“I can’t believe this has happened, Natty,” her cousin said. “I really thought you were larger when I ordered the dress.”
Natalia was glad her hands were currently wrapped in chiffon or she would have attempted to strangle her cousin.
“I swear I thought I ordered the right size,” Francesca said, her hand flying to her chest.
Natalia stared at herself in the full-length mirror, not really surprised. The burgundy dress hung on her like twenty yards of silk drapery. Meanwhile, all the other bridesmaids’ dresses fit perfectly. Natalia gave compliments to the other girls and stood on the sidelines feeling like they were in high school all over again, her cousin trying to outdo her as she always had.
“Well, according to this, you marked Natalia down for a size twenty,” Mrs. Jacobs said, shooting her a pointed stare. The woman had half-moon black reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, her fuchsia lips pursed together. Natalia could make out the censure in her tone. It made her happy to know that someone else doubted her cousin’s sincerity.
“My bad! Well, come on, ladies. Lunch is on me.”
Natalia moved to the side and waited for everyone to exit the changing room area. Mrs. Jacobs had said to stay behind so she could pin the dress for alterations.
“You know,” she said, placing the clipboard down on an upholstered chair. “I had a friend back in high school who reminded me of your cousin.” She picked up a needle holder and started pulling and tugging on the fabric. “She always tried to put me down or humiliate me.”
“I try to tell myself it’s her problem. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Hogwash, dear. That has to bother you. Heck, it bothers me to watch. Those kinds of people are insecure and disloyal. She backstabbed you once, and she’ll do it again.”
Natalia frowned. “I wasn’t aware…you knew about that. It was a long time ago.”
Mrs. Jacobs lifted her brows and then tugged tightly on the bodice of her gown. “Well, I do hate to interfere in other people’s business, so I usually keep quiet. Sometimes I happen to overhear things. I know things, dear. I know she stole your boyfriend. Despicable, and shame on them both,” she hissed. “But her loss because now she’s marrying the loser,” she said with a giggle.
Natalia almost laughed along with her, but she was still slightly taken aback by the fact that Mrs. Jacobs could accurately remember teenage drama.
“And now, as if it isn’t enough that she stole the man right out of from under you, and is marrying him, she wants to try and make you look like a giant blob.”
This time she did laugh.
“Personally, I think it has to do with the fact that the devastatingly handsome—and now successful—Aiden McCann is back in town.”
Natalia couldn’t see her face because she was now kneeling down, hemming the bottom of the dress. “What would that have to do with anything?” But she already knew.
“Well, my dear. She doesn’t want you getting back together with Aiden. He’s handsome as sin, and now he also has his life together, his own business. She would be eaten alive by jealousy to see the two of you back together.”
“She has nothing to worry about, because he and I will never get back together.”
Mrs. Jacobs rose abruptly, pins sticking out of her mouth and dropping to the ground as she spoke. “Never say never. Those boys—Aiden and Dylan—have been through a lot. Losing their mother so young, and poor David trying to raise them even though he was heartbroken. He made a mess of things, but he tried.”
“I can’t give a cheater a second chance, Mrs. Jacobs.”
She sighed, the last pin dropping onto the carpet silently. “Sometimes what we think happened and what actually happened aren’t the same, dear.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged and sighed theatrically. “I’m saying it was a long time ago, and I think that maybe things played out the way Aiden wanted them to. I babysat those boys occasionally, and I know their father very well… I just… Well, now this is none of my business. I hate intruding in other people’s affairs,” she said, patting Natalia on the shoulder and turning her to look in the mirror.
Her words about Aiden echoed in her mind. As if. But as she stood there being poked and prodded, she thought back on her conversation with Aiden…every time she’d mentioned the cheating, he’d quickly talked about leaving. None of this mattered, anyway. He didn’t live here. He left.
She frowned, catching sight of herself in the full-length mirror. Mrs. Jacobs had certainly taken in the dress. The bodice was now tight and low cut, the waist cinched, and the skirt A-line and falling to the floor in a graceful waterfall of silk. She looked…really good. She needed to run her new theory by her BFF.
Or she could ask Aiden, since he was walking straight toward them with a look that was getting hotter and hotter. She hadn’t even noticed him walk in.
“Afternoon, Mrs. Jacobs. Natalia.”
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore, tired eyes, Aiden McCann? You just get more and more handsome as the years go on,” Mrs. Jacobs said, and Natalia could have sworn the woman fanned herself with her hand for a moment.
“Natalia, can I have a word with you?”
Mrs. Jacobs was looking back and forth between them. Natalia avoided eye contact with her. “Sure.”
“Well,” Mrs. Jacobs said, taking giant, theatrical steps backward out of the fitting area and into Aiden. He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders, and the woman blushed. Natalia did not want to acknowledge how Aiden didn’t have to do a thing to charm Mrs. Jacobs.
“You all right?” he said to the older woman.
She was falling all over herself, her leopard-print leggings and sequined, oversize cat sweatshirt catching on a hanger as she made her way to the front of the store. “I’m perfectly fine, thank you, dear. You kids have a nice chat!”
Aiden hadn’t waited for the woman to finish talking. Instead, he swallowed up the distance between them, and she suddenly felt the need to clothe herself. His gaze was everywhere, almost as though he were touching her. Then it lingered on her breasts for a heated second before traveling up to her eyes. His face was clenched, and had this been any other man than the one that had broken her heart, she would have jumped him, because no man had ever looked at her like that or evoked such an immediate, physical want in her. So instead she did what any self-saving, smart woman would do. She reached for Mrs. Jacobs’s purple and pineapple-printed raincoat and enveloped herself in it.
“Oh God, it’s like straight out of a nightmare,” Aiden said. He even took a step back.
She breathed an inward sigh of relief. At least that problem was solved. She backed up a little bit. She noticed he still had the stubble thing going on. And he wasn’t wearing a jacket today, even though it looked like rain. He was wearing faded, worn-in jeans that seemed to be made to hug and emphasize all his good parts, which happened to be everything. Then there was the T-shirt he was wearing that emphasized how much he’d filled out in the years since he’d been gone. Except the stomach, that was flat and…her eyes snapped up to his. Stay on track. “Yes? You needed to see me about something?”
Aiden gave his head a shake. “I can’t think with that thing on you.”
She hugged it tighter and backed up another step. Before she knew it she was standing in one of the changing rooms. “It’s not up to you to like what I wear.”
“That’s not yours.”
She shrugged.
“You’re wearing it because you don’t like me looking at you.”
She rolled her eyes. “As if. You looking at me is as boring as…a horse on a farm glancing over at me.”
His lips twitched, and she observed a dimple appearance. The glint in his eyes unfortunately didn’t match the tone of the dimple, and he took two large steps forward so that he was now in the doorway. “You’re lying,” he said with another dimple flash.
She lifted her chin and looked him square in the eye, even though her
pulse was racing and, dear God, she could smell him, and he smelled so good. Like man and Aiden and old Aiden and…
“What are you thinking about?”
She waved a hand in front of her face. “Nothing. I was thinking that I don’t know why you’re trying to prove I’m a liar.”
“I have my reasons. So back to what we were talking about.”
“I can’t remember.”
“You don’t like me looking at you.”
“You’re wrong. You looking at me is just the same as…Mrs. Jacobs looking at me.”
She had always been a bad liar. Judging by his sexy, you’re-such-a-liar smile, he thought so, too. He braced his arms on either side of the doorway. His shirt lifted, and she caught a glimpse of hard abs. Omigod, she was going to cry.
“Somehow I don’t think Mrs. Jacobs looks at you the way I do.”
“Exactly the same,” she said. She knew what he was going to say next.
“Then take off the jacket and see if me looking at you is the same as Mrs. Jacobs looking at you.” He was grinning now, the handsome bastard, as though he knew. He was also daring her.
She ripped off the jacket, tangling it up, and threw it at him. His rich laugh made her toes curl, and he caught the jacket and then slowly let his gaze wander up and down her body. She knew she was turning red, everywhere, and he could see it all, thanks to the seamstress skills of Mrs. Jacobs. Her breath hitched as he walked until they were almost face-to-face. Then he shut the door behind him, and it was just the two of them in the tiny dressing room. If she took a deep breath, her breasts would come into contact with that solid chest and everything would be over: her resolve, her pride, her dignity. She concentrated on tiny, shallow breaths.
“Why are you breathing like you’re in labor?”
“How do you know what a woman in labor breathes like?”
“I watch TV. I also watch you.”
“Well, you didn’t watch me for ten years. Why are you here, Aiden?”
“Because of the other night.”
She tapped her finger against her chin. “Did something happen?”
He grinned. “Almost happened,” he said in a deep voice, lifting his arm. His hand gently clutched a fistful of her hair, and she thought she might die. It was as though everything were happening in slow motion as he slowly lowered his face to hers, his lips hovering so close. Omigod, she couldn’t. She couldn’t kiss him again after all these years.
“I thought about you every single day I was gone.”
Her breath hitched, and she cursed herself, knowing she was going to let him kiss her.
“Aiden McCann!”
Aiden cursed under his breath before he was yanked out by the collar. Eunice Jacobs stood at the door, tugging at his shirt and looking like an enraged peacock. “I don’t know if you’ve been getting advice from Evan Manning, but this is not what these changing rooms are for! Now get to the front of the store and wait until Natalia is properly clothed.”
Natalia closed the changing room curtain, but couldn’t help peeking out to watch as Aiden left.
Chapter Seven
Rain drummed on cars, and puddles quickly formed on the downtown street ahead. It caught the leaves on the old oak trees, whipping them to the ground in a windy bundle. Aiden had forgotten how much he loved the rain in Red River. It was different here. In Red River, you could smell the earthiness as the rain soaked the grass, the dirt. You could see the gray sky, the clouds, you could slow down for a minute and watch it transform the small town. He stood on the lift bridge and just took it all in, the view of his childhood town from here. God, he was a different man. He’d been a kid back then, in so many ways. Angry, hurt, afraid. He and Dylan had run, really. They wanted out of here, away from the place and people that they’d made fools of themselves in front of. Away from the town that held their best and worst memories.
He rolled his shoulders. In some ways he was glad his morning run was done, in others, mad because he didn’t feel as though he’d released any of the tension that was slowly consuming him. He’d avoided Red River because of his stupid past. He’d avoided it because of the dysfunctional relationship he had with his father, and he dreaded being back here because of Natalia.
In their run-ins these last few weeks, the growing need to make amends with everyone here had shaken him. Every time he saw her, he wanted her more. He’d almost lost it in the changing room. If it hadn’t been for Eunice, he would have kissed her. He wanted so many things. He wasn’t a guy to wish for things. He knew if you wanted anything in life, you had to work damn hard for it. Natalia included. He wasn’t so cocky as to assume he could just walk back into her life, kiss her, and they could start over. No, getting her back would involve coming clean…about everything. It would also involve the idea of coming back to Red River for good…
His eyes narrowed on a familiar, curvy silhouette coming his way. Said person was alternating between a jog and a walk, looking like she was struggling on the tough hill that led to the lift bridge. He wasn’t going to smile at his luck, or maybe his misfortune, because as she approached he made out the deep frown on her otherwise gorgeous face. She had on a black hoodie that was tightly molded to her curves and a pair of black leggings. Her hair was pulled back and hidden under a bright pink baseball cap. All in all, Nat managed to make boring, concealing workout clothes sexier than the most revealing lingerie.
Her feet splashed into a massive puddle, and he smiled as she cursed out loud as water sprayed up her legs. He quickly stopped smiling when she made eye contact with him. “What are you doing here?”
He leaned against the cold, wet iron railing of the bridge. “I’m everywhere, Nat.”
She clutched her sides, trying to look nonchalant even though he could tell she’d struggled with the hill. “That sounds creepy.”
He grinned. “Fine. In a non-stalkerish way, then.”
“I avoided the river trail, and now I find you here!”
“That’s disappointing,” he said. “My feelings are hurt, especially after yesterday.”
For a second, it looked as though guilt flooded her eyes. She always was a softy. He’d destroyed that. The fact that she actually looked sympathetic even for a moment made him feel like a bigger ass.
Then she pointed at him, and if he’d been standing closer, he would bet she’d be jabbing him. “Don’t try and guilt me. You should try being publicly humiliated when your boyfriend cheats on you and then leaves town. That is what hurt feels like.”
He looked down at his wet shoes. “Touché. You’re right.”
“Great. So move out of the way, I’m not done with my jog.”
“It kind of looks like you are.”
Crap. Obviously not the right thing to say.
She placed her hands on her hips and started tapping her right foot. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He ran a hand over his jaw. “Nothing. Just that you looked like you were struggling a bit.”
Her chin went up five notches too high to be natural. “I don’t struggle with jogging. I’m…having a rough morning.”
He frowned. “Oh. Everything okay?”
She folded her arms under her breasts, and some damn fine cleavage came into view, straining against the zip of her hoodie. He forced himself to look away and reminded himself that it was his own fault he’d given all that up. “Everything is fine. Now, if you’ll get out of my way,” she said, trying to sidestep him on the sidewalk. He didn’t move until he had to grab her arm before she landed on the road.
“Are you trying to get me killed?” she yelled.
He didn’t let go of her arm. “I’m trying to prevent you from getting killed. You would rather walk onto a two-lane bridge than stand here with me?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m busy. I have to get home and shower and then do the almost-bride’s bidding.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Wait. Why were you looking for me yesterday, anyway?”
Oh. That.
Obviously the highlight of his day, but he didn’t want to ask her anymore. He shrugged. “Can’t remember.”
Her eyes became squinty. “Spill it.”
He knew her to be even more stubborn than he was. “I was going to ask you a favor.”
She straightened up, looking guarded. “Well, what is it?”
He shook his head. “I’ll ask someone else.”
“Who? You have no friends.”
Nice. “I have friends. Jake. Quinn. Evan.”
She rolled her eyes. “But there’s a reason you were going to ask me.”
He cursed his father. “It’s my dad. He requested you.”
Everything changed when he mentioned his father. Her eyes became softer, her posture relaxed, and she looked sympathetic. “Oh, tell me, then. I’ll help him.”
“I have to be in Toronto tomorrow for an investor’s meeting that was booked months ago. It’s for the day, but that means I won’t be able to drive him to the hospital tomorrow morning. He insisted he could drive himself, but—”
“No, no,” she said, shaking her head. “Of course I can take him. Just text me all the details, and I’ll pick him up…oh wait,” she said, frowning. “What time do you have to be in Toronto?”
“Noon.”
“What time do I have to leave Red River to get him to the hospital?”
“Eight.”
“There’s a delivery I have to make. It should be fast, but it’s for nine o’clock. It’s a bunch of cupcakes to the ballet academy…” Her voice trailed off, and he found himself lost for a moment. God, he’d have done anything for Nat.
He cleared his throat. “I can do it.”
She smiled at him, and his heart swelled. God, he was cracking. “Thank you so much. All you need to do is enter the bakery from the back door tomorrow morning. The lady who runs the front of the shop will know you’re coming. They will be in pink boxes, lined up on the back counter. Load them in my SUV and drive them over to the academy.”
He was smiling like an idiot, because she was smiling. That must have been why he had a delayed reaction to what she was suggesting. The image of her bubble-gum pink Volkswagen popped into his head. “I, uh, I can take my dad’s car.”
The Rebel's Return (Red River) Page 8
