For those of you that have read the Road and the All Series, you know all about William and Isabel Harper. Wouldn’t you love to know how they met?
Well now you can in All for Love-Road to Romance.
I loved writing this book after I already wrote about their kids. I hope you enjoy it too!
Prologue
William Harper looked up at his wife of more years than he could count when she walked into the room. If she’d asked him the number, he could tell her—just like he could tell her anything about their lives—but he liked to pretend he couldn’t and watch the fire leap into her eyes.
She handed him a beer, then set her wine glass down and crawled into his lap, leaning against his chest while he pushed back the bottom of his recliner. It was a nighttime ritual for them. Relaxing together at the end of their day.
To this day, he still loved to feel her in his arms—to hold her tight and think back to the time when he thought he wouldn’t be able to have her. That he’d never be good enough.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, lying her head against his chest and snuggling in some more. It was a move that touched him just as much today as it did so long ago.
“Just thinking about the beautiful woman on my lap right now. That fills my head so that nothing else can occupy it.”
“You always were a smooth one,” she said, kissing his neck. “Well, maybe not in the beginning, but then you got your confidence.”
He laughed, loving how she picked on him. “And you fell for it all. Hook, line, and sinker. I tossed the line and reeled you in good and strong.”
“You keep trying to tell yourself that.” She ran her hand lovingly up and down his thigh, then sighed.
“What’s wrong?” He knew her better than he knew himself at times. She’d been a little sad lately, and that was completely unlike her.
“I spent the day with Michele and we were talking about the kids.” Michele Mathews was Isabel’s best friend and when they weren’t actually together in their free time, they were still chatting some way or another.
“Thomas mentioned something about Lucas dating a new girl that just moved to the area. Has him all twisted around.” Thomas Mathews was more than William’s best friend. He was the man who helped him build his life. The life he’d always wanted and the life that he’d been able to provide for his wife and four children. The life he’d thought he needed to win Isabel over. Turned out all he needed was to love her.
Isabel heaved a big sigh again and he had a feeling where this was going. “She thinks there might be a wedding around the corner.”
“I heard that, too. They’ve got to be thrilled.”
“She is. When are our kids going to settle down? The boys are in their thirties. Kaitlin close behind. Someone should be married by now, don’t you think?”
It would be unwise to laugh at his wife, so he didn’t. He wanted to, but knew better. “Plenty of time yet. Don’t be pushing them into something they aren’t ready for.”
“Ready? Aside from Phil, not one of them is even dating someone. And if Phil thinks of marrying that girl, I’ll put my foot down.”
“I don’t think Phil is even considering it, no matter how much people are talking about it. What’s this really about?” he asked. There had to be more.
“I want grandkids. At Alec and Phil’s age, we were married and had all four of them.”
“Times are different now and you know that. Ben just got home and he is nowhere near ready to settle down. Alec is out having too much fun. Phil is searching for something he can’t seem to find, and no one can help him. And Kaitlin is too busy building her career. Relax. It will happen when it does.”
“You’re right. I know you are. I just want it to happen now.”
“You’ve always been impatient,” he said, his hand roaming under her shirt. Her skin was still as soft and smooth as it was all those years ago.
She turned and put her lips on his. “And you’ve always loved it. Do you remember the first night we met?”
“Luckiest night of my life. I’ll never forget it.”
“That’s sweet. Guess it was luck for me too that no one stole my purse.”
“You’ve never lost it again, either. Or left it anywhere. Guess you learned your lesson that night.”
“Oh, I learned it, all right,” she said, turning around and straddling his hips. “I learned that sexy bartenders have their eyes on everything going on in the bar at all times.”
“How else would I have known where you left it? Or who it belonged to?” She was doing a good job distracting him.
She pulled the beer out of his hand, the one he hadn’t even taken a sip of, and put it next to her untouched wine. “Why don’t you show me what you wanted to do to me that night but were too afraid to? No one’s watching now. Just like no one was back then.”
He didn’t need to be told twice, and slid her off his lap, standing up next to her. “Let’s go upstairs.”
She laughed, the same sexy laugh she had that night, and all his brain matter settled into his pants. “We aren’t some old couple that needs to go to our room. We’ve got a whole empty house to ourselves. Where do you want to start?”
That woman he fell in love with all those years ago had only gotten better with age. She was still sweet and soft, rebellious and adventurous, and she was all his, thanks to a lost purse on a cold winter night.
Natalie Ann 