Her New Year Baby Secret(32)

'You did propose to me twice first,' she pointed out. 'Although the  first time was more of a fait accompli than an actual proposal.'

Marco caught both her hands in his. 'Not only do I accept your proposal,  but I'll make you a promise, here and now, as binding as any wedding  vow. We're a team. I'll always remember that. I won't ever try to  control you, try to stop you from fulfilling your dreams, from being the  person you want to be.'

'That's all I need.' She laced her fingers through his; now she could  hold on to him she didn't want to ever let go. 'That's all I ever  needed. Your promise and you.'

And as he bent his head to hers to seal their bargain with a kiss Sophie  knew she was home at last. London, Venice, a narrowboat cruising the  country, wherever Marco was she would be too. She finally had a place of  her own.

* * * * *

If you loved this story, make sure you catch the rest of the magical Christmas quartet

MAIDS UNDER THE MISTLETOE!

A COUNTESS FOR CHRISTMAS

by Christy McKellen

GREEK TYCOON'S MISTLETOE PROPOSAL

by Kandy Shepherd

CHRISTMAS IN THE BOSS'S CASTLE

by Scarlet Wilson

Keep reading for an excerpt from

SLOW DANCE WITH THE BEST MAN

by Sophie Pembroke

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Slow Dance with the Best Man

by Sophie Pembroke

CHAPTER ONE

THREE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, Eloise Miller stood on the ancient stone  steps of Morwen Hall, her hands clasped over the buttons of her  dove-grey wool coat, and waited for her childhood arch nemesis to arrive  and all hell to break loose.

'I wonder if she'll wear the veil,' Laurel mused beside her. 'I mean,  she sent me scampering all over the country looking for the absolute  perfect lace confection, but I can't help thinking that Melissa really  doesn't like it when people can't see her face.'

'Which explains those awful billboards for her latest film,' Eloise  agreed, thinking of the monstrosities, tall as double decker buses,  which featured little more than Melissa's flawless features, shiny  blonde hair and slim, pale shoulders. Oh, and the name of the film,  probably. But Eloise would bet money that no one who'd seen the posters  could remember what the film was called.

Melissa had the sort of captivating beauty that made everything else  fade into insignificance. Except the fact she was a perennial mean girl,  of course.

'Do you think she's as...demanding on set as she has been over this  wedding?' Laurel asked and, not for the first time, Eloise felt a burst  of sympathy for her new friend. As Melissa's half-sister and wedding  planner, Laurel had it far worse than Eloise. Not only did Laurel have  to manage a whole five-day wedding celebration extravaganza for the rich  and famous but, once this wedding was over, Eloise would never have to  see Melissa again. Laurel would.

Mind you, having survived the teenage years, Eloise had been pretty sure  that misery at Melissa's hands was over for her, especially once  Melissa set sail for Hollywood and stardom. And once she'd actually  found it, against all the odds, Eloise had been certain that she'd never  have to get closer to Melissa Sommers than a movie poster ever again.

That was until Melissa revealed her engagement to A-list Hollywood  actor, Riley Black, in Star! magazine, wearing a giant rock of a diamond  on her left hand, and announced her intention to get married back home  in England. And not just England-at Morwen Hall, the elite, luxury  Gothic stately home turned hotel where she'd spent her teenage years  working as a maid, and making Eloise's life miserable. Well, the last  bit wasn't in the magazine, but it was all Eloise had been able to see  when her boss had shown her the article.

'She can't possibly be as bad on set,' Eloise answered, shifting from  one foot to the other to try and keep warm. She'd go back inside, but  she knew the moment she turned her back would be the moment Melissa  turned up, complete with her fiancé and his even more famous best  man-Noah Cross. That was just the sort of luck she had. And, as the  interim manager of Morwen Hall, it was her job to be there to greet  their VIP guests. Even if they were planning on filling her hotel with  actors. 'She's not that good an actress. They wouldn't keep casting her  in all those blockbusters if she was as much of a pain to work with as  she has been lately. Or as she was at Morwen Hall ten years ago, come to  that.'

Laurel turned to look at her, curious. 'What was she like? I never even  met her until she was sixteen, after my dad, well...you know.'

Eloise did know. She suspected most of Britain-the world, even-knew the  story of how Melissa Sommers had been brought up by her single mum, her  dad visiting only when he could get away from his real family across  town. Laurel's family.                       
       
           



       

'Organising this wedding has been the most time I've ever spent with  her.' Laurel didn't add thankfully but Eloise could hear it in her  voice.

'She was...' Cruel. Evil. Nightmarish. A total witch in a blonde wig.  'She liked to be the centre of attention,' Eloise said, conscious that  Laurel was Melissa's sister, despite everything. She'd only met Laurel  at the start of the wedding planning, six months ago, and most of their  conversations so far had been wedding-related-with the occasional  frustrated eye-roll and knowing glance when Melissa video-called in from  LA with another hundred demands. But since Laurel had arrived at Morwen  Hall the day before to set up for the wedding, Eloise had found it hard  to believe that she and Melissa had even one parent in common, they  were so different.

They had the same ambition, though. While Melissa had channelled hers  into stardom, Laurel had taken a quieter route-setting up her own  wedding planning company that was just starting to be featured in bridal  magazines and websites. Of the two paths, Eloise felt strangely more  envious of Laurel's than Melissa's. Eloise had never wanted to be a  star, not really. But her own business... She shook her head. She had a  good job at Morwen Hall. One she didn't plan to jeopardise by  daydreaming.

'The centre of attention. I can believe that,' Laurel said with feeling.  'I guess maybe she feels she missed out on that, growing up. I mean,  with our father staying with my mum instead of hers for so long.'

'Perhaps,' Eloise allowed. 'But I reckon she made up for it by stealing  all my boyfriends.' She slapped her hand across her mouth as the words  came out, but Laurel just laughed.

'All of them? How many did you have?'

'Two,' Eloise said mournfully. 'At different times, obviously. And, on  both occasions, your sister managed to convince them that they'd be  better off with someone else. Usually her.' It hadn't been too hard  either. Growing up in the same town, going to the same school and  working at the same hotel meant that Melissa had known all of Eloise's  secrets. She'd known every embarrassing story to tell about her family,  and which ones to pick for maximum effect.

And she'd had more than enough to choose from.

'Well, at least you won't have to worry about her doing that this time,' Laurel said.

'Well, no,' Eloise agreed. 'Since I don't have a boyfriend.' And hadn't  had one for quite a while, actually, not that she was counting days.  She'd rather wait and find the right one than try out any guy who came  calling.

Not that she'd had any significant success since leaving school. In  fact, the boyfriends Melissa had lured away might be considered the  highlights of her dating career. Certainly a lot better than the one  who'd left her for her mother. Or the guy at university who'd managed to  screw her over both personally and professionally.