Kayla Perrin - Surrender My Heart

A heart made fragile because of her mother’s abandonment at the tender age of five.

Instead, Vance had become more and more distant after their wedding extravaganza, and Natalie suspected his infidelity within six months of marrying her. So when she had learned that Vance was sleeping with Olivia, her best friend, she hadn’t been so much surprised as betrayed.

“I don’t think he ever loved me,” Natalie said, wiping at her tears.

“He must have,” Deanna said. “How could he not? Look at you—you’re stunning.”

“Looks mean nothing.”

“Really?” Deanna countered. “Tell that to all the men who’ve lost their heads when they’ve looked at you.”

Natalie was certain Deanna was referring at least in part to Marvin, the man Natalie had selfishly seduced over ten years ago. She still wasn’t sure why she had hurt her sister like that, except that she had been at a low point in her life, needing to feel alive and desirable.

“Yet here I am,” Natalie said, pushing the memory from her mind. “Divorced by a husband who only cared to get rid of me as quickly as he could. Like our mother,” Natalie added without thinking.

Deanna eased back so she could look at her. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe Callie is right. Maybe our mother left us because she didn’t want us.”

“Okay, now I know that’s grief talking,” Deanna said. “Because out of all of us, you were the one who never stopped believing there was a reason for our mother’s disappearance. And now we know there was. So it’s not the time to lose hope.”

“I know,” Natalie said, sniffling. “It’s just…I thought Vance respected me more than this.”

“Vance is clearly an idiot,” Deanna said. “And a coward. I know it hurts, Nat, but trust me when I say there’s no point crying over a man who didn’t value you. Soon enough, you’ll meet the man you’re meant to be with.”

Now Natalie gave her sister a skeptical look. “What makes you say that?”

“Your horoscope this morning,” Deanna answered, her voice filled with certainty. “It said a new love was on the horizon for Scorpios.”

Natalie rolled her eyes, but at least she smiled.

“Don’t give me that look, sis. You mark my words. You’re going to find someone else. It’s written in the stars.”

Chapter 2

By the next morning, Natalie was in better spirits—despite the front-page news that had confronted her. Wisely, Deanna had taken her downtown to shop at quaint boutique shops in order to take her mind off what had happened with Vance. Retail therapy, her sister had called it, and it was working.

They were currently in a hat shop owned by a local designer, perusing the large selection of funky hats.

“Oh, what about this one?” Natalie asked, taking a wide-brimmed purple hat off of the rack and placing it on her head. “This, with large sunglasses—it’ll help me be incognito.”

“It’ll also cause someone to lose an eye. It’s a cute hat, but whoa, could it be any wider?”

“It’s exactly what I need,” Natalie said. “After that front-page announcement about Vance and Olivia this morning…”

“Eh,” Deanna said, throwing up a hand. “We’re not going to talk about that, remember?”

“But the front page of the paper here in Cleveland? That’s what I don’t understand. Why does anyone here care about my marriage to Vance?”

“Because we used to live here,” Deanna supplied. “And you married one of the most successful players in the NBA. But we’re not talking about it, remember?”

Not talking about it was a lot easier said than done. Because Natalie could avoid the truth all she wanted, it was still there. The magnitude of Vance’s betrayal had been published for all the world to read.

But at least this morning, instead of feeling sad as she had the day before, she was feeling anger. Vance had rushed their divorce only to announce the very next day that he and his mistress were engaged.

“All I can say,” Natalie went on, “is that they deserve each other. If Olivia is dumb enough to believe that he’ll ever be faithful to her…”

Deanna plugged her ears with her fingers. “Not listening to any talk about Vance.”

“Okay, I get it. No more Vance talk.” Natalie put the purple hat down, then went to something smaller. A cute, casual hat made of straw. “I kind of like this one. It’s the perfect summer hat.”

“Oh, that is cute,” Deanna agreed.

“Here, try it on.” Natalie put the hat on her sister’s head.

Deanna checked out her reflection in a nearby mirror, and nodded. “Definitely cute.”

Natalie took the hat from her sister’s head and put it on her own. Looking into the mirror, she nodded. “Yep, this is a keeper.”

“If you ask me, she’s probably pregnant,” Deanna said as she turned and began walking toward another display of hats. “That’s my two cents…but I’m not talking about it.”

Natalie stopped dead in her tracks. As the reality of what Deanna had said hit her, she felt her stomach roil.

“I’m sorry,” Deanna went on, catching Natalie’s expression. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m probably wrong…”

“Actually, you’re probably right.” Natalie walked past her sister to the window, where something had caught her eye. Some sort of commotion. She saw a woman with a microphone and was instantly worried.

But when she got to the window, she saw that the woman was approaching a tall, gorgeous man who had just stepped out of a black 7 Series BMW with dark, tinted windows.

“What is it?” Deanna asked, coming to stand beside Natalie and also looking out the window.

“I saw a reporter outside. For a minute, I thought…” Her voice trailed off, the idea suddenly seeming stupid to her. “As if I’m that important.”

“Ooh, I see you ladies are checking out Michael Jones,” came a woman’s dreamy voice.

Natalie and Deanna turned to see Edna, the hat designer and shop owner, standing next to them. You would think that the fifty-something redhead had been hit by Cupid’s arrow, that’s how enamored she looked.

And for a long moment, Natalie allowed herself to enjoy the view of one of the finest men she had seen in ages. Tall, at least six foot three, with a cool confidence that oozed sex appeal. Black slacks covered a seriously fit behind, and hugged thighs that were muscular and strong. His well-sculpted biceps were revealed beneath the hem of his expensive-looking short-sleeved shirt. Having been married to Vance Cooper, Natalie recognized high-priced clothing even without seeing a label. And from the man’s fine Italian shoes to his dark sunglasses, everything on Michael’s body was undoubtedly created by a renowned designer.

Natalie cleared her throat and said, “I wasn’t checking him out.” She pretended to be intrigued by a felt pink cowgirl hat. “Just wondering what was with the reporter.”

“That’s probably just a random woman with a store-bought microphone, hoping to get close to Michael,” the shop owner said with a giggle. “Michael Jones is one of the star’s of this city’s NFL team, and women do anything to get to him. Wide receiver. Very talented.”

Of course, Natalie thought, wondering how she hadn’t pegged him as a professional athlete. I’m sure he’s very talented in many ways, was her next sour thought.

“He comes by here quite often, because he’s got a restaurant a few doors over,” the designer went on. “A soul food place. Bought it for his cousin to run, and unlike some of those other stuck-up athletes, he drops by a lot. It thrills the fans.”

“I’m sure,” Natalie quipped. Then she promptly turned around. The brother was fine…no doubt about it…but she was in no mood to ogle a professional athlete.