Saved by the Bride (26 page)

“I had help. Logan hauled the cushions.”

“Logan knows that we’re...?”

“God, no, he’s eight.”

For the first time, she glimpsed brotherly affection on his
face.

“My half brother is all Callahan. I told him I wanted to sleep
over in the tree house just like when I was a kid. Of course I hadn’t thought
that through very well because he wanted to come too. So to cut a long story
short, Logan and I are going kayaking together tomorrow and sometime soon, I’m
spending a night here with him. That kid drives a hard bargain.”

Her heart quivered. Finn, who’d started the summer avoiding his
little half brother, had now cut a deal with Logan just for her. “You really are
a Boy Scout.”

He grinned. “Being Prepared is far more useful than your 4-H
stuff.”

“Is that so?” She hooked her hands around his waistband and
unhooked the fastener on his pants. “So you don’t want me to pledge my hands to
larger service.”

He gazed down at her with the flicker of light reflected in his
eyes and spoke softly. “I want all of you.”

He kissed her gently as if she was porcelain and would shatter
under his touch, and then, unlike every other time they’d had sex, he undressed
her slowly without any trace of urgency. He slid her dress off her shoulders,
unhooked her bra and drew it reverently down her arms, and then he stared at her
in the candlelight. “I never get tired of looking at you.”

She’d never felt so treasured. She reached her arms up around
his neck and he caught her around her waist and laid her down on the makeshift
bed. He used his body to worship her and it was only when she was racing toward
her third release and begging him by name, that he entered her. Hard and sleek,
he eased into her so slowly that it was sheer torture and she sunk her fingers
into his shoulders, demanding in a whispered scream that he fill her hard, and
fill her now. Only then did he oblige and she cried out in sheer relief that he
was finally hers.

“Annika.” He gasped her name as drove into her.

Her body shuddered around him, gripping him tightly as his
rhythm swept her up and took her soaring with him. She shattered into a thousand
pieces of utter bliss.

Finally, when her breathing had slowed and the fragments of
herself had reassembled, she realized that her heart was missing one piece—the
part she’d given to him.

Somehow she managed to swallow her cry of shocked surprise and
dismay. She’d thought she was so clever and so safe with this affair. She
thought she’d protected herself completely but it was all just smoke and
mirrors. She had no protection at all—her barricades were trampled and her moat
completely drained. She loved him. She loved the way his eyes crinkled when he
smiled, and how he teased her about her clumsiness but caught her when she
stumbled. She loved how he lay in bed with her nestled in his arms and talked
about his work but also took the time to ask about hers. She foolishly and
unwisely loved him with every breath she took.

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she did the only
thing she could. She kissed him.

Chapter Fifteen

Bridey had the feeling she was floating outside her
normal world—an observer of her own life except she didn’t recognize much of it.
Kathleen had come for dinner, which wasn’t unexpected because the party was
being thrown specially for Hank’s parents, but what stunned her was the fact her
mother hadn’t left the moment it was polite to do so. Sure, Kathleen had mostly
chatted with Finn and Annika and the Neiquests, but she’d also passed
pleasantries with Sean and Dana. Used to seeing Kathleen with shoulder-squaring
tension, Bridey was disconcerted to find her mother almost relaxed. She’d even
had a sit-down game of catch with Logan before excusing herself when the dancing
started.

“Bridey, that was my foot.” Hank’s hand tightened on her waist
as he steadied her.

“Sorry. I was thinking about Mom.”

“Yours or mine?” He spun her out.

“Mine.” She wished the band would play a slow number so she
could snuggle up to Hank. “I think her being at Kylemore might have actually
helped her and Dad a little bit.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yes, but I never thought it would happen.” Not that her
parents were doing more than circling each other politely but it was better than
what used to happen. She thought of Marion and Bob whose affection for each
other was in sharp contrast to her parents. “When did you find out your parents
were coming up?”

“When they arrived at the plant.” He dipped her and pulled her
back, giving her a smile. “They’re so excited about this weekend that they’re
like two kids at a theme park. It was really nice of your father to do
this.”

She danced out and came in again, her back snuggling against
his front. “It was, but I was hoping we could steal tonight just for us at the
Whitetail Motel or B and B.”

He twirled her around and his face wore a slight frown. “This
party’s for us and my parents so they can celebrate our engagement. We can
hardly disappear.”

But
what
about
us
?
We
haven’t
had
sex
in
weeks
. She ran her hand up into the back of his hair
which she knew in the past had made him kiss her. “What if we left at midnight
and were back by six? No one would even miss us.”

He shook his head. “Your father’s organized a dawn fishing
trip.”

She couldn’t believe it. “Why did Daddy have to choose this
summer to take up fishing?”

But if she expected Hank to show any signs of frustration that
yet again they were going to have to sleep in separate rooms, he didn’t. Instead
he just laughed and kept dancing.

But her enjoyment had lost its gloss. She stopped abruptly and
pulled away before walking back to the table where the Neiquests sat with her
father and Dana. Hank followed her with an audible sigh and when he’d seated
her, he took the chair next to hers and slung his arm over the back of her
chair. She leaned into him and he absently pressed a kiss onto her hair as if
she was a child. Bridey wanted to shake him. She wanted to tell him that she was
right here, an adult, and his for the taking, but the seeds of doubt yelled,
“He’s getting cold feet.”

Bob slapped Hank jovially on the shoulder. “Well, son, you’ve
fallen on your feet here.”

“Dad, I think you’ve probably done enough celebrating,” Hank
said mildly, and poured his father a glass of water.

Bob just grinned and leaned forward. “Bridey, my dear, Marion
and I are thrilled Hank finally got around to popping the question.”

Hank shifted in his seat and a chill darted through Bridey.

“Oh, yes.” Marion beamed. “And we’re even more thrilled that
you said yes. We’ve been hoping for a while now, but you know Hank. He has to
consider something from every angle and he won’t be rushed.”

Sean laughed and squeezed Dana’s hand with affection. “That
will temper the Callahan tendency to make snap decisions.”

Bridey sat up straight, rigid with anxiety. “I don’t make snap
decisions.”

This time Hank laughed. “What would you call the doughnut maker
you had to have and is now waiting to go to a thrift store?”

Dana smiled. “But the one time she used it, the doughnuts were
very good.”

Bridey threw a grateful look at her stepmother. “See, you can’t
argue that.”

“And we can hardly accuse you of snap decisions about the
wedding,” Sean teased. “At last count she had seven different wedding favors she
couldn’t decide between and fourteen dresses.”

“Seeing we’re talking about the wedding, and they don’t come
cheap,” Bob said, “Marion and I would like to make a contribution.”

Sean waved his hand. “That’s very kind, Bob, but not at all
necessary.”

Marion reached over and put her hand on Bridey’s. “We got
sidetracked by the tour of the house and never did have that chat about the
wedding. We’d like to offer you our garden.”

The Neiquests’ garden was beautiful but the unanticipated
gesture caught Bridey by surprise, and she was slow to form a response.

Hank sighed. “Mom, we’ve talked about this. Bridey wants a big
wedding.”

“Well, darling, we had one hundred thirty people for your
sister and it wasn’t a crush.”

“Try triple that.” Hank poured himself a drink.

“Four hundred people?” Marion asked faintly.

Bridey finally found her voice. “It’s important that our
wedding be a statement. Your offer’s very thoughtful, Marion, thank you, but
we’ve already paid a deposit on a venue.”

Sean winked. “I think I paid four holding deposits, Baby-girl,
because you couldn’t decide.”

Marion and Bob exchanged a glance and then both of them stared
at her with expressions of slight injury as if she’d somehow kept a secret from
them.

Marion took in a breath and with a tight smile said, “So where
are
you two getting married?”

Bridey waited for Hank to tell his parents but a beat extended
into two and then morphed into an awkward silence. Her heart hammered faster.
Why wasn’t he saying anything? He knew exactly where they were getting married.
He’d texted,
Okay
. Her future in-laws started
frowning and she couldn’t stand being thought to be the “bad guy” who’d withheld
information so she blurted out, “The InterContinental.”

Marion blinked.

“It’s going to be wonderful. Perfect in fact,” Bridey rushed
on, determined to convince everyone that her vision for the wedding was exactly
what she and Hank needed to start their life together. To cement their
relationship. To avoid a divorce. “The theme’s traditional Old World elegance.
Masses of white roses, tulips and gardenias, chandeliers, tall silver
candelabras with cascading floral centerpieces and tall white candles, gold
charger plates on ivory damask cloths, tulle and gossamer on the ceiling and
walls, a string quartet for the ceremony and a big band for the reception.”

Marion looked slightly stunned but patted her hand. “It all
sounds very...romantic, dear.”

Bridey relaxed. “Thank you. I think so and the men will wear
black tie and tails and my eight attendants—”

“Eight?” Hank stiffened against her.

“Yes. Eight.” The words shot out between tight lips. “I did
tell you this.”

His sober gaze held hers. “I didn’t think you were
serious.”

Bob laughed and slapped Hank’s shoulder. “Just as well this
extravaganza’s a year away. You’re going to need all that time to rustle up a
few more groomsmen, son.”

“I think Hank’s just learning that weddings are for the bride.”
Sean raised his glass to Hank in a gesture of camaraderie.

Everyone laughed and Hank’s mouth tweaked up tightly on one
side but he didn’t join in the laughter.

Bridey felt his reproach rip into her like the barbs of an
arrow.

Dana’s gaze flitted between her and Hank and she said in a calm
voice, “There’s plenty of time for both of you to discuss all the details in
private.”

But
he
doesn’t
want
to
.
He
didn’t
even
tell
his
parents
where
we’re
getting
married
.

Bridey spun her engagement ring as her unspoken words shrieked
in her head, deafening her. Panic swamped her—clogging her throat and making it
hard to breathe. She tried to push it down. Tried to push away the fact that
Hank’s interest in their wedding was zero and that probably meant he was gearing
up to end their engagement. She wouldn’t let that happen. If she got him to
agree to the wedding plans now, then that was a sign he was still going to marry
her.

Her hand hit the table making the glasses rattle. “Actually,
once I’m back at school, there won’t be any time which is why,” she heard her
voice rising and she was powerless to stop it, “we must make decisions now.”

This time no one laughed. An uncomfortable silence settled over
everyone and neither her parents nor the Neiquests looked at her.

Hank shot to his feet. “Dana, Sean, thank you for a lovely
evening. Mom, Dad, we’ll see you in the morning.” He turned to her, his face
stiff and thunderous, and he extended his hand. “Bridey, let’s take a walk.”

For the first time ever, Bridey didn’t want to be alone with
Hank. Not because she feared this new, angry version of him, but because every
single cell in her body feared what he might say.

I
don’t
want
to
marry
you
.

I
don’t
love
you
.

Not that she’d heard the words
I
love
you
from him very often lately, but she wouldn’t
give him the chance to say that he didn’t love her. She refused to take his
hand. Instead, she rose as imperiously as Kathleen could, and quietly said her
farewells to everyone.

Everyone murmured “good night” and then she felt Hank’s fingers
grip her elbow and he steered her silently and determinedly toward the house and
directly into the library. This was a side of him she’d never seen before, and
his stony face brought all her worst fears to center stage.

“Have you been taking lessons from Sean and Finn?” She shook
his arm away as he closed the door firmly behind them.

There was nothing mild about him now and he spread his feet
wide, standing like a commanding general in the center of the room. “This
nonsense has to stop.”

“What nonsense?” She paced to the window and looked out, not
wanting to see the glare of reprimand in his eyes.

“This
obsession
of yours with the
wedding.”

She spun around and threw her hands out wide. “I’m not
obsessed.”

“Yes. You. Are.” He ground out the words and they bounced
around the room. “From the moment we got engaged you’ve become a different
person and you’re behaving like a woman possessed. First it was the engagement
party and I let you have your head with that but I watched stunned as you went
completely overboard. My God, Bridey, you planned everything down to the last
second, including the time it would take for an ice sculpture to melt.”

He didn’t understand. “It’s important that it lasts.”
That
we
last
.

His hands raked through his hair, raising it into blond spikes.
“You said you wanted a summer by the lake to relax but you’re so tense you’re
about to explode, and you’re jamming my inbox with emails about the color of
cake boxes.”

He sighed and sadness ringed him. “We used to talk about
everything from French literature to the manufacture of paper, but for weeks
it’s been like living with an event planner who doesn’t have a life. You do
realize if you keep going this way you’re going to get labeled Bridezilla.”

The word whipped her, cutting deeply and she ground out, “One
of us has to care enough to plan our wedding. Our future.”

His kind eyes flared with anger. “You’re saying I don’t
care?”

Yes
. “What am I supposed to say?
Every time I want to talk about the wedding you brush me aside or you say, ‘you
decide’ or worse still, you question me in front of our parents. I’m starting to
think you don’t want to get married at all.” Her worst fears clung to the words
which had shot out without warning. A tremble started in her toes, quickly
spreading to her entire body.

“Not if it’s going to be like this for the next twelve months,
I don’t,” he muttered.

His words broke over her, sucking the breath from her lungs. “I
knew it.”

He pushed his glasses up his nose and when he spoke his voice
was tired. “Bridey, come on. Don’t be ridiculous.”

She rolled her shoulders back and clenched her hands into tight
fists by her side, finally asking the question that had been plaguing her for
weeks. “Hank, have you ever loved me?”

His eyes darkened as black discs of shock absorbed the honey
warmth of his eyes. “What the hell sort of a question is that?”

Her heart hammered hard and her head spun dizzily from all the
hurt which poured out of her. “A very real one. I proposed to you, Hank. Me.
I
had to ask you to marry me and now I’m not
getting any signs from you that you care about me or the wedding at all.” Her
voice started to crack. “And you can’t deny it. I mean, you program your phone
so you don’t forget to call me at night. What does that say about us?”

Her legs shook so much she had to lock her knees. “You’re not
upset that our vacation’s been lost and last weekend you did everything possible
to avoid spending time with me. I’ve done the math, Hank, so sue me if those
aren’t enough reasons for me to ask the question.”