The Rival Roomies Read online

  You’re the first and only girl I’ve ever loved, and I want you to be my last. That decision is up to you.

  Open envelope number two if you think you might be willing to give this ex-husband another chance.

  * * *

  Love always,

  Dominic

  I grab a Kleenex from the side table and pat my eyes, dropping letter one onto the table and opening letter two.

  Inside are two tickets to Vegas with a Post-it note attached.

  Marry me?

  The right way this time.

  One ticket is for you and one is for Ryder.

  If your answer is yes, open the box and make sure you pack this.

  I drop the tickets and tear open the tissue paper. What lies inside the box is a stunning candlelight gown with beading that will show off my lithe figure. I stand and hold it up to myself. He has great taste.

  “Girls!” I yell, and the front door opens.

  “Oh, it’s gorgeous.” Bella’s mouth drops as she stares at it. “So what’s your answer?”

  “It better be yes!” Lulu says, rocking the baby and patting his bum.

  I nod, unable to form the words. All of them run toward me, jumping up and down.

  “Okay, but you’re going to have to say it at the altar too.” Lulu laughs.

  “Let’s get her to the airport,” Annie says.

  “Where’s Ryder?” I ask, scrambling to get all my stuff.

  “He has a cab and is ready to go,” Lulu says.

  “Wait. Did you all know?”

  “Of course we did. Do you think I’d let you be ambushed? Hello… best friend card.” Lulu rolls her eyes.

  Before I know it, we’re all leaving the house to head to the airport.

  “Wait. My parents.” I stop before I get inside the cab.

  “They’re fine. You’ll see them when you get back. I’ll fill them in,” Lulu says.

  Two hours later, I’m at the airport with the carry-on Ryder packed for me trailing behind me. Good luck to me.

  Ryder’s beside me and delaying us, still trying to decide what meal he wants to bring on the flight.

  “We’re going to miss our flight,” I say.

  I have no idea whether Dom is waiting for me in Vegas or what he has planned. I’d hoped he’d be at the terminal, but he wasn’t, and when I called him, he didn’t pick up. I’m still crossing my fingers that he’s on the plane because I want to kiss and hug him and tell him how sorry I am too.

  “We have five minutes.” Ryder spares me half a glance and continues to stroll through the store. “C’mon. You’re going to have to pick something on the plane.”

  He says nothing, and we end up at our gate as the employee is getting ready to close the door to the jetway.

  “See!” I run, flagging her down. “We’re here!”

  She stops and smiles, holding out her hand. I give our boarding passes, relieved when she lets us pass. We rush down the jetway. God, if Dom is on this plane, he probably thinks I’m not coming.

  “Ryder,” I say through gritted teeth.

  “I’m coming.”

  As I step through the door to the plane and into the aisle, I see Dom sitting in a first class seat with a sea of empty chairs behind him. The curtain has already been drawn between first class and economy. Relief causes my body to sag, and I smile at the man I love.

  “Have fun, you two.” Ryder slides by me down the aisle, bumping me until I fall into Dom’s lap.

  “Just where I want you,” Dom says.

  “I’m so sorry,” I say, but he puts his finger to my lips.

  “None of that. Just answer my question. That’s all I want.” He opens his palm and there lies the ring. The one he had designed for me. The one I thought was a loaner. The one that was always meant to be mine. “Marry me?”

  “Yes! Of course!” I smash my lips to his before he has a chance to put it on my finger, then pull back for a second. “Third time’s a charm, right?”

  He grins and leans in to meet my lips again.

  When our kiss comes to a close, he says, “God, I missed you. Never again.”

  “Champagne?” The flight attendant brings over a tray with two glasses.

  We both look at one another and laugh. “No.”

  She looks confused, but then the curtain opens and my parents and Dom’s parents and Enzo and Annie and Bella and Carm and Blanca and Lulu and Vinny all emerge. I don’t see Gia or baby Anthony, so I’ll have to get those details from her later.

  “We’ll take some,” Carm says, signaling to our families to move into first class.

  “This time we do it right?” I ask Dom, repeating his words from the letter.

  “Can I slide this on now?” He holds up the ring.

  I hold out my left hand.

  “Okay, everyone to their seats. We need to prepare for takeoff,” the flight attendant says, trying to get my family in order.

  I cringe because it’s like herding cats.

  “Once this goes on, it never comes off. Deal?” Dom says.

  “Deal.”

  He slides it on my finger, kisses me, and his lips trail down my jaw. “Seeing it on your finger for real this time… let’s just say we’ll be joining the mile-high club.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. I sit down in my seat and get buckled in.

  He leans over and kisses me slowly. “I love you.”

  “Forever.”

  Epilogue

  Dominic

  A year or so later…

  “It’s so hot, can you please turn up the air conditioning again?” Val sits on the sofa, her hands on her bulging belly.

  “I’m out.” Ryder walks out of his bedroom in a parka and sweatpants. Right before he’s about to go out the door, he strips down to a T-shirt and athletic shorts.

  “Wait. Hug before you leave.” Val puts out her arms.

  Ryder looks at me like she’s kidding, right?

  I raise my hands in a just make it fast motion.

  He runs over, pats her on the back, kisses her cheek, and runs to the door.

  “Have fun at your father’s.”

  “Yep. Bye, Dom. Hope you got the mink blanket for tonight.” He laughs and leaves the condo.

  I don’t adjust the air conditioning again because she’s six months pregnant, not nine. But I’ll give her that it’s hotter than hell in New York right now since we’re in the middle of the worst heatwave in years.

  Things are great with us. We’re happy, and that’s all that matters. I spend fewer hours at the office than I used to. Less being an eight in the morning to six at night workday. But when I have the choice between spending time with Val or my computer, she wins every time.

  Mama is beyond excited about her first grandchild. I might’ve been a late starter, but I got the job done before any of my siblings.

  Before I have a chance to sit down with my wife, another knock sounds on the door. The worst part about us being pregnant and married and having everyone know it is that I have to share her with all our family.

  “It’s Blanca,” Val says. “She just texted me she was here.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  I’m not even in the loop with my own sister anymore.

  I open the door, and Blanca steps in and wraps her arms around herself.

  “It’s freezing in here. You have icicles on your eyebrows.” She points, and I feel my face because she could legitimately be telling the truth. She hits me in the stomach and steps past me. “I’m kidding. You and Ryder need to stop giving her hell.”

  Blanca makes her way over to the couch and curls up beside Val, pulling a blanket over her.

  “I love you, Blanc, but you gotta get away from me with that blanket. You and your brother, I swear.”

  “Be careful, she punched me when I tried to cuddle last night.” I sit in the chair across from them, propping my feet up on the table.

  Val narrows her eyes at me, but I challenge her right
back until we both laugh. Blanca slides over to the other end of the couch.

  “How’s the job?” I ask. My little sis got a job at a small magazine. I’m proud of her, and she seems to love it.

  “It’s good. I’m enjoying it.”

  “Any cute boys work there?” Val asks with a smile. After Blanca played such a major role in us getting together, Val wants to help her find someone. Unfortunately, we don’t know anyone her age.

  “Well…”

  “Oh spill.” Val turns on the couch to face her. “I’m over Netflix. I’ve watched everything. I want some real gossip.”

  “It’s just this guy I work with.”

  “And?” Val prods.

  I roll my eyes. I don’t really want to hear all the details. “Office romance isn’t a good way to start, Blanc. Tell me he isn’t your boss?”

  “No, it’s not that cliché.”

  “But it’s a little cliché?” Val asks, and I watch her mind whirling.

  Blanca shrugs. “Kind of.”

  “An office romance! Are you guys pinned against one another?” Val asks.

  Blanca chuckles. “No.”

  “Oh! Oh! Are you his boss?” Val raises her hand as if we’re in a game show.

  I roll my eyes again.

  “Nope.” Blanca shakes her head.

  “What about… is he an ex?” Val asks.

  Blanca’s smile falls. “Sort of?”

  “Is he an ex of one of your friends?” I ask.

  Blanca’s face drains of color, and she nods.

  “Dom! You can’t opt out of playing and then steal the winning answer. I was playing!” Val crosses her arms over her tummy that holds my son or daughter.

  “Sorry,” I mumble.

  And then Blanca buries her head in a pillow and cries. Val looks at me and I widen my eyes. This is her territory. I do the business advice. She’s the relationship advice go-to.

  She slides closer to Blanca and wraps her arm around her shoulders. “Like how close of a friend?”

  “My best friend. One of my roommates.”

  Val shoots me a look over Blanca’s head, and I don’t need to be a relationship expert to know that a friend’s ex is a no-fly zone.

  We don’t have a release date for Blanca’s story just yet, but it will be sometime in 2020.

  In the meantime, we suggest picking up our new series, The Baileys. The series revolves around nine siblings from a smallish town in Alaska navigating their way through life after their parents unexpected death ten years ago. Between nine different personalities and a meddling grandma, we promise there are a ton of laughs in this series!

  Lessons from a One-Night Stand premieres with Austin Bailey, the eldest and guardian of The Baileys!

  All he was looking for was a no strings one-night stand, but come Monday morning, his Saturday night hook-up turned out to be his boss.

  Chapter One

  The handsome guy on stage with his jaw hanging wide open, shock and awe in his eyes?

  That’d be me. Austin Bailey. Eldest brother of the Bailey clan, guardian to my younger siblings, biology teacher extraordinaire, baseball coach, good neighbor, and all-round pretty great guy.

  Before we dive into the fact that karma just raised its middle finger at me, you should hear how my day began.

  Today started like every other day. I woke up, got ready, prepared breakfast for my ungrateful twin sisters, Phoenix and Sedona, then we all hopped into my Jeep to head to school.

  Of course, Phoenix didn’t eat the pancakes. Her exact words, if I remember correctly were, “They taste like cardboard. Can’t you just follow the recipe?”

  Sedona ate the pancakes, but as soon as we pulled into the parking lot of Lake Starlight High School, where they’re seniors, her appreciation for me ended. “Park in the back, I don’t want to be seen stepping out of this monstrosity.”

  I’ve learned that there’s no pleasing a teenager, especially a female one—no offense, ladies, but her comment still irks me. How is my Jeep embarrassing? It has a snorkel so when I off-road, I don’t have to spend my money on a new engine and can instead afford to buy her whatever new outfit she wants. She should be grateful, thanking me. But she’s seventeen. Pleasing her is impossible.

  I purposely park in the first row and honk my horn to announce our arrival, because pissing off Sedona is one of my top five favorite things to do. I’ll miss that come next year.

  Phoenix’s stomach rumbles as she exits the car. Sedona has already raced off to the nearest entrance as if that creepy IT clown is following her.

  I stroll toward the door, reloading my emails on my phone, hoping I received the response I’ve been waiting for and that it contains good news. Elijah, my star pitcher, cuts me off.

  “Coach, I need some advice.” He runs his fingers through his long hair.

  “How to cut your hair? Come see me. I’ve got clippers in my office.”

  It’s like a contest these days for the kids to see who can grow their hair and look the most unkempt. I don’t get the appeal, and Elijah is the worst of them all.

  “No, Coach, Becca broke up with me.” There’s a hitch in his voice. His eyes scour the courtyard, where most of the kids hang out until the first bell rings.

  I stuff my phone into the pocket of my jacket. “Why?”

  “Well…” He runs his fingers through his hair again.

  For the love of God. Next season if I’m still here, I’m making a new rule—if your hair covers your eyes, I’m your barber.

  Of course, then JP’s mom will call to complain. She always calls. I think if we changed the flavor of the performance drink we give them from strawberry to lime, she’d call. You know the type. She probably still wipes his ass to make sure he did it right. And though I understand that the Andrews family has had its share of heartbreak, she was like that before and after.

  I push JP’s mom out of my head because just the thought of dealing with her will give me a headache. “What’d you do?”

  I open the door to the hallway. With it being Monday morning, my fellow teachers nod, gripping their coffee mugs like life vests.

  A group of three girls lingering around one locker follow Elijah as we head down the hall. I’m not blind. He’s kind of a big deal around here, and I can guess what path his teenage hormones led him down. They’re tricky fuckers to manage.

  “You know Sara Pylar?” Elijah asks in a tentative voice.

  See? Too bad I can’t bet on my players’ screw-ups. I wouldn’t be working here, that’s for sure. I’d be a rich man.

  I open up the door to my classroom, and Elijah heads in first.

  Do I know Sara Pylar? Of course, I do. She’s usually the one in the short skirt with her finger twirling a strand of her hair. The worse her grades are, the more bubble gum she chews while she asks to move to the front row so she can see the smart board better. Sara would eat up and spit out a kid like Elijah if he ever tried to tangle with her.

  “Yeah, I know Sara.”

  He sits in the chair next to my desk. “There was this dare…”

  “Nothing good comes from those.” I cross my arms.

  “JP was razzing me about how I’ve only ever kissed Becca and that when I go to college, we’ll break up and how the girls at college are on another level.” His eyes widen, silently asking me.

  I went to college. I played in college, and at one time, I thought maybe I’d hit the majors. Then family responsibilities brought me back to Lake Starlight. Now I teach and try to advise kids like Elijah not to make the mistakes I did. Then again, youth is your free pass to do stupid shit.

  “Girls in college are the girls you went to high school with but a little older.” I sit in my chair, grabbing a pen.

  “He said I’d regret not having experience.”

  My gaze lands on the clock. Elijah has about five minutes before first class bell. I hold up my hand to stop him from rambling. “Listen.”

  Elijah is good enough to be drafted first ro
und, and this town can’t wait to see him succeed. He’ll have plenty of temptation come his way over the years, and he needs to decide now how he’s going to handle it.

  “Did you kiss Sara?” I ask.

  “No, but…”

  “I’m gonna guess here and tell me if I’m wrong.” He closes his mouth, so I continue. “You let your friends get to you. JP, whose mom probably follows him on his dates you do realize, tells you that you don’t have enough experience and should kiss another girl.”

  He’s nodding and smirking because everyone knows JP’s mom will probably put up spy cameras in his dorm room next year.

  “You thought, ‘Hey, what if Becca does break my heart and fall for someone next fall? Where does that leave me?’ So, you went into a bedroom or somewhere private with a very willing Sara. Then Becca somehow walked in on you right before you finished debating in your head if you were going to kiss her?”

  You see me trying to make it seem like he would never cheat on Becca? Probably bullshit. He’s seventeen. He would’ve kissed Sara and blown his relationship with Becca into smithereens and only realized what a mistake that was down the road.

  “Exactly. Coach.”

  “Now you have to grovel.” I check the clock one more time. Three minutes until first bell.

  “I did. I went to her house. I texted her.”

  I stand to let Elijah know he’s leaving before my class arrives. “Sorry,” I smack him on the back. “You need to pull out the big guns.”

  His shoulders slump.

  “Just think of what makes Becca happy, why she fell in love with you, and you’ll figure it out.”

  “How do you know, Coach?”

  I open the door and wait for him to walk through. “Because I was you at one time. And another piece of advice?”