TOML SW 2015-04-09 (13 page)

“There’s nothing wrong with being alone. After your father passed away, it was what I wanted for a very long time, and we tend to get what we want in life, Tori.”

“What if I don’t know what I want?”

“Then you’ll need to make up your mind, and everything will fall into place.”

“What does that mean, Mama? Do we control our own destiny?”

Bonnie nodded. “I don’t know how, dear. But I know without a doubt that it’s true.” She winked at her daughter in the mirror.

~~~

Jed stood beside his father to the side of the makeshift altar, a warm breeze coming off the lake behind him.

It was a beautiful day for a wedding.

Edward turned to him. “Thank you for being my best man. It means a lot.”

He could hear the sincerity in his father’s voice, and it touched him. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I came.”

It surprised him to realize it was true. Jed was glad he came, happy to have seen his father and brother, even if he only made a small bit of peace with the other men. It was something. It was a heck of a lot more than he’d had from them in a long time.

And there was Tori.

“I can’t change the past, Jed. But I sure hope you and I have a future.”

“I hope so, too.”

The music changed and the men turned their attention down the aisle, Tori and Gabe arm-in-arm in the distance. Her blue dress blew gently on the breeze, and the last piece of Jed’s armor fell away.

 
He was grateful for the moments he had spent with her. His mouth slid into a smile as they walked up the aisle, his mind cutting Gabe from the picture entirely. Tori met his eyes and his heart tightened in his chest.

She had a hold on him, some emotional tie he’d never before experienced, and it gave him pause even as he took in her beautiful smile. He liked her. He liked her a lot. And why shouldn’t he? With her creative spirit and entrepreneurial bravado, he couldn’t help but admire this woman. She worked as hard as anyone he’d ever seen to save her shop, and she would be successful, he just knew it.

She would be happy. She would be fulfilled. Maybe she would even find someone to love.

But it wouldn’t be him.

The preacher was talking, but Jed didn’t hear. He remembered Evelyn fighting with him, weeping as she spoke.
You asked me to marry you, but you can’t even say it, can you? I need to hear it, Jed. I need to hear the words before I can be your wife.

He’d lost Evelyn that day.

Somewhere deep inside of himself, a voice called out from the darkness.

Don’t let it happen again.

Sweat broke out on his neck and hands. His mind was screaming, and above the cacophony he heard the vows being exchanged. He reached up and ran his fingers along his forehead.

He couldn’t fall in love with Tori.

He didn’t want to fall in love with anyone.

His eyes lifted to the crowd, locking instantly with Evelyn’s. He hadn’t even realized she was there. While everyone else was watching the bride and groom, she’d been watching him.
 

The crowd erupted in applause, and Jed turned. Edward dipped his new wife over his arm, making Tori visible over their embrace.

Jed turned away before her eyes could find his, landing again on Evelyn’s. She knew he was broken, and she wanted him anyway. She’d never expect promises of love. She’d made her peace with that, something he knew Tori would never do.

He was drowning, water rushing over him and blocking out all air. He felt dizzy and hot. This wasn’t what he wanted. Not Tori. Certainly not Evelyn.

None of this was what he wanted.

He had to get out of here. Now.

It took every ounce of willpower he had to stay rooted to that spot, to wait for the recessional before he walked down the aisle. He could feel Evelyn’s stare as he walked past her.

A plan was beginning to take shape in his mind. He would attend the reception, there was no way out of that without dramatic explanations, but he would stay clear of Tori as much as he possibly could. But tomorrow, as soon as he could pack his things, he would leave Moon Lake and never look back.

Tomorrow he would forget all about Tori Henderson.

~~~

Tori was so incredibly confused.

She sat at the table while her mother and Edward cut the cake. Jed and Evelyn were deep in conversation, with Gabe seeming more interested in their conversation than in her.

What the heck was going on here?

The crowd applauded politely, and Gabe leaned in close to her ear. “I need to get out of here. Want to come to the bar with me?”

“You know it.” She pushed back from the table.

Neither Jed nor Evelyn even looked up, which irritated her just enough to say something. She leaned forward and pasted a wide smile on her face. “I just can’t figure out why you two kids broke up. I do think there’s a preacher around here someplace if you change your mind.” She winked at Jed, who at least had the decency to look upset.

She turned to Gabe as they wound their way through the tables. “I’m so angry, I could spit in his eye. What about you? Aren’t you pissed off that he’s hitting on your girlfriend?”

He shrugged as they emerged from the dining area. “She’s not really my girlfriend.”

“What?”

“She’s my friend, and she wanted to come, so I brought her. She’s a really nice person, actually.”

“Why did she want to come, if you aren’t dating…” Tori shut her mouth as she finally put the pieces together. “You brought her here for Jed.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Tori. I had no idea…”

She raised her hand to stop him. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. I mean, if he wants to be with her instead of me, then good riddance, right?”

“Right.” He signaled the bartender, then asked her, “What are you drinking?”

“Wine. No, no, wait. Tequila.”

He smiled. “Woman after my own heart.” He turned to the bartender. “Two shots of tequila.”

Tori had another before moving away from the bar, Gabe by her side as they headed to the dance floor. Bonnie and Edward had done their first dance moments earlier, and Tori had no desire to return to the do-you-remember-when-we-were-a-couple table.

Screw that.

Oh, yeah, she was getting warmed up now. This was her mother’s wedding, a truly happy occasion, and she wasn’t going to let mister wonderful over there ruin it.

Gabe spun her into his arms and she yelled over the music, “They can freaking have each other.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

He was a good dancer, confident and fun. She felt herself relaxing into the moves, enjoying the feel of his body close to hers.

“Tori, I have a confession to make,” he said.

“Your old fiancé is the band leader.”

“No.”

“You’re a top secret agent and you’re really married to the queen of Spain.”

“No.”

She laughed out loud. “Does Spain even have a queen?”

“I don’t think so.” The music changed to a ballad, and he settled her into his arms. “Tori, I like you. I like you a lot. But I’m interested in someone else.”

There it was, all the cards on the table. Tori sighed, finally realizing what her heart had been telling her all along. It wasn’t about Gabe. It had never been about Gabe. “Me, too.”

“I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

“So am I.”

She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder as she started to giggle. “We’re quite a pair, you and me.”

“You can say that again.”

“So, who’s the lucky lady?”

He made a noise in his throat. “I’d rather not say.”

“Well, now I really want to know.”

“What do you say we have some fun tonight.”

Her eyes widened.

“That came out wrong.” He laughed. “I mean, we can dance and have a good time while we’re here, right? It’s not like those two are going to come up for air anytime soon. Hey, if you want, we can even try to make Jed jealous.”

She smiled. “That might be the best idea I’ve heard all night. But no more tequila, or I’m going to throw up all over my shoes.”

“You’ve got a deal.”

~~~

Jed stared out the window of the limousine as it cruised along a winding road and pulled up in front of Bonnie’s house. They all said their goodbyes to the happy couple.

Evelyn was sitting beside him, close enough to his hip for him to feel her warmth. He wished it felt good, for more than anything he wanted to want this woman back in his life. She’d all but begged him while they were dancing together at the reception.

But while he’d once considered her the perfect partner, he now considered her a very poor substitute for someone else.

He glanced across the limo at Tori, who seemed to have fallen asleep on Gabe’s shoulder, and his stomach wrenched with jealousy. It had been all he could do to stay away from her this evening, no less watch her reunite with his brother. The whole time he’d been listening to Evelyn prattle on, his eyes had followed Tori.

In the morning, he’d be gone.

He just had to make it through tonight without her.

The car pulled up in front of the bed and breakfast. Jed watched as Gabe woke Tori and said his goodbyes, kissing her gently on the cheek.

Jed clenched his fists. Evelyn touched his shoulder. “Would you like to come in?”

He could feel Tori’s eyes upon him. Here was his opportunity to push her away. By simply saying yes, he would show Tori that nothing could ever happen between them. A quick break, like ripping a bandage off. He wouldn’t stay here with Evelyn, but he could walk back to his cabin in less than an hour.

It was the right thing to do.

It was the reason he’d spent the entire reception chatting with Evelyn. It was the chance he’d been waiting for. He looked at Tori and opened his mouth to tell her goodnight, but something in her eyes made him close it again.

Something true, and beautiful.

He turned to Evelyn. “No. I’m glad we talked. It was good to see you.”

“But that’s all.”

“Yes.”

She nodded her head and climbed out of the limo. The door closed, leaving him alone with Tori for the first time all day. He stared at her until the driver spoke up. “Where to?”

There were so many questions wrapped up in that one. When Tori didn’t answer, Jed said to her, “I’ll go wherever you want.”

She scowled. “And just what makes you think you’re welcome with me?”

“Tori, we need to talk.”

“You could have talked to me anytime. I was there all night, but you didn’t say a word to me.”

“You were pretty busy talking to Gabe.”

“Don’t put this on me. You were the one reuniting with an old flame, ignoring me for hours on end.” She shook her head and looked at the ceiling. “Hawthorn Point,” she said to the driver. “The log cabins on the water.” The car began to move. “I was talking to Gabe because I couldn’t get a word in edgewise with Miss Chatty Kathy and her walk down memory lane.”

“She wanted me back.”

“Ya think?”

“But I’m not interested in her, Tori. I’m only interested in you.”

“Well, you’ve got a real funny way of showing it.”

“And what about you, dancing with my brother for hours on end? He wants you as much as Evelyn wants me.”

“That’s not true.”

“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t deserve the way I treated you today.”

“Then why’d you do it?”

He closed his eyes, opened them again. “I wanted to push you away. I wanted you to hate me. I was afraid of my feelings for you.”

They stared at each other as the limousine turned down Jed’s street. He knew he should let her go, that she deserved a man who was prepared to give her everything he could never provide, a man who would love her and stand by her, stay with her through it all.

While he would be leaving in the morning.

But he couldn’t let her go, anymore than the earth could let go of the moon. Jed needed her, wanted as much of her as she would give him, desperate for her touch and her surrender.

His voice was hoarse. “Come home with me, Tori.”

She said nothing.

“Please. Not because it’s a good idea, but because you want to. Because you want to be as close to me as I want to be to you. Because I need to be with you, more than I’ve ever needed to be with anyone.”

He heard the crunch of gravel under the tires of the car as it made its way down the hill, his stomach sinking with every moment she didn’t answer him.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” she asked.

He stared at her through the dimly lit car. “In the morning.”

She nodded, the slightest movement of her head. The car stopped and he held his breath.

Tori reached out her hand. He grabbed it, and she slid across the seat toward the door, making his body and his heart begin to sing.