A Perfect Bride For Christmas (19 page)

exasperation. “She told Paula.”

Lyle hit his palm with the pen again, and again.

“Her mother knew about this and didn’t tell me?”

“Seems you’re in the dark, the same as me.”

Alex crossed his arms over his chest. “Paula

convinced her to give me another try. To tell you the truth—I’m not sure I want another shot at marriage with Sydney.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Oh, yes. The last time I tried walking down the aisle ended up badly. I want to be sure I’m doing the right thing this time.”

“Sydney said you found out you’re a father.” Lyle frowned. “How does that happen?”

“The usual way. Look, I’m not going into details of my sex life but yes, I have triplets with Zoe Hillman, I mean Zoe Bennett. Do you remember

her?”

“The fat girl?” Lyle stopped banging the pen

against his hand. His eyes widened in surprise, his voice held a hint of laughter. “I knew she had the hots for you but, Zoe?”

Alex wanted to punch his boss and future

father-in-law in the nose. “Don’t even go there, Lyle.”

He wouldn’t be in this situation if he’d been as quick to defend Zoe years ago.

“No wonder Sydney went off the deep end.” This

time Lyle slid his fingers along the length of the pen, flipped it over, then repeated the action. Alex wanted to grab it out of his hand and throw it across the room. “Can you imagine how that made her feel?

You’ve thrown a huge monkey wrench into the

works, son.”

“This changes everything. I tried to get Sydney 149

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to postpone the wedding until we get all of this sorted out but she refuses. I may have to take the decision out of her hands.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” Lyle’s words came out slow and menacing.

“Why not?” Alex bristled at the implied threat.

“Purely selfish reasons.” Lyle shrugged. “Paula and I have tickets to Tahiti immediately following the wedding. We’ll finally be able to relax once Sydney is in your capable hands.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I’ve got to think things

out.” “You can think after you’re married.”

“No.”

Lyle’s face grew hard, the knuckles on his hand turned white as they gripped the pen in his hand.

“Let’s be blunt. I’ve waited a long time for someone to catch Sydney’s eye, someone to take her off my hands. That’s you. So here it is—you either marry Sydney on Christmas Eve or you no longer have a place in this firm.”

“That’s blackmail.”

Lyle shook his head. “No, I consider it an act of fatherly love.”

“I can always work somewhere else. I’ve had

offers from several firms asking me to come in with them.”

“I don’t think so.” Lyle’s plastic smile reminded him of Sydney’s. “I can make it very hard for you to find a position anywhere in the city, or the state.”

“I don’t like threats.”

“No, it’s reality.” Lyle placed the pen back on the desk with slow careful motions. “You’ve worked too hard, your family sacrificed to give you a top notch education at Harvard. I remember your father

telling me how proud he was of you. It would be a shame if your threw that all away.”

“You fight dirty.”

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“How do you think I’m where I am today?

There’ll come a time when you’re in my position and will do anything for your child.”

“Sydney wouldn’t be so clingy, so needy if you’d paid attention to her when she was little. How does that fit into your picture of
fatherly love
?”

“One of my many regrets.” Lyle stood. “Don’t

make me sorry I brought you into this firm and her life.” “Like I said, I have a lot to think about.” Alex jerked his briefcase off the conference table and marched out the door without looking back.

Anger fueled his steps. How dare Lyle treat him like some flunky? Alex had proved his worth to the firm, repeatedly. He hated feeling like a trapped animal.

Thoughts slammed into him from all sides.

What about Sydney?

Where was the joy he felt when he first asked

her to marry him? Alex got into the elevator and punched the button to take him to the parking

garage. Had she always been so selfish and needy?

Why hadn’t he seen it before? When had the fun

loving woman he knew several months ago turn into this paranoid bitch? And when had he found such shallowness attractive? Still, he had to consider the partnership. Or did he? Would his father have told Lyle to go to hell?

Alex unlocked the Hummer and tossed his

briefcase onto the passenger seat before he slid behind the wheel. He breathed in the sharp smells of oil and exhaust fumes. The odors in the garage

might not be the most pleasant but they were

familiar and unchanging—unlike his life.

He pulled his door shut, put the key in the

ignition, and started the engine. It’s deep rumble echoes through the concrete canyon of the garage.

Alex drove out of the parking spot and headed

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towards the exit. There would be one bright spot to his day. Zoe planned to bring the girls by to meet his mother—and Sydney.

He hoped everyone was on their best behavior.

****

frozen, gravel drive leading up to Hollyfield. The big pine trees lining the sides of the drive still wore a mantle of snow on their boughs. Random flakes,

loosed by the gentle breeze, glittered in the late afternoon sun. Again, she marveled on how perfect it looked.

Amelia wanted to see the girls, and Zoe felt

happy to oblige. It also meant she’d be near Alex.

She pulled in a quick breath of anticipation and squeezed her thighs tight to tame the growing ache between her legs. How could she be near him and not betray her feelings.

“Is this our gramma’s house?” Mia asked from

the backseat.

“Yes it is.” She tried to focus her mind on her driving rather than her libido.

“You said she gots kittens?”

“She
has
kittens,” Zoe corrected Macy.

“I love kittens.” That was Michaela’s single

contribution to the conversation. She’d been quiet most of the trip from town. The girls had to deal with a lot during the last couple of days—first a father, and now a grandmother.

Their Aunt Brenda’s idea of a relationship went as deep as a shot glass. Brenda was still pissed James had left her
only
fifty thousand dollars.

Before the arrival of Zoe and the girls, she’d been his only heir. No wonder she said such nasty things to the girls about their parentage.

“I don’t want you three to hound Gramma

Amelia about the kittens as soon as you go through the door. Is that understood?”

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She glanced in the rear view mirror to see three dark head bobbing up and down in agreement.

Hopefully, the rest of the day would go just as well.

“I got the paper flowers we made.” Michaela

held up a bouquet of tissue paper flowers they’d constructed under Cherri’s guidance. They’d worked hard, were proud of the results.

Zoe brought the van to a halt and unbuckled her seat belt. She got out of the car to help the girls with their car seats. She heard the crunch of footsteps on the drive before the girls yelled into her ear,

“Daddy!”

She turned to see Alex come out of the house

without a coat, smiling and looking so male. Her heart skittered in her chest like water on a hot griddle. Again, he dressed casually,
in jeans and a red Harvard hoodie sweatshirt. Sydney stood on the porch in white designer jeans and a gorgeous, robin’s egg blue sweater designed more for visual appeal than warmth.

What was she doing here?
A knot formed in her stomach. Alex said the wedding had been called off, that Sydney gave him his walking papers. Had he lied? “Do you need a hand with that?” Alex stood next her at the van’s door, close enough she got a good whiff of his aftershave. It mingled with the scent of his warm skin. She’d breathed in, tasted him enough to be imprinted for life.

“No.” Zoe shook her head, and then changed her

mind. She didn’t want to lose whatever closeness they had, even if it lasted only
a few minutes. “Sure, you might as well get used to this.” Their hands touched as they reached in at the same time for Michaela’s buckle. His fingers closed over hers, his eyes hot blue and full of desire. She went liquid inside.

“Getting those kids out of there shouldn’t take 153

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so long.” Sydney’s teeth chattered. “Hurry up, it’s cold out here.”

The girls jumped up and down, vying for their

father’s attention, each one speaking over the other in an effort to be heard.

“Oh, look at them. Aren’t you girls pretty,”

Sydney gushed. She rushed down the steps with her arms out as if expecting the girls to jump right into them. “So cute, too. Aren’t they cute, Alex?”

She might as well be discussing the litter of

kittens. Zoe decided if Sydney said something along the lines of ‘can we keep one’, she’d deck Sydney and damn the consequences.

“Mamma, I don’t like her,” Macy whispered

behind her mitten. “I think she is me—”

Zoe clamped her hand over Macy’s mouth.

It seemed to Zoe as if Alex wanted to bolt back into the house, but he stood his ground. “Girls, this is Sydney Stanford. She’s my fiancée, the woman I’m going to marry.”

So, he had lied to her—used her to get to the

girls. Zoe wanted to break into tears. No, she

wouldn’t give either Sydney or him the chance to hurt her or her children.

Michaela planted her pink, boot-covered feet in the snow. She crossed her arms over her chest, very Alex-like, with the paper flowers still clutched in her fists. “I don’t want you to marry my daddy.”

Sydney’s smile faltered. Her words came out

sugar coated and patronizing. “I don’t think you have much say in that now, do you?”

“Sydney.” Alex drew her name out in warning.

Sydney’s lips folded into a plastic smile. “I only meant they—”

“Stop while you’re ahead.” He shot Sydney a

shut the hell up
look. “Girls, why don’t we go see your grandmother?” Alex held open the screen door.

“She’s really anxious to see you again. I think there’s 154

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cookies and milk. Why don’t we all go into the

house? Sydney’s right. It’s freezing out here.”

Macy raced up the stairs to the porch at the

mention of cookies. Michaela followed, but shot Sydney a look that said the woman rated right up there with trips to the doctor’s office and lima beans.

Mia stood with her arms wrapped around Zoe’s

leg. “What is it, Sweetie?” Zoe placed a hand on Mia’s tiny shoulder.

“I’m scared.”

Alex came back down the stairs and picked Mia

up. She clung to his neck, her head resting on his shoulder. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’ve never had a gramma before.” Zoe heard her daughter whisper.

“I’ve never had little girls before, so we’ll

weather this one together.” Alex gave Mia a

reassuring squeeze. “Okay?”

Mia nodded and gripped tighter as Alex made

his way across the frozen gravel and up the steps.

He turned around at the door. “Are you ladies

coming?”

“I’ll be there in just a moment.” Sydney’s face looked placid but her pale blue eyes were as warm as chipped ice as she turned to Zoe. “Charming

children.” A sneer lurked inside the compliment.

“They can be.” Zoe stuck her hands in her coat

pocket. It would be so easy to give in to temptation and rake her nails across Sydney’s perfect face.

Sydney rubbed her arms to ward off the cold and stamped her furry boots against the hard frozen snow. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come in. You can run errands or something for an hour or two.”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“I think Alex needs time to get to know his

children without your presence.” She flipped the silky blond hair away from her face and smiled. “By 155

Dyann Love Barr

the way, that was very clever of you, even if it’s the oldest play in the book. Most men only have to deal with one bas—child, but you’ve managed three.”

“It wasn’t my choice.” Zoe hitched her purse on her shoulder and started for the porch. “If you have a problem, take it up with God.”

Sydney gave up all pretense of being civil. She stepped in front of Zoe, blocking her path. “Don’t think you can use them as a free pass to worm your way back into Alex’s life. I have plans, and they don’t include three kids or their mother.”

“Alex has three children. Get used to it.”

“He won’t have time to see them, if I have my

way. We’re honeymooning in Europe. Daddy has

convinced Mr. Zucker to clear Alex’s schedule for the next month.” She stood, one hip canted out, and gave Zoe a sly smile. “Oh, did I mention that Alan Zucker is my godfather? He’ll do anything I want, give me anything. After that, well, Daddy plans to make Alex a partner once we’re married.”

Zoe decided she’d had enough of Sydney’s snide

comments. “Move out of my way.” She went around Sydney and felt herself jerked back.

“I’m not finished, you whore.”

A red mist of anger flared in front of Zoe’s eyes at the feel of Sydney’s grip on her arm. “Oh, yes, you are. No one stands between my children and me.

You have three seconds before I knock you flat on your ass.”

Sydney’s eyes grew round. “If you so much as

touch me, I’ll sue.”

“That’s okay by me, sue. I’ll have the satisfaction of seeing you look like an idiot in court. One, two—”

“Fine,” Sydney snarled and moved aside.

Zoe marched into the house with Sydney fast on

her heels.

Amelia sat as regal as a queen in the large floral chair. The girls crowded around the ottoman,

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