. “I was feeling so insecure before you called, so sure the exhibition was going to be a failure. I needed reassurance and it seemed like you were rejecting me.” He sighed. “I reacted instinctively, defensively. I’m sorry. My heart was breaking, but I should have trusted what we have. For the first time, I’d found someone who understood me, someone I’d fallen in love with.” His heart pounded as her smile widened. “I love you so much.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “I’m so sorry for how I reacted, so sorry for leaving without saying goodbye.”

“I understand, really I do. I’m sorry for not explaining right away.”

It was his fault, but there was no reason to harp on about it. She’d forgiven him. “I like your hair.”

She reached up to touch it. “Me too. I’m not sure anyone recognizes me. No one has spoken to me.”

That would be a nice change for her.

“Where are you living now?” Her question was hesitant.

“I’m staying with my brother until I figure out where I’ll go next.”

“There’s always a place in Houston for you,” she said. “I know you don’t like the penthouse, but there’s some acreage I was thinking of buying. I’m considering building my own cottage.”

He grinned. “That’s a great idea.”

“So, what do you think?” she asked. “Could you handle living with me?”

His heart couldn’t get any lighter. He paused for a moment, then shook his head. “No, your mother would never approve.”

She gaped at him.

“But if you married me that would probably be OK.”

She did a great impression of a goldfish. Grinning, he drew her closer to him. “Marry me, Carly,” he murmured. “I don’t want to be away from you ever again. I want us to be together, to ignore each other while we’re working and come together when we’re not. You’re the only person who has really understood me.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’ll marry you, yes, I’ll live with you, and yes, I’ll ignore you when I’m working.” She laughed.

His heart sang as he kissed her again. His best friend was going to marry him.

“There you are,” Georgia exclaimed, coming out of the gallery. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, “but Evan, you need to mingle a little more.”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Georgia, let me introduce you to my fiancée, Carly.”

“Nice to meet you.” Georgia gave Carly a brief smile. “I can understand you’re both excited about the exhibition, but you need to let Evan meet people.”

Evan almost swallowed his tongue. Georgia had no idea who she was talking to.

“Yes, ma’am,” Carly said with a grin.

He shook his head. He loved this woman. She was amazing.

He slipped his hand into hers and walked back to the entrance. He was ready for anything. He was where he belonged. “Let’s see how this goes.”

A
s always there are many people I need to thank for helping me with my research; Dave for talking to me about painting and the different processes that can be used, Karen for answering my questions about art galleries, Randy for information about indie game development, and Carmen for the Spanish translations and information about El Salvador.

I also want to thank Ida from Amygdala Designs for the gorgeous cover, Dianne Blacklock for editing and helping me to improve the story, and Brooklyn Ann from Grammar Smith Editing Services for proofreading the book.

C
laire Boston is the best-selling author of The Texan Quartet. In 2014 she was nominated for an Australian Romance Readers Award as Favorite New Romance Author.

Her debut contemporary romance novel, What Goes on Tour caught the attention of Momentum’s Joel Naoum when her first scene was read aloud at the Romance Writers’ of Australia (RWA) conference in 2013. This led to a four book contract for The Texan Quartet series.

Claire is proactive in organizing social gatherings and educational opportunities for local authors. She is an active volunteer for RWA, as a mentor for aspiring authors and the reader judge coordinator.

When Claire’s not reading or writing she can be found in the garden attempting to grow vegetables, or racing around a vintage motocross track. If she can convince anyone to play with her, she also enjoys cards and board games.

Claire lives in Western Australia, just south of Perth, with her husband, who loves even her most annoying quirks, and her two grubby but adorable Australian bulldogs.

Claire loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at her website,
www.claireboston.com
, on Twitter, @clairebauthor, and on Facebook
www.facebook.com/clairebostonauthor
. You can also join her reader group at
http://eepurl.com/Z4-4z
.

The Flanagan Sisters # 1

B
ridget Flanagan knows how to assess risks, but are the consequences of exposing her heart too dangerous?

Bridget has a passion for safety and in the world of oil refineries that makes her great at her job. So when her big promotion goes to someone else, she heads out on the town to forget her troubles. Jack Gibbs seems like the perfect man to distract her.

At least until Monday morning when she discovers Jack is her new boss. There's no way she's going to keep seeing him, no matter the connection between them. She's been burned before.

Jack can't understand why Bridget's so against their relationship. They positively sizzled during their one night together. He knows he has to be careful now she reports to him, but she tempts him in every way.

Can Jack convince Bridget to give him a chance, or is the risk too high?​

http://www.claireboston.com/books/break-the-rules

The Flanagan Sisters # 3

T
hey’re from the opposite ends of town but they’re worlds apart.

Zita Flanagan wants more. She wants to help more Central American refugees and make more of an impact. But her family comes first and fulfilling her own dreams seems impossible.

David Randall leads a privileged life and knows nothing about refugee issues. When he meets dynamic, sexy Zita, it seems like the perfect opportunity to learn. Zita’s passion for helping those less fortunate and her selfless devotion to the girls her mother fosters brings David’s life sharply into perspective.

Zita soon realizes that David is so much more than a rich boy. She begins to trust him with her foster sisters’ stories, and her own hopes and dreams. But when David’s father announces he’s running for governor and the focus of his campaign is the ‘refugee problem’, Zita has grave concerns for her sisters’ safety. Then David’s betrayal exposes secrets, and it becomes a race against time to save lives.

Can David convince Zita to trust him again, or will his mistake put the life of the woman he loves in jeopardy?

http://www.claireboston.com/books/blaze-a-trail