Claim

by Janet Nissenson

  But even looking as beautiful and sultry as he’d ever seen her, with her hair and makeup perfect, her dress and shoes and jewelry entirely appropriate for the club they would be dining at, Tessa’s nerves had begun to get the better of her shortly before Edward’s chauffer had arrived to drive them to dinner. She had fretted that his friends wouldn’t like her, that they were going to think her too young or gauche, or know immediately that she wasn’t one of them. She had even tried persuading Ian to go without her, assuring him she didn’t mind staying behind, but he had quite firmly set his foot down.

  “There is no possible way I’m going to that dinner without you, Tessa,” he had declared. “Might I remind you that this was your idea? Or, rather, it was Hugh’s, but you were the one who agreed to it. Rather readily, I might add.”

  “I know,” she sighed. “And at the time it seemed like a good idea. But now that it’s actually going to happen, I’m worried sick that I’m going to embarrass you. Or that they’ll all laugh at me behind my back.”

  “Tessa.” He’d placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, then tipped her chin up to meet his gaze when she had stubbornly kept her eyes downcast. “I told you quite a few months ago that you could never, ever, embarrass me, and you’ve proven me right every single day we’ve been together. And rather than embarrass me, love, I’m very much looking forward to showing you off. Trust me, I’ve met all of my friends’ wives and girlfriends, and I can assure you none of them can hold a candle to you.” He’d dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I am incredibly proud to be able to introduce you as my fiancée, Tessa.”

  She had rested her head on his shoulder, something she often did when she needed comfort or reassurance. “What if they don’t like me?” she’d asked in a small voice.

  Ian had hugged her close, knowing how she adored being cuddled. “First of all, love, that’s simply not possible. You’re utterly, completely loveable, and every one of my family or friends who’s met you so far adores you. Second, even if my friends didn’t like you - which definitely will not be the case - I wouldn’t give a damn what any of them thought. To me, you will always be the most special, wonderful woman in the world, and my opinion is the only one that should really matter to you. But they will like you, Tessa. I guarantee it. So please stop worrying, and let’s enjoy our last evening in London, hmm?”

  Ian was pleased to see that his predictions were entirely accurate as each of his friends began to arrive with their wives or girlfriends in tow. As each couple made their way over to greet him and be introduced to Tessa, he had to stifle the urge to smirk at their various reactions upon meeting her for the first time - everything from outright shock to slack-jawed admiration to subtle flirtation.

  The latter reaction had come from his childhood friend Clive Middleton. Clive and his family had lived a short distance from the Gregson estate in Kent, and he had been Ian’s closest friend for more than two decades. They had admittedly drifted apart some during Ian’s frequent travels while still working out of the London headquarters, and even more so upon his move to America. But they had kept in touch at least a handful of times each year, and Ian had made it a point to have dinner or lunch with him during his visits home.

  Clive was a good looking man, a year younger than Ian, and had always fancied himself something of a ladies man - though nothing approaching the sort of infamous reputation that Colin had managed to acquire, of course. But Clive had had more than his fair share of girlfriends over the years, and the woman he was currently married to - a pretty brunette named Lesley - was his second wife.

  Ian, who’d met Lesley on several occasions, gave her a quick peck on the cheek in greeting. Clive, on the other hand, took Tessa’s proffered hand and quite deliberately brought it to his lips. His light blue eyes were twinkling with a combination of mischief and interest.

  “It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Tessa,” he told her, a wicked grin spreading over his features. “And quite a surprise as well. Frankly, I didn’t know my old mate Ian here had it in him. He’s a very, very lucky man to have convinced a woman like yourself to marry his old bones.”

  This time Ian didn’t even attempt to stifle the urge to smirk as he observed Tessa’s reaction to Clive’s teasing.

  “Actually,” she replied in a rather frosty tone as she jerked her hand out of his grasp, “I’m the lucky one. I’ve told Ian on numerous occasions that I’ll never figure out how he didn’t get snapped up a very long time ago. As for his bones being old, they’re plenty young enough to keep me very, very happy.”

  Clive burst out laughing, clapping Ian on the shoulder as he did so. “She’s got some fire in her, this one does, Ian. Beauty, class, and passion. Hold on tight to her, mate, because you’re not likely to find another one like her in your lifetime.”

  Ian slid an arm around Tessa’s waist, hugging her close against his side, and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. “I knew that from the first moment we met,” he murmured. “And I’m not planning on letting her go - ever.”

  Clive and Lesley were both staring at them now, the shock evident on their faces.

  “I’ve known you since we were in primary school, Ian,” commented Clive in a dazed voice, “and I swear I’ve never once seen you be openly affectionate with a woman in public before. Tessa’s also some sort of miracle worker, it seems.”

  Ian shook his head, his knuckles caressing Tessa’s rosy cheek. “Not a miracle worker, Clive. Just the love of my life.”

  Tessa beamed at him, and if there had been any doubts in the minds of Ian’s friends that his much younger fiancée was truly in love with him and not just after his money, that look on her face completely wiped out those qualms. There was no denying the fact that the two of them were mad about each other, truly and utterly besotted.

  The dinner that Ian had had so many misgivings about wound up being one of the most enjoyable times of his life. He had missed his friends, not to mention his brothers, and having those closest to him gathered around for this one special evening was a true pleasure. But what made the evening really remarkable was having his love with him, seeing how easily everyone seemed to welcome Tessa into their circle, and how her previous shyness and awkwardness with strangers was beginning to dissipate slowly but surely. The insecure, introverted girl was gradually blossoming into the confident, capable woman he’d always known she could become - the woman who would now and always be his ideal mate, his perfect partner, his soulmate.

  Chapter Three

  San Francisco

  “Looks like you survived the meeting of family and friends back in merry old England. At least there aren’t any visible scars.”

  Tessa grinned at Julia across the small corner table. “I wouldn’t have expected there to be, actually. Every one of Ian’s family and friends have the same sort of perfect manners he does. Well, except for his younger brother, that is,” she added with a little scowl. “He can be a bit of an ass at times.”

  Sasha took a sip of her herbal tea - some concoction of rose hips, lemongrass, and ginger that Julia had wrinkled her nose at in mock disgust - and smiled at Tessa in her usual serene manner. “I’m sure all of them adored you,” she assured. “How could they not like someone as kind and caring as you are, Tessa? Your aura always gives off such positive and soothing vibes that I’m sure they all felt it, too.”

  Tessa smiled back at her yoga teacher/masseuse - who was now also one of her closest friends. “I knew I could count on the two of you for support. But, honestly, everything went much better than I expected. And with the trip over with, now I get to start planning the wedding - which I have no idea where to even begin.”

  Julia raised her hand. “Well, after throwing my wedding together in barely six months - which I definitely do not recommend - and now helping my sister organize hers in six weeks - which goes way beyond insanity - I can definitely claim some expertise there. Once we get Lauren married off in a couple of weeks, I’m more than happy to help you, Tessa.”

/>   “Me, too,” added Sasha. “Not that I’ve got the slightest idea about planning a fancy wedding, but I’m happy to help where I can.”

  Tessa beamed at the two women seated at the table with her. She and Julia had persuaded Sasha to join them for a light breakfast after they had attended her Sunday morning class, something Sasha didn’t always have time for, given her overbooked massage schedule. But a client had cancelled late yesterday due to a cold, and Sasha fortunately had the rest of this morning free.

  “Well, I’m very glad to hear that,” replied Tessa. “Because I understand that’s the sort of things matrons of honor and bridesmaids frequently do for the bride. That is, if you’re both willing to be my attendants?”

  Julia practically squealed in delight, reaching over to give Tessa a fierce hug. “Omigod, of course I am! I would be honored to be your matron of honor - no pun intended! And I already know you’ll be much easier to work with than my sister. Did I tell you guys that she actually bought her wedding dress from a vintage clothing store – a used dress? It gives me the heebeegeebees just to think about wearing someone else’s clothes.”

  Tessa tactfully didn’t comment, not wanting to fess up to the fact that for most of her life, at least until she’d turned eighteen, nearly every article of clothing she’d worn had been pre-owned. “Well, I can assure you that my wedding gown will be brand new. Ian gets peeved at me when I wear a cocktail dress more than a couple of times. I could just imagine his reaction if I told him I wanted to buy a vintage wedding gown.”

  Sasha offered up another of those serene smiles, the kind that made her exotically lovely features glow with some secret, inner beauty. “I’m honored as well, Tessa,” she replied. “You’ll have to be sure and tell me exactly what it is I’ll be expected to do. I haven’t really been to a traditional wedding before. At least not since I was a little girl.”

  Julia sipped her foamy cappuccino. “Should we take this to mean you’ve attended, uh, some non-traditional weddings before?”

  Sasha gave a small shrug. “I suppose you could say that. I was one of the best men when my gay roommates got married last year. And one of the women I attended massage school with decided on a fantasy theme for her wedding - you were asked to dress like your favorite mythical character. Like a wizard or an elf.”

  Tessa resisted the urge to smirk or give a little eye roll as Julia was doing. “And what sort of character did you go as?”

  Sasha’s unusual green-gold eyes were sparkling with mirth. “Why, a fairy, of course. Complete with gossamer wings and a wreath of flowers.”

  “Sounds an awful lot like Lauren’s upcoming nuptials,” muttered Julia darkly. “She’s getting married on the beach, you know, and she actually expects Angela and I to walk up the aisle barefoot. But the real clinker is that she’s being married by some shaman she knows down in Big Sur. Ben - my future brother-in-law - doesn’t know how to say no to her about much of anything, and especially not this particular issue. He’s afraid the guy is going to show up wearing full ceremonial headdress and robes with a string of shark’s teeth around his neck or something.”

  Tessa laughed at the picture Julia painted, while Sasha - calm and reasonable as always - pointed out that most of the shamans she’d met mostly dressed in street clothes, even for ceremonies like weddings.

  “Well, I’ll put your fears to rest right now, Julia,” replied Tessa. “Ian and I don’t plan to be married by a shaman or a wizard or anyone else out of the ordinary. One of Ian’s executives has a brother who’s a minister.”

  She placed a hand on each of her friend’s forearms, telling them quietly, “Thank you both for agreeing. I - the two of you are really the only close friends I have, you know. And I’m so pleased that you’ll be able to share my special day with me.”

  “Honey.” Julia’s green eyes misted over with unshed tears as she gave Tessa another hug. She held out one arm to Sasha, whispering, “Group hug”, and then all three women were embracing.

  “Well,” declared Julia after everyone had returned to their respective seats, “I’d say this calls for a little celebration. I tried, Sasha - honestly I did - to have something healthy to eat this morning after class. But somehow oatmeal and fruit just aren’t doing it for me. That cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting has been calling my name ever since we walked in, and I’m done with ignoring it. Either of you feel like sharing it with me?”

  Sasha gave a delicate little shudder. “You mean that monstrosity that’s probably loaded with sugar and white flour, and has zero nutritional value? Julia, you’d have to sweat through four of my classes in order to burn off all those calories.”

  Julia shrugged. “Who cares? I’m already married and don’t have to worry about squeezing into my wedding dress any longer. What about you, Tessa? You really want to stick with that yogurt and granola parfait, or do you want to live it up a little?”

  Tessa glanced down at her half-eaten breakfast, something she’d felt compelled to order this morning with a health nut like Sasha along. The granola had too many seeds and nuts in it for her liking, and she could almost taste the cinnamon sugary goodness of the giant roll Julia had eyed upon their arrival at the café half an hour ago.

  She gave Julia a wicked grin. “Let’s do it. Maybe we can even tempt this one into taking a bite or two.” She inclined her head towards Sasha.

  In reply, Sasha merely speared a bite of fresh pineapple from the fruit plate she’d ordered, leaving Julia to shake her head in disgust.

  “Nah. It’s hopeless,” she told Tessa. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone with that sort of discipline. Sasha never strays off the straight and narrow.”

  Those mysterious green-gold eyes were almost glowing as Sasha winked at her two companions. “You might be surprised,” she replied casually. “Though if I ever was tempted to stray, it would be for something a lot more satisfying than a doughy breakfast pastry.”

  “With the exception of my beautiful wife and myself, I don’t think I’ve ever met two people who were meant to be together more than Tessa and Ian. Julia and I are counting the days until their wedding next June, as I’m sure all of you are as well. So let’s raise our glasses in a toast to the engaged couple, and wish them a lifetime of happiness. Cheers!”

  At Nathan’s heartfelt toast, Tessa clinked her champagne flute against Ian’s before taking a small sip of the fine Napa Valley brut. Ian did the same before setting his flute aside, and then sweeping her into his arms before she could properly react. The other couples present cheered and whooped loudly as he kissed her with undisguised passion, their tongues tangling as he began to bend her back over his arm.

  Her cheeks were red with embarrassment as he finally released her, and she quickly bolted down the rest of her drink.

  “I can’t believe you just did that,” she whispered to Ian urgently. “Especially after hearing from all of your friends and family how you never even held hands with a woman in public before.”

  Ian chuckled, massaging the back of her neck soothingly. “Ah, but that was all before I met you, love. And as you well know it’s all but impossible for me to keep my hands to myself for very long when you’re around.”

  She slipped an arm about his waist, turning her face into his shoulder. “Then don’t,” she murmured softly. “The hell with what anyone else thinks. Just follow your instincts from now on.”

  He grinned. “You are becoming rather ferocious, aren’t you? Maybe upping your training in the gym wasn’t such a good idea after all. But, seriously, darling, if I were to follow my instincts every time we’re together, we might, ah, give other people in the room something of a peep show. And I’ve told you before, Tessa, that some things will always be for my eyes only.”

  “Do you lovebirds need a room? Don’t you own a hotel not far from here, Ian? One with about three hundred or so rooms? They must have one available for the boss.”

  Ian rolled his eyes at Jordan Reeves’s attempt at humor. The handsome, affabl
e OB/GYN was a rather notorious playboy, one who could have easily rivaled Colin in his day. He was also one of Ian’s closest friends here in San Francisco, despite their very different attitudes towards women and dating. Ian guessed that the very attractive blonde accompanying Jordan here this evening was merely his latest fling, and that it was highly unlikely the flirtatious doctor would ask her out again.

  Jordan gave Tessa a peck on the cheek in greeting, but Ian frowned when the other man’s lips lingered a bit longer than he would have liked. Tessa was probably the one woman Jordan didn’t actively flirt with, but his treatment of her concerned Ian in a whole different way. Jordan always exhibited both gentleness and tenderness towards Tessa, giving Ian cause to suspect that the raven haired doctor had a secret crush on his fiancée. But it was probably nothing, reasoned Ian, especially since Tessa was the direct opposite from the type of woman Jordan usually dated. Instead, it was likely just a case of Ian being extraordinarily possessive of her, and wary of any man who even dared to flirt with her.

  They were all gathered at Le Mistral on this Saturday evening in early November to celebrate the engagement. Neither of them had wanted a big party, especially since it would have hurt Joanna’s feelings after they had refused to let her hold one for them back in England. Instead, there were roughly two dozen couples here tonight, everyone assembled in the Blue Room that had been the location of their first date. In addition to Julia and Nathan, and Jordan and his date, the guest list included Sasha and her escort, Matthew and Lindsey, Andrew and Isobel, a few of Ian’s management staff, and friends from his social circle.

  One of those friends happened to be Rebecca Mellor, the dark haired bank president who’d been Ian’s escort at last year’s office holiday party. He had reassured Tessa enough times since then that he and Rebecca had only ever been friends, and that nothing romantic had ever existed between them. Tessa also knew about Rebecca’s ill-fated, long-term affair with a married politician, though she’d never asked Ian about the man’s identity.