Indulge

by E. B. Walters

  Her throat closed again. She lifted her veil and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Dad. Now let’s go.”

  They left the house to find the procession waiting. She couldn’t see the arch yet, but the bridesmaids were lined up with the maid of honor, Elena, taking the rear. Next was three-year-old Sean with the rings secured to a pillow. He looked so adorable in a black tux and white shirt. The flower girls stood behind him with satin-covered baskets filled with petals.

  Her heart pounding and stomach churning, Jillian mentally went over her vows. The band started playing, and the bridesmaids left, one by one. Jillian could now see the guests seated in the back. As the ring bearer followed, her eyes collided with Chris’. Why was he seated in the back row instead of the front with her brothers and grandmother? And where was Greg? Chris looked away quickly.

  Chuckles and giggles, “ooohs” and “how cute” came from the guests as the ring bearer followed. The first two flower girls were next, their tiny fingers scattering rose petals. Jillian’s eyes went to Chris again. The man that was seated next to him turned his head to speak to him, and Jillian’s stomach dropped. The hooked nose and the scar on the man’s cheek were unforgettable. It was the reporter who’d hounded her after her mother died.

  What was he doing here? And why was Chris seated with him?

  Chris had left the Fearless Finnegan Troupe after Jillian’s mother died, but he’d known about her brothers and cousins beating up this particular reporter. He’d never given a hint that he knew the guy. Or maybe he was the one who’d stopped Scarred Face from pressing charges against her brothers. Chris always looked out for her without saying anything. Outside her family and Lex, she could always count on his loyalty.

  As Jillian watched, the man reached up and squeezed Chris’ shoulder, the gesture oddly intimate. A crazy idea popped into Jillian’s head. What if Chris was the leak and Scarred Face was his media contact? Someone had called reporters and leaked information about her. Things only someone really close to her would know.

  No, Chris would never do anything to hurt her.

  “Jilly?”

  She heard her father, but her eyes were on Chris and Scarred Face.

  Her father tugged at her arm. “Let’s not keep your young man waiting.”

  Jillian dragged her eyes away from the men. The wedding march was playing, and people were already on their feet. She held her father’s hand a little tighter as they started forward. “Do you recognize the man with Chris, Dad?”

  “No. Never seen him before. Forget about everything else and focus on you. Today is your day.”

  Her father just lied to her. He must have recognized the reporter, which could explain his fight with Chris. Why did everyone in her life keep hiding things from her and lying about it? A few minutes ago, she’d never have believed Chris would be in cahoots with a shady reporter from her past.

  The wedding march tune started again, and Jillian wondered how long she’d stood there staring at Chris and kept Lex waiting. He came into view and everything else ceased to matter, except him.

  Lex had never done anything to make her question his word. He was honest and honorable, and the only man she could trust with anything, including her heart. It didn’t matter that he didn’t love her. She loved him and didn’t care who knew about it. And her father was wrong. Today wasn’t just her day. It was their day, hers and Lex’s, and it had to be perfect.

  ~*~

  Lex was considering taking off to find his bride when she and her father appeared. He pushed down the panic that had started to swell when the wedding march song had played for the third time without his bride appearing. He exhaled slowly.

  Eddie, his best man, gripped his arm reassuringly. On his far left, the rest of the grooms—his brothers and his cousin—exchanged grins. He ignored them. He’d had enough of their teasing last night. Today, nothing they said or thought mattered. Jillian was about to become his.

  The pounding of his heart increased, but it had everything to do with the effect she had on him, not the fear that something was wrong. The dress hugged her lush curves then fell to the ground like flakes of snow. His cousin was a gifted designer, but only Jillian could make a wedding dress look both ethereal and sexy.

  He wished he could yank off the veil and see her eyes. Her gorgeous, expressive turquoise eyes never lied. Sloan’s words had stayed with him since yesterday, kept him awake and haunted his dreams. He wanted this woman to love him as much as he loved her. Everything she did screamed that she loved him. Call him old-fashioned, but when they exchanged their vows, he wanted every word to be true.

  Her father lifted Jillian’s veil, hugged her, and shook Lex’s hand. He shot Lex a warning look as though to say, “Treat her right or else,” then went to sit by Alin Petrosian. Lex smiled. The mean glare didn’t bother him. He meant to dedicate his life to making Jillian happy.

  He focused on Jillian, and his breath stalled in his chest. She never failed to take his breath away, most often at the oddest of times. This morning was no different. Her makeup subtle, her lush lips glossy, and her eyes luminous, but those weren’t the reason he was struggling to breathe. The look in her eyes left no doubt about her feelings for him.

  “I love you,” she mouthed.

  Lex swallowed, convinced he’d imagined it.

  Father O’Malley cleared his throat and started, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…”

  “I love you, Lex Fitzgerald,” Jillian said louder, drowning the good father’s words. “From the moment you looked at me like I was the world’s worst excuse of a woman in my clown makeup and cheap stunt suit, I’d known that you were the one,” she continued, speaking faster as though she couldn’t wait to get all the words out. “I love you even when you make me angry with your arrogance or overprotectiveness, and I plan to continue loving you for as long as I have breath left in me.” She glanced at Father O’Malley. “Sorry I interrupted, Father. Continue.”

  The guests laughed and even Father O’Malley joined them. “Yes, your timing is off, my dear, but—”

  “No, Father O’Malley,” Lex said, his eyes locked with hers. “Her timing is impeccable, just like she is. I love you, Jillian Finnegan. From the moment we met outside the trailer and you took my breath away with your smile and your brilliant mind, I knew you were the one.”

  “You did?” she asked, grinning.

  He heard the disbelief in her voice and chuckled. “Yes, I did. My bike might have gotten all your attention, but I saw the real you underneath the clown makeup.”

  The guests laughed again.

  “I vow to love and cherish you every second of our lives. I will be your champion and your shelter, your—”

  “Enough!” Father O’Malley snapped, and the guests stopped snickering. “Why are young people so impatient these days? You have the rest of your lives to affirm your love. Right now, we’re doing this the right way.” He pinned them down with a glare. “I will make the announcement first. Then you shall exchange your vows with the rings young Sean carried with such patience. And no, you cannot talk or touch her or kiss her, until I say so, Alexander Fitzgerald,” he added when Lex opened his mouth. He indicated the space between them. “Move apart.”

  Pink tinged Jillian’s face. She gave the father a sheepish glance. “I really am sorry for interrupting you. I needed to say it and get it out of the way.”

  Father O’Malley shot her a censuring glance. “It could have waited,” he reprimanded her. “And I did say no talking.” Sporadic snickers came from the guests. Father O’Malley shot them a disapproving glance and then cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved…”

  The rest of the ceremony went without a glitch. Then she was in his arms. The presence of an audience didn’t lessen the intensity of their kiss. He wanted to devour her. Make love to her slowly and hear her say she loved him again and again. The well-wishes and the pictures seemed to take forever when all he wanted was time alone with his bride. He took some ribbing from his friends
, but he didn’t care. Jillian loved him.

  “Can we skip the reception?” he asked as they walked to the backyard, where a pavilion had been erected and decorated on the basketball court. “We could take off before they realize our plans.”

  “We could,” she said, her eyes on her father, who was talking to her uncle and several men. “But our families would not forgive us. Besides, I owe my father and Chris a dance.”

  Throughout the reception, he’d noticed that she was distracted. Something about the people at her uncle’s table bothered her. Her grip tightened whenever her eyes strayed to them.

  Lex knew Chris came with members of his stunt team, some of whom Lex recognized, but the guy in a white suit was a stranger. Whoever they were, they were making Jillian uncomfortable. Even more interesting was the fact that Greg, Chris’ partner, was not sitting with them. Lex had just vowed to be Jillian’s shelter, which meant taking care of anyone or anything that bothered her. This was as good a time as any to start.

  He made eye contact with Douglas and indicated the guy join them. He explained what he wanted, then went back to enjoying the festivities. They were on the dance floor when Douglas escorted Chris and his guests toward the house.

  Lex looked around for his brothers, but they were busy dancing with their wives or daughters. The hit of the reception were the circus people. A few had brought their props and were entertaining the younger kids. Jillian had gotten it right. Once an entertainer, always an entertainer.

  He searched for his friends. Dom was talking to his assistant Paula and her husband. From her husband’s expression, he was aware and amused by his wife’s obvious infatuation. Lex didn’t think he could handle Jillian showing interest in another man.

  Cade was having an intense conversation with his Uncle Mo. They were probably discussing social issues. His uncle was a litigator, and Cade had been pre-law before switching to computers. Rod was chatting up Eddie’s sister. From the expression on Eddie’s face, he would be interrupting soon. Aiden and his accent tended to attract all sorts of women, just like now. From the looks of things, the younger generation must have learned Lucien made popular video and online games. Rake had an audience of one, his Uncle Hawk from Montana. Hawk was a rancher with Native American ancestry and so was Rake. Barbs and her Hollywood friends had cornered Sloan. He’d probably started it by complimenting their outfits, which tended to confuse women because they erroneously assumed he was gay. He looked ready to bolt. The poor man needed to get out more.

  His father-in-law cut in on their dance and took Jillian for a spin around the floor. Lex started for the house, stopping to shake hands of well-wishers. Then he rescued Sloan.

  “Keep Jillian busy on the floor, will you?”

  Sloan grimaced. “I hate dancing.”

  Lex understood where he was coming from. He had a past injury that tended to flare up. “Get Dom to help.”

  “Help with what?” Dom asked, appearing beside them.

  Lex winked at Jillian when their eyes met. Her brow lifted questioningly. “Keep my wife busy while I take care of a few things,” he said.

  “Like what?” Sloan asked. “Unless this has something to do with the familiar guest Douglas discreetly escorted to the house.”

  Sloan never missed a thing. “Just keep her busy and away from the house. And tell Rod to stay away from my niece before Eddie breaks his nose.” Lex started for the house. Rake caught up with him before he reached it.

  “What’s going on? What did I miss?”

  They weren’t in college anymore, yet still reacted the same way. If any three of them stood together, the others felt left out. “You owe my wife a dance.”

  “Like hell I do,” Rake ground out.

  “Keep your hands waist up. I don’t want you copping a feel behind my back.”

  Rake shot him a venomous look. “She’s gorgeous, but I’m not feeling her like that.”

  Lex knew that, but the only way to make Rake do something was by challenging him to prove something. “And here I thought you’re always such an ass to her because she looks like Gigi.”

  “Screw you, Fitz.” He stomped off toward the tent.

  Grinning, Lex headed to meet his mysterious guests. He glanced back once, but Jillian was still dancing with her father while his friends stood in a group conferring, probably arguing about who would dance with Jillian first.

  Douglas was waiting for Lex by the door. As usual, it was impossible to read his expression. “Who are they?”

  “Guests of Ms. Jillian. They came with Chris Lander. They are in the den.” Douglas fell in step with him. “Have you ever heard of the Gagliano family of New York, sir?”

  “No. Why?”

  “The Gagliano family was once one of the six families that dominated organized crime activities in New York. Vito Gagliano rose quickly in the ranks in the seventies. He was ruthless and seemed destined to be the new don of organized crime. Within five years, he was poised to make the Gaglianos as strong as the other families. Then he just disappeared. That was sometime in the nineties, about the time the joint task force came down hard on organized crime across the country and abroad. Some said Vito was killed in the raids. Others said he went underground and continued to run things. Then there are those who believed he’d testified as a witness against his former associates and was offered a place in the Witness Protection Program.”

  Lex stopped suddenly, and Douglas almost bumped into him. “What’s going on, Douglas? Why are we talking about some Italian mafia?”

  “Vito Gagliano is very much alive and is in the den.”

  Lex studied Douglas. He wanted to ask him why these men were in his home, but he already knew the answer. What had Finnegan called them? Blue bloods from New York. And they were here because of one person. His wife, Jillian.

  CHAPTER 17

  Jillian was laughing at something her father said when Sloan appeared beside them. He looked good. She’d only ever seen him in sailor shirts and pants, and loafers.

  “May I cut in, Mr. Finnegan?” he asked politely.

  Her father looked at him and whistled. “Another Fitzgerald? Where do they grow you people? Cornfields?”

  Sloan chuckled. “I’m not a Fitzgerald, Mr. Finnegan. Just a friend of the family. She’ll be in good hands with me, sir.”

  “Friend of the family or the groom?” her father asked, looking around before pinning Sloan with a suspicious glare.

  “The groom, sir.”

  “I see.” Her father planted a kiss on her cheek and stepped away. Within seconds, he was hurrying toward the house. Her father was acting weird again, but she decided to stop worrying about him and rested her hand on Sloan’s shoulder.

  Someone must have requested the band to play a slower tune instead of the fast numbers they’d been playing—including a few Armenian songs to the delight of her relatives. Sloan moved slowly and stiffly, and Jillian had a feeling he was regretting asking her to dance.

  “Congratulations on a beautiful wedding,” he said.

  “Beautiful? Even after that rocky beginning?” she asked, hoping to put him at ease.

  He laughed. “It was an unusual opening, but I expected that from you,” he said. “You are a very unusual woman.”

  “Oh, thank you, although the credit goes to my Armenian blood and my mother’s mysterious background.” He chuckled again and relaxed. His dancing improved, but he was still stiff. “I think today’s heroes are Lex’s mother and my grandmother. All this wouldn’t have been possible without them.” The food had been a blend of the east and the west—American and Persian—and her worries over the circus guests not feeling comfortable had been for nothing. They’d devoured the more spicy dishes and entertained the children and adults alike. “And thank you for not telling Lex about the you-know-what. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

  “Uh-mmm, that ship sailed,” he said.

  Jillian tilted her head. “What? You told on me?”

  He grinned. “So
meone else did, but I confirmed it.”

  She wondered which one of Lex’s friends caved first. Probably Rake. He was brutally blunt. “Was he pissed?”

  “No. He didn’t think it wasn’t funny either. I think Rake wants a dance,” he added quickly.

  Jillian turned her head and found Rake. He looked quite dapper in his formal wear. She received a scowl when their eyes met. “Are you sure? He looks annoyed.”

  “That’s his happy face.”

  The song ended and Sloan left her with Rake. Jillian had a feeling he was running away. The tempo of the next song was faster. While Sloan had appeared stiff and rusty, Rake was a smooth dancer. He twirled and dipped her with such ease she gawked.

  “You’re an amazing dancer. Let me guess. Ballroom dance lessons.”

  The corner of his lips twitched. It was the first time she’d ever seen him appear amused. “That’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “Hip-hop? Jazz? Swing? Country?”

  He sighed. “If I’ve ever said or done anything inappropriate to you, I apologize,” he said.

  Now where did that come from? “Other than scowling at me a few minutes ago and not telling me how you learned your dance moves, you’ve been a perfect friend. I mean, you’re blunt and swear a lot, but so do I. You can be a grouch sometimes, but everyone is allowed a few Oscar moments. I don’t consider any of those inappropriate.”

  He stopped dancing and was back to scowling again. “You are very, uh…”

  “Wise and intuitive?”

  He chuckled. “Blunt. Sorry for scowling on your wedding day,” he added, looking contrite and so adorable. “I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

  “How about I introduce you to one of my friends?”

  Panic flashed in his eyes. “Uh, later. Dom wants a dance.” He gestured furiously, and in seconds, Jillian caught sight of Dom striding toward them, leaving behind a few disappointed friends of Barbs and Estelle. One of them looked like a cougar on the prowl for her next victim.