Bend But Never Break Read online

‘Talia, if you marry me, I’ll promise to tell you everything you ever want to know. I promise to keep you and Chloe safe for the rest of our lives.’

  ‘Those are big promises to make in your line of work,’ she said thickly.

  He smiled. ‘I’ve handed in my notice, and as soon as possible, I’d like to take you and Chloe on a holiday. Somewhere that’s a million miles from here. I don’t ever want to let you out of my sight again.’

  She laughed and it sounded great. ‘Well, I don’t know about a holiday just yet. The lady who owns this place has decided to stay with her daughter in Australia, and I’m in the process of buying it. I want to live here. I guess that must sound strange, bearing in mind what happened not too far from here, but this cottage feels like a home and it’s where I fell in love. I just didn’t know it at the time. Now that Randall’s really dead and since his house burnt down, he has no hold over me. It’s a reminder he can’t hurt me anymore. What do you think? Could this be your home?’

  He looked around the tidy garden. ‘I know I could be happy anywhere as long as you’re there, and this is a perfect place to begin our lives together because this is where I realised I loved you, too. I’m happy to get a job doing anything, but maybe the island needs a new constable?’

  ‘Won’t you miss being a detective?’

  ‘I think for a while now I’ve been looking for a good reason to get out, and you and Chloe are the best reason. Just to clarify things – are you going to say yes or do I have to stay in this position indefinitely?’

  Talia laughed and took the ring, sliding it on her finger for a perfect fit. She barely had time to admire it before he stood and pulling her close kissed her passionately.

  After some time she pushed away, a little breathless. ‘Um . . . You’d better get a job soon if we’re going to raise our blossoming family here and we may need to do some extensions,’ she said mysteriously.

  ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘I’m saying that at some stage, we were a bit careless, and there’s going to be another mouth to feed early next year.’

  Nick looked shocked, then delighted. With a huge smile plastered on his face, he held out his arms to her. This was how it was supposed to be. Without hesitation, she walked into his embrace and the kiss was a release to all their pent-up emotions. Finally, their hopes, dreams and promises might come to fruition, and now that they could trust each other, their love would heal the pain of the past as they started their new lives together.

  When they eventually came up for air, Kirk was coming down the stairs with Chloe like the doting uncle he had become and her happiness was unbelievably magnified. Finally she had a family once more.

  THE END.

  Thank you!

  Thanks so much for reading Bend But Never Break

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  To celebrate the release of my newest book Hidden in Laguna, which follows on from Weddings in Laguna, Finding Liam and The Millionaire Next Door are currently free.

  More Books by Cheryl Phipps

  Laguna Beach Series

  Weddings in Laguna

  Hidden in Laguna

  Sycamore Springs - Romantic Comedy

  Jack and Gill

  Adam and Eve

  The Millionaire Collection - Contemporary

  The Millionaire Next Door

  The Millionaire’s Proposal

  The Millionaire’s Seduction

  Prossers Bay Series - Contemporary

  Finding Liam

  Seducing Megan

  Saving Stephanie

  Carry on reading for an excerpt from Finding Liam, the first book in my Prossers Bay series set in New Zealand.

  FINDING LIAM

  So, here he was looking at her like she might have gone crazy again, and maybe she had a little, in that moment, when she’d decided to bring Liam home.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Abby, what were you thinking? That might work for a dog or a cat, but this is a boy we’re talking about.”

  “I know that. But you’ve seen him. He’s scared and mistrustful. That doesn’t happen without a reason.”

  Max sighed. “We’re not professionals. We don’t know how to do this right. Just by having him here, we’re breaking a law or two.”

  She loved this man. She should have known he’d be calm and reasonable. Another husband might have had a fit. Not Max.

  “That’s why I’ve invited Allan and Jeanne over. They’re registered foster parents and they’ll know what to do.”

  “And the police?”

  “What about them?” She asked as she rubbed her hands together.

  “Did you contact them?”

  “Not yet. Liam begged me not to.”

  He raised his eyebrow. “I’ll make you a deal. He stays until we talk to Jeanne and Allan, and if they say to contact the police then we do just that. Okay?”

  “Well, I…”

  “No, Abby. That is what’s going to happen. He may very well have a mom out there looking for him and, if that’s the case, then this is very wrong.”

  “What if she’s not looking for him? He has nothing except a toy car, and he was starving when I found him. Surely any mother wouldn’t abandon her child like that.”

  “You have no idea what happened to her. If something’s prevented her from getting back to him, then is it fair to keep them apart? How would you feel?”

  He turned away, but not before she’d seen that look of sadness at the knowledge that this scenario could never be. Abby hated that he would always be hurt and wary around her about this topic. Especially when it wasn’t his fault that they would never have children. That blame was entirely hers.

  Hidden in Laguna

  Lying in his bed, her arms and legs curled around him as if she were in the middle of a dance, Tania was glorious. He’d be lying if he said the sight of her nakedness didn’t turn him on, but he had overwhelming feelings of protectiveness and of awe at the sight of this beautiful woman. He covered her with a sheet and slipped out of the room in case he woke her.

  It had indeed been a long night. A night to remember. After they had made love, they’d showered and then rejoined the party. With Tania by his side he’d enjoyed every minute of the grand opening. Even the good-natured ribbing of his family, who’d naturally noticed their lengthy absence.

  Then, when the final guest had departed, Braden had taken her back upstairs and they had continued where they had left off. He was convinced he would never be able to get enough of her.

  The coffee was nearly brewed, and Braden was just pulling waffles from the toaster when Tania stepped into the room. She’d had a shower and her hair was wet, tied in the ponytail she favored. She wore a shirt of his, and he would like to know what she wore underneath. Time enough for that later.

  “Coffee, gorgeous?”

  “Mmmm. Please.”

  She took the mug he offered and sat on a stool at the counter. “You’re very domesticated.”

  “I was on my own for some time, before my brothers rescued me. Did you sleep well?”

  She was studying the room. “I did, but there’s something troubling me.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “I just wondered why this place is painted, decorated, and ready for tenants, but it has your things here.”

  Braden drizzled the waffles with berries and placed a plate in front of her. “It’s a surprise.”

  “For whom?”

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  About the Author

  Cheryl Phipps is a New Zealand author of romantic suspense and contemporary women’s fiction. She loves weaving sensual stories that celebrate the joy of love, family and resilience, as well as delivering a heart-racing, happy ending.

  Read more at Cheryl Phipps’s site.