The Wedding Pact Box Set

by Denise Grover Swank

  Her office door opened, and Melissa walked in with a huge bouquet of flowers. “These were just dropped off.” Her eyes flashed with anger as she set them down on Blair’s desk.

  “Who are they from?”

  Melissa hedged. “I didn’t open the card.”

  Blair stomped over and snatched the card from the middle of the flowers. It was a beautiful bouquet of red roses and white lilies. They were her wedding flowers, so she knew who’d sent them before she even read the card.

  Blair,

  I’m gutted. Please let me explain.

  Forever yours,

  Neil

  “Blair?”

  She spun around to see him looming in the doorway, a wary expression on his face.

  Melissa hurried over and began to shove him out of the room with a surprising amount of strength for someone so slight. “I told you that you can’t come in here.”

  Blair sighed and shook her head. “He can come in.” No matter the outcome, she needed to talk to him. There were too many complications to walk away without ever seeing him again. Melissa left the room, but she gave Blair one last significant glance before shutting the door behind her.

  “Blair.” Neil rushed to her and tried to pull her to his chest, but she pushed him back.

  “No.”

  He took several steps backward and raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. Your rules, Blair. Just tell me what to do so I can fix this.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “Can I explain what you saw? Please?”

  “I have a deposition in fifteen minutes, Neil. Fifteen minutes.”

  “Blair.” He reached for her hand. When she didn’t pull away, he continued. “I know things got out of hand last night, and you have no idea how sorry I am. I confronted Garrett about cornering you in the kitchen and . . . Let’s just say I couldn’t stand by and let him insult you like that.” His brow lowered with indignation.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “He was bragging about how he could win you from me.” He took a deep breath. “He was rude and disgusting about how he planned to go about it, and I refused to listen to him talk about you that way.”

  “What way?”

  He moved closer to her and slowly slid an arm around her back. “Darling, don’t make me tell you. I had enough trouble listening to him say it. So I hit him.”

  Neil had to be one of the most non-confrontational people she’d ever met. She had a hard time picturing him throwing a first punch, yet she’d clearly seen them scuffling in the pool, and there was no denying the bruise under his eye now.

  “I really don’t have time for this. I have to be ready for this deposition. Now more than ever.”

  He slowly ran his hands up and down her bare arms. “Darling, we were both angry last night, and things got out of hand. But we’re getting married in two days. All I ask is that you think things through before you make any hasty decisions you’ll regret.”

  She didn’t respond. Perhaps he had a point.

  “I know you have a lot on your mind. The last thing you needed was for my cousin to turn up and try to humiliate you. And then there’s Nana Ruby.” Her name rolled off his tongue as though it imparted a bitter taste. Then he looked into Blair’s face. “But there’s something I didn’t tell you.” He lowered his eyes. “The reason I’m putting up with her shit.”

  She gave him a look of irritated disbelief. This sounded a lot like a con job. “Go on.”

  “Her inheritance.” He licked his lower lip. “She has thousands of acres right outside the Springfield city limit. Her land is probably worth millions, though she hardly acts like a woman of wealth and class. If I piss her off, she’ll cut me out of the will.”

  Blair’s eyes narrowed. “That seems unlikely.”

  “You don’t know her like I do. You didn’t spend every summer watching the two of them huddled together over horses and literal shit in the barn, while they pretended I didn’t exist.”

  She backed up and put her hands on her hips. “And thus your need to best him.”

  His face softened. “No, Blair. It’s not like that.” He was quiet for a moment. “Garrett’s a player, through and through. He assesses a situation and tries to figure out the best way to milk it to his advantage. He’s only close to Nana Ruby because he wants the land all to himself. And the best way to do that is not only to get into her good graces, but to alienate her from me.”

  She shook her head. “That seems like a stretch.”

  “You knew him before, right? He was the boyfriend who broke your heart in law school. He tried to rekindle your relationship last night in the kitchen.”

  Guilt swam in her head, making her dizzy. The kiss. “How did you—?”

  “He told me, Blair. He came to my office yesterday before the shower and laughed about how he was going to get you to cancel the wedding to get back at me. It’s all a game to him.”

  “So you admit to there being some weird competition between you two?”

  “On his side, not mine.” When she didn’t answer, he cocked his head. “But Blair, let me ask you this. If he wants you so badly—” a sympathetic smile spread across his face, “—why did he wait until now to try to win you back? Why didn’t he resurface in your life before we met? Why is he only showing up now, the week of our wedding?”

  He was asking questions she’d been asking herself all night long while she tried—and failed—to sleep.

  “Garrett’s always been competitive. I’m sure you saw that side of him during the year you were together.”

  It was true. He hated to lose, just like she did, but it had always been a healthy trait. Not destructive. The man Neil was describing to her was not the man she knew. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Neil. I have to get to my deposition.”

  “It’s with him, isn’t it?” Hatred filled his eyes.

  “Yes.” There was no reason to deny it. “But it’s work. It’s my job.”

  “I know. I know.” He pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead. “I just hate that you’re going in there with him before I’ve had the chance to convince you how sorry I am. Please at least give me that opportunity, Blair.”

  She groaned. “I don’t know what to believe, Neil, and I don’t have time to sort it out right now. I have a client who is depending on me to go in there and do my job.” Irritation laced her words.

  “I know. I’m sorry.” He sounded desperate. “Have you called anything off yet?”

  “No.” The word came out harsher than intended. Before he could read too much into it, she added, “Nothing is open yet.”

  He pushed out a sigh of relief. “Then don’t. Please, Blair. Just wait and let’s talk this through before you do anything hasty. Let me take you out to lunch. Then, if you still want to call it off, we will.”

  Did she really want to take the time to meet with him? Canceling a wedding this size was going to be a logistical nightmare. She and Melissa needed to get on it right away.

  “Blair, darling. Please. I’m begging you.”

  A couple of hours weren’t going to make much difference at this point. And she supposed she owed him this. “Fine. Now I have to get ready.”

  He moved closer and put his hands on her shoulders, searching her eyes. “I’ll make this up to you, I swear.” He leaned down to give her a kiss. She turned her head, and he planted it on her cheek. “If you call it off, I’ll be devastated. But don’t leave me for him. I don’t want that asshole to hurt you twice. So please, when you see him today, ask him if he came to see me at the hospital yesterday. When he says yes, you’ll know I’m telling the truth.”

  “Neil.” She didn’t have time for this.

  “It will be proof that I’m telling you the truth about him. You know he and I aren’t friends. Why else would he come to see me?”

  She scrunched her eyes closed. She wasn’t sure how much more stress she could take.

  He kissed
her temple, his lips lingering as his hands slowly slid down her arms. “Thank you for listening.” Then he turned around and walked out the door.

  She couldn’t help noticing that his plea hadn’t included any heartfelt professions of love. But that’s what she wanted, right? Emotions were messy things to add to the mix. They broke hearts, caused fights. Last night was proof enough of that.

  Maybe she was better off spending her life alone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Garrett walked into the office of Sisco, Sisco, and Reece looking like a defeated man. And while that was exactly how he felt, he couldn’t let his client see him that way. Especially after Brian Norfolk had accused him of letting Blair win because he wanted to get into her panties.

  The receptionist called Blair’s assistant for him, and a minute later, Melissa opened the door. She studied him for a good long moment, no doubt taking in his swollen lip, then stood to the side and motioned him into the hall. “Do you want a room to prepare?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. He needed to clear his head and get his shit together, but all he really wanted to do was go home and lick his wounds.

  She led him to the small room he’d used before, but rather than leave him there, she followed him in and shut the door. His head jerked up in surprise.

  She stood in front of the closed door and lifted her chin. “Do you love her?”

  “What?” That was probably the last thing he’d expected her to ask.

  “Do you love her? It’s a simple question with a simple answer. Yes or no.”

  He nodded, feeling the first spark of hope since last night. “Yes. Definitely yes.”

  “Did you cheat on her when you were together?”

  Her assistant was asking him personal questions that she had no right asking. They were both crossing a line if he answered, but he was desperate, and besides, he could tell that she was much more to Blair than just an assistant. “No. I swear to you, I didn’t.” He ran his hand through his hair. And just like that, he found himself telling Melissa the whole sordid story.

  She just stood there and listened, nodding in all the right spots.

  “The worst part was when I found out why she’d picked a fight with me that night,” he finished, his voice choking. He looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. “Her father had just died.”

  She closed her eyes and released a soft groan. They stood in silence for several seconds before she opened her eyes. “She said she broke off the wedding.”

  More hope flooded into his battered heart. “She did?” Though he’d watched her toss the ring into the pool, he’d worried she would second-guess her decision in the cold light of day.

  “But Neil’s in her office with her right now, trying to get her to change her mind.”

  He tried to bolt for the door, but she blocked his path. “Stop. You know that’s not the way to get to her.”

  He backed up, scrubbing his hand over his head. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “Blair doesn’t fall for bullshit, but for some reason she has blinders on for him. I think she sees him as safe.”

  “He’s not. There are sides to him you don’t know about.”

  “I’ve suspected as much. But there’s another threat you don’t know about—one that might encourage her to go through with the marriage anyway.” She paused until she knew she had his attention. “The partners are considering offering her partnership, but it all hinges on her wedding. They tend to prefer married partners, and they also want to see that she’s not all sharp edges, that she’s capable of a softer side. If they like what they see, they’ll offer her partnership. If they don’t, she loses her job.”

  “They’ll fire her?”

  She nodded.

  It seemed unlikely, but it wasn’t the first time he’d heard a story like that. “They told her this? They could lose millions if she chose to sue.”

  “A junior partner confided in her and told her they’re voting next week. If she tells anyone, he’ll deny the story up and down.”

  He grunted his frustration. “Damn.”

  “She doesn’t love Neil, but she loves her job, and she’s very loyal to me.” Melissa took a deep breath. “She’s already had me put out a feeler for other jobs in the Kansas City area, and there aren’t any good ones. She’ll have to move, which she can do, but it’s very doubtful I’ll end up with her.”

  This was going from bad to worse. “So you’re worried she’ll marry him to keep her position and you.”

  “Yes. If he can convince her.” She reached for the door. “I’ve already said too much. I don’t want her to marry him, and while I’ve hinted to her that I see issues in her relationship, as her employee, I can’t outright tell her. But I can see you’ve shaken her up. Even if she’s pushing you away, she still cares about you.”

  He smiled and immediately regretted it when his lip stretched and tugged on his cut. “Thank you.”

  Then her eyes narrowed and pierced his. “But if you hurt her again . . .” The threat was unfinished, but it still held weight.

  “I want to protect her, just like you do.”

  “Then you better work fast.” She opened the door and stepped into the hallway. “The conference room is down the hall when you’re ready.” Then she turned and headed toward the back offices.

  Garrett heard Neil’s voice in the hall outside the room.

  “Melissa, I know we’ve had our differences,” Neil said. “But Blair won’t be canceling the wedding, no matter what she says at the moment, so I would appreciate it if you kept that busy work on the back burner until she gives you official word that the wedding’s back on.”

  Melissa’s voice was clear and direct. “I take my direction from my employer, Dr. Fredrick. Not from you.”

  Garrett headed to the doorway and spotted the two several feet down the hall. If Blair cared about her assistant half as much as he thought she did, he had a feeling she’d call off the wedding solely based on the condescending look on Neil’s face.

  “Just remember you’re her assistant. Don’t overstep your bounds.” He brushed past her and stopped when he saw Garrett in the doorway. He glanced back at Melissa, who was still watching him, and then shifted his gaze to Garrett. “So the two of you are colluding?”

  Garrett leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, feeling more confident than when he’d walked into the office minutes ago. “I think you’ve watched one too many episodes of House of Cards, Neil. I’m here for a deposition. Quit making everything into a conspiracy plot.”

  Neil’s face twisted into an ugly glare. “You’ve always thought you were smarter than me. I’m about to prove you wrong.” Then he grinned and strutted down the hall and out the office door.

  That statement scared Garrett more than he was willing to admit.

  He headed into the conference room, where the court reporter was already setting up in the corner. There was no sign of his client. They still had five minutes, but Brian Norfolk’s attitude the previous night didn’t bode well for how things were about to go down. If he didn’t show . . . well, the joke would be on Norfolk. Garrett almost hoped he didn’t show. It would help Blair’s client, and it would give Garrett’s firm sufficient grounds to drop the sleazebag as a client.

  Garrett was pouring himself a glass of water when Blair appeared in the doorway, just as beautiful as ever, albeit clearly exhausted. Today she wore a cream-colored dress with a black trim. Her hair was pulled up, and his gaze pivoted to the curve of her neck, then rose to her lips, making him think of the night before.

  She’d kissed him. She’d made the first move. It gave him more confidence, and God knew he needed as much as he could get.

  “Good morning, Mr. Lowry,” she said briskly.

  “And to you, Ms. Hansen.”

  “I see your client hasn’t arrived yet.” Her words were crisp and tight.

  “I expect him shortly.”

  She approached the table and rested her hands on the back of the chair across
from his. “I am a very busy woman, Mr. Lowry. I can’t afford to waste time waiting for fools.”

  He had no delusions regarding her true meaning. “Sometimes fools rush in, Ms. Hansen, but their intent blinds their judgment and incites rash behavior.”

  The court reporter glanced between them, trying to figure out what she was missing.

  “We still have two minutes before the deposition is supposed to start.” Garrett forced himself to sound nonchalant. “You’d waste more time going to your office and back than if you stay here and wait.”

  He knew Blair hated to be seen as reactionary, and if she stomped off now, that’s exactly how it would appear. A rush of relief washed through him when she sat down in her chair.

  The reporter cringed. “Would you mind if I take a restroom break? I had some spicy tuna rolls last night . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  A flash of irritation flickered in Blair’s eyes, but then it softened. “No. Of course.”

  The woman hurried out the door, leaving Blair and Garrett alone.

  Her eyes narrowed into angry slits. “Did you encourage her to do that?”

  “No, Blair,” he said sadly. “I didn’t. But I won’t lie and tell you that I’m not happy she left. We need to talk.”

  Her shoulders tensed. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “There’s everything to talk about, from our kiss in that kitchen to Neil’s reasons for marrying you to what you heard when you came out of the house last night.”

  Her eyes turned a cold, clear blue. “I told you I won’t waste my time on fools, and I meant it.”

  He put his hands on the table. “You think calling me a fool is an insult? I am a fool. I’ve never denied it. Not now and not five years ago when I camped out on your doorstep for half the night begging you to let me explain.”

  She sucked in a breath, and though he hated that he was picking at her old wounds, he had to make her see that this wasn’t some stupid competition to him. This was his heart in his hands. “Go out on a date with me.”