Don't Break My Heart (Return to Redemption, Book 6) (5 page)

“I also explained to those guys that you couldn’t tolerate
wearing contacts, but you still had the most gorgeous bright blue eyes I’d ever
seen.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m assuming you had LASIK surgery since you’re no longer
wearing glasses.”

“About ten years ago.”

He tipped her chin up and stared into her eyes. “I don’t
know if it’s just because you’re pissed at me or it’s your purple dress, but
your irises look almost violet right now.” His hand slid lower to her hip. “I
also told that idiot that I
like
a
few curves on a woman, and that he could keep all the anorexic two-by-fours he
dated.”

“So if you weren’t only interested in me for sex, then what
was all that crap about me pleasing you?”

“You did! In every possible way you could. I wasn’t just
referring to in bed. You baked me cookies, did my laundry on the weekends, and
proofread and corrected the grammar on all my papers. And, yes, you were
amazing
in bed!”

“Shhh!” She glanced around at the couples dancing near them.
The smirk on his brother’s face said he’d probably heard the comment.

“But you were,” Justin insisted, lowering his voice and
holding her tighter. “Despite that you were a virgin, you were still eager and
responsive. Damn, it makes me hard just thinking about how easily I could make
you come.”

Over and over. But only with him. He’d been a master at
arousing her, and kept her constantly so ready she had to change her panty
liner three and four times a day. And now was no different, especially with his
erection pressed against her.

“You were beautiful. And you still are. Those assholes were
just jealous because they could see how much you loved me.”

“So, then, I suppose you have no objections to marriage
now?” When he didn’t answer right away, she shook her head. “Just as I
expected. Still commitment-phobic.”

“No, you don’t understand, Trisha. A year ago, I would’ve
dropped to one knee right here on the dance floor. But when Marc became sick, I
gave up dating and any thought of settling down. I have Haley to think about,
now. She’s grieving and needs my undivided attention.”

“You’re right.” She spun in a circle under his arm. “It’s
admirable that you recognize how emotionally fragile she is.”

“I do. That’s why I can’t devote a lot of time to a serious
relationship or bring anyone else into our lives. As it is, I’m so busy with my
business I barely have time to shower each day.”

Unfortunately, she could understand his limitations.

“But just because I have an obligation to Haley doesn’t mean
we can’t date now and then,” he added.

“Don’t you mean
sleep
together
?”

“That, too, if you’d like.” He brushed an errant hair from
her face. “But I
meant
going to
dinner and a movie.”

If they dated, their relationship would last exactly how
long it took Justin to realize she would soon be a mother. “I have personal
commitments, too. So why don’t we just enjoy each other’s company for the next
few days and not worry about the future?”

He pulled her tighter against him, allowing her to feel how
much he wanted her. “Sounds good to me. Maybe we can finally go skiing
tomorrow,” he suggested, reminding her of the ski trip he’d promised to take
her on during their Christmas break from school. “I told Haley I would teach
her tomorrow.”

“If she doesn’t mind, I’d love to join you.” She’d done
quite a bit of skiing since college, so when Frankie invited her on the
vacation, she’d called Paul Brennan, her obstetrician, to make sure skiing was
safe. He said as long as she had experience and stayed on the beginner slope he
didn’t see a problem at her early stage of pregnancy. “After this dinner
tonight, I’ll need to burn some serious calories.”

“Don’t forget we have a Christmas brunch buffet at the hotel
at ten tomorrow morning.”

She groaned as the song ended and Santa took the stage. “I
understand we have lots of single ladies here tonight who would love to catch
the bride’s beautiful bouquet.”

“I guess that’s my cue to leave.” Justin smiled and left her
in the middle of the dance floor as more than thirty other women crowded around
her. After a lot of fanfare, Sabrina glanced over her shoulder a moment and
flung her flowers overhead.

Despite being in the back of the group with a lot of taller
women in front of her, the bouquet hit Trisha square in her right breast, made
extra sensitive by her pregnancy. She winced and instinctively hugged the
flowers to her chest.

“Woo-hoo!” Frankie pumped her hand over her head, standing
beside her husband. “There’s no question fate meant for you to catch it,
Trisha!” Her friend winked at her. “Now we just have to find you a groom.”

Justin laughed at the
caught
with her pants down
look on Trisha’s face and settled into his seat.

“Don’t sit down, pal.” Tyler motioned for him to stand back
up. “You’re next.”

“What do you mean?”

“All the single guys have to try to catch the garter. You
and BJ are obligated to go.”

“I may be required to stand up there, but I don’t have to
try
.”

The crowd laughed at the groom’s antics as he tried to crawl
under Sabrina’s straight skirt, which had absolutely no room for more than just
his head. Luke finally hitched her hem above her knees and slid her powder blue
garter off. He walked over to Ben and tried to stuff it in his tuxedo pocket,
but Ben anticipated his friend’s intention and ran. He ducked behind Santa,
using him as a human shield.

Everyone cheered for Luke until the groom finally tossed up
his hands in defeat and winged the garter into the crowd of men, right into
Justin’s face. The two fellows next to him lifted him on their shoulders and
carried him to the chair, where the women had seated Trisha, and set him down
before her.

Shaking his head, he knelt on one knee. The band played
The Stripper
as he slid the lace-trimmed
satin over her ankle. He’d forgotten what gorgeous legs Trisha had. As he pushed
the garter up, he caressed her nylon-encased calf and then her knee. When he
reached her lower thigh, he tickled her a few inches above the elastic and
grinned at her shudder. “So you’re still
Ticklish
Trish
, I see. Should I give them all a thrill and move it up?”

“Don’t you dare.” She squeezed her legs together.

Santa peered over Justin’s shoulder. “Every inch above the
knee is a decade of happiness for the bride and groom. It looks like you’ve
only got one inch so far. You want Luke and Sabrina to have more than ten years
of bliss, don’t you?”

Justin raised his eyebrows at her. “I’m game if you are.”

“Sure you are. If I left it up to you, you’d drive it all
the way home.”

The chanting began low and steadily grew louder. “Higher,
higher, HIGHER,
HIGHER
!”

“Come on, Uncle Justin! Do it!” Haley yelled from the
sidelines.

When the crowd began clapping in time with their cheering,
Trisha pushed his hands away, stood, and yanked the garter clear up to her
crotch. As she jumped away from him, Haley and Dani started a new chant,
yelling, “Kiss, kiss, KISS.”

As the guests all joined in, Sabrina pushed Trisha closer
while Luke thrust Justin toward her. He shrugged and swept Trisha back over his
arm in a crowd-pleasing, tonsil-swabbing kiss that lasted much longer than was
probably appropriate with children present. Her arms twined around his neck as
her tongue dueled with his in a hungry response. Her lips felt like rose
petals—even softer than he remembered.

When he finally came up for air, her beautiful eyes slowly opened
and tears glistened in them. He straightened and steadied her on her feet.

“That’s just a small reminder of how good it used to be.”

And how good it still could be.... if he were responsible
for just himself. Unfortunately, his freedom to consider only his own needs had
come to an abrupt end after Marc became sick.

After Trisha shoved him away and fled into the crowd, he
retreated to the edge of the dance floor and watched as couples resumed swaying
to the romantic old Sinatra tune,
The Way
You Look Tonight
. The song had regained popularity with the release of the
movie,
My Best Friend’s Wedding,
the
summer before Haley’s parents tied the knot.

Even though Lindsey had already been nearly six months
pregnant, she and Marc waited until right before Christmas to be married so
they would have the winter break from classes to take their honeymoon. They’d
chosen
The Way You Look Tonight
for
their first dance as husband and wife.

Justin’s throat swelled closed. The last time he heard it
had been the night before Marc passed away.

To distract his buddy from the pain, he’d spent the evening
playing old videos of his friends’ wedding and movies of Haley’s first steps,
birthday parties, and their vacations—many of which he and his brother’s family
had been part of.

“Remember how loud mom
and Dani’s mother screamed on Space Mountain?” Haley had asked, cuddled up with
her emaciated father in his hospital bed, which Justin had set up in the living
room.

Marc smiled. “Yeah, we
had to drag them onto—” he coughed violently for several moments, then spit
into a tissue.

Justin picked up the
morphine pump’s button from the mattress. “Do you need more?”

Marc waved his hand.
“No,” he croaked. “It’ll knock me out.” He kissed Haley’s forehead. “I want to
spend just a little more”—he gasped for air—“time with my sweetheart.”

Justin laid the button
back down next to Marc’s hand.

A little more time
was
all his friend had left.

“I love you, Daddy,
and I want to be with you.” Haley hugged her father and sobbed, “But I don’t
want you to hurt.”

“I know, baby.”

She picked up the
button and pressed it for him. A few moments later, Marc’s face relaxed, and
his eyes drifted shut.

Justin turned off the
television.

Haley raised her gaze
to his and burst into torrent of tears. “What am I gonna do when he goes?”

“Shhh.” Justin wrapped
his arms around her and rocked her the way he had when she’d been a toddler
with a scraped knee. “We’re gonna be all right, Pinky,” he whispered, trying to
convince himself as much as her. “I’ll always be here for you. We’ll be a
team—just you and me.”

It turned out Marc never regained consciousness. Haley still
regretted administering her father’s last dose of narcotics and denying herself
the chance to say good-bye.

Justin shook off his memories and scanned the tent for
Haley. He found her back at her table, laughing with Jamal. At least the boy
had distracted her from noticing the song the band had played.

~*~

Trisha stumbled back to the table in a lust-induced daze,
touching her swollen lips. Ben pulled her chair out for her. As she sank into
it, he smiled at her. “I’m sorry I bailed on catching the garter. I couldn’t
handle that whole spectacle.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t take it personally.”

“If I’d been up there, they would’ve been cheering for me to
do you right on the dance floor.”

“You’re probably right. This afternoon at the beauty salon,
all the bridesmaids were egging me on to hook up with you tonight.”

He glanced over his shoulder at Sabrina. “I have a good idea
who put that notion into their heads.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “Come
on. Let’s get out there again so she thinks they were successful.”

He led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms.
“Listen, it’s not that I don’t think you’re beautiful and sexy....”

“Ben, I understand, really. You love who you love.”

“And you love who
you
love. Sparks have been flying between you and Justin all evening. That wasn’t
just a kiss for show. It’s not over between you two, is it?”

“Unfortunately, it
is
.
I agreed to go skiing with him tomorrow, but his obligation to Haley and my
personal circumstances are such that our relationship can’t go anywhere.”

“
Personal
circumstances
? Anything I can help with?”

“It’s nothing bad.” She glanced around to make sure no one
was close enough to overhear. “Can I trust you not to say anything to anyone?”

“Of course.”

“I went to a sperm bank in October. I’m almost three months
pregnant.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I’m thrilled, of course. Obviously I never expected
to meet a long lost love tonight. Justin has enough on his plate right now with
raising Haley and trying to keep his business going. Losing her parents has
been hard on her. I can’t expect him to take on the responsibility for my sperm
donor’s baby, too.”

“He would if he loves you.”

“Now that’s the real issue, isn’t it? I know he
wants
me, but not on a
till death do us part
basis. He already
told me Haley has to be his first priority.”

“So it wouldn’t cause any problems for you with him if we
let everyone believe we hooked up tonight?”

“If he doesn’t want to make a commitment to me, how can he
object if I’m with someone else?”

“In that case, would you do a huge favor for me and sleep in
my suite tonight? Not in the same bed with me, of course,” he hurried to assure
her. “I’ll sack out on the sofa in the sitting room. I’d like Sabrina to leave
for her honeymoon, believing I have someone to comfort me in my time of need,”
he said with great dramatic flair. “In the morning, you can ask Thomas to drive
you back to the resort.”

She glanced over at Frankie wrapped in Andy’s arms on the
dance floor. It seemed unlikely her friend would be going back to their hotel
room that night, either. “I’d be happy to. It’s the least I can do to repay you
for this wonderful week.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Trisha.”

“I know. But it’s nice to have a way to express my thanks.”
She touched her necklace. “My pearls are beautiful.”

“Mostly because you’re wearing them.” He stopped dancing and
pulled her toward the table. “I think they’re serving the final course before
they cut the wedding cake.”

“I can’t eat another bite.”

“Even if chocolate mousse is dessert?” he tempted.

“Okay, maybe one more bite.”
Or five.
“But don’t blame me if I hurl chocolate all over you.”

~*~

About a half hour after dinner ended, Justin noticed BJ,
Tyler, and Annie disappeared with the bride and groom. The lights dimmed and a
disco ball lowered over the dance floor as the music went from soft, romantic
love ballads to high-octane disco and rock ‘n roll.

Santa led a conga line through the tent and gathered the
guests to participate in the usual line dances. Darlene and Trisha dragged Cal
and Justin into the line with them. After doing the
Chicken Dance, the Electric Slide,
and the
Macarena
, Haley and Dani shoved Ryan on stage and begged him to
sing
Livin' La
Vida Loca
while they taught Luke’s Explorers and the rest of the crowd a
simple dance they’d choreographed. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed Ryan’s
performance so much someone requested he sing
Achy, Breaky Heart
while everyone two-stepped
.

Justin shook his head. So much for
the teenagers needing Ben’s rec room to entertain them.

BJ returned and whispered something
in Santa’s ear. As soon as the song ended, St. Nick retrieved the microphone
and asked, “Is anyone still hungry?”

The crowd let out a collective
groan.

“We’re glad to hear that, because
apparently the groom whisked the bride away to be alone. So, rather than serve
the cake without them, we’ll let them cut it at brunch tomorrow.”

Deafening applause reverberated
through the tent.

“Thank God,” said Trisha. “I
couldn’t face wedding cake tonight.”

“Let the party resume!” Santa handed
the microphone back to Ryan as the band broke into
Mambo #5.

Justin took Trisha’s hand and pulled
her off the dance floor. “I’m as exhausted as you are full. Let’s sit for a
while.”

Tyler and Annie were back when they
returned to the table.

“Where’d you two get off to?” Justin
asked. “Or shouldn’t we ask?”

“Ben dragged us into the house to
give Annie her Christmas present and Luke and Sabrina their wedding gift.”
Tyler took a sip of the coffee the waiter poured.

“And?” Trisha raised her eyebrows.
“What’d they get? This afternoon I thought I heard someone say he planned their
honeymoon as their wedding present.”

“He did,” Annie told them, looking a
little shell-shocked. “He bought Sabrina and me a yacht.”

Justin did a double take.
“Seriously?”

“And not just a little one,” Tyler
clarified. “We’re talking Aristotle Onassis sized.”

“Must be nice to have a billionaire
as a best friend.” Justin chuckled.

“He’s too generous for his own good.
One of these days BJ’s gonna realize—”

“Gonna realize what?” Ben asked as
he sank down on the other side of Trisha.

“Nothing.” Tyler shook his head.

Ben smiled at Trisha and jerked his
head toward the exit. “Are you ready to go up for that cup of hot chocolate, or
do you want to stay and dance a while longer?”

“No. I’m tired.” She squeezed his
hand. “Let’s call it a night.”

Justin glanced between them and
frowned. She planned to leave with BJ? Could Trisha really be attracted to the
Viking, or had she turned into a gold digger?

“I have one or two things to take
care of here first. You go inside, and I’ll meet you upstairs in a few
minutes.” He kissed her on the forehead. “My suite’s at the top of the stairs to
the left, first door on your right. I already asked Mrs. Pershing, my
housekeeper, to send up the cocoa.”

“Okay.” She smiled at him. “Don’t be
long, or I might fall asleep before you get there.”

As she left, Tyler grabbed Ben’s
arm. “I hope you’re not stringing her along while you’re lickin’ your wounds.
Trisha’s a nice woman. She doesn’t need you breaking her—”

“Relax,”—Ben glanced at Justin—“
all of you
. We’re simply having a cup of
cocoa together. This is just a smokescreen for Sabrina’s peace of mind. I’ll be
sleeping on the sofa in the sitting room.”