Authors: Darah Lace
caught Charlotte’s hand over her shoulder. “I’ll
never be able to repay this debt.”
The glow of her friend’s face and the love
shining in her eyes made Charlotte’s eyes burn. She
blinked against the threatening tears and failed.
Just as she had during the ceremony.
It had hit her all at once as she watched Melody
and Spencer repeat their vows. He loved her. Really
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loved her. Spencer would never betray Melody as
Charlotte’s father had her mother. He would remain
forever faithful.
That was when this particular stint of tears had
begun. Because, in that moment, she realized
Marcus was the same kind of man. Family meant
everything to him. He would never hurt someone he
loved, would cling to his vow once made. Glancing at
him across the steps of the altar, their eyes had met,
his stone cold, and she’d known the realization came
too late.
Seemed she was her mother’s daughter after all.
In love with a man who could never love her in
return. She’d seen to that. He’d never forgive her for
all she’d done to him.
“Oh, are you crying again, dear?” Mrs. Jamison
handed her a tissue.
Heat flooded her cheeks as she took the tissue
thrust into her hand. Geez, she really had to get a
grip. “I always cry at weddings.”
“Liar. You hate weddings.” Melody met her gaze
in the mirror. “I quote: ‘Love is only found in
fairytales. I give them two years and they’ll be
divorced.’”
“Yeah, well, I must be getting soft, because I
believe you actually found a genuine Prince
Charming.”
“Goodness, you are getting soft.”
“Don’t worry, dear.” Mrs. Jamison beamed as
she fussed with her daughter’s collar. “From the
looks passing back and forth between you and a
certain groomsman today, I’d say your prince isn’t
far away.” She stepped back and sighed, then
suddenly burst into tears.
“Now, Mom, don’t do that. You’re going to make
me ruin my make-up.”
Melody pulled her mother into her arms for a
hug that Charlotte would have envied if she hadn’t
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been so rattled. If Melody’s mother noticed how often
her gaze had strayed to Marcus, had anyone else?
Had
he
?
“We certainly can’t have that,” the older woman
teased as she released her daughter and dabbed at
her eyes. “I’d better go find your father so he won’t
miss saying his good-byes.”
“See if you can find Spencer and hurry him
along. I’m ready to go.” Melody waited until her
mother was gone before crossing her arms and
tapping her toe. “Well?”
Charlotte turned away and began packing
Melody’s makeup in her overnight bag. “It was a
beautiful ceremony.”
“How do you know? You cried through the whole
thing.”
“Don’t you start, too.”
“Charlotte Reese, I’ve known you since forever.
I’m your best friend in the whole wide world, and
I’ve never seen you cry. Ever. Then you return from
your trip with Marcus, and suddenly you’re crying
all the time.”
“Not all the time.”
“You went through an entire box of tissue and
half a roll of toilet paper Friday night.”
Charlotte turned to imitate Melody’s stance.
“May I remind you we rented six hours worth of
tear-jerker movies? And I wasn’t the only one
bawling.”
She had wanted Melody to have the best
bachelorette party possible, but truthfully, having
anyone else with them while they celebrated would
have felt like an intrusion. So they had spent the
night as only true friends could. Painting each
others’ nails, eating pizza and ice cream in their
pajamas, and watching movies until the early hours
of the morning.
“So what’s your excuse now?”
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She shrugged. “I’m losing my best friend.”
Melody frowned, as if wanting to broach the
subject Charlotte was determined to dodge, then
sighed and turned back to the mirror to fiddle with
an earring. “We’ll see each other as often as we do
now. And you know lunch on Friday will always be
yours. After my honeymoon, that is.”
Grateful, she squeezed in beside Melody and
smoothed her fingers over her own hair, readjusting
curls she had painstakingly arranged in a pile at the
back of her head. It was almost like they were kids
again, playing dress up, sharing the mirror, and
experimenting with make-up and hairstyles. Only
this time one of them was really a bride. “And
speaking of the honeymoon...did you pack my gift to
Spencer?”
“Uh-uh. I’m wearing it.”
“You better hope he doesn’t find out or you won’t
make it out of town, probably not even the parking
lot.” Several months ago Charlotte noticed her friend
stocking up on underwear every time they went
shopping, thongs in particular. She’d finally
wheedled the reason out of Melody; Spencer had a
tendency to tear them off during their more
passionate encounters.
Melody gave her a sly wink. “Hey, the
honeymoon can happen anywhere.”
Laughing, she backed up and moved across the
room to close the hanging bag that contained
Melody’s wedding dress. “Has he told you yet where
you’re going?”
“No, but I’m counting on your gift to help me
entice it out of him.” She swiveled a grin over her
shoulder. “Can you see him out there? Is he
waiting?”
Knowing she would see Marcus again, Charlotte
hesitated, then steeled herself and returned to the
window facing the parking lot. A crowd had gathered
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around Spencer’s silver Jag decorated with shoe
polish, streamers and something that looked a lot
like condoms. Still, the Preston brothers were easy
to locate, standing heads above most. “Yes. He’s
there.”
She heard Melody scurry around behind her but
couldn’t turn away when Marcus embraced Spencer
and laughed at something he said as he handed him
over to Chad. Then Mitch took his turn but wouldn’t
let go, which had them all laughing while Marcus
tried to pry them apart.
He was so natural with his brothers, so easy
going, just as he’d been with the children at the
hospital and throughout the reception with his
friends and family. It hurt to think he couldn’t be
that way with her, that he stayed guarded in her
presence. But then she’d never been open to him
either. Not entirely.
Melody joined her at the window and smiled at
the brotherly antics taking place. “They can be such
idiots when they’re together.”
Charlotte had never known what it was like to
have siblings. Melody hadn’t either, but at least
she’d had two loving parents. Charlotte hadn’t even
had that. Though she had to give her mother credit
for trying lately. “You’re lucky to be a part of that
closeness now.”
“Yes.”
“And I might have been whining earlier, but I’m
really glad you found Spencer. He’s a good man.”
“Marcus is a good man, too.”
“I know.”
“Then why don’t you talk to him? Try to work
things out?”
“Because it’s too late. I screwed things up.”
Pushing him away this time had torn her heart in
two. Not even the pain of her childhood had hurt as
much as this.
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“I wish you’d tell me what happened between
the two of you. He won’t talk to anyone either. Not
even Chad.”
“No, he wouldn’t. Marcus isn’t like that.”
“Then why—”
“Suffice it to say I was my usual self.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself. And so is
Marcus. He’s thrown himself into his work. He’s
there till all hours of the night. And when he’s not at
the office, he’s out at the ranch. Anybody can see he’s
hurting and holding everything inside. Just like
you.”
Charlotte suspected he wasn’t hurting so much
as he was punishing himself for what he thought
he’d done wrong, which only made her guilt increase.
“I hope this isn’t your way of trying to make me feel
better.”
“He loves you, Char. That’s what I’m trying to
tell you.”
Melody’s soft words slammed into her heart. She
wanted so desperately to believe them.
“I see it every time he looks at you. And Mom’s
right. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you today.”
“Funny, I stood five feet across the altar from
him, but I could have been invisible for all he
seemed to care.”
“Men act that way sometimes. I don’t know if
he’s too proud, hurt or just afraid, but I know he
loves you. Don’t ask me how. I just do.”
Even if he did, even if he could forgive her, the
fact remained she could never be the woman he
deserved. She had too much baggage, too many
issues to deal with. He’d do better to find someone
who could give him what he wanted.
All these years she’d pushed her reputation to
the limits, spitting in the face of propriety, her only
objective to remain safe. That same wall of defense
now held her prisoner. Society never forgot and
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neither would he. He would always wonder how
many there had been before him and how many
there would be when he wasn’t looking. He would
never trust her.
And she would never be good enough for him.
He deserved someone better. Someone good and
wholesome. A woman he could be proud of. She
might be acceptable to socialize with, but she could
never be family.
“Talk to him. Please. As a wedding gift to me?”
“Geez, I already gave you your wedding gifts,
emphasis on the plural. How many do you want?”
“Just this one more. Show him who you really
are.”
“I’ve been playing different roles for so long I’m
not certain
I
know who I am anymore.” She’d been
trying to figure that out since she got back from her
trip. One thing was certain, there was no point in
continuing the charade meant to keep anyone from
getting too close and breaking her heart. It was
already broken.
“Promise or I’m not leaving.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll talk to
him.”
Someday.
“Today.”
“Geez, Mel, I—”
“Today. The longer you put it off, the worse it
will be. I mean it. Promise me.”
“Okay. But not until everyone else is gone.” The
least she could do was apologize. Make him
understand he had done nothing wrong. She was to
blame. And to let him know he had nothing to fear
from her. She would never tell anyone.
“Melody, honey?” Connie Preston’s voice had
them turning to the door. Her warm hazel eyes lit on
Charlotte. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“I was just leaving.” Charlotte grabbed Melody’s
overnight bag, her heart racing around in her chest.
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Facing Marcus’s mother wasn’t something she
wanted to do. She’d caught the woman watching her
during the reception with eyes that said she was as
aware as everyone else in the family of her son’s
distant mood and who had caused it. “I’ll take this
out to the car and tell Spencer you’re ready.”
“Chicken,” Melody muttered under her breath.
“Please don’t leave on my account.”
Skirting the woman, Charlotte forced a smile. “A
maid of honor’s work is never done.”
She shut the door behind her and leaned against
it to calm her palpitating heart. Though why she
bothered she didn’t know. The promise she’d made
her best friend would grind the tattered organ to a
painful halt.
****
sister-in-law emerged from the gauntlet of well-
wishers lining the church steps. Spencer opened the
passenger door of the Jag then stood back, waiting
for his bride to finish her good-byes, the first of
which was to her maid of honor.
Charlotte’s face tightened with emotion when
Melody hugged her. After a few whispered words the