Gage came up next to her and rested his elbows on the porch rail. She waited in silence—heavy suffocating silence, for him to ask the question she’d knew he’d come here to ask. To hear the story that would force him to rethink the past, question his future, and contemplate the truth.
Darcy prepared herself for the disappointment, because at this point the truth didn’t matter. He would ask her side of the story, then compare it to what he believed Kyle’s to be, so he could come up with his own truth. It was what Margo had done, Kyle’s mistress had done, and for Gage to do it would break her heart.
“It does matter because I should have known,” Gage said softly. “I should have known something was up. You’d never walk out on someone. Ever. Not without a damn good reason.”
Her heart caught. “How do you know I’m not lying?”
“Because I know you,” he said, tilting her face toward his with his finger. And the absolute conviction in his expression forced her throat to close. “I know that Kyle must have really fucked up to lose your loyalty, because you are the most loyal person I have ever met. You’re wary about who you trust, but once you hand over your trust, you go all in.”
“We just weren’t the right fit.”
Gage let his head fall. “No, you had every reason to walk, and every reason to let him take the fall, but you didn’t. Even now you aren’t willing to sell him out.” Gage looked up, and his eyes were a mixture of anger and a regret so deep she felt it all the way to her soul. “He wasn’t your fit, Darcy. Not the other way around.”
No one had ever said that to her. Well, her friends after the fact, but they didn’t know Kyle. When she walked away from that wedding, she walked away from everyone in her life. Because at that time her friends were Kyle’s friends—and she didn’t want them to choose.
Mainly because she didn’t want Kylie stuck in the middle, but partly because she’d never been chosen. She thought she’d been Kyle’s choice, but even that turned out to be a lie.
“I don’t want this to cloud your memories of him, and I don’t want Kylie ever hearing about any of this. As far as she knows, she had a dad who loved her and would have done anything to be with her.” Darcy closed her eyes and let the truth of the moment hit her. “Which is why we can’t give in to this thing between us.”
“This
thing
between us,” he palmed her hips, tugging her closer, “has nothing to do with Kyle, or my family. It is between
us
.” He studied her. “Or does it have something to do with Kyle?”
The insecurity she heard in his voice had her resting her hand over his heart. “You and Kyle have never been confused in my mind.” And when he didn’t look wholly convinced, she said, “Ever.
This thing
has nothing to do with you sharing the same DNA. But
this thing
affects everybody in our lives, including Kylie. I don’t want to confuse her, Gage. I don’t want her to finally get you in her life, then lose you because we have chemistry.”
I don’t want to get you back and then lose you again.
Once his family caught wind that there was more here than Gage getting to know his niece, it would implode. Margo would send out the hounds—and in this town that meant five strong, sexy, alpha men with piercing blue eyes and a fierce loyalty to their family. And she didn’t want Kylie to become a casualty.
“Pink, this thing
is a hell of a lot more than chemistry and we both know it.” Gage slid his hands around her waist and tugged her even closer. “But since I know how important it is for you to sample before you decide…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, didn’t need to. Gage lowered his head slowly, giving her time to pull back. But she didn’t, and it was the best stupid decision she’d ever made. Because the moment his lips touched hers, seven hundred volts of sexual energy combined with seven years of missed opportunity pumped through her body.
The punch so potent she felt her heart actually give a breathless
Oh my.
“Holy Christ,” he whispered against her lips. “I knew it would be amazing, but this.”
She looked up into his eyes. “You can’t decide after only one tasting.”
“This is my kind of tasting.” Gage hauled her up against him, deepening the connection.
Darcy had to agree, this was the best tasting she’d ever had. Kissing Gage was like eating wedding cake with a layer of every one of her favorite flavors—and extra frosting. It was even better. For a girl who was adamant about sampling all of the options before settling on just one, with Gage all it took was a single taste and she knew. This wasn’t a case of simple chemistry.
Kissing Gage felt like coming home.
❀❀❀
The transformation was breathtaking.
Belle Mont was not just a historic house in the hills above downtown, it looked like a festival of lights. Antique urns, overflowing with cream and white flowers, lined the brick patio and led to three long tables, which stretched beneath the canopy of giant crepe myrtles. Crystal chandeliers hung from the sky, it seemed, and hundreds of glass-housed candles were strung overhead, casting a soft golden glow over the party.
The vows had been given, the cake had been cut, and love permeated the air as couples slowly swayed to the live music, holding on to the song as if they never wanted it to end. But what had Gage’s heart thumping was the sexy orchestrator standing on the other side of the dancefloor.
Clipboard in hand, her finger on her earpiece, Darcy oozed control and competence.
Dressed in a classy little black number that started at her collarbone and fell right below the curve of her knees, she stood out like a diamond in a sea of gems. Her hair was in a soft twist at the back of her neck, her eyes glimmered with excitement, and her heels hinted at the passion that lie beneath the polish.
The woman was sexy, sophisticated, and damn gorgeous.
But what had him taking a seat on her front porch, content to enjoy the view for a while, was that zipper. A single zipper that started between her shoulder blades and went the entire length of the dress.
A zipper Gage wanted to remove. With his teeth.
He could have called her the moment he got off the phone with Rhett, even saved himself the drive and emailed her. But what was the fun of delivering this kind of news when he couldn’t see her reaction? Couldn’t watch that sweet smile of hers take flight? He’d been a part of so many bad memories in her life, he wanted to be with her when she created an amazing one.
Darcy put up a brave front for the world, using competence as a way to fight off the loneliness and worry about the future. And that slayed him. Because Gage knew all too well how empty big moments could feel when there was no one to share them with.
He’d finished up at the office, left Fancy with a sitter, and drove straight here to help her celebrate. More importantly, he came to make sure
she
was celebrated. So when he saw that the wedding was still in full swing, he quietly made his way to the darkened cottage and got comfortable, content to wait all night if needed.
And that was how Gage found himself, two hours later, sitting in the rocking chair, waiting as the last of the employees headed home. And that was how he watched Darcy move to the center of the dancefloor and silently look up at Belle Mont House, as if to remind herself that it was all real.
And it was all hers.
Gage slowly made his way across the bridge, making sure his footsteps announced his presence.
She didn’t move, not even to look back when she said, “It was a beautiful night, don’t you think?” and he realized she’d been aware of him all along.
He walked up behind her so he could see the same view as Darcy. But the closer he got, he couldn’t take his eyes off of that zipper, or the way her hair highlighted the bare curve of her neck.
“Stunning.”
They hadn’t spoken about the kiss, which abruptly ended when Kylie came bounding out on the porch, asking if he was going to stay for breakfast—which he did. Then Kylie had a playdate, so they all left the house at the same time, eliminating any chance to talk about where they stood.
Gage wasn’t sure of what Darcy’s reaction would be to him showing up like this. So he momentarily hesitated when she leaned back against him and said, “The Goldsteins have been married for fifty years. Fifty years and still so in love that they wanted to do it all over again. She wore the same veil as the first time and they’re going back to Niagara Falls for a second honeymoon. Even staying in the same room at the lodge. Isn’t that romantic?”
His answer was to silently slide his arms around her, holding her as he’d dreamed of for so long. But for all of his dreaming, and there’d been a lot, none of it had come close to holding the real thing.
“How long were you waiting?” she asked.
“Long enough to make sure your dance card was open.”
“It’s almost midnight, which means my dance card will expire in a few minutes.”
“I guess I got here at just the right time,” he murmured against her ear, then slowly turned her in his arms. “A dress like this demands at least one spin around the dancefloor.”
She looked up at him through her thick lashes. “There’s no music.”
“Pink, we don’t need music.” He slid one hand around her back, settling it low on the curve, his body hardening when he felt the outline of her panties—a thong if he was guessing. “We can just sway all night for all I care.”
He took her hand with his free one and pulled her close, and their bodies brushed as they moved together. Not fast. In fact, they barely moved at all, their feet taking the tiniest of steps, as the night settled around them.
“Where’s Kylie?” he asked.
“Having a sleepover at Jillian’s. Sam had football practice and Kylie likes to cheer him on, so after she just stayed the night.”
“I think I need to meet this Sam if he’s doing sleepovers with my niece.”
Darcy laughed, but Gage was serious. If any kid was going to be spending time with his niece, he needed to be told of the rules. And with Kylie and those big baby blues, Gage had the feeling there would be lots of rules—and lots of boys.
Boys that were just like his brothers. Not the image he needed.
“Where’s Fancy?” she asked.
“Having a sleepover at Josh’s. Fancy likes to pee on shoes, so with Josh having the most expensive shoes in the family, I told him he could sit the guy for the night.”
This time when Darcy laughed, it sounded like rain trickling down on leaves. Magical and melodious.
“One of the guests at the wedding wants to bring her daughter by next week,” she said. “She just got engaged and is wanting a Christmas wedding. Her mother was beyond impressed with Belle Mont House.”
“I think it’s what you did with the house for the Goldsteins that she was impressed with.” He looked into her eyes. “You are the real deal, Darcy.”
“I hope so. I sent some preliminary ideas to Stephanie yesterday afternoon,” she said, misunderstanding his compliment. “Just to make sure I was on the same page as what was in her head.”
“She loved it.” Gage slowed them down even more. “And I was talking about you. I watched you with the Goldsteins and their family. You cared about each and every one of them, making sure everything went perfectly. You have a big heart, Darcy Kincaid.”
“They are entrusting me with one of the most important days of their lives, so I want to honor that.” Their hips brushed, their eyes locked, and Darcy gave a look that went right down his spine to lodge in the center of his chest. “Life moves so fast, people rarely slow down to enjoy it, but love makes people stop and really see what they have. When they come here, I don’t want anything else to penetrate the moment, so I create an ambiance that pulls them in, so when they think back to this snapshot in their journey together it will be as beautiful as their connection.”
Gage knew enough about Darcy’s childhood to know that beautiful moments were few and far between. The ones that she did have, she’d created for herself. In fact, every good thing that Darcy had, she’d fought tooth and nail for. So, he hoped when she looked back at this snapshot, it would be one about partnership and a shared joy.
“I know for a fact Stephanie loved it,” he said.
“She called you?”
He shook his head. “She’s still out of town. But she forwarded them to Lana at the magazine.”
“Lana saw them?” she squeaked. “They were just rough ideas.”
Darcy tried to stop moving, but Gage didn’t want to let go, so he kept them swaying. “Rough or not, Lana loved them too.”
“Loved,” Darcy asked. “She actually used that word?”
Gage tried to play it cool. “Well, I didn’t talk to her myself, but according to Rhett, she was impressed enough by the direction that they want to give Belle Mont House the cover.”
This time he couldn’t stop her from abandoning their dance. Not that he minded, since she threw her arms around his neck and plastered herself to him like plastic wrap.
“The cover? The house, not a bride in a dress, but the house?”
“Well, I think they want Rhett and Stephanie in front of the house, and probably Littleshit in wedding attire, but yeah, the house will be the backdrop.”
She pulled back, and the way her eyes lit up was worth the drive, and the two hours. Hell, it was worth pushing though the past few years. “Do you know what this means?”
“That Rhett gets to be on the cover of a national magazine, his bride on one side and a glorified bunny in pink leashed to the other?” He grinned. “Owen and I are going to get the image blown up and hang it at Stout. Right above the bar.”
“That means that Belle Mont House will be the number one romantic destination in the country.” She was bouncing up and down now, which did amazing things for that neckline. “The August issue always puts their top pick on the cover. Oh my God,” she breathed. “Belle Mont is
Wedding
Magazine’s
top pick for the year.” She looked up at him. “I don’t know how to thank you.”