Sweet Texas Charm (27 page)

Grayson reached over and held her hand. Her mom was still in the assisted living home as her memory continued to decline. Becca spent every Sunday reading the letters to her, letting her mom relive the memory of falling in love each time.

Jack reached into his pocket and held up the strawberry charm. “You and my sons will do great things with this company. Know that I gave you the shares without any doubt that you were the woman to have them.”

This time his smile came with a twinkle in his eye. “Now, back to you, Grayson. I bought this strawberry charm key chain the week Becca started at Guac Olé. I knew the daughter of Nora Strawberry was the one to help you lead the company.”

“She sure is, Dad.” He laced his hand with Becca’s.

“Now, I know you’ve got something in your hand. Go ahead and put it to good use and ask her.”

“What?” She turned to Grayson. “What do you have in your other hand?”

He took a deep breath. “Becca, this year has been amazing. I’ve been waiting for the right time to ask you this.” He pushed back in his chair and dropped to one knee. “Will you marry me?” He held up the engagement ring that Rodney had given him only moments ago. Without any doubt this was the perfect moment to ask the question.

“Oh my God.” Becca covered her mouth, her eyes tearing. “Where did that come from?”

Jack answered that question. “You’re probably wondering about the ring. Becca, I bought it after my first date with your mother.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I know I was a bit cocky. I want you to have it. Marry my son.” He paused and stared at the camera.

“Of course I’ll marry him … you.” She giggled, reaching up and touching Grayson’s face with her hands.

He pulled one hand down and felt it tremble as he slid the ring on her finger. Truth, he’d already bought an engagement ring, but this was the one she was meant to wear. “She said yes, Dad.”

Jack clapped. “Attaboy.” He leaned forward and folded his hands. “Well, kids. My time is almost up. Know that I love you, and I’ll always be with you. Go live the lives you were meant to live, and start those families. God bless.”

The screen went blank, and Gage was the first to lose it, tears falling fast. Gavin stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t believe he knew we’d be together.” Gage shook his head, hugging Charlotte.

“He was motivated by love. I have something for all of you.” Becca left the room and returned a few minutes later with a picture frame. “I know your mother was also special to Jack, but the love he felt for Mom … well, I wanted to honor that.” She handed the frame to Grayson.

He stared down at Nora’s painting of the beautiful wooden box that had contained the love letters. His fingers touched their dad’s three phrases etched in gold on the burgundy mat that bordered the picture.

Grayson kissed his fiancée for the precious gift she’d given them. With Gavin and Gage’s help, he hung the picture of the beautiful wooden box next to the portrait of Jack, where they all knew in their hearts it belonged.

A heartfelt thank-you to Monica Tillery (
Sweet Texas Kiss
) and Nicole Flockton (
Sweet Texas Fire
) for working with me to build the world of Sweet Ridge, Texas, full of irresistible heroes and feisty heroines with a healthy serving of secrets and guacamole on the side. And a huge thank-you to Julie Sturgeon and Tara Gelsomino, at Crimson Romance, for knowing exactly what to do to make this series shine.

Robyn Neeley is an East Coaster who loves to explore new places, watches way more reality TV than she cares to admit, can't live without Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and has never met a cookie she didn't like. If you have a must-read romance suggestion or a fabulous cookie recipe, she wants to know. For book updates and exclusive giveaways, sign up for her e-newsletter at www.robynneeley.com.

It was the most wonderful time of the year—unless your name was Drew Cannon.

Drew took a seat in the crowded Tokyo International Airport terminal and stretched his legs, waiting to board the long flight to New York City. Being stuck inside a moving aluminum tube for the next thirteen hours wasn’t something he was looking forward to. But at least he and his travel companion—his assistant and current girlfriend, Olivia Moore—would be nestled in first class soon enough, enjoying a glass of champagne.

He’d need a lot of it to prepare for what waited for him once they landed: his lovestruck dad overeager to tie the knot; his twin brother, Luke, ready to kick his ass; and Lauren, his ex-fiancée, who’d called off their wedding before dumping him on the Hawaiian shore. Yeah, this holiday was going to be really special—and not in a Hallmark Christmas Special kind of way.

His eyelids closed. It had been over a year since he left the United States for his job courtesy of Luke, who—as the newly appointed CEO of JDL Toys—decided Drew should spend two years in Tokyo overseeing the company’s expanding Asia Pacific territory.

In no time, Drew had managed to royally screw up, and that costly mistake was directly impacting the company’s bottom line. If it weren’t for the fact he was in their dad’s wedding, he was pretty sure his brother would pay off Homeland Security to make sure that Drew’s favorite Prada loafers never imprinted American soil again.

Yes, he’d failed. A fact Luke pointed out on every single one of their conference calls and Skype sessions. But was it Drew’s fault that kids in the Asia Pacific region—or really anywhere around the world—hadn’t taken to the one big idea he had fought so passionately for?

Earlier this year, he’d convinced Luke to greenlight a doll that he believed would be the next big thing in toys: Happily Ever After dolls. Similar to the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of the ’80s, this doll had a little something extra for its owner.

Each female doll was pre-matched with a male doll counterpart prior to both dolls leaving the factory. Its owner was given information on her—or his—doll’s soul mate once the toy was registered online. Kids could then participate in a series of interactive games to unlock clues to find the doll’s true love.

On the surface, his idea had merit. The Happily Ever After dolls were a gateway to an interactive experience engaging kids and parents with the JDL Toys brand.

Unfortunately, that engagement didn’t quite happen the way he’d hoped. Sure, it started out strong, and Drew was on top of the world because he could finally take credit for a record-selling toy. Mothers raced with their daughters to JDL Toys stores across continents, snatching up the female dolls.

Boys, on the other hand, just weren’t interested in playing with male dolls. And without an owner to register it online, the male dolls couldn’t be located. Little girls all over the world were left heartbroken for their dolls and the complaints poured in. Shortly after its fall debut, sales of the toy plummeted.

Kids.
He sighed. What did they know about toys anyway?

“Hey, mister.”

Drew cracked one eye open and caught a little hand tugging on his sweater. Great. The little enemy wanted to engage in contact.

A small girl who looked around seven or eight had her hand on his arm, eyes glued on him. Even though his job as a regional vice president for JDL Toys could give Santa a run for his money, he still hadn’t warmed up to little people and wasn’t quite sure he ever would. Certainly not after the latest stunt they’d pulled, rejecting his Happily Ever After dolls.

“Do you want to know who your wife will be?”

He smirked at her question. Last summer, he would have double downed on that answer. So much had changed since the love of his life dumped him on the beautiful Hawaiian shore.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d thought he’d be living the dream in his newly purchased home in Pacific Palisades with Lauren. College sweethearts, Drew had finally proposed nine years later.

Nine years.
Lauren didn’t deserve his inability to commit. He knew that now and wondered why she’d stayed with him as long as she did.

As they approached their ten-year anniversary, she’d pretty much told him they were getting married. She’d even suggested they wed in the spot that they’d met all those years ago during spring beak in Hawaii.

He liked that idea and finally took the plunge, starting with a romantic proposal. He smiled, remembering the look on her face when she’d stepped into the room. Even though she knew the question was finally coming, the place he’d chosen caught her by surprise.

Shortly after their engagement, an upscale wedding planning firm that catered exclusively to A-list clients was hired to plan the Hawaiian wedding in three weeks. They’d rushed it, but Lauren had been so patient that when she strongly suggested they marry that summer, he couldn’t say no.

And it wasn’t so bad. He’d taken a lot of time off from work to join Lauren in Hawaii before the wedding, and Luke came along, too. He and Lauren were well on their way to their happily ever after.

That all changed when his wedding planner, Kate Ashby, decided to prove a point and smashed her lips into his on a Maui beach.

Long story.

And one he didn’t want to relive anytime soon. The devastated look on Lauren’s face when she’d caught him kissing Kate in the sand was not one he could ever forget. He had tried to explain that it was all a misunderstanding—that Kate had planted her lips on his to get to the bottom of which twin had kissed her silly on their initial plane ride to Hawaii. Kate suspected it had been Luke who pretended to be Drew during the flight, but since Luke wouldn’t admit it, she needed to find her proof a different way.

When the dust settled, his brother had finally admitted what he’d done, Kate forgave him, and now they were happily engaged.

But Lauren hadn’t been so understanding and refused to go through with their wedding. After a lot of apologizing, Drew finally convinced her that he hadn’t instigated the kiss. Still, Lauren had seen other signs that he wasn’t ready to walk down the aisle. She called him out on his cold feet, insisting that time apart was what they needed.

It was true he’d had had fears when it came to the wedding, but it had nothing to do with his love for Lauren. Deep down, he was afraid he wasn’t capable of giving her the marriage and family life she deserved. He just hadn’t expected she’d end things completely, and that move left him heartbroken.

Shortly after their split, he made plans to head to Tokyo while she joined JDL Toys, as Luke’s VP of marketing. Because she’d have to relocate to New York City and work at headquarters, they both agreed to put their house on the market.

Drew shifted in his chair, remembering the last time he’d seen Lauren. Before moving overseas, his brother had insisted he spend one week in the New York office to meet with key stakeholders. He knew better. His brother was very vocal that Drew had messed up and that he should tell Lauren how much he loved her before it was too late.

Lauren, however, didn’t seem to be fazed that he’d be leaving soon. Her behavior toward him that week had been collegial at best.

He recalled their last encounter like it was yesterday, and the overwhelming sadness he had felt leading up to it, realizing he wouldn’t see her beautiful face every day.

When the time came to say goodbye, he’d purposely made her office his last stop on his goodbye tour. He’d planned on taking her into his arms and telling her he wasn’t giving up on them.

That romantic gesture went out the window when she didn’t bother to get up from her chair to say goodbye. She wished him a safe flight with a quick wave and continued talking on the phone, barely looking up to say her goodbye. He didn’t get the opportunity to stare into her beautiful blue eyes and tell her how much he still loved her.

It took him thirteen hours and a few tequilas and tonic at 30,000 feet to admit to himself what he knew deep down—he’d lost her.

Drew glanced over at the little girl and noticed a coloring book on her lap, green and red crayons in hand. A Christmas elf appeared at the top of the page with a bunch of words laid out in a grid below. It looked like some sort of game. Next to her sat a petite woman about his age. Probably her mother. She cradled a sleeping baby wrapped all warm and tight in a soft blue blanket.

“Okay, I’ll play,” he said, flashing a half-smile to the woman. It couldn’t be easy traveling such a long distance with an infant and small child. God, he hoped the baby didn’t start crying once they took off. He nodded to the girl’s coloring book. “Who will my wife be?”

She clapped her hands and went to work. “What month is your birthday?”

“February.” He and Luke would often celebrate by hitting the Las Vegas strip or tearing up the slopes in Aspen. Most likely not next year. Luke barely had a kind word these days, and unless they came up with a way to sell the dolls, things probably weren’t going to change any time soon.

“What is the first letter of your first name?”

“D.”

She moved her tiny finger along the grid. Stopping at a name, she giggled. “Candy Cane Sparkly Toes.”

He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Mrs. Candy Cannon. Hmm … He wasn’t planning on marrying a stripper or a porn star anytime soon. “Maybe we should try again?”

“No, that’s who it is.” She nodded adamantly and closed her coloring book. He watched as she jumped off her chair and ran over to the window to look at the enormous airbus they’d soon board. Apparently her work here was done; that, or she’d lost interest.

A sarcastic laugh left his lips. Here he’d invested many thousands of dollars on a concept he thought would be the “must have” toy this holiday season, and this kid got enjoyment out of a simple Christmas
coloring book
. His head shook in disgust. Where had he gone wrong? At least Olivia believed in his idea.

Speaking of—Drew glanced around, wondering which shop she had dashed into. It was just like her to run about the terminal until the last possible minute. They were usually the final passengers to board.