“The wedding procession is waiting on one groomsman, one bridesmaid, and a flower girl. You wouldn’t have any idea where they are, would you?”
Alessandro led her out onto the step and pointed toward the bounce house where Hailey, Spencer, and Skye were still laughing and jumping around. He expected Delinda to voice her displeasure, but she nodded in approval. “I knew she could make him happy.”
Although Alessandro adored Delinda, that didn’t hold him back from voicing his own concern. “You were lucky with this one, Delinda. It could have gone bad in so many ways.”
Delinda linked her arm with his and shot him a bright smile. “But it didn’t, and there’s three left to go.”
“Does that mean I’ll be invited over for tea again soon?” a redhead asked from beside them.
Alessandro frowned. “You shouldn’t encourage her.”
Alethea’s wide smile mirrored Delinda’s. “Encourage her? I’m taking notes.”
Delinda looked the younger woman up and down with a critical eye. “You should be. The man you brought here with you today, Marc Stone—you’ve been engaged to him for years? It’s obvious he loves you, and since I can’t imagine many men being able to handle someone like you, you should seal that deal.”
Alethea and Alessandro exchanged a look, then both burst out laughing.
Still laughing, Alethea leaned in. “Delinda Westerly, will you adopt me? Please?”
Alessandro shook his head while smiling. “Someone needs to separate the two of you. You’re each bad enough on your own.”
Looking quite unimpressed, Delinda said, “By ‘bad’ he means so good it puts all else to shame.”
Alethea winked at Delinda and joked, “Don’t hate us ’cause you ain’t us.”
Delinda looked like she was about to correct Alethea, then stopped and nodded in approval instead. “Exactly.”
Acknowledgments I am so grateful to everyone who was part of the process of creating Up for Heir.
Thank you to:
Montlake Romance for supporting my addiction to alpha billionaires.
My very patient beta readers. You know who you are. Thank you for kicking my butt when I need it.
My editors: Karen Lawson, Janet Hitchcock, Marion Archer, Krista Stroever, and Marlene Engel.
My Roadies for making me smile each day when I log on to my computer. So many of you have become my friends. Was there life before the Roadies? I’m sure there was, but it wasn’t as much fun.
Thank you to my husband, Tony, who is a saint—simple as that.
About the Author
Ruth Cardello is a New York Times bestselling author who loves writing about rich alpha men and the strong women who tame them. She was born the youngest of eleven children in a small city in northern Rhode Island. She’s lived in Boston, Paris, Orlando, New York, and Rhode Island again before moving to Massachusetts, where she now lives with her husband and three children. Before turning her attention to writing, Ruth was an educator for two decades, including eleven years as a kindergarten teacher. Up for Heir is the second book in her Westerly Billionaire series. Learn about Ruth’s new releases by signing up for her newsletter at www.RuthCardello.com.