The Convenient Wedding: a contemporary romance (The Rosa Legacy Book 3) (17 page)

When the driver got into the car, Lucia leaned forward and said, “I’ve changed my mind. I am not ready to leave yet.”

The driver opened the door for her, she felt like she was climbing back into the ring of a fight after getting knocked out but she forced herself to smile and walk back into the party.

Lucia immediately located Anderson speaking to a small group of people, including Marissa. Instead of waiting for Anderson to notice her, Lucia walked over and joined the group by Anderson. She had the satisfaction of momentarily seeing a surprised look on his face.

Marissa spoke first and said without a preamble, “I thought you went home.”

Instead of offering an explanation, Lucia said “No. Would you mind excusing us?”

The group mumbled their agreement except for Marissa who remained silent. Their eyes locked but Lucia couldn’t tell if he was amused or angry.

He led her out onto the mostly deserted dance floor and the DJ recognizing them, immediately changing the music to a popular love song. Lucia didn’t have a clear purpose so Anderson took her into his arms, and she thought about what she should say to him.

“I thought you decided to head home.” Anderson murmured into her ear.

“I want to stay and find out what happens.”

He held her gaze. “Really, I thought you wanted out?”

She had wanted out. But now she wanted to stay and fight for him. How could she possibly tell him that?

Anderson stopped dancing. “I can’t do this, bella. I do know what I want and wanting more from you then you are willing to give is destroying me.”

He turned and walked off the dance floor.

“Anderson.” She ran after him and caught his arm.

He stopped and held her gaze. “I may not win this election.”

“I don’t care about the election. I care about you. I want to be your wife.”

He traced the outline of her chin. “You are my wife.”

She shook her head. “I want to be your real wife. The person you share stories with, the person who cares about your dreams, the person who would do anything for you.”

He kissed her briefly. “Am I missing something? You are that person, bella.”

In a rush of tears, she said. “I love you, Anderson. I don’t care about the election or my reputation. I want us to stay together.”

Smiling at her, he said “I love you, bella. With everything that I am. I can’t believe it took me this long to realize it.”

He kissed her again and again. “I need to say something to those assembled and then I want to take you home.”

He held her hand and took her with him to a private office with his dad and Brian Gallagher. They decided that the final results while extremely close, did favor his opponent. He decided to call the opposition and admit defeat.

A short while later, Anderson while standing next to Lucia, gave a speech thanking his supporters but letting them know he was conceding defeat.

Instead of remaining at the after party, Anderson said goodnight to everyone and gathered Lucia in his arms.

Without caring who was around them, he asked her “Are you ready to start our new life together?”

She reached up and kissed him. She said, “I can’t wait to start a life together.”

Getting into the limousine together, their photograph was snapped a few times.

The driver closed the door and climbed behind the wheel.

Anderson pulled her into his lap. “Are you going to miss all of the attention?”

“No. I can’t wait for a private and quiet existence.”

He kissed her and allowed his hands to travel up her silk stockings. “I love you, my beautiful wife. I can’t begin to understand how I have gotten so lucky.”

Lucia kissed him back with all of her pent up emotion. She couldn’t wait for their life to start and she counted her blessings that he wasn’t elected tonight. 

Susie Warren writes contemporary romance. Besides being an avid reader, she spends much of her free time crafting intense and complex stories about falling in love. When she is not writing, Susie works as an administrator in a small, independent school while caring for three teenagers and keeping tabs on her inventor husband. With the launching of her first book, The Forgotten Heiress, she has slowly begun to navigate the social media realm.

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The Rosa Legacy Series

The first novel in The Rosa Legacy series,
Ruthless Perfection
, started with the idea of a traditional Italian mother who wanted her only daughter happily married. The mother, Carla Rosa Neri, along with her two sisters, Francesca and Marie, had emigrated from Italy as young girls and each went off to create a dynamic and successful family.

Each of the sisters had an only daughter and they made sure the girls spent time together. They attended the same boarding school in the northeast and visited each other’s homes in the summer.

Ruthless Perfection

Carla Rosa married into the Neri family with a long history in the Carrara marble industry. Her daughter, Isabel Neri, being a filmmaker and wanting to honor her grandfather’s legacy, approaches a reclusive billionaire, Marc Santoro, to ask permission to produce a documentary about the life of a quarry worker.
Ruthless Perfection
is the story of how they fall in love.

The Exiled Jeweler

Francesca Rosa married into the Berceto family with a long history in the jewelry making business. The Second novel in The Rosa Legacy series,
The Exiled Jeweler
, is about her daughter, Emelia, who went into seclusion after a scandal tore the family apart. Emelia is a talented jewelry designer who lived a sheltered life and was drawn into a passionate encounter with her family’s rival, Alexander Armati at a gala. Outside in the garden, photographs were taken on them and sold to the tabloid press. Her family was shocked and embarrassed and sent Emelia off to Florida. Four years later, she returns when her grandfather has a heart attack and her parents are deciding to sell the family business.

The Convenient Wedding

Marie Rosa married into the prominent Montgomery family, with a successful background in politics. Her only daughter, Lucia, is fascinated by politics and is drawn to public relations. The opportunity to work on a congressional campaign in Connecticut draws her into the middle of a scandal. Anderson Adams is a dark horse in the race and convinces Lucia to play along with a strategy to save his campaign. The third novel in The Rosa Legacy series,
The Convenient Wedding
, is the story about how they reconcile their public image with their private life.

Thank you for taking time to read the third book in The Rosa Legacy series,
The Convenient Wedding
. If you enjoyed the story, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review on Amazon. As a self-published author, reviews are very important and much appreciated.