Insert Groom Here

by K. M. Jackson

  He was right about all those things, but Eva couldn’t see past the point of him saying Aidan’s assistant had called him for this. She looked around again, suddenly finding it hard to breathe, as well as difficult to focus.

  How could he go this far? How could he betray her in this way?

  The waiter came by to take their order, but Kevin stepped in and spoke up before Eva could say anything. “She’ll have a glass of water, and I’ll have whatever you’ve got on draft that’s dark.”

  The music got louder, and a couple of male hipsters were now onstage and, she guessed, finding it ironic to belt out “Material Girl.” She noticed that one of the cameras swiveled and was trained on them, while the other was on the scene between her and Kevin. In that moment, Eva wanted nothing more than to punch everyone in the face—Kevin, Lou, the PAs, the rest of the crew, the karaoke hipsters, and most of all Aidan.

  Kevin reached out and took her hand once again. “Believe me, Eva. I really am sorry, and I want to do all I can to make it up to you. I’ve seen each of your segments, you on your dates with all those guys, and not one of them is right for you, and not one is worthy of you.”

  Eva almost snorted again, but even in her two-glasses-of-wine buzz she knew a second snort would be over the top. “And you think you are worthy? What a joke.”

  Kevin shook his head. “Hardly. But if you give me a chance, I hope to be someday.” He then picked up both her hands and brought her fingertips to his lips. “Please, let me do all I can to make it up to you. Even if it takes me a lifetime.”

  Eva stared, her fingers feeling numb, almost dead. Not a hint of the thrill she had stupidly became used to. She felt like such a fool. Still, she could admit the words were good, and she could give credit to whatever writer had fed him such amazing lines.

  Her mind began to swirl as she thought of what to say. She had no lines prepared for this meeting. All that had been gone over and prepared was now moot, thanks to this blind-side setup. How could Aidan do it? How could he set her up like this and then run away and not even be here to witness the devastating carnage?

  But then she felt it. A stirring down where that boulder was. It started down deep but moved and swirled, traveled, and heated up in her chest. Her breath caught, and Eva turned.

  There he was. Just beyond them. Once again, in the shadows, watching the whole uncomfortable exchange.

  Eva felt her anger quickly ignite and burn fast as she wedged her hand away from Kevin’s grasp. “I need a minute, please.”

  She walked the long way around, going straight for Aidan and smiling when he seemed to pull back a bit as she lunged forward to whisper in his ear. “Don’t worry about it. You never have to worry about your balls again around me.”

  “Eva, stop, please,” he said reaching for her. His large hand grabbed hold of hers, the sizzle instantly fizzing up her arm and radiating through her body. But she jerked out of his grasp as if shocked and brushed at her too-tight dress. She straightened it as she forced herself to take wide, confidant strides and head for the stage. On her way, their eyes locked, and she gave Louisa a hard look and nod. If they wanted a show, then a show they would get.

  Eva took the stage to the whoops and hollers of the crowd. There wasn’t time for nerves, at least not many. The few she had she took care of with the quick shot of Jack the waitress handed her on the way.

  The spotlight was an instant reminder of the red light from the infamous dumping scene. It made her want to rethink the song she had picked and start in on a chorus of “Hit the Road, Jack.” She laughed to herself and felt a little woozy as her eyes searched for him in the crowd, but she couldn’t find him against the beam of the harsh lights. No matter, this was all for show anyway. She cleared her throat as the familiar soulful ballad began. In no time, she had the crowd going right along with her, singing about good and bad times and staying together. The soulful classic was a surefire hit. Part of Eva wanted to laugh even as she wanted to cry. This was indeed quite a show. The ratings would be great. Her mother might not agree with this unorthodox method, but she knew it would win over clients, and all would be well. It mattered not who she sang to or what she really wanted. She was living up to her obligation and getting the job done. She looked to her left, and there was Aidan watching her, just off to the side as he’d always been, his jaw set and rigid, his dark eyes blazing with smoldering fire.

  Eva finished the song, and as if on perfect cue, striding through the glaring lights, there was Kevin, walking toward her. He smiled and clapped as he walked up to the stage and opened his arms. Eva knew what he wanted, what they all wanted, and her heart ached. She looked over at Aidan, and still he didn’t move. She looked back at Kevin, took in his perfect smile, good looks, and dark eyes that told her nothing but to see it through and get the job done, and with that Eva stepped down into Kevin’s arms and kissed him.

  * * *

  Aidan looked at the TV monitor in his office with simmering anger as he fought against the urge to go running down to the studio to catch up with Eva. She and that asshole were being interviewed on The Morning Show live about their upcoming on-air nuptials, and it would seem everyone one was in a tizzy. It was as if WBC was hosting their version of the royal wedding or something. They actually cut in with live questions from viewers who were hosting morning watch parties. Some were so excited that Eva was getting her happily-ever-after—finally, after kissing so many frogs. As if that ass who had broken her heart in the first place were some kind of prince. The whole thing made him want to punch something. With that thought, Aidan slammed his fist down on his desk, causing everything—papers, pens, laptop—to vibrate violently.

  “So I’m guessing this is not the best time for a visit from an old friend?”

  Aidan’s eyes popped up at the sound of the sultry and familiar old voice. Kate. “What are you doing here? I thought you were settled in the middle of a cornfield or something.”

  Kate looked great, though quite different from the woman he’d known out in the field. Gone were the snug, well-worn khakis and T-shirts she lived in; today she was a picture of polished elegance in a body-skimming black blazer, skirt, and heels that showed off her toned legs well. Her hair also was longer than he was used to; it now swung teasingly around her shoulders. Aidan came over to give her a hug and was surprised by the fact that he felt friendly but no sexual attraction to the woman he’d shared so much with in the past. He pulled back and looked at her. “So what are you doing in New York?”

  “I’m here to talk with the suits about moving to Washington and taking the position as correspondent there. From what I hear, you’re one of the suits now, and I have you to thank for it. So thank you. I know you put in a good word or three for me, and for that I’m grateful.”

  “You don’t have to thank me for anything. You very much deserve it. Though I was surprised to see you wanted to go for the job. Is life at home not what you wanted?”

  Kate shook her head. “No, it’s great, though slower-paced than both I and Tim would like. If I get the job, he’s happy to relocate with me and work there. His company has a location outside of DC, so it would work out fine.”

  Aidan smiled then, happy for Kate. It would seem that someone was finally getting a happily-ever-after from this, after all. He looked at the TV and saw the segment was over. When he turned back, Kate was staring at him hard.

  “So do you care to share what or, better yet, who it is that has you so bent out of shape? I bet she makes a hell of a story, and you know how much I love your stories.” Kate grinned, pulling him out of his mood. Aidan nudged her shoulder, then slung an arm easily over it as he led her to the doorway and out into the hall.

  “Watch it, Harmon, I am one of those suits, and you don’t have the job yet.”

  Kate’s head fell back as she laughed at him. She hugged him, then gave him a kiss on the cheek as she ducked under his arm and out of his grasp. “Oh, please, Walker, now I know it’s woman problems. You were always way to
o easy to read. Remind me to invite you over for our monthly poker night when Tim and I are settled in DC. And bring your girl because, knowing you, you’ll find a way to fix things. You always do.”

  * * *

  Eva stopped short as she made her way out of the ladies’ room and ducked back into the conference room, where she and Kevin were meeting with Louise, Carter, and the rest of the crew, putting the finishing touches on the wedding preparations.

  She’d be fine. This would all be fine. So what if Aidan wasn’t at this meeting or the segments and had essentially cut himself off and out of her life. So what if she’d just seen him embracing, kissing, then happily laughing with a gorgeous woman with legs that went on forever, looking for all the world like he didn’t even remember the name Eva Ward.

  None of that mattered at all. She’d be fine because in a matter of days she’d have all she wanted. All she’d planned for and worked so hard for all this time. Soon she’d be Mrs. Kevin Rucker Esq., and she would have it all.

  “Are you feeling okay, honey?” Kevin asked from the seat that Aidan had sat in just weeks before.

  “I’m fine. Just a little tired,” Eva said, taking the seat next to him. She looked over at Carter and put on her best smile, ignoring the questioning look in his eyes. “Let’s continue. You were saying you’d like to be sure the sponsor’s name is prominently displayed on the dais? It’s tacky, but I can compromise and go with a named place card on the cake table. Deal?”

  Eva gave Carter a look that left no room for argument, and with all that was going on, she had pushed the image of Aidan to the back of her mind. Now was not the time for hurt feelings or aching hearts. She had a wedding to map out.

  Chapter 22

  “You don’t know how happy I am that you made it. I don’t think I’d be able to go through with this without you by my side,” Eva said to Cori in between taking huge gulps of air.

  She felt woozy, but still she was determined to soldier on. They were in the studio’s dressing rooms turned bridal changing and staging area, and it was currently seven thirty-four. The quicker this was over and done with, the better. The way Eva had it figured, she and Kevin and their splashy morning Midtown wedding were going on as a big lead into the nine o’clock hour. If all went as planned, by this time tomorrow she would officially be old news, and she could go on with her life of making news of the people who really wanted to be in front of the cameras and splashed all over the papers. Eva sucked in one more giant gulp of air, but the tight stays of her corset-style dress prevented her from taking it in fully. When she got up too fast, once again she felt dizzy.

  Instantly noting her distress, Cori grabbed hold of Eva’s shoulders and pushed her forward. The tightness of the dress strained against the pressure of her bending. “Okay, lady, no standing for you just yet. And of course I made it. Where else would I be but with my best friend when she’s getting married? And after your last text, I knew you needed me here.” Cori looked around and lowered her voice. “Though for the life of me, I still can’t understand why you’re going through with it. Get pissed at me if you want, but I have to say it: It’s obvious that this is not what you want.”

  Eva’s head shot up again, and she gave Cori a hard stare. Cori rolled her eyes and pushed her head back down. “Oh, save it, girl. I know you better than your own mama. You’re not fooling me one bit with this ‘old is new again’ and ‘I’ve found love’ bullshit.”

  “Cori please, just let it go. No, it’s not ideal and not the ‘dream,’ and of course this is not what I want, but I don’t want to talk about that now. This is what it has to be to get things back on track. Besides, my mother will be back here in a second. The last thing I need is her hearing you spout off, and then I’d have to deal with her today, on top of everything else.”

  Cori crossed her arms. “Everything else like what? The fact you’re about to marry tall, dark, and spineless when you’re really in love with tall, dark, and—”

  Eva put up a hand, fighting to keep a hold on her quickly spiraling emotions. “Tall, dark, and doesn’t care about me? That was a short-lived fantasy that needs to go into the file of forgotten memories. What good does it do for me to think about him now? It’s not like he’s here, suddenly declaring his love.” Eva felt a lump that signaled threatening tears. Just freaking great. She blinked rapidly. “I swear, Cori, if you make me cry and I have to go through makeup torture again, I may never forgive you. He’s not here, so this conversation is just a silly, waste-of-time exercise in self-flagellation. Now, can we drop it?” Eva didn’t want to rehash things with Cori. It was painful enough being where she was and going through with this sham without Cori’s interjections about the obvious.

  These past three weeks had been her own personal torture—seeing Kevin again and going on a few staged dates for the cameras, all the while hoping, like out of some dream movie sequence, that Aidan would come for her and sweep her off her feet to ride off into the sunset. What the hell? She was an idiot for even dreaming it. Sunsets were overrated anyways.

  For his part, Kevin wanted to pick things right back up. Bring his box of crap up from the lobby and straight back into her apartment. Pretend what they went through was just a blip, his on-air humiliation just a mistake, his time with the hostess just a momentary lapse.

  But Eva knew it wasn’t. She knew it by the way his eyes still wandered, and the times when they didn’t, she even saw it in his over-attentiveness when they were out and he was supposedly courting her. Sure, he said all the right things and made all the right moves, but she knew nothing had changed. Or maybe everything had changed. Her eyes were finally opened, and she could see that Kevin was in this for all the wrong—or, hell, maybe it was all the right—reasons.

  So she made up a story about him having to win her over before he could bring that damn box back up from the lobby and into her apartment again. But that wasn’t the truth. She and Kevin were probably perfect for each other. They were two fakers, making their way in the big city, paying their dues in the most expensive possible way. The truth was she was keeping Kevin at arm’s length and her nights free in the sad hope that Aidan would come to her. That he’d say he had changed his mind and she could say she had changed hers. That he’d say he wanted more and wanted to be with her. That he’d say he wanted not just her nights but her days too—forever, as she now knew she wanted his. But within a short time, Eva came to know it was nothing but a foolish dream, one that had her constantly blinking back her tears and swallowing down her true feelings.

  She’d tried her best to let that dream go after the night she’d sung her song and gone into Kevin’s arms. Aidan made his choice when he sent Kevin back to her, and she, like the dutiful talent she was, had followed through and finished the job. The camera caught it all, and the segment the following Monday was an instant hit. Social media had gone crazy, the majority of watchers clearly in the #TeamKevEva camp.

  For his part, Aidan never returned to the set for any of her dates with Kevin, and Lou was now fully in charge and doing a great job of playing up the—couple, and if Eva played this right, her new life—the one she’d had planned from the very start—would begin in a few hours.

  It was odd, though, because in some strange way she still always felt Aidan’s presence over her shoulder. And a voice in her head kept asking her that question he had posed all those nights ago: “Why are you getting married?”

  The question still gnawed at her, rubbing along her spine in the most uncomfortable way. Now when she closed her eyes and saw herself at the altar, it was never with Kevin or any of the men she had dated, but always with some faceless man. The longed-for image of Aidan remained just beyond him, out of her reach, the man she longed to be with, married or not; that somehow didn’t seem to matter, as long as wherever she was, it was with him by her side.

  But it was Cori who mimicked those words now, brought her back to reality, and summed up her true feelings so easily. “Okay, fine. Whatever you say. But just so
you know, I’ve got your back, and we can blow this joint in a hot minute. Run away to what truly makes you happy.”

  “As if I’d let you run off with my talent.” Both women turned toward the sound of Carter Bain’s voice. Eva felt her eyes automatically roll, and she shook her head as Cori stepped between her and Carter.

  “A, she’s not your property. And B, if I ran off anywhere, I doubt you or anyone else here would be able to stop me,” Cori said, looking Carter in the eye.

  Carter gave her a stare-down that Eva was sure worked well on his underlings, but she was pleased to experience her first smile of the day when he looked away, eyes cast down in defeat, as she’d anticipated. She’d not met a man yet who was a match for her best friend.

  “You’re right,” Carter started. “Excuse me if I came off as impertinent.” He put out a hand. “I’m Carter Bain, and you are?”

  Cori put out her hand. “The best friend and general bullshit blocker. You, Mr. Bain, needed no introduction since you were already on my blocker radar.” She then floored him with a smile that could cut glass.

  Eva looked up between the two of them and let out a long sigh. The potential blowup was dangerous and there was no way she was getting into the middle of it. “Do you two want me to leave you to battle this out, or can you table the fight for later?”

  Carter laughed nervously as he turned back Eva’s way. “It’s that sharp tongue of yours that’s made you a star, Ms. Ward.”

  Eva raised a brow, noting that neither he nor Cori gave her a real answer.

  * * *

  Aidan told himself he wasn’t going to the wedding. That there was no real reason for him to be there. None at all, besides torturing himself, of course. Though not being there was torture enough. He should have listened to his gut and booked himself far away. Taken a trip somewhere. Madagascar, maybe? Just any place where he’d be safely away from the image of her, especially the image of her while she made sacred vows declaring herself the life partner, bound together, for real, and no joke in the eyes of the law, to some asshole. The same ass with whom—though Aidan knew she didn’t really love him and maybe never really had—she still shared a past connection and who could make, or most probably already had made, his way back into her heart and her bed. Fuck! This couldn’t have worked out any worse if it had been planned that way.