You don’t have to wait! Read the first chapter of The Billionaire’s Marriage Promise right now! If you like what you read, make sure you grab your copy here!

Chapter 1

“You have millions of loyal followers worldwide. It’s plain to see you’ve helped a lot of people turn their lives around with your online mentoring programs, books and events.” Winny O, the most popular International daytime talk show host sat across from Gabe Stevenson as loud cheers from the studio audience echoed off the walls.

He smiled and shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the praise. He nodded thanks to the listeners, before turning his blue-eyed gaze back to his host.

Winny O’s unwavering gaze swept over him.

Gabe returned a casual smile, trying to hide his shaky hands. He gently squeezed the paper clip hidden in the palm of his hand. It was his usual reminder to focus so nervous jitters didn’t get the better of him.

“I feel like most of what we know about you is from your programs. But most of us don’t know the real Gabe Stevenson. Why don’t you take a few minutes to share your story?” Winny O’s brown eyes held a challenge that was familiar to the millions of viewers who watched her weekly show.

“That’s a tall order, but I’ll do my best.” Gabe leaned back on the soft studio chair and adjusted the sleeves of his blue designer sweater.

This was always the toughest part of any interview.

“I was born and raised in Paradise Lake, a small town not too far from Seattle. I was the middle child of five sons born to the best parents we could ask for. My brothers and I had a great childhood spending time doing activities and having fun with each other and with our mom and dad. But, all that ended suddenly one day when my dad died of a heart attack. I was thirteen years old.” Emotion clogged his throat and he swallowed convulsively as memories invaded his senses. He stared down at his feet for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck willing himself to regain control of churning emotions.

Taking a deep breath he looked up again, blinking back the tears that filled his eyes as he thought of his dad. “His death was sudden and unexpected. The doctor said it was caused by stress. We learned that his business partner had taken all the money out of their shared accounts and he’d found a way to access my dad’s personal account as well. We were wiped out. It was a really difficult time for all of us.”

“I bet it was.” Winny O’s brows puckered in concern and she looked at her audience before returning her gaze to him. “Did you go through period of time where you asked a lot of questions about what happened?”

Gabe shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Yes. I had many questions for many years.”

“Would you share a few of them?”

“Sure. Even though I was thirteen years old, I went through self-blame and wondered what I could have done differently to help my Dad not be so vulnerable like he was. I also remembered feeling back then, like there was something I didn’t like about my Dad’s business partner. Back then I should’ve paid more attention, acted on those misgivings and did more investigating. Maybe I could’ve prevented the stress my Dad suffered and maybe he wouldn’t have had a heart attack.” His voice cracked and Gabe swallowed back the emotion that clogged his throat. Even though he tried to stop it, a stray tear escaped one eye anyway.

Winny O silently handed him a box of tissues, waiting for a few moments before she asked, “Did any of your questions and fears from what you saw your Dad go through, contribute to the reasons you began your self-development training?”

“Absolutely. I wanted to do whatever I could to help other people have the help they needed so they would be better prepared for life and to overcome any trouble they would face.”

“I can understand that.” She nodded. “Please, continue with the rest of your story.”

Gabe looked out at the studio audience before turning back to Winny. “After the police did their investigation, my dad’s partner was convicted of the crimes and went to jail. But, that didn’t change the fact that my father was still gone from our lives. We were left scrambling trying to put the pieces back together of our shattered family.” Gabe hesitated as he heard compassionate sighs from the studio audience. “It was especially hard for my mom to make ends meet, so me and my four brothers helped out. My two older brothers, Adam and Jack started working full-time and I found part-time work after school. I was thirteen at the time.”

“What work did you find at such a young age?”

“I started hauling newspapers after school for a couple years. By the time I reached High School, I was working for the local TV station. I was a student reporter who was interviewing people mostly for my High School. The TV station wanted to get a bird’s eye view of the student’s thoughts on different issues that affected the town.”

Winny O smiled. “Sounds like the perfect job for you.”

“It really was. The only drawback was when my girlfriend at the time, asked me to interview members of her book club. I showed up and she was the only person there. It turned out it wasn’t really an interview for the book club she wanted. My girlfriend admitted that she was jealous of my growing popularity in High School and in our small community. She wanted to be on television. She wanted to be famous. Needless to say, our relationship didn’t last. I couldn’t be in a relationship with someone I couldn’t trust.” Gabe grimaced and looked at Winny O.

Winny shook her head from side to side, her brows puckering as she turned to their studio audience. Looking back at Gabe, she signaled for the cameraman to zoom in and get a closer shot.

“It’s seems like you’ve experienced a few times in your life when people you trusted maneuvered their way into your life in a way that made life difficult.”

“I guess that’s true. I wish I would’ve known back then what I know now.”

“Most of us I’m sure would agree that hindsight helps us see things clearer.” Winny O looked out at her audience and sighed. “But, let’s switch to something more recent. Not long ago, I read in Seattle’s business magazine that your date to the Benefit Gala told a reporter that you were getting married. Is there any truth to that?”

“Sadly, no. We hadn’t got to the point in our relationship where we had talked about marriage. Needless to say, we are no longer together.” Gabe expelled a breath in as he remembered how Maddie had burst into his interview with a reporter at the Benefit Gala and casually hinted they would be married soon. It really frustrated him when people felt like he could be so easily managed.

“What experiences motivated you to start your career?” His host cocked her head slightly to the side, her gaze intensely focused on him.

Gabe expelled a slow breath. “For the most part, yes. After my dad died when I was thirteen, I was devastated. I’d just lost my best friend and mentor and the man who encouraged me everyday. Along with that, the realization that the man my dad trusted had betrayed him was really difficult to process.” Gabe shifted uncomfortably. “I wanted to grow up to be like the man I most admired, my father. But, I also wanted to learn how to do whatever it took to prevent people from their ability to sabotage my family. That led me to spending time at our local Library whenever I could to read all about how to become a better person and develop a success mindset. I started learning as a teenager and I continued to learn until finally in college I began writing about personal development in a blog and talked about it through podcasts and videos.”

“According to comments from thousands of people around the world, you’ve certainly helped many people and given a lot of them hope. I think that speaks for itself.”

“Thanks so much Winny. That means a lot coming from you.” Gabe smiled as he reflected. “What I really want to do, is to help as many people as possible to learn how they can live each day with joy, to love themselves better and to help them reach out to others to make their dent in the world.”

Loud clapping from the studio audience filled the room.

Gabe nodded and smiled warmly. Their show of appreciation for his work meant a lot to him.

“I see your family is here. From their big smiles, I can see they’re proud of you.”

He looked at his mom, his brothers and their wives and his grandparents who were seated in the front row. They nodded as the camera panned towards them. Gabe saw his mom was a little misty-eyed, while his other family members had big smiles on their faces.

Gratefulness for his family welled up inside him. “Everyday I’m thankful for their love and support.”

“Support from family is so important.” Gabe look at the audience to see them nod vigorously. Winny O shifted back to him and the camera zoomed in for a close-up. “Looks like you have almost everything, except the one thing most men want.”

Bracing himself for Winny’s next question, something compelled him to ask. “What’s that?”

“A woman to love.” She paused and he squirmed a little more, becoming really uncomfortable where these questions were going. “Tell us Gabe, have you ever had a serious relationship or been married?” Brown eyes challenged his so he couldn’t look away. Gabe could feel prickly heat rising up to his cheeks. He should’ve known his host would dig deeper and ask the one question he’d been able to avoid in most interviews.

He responded with the only thing he could think of. “No I haven’t. It’s never been a priority.”

“Hmm.” She looked him over as if doubting the truth of his words. “Is it true that your marital status might be changing soon?”

Gabe’s neck and cheeks felt like they were on fire. He looked over at the crowd who seemed to be waiting for his answer with baited breath. Turning back to Winny O, he decided to play dumb. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I read last month’s article in one of Seattle’s most popular magazines questioning whether you’d be single for long. I’m sure there are many single women out there wondering the same thing. So I wanted to ask you, are the rumours true that your great-grandfather Walker Stevenson setup his will in a way that required all five of his great-grandsons to marry by their twenty-seventh birthday to receive their inheritance?”

Gabe uttered a low groan. He should’ve realized that at least one reporter would have found out the details of great-grandfather’s will. It seemed like he was doomed to answer the one question he hoped to avoid. “Yes absurd as it sounds, it’s true.”

“How long do you have until the deadline?”

“A little over six weeks.” Gabe had given himself more time to look for a wife then his older brothers had done. He liked to plan things out ahead of time. Yet, even though he’d been looking for a woman to marry for almost a year now, no one had appealed to him. Now, he only had six weeks left to find a wife.

“So, not a whole lot of time to find a woman you want to marry.”

Gabe grimaced and nodded, feeling heat crawl up his cheeks. He really didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what do you inherit if you decide to go along with his wishes?”

It looked like Winny O was focused on the topic of his upcoming marriage and he was stuck answering her questions. “Well, Grand decided to give me his Island. Most folks around Paradise Lake know the place as Walker’s Island. It’s about an hour away from Paradise Lake. The only buildings on the land are trees Grand’s hunting lodge and a small cottage.” Gabe winced inwardly at the sighs coming from the crowd. He really didn’t want to talk about Grand’s ridiculous will requirement, but it looked like that Pandora’s box was now wide open.

“Sounds like a great place to get away from the bustle of everyday life.”

“Yeah, it’s great. I have great memories of fishing and sailing every summer with my Dad, Granddad and Grand when I was a kid.” A warmth of belonging filled Gabe as he remembered the pleasure of sailing with his Dad, enjoying being on the water just beyond Walker’s Island.

Winny O smiled broadly. “With so many great memories attached to Walker’s Island, have you thought about agreeing with your great-grandfather’s last wishes?”

He turned toward the audience and cringed at all the wide-eyed gazes that stared back at him. Suddenly Gabe wished he could disappear. Why had Winny O chosen to focus her interest on whether or not he was getting married? He squeezed the paperclip in his hand once more reminding himself to play it cool and smile.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“What’s stopping you from saying yes?”

“I’ve never found the one woman whom I love and want to spend the rest of my life. I’m starting to doubt she’s out there.”

She leaned a little closer. “Maybe some of those fears you mentioned earlier are holding you back. Maybe you’ll discover when you let go of your fear of being vulnerable, you’ll truly be able to let yourself fall in love with a woman and marry her.”

A knot coiled in his stomach at her words. He didn’t want to admit that any of her words were true.

It wasn’t fair that his host was shining a magnifying glass on all his weaknesses. But he remembered this was exactly what made people choose Winny O’s daytime TV show over many others. She was very good at getting down to the heart of things.

Yet, he still doubted there was a woman out there who wouldn’t try to manipulate him. He doubted there was a woman who wouldn’t demand more than he had to give.

Before Gabe could comment she continued, “Are you telling me you have never fallen in love?”

Heat prickled the skin at his neck, sending another wave of irritating discomfort down his body. Maybe it was time he answered Winny O’s questions a little differently. Maybe just this once he could veer her off track. “Not recently. But, years ago there was one girl that I loved and asked to marry me.”

“Oh, do tell.”

Gabe enjoyed the moment filled with gasps and wide-eyed surprise. “This girl was beautiful with long blond hair. She lived by the beach and was always out searching in the water for another rock or plant. I taught her how to sail on my sailboat and she taught me how to find wonderful plants and creatures under the water. We became good friends.”

“Go on. You said you asked her to marry you.”

“She was scared of being alone, all she had were her aunts who were getting on in age. I told her I would marry her and then she wouldn’t need to be alone or scared.” Gabe grinned as the studio audience as he heard their oos and ahs.

“Did she agree?”

“She told me, it would be hard to wait, but that she’d marry me.”

Winny raised an eyebrow, waiting.

Gabe reminded himself that honesty needed to prevail. “I should fess up and tell you this girl was six years old at the time.”

Winny O sent him a I-can’t-believe-you-just did-that grimace. He could hear his brothers’ chuckle from the front row, but no one else seemed to understand his sense of humor. For a fleeting moment, Gabe thought of the scared little girl who had captured his heart all those years ago. He wondered how Rory was doing now. It had been years since he’d last seen her.

“Well, maybe that’s where you should start in your search for a bride, Gabe.” His host leaned back on her chair and winked, then turned to glance at their audience. Soon they began to chant ‘yes’ and Winny O looked at him with a big grin. “Go find this girl. See if she will agree to marry you now that she’s all grown up.”

The corners of his lips turned up slowly. “Maybe I will.”

His host nodded and said, “Thanks Gabe for joining us here on the Winny O show.”

“Thanks for your kind invitation. It was my pleasure.”

She looked directly into the camera. “There you have it, folks. That was Gabe Stevenson, also known as the number one personal development mentor in the nation. Keep an eye on Gabe in the months to come. He might surprise us yet and suddenly find and marry the woman he loves.”

Gabe Stevenson managed to keep his hundred watt white smile intact. His Grandmom had coined the phrase to describe his smile.

Right now, he couldn’t wait to be with his family again. He needed time to simply be himself away from the crowds.

 

***

 

“That was a great interview last week, Gabe.” His brother Jack came to stand beside him at the helm of his yacht.

Gabe grinned as he steered his yacht Lady Eliza, along Puget Sound waterway. “Yeah. But, I must admit many of Winny O’s questions were unexpected and somewhat unnerving.”

“Like when she started asking about the requirements of Grand’s inheritance or if you’d ever been in love?”

“Exactly.” Gabe shook his head in silence for a moment remembering how uncomfortable he’d been sharing his personal life with Winny O’s international audience.

“That’s understandable.” Jack spoke as he looked across the wide waterway, before turning his gaze back at Gabe.

Gabe peered over at his brother, and grimaced at the calculated look in his eyes. “What?”

Jack stood there for a moment longer before he spoke. “Just wondering if you’ve decided to agree to Grand’s terms so you can get your inheritance?”

Steering the yacht forward, Gabe sighed as he saw Walker’s Island in the distance. A wave of longing rose up on the inside to own the one piece of land that had given him a sense of belonging and been a huge part of his childhood. Was the price of marriage worth it?

“To my way of thinking, Grand made the price a little too high for his great-grandsons to receive their inheritance.” Gabe expelled a breath frustrated that marriage was being forced on him.

“Yeah, I understand how you feel.” Jack’s half smile played around the corners of his mouth. “I was annoyed too when I first realized in order to get my hands on that silver mine, I would need to marry.”

“What made you decide it was worth the price?”

“I was desperate to own the mine and to discover the treasures inside it. Grand convinced me those treasures were there when I was just a boy. Turns out, he was right.”

Gabe nodded, thinking of how only a few months ago Jack and his team of miners had discovered a deep strain of silver and a little later on a strain of gold.

“But the biggest treasure was marrying Bella.” Jack smiled the same sappy smile he’d had on his face since he married his wife a year ago.

“Well not all of us can be lucky enough to have a marriage that turns out as well as yours.” Gabe was happy for his older brother, but at the same time the fact that he had to marry made him feel trapped. If he were honest, it was fear of getting too close and being vulnerable to a woman again that had him real worried.

“We definitely didn’t begin by thinking our marriage would work. If you remember, Bella and I agreed to a marriage-of-convenience right from the start. The only reason we agreed was because we both benefited. Our marriage certainly hasn’t been without it’s difficult moments, but we fell in love and we’re very blessed to have each other. Who’s to say you won’t find a woman who’ll be the right person for you too?” Jack persisted in his usual way, trying to dig out the problems and fix them.

“I just don’t know, Jack. I’ve become very wary of women, just from my experiences in the past. Especially those who have tried to get close to me in order to get what they want.” Gabe tried to shake off the terrible memories.

“I understand. I have vivid memories of what that’s like from my first marriage.” Jack hesitated. His brother’s brow puckered and Gabe could only imagine the unpleasant memories that surfaced. He remembered Elin and the abrupt way she’d rejected Jack after he arrived home with a scar. She hadn’t even cared about the fact that her husband had received the scar because he’d heroically saved a teenager from being kidnapped by a human trafficking gang. A short time later, Jack’s wife and unborn son had died suddenly in a car accident.

“I know you do, man. Sorry you had to go through all that.” Gabe was amazed that even though his brother went through so many difficulties he’d kept his fighting spirit.

Jack hesitated for a moment before continuing, “But, regardless of my own doubts, I found someone to marry who is amazing and who I love with all my heart. I think you owe it to yourself to see if there is someone out there for you. Great Grandfather believed that finding a wife was a good thing, and that included each of his great-grandsons. I’ve come to believe he was on to something.”

Jack bumped Gabe’s shoulder in a familiar camaraderie he remembered from when they were kids.

Gabe expelled a deep sigh realizing that it was time for him to make a decision. “Maybe you’re right. Like you and Adam, maybe I’ll find a woman who will agree to a marriage-of-convenience. I might take a page from your book and see what happens.”

“Now you’re talkin’.” Jack clapped him on the back. “You never know, Gabe. Maybe love is waiting for you just around the corner.”

“Well, I don’t know about that. But, we’ll see what happens.” Gabe still had serious doubts that there was an unattached female anywhere whom he would trust enough to marry. But, he was willing to do a marriage-of-convenience. That way if they had no emotional ties, after one year they could part ways with no hard feelings.

Gabe was suddenly pulled out of his reverie by the loud belly laughter behind them. Jack hurried back to the salon where his nine-month old son Walker was having fun with his cousin Daniel.

Seeing mom sitting on the floor of the salon, and his family gathered nearby stirred a warmth inside him. His brothers’ wives Elle and Bella were enjoying a cup of tea, laughing and talking together. His younger brothers Luke and Zach were playing chess. Granddad dozed while Grandmom was busy crocheting another set of baby socks.

He couldn’t deny the longing that rose up inside him to have a family someday.

Gabe looked at the horizon and saw Walker’s Island in the distance. He had convinced his brothers and their wives, his grandparents and his mom to join him to visit the Island and take a look at Grand’s old Hunting Lodge. He needed to get a feel for the place and see what needed to be fixed up. His plan was to live there again for a little while, taking a break from his fast paced schedule.

Focusing he steered his large Yacht closer to Walker’s Island.

As the pier drew near, he slowed down the engine until he could swing up next to the dock. He was thankful that years ago, Grand had built a sturdy and long pier so that large boats could set down anchor near the island.

After they stopped, he walked with his family down the dock towards the sandy beach.

He could see the chimney top of Grand’s Hunting Lodge straight ahead behind rows of tall trees that circled Walker’s Island.

His family started walking along the path that led to Walker Stevenson’s place.

All of a sudden loud barks were heard followed by splashing sounds.

Gabe turned back to glance at the beach. He saw two dogs running along the water’s edge chasing each other. A young woman stood in the water with her hands on her hips. Her long blond ponytail flowed in the wind and her bubbling laughter caught his attention.

For a moment he stood mesmerized, staring at the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

Rory Shepard.

Memories flooded him of the last time he’d seen her. She’d been sixteen and he’d been on the Island enjoying two weeks that summer with Grand. At the time he’d been so busy with college and starting his business that he hadn’t taken the time to really appreciate those around him. Gabe regretted it later, as that had been the last summer he enjoyed time on the Island with Grand before he passed away.

They had a picnic on the beach with Grand, Rory and her three aunts. Later on they all went sailing. Gabe had taught Rory how to sail and he’d been able to get closer to her. She was beautiful even back then. But she was naive and too trusting of others, including him. He’d been attracted to her back then and for that reason he’d sent her a note that he couldn’t make it for their last time sailing together.

He had left the Island with Grand the next day.

Regret coiled like a snake in his stomach at how shabbily he’d treated her. Since he felt like he couldn’t admit his attraction to her, he’d just left. Now looking back he saw the way he left so suddenly as the cowards way out that it was.

Gabe had always thought of Rory as a little sister. They weren’t related, but all those summers on the Island when he’d taught her snorkeling, fishing and sailing made him feel like an older brother.

That had changed the summer she turned sixteen and he had a sudden realization that his childhood friend had blossomed into a beautiful woman. He’d felt himself drawn to her in a way he’d never felt before or since.

That new attraction had scared him. He’d left Walker’s Island for fear that if he stayed, he would give into his desires.

Back then he thought more about how he could protect himself rather than what others needed.

Rory had always been someone who thought of others before herself.

Her selfless giving was what had always captivated him. Not only that, but her beautiful face and form.

That summer she’d told him that someday she wanted a family of her own to love. He couldn’t believe how naive she was about love, or was it that he was cynical?

The corners of his lips turned up as he remembered and without conscious thought Gabe began walking towards her.

Rory was standing in a small inlet of water surrounded by trees. She was pulling up green plants from under the water and tossing them into a bucket at her side.

Gabe walked until he stood behind her. He had to admit he enjoyed the view. He grinned. “You still love searching for plants and sea critters, I see.”

Rory looked up startled at the sound of his voice and fell backwards into the water.

He hurried over and reached out his hands to pull her up. Guilt flooded his senses at being the one responsible for startling her and causing her to fall in the water.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him, unmoving. Hesitantly, she reached up with one hand while her other hand clutched long green seaweeds to her chest. As Gabe pulled her out of the water, he tugged a little too hard and Rory fell against his chest.

“Sorry.” Gabe held her wet, shivering body close to his. He looked down into the same beautiful violet blue eyes that he remembered from years ago.

“Gabe. You came back.” Rory breathed out his name as she clung to him. Long, dark eyelashes encircled her violet eyes, like sparkling diamonds in the morning sun.

Holding her so close was doing crazy things to his heart. The urge to lower his head and touch his lips to hers was almost overpowering. The loud barking of both dogs surprised him.

Rory quickly stepped back and out of his arms.

A sudden sense of loss filled him.

“Latte and Mocha, hush.” She patted the tops of their heads when they obeyed her command.

Rory tossed the dripping seaweed into the bucket beside her and wiped her hands on the drying cloth tucked into the waistband of her shorts.

Peering up at him she asked, “Are you back to stay?”

Rory’s face seemed to cloud with a mixture anger and fear. Gabe resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. He hesitated. “For a few weeks anyway. Grand decided Walker’s Island was to be part of my inheritance, so I thought I’d fix up the Hunting Lodge.”

“Sorry to hear about your great grandfather’s passing. I adored that man. He will be missed.”

“He always thought well of you and your three aunts.”

“I’m glad. We thought the world of him too.” Rory’s eyes had turned a little misty as they talked about Grand and she looked away. Warmth flooded him. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman of his acquaintance had been moved to tears from the passing of someone she loved. Her simple and honest emotions were refreshing.

Rory crossed her arms over her chest a furrow forming between her eyebrows. “Years ago you left the island without saying a proper goodbye. You still owe me a morning on your sailboat.”

Heat crawled up his neck to his cheeks as he remembered. “Sorry about not saying goodbye, Rory. You have every right to be angry.” He grimaced and knew he had to try to make it up to her. “Can I take you sailing at the usual time on Friday?”

She shivered and rubbed her wet arms, taking a long time to answer him. “I suppose. I’m not so sure just one sailing trip will make up for it. But it’s a start.”

Gabe laughed realizing that he probably did owe her more than one day sailing. “We’ll plan for a few trips then how does that sound?”

“Much better.” Rory shivered and rubbed her arms.

“You’re freezing. Here, let me help.” Gabe quickly pulled off his hoodie and slipped it around her shivering body. “If your aunts are home tomorrow, I was planning to stop by. Grand had something he wanted me to give them.”

Rory smiled. “Oh, I’ve no doubt my three aunts will be happy to see you. Why don’t you stop by for lunch at noon?” She picked up her pail of seaweed, holding it in front of her like a

“I’ll do that.”

“Good.” She pulled the hoodie tighter around herself before turning to look at him. “I must get home. My aunts will be wondering what kept me. See you tomorrow. ” Rory nodded and hurried away, her dogs following her every step.

Gabe watched her slender figure as she hurried along the trail, her dogs at her side. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. But, there was something else. Something had changed. It was like a cloud of fear hung over her.

He didn’t know what had gone on in her life in the five years since he’d last seen Rory, but he was determined to find out.

As he began walking back to Grand’s Hunting Lodge Gabe found himself looking forward to see Rory again. Vivid memories surfaced of the naive little girl from years ago pestering him with questions or showing him her latest discovery on the beach.

He shook his head from side to side. A voice in his head spoke up. Gabe she’s not that little girl anymore. Now Rory has become a beautiful woman. Admit it. You are still attracted to her.

Standing motionless Gabe watched her walk away. He was going to be in her company a lot in the next couple weeks and he needed to be vigilant to keep his distance from Rory.

GET YOUR COPY TO KEEP READING NOW!

Kindle ~ http://www.melodyarcher.com/promise