Series:
Fortunes of Texas: The Wedding Gift (Book 6)
"We need to get married."
Stefan Mendoza has found Justine Maloney in Texas more
than a year after their whirlwind Miami romance. Now that he's learned he's a
father, he wants to “do the right thing.” But for Justine, a child of divorce,
marriage without love is a deal breaker. Her handsome baby daddy is still
sticking around, though. And simmering below the surface is a family secret
that could change everything for them both -- forever…
Good conclusion to the series. Justine was a secondary
character in the previous, frequently hanging out in Kirby's Perks. At the end
of that book, she had a strong reaction when the Fortunes mentioned the town of
Chatelaine, Texas. I had a feeling she would be important. Justine is a single
mother of a seven-month-old baby boy. She doesn't talk about his father until
the day Stefan Mendoza shows up in Rambling Rose.
Stefan works with his brothers, doing marketing for the
family winery. He has bigger things on his mind and is partnering with a friend
and his craft brewery. Stefan enjoys his bachelor life but hasn't been able to
forget last New Year's in Miami.
Stefan and Justine met and had a weekend fling, never
expecting to see each other again. When Justine found out she was pregnant, she
didn't try too hard to find him; she just went on with her life. She left her
small town, moved to Rambling Rose (not much bigger), and became a virtual
personal assistant while raising Morgan and attending school. Justine was
shocked when she encountered Stefan at Kirby's, but that was nothing compared
to Stefan's realization that he had a son. I loved that he never hesitated to
acknowledge that Morgan was his and that he wanted to be involved in Morgan's
life. He did go a tad overboard with his demand that he and Justine get
married. She, of course, made it clear that they could co-parent without having
to marry.
I ached a bit for Stefan as he tried to get to know his
son. Morgan doesn't take to strangers, and it takes a while for him to begin to
warm up to Stefan. Justine is wary about getting too close to Stefan, worried about
losing her heart to him. When she loses the lease on her apartment, Stefan
invites her to move into his house, clearly hoping that proximity will help him
win his battle. There is a bit of dancing around each other as they work to
hide their feelings and protect their hearts. But living together does bring
them closer, both in attraction and feelings. Unfortunately, Stefan gets a
little ahead of himself and plans a surprise that doesn't go well. I ached for
both because a little honest communication would have prevented several days of
heartache. Some heartfelt advice from a friend gave Justine the courage to go
after her dream, even if she didn't think Stefan shared her feelings. A
stunning revelation at the wedding cleared up the misunderstanding between
Stefan and Justine and solved the puzzle of the mysterious gifts.
Following the mystery of the gifts from the first book, I
wondered how it would be resolved. Each book had another clue, but no one could
figure out how they were connected. I was as surprised as everyone else at the
wedding by the secrets that came to light. There was one thread left hanging,
and I can't wait to read next year's Fortunes series to see how that works out.
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