The Best Man's Bride

by Jamie Dallas

  “What on earth are you doing here?” she demanded.

  “It’s good to see you too.” Jace’s hand clenched around the irises. “Can I come in?”

  It was such a relief to see him, that more than anything she wanted to let him in, to fall into his arms and forget the past couple weeks.

  She tucked her chin and forced herself to stay rooted to her spot. She needed to think about what was best for her.

  “Please.” He gave her a small smile and ran his hand through his hair.

  Nerves, she realized. Jace, who always seemed so cool and collected, was nervous. About her.

  She pushed the door open and stepped back. “We don’t have any fancy technology here. I hope you can handle that.”

  Jace walked into her Victorian-era apartment and looked around. It felt surreal having him here. She watched his eyes land on her green love seat, her little brown coffee table, and the landscape pictures hanging on the wall. Everything in her place was a burst of color. The exact opposite of Jace’s cool, icy apartment.

  Her mom walked into the room. “Jace, this is a surprise. It’s so nice to meet you.” She pulled Jace into a hug.

  Hailey sent silent daggers at her mom. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you?”

  Her mom gathered up her purse and shoes. “You’ve been moping for weeks.”

  She shot her mom her darkest look. Traitor.

  “You weren’t returning my calls,” Jace added.

  “Yes, to save my sanity.” It was torturous enough to know Jace didn’t love her. Having him try to pop back into her life made it even more painful. “I’m not accepting contracts with Sun Tech anymore. If you need an events coordinator, you’ll have to ask someone else.”

  “That’s not why I’m here. And Sun Tech is being sold.”

  “Wait, what?” She stopped glaring at her mom to look at Jace. Jace must have ran his hands through his hair a thousand times on the way over to her place. His hair stood nearly on end as he stared down at her with those beautiful gray eyes that she’d never get enough of.

  “I’m here for you.”

  Her rational brain told her not to believe him. Her heart, her treacherous heart, began to beat a hopeful rhythm.

  “Well, I’m going to head out,” Jane called. “Tell me when you get back from Hawaii.”

  With that, Hailey was left to deal with the lion in her den.

  “Going to Hawaii?” Jace asked.

  She nodded, unsure what else to say. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Her body felt as unstable as her hands.

  “Do you want to sit down?” Luckily her voice sounded far more confident than she felt.

  She led him into her living room. Somehow Jace’s presence made the small room feel even tinier. He was all she could focus on as he moved around her space.

  She sat on the edge of the green sofa, too tense to lean back.

  Jace didn’t sit. He moved to her bookcase, looking at her photos and knickknacks, touching her books as he read the titles.

  He broke the silence after reading the titles of her giant stack of romance novels.

  “Can I go with you?”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  Jace cocked his head to the side, looking impossibly irresistible. “Can I go to Hawaii with you?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  She couldn’t look at Jace’s crestfallen face and not want to give in. She stood and moved to the window. Her view wasn’t anything extraordinary, a few Victorian-era houses across the street, but she enjoyed looking at them.

  “While I appreciate you stopping by, it’s too painful to be around you and not wish for the impossible.” She twined her fingers behind her back. More than anything in the world, she wanted to touch him. “I think you should go.”

  “I’ll go. But please hear me out first.”

  Fine. She’d listen to whatever bull he had to say and get him out of here.

  She turned around, giving him a look that let him know she was at the end of her rope.

  Jace cleared his throat and moved until he was inches from her. He was so close she could lean into him if she wanted.

  “I love you.”

  Her breath hitched in her lungs.

  Three simple words, the words that she had been missing since the day she confessed her love, hung in the air.

  A warm glow formed low in her belly.

  “What did you say?”

  “I love you.” A broad grin covered his face.

  Was she dreaming? “Are you sure?”

  “A hundred and ten percent. When you left, you took all the brightness out of my life. I was stuck in my black-and-white world, and that life was no longer enough.”

  She still couldn’t quite look at him. It was too much. Like looking at the sun.

  She reached her hand out to his, and he curled his hand around hers. The rough calluses of his palm brushed against her skin, and electricity shot through her.

  “I realized I want you back. I need you back in my life. And when you wouldn’t answer my calls, I thought for sure you were done with me.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Are you are done with me?”

  She met his eyes. “I will never be done with you.”

  Jace’s lips broke into a boyish grin. He grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips. “I’m sorry I left you those weeks ago. I knew I loved you, but I was afraid and acting out of fear. I want you to know I’m not giving up now. I called your mom and begged her to give me your address.”

  “I’ve always questioned her loyalty.”

  “I flew all the way from Houston to ask you one question.”

  “Yes,” she prodded. Her stomach fluttered as Jace held her hands and closed his eyes, as though choosing his words carefully.

  “Do I still have a chance?”

  She couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her lips. “Do you want a chance?”

  “Yes.” He was all seriousness. “When you told me you loved me, you weren’t the one running. I was. I had spent my whole life afraid of loving someone again, afraid they’d leave me the same way my mother left. I mean, if my own mom didn’t want me, why would anyone else?”

  Her heart tugged, and she raised her hand to his cheek. “I want you.”

  Jace leaned and brushed his lips against hers. A shiver ran through her at the contact.

  “I had to figure out that for myself. Once you were gone, I realized that losing the chance to love you was the biggest mistake of my life. I want to love you and learn what makes you tick. I want a future with marriage and babies. I want it all.”

  She couldn’t stop smiling as she reached up onto her toes. “I want it all too.”

  Jace met her halfway. He kissed her hard and slow. Just the feel of his hands against her hips and his lips on hers awoke sensations that she never knew were possible. She arched into him, sinking deeper into his touch. The room faded to a blur as Jace became her only focus.

  She needed him now.

  Grabbing his hand, she led him into her bedroom. She pulled her suitcase to the floor then turned all her attention to the man she loved.

  “When are you leaving?” Jace made quick work disposing of her shirt.

  “Tomorrow morning.” It took her a second to release his belt.

  “Want a travel partner?”

  Her body ached to feel his warm skin against her own, and she yanked his shirt over his head. “I’d love one.”

  They fell in bed together, limbs tangled in an intimate knot. Her body was taut and ready, and the feel of Jace’s lips brushing over her sensitive skin made her moan in appreciation.

  When he finally sank into her, she had never felt more complete. He moved inside her with slow, hard strokes.

  “I can’t believe you’re mine,” he whispered.

  They moved in a rhythm all their own as she surrendered herself fully to him. She took all he had to offer and gave back all she could. Her body arched under hi
m as she neared her peak.

  “That’s right, honey,” Jace coaxed in her ear. “Come for me. Let me give you that gift.”

  Then her world burst into a blinding white light as she tipped over the edge.

  Afterward, Jace held her close, pushing her hair from her face. “You know, I had a crush on you for years.”

  “You never did anything about it. In fact, you chased me off.”

  Jace pressed his lips against her hair. “And I will spend the rest of my life making up for those lost years.”

  She kissed him, taking in the masculine taste of him, the scent of his musk, the feel of his skin against hers. How she got so lucky, she didn’t know.

  “And I will spend the rest of my life loving you,” she responded.

  Chapter Fifteen

  One year later, Kauai, Hawaii

  “Are you sure you want to go through with this? You can back out if you want.” Jace was dressed in light gray slacks and a crisp white shirt. Their attire was dressy casual, but on Jace, it looked like he was ready for a photo shoot.

  Hailey wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed her future husband. “I’m not backing out if you aren’t.”

  “There is no universe where I’d back out,” Jace growled at her. And, oh, what that voice did to her. Her stomach warmed as Jace squeezed her hips.

  “Good. Now get out of here. You’re not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony. It’s bad luck.” She gave him another quick kiss on the lips before pushing him out of the room.

  “I was checking to make sure you were still here.” Jace winked at her before she could shut the door on him. “If you run, you better expect me to chase you down. I’m not going to stand around twisting my fingers like some helpless idiot.”

  She laughed. Jace had told her numerous times over the past year that the best day of his life was when she ran out of her wedding with Evan.

  “Like I could hide on this little Hawaiian island.” She gave him one last push. “Now let me finish getting ready.”

  Her simple white dress swished against her ankles as she moved to the dressing room to finish her hair and makeup. “Let me fix your hair.” Her mom’s nimble fingers twisted Hailey’s curls back from her face, and she pinned them into place. “Perfect.”

  Jane stood back to observe her work. “I think forgoing the veil was a good idea.” She pulled a hibiscus flower from the table and pinned it in her daughter’s hair.

  She was thrilled to not have to deal with one in the warm Pacific breeze. “Veils are the worst thing on this planet.”

  There was a knock at the door, and her mom stopped pinning her hair as Aunt Mia entered the room, her eyes bright with excitement.

  “Are you ready? Your father says ten minutes.”

  “I’m ready.” Her heart pulsed in her throat, and she wished she had Jace next to her.

  “I wanted to wish you good luck. You’re marrying one special man,” Aunt Mia said.

  “I know I am.” Truly she did.

  She turned to the mirror and slicked on a natural lip color. After she capped the lipstick with a shaky hand, her mom left to get her father.

  “You look beautiful, hon. You’ve got this covered.” Mia hugged her and followed in her mom’s path.

  This was it. She was finally going to walk down the aisle.

  Nervous didn’t even begin to describe her state. The pins in her hair suddenly felt too tight, and her minimal makeup felt heavy on her face. Everything felt too heavy and too much all at once. She was about to face the rest of her life in only a matter of minutes.

  She closed her eyes, trying to get her breathing under control. These were nerves. Nothing more. Jace was at the end of this journey, and she would never let him down.

  A knock at the door.

  “Hailey? It’s time,” her father said on the other side.

  It’s time. Her heart thudded in her ears.

  Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the room, and met her father. His gray hair was slicked back handsomely, and he wore his favorite tie.

  He kissed her cheek. “Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” It was hard to hide the tremor in her voice, and her hands shook as she wrapped them around her father’s forearm.

  She could hear the strains of soft music as they set out into the bright Hawaiian sunlight. Her feet, encased in simple gold sandals, sunk into the velvety grass, and the scent of a lush paradise greeted her nose.

  They followed a small gravel path that curved around the little house they’d rented for the occasion. Then the path straightened, and straight ahead was a small white gazebo. The gazebo she was to be married in. And standing in it, smiling like he had just won the lottery in life, was Jace.

  At the very sight of him, her body relaxed. Her grip on her father’s arm loosened.

  Jace was her future, her home, her safe space. The man she could rely on, through thick and thin.

  She barely noticed the wedding guests as she walked down the aisle, and the music sounded far away. All she saw was the man she planned to share her life with.

  And she couldn’t get to him fast enough.

  When her father handed her over to Jace, her hand was steady.

  “I am so happy to see you made it this far,” he whispered.

  “And we have so much further in our lives to go.” She smiled at him.

  When it came time to say their vows, Jace was ready. With a look on his face that dimmed even the bright sun above, Jace held her hand and spoke.

  “Hailey, when you came into my life years ago, I always thought you were the one running, when really, it was me. You brought color into my bland life and showed me that success only has so much importance. You made me want to stop and enjoy the moments, to savor every minute that I have with you, and to appreciate all the small things I had already been blessed with. You made me realize as long as we run in the same direction, that’s all I care about. All I ever wanted, was you.”

  Jace took a breath and brought her hand to his lips, so when he spoke his next words, they felt like whispered feathers against her skin. “If you ever feel the urge to run, go wherever your heart desires. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth and back. I am your partner for life.”

  The tears were threatening—the kind of tears that were as beautiful as a summer rain.

  “Those were the most wonderful words ever spoken,” she whispered to him. “You are the love of my life, and I will stay with you from now until forever.”

  Epilogue

  Jace couldn’t believe that Hailey was finally his wife. After a gorgeous two-week vacation, they had returned home. He had a healthy tan, and poor Hailey had been sunburned twice.

  A few people from their building waved as they headed toward the front door, towing their luggage behind them. They had sold every unit in the condo building, except for the top floor, which he had decided to hold onto for a while longer until he and Hailey could find a home they both loved.

  The doorman opened the glazed entry door before Jace could.

  “Jace and Hailey,” the older man greeted them with a wide smile. “Congrats on your wedding! I hope it was wonderful.”

  Jace said hello, then looked back at his wife and smiled. Her sunburn had by now faded to a pale pink, and her red hair was twisted into a bun at the top of her head, her bangs brushed to the side.

  As usual, she looked sexier than hell, and he couldn’t wait to get her back in their bedroom for a welcome home round of lovemaking.

  “Don’t forget to grab the mail,” Hailey said as she pulled her bag through.

  Right. The mail. Hailey loved to check it, especially now that they were getting wedding cards. She looked forward to reading friends’ and families’ good wishes. He rarely got anything, especially since he went paperless for his bills and notices.

  He headed to the small box while the doorman went to press the elevator button.

  The small box held a few cards and some
fliers, and, crammed in the very back, was a large ivory envelope. He grabbed the stack with his free hand and followed Hailey to the elevator.

  “What’s that?” Hailey asked as they rode up, indicating the envelope with a jerk of her chin.

  Jace shook his head. “Beats me.”

  The heavy envelope was addressed to him, and had a return address in Montana.

  “Do you know anyone in Montana? Maybe it’s an oversize wedding card.”

  He pressed his lips together as he thought. “No one.”

  “Weird. Who sends mail like this anymore? Especially for no reason?”

  He shrugged. “It’s probably a catalog or something.” He received catalogs for home furnishings and fixtures all the time. Judging by the envelop, it was a pretty fancy catalog.

  They stepped off the elevator, and Hailey unlocked the door with her phone.

  “Home at last.” Hailey sighed and dropped her bags at the front door.

  It felt good to be home. He dropped the cards in a neat stack next to the couch. Taking the large envelope, he flicked at the corner of the flap that was sealed solidly in place.

  “Mr. Hartman?” Bracing herself against his shoulder, Hailey went up on her tiptoes and nuzzled that spot between his jaw and his ear that drove him up the wall.

  Growling low in his throat, he tossed the envelope on top of the cards.

  “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her in front of him so he could show her exactly what she was getting herself into.

  “Let’s say we head to the bedroom and celebrate our first day being home as a married couple.” Hailey’s voice was soft, breathy. “I want to see all your tan lines.”

  He smiled as she reached up and nibbled his lip. “I say that’s a perfect idea. Our first day of the first year of the rest of our lives.”

  “Our amazing lives,” Hailey agreed as he swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. “And I love that I’m sharing it with you.”

  The End

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