Jack frowned and looked surprised. “Of course, I’ve said it. Hundreds of times.”
She shook her head. “No, Jack. You’ve said you desired me. That I meant so much to you, but you never said the words I love you. Believe me, those words I would have remembered.”
He reached out and stroked her cheek. “Oh, Abby, I’ve been an even bigger fool than I thought if I made you insecure about my love for you. I’ve always loved you, beyond my wildest expectations of what love is. Sorry I’ve never said it to you before like that. I was so wrapped up...working hard, and I was insensitive.”
“And though you were preoccupied, I’m happy you got the company back. And I love you, too. Ah, it feels like the best of the old times to be with you again.”
Jack held Abby in his arms as they rested against the pillows. “I’ll love you forever! I think I was in love with you from that first moment we met, too. I think you were right all along about this destiny thing.”
“Of course, I was right,” she said, flipping him a smile, before sobering. “And may I ask? How did you end up with Monica if you weren’t with her when I was in Europe?”
“Like I started to explain before, as for Monica, getting into my life—she was always showing up after you and I broke up. Months went by and I was just going through the motions of living, digging myself into my work. She followed me to Florida and got an apartment near mine. Then she started showing up at my condo, saying she wanted us to be friends because she was new in town. Then one night she came over and said she had to tell me that Vince Michaels and you were taking a trip. That it sounded serious between you two. I drank heavily that night...”
Abby gasped. “Another one of her lies!”
“And she didn’t just say it. She had Vince back her up. She called him on his cell and he said he couldn’t wait for his trip with you. She must have paid him…”
Abby frowned. “No wonder you believed her. She was the one sleeping with Vince, not me. I don’t know why he did it though, except that when he visited her he was always flirting and trying to come on to me, and I rejected him. Maybe he wanted a bit of revenge on me, and that’s why he helped her with her dirty tricks. I’m sure he thought it was funny to get back at me.” Abby blew out a disgusted breath. “And it worked, Jack. You and I, as a couple, were nearly destroyed forever.”
CHAPTER NINE
That Saturday afternoon, classical music floated through the air and reverberated through the garden. Chairs were arranged on either side of a center aisle and led to where the minister would hold the wedding ceremony beneath a canopy of red and white roses.
Jack met Abby at the rear of the mansion to wait with the other attendants for the guests to be seated and the Wedding March to begin.
He took in Abby’s appearance. In a scarlet bridesmaid’s gown with her breasts swelling above the lace-trimmed, low neckline, she took his breath away. Her long blond hair was down, though partially swept up in the back with a ribbon.
She carried a bouquet of red and white roses and smiled up at him. “Hi, Jack.”
“Hello,” he whispered as a rush of desire swept through him. “You are beautiful beyond words.”
“You’re handsome in your black tux.”
He grinned and leaned in and grazed her cheek with his lips. Her perfume and the smell of roses wafted in the gentle breeze. He wanted to bury his face in the low neckline of her gown. He smiled to himself at the thought of getting her out of that red dress later tonight.
And he had a burning question to ask her…
Jack pulled her aside and smiled down at her. “I want us to be next, Abby,” he whispered.
Her eyes widened. “Next for what?”
He chuckled. “What do you think? I want you to marry me. Will you? After Miles and Carly’s wedding, I’ll get down on my knee and make it official, and then I’ll do even more to make it perfect...tonight...”
She raised a beaming face to his—the face of a beautiful woman in love. “Is that a promise?” she teased.
“This very evening…near the end of the party so we don’t take anything away from Carly and Miles’ gathering.” He raised her hand to his lips. “I don’t want to live without you any longer. I love you beyond what I ever thought love could be.”
Tears shone in her eyes. “And I’ll be saying yes. I want to marry you.”
“I’m glad. We could go to the courthouse on Monday, but after seeing what Carly and Miles have here...with family and friends looking on, I thought you might want Uncle James to host our wedding as well.”
“I’d love that. I’ve always wanted a big, romantic wedding.”
“I thought so. And I want you to have the wedding of your dreams. You deserve it. You’ll be the most beautiful bride ever. I can’t wait to make you mine—to commit to you forever.”
“I am yours now, Jack.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Jack pulled Abby into his arms and sighed with contentment. “We will have the big house, the land, the horses, whatever you want. I can afford it now. However, I want the wedding soon because I don’t want to chance losing you again. You might have married someone else with what Monica did to us. I could have lost you forever—to Sam or to someone else.”
When Jack’s jacket rubbed the lace on her dress, he remembered how they’d gotten caught together two nights ago. He released her. “I guess we should watch the clothes, huh?”
She smiled. “Yes, and the makeup.”
Jack was content to hold her hand—for now. Being with her again seemed like a dream. Happiness overwhelmed him.
“Jack!”
He turned to see his Uncle James waving him over. Standing with the elderly man was Uncle Peter. They seemed to be in a heated discussion.
Jack kissed Abby’s cheek. “I’ll return in a minute, Abby.”
He crossed to his uncles, not in the mood to hear his younger uncle’s grumblings about his taking over McAlister. They went off to the side of the gathered crowd where they could talk privately.
Uncle James flicked his gaze to his other uncle. “Jack, it seems your Uncle Peter has a beef with us.”
“I do. First, you have it all, James. You gobble up companies...people. Take away their livelihoods...their homes.”
“That’s unfair,” James said in a steely voice. “I had nothing to do with your gambling debts, which caused you to lose this house. Or your mismanagement that caused you to lose McAlister Construction. I bought the estate because it was Eliza’s home, and I didn’t want it destroyed so a developer could build five hundred houses on the land.”
Uncle Peter ran a hand through his dark curly hair in frustration. “And what about Jack?”
“You should be glad he brought the company back into the family,” James added. “And it was already lost to you several years ago.”
Uncle Peter’s shoulders drooped. “But this makes me look bad...”
Jack blew out a deep breath. “I didn’t buy back the company to make you look bad, Uncle Peter. The business had been in our family for generations, and when the opportunity came up, I wanted it back.”
Uncle Peter’s eyes darted away behind his black-framed glasses. “I suppose I can’t blame anyone but myself for my failures.”
Jack could tell he was still upset. “Don’t be angry with me, or too hard on yourself,” Jack said, trying to sooth the man.
Uncle Peter shrugged. “I suppose not. You know I’m not the only one who is hurt by this action... And I’ll give you a business tip, Jack—watch your back around your competitors—especially Ansen Burns, if you have any dealings with him.”
“Thank you.” That was the second time he’d been warned about Ansen Burns. The first time was by Sam Preston.
Uncle Peter walked away.
Jack turned to his Uncle James. “I only hope he will come to accept the situation.”
“He will, Jack, but one thing he said that is true, when one becomes successful, one always has to watch his back around hi
s competition. From what I hear, Ansen Burns might be someone you should be careful around. Even more so, since if he does anything, he’ll just hire someone to do his dirty work.”
Jack nodded in agreement. “I’ve heard this too many times not to pay attention about Burns, so I’ll take the warning.
* * *
Abby thought Jack looked handsome in his black tux with the crisp white shirt and bow tie as he strode across the lawn to meet his uncles. Contented that they would be married, Abby smiled to herself.
“Abby!” Sam strode up to her, his sharp tone startling her. He dropped his gaze to her breasts. Then Sam fisted one hand.
Abby shrank back as he stood over her, his anger sizzling beneath his less-than-friendly expression. She raised her chin, but a chill ran along her spine. “Oh, hi, Sam. I thought you might be with your stepfather.”
“No, Ralph couldn’t make the wedding. But I leave for two days... I come back here to find out that you’ve ditched me, and that Jack and you are back together,” Sam snarled. “How did I not see this coming?”
Even if Sam was angry, she had nothing to fear. He wouldn’t dare strike out at her with so many people around.
“Sam, stop it. I told you I think of you as a friend, and nothing more. I never meant to hurt you. I am sorry if I did.”
“But I thought… That you and me...”
“No, Sam. I tried to tell you before. I’ve known you for a long time, and I think of you as a friend. A good friend. I never said I would date you. I only told you I would consider it.”
“So you used me to make Jack jealous—to take him back from Monica. And on the boating trip, was that a phony fall?”
“No. And I did not use you, Sam! Listen to me, I’ve always loved Jack.”
His face reddened and Sam took a step back. “All right, Abby, if that’s how it’s going to be…” Sam darted his eyes away. “Don’t expect me to ask out you again.” Then he strode away.
Sam’s anger frightened her and Abby blew out a deep breath of relief when Jack headed in her direction.
Jack’s brows drew into a worried frown. “Sam looked like he was bothering you. What did he say to upset you?”
The Wedding March began.
“Everything is okay. I’ll tell you later.”
Jack gave her a hesitant glance and a nod before he strode to the front to stand by the waiting groom.
Abby hoped Sam would eventually understand, but she put thoughts of him away because it was time to begin.
Abby walked down the aisle with the other bridal attendants and took her place up front.
When Jack caught her gaze, she felt love flow between them. Now, they would be the next to marry, even though misunderstandings and tricks had nearly ruined their lives.
Carly’s father had passed away years ago, so Mr. James Farrington escorted her down the aisle. Carly made a gorgeous bride as she walked with him toward her groom.
Happiness welled inside Abby for her friend and for herself. She would be doing this soon.
After the ceremony, photographers snapped endless photos of the newlyweds and their attendants. When the posing was finished, everyone proceeded toward the reception to meet up with guests in the glittering ballroom.
For dinner, Abby and the other bridesmaids were assigned seats on Carly’s side of the long wedding party table, while all the male attendants were seated on Miles’s side.
Jack linked his arm with Abby’s and pulled her aside. He stared down at her for a moment, and then released her with a sigh. “It looks like we’re going to be separated for this part of the reception, Abby. I’m having trouble letting you go. Seems this having to leave you has become a recurring event.”
Then he escorted her to the wedding party table that took center stage in the ballroom and pulled out the chair beside Carly for her.
After Abby sat, Jack put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Until later, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear. Then he turned to go and took his seat on the other side of Miles.
Dinner was delicious with several choices: Filet Mignon, Beef Wellington, Pan-seared Red Snapper, and Lobster Thermidor was served. Expensive champagne flowed like water.
After dinner, several servers wheeled out the huge wedding cake.
In the midst of all the ‘ohs’ and ‘ahs,’ one of the doors swung open. Monica walked in, carrying a baseball bat.
Abby’s heart pounded as Monica walked toward the wedding party’s table. Crooked under her arm, she carried a laptop.
Jack rose from the table. “Monica, didn’t I send you off in a cab yesterday?”
CHAPTER TEN
A snarl on her face—as much as one could have with all her cosmetic work—Monica approached the wedding party table. “I decided that I wasn’t through... That we weren’t through, Jack.”
Jack didn’t like the look in her eyes one bit. He stood up, looked at his cousins who were poised to jump to action, and held out his hands to stop them. “I’ll handle this, guys.”
He turned back to Monica. “You shouldn’t have come back here. Now put the bat down. And by the looks of the case, I’m assuming that’s my laptop. Set it down gently,” he demanded.
“All right.” She held out the laptop and let it drop straight to the floor. “Is that gentle enough for you?” Then she stomped her high-heeled shoe on top and tried to grind the computer into the ground.
Jack considered jumping over the table to get to her. “Stop it, Monica,” he suggested with deadly calm.
“Not until I’m finished.” Monica took the bat and whacked the computer, cracking the case. “Now the next hit is for Carly, for interfering with my relationship with you, Jack. And I know she did.”
Monica swung at the cake that time and icing splashed on everyone within twenty feet of it.
Jack moved around the long table and toward her. “Monica, that’s enough. Put the bat down,” he said in a threatening tone.
“No, not until I’m finished,” she repeated. Monica stepped toward Abby. “You should see your rental car, Jack. Now, take your last look at Abby’s face.”
Jack lunged toward Monica. He grabbed her and held her arms to her sides until Monica dropped the bat.
“I hate her,” Monica cried.
“Should we call the police?” someone suggested from behind them.
Jack shook his head. “No, I can handle this.” He shook her. “Monica, do you want to get into trouble? You could go to jail.”
She struggled in his arms. “Let me go.”
“Monica, Abby didn’t come between us,” Jack said. “I know I couldn’t have gone through with the engagement you wanted. Deep down inside, I hoped you’d realize, if you came here with me, that we weren’t right together—just by seeing how happy Carly and Miles are. We never had that—well, truthfully, we never had much of anything. I hoped that, combined with how much you hate cold weather, you would want to break it off with me.”
Monica sputtered. “If she had never been in the picture, you would have loved me. I want her to pay for this,” she spat out.
Jack held on to her tightly. “I never stopped loving Abby, and I’m not going to. You are the reason we broke up in the first place, Monica. You interfered in our relationship with your fabricated lies. You made me think she was cheating on me with your little schemes. And if you try to hurt Abby, I will make you regret it.”
All the tension went out of Monica’s body. “But—”
“There are no buts and no more lies and betrayals. I love Abby. I always have and always will. You need to understand and accept that.”
Monica’s mouth turned downward. “What will I do without you?”
Abby stepped forward. “You’ll find someone else in Florida. Or perhaps Vince Michaels is still available? He deserves someone like you.”
Jack released Monica’s arms. “Monica, you had a relationship with him and tried to lay the blame on Abby.” He raised an eyebrow. “Besides, my life is with Abby, where it
would already have been if you hadn’t interfered.”
Jack turned to Abby, Carly and his uncle. “Is it okay if she leaves here? Abby? Carly—she ruined your cake? And, Uncle James, she’s on your property? I’ll call a cab to take her to the airport, but that’s all up to you. The alternative is to call the police and have her arrested.”
Uncle James said he was all right with Monica leaving.
Carly nodded. “She’s trying to ruin my reception, but I’m okay as long as she goes—now.
Visibly shaken, Abby crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin. “Okay, let Monica go, but only if this time she doesn’t come back.”
Jack gazed down at Monica. “If you leave now, I won’t prosecute you for damaging the rental car… But don’t make me regret it.”
A young man strode in with a large box with a lid and a big silver bow. “Special delivery for the wedding party from a Mr. James Farrington—a gift for the bride, to be opened by the best man.”
He placed the box on the table to the right of Miles the groom, and in front of where Jack would have been sitting if he hadn’t moved away from his spot at the table. Strange.
The deliveryman pulled out a piece of paper. “I’m supposed to make this announcement: Roses are red, violets are blue, you have this coming, I hope you enjoy it, too.”
“Hold on,” Uncle James bellowed from across the room. “I didn’t send that package.”
Abby’s face paled. “Jack, the box is ticking. And it was meant for you.” She picked up the box. Gasps sounded around the room.
Jack’s heart raced. “Be careful not to drop it, Abby. It might be a bomb.”
“I know,” she squeaked. “I’ll just take it out of the room.”
Abby slowly moved across the room on unsteady legs, in high heels and with the box clutched in her arms.
When Jack reached her, he took the package from her. “No, Abby, I’d better be the one to do that.” He ran out of the room with the box.
He heard Abby shout from behind him, “Be careful, Jack!”
As he proceeded out of the house and across the lawn, Jack noticed his male cousins ran after the guy who had delivered the present. He saw Chris tackle the kid to the ground.
Weekend Wedding Deception (Dangerous Millionaires Series) Page 12