“Greg, I—”
She never got to finish her sentence. He took a step toward her, then staggered a little. She reached to steady him, only to find herself in his arms. She wasn’t sure if they were embracing or he was holding her up. Then it didn’t matter because his mouth found hers and they were kissing.
For a second she felt nothing. Just pressure. No heat, no desire. For that single heartbeat, she could have pulled away. Maybe she should have. But she waited too long. Because in the next second, she felt everything. The soft firmness of his mouth on hers. His hands on her arms.
In that second, she remembered everything about them being together. Their kissing, their touching. The feel of his hands on every inch of her body. The way he always stared deeply into her eyes as he entered her. How he called out, “Come for me, baby,” when she was close. How they were always trying different things and sometimes the awkwardness of that made them laugh so hard they had to stop and simply touch each other until the laughter faded.
She remembered countless stolen moments. In a restaurant bathroom on their only trip to Hawaii. That time at her mom’s, when they’d arrived a few minutes early for dinner and had sneaked into the house to take advantage of one of the guest rooms. They were experts at doing it in the backseat of the car, because when you had a kid in the house, you had to find your moments.
He drew back and looked at her. “What are you thinking?”
That I never stopped loving you. That I’m sorry we got a divorce. That I want you back.
But she couldn’t say that. She couldn’t admit to the weakness. She had to be strong and remember what he’d done to her. Not the good stuff, but the rest of it.
“Josh is going to be done in a second. I’ll find out what pizza he wants. You need to get some sleep,” she told him. “You’re injured and totally exhausted. In the morning, you won’t remember any of this.”
“I’ll remember,” he told her. “Rachel, I miss us. I miss you and Josh. I miss what we were together. We need to talk.”
“We do. Just not tonight. You’re drugged and I’m...” Scared, she thought. Terrified. Of what she wanted and of taking a chance on him again. She’d barely survived before. If she gave herself to him again, and he betrayed her, she would be lost forever.
“Not tonight,” she repeated. Later she would be brave, but not just yet.
21
COURTNEY HURRIED ACROSS the hotel lawn, Pearl and Sarge keeping pace easily, as if they, too, had been worried. Quinn had called from the hospital and explained that his grandmother had slipped in a restaurant and twisted her ankle. She was going to be fine but had to take it easy for a few days.
At the front door of Joyce’s bungalow, she knocked once then entered, announcing herself as she did. She found Joyce sitting in a club chair, her wrapped foot propped up on an ottoman. When Courtney saw her, all her irritation fled. Joyce looked delicate and a little broken. Not at all the powerful woman who ran the hotel so successfully.
“What happened?” she asked as she hurried over. The dogs beat her to Joyce. Pearl nudged her arm to get a pat, and Sarge jumped directly onto her lap.
“I was clumsy,” Joyce said. “There was a bit of water on the floor. My foot slipped out from under me. I feel so foolish.”
Quinn stood by her chair. “She’s going to be sore and swollen for a couple of days. She has to stay off her feet until that ankle feels better, but she should be fine.”
Joyce pressed her lips together, as if holding in emotion. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I want to be clear about that.”
Courtney smiled. “No one thinks you deliberately fell just so I wouldn’t be mad at you anymore.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Quinn said drily. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”
Joyce stroked her dogs. “I am sorry about what happened and what I did. While I was lying there, waiting for the ambulance, all I could think was that I didn’t want you angry at me anymore.” Her lower lip trembled. “Courtney, you’re family.”
Courtney crossed to her and dropped to her knees. She hugged the older woman. “You are to me, too,” she told her. “I admire you and want to be like you.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not. I promise.”
They hugged again. Over Joyce’s head, she saw Quinn looking at her. She had no idea what he was thinking. Was forgiveness a sign of strength or weakness in his mind? He’d encouraged her to make up with Joyce, but was that just for her or something he genuinely believed? She supposed it didn’t matter. She loved Joyce and she couldn’t stay angry with her. If that made her spineless, she could live with the label.
* * *
“I have a surprise for you,” David said as he pulled his car into the garage of his town house. “I can’t wait to see your reaction.”
He sounded excited and happy. Sienna hoped she would feel the same when she found out what the surprise was. She’d been longing for a quiet Fourth of July weekend, but David had insisted he had special plans for her and had picked her up just after nine on Saturday morning.
“You’re not going to give me a hint?” she asked.
“Just a couple more minutes.”
They got out of the car. He came around to her side and took her hand in his. “I love you, Sienna. You’ve made me so happy. We’re going to have a great life together.”
She smiled because saying “I hope so” seemed mean and saying “I know” wasn’t exactly true. She had to remember that she was getting a second, or in her case, a third chance to make the right decision. She was going to simply keep moving forward and enjoy being with him. It wasn’t as if they were getting married tomorrow. In fact, David hadn’t said anything about setting a date for a couple of weeks now. They had time to figure it out.
He led her inside through the rear foyer of the town house and up the stairs to the main living floor.
“We’re back,” he called as they reached the landing.
She turned to him. “Someone’s here?”
He grinned and pointed. Sienna turned in that direction and saw a short, plump, middle-aged woman hurrying toward them. Her dark hair was styled in kind of a bubble, and she had on a lot of makeup.
“Finally!” she said, holding open her arms. Several charm bracelets jangled as she moved. “Sienna! Welcome to the family.”
David released her hand and Sienna found herself being hugged by the woman. “Who is she?” she mouthed over the other woman’s head.
“My mother,” he said with a laugh. “Linda. Mom, this is Sienna.”
His mother was visiting and he hadn’t told her?
Linda straightened but kept hold of Sienna’s upper arms. “Oh, my, you are tall! David said you were, but I wasn’t expecting all this.” She shook her head. “I hope your children aren’t going to take after you in that respect. They’ll look so peculiar in family photos.”
Sienna opened her mouth, then closed it. “It’s, um, very nice to meet you, Mrs. Van Horn.”
Linda released her, then waved a hand. “Call me Linda. Or Mom. We’re family now, dear.” She looked up. “Is that your natural color? The blond is pretty enough, I suppose. Now, we have so much to discuss. I’m only here for a couple days, and there’s all the planning to do before I fly back to spend the Fourth with our family.”
Sienna found herself guided into the living room, where a large suitcase lay on the floor. While she wasn’t usually afraid of luggage, she found herself sidling away from it as she moved to the sofa.
“Planning?”
“The wedding,” Linda said, settling next to her and smiling. “David keeps mentioning Christmas, but I just don’t see how that could possibly happen. Plus, the weather in St. Louis is a little iffy in December. Spring would be better, as long as there isn’t a tornado.”
>
“Or flooding,” David added.
Tornadoes and floods? “I didn’t know the weather was so bad in the Midwest,” Sienna murmured.
“You get used to it,” Linda assured her. “Once you’ve lived there a few years, you won’t think anything of it.”
Lived there? As in...lived there?
“Now, Mom, you know I told you that Sienna and I haven’t decided what we’re going to do about living arrangements.”
Linda shook her head. “Of course you’ll come home, David.” She turned to Sienna. “There are so many opportunities there for him now that he has the right kind of experience. Plus, St. Louis is a much better place to raise children than California. Everybody knows that.”
Instead of looking panicked, David seemed pleased. Had this been his plan all along? They’d talked about the possibility of moving someday, but she hadn’t thought it was anything but just that—talk.
“I had no idea you were coming for a visit. David, you’re just full of surprises.”
“Mom called me a few days ago.”
“I told him I had to meet the woman who had stolen his heart,” Linda confirmed. “With the long weekend, this seemed like the perfect time. I flew in last night and I’ll head home tomorrow. I’m such a jet-setter.” She smiled. “Oh, we need to take lots of pictures so everyone can see what you look like.”
“That will be great,” Sienna said faintly.
“Did I mention we’ve already set up a Facebook page for the wedding? Everyone is so excited. The entire family wants to be a part of things. Oh, and speaking of that.” Linda pointed to the suitcase. “That’s for you.”
“You bought me luggage?”
Linda laughed. “Of course not. Open it. Your gift is inside.”
Sienna stood and walked around the coffee table. David nodded encouragingly.
“Do you know what it is?” she asked.
“Not a clue.”
She knelt on the floor and unzipped the case, then slowly opened the top. Inside were several layers of tissue paper. She folded them back, then stared at what looked like a white dress. No, not a dress. A wedding gown.
“It was my mother’s,” Linda said proudly. “I was hoping I would have a daughter to wear it, but I only had boys.”
Sienna pulled out the dress. It was enormous and heavy, with long sleeves and a full skirt. Lace covered every inch of the gown, and as for it being the right size...
“My mother was a larger woman,” Linda said. “We might have to take it in a bit.”
A bit? Sienna stood and held the dress in front of her. It was at least eight sizes too large. It was also about six inches too short.
“You are tall,” Linda mused. “That could be a problem.”
So was the fact that the dress was ugly. Wasn’t the engagement ring enough? Why was she being punished?
“Did you wear this on your wedding day?” Sienna asked.
“Goodness no. I wanted something new. But you’ll like this, I’m sure.”
Sienna looked at David, who shrugged.
“We’ll consider it,” he promised. “But Sienna needs to make her own choice when it comes to her dress.”
“Of course,” Linda said. “Still, I’m sure she’ll also want to please her husband-to-be. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“More than words can say,” Sienna murmured before letting the dress sink back into the suitcase. “I’m going to get some coffee. Is the pot on?”
David nodded.
Sienna escaped to the kitchen, where she clutched the counter and told herself to keep breathing. There was no way in hell she was wearing that ugly dress. Even if she loved it, what would they do about it being too short? And what was with Linda’s obsession with her height?
Before she could do any more mental ranting, her future mother-in-law joined her. Sienna quickly pulled a mug from the cupboard, then forced herself to smile as she asked, “Would you like coffee, too, Linda?”
“I’m fine, dear.” Linda waited while she poured. “David’s father and I are so pleased he’s found someone to make him happy. A good marriage is a blessing—don’t you agree?”
“I do.”
“David tells me you’ve been engaged before and it didn’t work out. You’re not going to run out on him, are you?”
Talk about cutting to the heart of the matter, she thought. “Of course not. David is a great guy. I’m lucky to have him.”
“That’s what I thought.” Linda smiled. “I understand you work for a nonprofit and that you’re raising money to buy a bungalow. Is that right?”
The change in subject was confusing, but sure. “We are. We provide housing for women escaping an abusive relationship. It helps if they have a secure place to settle that’s some distance from where they were.”
“That makes sense. David’s father and I want you to know that we’ll be happy to contribute to your organization. After the wedding. The check will be enough to make sure the purchase can go through.”
Sienna got the milk out of the refrigerator, then poured a large splash into her mug. She stirred while she tried to figure out what to say.
Why on earth did David’s mother feel she had to offer a bribe? How could Sienna tell her no thanks without sounding ungracious? And shouldn’t she accept the check on behalf of The Helping Store? That was kind of her job. Not that Seth would expect her to sell herself in the name of raising funds. But if she was going to marry David anyway, did it matter?
She supposed that was what it came down to. Was she going to marry David? Because one broken engagement could happen to anyone, and two, well, they could be explained, but three was more than was normal. It wasn’t so much that people would talk, as how breaking this engagement would make a statement about her. But what was the alternative? To get married so people didn’t talk?
“You’re very generous,” she told Linda. “Thank you.”
Her future mother-in-law beamed. “I knew I was going to like you.”
“I feel exactly the same way.”
As Sienna sipped her coffee, she wondered if they were both lying, or just her.
* * *
Central casting couldn’t have done a better job putting together the perfect boy band, Quinn thought as the members of And Then arrived at his bungalow with Wayne on their heels. Bryan, the lead singer, was African American, Peter, the drummer, was blond and blue-eyed and Collins was mixed race leaning toward Asian. They were all close to six feet tall, lean and fit and good-looking enough to get girls across the world screaming every time they walked into a room.
He’d been interested in them because they were brilliant enough to make him overlook his usual band aversion, but the “it” factor sure didn’t hurt. The contrast between their prettiness and Wayne’s slightly bulldog appearance made him grin.
“Wayne bought us a house,” Peter said proudly.
“I didn’t buy you a house,” Wayne corrected. “I rented you a house.” He glanced at Quinn. “A vacation rental. I tripled the damage deposit.”
“We’re cool,” Bryan said. “We’re not going to trash the place.”
“Can I have that in writing?” Quinn shook hands with all of them. “You three ready to work?”
Peter looked startled. “I thought I was going to surf. The waves look good and I brought my wet suit.”
Collins patted his shoulder. “You can surf. Quinn and I are going to write. Bryan wants to help.”
“Will I be missing out?” Peter asked, sounding worried.
“Not on anything fun.”
“Okay, then I’ll surf.”
Quinn was pleased that order had been restored. Bryan walked over to the dining room table.
“These the plans for the studio?” he asked. “It’s big.”
<
br /> “It’s a warehouse.” Quinn walked to the table. “Recording studios here. Rooms for writing here. Offices and a couple of places to crash upstairs.”
Peter wandered over to Wayne. “You want to go surfing with me?”
“No.”
“You sure? I could teach you.”
Wayne shot Quinn a help me look, but Quinn figured the big, bad marine could handle the kid himself.
“No, thanks.”
“We could go to dinner later. You know, hang out.”
Wayne’s brows drew together. “Why?”
“To just talk about stuff.”
Quinn held in a smile. Despite their good looks and success as a band, when he’d discovered them, they’d been living in a van. Each of them was dealing with a difficult past. Peter had been born a crack baby and had lived in foster care all his life. Bryan had lost his mom in a drive-by shooting. Collins had never much talked about his past. None of them had ever known a father, and for reasons that made perfect sense to Quinn, they had adopted Wayne. While they worked with Quinn, they wanted to hang out with his assistant. Wayne’s was the opinion that mattered.
Wayne sighed heavily. “I’ll meet you for dinner later,” he grumbled.
“Count me in,” Bryan said quickly.
“Me, too,” Collins added.
Quinn chuckled at Wayne’s kill me now look as he stalked out of the bungalow. This was shaping up to be a very good day.
* * *
Rachel hesitated before going into the coffee shop. While her self-actualization plan was moving forward, she felt as if her newfound strength was a lot more flash than substance. She was doing a great job walking every day, and she would say she was about eighty percent on her new food plan. Her pants were looser, her stomach a little flatter, and most important, she felt better about herself.
But she suspected it wouldn’t take much to derail her. The evening with Greg was proof of that. After their kiss, she’d felt shaky and fragile for a couple of days. She’d just gotten over that when Courtney had texted her, yet again, suggesting they get together to talk.
Daughters of the Bride Page 25
