Hardline (29 page)

  
She rubbed up and down the tops of my arms slowly. “What do you mean?”

  
“Nothing. Forget it. This is supposed to be a happy day. Right?” I smiled and sniffed, trying to pull myself back together.

  
Her lips were tight and then she released a small sigh. “Of course. Thank you for inviting me. I’m not sure how I’m going to keep from balling like a baby when I see you in a white dress though. Have you picked anything out?”

  
I looked around for Alli. “No, not yet. Alli is with the sales lady picking out dresses for me. She says she knows what I want anyway. She usually does, so I’m going with it.” I shrugged.
 

  
Then Alli emerged with another young woman. They both had their arms full of more white lace than I’d ever know what to do with.
 

  
My stomach fell.
Oh hell, here we go.

  
Fifteen minutes later, the sales lady was clipping the back of my dress, cinching the fabric tightly around my bust and waist. Carefully I stepped into the little room the store had reserved for us. Alli and Marie sat on the edge of the couch, eyes wide as I emerged. I turned to face the mirrors.

  
Marie’s hands went to her mouth. Before I could let the waterworks loose, I turned my focus back to the dress. It was beautiful, but the details of its design escaped me when all I could imagine was walking toward Blake in it. To be his wife. To be his, forever.
 

  
The reality of that thought hit me like a sledgehammer. I didn’t know if I wanted to be sick or pass out or launch into tears. All I knew was up until this moment, the thought of getting married had seemed more abstract. Right now, it was real and staring me in the face, impossible to ignore.
 

  
Alli came up beside me with a broad smile. “It’s beautiful. I love it. Do you like it?”

  
“This is really happening,” was all I could say.

  
She laughed and squeezed my shoulders. “Yes! This is happening, and you’re going to be so happy.”

  
I laughed a little at how surreal it all felt. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m actually getting married.”

  
Marie stood on the other side and took my hand, so much love in her eyes. “You ready for this, honey?”
 

  
I stared back at her reflection, frozen as I asked myself the same question. A weight inside me lifted when I heard myself answer.

  
Yes.

  
I’d never been more ready.
 

I stared down at my feet as they sank into the wet sand. Wave after wave lapped against my calves. While we waited for dinner, Blake and I had walked down to the shore, stopping at the edge of his parents’ private beach. I took in the salty air, moist on my skin in the warm summer night. I lifted my gaze to the darkening horizon.
 

  
“Don’t you feel like we’re standing at the edge of the world?”

  
Blake bent to catch a shell rolling up with the tide. “I suppose so.” He tossed it back into the restless waters. “You love the ocean, don’t you?”

  
“I do. I’m not sure I can ever be without it again.” I laughed quietly. “I guess I like living on the edge.”
 

  
I met Blake’s gaze. His eyes were quiet, contemplative. The fading glow of the sunset cast shadows across his face. The vintage T-shirt he wore ruffled in the breeze blowing off the ocean. Though still damp at the bottom, his jeans were rolled up past his ankles. Blake was perfect in all the ways that mattered to me. Perfect and all mine.

  
He took my hand and pulled me to him. I went willingly, loving the warmth of his embrace. He circled my waist, bringing us chest to chest. My hands found his hair, mussing the dark brown strands. I smiled, memorizing him and this moment.
 

  
“Sometimes I wish I could just sweep you up and take you away. Run away from all this madness and take a real break. A long break.”
 

  
I drew in a breath. I couldn’t agree more, but I also knew how unrealistic it was. I’d spent a long time wishing I could run away from my life, but not having any idea where or whom to run to. Instead I’d resisted the urge and forged ahead, making life work through the hardest times. Through my mother’s death, through the separation from the only father I’d ever known until recently, and then through the hell that Mark had put me through. And here I was—stronger, happier than I’d ever been, enjoying this perfect moment with the man I loved so completely.

  
“I want to escape with you too. But this is our home, and our lives will always be here waiting for us. Besides, taking more time off would send me into a meltdown. I have a ton of catching up to do from being out so long.” I immediately thought of the mountain of work I’d barely put a dent in today. Risa’s lunch had thrown me off when my focus should have been on the details surrounding the impending upgrades.

  
Then I remembered something.

  
“So what is going on with James? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw him at the office this morning. What happened?”

  
“Alli wanted him in the office to help while you were out.”

  
“I can’t imagine that’s the only reason why you let him stay.”

  
“No, we talked.”

  
“He came to you?” I pulled back slightly, in disbelief that James would actually seek Blake out, or vice-versa.
 

  
“I think we can both agree that he’s fairly protective of you, so when Alli hinted that you’d been hurt, it didn’t take long for him to show up at my office wanting to know more.”

  
“And?”

  
“I think initially he wanted to know that I didn’t have anything to do with you being hurt. He seems caught up on this idea that I abuse you.”

  
He winced, and I didn’t like the emotions that played out there.
 

  
“I don’t think it has anything to do with you. His dad was violent. I think it’s a sensitive subject for him.”

  
“Maybe that’s it. Anyway, after learning that Max attacked you and knowing that Daniel hurt you too, he posed a compelling argument that he stay, for your sake.”

  
“And you agreed?”

  
“Basically, as much as I would like to, I can’t be with you twenty four hours a day. With everything that has happened lately, it makes sense that James be there to make sure that you can be safe at work.”

  
I put more of a separation between us, staring at him in disbelief.
 

  
“Let me make sure I have this right. Are you telling me that you’re willing to let James stay with the company with the understanding that he act as my in-house bodyguard?”

  
“Erica.” An undercurrent of warning came through as he uttered my name. “If you think I’m taking any chances with your safety, you’re crazy.”

  
I tried to step away but he didn’t budge. “I can’t stand the idea of having all of you hovering around me, waiting for something terrible happen. I want to be trusted to take care of myself, at least a little bit.”

  
“I know, but taking care of you is my job now. Remember?”

  
True enough. I’d given up the right to fight him on this matter.
 

  
“Beyond that, I knew agreeing to remove James from your life wasn’t an easy decision for you to make.”

  
“You didn’t give me much choice.”

  
“You still had a choice. I’m glad you made it and were willing to make that sacrifice for us. I’m not saying I completely trust that he doesn’t still harbor feelings for you—”

  
“He’s seeing Simone. I’m pretty confident he’s moved on.”

  
“He made a point to tell me as much. I haven’t had much success with getting over you personally, so you’ll excuse me for taking his reassurance with a grain of salt. As I was saying, he might still care about you, but as long as he can keep his hands to himself, those feelings can serve to keep you safe and out of danger while you’re away from me. Keeping him there seemed like a worthwhile concession.”
 

  
“Blake Landon making a concession?” I rolled my eyes.
 

  
He hauled me back up, slapping my ass through the thin cotton of my dress. I yelped and squirmed.
 

  
“Roll those pretty blue eyes at me again, and you’ll regret it.” He massaged me where he’d made contact, grabbing me gently. “Maybe you could thank me instead.”

  
“Thanks.” I meant to sound sarcastic. Instead I was breathless as he pressed me against him, his hands splayed possessively at my back and over my ass.
 

  
“That’s more like it.”

  
I suppressed a smile. “You’re hopeless, you know that?”

  
“Yes. Hopelessly in love with you. Get used to it. Marriage is forever.”
 

  
His eyes glittered in a way that made me forget I was annoyed with him.
 

  
“On that note, actually. I was hoping we could talk about wedding plans tonight.”
 

  
I weakened a little. “Yeah?”

  
He took my hand and we began to walk back toward his parents’ house.
 

  
“I don’t think it’s any secret that you can’t quite compete with Alli’s enthusiasm over all this wedding stuff.”
 

  
“You picked up on that, did you?”

  
He laughed. “I’m very observant. But I was thinking maybe we can scrap all this elaborate planning, and just do something small. We can still have my family, your family, but skip trying to put on some big display. I want to be married to you, Erica. I don’t want to wait. Put me in a pink cummerbund, and let’s just do it.”

  
“Really?”

  
“Really. What do you think? We could do it here or at the Vineyard. A little ceremony on the beach, get some pictures, and spend a couple weeks at the house there just us. Then I can re-explore every inch of your body with the sweet satisfaction of knowing you’re my wife.”

  
I smiled broadly, loving the sound of all of that. Especially the re-exploring my body part.
 

  
“Sounds perfect.”

  
He raised an eyebrow.
 

  
“All of it. It sounds perfect.”
 

  
* * *

  
Alli nearly overflowed my glass of
Pinot Grigio
laughing over something Heath was saying. I was too busy listening to Fiona vent about her last date gone wrong. A couple empty bottles littered the table as we finished yet another expertly cooked family dinner, courtesy of Greg, who was proving to be a force in the kitchen.
 

  
Greg tended to be quiet, as least compared to the rest of the family. But he was approachable. More approachable than Blake was at times, though I could see similarities between the two men. How people became a product of their parents always fascinated me, maybe because it was a perspective I’d largely lacked. Blake was so different from both Heath and Fiona, yet they all shared this common thread that made them a family.
 

  
I could not have asked for a better family to become a part of. My heart swelled every time I thought of what a blessing they’d become. Having Blake would have been enough, but becoming a part of their world made the whole prospect of marrying into another family more than I would have ever expected.

  
Catherine defied all the horror stories I’d ever heard about wretched mothers-in-law, and Fiona was sweet, plain and simple. Heath, as troubled as he’d been, too was becoming a loyal friend. And Greg seemed to be the glue that held everyone together.
 

  
A sudden dinging rang out and my gaze fell on the glass that Blake held.
 

  
“We have a little announcement.”

  
“Oh! What is it?” Alli clapped her hands together, straightening in her chair.

  
“You already proposed, Blake. Enough of the fanfare. You’re making me look bad,” Heath said.
 

  
Alli turned a deep shade of red and shoved him. He caught her by the wrist, pulling her back to him and planting a chaste kiss on her lips.
 

  
Blake cleared his throat. “Anyway, we wanted to let you know that we’ve made some decisions about the wedding.” He looked to me, silently letting me know I could take the floor if I wanted to.
 

  
I inhaled a deep breath and began. “Well, as most of you know, I haven’t had a lot of time and energy to devote to wedding planning. I know you all were probably wanting and hoping for something big, which, to be honest, has been a little intimidating.”

  
Catherine shook her head. “Nonsense. We are here to support you and Blake, no matter what you decide. Selfishly of course, I would love to be there to see my son get married, but however you want to do it is entirely up to you. It’s your special day.”

  
“I would love to have you there, all of you. You all have already become my family…” I tapped my foot nervously, reminding myself not to start crying. Damn if this wasn’t a sensitive subject. Then I felt Blake’s hand on my knee, reassuring me. “And my own family being so small and kind of distant, we thought that it would be wonderful to have something small with the few people close to us. For the sake of simplicity maybe, and also because we could do it sooner.”