High Stakes

by Cheryl Douglas

  Trey smiled, but it was a smile filled with sorrow. “You’re not a little girl anymore. You’re someone else’s wife now, and whether you choose to stay with him or not, I couldn’t live with myself if I knew I’d cost you a chance at happiness. I love you, baby. The only thing that matters to me is your happiness, and if Liam’s the man you need, then I won’t stand in your way.”

  She kissed his cheek as she squeezed his neck. “I love you, Daddy.”

  “I love you too, my angel. Always.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Alisa’s week passed in a flurry of activity. Between preparing the store and finalizing the details for the party, she’d barely had time to think about Liam or be disappointed that he hadn’t called since she left his hotel room six days ago. She told herself that he was just respecting her wishes, giving her the space she claimed to need, but it still stung. Especially late at night when she fell asleep staring at her phone, willing it to ring. She hadn’t given him her numbers, but a man as resourceful as Liam would find a way, if she was that important to him. It hurt her to think he’d already resumed his busy life and relegated her to the back of his mind.

  Lena rushed through the door, her arms overflowing with a colorful bouquet of fresh flowers.

  “Honey, the florist is taking care of the balloons and flowers. What are you doing with those?” Alisa asked, checking her reflection in the mirror for the tenth time in the past hour. The soft blue and lavender fabric gave the illusion of a kaleidoscope of subtle colors as it fell in soft waves around her ankles. She thought the dress was perfect for her big night, but now that she was less than an hour away from being placed under a microscope by her friends, family, the press, and Tennessee’s elite, she questioned everything from her hair to her heels.

  “Some delivery guy thrust these into my arms as I walked in,” Lena said through clenched teeth. “Apparently he couldn’t be bothered to walk the extra few steps to do the job he’s bein’ paid to do.” Lena turned her head to the side and sneezed. “You mind takin’ them? Something in there’s triggering my allergies.”

  “Of course,” Alisa said, rushing forward to relieve her friend of the bouquet. Her stomach did a little flip as she considered who the bouquet might be from. Her absentee husband, perhaps? She’d mentioned the party to him in passing, but she hadn’t given him the details. At least a few hastily scribbled words on a florist’s note card would let her know he was thinking about her on her big night.

  “Who’re they from?” Lena asked, reaching for a tissue from the box behind the tall, glass sales counter. “Please tell me they’re from that handsome hubby of yours.”

  Lena, the hopeless romantic, had hassled her friend every day about Liam, whether she’d heard from him or worked up the nerve to call him.

  “Um no, they’re not from Liam.” She tried to quash the disappointment as she crinkled the embossed linen notecard in her hand. “They’re from Nick. He said he’s looking forward to seeing me at the party.”

  Lena gagged. “Don’t tell me he’s gonna be here. God, will that guy ever learn to take a hint?”

  “Apparently not,” Alisa muttered. “It’s not like I invited him. He’s probably just coming to try and rattle me. He knows I can’t very well kick him out with press crawling all over the place, watching our every move.”

  “You think word might get back to Liam that Nick was here with you?” Lena asked, propping her hip against the counter.

  “He’s not going to be with me, but I can’t very well ask him to leave, can I?”

  “No, but your daddy can.” Lena laughed. “He and Trey haven’t been in the same room together since…” Lena grimaced when she saw the look on her friend’s face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to remind you of that tonight of all nights.”

  “It’s okay, it’s not like I can think of him without remembering what he did.”

  “I really thought being with someone new would help you forget.”

  “Maybe it would if Liam and I were actually together. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not.”

  Lena found a cleaning cloth behind the counter and wiped away the smudge she’d created. “Have you made good on your threat…?” She looked at Alisa out of the corner of her eye. “You know, about the divorce papers.”

  “No, I’ve been too busy to even think about it this week.” If only that were true. As busy as she’d been, her last words to him continued to haunt her. If he believed her when she told him she intended to file for divorce, it was little wonder he hadn’t bothered to call. He already assumed it was over. Why should a man as busy as Liam waste his time fighting the inevitable?

  “Maybe he hasn’t called because he was waiting to see whether you would actually go through with the divorce. Now that he knows you don’t intend to see it through, he might take it as a sign and reach out to you.”

  A girl could hope. “Who knows what he’s thinking or how he’s feeling.”

  “I think the more important question is how you’re feeling about him.”

  “I don’t know.” Alisa busied herself straightening hangers on waterfall racks as she spoke. “I hoped a little distance would help me put things into perspective, but I’m more confused than ever.”

  “You said your dad went to see him. How did that go?”

  Lena had been as busy as Alisa all week, preparing for the grand opening, so they had precious little time for girl talk. “Believe it or not, I think he liked him.” She smiled. “Not that I’m surprised. Liam can be very persuasive.”

  “Obviously, he got you into bed on the first night.” Lena snickered, but had the grace to cover her hand with her mouth to hide her smile when Alisa glared at her. “Sorry, you know I’m only kidding. I’ve seen his picture. I’d have done the same thing in your position.”

  The night she spent with Liam still made her feel too raw to tolerate her friend’s teasing. “His looks had nothing to do with it.”

  Lena rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

  “Okay, maybe they had something to do with it, but there’s so much more to him than that.”

  “I noticed you’re still wearing your rings. That’s got to count for something, right?”

  Alisa had tried to take them off a time or two, but it didn’t feel right. “I may, when I figure out where we stand.”

  Lena propped her chin on the counter and leaned in. “Did he agree to wear a wedding band?”

  “Um, yeah, he was wearing one.” She thought about the wide platinum band decorating his tanned hand, and it made her heart ache. It looked so right on him.

  “You think he’s still wearing it?”

  “Who knows?” She shrugged, but trying to pretend she didn’t care cost her. “He may have taken it off as soon as I walked out on him.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  A loud bang upstairs startled Lena. “What the hell was that?”

  “The caterers and florist are up there with the party planner. The wait staff should be here soon.” She looked around for something, anything that commanded her attention. “I guess it’s almost show time.”

  Lena drew her into an exuberant hug. “I am so proud of you for pulling this off. I just know this business is gonna be a huge success. We’ll see to it.”

  “Thanks, honey.” As much as she appreciated her best friend’s words of encouragement, only one person could settle her nerves tonight.

  Liam checked his watch for the third time as his limo pulled up in front of Alisa’s boutique. He was running an hour behind schedule and this was one event he’d hoped to attend on time. But he’d spent the better part of the week on his airplane, and air travel often meant unexpected delays, like tonight.

  The uniformed driver opened his door and Liam got out, buttoning his suit jacket as he admired the building’s facade. He didn’t know if she was leasing the space or had bought it, but the modern stucco exterior of the small building len
t an air of understated elegance he appreciated. The large windows flanking the double door glass entrance gave him a glimpse inside, where dozens of people milled about with drinks in hand.

  “Hey,” a young man said, tossing a cigarette to the ground, “you’re Liam Bryson, right?” He grabbed the camera hanging around his neck. “You’re Alisa’s husband. Oh man, can you give me a statement about your quickie wedding in Vegas? All kinds of rumors have circulated. Is it true you married her ’cause she’s pregnant?”

  Liam grit his teeth. “No comment.” He pulled the door open, anxious to put some distance between himself and the inquisitive reporter who undoubtedly intended to shadow him until he wore him down or pissed him off enough to provoke him.

  As soon as he crossed the threshold, a hush that even the soft music filtering through the speakers couldn’t mask fell over the crowd.

  He saw Trey first, who smiled and tipped his cowboy hat in greeting. At least someone was happy he’d made the trip halfway around the world to support his wife tonight. He only hoped Alisa would share her father’s opinion.

  His eyes traveled to the back of the room where Alisa stood with her back to him, talking to… Oh hell no, she was not wasting her time with her cheating ex-fiancé, was she? She turned around just as he was closing in on her.

  Her expression exposed her shock at seeing him. Apparently, her party planner hadn’t told Alisa she invited her husband to join in the festivities.

  “Hello, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her breathless. He didn’t care that they had an audience of a hundred people looking on, so long as the person standing to his left received his message loud and clear. “I missed you,” he said, trailing a fingertip down her cheek.

  “Oh my God, Liam, what are you—?”

  He kissed her again, halting her question. If everyone learned they hadn’t spoken a word since their hastily exchanged vows, it was bound to raise a few eyebrows. Which was something he definitely didn’t need with her ex looking on. “Can I steal you away for a few minutes?”

  Alisa seemed to remember where she was as she glanced at the small group surrounding them. “Um, excuse us, please.” She led him back to the rear of the building, which contained a large storage room, two offices, two restrooms, and a small break room. She closed her office door and leaned against it, staring up at him. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

  He grinned as he moved in to grip her waist. “Can I assume this is a pleasant surprise?”

  “Yes, but how did you know—?”

  He kissed her again. He’d thought about kissing her almost nonstop since she walked out on him. “Your party planner called my assistant to extend the invitation.”

  Alisa ran a hand over his light blue silk tie. “I’ll have to remember to thank her later.”

  “Then you’re not upset that I just showed up like this?” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so uneasy. He hadn’t sought another person’s reassurance about anything in a long time, but he needed to know that she wanted him there as much as he needed to be there.

  “Of course not.” She reached up to kiss him. “In fact, before things got underway tonight, I was thinking about how much I’d like to see you.” She looked down, obviously considering her words carefully. “I’m sorry about the way we left things. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was hung over and confused, and I panicked when I thought about how my father would react.”

  Liam chuckled. “Trey’s not so bad. In fact, we had a nice chat.”

  “I heard.” She shook her head. “How the hell did you manage to win him over so quickly?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You, of all people, have to ask me that?”

  She laughed and smacked her palm against his chest. “Stop.”

  He glanced at the rings she still wore on her left hand. “Should I take that as a sign?” He’d been in Asia on business all week, but he asked his assistant to contact him immediately, day or night, if she received any documents from a legal firm in Nashville. He’d been relieved to hear she hadn’t signed for any correspondence that fit his description, though he suspected she knew what he expected when she learned his wife wouldn’t be moving to San Francisco with him in the foreseeable future.

  He’d been grateful that he had meetings planned for this week, so the press couldn’t hunt him down and his employees couldn’t shower him with congratulations. He wasn’t ready to celebrate his marriage until he had Alisa’s assurance that she would give them a chance.

  She reached for his left hand and he almost heard her breathe a sigh of relief when she saw he still wore the ring she’d placed on his finger. “I could ask you the same question.”

  He traced her full bottom lip with his fingertip. “I wasn’t the one making noise about wanting out of this marriage. You were, remember?”

  Alisa reached up to loop her arms around his neck. “How did Abby react when you told her about us?”

  He chuckled. “She knew before I told her.” He let his hands drift over the curve of her hips. Alisa was the last thing on his mind when his head finally hit the pillow at night, and the first thing he thought about before he even opened his eyes in the morning. Feeling her body pressed against his, so warm and responsive, made him wish he came to see her sooner. “Apparently, teenage girls can be very resilient. It didn’t seem to bother her a bit. I hate to admit it, but she’s getting to the age where her life doesn’t revolve around her old man anymore.”

  Alisa smiled and ran her hand through his tousled hair. “That’s hard to believe.”

  “I must look like hell. I came here straight from the airport.”

  “You look incredible,” she whispered, pressing her body against his. “Were you punishing me by not calling this week?”

  He tried to laugh when he wanted to groan. He suspected this was her attempt to exact a little revenge of her own. “I wanted to, believe me. But I was trying to give you a little space to figure things out.” He touched a soft tendril of hair that had escaped her fancy up-do. “Besides, I was in Asia on business all week. The time difference would have made it difficult to connect, and I didn’t want to call and risk waking you. I knew you had a busy week.”

  She looked up at him through her lashes. “I was kind of distracted… thinking about you.”

  He grinned as his hand ran up the length of her bare back. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”

  “I guess we should get back out there.” She reached for the door handle, but he grabbed her wrist before she could turn the knob.

  “Not so fast. You wanna tell me what the hell he’s doing here?”

  Alisa flinched. “I didn’t invite him here, I swear. As far as I know, he just decided to crash the party.”

  “Well, we’ll just have to make it clear to him how we feel about party crashers now, won’t we?”

  She grabbed his arm. “Liam, please, don’t make a scene. Not here, not tonight.”

  “I wouldn’t ruin this night for you, sweetheart.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered, stroking his face. “And thanks for coming. It means a lot.”

  “You mean a lot… to me. Just remember that.”

  Liam was trying his best to keep a smile on his face as he circulated through the crowd, posed for pictures with Alisa, and met the people closest to her, but her ex-fiancé’s eyes bored holes into the back of his head all night.

  “You got a problem, man?” Liam asked finally, inching in beside him at the bar that had been arranged amidst the buffet tables upstairs.

  Nick leaned back against the bar, propping his elbows behind him. “Yeah, I do. You’re my problem.”

  Liam barely resisted the urge to wipe the smug grin off his face, but he was determined to honor his promise to Alisa. “This I gotta hear.” Liam swirled the scotch around in the bottom of his glass. “Let’s have it.”

  “You think I don’t know you’re tryin’ to take advantage of her?” he hissed, moving in closer. “
You know she’s still reelin’ because of what happened between us and you’re tryin’ to move in.”

  “What happened between you two? Ah right, you mean when you cheated on her.” He rolled his eyes. “Man, how a loser like you ever got a girl like Alisa is beyond me. Then you’re stupid enough to cheat on her…” He chuckled, trying to mask his rage. “Man, you’re even stupider than you look.”

  “Listen, I don’t know how the hell you got her to agree to this sham of a marriage in the first place, but it’s never gonna last. I intend to make sure of that.”

  His threat grated on Liam’s nerves, probably because the fear of losing her always lurked so close to the surface. “If you think you’ve got a chance in hell of getting her back, you’re delusional.”

  “I’m not the one deludin’ myself, buddy. You are. Me and Alisa have history. You guys have nothin’. You’re her rebound guy. Can’t you see that?”

  His barb couldn’t have pierced any deeper. Liam had asked himself a dozen times if she was just using him to get over her ex, but he wouldn’t know for sure until she found the courage to tell him the truth. “You really think she gives a shit about you? She stopped caring about you when she threw that ring back in your face.” Liam didn’t know exactly how the break-up had occurred, but he hoped his version resembled the truth.

  “Problem here, boys?” Trey asked, coming up behind them and slapping Liam on the back.

  Liam offered his hand. “How are you, Trey?”

  Trey smirked at Nick as he shook Liam’s hand. “I’m doin’ a hell of a lot better since you showed up. So’s my little girl, judgin’ by that smile on her face.”

  “Trey…” Nick said, looking uncomfortable.

  “I’m sorry, was I talkin’ to you?” he asked, looking at Nick like he was the foul-smelling mud he’d just scraped off the bottom of his boots. “’Cause I coulda sworn I was talkin’ to my son-in-law.”

  Nick’s jaw went slack. “You can’t tell me you approve of this marriage? You know she’s just usin’ him to get over me.”