Seducing the Runaway Bride (The Wrights Book 1)

by McKenna Rogue

  “Another glass of wine before we land, dear?” The flight attendant smiled sweetly at me.

  I looked up at him and shook my head. “No, I’m good.”

  “Honey, can I be a little impertinent for a second? You look so sad. What’s wrong?”

  I sighed. “Just had a good time in Colorado. It’s strange to be going home.” I finished off the last of my wine and looked out the window. “I’m fine, really.”

  “Okay, I didn’t mean any offense. I just hate to see a beautiful woman pouting. You look like your heart’s been trampled on.”

  I chewed my bottom lip, thinking about Chuck’s face. “I’m afraid I might’ve done the trampling. How do you know if you’re in love with someone?”

  He sat in the empty seat next to me and patted my knee. “I’m guessing if you look like this, you already know it.”

  I picked up my empty wine glass and sighed. “Okay, maybe I do need one last glass.”

  “I’ll be right back, honey. And if you really feel like this about a guy, you shouldn’t keep it from him.”

  I smiled, but it didn’t feel genuine, even to me. I had no doubt the flight attendant could tell, but he was too polite to say anything.

  He brought the wine back within a couple moments, and I downed it as quickly as I could, trying to chase away the feeling I’d made a horrible mistake.

  Caroline called almost as soon as I landed, like she had a sixth sense about my being back in New York. “Aubrey, you have to tell me all about what happened. Your mother called me, looking for you. Which, you know means she’s serious. And then I heard from a little bird that Greg had gone to Aspen to win you back, only to come back with two black eyes and a broken nose. I also heard that Mindi was with him. Did that jackass seriously bring his mistress to find his ex-fiancée and win her back?”

  I sighed. “Meet me at my house. Bring wine. And please, don’t judge me for anything I have to say.”

  “Honey, when have I ever judged you for anything? Red, right?”

  “Red works. Although, maybe vodka would be better.”

  “I’ll buy half the liquor store. See you soon.” Caroline hung up and I headed to baggage claim.

  Half a bottle of wine and a plate of brownies later, Caroline leaned her head on my shoulder. “Honey, if you fell for him, why didn’t you say anything?”

  “What could I say? He knew I was leaving. He didn’t say anything to me either. For all I know, he used me for an easy vacation fling.” I sighed and filled my glass again. “Did I make a mistake, not talking to him?”

  “I don’t know, Aubrey. The way you talk about him, you sound a hell of a lot more smitten with him than you ever were with Greg. But this guy, Chuck, he’s like, three thousand miles away, and how do we know that these feelings you’re having are more than just that honeymoon stage of having lots of sex with a hot guy? Maybe you should give it a few days, see if he calls or texts. If he likes you as much as you say, he’ll call, right?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I just…” I smiled. “My mother would’ve hated him. He’s crass and doesn’t give two shits about what anybody thinks. He swears all the time, he drinks, and he’d spend every moment on the slopes if he could.”

  Caroline laughed. “Could you imagine the announcement on page six? Aubrey Jones to wed crass, swearing skier, Chuck Wright. At least your mom would love his family. The Wrights are a big to-do in Hollywood and a few other corners of the world.”

  I laughed along with her, but I couldn’t help but wonder what our marriage announcement would look like. The announcement that ran for Greg and me was exactly what was expected—the perfectly sweet photo posed in front of a tree. Was that all I could get in New York? The expected man with the expected wedding and the expected two-point-five kids?

  Chuck and I never talked about the future. I didn’t even know if he believed in marriage, or if he wanted kids. I didn’t know if he was sad I was leaving because he had feelings for me, or if he was just sad he was losing the easy piece of ass.

  “So, now that you’re back in town, and you’re single, are we going to hit the town, scope out hot men until we can find someone to make Greg seem like the hunchback of Notre Dame?” Caroline grinned. “Do you have any pictures of this guy you spent all week naked with?”

  “Actually, we didn’t take any photos.” I should’ve captured some moments between us. It could’ve been a memento of my best honeymoon without my husband. And then my hand went to my chest. “But he did give me this.” I pulled the pendant out of the front of my sweater and unclasped it from around my neck.

  “Where’d he find this? It’s beautiful. And so not Aubrey Jones.” She took the necklace and held it up to the light.

  “I think it’s very Aubrey Jones. I just wasn’t very Aubrey Jones before.” I frowned, wondering if I had always been sort of a stranger in my own world, or if something had changed in me in Aspen. “Caroline, is anyone we know happy in their marriages? Like, really happy?”

  “Honey, I’m the wrong person to ask. I don’t think people don’t get married for love and happiness. Love is some elusive bitch we give to little girls to dream about, instead of real dreams. It’s not something real. Marriage is about security. About finding someone who can make sure you’re taken care of.” She handed me the pendant again, and I held the pink stone in my palm, tracing one of the copper spirals.

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?” I frowned and looked over at her. She didn’t really date a whole lot that I was aware of, but she’d talked about a couple of guys here and there. I was sure of it. “Is that why you didn’t say anything before I walked down the aisle with Greg?”

  “I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t my place. People love to think they’ll be the hero of someone else’s life and save them from a bad marriage or relationship. But the truth is, if I’d said something, you would’ve just resented me for it. And I thought, at least for a while, you were happy. Who was I to tell you you’re not? But if things hadn’t gone south, would you have wanted for anything?”

  “No, I would’ve definitely been left wanting. If I’d married Greg, I would’ve missed out on love. On passion.” I sighed. “Maybe romance is all just in stories. But if I settle for someone like Greg, someone safe and secure and altogether boring, then I’m no better off than I would be alone. I can take care of myself. I’ve got a successful business. I don’t need Dom Perignon every night, or to be dripping in diamonds. But I do deserve to be happy.” I slipped the necklace back on and tucked it safely under my sweater again, pressed against my heart. “And you deserve to be happy too.”

  She grinned. “Oh, girl, you know I’m happy.” She sobered a little. “Were you happy with Chuck? Could you really see yourself married to a guy like that?”

  I closed my eyes, trying to picture Chuck as a husband, maybe even a father. Watching how he cared about me, a woman he hardly knew, and how he interacted with his family, I had no doubt in my mind he was more capable of love than anyone I’d ever met in New York. But did that mean he would be a good life partner? That, I couldn’t answer. “I don’t know.”

  “Then I say for the night, you drink some more wine, we watch some of those movies you love so much, and just not think about men or love or weddings. And definitely not hunky skiers from Aspen. Surely there’s some hunk in a romantic comedy who can cure the end-of-vacation-tryst blues.”

  I laughed. “The fling was your idea.”

  “Yeah, a fling. I didn’t tell you to fall in love with the guy.” She pulled a stack of magazines from her oversized bag and spread them over my coffee table. “Should we order takeout from your favorite place? You know you want eggrolls.”

  I shrugged and picked up one of the catalogues at random. “Whatever you want.”

  The truth was, I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry. And even though I had a nice buzz from the wine, I could hardly stomach the idea of eating to help counteract the alcohol. Maybe if I got drunk and suffered a h
angover, the hurt in my heart wouldn’t feel as bad.

  26

  Chuck

  “Chuck, we need to rent out the chalet again. We’ve installed the new jacuzzi, and you got the heater back up and running. It’s time.” Luke sat across from me at a diner off the main drag, cup of coffee clutched in his hands.

  “It’s not ready.” I stared out the window, not quite meeting his eyes.

  “You mean, you’re not ready. You haven’t even let the maid service go in to clean up in there. What’s up with you, man? I’ve never seen you this torn up.” He sighed. “And don’t even try to claim that you didn’t sleep with her.”

  I kicked at the base of the table, still not looking at Luke. It had been over two weeks since Aubrey got on a plane and flew out of my life. I knew I should’ve just moved on, found some other woman to take to bed, found some way to shake Aubrey out of my system, but every time I thought maybe I could, my stomach clenched and rolled. Every night, I pulled up her number in my phone, staring at the ten digits, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to push the call button.

  “She walked away, Luke. She was in my arms, and then she wasn’t anymore. She walked away. Got on a plane to fucking New York, and I didn’t tell her how I felt. I didn’t tell her I loved her.”

  “Love? Chuck, I’ve never heard you say that about anyone who wasn’t family. Not one woman’s ever been good enough for you to claim love.” He sipped his black coffee and then set the cup down again. “But she’s gone. The chalet’s not her house. It’s our rental property. And we need to turn it over and rent it out again, so that we can try to turn a profit. You remember profits, right? That thing that keeps us from going destitute, or having to ask your father for another loan?”

  “Yes, I remember profits. And I know we need to rent out the chalet again before the season’s over. But not yet, okay? I’m still working on a few things, and I want to make sure that we’re not going to have more problems with the heater before we put new guests in there. It’s not like I can invite every set of guests over to my cabin when the heat goes out.”

  “One week, Chuck, and I’m renting it out. I’ve already updated the website to show it as available again. Get it up and running.” He clapped me on the shoulder and shook his head. “I’m telling you this as your business partner. And as your friend. You need to move on, Chuck. You need to let this woman go. Or you need to figure out how to get her back. This in between moping thing is killing you and it’s killing our business.”

  I nodded; Luke was right. But I couldn’t let her go. Not when every inch of the chalet and every inch of my own cabin smelled like her, reminded me of her. “I’ve never felt like this, man.”

  “I know. But it’s not like you to not go after what you want either. I don’t like seeing you like this.” He pulled out his wallet and threw a couple twenties on the table. “Come to Zane’s with me tonight. It’s Friday, let’s just have a couple of drinks. Relax. I’m not letting you wallow anymore.”

  As he left, I pulled out my phone again, scrolling through the directory, looking for anyone I’d ever been with who even held a candle to Aubrey Jones. The list of names was plentiful, and there were some who came back every year, who I could easily call up and ask for a repeat. But I wanted more than just sex. I wanted what I had with Aubrey. Someone I could talk to, who I could share more than just my bed with. I’d known her for such a short time. How could she be in my head so much?

  Sighing, I put my phone away again and drove back to the chalet, skipping over the half-finished projects that needed to be completed, just to crawl into the master bedroom with a heavy heart, loneliness crushing in.

  Mid-morning passed into mid-afternoon before I bothered to get up and move again. It hardly felt like it mattered what I did or didn’t do. I was never going to be ready for some other couple or family to stay in the chalet.

  My phone rang, and I answered it, wrapped in the knit blanket Aubrey preferred. “Hello?”

  “Chuck? Is that you? Mom called. She’s worried about you.” Liling’s concerned voice came through the phone. “She went by your cabin the other day and you weren’t home. She’s about ready to call in the National Guard.”

  “Shit. I’ve been meaning to call her back. I’ll call her tonight.”

  “Chuck, you sound awful. Where are you? I’m coming to see you.”

  I sighed. “I’m going to The Oak Barrel tonight with Luke. Why don’t you just meet me there? I’m okay, really.”

  “You’re my brother. I know when something’s up. But I can meet you at Zane’s place. It’d be good to see you at least once more before I have to head out of town again.”

  “You’re leaving again so soon?”

  “I’ve been home for over a month, Chuck. You know how the modeling business is. If you don’t have your face plastered over ads often enough, you become irrelevant.” She paused. “My call waiting is beeping. What time should I meet you tonight?”

  “Luke and I should be there by seven.”

  “Great. See you soon. And Chuck, whatever’s making you sound like someone just ran over your puppy, I’m going to find out.”

  She hung up, and I went to the fridge to grab a bottle of beer, something to take the edge off before I called my mom and had to explain why I was missing in action for days.

  “I was wondering when I was going to hear from you.”

  “You have twelve other children to worry about, surely you must enjoy when the phone isn’t ringing.”

  “Charles, what’s going on? You sound miserable.”

  “Nothing, Mom. I’ve just been busy with the chalet. It’s been hectic.” I ran a hand through my hair and took a deep swig of beer.

  “Too busy to talk to your mother?” She didn’t pause for more than a breath. “Jonah’s birthday’s coming up next month. I need to know your schedule so that I can make sure that I can get all my kids together.”

  “Is and Lil are the ones you need to worry about. I’m always around. You know that.”

  “I know. It’s just, Liling mentioned something about you having a lady friend, and I thought that maybe you’d want to bring her to the party. How’s her schedule look?”

  “Liling was wrong. There’s no woman in my life except you, Mom.” I sighed and polished off the last of my beer, wishing it wasn’t the last of the six-pack I had left. “There was someone a couple weeks ago, but it’s over now, so she definitely won’t be coming.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry, Chuck. I didn’t know. I’ll let you know when Jonah’s party will be.”

  We talked a bit longer about what some of the siblings were up to. She was headed to California to hook up with her old friend Molly next month. Blah, blah, blah. I loved my mom, but I wasn’t in the mood to chitchat. And her asking me to bring Aubrey home just made me edgy and irritated. She said goodbye and hung up.

  I stared at my bottle for a minute before I threw it across the room, watching as it smashed against the wall.

  The family table at the bar was already crowded with Luke, Neil, Liling, and Gio when I walked in. I scanned the room and found Zane behind the bar, and Sheila taking orders. Taking a deep breath, I plastered a smile on my face and headed to meet my firing squad.

  “About damn time, man. I was about ready to hit on your sister, just to get you to come out of the woodwork.”

  Neil just about growled, and Gio’s fists bunched up, but Liling laughed. “Come on, sit. No one’s hitting on me, so all of you overprotective brothers can just take a chill pill. Besides, I’d never pick someone up in Aspen. Not when I have the whole world without my brothers watching over me.”

  “Ugh, Lil, no one wants to hear about their baby sister’s love life.” I nudged her further into the booth and grabbed a menu. “Have you all ordered already?”

  “Sheila just came by, promising water and appetizers. Apparently, Zane knew we were coming and ordered them ahead for us.” Neil looked around as the bar filled up. “Liling might be off-limits here, bu
t there’s plenty of hot ass to keep us Wright men busy tonight. Who’s with me?”

  “God, you guys are such pigs sometimes. Why is it that it’s completely okay for you to whore around, but I barely bring up the fact that I might be even dating, and I’m soiled goods?”

  I wrapped my arm around Liling’s shoulders and smiled. “Don’t worry, sis. I’ll keep you company while the pigs go on the prowl.”

  “I thought we agreed no wallowing,” Luke said. “We’re here to hang out and drink. And it sounds like Neil is going to give us a show of him getting turned down by every woman in here.” Luke looked over at Neil. “Hot ass? Who says that? You’re never going to find a quality girl saying stupid shit like that.”

  Neil shrugged. I wasn’t so different from Neil when I was his age. And I wasn’t his age so long ago. When had I changed so much?

  Sheila came to the table and unloaded her tray and shook her head. “Leave me out of it. You boys want to hit on anything with tits tonight, that’s your choice. But I’m not going to help.” She pulled out a pad. “Know what we want to drink besides waters?”

  We all placed orders, and Sheila danced off into the crowds again. “All right, if you’re not going to have some fun tonight, then I am.” Luke grinned, scanning the crowd.

  “I came out. I’m here to hang out, have a few beers, and I’m having fun.” I leaned back in the booth. “Besides, my baby sister here’s leaving town soon, and I want to get as much time with her as possible.”

  “Then you should definitely come to the party tomorrow night. The agency rented out a penthouse suite in downtown Denver. There’ll be lots of models, socialites, all-around gorgeous people, free-flowing booze, and enough loud music to leave you half-deaf for the next week.”