Rules of Engagement

by Kay Lyons

  "Carter promised Lincoln he'd leave you alone until after the wedding because Lincoln didn't want you running scared if Carter came on too strong."

  "That's leaving me alone?" she asked, waving a discreet hand in Carter's direction.

  "For a man like Carter?" Marsali smiled. "Yes. That's why I can't wait to see what happens next week after the wedding is over."

  The thought left Eliza struggling to breathe. She had a hard enough time focusing whenever she was around Carter, even though his behavior was apparently his "tame" approach. "You're twisted to be so sweet, you know that?"

  Marsali's laughter rocked the nearly empty room.

  "And you are a softie behind all of those walls. I wonder if Carter has figured that out yet?"

  Chapter 15

  Carter had figured that out. In the days following, Carter often found himself pondering Marsali's comment about Eliza and thinking of Eliza's tender heart beneath the protective walls she'd built.

  He'd seen her compassion and caring multiple times during their time together because it was such an integral part of her. It came out when she spoke to her girlfriends, to Piper, to anyone she didn't feel threatened by. But anytime he got close, the walls went up along with her wariness, and he'd learned to recognize the look as it happened.

  Chaos ensued as Lincoln and Amelia's wedding approached, and Carter used every opportunity he could to get closer to Amelia.

  Because fact was, he couldn't stop thinking about how close he'd come to kissing her before her ex had so rudely interrupted. Technically, kissing her would've broken the promise he'd made to Lincoln, so Carter was glad it hadn't happened. But the clock was ticking, and soon his restraints would be lifted. While his brother counted down to the wedding, Carter counted down to getting another opportunity to kiss Eliza.

  Soft, feminine laughter filled his house, and he smiled at the sound. Amelia, Kellie, Marsali, and Eliza were in the back of the house doing wedding stuff and having a blast.

  "Daddy?" Piper asked, her pink-tipped fingers pulling her mermaid doll close as she shifted to one side on the bed.

  "What, baby?"

  "My dress for the wedding is really pretty, isn't it?"

  He grinned at her and bent to kiss her forehead. "Your dress is pretty but nowhere near as beautiful as you are."

  "I'm smart, too, right?"

  "You better believe it. Why are you asking?"

  "Do you think when I get big someone will want to marry me?"

  "I'm sure they will. But hopefully not for a long, loooong time," he said. "Did you say your prayers?" He knew she had because he'd listened to them like he did every night. He dreaded the day when she broke the ritual. Because as a man who'd made a lot of mistakes, he now knew the value of that quiet time.

  "Yup. I asked God for a husband like you 'nd Uncle Linc."

  "Whoa. Husband? Too soon, baby girl. I'm not ready to let you go yet. How about you stick around for twenty years or so?"

  "That long?"

  He chuckled at her complaint and drowsy-eyed gaze. "Yeah, that long. You need to grow up and do some things before you go off and get married."

  "What things?"

  "Oh, I don't know. Maybe get your first big job after school or go on a trip you want to take. Things that help you figure out who you are and what you want."

  She yawned and turned her freckled nose into the mermaid's hair.

  "I don't want to go to bed," she said, eyes mostly closed and fighting every blink. "Is Eliza going to be here tomorrow night, too?"

  A noise alerted him to someone in the hallway, and he glanced over his shoulder, spotting the beautiful brunette standing outside Piper's door, watching them with her soft green gaze. "I think so since we're all helping to get ready for the wedding."

  "Good. I like her."

  Carter smiled, his gaze on Eliza. "I like her, too."

  He saw the way Eliza's lips parted at his comment before she ducked her head and disappeared from view. Carter refocused on his daughter and tucked the sheet around her shoulders, letting his hand drift over her bright hair as he leaned low and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, baby."

  Piper made a soft, sleepy sound, her lips pursed as she finally let go and settled into slumber. He stood carefully to not jostle the twin bed and left her room, pulling the door shut behind him.

  Back in the living room, Carter watched as Amelia and Eliza fussed over the small bouquet Amelia's best friend, Izzy, would carry as maid of honor.

  So many little details, each of them part of a bigger whole.

  "Oh, wow. Look at the time. I have to go, too," Amelia said. "Filming starts soon and I have to be there since I won't be the rest of the week or next."

  "It's fine," Eliza told her. "No problem."

  "I hate to leave you when Marsali and Kellie just left, but I have to make sure we're good to go for when I'm honeymooning."

  "This is what I do, remember? Go do what you do," Eliza said.

  Amelia quickly hugged Eliza before heading out the door. Carter watched as Amelia sent him a grin over her shoulder before shutting the door behind her.

  "Time for a break," he said to Eliza. "You've been going nonstop since you got here. How about something to drink? Water? Wine? I may have some sodas."

  "Water would be nice," she said. "Thanks."

  He moved to the fridge to retrieve a bottle for both of them, but as he crossed the room, he noted the way she wouldn't quite look him in the eyes.

  "Um… you know, I have a lot of work to do before I call it a day. Maybe I should take it to Mac's since—"

  "No." Carter slid a hand over his hair and tried to make his loud blurt sound more relaxed than it was. "I mean, all the stuff is here, so it just has to be carried straight out the door the day of, right? There's no sense in moving it only to move it again."

  Eliza bit her lower lip and worried it between her teeth. Something he wouldn't mind doing to her himself.

  "I just don't want to wake Piper… or intrude."

  It was early yet, but Piper had school and his daughter was a sleepyhead, which made an early bedtime essential to getting her moving in the morning. "You aren't intruding. And you definitely won't wake her. Once she's out, she's out. Been that way since day one. Getting her settled down is the hardest part. She goes until she literally crashes."

  Eliza grabbed a box and opened it before getting another.

  "What's all this?" he asked, indicating an oversized bottle he spotted in one of the boxes.

  "Instead of a guestbook, guests leave a message for Lincoln and Amelia. The bottle is sealed at the end of the night, and they open it on their first anniversary and read the notes."

  "And those?" He lifted his head in a nod toward her new project.

  "Gourmet chocolate wedding favors. They need bagged, tagged, and then added to the baskets."

  "Would you like some help?"

  Eliza's gaze flicked toward his then away again.

  "Uh… sure."

  He washed his hands and then donned a pair of plastic gloves. "I'll bag, you tag? I doubt I can make them as pretty as you."

  "Okay. Sure. Two chocolates in each."

  He set to work, and it wasn't long before he figured out the quickest way to stuff the seashell-shaped chocolates into the tiny bags since it wasn't as easy as one might think.

  Carter finished another bag and moved to set it between them right when Eliza reached for another, and their hands brushed.

  "Sorry," she said, withdrawing.

  "No problem. Eliza?"

  "What?"

  "Tell me something about you." He waited and when she finally met his gaze, he willed her to maintain contact this time.

  "Like what?"

  "I don't know. How'd you get into this?"

  The question seemed to be less personal than she was expecting and she visibly relaxed a bit.

  "Oh. Well, I started out working for a hotel as a teenager. I was a front desk person, but one day the event
manager needed help, and I jumped at the chance to get out from behind the counter. The pay sucked, but I loved it. Within a week, I was the new event assistant."

  "That's great."

  "It was," she said, "until I kept getting blamed for the coordinator's screwups. By then I was a senior in college, and I decided if I was going to take the hits, I wanted to actually be responsible for them, so I started my own company."

  "Your own company? You were what? Twenty-two as a senior?"

  A small smile tilted her full lips up at the corners, and he found himself struggling to focus.

  "Yeah. It was hard. I roomed with four other girls at the time, and space for stuff like this was at a minimum."

  "And James? When did he come along?"

  She rolled her eyes and yanked the strings of the bag.

  "James and I met when I went to a hotel to scout it out for a couple. He worked in hotel management. We dated casually for about a year and…"

  Carter waited. And then waited some more. "And?"

  "I didn't trust my instincts. I was about to break it off with him when he asked me to be exclusive. I said yes, because it bothered me that we weren't, and convinced myself we were on track to becoming more. I found out later, the hotel he'd worked for sold to another and James had lost his job. In the meantime, I'd agreed to let him come in as a partner, to help me, because… well, because I thought we were going to be the power couple of event planning, I guess. So stupid."

  Carter let her words hang in the air for a long moment, giving himself time to process them. She really did have reason to be wary of entanglements. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

  "Me, too." She tied the strings of another bag.

  "You know you're not the only person to ever do something stupid, right? Especially when it comes to relationships."

  "I know. But with my past… I should've seen the red flags. I did see them, but I ignored them and told myself I was making mountains out of molehills. But I wasn't. And I have to own the fact I messed up so badly."

  "Owning it is one thing, letting it keep you from living out the rest of your life another."

  Her fingers stilled and he watched as her lashes lifted.

  "Is that experience talking? I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you and Piper, but I heard you after I left the bathroom and…"

  "Are you asking about Piper's mom?"

  "Yeah. I mean, if you want to tell me."

  He liked that Eliza wanted to know more about him and asked him personally, rather than Marsali. Or maybe Marsali had already told Eliza the story, but either way, he liked that she asked. "We met. Went on two dates. She got pregnant and we got married. Then Piper was born, and a week after we'd brought her home from the hospital, Piper's mom announced she didn't want to be a mom after all, and she split."

  Eliza's sharp inhalation revealed the shock expressed by her beautiful gaze. So apparently Marsali hadn't filled her in.

  "She just… left her? You? Does she see Piper? Come visit?"

  "No. She signed over her parental rights with the divorce, and we haven't seen her since."

  Eliza's lips parted and he saw the empathy and pain she couldn't hide.

  "I can't imagine. I can't even…"

  He nodded, because he couldn't imagine walking away, either. The pregnancy had been an accident, but from the moment he'd known he was going to be a father, everything had changed. It was like someone had grabbed him up and shaken some sense into him, and he'd tried to become a better man every day since. He'd thrown himself into being a good husband, a good provider. But it hadn't been enough. "I don't know what I would've done without Lincoln and Jill that first year. Piper was colicky. Man, that kid has some lungs," he said with a wry shake of his head. "But she's been the best thing to ever happen to me."

  Eliza inhaled and tilted her head to one side as she met his gaze, a small smirk brightening her features.

  "You probably get quite a bit of attention being a single dad of an absolute doll. Don't tell me that doesn't go a long way in scoring you dates."

  He laughed, feeling more than a little sheepish. "It's had its moments."

  "That you took full advantage of, I'm sure."

  "I'm no saint," he admitted. "But from the day I knew she existed, my life changed. I committed myself to marriage and Piper, and I'll commit myself again when the right woman comes along."

  "That's… admirable."

  Something about the way she said it… “You don't believe me?"

  "No, I… I have no reason not to."

  "But?" If she had something to say, she needed to say it.

  She plucked at the strings with her finger, staring down at the bag she held.

  "But people tend to mean what they say at the time—until it's not convenient for them anymore."

  His heart pinched at the expression she wore. "James isn't the only man who broke your trust, is he?"

  An uncomfortable-sounding laugh emerged from her, and she grabbed another bag.

  "Can anyone ever truly be trusted?"

  "So you plan to live out your entire life afraid to love?"

  "I'm not—"

  "Who's lying now?" he asked, his gaze direct, holding hers, willing her not to look away.

  "You've been there," she acknowledged with a lift of her chin, "so you know what it's like. Why would you or I or anyone risk that level of hurt again?"

  "Come on, really? What about Lincoln and Amelia? You can't be one of those people who think you have one chance and that's it."

  "I'm not but… I warned you I was cynical. You know, let's change the subject. Please."

  He sat back in the chair and studied her, wondering how to crack the protective shell walled around her. "Not yet. How many guys have you dated since you and the ex ended?"

  Carter waited, watching her. Eliza didn't speak. And then it dawned on him. "No one? Seriously?"

  "How many women have you dated since— Wait, I seriously don't want to know the answer to that."

  "Hey, it's not as many as you obviously think," he said, not liking it that she thought of him that way. "I'm a single parent and self-employed business owner. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time. What's your excuse? Why haven't you gone out with anyone? I know you've been asked."

  "I… have."

  "But you turned the poor guys down and broke their hearts because you're afraid?"

  "I've been working nonstop to salvage what was left of my business."

  "Okay. I'll give you that. But you don't have that to worry about now. You've rehired Kellie," he said, referring to the woman who'd appeared at the hotel last weekend and worked from his living room tonight, "and I heard you tell Amelia that some of the people who'd originally gone with James are now rescheduling. So, once the wedding is over, we're going out."

  "Who says?"

  "I do."

  "And if I disagree? What, are you just going to throw me over your shoulder like a caveman if you show up and I refuse to go?"

  Reminded of what he'd told Lincoln that night a week or so ago, Carter bit back a grin. "Only if I have to. Come on. We'll be two battle-weary new friends who are just hanging out."

  "A business dinner? To discuss my ideas and what might be involved in the design?"

  "Sure. We'll even split the check if you like."

  "You'd actually be okay with that? No funny business?"

  Funny business? Oh, he could be all about the funny business with her. "Hey, I'm not the one who hasn't dated in a while," he said, winking at her. "How do I know you'll be able to keep your hands to yourself?"

  "You're incorrigible."

  "So what's your answer?"

  "I'll go… to discuss business."

  Carter grinned. "Okay. Sounds like we have a date."

  Chapter 16

  "You're going out with Carter?"

  Marsali practically screamed the question the following evening. Eliza glared at the cell phone on the tiny stool beside the soaking tub and rolled her eyes. We
ll, that news certainly didn't take long to travel.

  "Eliza? Hello?"

  She moaned and slid deeper into the water. "We're going out for a business dinner because I have designs I want to discuss with him. How'd you find out?" she asked, her tone revealing her upset with herself for allowing a pair of slate-gray eyes and a wicked smile to sway her.

  But combined with the fact Carter Hayes had opened up to her with his story about Piper's mother—well, dinner shouldn't be such a big deal. Misery loved company, right?

  She sipped her glass of wine and tried not to think about how Carter would look dressed in his best-man clothes in a few days' time. Or the fact she couldn't wait to see him wearing the hand-crafted leather suspenders Amelia had special ordered.

  "I stopped by Mac's on my way home. Carter was there."

  "And my name came up how?" Eliza pressed her damp hand to her face and rubbed hard. She'd rather Carter had kept his mouth shut but obviously he hadn't.

  "Carter was telling Mac about how he'd run into James today."

  Eliza sat up in the tub so fast water surged to the edge like a tidal wave. "What? Where? When? What did Carter say?"

  Marsali laughed at the barrage of questions.

  "On a jobsite, this afternoon, and he said he set James straight."

  "About what? What does that mean?"

  "You'll have to ask Carter."

  "Marsali, tell me."

  "I didn't get all the details. The story was mostly over by the time I got there. I'm sure Carter handled it fine. He's a good guy. You've got to see that by now."

  "I know you know more than you're saying. Since when do you keep secrets from me?"

  "Fiiine. Apparently James tried to work up a deal with Carter similar to one the two of you have—which, by the way, when did that happen?"

  "It… Recently. Very recently. Things have been so crazy I just forgot to mention it."

  "You think?"

  "We haven't actually worked together or anything," Eliza said, explaining Carter's offer. "I've got some great ideas."

  "That sounds awesome. And it definitely raises the bar for you. How exciting," Marsali said.

  "Yeah. But James tried to hire Carter?" Seriously? Was the man ever going to hit rock bottom in his underhanded dealings? Just when she thought James couldn't sink any lower, he did!