One More Moment (The McCormicks Book 3) Read online

  One More Moment

  Elena Aitken

  Ink Blot Communications

  Contents

  Free Books

  The Springs on Sale this Summer

  One More Moment

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About the Author

  The Springs on Sale this Summer

  Promised Gifts

  Free Books

  Also by Elena Aitken

  Free Books

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  One More Moment

  Playing the lead in the summer's hottest new show Mr. Summer, is a dream come true for Cal McCormick. It’s the big break he’s been waiting for after leaving his modeling career—and ex-girlfriend—behind in Australia. Things seem pretty much perfect particularly after meeting the local real estate agent while shooting on location. Milena Hill completely captivates him with her sweet smile and even sweeter kisses.

  After transforming her life by kicking her deadbeat boyfriend out and embarking on a new career, the last thing Milena expects is to fall for an incredibly handsome television star. Even more unexpected? He seems to be just as into her.

  Caught up in a whirlwind romance is exciting, but dating a celebrity has its drawbacks, especially for a woman like Milena who hates the limelight. Enter Cal’s sexy co-star who shares a history with Cal that’s made for tabloid gossip, and things only get more complicated. How can Milena compete with a woman who is so unfairly gorgeous and as comfortable in the spotlight as Cal?

  Can Cal show Milena that living a life in the spotlight will give her a chance to shine? Can Milena trust in a love that will turn her new life upside down? Can their love withstand the pressure of stardom or is it nothing more than gossip for the tabloids?

  Coming Soon...meet the rest of the McCormicks with:

  Book Four- In This Moment: Declan's Story

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  Chapter One

  There weren’t many summer days in Cedar Springs that weren’t absolutely gorgeous. By and large, the small mountain town was blessed with hot summer days and warm nights, perfect for sitting around the campfire. But even in a perfect summer town, it had to rain sometimes. But as far as Milena Hill was concerned, it did not have to rain on the first day she wanted to try paddleboard yoga. She dropped her curtains with a sigh and turned away from the window. The clouds were socked in through the valley; it wasn’t going to stop raining anytime soon. She might as well come up with an alternative plan.

  “Good morning, Dad.” She made her way into the small kitchen where her dad was having his morning coffee and working on his daily crossword puzzle.

  “Hardly,” he grumbled. “I don’t know what’s so good about it. This weather has put a damp in my bones and my arthritis is acting up. But if you think it’s so good, I guess there must be something to say about it.”

  Milena laughed and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek. “The way you carry on I would think that you were eighty, Dad. It’s just a little bit of rain. It’ll be all cleared up by tomorrow, I’m sure.” Despite the fact that her dad was a big grouch, she knew he was all bark and no bite. She’d spent most of her life dealing with his moods, and over the years she’d realized his Oscar the Grouch act was just that—an act.

  Either way, he’d forced her to be a cheerier person in an effort to balance the scales. It was a relationship that worked. Especially now that it was just the two of them again.

  A shudder ran through her at the memory. It wasn’t that long ago when there had been an even more negative influence in her life. And a real negative influence, not just a grumpy old man complaining about the weather. Her ex-boyfriend, Michael Malone, had almost ruined her with his backhanded comments, subtle putdowns, not-so-subtle insults, and general belittling. Yes, he’d almost ruined her. But she was strong. It would take a lot more than an insecure man with a host of issues of his own to destroy her. Although it hadn’t been easy, she’d made the changes she needed to get out from under him and end their relationship.

  It was definitely good to be back to just the two of them again. Milena looked over at her dad, who grumbled something to himself about the crossword puzzle. No doubt he disagreed with one of the answers. He always thought he knew better than the newspaper. She smiled and chuckled a little. She would take her father’s crotchety old attitude any day if it meant never having to deal with a man like Michael Malone again.

  “What are you going to do today, Dad?” She poured herself a cup of coffee, skipping the milk and sugar, and leaned against the counter. “It’s Saturday—you must have something fun planned.” She tried not to laugh because although there was no doubt her dad had something planned, fun wouldn’t likely be the word she’d use to describe it. No doubt he had some sort of chore lined up, or maybe a fishing trip. Either way, it definitely wouldn’t be Milena’s idea of fun.

  “Well, I was going to go see if the fish were biting. But with this weather, I guess that’s off. There’s no reason that it can’t rain during the week, but no… The minute Saturday rolls around, Mother Nature needs to spit in your face. So I guess I’ll just go out to the shed, see what needs fixing.”

  Milena couldn’t help herself anymore. The laughter that had been threatening burbled out. Her dad was just so damn predictable.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  Milena shook her head and bit her lip, but the laughter wouldn’t stop. Especially when she caught her dad try to hide his own grin behind his coffee mug.

  “Okay, I get it,” he said. “You think you have your old man all figured out. Well, you never know, kiddo. I might just surprise you one day.”

  Milena wrapped her dad in a big hug. “I love you just the way you are, Dad. Don’t you dare think about changing.” She gave him another squeeze and kissed him on the forehead.

  Her dad reached up and patted her hand, which was his way of saying that he loved her too. He wasn’t a man to show his emotions very often, but he didn’t need to. Milena knew he loved her. And although of course it would be nice if she heard it once in a while, she’d take what she could get. “What are you up to today, Milena?”

  She took a sip of her coffee and sighed. She’d meant what she’d said; the rain was probably going to clear up by the end of the day, but it didn’t mean it still wasn’t ruining her plans for the moment. “I was going to go try out a new type of yoga on a paddleboard, but with this rain I’ll probably just skip it altogether. Besides, I should probably get some work done.”

  “You work too hard. You should have a little fun,” her dad said. “Work can wait. Can’t you do your pretzel New Age thing indoors? What exactly is yoga on a paddleboard anyway? That sounds crazy. Isn’t a paddleboard one of those old surfboards people padd
le around the lake?”

  “That’s exactly what it is.” She shook her head. “And it’s supposed to be great for your balance and your core.” She tried to explain it to her dad, knowing it was futile.

  “Well, even if you can’t get out in the rain, you should still go do your yoga New Age pretzel thing. I know how you like it, and it’s good for you.”

  She had to appreciate his concern. Besides, he had a point. She did like it, and it was good for her. And not just her body. Her mental state, too. Just because it was raining did not mean she couldn’t do yoga. It also didn’t mean that she couldn’t go find a new environment to do it in instead of her cramped bedroom. And that’s just what she was going to do.

  “Thanks, Dad. You’re right. And you just gave me an idea.” It had been just under a year since Milena dropped fifty extra pounds, plus another two hundred in the form of Michael Malone when she finally got the courage to break up with him and kick him out. She’d regained her sense of self and self-confidence and had worked damned hard to get her life back. But she needed to stay focused when it came to taking care of herself because there was no way she was going to go back to that dark place again. She couldn’t push yoga off just because of the weather. “I’ll see you later. Have a fun day in the shed.”

  She overheard her dad muttering something as she left the room, no doubt about how much fun he would have fixing the old lawn mower, or sharpening a rusty saw and how she had no idea what she was missing. Milena laughed and went to find her yoga bag. She knew exactly what she was missing.

  And she was more than okay with it.

  For years, Cal had done his best to avoid running. He used to like to say that the only way he would be caught running was if something was chasing him, and that something better be a grizzly bear. Maybe it was because he was back in Cedar Springs, surrounded by the fresh mountain air and the lake breeze after being in the hot Australian sun for so long. Maybe it was the influence of his sister-in-law to-be, Gwen, who ran a few miles every morning. Whatever it was, in the few weeks since he’d been back in the town he’d spent his childhood summers, Cal had started to run.

  And he liked it.

  That morning he’d gotten a later start than he normally did. He usually liked to get out early so he could run along the beach and into town before the tourists started making their way down to enjoy the lake. But it didn’t seem to be a problem on this particular Saturday. The way the valley was clouded up with the rain pouring down, there wouldn’t be many people enjoying the beach today. Which was perfect, because Cal’s runs were his time to be alone and clear his head.

  There were some other perks to his new daily habit, too. Not only did it allow him to eat an extra burger now and then at the local Grizzly Paw pub, he was enjoying getting to know the town again by foot. And as much as he enjoyed the weight room, there was nothing quite like using his own two feet to stay fit.

  He’d just landed an amazing breakout role on what could very well be the hottest new television show, Mr. Summer, which happened to be based on his oldest brother, Ian, and his new fiancée, Gwen. Or more specifically, the show was based on the blog Gwen had written documenting their entire love story, that almost wasn’t a love story at all.

  It was kind of strange to know that he was going to be playing his older brother on TV, but it was an amazing opportunity and there was no way he wasn’t going to try out for the part. The fact that he’d gotten the role was an awesome surprise.

  Cal had no real acting experience besides a few commercials when he was in Australia. His time there had been spent working as a model and although he’d been very successful doing just that, he was ready for more.

  While he was over in Australia, he’d been dating and living with Bridget Murphy, the star of Beach Bodies, a Baywatch-type of series set on the beaches of Australia. She was gorgeous and not only did Australia love her, Cal had too.

  At twenty-three, he was the youngest of his four brothers, but that didn’t mean he had any interest in waiting to settle down with the right woman. And he’d thought he’d already found that woman. In fact, shortly before he’d left to come back home, he’d been fully prepared to ask her to marry him. Thank God his eyes had been opened before making that mistake.

  Cal pushed his legs harder through the rain, feeling the sting of the drops on his bare skin as he did. It didn’t matter how hard he ran; he could never seem to outrun the hurt and disappointment that had plagued him since his breakup with Bridget.

  When he told her he wanted to go into acting, she’d seemed so supportive, even to the point of even telling him she would help him get some roles. It wasn’t until months of waiting for something to happen with no real progress that he’d discovered the truth. Not only had she not helped him, she’d actually sabotaged him in the Australian industry. All because she was worried his star might shine brighter than hers.

  Immediately after the discovery, Cal broke up with her and when he found out about his oldest brother Ian’s new show, and the opportunity that might be there for him, he got on the next plane home.

  Even half a world away, it wasn’t enough distance. He needed to get Bridget out of his head and more specifically, her betrayal. Despite his high-profile career as a model, and the constant women who threw themselves at him, Cal had never been interested in any of those shallow relationships. He had only ever been interested in settling down with the right woman.

  He himself hadn’t grown up with the perfect happy family. At least not for half of his life. Far from it. When he was only fourteen, his father announced that he had a secret family, and the boys had two half-sisters. More to the point, his father had announced he was leaving them for his new family.

  For some of his brothers, it had soured them against love, like his older brother Mitch who only recently had opened his heart to the love of his life, his new wife Jade. But for Cal, it just made him crave it all the more. He had never given up on the idea that true love existed and he could have it.

  Cal pumped his arms and pushed down the beach through the rain. He didn’t love the rain, but the definite benefit was that he more or less had the beach to himself. He swiped at the water on his face and kept his stride.

  Two of his siblings had found love in Cedar Springs. Maybe it would be lucky for him too. Not that he was really looking. Not now. Mr. Summer started filming soon and he needed to focus on that. Acting was a whole lot different than modeling and although he knew he was going to nail the role of his big brother, Ian McCormick, he wanted to make sure he didn’t leave anything to chance. The show was set to be a breakout hit; everyone was talking about it. It could be his big break, so he could finally start doing what he’d always wanted to.

  That was his focus.

  Career.

  Not love.

  His stride slowed as he came into town and the public beach area. The Dockside, his brother’s marina, was just on the other side of the beach, with the Grizzly Paw pub just up the road. He’d had thoughts of stopping in to say hi to Ian at the marina, or maybe grab a glass of water from his little sister, Chelsea, who was working the early shift at the Grizzly Paw, but both of those thoughts flew out of his head when he caught sight of the woman under the gazebo.

  The gazebo sat in the grassy field just up from the beach. Families liked to picnic there, or escape from the hot sun on a nice summer day. He didn’t expect to see anyone there now, which was why the sight of a woman stretched out on a blanket took him by surprise.

  Cal slowed his pace until he was walking up to the gazebo steps. A smile crossed his face when he realized he recognized the woman inside. It was Milena Hill, the real estate agent who helped his brother Mitch buy his new home on the lake just down the street from their family cabin. Technically, Cal knew her from when they were kids and he spent his summers there. But that was a lifetime ago and they were different people. Besides, he couldn’t really remember noticing Milena when they were kids.

  But he sure noticed her
now.

  He stood and watched in the gazebo entrance. Maybe he shouldn’t have, but he expected her to open her eyes at any minute so it wasn’t really as if he was eavesdropping or intruding on a private moment. At least that’s how he justified it to himself. The truth was, he’d been hoping to run into her again. The last time he’d seen her was only a few days earlier at Mitch and Jade’s surprise proposal-turned-wedding event. There was something about this girl. She was so unlike anyone he’d ever spent time with. She wasn’t a flashy, glitzy, Hollywood type. She was real. And really freaking cute.

  His last girlfriend Bridget had been stick-thin. She’d never eaten much more than a lettuce leaf here or there—at least, that’s how it seemed whenever they went out for dinner. But Milena was curvy in all the right places. Which was especially evident with the tight tank top and leggings she wore. Her legs were adorned in bright pink and purple sugar skulls; her top was a basic black tank. It was an interesting choice for laying on her back in the middle of the gazebo, though he couldn’t think of any outfit that might be typical for that.

  What was she doing?

  She still hadn’t noticed him. She was lying flat on her back, her arm stretched over her head with her eyes shut. Her lips were pursed and she made a strange sound that sounded like a mix between heavy breathing and chanting.