Seven Day Fiance: A Love and Games Novel (Entangled Bliss) Page 19

  As Angelle chanced a glance around the room, a slow two-step began.

  “Still not here?” Brady asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. Couples danced around them as Angie shook her head. “We can keep dancing, if you want.” His mouth kicked up in a good-natured smile. “No funny business, I promise.”

  After only a slight hesitation, she agreed. It seemed more and more as though Cane wasn’t coming at all. Déjà vu swirled in her stomach. He wouldn’t ditch her two days in a row, would he? After what he’d proclaimed a few short hours ago? Brady twirled her around the floor a few times, her eyes constantly seeking the figures standing along the periphery of the room. But his tall, well-built frame was never among them.

  Somewhere around their fourth rotation, he said, “Love looks good on you, Angie.”

  Angelle lifted her head rather suddenly, confused. “Where did that come from?”

  Brady chuckled. “I know you loved me once, but that started changing a long time ago. I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew. But even on our best days, in the beginning of our relationship, you never looked at me the way you look at Cane. I think that’s why I acted the way I did the last couple days. I wanted that.”

  Angelle opened her mouth to say…she didn’t know what. Maybe to apologize. Maybe to tell him he’d find that soon. But he shook his head and said, “I also want to look at a woman the way Cane looks at you. I never gave you that, and I’m happy you finally found it.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” she mumbled, feeling and sounding completely bitter. She may as well admit it aloud. “I thought he felt the same way, but obviously he doesn’t. He’s not here, is he?”

  “Yeah he is,” Brady said, smiling as he looked past her shoulder. “I’m staring at the man right now, and that look is all over his face.”

  Angelle turned just as the music came to an abrupt end. Cane smiled, shrugging from his place behind the microphone, a guitar strapped to his chest. “Sorry everybody.”

  Couples began whispering on the crowded dance floor, several of them pointing or smiling at her as they realized who the city boy was on the stage. Cane spoke with the members of the band, who nodded and shook his hand, then he turned back, locking eyes with Angelle.

  Her heart began a wild rhythm, faster than any Zydeco beat she’d ever heard.

  Oh my God.

  “I know this is a Fais Do Do,” he told the crowd, “but I don’t know any Cajun songs. I know, shocker, right? But see, there’s a woman in the audience who needs to know how I feel, and I do that best in song. Now, I realize that’s kind of a cop-out,” he said with a smirk, fingering the chords on his guitar, “so first I’ll tell you a little about my hellcat.”

  Lacey appeared beside her out of nowhere, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight. “Eep,” she whispered. Angelle nodded. Eep was right.

  “I’ve never been in love before,” Cane announced to the crowd, eliciting a round of aws from the women. He grinned and said, “Before I met her, that is.” Angelle’s mouth fell open, her breathing stopped. “So when I started to fall, I didn’t realize it. It wasn’t one of those ‘love at first sight’ things, like you see in the movies. For us, it started with a woman tripping over her feet in a diner, and looking at me as if I was a hoodlum trying to steal her purse.”

  He strummed some more as people chuckled. Angelle felt like she was having an out of body experience. Was this really happening? Lacey squeezed her hand again, proving that it was.

  One of the band members brought Cane a stool and he thanked him, settling back and propping his guitar on his thigh. Angelle had heard him play a few times, and it’d always been hard pretending she wasn’t affected. Now she could openly swoon…as if she wasn’t already.

  Nimble fingers picked at the strings, a slow, romantic melody casting a spell over the crowd. Over her. “I realize I’m a little late tonight, but I was busy writing a song for my girl, so I hope this makes up for it.” Cane smiled, the breathtaking one with the dimple, and Angie’s heart nearly burst, it felt so full. “Angelle Prejean, this is for you.”

  Then, with a room full of her family and friends watching, Cane Robicheaux began singing a song, a song he wrote for her.

  “It took me awhile to figure out, just who I was. But no matter how hard I try, she’ll always be, the better half of us.” He never looked at his hands as his smooth voice washed over her. His eyes stayed on hers, singing every lyric like it was a promise. The tears that had been welling in her eyes spilled over.

  “I don’t know what a man like me ever did to deserve her love. But I won’t let her go. Lord, I need her so much, ’cause she’s the better half of us.”

  Angelle heard Lacey sniffling beside her, but she didn’t look away. She couldn’t—she was spellbound. As Cane sang the following words, “She’s the very best part of me. Don’t even wanna think about who I’d be, without her by my side,” she could’ve sworn her bad boy choked up. “So I’m swallowin’ my pride, and I’m telling her tonight.”

  Dark brown eyes full of love and sincerity drilled into hers from across the room as he sang, “You’re the one I want to wake up to, the one I want to lay down at night. You’re my little hellcat, in an angel’s disguise.”

  Any part of her heart and soul he hadn’t already owned waved a white flag in protest. This beautiful man was pouring out his heart in front of a mesmerized audience, and the sincerity in his voice left no room for doubt.

  She’d fallen for her fake fiancé, and he’d fallen right back.

  His strumming slowed, and under the bright light above him, Angie saw the thick knot in Cane’s throat bob as he swallowed. “If it takes a lifetime, to earn back your trust, I’ll die tryin’ to make you see, you’re the better half of us.” The music stopped, and it was just his voice and soulful eyes reaching out to her as he sang, “Girl, you’ll always be, the better half of us.”

  Applause erupted when he finished, his chest heaving as he searched her eyes for an answer. When he pushed to his feet and strode purposefully across the floor, his devilish grin growing with each step, the crowd’s cheers grew louder. And as he yanked Angelle into his arms and smashed his mouth against hers, they went ballistic.

  The love and intensity Cane poured into this kiss overwhelmed her. Her head spun as his fingers speared through her hair, and he licked the seam of her lips, demanding more. Clinging to his shoulders, she gave everything she had, kissing him back with every ounce of love she had for him. It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of the dance floor in front of people who’d seen her in diapers. This was her moment. And she was going to enjoy the heck out of it.

  A noise rumbled in Cane’s chest. Slowing the kiss, his hands loosened their grip around her. Fingertips grazed the skin on her arms as he lifted his head. Dark eyes full of passion that no longer scared her searched hers as they both caught their breath.

  “I know I’m going to screw up. A lot. But I promise you, I’ll never stop trying.” He kissed her again and said, “I’m in love with you, angel.”

  Bursting. That’s what it felt like her heart was doing as she rose onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s all I need, Cane,” she told him, hoping he could see how much she meant it. “The rest we’ll figure out together. I love you. The real you.”

  Cane closed his eyes and exhaled, minty breath fanning her face. “Those are now my three favorite words,” he said, pressing his forehead against hers as he looked into her eyes. “And I’m glad you agree because, angel, I have a question I need to ask you.”

  Anxiety etched the hard planes of his face. The entire animal kingdom set up shop in her gut, flying, dancing, and kicking as Angelle watched, completely awestruck, as the man she loved dropped to one knee.

  Then, he slid his mother’s ring off her finger.

  Huh?

  “The first time I put this ring on your finger, I did it wrong,” he said, winking as he carefully chose his words for their rapt audience. �
��This time, everything is going to be perfect. You’re it for me, angel. The words in that song, I meant them. No matter what happens, I won’t let you go. I need you too damn much. I’m in. All in. And this afternoon I officially received your father’s permission to ask…Angelle Elizabeth Prejean, will you marry me?” With a grin, he lowered his voice and added, “For real?”

  Laughter and tears erupted at the same time. Her knees gave out and she went with it, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing kisses all over his face. “Yes. Yes. Yes,” she said in between each one. “I love you, Cane Randall Robicheaux. And I can’t wait to show you how much every day for the rest of our lives.” She kissed him again, then held out her left hand and wiggled her fingers as she teased, “Now give me my ring back.”

  Cane laughed, a deep rumbling sound that made Angelle shiver. The handsome, sexy, reformed playboy smiling at her with love in his eyes was hers. And as he slid his mother’s ring onto her finger, returning it to where it was meant to be, she gazed right back, knowing she’d finally found her forever.

  Epilogue

  ONE YEAR LATER…

  Boudin balls, fresh cracklin, and Colby’s beignets. For anyone else, that particular culinary trifecta might be an odd choice for a special dinner, but Cane Robicheaux was far from ordinary. He was her surprisingly sentimental, rugged city boy. And tonight, she was pulling out all the stops.

  Nerves had her tummy doing backflips. It was too soon for it to be anything else. But in a few short months, she’d begin feeling flutters, and then bruising kicks, as the new life she and Cane had created grew inside her. Angelle still couldn’t believe it.

  Withholding the news from Colby and Sherry when they’d stopped by earlier had been nearly impossible, but her husband had to be the first to know. She loved his sisters like they were her own, but neither was very good at keeping secrets. Especially not ones like this. The Robicheaux clan had grown like crazy in the last year—adding husbands, wives, and adorable, preteen stepchildren. And now their numbers were increasing again.

  I’m gonna be a mama!

  The flash of a headlight and rumble of an engine sent Angelle’s heart galloping into her throat. Cane was home. She flicked a thick slat in the blinds and watched her husband dismount from his bike. Twelve months together, five of them married, and he still turned her insides to goo.

  She listened to the heavy clomp of motorcycle boots on the driveway, then dashed to the entry to let in her husband. Cane’s eyes widened as she threw open the door.

  “Eager to see me, darlin’?” he asked, flashing the pair of dimples that melted her every stinking time. He swooped her into his arms and lowered his head, eyes sparking with mischief as he said, “If I’d known you were this hot to see me, I’d have come home early.”

  Then Angie was lost in the power of Cane Robicheaux. His lips, his scent, the undeniable love that radiated from his fingertips into her heated skin. She was so far gone that he’d carried her halfway down the hall before she remembered her important news and, reluctantly, broke away from his kiss.

  Cane frowned, and it was so adorable she couldn’t help but laugh. Which, of course, only made his frown deepen. “Am I missing something?”

  “No,” she replied, sliding down his strong body and wrapping her arms around his waist. “You’re most definitely not missing anything. You’re quite equipped.” Teasing and flirting with the man she loved was easy now. Not so much because she thought she was any good at it, but because being around her husband, seeing herself in his eyes, made her feel sexy. Confident. Like the woman he’d always thought her to be. “We will be coming back to that train of thought very soon. But first, I have a surprise for you.”

  Taking his hand in hers, she led him back to the kitchen where their banquet awaited. Cane eyed the offering with an amused quirk of his eyebrow. “Interesting selection. All my favorites.” He popped a cracklin in his mouth and grinned. “So good.” After chewing and swallowing, he tore a fluffy section of beignet, dipped it into the excess powdered sugar on the platter, then stuffed it, too, into his mouth. “Is today an anniversary of a first of something I’m forgetting? If so, I’m sorry, darlin’. Men have crap for brains when it comes to that kind of stuff.”

  Angelle bit her lip, trying to contain her excitement. “It’s the beginning of one,” she answered, trying to draw out the mystery. Reaching under the table, she grabbed the present she’d hidden there earlier and slid it onto the table. Cane’s eyebrow lifted even higher.

  “For me?” Curiosity and excitement warred on his handsome face—he was such a sucker for presents. She nodded, holding her breath as he tore into the wrapping paper, and when two pairs of tiny socks, one pink and one blue, emerged in his large, calloused hands, she released it in one big burst.

  The thick knot in Cane’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. But other than that, zero reaction.

  “I’m pregnant,” Angelle told him, her voice wobbly, unsure of how to take his silence. “Only with one, that I know of, but they were both so cute I decided to get one of each.” His eyes remained glued to the small garments of cotton, and she shoved a section of hair behind her ear, rocking back on her heels. “Are you happy?” she asked. “Completely freaking out? I can’t tell what’s going on in that giant analytical noggin of yours.”

  A shuddered breath escaped his parted lips. “Happy?” His dark brown eyes finally met hers, and Angelle saw they were misty. “Angel, from the day you agreed to be mine for real, I didn’t think I could be any happier. Then I watched you walk down the aisle toward me and your father put your hand in mine, and I thought that was the happiest moment of my life. But this? Making me a father? Baby, you just rocked my world.”

  Seeing how much he meant his words, that he wanted this baby as much as she did, loosened something in her chest and Angelle’s knees buckled. Cane caught her easily, pulling her close and supporting her weight like he’d supported her for the last year. Strong, unconditionally, and with surprising tenderness.

  Cupping her cheek with his hand, he gently traced her freckles with the pad of his thumb. “It’s just gonna keep getting better and better, isn’t it?” he asked, ducking down to lean his forehead against hers. “You’ve made me happier than I ever knew I could be, Angelle Robicheaux.”

  Angie stared into her husband’s eyes, loving how unguarded they were. He was hers, all of him. The math nerd, the inked-up bad boy, and every shade in between. “And I’m the luckiest woman on the face of the earth, Cane Robicheaux,” she replied, closing her eyes as she pressed a kiss against his lips. “Taking a chance on you was the best decision I ever made.”

  That naughty glint entered his eyes again, and he scooped her into his arms, grinning wider as she squealed. Cradling her against his chest, he lowered his mouth and said against her lips, “You got that right.” Then he took her to their bedroom, celebratory dinner postponed for now, and proceeded to show her just how lucky she was.

  Acknowledgments

  So much of an author’s day is spent staring at a blank screen, talking with imaginary friends, and scaring innocent people in Panera when you unconsciously act out the scenes you are writing. Or is that just me? Anyhoo, I’ve made so many friends along this journey, authors, bloggers, reviewers, and readers who lift me up, cheer me on, and virtually bop me over the head when I eventually lapse into the completely random and silly. For everyone listed below, and for everyone my chaotic author/mama brain forgot (and will be kicking myself over in 3, 2, 1…), I hope you know that I adore you all to pieces.

  First up, I have to thank my beautiful cousin, Chantel Fouchi, for the fabulous tour of Cajun country and letting me take over your home for a week—sorry about the ceiling! Your friends and neighbors were so kind and welcoming, and it’s their stories that gave this book life. Like Cane, I’m New Orleans Cajun, so this city girl needed some schooling. And they totally brought it. Ryan and Mary Rose Verret gave the Prejean family a heart. The Marcantel and Coleman families welcome
d me into their homes and inspired so much of the Bon Terre townspeople’s stories. Tony Thibodeaux introduced me to the buggy capital of the world, and Dexter Thibodeaux taught me about cutting blocks, Thanksgiving traditions, and Johnny Janot. If this book sparked your curiosity for Cajun culture, listening to Janot’s song “I’m Proud to be a Cajun” is a must!

  Ashley Bodette, assistant extraordinaire, rocks my socks off. Thank you SO much for reading Cane’s story a bazillion times, sending such detailed notes, reading my rambling stream of consciousness e-mails, and being a blessing above and beyond. Words do not exist to express my gratitude, so I’ll just say love you, girl!

  Trisha Wolfe and Shannon Duffy deserve medals for putting up with my crazy writing schedule, especially toward the end where I sent them 7,000-word chunks. For talking me down off ledges and making me laugh so hard my tummy hurt, thank you, thank you, thank you.

  Cindi Madsen totally saved my butt in the beginning of this story, and it was through talking with her that the Bachelor Auction came to be…so you can thank her for the delicious abs, ladies. And if you completely melted like I did over Cane’s lyrics at the end, I must confess that all the credit goes to my girl (and uber-awesome writing bud) Caisey Quinn. She took my pretty speech and turned it into pure gold. I owe her a lifetime supply of chocolate because those lyrics are flipping awesome!

  Heather Self and Kayleigh from K-Books are quite honestly the best beta readers EVER. They devoured this book, gave me fabulous feedback, and made me do a bazillion happy dances. Girls, thank you for loving Cane as much as I do!! Before I wrote this book, I already had an author crush on Robin Bielman. When she read Seven Day Fiancé and said that she loved it, I about fell out of my chair. That author crush is off the charts about now…

  I’m convinced Kelly P. Simmon of InkSlinger PR and Debbie Suzuki aren’t human. They are angels with huge hearts and AMAZING talent who were sent to guide me along this crazy journey. Kelly, I’m honored to call you my friend, and Debbie, I’m so stinking excited to have you on my team! Mega shout outs to Christine from I*Heart*BigBooks (and I cannot lie…) for the HOTTEST teasers in the history of the world, and to my agent of awesome Pam van Hylckama Vlieg for all the encouragement. So. Much. Love!