by Pamela Yaye
“Why don’t we just forget everything. The engagement is over. The party is over. We’ve completed our commitments. Let’s just say goodbye and forget this ever happened.”
“No.” His voice held a finality to it. He was not going to be easily pushed aside. “You talked to Stephen and everything changed. What did he say?”
“Stephen said nothing out of the ordinary. He told me about his job, about researching Weddings by Diana.”
“And that upset you?”
“It’s not about Stephen!” she shouted.
“Then what? His wife was misinformed about the engagement and the comment about a stadium of women...”
“It was none of that.” Teddy looked at Adam. “Good night,” she said.
Adam stared at her as if he could force her to explain. Teddy opened the door and he walked out.
“Goodbye,” she whispered after he’d gone.
* * *
The “Wedding March” began. The doors opened and the bride and her father stood there. The sound of approval flew up from the crowded church as the congregation stood and the bride began her procession down the aisle.
Teddy felt tears mist her eyes. She blinked them away. This was the second wedding this month and it was the second time since she and Diana began their business that Teddy found herself moved by the ceremony.
She was aware of every word spoken, every sound of the organ, every gasp of the audience. And for the first time Adam’s comments came back to her while she watched the bride. Not once have you ever imagined it would one day be your turn?
She imagined it now. She wanted to be the bride, wanted to float down that aisle with her one and only waiting for her.
Adam was her one and only.
But for him, Chloe was The One. She was the reason Adam swore off relationships. He didn’t even realize it, but Chloe had changed him. She’d taken away his ability to trust anyone except himself. And he didn’t realize it. To him, Teddy was only arm candy.
Teddy had felt the same when Chad betrayed her. She hadn’t sworn off relationships, but she was much more particular than she had been before. Then Adam walked into her life. Reluctantly at first, but he’d taken up a large amount of space in her heart and he was unaware of it.
How much easier it would be if Veronica had been her competition. Teddy wished she was. Veronica was alive. Chloe was a ghost. Trying to exorcise a ghost was nearly impossible. Chloe had a hold on Adam’s mind, and she was unchanging. He probably went through scenarios regularly of what he could have done differently. Why did she take a lover? Why wasn’t he enough for her? That was the hardest question. And it had no answer. He couldn’t remove the outcome of their argument. She’d gotten into that car and driven too fast. And she would never be there to explain, to relieve him of the guilt he felt over her death.
It was up to Teddy to fill that role. And she was going to do it.
“Teddy?” Renee’s voice came through her earpiece. “Are you there?”
Teddy didn’t know how many times her consultant had called her name. She was lost in her own thoughts.
“I’m here.”
“Is the photographer in place?”
Teddy looked down the long aisle. “He’s near the front.”
“Good. The bride wanted to make sure there were photos of the actual ceremony.”
Teddy knew the photographer. She’d worked with him many times and recommended him whenever asked. “She has nothing to worry about.”
“Is everything all right with you?”
“I was a little distracted, but everything is in order.”
Teddy had been thinking of Adam. The church wasn’t Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, yet Teddy continually looked around for Adam. He’d surprised her by showing up for one of her weddings. She wondered, hoped, he would do it again. But the ceremony was practically over and he had not shown.
Skipping the reception, Teddy opted to pack up and drive home. She hoped Adam would be waiting for her. But her driveway was empty when she reached it. They no longer had a reason to meet each other. Their parents knew the engagement was a sham. Adam had a business to run. As did she. Their agreement had come to an end. It was time to move on.
Teddy had been at this crossroad many times. Never had it been a problem to throw herself into her designs. Her concentration might be off for a day, but she would forget and go on. She had a sinking feeling this was not the case today.
Entering the house, she felt an echo of emptiness. She and Adam hadn’t been there together that often, but they’d had breakfast in her kitchen, made love in her bedroom, kissed in her living room. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be there alone. She could call Diana. Scott was out of town. The two could go for a drink. Teddy shook her head, discarding the idea. She was in no mood to be with other people. Diana would immediately sense her mood and ply her with questions on her feelings for Adam.
Those feelings were in chaos.
She wondered where he was. Was he at his office? It wasn’t that late, only a little past seven in the evening. The international markets were open. He could be working. Teddy didn’t call any of the phone numbers she had for him. She decided to take a bath and go to bed early, but once she stepped out of the tub, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Adam was on her mind. Was he all right? Could he be feeling the way she was? The two of them had agreed to a plan and now that was over. So why did Teddy feel as if she’d lost a friend?
Chapter 11
“The Nokamara stock opened three dollars higher than yesterday’s closing.”
Adam looked up. Stephen Bryant stood in front of him. He hadn’t heard anything the man had said. In fact, he didn’t know how long he’d been standing there.
“You look sick,” Stephen said. “Maybe you should go home. We can handle things here.”
Adam sat at his desk. His mind wasn’t on business and he wasn’t ill. He was aware that his vice president could handle things. In the past few months while Adam spent all his time with Teddy, Stephen had held things down. But Adam was back now. Teddy was in the past. Their agreement was over. Yet he was having a hard time getting back into the swing of office routine.
“I’ll be all right,” Adam said. “Now, what did you say?”
“Nothing important,” Stephen said. “I apologize for what I said at the party.”
Stephen had apologized hundreds of time since the party, even though Adam told him he had not offended Teddy. Something had, but still he didn’t know what it was.
“Think about going home,” Stephen said.
He left and Adam did think about going home, but it no longer felt as if it belonged to him. Teddy’s ghost lingered in the rooms. He could almost smell her unique fragrance when he sat on the sofa, hear the smile in her voice when she talked.
“I think you should call her.”
This time Adam did hear the voice. He looked up to find Quinn standing in the doorway.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Don’t you have a job to do?” Adam got up and rounded the desk to bear-hug his brother.
“If you’d look at the calendar, you’d know it’s the week before Christmas. Many people take vacation at this time of year.”
“And many take it after Christmas.”
“But you work 365 days a year. At least you had before Teddy. But now...” He let the sentence linger.
“She and I are done. We were only together to thwart Mom. And we know how that ended.”
Quinn whistled. “I’m amazed you’re still able to walk around on this earth. Is Mom speaking to you yet?”
“Barely. We’ve had a few conversations. They were short and stilted.”
“I’m sure she’ll forgive you soon.” He paused. “Especially if you call Teddy and get t
hings back to the way they should be.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re miserable without Teddy. You can’t concentrate. I bet you haven’t really eaten in a while, you look haggard and you said you were in love with her.”
“I never said that,” Adam protested.
“Not in words, but it’s obvious in everything you do and say.”
Adam didn’t want to hear the answer to the question that was on his mind. But Quinn went on.
“You’ve begun to lose weight.”
Adam looked at himself and then at his brother.
“Only a pound or two, but the spiral has begun. You don’t sleep. You look like a dead man walking. So why don’t you do yourself a favor and go tell the woman you love her.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? It’s only three little words.”
“And it’s not like I haven’t said them before,” Adam said.
Quinn frowned. “There’s no reason to think Teddy will be anything like Veronica or Chloe.”
“No indication, but there is one problem.”
“What’s that?” Quinn asked.
“She’s not in love with me. She wouldn’t even tell me what happened the night of Stephen’s party. She said good-night, got out of the car, and I haven’t talked to her since.”
“You’re sure about this? Because from what I saw of the two of you, there was no one else in the room when you were there. I could say the entire planet was inhabited by only the two of you.”
Adam knew that was how he felt. When he was with her there was no other world except the one that enclosed them.
“You already bought the ring,” Quinn reminded him. “Mom saw it. Even though she was angry, beyond angry—her words—she didn’t miss a detail.”
“I could talk to her if she isn’t at a wedding. She had four of them this month,” Adam said.
“And Christmas is coming. And the clocks will stop. And the world will end. Don’t put obstacles in your way. It’s not like you.”
Adam questioned what he was like. Since meeting Teddy, much about him had changed. He supposed falling in love did that to a person. Could Quinn be right? Had Teddy fallen in love with him?
There was only one way to find out.
* * *
Adam practiced his speech in front of his bathroom mirror. He repeated it while he dressed in a suit and tie. In the living room, he went over it again while looking for the keys to his car. During the drive to her office, he had committed it to memory and was sure of what he wanted to say. Pulling into the parking lot, panic set in. He hadn’t accounted for her replies. He should have a plan for what her responses could be.
But he was too late. Teddy appeared at the door and walked toward him. She smiled broadly and as Quinn had predicted, the world around them disappeared. He couldn’t see her curves because of the coat she wore, but Adam knew them intimately, and as she walked into his arms, he encircled her waist and she kissed him on the cheek. He held her a moment longer than necessary, inhaling her perfume and wanting to press her to him until the world tilted back in place.
“Don’t you look like a member of the wedding.” She stepped back and looked him over.
He knew she was talking about the suit, but the comment affected him as if she’d gone straight for the heart.
“I was surprised to hear from you.” He opened the car door and she got in. “But I needed to get out of the office for a while.”
“The weddings?” he asked.
“It seems all the brides want to change something at the last minute.” She glanced at him as he pulled the car out of the parking lot. “But I don’t want to talk about weddings. How have you been?”
“I miss our dates,” he said honestly. Adam couldn’t look at her long enough to gauge the expression on her face.
“They were fun.” She laughed. Sobering, she asked, “How are things with your mom?”
“We’re talking.”
He pulled into the parking lot of his condo.
“We’re having lunch here?” Teddy asked in surprise.
“I want to talk to you and I don’t want a lot of people around.”
Silently they walked up the few steps to the condo’s entry. Inside, he took her coat and led her to the dining room.
“Wow!” Teddy said.
The table was set for two with candles lit and the food hot and ready. A flower arrangement made of pine branches, Christmas holly and mistletoe sat in the center, replacing the silver bells that she’d set there. The napkins were folded into shapes that looked like white doves. Christmas music played softly in the background. Everything was as he’d ordered it.
“How did you do this?” She smiled, obviously pleased. She touched the silverware and bent to smell the pine in the centerpiece.
Adam smiled, too. Involuntarily, a lightning bolt went through him. Forcing himself to stand his ground, he remembered his speech, but it wasn’t time yet. He wasn’t comfortable. This was unchartered ground and he found it hard to relax. “I had it catered. Quinn was here to supervise. He ducked out the moment we pulled in the lot.”
Teddy nodded her approval.
“This looks like a very special occasion.”
“Sit down.”
He helped her into the chair and took his seat next to her. She opened the cover on her plate. “Duck à l’orange,” he supplied.
“This conversation must really be something important,” she said, taking a bite of the food. Her eyes swept down, revealing her appreciation of the succulent meat. Adam loved the way she did that. He’d seen her in the throes of passion and this compared with that expression. The thought aroused him.
Tamp it down, he told himself.
“You like the food?” Adam said.
“I love duck à l’orange.” Teddy took another bite. “And this is excellent. Who catered this?”
One hurdle reached, he thought. This was the opening. It was what he was waiting for, but every word he’d practiced disappeared as if it was in a foreign language. One he didn’t speak.
“Adam,” Teddy called him.
“I’m getting married,” he blurted out.
She didn’t choke, but she came close. “What!”
“I’m thinking of having this as an entrée at the reception.”
“Reception?” Teddy dropped her fork. It clattered against the china before settling on the white tablecloth.
“I’m getting married again. I’d like to hire Weddings by Diana to plan the wedding.”
She sat back in the chair. “I should have brought a pad for notes,” she said flatly. “I suppose congratulations are in order.” She stood up, taking her wineglass with her as she moved away from the table. She hadn’t touched it since they sat down, but must have needed it now. Raising it, she toasted him. The drink she took was long. She drained the glass and set it down next to her uneaten food. Turning away from the table, she moved to the archway between the kitchen and dining room. “Shouldn’t I talk to the bride about the services we provide?”
“I’m sure you know them well enough to choose.”
“I don’t understand.”
Adam moved from his seat at one end of the table to come and stand in front of Teddy. Taking her hands, he pulled her close.
“I love you,” he said. “Quinn says you’re in love with me, too. Is it true?”
Her eyes widened. They were clear and he held them, waiting for her to say something.
“I thought you weren’t looking for a wife, just someone to please your mother.”
“That was true in the beginning.”
“And now?”
The words were delivered slowly, but the weight they carried was immeasurable. “Now I know sh
e chose the right woman for me,” Adam said.
“Are you sure?” Teddy asked. “This isn’t another one of your schemes to get back into good graces with your mother, is it?”
Instead of answering, Adam put his hands on both sides of her head and pulled her mouth to his. He felt her surrender almost immediately. Her arms went around his waist and he deepened the kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth, drinking in the taste of her.
He felt as if years had passed since the last time he had her in his arms, since he could take in the smell of her shampoo, since he could revel in the nectar that was uniquely hers. Frenzy overtook him and he devoured her mouth. He wanted to get closer to her, wanted to speak to her through his kisses, through the texture of her hair, the smoothness of her skin. He wanted all of her.
Raising his head, he mumbled against her mouth, “I love you. I think I have since the first night we met.” His voice was breathy, forcing him to speak in staccato measures. He looked deeply into her eyes. “You were leaving the restaurant and I didn’t want you to go. I couldn’t let you walk away so quickly. Despite the setup by our mothers, I felt the spark.”
He kissed her again. Quinn had to be right. There was no way she could kiss him like this and not feel something for him. No way she could look at him the way she did and not feel the same way he did.
This time she pushed him back. Dropping her head, she took a long breath, then looked directly in his eyes. “I love you, too,” she said.
Adam thought his legs would give out. He’d longed to hear her say it, but he was unsure until this very moment.
“I thought you were against marriage,” Teddy said. “You told me that the first night we met. Then there’s Veronica and Chloe, women who broke your heart and made you mistrustful of women.”
“I know.” He remembered their conversations, yet his voice held a bit of humor. “They tainted my views for a while, but there comes a time when you have to take a chance. Risk whatever is necessary for the promise of happiness.”
“You’re willing to do that for me?”
“That and more,” he said, dropping a kiss on her nose.
“I don’t think there will be much risk,” Teddy assured him. “I love you and nothing will change that.”
