Too delicious an instant.., p.8
Too Delicious: An instant-obsession, billionaire romance (Little Spoon Book 2),
p.8
“Really, it’s time for it to go,” I say.
Harmony pulls the sledgehammer back, winding up, her teeth bared, and lets it fly.
A pair of tiny cement wings go flying at the first whack.
Then a head. Then another and another, until the entire thing is rubble on the ground.
Rusty is perched on the terrace, watching.
When it’s all over, my Harmony is dusty and sweaty, smiling from ear to ear.
“That felt good.”
I nod, then gesture for her to get out of the way.
The professional diggers are here.
She jumps onto the terrace with Rusty and me. “Cooper, what is going on?”
The contractor exits his truck, and I shake his hand. “Mr. MacKenzie! Are we taking out a moat today?”
“We are.”
Harmony gasps. “We are?”
“Not you. They are,” I say, gesturing to the crew, reading their diggers, excavators, and other construction vehicles I barely know the names of.
“What brought this on?” Harmony asks, leaning against my side, getting her sweet sweat all over my shirt.
“Your sister’s having Carter’s baby. Owen has Graham and Daisy. Mills and Hayden are definitely going to start a family one day. And it got me thinking about what you said. We need to get this place ready sooner rather than later. Carter and Summer’s new place isn’t going to have enough bedrooms, so this is the plan.”
A strange look comes over her face. “Oh. Okay.”
She’s disappointed but tries to hide it as I discuss the plans to renovate the bedrooms and the rec room to accommodate babies, toddlers, and beyond.
I hate it when she puts on a brave face for my sake.
Which is why I have one more prize in store.
“Would you like to see the blueprints? I just got them back from the architect,” I say.
Harmony swallows. “Sure,” she rasps.
She follows me into the backyard, with Rusty trotting along behind us.
I take her hand and guide her to the winding pathway down to the lake.
“I swear I left them in here somewhere.”
“Cooper, why would you leave blueprints in the garden? That’s crazy.”
“Oh, that’s because I have plans for the garden, and I was out here making sure everything was to scale.” I’m just spouting bullshit now.
She sighs impatiently. Harmony deserves a gold medal for patience.
Finally, we reach the bench at the small clearing at the lake’s edge.
“I think it’s there. Under the bench,” I say.
“I don’t see any blueprints,” she says flatly.
“Are you sure? Look under there.
Rusty sniffs the area. Harmony clucks her tongue as she squats down.
And finds the little black velvet box.
“Cooper, what is this?”
She goes from squatting to landing on her knees, holding the box.
“My blueprint! You found it!”
I was supposed to be the one on my knees, but why quibble about technicalities?
I get to my knees in front of her.
Rusty barks excitedly because he thinks it’s play time.
“Are you high?” Harmony asks, her voice trembling, her lips shaking.
“No, I’m not high, Harmony. This is it. This is what I was looking for.”
I take the box from her hand and open it for her.
She covers her mouth, and her breath comes in long gasps as she stares at the ring. It’s a plain rose gold band, with a champagne diamond.
“It belonged to Aunt Gabby. So if you don’t like it…”
“Shut up! I love it, and yes, I’ll marry you!” Harmony shrieks.
“I didn’t ask yet!”
Harmony whacks me on the shoulder.
“Then ask me, dummy!”
“Harmony…dream girl…will you marry me?”
She nods, choking out the word, “Yes.”
“I didn’t prepare for tears. I don’t have any tissues.”
She sobs into my shoulder. “It’s fine, I’ll use your shirt.”
I laugh and hug her tight to me, my knees getting soaked in the sandy soil.
Rusty barks, wagging his tail excitedly.
Harmony pulls away and picks up the little mutt. He licks at her tears.
“You got me good, Cooper MacKenzie. You finally got me so good, I didn’t see it coming.”
Harmony Mosley got me good from day one. I never saw her coming. I never saw any of this coming.
But now, I see everything.
I see my future, and it’s everything I ever wanted.
epilogue
Five years later
Harmony
This autumn wedding is the prettiest I’ve ever been invited to.
The small ceremony takes place on a stone bridge over a creek in the middle of the woods, the sunset casting a magnificent glow through the red and gold canopy of trees.
The wedding invitation surprised me when it arrived a month ago. The non disclosure agreement that came with it? Not at all surprising, considering Esme’s reputation for secrecy.
I’d only met the bride once before, and the moment was a highlight of my year.
Seeing that tiny woman smiling up at her imposing groom makes my heart happy. Their entire story makes me swoon. It’s a Christmas story for the ages.
Ten months later, I still wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley, but Sagan is perfect for Esme. He dotes on her the same way Cooper does for me.
Following the ceremony, the group of about thirty guests is shuttled to the main house, where the Gilded Age dining room, with its gigantic marble fireplace, rich wood walls, and ornately coffered ceilings, is decked out in autumn florals and dazzling golden candlelight. Many familiar faces from my hometown are seated around the table, including several of Sagan’s former employees at the tattoo shop.
“The ratio of tattoos to guests is blowing my mind,” my older sister Mills murmurs as the servers pour the wine and fill the water glasses at the intimate dinner reception.
I smile. “Just being here is blowing my mind.”
“Is Summer still salty about not being invited?” Mills asks. Her husband, Hayden, sits on her other side, chatting with Esme. He and Esme have known each other through various philanthropic connections, which is something I’m only just beginning to grasp, having married into a billionaire family. It’s only coincidence — or perhaps fate — that he and I both received invitations.
“Let’s find out,” I say, taking my phone out of my bag and texting Summer. Mills and I laugh when Summer sends multiple photos of her with our daughter Lia and her cousins Quentin, Natali, and little Gabriella posing with tiaras.
“We’re having our own princess wedding,” Summer texts back. The next photo shows Carter and Owen wearing tiaras, their faces smeared with makeup that’s clearly been applied by a gaggle of ruthless children.
I turn to the man on my left, Cooper, the love of my life, and show him the photos.
Cooper’s hearty laugh warms my soul as it did when we met. “Living the dream, I see.”
The whole Mosley family is living the dream.
After where we came from, it’s more than what I ever could have dreamed up for my life.
Little Spoon has performed so well that my sister and I opened a franchise in Gold Hill this year. This time next year, we may have enough profit margin to hire full time managers so that Summer and I can work less. Cooper and Carter would prefer to simply front us the money it would take to hire enough people to run the businesses independently. But Summer and I insist on things growing organically. We’re so grateful that they funded us out of pocket initially, but Little Spoon needs to fund itself from now on.
“I love our life,” I tell Cooper. “I just wanted you to know that.”
Cooper sets the phone on the table face down and reaches for me. He never fails to take my breath away when he cups the back of my neck and draws me in for a passionate kiss.
The rest of the room fades away, and I all know is us. My Cooper has a way of making me feel so adored. Sexy. Desired. Loved.
When he pulls away from the kiss, all eyes are on us. The blushing bride raises her glass. “These two are sharing secrets to a happy marriage,” Esme says.
Cooper’s hand goes to my curved belly. I sense his energy changing, growing hungrier by the moment. The exquisitely crafted dinner that follows does nothing to abate what he needs.
Following the entree, all the guests are invited to take a tour of the castle, with the assistance of the house staff. Cooper and I join the tour as the employees share entertaining anecdotes about the Bryant family and the architecture. But I can sense my husband’s impatience. We’re supposed to meet in the ballroom later for cake and dancing.
At one point, Cooper hangs back from the tour group, inordinately interested in an old family portrait. I retreat back to urge him to keep up with the tour.
When I take Cooper’s hand, he snatches me in his arms, backing me into a side room through a relatively hidden door.
I shriek, but he covers my mouth, closing the door behind him.
He removes his hand from my mouth, and I’m both livid and turned on.
“What are you doing?” I cry. “Where are we?”
He backs me against a vast, empty table that spans almost the entire room. Along the wall are shelves of vases, and I realize this is a particular room set aside for flower arranging or something.
He lifts me onto the table and hooks my leg around his middle.
“What am I doing? The new baby will be here soon enough. I’m having a moment with my delicious, pregnant wife.”
I gasp as my husband’s hands hitch up my dress. His mouth against my throat has my panties soaking instantly.
“We’re not supposed to be in here,” I whisper. And yet, I’m not putting a stop to any of this.
“I know,” he growls as I grip him closer, taking him in, inhaling his scent with every gasping breath.
Cooper’s kisses steal my breath and my sense of propriety. Any average couple, feeling swept up in the romance of a wedding, might tame themselves enough to wait until they were safely ensconced in the privacy of their home.
But my husband brings out my adventurous side.
And I can’t wait to see what adventures still await us.
THE END
Thank you for reading Too Delicious! If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review.
Want to read more about the Mosley family? Check out Summer and Carter’s story in Too Sweet.
Also don’t forget Fix Me Up (Owen and Daisy’s story) and Followed by the CEO (Mills and Hayden’s story.)
Be sure to sign up for reader alerts for updates on Esme and Sagan’s story—coming December 2024!
more by abby knox
All Abby’s books are stand-alone romances, each with its own HEA. No cliffhangers or cheating!
Abby’s latest releases:
Too Sweet
Fix Me Up
Followed by the CEO
(insta obsession, ‘light’ stalking)
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Bad Prince (forced marriage/divorce pact)
Wild Prince (Forced proximity)
Forgotten Prince (mariage pact)
Stolen Crown (brother’s best friend)
Related short story: Reckless in Ruins
Roadside Attractions series:
Roadside Attraction (insta love)
Claiming Fate (rivals to lovers)
Falling into Fate (long lost friends to lovers)
Fate’s Dark Shadows (age gap)
Rode Hard (insta love, dating app)
Crash into Me (grumpy mountain man)
Snowed Under (second chance, later-in-life)
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Wood Brothers series
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Love Games series
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The Mail-Order Brides of Darling Creek
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The Cowboy Auction of Darling Creek
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Need more stand alones?
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Holiday short reads
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Additional titles are available on iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Everand, Smashwords, Fable, and more.
For signed paperbacks, exclusive downloads, and more, visit Abby’s website at authorabbyknox.com
Happy reading!
about the author
Abby Knox writes feel-good, high-heat romance that readers have described as quirky, sexy, adorable, and hilarious.
Abby’s favorite tropes include: Forced proximity, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, age gap, boss/employee, fated mates/insta-love, and more. Abby is heavily influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, and LOST. But don't worry, she won’t ever make you suffer like Luke & Lorelai.
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Abby Knox, Too Delicious: An instant-obsession, billionaire romance (Little Spoon Book 2)
