The Right Groom

by Jen Talty

  She’d been sitting there for about ten minutes with Andy, and not once had he said he loved her, and she wasn’t going to beg him to say it. He needed to do that on his own. Even then, she knew she didn’t want him back.

  Hell, she was absolutely positive she didn’t love Andy.

  And that Spencer was the only man she’d ever truly love.

  “You’ve really made me feel like shit this week,” she said.

  “I know, babe. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t fucking call me that,” she said, yanking her hand back. “And really, you’re only here for a few hours? You can’t grovel enough in that time frame.”

  “I’m sorry, but that case landed my firm a new client, which is a big deal for me. This is why I didn’t want a wedding like this. If we had just eloped, there wouldn’t be this pressure on either one of us.”

  “This is important to my parents. My family. And me.”

  He nodded. “And I’m here. That should be enough.”

  “I need to think.”

  “Excuse me?” Both his eyebrows curved. “I fly all the way here and tell you I’m sorry, and all I get is ‘I need to think.’”

  “Yes. That’s all you get. Maybe if you had called first. Or answered my last few texts. Hell, didn’t you get my messages I left at the office? But no. You just show up and put me on the spot in front of my parents like that. How would you have played it if I had told them?”

  “I had a speech all worked out.”

  She shook her head. A speech? Totally lame. No flowers. No chocolate. No grand gestures. “That’s pathetic.”

  “But it’s me and that’s what you are marrying, and I have to believe since you didn’t tell anyone, you still want to marry me.”

  “Like I said, I need a little space and time to think. What time is your flight?”

  “I’m flying out of Albany first thing in the morning, so I thought I’d leave here right after dinner.”

  Classic Andy. Come in, stir things up, and leave. This was going to make dealing with her parents that much harder. She glanced over her shoulder and let out a puff of air.

  Spencer waltzed across the front yard with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

  Shit.

  Andy turned his head.

  Spencer took one step onto the deck and paused midstep. “Oh. Sorry. I thought your parents were out here.” He pursed his lips.

  “No worries,” she said, trying to give him an apologetic smile. “I was just going to go inside and get some water. Why don’t you come with me?” She turned her attention to Andy. “Do you want anything?”

  “A beer would be nice, babe.” He winked.

  She resisted rolling her eyes. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She led Spencer through the lower level sliding doors.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Spencer asked with his hands on his hips and fire shooting from his eyes. “What the hell is he doing here?”

  “He just showed up and before I had the chance to tell my parents.”

  “What does he want?” Spencer asked.

  “He wants to get married.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?” Spencer dropped his hands to his sides. “And you’re actually thinking about it after what he did to you? More importantly, after what we shared this morning?”

  “He’s been here less than a half hour. I haven’t had the chance to deal with any of it. I’ve been totally blindsided, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask to give me a little time to sort through it.”

  “What? I think it’s pretty simple. Tell him it’s over. Give him the ring back and move on with your life. You don’t belong with him.”

  “Oh, and next you’re going to try to tell me that I belong with you?”

  “Yes.”

  She opened her mouth, but he quickly shushed her with a kiss.

  “Stop it,” she said, pushing him away. “I need you to give me space and time. I have a lot to think about and consider.”

  “That man out there is a liar and a cheat.”

  “A cheat?” She blinked a few times. The word echoed in her mind. “How would you know that?”

  “I just do,” Spencer said with a tight jaw.

  “You don’t just go around making accusations like that about people. I know this is an awkward situation, but—”

  “Nothing awkward about it.” Spencer held her by the forearms. “He’s put you through hell this week. That alone should be cause to tell that asshole to take a hike.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “It should be, especially when he’s sleeping with his client.” Spencer stepped through the doors, back outside, and disappeared around the side of the house.

  Echo knew she couldn’t marry Andy; she’d make sure he knew that before he left today. Tomorrow, she’d have a heart to heart with her parents.

  But she had no idea what to do about Spencer.

  Spencer sat at the bar at the Mason Jug and fiddled with the label on his beer, waiting for his sister Emma and his baby brother Damien to show up. Rochelle was working, so she was out of the equation. One great thing about his family was they worked at the same station house. Two firefighters and two EMTs. One bad thing was that his father was the fire marshal, and that often made their world a little too small.

  Of course, his captain was his cousin, along with a dozen other fireman. It was all very incestuous, but it worked.

  The bar door swished open and in strolled his younger sister by only eleven months.

  “Who the hell died?” Emma plopped herself on the barstool.

  “A man can’t want to spend some quality time with his sister?”

  Emma laughed. “But you called all of us, and that can mean only one thing.”

  Damien strolled into the Mason Jug and slapped his hand on Spencer’s back. “I heard through the grapevine Echo’s fiancé showed up and then turned around and left again.”

  “I didn’t know he left.” Spencer snapped his attention toward his brother. “How’d you find that out?”

  “I ran into Hugh on my way in. They all had dinner over at his parents’ place, and he said it was awkward as hell and that Echo was completely out of sorts.” Damien waved to the bartender. “And she did a fair amount of day drinking and is now drunk.”

  “That’s not like Echo,” Emma said.

  “What else did Hugh say?” Spencer accepted the cold beverage his brother bought and tapped on the menu for a sampler of appetizers. He stood, moving to an open table in the bar area. He sat down and leaned back, staring at the dartboard while a couple of newbie state troopers tried to hit the bullseye.

  Spencer had spent the day trying to forget about Echo. He’d helped his mom sand and stain her flower boxes, and then he tinkered with his truck.

  But nothing helped.

  He’d let Echo worm her way back into his heart and soul, and now he wasn’t sure he’d ever recover.

  Especially if she married that jerk-off.

  “No one in the family likes this Andy guy. He said he’s an arrogant asshole, and they are all going to try to talk some sense into her.”

  Spencer glanced at his watch. “How long ago was this?”

  “I literally just saw Hugh ten minutes ago,” Damien said as he tossed his arm over the empty chair and swigged his beer. He might be only twenty-three, but he had a good head on his shoulders, and he’d always been overly mature. “He mentioned that his dad is really struggling with this wedding thing, especially after meeting Andy. He didn’t like the way he treated his daughter.”

  “As he shouldn’t.” Spencer had been sitting on that file Tristan sent him because he figured the wedding was off and Echo was free. Why hurt her more. But if she planned on taking the asshole back, she should know what she was in for.

  Only, it shouldn’t come from him.

  And probably not tonight if she was drunk.

  Of course, he could send the intel to Noah, but that could cause a different set of
problems.

  “Did you meet her fiancé?” Emma asked.

  “For about a half a minute when I stopped by earlier,” he admitted. “But that’s not what I’m basing my opinion on.”

  “Oh yeah, then what?” Emma asked.

  Fuck it. “You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone. Not until I figure out how to tell Echo.”

  Damien set his beer on the table and leaned in. “That sounds ominous.”

  “When Echo first came home, her asshole fiancé sent her a text telling her he had cold feet.” Spencer lightened the reality of what truly happened only because he felt a pang of guilt for breaking her confidence. “He considered calling off the wedding.”

  “That sucks,” Emma said.

  Spencer nodded.

  “Yeah, but how do you know about it?” Damien asked.

  “Echo confided in me, and I took matters into my own hands and had a buddy do some digging.”

  “You didn’t,” his sister exclaimed as she slapped her hand on the wood table. “What did you find out, big brother?”

  He pulled his cell from his back pocket and pulled up the images that Tristan’s private investigator had found. “He’s having an affair.” Spencer nearly choked on his own words.

  “Fuck.” Damien lifted the cell. “And you haven’t told Echo about this?”

  “I might have blurted it out earlier today,” Spencer said.

  Emma took the phone from Damien. “Could you be wrong?”

  “No.” Spencer shook his head. “The pictures say it all. The report the PI sent is even more damning. I just don’t understand why he came back. He told Echo he didn’t love her. I assumed it was because he found someone else, who he will dump in a few months because that’s his MO, so what the hell is this guy’s end game?”

  “He’s a lawyer in a prestigious firm,” Damien said. “Maybe he wants to paint the picture-perfect family and Echo fits the role.”

  That thought made his stomach churn. Echo wasn’t the little arm candy wife. She was her own woman, with her own desires and dreams. No one defined her except her, and he couldn’t believe the woman he loved would stand for being treated like a piece of property.

  “You said Hugh mentioned Andy left. Where was he going?”

  “He’s flying out of Albany tomorrow morning.”

  “Do you know what hotel he’s staying at?” Spencer asked.

  “Yeah. Actually, I do,” Damien said.

  “Send me the information.” Spencer let out a long breath.

  “Why?” Emma asked. “What are you planning on doing?”

  “I’m going to call him.”

  “Oh no, you aren’t,” Damien said, shaking his head wildly. “That won’t do you or Echo any good.”

  “He’s got a point.” Emma reached out and took Spencer’s hand. “What you should do is help her pick up the pieces of her life.”

  Spencer took a long swig of his beer. “I slept with her this morning.”

  “You did what?” His sister jerked her hand back. “That is an interesting turn of events.”

  “I haven’t shown her the pictures, and I’m not sure she believes me about his affair.” Spencer rubbed his temple. “I don’t think she plans on marrying him, but I also don’t think she has any idea about how she feels about me. Honestly, I’m not sure about my feelings either.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Damien said. “You love her.”

  “I won’t deny that point, but a lot has changed in the last four years, and she’s carrying a lot of baggage.” Spencer didn’t care about any of that, but he didn’t want to be second fiddle.

  “You need to show her the truth. She deserves to see the reality of what she could be marrying,” Emma said. “And then give her some space.”

  “The last time I gave her space, she ran off on me.”

  “Then tell her how you really feel,” Damien said. “And what you really want, or be prepared to lose her for good.”

  6

  Echo folded her arms across her chest. She’d been biting her tongue the entire afternoon and all through dinner. She’d tried to act the part but failed miserably, and it had her entire family on edge. Twice during dinner, she nearly told Andy to just leave, but her mother had gone to the trouble to get the entire family together, and Echo didn’t want to create a scene in front of everyone.

  Andy unlocked his fancy rental. “I know you’re mad at me, but you’ve been a bitch all night, and your family can tell there is a rift between us.”

  “It’s more than a rift,” she said. “We have some serious problems.”

  “I’ve said I’m sorry. I went out of my way and spent a fortune on plane tickets to get here. I think that shows my dedication.”

  A little affection might show that, of course, but if he tried to kiss her, she might slap him. “Have you been cheating on me?”

  “What? Where did that come from?”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “Of course not. If that were true, then why would I come back and beg for you to forgive me for my cold feet?” He reached out and took her by the forearms.

  “You haven’t begged me for anything.”

  “That’s total bullshit,” he said. “You’re behaving like a child and this isn’t the kind of attitude that will be acceptable from the wife of a partner.”

  “Well, cheating is unacceptable, period.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  She shrugged free of him. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Who the hell is putting these ideas in your head?”

  “No one.” And that was sort of the truth. Spencer just spoke out loud what deep down she’d really been worried about but didn’t want to admit. Andy had a reputation for being a love ’em and leave ’em kind of man. Why would she think she could be the one to tame him?

  Standing there staring at him, she wondered why she wanted to in the first place. “I don’t want to marry you.”

  “Seriously? You put me through this and now you’re calling it off?”

  She slipped off her engagement ring and handed it to him. “Sorry to have put you through the Spanish inquisition with my family, but if you had called me first, I would have told you not to bother.”

  “You should have told me to leave when I first got here.”

  “You don’t know what it’s been like for me this past week.”

  “What’s it’s been like for you?” He laughed. “You have no idea what you’ve put me through with the partners and everyone at the office. Half the people think you’re the best thing since fucking sliced bread and I’m so lucky to have you, and the rest think you’re a God damned loon. You’ve put me between a rock and a hard place, leaving me no other choice but to marry you.”

  “Consider yourself a free fucking man,” she said.

  He held the ring up. “Keep it. Sell it. I don’t care.” He slipped into his vehicle and slammed the door shut, revving the engine.

  Well, fuck. He let her go pretty easily. People in love with each other don’t end things that quickly. She laughed. It took her and Spencer nearly two years to actually call it quits after they had officially broken up.

  She turned, and without thinking too much about it, she stuffed the ring into her pocket. She was halfway to the door when her father opened it.

  “Is he gone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Family meeting time,” her father said with a stern tone.

  It was never good when that happened.

  She stepped around him and into the house.

  “If I hadn’t dumped a shit ton of money into this wedding, I’d be pulling the plug on it myself,” Echo’s father mumbled as he slammed the door shut. “What the hell has gotten into you, Echo?”

  She meandered into the family room where she sat on the floor in front of her mother, who handed her another glass of wine that she probably shouldn’t have. Noah and Troy had made themselves comfortable on the recliner, and her o
ldest brother, Morgan, sat next to her mother, while Hugh perched himself in front of the fireplace.

  “I think you should sit down, Dad.” She leaned against her mother’s legs. What she really wanted to do was take the bottle of wine up to her room, climb between the sheets, and cry herself to sleep, but that wasn’t going to solve anything, and her family had the right to know.

  “Okay.” Her father settled in on the wingback chair near the stairs. “Are you going to tell us why you’ve been acting so strangely and why we all had to suffer through one of the most awkward evenings ever?”

  “Not to mention no one likes your fiancé,” Morgan said.

  “Morgan,” her mother said with that motherly tone that always made everyone cringe. “That’s rude.”

  “Well, do you like him?” her father asked.

  “I don’t know him very well,” her mother said. “I will say he hasn’t made a great first impression, but I’m willing to give him—”

  “No need to give him anything,” Echo interrupted. “I’m sorry that you all have put so much time, energy, and money into this, but I just called it off.”

  “Thank God,” Noah said, clapping his hands.

  “No need to be like that.” Her mother reached down and hugged her tight. “What happened, honey?”

  No way could she tell them the ugly truth. Besides, she didn’t know for sure if Andy had cheated or not. Nor would she tell them about the text message on the day she landed. That would be too humiliating.

  “Is it Spencer?” Hugh asked.

  “Why would you ask that?” She glared at her brother.

  “Because it’s painfully obvious the two of you have unfinished business,” Hugh said. “I have it on good authority he’s at the Mason Jug right now if you want to go talk to him.”

  “This isn’t about Spencer.” Only partially true. Breaking up with Andy had nothing to do with her confusion over her feelings for Spencer. Calling off the wedding had everything to do with the fact that she’d learned in the last few hours she hadn’t loved Andy.