Love Required (The Real Love Series)

by Codina, Melanie

  Tori began to leave the kitchen in search of the bride or groom when she heard Tessa say, “Hey, Joel, find me after work and I’ll show you what a lady boner looks like.” Shaking her head, she thought to herself that poor Joel didn’t know what he was getting himself into; Tessa would swallow him whole.

  Once back in the main dining area, Tori sought out the people she needed so she could keep things flowing properly for the wedding festivities. As she walked around the room, she couldn’t help but let her eyes drift back toward the table where she knew Jason might be. When she found him, her breath hitched at the sight of him. He was relaxing back in his seat, long legs forward, holding a sleeping baby on his chest. The feeling of longing that erupted in her chest was almost overwhelming, but the disappointment at the possibility he was unavailable tampered that longing. Again, he never gave her an indication that he liked her, but she had been looking forward to the daydreams about him wanting her, like she apparently wanted him.

  JASON was content sitting there holding his niece, Ella. He knew he would need to thank Mike for occupying Allie, thus preventing her from stealing the sleeping child. He also made sure to point out that he didn’t need to share Ella with her because Allie was now the table bitch and had to do what Jason said. As fun as it would’ve been to boss her around, he knew he could inflict the most damage by keeping her from the baby. He smiled, remembering her pouty face when Mike convinced her to dance with him instead of glaring at Jason.

  Of course he would share Ella with Allie in a little bit, preferably when it was time to change her diaper, but that was still sharing. He also knew that would be when he made his way back to the kitchen area to talk to Tori again. The only reason he wasn’t lurking back there trying to find a reason to talk with her now was because he knew exactly how creepy that would be. Plus, he did enjoy being able to torture Allie by hoarding Ella.

  He was watching his older niece, Madison, dance with Zane when Mike came back to the table to take his seat, sans Allie. Under normal circumstances, Jason would assume that Allie was preparing a sneak attack to steal the baby, but not tonight. Tonight, he was safe. Mike was also watching his son dance with Madison, and Jason couldn’t help but wonder if there was something going on there. “Does your son have good intentions where my niece is concerned?”

  Mike smiled at Jason’s question. “I have no idea about my son’s intentions, but I assure you that whatever they are, they are honorable. He would never do anything inappropriate with Madison. You have my word on that.” Mike finished his statement by giving Jason a confident, yet pointed, look.

  Jason nodded. “I accept that.” Zane was two years older than Madison and seemed to be a mature young man for his age. Jason admired that Mike had raised him alone for most of his life, and he had never seen the boy act any way but appropriate. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to keep an eye on him when he was dancing closely with Madison.

  “Where’s Allie?” Jason asked.

  “She’s helping Gillian use the facilities. Apparently when there’s a bride involved, it’s at least a two-woman job,” Mike said with a small laugh. Jason couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of how difficult it might be for Gillian to use the bathroom in her wedding gown.

  Picking up his beer, his raised it up toward Mike. “Here’s to being a man and possessing the ability to pee standing up.”

  Mike clinked his beer with Jason’s. “I’ll drink to that.” And they both took a drink.

  A few moments later, Mike spoke up again, “So, that woman you brought to the table earlier was quite beautiful.”

  Jason’s scowl was firmly in place when he glared over at his new friend. Yes, she was beautiful, but Mike had no business looking at her. When Mike just smiled big at him and continued, Jason knew he had walked into a trap. “That’s what I thought. Why don’t you ask her out? You’re not getting any younger, man, and take it from me, when they make you work for it, the time really adds up.”

  Mike was no doubt referring to the months that he basically chased Allie until her dare backfired on her, forcing her to accept a date with him. It was genius on Mike’s part, and Jason couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. Jason just smiled. “I plan on asking her out, but I just figured I’d wait until a little later to do it. She’s working, after all, and it’s rude to put her on the spot like that in front of all her coworkers.”

  “Agreed.” Mike took a slug of his beer before adding, “But, in the meantime, if you want to stare at her, she’s over there by your brother.”

  Jason’s gaze immediately went to where he had last seen his brother chatting with someone and landed on Tori. She had a smile on her pretty face as she spoke with Jake, and Jason immediately wondered what they were talking about and wished he were part of the conversation. Like Mike knew what he was thinking, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with a man walking over to speak with his brother. Especially when he’s holding said brother’s daughter. And if the beautiful woman you want to speak with just happens to be there, without any coworkers around her, it’s a win-win situation.”

  Jason smiled at Mike as he shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of his beer. Even though Jason knew that it was the perfect opportunity to talk to her, he couldn’t help but give Mike shit. “You’ve been hanging around Allie too much; she’s turning you into a chick.”

  Mike only smiled as he stood and clapped Jason on the shoulder, saying, “Think what you want, man, but I’m not going to bed alone tonight.” Watching him walk away, he couldn’t help but think Mike had him on that one.

  Jason was going to bed alone that night. Not that he was planning on picking up a chick at his brother’s wedding and taking her home with him seeing as he was in charge of Dylan and Ryan tonight anyway. But the days of spending one night with a woman had long ago left him with a bad taste in his mouth. He was done with feeling that way, and if he had learned anything from his group of friends lately, it was that it was never too late to find what you needed in life.

  Deciding he was going to talk to Tori, he stood and turned in the direction he had last seen her when he almost ran right into Gillian. He smiled down at her as he took her in. He’d heard people describe a woman as “glowing” at one point or another in his adult life, but he didn’t fully get it until this moment. She smiled back at him before saying, “I figured you’d be the one to have Ella. Allie was a little bitter about losing her own bet. I love it when her wagers backfire on her.” She leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the cheek before adding, “Are you okay with her?”

  “Of course I am, so don’t worry about her. She’s perfectly fine,” Jason assured her. Gillian seemed to be having a little separation anxiety. She was a great mother, but today was about being in love with Jake, not being a mom. “Go enjoy yourself. She’s in good hands with all of us, and you know it.”

  She heaved a big sigh. “I know she is, but it’s crazy hard being away from her. I’m not sure how I’m going to handle the coming nights without her.”

  Jason smiled. “I’m sure your husband will find plenty of things to occupy your mind, Gilly.”

  Gillian blushed and quickly leaned in to kiss her daughter again. He assumed she was hiding her embarrassment at his comment, but it wasn’t like everyone there didn’t know what Jake and Gillian were going to be doing for the next few days. So he couldn’t bring himself to feel bad for saying it. She smiled up at him. “I love you for being such a good uncle.”

  “It’s not a hard thing to do.” She smiled bigger before turning to go and enjoy herself.

  It took Jason a moment to remember where he was heading before Gillian found him. When he did, he looked for Jake but found he was no longer talking to Tori. Disappointed that he had missed his opportunity, he sat back down and scanned the room. He hoped another opportunity would present itself, and sooner rather than later since the anticipation of talking to her seemed to be making him restless now.

  There was a possessive side of hi
m that wanted to find her and tell her she was going to spend time with him. Thankfully he had a rational side too that reminded him that this woman was worth taking his time with, and he needed to make sure he approached with utmost care. Missing the chance at getting to know her was not something he was going to tolerate. He was a little surprised that his possessive nature was rearing its head over a woman he knew nothing about but she seemed to draw him in. It had been a long time since he had felt something like that, and for it to be as strong as it was unsettled him a bit.

  As the evening rolled on, the duties as best man continued to drag Jason in different directions. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever find the opportunity to seek out Tori. Once the cake was cut, the dances were done, Ella had been handed over to his parents, and he had happily seen his brother and Gillian off, he made his way to the kitchen to find her. Walking in, he found a tall woman with dark hair piled on top of head. When she realized he was there, she gave him a saucy smile and said, “Is there something I can do for you?”

  Disappointed that Tori wasn’t anywhere as he glanced around, he gave the other woman a hesitant smile. “No thanks. I just wanted to make sure your staff didn’t need anything else from us.”

  As much as he wanted to ask Tori out, he didn’t want to get her in trouble by mentioning her to this woman. For all he knew, there could be a policy preventing them from dating people they met while working. He quickly decided that he would just get more information on who she was from his brother if he couldn’t find her. The woman told him, “We’ve wrapped up in here, and the staff has gone home, so no, there’s nothing else needed.”

  Glad he had a backup plan, he nodded and left the kitchen. Now he’d have to text his brother tomorrow and hope Jake took a few moments away from his new wife to answer his questions. Jason held on to the hope that he would, but only because Ryan was with him. He smiled to himself as he thought he could use that to his advantage, and he wasn’t going to feel the least bit bad about that.

  TORI took a last look around the walk-in freezer to make sure everything was in its place. There was nothing that bothered her more than getting a call from one of the other teams asking where something was. If she was the last one out, then there was no reason she couldn’t tell someone where to find something if necessary.

  Walking out into the kitchen, she found Tessa waiting for her. Unlocking the drawer they stored their purses in, she pulled them out and handed Tessa hers. “All set?” Tori asked.

  “Well, I was thinking of climbing up that wall of a man that just left, but that might be frowned upon since he just got married,” Tessa said as she slung her bag over her shoulder while digging out her keys.

  “The groom was here in the kitchen?” Tori asked as they began shutting off lights and heading for the exit.

  “Yeah, he said he wanted to make sure we didn’t need anything from them. I told him all was good.”

  “Okay, great. He was quite the looker, wasn’t he? The bride was beautiful, too, and they were so nice,” Tori added as they crossed the nearly empty parking lot to the section where the staff parked. It was located near the offices on the opposite side of the reception hall. Since they usually left when it was late, they encouraged the employees to leave in pairs. Tessa had designated herself to protect Tori from ‘unspeakable acts of violence, unless the man was hot, in which case, she promised she wouldn’t interrupt.’

  “Of course they were nice and gorgeous. It wouldn’t be a week in our life if we didn’t have to witness couples like that living happily ever after,” Tessa said in a voice that was a cross between sarcasm and bitterness. Tori didn’t add to the comment. It would only get Tessa riled up, and then she’d launch into a bitter conversation questioning why they didn’t have men like that in their lives. Tori knew the reason she didn’t, but tonight she’d be fine avoiding that topic. She just wanted to go home, snuggle in bed, and go to sleep. When they reached their cars, Tori walked up behind hers and noticed that it was leaning. Rounding to the driver’s side, she saw that her rear tire was flat. “Well, shit!”

  Tessa had made it a few steps past Tori, but thankfully hadn’t gotten far. “What’s up?”

  “I have a flat tire. Shit! I don’t have time to change it tonight. Can you give me ride?”

  “Sure thing, hop in. Just kick whatever’s on the seat to the floor,” Tessa said as she unlocked her doors. Looking back to her car, Tori just shook her head. She would just have to deal with that in the morning. So much for an easy day off, she thought as Tessa peeled out of the parking lot.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  JASON shook his head as he led his nephews, Dylan and Ryan, from the reception hall office. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are someone turned it in, Dylan?”

  His nephew didn’t respond as his attention was completely devoted to his newly recovered iPod. The nine year old had saved all of his good grade and birthday money for months and then bought it for himself. So when he woke up that morning and realized he had left it at the wedding reception the night before, saying he panicked would be an understatement. Even though this was his nephew, he knew if Gillian or Logan were there, they would take the opportunity to turn what happened into a lesson. So he tried.

  “Dylan? Did you hear what I said?” he asked with a little more sternness to get Dylan’s attention.

  It worked. “Huh, what Uncle Jason?” Dylan stammered as he looked up at him.

  He couldn’t help but smirk at him. “I said, do you have any idea how lucky you are that someone turned that in? That usually isn’t the case at all.” He momentarily thought about reinforcing his words with an experience of his own then thought better. It wasn’t his job to do that; he’d leave that kind of crap to their parents. All of them, step-parents included. He smiled at the thought that Gillian was now his sister, officially. Not that they weren’t already family in his mind, but he was happy Jake finally got his girl. His brother deserved his happy ever after, and marrying Gillian was just another layer that linked them all together.

  Dylan let out a big sigh next to him as they walked toward the car. “I know, Uncle Jason. Do you have to tell my parents? I learned my lesson, I did, and it was my money that was used to buy it. If we didn’t find it, then it was only my money wasted. Please?”

  Reaching into his pocket for his keys, he looked to his nephew. Shaking his head once again, he said, “I’m not telling your parents anything, buddy, that’s not my job. But if I’m asked, I will not lie for you. Understood?”

  He watched Dylan’s face light up at his words. “Thanks Uncle Jason. You’re the best!”

  Jason snorted. “Of course I am.” Unlocking the car so the boys could climb in, he said, “Make sure there’s nothing on your feet before you rub them all over my upholstery. I just had the car detailed.”

  There was some noise of agreement from both of them before they loaded themselves into the back seat. Jason had just opened his door when he heard someone heave an aggravated sound, followed by a few colorful words. He smiled as he moved away from his car to investigate. Following the noise two cars down from his, he couldn’t help but smile bigger when he caught sight of the source. There was Tori from last night, hunched over a tire iron, attempting to remove a flat tire and grumbling obscenities. It was adorable.

  He stood for a second, waiting for her to notice him, not wanting to startle her. But he wasn’t able to maintain his silence when he heard her say, “I can do this, really I can. I do not need a stupid man to do this.”

  Huffing a laugh, he said, “Of course you don’t need a stupid man, but we can be fun to have around sometimes.”

  She let out a startled squeak at the sound of his words and lost her grip on the tire iron. It fell to the ground in front of her, as she landed with a thud on the asphalt behind her.

  “Oh shit, I’m sorry,” he said as he moved to help her up. Not bothering to put his hand out to offer assistance, he moved behind her, slipped his hands under her arms, and lif
ted her to her feet. Her hands immediately went to her backside as she moaned her discomfort. His mind was instantly filled with thoughts of doing that for her. Mind, meet your old friend, gutter, he thought as he quickly let go of her.

  Moving around to face her, he said, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Her sunglasses had slid down her nose from the not so subtle collision with the asphalt, and she had yet to correct them. She was still rubbing her rear, with eyes closed and a look of discomfort on her face. Reaching up, he removed her awkwardly angled shades. “Are you okay?”

  She opened her eyes, showing him that vibrant green that reminded him of the night before and her sexy wink. Giving him a crooked smile that conveyed her slight embarrassment, she said, “Nothing like a small dose of humiliation in the morning to add to the events of my day.” She shook her head as she accepted her sunglasses from him. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  Jason gave her a nod. “Can I help you with the tire? It’s the least this stupid man could do after essentially knocking you on your ass.”

  She gave him a hesitant smile. “Great. Of course you had to hear the stupid part of my pity-party.”

  He shrugged and smiled big. “It sounded more like a pep-talk than a pity-party.”

  She put her hands on her hips and tossed another sigh in his direction. “Good, we’ll call it that then.” She stared down at the flat tire, then the tire iron on the ground before looking back to him. “Sure, I’d appreciate the help. It is the least you could do, after all. I’m pretty sure I’ll be sporting a bruised ego to match my butt for a few days so I think I want to avoid trying that again.”

  Jason winced at the thought of her skin being marked, which was quickly followed by a tightening of his body as the visual of her bare skin came to mind. Needing to hide the red-blooded-male reaction he was beginning to have, he bent down to retrieve the tire iron. Getting into position, he moved to the small jack propping the car up, and released it, bringing the car back down to the ground with a gentle thud.