by Holly Jaymes
“Yes, absolutely. I do love the products you got me.”
“I tell you what, let me arrange to get you the full line. Not samples, but the actual products in their regular sizes.”
“That would be so awesome. Thank you,” Lisbeth said.
Our dinner arrived and we started eating.
“So, you two are friends?” Ethan asked me and Pax.
“I’m a friend of his sister’s,” I replied.
“You have a sister?” Lisbeth asked Pax. “Is she a musician too?”
“No,” he said. “She just got married actually. Has a kid on the way.”
I laughed under my breath. He made Lily sound like a regular suburban woman. Not the former supermodel who was building an athletic clothing line business.
“She’s a very successful and capable woman in her own right,” I insisted, with a glance at him.
His eyes narrowed. I knew that both Pax and Lily preferred to keep their connection a secret and I wasn’t going to out them, but he could do better than suggest she was a wife and mother. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she was more than that too.
“Oh?” Lisbeth said.
“She’s starting her own business. Athletic wear. I think she plans to have some ready for a wellness retreat next summer,” I said, being my usual supportive, good friend to Lily.
“I like workout clothes, but I don’t much like working out,” Lisbeth admitted.
“I like it when I’m done working out,” I said.
Lisbeth laughed. “Yes. Afterward, it’s awesome.”
We finished dinner and headed to the car.
“Let’s go out,” Lisbeth said, stringing her hand through Ethan’s as she sat next to him in the limo. I sat next to Pax, facing Lisbeth and Ethan.
“We are out,” he grinned at her.
“I mean like a club. Not a regular one on the strip. I wonder what they have here that the locals go to. You know, off the beaten path.” I looked to Pax, whose gaze jerked to mine at the phrase. “I hope you don’t mind, I always rather go to the places others don’t,” Lisbeth said.
“I do too,” Pax said. “What about you, Victoria?”
I forced a smile. “Off the beaten path can be fun.” I held back the comment that it could also be a mistake.
“There’s a Sinatra-themed place not far from here,” Ethan said, looking at his phone.
“You’re a little young for that, aren’t you?” Pax asked.
“My grandmother loved Sinatra and those old tunes. I sang Our Love is Here to Stay for her and my grandpa’s fiftieth wedding anniversary last year,” Lisbeth said.
“That’s so sweet,” I said. “Pax here played for his sister’s wedding.”
“Oh. Did you do standards or your songs?”
He glanced at me. “They were mine.”
“Originals, just for her. It was really nice,” I said.
Pax looked out the window, his jaw tight. He told me he didn’t like using my song for Lily’s wedding and so maybe I was being a bitch for bringing it up.
“Let’s go to the Sinatra place,” Lisbeth decided. “Will you two come with us?”
“I’ll go,” Pax said, although he didn’t sound happy about it. I wondered why he’d let Dane talk him into being a babysitter.
“Sure. Sounds like fun,” I agreed, mostly because I wanted to make sure he didn’t say anything that scared her and Ethan off from working with me.
We arrived at the fifties-style club where a live band with a Sinatra sound-alike played. We found a table in the corner and ordered drinks.
The band had just started playing Fly Me to the Moon. “Come dance with me, Ethan.” Lisbeth grabbed his hand and tugged him to the dance floor.
“She’s an old soul,” Pax said, sitting back as the waitress put his drink in front of him after serving mine.
“Hmm. I imagine it makes her music fuller to have such an eclectic musical background.”
He nodded. We sat in silence, drinking our cocktails as we watched Lisbeth and Ethan dance.
The song ended and the band started to play, I’ve Got You Under My Skin.
“Dance with me, Victoria,” Pax said, his gaze looking intently at me. It was like he was daring me.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Why not?”
I had all sorts of reasons why not; the biggest one being it would be a mistake. “If you’re trying to make some sort of amends or something, you don’t have to. What’s past is past.”
“I’m done trying to make amends. It’s just a dance.” He made a face that suggested he thought I was being unreasonable.
“Sure. Okay,” I said, not liking that I was coming off as a jerk.
He stood and held my chair as I rose. We walked to the dancefloor, and once again I had to step into his strong embrace, and endure his sexy scent. Around us, the band played and sang about a doomed love affair of a man being unable to resist because she was under his skin. That had been me and Pax in London, or so I’d thought.
“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if I told Lily to fuck off in London?” he whispered in my ear.
“I’d have lost a friend and you’d be in London while I was in California.”
He leaned back to look at me. “So, in the end, it was better that I’d said it was a mistake. Is that what you’re saying?”
My gut turned over with a mix of confusion and despair. Why did he keep having to go back there?
“What are you trying to say, Pax?”
He looked away for a moment. When he returned his attention to me, I saw a determination in his eyes. “I’m saying, that night was special. I’m saying that I wanted to tell Lily to mind her own business.” He let out a breath. “I’m saying I wanted to keep seeing you.” My breath hitched as I stared into those amazing blue-violet eyes. “I get that you’d have risked your friendship with Lily, which was partially why I’d said what I did. I didn’t want to come between you-”
“You didn’t give me a chance to make a choice.”
“No. I fucked it up, Victoria. I know that. But my heart was in the right place. I thought it was best for your and Lily’s friendship.”
“Making me feel like I was a hookup that didn’t mean anything was best for me?”
His jaw tightened and his eyes went dark. “That was not my intention. And I didn’t see you rushing out to contradict me.”
I let out a derisive laugh. “Oh yeah, like I’m going to rush out and confess my love to the man who’d just said I was a mistake.”
“Love?”
God damn it. It was my turn to look away.
He shook me gently. “Did you love me?”
“I was twenty-one and just had a romantic day and the full attention of a cute guy, of course I thought I was in love. But it wasn’t real.” I couldn’t take the intensity of this conversation any longer. “I need another drink.”
He must have agreed as he released me and followed me back to the table. We had another two drinks, neither of us speaking.
Lisbeth came rushing to the table, her eyes bright and her smile even brighter. She pulled Ethan up next to her. “We’re getting married.”
“Congratulations,” Pax said in a bored tone as he lifted his drink in a toast.
Lisbeth’s smile faltered slightly. “I don’t even need to change my last name since ours is the same. It’s like destiny.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said, putting a little more oomph into my words. “I was wondering about you two.”
She looked at Ethan with such love. He gazed at her with the same affection. It was lovely, even as I worried they were too young and too impetuous.
“We need to hurry because the marriage license office closes at midnight,” Lisbeth said.
“Wait, you’re getting married now?” Pax jerked to attention.
“Yes. Isn’t it romantic?” Lisbeth swooned.
“It’s crazy,” he snapped.
I glared at him, not bec
ause he was wrong, because he wasn’t. Getting married on a whim was bad news. But he wasn’t handling it right.
“I think what he means is that it’s very sudden. Marriage is a big decision. And, added to that, Lisbeth, is your career-”
“We’re in love. There’s no reason getting married would ruin my career, and if it did, then it’s a rotten career.”
Ethan put his arm around Lisbeth. “I know how it looks, but this isn’t sudden. I’ve been wanting to propose for some time.”
“And now is the time?” Pax arched a brow. I got the feeling he wished they’d chosen this action when he wasn’t the one in charge of keeping an eye on them.
“We’re in Vegas. It seems perfect,” Ethan replied.
“You’ll be a cliché,” Pax argued.
Lisbeth smirked. “Just because you didn’t take your chance to sweep Victoria off her feet, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.”
“What?” he and I said at the same time.
She rolled her eyes. “Pahleese…you might be his sister’s friend, but that’s not all you are. It’s so obvious. You two pretend you don’t want each other-”
“I don’t pretend I don’t want her,” Pax snapped again. “I’ve been fucking obvious.”
I frowned, wondering if he was drunk. I knew I was feeling buzzed.
Lisbeth looked at me.
“It’s complicated,” I explained.
“Whatever,” Lisbeth said with an eye-roll. “Come on, babe, let’s get hitched.”
“Look, we can apply online,” Ethan said, pointing at his phone.
“Oh, yay, let's fill that out in the car.” They started off.
“Pax, we should go with them.”
He let out a frustrated growl. “Fine.” He stood, not quite as steady as he should have been. He reached into his pocket and tossed a few bills on the table.
Within minutes we were in the car as Lisbeth and Ethan huddled together, apparently filling out a form. Every now and then she’d look over at us and snicker.
“We should stop this,” Pax said, shaking his head. “Dane is going to fucking kill me.”
“They’re adults. They’re in love.”
“Yes, well, young love is fleeting, isn’t it?” He glared at me.
“When it’s a mistake, yes.”
“You two need to get laid,” Lisbeth interjected.
Pax and I both turned to look out opposite windows as the car pulled up to the county building. I wondered how people got accidentally married in Vegas if they had to come here to get a marriage license first.
Lisbeth and Ethan exited the car, willing to go on without us. I reached for the door handle to follow them.
“Where are you going?” Pax asked.
“I’m going with them. There is still time to talk sense into them.” He shrugged and got out with me. “Don’t demean or boss them around,” I warned him. “We need to appear supportive, but work to have them take a breath and put this off.”
He stopped me. “Back in London, if I suggested this, would you have done it?”
I stared at him like he grew a third eye. “It’s not the same, Pax. Lisbeth and Ethan have cared for each other for a while. You and I had one night.”
“I cared for you for a while.”
God.... he was reaching into my chest and crushing my heart. “Well, maybe they’ll get right what we got wrong.” Not wanting to talk about it more, especially since I wasn’t sure he was sober enough to remember this conversation, I turned on my heel and caught up with Lisbeth and Ethan. Once again, I was going to be a bridesmaid and not a bride.
8
Deja Vu
Pax
Something was seriously wrong with me. Or maybe I’d had one drink too many. Why was I practically begging Victoria to not just forgive me, but to give me another chance? All the issues that prevented us from being together still existed, although I was willing to stand up to Lily now. Perhaps Victoria didn’t want to risk her friendship with Lily, in which case it was a good thing I’d taken off six years ago. Or maybe she didn’t believe me now.
The last thing I needed was Lisbeth eloping. Dane was going to kill me. I had to figure out how to stop it. Victoria was right. We still had time.
I followed her into the building. It was nearly midnight and there were several people getting licenses. I supposed this was part of what made Vegas Vegas, but it was weird. How many people who were married here did it in a drunken stupor that they regretted the next day? Of all the places that could benefit from a wait period after getting a marriage license, Vegas was it.
One young woman ahead of Lisbeth turned in line and did a double-take when she saw me. My gut clenched as I realized I might have just fucked this up more.
Next to me, Victoria stiffened, as if she’d noticed too.
“Oh my God, you’re Pax Ryder,” the woman gushed.
My jaw locked as I worked to figure out how to respond.
Victoria let out a laugh. “Isn’t that funny, honey?” She patted my chest and then turned to the woman. “We get that wherever we go. Don’t we, baby?”
“Ah…yes. Yes, we do, sugar.”
The young woman’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized me. But then she was called up to the counter to get her license.
“Maybe we should wait outside,” Victoria said.
“Good idea.” I opened the door and escorted her out. I sucked in fresh air, willing it to clear my brain.
A few minutes later, Lisbeth and Ethan appeared.
“We’ve got it. Chapel of love, here we come.” Lisbeth waved paperwork in her hand.
“Those are good for a year,” Victoria said. “You can wait so you can have your family and friends with you.”
How’d she know that they were good for a year? Had she ever tried to get married here before?
“I don’t want to wait, do you, baby?” Lisbeth looked up at Ethan.
“No.”
“What about your families? Won't they be upset they missed it?” Victoria asked.
“Yes, but we’ll have a big party instead,” Lisbeth replied as she took Ethan’s hand and led him to the limo.
“Now what?” I whispered to Victoria as we got in behind them.
“I don’t know. Kidnap ‘em?”
I snorted. “We’re trying to prevent a scandal, not create one.”
A few minutes later, we were at one of the many fast-marriage joints.
“Seriously, we need to stop this,” I said as I followed the rest of them out of the car.
“I don’t know how. They’re caught up in the moment. In the romance of it.”
“Romance? This isn’t romantic.”
Victoria glanced at me with an arched brow.
I huffed out a breath. “I know romance and this isn’t it. Romance is what Lily had. A big wedding. Family and friends.”
“Well, maybe you need to call Dane and have him call her.”
I shook my head. “He’ll want me to lock her away. As wrong as this is, I can’t fuck it up for her.”
“You’ll look like an old fuddy-duddy if you do,” Victoria agreed.
“Fuddy-duddy? I’m trying to stop her from ruining her life.”
“First, you don’t know that this is a mistake. Ethan said he’d been planning to propose, so maybe this is just speeding up the inevitable. And maybe now is the right time, before she’s famous.”
Fuck. She was right. Still, Dane was going to kill me.
A woman met us at the entrance and took Lisbeth’s paperwork. “Come with me,” she said to them.
Victoria and I stayed back.
“You too,” the woman called to us.
I looked at Victoria who shrugged and we followed them. The chapel had weddings down to a science. We were ushered into a room where Lisbeth and Ethan could choose their wedding package that included a venue. They choose the “Under the stars” option.
We were led to a room with a glass roof.
“Now, Lisbeth and Ethan,
you stand here. And Pax and Victoria, you’re here.” The woman motioned for me to stand on the same side of the altar as Ethan and Victoria was beside me next to Lisbeth. I guessed we were the best man and maid of honor.
The wedding woman looked at me with recognition but smiled and went about her duties.
“I wonder how many celebrities have passed through here?” Victoria whispered.
“I’m double-fucked if it gets out that I was here too.”
Victoria patted my arm. “Life is so hard for you, Pax.” I hated that she was patronizing me. She was right. I was being a brat, but still. “Look, let’s just support them. What happens, happens,” she said.
I growled under my breath, but was resolved that she was right. There was no stopping this trainwreck.
The ceremony went forward. Afterward, Victoria and I had to sign some sort of paper, I guessed as witnesses. Then Mr. and Mrs. Garner were married and we were all back in the car. Champagne was being poured although Lisbeth and Ethan were starting the consummation of their marriage as we drove back to the hotel.
“I don’t think they know we’re here,” I said to Victoria as I handed her a flute of champagne.
“Lost in love. It’s sweet.”
“It’s about to be a live porno.” I downed my flute and poured another and offered Victoria more. She was giving me a dour look. “What?” I asked.
“You act like an old man. Stop fighting it and enjoy it.”
Annoyance burned in my gut. “I’ve been trying to say the same thing to you.”
Her blue eyes flashed with heat. It could have been anger, but I felt it was lust. “We’re talking about two different things, Pax.”
“Are we?” I straightened and drank my champagne, wishing it was something stronger. I looked over at Lisbeth and Ethan, their lips locked in a passionate kiss as their hands groped and squeezed each other.
“You just want sex, Pax. They’re in love. They just joined their lives together. Maybe it will last and maybe it won’t, but they’re committed.”
Was that all I wanted? Sex? I didn’t think so. I wasn’t ready for marriage, but I wasn’t averse to it either. And one thing I did know for sure was that this thing with Victoria was more than just sex. It always had been. The only problem had been Lily.