Yet, as Oliver finished off his glass of a top-shelf Scotch he’d stocked for the open bar service, he could no longer deny that tonight’s party was far from a highlight in his year. It blended with a hundred other business events he’d attended, one after the other, in his quest to make the Nexus name a formidable contender in the global marketing world.

  Without Jessica by his side, the whole thing felt empty. Just the same way his house did this past week without her in it. Had he done anything else all week besides think about her? Ever since she’d left, he’d been carrying around the engagement band she’d returned to him. His fingers found the diamond ring now, tucked into the pocket of his suit jacket, where he traced the lines of the heirloom like some kind of talisman.

  “Looks like you need a refill.” Xavier Noble—Ex—settled his forearms on the railing next to Oliver and clinked his champagne glass against Oliver’s empty crystal snifter. “You’ve got a lot to celebrate tonight.”

  Reminding himself to smile, Oliver tried to arrange his features in the correct order as he let go of the ring in his pocket. With the merger, Ex Noble had become more than just a friend. He was also a premier part of their client base.

  “Thank you. And thanks for stopping by the party tonight. I know you must have a lot going on to prepare for the wedding.” Oliver could see a few party guests outside by the pool and hoped Nikolai was down there with them. He hadn’t intended to make his whole house available to his guests, but maybe Nik had wanted to talk to some of the guests privately.

  Mostly, Oliver was scanning the grounds in the hope of seeing Jessica. Which was foolish. He hadn’t heard a word from her all week, but he’d held out a little hope she’d make an appearance tonight since she’d agreed to attend the event with him. But that had been back when they were a couple.

  A fake couple, he supposed. But in many ways, it had felt more real to him than any relationship he’d ever been in.

  “The wedding is under control as long as the wedding crasher stays away,” Ex assured him, downing the last of the champagne and setting his flute aside on the concrete base of the steel railing where they stood. Urbane and well-spoken, the author turned celebrity might be one of Royal’s most famous residents, but Oliver remembered him as a rancher’s son and an all-around good guy. “Ari and her event planner have heard reports from some of the vendors that the crasher is in town.”

  Oliver frowned. His work in marketing had made him familiar with how much damage a prankster could do at any event. “Seriously? What kind of person crashes a wedding?”

  “Ari’s fame is a double-edged sword,” Ex told him seriously. “If this guy is looking to cash in on her name by making trouble—” He shook his head as if to ward off the bad thoughts. “Needless to say, we’re on the lookout for any problems”

  “You’re in the right town for people to watch your back,” Oliver assured him, still staring out over the pool house and the spot where Jessica had played her guitar in the mornings. “I can’t imagine anyone trying to stir trouble for you in Royal, where we’re all rooting for you and Ari.”

  “Thanks, man.” Ex clapped him on the shoulder as he turned as if to rejoin the party. Then he paused. “But I should be asking you about your significant other. The photos of you and Jessica from the couples’ shower turned out really well.” He withdrew his phone. “I’ll have Seth Grayson send them to you.”

  Oliver could only imagine how he’d feel looking at the photos of him and Jessica kissing that day. “Thanks. But, ah, we’re not together anymore.”

  Admitting it aloud felt like a failure—and more. He couldn’t find the words to articulate the sense of loss over a woman who was never really his.

  “Really?” Ex asked, before leaning closer to confide, “Because she just walked into the party.”

  Everything in him stilled for a moment.

  Then he whipped around to see for himself, half-convinced Ex was pranking him.

  But there, close to the door that led to the second floor of the house, stood the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen dressed in a pale blue gown. Her dark brown hair was loose, the waves rippling in the breeze the same way her hem fluttered around her legs, a high slit revealing one thigh.

  Had he missed her so much this week that he’d conjured her there, looking like a slow-motion dream sequence in a movie? And if he missed her this much in such a short time, how was he going to face forever without her?

  Short answer? He couldn’t lose even one more second with her.

  “Will you excuse me?” he said to Ex, unable to drag his eyes away from Jessica for a moment in case she vanished.

  He thought Xavier might have chuckled in response, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except closing the distance between him and Jessica. In his periphery vision, he noted that Nik was back in the rooftop garden, circulating with some of the executives from the Royal office. Oliver passed by him close enough to inform him he was in charge of the party for the next little while.

  Nik’s gaze followed where Oliver’s was still transfixed, then—like the stand-up friend he’d always been—he told Oliver he had things in hand.

  Freeing Oliver to pursue the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. The woman he’d missed more than he could have imagined.

  Her eyes met his when he was a few yards away. She tracked his progress toward her, her hands smoothing down the satiny blue ruffle that crossed her body in a diagonal sweep from her neck to the sexy thigh slit.

  “Jessica.” He stopped a foot in front of her. Too close, perhaps. But he needed to breathe her in after the days away from her. And he was rewarded with the softest hint of honeysuckle.

  “Hello, Oliver.” Her lips quirked in a half smile as her gaze darted from his to glance around the party. “The rooftop looks beautiful.”

  He didn’t have the wherewithal to make small talk. Not when he realized that having her here with him was the only thing good that had happened to him since she’d left. The only right thing.

  He didn’t just miss Jessica. He needed her.

  Loved her.

  The simple truth was staring him in the face with blue-green eyes the color of a faraway sea. It might be too dim on the rooftop to see the exact shade tonight, but he knew from memory. From his dreams.

  “Can we talk?” The words burst out of his mouth too quickly, a new urgency compelling him now that he’d figured out why his life had felt like walking through a barren desert all week. “Somewhere quieter?”

  Her brows knit together briefly. “It’s okay with me, but won’t your guests wonder where you went?”

  “They’ll be fine.” There’d been a time when he would have simply taken her hand to lead the way, but he’d lost that right, hadn’t he? Grinding his teeth together, he nodded toward the outdoor staircase that led to a balcony off the second floor. “We’ll just be down here.”

  They were halfway down the steps when Oliver realized he hadn’t even offered her a drink or anything. But then, he’d been so surprised to see her after the way she’d called things off he wasn’t thinking clearly.

  At the base of the steps, he pointed toward two wide cushioned chairs flanking a cocktail table. The seats overlooked the side yard, where his landscaper had convinced him to install a flagstone path leading to a white marble fountain surrounded by purple flowers and gray stones. A few flowering trees were outlined with spotlights, and the fountain was illuminated from within.

  “I’m too nervous to sit.” Jessica walked to the railing instead of the chairs he’d shown her. “I won’t stay long, Oliver. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea for me to show up unannounced—”

  “No.” He took her hand then. Just for a moment. Just long enough to squeeze lightly in the hope of pressing home the point. He let it go again. “You’re the best thing that’s happened all evening.”

  * * *

  Jessica’s fingers tingled where Oliver had touched her.

  That electric connection hadn’t changed in the week they’d been apart, that was for certain. But she was having the toughest time reading his expression. Ever since their gazes had met on the rooftop, she’d been trying to gauge his reception of her surprise appearance.

  Yet Oliver looked at her in a new way, a different glint in his eyes than she’d seen in the past. That look made her heart flutter against her ribs in a way that was about more than sex.

  At first, she’d been self-conscious of her appearance, convinced she must be having a wardrobe malfunction or something. But now, as their stilted conversation stalled again, her racing thoughts circled back to the words he’d just said. Really hearing them this time.

  She was the best thing that had happened tonight?

  “Is the party going that badly?” she asked, only half joking since she was struggling to read his reaction.

  Oliver looked so handsome tonight in a black suit. The crisp white shirt collar and gray tie made her fingers itch to smooth over them, even though both garments already lay perfectly on his broad chest. Instead, she settled her palms on the smooth steel balcony railing.

  Beside her, Oliver did the same. Their hands rested just inches apart. The guitar music from upstairs—a soloist doing an instrumental version of a David Bowie tune—mingled with laughter and conversation from the party above them. But here, tucked behind the staircase and overlooking the empty garden below, they were all alone.

  “On the contrary,” he answered in the bass baritone that she’d missed so much. “The party has gone off flawlessly. And I couldn’t pinpoint why I hated every minute of it until you walked into the garden tonight.”

  Her heartbeat sped up faster at the words that gave her hope. Words that recalibrated her understanding of the way he looked at her now.

  Hope gathered so fast she had to caution herself to wait. To listen. And to share what she’d come here tonight to say. She’d been nervous about it all week long.

  “I’ve missed you.” She blurted the simple truth, scraping together all her courage to continue. She couldn’t expect honesty from anyone else if she didn’t give it freely herself. “I wasn’t sure when I could see you again to tell you, so I’ve been waiting for tonight, when I knew you’d be here and I still had an invitation. But I need you to know that I only broke our arrangement because I was—”

  “Wait. Please.” His hand slid closer to hers on the railing, their pinkies touching. “You had every reason to end it because I was expecting you to live a lie. And that was wrong of me.”

  He stood close enough now that she could breathe in the scent of his aftershave, the familiar notes reminding her of times they’d been wrapped around each other.

  “But I knew that when I agreed to it.” She didn’t want to make excuses for herself. “I just didn’t realize how difficult that would be in the execution.”

  “It was a plan doomed to fail.” A shadow fell over his features as he scowled. “And I’m so damned sorry that I gave you any reason to think I doubted your abilities as a professional. I had no business trying to run interference with my mother when you could help my dad. Please know I was only trying to keep everyone from growing more attached, to save you and them from getting hurt because of me.”

  His words soothed a hurt that had festered ever since that night in the emergency room. “Thank you, Oliver. That means a lot to me.” Relieved of that concern, she allowed herself to focus on the rest of what he’d said. “And for what it’s worth, I didn’t think the engagement plan was all bad.”

  “Definitely not,” he rushed to add, his warm hand covering hers. Finally. “In hindsight, I think I came up with the fake-engagement idea just to keep you close to me—my subconscious helping me along. You were nothing like anyone else I’d ever been with, and I was at a loss to see you for as long as I wanted since you were as wary of dating as I’ve been.”

  “You really think so?” Blinking in surprise as the hope she’d been feeling swelled faster, Jessica flipped her palm over to face his, missing the feel of him.

  “How else to account for an otherwise-rational guy upending his whole life to see you as often as possible?” Gripping her hand more tightly in his, he turned to face her, tugging her with him so they stood inches apart on the balcony.

  The sincerity in his voice matched the honesty in his green eyes, and she wanted nothing so much as to stand here forever with him this way, feeling the connection between them grow again. And his admission made her wonder if she’d accepted the ring because, on some level, she’d already been falling for him.

  “It sounded practical at the time.” Her pulse sped up faster, her voice breathless.

  “But it would be far more practical if I gave this to you for real.” He produced the engagement ring from his pocket, the diamonds of the band winking in the moonlight. “Because this time, when I offer you this ring, it comes with all of my love and a promise that if you give me another chance, I will never give you any reason to second-guess how much I respect and care for you.”

  Happy tears stung her eyes at the tender words her heart had longed to hear. She didn’t bother trying to hide them, needing to be completely honest with everything she was feeling for this amazing man.

  A watery laugh bubbled up her throat as she took in the ring with surprise and a whole lot of happiness. She laid her hands on his chest, her fingers stroking over the lapels of his jacket as she absorbed the warmth and strength of the man beneath the clothes. She needed to tell him why she’d come tonight.

  “Oliver, I’ve been psyching myself up all week long to see you tonight just so that I could confess that I love you. So very much. More than I’d imagined possible. I kept telling myself I needed you to know, even if you didn’t feel the same way.” She bit her lip, her heart full to overflowing.

  His forehead tipped to hers for a long moment, a sigh of relief shuddering through him before he kissed her cheeks. Her eyes.

  “Nothing was right without you. And the work that seemed so important to me didn’t matter when you weren’t here.” He edged back to look into her eyes, his thumb stroking her cheek as he cradled her face in his hand. “So I’m not going to worry about traveling the globe anymore to keep up with a business that doesn’t need me to babysit it every second. I want to spend time here. With you.”

  “I’d love that.” Happiness filled her up inside. And it seemed only fitting that the guitar soloist had just begun the opening of Etta James’s “At Last.” The music swirled around them, but it was her love for Oliver that made her heart dance.

  “So is that a yes to wearing my ring again?” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “For real and forever?”

  She gave him her left hand, more than ready to commit herself to a man she loved and trusted. A man who made her believe in romance again.

  “That’s a yes.” She watched as he slid the heirloom engagement band back on her finger, where she knew it would always remain. “For real. Forever.”

  * * *

  Look for the next stories in the

  Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Wedding series.

  Oh So Right with Mr. Wrong

  by Nadine Gonzalez.

  and

  The Man She Loves to Hate

  by Jessica Lemmon.

  Available May 2023!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Secret Heir by Zuri Day.

  The Secret Heir

  by Zuri Day

  One

  After a long and stressful workweek, it was finally TGIF. Reign Eddington was very thankful that it was Friday, and in a great mood. She was about to cap off a successful business trip by attending her pro basketball boyfriend’s signing celebration. Everyone in the sports world and anyone watching TV or surfing the web had seen the announcement. The Chicago Bulls had signed her guy, Trenton “Super Hot Jump Shot” Carpenter to a five-year, fifty-five-million-dollar deal that included a fifteen-million-dollar signing bonus. The money was nice, but that wasn’t the main reason Reign was so pleased about Trenton’s good fortune. The five-year contract meant that she didn’t have to worry about him being traded away from Chicago. Relationships with professional athletes were challenging enough without adding distance to the mix. Being with a superstar player, one whose popularity transcended basketball into A-list celebrity status, was an even harder, sometimes impossible, relationship to navigate. Their first year of dating had proved that. All the travel—forty-plus away games. All the components that made up his lucrative empire—shoe deals, corporate sponsorships, the investment portfolio her brother Jake managed. All the women, groupies, barracudas, hangers-on. All the haters. The unnecessary BS.

  There had been more than one incident where she’d questioned his loyalty. The last was eight months ago when pictures of him cozied up with a certain famous, alluring pop star had been splashed all over the web. Blatant honesty had saved him. There had been almost constant arguments leading up to the affair. Jealousy, insecurities, mistrust on both sides. He’d accused her of flirting with a teammate. She’d admittedly been a bit too friendly with one of Jake’s clients but had quickly reminded Trenton that she was only guilty of playful teasing while he’d done much worse and more often.

  They’d been on an unofficial break when he’d slipped up with the busty brunette, and had stayed apart for two months. They’d not been technically exclusive when he’d cheated, and Reign hadn’t been completely innocent, either, but through the whole sordid situation she’d had a realization. She wanted monogamy. It had taken a slew of extravagant gifts, almost nightly phone conversations, several heart-to-hearts and an ironclad commitment to exclusivity for Trenton to win her back. But her return had come with a warning: “Cheat again and I’m gone for good.”