“I almost didn’t recognize Zabrina,” said Griffin Rice.
Myles gave his brother-in-law a sidelong glance. “She has changed.” And he wanted to tell Griffin the change was for the better. When he’d caught a glimpse of Zabrina the week before he’d thought her lovely, but tonight she was breathtakingly stunning.
Griffin’s gaze met and fused with Myles’s. “She’d dropped out of sight for years. Rumors were circulating that she and Cooper had divorced. But when reporters asked him about his wife he claimed she preferred keeping a low profile.”
Myles’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who’s the guy with her?”
“Bailey Mercer. We were college roomies.”
The smile that softened Myles’s mouth crept up to his eyes. It was apparent Zabrina had come to the wedding unescorted. He’d planned to ask her to dance with him and nothing more, since he hadn’t wanted to act inappropriately if she had come with a date. Now that he knew she was alone things had changed. Myles had waited ten years for an explanation for Zabrina’s deception and he intended to get an answer before the night ended.
The waiter brought drinks for those at the bridal party table, followed by other waitstaff carrying trays laden with platters of curried scallop canapés, walnut and endive salad and mushroom rolls. Dozens of lighted votives in green glasses flickered like stars when the chandeliers were dimmed, creating a soft, soothingly romantic atmosphere.
Myles ate without actually tasting the food on his plate. He was too engrossed in the woman sitting close enough for him to see her expressions, but not close enough to hear her smoky voice. He wondered if Griffin’s former college roommate was as enthralled with her as he’d been. What he did do was drink more than he normally would at a social function. It didn’t matter, because he wasn’t driving back to Philadelphia. He’d reserved a suite at the hotel.
And, he refused to fantasize that his sister’s wedding was his and Zabrina’s. He and Zabrina had planned their wedding, honeymoon and life together, but all the plans had come to naught two weeks before the ceremony when his fiancée called to tell him she was in love with another man and she couldn’t marry him.
Myles still remembered her passion whenever they shared a bed, and wondered whether she’d screamed Thomas Cooper’s name in the throes of passion. Zabrina had always had an intense distaste for politicians. Yet she’d married one. And what about her claim that she’d wanted to wait two years before starting a family? She’d wasted no time in giving Cooper a child.
* * *
The music playing throughout the dinner ended when a live band took over, playing softly as toasts to the bride and groom were made.
Dwight Eaton wiped away tears as he smiled at his daughter. There was no doubt he was thinking of his eldest daughter whom he’d buried eight months earlier. Myles toasted the newlyweds, providing a lighter moment when he reminded everyone that Griffin Rice was so intent on joining the family that he’d become his brother-in-law for the second time.
A hush descended over the assembly as they watched Griffin ease Belinda to her feet, escort her to the dance floor and dance with her to the Berlin classic “Take My Breath Away.” It was their first dance as husband and wife.
Myles finally got to twirl his sister around the dance floor after she’d shared a dance with their father. “Does Griffin know he is a lucky man?” he asked, executing a fancy dance step.
Belinda lifted the skirt of her gown to avoid stepping on the hem. She gave Myles a demure smile. “I’d like to believe that I’m lucky that Griffin didn’t marry some other woman, leaving me pining for him for the rest of my life.”
Myles recalled the conversation he’d had with Stacey. She’d waited for him to come around and think of her as more than a friend, and when it hadn’t happened she’d opted to marry someone else. He was certain his sister would’ve done the same.
“You’re too much of a realist to spend your life dreaming of the impossible.”
Belinda smiled at Myles. “What about you and Brina?”
A slight frown furrowed his forehead. “What about us?”
“You still have feelings for her, don’t you?”
“Of course I have feelings for her, Lindy. After all, I did promise to marry the woman.”
“What about now, Myles?”
“What about it?” he said, answering her question with one of his own.
Belinda gasped softly when Myles swung her around and around. Her brother had always been a very good dancer, and it appeared that he hadn’t lost his skill. She wasn’t certain whether his dancing prowess came from years of martial arts training or from a natural grace and style that turned heads whenever he entered a room. Although he’d earned a black belt in tae kwon do, he intensely disliked competition.
Belinda leaned closer, pressing her mouth to his ear. “You haven’t taken your eyes off her all night.”
Myles’s expression did not change. “Is that why you invited her, Lindy? Did you decide to become a matchmaker after I’d agreed to be Griffin’s best man? Don’t you think she hurt our family enough when she waited until two weeks before we were to be married to tell me that she was in love with someone else? Then, a week later she marries Thomas Cooper.”
“I didn’t invite her to spite you, Myles. It was only a couple of months ago that I ran into Brina for the first time in almost ten years. When she confessed that she hated Thomas Cooper as much as she loved you, I knew something wasn’t quite right.”
A sardonic smile spread across his face. “So, she lied twice. Once when she told me that she was in love with another man, and again when she tells you that she hated her husband.”
Belinda shook her head. “It’s all too confusing. When I asked her why she’d married Thomas, she said she couldn’t tell me. She mentioned something about swearing that she’d never tell anyone.”
“Swore to whom?”
“That I don’t know, Myles.”
The song ended and Myles led Belinda back to her seat beside her husband. He’d heard enough. He needed answers. He wanted answers and he intended to get them.
His gaze searched the crowded dance floor for Zabrina, but she was nowhere in sight. She was missing and so was Griffin’s college roommate. There was no doubt they were together. Wending his way across the tent, Myles stepped out into the warm night air.
Chairs and love seats were set up on the verdant lawn for those wishing to get away from the frivolity to sit, talk quietly and/or relax. Dozens of lanterns were suspended from stanchions surrounding the magnificent estate. He saw Zabrina with her red-haired dining partner sitting together on a love seat. She’d rested her head on his shoulder while he massaged her back.
Taking long strides, Myles approached the couple. “Is she all right?”
Bailey Mercer glanced up to find the groom’s best man looming over him like an avenging angel. “Zabrina said she needed some air.”
Myles hunkered down and placed the back of his hand against her moist cheek. “Brina, darling, are you all right?” The endearment had slipped out as if ten years had morphed into a nanosecond.
Zabrina heard the familiar voice from her past, and she tried smiling but the pounding in her temples intensified. “I don’t know.”
“What did she eat or drink?” Myles asked Bailey.
“She didn’t eat much, but she did have three cocktails.”
Effortlessly, Myles lifted Zabrina off the love seat, while coming to a standing position. “She can’t drink.”
Bailey stood up. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“She usually can’t have more than one drink or she’ll wind up with a headache.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Bailey offered.
Myles glared at the man. “Walk away.”
A flush suffused Bailey’s face, t
he color increasing to match his hairline. He moved closer. “I said I’ll take care of her.”
Myles angled his head. “Don’t get in my face,” he warned through clenched teeth. “Look, man,” he said, his tone softer, calmer. “Just walk away while you can.” That said, he turned on his heels and carried Zabrina past the tent and into the hotel. He slipped in through a side entrance and took a staircase to the third floor. When he set Zabrina on her feet to search for his room’s cardkey, she dropped her evening purse, spilling its contents.
“Muh—my things,” Zabrina slurred.
“Don’t worry about them, Brina. I’ll pick them up after I get you inside.”
Zabrina swallowed back a rush of bile. She felt sick, sicker than she had in a very long time. Her first experience with drinking alcohol had become a lasting one. But it was apparent she’d forgotten. She hadn’t known what possessed her to have a third cosmopolitan. What she should’ve done was stop after the first one. But she’d wanted to forget that the past ten years hadn’t existed. She wanted to blot them out by drinking until she passed out. She hadn’t passed out, but she did have an excruciating headache.
Myles had always teased her, calling her a very cheap date. Her colleagues couldn’t understand why she opted to drink club soda with a twist during their employee gatherings. Some had asked whether she was a recovering alcoholic, but she reassured them that she did drink, just always sparingly.
She closed her eyes as her dulled senses took over. Being cradled against Myles’s broad chest brought back a rush of memories that made Zabrina want to weep. He’d always been there for her, had promised to love, protect and take care of her. He no longer loved her, yet he was still looking after her.
Myles walked through the entry, the living/dining area and into the bedroom. He placed Zabrina on the king-size bed, removed her shoes and covered her with a lightweight blanket. “I’ll be right back.”
He returned to the hall to gather up the jeweled compact, the tube of lipstick and a set of car keys that had fallen out of her bag. He pocketed the keys. Zabrina was in no shape to get behind the wheel of a car, even if just to drive it out of the parking lot. A cold chill swept over him when he thought of her trying to drive back to Philly under the circumstances. Either she would kill herself or someone else.
Closing the door, he slipped the security lock into place and returned to the bedroom. Zabrina hadn’t moved. She lay on her back, eyes closed and her chest rising and falling in a slow, even rhythm. He smiled. She’d fallen asleep.
Myles reached up and undid his silk tie. Undressing, he placed his clothes on the padded bench at the foot of the bed. Clad in only a pair of boxer briefs, he retreated to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.
* * *
Zabrina was still asleep when Myles reentered the bedroom. She lay on her right side, her head resting on her hands and her legs pulled up into a fetal position. A smile tilted the corners of his mouth when he stared down at her. She was so incredibly beautiful and so very cunning. When he’d asked Zabrina to marry him he never would’ve thought she would deceive him, especially not with another man.
Reaching over, he turned off the bedside lamp. The light from the sconce outside the bathroom provided enough illumination to make out the slight figure on the bed. Sitting on the mattress, Myles studied the woman whom he’d never forgotten. He’d once admitted to Belinda that he had two passions—Zabrina Mixon and the law. Despite her deception, his feelings hadn’t changed. Nothing had changed. Zabrina was still his passion.
Slowly, methodically, he undressed her. She stirred briefly before settling back to sleep. Waiting for her breathing to resume a measured cadence, he anchored a hand under her hips, easing her dress down her bare legs. Myles didn’t know why, but he felt like a voyeur when he stared at Zabrina’s half-naked body. She hadn’t worn a bra under the dress. He recalled her preference for sleeping nude, but decided not to remove her bikini panties.
She moaned softly when he eased her between the sheets. He waited a full minute, then shrugged off his robe and slipped into bed beside her. It was as if nothing had changed. Pressing his chest to her back, he rested an arm over her waist, pulling her closer. The angry words Myles had rehearsed so many times he could recite them backward he’d erased from memory. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled the lingering floral fragrance of her shampoo.
“Myles?”
He froze when Zabrina whispered his name. “Yes, baby?”
“I...I...I’m sorry,” she slurred.
There came a beat. “So am I,” Myles whispered. “So am I, Brina,” he repeated.
Myles wasn’t certain what she was apologizing for, but he knew why he was sorry. He was sorry they hadn’t gone through with their plan to marry, sorry that her son wasn’t his and sorry it had taken almost a decade for him to get the opportunity to confront her about her deception.
Chapter 5
Zabrina knew something was different when she opened her eyes. She wasn’t in her bed, and she wasn’t alone. She sat up quickly, chiding herself for the sudden action. Her head felt as if it was in a vise, and her mouth was dry as sandpaper. She closed her eyes and sank back to the pillow.
“Are you all right?” asked a deep voice in the dimly lit space.
She didn’t know if she was dreaming or hallucinating, because she couldn’t believe she was in bed with Myles Eaton. “Is that you, Myles?”
The seconds ticked. “Yes, it is. Who were you expecting? Bailey Mercer?”
Turning over and pressing her face to the pillow, Zabrina muffled a moan. “That’s not funny.”
“What’s not funny, Brina, is you drinking until you nearly passed out.”
“I didn’t pass out.”
“No, but you were asleep before I got you into bed. You’re lucky it was me and not your redheaded admirer. There was the possibility that he could’ve taken advantage of you.”
Zabrina ignored the reference to the man who’d become her dinner partner. She sat up again, pulling the sheet up to her chin. “Where am I?”
“You’re in my hotel room.” Rolling over, Myles turned on the lamp on his side of the bed. The glowing numbers on the clock-radio read 1:22 a.m. “What time do you have to pick up your son?”
“Adam’s in Virginia with my aunt’s grandchildren.”
Myles froze for a beat. He glanced over his shoulder to see the haunted golden eyes staring back at him. “You named Cooper’s son Adam?”
A pregnant silence filled the space as Zabrina tried to form her thoughts. If she hadn’t been under the influence she would’ve been able to spar verbally with Myles, but not now. She knew how persuasive he could be once he set his mind to something. That was what had made him an incredible trial attorney. He’d ask the same question ten different ways in an attempt to agitate and confuse a witness, and if she wasn’t careful he would trip her up and uncover the truth about her son’s paternity.
What frightened her most was Myles finding out that she’d had his child and passed it off as Thomas Cooper’s. Although Adam’s birth certificate listed Thomas Cooper as his father, Myles still had the law on his side if or when he decided to sue her for custody.
“I named my son Adam.”
Myles ran a hand over his face. Zabrina had admitted to him that Adam was her favorite boy’s name even before he’d told her it was his middle name. “Wasn’t he also Cooper’s son?”
“He was never Thomas’s son. He was always too busy pressing the flesh and seeing to the needs of his constituents to play daddy even though Adam practically worshipped the ground Thomas walked on.” She emitted a soft sigh. “I suppose not every man who’s a father is father material.”
“What about you, Brina?”
“What about me?”
“How are you coping with the loss of your husband?
”
Zabrina’s fingers tightened on the sheet clutched to her chest at the same time she affected a wry smile. “You see how I’m coping, Myles. I’ve become the merry widow. I know I can’t handle more than one drink, but that didn’t stop me from having three. That’s how I’m coping,” she spat out.
“Do you drink in front of your son?”
“You think I’ve become an alcoholic, don’t you?”
Myles shook his head. “I didn’t say that, Zabrina.”
“But isn’t that what you’re implying, Myles?”
“No, it’s not.” Gathering the sheet, Zabrina tried getting out of bed, but Myles thwarted her attempt to escape him when his hand went around her upper arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going home!”
One second she was sitting half on and half off the bed and within the next she found herself sprawled on her back, Myles straddling her. “I don’t think so. Your son just lost his father. Do you want him to lose his mother, too?” He’d bared his teeth like a snarling canine. “If you try to walk out of here in the condition that you’re in, then I’ll call the police and have you locked up.”
He hadn’t wanted to remind Zabrina that less than a year ago the Eatons and Rices had buried their daughter and son after they’d died in a head-on collision with a drunk driver. The loss of his sister and brother-in-law was devastating to both families. Whenever he returned to Philadelphia, Myles always expected to see Donna’s inviting smile and infectious laughter.
Zabrina’s eyes filled with tears and overflowed, tears she hadn’t been able to shed after the police had arrived at her home to tell her that her husband had drowned in a boating accident off the Chesapeake. The media was respectful of her grief when told by the Coopers’ housekeeper that the reclusive widow of Pennsylvania’s junior senator was too distraught to conduct an interview. She’d gone into hiding again, resurfacing six months later at a fundraising event for mayoral candidate Patrick Garson.
Forever an Eaton: Bittersweet LoveSweet Deception Page 22
