Garrett had never hated anyone in his entire life as much as he hated his cousin in that moment. He moved toward his cousin in the pool, wading through the waist-deep water. He stopped when they were face-to-face, then whispered, “My only consolation right now is knowing you won’t be screwing her tonight after all.” His mouth lifted into an ugly grin.
Neil swung a punch at Garrett, which he tried to dodge. The water slowed his movement, and his cousin’s fist caught him in the mouth. His lip split, and he lunged for Neil just as Noah tried to drag him back.
The women on the patio released shrieks of dismay.
Josh jumped in behind Neil and pulled his arms behind his back.
“Stay away from my fiancée!” Neil shouted as Garrett started to climb up the steps, his wet jeans dragging him down.
“She’s not your fiancée anymore!” Garrett said, shaking his head in disgust. “In case you didn’t notice, she returned your fucking ring.” Not that she’d probably ever speak to Garrett again.
He felt like he was going to be sick.
One of the guests shook her head as she tsked and turned to the woman next to her. “And this is why you shouldn’t let men come to wedding showers.”
He started up the steps to the deck, then turned to Megan’s mother. “Mrs. Vandemeer, I apologize for ruining your party. I’ll be happy to cover any damages. Just send me a bill.” Then he moved past Blair’s stunned and angry best friends, feeling heartbroken all over again.
“Garrett,” Nana Ruby called after him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
He turned around, ashamed to face her. Neil was splashing around in the pool, diving for the ring.
“Don’t you dare leave without me. Now go stop that lip from bleeding.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, sounding like a chastised five-year-old, but that’s exactly how he felt. Jesus, he’d really fucked things up.
Noah bounded after him. “Hold up. Let me get you a towel.”
Garrett followed him into the kitchen. He grabbed a paper towel and wet it, then dabbed his lip. Less than an hour ago, he’d held Blair in his arms and kissed her in this very room. And now she was probably lost to him forever.
Noah disappeared down the hall and returned half a minute later with a towel. “So what happened?”
Garrett patted at his wet jeans and shook his head, too sick to repeat the sordid mess.
“Okay, it’s done. The real question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“She hates my guts. There’s nothing I can do.”
“You’re seriously going to give up?” Noah asked in disbelief.
“Look,” Garrett said, his anger returning. “Why do you even care? What’s in this for you?”
“I already told you.”
“Well, I know her, and it’s too late. My only consolation is that I’ve saved her from him. Especially after I found out he’s ch—” Garrett stopped, horrified that he’d almost let his secret slip.
Noah’s eyes narrowed. “He’s what?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
The back door opened, and Nana hobbled in. “You’re ready to go?”
He tossed the bath towel onto the counter. “Yeah.”
They drove back to the hotel in silence. He spent the twenty-minute drive expecting her to berate or lecture him. The silence was convicting enough. He pulled into the parking lot in front of the hotel and turned off the engine.
“Nana, I…I don’t know what to say.”
She narrowed his eyes. “Bullshit. You do know what to say.”
He swallowed. “You have no idea how sorry I am.”
“I’m not.”
His gaze jerked up. “Excuse me?”
“You deaf? I’m not sorry.”
He shook his head, certain he’d heard her wrong. “Excuse me?” he said again.
“That punch was a long time coming.”
He blinked. “What?”
“You think I’m stupid?”
He grinned, his lip stinging. “No, ma’am. Never.”
“I know my grandkids. I know that boy’s a weasel.”
He sighed. “I did more harm than good.”
“True.” She chuckled. “But I confess I liked seein’ you deck him.”
“Don’t be telling Aunt Debra that. She might have you committed into a home.”
“Over my cold dead body.”
“I’d never let that happen, Nana. Either one.”
“I know,” she sighed, sounding weary. “I told you I know my grandkids.” She paused. “Which is why I’m giving you my farm in my will.”
He turned to her in shock. “What?”
“I don’t trust that boy with it, and I sure don’t trust his momma.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me you’ll take care of it. Keep it in the family.”
“I’m not a farmer, Nana.”
“You don’t have to be. Rent it out. Sell off part of it. Just promise me you’ll keep the house and the barn.”
A lump filled his throat. “I promise.”
She patted his hand, which was still on the steering wheel. “You’re a good boy, Garrett. I don’t say it much, but it’s true nonetheless.”
He grinned again. “You’re getting sentimental. Maybe you are going senile.”
She laughed, then sighed again. “Just old. Now on to the next part.”
He looked at her expectantly.
“What are you going to do about the girl?”
“Blair?”
“Of course, Blair. I don’t see you making goo-goo eyes at anyone else.”
He cringed. So it was that obvious? Hell, of course it was. He and Neil had brawled in the pool over her. The entire neighborhood knew. “There’s nothing to do. She thinks I’m only pursuing her to win some contest with Neil. She hates me, and I can’t say I blame her.”
“Bullshit. I didn’t set this all up for you to give up now.”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t put you in the damn wedding to mess with Debra and Neil.” She grinned and shrugged. “That part was a bonus.”
“Then why did you make me a groomsman?”
Her eyes flew open in exasperation. “And you just called me senile. I know who she is, Garrett Michael Lowry. I know she was the one who broke your heart back in law school.”
“What? How?”
“I read the damned invitation, you fool. It said Blair Myers Hansen. I knew she was an attorney. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
He shook his head. “You set this up for me to see her again?”
She whacked him in the head. “I did this for you to win her back, you fool.”
He stared at her in shock, rubbing his head. “I had no idea you could be so devious. It’s not usually your style.”
She grinned. “Sometimes you have to mix it up a little.” Then her eyes narrowed. “Now what are you going to do to fix this?”
He wished to God he knew.
Chapter Eighteen
Blair walked into the office the next morning knowing that she looked like shit. She wasn’t a crier, but she had shed more than a few tears the night before. She felt duped by both Neil and Garrett, but it was Neil’s behavior that had really shocked her. It seemed so out of character. She walked past Melissa’s desk without acknowledging Melissa, so she wasn’t surprised when her assistant followed her into the room and shut the door.
“What happened?”
She set her purse and laptop bag on her desk, and then sat in her chair. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Melissa perched in the chair in front of her desk. “O-kay.” She paused. “The caterer called to confirm the crab legs.”
“Shit.” Why had she not considered this part? There were a ton of details to deal with now. She took a deep breath and let it out. “I called off my wedding last night.”
“You did what?” she gasped. “What happened?”
>
Blair rubbed her forehead, trying ease the pounding in her head. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
“Do you want me to…” Melissa was flustered. She had never once seen Blair like that, not in the four years they’d known each other.
“No,” Blair sighed. “Let’s wait until after the deposition, and we’ll deal with it together.” The deposition. She’d considered stalling it, but she’d already made Brian Norfolk delay his trip home. She couldn’t very well cancel it and reschedule, particularly since she wasn’t sure how much more time she had with the firm.
She leaned back in her chair, tears pricking her eyes again. What would happen to all her clients?
“Do you want me to get you something?” Melissa asked, sounding worried. “Water? Coffee? Something for your headache?”
Blair was about to ask Melissa how she even knew about the headache, but Melissa always knew everything, anticipated everything. And now she was going to lose her.
“Blair?”
How did her life turn to shit in so short a time?
Blair sat up in her seat and took several deep breaths. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and she felt like she was suffocating. “The deposition is in twenty minutes. I need to get it together.”
“Maybe we should postpone.” Her voice faltered as though she expected Blair to dress her down.
“I can’t.” And to her dismay, her voice broke.
Melissa leaned forward. “Blair, there’s no shame in needing personal time. This is a big deal.”
She blinked her tears away. “I can’t. If I want to be the one who takes this deposition, it has to be today. Otherwise someone else will be doing it, and I don’t know that they’ll fight for Mrs. Norfolk like I will.” Her nerves pinged, and she stood and moved to the center of the room, needing space, needing something…if only she knew what. “I’m going to lose my job.” That was the biggest bitch of all. Marry an asshole or lose her job.
“You don’t know that for sure.”
Blair stopped moving, and her gaze pierced her assistant. “Melissa. Neither one of us hides from the truth. It’s not the time to start.”
Melissa stood. “I’ll get us both a glass of water.”
Blair knew she should be getting ready for her deposition. She should be preparing to face Garrett in the conference room, but all she could do was relive her kiss with him in the Vandemeer kitchen. How she’d thrown herself at him. How he’d been just as eager to kiss her. But that was before she’d overheard him and Neil fighting over who would win the contest. Was that his true motivation? So why had he told her he still loved her? To try to earn points in some pissing contest with his cousin? She knew they had a rivalry, but this…
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 did
n’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.”
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