Matched With Her Cowboy Billionaire Ex-Fiance Page 23
Roman stood, still speaking into the microphone. The crowd seemed to hang on their every word. “I thought you were going to say that.” He motioned to someone off-stage and the crowd gasped as whoever it was moved into view.
Curious herself, Taylor turned and her jaw dropped. Pastor Lincoln strode onto the stage, holding a bible and a slip of paper.
“Marry me, Taylor. Right here, right now. I’ve had weeks to think about this. Plan it. I haven’t gotten cold feet again. If anything, I’m more excited than I’ve ever been for anything in my life. I want this. I want you.” He turned her slowly around to face him. “I love you. Marry me.”
Taylor stared up into his eyes. “I…” She felt cheated while she also wanted everything he promised her.
Was it okay to let go of the pain from their past? Was it okay to take him back and try again? He was her match. She knew that. But he’d also hurt her. What was she supposed to do?
“Look, I promise I’ll make this up to you. Let’s make it legal. Then you can plan any wedding you want. I’ll be there. Maybe we’ll have babies and horses and, I don’t know, a helicopter?” Roman begged her with his eyes, his skin going pale as he waited longer and longer for her to answer.
“Marry him!” Someone from the crowd called out, starting a general murmur from the crowd to rise up.
“Say yes.”
“Marry him”
“I’ll marry him!”
Taylor laughed while tears fell from her eyes. What exactly was she supposed to do? Lily sidled up to stand beside her, whispering from behind Taylor. “He’s your match, Tay. I promise. Forgive and love. That’s all you can do.”
Taylor stared up at Roman, her sister’s words echoing in her mind and in her heart. He was her match. Taylor knew it deep down in her gut. She had a sixth sense about these things and she would only betray her feelings and her heritage, if she denied what she knew to be true.
He'd had to come around to his own understanding. Did she blame him for that? Everyone needed to learn things on their own. There was nothing wrong with that.
Sure, it sucked that her feelings had been hurt and they’d been apart all that time, but that could change, right then and right there. He’d come prepared and he wasn’t backing down.
Taylor had to meet him halfway.
He was her match.
Chapter 31
Roman
Would Taylor leave and take everything good about Mistletoe, Montana with her? What would Roman do? He hadn’t realized when he’d been running home to escape that he was actually running home to be found.
Roman stared at Taylor, holding his breath as he ignored the whirring cameras, the still-present microphone in his hand, the pastor standing by, and the collection of townspeople who had apparently stopped breathing as well as everyone waited for her answer.
She would say no. Roman expected her to. He’d hurt her horribly so long ago. He’d stood her up. He got it. She didn’t owe him anything.
He opened his mouth, ready to beg her to reconsider. She raised tear-filled eyes to his and shook her head. Resting her fingertip against his lips. “Sh. You don’t have to try to convince me. I’m convinced.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “I shouldn’t be, but I am.”
Roman’s heart swelled and he drew his shoulders back further, puffing his chest out as he realized she’d picked him. Him.
Despite his mistakes in the past, despite the ways he’d hurt her, despite everything else, she’d given him another chance.
No matter what, he wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. He needed her. Until he came home, he hadn’t realized just how much.
Roman didn’t look away from Taylor, reeling at the way her green eyes were enhanced by the auburn in her hair. He didn’t want to look at away. What if she disappeared or changed her mind before he could the pastor in place?
Roman couldn’t take that chance. He motioned in the general direction of the pastor for him to get closer, reaching for Taylor’s hands to keep her anchored by him. “Seriously. We’ll do the big wedding, big reception, whatever you want, you can have it. I just want… you.” He’d bared his soul in the hopes she’d understand just what he was expecting and what he was offering.
Everything. He was offering everything he had and then some.
As the pastor moved into place and Roman pulled Taylor closer, he lowered his voice so only she could hear. “Taylor, are you sure? You can walk away. I won’t judge you for that. I deserve that and more.” He’d never tell her the truth – that he wouldn’t let go of her hands, if she wanted to leave. He couldn’t. Touching was right. Holding her near was right. He couldn’t pretend he hadn’t been gone for twenty years, but he could certainly do his best to make up for the mistakes he’d made and the loneliness he’d caused.
“I’m sure. I’m ready to be happy. Are you?” Taylor blinked at him; her lips coyly curved.
“More than you know. I won’t let you down again. I promise.” He hoped she could feel the sincerity in his words.
“I know. I believe you. Um… I don’t have a house anymore. I’m closing tomorrow. We don’t have a place to live.” A spark of worry flashed in her eyes, spurring Roman’s protective side.
“I bought the Dawson ranch on the south side of town. Hopefully, you like horses as much as you liked that picket fence.” He’d bought the place when he’d found out Taylor was selling hers. Old Man Dawson had died a month ago and no one had the millions needed to buy the place.
Until Roman had returned.
Her eyes widened and her fingers tightened their hold on his. “I love that place. He has a wishing well!”
“It’s yours.” He’d buy her whatever would put that spark in her eyes and that smile on her lips. For a minute, there was nothing resembling sadness in her demeanor and Roman would give anything to make that permanent.
Taylor squeezed his fingers and stared up into his eyes. “Not mine.” Her words made his heart drop. She leaned up on tip-toe and kissed his lips fleetingly. “Ours. I don’t want anything to be yours or mine again. We need to be united. Agreed?”
Roman hadn’t expected he could feel higher than he’d been a moment ago, but her assertion that they share everything filled him with pride. She wanted a life with him. She was willing to share with him. That was earth-shattering in ways he couldn’t define himself.
He nodded, pulling her even closer. “Everything is together. I agree with that.” He started to lower his lips but paused as the pastor cleared his throat.
“Maybe we should marry you first and then you can kiss her?” The man rocked forward onto the balls of his feet and then back as if he expected Roman to do exactly what was requested.
Roman grinned, lifting a finger to tilt Taylor’s chin up a little more. He looked back at his to-be-bride and murmured, “I can’t wait. Sorry, pastor.”
Taylor’s answering grin offset the pink of her embarrassed flush, but she didn’t shy away from responding to his embrace as she wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck. Her touch still drove him insane and he couldn’t wait until she was entirely his.
They broke their kiss and he lifted his head, pulling Taylor tight against his side. “Okay, pastor. Let’s make this legal before she changes her mind.”
Taylor laughed, curling against him. “I’m not the one who has a habit of doing that.”
Roman wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tighter to him. “I’m never doing that again. You have all of me.”
Maybe one day he’d tell her what had happened with his dad. Or maybe not. It didn’t really matter now. All that mattered was he was finally with his match. That was important.
Roman was right where he was meant to be. In Taylor’s life and at home, in Mistletoe, Montana.
For once, he couldn’t help believing in the miracle of Christmas.
Epilogue
Lily
A lot of pressure weighed on Lily’s shoulders with the win. Roman and Taylor had pulled off a double
match. A double match! That was unheard of.
Even though the Deans had ultimately won the matching competition, both families had won that season. Roman had secured ten more matches with a ton of money and a wedding on Matching Day had skyrocketed the romance in the room.
That specific matchmaking season would have a lot of people talking about the magic in Mistletoe. They would all be busy for quite a while.
Lily took a deep breath and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. She leaned to the side and pushed the door open to let the cool air in to refresh her skin. With that many people in the gymnasium area, the heat was higher than anyone could have predicted. She just needed a minute to breathe.
She closed her eyes and fluffed the front of her shirt, enjoying the cool air.
Inhaling the subtle presence of a masculine cologne, Lily sniffed appreciatively. Eyes closed still, she smiled flirtatiously and murmured. “Wow, you smell delicious.” Hopefully, it wasn’t old Tom from the bar. On the other hand, if it was, Lily might consider going down that way more often.
“Thank you. I was just admiring how pretty you are.” The deep voice snapped her from her reverie and she opened her eyes.
Brock. Wilson. Lily pushed off the wall and arched an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest. “Well, aren’t you coy?”
“Coy? Are we in one of your romance novels you’re always carrying around? Wait, do you still read those?” Brock’s broad shoulders and trim waist left Lily on edge.
She pressed her lips together and tossed her hair back again before turning back toward the event. “Why read romance when I’m surrounded by happy endings?” Everyone’s but her own. But that wasn’t important. Not something she needed to worry about right then. Not on the same day that her sister was getting married.
Brock’s teasing gaze shifted to surprise. “Can you believe that? I never would have suspected.” He shook his head and moved toward the door. “If they can find love, I wonder if the rest of us can.” He didn’t say it as a question.
Lily tilted her head to the side and offered a side-grin. “Well, some of us maybe. I’m not sure about you, Brock. If you want to find love, you actually have to settle down with one woman.” She winked as she turned away.
Brock and his women. One of the legends of Mistletoe, Montana. Lily wasn’t going to follow in her sister’s footsteps. She wasn’t going to fall into the charming Wilsons’ traps. She was smarter than that. No matter how good looking and charismatic the men happened to be.
A girl had to have her priorities straight. Now that Lily had seen Taylor find her happy-ever-after, Lily wasn’t willing to settle for anything less.
***I just love this new Christmas-centered town in Clearwater County! Did you love it as much as me?
Book 2 of the Mistletoe Matchmakers of Clearwater County romances, Matched with her Cowboy Billionaire Fake Husband is next! This Christmas, if Brock and Lily want to fix up the best matches, they have to pretend to be married to each other… or lose the town’s largest money-making event of the year.
‘Tis the season and the Mistletoe Matchmakers are working in full force to find the perfect match before Santa slips down the chimney.
Ready to give Brock Wilson a piece of her mind in no uncertain terms, Lily Dean storms into the Wilson Matchmaking Offices and walks in on a woman proposing to Brock Wilson. Stammering in embarrassment at her intrusion, Lily attempts to escape, but Brock grabs her and claims her as his wife.
His wife, of all things!
Brock can’t get away from the woman proposing to him for the seventh time. Every time he turns around, there she is.
Thankfully, Lily walks in at the right time and Brock introduces her as his new bride. Rather than reject him and reveal him as the liar he is, Lily plays along but the promise in her eyes declares he’s going to pay while her smile and hand-holding suggests she’s the ever-loving-ever-doting new bride.
Their chance at happiness is within reach, but Brock and Lily can’t get past their mutual distaste for each other, until their lies force them to consider each other as more than enemies.
Will the façade of a marriage be exactly what they need to realize the best match they can make this holiday season is with each other?
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Copyright © 2019 Bonnie R. Paulson
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Matched with Her Cowboy Billionaire Second Chance
Chapter 1
Taylor
Chapter 2
David
Chapter 3
Roman
Chapter 4
Taylor
Chapter 5
Roman
~~~
Chapter 6
Taylor
~~~
Chapter 7
Roman
Chapter 8
Elizabeth
Roman
Chapter 9
Taylor
Chapter 10
Roman
Chapter 11
Taylor
Chapter 12
Roman
Chapter 13
Taylor
~~~
Chapter 14
Roman
Chapter 15
Taylor
Chapter 16
Roman
~~~
Elizabeth
Chapter 17
Taylor
Chapter 18
Taylor
Chapter 19
Roman
Chapter 20
Roman
Chapter 21
Taylor
Chapter 22
Brock
Chapter 23
Taylor
Chapter 24
Roman
Chapter 25
Taylor
Chapter 26
Roman
~~~
Chapter 27
Taylor
Chapter 28
Austin
Chapter 29
Ro
man
Chapter 30
Taylor
Chapter 31
Roman
Epilogue
Lily