“She said yes!” he calls out, and I laugh at him before, seemingly out of nowhere, Gabe and Rachel run to us, followed by my mother and father. Noah, Kaleigh, Barbara, and all of our closest friends and family follow them.
I hear congratulations being shouted out while a waiter comes around with glasses of champagne. Austin makes his way back to me with Gabe next to him and Rachel holding his hand, and he raises his glass to toast. “Thank you, everyone, for coming. I would like to toast to my future wife, and to Gabe and Rachel for giving me their permission. Cheers.”
“To tempting the boss,” I say as I raise my glass with a smile for the man who started off as my boss and ended up being the man of my dreams. He leans down and kisses my lips, sealing the deal.
And they lived happily ever after.
Loving this collection by Top Shelf Romance?
Check out the other Top Shelf Romance Collections available now:
Kiss Me Slow
Featuring: Tijan, Willow Winters, Corinne Michaels & Louise Bay
Need You Now
Featuring: Skye Warren, Annika Martin, Claire Contreras, Sierra Simone & Laurelin Paige
Promise Me Forever (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Featuring: Kate Stewart, A. Zavarelli, Kennedy Ryan & BB Reid
Make Me Yours
Featuring: Devney Perry, Amo Jones, Chelle Bliss & K. Bromberg
Don’t Break This Kiss
Featuring: Jessica Hawkins, Kylie Scott, Marni Mann & Carrie Ann Ryan
Never Let Go (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Featuring: Tijan, Kandi Steiner, Alessandra Torre & Ella James
Keep My Heart
Featuring: Lex Martin, Kennedy Ryan, Kennedy Fox & Willow Winters
Books by Natasha Madison
This Is
This Is Crazy
This Is Wild
This Is Love
This Is Forever
The Only One Series
Only One Kiss
Only One Chance
Only One Night
Only One Touch
SOUTHERN SERIES
Southern Chance
Southern Comfort
Southern Storm
Southern Sunrise
Hollywood Royalty
Hollywood Playboy
Hollywood Princess
Hollywood Prince
Something Series
Something So Right
Something So Perfect
Something So Irresistible
Something So Unscripted
Something So BOX SET
Tempt Series
Tempt The Boss
Tempt The Playboy
Tempt The Hookup
Heaven & Hell Series
Hell and Back
Pieces of Heaven
Heaven & Hell Box Set
Love Series
Perfect Love Story
Unexpected Love Story
Broken Love Story
Mixed Up Love
Faux Pas
Dare To Hold
By Carly Phillips
As always, there are people without whom, my books could not get written.
To Janelle Denison … for everything.
To Chasity Jenkins Patrick for knowing what I need before I need it … and for everything else.
To Shannon Short for listening and sharing your business smarts with me.
To Julie Leto and Leslie Kelly for plotting, daily help answers and more.
To Marquita Valentine for reading, cheerleading and being my daily texting buddy.
And to my Skype sprinting pals, Carrie Ann Ryan, Shayla Black, Stacey Kennedy, Kennedy Layne, Angel Payne, Lexi Blake and Jenna Jacobs for being there to sprint when I need a push – and a chat – and a pick me up. And to Mari Carr who’s supposed to be there sprinting but mostly just hooked me up with this wonderful group!
You all rock and I couldn’t do what I do without you. At the very least it wouldn’t be as much fun! xo
Chapter 1
Some women always managed to get it right. To make the right choices, to pick the right man, to nail this crazy thing called life. Meg Thompson, on the other hand, managed to end up single and pregnant. But she couldn’t regret the baby growing inside her, and from now on, she was determined to get things right.
She pulled on her favorite pair of jeans, tugged them up over her hips, and unsuccessfully attempted to close the button. She grunted and laid down on the bed, pulling the sides closer together, but no luck. She wriggled, sucked in a deep breath, and tried again, only to end up huffing out a stream of air in frustration.
“Didn’t these fit just last weekend?” she asked herself, peeling the denim off her legs and tossing them onto the floor with a groan.
She glanced down at her still-flat stomach, placing her hand over her belly. “How can something I can’t see or feel cause so much upheaval in my life?” And how could she love the baby growing inside her so much already?
A vibrating buzz told her someone was sending her a message. She checked her phone.
Lizzy: Almost ready?
Meg sighed. Her best friend, Elizabeth Cooper, was due to pick her up in ten minutes. Girls’ night out. Or, in Lizzy’s words, hookup night and Meg’s last chance for a hot, no-holds-barred fling before she started to show and her sole focus became being a new mom. Meg was up for girls’ night, but no way would she be picking up a stranger for a one-night stand. Her days of choosing the wrong men were over. Mike was the last in a long line of sucky choices. So not only did she not trust her judgment when it came to the opposite sex, but it no longer mattered. She was finished relying on men to define her or make her happy.
“Right, baby?” She patted her belly and headed to her closet for a pair of elastic-waist leggings.
Meg and her friends settled into their seats at Mel’s, a popular spot for casual drinks after work and on the weekends. Mel’s was a dimly lit bistro with a wood-fired oven and grill in the back, dark mahogany-looking tables throughout, and a funky
