Rescuing The Reluctant Groom (Windy City Romance 5)

by Barbara Lohr

How long would Amanda be in there? He hoped everything was all right. Most of the time Sean was a pretty cute kid. Seth was looking forward to showing him how to throw a football. If he would just stop crying.

  His mother slipped into the chair next to him. “Now what’s this I hear about Selena?”

  Seth pretended to be very busy with Sean, patting him on the back. “Listen, little dude, what's the problem?” The baby burped. Gross, but the noise stopped.

  “Seth? Your mother asked you something.” Reenie was wearing her tell-me-or-else look.

  “She’s visiting Harper.”

  “Valentine’s Day and your girlfriend’s off visiting your sister? I want to know why.”

  Sure. Right. How much had Connor and Amanda spilled when they got home from the wedding? All kinds of excuses formed in his mind. But none of her children could ever put anything over on Reenie. “We are, uh, working things out.”

  He heard someone snort in back of him. McKenna was carrying a huge heart-shaped cake to the table. His mother made this cake every year around Valentine’s Day. Soon as the kids were old enough, they learned to sprinkle cinnamon hearts on top of the puffy white frosting.

  “You know I’ve always liked Selena,” his mother murmured. Thank goodness there was so much commotion that no one else could hear. “She’s good for you.”

  “I know that, Mom.” Oh, for God’s sake. Like he didn’t break into a cold sweat every time he thought of losing Selena forever. Only his mother could make him feel like he was four years old again. When Sean started fussing again, Seth almost felt relieved. Reaching out, his mother scooped the baby from his arms. “Don’t disappoint me, Seth.”

  Ah, the fatal “don’t disappoint me.” The rest of the table politely looked the other way, talking about the cake, the snow, anything while his mother browbeat him in true Kirkpatrick fashion.

  “What do you think of your sister’s engagement?”

  Seth studied the cake McKenna had just set down. “Cameron’s a great guy. They deserve each other.”

  “Good people aren't easy to find, son. Peggy Dwyer's daughter married that man she met in Vegas? Divorce just came through. We don't want that in this family.”

  He hated the concern pinching his mother’s features. And she wasn’t finished. “Soon both my girls will be married.”

  Only two boys to go. Mothers hold their own kind of score sheet. When Seth tried to speak, his throat felt tight and dry. He reached for his glass of water. “I’m happy for her, Mom. Really. When’s the date?”

  “No date yet. I hope Harper’s not planning on the summer.” Picking up a napkin, his mother fanned flushed cheeks.

  Thank God Connor returned to the table, Amanda plodding along behind him. Her face glowed and he loved to see them as parents. That’s what people did in his family: They married and had babies. Amanda took little Sean and his mother moved on. Seth’s breathing had just returned to normal when McKenna slid into the chair his mother had vacated.

  “So, how’s your weekend going?” His sister pinned him with those greenish-brown eyes.

  Chapter 8

  “As much fun as a heart attack.” Seth would not let McKenna get to him. “Delivered any babies this weekend?”

  “Yep. Darling little boy yesterday.” She flashed the huge rock Logan had given her at Christmas. Seth's eyes swerved away, like he was avoiding the scene of a crime. He was happy for his sister but her engagement wasn’t helping his case with Selena. Before that, he'd been really happy with his relationship.

  That thought hit him like a stun gun. Selena made him happy...wildly happy. He’d never put his feelings into those words before. McKenna was looking at him like he’d just fallen off the stupid truck.

  He struggled to pull his thoughts together. “You, ah, you guys decided where you’re going to have the ceremony?”

  “Santa Fe. You coming?”

  He jerked back. “Hey, that hurts. I’m in the wedding party, r-remember? We all are, as far as I know.”

  His sister had something besides the wedding on her mind. Her fingers drummed on the table. Shoving his chair back, Seth grabbed his empty plate and left for the kitchen. McKenna followed right behind him.

  “What? Spit it out.” Good thing this room was empty. He added his plate to the stack next to the sink.

  “When are you going to tell Selena about the ADD?”

  That? “It's none of her business. A man's got to have some privacy.”

  The noise McKenna made was funny when they were in grade school. Now it was just plain insulting. “If she's your business, then she has a right to know.”

  “But it has n-nothing to d-do with us.”

  “Seth, how can you say that? After all your sessions with the speech therapists, I can always tell when you're under stress. And right now? You are.” By this time she was whispering. Maybe hissing was more like it.

  “All in g-good time.” Seth pressed his lips together so tight, they hurt.

  “You're keeping her out.”

  “I've got my reasons.”

  “If pride is one of them, I'm not buying it.”

  Had he even breathed in the last sixty seconds? “It's my life and it's private.”

  “Well if you want Selena in your life, it's time to share. Throw her a line, Seth. You have to let her in.” Wearing her cocky grin, McKenna glanced at her watch. “Well, got to head out to the airport and pick up Selena.”

  Really? “No need. I’m on it.”

  “Really? You’d do that for me?” His sister’s lips tilted into a devilish grin.

  “You bet.” Grabbing his jacket, he dashed out the door. Seth didn’t want to give McKenna time to change her mind. O’Hare was a long ride from Oak Park and she should be glad that he was going.

  Was he kidding himself? McKenna had her own agenda and tonight he didn’t care.

  Seth needed that time on the road to figure out what to say. His tongue felt velcroed to the roof of his mouth. He’d forgotten his gloves and the steering wheel was freezing. The brown bomber jacket wasn’t the warmest one he had, but it made him look like a cool dude. Tonight he needed all the help he could get. The heat didn't kick in until he reached Hwy 294. Now if he could just get comfortable with what he had to say.

  He couldn’t mess up tonight. He just could not. Sweat poured off him and he turned the heat off. This felt like last Christmas when he watched the news, scared to death that Connor was the fireman trapped in the five-alarm fire in Berwyn.

  What if Selena was furious when she saw him? She might go all-out, hot-Latin-woman ballistic, hands flying and bi-lingual madness slapping him every which way. From the very start, he’d loved Selena’s spirit. She lived with passion—a woman you’d want on your side when the going gets tough. McKenna had told him that Selena was dynamite in the delivery room. “She thinks with her hands and her heart.” That Guatemalan mission trip? Selena’s idea from the start. The natives loved her because they knew she really cared. Her passion drew a team of volunteer professionals city-wide. Who could resist her kind of energy?

  But tonight was personal. Above all else, he wanted to avoid getting kicked to the curb. Again. Somehow he had to edge back up onto Selena’s main road. Hadn’t he always been her “Main Man”?

  What if he was still history? What if Harper’s engagement made her bat-shit crazy? Talk about bad timing. Selena hadn’t answered one of his texts. Was she meeting other guys in Savannah? Cameron probably had a boatload of friends. His mother’s meatloaf turned over in his stomach.

  A trucker cut him off and Seth laid on his horn. The air turned blue with his language. Then it hit him. He was mad at himself, not the guy who hadn’t used his side view mirror. Mad and terrified. The last couple weeks had been hell.

  What could he say tonight that would turn up the heat in Selena’s flashing brown eyes? Words were not his strong suit.

  “Look, I know you’re surprised to see me. I just thought I’d help McKenna out.”

  N
ope. That would get him nowhere and rightly so.

  “Baby, I missed you so much. I was hoping we could talk.”

  Better. Now he had something with feeling. Maybe he could channel Connor or Malcolm. They were both great with words.

  “Selena, you’ve got this all wrong. And I am totally clueless.”

  Clueless? He could almost hear his dad laughing. Where would they go from there?

  Checking both side view mirrors, he changed lanes.

  “Never let a woman know you’ve screwed up.” That had been rule number one from Big Mike when the boys were growing up. Chief of the Fire Department, his dad always knew what he was doing. If he didn’t? Well, Mom and the kids never found out. Big Mike moved forward like a tank. One time he used brown shoe polish on Joe’s gray shoes. That’s when they discovered their father was color blind. “I always thought something was a little off,” he’d laughed.

  But he never admitted he was wrong. Seth didn’t want to be like that. He also didn’t want to make a fool out of himself.

  Traffic slowed to a crawl and his hands hurt from mauling the steering wheel. What if he was late? Didn’t matter what time it was, traffic on 294 was always bumper-crunching time. Seth hated all the lanes, too hard to think and plan. He edged along, jerking into any opening, any line of traffic inching forward.

  Would logic work with her?

  Probably not. But how could she possibly think he’d been going out on her? He was dreaming, for Pete’s sake, when he mentioned Sissy. Sure, some women thought he was the bomb, and his brothers called him a stud muffin, but he’d left that all behind. For her.

  Yes, he still had his man cave in the basement but he’d been meaning to clear out all those pictures for a long time. He’d changed a lot for Selena and he’d made those changes because he wanted to. The truth was, now he needed words, the right words to persuade her that she was special to him. The only one.

  “Selena, you are now my one and only.”

  Sounded lame and he knew it.

  Language wasn’t his strength. He couldn't even make it through the first quarter of French in high school. Behind him a horn blared and Seth stepped on the gas. The car shot forward and he had to slam on the brakes to avoid rear-ending a Toyota.

  “Who flunks English?” His mother had demanded sophomore year. “You speak English, right?” Why hadn’t he studied vocabulary more, maybe taken that public speaking class he’d blown off?

  But there was another issue. The one he never talked about. And this was not the time.

  Time was running out. His mother’s egg timer? He could almost feel that salt pouring down his throat. Pretty soon he’d be at the turnoff for the airport. Almost there and no idea what to say. Had to be from his heart, which was a long way from the part of him clamoring for attention.

  He was suffering from severe Selena deprivation.

  But it wasn’t just the sex. The realization lifted his foot from the pedal.

  No. For once, that wasn’t it. Not that sex with Selena wasn’t off the charts. It was. But he missed more than just that. Her throaty chuckle. Her dark, soft curls. The velvety brown eyes that always seemed to understand him better than he understood himself. The way she finished his sentences, mainly because he didn’t have the words.

  He’d never remember all this stuff. All the things he had to say.

  He’d never remember the words.

  Following the signs to the parking area, he wished he had written it all down. He needed more time.

  ~~

  The plane landed with a slight bump. Selena had dozed most of the way back from Savannah, head crammed against the cold window. Now her neck ached and her mouth felt dry and papery. All around her, passengers were grabbing their carry-ons, trying to stand up in the cramped quarters. She was still thinking about the visit to Savannah and the talks with Harper. Sure, they’d had fun shopping, but the conversations helped her understand Seth and men a little better.

  Savannah had been a fun getaway but Cameron’s proposal had left her with a bittersweet taste. Why hadn’t she seen this coming? Proposing on Valentine’s Day made sense. The timing was right. But for her, witnessing a proposal was right up there with inhaling fertilizer. Toxic stuff.

  The looks on the couple’s faces said it all. They belonged together. But most of all, Cameron cherished Harper. It made Selena’s nose stuffy, remembering the way he held her after he slipped the ring on her finger. Sniffling, Selena stood up, grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment and followed the line moving slowly toward the exit.

  Bella had been beside herself with happiness. “I always wanted to call you Mom.”

  “Fine with me,” Harper said. “You can call me Mom now.”

  “Mom.” Bella’s lips formed a wide O before closing with a kiss on Harper’s cheek. Had there been a dry eye in the place? Even the waitress was hauling out a tissue. Tears brimmed in the eyes of Cameron’s mother and sister. Unlike Seth’s mom and the whole bunch, Cameron’s family didn’t seem to show affection openly. Probably not a hugging group, from what she’d seen. But they seemed to like Harper. Who could help but love Harper Kirkpatrick?”

  The rightness of it all made Selena sad. In so many ways, Cameron reminded her of Seth—polite, kind and considerate, but with a streak of bad boy in him. Her stomach tightened with longing.

  She’d run this all past McKenna when she saw her in a few seconds.

  Almost to the exit door, Selena felt the shift in temperature. She’d be glad to get out of the recirculated air that everyone knew was unhealthy. Head down, she pulled her luggage up the carpeted ramp and then made tracks down the corridor. Because she didn’t want to crush her boots in the small case, she'd decided to wear them and they clicked on the tile floor.

  No doubt McKenna would be excited about her little sister’s engagement. Lots of chitchat in the car going home. When she reached the gate, Selena pasted a smile on her face and lifted her chin.

  And there he was. She stumbled in her new boots. Tall, broad-shouldered and heart-breakingly handsome, Seth gave her a smile that didn’t look so confident. Ah, pobrecito. His eyes searched her face like he was trying to read his GPS. The auburn hair was pushed back and the collar of his bomber jacket pulled up. Her resolve melted under a heated surge of longing.

  Nothing beat coming home to the man she loved.

  That feeling must’ve shown on her face because Seth opened his arms. Exactly where she wanted to be. Darn it all, she stepped right into them. The kiss should’ve made her blush. She pressed her entire body into his, loving how every curve found a snug resting place. Heck, she was a starving woman and Seth Kirkpatrick was her private banquet. At least, she liked to think that.

  “Babe, I’ve missed you,” he whispered, pulling her out of the foot traffic. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Whole body trembling, she could only nod.

  Seth snagged her bag and they streaked toward the exit. Being with him felt so good—just like old times. When they reached the parking garage, he backed her up against the cinderblock, did a full body block and kissed her until her head spun. “There are cameras all over this place,” she finally whispered on a ragged breath.

  “Probably glad to have something worthwhile to watch.” Cupping her chin in his hands like she just might break, he gazed at her. His eyes caressed her like a summer breeze and she trembled. One more kiss kicked her into full out shudder. Seth groaned. “Come on.”

  When they reached his car, he heaved her bag into the back and then they were off. All the way back to his place, their hands were busy. No words, just strokes, caresses that had always been their own language. He rested one hand on her thigh and she played with the back of his hair. His hand crept higher. Her fingers tugged tightly.

  These were their words. Always had been.

  She could read each stroke like braille.

  When a small voice in her head urged caution, she shut it down fast. Tonight she knew what she needed. Amazing th
at the snow didn’t melt into steamy rivulets under their feet as they stumbled up the steps from his garage and into the kitchen. Seth slammed the door shut behind them and clothes went flying. First the coats, then the sweaters. They ripped them off. Let them lie. No need to pick them up. No time to straighten anything.

  She just. Needed. Him.

  His kisses that left her gasping.

  Caresses that left her wanting more.

  Heat that ravaged her body.

  As they staggered up the stairs, his hands ran over the new boots she’d forgotten to kick off. “Nice.”

  “I just bought them.” Almost added for you, but the words clotted in her throat.

  “We might keep those on.”

  “They’ve been outside.”

  “So have I.”

  They reached his room, where his eyes did a thorough sweep of her body before she tugged him onto the bed.

  Seth got to work. “Maybe we’ll take the boots off.” When he ran his hands over the leather before he unzipped, she knew she’d chosen well. Harper would be pleased. One boot hit the floor and then the other. Coiling up to meet him, she trailed her lips over his bare chest. His pecs flexed and he moaned. “Selena.”

  “Oh, Seth, I’ve missed you so much.”

  His eyes flew open as if he’d just remembered something.

  “What is it?” Her galloping heart should be shaking the bed.

  He sucked in a breath. The pulse at the base of his neck picked up speed. “I’ve done so much for you...I mean, you’ve done—”

  “Not now, Seth. Por favor.”

  His lips still moved. “Right now, you’re my...”

  She didn’t want to hear it. Tonight she just wanted to feel. With deep coaxing kisses, she brought him back into the moment. Seth was the only man she ever wanted to love. Words weren’t necessary. She kept telling her heart that, while her mind whispered something different. How she wished she had mental earplugs.

  Their bodies knew the way. She flicked open the button of his jeans, the zipper rasped and he kicked them away. No time for words. No time for thinking.

  Thank God he was in a hurry.