Destination Wedding (Crimson Romance)

by Robyn Neeley

  Did he even care?

  She crossed the room and slid open the balcony glass door. With one deep breath, the ocean air saturated her lungs. Looking over in the direction of the private cove, her heart sank.

  If only she could go back to that one perfect moment. She’d say the right name this time.

  She didn’t even know why she said Drew’s name. It just slipped out. There was no doubt in her mind that Luke was the one she wanted. Now, she’d never have the chance to tell him. She’d blown it.

  Her door opened, and Miles greeted her on the terrace with two foamy orange drinks.

  “Here, I think you need this.”

  “You’ve got that right.” She took the cup out of his hand and sat down. The terrace had two white chairs and a small round table. She sucked on the straw. Definitely mango with a little extra kick. “Miles, what is happening?”

  He laughed. “Come on. It’s kind of funny when you think about it in a ‘this could only happen to Kate Ashby’ kind of way.”

  “Yeah. The two men that I made out with this week could now become my stepbrothers? How is that funny?”

  Miles reached out and slapped her knee. “Wait. Rewind. Both men? Did I miss something?”

  “I kissed Luke today.” She bit down on her lip, waiting for his reaction.

  “What? Where?”

  “Under a waterfall, over there.” She pointed in the direction of the cove.

  “No!” He pressed his hands on his face.

  “You can close your mouth. It’s true.”

  “No wonder you look like a drowned rat.”

  “Thanks,” she said coolly.

  “A beautiful one.” He padded her damp head. “So now you like Luke?”

  “No … yes … I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, thinking back to the exact moment Luke had kissed her. “It was so incredibly romantic.” She snapped her head up. “Even on the plane ride here, we just seemed to really click.”

  Miles raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Did you rejoin the mile high club?”

  “Shut up. That never happened with Drew, and no. We talked. Mainly about me. Luke seemed really interested in getting to know me.” She shrugged. “He was sweet.”

  “And this led to you hopping in the water with him?”

  “Well … no, not exactly. We had dinner the first night and then spent all yesterday together.”

  Miles started laughing.

  “Nothing happened. I swear. We had some fun touring the island. Then today we checked out the private cove for the wedding ceremony and there was this gorgeous waterfall. I guess I — ”

  “Went for it.”

  “Something like that.” She sighed. “You know none of this would have happened if you hadn’t got tanked with Lauren. You would have been the one — ”

  “Sorry. Let me stop you right there. You and I would have not been in the waterfall.”

  She laughed. “No we would have not.” She looked toward the ocean. “It doesn’t matter. He’s definitely not interested in me.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it.” She didn’t want to share with Miles — or anyone — the embarrassing mistake she had made. “It’s over. He’s going back to New York City for two weeks. He won’t be back until the wedding.”

  Miles sipped his drink. “Okay, so let’s recap. You’ve now kissed both Cannon men. Which one was better?”

  “Luke,” she said with certain but then paused. “To tell you the truth, it felt the same.”

  “The same?”

  “Yeah, Luke’s kiss felt exactly like I remember Drew’s being. Is that possible?”

  Miles shrugged. “Beats me. I’ve never kissed twins.” He snickered. “Yet.”

  “Oh, Miles, I’ve got a serious problem. We’ve got so little time to plan the wedding of our careers. I need to get my head on straight and lock my heart up in here.” She pointed to her chest. “Where it’ll be safe.”

  Miles leaned back. “I’m sorry, boss, but I’m afraid the latter is going to be impossible.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if I’m not mistaken from that mopey look on your face … ” He pointed to the sky. Kate could see a small plane fly by in the distance. “Your heart is somewhere up there and headed east.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Luke leaped off of his leather chair and gazed out his office window directly at Central Park. It was good to be home, or at least he had tried hard to convince himself that was the case.

  He watched a family of tourists enter the park, all of them wearing tank tops and shorts. Al Roker had gotten it right. It was a scorcher. Was it this hot in Hawaii? Probably. Manhattan was only missing the pristine white beach, and beautiful aqua blue ocean … and one secluded waterfall.

  Stop it, Luke. Stop thinking about her. Fat chance. He walked back to his desk and took his seat, staring at his computer screen. Since he’d left the island, not a minute went by without Kate taking over his thoughts.

  He should have never walked away from her like he did. He knew he overreacted. It’s just he wanted so desperately for her to realize that that was their second kiss. Her whispering Drew’s name in his ear … well, it set him off.

  Or was it a reason to walk away? He thought about it for several hours on the plane ride home and every day since. Her calling out his brother’s name was the excuse he needed to guard his heart from getting hurt. He had jumped on the opportunity to walk away. Deep down, he knew that’s exactly what he’d done.

  What was he so afraid of and why did he have such a problem letting any woman in? A woman like Kate surely would be good for him and fill a void missing in his life.

  Tomorrow night, he’d head back to Hawaii for the wedding. He hadn’t figured out how to apologize to Kate, but one thing was for sure, he was going to tell her everything, including his pretending to be Drew. It was the right thing to do.

  He shifted in his seat and checked the time. He needed to put her out of his mind, at least for the next few hours. Today was, arguably, the biggest day of his career. Earlier this year, his father had put him in charge as acting CEO. The “acting” part of the title would be dropped as soon as his dad officially announced his plans to retire. The new board from the merger would have to vote, but that would be a mere formality. They were sure to go with his father’s wishes and vote him in as the next CEO. The problem was his dad hadn’t made a decision on his retirement date.

  That is until last week. His thoughts drifted back to Hawaii, this time to the moment when his dad pulled him aside and told him he would be officially retiring after the Christmas holidays.

  He then proceeded to show Luke the engagement ring that he intended to give to Kate’s mom. Luke had been flabbergasted. He didn’t even know his father was dating. Sure, he’d been acting a little strange over the last month, coming in to work late and disappearing in the afternoon. Once he’d caught his dad humming in the hallway. He never hummed. Luke chalked it up to his dad being happy about the merger or the Yankees, certainly not a secret rendezvous.

  And what were the odds that this mystery woman would turn out to be Kate’s mom?

  Luke had pleaded with his dad to wait on proposing until he returned. He needed time to make sure his father knew what he was doing.

  So far, he hadn’t heard anything indicating that a proposal had happened. That didn’t mean anything. Luke knew how spontaneous his dad could be. He wouldn’t be surprised if his father had already popped the question and Kate was now dealing with the prospect of becoming his stepsister.

  The thought of her being his sister, if only by marriage, made him cringe. He missed her in a way that was by no means brotherly.

  “Hi.”

  He looked over his shoulder. Olivia was standing in his doorway. She was dressed in a black power suit, her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun. She hugged a clipboard to her chest. Another woman he had walked away from. Her cheating had gi
ven him the perfect excuse to end things with his father’s executive assistant. He hadn’t even tried to work it out.

  “Olivia.” He stood. “Are they ready for me?”

  “Not yet. I wanted to see if I could get you anything? Some coffee maybe?”

  “No, thanks.” He motioned to his full cup on his desk. “I’m good.”

  “Crazy about your father bailing on the press conference.”

  “I know.” He was still ticked at his dad for acting like a lovesick puppy. He really should be here with Luke, but apparently that’s what the Ashby women did to the Cannon men. Reduced them to mush. Lucky for Drew, Kate didn’t have a sister.

  Olivia motioned. “The room is ready when you are. The press will be arriving in one hour.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” She disappeared down the hall. He smiled. Olivia would become his executive assistant soon. It was good that they had put their past behind them.

  It hadn’t happened overnight. There were a lot of dirty looks and name calling under her breath for the first six months. Only after she started seeing other guys did things calm down. However, even after the breakup, she continued to remain loyal to his dad and the company.

  His screen beeped. Someone was requesting a video chat. Luke slid back in his seat and clicked to join.

  “Hey, Drew.” His brother looked like he had rolled out of bed.

  “Hey, CEO. You ready?”

  “Acting CEO,” he corrected. “As ready as I’ll ever be. What time is it there?”

  “Four A.M.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Tell me about it,” Drew yawned and scratched his head. “I’m sorry I bailed too on the press conference.”

  “It’s fine. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, man. Except, I don’t think Kate’s doing well with this new arrangement between her mother and our father.”

  “No?” He grabbed his coffee cup and leaned back. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s weird. She’s barely said two words to Lauren or me after dad proposed.”

  “Shit.” Luke slammed the cup down on his desk, splashing coffee on his hand. It was hot and burned. “I told him to wait until I got back. When did he do it?” He shook the coffee off his hand and searched for something to wipe it on.

  “Last night at dinner. Before dessert.”

  “You’re kidding? How did Kate take the news?”

  “Not well. She spilled her wine all over her dress and ran off crying.”

  Luke looked away. It hurt hearing Kate was in pain and he wasn’t there to console her.

  Drew continued. “I don’t know. She’s no longer looking at me all googly-eyed, which, don’t get me wrong, is a good thing. She seemed pissed last night, even before dad proposed. Lauren brought your name up and she nearly bit her head off. Did something happen between you two?”

  Luke shuffled in his seat. Now was not the time to confess anything. No. What happened in the waterfall would stay in the waterfall. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll straighten everything out.”

  “Dude, Lauren is really on me. She thinks Kate is mad at her. I’m going to tell the girls everything this morning.”

  “No!” That was the last thing he wanted Drew to do. He needed to be the one to tell Kate the truth if he had any hope of her forgiving him. “I need to be the one to talk to Kate, got it.”

  “Fine,” Drew conceded. “But you better do it as soon as you get back.”

  “I will. Listen, I gotta go. I’ll see you Wednesday. My plane lands around noon. Not a word to Kate or Lauren.”

  “Why can’t I tell Lauren?”

  “Because your fiancée would have a hard time keeping her mouth shut, especially to her new best friend, Miles.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  Luke knew he was. “I’ll straighten this all out soon. I’ve got to go now.”

  “Fine. Break a leg. Don’t embarrass me.”

  “Very funny. Aloha.” Luke clicked off. Crisis averted. Now, he needed to focus.

  Olivia popped her head back in.

  “Luke, it’s time.” She motioned for him to follow her.

  He stood and grabbed his black suit jacket from around the chair. “I’m ready.”

  This was the biggest day of his life and no one he cared about was there to share it with him.

  • • •

  Luke thanked the press for coming and exited the conference room for his office. A few minutes later, Olivia strolled in.

  “What’s this?” He eyed the champagne bottle and flute glasses she brought with her, remembering the last time he had champagne. It had been with Kate.

  “Your dad asked me to bring this in to celebrate.” She popped open the bottle, pouring two glasses and handing him one. “Luke, you were awesome in there.”

  “I was, wasn’t I?” He took the flute and tilted it back. It was only eleven A.M. but what the hell.

  “Wait. We need to toast.”

  “Sorry.” He held the flute up in front of him.

  “To our new amazing CEO.”

  “Cheers.” They chimed their flutes. “Maybe we should wait and celebrate the CEO title for when it happens.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that Luke.” There was something suggestive in her words that made him a little uncomfortable.

  “Can you believe the merger is happening?” she asked.

  “Sure can. We’ve been waiting for this deal to go through for years. I wish my dad and Drew could have been here.”

  Olivia leaned on his desk. “Are you ready to go back to Hawaii?”

  “More than you know.” He finished off his glass and grabbed the bottle, refilling his and then hers. “How about you? Are you packed?”

  “Sure am.” She laughed. “If three bikinis and a bottle of suntan lotion constitutes packed.”

  He chuckled. “It’s a start. I’m glad Dad is flying the team over for the wedding. You all deserve some R&R.”

  “I can’t wait.” She pushed off his desk, smoothing her skirt. “Luke, I was wondering … ” she paused and touched his arm. “Would you like to have dinner tonight?”

  He brought his flute down, nearly spitting out the champagne in his mouth. “Oh … I … um.”

  “To celebrate?” She looked away. “I understand if you’re busy … ”

  He could tell she was embarrassed. Having dinner with his beautiful ex wasn’t the worst way to spend the evening but it would be wrong. Not when all he could do was think about Kate. “I’m sorry. I plan on being here late tonight. I need to sign off on our holiday marketing strategy before I leave tomorrow.”

  “Well, maybe in Hawaii then?” She smiled.

  “Deal.”

  “You’re going to do great things for this company, Luke.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I’ll see you at the gate tomorrow.”

  “See you then.” He watched Olivia leave. There would be no dinner date in Hawaii. No way could he go down that road again, not when he had these intense feelings for Kate. Besides it had taken Olivia and him three years to get to this less awkward place post-breakup. He didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it, especially if she was going to become his assistant.

  He threw himself into his work, not looking up from his computer. The hours ticked by. When he finally pried his eyes from his screen, he realized it was pitch black outside. His stomach growled. He needed to call it a day.

  Grabbing his briefcase, he took the stairs to the second floor, entering the toy store. He hesitated. Tonight he’d take the shortcut. He nodded to a custodial crew member who was vacuuming nearby. The crew worked so hard. Perhaps he could give them a couple of bonus paid holidays after Christmas. He’d talk to accounting when he returned from Hawaii.

  Taking a deep breath, he headed into the children’s book section. Stopping in front of the small gold plate on the wall, he moved his hand back and forth over the words:

 
; In Memory of Carol Cannon. The heart of JDL Toys.

  “Hello, Mom. I hope it’s okay if we read tonight.” He turned and walked to the classic section and pulled out a Choose Your Own Adventure book. He had insisted that the store always carry them. Even though he hadn’t been in this section in years, he’d known exactly where those books were. Sprawling out in a child size blue beanbag chair, he began to read out loud.

  The tears came fast. He missed his mother, and he missed Kate. The beautiful wedding planner had somehow managed to get inside his guarded heart that had been off limits to anyone since his mother died. He put the book down and fished in his pants pocket for the seashell she’d given him. He couldn’t explain it, but something was pulling him to her.

  He remembered Kate telling him she had visited this section during the Christmas holidays when she was eight. That would have been just one month after the area was dedicated to his mother. “Did you do this, Mom? Did you pick her for me?”

  He ran his hands through his hair. Even if Kate was heaven sent, he had messed things up. He should have never walked away? Would she forgive him?

  He’d find out soon enough. It was clear to him what he needed to do. Tomorrow he would apologize and tell Kate everything, starting with his kissing her on the plane and ending by telling her he’d fallen for her.

  There was one last thing he needed. He stood and searched the classic children’s books section again. “There you are. I’m glad we still carry you, too.” He smiled as he touched the cover and then stuffed the book into his briefcase. Now, he was ready to go back.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kate slid back on her beach towel and stared out at the clear teal water. She planned to make the most of the next three hours working on her tan. The wedding details were nearly complete. Miles and she would spend the final days like chickens with their heads cut off, but at this very moment, all she needed was some alone time to take in the beauty of the coast line and bake in the sun.

  After all she deserved it.

  Had she really checked in to Hell? Actually, yes. It started when she muttered Drew’s name in a moment of passion with Luke, causing him to hightail it off the island as fast as he could.