by Nora Roberts
“What’s wrong with you?” His mother kicked him under the table. “You’re fidgety.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just want to get out of this stupid suit.”
“Eat your dinner,” she ordered, then turned to talk to Emma’s father—thank God—and got off his back.
He tried to get to her when the meal was over, but the entire wedding party was herded in one direction, and the guests went in another.
In the Ballroom, Mac and Carter took the floor for their first dance.Watching them, he realized his timing was off.Way off.This day was about them, the rest could wait.
He got himself a beer, told himself to relax.
“Hell of a party, huh?” Jack dropped down beside him.
“They do it right, and apparently they do it righter than right when it’s one of their own.” He tapped his glass to Jack’s. “You’re next, partner.”
“Can’t wait.”
Malcolm angled his head, studied Jack’s face.“You mean that.”
“More every day.Who knew? The big party? That’ll be a kick, but it’s the rest, the rest of my life I’m waiting for. Emma’s... She’s Emma. That’s all she needs to be. Now I’m going to go find her and dance.You ought to grab Parker.”
“Yeah, I ought to.”
He sat another moment, then rose to start to wind his way through the tables and people. Music pumped out hot, drawing a crowd onto the dance floor.
He paused to watch a moment, and Del stopped on his way by. “Getting some champagne for my future bride. Did you catch Bob out there? He’s a wild man on the dance floor.”
“You can’t miss him.”
“It’s a damn good day.” He laid a hand on Mal’s shoulder as they both grinned at Bob. “I know they’ve already started a life together—Mac and Carter—but this changes it.”
“Changes it?”
“It makes it more solid, more real, more important. I’ve been to countless weddings, but I don’t think I really got that until Laurel, until I wanted to make it more solid and real and important. Anyway, if you’re looking for Parker, she’s that way.”
“Thanks.”
Screw timing, he decided, and went on the hunt for her.
He spotted her—and Laurel—dancing together. When the music changed, they walked toward him, arm-in-arm.
“How come women can dance together, but when guys do it they look stupid?”
“You don’t. You just think you do,” Laurel told him. “Seen Del?”
“He’s getting your—” He mimed drinking.
“I’ll go find him, cut down on the wait.You want?” she asked Parker.
“I do, thanks.”
When he had her alone, in a manner of speaking, he took her arm. “Listen, can we go out for a minute? I want—”
“Parker.” Linda, a flute in her hand, glided up. “You put on a lovely event.You must have worked day and night for weeks to pull this off. It’s no wonder you look tired.”
“Do I?” Parker said, icily sweet.“It must be the lighting in here. I was just thinking how that shade of red, in this light, makes you look shallow. I mean sallow. Malcolm, you’ve met Mac’s mother, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. How’s it going?”
Linda tossed her luxurious mane of blond hair, aimed her hot baby blues at him.“It’s going very well, thanks.We’ve met? I can’t believe that, as I never forget a gorgeous man.” She gave him her hand, angled her body in. “When did we meet?”
“When you offered me a blow job.”
Beside him, Parker made a choking sound. Linda reared back, shot Parker a vicious look. “You should take more care in who you invite into your home.”
“I’ve already done that.This is your one free pass. Enjoy it. Let’s dance, Malcolm. I really want to dance with you at my friend’s wedding.”
She drew him onto the floor, then just dropped her head on his shoulder, shaking with laughter. “Oh. Oh.You are going to be rewarded so very well at the first opportunity. That was—” She lifted her head, put her hands on the sides of his face and kissed him until his head swam.
“Come on.” He dragged her away from the music.
“But I want to—”
“Five minutes, damn it.”
People were every-fucking-where, he realized. He pulled her out of the Ballroom, down the stairs, ignoring her objections. He evaluated, then headed for her wing until he jerked her into the gym.
Nobody was going to come in there during a wedding reception.
“What in the world is this about?”
“Listen.You just listen to me.”
“I am listening to you.”
He took a breath. “Yeah, you listen to me, and that’s why I end up telling you things I’ve never told anybody, never intended to tell anybody.You get inside, that’s what you do, get inside and see what’s in there, and it’s okay with you.”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Malcolm, how much have you had to drink?”
“Probably not enough for this. I was never going here, not with anyone. It just didn’t seem like I’d be any good at it—and, well, damn it, it’s important for me to be good at what I do.”
He turned away from her and walked away, looking for his breath and his balance.“I spent the first decade of my life moving around, and that was okay, it’s the way it was. I spent most of the second mad at the fucking world and raising hell.Then I tried to do better, in my own way.”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “I did better, then I got my ass kicked. Fate, bad luck, whatever. I took the second chance, and made some changes.Through all of that, there was one person who stuck with me.”
“Your mother is an amazing woman.”
“Damn right. I’ve got a good business. I know how to run it, how to build it. I like what I do. No, I love what I do.”
“That’s why you’re good at it. I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong.”
“I didn’t say anything was wrong. I’m just ...” He stood for a moment, just staring at her. “It was never supposed to be you, that’s for damn sure.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you loved me.”
“So, you did hear me.” She turned away now, walked over to open the minifridge for water.
“Of course I heard you. There’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”
“You just chose to ignore me.”
“I didn’t. You blindsided me, Parker. You knocked me flat. I never figured you’d feel about me the way I feel about you.”
She lowered the water, and her gaze came back slowly to his. “How do you feel about me?”
“Like ... How the hell did Carter put it? He’s got the words.”
“I don’t want Carter’s words. I’m not in love with Carter.”
“I feel like you must be the reason I got through all the moving around, the raising hell.The reason I didn’t die.The reason I’m here. I feel—”
He broke off, cursed under his breath as she simply stood there, beautiful, perfect, glowing.
“Listen I’ve got to grab some of Carter’s words. It’s when you love somebody and they love you, even where you’re screwed up, everything clicks.
“Everything’s clicked, Parker. So there it is.”
She set the water down on a weight bench.“I always imagined, when this moment happened to me, it would be very different from this.”
Irritation moved over his face. “So there’s no poetry and moonbeams. I’m wearing a damn suit.”
She laughed. “I’m so glad that this moment happened exactly this way, with you, right here, right now.” She started toward him.
“I’m not finished.”
And stopped. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Okay.We need to do it.”
Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Everything in him relaxed. He just loved how she said those two words. “Jesus, Legs, get your mind off sex. I mean we need to ...” He circled his finger toward the ceiling.
“I’m afraid I can’t crack your ingenious code.”
“We need to get married.”
“We ...” She stepped back, and joined the water on the weight bench. “Well. God.”
“Look, if you know me and love me anyway, you get that I’m not going to get down on one knee and recite something some dead guy wrote a couple centuries ago. Damn it.” He walked over, pulled her to her feet. “I could probably do better. I know how you work now. I know it’s not just the details, but what the details make. What’s going on up there—it’s a great party, but it’s what comes after that counts.You want what counts.”
“You’re right,” she said quietly.“That’s how I work. But it’s not just about what I want.”
“If you’re looking for the full deal, the till-death deal, then look at me. No one’s ever going to love you, stick by you, understand how you work the way I do. No one, Parker.”
Her hands wanted to tremble, so she laid them on his face for a moment, looked in his eyes. “Tell me what you want.”
He took her wrists, then linked fingers with hers.“I want a life with you, and I’m stealing from Jack and Del now—sort of. I want to start that life because you’re Parker.You’re it, you’re all. I want to make what we have solid. I want—and this is all me this time—I want to make promises to you, and I want to keep them. I love you, and I want to promise to love you for the rest of my life.”
He blew out a breath. “What do you say?”
“What do I say? I say yes.” Giddy with joy, she laughed, squeezed his hands hard. “Yes, Malcolm, we need to do it.” She threw her arms around him. “Oh, you’re perfect. I don’t know why, but you’re absolutely perfect.”
“I thought Carter was the luckiest man alive today. He just got bumped into second position.” He pulled her back, took her mouth with his, swaying with the kiss. “I don’t have a ring or anything on me.”
“You damn well better get one soon.”
“Check.” He lifted both her hands to his lips, made her eyes shine when he pressed kisses to them. “I owe you a dance.”
“Yes, you do, and I really want to dance with you. We’ve got to get back. It’s Mac’s night.”
“We’ll tell them tomorrow, so we don’t take any of the shine off.”
Yes, she thought, he knew how she worked. She framed his face again, and again kissed the man she loved.The man she would marry. “Tomorrow’s soon enough.”
She walked back with him, hand-in-hand, toward the music, the flowers, the sparkling lights. Tonight, she thought, was Mac’s night. And it was the start of her own happy ever after.
EPILOGUE
NEW YEAR’S DAY, PARKER THOUGHT AS SHE SETTLED DOWN AT HER desk to catch up with paperwork. The holidays, the parties, the events, Mac’s wedding, had all combined to put her a little behind.
Add her own engagement, she mused, and held up her hand so her pretty diamond ring caught the wispy winter sunlight, and there was no wonder she’d slipped a bit off schedule.
She had all afternoon to take care of it, to reset the clock, so to speak. And to turn the calendar on a very eventful year.
What a difference twelve months could make.
Four engagements and a wedding.
A year ago, she hadn’t known Malcolm Kavanaugh existed, and now in ten months they’d be married. God, she had a ton of planning and work and research to do.
She was going to marry the man she loved, and the wedding was damn well going to kick some serious ass. She studied her ring again until her eyes went dreamy. She’d ended and begun her first year with Malcolm. It was just the beginning.
And this, she reminded herself, was why she wasn’t getting any work done. She already had Bride Brain Syndrome.
She booted up her computer.
She’d work in a quiet house, she thought, uninterrupted.
Mrs. Grady should be finishing up her packing for her annual winter vacation. Mac and Carter would be doing the same for their honeymoon. She imagined Del and Laurel, Emma and Jack, would all be cozied up in their own spaces, lazing the day away.
And Malcolm—her Malcolm—had already left for the garage where he planned to catch up on some work.
Tonight, they’d have a farewell dinner to send the three travelers off in style.
Then she and her Malcolm could take a few days—Vows always slowed down after the first of the year—for a quick winter break at the beach house. Just the two of them.
“So buckle down, Parker,” she muttered. “You’re not the only bride who needs attention.”
She managed nearly an hour before the invasion.
“Why are you working?” Laurel asked as she walked into Parker’s office with Emma and Mac.
“Because it’s what I do.Why aren’t you packing?”
“Packed.” Mac made a check mark in the air. “Florence, here we come. But right now ... ”The three of them moved forward, pulled her right out of her chair. “You’re coming with us.”
“Do you know how far behind I am—”
“Five minutes, if that,” was Emma’s estimate.
“We may not have an event for two weeks, but—”
“Last night’s went great, and I know damn well you’re already packed even though you’re not leaving for two days.You probably packed for Mal,” Laurel said.
“I did not. I simply gave him a list of suggestions. Really, I just need another hour.We’re all having dinner later anyway.”
“We have more important things to do now than work.” Mac kept a firm grip on Parker’s arm as they steered her toward the stairs.
“You may, but I ... ”The light dawned as she realized the direction. “You picked out a wedding dress for me.”
“It’s a women of Vows tradition.” Emma patted Parker’s butt. “We ordered the men to make themselves scarce this afternoon. We’re going to have a Parker’s wedding dress party.”
“With the qualification, as always, if it doesn’t suit you, no harm, no foul.” At the door of the Bride’s Suite, Laurel turned, blocked the door. “Are you ready?”
“Of course I am.Wait.” Parker laughed, laid a hand on her heart. “Wow. I’m having a moment, a really good moment. I’ve helped pick out so many of them, and now I’m going to try one on.”
“And you’re going to look beautiful. Open the door, Laurel, I’m dying here,” Emma ordered.
“Here we go.”
With her hand still on her heart, Parker stepped in. And her hand simply slid down to her side.
The bride-white silk flowed from the strapless, sweetheart bodice, down the narrow torso to a full skirt.The classic ballgown style shimmered with intricate beadwork and embroidery, sparkling on the bodice, trailing down the side, circling the sweeping hem and train.
Its lines, its style, would, unquestionably, suit her. But that wasn’t what blurred her vision.
“It’s my mother’s wedding gown. It’s Mom’s.”
“Mrs. G got it out of storage.” As she spoke, Emma rubbed her hand up and down Parker’s back.
“She was slim like you, and she was nearly as tall.” Mrs. Grady dabbed at her eyes. “You may want to pick out your own, something new, but we thought—”
Parker shook her head, unable to speak, and simply turned to wrap her arms around Mrs. Grady.
“I can’t take pictures if I’m crying.” Mac grabbed at the tissues always on hand in the room.
“Here, everybody, drink some champagne, and suck it up.” Laurel swiped a hand over her damp cheek before she poured.
“Thank you.” Parker kissed both Mrs. Grady’s cheeks.“Thanks, all of you. Yes, God, give me that.” Parker took a flute of champagne from Laurel, a tissue from Emma.
“It’s beautiful,” she managed. “Absolutely beautiful. I’ve only seen it in pictures, only seen how wonderful she looked in it, how happy she and Dad looked. She married my father in that dress, and now I’ll have both of them with me when I marry Malcolm. It’s the best gift you could give me.The b
est.”
“Well, for God’s sake, try it on. Strip down, Brown,” Laurel ordered.
“Okay. Here goes.”
“Back to the mirror,” Emma reminded her.“No looking until you’re done.”
They helped her into the gown, as she had helped each of them.
“Turn around, but close your eyes. I want to fuss with the skirt and train.” Already thinking bouquets, Emma spread out the hem, swept the train. She glanced at Mac, got the nod as Mac positioned herself and her camera. “Okay, take a look.”
In the mirror Parker saw on her face what she’d seen on so many other brides’.The thrill, the wonder, the glow.
“This was my mother’s wedding gown,” she murmured. “And now it’s mine.”
“Parks.” Mac repositioned, pressed the shutter again.“You look spectacular.”
“Happy’s what you look.” Mrs. Grady beamed at her. “Happy and in love. Nothing fits a bride more truly.”
“I’m a bride. I’m happy and in love, and I look spectacular.”
“Put that camera down, Mackensie.” Mrs. Grady lifted her own. “I want my shot of the four of you. Don’t step on the train! There. Now, think Wedding Day.”
When they laughed, she snapped.
“Let’s have a toast. Everybody get their glasses. Emma, you lush,” Laurel accused. “Yours is empty.”
“It helped me stop crying.”
Refilled, Emma lifted her glass with the others.
“To a monumental year,” Laurel began.
“Oh boy, howdy,” Mac put in.
“To our men,” she continued, “who are lucky to have us. To our mom.”
Mrs. Grady teared up again. “Don’t start.”
“To friendship.”
“And to Vows,” Parker added.“And the women who run it.We marry you with love, with style, and with exquisite attention to detail. Especially when we marry us.”
They laughed, clinked.As they drank, Mrs. Grady stepped back and took another picture. They began to talk of headpieces, of flowers, colors for the gowns the other girls would wear.
Her girls, she thought, all happy and in love, and all spectacular.
To my girls, she thought, lifting her glass in a solo toast.To the Brides of Vows, and their happy ever afters.
