by Cathryn Fox
Before she knew it she was lost in Jenny and Ving’s ceremony. After the rings and kisses were exchanged, she followed the newlyweds out into the main foyer. They all formed a line and greeted guests before they made their way to the park for pictures.
With her feet killing her from standing in heels for so long, she was about to leave the church but then she felt Garrett behind her. She didn’t have to turn to look. The scent of his skin, the warmth of his body as it reached out to her told her it was him long before he spoke.
“Hey,” he murmured into her ear and a fine shiver tingled all the way to her toes. Everything from the sound of his voice behind her, his body pressing against hers in a familiar way, to the protective way he placed his hand on the back of her neck, did the weirdest things to her insides. It took all her effort to remind herself this thing between them wasn’t real. “Everything okay?” he asked his breath hot on her nape.
She plastered on a smile, but feared her eyes would betray her emotions when she turned to him. “Yes, why?”
With his eyes fixed on her mouth, he curled a strand of her hair around his index finger and as heat and strength radiated from him, she reveled in the sensations her brought out in her. “You had a strange look on your face earlier.”
“It’s the wedding,” she said. “They make me emotional.”
He angled his head, his eyes piercing. “You sure that’s all?”
She nodded, and taking her by complete surprise, his fingers splayed across her stomach in a soothing caress. “I thought you might have been having trouble.”
Her heart galloped and emotions bombarded her. She braced herself, his compassion overwhelming her as longing swept through her. “I’m okay,” she assured him as the church cleared. Feeling a bit panicky, she had to get out of there, needed to put some distance between them before she did something she might regret. Something like tell him she was imaging him as the father of her children and that’s why she had the strange look on her face. “We should go.”
She made a move to leave, but he cupped her elbow and hauled her against him. His big hands spanned her waist and his touch sent shivers skittering through her limbs.
His eyes darkened with desire, and his mouth settled firmly over hers. She sensed his possession, the hunger inside him and it gave her a rush. His hands slid over her skin, then he inched back, cupped her face and whispered, “You look beautiful.” The heat and want in his voice made it difficult for her to get her next breath. Beneath the dress she could feel her nipples hardening and deep between her legs she moistened, her body preparing for so much more.
Someone cleared their throat and Garrett moved back, a sheepish look on his face.
Embarrassed, Tallulah quickly straightened her dress, squared her shoulders and turned to find her mother standing behind her. “I didn’t see you there,” Tallulah said and when Garrett grinned at her, she instantly realized that he’d seen her mother’s approach. The kiss had been for show purposes, which once again reminded her that what was between them was a business arrangement.
“I guess we’ll be making plans for you next?” Her mother’s shrewd gaze went back and forth between the two.
“Soon enough,” Tallulah hedged.
“When will you be ring shopping?” her mother queried, and even though her words were innocent, not meant to hurt, she could feel Garrett stiffening beside her.
“I love this ring,” Tallulah said bluntly, and when Garrett’s head jerked her way, like he was surprised by her sudden outburst, she squared her shoulders and in an even tone, added, “It’s important to Garrett, which makes it important to me. I’d rather this on my finger than some showy diamond.”
Her mother gave her an odd look, opened her mouth to say something then shut it again. “We’d better get going. We don’t want to hold up the pictures.”
Once she as out of earshot, Tallulah turned to Garrett and explained, “She’s old-fashioned. She didn’t know.”
“She’s right. You should have a proper ring.”
Before she could say anything, he took her hand and they stepped out into the beautiful sunny afternoon. Fingers entwined, they made their way to the park across the street, and spent the next couple of hours posing for pictures.
Feeling a little faint in the hot sun, Tallulah found reprieve under a tall tree while the others mingled and fussed over the bride. She fanned her face, and watched from afar, and that’s when she saw her mother talking to Garrett. The look on her mother’s face was disconcerting, and one Tallulah had never seen before.
After a moment, Garrett looked past her mother’s shoulders, and when he made eye contact with her, he made a move toward her. But her mother’s arm on his stopped him mid-stride. They exchanged a few more words, then Garrett drove his hands in his pockets as her mother turned from him and cut across the wide expanse of manicured lawn.
“Everything okay?” Tallulah asked.
“I just wanted to thank Garrett.”
Tallulah’s head came back with a start. “Thank him? For what?”
Her mother was about to answer then concern moved over her face. She dropped down on the bench beside Tallulah and asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Too much sun,” Tallulah said and fanned her face. “I’m feeling a bit faint.”
“Garrett was about to check on you, but I asked if I could come instead.”
She gave her mother an odd look and was about to ask what was up when her mother said, “Your father and I have been talking.”
Tallulah stiffened, and toyed with the ring on her finger. “About?”
“Garrett.”
Was her mother on to their charade?
“What about him?” she questioned nervously.
“He’s a very nice boy. He seems to care for you a great deal.”
Tallulah smiled and caught Garrett’s glance, catching the concern in his eyes. No words needed to be spoken for her to know what he was asking. She shook her head no and he nodded before stepping away. Even though he was ready to come to her rescue if she needed him, unlike everyone else, he never made her feel like a child, one who couldn’t make her own decisions. Instead he made her feel important. Empowered.
“I’m glad you like him.” Her stomach knotted, understanding how much this was going to complicate things when they finished their business transaction. Maybe she should just come clean and tell her mother the truth, let her know that she was a responsible adult and could make her own decisions. She opened her mouth but her mother cut her off.
“I’ve been watching you both and you seem different since the last time you were home.”
“Different?”
“I’m not sure I can explain it. You just seem so happy, so in love.” Her mother grabbed her hand. “I thought you’d be happy with Jason, living back here surrounded by those who care. But in the city you’ll have Ving, Jenny and Garrett, and it comforts me to know you’ll be surrounded by love.”
Emotions welled up inside her, and she felt closer to her mom than she had in a long time.
“What can I say? I’m old-fashioned and just want what is best for my little girl. I thought I knew what was best for you, but well…maybe I don’t.”
She hugged her mother, exhaled slowly and began, “I’m not a little girl anymore though, Mom.”
Her mother’s blue eyes sparkled as she patted Tallulah’s hand. “Oh, Tallulah, you’ll always be my little girl,” she said, laughing.
Tallulah caught Garrett’s glance again, and when their eyes locked in a silent message the strength of their bond bolstered her confidence and gave her the courage she needed to finally speak her mind.
“Maybe so, but you have to understand I can make my own decisions. I, and only I, know what’s best for me,” she countered. “Even if things don’t work out between Garrett and me, I still plan to live in the city. I love you and Dad and all you’ve done for me, but my life and work is in Austin now. It’s where I need to be.”
Her
mother gave a slow nod. “You’re probably right but someday when you have kids of your own, you’ll see what it’s like.”
Tallulah thought about the doctor’s prognosis and a lump lodged in her throat. She hadn’t told her mother the bad news because the last thing she wanted to do was worry or upset her when she was dealing with Ving’s wedding.
Her mother let loose a sigh, her glance perusing Tallulah’s face. “I still don’t like you living so far away, but something tells me, no matter what the future holds, you’re going to be okay.”
Tallulah squeezed her mother’s hand, and deep in her heart she knew her mother would be disappointed when she broke it off with Garrett. But now that she opened her mouth and told her mother what she really wanted, her mother understood that Tallulah was going to make her own decisions, and was no longer going to do what was expected of her, which meant she wouldn’t be pressuring her to come home. Tallulah smiled, surprised at how far they’ve both come in the last week.
After a long moment she asked, “Mom?”
“Yes.”
“What were you thanking Garrett for?”
“Helping Mrs. Henderson.”
“Mrs. Henderson?” she asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Garrett caught the Tanner boys causing mischief and put the fear of God in them. Those boys have been over there helping her every day since, and she’s been baking up a storm for them.” She paused and then said, “She thought Garrett was a fine young man and is telling anyone who will listen.”
Tallulah arched a brow. “Really. And here I didn’t think she liked anyone.”
“I think it’s because she’s lonely. She lost her husband a few years back and her kids have moved away. I think she’s secretly happy to be baking for someone again. I’d say Garrett must have picked up on that.”
“He’s very astute and very good with kids,” she said.
“Especially delinquent ones,” her mother said with a smile.
Tallulah nodded, and as she considered that longer, she wondered why he’d never followed in his father’s footsteps. Just then she saw her own father walk by and her mother beamed at him when he cast a smile their way. Even after all these years it was clear how much they loved each other.
Tallulah turned to her mother. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“How did you know Dad was the one?”
A distant look came over her mother’s pretty face. “From the way he looked at me.”
Tallulah nodded, because she’d seen that look. “How did he know you were the one?”
Her mother gave a small chuckle. “Don’t worry, Tallulah. I see the way Garrett looks at you. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
With a heavy heart, Tallulah caught sight of Garrett in the crowd. She knew he was simply playing a role, but even if he wasn’t—even if he really did look at her with love in his eyes—what kind of future could they have anyway. They both wanted different things.
They continued to sit there in silence, more at ease with each other than they had been for a long time. By the time her stomach started grumbling, they were rushed off to the hotel banquet hall where they all took their seats. After the meal was served they were brought into a beautiful ballroom, and soon the lights were dimmed and the dancing began.
With Kat by her side, Tallulah glanced around in time to catch little Cassie dragging Garrett out onto the dance floor. It was a typical scene from any wedding, but the second she saw Garrett pick Cassie up and place her little feet on his her heart turned over in her chest. In that instant, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if they were a real family instead of a pretend one, but she knew better than to give her heart, or anything else, to a man who wasn’t asking for it.
Kat snapped a picture of Garrett and Cassie, then the bright light flashed in Tallulah’s eyes and momentarily blinded her.
She blinked. “Ah, a little warning might be nice next time.”
“I wanted to catch you in the moment.” Kat turned the camera back on the crowd, then nudged Tallulah when she spotted one of Ving’s comrades at the bar. “What do you think of that badass?” she asked. Grinning, she added, “He looks like the kind of guy who’d be really good at bending a girl’s will.”
Tallulah laughed and was about to answer when someone came up behind her and said, “Would you like to dance?”
She turned and found herself face to face with Brad, or rather face to chest with him. She lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “I…uh…” she said.
A slow song came on and he held his hand out to her. From the corner of her eye she could see Garrett glaring at them. The intensity in the way he stared at her made her breath catch, and her knees give a little.
“I guess I should get to know the woman who’s stolen my best friend’s heart, don’t you think?”
With his mood blackening, Garrett swilled the rest of his beer and tried to ignore the possessive tug on his emotions as his best friend escorted Tallulah out onto the dance floor. He leaned against the bar, and was so busy trying not to care that he hadn’t noticed Kat when she sidled up to him.
She finished the last of her drink. “Looks like I need another.”
Thrumming his fingers on the bar top and trying to appear unaffected, he gestured the bartender for two more beers, but by God, it was frightening how jealous he felt, how much he wanted to go over there, punch Brad in the face and drag Tallulah back to their room where he could have her all to himself.
Kat snapped a picture of him, and he snarled at her. “What was that for?”
“You looked like you needed a little something to help you snap out of it,” she explained then started taking pictures of Tallulah and Brad.
Garrett knocked back his beer, and tried for small talk. “So, you and Tallulah go way back, huh?”
“Yeah. Lu and I know everything about each other, every little secret,” she said grinning.
She doesn’t know every secret. Not like I do.
He watched her move on the dance floor, and it took all his effort not to stomp over there and peel Brad from her body.
Kat took a sip of her beer, then exhaled an exaggerated sigh. “At least I thought we did.”
He turned to her. “What are you talking about?”
She had a worried, thoughtful look on her face. “I don’t know. She’s just…different somehow. I asked her about it, but she swears nothing has changed.” She tapped her fingers on the beer bottle. “I think she’s keeping something from me.”
The song ended and Brad leaned in close to whisper something in her ear. Tallulah laughed, then headed off in the opposite direction. Garrett watched her until she disappeared into the hall. His jaw tightened. Where the hell she was going?
He was about to go after her, when Kat’s words stilled him. “You know, I’d do anything for her.”
“Does she need you to do something for her?” Garrett asked, staring out into the crowd. As he avoided her curious eyes, his body tensed because he suspected she was going somewhere with this.
“No.” She touched his arm, forcing him to look at her. She narrowed her eyes, concern written all over her face. “She’s just a nice girl, Garrett.”
“I know that.”
“A nice girl who needs a nice boy who wants the same things as she does.”
His stomach clenched, and tightness settled deep in his chest. Okay, so he couldn’t deny that Tallulah was easing herself right into his heart. “And this is your way of telling me to back off because I’m not that guy?”
She cocked her head and met his gaze unflinchingly. “I don’t know. Are you?” she challenged.
He looked pointedly at Tallulah’s best friend, and as he ran through the events of the last few days, he knew he was in a shit load of trouble. He never should have slept with her. He should have been stronger. She was a nice girl—sexy, sensitive, fun loving and compassionate—a girl who needed a man who could give her
the things she wanted, a man who wouldn’t let her down.
Fuck.
With that last thought in mind, he dropped his bottle onto the bar top, and pushed off the counter. “I gotta go,” he mumbled and maneuvered his way through the crowd. He stepped into the well-lit hall, determined to take Kat’s advice and end this dangerous game he was playing with Tallulah here and now.
Except that’s when he saw her standing in the corridor outside the woman’s washroom talking to her ex, Jason.
Every protective instinct he possessed came out full force as he clenched his fists and made a move toward her.
His footsteps gained her attention and she turned his way, but the confident, determined look on her face slowed him. He expected to see her shrink into herself, after all, she hated confrontation and didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, even assholes like her ex, but when he saw her head held high, her back a little straighter, he stopped in his tracks.
She turned away from Garrett and that’s when he realized she had the situation completely under control. He stood there listening to the tail end of their conversation, and while he noted the way she chose her words carefully, always sensitive to others—a quality he truly loved—she wasn’t backing down in the face of pressure.
“I’m not a child, Jason,” she continued while Garrett jammed his hands into his pockets, giving her the space she needed, even though he wanted to beat the living shit out of Jason, and take Tallulah into his arms. “I don’t need anyone telling me what to do,” she said, her voice steady, convincing.
“Lu,” he murmured, “but we—”
Tallulah put her hand up, palm out to stop him. “I know what’s best for me.” She wagged her finger back and forth between them. “And I also know you don’t want this any more than I do.”
Guilt moved over his face and that’s when Garrett got the impression that he was being pressured every bit as much as she was. Jason opened his mouth to say something, then clamped it shut.
