Authors: Erin Nicholas
But it was clear that he wanted her gone. Badly enough to pay for everything she needed to get gone. Far away gone.
Sure the competition was just a few days and there were no guarantees from it, but maybe he was hoping she’d win, or even just get a taste for the Nashville life and be addicted.
That definitely could have happened a year or two ago.
Now she wasn’t so sure.
Sabrina realized that she should have stuck with the idea that Marc Sterling was a cocky bastard. That would have kept her from liking him, kept her from sleeping with him and kept her from falling for him.
Probably.
He’d tried to put her on a plane before. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised he was doing it again.
Okay, the sex thing had made her think he might have changed his mind about her. But he’d said himself that he didn’t have to like her to want to see her naked. She shouldn’t have forgotten that line. Even if he did like her, which she rather thought he did, it didn’t mean that wanting to see her naked equaled
stay here forever
.
Hell, she was the one who had accused Luke of jumping to conclusions from the time they’d slept together. Now she’d done the same thing.
She’d been weaving romantic fantasies about families and forever while Marc had been just killing time—in bed with her—right up until the perfect moment to get rid of her.
It wasn’t like she could claim to be a victim though. The first time she’d gone to his house basically knowing what would happen. The second time he’d had her drive her car to his house and climb the stairs, knowing exactly what was going to happen.
Yep, there was no way she could claim that he’d manipulated her into sex.
Except that he kind of had. Maybe not into sex, but into saying no to Luke, into turning down the stability she needed, into making bad decisions. Again.
He’d come to Kat’s office, he’d seemed concerned, he’d been reading baby books, for God’s sake. It had all been part of his plan? To make her doubt Luke? To make her want something else? To make her want him?
Because how could she possibly marry Luke if she was in love with his best friend?
She dropped to sit on the edge of the bed.
His plan had worked brilliantly.
The bastard.
How could she possibly think about ever having dinner with another man, sleeping with another man, fighting with another man—not to mention marrying another man—when she was in love with Marc?
How indeed?
She flopped back on the bed, eyes squeezed tight. She was in love with Marc.
And he was trying to send her to Nashville. For good.
She didn’t want to go. Sure, her heart rate kicked up a notch, maybe two, with the idea of being on a real Nashville stage. Okay, so a play list of songs had already formed in her mind, in spite of her being certain she wasn’t going. She really didn’t want to go.
Because her mind and heart had accepted Justice.
She couldn’t go, get shot down, and come back and start over again convincing herself that she was good here, happy here, content here.
That was the hard part and she was past it. Why start over again?
“What’s going on?” Kat strode in, blood pressure cuff and stethoscope in hand. “I saw your car was here instead of at work.”
Sabrina opened her eyes but otherwise refused to move.
“I have a problem with my heart.”
Kat took her blood pressure and listened to her heart. “That all checks out, hon. What are you feeling?”
“I don’t think you can hear this heart problem with a stethoscope.”
That’s when the tears started.
Kat didn’t say a word or ask a single question until Sabrina’s tears slowed and she could take a deep breath.
“Is it Luke?” Kat’s voice sounded funny but Sabrina couldn’t push herself up to see her friend’s face.
“No. Marc.”
“What’d he do now?”
“Bought me a plane ticket to Nashville so I can be in a singing competition.”
“And you’re upset about that because…”
“He shouldn’t want me to go.”
“It’s only for a few days, right?”
“He’s practically got a U-Haul parked outside!” Sabrina exclaimed. “He’s convinced this is my big break and I’m never coming back.”
“That’s sweet,” Kat offered.
“Yes,” Sabrina agreed. “If we were friends and this was just a sign he believed in me, yes.”
“But you’re not friends?”
“No.”
“If he’s not your friend he’s—” Kat prompted.
“The asshole I fell in love with.” Sabrina put her forearm over her eyes.
Kat sat in complete—probably stunned—silence.
Finally Sabrina couldn’t stand it and said, “He’s also the asshole who would do anything to keep me away from Luke, including showing me all the things I won’t have with Luke and making me want them.”
Kat still said nothing. Sabrina moved her arm and rolled to face her friend. Kat was staring at the comforter on the bed, a strange little smile on her face.
“Say something,” Sabrina demanded.
“You’re in love with Marc.”
“I’m not happy about it.”
“Still…”
“Yes,” Sabrina moaned. “Yes. But I don’t like him much.”
“Does Luke know?”
“About Nashville?” Sabrina asked.
“About Marc.”
“What about Marc?”
“That you’re in love with him?”
“Yes. But I’m not,” Sabrina said stubbornly. “Not anymore. He’s a jerk. He doesn’t want me? Well, he doesn’t deserve me. The sex was just to show me what I wouldn’t have with Luke? Fine, that’s over. In fact…” she trailed off as she searched for her cell phone. “I’m calling Luke right now. I’m going to tell him I was an idiot and of course I’ll marry him. Right away. Tomorrow.”
That would show Marc.
Of course she knew marrying someone for revenge on someone else was crazy, but that definitely was not the only reason she was marrying Luke. He was all of the things she’d known before and he could offer all of the things that had made him the perfect choice before Marc decided to mess it all up.
“Um, no, you’re not.” Kat grabbed Sabrina’s phone before she could. “You’re in love with another man.”
“Who can’t wait to get rid of me,” Sabrina pointed out. “Nothing is going to happen with me and Marc.”
Kat quirked an eyebrow at her. She specifically pierced that one because she could raise it like that.
“Nothing
else
,” Sabrina conceded.
“Bree, you
love
someone else.”
“I’ll get over it.” She was sure she would. Probably. Someday.
“But—”
“It doesn’t change the fact that Luke and I can make a great life together. That my child deserves a father like Luke. That Luke wants a wife and child. That we get along great, care about each other and can both have what we need this way.”
But her stomach felt upset as she said it. Yes, they could make a great life—that would always be missing something.
Kat crossed her arms. “You’re not marrying Luke.”
“Kat!” Sabrina couldn’t believe it. “Give me my phone.”
“No way. Luke deserves better than that and you know it. You’re panicking. Once you’ve thought about it and calmed down a little you’ll realize that Luke’s not the answer to this. And just to make sure, I’m going over there to point that out to him.”
“Fine,” Sabrina said stubbornly. “You’ll see. Luke will agree with me. He doesn’t think I should go to Nashville either and he’ll be mad that Marc did all of this.”
“We’ll see.” Kat turned on her heel and left the room.
Holy crap! Sabrina scrambled to the edge of the bed and pushed to her feet. Kat was really going to do it.
She started after Kat. She couldn’t let Kat talk to Luke about why he shouldn’t marry her. For one thing, he might listen. He was already upset about her and Marc. If someone he trusted and respected and who knew everything, like Kat, tried to talk him out of it, it might work. Kat was quite logical and well-spoken. This would not go well for Sabrina.
She still didn’t have underwear or shoes on but she headed down the stairs and pulled the front door open as soon as Kat shut it. She was at her car, fumbling with her keys as Kat backed out of the drive.
Sabrina followed her BFF—on the verge of being her
former
BFF—to The Camelot and parked right by the front door while Kat pulled into an actual spot. She yanked open the door and ran past Josie and toward Luke’s office. She almost overshot his doorway and grabbed the doorjamb just in time to hear his cell phone ringing.
Kat.
He looked up as she barged in, his phone in hand.
“Sabrina? What’s wrong?”
Panting she shook her head and clutched her chest with one hand and pointed at his cell with the other. “Don’t. Answer. That.”
“It’s Kat.” He lifted the phone to his ear.
Sabrina lunged at him, knocking the phone away. “I need to talk to you.”
He frowned. “What is going on?”
She was a wreck. She was broken-hearted, panicked, alone. She’d taken yet another risk based on emotions—and had failed. Luke was the one person she’d always been able to depend on. He was her safety net. He wouldn’t break her heart.
That was reason enough right there to be with him.
She was tired of heartbreak. Tired of trying to make it with her music only to be told she wasn’t quite good enough. Tired of getting her hopes up only to be told that she wasn’t quite what they were looking for. She’d get a taste of what it could be like, enough to make her dream, but that was all it ever turned into. Just like with Marc. She’d had a taste of being with him—his humor, his sweetness, his touch—only to find it was just a dream.
With Luke that would never happen. She’d never be
almost
or
not quite
good enough. She was exactly what he was looking for. He thought she was wonderful, he wanted her. Forever. There would be no more trying and failing.
“Yes,” she said.
“Yes?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you. Tomorrow. Let’s find a Justice of the Peace.”
Surprise registered on Luke’s face first and he started to shake his head. Just one shake but she saw it and panicked.
She stepped close. “Yes. Yes. It’s perfect. We know each other. We trust each other. We will never be hurt or let down because we know what to expect. It won’t drive me crazy that you love
The Price Is Right
because I already know you’ll watch every day. It won’t annoy you that I never finish a can of soda because you’ll be expecting it. It will be great. No fights, no tears, no jealousy.”
No passion
, a voice taunted. But she ignored it—because without passion there would be no hurt feelings, no heartbreak.
“Marry me, Luke.”
Marc let himself in through the back kitchen door of The Camelot, hoping to go unnoticed. He was severely hung over, having used a bottle of scotch to try to deal with his feelings for Sabrina.
He’d simply not gone back to work after Sabrina left his house—unprecedented for him—and had ignored both his home and cell phone. A text to Luke saying
I’m sick
was enough to keep anyone from knocking on his door. But now it was Friday morning and Sabina would be getting on a plane to Nashville, so he didn’t have to worry about running into her, or avoiding her. It was time to get back to work.
“What are you doing here?”
Marc winced as Josie’s voice seemed to slam into his sore brain. “I work here.”
She glanced at the clock. “Seriously, Marc you’ll never make it.” She peered closely at him. “Are you drunk?”
“Not anymore. Make what?” He never scheduled meetings or vendor appointments on Fridays. It was one of their busiest nights.
“The wedding. What are you going to do?”
“What wedding?”
But he knew exactly what wedding.
No.
“Luke and Sabrina’s wedding.” Josie clearly thought Marc had lost his mind.
She had no idea.
Marc closed his eyes and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. As it powered on he opened his eyes, cursed scotch, cursed Muddy Gap, Wyoming and cursed the fact that people could go to a Justice of the Peace to get married. That had to be what was going on.
He’d driven all that way, battled a thousand emotions, done incredibly stupid things and Luke was still going to marry Sabrina.
He had four voice messages and six texts from Kat.
Nothing from Luke. Nothing from Sabrina.
The texts started with
call me
, then
911
, then
where are r u?
and finally
ur an idiot
. The voice messages were similar but included more details about what was happening and how big an idiot he really was.
“They’re in Alliance at the Courthouse. Surprise elopement. Get your ass over there.”
Surprise elopement. Oh, hell no.
He tore out of the parking lot, wide-awake and completely lucid. He glanced at the dashboard clock. It was seven forty-eight in the morning. Surely the Justice of the Peace didn’t work this early. It was almost an hour drive to Alliance. He pushed harder on the accelerator and pressed his speed dial number three for Kat. As it rang he thought about Sabrina. Did she want this? No. She just thought she did. Luke was safe, Luke was settled, Luke made a pretty good-looking home. Except that it wasn’t hers.
Marc kept his message to Kat short and sweet.
Stall them.
Chapter Thirteen
Sabrina couldn’t deny the butterflies. In fact, they were going to make her very sick, very soon.
Which didn’t make sense. This was the right thing to do.
The sick to her stomach thing would pass. Because this was the right thing to do.
She hoped that if she kept repeating it, it would be true.
It
was
true. It had to be.
Luke wanted a life with her, wanted her baby. There was love. It wasn’t mad, passionate love, but it was there. That would be enough.
She hoped.
And she’d get over Marc. Eventually. Maybe.
She hoped.
But the butterflies swooped again taking her back to her days of morning sickness. Crud. Not the way to feel on her wedding day.
She pressed her hand against her belly, willing it to calm. She assumed there was a garbage can behind the judge’s desk, but to use it she’d have to get past Luke and the administrative assistant they’d dragged in as a witness.