The Best Mistake of Her Life (16 page)

Several awkward moments passed, and Kate forced her chin to remain high despite the public scrutiny.

The driver of the car, a balding, middle-age man, broke the tension-filled silence. “I know just the pilot for the job,” he said, clearly amused. “His name is George Pitka. He’s the best in these parts.”

“No, he ain’t,” another replied, obviously offended by the driver’s choice. “Everyone knows that Charlie Patton is the better of the two.”

A surreal moment followed as Memphis held her gaze while the two men began to seriously debate the merits of their choices, until Kate held up her hand.

“I’ll keep them in mind, gentlemen,” she said, sending them a strained smile. “Thanks.”

Memphis took a step toward her. “I’m busy, Kate.”

“You told me you loved me, Memphis. What better time is there?”

“No time like the present, I always say,” the driver said, the grin of delight spreading widely across his face as he addressed Memphis. “Don’t worry about us, kid. We’re just starting to enjoy ourselves, aren’t we, boys?”

There was a muttering of amused agreement, which only grew louder when Memphis stepped forward and took her arm, leading her away.

“You know I’ll never live this down, don’t you?” he said dryly.

“It builds character.”

“It sabotages a guy’s reputation.”

“You can drive off a cliff or leap from something super tall to fix your manly name.”

With a wry twist of his lips, he finally came to a stop at a quieter part of the street and hooked a hand on his hip. “Is that all you’ve come to do? Finally admit you love me and then proceed to humble me in front of my crewmates?” He raised a brow, waiting.

She gathered her courage. “What do I have to do to convince you to move back and give us a chance?”

The moment lingered so long Kate thought she’d squeal in frustration. Every second pounded out the impatience in her heart.

And then his mouth quirked. His tone was light, but there was a heavy thread of underlying sincerity. “I want to be wooed.”

She blinked, stunned. “I don’t know how,” she said, her words honest. “But I
am
learning how to tell the truth.”

His light tone disappeared. “That’s a good start.”

“I told Brian and my parents everything.”

“I heard.” Two more heartbeats passed. “And what happened?” he said.

“They’re angry. They’re incredibly disappointed in me,” she said. “And I don’t think they’ll ever look at me the same way again.” She inhaled a shaky breath, tears pricking her eyes.

His brows pulled together in a mix of tender sympathy and remembered frustration. “I’ve suffered a few of those moments with you myself,” he said.

She sent him a small smile, blinking back the
sting of tears, knowing how much she’d hurt him in the past. “How is it possible to fall in love with a girl who made you feel like a nobody?”

His smile was soothing. “It was easy to see the potential for the woman beneath.”

Easy for Memphis, the one who knew her best, but missed by the rest of the world.

“I’m taking comfort in the fact my family is now seeing the real me.” Despite her efforts to keep it light, her smile faded with the memory. Facing Brian had been tough.

Facing her parents, even tougher.

“They’re your family, Kate,” he said in a low voice. He reached out and brushed a hair from her cheek, lingering, as if to reassure her with more than just his words. “They’ll love you anyway.”

Her chest grew so tight she couldn’t breathe, not now that her biggest fear had been spoken out loud. “Will they?”

“They will,” he said firmly. “And sometimes you have to tear down a lot in order to rebuild something better.”

The pressure of tears grew stronger, and she sent him a watery smile. “I keep trying to convince myself of that.” She needed him now more than she’d ever needed anyone. “Brian’s finally talking to me again, albeit reluctantly. But my parents …” Her voice died as she remembered the painful confrontation, and she cleared her throat, giving a helpless shrug. She forced herself to go on, afraid of what he might say. “Will you stick around and help me through the fallout?”

His gaze dropped to his hand on her cheek, and her every cell paused as she prayed he’d say yes.

Instead of answering, he said, “A few years ago a reporter asked me how it felt to grow up poor. He wanted to know what the worst part was. I didn’t have a good response then, but I’ve thought an awful lot about that question the past few days.”

She blinked, knowing the question was vital, and dying to know the answer. “And what did you figure out?”

His thumb gently traced the corner of her mouth, his eyes on his task. “When you’re raised on the wrong side of the tracks, even if you don’t give a damn what other people think of you, you still belong to an invisible class. No one wants to see you.”

Memphis met her gaze again, and the corner of his mouth quirked. “I already knew that part,” he went on slowly. “Unfortunately, I’ve finally figured out it also means spending the rest of your life trying to escape …” His lips twisted wryly. “And never realizing you already have. And although all you want is for people to see you as more than where you came from, you never really trust that they do.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “But you were right. That’s my problem, not theirs.”

Her heart expanded and she inhaled swiftly. “I fell in love with you that night five years ago.” His gaze was steady as Kate went on. “Maybe
it’s horribly wrong of me,” she said softly. “But I don’t regret my actions anymore. I married Dalton for the wrong reasons, because he was the easier man to love, and I left him back then with no intention of going back. Making love to you that night was the first honest thing I’d done in a very long time.” She sent him a small smile. “Guilt and fear drove me back, but I’m older, wiser and a whole lot braver now.”

“About damn time,” Memphis muttered. “I don’t think I could have taken much more.”

Heart soaring, she placed a hand on his chest. “So, Memphis Nathanial James, are you going to move back to Miami?”

“Actually,” he said, a brow creeping higher. “This morning I called Brian to accept his offer.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You little sneak,” she said, lightly tapping his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was waiting for you to come find me first.”

She looked up at him, love and lightness filling every corner of her being. “Is me making a fool of myself in front of an audience enough wooing for you?”

A heart-stopping half grin crept up his lips, and he pulled her flush against him. It was hard not to melt against the hard body of the man who knew her so well. The one who had seen the best version of herself from the moment they’d met. “Angel Face,” he said, his smile growing bigger, “I’d say it’s a good start.”

One year later

T
HE
sand tickled her toes and the late-afternoon sun warmed her bare shoulders as Kate looked down the white shore and turquoise waters of Sunday Key, a tiny, uninhabited island located off South Beach. Streaks of purplish-pink were making their way across the sky, the beginnings of a beautiful sunset that would be the perfect backdrop for the wedding ceremony. Despite the beautiful weather, Kate knew she couldn’t get
too
relaxed.

With Memphis and Brian in the same ceremony, the potential for mischief was huge.

She’d sent her brother to fetch Memphis and, as soon as she spied her soon-to-be husband coming toward her, the surge of joy was profound—no pre-wedding jitters this time around. Memphis looked handsome in his beige linen suit and white shirt, open at the throat. Kate’s strapless, full length A-line gown was simple, adorned with
a beige grosgrain sash that matched the color of Memphis’s suit.

Waiting for the wedding to start, the thirty or so guests milled about the setting which consisted of folding chairs covered in sheer white chiffon and a bamboo arbor draped with white tulle that wound down around the poles, the fabric loose at the ends and flowing in the balmy Atlantic breeze. Simple, yet elegant, embellished only by the sunset that glowed in the sky.

Kate was certain she’d been glowing since they’d officially announced their engagement a month ago. She’d hated waiting, but Memphis had insisted on winning her parents over first.

After her confession, several weeks had passed before her parents would even talk to her again—and after that, it had taken months of cajoling to get her parents to agree to meet with Memphis. As she’d predicted, it wasn’t long before her parents had grudgingly admitted he wasn’t a bad guy. Her dad’s softening attitude had a lot to do with how happy Memphis made her. And while the two men were too different to ever be exceptionally close, a grudging respect had developed that went both ways.

Repairing the fractured relationships hadn’t been easy, but was well worth the wait.

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to see my bride before the wedding,” Memphis said as he sauntered closer, a gleam of appreciation in his eyes.

She bit back a smile. “You’ve never been worried about formalities before,” she said. “Besides,
I have a question I need to ask.” Kate tipped her head and looked up at him. “You don’t have any surprises in store for me, do you?”

Memphis’s teasing eyes grew dark. “You mean for our wedding night?”

Kate laughed. “No, I mean for the wedding ceremony.”

His gaze turned secretive. “What would give you that idea?”

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him. “I spotted the pyrotechnic specialists from your stunt crew among our guests.” With a raise of her eyebrow, she went on. “Am I supposed to assume their presence is a coincidence?”

His grin revealed nothing, increasing her suspicions exponentially.

“I’ve quizzed my brother ad nauseam,” she said. “But he refuses to confess to anything.”

“Brian’s the best man. He owes his allegiance to me.” Memphis laced his fingers with hers, pulling her close, and, despite his suspiciously evasive response, her heart turned to total mush. “If you really want to know,” he said, “you should ask your dad as he walks you down the makeshift aisle.”

“My
dad
is in on this?”

“Angel Face,” he said, clearly entertained. “It was your father’s idea.”

As shock rolled through Kate, she couldn’t decide whether to be happy that her father was clearly on board with her choice for a new husband
… or worried that her dad was now in league with Brian and Memphis.

Given how hard she and Memphis had worked to reach this point in their relationship, Kate decided happy was the only way to be.

Her mouth twitched in humor. “I’m hoping this will be a fabulous firework display and not an over-the-top explosion.”

He gave an easy shrug. “I’m not telling.”

“When will I find out?” she said, smiling up at Memphis.

He tugged her closer, until she was pressed firmly against his chest—the place where she belonged. “Right after you say I do.”

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

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First published in Great Britain 2012
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

© Aimee Carson 2012

ISBN: 978-1-408-99772-7