“This way.” The photogs yelled as Gilly and I strolled arm in arm down the red carpet. We stopped, put our right feet a bit forward, and did the slight torso twist. This is a trick we learned early on when the tabloids first found us so fascinating. I’m not vain, but after a couple of horrible pics where I didn’t do that slimming pose, even I was depressed.
Gilly was dressed in a beautiful azure minidress that was beyond amazing with her skin color. It crisscrossed up the back and hugged her figure.
One of our reporter friends from Texas, Kristen Crane, was in the line doing interviews, and she waved us over. “Oh, my God, you two look fabulous.”
I smiled. Of all the reporters who had interviewed us through the years, she was my favorite. She knew how to tell a good story without being salacious, and she’d been more than kind to my family through the years.
“Can you give me a minute on camera?”
Gilly and I looked at each other and shrugged. “Sure,” we said together.
Kristen motioned to the cameraman, and he moved a little closer. “Now, I know you are closed-mouthed when it comes to who is dating who, but we just watched your sister Claire walk the red carpet with Colin, the star of the film. So are they an item?”
I gave a slight laugh and waved my hand. “You guys crack me up. Honestly, they both like to surf, and they just met. They’re friends. That’s it.” I winked at her. “But I guess you could say this is their first official date.” That made it seem like I was giving insider information without actually revealing anything. People loved it when they thought they were getting a real scoop.
“Oh, I know our viewers will appreciate that. Now to you.” She motioned toward Gillian. “We’ve seen Gillian running around to various events with a tall, dark mystery man that she refuses to talk about. But how about you, Alex? Any special man in your life?”
Holy crap. If she only knew. I pretended like I was thinking hard. “No. Why? Do you know of someone? I mean, how lame is it that I had to bring my sister as my date tonight?” I laughed.
Gilly tsked. “My poor baby sister can’t get a date. I know the world mourns for her. It’s cuz she’s so ugly.” She hammed it up for the camera. “Sad, so sad that she looks like this.”
I playfully slapped at her arm. “Thanks a lot.”
“Just trying to help you get a date.” She gave the camera her sweetest smile, and I couldn’t keep from laughing.
Kristen turned her attention back to Gilly. “And I understand you’re chairing the national Arts in Schools event. Can you tell us who you have lined up for the party?”
My lovely sister totally took the heat off of me, and a few seconds later we were down the red carpet and into the theater. It took us a minute, but we finally found Claire, who was giggling at Mr. Surfer Dude star.
“Have you ever seen her giggle?” I whispered to Gilly.
She snorted. “I so didn’t think he was her type.”
“Maybe he’s smarter than he looks.” I seriously doubted it. I knew it was wrong to stereotype, but the guy was too pretty to have a brain.
“Well, she’s having fun, so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.” She frowned. “Darn, they’re letting people inside.”
I laughed. “I’ve never seen anyone so depressed about going to a movie.”
Gilly sighed. “It’s Arath. He’s hooked on B movies. Hell, D movies. He loves the old-school Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme crap. It’s his way of sharing my world with me. I haven’t had the heart to tell him that the movies make me physically ill. The fight scenes alone are so fake it’s enough to make me crazy.”
I hugged her shoulders. “The things you do for love.” I grabbed a couple of vodka martinis from one of the trays carried by a waiter. “Chug these real quick. It’ll make everything more fun.” I couldn’t resist and chugged a couple down myself.
There was a reason martinis were supposed to be sipped. A half-hour into the movie, I had a huge buzz, and I could tell Gilly felt the same way. We both kept giggling at inappropriate moments. We must have been kind of loud, because Claire turned in her seat to give us a death stare.
When the film—which wasn’t as horrible as we feared— ended, we moved to the reception area, where photogs were shooting so many pictures of Claire and her man that the light was blinding.
What I saw, that I doubted few others did, was that she seemed happy. For the first time in a long time. She really did like this guy. She told me they had been chatting on the phone since that day he called me to get her number. They’d really had a chance to learn about each other, without all the weird awkward date stuff. By the time they finally hooked up tonight, they had obviously hit it off in a big way.
Good for her. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I rubbed it away with my hand. My emotions were all over the place, and just when I thought I had them under control, boom, the waterfalls would open.
Gilly turned and saw me wipe away the tear. “What’s wrong?”
I shrugged, unable to speak over the lump in my throat. “Sudden migraine.”
She knew I was lying, but she didn’t say anything. “Let’s get you back to the hotel. Give me a minute to let Claire know where we’ve gone.”
Once the cameras stopped, she whispered something in Claire’s ear.
My youngest sister gave me a worried look, and I knew she wanted to come with us. I shook my head and mouthed, “I’ll be fine. I promise.” I pointed to my head.
She frowned, then blew me a kiss.
We went the back way out of the theater and straight into our room at the hotel. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know. I just . . . don’t want to be here.” I turned so she could unzip me, then I pulled the dress over my head. “When am I going to get over him?”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Maybe you aren’t supposed to, Al.”
I gave her an evil stare.
“I know, but you love him, and he obviously loves you. He’s been a giant, grumpy lump since you took off.”
“Well, he’s the one who doesn’t want to be with me, remember?”
“You’ve both had some time to cool off. Maybe he’s changed his mind. You won’t know unless you try to talk to him.”
I snorted. “He has a phone, Gilly. If he wanted to talk to me, he has me on speed dial. Did you know he makes Gerald call me every time there’s a dragon infestation?”
“Yes, which tells me that he’s not having any easier of a time trying to get over you than you are him. Be a big girl and go talk to him.”
I shook my head. “No. I told you, there’s more to the story.”
“I know: the dead wife.”
“Don’t be disrespectful,” I said as I pulled my T-shirt over my head.
She held up her hands as if in surrender. “Just stating the facts, ma’am.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “We both need time. Apart. I can be friends with him. It’s just going to take a while. And he’s right; he deserves someone who doesn’t have to fight dragons on a daily basis.”
Gilly laughed. “You justify it all you want, but the heart doesn’t just get over things. He’s not going to stop loving you just because it isn’t convenient.”
“I’m done, Gilly. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Okay?”
“So where are you going to run to now?” She pulled her knees to her chest.
“Madrid. I want to check on Lourdes. The company jet is going to fly her to Florida tomorrow. I also promised Aspen I’d spend some time at the castle. The wedding is so soon, and there’s still a lot to do.”
Gilly stood and took my hand. “You can keep running, but it isn’t going to help.”
“I’m not running,” I promised her. “I’m doing my best to move on with life. I’m doing what I have to in order to make it through each day. And honestly, it’s not easy for me. I want to give up and curl into a little ball and hide in my bed all day. But I don’t. So please, please, j
ust give it a rest.”
She leaned across and kissed my cheek. “You know, it’s morning in Hong Kong, and I hear there are two new designers with fab boots. We could grab a pair before anyone ever even hears about them.” She squeezed my hand.
“Are you trying to fill my emotional void with a pair of boots?”
She nodded.
I sighed. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 29
ONE WEEK LATER
“Alex, are you in there? Is everything okay?” Aspen banged on the bathroom door. The bathroom where I’d just landed after dealing with a couple of stupid dragons. The beasts had tried to break into a church in Holland where some priceless artwork was displayed.
One of them had scratched my face, and I had desperately tried to cover my chin with concealer.
“What?” I opened the door. “Sorry, did you need me?”
She gave me a curious look. “The photographer is here, and he’s ready to begin. I need your help getting into my dress. What happened to your face?” Her hair was piled on top of her head and adorned with a beautiful tiara. The makeup artist had improved on the perfection that is Aspen, and she looked like the perfect dewy bride.
I shrugged. “You know me. Total klutz. I opened a cabinet door and wasn’t paying attention. Chucked me in the chin.” I gave her my most distracting smile. “Oh my God, woman, you look gorgeous.”
She smiled sweetly. “I feel like a princess.” Even though she was in Juicy Couture sweats, she twirled as if she were in a ball gown. “I can’t wait to do this.”
“What were you saying about the photog?”
“He’s ready. Can you come help me get into my dress?”
“You bet.” I pointed to the closet door where my dress hung. For a bridesmaid dress, it wasn’t bad. A Dolce & Gab bana gown in a coppery color, which looked even better with the new tan the bride insisted I get. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll meet you in your rooms.”
Aspen had kicked Huff and his family out of their home yesterday, and she’d taken over the castle. Some things never changed. But I had to say: the man was obviously good for her. She was such a different person from even a few weeks ago. During the festivities leading up to today, her main goal had been to make certain that everyone had fun. And we did. There had been picnics, cricket matches, and a formal ball. It had been a hectic, tiring, and lovely week.
My cell phone buzzed, and I answered it on the first ring.
“Yes?” I stepped out of the suite of rooms into the hall. The earl, Huff’s pop, ran toward me with a worried look in his eyes.
He pointed to the phone. “That’s me; you can hang up.”
“What’s wrong?” I took his arm and led him away from where Aspen’s rooms were.
Leaning against the wall, he tried to catch his breath. Portly would be the easiest way to describe him. He looked kind of like a basketball with a goatee. “I can’t get the boy out of the car.”
“What boy?” My first thought was the tiny ring bearer, who was two and quite a handful.
“My son.” He mopped his brow with a hanky.
“Huff?”
“Yes. He says he can’t get married today. But he must. The family name. Her father will destroy us.”
Family name be damned, I wasn’t going to listen to Aspen’s shrill scream should she discover the groom wanted to bail.
“Take me to him.” I lifted up my skirts to follow him out to the car. Sure enough, the groom sat in the back of a Rolls-Royce, about as white as a human being could be and still be counted as alive.
“Huff, you have to get out of the limo. It’s time to get married.” The man didn’t even acknowledge my presence. “It’s just cold feet. Everyone gets it. I’ve done a million of these things, and it’s scary right up until the time you say ‘I do.’ But then we have a big party, and it will be fun. Come on.” I reached a hand through the door. “Please.”
He stared straight ahead, not even blinking. My Guardian senses kicked in, and I checked him to make sure something magical hadn’t been done to him. Nothing.
“How long has he been like this?”
His father shrugged. “He was fine until we pulled up in front of the house. I’ve been trying to get him out of the car for twenty minutes.” I looked down at my wrist at the diamond watch the generous Aspen had given all her attendants.
“We only have ten minutes.” I tugged on Huff’s sleeve. “Come on.”
“Is there a problem?” a familiar deep voice asked.
Jake bent down and peered into the open door.
I don’t think it hit the floor, but my jaw definitely dropped. “What the hell are you doing here?” Looking so damn good in that tux. God, could the day get any worse?
He gave me a strange look. “I was invited.” His face creased with worry as he stared me up and down. “What’s wrong?” In an instant he was beside me, looking me over, paying close attention to my chin. “Are you hurt?”
I didn’t smile, but I really wanted to. He still cared about me.
“Not me.” I pointed to the seat across from me. “Huffy won’t move.”
Jake took it all in and grinned. “Huh.”
“Huh? We have ten minutes until the ceremony begins.” I shoved at him. “Convince him to get out of the car. I don’t care what it takes. If you have to, knock him out and put him over your shoulder. I’ll hold up an unconscious groom before I tell Aspen he’s bailed.”
Jake shook his head. “He doesn’t look like he wants to move.”
“Try!” I yelled.
He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Don’t freak out on me.”
Leaning forward, he touched Huff’s shoulder.
“I’m thinking you pulled up in front of the castle and it hit you, that this is the real deal.” Jake leaned forward and crossed his arms over his knees. “I honestly can’t think of anything scarier.”
“You are so not helping,” I chided. “Be positive.”
“Give it a rest, Al. I know what I’m doing.” Part of me was mad that he spoke to me that way. The other part realized he’d just called me Al. And he was here. So close I could touch him. It had been so long, and I still wanted him just as much as I had the day I left.
“But here’s what I know,” Jake went on. “I saw you two together a few weeks ago. You love her, and she’s so into you it’s not even funny. I saw the way she watched you that afternoon I first met you guys. That woman is so hot for you she burns. It’s hard to find that sort of thing, and when you do, you’d best hold tight.”
Huff’s eyes seemed to focus, and he looked Jake in the eyes.
Thank you, Jesus.
“I love her,” Huff whispered. “She drives me freakin’ insane, but God, I love her more than anything.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Jake shrugged.
“In my head, marriage is forever.” He looked out at his dad. “Mum and Dad were married forty-five years before she died. That’s a long time.”
Jake blew out a breath. “Yep, it is.”
“Aspy’s been married three times, and she’s only twenty-four.” He looked at his hands. “I’m not sure I’m the right guy for her. If she leaves me—”
“Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?” Jake cocked his head. “What if you are the guy? You just told me she’s the girl for you, and I have a feeling you can keep her in line. That’s what she needs, someone who can handle her craziness and at the same time be the rock for both of you. Trust me”—Jake looked up at me—“I know all about that.”
Huff followed his line of sight and laughed when he saw who Jake was talking about.
“Hey.” I punched Jake in the arm when I realized what he’d meant.
“Marriage is a gamble. You’ve heard it all before. But when it works, it’s a beautiful thing. I do know that if you don’t walk into that castle and marry that woman, you’ll regret it.”
She’ll also kill you. I didn’t think it would help him to remember t
hat.
“What’s going on?” Aspen’s high-pitched tone made everyone’s spine stiffen.
“Aspen, it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” I jumped up and blocked her view into the car and Huff’s pop tried to do the same thing.
She peeked around us and then moved forward.
Picking up her skirt with one hand, she stepped off the curb and shoved me out of the way.
“Huff. Get out of the car.” The words were said in a whisper, but that didn’t make them any less intense.
He stared up at her. “I love you,” he said, his face blank.
She smiled at him and all the daisies in the world opened up in that moment. “I know. I love you, too. That’s why you have to get out of the damn car and marry me.” She reached her hand in, and he took it. “I refuse to live the rest of my life without you.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. “I’m sorry, baby.”
She tugged his hand toward the church. “It’s okay. You can make it up to me on the honeymoon.” Her look said it all, and suddenly Huff’s steps picked up.
“Oh, yeah.” He gave a wicked smile.
Turning, she kissed his cheek. “Oh, yeah.”
“Ah, love,” Jake whispered behind me.
I turned on him. “Scariest thing ever?” I gave him my best evil stare.
It wasn’t very effective. He grinned. “I was defusing a possible hostile situation and am not responsible for words said in the heat of battle.”
“Did you mean what you said to him?”
“Every word of it.” His right eyebrow rose.
“Then why can’t you take your own advice? Why can’t you take that same chance with me, that you told Huff to take with Aspen?” Stupid tears welled up in my eyes.
Why did he have to show up right now? If my mascara trekked down my cheeks, Aspen would kill me.
“I am taking that chance, Alex. I love you. Why else would I fly eight hours to a wedding for people I barely know?”
It took a moment for his words to register. “What?”
He gave me a questioning look.
“Say it again,” I whispered.
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