Coming Around Again (21 page)

“Open it. And you can wear the green dress you keep flicking past.
You’ve got the shoes on already.”

And he was right. With a smile, she untied the ribbon and lifted the lid
of the box. White. Lace. Hand. Stitched. A note sat on the top.
To Stella, I
hope the second dress brings you even more luck! Best wishes, Selene Reyce.

“What did you do?” she whispered, her heart racing away in her chest.

“I wrote to her. Told her I needed a dress to re-propose to my wife. And
she told me that this is a dress she is proudest of. That she has never
re-created because of how special it was. To have someone believe in her when
she was just starting out in her business. How much she remembered you. And how
in love with me you were. She had it made again.”

Stella couldn’t believe it. What a beautiful thing for him to do! To
take them back to their beautiful beginning and lay out a glorious new future.
“It must have cost a fortune.”

He lifted a shoulder, but his eyes gleamed. “She charged me the same you
paid for it fourteen years ago. And then returned my cheque.”

“Oh, Niels.” Tears clogged her throat and she struggled to say anything
more. It was all she wanted. All she’d ever wanted, symbolised by all that lace
and a hand-written note by one hell of a romantic designer.

“It’s not too soon to ask you, is it? I can’t bear to see this,” he
picked up her hand and rubbed her bare ring finger. “Marry me. Again. Just you,
me and the boys. No one else.”

“You read my mind,” she said with a sigh, letting the dress drop back
into the box. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Home. Comfort.
Love.
Niels. “I love you, Strøm.”

“Now you’re going to officially be my wife again, we need to talk
obedience.” His eyebrows lifted suggestively. Naughty, terrible, bad man. They
really didn’t have time for this if they really didn’t want to embarrass their
children. Stella took one look at him and took a deep breath.

“What did you do with the nipple clamps?”

Italian Knights
Series

Windows

On Caristo’s Watch

A Life Sublime

The Claim

Best Laid Plans

Verde Bianco Rosso (coming soon)

Murano (coming soon)

Paranormal

Said the Demon to Little Miss Eva

Angel’s Baby (sequel to Said the Demon)

Put Out the Zombie

Shibah’s Monster

Nights of Roshan

Addicted To Witch

Contemporary

@Last (Young Adult)

Sympathy for the Devil (Young Adult)

An Old Cake Tale

Kissing the Canvas

The Baby Gift

Army of You and Me

Sweet Child of Mine

Coming Around Again

Flash Fiction

Christmas Connection

At Midnight

Starting Over

On Set Vintage Pleasures

Collections

Fairytales of Christmas

Season of Love, Vol One

Ah, poor Billy.
The only girl between two boys who each have nearly a foot on her. Didn’t stop her
from starting physical fights with them. She still thinks she can take them. So
while she used to hide away in her wardrobe to read a book or four, she started
to question why the heroines in those books would just lie there and take it.
No, not just sex, but downright James-Bond-backhand-slapping,
do-as-you’re-told-woman, inappropriate lie there and take it. She couldn’t
understand it. These women were just playing that mental woman from
Coming to America
, Miss “Whatever You
Like” who barked like a dog and hopped on one foot. Billy didn’t want to do
that. Definitely not because one empty-headed fool with different anatomy told
her to. So she started to create characters and worlds where the women could
own their sexuality, their intelligence, their right to turn around and say
“jog on, mate” without apology.

The small problem
was that other people wanted to read what she was had written. “Er...why?”
didn’t cut it as an answer. After years of prodding and pleading and come on
and for goodness’ sake, what’s the point otherwise, she closed her eyes and
pressed “submit.” Actually, she had Prosecco, limoncello and white wine, then
pressed “submit.” Who would have thought people would actually enjoy reading
about the crazy characters who live in her head? But they have done, and Billy
feels rather proud of that connection with her fellow man.

Billy lives in
London with the most patient family in the world and doesn’t forget for a
minute how lucky she is. Well, she wouldn’t mind a BBC adaptation of one of her
novels... Ooh, with Richard Armitage!