Awakened By A Kiss (Once Upon A Romance) (8 page)

“Miss Hightower, I realize you want my best people involved in your wedding. Who wouldn’t? King’s has an impeccable reputation of creating heartwarming, memorable weddings for our customers.”

“Of course, Mr. James,” Candace said, seemingly enthralled by his speech. Or was it him?

“Call me Griff, my friends do.” Behind the carefully schooled features, Evelyn noticed the tightening of the skin around his eyes. She’d witnessed it a time or two when he’d had to deal with his mother-in-law.

No, Griff wasn’t liking this one bit.

Candace actually blushed. Ev twisted to catch Shane’s stare. Her little shrug agreed with his raised eyebrow.
Who knew?

“Dexter and I—” She stopped, trying to get her fiancé’s attention directed away from Charlie. “Dex, darling, don’t you want to say something here?”

“Oh, yeah.” He tugged on the tie he wore as if it strangled him. “We’re good with whatever you can do for us.”

“Now, darling, that’s not what we talked about.”

Griff cut her off. “The contract can be amended. Slightly. But we do have your agreement in writing. I understand you want to change the date. Two months? Is there a reason for the rush?”

Dead silence dropped into the air.

Dex turned bright red. Candace touched her hair, and then the necklace she wore, a small diamond on a chain. “Candy wants to kick off the wedding season,” Dex mumbled. “There’s this rock star getting married the same night—” He jerked when she jabbed his arm. Rubbing the spot, he looked at her oddly.

“Rock star?” Evelyn asked, her stomach dropping.

“Some guy.” Dex snapped his fingers. “What’s his name?”

“Could it be Austin? Austin Rhoades, by any chance?” she asked numbly. She jerked to look at Peg, strangely silent, as she clutched her clipboard to her chest.

“Yeah, that’s the guy. Rhoadies—that was the name of his band.”

“Funny you should mention that,” Ev said, not laughing. “That’s the other wedding I’m involved in.”

“See, I told you King’s was doing that wedding, too,” Candace said to Dex. “It’s all over the news.”

“So you understand why I can’t be in charge, or involved, in yours, right?” Shane’s cold stare had her turning to him. His face could have been made of stone.
We had a plan, remember?
he seemed to be asking her silently.

“Drop them. You’ll do ours.” Candace’s triumphant declaration rang in the still room.

“No can do.” Evelyn used one of Peg’s sayings.

“Of course you can. We insist.”

“Not gonna happen,” Ev insisted right back. She had a mental image of a bull standing in place, snorting and grunting, kicking his hooves in the sand, ready to charge.
Yep, that’s me right about now.
Calm down, girl!

“Griff, make her,” Candace implored, gazing at him with wide eyes and a pout.

He shook his head. “Not on my watch.”

Candace glared at him and twisted to Ev. “Really? You would choose that one over mine? You’d favor a mere little, what is it now? A three-member band, grungy rockers, maybe drugs and possibly wild sex over an orchestra, instead of attending the most prestigious museum looking over the water, at night, with only the best food, with fireworks—the most glamorous wedding of the year? Only a fool would consider there’s a decision to be made here.”

There were murmurs from her friends. Evelyn rose quietly and went to sit by Peg, who was shaking now. “Let me at her,” Peg muttered. “I can get in one, maybe two, punches before they pull me off her.”

Evelyn smiled at her future in-law. “Witnesses, remember? We can’t have any.”

They shared a low chuckle.

“Well?” Candace asked, gazing around at the room and then zeroing on Evelyn.

“I guess you can call me that fool then. I like rockers, grungy or otherwise.” She lifted her chin a little bit higher.

Candace sputtered. “Dex, do something.”

“Nothing you can say can make me change my mind, Miss Hightower.” The formality dropped into the middle of the room. “That grungy three-piece rock band happens to be very near and dear to me. I grew up with them. One of them, literally.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I don’t think you realize your faux pas. I’m in the wedding party. The best man or woman, whichever you prefer. You see, the groom, Austin Rhoades, is my brother. And Peg Newbury here,” she put her arm around Peg, “is my dear, beloved future sister-in-law. It’s a family thing.”

Candace’s mouth opened in the shape of an
O
. All the blood drained from her face.

“Priceless!” Peg muttered. “Now, can I punch her lights out?”

Every time he thought of the fiasco, Shane groaned as if in pain. Days passed, the wedding had been gently, but firmly shifted to another day—the next day: a Sunday night, and Evelyn wasn’t speaking to him.

How in the world had it gone so wrong? Just when he thought they were making progress, it fell apart at his feet.

Dex bent over backwards to comfort Candace. He spent less and less time in his makeshift lab in his parents’ garage and more with her.

It looked like the sham of a wedding was going to take place after all. Short of shaking sense into his cousin or kidnapping him, there was little Shane could do at this point.

Now, Shane couldn’t dodge his fear of never seeing Evelyn again. He missed her smile, the way she kissed; hell, he even missed her clumsy ways. Absently, he rubbed his healthy abs. It had been too long since he’d seen her.

How had he missed her being Rhoades’ sister
? He clamped his eyes shut, knowing the answer. His focus centered on his problems, his life, not hers.

He’d checked out the Internet and found one small article linking her and her brother: Peg and Austin’s engagement announcement. Half siblings, of course, that was the reason for the different last names.

But why hadn’t Evelyn confided in him? She’d known the date was the same, yet she hadn’t told him.

That stung.

He shrugged it off. He meant nothing to her. Just a desperate guy trying to save his cousin from a certain failed marriage who she wounded now and again.

Shane stilled. It wasn’t only the physical wounds she’d left behind. His heart squeezed.

“Don’t go there, Weston.”

His words didn’t stop his mind from wandering, no matter how sharp or final he scolded himself.

Visions of Evelyn flashed through his mind. The one that lingered was her with Ruby James, stomach on the floor, elbow to elbow and smiling at the baby.

Her desire to be a mom, a single one at that, teased him. Faith and Hope adored her, too. She was great with kids.

He recalled his first meeting with her: picture after picture of smiling kids looked back at him. His smile came quick at the memory.
Seven kids! She babysat. A lot.
She was like the Pied Piper of babysitters.

Giggly, Wiggly, Smiley, Munchkin, Sweet Cheeks, Baby Cakes, and Little Bit
. Shane grinned at the nicknames she’d given them.

Shane shook his head.
She wanted one just like Little Bit.
Now, his heart tugged.

How had he gotten so selfish? Why had he just brushed all her feelings aside so he could get what he wanted?

He had to make this right with her. If only to make her see how wrong he’d been. About a lot of things. He owed her that much.

Now, if only he could think of an appropriate way to apologize to her?

***

“French fries and fiddlesticks, Rico, where’s the booze?” Peg barged into their friend’s loft apartment ahead of Evelyn. “Let’s get this party started!”

Ev, catching Rico’s eyes, chuckled. “Did you get it? Like Austin said?”

“Moi? I come through for my friends, I’ll have you know.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her the rest of the way into his place and slammed the door shut. “Apple martinis coming right up.”

Peg cried out. “Geez Louise, he remembered!”

“He tells that story all the time,” Evelyn said, helping Peg off with her wrap.

Her future sis-in-law twirled around, facing her. Peg threw her arms around Ev and hugged her tight. “Never gonna be able to thank you ’nough.”

Tipsy, Peg leaned on her. “I know. I set you two up, kinda, sorta.”

“You gotta return the favor,” Rico said, shoving the filled glasses at them. “That’s right—one good deed deserves another, girl.”

“No, I’m good,” Evelyn said about the favor, but she did take the drink once Peg backed up and downed hers in one swig.

“Yummy.” Peg smacked her lips. “Another round. On him.” She pointed to Rico.

“Where’s everyone?” Evelyn asked, directing Peg into a nearby pink chair and slipping off her size ten flats.

“The King sisters are on their way. They left the babies with the hubs, so you know how they’ve got to go through all the instructions: do this, not that, make sure this, and so on.”

Evelyn chuckled. “They do that with me when I babysit, too.”

Rico refilled their drinks and handed one to Peg. “They’re having a sleepover, too. At Marcus’ new place. Stu and his three kids are joining them. Wifey has to work the night shift at the hospital. What a saint, that girl is.”

“All the kids? Together?” Her heart pinged. She’d love to be there babysitting her seven beauties. Maybe she could give the hubbies a night out and she could sneak over and babysit. Too bad she was already drinking and committed to this party. But it was so tempting.

“Easy, girl, your slowly disappearing eggs are showing again. Sorry, Ev, but you do go on about the kiddos. Hey, we got a long, long bachelorette sleepover tonight,” Rico cautioned Peg, trying to take the glass away.

“Of all the places, why do we come to yours, the tiniest?” Ev shook her head and sunk down on the piles of pastel blankets already on the floor.

She kicked off her shoes and aimed them at the spot to the right of the door. Fishing in her tote bag, she dragged out her cell phone.

Nothing. No messages. No missed calls. Nothing
. She tucked it into the pocket of her jeans.
One can hope, can’t one?

“I have the most fun, that’s why,” he said, handing her an apple martini.

“And the neighbors don’t complain…much.” She sipped her favorite drink.

“Now, honey, before the others get here, let me just tell you, I’m so proud of you.” He fanned a hand in front of his face. “My girl. I taught you well.”

Her stomach sank. “Not that again.”

“She had it coming. I so wish I was there. I would have high-fived you right in front of the witch. That and chest bumped you.” He laughed so hard he nearly fell over trying to sit down beside her.

“So superior.”

“Stuck up,” Peg chimed in, leaning her head back. “Her nose is so far up in the air it’s got an altitude all by its lonesome.”

That made Ev chuckle. Rico and Peg joined in. “How much alcohol did you put in these anyway?”

“Not ’nough,” Peg said. “Criminey, I can’t believe I’m getting hitched. And to a hottie.”

Leaning over, Evelyn patted her on her knee. “He’s got good taste.”

“Tastes good, too.”

Putting her hands over her ears, Evelyn said, “No, don’t go there. I can’t hear this. It’s not natural for a sister to have to hear this stuff about her brother.”

“Oops! Forgot. Yeah, kinda weird.”

“So when we talk about sex tonight, and we will, you’ll have to edit your stories a tad, Peg,” Rico pointed out.

“Or skip them altogether?” Evelyn asked hopefully.

“Yeah, right.” Rico snorted. “Grow a pair, Ev, will ya? We’re talking down and dirty here.”

“Leave out his name, okay, Peg, for God’s sake.”

“He gives great—”

“No,” Evelyn cried out, covering her ears. She shimmied to her feet, still holding her hands over her ears and tried to escape. Too bad the loft was hardly bigger than a thimble.

“Massages,” Peg finished as she sprawled on the blankets. “Holy moly, me. Get your mind out of the gutter, Ev.”

Rico rose and headed for the door. “Here, Ev, wait for the sisters out there while Peg and I have a good heart-to-heart.”

She rushed out in her socks. The door closed behind her. Ev moved her hands and realized she’d forgotten her drink. Knocking on the door, she called out, “Hey, apple martini, please.”

The door opened a crack and her drink appeared. She took it. The hand came out again and there was a half-filled pitcher attached.

“Party for one. In the hallway. Thanks, Rico. Feel free to get it all out before I come back in.”

“Bye, Evelyn. Don’t fall down the stairs.”

She giggled at her friend, but took his advice and sat on the top step. Falling down three flights of stairs wouldn’t be a good idea. Leaning her back against the wall, she put her foot up. “Here’s to—” She stopped.

What did she have to celebrate?

“One disastrous meeting. With my bosses there. Well, except Rico. Insulted by Miss High and Mighty. Stared at and glared at by H1.” She gulped.

“Hmm…nothing to it. Destroy baby blue eyes’ plans and make him an enemy for life.” That thought, and maybe never seeing him after Dex and Candace’s wedding, cut her to the quick.

His stunned look at her announcement replayed itself. He was hurt.

But why? Was it because she’d ruined his plans? Or, hope against hope, did he care, even just a little?

Her heart jolted. She liked him. When he wasn’t so focused on tearing the other couple apart, he had shown her a side of himself that she doubted he did with anyone else.

His teasing made her blush even now. Her little goofs didn’t faze him. And the way he was with Faith and Hope tugged at her. In her fantasyland, she could picture them as a family.

Funny, in her dreams, she’d never thought about a daddy being present when she raised her kids. It was just her, her brother, Peg, her friends, their kids: they were all there.

Only now she felt empty thinking there was no one there to share it with. Well, no one who felt that same heart-aching love for their own child. Tears smarted her eyes.

“Stop,” she warned, taking a sip of her drink. She fished out the beeping cell phone to gaze down at the screen.