He realized Sophie was standing up and the rest of the table was quiet, looking at him. “I’m sorry. What?”
Sophie smiled. “I was wondering if you could have a seat. I have something to say.” Her hands shook as she straightened her dress.
Mark walked to the table and sat down. He looked up at Sophie. She was breathless and blushing fiercely.
She looked down at him and began. “A year ago, I had given up on everything good in my life. Then a really stubborn woman pulled me up from the gutter and made me open my eyes to all kinds of wonderful things. Asking me to be her maid of honor has proven to be the most important thing in the world.” She cleared her throat. “It was an accident that I was at the grocery store that day. I was running late and wasn’t paying any attention, when I rammed my cart into the ankles of the most amazing man I had ever seen. Since that day, not one second has passed that I haven’t thought of him or missed him or loved him. He became the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me and the absolute most important person in my life. I love you every single minute of every single day. I would be nothing without you.”
She knelt down next to him and his eyes widened. “I have made some mistakes. I have been dumb and blind. But through everything, you have been my rock. I don’t know how I got so lucky but if you will let me, I am going to spend the rest of my life thanking God that you took a chance on me.”
She slipped a gold ring from her thumb and held it up to him. “In front of everyone that is most special to us in the world, I am asking you the most important question I will ever ask anyone.”
Mark dropped to his knees and put his finger across her lips. “No Sophie.” As the table gasped, he continued. “I am the lucky one. The day you hit me with that cart was the day that I completely lost my heart to you. I never thought I would find love. I never even knew I wanted to. But that day, with your messy hair and your workout clothes and your clumsy apology, I knew my life would never be the same.”
He pulled the diamond ring from his pocket and held it to her. A shower of light spilled onto the pavement as the candles reflected off the diamond. “I love you Sophie Barringer. And I love this wonderful life we are going to bring into the world. I love waking up next to you and holding you as you fall asleep. I love fighting over the crossword or who gets the last bite of ice cream. But most of all, I love the man I am because you took a chance on loving me.” He looked around the table at all the people who had made him the person he had become. “Life has truly blessed me. And without you, I would be lost. Sophie, will you do me the amazing honor of becoming my wife?”
She pulled him in for a kiss. “Yes,” she whispered. And as the world disappeared around them, he knew that his life would never be the same.
The End.
Acknowledgments
This book was an emotional journey for me. I wrote it in bed while I was recovering from my second back surgery in two months. What a blessing that time turned out to be. (Thank you Dr. G for giving me my life back after my injury) In such a short period of time, I learned about who I am, what I want and who would stand by my side. It was an amazing journey and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.
I want to thank my husband who single parented through my recovery and allowed me to steal his laptop every night. Thank you for giving me the time to heal. Thank you for allowing me the quiet moments to write. And most of all, thank you for our gorgeous daughter. (Who I hope will never ever ever read this) Thank you for the past nine years and I look forward to growing old(er) with you.
To my mom, my favorite writer in the world. You gave me a life that people only dream about. You opened your heart and adopted a little baby girl and our bond far exceeds any bond of blood. My life has been amazing because I was chosen to be yours. Your unconditional love made me the person I am today. Thank you for sharing your love of art and books and encouraging me to dream big. I love you.
Dad & Chris. I hope you don’t ever read this book. But thank you for being OK with me writing under my maiden name, the one you have to live with everyday while I can hide behind my married one. After all, Carnal is totally appropriate. It was write Adult fiction or be a doctor. I think I chose wisely. I had amazing men to look up to growing up. Thank you for that. Thank you for the millions of times you have both saved me and all the lessons I learned from you. (Even if some of them came with some big brother torture)
I also would like to thank Ashley, my beta reader, fashion advisor and superwoman extraordinaire. Thank you for stalking me every night for new chapters and for keeping all the characters straight for me. Thank you for all the dinners and visits during my recovery and for standing by my side through everything from the first day we met. This was an adventure and I would not have wanted to take it with anyone else but you.
Alex Michael Turner!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU. For being my cover model and my muse and a huge inspiration to me while I was going through all the hell with my back. You ARE my Mark Moretti. There is no one else I would have wanted on this cover. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the cover shoot and for the most amazing time in Portland. It is an honor to call you a friend. You are the most humble, trusting and loving person. I have told you before that I think you are an old soul. The perfect gentleman. THANK YOU. You are pure inspiration. I can’t wait to see where life takes you. Find Alex on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/alexmichaelturner
Eric Wainwright. I love our daily chats and all the pictures I get to see before they are posted. You make me laugh everyday. Thank you for the red couch picture that honestly started all of this. You are so talented (and tall) and I cannot wait to watch your career sky rocket! You rock! Thank you for the cover photo. (And the covers yet to come) My life is better because you are in it. You amaze me. Find Eric on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/wainwrightimages
A huge thank you and cyber hug to Nickie Seidler, author of A Lucky Second Chance. This was so much fun to share with you. Even though it was sometimes the blind leading the blind, I loved having someone reading my book from an author’s perspective. And I can’t help but giggle at how jealous I got that you loved Mark so much. Thank you for trusting me with your manuscript (and Nathan!) and for keeping mine safe.
And to all the readers, Facebook followers, new authors and book lovers. Everyday I wake up and meet someone amazing that I hadn’t known the day before. Your support is felt and I appreciate you more than you will ever know. Thank you for loving Mark Moretti and I look forward to sharing the other Moretti/Dickerman brothers with you. Authors write to create the world of their dreams. Thank you for supporting us and for wanting to be a part of the world we create. YOU ARE LOVED!
About the Author
MJ Carnal lives in Lexington, South Carolina with her husband, gorgeous daughter and two loving and super furry dogs. She spends her days in the world of neurosurgery but her nights in a world she creates on paper. When she isn’t writing, you can find her watching episodes of The Walking Dead with her hubby, having tea parties with Princess Caroline, Singing karaoke for anyone that will listen and reading just about anything she can get her hands on. “Taming the Bachelor” is her first published book but her first series was written at the age of eight and illustrated with crayon. Look for the next book, “Taming the Playboy” early fall 2013.
She loves to hear from fans, fellow writers and book lovers. Find her online at
www.facebook.com/mjcarnalauthor
or on Twitter @mjcarnalauthor.
Stay tuned for more in the Dickerman Moretti series
“Taming the Playboy” – The story of Ryan West, late summer 2013
“Taming the Boy Next Door” – The story of Caleb Allen, Fall 2013
“Taming Casanova” – The story of Kevin Merck, Winter 2013
Taming the Playboy – Late Summer 2013
Taming the Playboy – Chapter 1
Ryan pulled his shirt over his head and wrapped his towel around his neck. His ten mile run did little to clear his head. His muscles ached but nothing compared to the ache in his chest where his heart beat its betrayal. Pulling a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he opened the cap and chugged the entire thing. Her memory haunted him.
He ran his hand through his sweaty, dark hair and threw his Red Sox cap onto his desk. He knew this was nonsense. His days of partying with multiple women were his trademark. There was never just one that stuck with him. He growled as he sat down at his desk. “This is ridiculous,” he mumbled to himself.
It was simple. He lived by three rules. The first and most important rule, never get attached. The second rule, work hard but play harder. And the third, one night stands meant one night. He didn’t do relationships. That was plain and simple. The only commitments he made were to his family and to his group of friends. If you didn’t fit into one of those groups, Ryan West was not a permanent fixture in your life.
“I know that look.” Kevin Merck threw his towel at Ryan. “And I have never seen that look on your face before. Who is she?”
Ryan looked up at his coworker and laughed. “You have lost your mind, dude. There isn’t a woman in this world that could make me have whatever look you think I have.”
“It happens to the best of us, man.” Kevin laughed as he sorted the mail into stacks.
“It doesn’t happen to me. That is a well known fact. You forget who you are talking to.”
“Give me a break, West. I haven’t seen you hit a club or a chick in months.” Ryan shrugged and picked up his mail. “Here. Enjoy.” Kevin threw a magazine on his desk and left the office.
Ryan held the August edition of Los Angeles Confidential Magazine and smiled. Staring back from the front cover was a picture of him, taken during a photo shoot a few months prior. He chuckled as he read the article.
Ryan West had moved to Los Angeles at the age of eleven. After his diagnosis of Leukemia, his parents felt that they should leave the suburbs of Boston for a more holistic approach to a cure. He had spent the first six months of his time in Los Angeles visiting healers, having acupuncture and massage and becoming more ill. When the doctors gave his family the grim news that the Leukemia was not responding, he underwent chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. His life had been turned upside down. A whole year had been lost to aggressive treatments and after spending his sixth grade year in a hospital bed, he vowed to never take life for granted.
Completely bald and with a battered body, Ryan took the halls of Beverly Vista Middle school by storm. His first day of school, he met a very outspoken Mark Moretti, a very wild Caleb Allen and very reserved Rich Dickerman and became a permanent fixture of what the teachers called the Dickerman Brothers. He excelled at sports and academics and even at a young age, his focus on healthy living never wavered. His zest for life was matched only by his love of the opposite sex. He made a pact with his friends that they would live the high life together, promising to maintain bachelor status for life. It seemed like such a simple idea to a young mind.
Ryan attended UCLA on a baseball scholarship and set his sites on the major leagues and the Boston Red Sox. His sophomore year began with a health scare that required five rounds of chemotherapy and the end of his college career. Being unable to play baseball, his scholarship was dissolved and Ryan spent the remainder of what would have been his college days, living with Caleb and Mark and studying physical therapy at the local community college. He had made a career out of physical fitness and had become one of the most popular trainers in LA.
Los Angeles Confidential had asked to interview him when they learned of some of his famous clients and the difference Ryan was making through his non profit foundation, Save LA Youth. The reporter had taken one look at him and fallen hard. His pictures scattered the pages of the article and adorned the front page.
The cell phone rang and startled him. “Ryan West.”
Mark’s voice yelled through the phone. “How is my favorite celebrity today? Just picked up my copy of the magazine and walked right off the curb when I saw your ugly mug staring back at me. Why didn’t you tell us you got the cover?”
Ryan laughed. “I hope you twisted your ankle.”
“Is that any way to talk to the man who has four tables reserved at Foxtail for tonight at 8:00? Dinner and drinks on me and Sophie. We will see you there.” Mark hung up without waiting for a response.
“You have plans tonight Kev?” Ryan yelled out into the gym. “Dinner and Drinks at 8. I need a new wingman.”
Tonight, he would get her out of his system. Tonight he would cuddle up to a warm body and remind himself that he was a playboy. It was now or never. Ryan scrubbed his hand down his face. He hoped she wouldn’t be there.
****
Ryan stepped into Foxtail right on time. His jeans hung low on his hips, showing off his narrow waist. His red shirt hugged his shoulders and his muscles rippled underneath. His dark hair stuck up on top, like he had just gotten out of bed and his brown eyes sparkled when he smiled. He turned heads everywhere he went. He spent more nights than he could count bedding his female admirers and had a black book full of midnight calls he could count on.