Down the Aisle

By Christine Bell

Lacey Garrity is about to have the wedding she's always dreamed of. She and Galen had planned on a big family, but now fertility issues are turning that dream to ashes. When another setback comes to light a week before their wedding day, she wonders how she can marry him knowing that being with her might mean he can never have the life he imagined…

Galen Thomas loves his woman, and whether they have a big family or it's just the two of them forever, he can't wait to spend his life with her. With the big day coming, he'll pull out all the stops to remind her how good it can be between them and that, together, they can do anything…if he can just get her down the aisle.

Each book in the Dare Me series is STANDALONE:
* Down for the Count
* Down and Dirty
* Down the Aisle
* Down on Her Knees

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781622663545

Christine Bell

Christine Bell is a Melbourne fiction writer. In 2019 she was awarded the inaugural HNSA Colleen McCullough Residency for an Established Author. In 2014, she was awarded a Varuna Retreat Fellowship for her YA novel manuscript, Prison Boy. Her other adult and children’s short stories have won or been commended in national writing competitions and published in various anthologies. Prior to completing her Master of Creative Writing degree, Christine had 35 short fiction titles published for children. When she is not writing, Chris is learning to play the piano or day dreaming of her next research trip to France. No Small Shame is her first published adult historical novel.  

Book preview

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Acknowledgments

About the Author

If you love sexy romance, one-click these steamy Brazen releases…

His Risk to Take

Tempted by the Soldier

In Bed with Mr. Wrong

Tempting the Player

Discover the Dare Me series…

Down for the Count

Down and Dirty

Down on Her Knees

Dirty Trick

Dirty Deal

Conned

Wife for Hire

Guardian for Hire

Reforming the Rock Star

Little White Lie

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by Christine Bell. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC

2614 South Timberline Road

Suite 109

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.

Brazen is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC. For more information on our titles, visit www.brazenbooks.com.

Edited by Kerri-Leigh Grady

Cover design by Heather Howland

Cover art from Shutterstock

ISBN 978-1-62266-354-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition October 2013

To my sister Nicole. You’re the most beautiful girl in Stratford.

Chapter One

Lacey Garrity—soon to be Thomas, once she got hitched next week—erased the last of the math problems from the chalkboard and turned to face the students.

Okay, guys. If any of you need extra help before the test let me know. If not, focus on the last two chapters and do your sample tests, and I’m sure you’ll all be fine.

A few of the kids shifted in their putty-colored chairs, like a heat of runners taking their marks. It was Friday, and this group had already gone the extra mile by staying almost two hours late—during summer school, no less—to get algebra help for next week’s final. She’d reached the end of their attention span, and she didn’t blame them one bit. She was on the same page. Galen would be home in an hour, and they were going to put some steaks on the grill. Then, if she was lucky…

She grinned. I can see you guys itching to get out of here, so go.

All twenty of the fourteen-year-olds stood at once and made a mass exodus toward the door—which was why it was so strange to see one of them fighting her way back in through the crowd, like a salmon heading upstream in a river surrounded by bears.

’Scuse me. Pardon me.

Ah, not a student at all, Lacey realized when she heard the exasperated voice. It was her best friend and sister-in-law to be, Cat.

Jesus, watch the kicks, Junior. These are Jimmy Choo’s and cost more than a year’s supply of tater tots and chicken patties at this place.

The kids ignored her, barreling out of the room like it was on fire, which was good. The less time they spent around Cat the better.

Lacey crossed her arms and gave her friend the stink eye.

Damn, they’re making ‘em so much taller these days, huh? Cat said, peering up at Lacey and blowing a chunk of copper hair from her eye.

Yeah, it’s not that you’re freakishly short, it’s just that they’re mutant giants.

Cat shot a finger-gun Lacey’s way and grinned. Touché. I love when you get mouthy with me. Now, listen, she leaned in and took a furtive glance behind her at the last of the kids exiting the room. I know you said you didn’t want me to, but…I did something.

Her gamine face scrunched like she expected—and deserved—a slap upside the head. Lacey’s Spidey senses started tingling. This was going to be bad. And if Cat thought it was bad? It was really bad.

She narrowed her eyes and leaned closer, hoping she looked as menacing as she felt on the inside. What did you do? she demanded.

Cat put her thumb and forefinger to her lips and twisted, making the universal sign for putting it in the vault and throwing away the key.

If you don’t tell me, I’m going to call Shane and tell him you shrank his New York Giants jersey on purpose.

Cat had the balls to look wounded, and Lacey wanted to chuckle, but if she showed any sign of lightening up, her friend would sense it and take that as her giving in, and she was so not on board with whatever scheme Cat was cooking up.

Threaten me all you want, Cat said. I’ve already said more than I’d planned to. I did it because I love you. Remember that when things get weird and possibly a little scar—

Lacey’s world went dark as something—a hat? A hood?—was thrown over her head. She yelped and clawed at the cloth with her fingers, heart slamming against her ribs as she wriggled to get loose.

Damn, she’s stronger than she looks, a soft voice muttered near her ear.

She stilled. Courtney? she whispered furiously.

Noooo, the voice responded, taking on a forced, ghost-like quality. What makes you say that?

Lacey shoved her away and tried to remove whatever was covering her eyes. Lilac Dreams. I bought you that perfume for your birthday two months ago, remember?

Wiry little arms came around her then, pinning hers to her sides, waist-high. Cat.

Look, we can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way, Cat grunted, And I’m sure you know which I prefer, since I haven’t gotten a chance to kick your ass since eighth grade. But no matter what, you’re coming with us. A lot of people are going to be seriously disappointed if you don’t, so stop being a pain in the ass.

Lacey ceased struggling and blew out a sigh. Way for her lifelong friend to play on her Catholic guilt. She hated letting anyone down, even if the alternative involved agreeing to her own assault, kidnapping, and several counts of borderline bad-touching.

Still… Guys, I told you I didn’t want a bachelorette party, and I meant it. It’s just not my thing. Galen and I—

"Are going to be chained together for the next seventy years. And if you and my blockhead brother don’t spend a little time apart now and then and give yourselves a chance to miss each other, then you’re going