The Best Man Takes a Bride

by Stacy Connelly

  “Better?” he murmured.

  “Not quite so ugly anymore.” She’d meant the words as a tease, but the huskiness in her voice gave her away.

  Hannah had grabbed the empty water bottle, seeming to enjoy making the thin plastic crackle and pop in her small hands. Crouched along the edge of the pathway, her interest soon turned to scooping loose dirt into the narrow container.

  Rory had learned the little girl’s attention didn’t stay captured for long, but for now...

  She brushed her lips against Jamison’s, their equal height giving the illusion of equal footing until Jamison caught her face in his hands, took control and shattered any pretense of staying grounded.

  It was a quick kiss. A prelude for what was to come. A promise of more...but enough to send her head spinning into the clouds, leaving her breathless and dizzy with desire. She didn’t know if her feet would have actually left the earth, but Jamison held her fast. He caught her hips and pulled her into the cradle of his thighs.

  The gazebo had always been her favorite place, and that was before. Now every time she closed her eyes, Rory would see Jamison leaning against the carved post, paint streaked across his forehead and a gleam in his eyes. His low voice would echo through the whisper of wind in the trees and Hannah’s lilting laughter would ring out with the trilling call of the birds. Pizza would never taste the same again, and paint fumes would always bring her back to this moment and this man.

  Her favorite place and her favorite people in the whole, whole world...

  “Ryder’s bachelor party is tomorrow night.”

  “I know, so is Lindsay’s bachelorette party.”

  “Do I even want to know what goes on at a bachelorette party?”

  “Probably not.” Rory was touched Lindsay had invited her and had been looking forward to hanging out with a group of women who weren’t pointing and whispering behind her back.

  Ever since the night of the rodeo, she’d lost count of the conversations that had stopped the moment she stepped into a room or neared a group of Hillcrest employees. As usual Trisha Katzman was right in the middle, surrounded by her flock. Whenever the redhead spoke, the other women leaned in like hungry birds, eyes wide and mouths open, pecking over a tasty morsel of gossip as they whispered back and forth.

  Thrusting the thought aside, she asked, “What do you have planned for Ryder’s last night as a free man?”

  “You know me, something wild and crazy.”

  Rory couldn’t help but laugh at his deadpan delivery. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”

  Jamison smirked a little. “Per the groom’s specific instructions, we’re having a guys’ night out at the Clearville Bar and Grille for a debauched evening of pool, darts and beer.”

  “Hmm, if not for the beer, you could invite Ryder’s son and a few of his school friends along.”

  “Oh, you are funny.”

  She was glad he thought so. The bachelor and bachelorette parties were among the last events leading up to the wedding. The rehearsal dinner was scheduled at Hillcrest House the evening before the wedding, and after that—After that, it would all be over.

  Lindsay and Ryder’s life as a married couple would just be starting, but her relationship with Jamison would come to an end.

  A smarter woman might have tried to keep her distance, to guard her heart, but Rory didn’t have that kind of strength. She did know she was right about one thing, though. Ending their relationship now wouldn’t make her miss him any less, so she was determined to enjoy what time they had together now.

  She was afraid she’d have plenty of time to be miserable later.

  Jamison cleared his throat and glanced over to where Hannah was now sprinkling the collected dirt along the walkway. “I, um, talked to Ryder. His parents are watching Robbie and his cousins tomorrow night. He said they’d be happy to add a girl to the mix.”

  “Do you think Hannah will be okay staying with them?”

  Jamison huffed out a sigh. “Ever since the night of the unicorn, Hannah’s been asking when she can play with Robbie and his cousins again.”

  Rory laughed. “But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

  “A good thing for Hannah...and I’m hoping a very good thing for us.”

  Their time alone since the night of the rodeo had been limited to stolen kisses when Hannah was preoccupied with some game of make-believe or in the evening after the little girl had gone to bed. But Jamison was careful not to go too far, pushing them both to the brink before pulling back from the edge.

  If Rory didn’t know better, she might have thought he was trying to drive her out of her mind.

  But if Hannah was happy staying with a sitter for a night...

  “Don’t tell me,” Rory said, keeping a light note in her voice despite the bass drum beating inside her chest, “you have something wild and crazy planned?”

  “Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?” Rory’s words fell on deaf ears as she and the rest of Lindsay’s bridal party scrambled out of the SUV amid constant chattering and bursts of laughter.

  “I’m afraid so,” Sophia Pirelli Cameron said. The petite brunette met Rory’s exasperated glance with a sympathetic look. “You’ve been out-Pirellied.”

  “I had no idea that was even a thing.”

  Sophia laughed. “When you have as much family in town as I do, you learn to go with the flow.”

  At the moment, the five women, including Sophia’s sister-in-law, Debbie, were flowing toward the Clearville Bar and Grille, a local watering hole offering beer, chips, an assortment of burgers and every sport imaginable on large-screen TVs. The place was popular with locals and tourists alike, and for tonight, it was the hot spot for bachelor parties. As in Ryder’s bachelor party.

  The girls were supposed to be out for their own night on the town, but halfway to Redfield, Debbie had had the great idea of crashing the guys’ night out. The exuberant blonde’s enthusiasm was contagious, and it hadn’t taken much convincing for Lindsay’s future sister-in-law, Nina, to turn the car around and head back to Clearville, where all of their guys waited.

  Well, not her guy.

  Jamison would be there, of course, but the other women were all married or about to be married to the men inside. While she and Jamison...

  “That’s a pretty heavy sigh for a Saturday night,” Sophia commented as the two of them fell into step a few paces behind Lindsay, Debbie and Nina, who were already racing toward the bar. “I don’t suppose it has anything to do with a certain best man, does it?”

  “Jamison is part of the wedding party and a guest at our hotel—”

  “Not to mention single...and hot...at least according to Debbie and my cousin Theresa.”

  Rory groaned. “You’re right. Your family really has taken over the town, haven’t they?”

  “Pretty much,” Sophia said. “But what can I say? Clearville’s home, and I’m glad to be back. I’m only sorry I stayed away so long.”

  Music and light spilled out from the open double doors leading into the bar. Their steps slowed as they neared the entrance. “Considering how much family you have here, why did you stay away?”

  The brunette lifted a shoulder in an easy shrug. “Small towns have long memories. When I was in high school, I screwed up. I trusted the wrong person and did something I shouldn’t, and when we got caught, I took the blame. I’m not proud of what happened, but the thing I regret the most is the guilt that drove a wedge between me and my family. I never should have let that happen, especially not when they forgave me long before I got around to forgiving myself.”

  I trusted the wrong person.

  Boy, did Rory know how that felt! And maybe she had carried her guilt around for too long—when that w
as the only thing she’d done wrong.

  “Thank you, Sophia.”

  The brunette shot her a curious glance. “For what?”

  “For helping put the past into perspective.”

  “You’re welcome, and while I’m doling out pearls of wisdom, let me tell you that trips to the past are best served with fruity cocktails.”

  Rory’s laughter faded away as they stepped inside the bar and she spotted the combined bachelor and bachelorette parties gathered near the pool tables. Music blared from the jukebox in the corner, making it impossible to hear what they were saying. But even in the dim lighting and neon glow cast from the beer signs hanging on the walls, what she saw made her heart sink.

  Ryder was furious. Lindsay stood in front of her fiancé, her pretty face distraught, as the rest of the bridal party milled awkwardly around the couple.

  He couldn’t be so upset because Lindsay had crashed his stag party! In all the time Rory had worked with the groom-to-be, he’d been nothing but laid-back and relaxed, happy with whatever made Lindsay happy. Watching them together, Rory had thought they were the perfect couple...

  In an instant, she switched from member of the bachelorette party to wedding coordinator. There had to be something she could do to fix this!

  Cutting through the crowd gathered in front of the bar, Rory reached Bryce Kincaid’s side. “Bryce, what is going on?”

  “One minute everything was fine, and then in the next—” Ryder’s brother shook his head. “All I know is that I heard Ryder tell Jamison he’s not sure if he even wants Jamison to be at the wedding, forget having him in the wedding.”

  Jamison? This was about Jamison?

  A tearful Lindsay caught sight of Rory and hurried to her side. “This is awful! Jamison is the best man. Ryder’s best friend! I know how much he wants Jamison standing beside him.” She brushed the backs of her fingers beneath her eyes. “I’m not going to be so dramatic as to say Jamison’s absence will ruin the wedding, but I know how much it will hurt Ryder if he’s not there. Something like this could ruin their friendship.”

  “Do you know what the fight was about?”

  “Other than me?” Lindsay asked with a sad little laugh. “No clue.”

  “Okay. You keep working on Ryder and see if he’ll open up. I’ll find Jamison. Between the two of us, they don’t stand a chance.”

  “Thank you, Rory.”

  “Wedding coordinator to the rescue,” she promised, glad to hear a genuine laugh from her friend as she gave her a quick hug.

  Oh, Jamison, what did you do?

  Turning to Bryce, she asked, “Do you know where Jamison is now?”

  “He drove separately from the rest of us in case he had to leave early to pick up Hannah.” At her questioning glance, he added, “I’ve already called my folks. They haven’t heard from him, and Hannah’s asleep on the couch after somehow talking my boys into watching a princess movie with her.”

  “I rode over with the rest of the bachelorette party—”

  “I can give you a ride if you know where he might have gone.”

  “Let’s start at the hotel.”

  * * *

  Once Rory spotted Jamison’s SUV in the parking lot, she convinced Bryce she could handle things from there. Faint moonlight lit the way to the lobby, but a gut feeling had her veering away from the elegant building and following a familiar path instead.

  She ducked under the yellow caution tape barring the way to the gazebo. The elegant structure was draped in shadows, still and silent, and a dark figure sat hunched on the top step. Her heart ached at the loneliness, the isolation he seemed to have wrapped around him like a moth-eaten-yet-familiar blanket.

  Oh, Jamison, she thought again. What did you do?

  She set foot on the first step, noticing the six-pack of beer, and sank down beside him. Smoothing her skirt over her knees, she kept her gaze focused straight ahead as she asked, “Come here often?”

  Jamison tipped his head back to take a swallow from the beer in his hand before stating, “I’m not even going to ask how you found me here.”

  “I think the better question would be why are you here?”

  “I’m getting drunk,” he said, the clarity of his words and the barely touched bottle belying his words. “Isn’t that what tonight is all about?”

  “Actually, tonight is about spending time with your best friend and celebrating his upcoming marriage.”

  “I don’t think Ryder would call me his best friend anymore. Even though all I was trying to do was to look out for him.”

  A bad feeling sinking into the pit of her stomach, Rory asked, “Look out for him how?”

  “I told him it wasn’t too late—”

  “To call off the wedding?” She reared back in shock and might have tumbled from the step if he hadn’t steadied her with his free hand.

  “No, no, not to call it off. Just to have one of the lawyers at the firm draft a prenup.”

  “Oh, Jamison.”

  “I didn’t think he’d—I’m trying to protect him, you know? Isn’t that what a best man—a best friend—does?”

  “I think a best man should be happy his friend has found the love of his life.”

  Wincing, he ran a hand through his hair. “I tried to have a good time. I did, but all I could think about was that I’d been there, done that, and look how it ended.”

  “Been there?”

  “I was best man at Ryder’s last wedding, too.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah. And that time, I did keep my mouth shut, even though I sensed Ryder was feeling pressured into the marriage. I told myself it was cold feet and everything would work out.”

  “And everything did work out.”

  He shot her an incredulous look. “They were miserable together. They ended up getting divorced.”

  “Yes, so Ryder and Lindsay can get married now.”

  “You are incredible.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Not a compliment. You can’t be that naive.”

  Rory sucked in a lungful of cool night air and tried not to let that arrow strike her heart. He thought she was naive for believing Ryder and Lindsay’s love was meant to last. How foolish would he think she was for falling for him when she’d known all along their relationship was destined to end?

  Keeping her voice steady despite the trembling inside, she said, “Believing in love isn’t being naive any more than being cynical makes you smart. All it does is blind you to the good things in life. I don’t know anything about Ryder’s first marriage, but I do know he’s crazy about Lindsay.”

  “Lindsay kept his son from him for nine years! Ryder didn’t even know Robbie existed. At least Monica only—” Cutting himself off, Jamison shook his head and took another drink.

  “What did Monica do?” Rory asked, her words blending in with the rustle of wind through the trees, the distant rush of waves against the shore.

  For a long moment, she didn’t think he would answer, that he would keep his words—like his heart—locked up in the past. But finally, he started to speak. “We’d been fighting a lot, so much that I was afraid it would start to affect Hannah.”

  “And you didn’t want that...not after the way you’d grown up.”

  “It’s the last thing I wanted for Hannah. I did my best to ignore the worst of Monica’s habits—the extreme shopping, the time she’d spend out with friends instead of at home with Hannah, her complaints that I was the one who spent too much time at work to be a good husband and father. Although she was right about that...”

  Jamison still didn’t know if his marriage had failed because of all the time he put in at work or if he put in all that time at work because his marriage was failing. But he did know Hannah had paid the price.

  “Jamison—”

  Ign
oring her softly voiced protest, he continued, “Before long, Monica and I couldn’t seem to be in the same room together without arguing, and I felt like I had no choice. I moved out. We called it a separation, but I think we both knew we wouldn’t be getting back together. I don’t know why I didn’t ask for a divorce right then.”

  “Maybe because you still were holding out hope you would work things out.”

  Jamison gave a rough laugh, his hand tightening on the beer bottle. “Well, if that is the reason, it was a foolish hope. We might not have fought as often, but when we did, it was as bad, if not worse. That’s when she started keeping me from seeing Hannah. It was small things at first. Dropping her off a few minutes late, picking her up early. But before long, she was canceling visits altogether. Hannah was sleeping or not feeling well or had a playdate with friends. One excuse after another until I was lucky to see Hannah once a month instead of every weekend.”

  It was his father who had warned him not to make the same mistakes he had. “I let your mother convince me you were better off without me,” he’d told Jamison. “I was never going to be rich or successful. I was never going to be the kind of man she would be proud of. But the one regret I have is that I didn’t fight as hard as I could for you, Jamie. You are rich and successful, but I can promise you, none of that will mean a thing if you don’t have that little girl in your life.”

  Rory shifted closer to him, slipping the cold, hard bottle from his hand and replacing it with the warm, soft reassurance of her own. “And that was wrong of Monica, but—”

  “That’s not all she did, Rory.” Jamison had to take a deep breath to get out the words, buried deep in his memory where he tried his damnedest not to think about them. “I couldn’t let things continue the way they were going. So I told Monica I was filing for divorce. I was prepared for her to go ballistic, but she barely reacted. I left that day feeling this huge sense of relief and went on an out-of-town business trip, thinking everything would work out. I should have known better.”