When Fate Isn't Enough Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Acknowledgements

  When Fate

  Isn’t Enough

  Book Two in the

  When Fates Collide Series

  Isabelle Richards

  © 2015 Isabelle Richards

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by: Cassie Cox

  Cover Design and Photography: Regina Wamba

  Dedication

  To my mother,

  for always being there

  for me through the turbulence

  and chaos of my crazy adventures.

  Chapter One

  I used to think dating the hottest man in the room would be amazing—that I would revel in being the envy of other women. All the mean girls in my life could finally suck it.

  During my eight-hour flight to London, I learn that dating the sexiest man on the plane is nothing but trouble. Every time I run to the restroom, I come back to a flight attendant or female passenger batting her overly mascaraed eyes at him or pushing her cleavage in his face. By the third hour, I’m so over it. Gavin and I started our relationship under unusual circumstances, so I’m used to it just being the two of us held captive somewhere. That’s shielded me from the piranhas in push-up bras.

  I can’t say I blame them. Gavin Edwards may be one of the sexiest men to walk the earth. He has dark blond hair and chiseled features. He’s kept his body in pristine condition since his days as a model. In fact, his body may actually be better now. But his most striking feature is his eyes. He should have to register those baby blues as weapons. Once I’m caught in those azure pools, I turn to mush and will do anything he asks. Such an unfair advantage.

  “Oxford, tell me that it’s not always going to be like this,” I say when I sink into my seat after a trip to the bathroom.

  “Like what?”

  His hypnotizing blue eyes make me think for a second that he might not actually know the impact he has on women. But then he flashes me that “you'll be putty in my hands” smile, and I remember that he knows exactly what he’s doing.

  “Like this,” I gesture toward the flight attendant. “Women throwing themselves at you all the time. This trip is supposed to be an escape from stress. If I have to be on hussy-watch every time we go to the grocery store or take the dog to the vet, I may lose my mind.”

  “I don’t have a dog,” he retorts.

  “But maybe we’ll get one, and if we do, clearly we’ll need to get a male vet because if we get a woman vet, she may want to play doctor with you instead.”

  “You’re positively adorable when you’re jealous.”

  I snatch the bag of peanuts off of his tray. Oh, honey roasted. I adore first class. “It isn’t really jealousy as much as pity. They’re so pathetic, and I just don’t think I can stand to watch it day in and day out. Take Double D over there. Does she really think that if she undoes one more button, you’re going to leave the woman in your lap to go join the Mile High club?”

  Gavin laughs and starts to say something, but I interrupt him. “If you’re already a member of the Mile High club, I don’t want to know.”

  That only makes him laugh harder. I love to watch him smile.

  He twists a lock of my long blonde hair, seductively flashing those eyes at me. “Has it really been that terrible?” he asks.

  “Yes. We’ve lost so much time together. After all I’ve been through, I think I deserve your undivided attention.”

  He unbuckles his seatbelt and stands. “Stand up,” he orders.

  “Why?”

  He gently tugs on my elbow. “Stand up! Stop being difficult.”

  I stand and roll my eyes at him. “I’m standing, now what?”

  He leans in and gives me the kiss to top all other kisses. The kind of kiss that leaves you dizzy, breathless and desperate for more. I can almost hear jaws dropping and drool forming puddles on the floor.

  When he finally breaks away he winks at me. “That should solve that problem, luv.” He sits and resumes working on his laptop, as though he didn’t just kiss me stupid. “Oh,” he continues. “In case there was ever a doubt, you’ve always had my undivided attention.”

  I can feel my face flush as I sink into my chair. “I feel like I should be asking you to join the Mile High club.”

  Gavin returns to his seat and refastens his seat belt. “If it weren’t for that pesky heart problem you have, we would have.”

  I was recently kidnapped by a sociopath trying to find money that my late husband—may he rot in hell—stole from the Morelia Mexican drug cartel. In the end, I kicked the ever-loving crap out of my kidnapper and got away, but my heart did not escape unscathed. I now have to keep things sedate until I get the doctor’s go ahead.

  “So are you going to kiss me like this everywhere we go to ward off the gaggles of women trying to get in your pants?” I ask.

  He brings my hand to his lips, then kisses the top. “If I have to. Lily, if it were up to me, I would retire, buy an island, and do nothing but naughty things to you all day long.”

  “Why can’t we go with that plan? It sounds mighty good to me.”

  He cocks his head to the side, giving me a knowing glare. “You wanted to find yourself again, re-establish your identity, and be independent. You don’t want me taking care of you, because you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Does any of this sound familiar?”

  He has me there. There’s nothing worse than your own words coming back to bite you in the ass.

  I met Gavin about four months ago when my husband and Gavin’s wife were in a fatal, head-on collision. Due to my late husband’s connection to the drug cartel, Gavin and I were placed in FBI protective custody for a while. I believe we have the worst possible answer to “How did you two meet?”

  Gavin wanted to run off into the sunset, but I insisted that I needed time to get my life together and shake off all of the rust that had formed while I wasted away married to Ashton. Gavin had wanted to spoil me rotten and buy me everything my heart desired, and I insisted I needed to do things on my own. My life was a train wreck, but I sorted it out myself. I literally kicked ass and took names. I can walk with a bit more swagger now, and I know there isn’t much I can’t overcome.

  “Well, can we do the whole island thing sometime? I mean, maybe you don’t
retire and buy the island, but can you rent it for a while?” I ask sheepishly. Normally I would’ve found some way to twist his words against him and give him a zinger, but all I can think about is him giving me a zinger! One kiss has me completely frazzled.

  “Why, Lily Clark, you’re positively randy, aren’t you?” he says a bit too loudly. “You’re blushing. You’re just breathtaking when you blush.” He kisses me again, but this time he isn’t trying to show off. His kiss is soft and tender. “Have I told you how much I’ve missed you?”

  “No, but you can.”

  He whispers sweet nothings into my ear until I fall asleep.

  I’m woken by a hostile drink cart. The attendant’s gotten the hint and doesn’t hit on my boyfriend when she delivers his scotch, but she’s a bit cranky now.

  I feel a bit cranky when I hear some persistent giggling coming from a few rows over. I look over at two women pouring through tabloid magazines and looking over at Gavin. He has been on the covers of the gossip rags for weeks now. My kidnapping and rescue became big news, and the media loves putting Gavin’s beautiful face in the center of it.

  He shares this week’s cover with Olivia Philips, Gavin’s longtime friend who has been hoping for more. Depending on the cover, she’s heartbroken, or they’re secretly carrying on while I’m in a coma, or she’s pregnant with his child. Where do they come up with this crap?

  “Maybe you should go sign an autograph?” I say, nodding toward his fans. “I’d do anything to stop their girly squealing.”

  Not wanting to encourage them by looking, he continues to work on his laptop. “Just ignore it. I’m not that interesting. It will settle down,” he says flatly.

  “While we’re on the subject, what are we going to do about Olivia? And by ‘we,’ I mean you.”

  He stops typing, and faces me. “I fired her. I’ve cut off all contact. I’m not sure what else needs to be done,” he says. “I’m still not sure why she pulled all those stunts, but I don’t care to find out. I’ve cut her out of my life. Problem solved.”

  I look down at my nails, which for once are actually manicured thanks to my hospital bed beauty treatments, courtesy of my best friend, Emily. “According to US Weekly, she’s having your child.”

  “Yes, and John Lennon is alive and well—he was just captured by aliens. They’re looking for a story, and they’re going to print all sorts of things. You just have to learn to ignore it.”

  “Hmm, so you say.”

  He closes his laptop and returns it to his bag. “Is this a roundabout way to ask me if I slept with her?” he asks pointedly.

  “No!” The truth is I’m dying to know more about his relationship with a woman he swears is “like a sister.”

  “If you want to know, just ask,” he says as he lays his head back and closes his eyes.

  I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of catching me in my passive-aggressive fact-finding scheme, but my curiosity outweighs my stubborn pride. “Okay, you’ve got me. It’s killing me not to know. So spill it.”

  He chuckles, and I shoot him a dirty look. “I’m thrilled you find my insecurity so amusing.”

  He takes the sleeping mask from my lap. “Insecurity is natural. The fact that you can’t just own up to it is what I find adorable.”

  I wait for him to continue, but he goes back to trying to sleep.

  After a minute or so, I hit him in the arm. “Out with it!”

  He takes the mask off and looks at me. “No, I have never slept with O. Just the thought disturbs me. I’ve known her all of her life, and I’ve never seen her that way. She’s dated several of my friends, including one of my best friends, and that’s a line I won’t cross. Moreover, she’s a spoiled brat. I overlook it because she’s like family, but I could never overlook it enough to be in a relationship with her. I know everyone thinks she pulled this crap because she’s interested in me, but I don’t buy it. I think there’s more going on here.”

  “Like what?” I ask. “Her actions are pretty textbook for a mean girl who’s after a guy.”

  “I’m not sure, but I don’t think that’s it. But I have no desire to find out. Like I said, she’s out of my life.” Clearly he has no understanding of crazy women. Cutting her off is only going to add fuel to the fire.

  “So you say, but I don’t think this is the last we’ll hear from Ms. Philips. What about all of the other women you were spotted with while you were gallivanting around the world? Any of them I have to worry about?”

  He scratches the sexy scruff that’s filled in the last few days and groans. “Luv, we’ve been over this. I was on a business trip, not a dirty weekend. As I went to those events unaccompanied, I was often asked to escort the daughter or sister or niece of a client. Most of them were dreadful.”

  I tap my fingers on the arm rest between us. “You didn’t sleep with any of them?”

  “Bloody hell, woman,” he growls. “How many times are we going to go over this?”

  I see fury in his eyes, and if we weren’t on a plane, I’m guessing he’d be shouting at me. Always the refined British gentleman, he doesn’t want to make a scene.

  “No,” he says through gritted teeth. “I didn’t sleep with anyone. I was forced into spending time with them for business, and that is all it was. I did not seek out those women, and I did not engage them. You have nothing to worry about, no matter how bad it looked in the papers.”

  I hold my hands up and shrink back in my seat, showing him I’m backing down. “Settle down. Don’t get your knickers in a twist,” I say. “I trust you. I know you never would’ve stuck around through all the hospital drama if you didn’t truly care for me. But I feel like we need to clear the air so that there’re no secrets. I didn’t think you would sleep with someone else, but if I don’t ask…”

  He doesn’t veil his hurt. “That’s not trust. I’ve been nothing but direct and honest since the moment I met you. Does that count for anything? I won’t lie to you, either straightforwardly or by omission. I’m not sure what else I can do to prove that to you.”

  I wince because he’s right. Gavin is the most sincere, forthright person I’ve ever met. He always says what he means without games. So many of the important people in his life lied to him without hesitation. His parents. Brooke.

  Before I can respond, he says, “It’s a whole industry created on embellishing facts and fabricating stories. Thousands of people make their living spinning fiction and calling it news, and it provides entertainment for the masses. It’s hard to do, but you have to learn to see it as just that. Fiction.”

  I lift up the arm rest so I can snuggle close to him. “I’ll try. I’m going to warn you, I will mess up. I’m not as strong as you. But I promise to try.”

  “Hopefully our lives will slip into blissful domestic tedium, and they’ll move on to some other poor soul. Someone that does something more exciting than taking the rubbish bags to the skip,” he says while gently stroking my hair.

  I can’t help but purr from how comfortable and safe he makes me feel. “You have no idea how many women would drool over a picture of you taking out the trash. Finding a man that does housework is like finding a leprechaun. Match that with how sexy you must look doing it,” I say with a smirk, “and I’d even buy that magazine, and I have the real thing right here. Face it, even when you’re boring, you’re gorgeous. Our press pals aren’t going anywhere.”

  He sighs. “You’re right,” he says with disdain. “I promise they’ll let up eventually. But, it’s going to be a rough go of it until they do. After the last feeding frenzy, once they see me with one woman on a regular basis, you’ll be like blood in the water to them.”

  “I guess we will just have to hide inside,” I say with a sigh. I run my hand along his thigh. “I wonder what on earth we’ll do to occupy ourselves. Can you think of anything?”

  He removes my hand and places it on my lap. “Until the consultant checks you out, I think we’ll be watching movies and I’ll be kicking you
r ass at poker.”

  “Consultant? You won’t sleep with me until you have my business plan analyzed? That’s not fair.” I’ve read enough English novels to know what he’s talking about, but I can’t pass up an opportunity to razz him.

  “Don’t be cheeky.” He touches my chin and turns my face toward him. “Someone broke your heart, Lily. It’s my job to put it back together. We’re following all the rules until we know for certain your heart has healed. It’s not up for debate.”

  I pout and stick my tongue out at him. “You always have to be so responsible, don’t you?”

  He kisses me with a tenderness that reminds me why I’m on this plane. He loves me, and I’d be crazy to pass up another second with him.

  The next few hours go by quickly. I read and doze while Gavin goes back to work. I’m woken from a nap by a ding.

  “We are making our final descent into London, Heathrow Airport,” the captain reports.

  My heart races. This is a huge risk I’m taking. I hope I’m making the right call.

  Gavin grabs my hand and whispers, “Stop worrying. This is going to be smashing. I told you—everything is better in London.”

  Chapter Two

  I’m surprised when I step outside of the airport. I was expecting it to be colder for some reason, but it’s warmer than DC. I’m thankful for the overhang because the rain is coming down in buckets. Each time a car drives by, I’m sprinkled with mist kicked up from the tires. I step back closer to the wall, when a limo pulls up and a livery clad driver opens the door. “We didn’t need a limo, Gavin,” I say as I walk toward the car. “I’d have been fine with a taxi.”

  The driver tips his hat. “Good evening, Mr. Edwards, Ms. Clark.”

  Gavin hands him our bags. “Thank you, Martin. How was your daughter’s dance recital?”

  Martin takes the bags and places them in the trunk. “Very well, sir. The flowers you sent her were lovely. Thank you.” He looks at the ground around us. “Are the rest of your bags still inside, sir?”

  “That’s all of it. I’m traveling light this trip,” Gavin says as he motions for me to slide into the car first.