A single black eyebrow shot up as he turned those pale eyes back to me. “You told them?”
I somehow managed to get my thoughts in order and kick my brain back into high gear. “No, I didn’t,” I clipped, lifting my chin and throwing my thumb out at Hunter. “That was all your buddy here. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing to tell, because we aren’t married.”
He crossed his arms over his wide, defined chest, a look of defiance in those spearmint eyes. “That’s funny, ’cause I could’ve sworn I had a certificate that stated the opposite.”
The cocky jerk. If he wanted to play this game in front of all of his co-workers, I was up for it. And I played to win.
“Well, if I’d had any clue where you’ve been for the past decade, I would’ve rectified that particular mistake. As it stands, I’m pretty sure any judge out there would agree with me that a marriage is over when, less than two months into it, the husband up and disappears, never to be seen or heard from again!”
I heard gasps and muffled curses from all around us, but I was too focused on the man standing just a couple feet away to register anything else.
The heat melted away, and a plaintive expression twisted his handsome features. “Beauty—”
“I thought you were dead,” I blurted, an all too familiar pain stabbing at my chest and squeezing my lungs, making it difficult to breathe. “Do you have any idea what that did to me? You were overseas, and your letters just stopped. For weeks I lived in hell, thinking something had happened to you. I couldn’t get answers from anyone, because the Navy didn’t have any record of me being your wife. I was going out of my mind, then I got your last letter.”
“Tessa, honey—”
“Do you remember what it said?” My vision blurred with tears, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care that I was showing weakness, that I was crying in front of a bunch of people I didn’t know over a man who didn’t deserve my tears. I’d been holding on to this poison for years, and I was finally determined to let it go. “Because I do. I remember it clear as day.”
“Honey, don’t do this.”
“‘I’m sorry. I can’t do this.’ That’s what it said, Bryce. Two sentences. Six words. That was all you gave me. All I was worth to you. ‘I’m sorry. I can’t do this.’ Then you just disappeared.” Pulling a stuttered inhale, I batted at the moisture leaking down my cheeks. “So that certificate you have doesn’t mean shit. It’s nothing. It’s a piece of worthless paper. Just like your last letter to me.”
Turning away from Bryce, I ignored everyone else and focused solely on Rory. “I’ll wait for you outside. I just . . . I need some air.” Then I bolted for the door without a backward glance.
The cold wind slapped me in the face, the chill enhanced by the wet streaking down my face. My lungs rattled like they were full of gravel as I inhaled, trying to calm the throb in my chest.
Moving down the block, I ducked into a tiny alcove made by the entryway of another business that was housed in the same building as Alpha Omega Investigations. The chill from the bricks seeped through my clothes, but the shivers wracking my body had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with the memories of the night that changed everything . . .
My body was sated, my muscles like jelly after the delicious workout Bryce had just given me after nearly dragging me from the club back to my hotel room. Although I was physically exhausted in the very best way, I couldn’t get my mind to shut off.
As I lay there with my head resting on Bryce’s chest, I stared out the hotel window at the lights of the Vegas strip shining against the black backdrop of the sky. Bryce’s fingers traced random patterns on my naked skin from my spine down to my hip and back up again in soft, lazy strokes. “I can feel those wheels spinnin’, beauty,” he said in a husky voice. “What’re you thinkin’ about so hard?”
Pushing the sadness away, I turned my head and rested my chin on his pec so I could look up into those eyes I’d become so obsessed with. “Just thinking about how happy I am that I met you on this trip,” I answered, leaving out the part that I felt like my heart was breaking at the thought of leaving him in less than two days. “This week has been the most fun I’ve ever had. Thank you for giving me that.”
His arm wrapped around my waist and squeezed, pulling me higher so he could press his lips against mine. “It’s not over yet, honey. There’s a lot more fun to be had.”
I forced a smile, hoping to hide my sorrow. “I know. I just wanted to make sure I told you that before the week is up. When I leave to go back home, I’ll have a lot more memories to look back on than I ever anticipated, and that’s all because of you.”
His forehead pulled into a deep frown, his hold on me growing even tighter. “Why are you talkin’ like this is the end? It’s not the end, Tessa. We still have two more days.”
“More like one and a quarter,” I answered wearily. “I didn’t want to say anything, but my flight’s at noon the day after tomorrow.”
Bryce sat up quickly, forcing me to do the same. I wrapped the sheet around my chest as he propped himself against the headboard, an unhappy look twisting his face. “Can you move it? Maybe catch a later flight out?”
I gave my head a small shake. “The only way I could afford the airfare here was to get nonrefundable, nontransferable tickets.”
“Then I’ll pay for it,” he insisted.
I let out a soft sigh. “Bryce, I can’t let you do that. This way, at least you can spend some time with your friends after I leave. I mean, you came here together, and you’ve hardly seen them. Besides, this doesn’t have to be the last time we talk. We could exchange numbers before I leave.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment before turning to stare out the window, the muscle in his jaw ticking wildly. His expression was bleak as he studied the cityscape stretching out beyond the glass. However, when he turned back to me, there was something different in his gaze. He looked almost . . . determined? His pupils had blown, the black swallowing up the wintery green, a sign of intense emotion I didn’t quite understand until he finally spoke a minute later.
“I think we need to add something to your list.”
My chin jerked back, not only in surprise at the sudden change of subject, but at the vehemence in his tone. “Huh?”
He moved fast. Reaching over, he grabbed hold of my hips and pulled me into his lap so I was straddling his thighs with nothing but the sheet trapped between us. “Just hear me out, okay?”
“O-kay,” I answered warily.
“I think we should get married.”
Looping my arms around his neck, I held on tight as I threw my head back in laughter. Bryce’s fingers dug into my hips, cutting through some of the hilarity, and when I righted my neck, the last of my giggles suddenly dried up at the sight of his face. “Oh my God,” I croaked. “You’re serious.”
“Haven’t exactly been a choir boy my whole life,” he started, that drawl more pronounced, his voice almost rusty. “I’ve had my fair share of women, beauty, but not a goddamn one of them has ever made me feel like you do.”
“Bryce.” My breath hitched on that one word. “That’s crazy,” I protested, even though my heart was screaming in agreement with him. “We barely know each other.”
He fisted my hair, forcing my face even closer to his. Fiercely resolute, he demanded, “Tell me you haven’t felt what’s happenin’ between us, Tessa. Tell me you didn’t feel the connection with that very first kiss down by the pool.”
“I—” I couldn’t make myself form the words, because they would have been a lie. And he knew it.
“I don’t want to deploy with things between us up in the air, beauty. I want to know I’m comin’ back to you when those six months are up, that you’ll be waiting for me when I get back. I want to come home to you.”
I placed my palms on his chest and pressed deep. “What if we started dating? Six months isn’t all that long. I’d still be waiting for you when you got back. We could
start then.”
He shook his head immediately. “Have you ever been in love, honey?”
My lips parted slightly as I shook my head in silent answer. “H-have you?”
“I thought I was once,” he replied honestly. “But since meeting you, I realized it couldn’t have been real love, ’cause it didn’t feel anything like this.”
Holy shit.
“I can give you all the things you’ve been missin’, everything you want. You want a family? I’ve got two brothers and a little sister. And we’re all tight with each other and our folks. I can give you a family, beauty. All you gotta do is give me you.”
The thin resolve I’d been hanging on to was quickly being torn to ribbons by that romantic side I’d gotten from my parents. They’d had their fairy-tale love story, and I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, I was finally getting mine.
“We don’t have to work out all the details now,” he continued, working hard to make his case, even though he didn’t need to. “When I get back, we can figure everything out. I just need to know you’re mine before I leave. That’s the only way I can let you get on that plane without losin’ my goddamn mind.”
“This is crazy,” I whispered, but the smile stretching across my face contradicted my words. “You know that, right? Totally certifiable.”
His grin matched my own as he pulled me closer and spoke against my lips. “Ask me if I give a shit.”
“Do you give a shit?” I asked on a giggle.
“Not one damn bit.”
“Well, all right, then. Looks like we’re getting married.” My statement was followed up by a yelp when Bryce whipped me around, taking me to my back so he could hover over me.
“You aren’t gonna regret this, beauty. Swear on my life, I’m gonna make you so happy.”
“Tessa? You okay?”
I was jolted back to the present by the feel of Rory’s hand on my shoulder. I’d been so mired in the past I hadn’t realized she was standing right in front of me.
I gave my head a shake to get myself back to rights. “Sorry. Lost in thought.”
She looked at me, her eyes shining with pity that made me want to groan. “Understandable. You okay?”
Was I okay? The verdict was still out on that, but there were people in the world with real problems. A bit of heartbreak never actually killed someone, so I’d pull up my big girl panties and move forward.
“Yeah. I’m good. I’m just sorry for causing a scene back there. I’m sure your friends think I’m nuts.”
The pity slipped from her face, and she let out a little chuckle. “Not at all. As a matter of fact, when I was leaving, Rox and Sage were only seconds away from ripping Bryce a new one.”
My head cocked to the side in confusion. “What? Why? They barely know me.”
She gave me a shrug, like it was nothing. “They don’t have to know you. You’re a woman, and they want blood on the behalf of the sisterhood. It’s just how they are. How we all are, really.”
I appreciated that, and Rory’s kindness, more than she could have known. “Well, you’ll have to thank them for me then.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a chance to thank them yourself. More than likely sooner rather than later. Hate to break it to you, sweetie, but a bomb like the one just dropped in there tends to spread faster than lice in a grade-school classroom.”
My lip curled at her colorful analogy, and I found myself laughing in spite of everything that had just gone down. “Wow. That really paints a picture.”
“I have a gift for words,” she said with a wink. “Now, considering everything that’s just gone down, you have two choices. We can either go about our day like we planned, or I can take you to The Tap Room and get you drunk. On the house, because boys are stupid.”
“It’s barely after nine in the morning.”
“Good thing I own the bar then, huh?”
The vicious knot of tension residing between my shoulders finally began to loosen. “As tempting as that sounds, I think we should stick with our original plan. Even the most seasoned day drinkers would balk at starting this early. Unless it’s a mimosa.”
Rory hooked her arm through mine and began leading me back toward her car. “Then let’s start with breakfast. And I’m sure I can get Sally at the diner to whip up a mimosa or two.”
Chapter Five
Bryce
I stomped into my office, throwing the door closed behind me, but the satisfying slam I’d hoped for didn’t come, and I knew damn good and well why.
“We’re not talkin’ about this,” I stated as I rounded my desk and collapsed into my chair.
Sage slammed her hands on her hips and glared down at me. “When will you men learn? That ‘my word is law’ tone you like to use so much doesn’t do shit. If a woman wants answers, she’s gonna nag and bitch and whine until she gets them. And guess what, buddy. I’m gearing up for one hell of a nag.”
Lord deliver me from nosey ass women.
As if Sage wasn’t bad enough all on her own, her man, Xander Caine, a huge, burly son of a bitch, decided to wander in right behind her. “I heard shoutin’ earlier. What’s goin’ on?”
Leaning back in my chair, I linked my fingers and rested my hands on my gut. “What? Didn’t feel like being part of the drama in live time?”
Moving to one of the chairs in front of my desk, he took a seat then grabbed Sage by the waist and pulled her down into his lap. The changes that had taken place in the man over the past couple of months were astounding.
The former Army Ranger had been carrying around demons, living a life of solitude. To outsiders, he seemed like a miserable bastard, but those of us who knew how it was understood he was struggling with something dark. I—like the rest of the guys—wanted to help, but he’d never let us close enough to make a damn bit of difference. Then Sage started at Alpha Omega, and the tiny little spitfire shined light on his cold, dark world. He could still be a bastard when the mood struck—and it struck a lot—but his woman had a gift for putting the six-and-a-half-foot giant in his place.
He shrugged a massive shoulder and settled in. “When I hear more than one woman yellin’ at a time, I keep my distance until the dust settles.”
I shot him a death glare. “Coward.”
“Not a coward, just smart as hell. Now does someone want to fill me in or what?”
Sage gave me a look that said she wasn’t going to cut me any slack. Damn it. So much for being close friends.
“Turns out, our friend here has been keeping one hell of a secret.”
Xander turned his attention to his woman, curiosity evident. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“Apparently, he never thought to tell any of us he’s married.”
He blinked, once, twice. “Sorry. I think I had a mini-stroke there. It sounded like you said Bryce is married.”
“Just met Mrs. Dixon in the flesh not ten minutes ago. She’s super pretty.”
Xander slowly looked back at me with such shock, if he hadn’t already been sitting, I had no doubt the big man could’ve been knocked over by a small breeze. “What the fuck?”
“Told your girl before you came in here that I wasn’t gonna talk about it, and I haven’t changed my mind in the past two minutes. Do me a favor and just leave it, yeah?”
“I don’t think so,” Sage started, but to my surprise, Xander acted before I could do something stupid, like blow up at one of my closest friends.
“That’s enough, shortcake. He said he doesn’t wanna talk about it, so let it go.”
“But—”
“Let it go,” he repeated, his tone hard and unrelenting, serious enough that Sage immediately stopped. But the look on her face showed she wasn’t happy about it.
She dragged her feet as he began to guide her from the office. Before he got her through the doorway, she looked back at me over her shoulder, her features marred with worry. “Bry . . . you’re okay, right?”
I offered her a wink, pastin
g the mask of unaffected charmer on my face. I’d gotten damn good at wearing it the past several years. “I’m good, gorgeous. Don’t worry about me.”
She didn’t appear to believe me, but let it go anyway, letting Xander lead her out of the office.
I waited approximately ten seconds after they disappeared before getting up and going in search of Hunter. The two of us needed to have words.
I found him a short while later, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“What the fuck did you think you were doin’ earlier, tellin’ everyone about Tessa?” I stopped inches away so we were almost nose to nose. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
“Back off, brother. I was doin’ you a favor.”
“By setting her up to be ambushed? How the hell was that a favor?”
He slammed the coffee mug down on the counter. “You never would’ve made a move and we both know it. You’d have sat on your ass and wasted this opportunity just like you wasted the last ten fuckin’ years.”
“So, what? You decided to air our dirty laundry?” I snarled through clenched teeth. “You know this shit’ll be spread all over town before the day’s out.”
“That was the plan,” he said drily. “Only one who’s ever stood in your way is you. Figured if the town was involved, you’d be forced into action. You wanna be pissed at me for that, go for it, but I made a call and I stand by it.”
I had to shove my hands into my pockets to keep from planting my fist into my oldest friend’s face. “It wasn’t your call to make. I was handling things just fine.”
He let out a humorless laugh. “You were? You mean by doin’ what she asked and leaving her alone after that one attempt you made?”
“Goddamn it, Hunt!”
“You fuckin’ heard her,” he snapped back. “You heard her, man. I was standing right there. We all saw the misery on her face and the agony etched into yours when she laid all that shit out. I’ve been tellin’ you for years, brother. Years. You need her. What I didn’t realize until today is that she needs you just as much. And I don’t want to hear a goddamn thing about you not bein’ good enough or too damaged or some other bullshit excuse. She needs you. So fix this.”
The Second Time Around: a Hope Valley novel Page 5
