Runaway Attraction Read online

  After several more contentious minutes of arguing with both Micah and Detective Schmidt over whether or not she needed to be seen by medical professionals, Bailey hailed a cab to take them to the hotel.

  They arrived an hour before the ceremony was set to start. Bailey rushed to the room where Brianna, her mother and Zoe were getting ready.

  “What the heck happened?” Brianna said. “Did you get caught up in an accident?”

  “You can say that,” Bailey said. “I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, I need to get dressed so that we can watch Kyle get hitched.”

  Chapter 14

  The Grand Ballroom of the Childs International Hotel was the epitome of elegance, style and supreme wealth. Dazzling crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, casting their bright, shimmering lights on the wedding guests seated underneath.

  Burnt-orange and deep chocolate silk bunting draped from the ornate five-foot-tall candelabras that lined the wedding aisle. Each candelabra was adorned with an arrangement of fresh flowers and topped with a thick pillar candle.

  Bailey stood off to the side, with Brianna right behind her. She peered into the room and couldn’t help her smile when she saw Kyle, Daniel and Nelson come through a side door. Daniel and Nelson both walked to the midway point of the aisle, where they would meet up with Brianna and Bailey, and Kyle went to the front, where he would accept Zoe from her father, who was giving her away.

  Bailey’s eyes scanned the room and fell on Micah. He was sitting three rows from the back, on the Hamilton side. His mouth tipped up in a smile, and his eyes narrowed with heat.

  “He looks as if he wants to eat you alive,” Brianna said.

  Bailey’s skin flushed hot. Based on the way Micah’s eyes seared her, she knew her sister was right.

  “And I’m guessing by the look on your face that you would be just fine with that.” Brianna laughed.

  “Stop it,” Bailey chastised with a grin.

  The harpist started to play and the ceremony began.

  Twenty-five minutes later, Zoe Sinclair officially became Mrs. Kyle Hamilton, and Bailey was so happy she nearly burst with it.

  The minister announced them as husband and wife, and Kyle and Zoe shared a kiss that drew several murmurs of approval from the crowd. When they finally released each other, Kyle turned to the guests and said, “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s party.”

  The bridal party walked down the aisle in reverse order and went into the other side of the partitioned ballroom, where the reception was to take place. It, too, was decorated elaborately, with tall centerpieces on the round tables and floating tea lights dancing in water.

  The moment the formal pictures and toast were completed, the reception turned into a full-on party. Bailey couldn’t help but laugh as she watched her family living it up. Her mother and father both danced like a couple of twenty-year-olds at a nightclub.

  Collin held Brianna’s back to his chest as they rocked side to side, his palms splayed over her belly. If they wanted to keep their baby a secret for much longer, he would have to stop being so obvious.

  Bailey didn’t recognize the woman Daniel was talking to—maybe one of Zoe’s cousins? She had noticed her brother dancing with her several times already tonight, and if that indulgent smile on his face was any indication, he was laying on the heavy charm.

  Above all else, the most wonderful sight she’d witnessed tonight was the love that was practically pulsing between Zoe and Kyle. Zoe was glowing with it, and the way she looked at Kyle, as if he were her beginning, middle and end, had Bailey sighing with shared hope. Those two were headed toward a lifetime of happiness, and it warmed her heart to see it.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  Bailey jumped as Micah crept up behind her. She slapped his arm. “Thanks for scaring the living daylights out of me,” she said, though she had to admit that was an exaggeration. For the first time in months, she was able to exist without a cloud of fear hovering over her.

  “What is the most beautiful woman in the building doing standing here alone instead of dancing?”

  “I don’t know if I qualify as the most beautiful woman in the building,” Bailey said. “I’ve got some stiff competition.”

  Micah shook his head. “No one even comes close.”

  A grin curled the corner of Bailey’s mouth. “You are ridiculously sweet. You know that, don’t you?”

  He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “So are you.”

  A throat cleared behind them. Bailey and Micah both turned to find Kyle and Daniel standing a few feet away.

  “Oh, Lord,” she muttered.

  Daniel stuck his hand out to Micah. “It’s about damn time.”

  Bailey’s head reared back. “Excuse me?”

  “I was wondering what was taking the two of you so long,” Kyle said.

  Micah laughed as he shared one-armed hugs with both of her brothers. Bailey wasn’t sure if she wanted to hug them or hit them. She would never understand those two, ready to fight any man who dared to even look at their baby sisters one minute, accepting both Micah and Collin with open arms the next.

  After Daniel and Kyle walked away, she turned to Micah and said, “I guess you have the family’s stamp of approval.”

  “More than you know,” he said.

  Bailey tilted her head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

  Micah gestured toward the French doors a few feet away.

  “It’s freezing out there,” Bailey protested.

  “I have ways of warming you up,” he said as he urged her forward with a hand to the small of her back.

  The staff at the hotel had thought of everything. There were several heat lamps radiating waves of warm air for the guests who had ventured out onto the veranda.

  Micah took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

  “Bailey, you know that I love you, don’t you?”

  Her heart leaped at the words. She nodded. “I do.”

  “I will never love another woman the way that I love you. It’s just not possible. So I was hoping...” He dropped to one knee and pulled a square velvet box from his pocket. “I was hoping that you would do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

  Bailey covered her mouth with trembling fingers. “Oh, my goodness, Micah.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes! Oh, my God, yes!” She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss. “Yes, I will marry you. I love you so much, Micah.”

  Micah cradled her face in his hands and touched her lips with the sweetest kiss Bailey had ever received in her entire life.

  “I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life loving you,” he whispered against her lips.

  Epilogue

  Micah clutched Bailey’s hand in his as the credits for Bailey Hamilton: The Face of a Franchise rolled. The lights in the viewing room came on and the gathered crowd erupted in applause.

  After viewing the documentary, the powers that be at WLNY had decided that the more serious, less sensationalized version was the perfect course of action for this story. They’d quickly entered it in a number of contests, and it had been nominated for an award at the Young African-American Directors Film Festival, which was being held in New York this year instead of Los Angeles. Bailey’s entire family was in attendance, along with Micah’s mother and several of his former colleagues at WLNY.

  It was the perfect way to cap off what had been a harrowing month since Kyle and Zoe Hamilton’s wedding.

  Jerry Prentice had been arrested and slammed with a number of charges, including felony kidnapping and assault for his role in Bailey’s abduction. Once taken into custody, Sasha Jones had sung like a bird, giving the police a detailed account of the plan Jerry had devised
and how she’d gone about executing it. Bailey’s nightmare was finally over.

  Micah now suffered relentless teasing over his and Sasha’s shared last name. It had become a running joke in the Hamilton family that he and Sasha were long-lost cousins. He happily endured the good-natured joking; he was willing to tolerate just about anything if it meant bringing a smile to Bailey’s face.

  The audience at tonight’s event had been treated to a preview of the top three films in contention for the award. Micah’s had been the last to be shown. When the viewings had finished, everyone had been guided to the grand ballroom where the awards banquet would be held. Once dinner had been served and enjoyed by the guests, the emcee walked up to the mic at the head table and began.

  “Welcome once again to the awards banquet for the Young African-American Directors Film Festival. We support, educate and encourage upcoming talent in the film industry throughout the year, but this night is the one that we set aside to celebrate that talent and pay tribute to the stars that shine the brightest.

  “You have all had the opportunity to view the top three films in the documentary category, and we are happy to announce that the winner of this year’s award is Micah Jones, for his documentary Bailey Hamilton: The Face of a Franchise.”

  Bailey yelped. The entire table stood and applauded. Micah wiped his mouth with his cloth napkin and, after kissing Bailey and then his mother, headed for the podium.

  “Never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated the turn my life would take when I first interviewed you on Connect,” Micah said, gazing toward Bailey. “I thought I knew what I wanted in life, but you opened my eyes to so much more.”

  Micah looked out at the sea of smiling faces, and with a smile of his own said, “Bailey and I are happy to announce the creation of the Bailey Hamilton Foundation for Girls, an organization that will empower young women to reach for their goals and embrace themselves for who they are.”

  Another round of applause sounded around the room, and Micah invited Bailey to join him at the mic.

  “This woman has shown me what true courage really is, and true love. My world is complete because of her.” Micah turned to her and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips. “I love you, Bailey.”

  “I love you, too,” she said, returning his kiss with a sweet one of her own. “Thank you for showing me what true love is.”

  * * * * *

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  ISBN-13: 9781460321447

  RUNAWAY ATTRACTION

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