by Gephart, T
Then the music stopped, the break only for a minute before the familiar strains of “Cannon in D” were piped through the speakers.
Tia’s niece and nephew walked out first, both looking adorable as they almost ran to where their parents were sitting. And then came Lila, Tia’s best friend and maid of honor, floating down the aisle in a gorgeous lavender gown.
There was a collective gasp as Tia stepped out.
Wearing a simple but stunning lace dress, she looked like a princess on the arm of her dad. She smiled as she walked past, slowly edging her way to Eric who hadn’t taken his eyes off her. She was probably the most beautiful bride I’d ever seen, radiant and in love, and Eric looked like a man who would wage a war just to make her happy.
I never cried at weddings.
Never felt that tug at my heart.
But as the service started, I felt my eyes water with a constant flutter in my belly as they exchanged vows and promised each other forever.
I hadn’t wanted that for myself, so why did it make me so goddamn emotional?
Roman looked over, but I forced a grin and pretended to be as unaffected as he seemed to be, keeping my feelings locked down until Eric finally kissed his bride.
A sigh of relief spilled from my body as they walked back up the aisle as husband and wife. The happy couple heading off to take some photos while waiters circled with large silver trays of drinks and canapés. And if there was ever a time I needed a drink, it was right now—the effects of those two wines had long diminished.
“Thirsty?” Roman nodded to my hands, a champagne flute housed in each.
“It’s hot out and I don’t want to dehydrate.” I took a gulp from one, hoping the alcohol might do something about this affliction making me feel things.
Nope.
I still felt weepy and emotional.
Better take another gulp.
Roman took one of the empty glasses from my hand and replaced it with some water. “You might want to slow down if you want to make it to dinner. I would hate to find you floating in the pool with all the pretty lights.”
My head nodded, knowing that getting drunk wouldn’t be wise when I was feeling so unpredictable. “I think I might find a bathroom and freshen up a little. The heat.” I waved lamely as I excused myself.
The furrow of his brow told me he was suspicious, but he didn’t stop me. I left him and the majority of the guests outside, and wandered into the back of the house. There were a few people in the kitchen, mainly in white outfits relining their trays with more food and drink. While a few guests loitered in the large open area I assumed was a casual living room.
A helpful man—who I was positive was security—directed me to a bathroom toward the back of the hall, my heels clicking on the floor as I powerwalked to it.
I’d barely got the door closed when I turned and threw up. Heat traveled up my body as I sunk to my knees and retched again. It was the second time Roman Pierce had evoked that kind of reaction, and only one of those times did I know it was because I didn’t hate him.
No, this was so much worse than hate.
Oh my God.
Was I falling in love with him?
My body shook as I gripped the edges of the porcelain, trying to fight the urge to be sick again as feelings and thoughts tumbled in my head.
This wasn’t supposed to happen, and more to the point, how did I let it happen.
I had to stop it, had to find a way to go back to hating him. Or at the very least, figure out a way to calm my fucking idiot heart that had somehow decided he was the guy I wanted a future with.
“Just take me now, Lord,” I whispered in the dark. “Let’s just end it here so I don’t have to go out there and face him.”
He would know.
He would take one look at me and know exactly what I was feeling.
And there was no way I could risk that.
I stood slowly, looking at myself in the mirror as I cupped water from the facet and brought it to my mouth. I had some mints in my purse and was able to fix my makeup so at least it wouldn’t be obvious the thought of being in love with Roman Pierce had driven me to puke.
“Just go out there, laugh and then go home and screw his brains out.” I nodded to myself in the mirror. “Remind yourself you are just having sex, and being in love is for suckers.”
I flipped myself off, believing none of the words. Not the ones I’d spoken out loud at the mirror nor the ones that were looping around in my head trying to convince myself that I didn’t have feelings.
Of all the terrible times to have an epiphany, a bathroom at the wedding of people you barely knew was probably the worst.
I had psyched myself up enough to leave and stepped back into the hall when I heard voices coming toward me.
“Pray to the Viking Gods, Lila. Pray to all of them.” The bride, not looking so radiant, came storming toward me.
“Oh, hey.” Lila waved, carrying Tia’s veil as she trailed behind. “We just need the bathroom real quick. Bride emergency and all that.”
They shuffled past me, locking themselves in the bathroom as I stood outside slightly puzzled.
The familiar sound of vomit followed soon after.
Hmmm. You would think the nerves would have ended once the formalities were over, right? But if the activity in the bathroom was anything to go by, someone was still feeling stressed.
I had a terrible track record with bathrooms I’d decided.
“Are you okay?” I knocked on the door. Once again, divine intervention had thrown me a distraction when I was having my crisis.
“Yep, all good.” Lila’s voice floated from inside; Tia too busy being sick to answer for herself.
I didn’t care what Lila was saying, there was nothing about this situation that was all good.
Me having feelings for Roman—not good.
Tia puking in a bathroom after she married the man of her dreams—not good.
Which was why instead of minding my own business and going back to the party where I would have to pretend I wasn’t falling in love with a man, I was staying right where I was, talking to two women I barely knew through a bathroom door.
The door slowly opened, Lila stepping out holding Tia’s veil in her hand with the pale veil-less bride following her out.
“Stomach flu?” I offered, even though I was almost positive it wasn’t.
“You can’t say one word.” Tia’s head shook. “Not one word, especially to Roman.”
Yeah, I thought so.
I took a deep breath, my back straightening as I looked at her in the eyes. “Tia, you seem to have forgotten that I’m your lawyer. Even if I wanted to—which I don’t—I couldn’t say anything to anyone. Not to Roman, not to Eric, and not to those Viking Gods you were praying to when you stormed in.”
Lila and Tia glanced at each other, the unspoken I think we can trust her being debated as we stood there in silence.
Tia nodded to the hallway. “We need to take this upstairs.”
I followed wordlessly, climbing the stairs while the noise of the wedding got further away as we made it to the second floor. Tia led us to a bedroom, closing the door once we were all inside.
“I’m two weeks late, I think I’m pregnant, and I’m freaking the fuck out.” She paced, her fingers holding the hem of her dress so she didn’t step on the lace.
Cue my complete lack of surprise.
Vomiting.
Looking pale.
Secret meeting with your bestie in a bathroom.
It had been my first guess even without her confirmation.
“Okay, and are you worried about what Eric is going to say?” I asked as I watched her wring her hands.
Part of my job was to ask questions, to find out the problem and the best possible defense. And while this wasn’t a court case, if I understood exactly what was worrying her, I was confident we could find a solution.
“I know what you’re thinking.” She waved her hands in the
air. “What’s the big deal, we love each other, we’re married, so maybe the timing is off but it’s not the end of the world. But it is a big deal, it’s a huge deal, and I didn’t plan this.” She took a gasp of air, her breath running out as she spoke with limited pauses. “Eric just signed on to do a movie that will have him away for months, and they are shooting in remote locations that I couldn’t go to even if I wanted to. This movie, it’s his chance for an Oscar.” She took another breath. “And I know he will turn it down if he can’t be here during the pregnancy or possibly miss the birth of his first child. The timing is all wrong and he will end up hating me forever.”
“Tia, he won’t hate you.” Lila tried to find some reason. “Maybe he can work something out with the director, maybe he can work the filming schedule and fly back in between.”
Tia shook her head, shooting down every scenario. “You know him. He will tell me there is nothing more important than his family, which is exactly what I’d want to hear. But I know that there will be a part of him that will fester because of it.”
“Have you done a pregnancy test?” My question made them stop and look at me. “Because you could be worrying for no reason.”
Tia spoke slowly. “I’m late, and I’ve been throwing up. I’m on the pill, but I know that thing isn’t foolproof.” She started pacing again. “I mean, look at him. The man has a smile that could get you pregnant. Honestly, I’m surprised it’s taken this long.”
I was with her on that. I’d known those Larsson boys were trouble. And as horrible as it was to think, I was glad it wasn’t my uterus that had been the casualty. Roman’s smile was just as potent, it’s a wonder we all weren’t sporting matching bumps.
“Okay, we’re going to do a test and find out.” I grabbed her hands and tried to coax her to sit down on the bed.
“What, like now?” Tia’s eyes got wide, flashing with panic. “If I don’t go down there soon, Eric is going to know something is up. I can’t disappear on my wedding day. And what are we supposed to do? Send someone to run to CVS and get a test? You guys can’t leave either; it will look suspicious. He’ll find out.”
“Breathe, Tia.” Lila held her hand, sucking in air and blowing out slowly in an effort to get her friend to do the same.
“You go down there, act normal.” I pulled out my phone from my purse. “I’m going to call my sister, she’s a nurse and we can trust her.” Not to mention that if Tia’s suspicions were correct, she could help me talk her off the ledge. Morgan was amazing like that, which was why she was so good at her job.
“She can bring us the test, no one has to leave, and we’ll arouse as little suspicion as possible. When she gets here, you excuse yourself, we meet up back in your bedroom and find out once and for all.”
It was the perfect plan, and more importantly all we could do right now considering we were in the middle of a wedding and options were limited.
Tia shook her head, not looking convinced. “I don’t know.”
“Trust me, this is what we need to do.” I delegated as I hesitated on Morgan’s number. “Lila, help clean her up and get her back to the party. I’ll come find you both when we are ready.”
I stepped out into the hall to give them some privacy and found another room, the door closing.
Please Morgan, be home.
“HEY LO, EVERYTHING OKAY? I thought you were at a wedding with Roman?” My ever-dependable sister answered right away.
“Morgan, listen, I need you to do something and not ask questions.” It was my turn to pace, not only needing to deal with the possibility of Tia’s pregnancy but that Roman was probably starting wonder where I was.
This was the longest bathroom break in history.
“Lo, this isn’t the call where you ask me to hide a body or something?” Morgan laughed. “I know we took that blood oath, but I’m out of scrubs until I do laundry.”
“No, you don’t need to hide a body.” Though it might have been easier than smuggling a pregnancy test into a movie star’s wedding with the amount of security and people walking around. “I need you to get me a pregnancy test, actually get a couple just to be sure, and I’m going to need you to bring them to me.”
“You’re pregnant?” my usually cool and calm sister almost screamed into the phone.
“No, it’s not for me,” I said, quickly dismissing her fears of her younger sister being knocked up. “But I can’t tell you much more other than ask you to trust me and not tell anyone about it.”
“Lo, it’s a pregnancy test. I’m not going down to the corner and buying a dime bag. No one is going to question me.”
Well, at least we had that going for us.
I gave her some last-minute instructions and the address. Then I told her to call me when she got to the gate and I would work out a way to get her inside. And like an absolute rock star, she didn’t ask me whose house it was or why she just couldn’t walk up to the front door. Instead, she promised to see me soon with a variety of pregnancy testing items and ended the call.
My cell promptly rang the minute we’d hung up.
“Hello.” I tried to sound surprised, causal, even though I had seen from the caller ID it was Roman.
“Did you leave?” he asked, not bothering with the greeting. “Where the hell did you go?”
“Hey, Roman.” I hoped he hadn’t decided to search the house and was standing outside the door. “I had a client call me and it was an emergency. I had to take it. I’m just dealing with it now.”
“What client?” he asked, because he couldn’t just take my word for it and mind his own business.
I shook my head and said the first name that came to mind. “Chase Anderson.”
Shit.
“What the fuck does that asshole want?” he growled into the phone. “You’re vetting an acquisition, not his personal counsel. Tell him to call Daniel or Carter if he needs fucking legal advice.”
I hated lying to him, and hated even more that the one name I had picked was the client he’d been telling me to dump.
Why hadn’t I said someone else? Anyone else! Not that I could do much now, my stupid mouth committing me to my bogus excuse.
“I am not going to tell a client to call a partner when I can deal with it myself. And who are you to tell me otherwise?”
For the first time ever, I didn’t want to argue with him. I wanted to just tell him that it was something I needed to deal with and I would see him soon.
But I couldn’t.
I had given Tia my word.
And even though I knew that regardless of the result of the pregnancy test, everything would work out, my word was my word.
I wouldn’t break it, even if it meant a little personal hardship.
“Lauren, I know we both get off on the argument, but he has no business with you.” He huffed into the phone. “So, if he is calling you, it’s for other reasons and not because of your amazing legal mind.”
“Just let it go, Roman.” I silently begged him to just drop it. “I’ll be back in a few minutes and we can enjoy the rest of the wedding.”
“So, what does he want?”
I held my breath, wondering if he could tell I was full of shit. “Roman, you know I can’t tell you that.”
He barked out a humorless laugh. “Bullshit, we work for the same firm, it’s called authorized disclosure.”
I was grasping at straws, digging myself into a hole I wasn’t easily going to be able to climb out of.
“Chase Anderson instructed that this particular information be confided to specified lawyers, so authorized disclosure doesn’t extend to you in this case.”
His voice dropped to almost a growl. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know, Roman.” I shrugged, wondering if it was just male posturing or he had a reason for giving me a hard time. “Why does anyone do anything? Because they can. I’ll be back soon.” I hung up before he could argue.
My phone promptly lit up again, Roman’s name flashing
across the screen, but I ignored it and switched my phone to silent while I waited for Morgan to arrive.
I had debated going back to the party until she got there but decided it would just invite more questions. Roman would no doubt give me the third degree, pissed I’d hung up on him and ignored his calls, only to have him grill me further when I had to “take another call” when she arrived. So instead, I decided to sit up in what I assumed was a guest bedroom, to avoid any further questions until my sister got there. I’d deal with whatever mood Roman was in later; hopefully he’d have cooled down by then.
It seemed like forever before Morgan messaged me. She’d been denied entry—unsurprisingly—and waved on by security that hadn’t been there initially but was now attending the gate. She was waiting for me outside, loitering in front of one of the neighbor’s properties.
Short of dressing her in a police outfit and falsifying a warrant, sneaking Morgan in would be impossible. So instead, I was going to have to go out—without being seen by Roman or anyone else who would ask questions—get the loot and bring it back inside. Oh, and then find the bride and get her to discreetly pee on the stick so we could see if she was with child. No sweat, right? Ugh.
I cracked open the door, checking the coast was clear before I stepped out. My eyes darted left and right as I descended the stairs and walked in the direction I vaguely remembered led to the front door.
Turns out I knew the layout of the house better than I first thought, finding my way easily. And after assuring the scary looking man at the door that I was just stepping out for a few minutes and would be right back—it would suck if an overzealous security guard denied my reentry—I slipped out and walked down the driveway to the front gate.
It had been easier when the trip had been in a car and not in stilettos.
“Morgan,” I whispered in the dark, my heels sinking into the dirt as I wandered to where her car was conspicuously idling.
She would have sucked as a wheelman.
“Roman’s brother lives there?” Morgan pointed to the gate where she’d been denied entry. “What the hell does he do?”
I leaned against the car door, my hand reaching through the open driver’s side window. “Drug dealer. I’m just as shocked as you are, but we can’t choose our family.”