On the Ropes (Windy City Nights)

by Dania Voss

  “I told you, you’re not getting away.” Luke kissed her lightly on the lips. “Our turn, princess.”

  Luke’s lips were warm and firm against hers. Perfect. She missed kissing him. She missed so many things. Her body lit up like the fourth of July.

  “Now we have best man Luke ‘Strike ’em Out’ Stryker and the beautiful maid of honor Abbey Jayne.”

  Abbey was nearly frozen in place, stunned by Luke’s surprise kiss. He pulled her along into the banquet room while guests applauded and cheered.

  “Smile pretty, princess.” Luke smiled down at her. She thought she saw love shining in his sparkling blue eyes. No, he’s just flirting. That kiss meant nothing. But you wanted it to. Yes. No.

  Abbey righted herself and walked with Luke to their spot at the head table. She tried her best to smile as if she was perfectly fine. Shouts of “Strike ’em Out” and “Go Cobras” were heard from several guests. Leah looked at her with a raised brow and a smirk on her face.

  “And now, everyone please stand and welcome, for the first time as man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Jake and Cassie Tyler!”

  The guests and head table roared as Jake and Cassie stepped into the banquet room. Jake raised his and Cassie’s joined hands high in the air in victory. He gestured to Cassie and she did a little twirl, and they continued to the captain’s chairs at the head table.

  Tinkling from guests hitting their glasses with utensils could be heard above the applause. Jake took a hold of Cassie, dipped her, and kissed her passionately.

  “Get a room!” someone yelled.

  “I already got them one!” Luke yelled back.

  Once everyone took their seats, Pastor Jenkins made his way to the DJ’s table. “Everyone, Pastor Jenkins would like to lead of our evening off with a prayer.”

  Everyone bowed their heads and the entire head table held hands. Abbey felt the stirrings of arousal again as Luke held her hand firmly. She pressed her knees together, trying to relieve the pressure.

  “Thank you, Pastor, for that wonderful blessing. Once everyone has their champagne, the best man and maid of honor will come on up for the toasts and then dinner service will begin.”

  A moment later, a server was pouring champagne into Jake’s and Cassie’s toasting glasses. Abbey had never seen such an unusual bottle before. The dark glass champagne bottle was encased in an elegant, shiny silver sleeve which had some sort of engraving on the front of it.

  Jake looked over to Luke with a concerned expression on his face. Was he upset that Luke got them champagne? “Luke, what the fuck?” he whispered. “We were supposed to have a wine toast.”

  “What’s the big deal, Jake? It’s a nice gesture,” Abbey said, defending Luke for some stupid reason.

  “The big deal is this is Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon White Gold,” Jake answered.

  Abbey shrugged, still not understanding why Jake was so upset.

  Jake let out a breath, like he was trying to calm down. “The bottle casing is plated in real white gold and it’s almost twenty-five hundred dollars a bottle.”

  Well, Abbey hadn’t expected that. Even so, Luke’s generosity shouldn’t be this upsetting to Jake. Something else had to be wrong.

  Jake looked at the servers pouring champagne for the other guests and glared at Luke. “What are the guests getting, Luke?”

  Luke sighed and shrugged. “Just Moët & Chandon Bicentenary Cuvée Dry Imperial 1943. It’s no big deal.”

  Jake growled. Actually growled at Luke. “No big deal, at around fourteen hundred dollars a bottle, with the number of guest we have, that’s probably around thirty five grand. Unbelievable. You said you would stop going overboard with the gifts.”

  Luke glared back at Jake. Were they going to have a throw down before the toasts? Over champagne? Crazy expensive champagne, but champagne none the less.

  “And you said you were going to relax about my wedding gifts,” Luke countered.

  Jake shook his head. “Wrong. I said maybe. If I recall it had something to do with secrets. Remember?”

  Secrets? Disappointment filled Abbey. Secrets. She knew it. Any hopes she may have entertained, however briefly about Luke, were all but dead now. She should have known better. Now she did and she would behave accordingly.

  Abbey regarded Cassie as she examined their champagne bottle. When Cassie teared up, Abbey didn’t know what to do. Cassie looked at Luke with gratitude.

  Jake gazed at Cassie, concern etched on his face. “Babe, what is it? Are you all right? Is it the baby?” he whispered.

  Cassie shook her head and pointed to something on the front of the bottle. “It’s engraved with our names and today’s date.”

  Jake studied what Cassie was pointing to and the fight in him disappeared. He looked at Luke and nodded. “All right, Luke. You win. Thank you.”

  Luke smiled warmly at Jake. “I’m not trying to win. Just trying to do something special for my big brother and his new bride on their wedding day. Stop making it so difficult.”

  “I’ll stop. You have my word,” Jake conceded.

  “Now that everyone’s glasses are filled, the best man and maid of honor can come on up for the toasts. Then dinner service will start,” the DJ announced.

  Luke stood up, grabbed his champagne-filled glass, and held out a hand to Abbey. She looked at it, hesitating. Secrets.

  “Princess,” Luke warned.

  Abbey sighed, picked up her own glass, stood up, and took Luke’s hand. The guests and head table applauded as Luke led her to the DJ’s table. They both placed their glasses on the DJ’s table. The DJ, a dark-haired man in his early thirties, wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, and welcoming smile, shook Luke’s hand and give him a microphone.

  “Strike ’em out Luke!”

  “Go Cobras! All the way!”

  “World Series for sure this year!”

  Luke smiled graciously, nodding his head. Abbey felt for him, regardless of Jake’s cryptic mention of secrets. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for him now. All the press, attention, the constant demands that went along with being a successful professional athlete. Regardless of what happened between them before or now, she hoped he was happy.

  She couldn’t deny it still stung that Luke felt he couldn’t be happy with her, but Abbey didn’t wish him ill will. She just wanted to know what the hell he was trying to do regarding her this weekend—what game he was playing. What the secrets were that Jake alluded to. Luke held her hand tightly and cleared his throat.

  “Thank you. Your support means the world to me and the team. The Cobras are off to a great start so far this season, but today isn’t about me or the team. It’s about Jake and Cassie.”

  Abbey looked at Jake and Cassie across the room. Both of them beaming with love and happiness. Don’t be jealous. You love them both. Don’t let Luke distract you from your reboot weekend. Luke squeezed her hand and continued.

  “Normally, the best man speech would start with some embarrassing childhood stories, but unfortunately I can’t tell you any.”

  Abbey laughed as guests booed.

  “Come on, Luke! Don’t hold out on us.”

  “Yeah, come on!”

  Luke retrieved a slip of paper from his pants pocket and held it up for everyone to see. “Sorry everyone, but my top secret mission request clearly states I can’t.”

  “Mine too!” Heath held up a note and waved it for everyone to see.

  “Jake, you’re a spoilsport!”

  Luke put his mission request back in his pocket. “Moving on … Jake and I met when I was two years old and Jake was four. My folks had moved us into the house that was in between Jake’s and Heath’s here in Elmhurst. Right from the start, Jake treated me like his little brother instead of his little kid neighbor. Heath did too.”

  Abbey smiled when Heath raised his glass. “That’s right, little brother,” Heath said.

  “Most of the time, when you’re friends with someone and you’re that young, as
you get older and your lives change, you begin to grow apart, see each other less and less until finally that friend becomes just someone you knew a long time ago. That didn’t happen between Jake and me though. No, when Jake decides something or someone is important to him, he doesn’t give up on it or them.”

  “Over the years our lives did change—a lot. Mine especially.” Some guests laughed. Abbey didn’t though. She knew not all the changes in Luke’s life had been positive ones, especially the death of his parents when he was ten years old.

  “Some of life’s changes don’t always have us being our best. That certainly has been the case for me. But that didn’t matter to Jake. He never gave up on me. When I’ve been at my best, he’s been there. That’s easy though, right? But more importantly, when I’ve been at my absolute worst, Jake was still there. That’s what I want you to understand, Cassie. No matter how your lives will change after today. And they will. Whether you’re at your very best or your very worst, Jake will be there. That won’t ever change. I love you both and wish you nothing but the very best.”

  Abbey looked at Cassie and Jake, both appearing moved by Luke’s speech. Jake wiped a tear from Cassie’s face and smiled at Luke, nodding his head slightly. Abbey laughed and felt a little misty herself.

  Luke squeezed her hand, her body feeling the warmth of his. Or maybe it was the alcohol, she wasn’t sure. He held the microphone out to her. “Your turn, princess.” The guests “awwed” and Abbey felt her cheeks burn. She wondered what they all thought of Luke’s PDA. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, so she grabbed the microphone from Luke and took a deep breath. She’d worry about them later.

  “You would think that since Cassie and I are only a year apart that we’ve probably always been close. I can tell you that is not the case. When we were younger, she and I didn’t get along very well at all.”

  “I can attest to that,” Abbey’s mother concurred.

  “I know you can, Mom. How many fights have you had to break up over the years?”

  “Too many,” her mother called out.

  “To me, the problem was that Cassie was just so bossy.”

  Cassie nodded at her and smiled.

  After the guests stopped laughing, Abbey continued. “That made for a rather strained relationship, to say the least. We essentially tolerated each other for a long time. That was until I got a little older and realized that Cassie wasn’t necessarily trying to be bossy, she was trying to guide me and support me.

  “You see, I’ve always been a bit of a nerd. My head was always in books when I was younger, then when I got older, plastered to a computer screen. I’m not going to apologize, either. Being a nerd is in right now. Thank you Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg. My nerdiness has turned into a pretty great career for me.”

  “Can you take a look at my laptop?” a guest asked.

  Abbey laughed along with many of the guests. “Cassie’s bossiness came from her concern that I was inside my head too much. That I wasn’t allowing myself enough time to just relax and give my brain a rest. To enjoy life, have fun, unwind. I hate to admit it, but she was right. Once I understood that she was looking out for me, not trying to be the boss of me, we went from tolerating each to being close. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”

  “I’m again taking her great advice or counsel, as lawyer Jake would say, and allowing myself a personal reboot weekend, giving my brain a rest and enjoying the weekend for whatever it brings. I’m sorry, but that means I can’t provide any computer support.”

  “I’ll call you next week then!”

  The guests all laughed, including Abbey. “Jake, I want you to understand that if Cassie seem bossy to you, she’s just looking out for you. I’d also like to offer Cassie’s advice back to you both. Like Luke said, after today, your lives are going to change. I want you both to remember to get out of your heads occasionally and enjoy the journey of your lives together, now as man and wife.”

  Abbey handed the microphone back to Luke and picked up her champagne glass. As the guests applauded, Luke let go of her hand. She chided herself for missing his touch. He picked up his own glass and raised it.

  “To Jake and Cassie, may you have many happy years together!” Luke clinked his glass with Abbey and they both drank to Cassie and Jake. The champagne was crisp and delicious, tickling her nose. Guests tapped their glasses again as she and Luke returned to their seats and she smiled when Jake kissed his new bride again.

  “Dinner service will begin shortly. Enjoy the wonderful food here at Cucina Antonetti’s.” The DJ started what Abbey assumed was a mixed CD of appropriate dinner music. The volume was just right so it didn’t prevent guests from hearing each other speak.

  Just as Abbey was making herself comfortable in her seat, she heard her cell phone ring from underneath their table. Her stomach clenched. Now what? She reached down and retrieved her evening bag and pulled out her ringing phone. Tim Webber? Her former manager? Why was he calling?

  Anger flowed hot in Abbey’s veins. How dare her call her, especially now. Did he forget he told me my skill set wasn’t needed anymore? Abbey let the call go to voicemail.

  Abbey felt Luke looking at her. She turned and saw the worried expression on his face. “Princess, is everything all right? Who was that?”

  Abbey just shook her head. She was too angry to respond. She heard the chime of a new voicemail. She knew she shouldn’t bother. She didn’t work at OSG any longer, but she played the voicemail anyway. She couldn’t help it.

  “Abbey this is Tim Webber. There’s a problem with your system. It’s down. No one can log in. It keeps giving an authentication error. Call me after you get this message.” That was it. He didn’t even bother apologizing for disturbing her on her sister’s wedding day or even acknowledging that he was asking her for a huge favor since she no longer worked for him. What an asshole. In a way, she was glad she no longer worked for OSG because she couldn’t stand Tim Webber. There was no way she was calling him back. Fuck you, pal, and your system, not mine.

  Abbey deleted the voicemail and the fourteen unread text messages from Tom Murphy. She felt relieved and happily turned off her phone. She needed to get back to her reboot weekend. “I need another drink.” Yes, that would make her feel better.

  Luke took her phone and put it back in her purse. “When was the last time you ate?”

  Abbey had to think. “I guess it was earlier at the Fairchild Hotel before the ceremony. We had some pastries and Mimosas.” Her stomach growled. It had been hours since she’d eaten.

  “How about this? You still have some champagne in your glass. Why not finish that and have some dinner before getting another drink? I know they’re making them pretty strong tonight. What do you think?” Luke looked deep into her eyes, like he could see into her soul.

  Her soul that had belonged to him since the day they met so many years ago.

  “Then you can get back to your reboot weekend. I’m having one myself in a way. Maybe we could reboot together?” When Luke smiled at her the way he did, she couldn’t resist. Secrets. Jake said Luke has secrets.

  “Secrets,” Abbey whispered.

  Luke frowned, taking a moment before responding. “I know Jake said that. But it’s not what you think. You know I barely have any privacy anymore. For me, some things have to be announced. The damn press, you know? That’s why I hired an extensive security detail for today.”

  In her head, Abbey understood. The last thing any of them wanted was for Jake and Cassie’s wedding day to become a spectacle because of Luke’s celebrity. So far that hadn’t happened, other than Luke’s little display in front of Mrs. Antonetti and Carlo.

  She supposed it didn’t matter. By the end of the weekend, Luke would be off to the next city for another game or whatever else he had scheduled. Abbey would go back to her life too.

  Maybe they could reboot their weekend together. It would be so easy to fall back into old habits with Luke. Just for a couple of days. A couple of fun, se
x-filled days with Luke might be just what she needed to get out of her head and relax.

  “Yes, I know, Luke. Maybe we can reboot our weekends together. It might not be such a bad idea.” Abbey held her breath, wondering what he would say.

  His mouth fell open. “Really? I think that’s a great idea. But before we reboot, I want to have a chance to explain that night, Abbey.”

  Abbey got angry all over again. They didn’t need to talk about that fateful night ten years ago. It didn’t matter. They were over and a reboot weekend wouldn’t change that fact.

  Before she could tell him she didn’t want to rehash the past, servers brought out the first course. He was right, though. She was hungry and the food at Antonetti’s was wonderful. She joined in with everyone else tapping their glasses and laughed when Jake placed a napkin over his and Cassie’s faces while he kissed her.

  ****

  Luke couldn’t believe Abbey had finally agreed to let him explain what happened the night she walked in on him. He was confident once he explained what happened she would find it in her heart to give them another chance. He was ready to pick right up where they’d left off. Fuck a reboot weekend. Luke was looking for a lot more than a weekend. And he had every intention of getting it. He would not stay on the ropes any longer.

  Luke filled Abbey’s and his plate with chicken carbonara and Antonetti’s chopped salad. The room quieted down as everyone started eating. He couldn’t help but wonder about her secrets. He’d overheard a little of the voicemail message she’d listened to and then immediately deleted. It sounded like a work issue. And it was not like her to ignore a work issue even though she had taken a few days off because of the wedding. In a way, he was glad she ignored the call. From what Cassie had told him, OSG needed to hire at least one additional person to help Abbey with the amount of work they dumped on her. They were just too cheap to do it.

  As the first course bowls and plates were being cleared, Luke leaned over to her. “While we’re waiting for the main course and side dishes, let me explain what happened that night real quick. I want to clear—”