by Andre, Bella
“You’re kidding me, right?”
Jude stopped in his tracks and slowly turned. “Hello, Ellie.” He wasn’t sure if he should hold out his arms for a hug or present his cheek for a slap.
“I can’t believe you actually showed up. Does Tess know?”
Jude shook his head. “Not yet. I wanted to wait—”
“Really? So what’s the plan? Surprising her in the middle of your parent’s party with a toast about the amazing example your parents are for what makes a marriage work?”
Damn. She might as well have kicked him right in the groin. Leave it to Tessa’s best friend not to hold anything back.
“I thought maybe I could grab her attention and maybe go someplace to talk.”
He knew by the look on Ellie’s face what she thought of his idea. “Okay, okay, maybe not my best idea, but that’s all I’ve got.” He stuck his hands in his pant pockets and shrugged.
“Do your parents know you’re here?” Ellie cocked her head as she stared at him. Not for the first time he wished he could read her thoughts.
“That’s why they’re late. I missed my flight and arrived at their place just as they were leaving. My mom...” His voice hitched up a notch when he thought of how his mother had crumbled in his arms while his father stood by, stoic, on the other side of the screen door.
Ellie surprised him by rushing at him and throwing her arms around him. He slowly raised his own arms and hugged her back.
“If you ever leave like that again, I’ll kill you before you have the chance to return. Do you understand me?”
Considering Ellie’s father was a cop and had taught her how to shoot a gun at an early age, he had no doubt she meant what she said.
“I’m here to stay.” Jude stared straight into Ellie’s eyes and dared her to believe him. He’d do everything in his power to win back Tess, even if it meant starting all over again. She deserved her white knight and he meant to be exactly that. He even came prepared to slay that invisible dragon.
“It’s not going to be easy, you know that, don’t you?” With her arms crossed over her chest, Ellie watched him.
Easy? Nothing about Tessa was easy. She was sweet, endearing, gorgeous and the smartest woman he knew, but easy? Not his Tessa.
“Will you help me?” Jude fiddled with his hands as he waited for her answer. If anyone knew Tessa better than he did, it was Ellie.
“Will you break her heart again?” There was a calculated look in her eye that had Jude wondering why she even asked.
Will he break her heart again? He’d never wanted to in the first place. He hadn’t known what else to do though. Yes, he knew running away like he did had been a mistake, but at the time it seemed like his only option.
“I love her. I always have and that is never going to change.”
Seeing her tonight only sharpened that truth inside of him. He’d been a fool to run away. He’d been scared and unsure of how to handle what had happened. He’d been a weak man and rather than protect himself, he should have done everything he could to protect his wife.
“Just don’t forget it.” Ellie gave him a satisfied smile before she walked down the hallway and back into the main area.
Her comment had him on edge. He wanted to tell her he never would but he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be as easy as that. Knowing Tessa, he needed to prove himself.
And prove himself, he would.
Chapter Two
“Tessa.”
She turned to find Ellie weaving her way through the crowded room.
“Bob and Jean are here.”
Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally! Where are they?” She’d been doing her best to play hostess to the large crowd that had gathered for the party but there was only so much she could do before people started to question where the guests of honor were.
“They’ll be out soon.”
Ellie was hiding something. Tessa knew it. It wasn’t that her gaze darted around the room and the fact she wouldn’t look her in the eye, nor was it the way she fiddled with her fingers as she stood there. Instead, it was the half smile Ellie tried so hard to hide that had Tessa on edge.
“What’s going on?”
Ellie licked her lips and fiddled with the pen she’d taken out of her apron pocket.
“Seriously, Eleanor. If there is something going on, I need to know.” It was rare Tessa used her full name, but she didn’t have time to play games tonight. She needed to get Bob and Jean out here to greet their friends.
“Remember earlier when I asked you—”
“Hey there gorgeous.” Arms snaked around Tessa and squeezed tight. Tessa gave off a little squeal as the air was pushed out of her lungs before she was lifted up off the ground and the back of her neck kissed.
“Put me down you big lug.” Tessa laughed as she attempted to swat at the solid arms holding her.
“Only if you say the magic word,” Sean Patterson teased as he tickled her.
Tessa knew her face had to be bright red by now. Why was it anytime she was around Sean he had to embarrass her in some fashion? Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?
“Want me to tell Mrs. Monroe who really destroyed her prized rose gardens?” Tessa threatened. Within seconds, Sean set her down on the ground and let her go. She knew that would work, especially since Mrs. Monroe stood only a few feet away from them.
“I must say Tessa, you worked your magic and transformed this ugly place into a palace. Great job.” Sean’s eyes twinkled with mirth as he changed the subject.
Tessa looked around her and shrugged. “It wasn’t all that bad.”
Ellie groaned. “Don’t listen to her, Sean. There’s a reason this place is rarely used for anything more than seasonal craft shows. It took hours to get it to look this good.”
“You know, I’ve always said you’d be a natural at interior decorating,” Sean began.
Tessa didn’t let him finish. “And you’d hand feed me clients from all your big multi-million dollar homes, right? No thanks. Planning their events is enough.” She glanced down at her watch. What was taking Bob and Jean so long?
“Well, if that’s an option...” Sean teased.
Tessa gave her head a small shake. A draft from somewhere wrapped itself around her ankles and she shivered. She knew she should have worn a sweater tonight over her black dress.
“You know I’d do anything for you,” Sean’s voice dropped an octave as he stared at her.
A stone dropped to the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want to get into this with him, not here. He was a great friend, but that’s all Tessa saw in him. Friendship. Sometimes Sean’s teasing went a little too far.
“I tried calling you earlier.”
Tessa let out the breath she held, thankful that he didn’t continue that line of discussion. She caught the questioning glare from Ellie.
“You did?” Tessa pulled out her phone and scrolled through the latest calls.
“What happened to the girl who never turns her phone off?” Sean wiggled his brows before nudging her with his elbow.
“The chocolate was calling to me,” she glanced behind her to the table of chocolates.
“I told you their catering was the best. I can’t believe you’ve never used them before,” Sean settled his hand on her back, guided her through the ballroom and out into the hallway.
“I will now, thanks to you, I already have them booked for three more events.”
“What you should do is entice their baker away from them so you’ll have exclusive catered events. Especially when you see the place I’ve lined up for you.” Sean grabbed a champagne flute from a server who passed them and held it out to her. She waved it away. She’d wait till the evening was over to have a drink.
“We can’t afford a baker to be on the payroll. Not yet. And what do you mean?”
“We could if we took over the lease on the bakery next to us. Plus, there’s always my sister. Lexi would bake circles around this caterer.” Ell
ie interrupted.
This wasn’t the first time they’d discussed this topic, but Tessa wasn’t sure if they were ready for this type of expansion. Ellie’s outlook was go big or go home. Tessa just wanted to make sure they had a home to go to. The last thing she wanted was to expand their Decadent Events to include a bakery and have it all be a flop.
Sean cleared his throat. “What about bringing on some partners?” He toyed with the edge of his glass while Tessa’s mouth dropped.
“Sean, I...why...” she shook her head, unable to form a coherent thought. Partners? Where did this come from? She’d known Sean forever it seemed. He’d been like a brother to her for longer than she could remember.
“Why don’t we save that discussion for another night?” Ellie wrapped her arm through Tessa’s and pulled her close. “I think I see Bob peeking through the doorway down there.”
Tessa could almost have kissed her friend. Sean stepped back and Tessa gave him a small smile.
“Later?” He asked.
She nodded. Later could be anywhere from tonight to next week to even next year. She needed to mull this over, think about the ramifications of bringing Sean on board as a partner.
She caught sight of Jean in the doorway close to the kitchen. Jean wrung her hands together as she searched the room. Tessa gave her a wave and the look of relief on Jean’s face had her worried.
“Have you talked to Jean tonight?” Tessa asked Ellie out of the corner of her mouth. Ellie faltered in her step and Tessa stopped short.
“All right, what is going on?” She asked. Ellie was acting a bit off tonight.
“There’s something you need to know,” Ellie looked everywhere but at her. Tessa was getting a bit annoyed. She didn’t have time to play these games. Either something was wrong or it wasn’t, but if it was going to affect the party in any way, the girl had better spit it out.
“Like what?”
“It’s about—”
“There you are.” A hand gripped Tessa’s shoulder and forced her to turn around. Evie O’Neil held a plate of tarts and almost shoved them right into Tessa’s nose. “I was just telling Charlie that these pecan butter tarts are simply divine. My bridge club would love this. I don’t know who you have catering tonight, but I have to get the recipe for this. I have to.”
Tessa rolled her shoulder to ease out the sudden kink and attempted to be patient with Evie. She was a dear old soul who never took no for an answer, nor understood the concept of personal space.
“Tessa Turner, don’t even think about saying no to me. I’ve been trying to get in the kitchen for the past half hour, but I keep getting blocked by one of your servers. If you won’t let me bug the caterer, then I insist you do it for me.” Evie took a bite of one of the tarts and moaned.
“Now sugar, if you keep doing that, you’re going to make me gather up every last tart and hide them,” Ellie teased before Tessa could say anything. “Oh, don’t you worry, there’s none left on the table.” Evie’s eyes lit up as she chuckled past the food in her mouth.
“Evie, you can’t do that.” Tessa tried not to act shocked, but it didn’t surprise her Evie would hoard all her favorite treats. She made a mental note to have one of the servers stay close to the table to keep an eye on the food. She’d planned for extras, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
“If you give me the recipe, I’ll put some of them back.” Evie winked at her.
Now how did you say no to someone as cute as her? She was everyone’s crazy grandmother, short with wild curly hair and going on eighty-five years of age.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Tessa leaned in close, cupped her hand close to her mouth and whispered in the woman’s ear.
“That’s my girl.” Evie toddled off back to her table where her husband sat and he gave her a high-five. Tessa laughed. They might just be the youngest oldest couple she’d ever known.
“Okay, let’s go find the guests of honor and get them out here before all the desserts disappear.” She turned towards Ellie and was about to grab her hand but stopped when she saw the way her friend’s eyes widened.
“Don’t turn around,” Ellie hissed, “there’s something you need to know first.”
A low murmur grew through the room.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa’s chest constricted and the palms of her hands tingled. She saw the faces of the crowd around her, the wide eyes, the bright smiles, the whispers while they all looked at her.
“Tessa, it’s about Jude.”
A lumped formed in Tessa’s throat and she had a crazy need to run. Was he here? Did something happen to him and that’s why his parents were late? The room spun around her and her ears buzzed. She reached out to grab hold of Ellie’s arm before she fainted, but she missed and almost toppled over before strong hands gripped her arms and steadied her.
Warm breath teased her cheek as she leaned against a hard body. Heat radiated it and the cold chill she felt earlier disappeared. She could only think of one person whose touch affected her like this, but didn’t dare dream that her husband had come home.
“Hey gorgeous.”
Tessa melted.
Chapter Three
Tessa turned and found herself staring into the same chocolate- colored eyes that filled her dreams on a nightly basis. He was here. Actually here. Part of her didn’t want to believe it and she blinked to see if he was a figment of her imagination.
“Breathe, Tess,” the soft timber of Jude’s voice washed over her and left goosebumps all along her arms.
“You came back.” Once the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to swallow them. She wasn’t sure how she should be feeling right now. Joy that her husband was finally home? Anger that it took him so long to return to her? Elation to finally be in his arms again?
Memories of that awful day crept in and she shuddered. His hands dropped from her arms and when he stepped away from her she was cold again. A part of her wanted to reach out, to touch him, to gather back some of that warmth, but the other part of her wanted to crush his heart like he’d crushed hers. Her counsellor had warned her of that, even worked with her on scenarios if something like this ever occurred.
“I couldn’t stay away.” His words were infused with warmth but the look in his eyes was stone cold.
She gave herself a mental shake and reminded herself of where they were. Whatever was going to happen, whatever words needed to be said, this was not the time or place. It was bad enough she’d once again added fuel to the local gossip fodder.
In the background Sean yelled, “It’s about time you two love birds showed up.” There was a smattering of laughter as Jean’s face turned bright red and Bob gave off an exaggerated wink. Tessa glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Sean in thanks. His lips rose into a smile and he gave a small bow.
“I should have come home sooner, I see.” Tessa caught a note of disappointment in Jude’s voice.
She didn’t say anything. She only looked at him, really looked at him. He looked good, more toned, filled out, if the size of his biceps beneath his dress shirt was any indication. He wore his hair a little longer than she remembered, there were small curls around his ears and collar and there was a faint scar beneath his chin that hadn’t been there before. He fingered the scar, as if to hide it from her gaze.
“You look good.”
His brow quirked at that. “Good? That’s all you have to say?”
She shrugged her shoulder. “I’m glad you came.”
“That sounded almost like a question. You should know me better than that.”
“I thought I did,” she whispered.
Ellie broke the awkwardness between them by clearing her throat. ”Um, hate to break up the reunion, but Tessa...” Ellie cocked her head towards Bob and Jean.
Tessa breathed a deep sigh, straightened her shoulders and forced a bright smile on her face. Without a word to her husband, she walked away from him and towards her parents-in--law and gave them both a tight hug.
&
nbsp; “He came home,” she whispered into Jean’s ear. As she pulled away, she caught the look on Bob’s face as he watched his son. Love, happiness and peace. She knew how much it meant to him to have Jude back. He wasn’t alone anymore. He didn’t need to deal alone with what was about to hit them all like a tidal wave.
“He still loves you,” Jean whispered back.
Tessa just smiled but she studied Jean’s face carefully. The lines beneath her eyes were darker, her face paler and there was a slight shake to her hands that Jean tried to hide.
All that mattered was that Jude was here for his mom. Three weeks ago Jean had gone to the doctor to complain of a stomach pain that wouldn’t go away. What they all thought was mild food poisoning or the flu turned out to be cancer. Advanced adenocarcinoma, or stomach cancer. And Jean, no matter how much both Bob and Tessa argued with her, refused to accept any sort of treatment. They’d been advised that with chemotherapy, Jean might have a year. Both of Jean’s parents had died of cancer and she refused to end her days as they had. She wanted to live what life she had left on her own terms, in her own house, surrounded by those she loved. Not in a hospital hours away in Calgary.
“I want you two to get back together.” Jean gripped Tessa’s hands and squeezed.
Tessa nodded. She wanted that too. “Does Jude know yet?” She hated to ask.
Jean shook her head. “Bob told him. I didn’t want him to, I need there to be good memories from tonight, but Bob needed him to know.” The wavering smile on her face faltered before Bob stepped closer and wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist.
“What do you say we get this party started, huh? I’ve been looking forward to these desserts you women keep raving about.”
Tessa’s eyes widened. The desserts. She glanced over at the table she’d so carefully arranged and realized she’d forgotten all about putting aside a platter ’s for the table where Bob and Jean would sit.
“Evie might have eaten all the good ones,” Tessa whispered, “that’s what you get for being late,” she teased while she led the couple to their table.
Once they were seated and Ellie took her place at the podium with the microphone, Tessa wove her way towards the dessert table and did her best to ignore the feel of Jude’s gaze when she walked by.