From the Start

by Cheryl Etchison

  Sam slipped an arm over her shoulders, holding her as best she could. “If you turned him down, why are you so upset?”

  “I don’t honestly know.”

  Except deep down inside she did know. She still wanted everything she had once dreamed of having; she wanted to know love and be loved. She wanted to be a wife and a mother and have a career.

  The only problem was that now she wanted that future with a man she already knew she had no future with.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Michael sipped his drink as he stood at the bar along with the groom and his friends. They were all nice guys, especially Bryce, but listening to them talk about their jobs, their wives, or girlfriends made him feel uneasy. These were men who were five to ten years younger than himself and yet many of them already had a family and a future in the works.

  And what did he have?

  Yeah, they thought his job was cool, but what they didn’t realize was how much he’d sacrificed to have it. Fifteen years ago he’d assumed he’d be married, maybe even have a kid or two by now. But somewhere along the way, things changed without him ever really noticing.

  Or maybe time had just gotten away from him.

  It was then he noticed Kacie’s father approaching the bar. From their brief conversation at the church it was easy to tell he was quite protective of his daughters. And while her mother was easily charmed, her father, not so much. Mr. Morgan wasn’t big in stature, but he was still one of the most intimidating people Michael had ever met. And considering some of the men he worked with over the years, that was saying something.

  “Looks like someone’s about to have his intake interview,” Bryce said with a slap to the back. “Best of luck, man.”

  As Mr. Morgan stepped up to the bar and ordered a scotch and water from the bartender, Bryce and his buddies quickly scattered. Michael, however, was not going to tuck tail and run. If Kacie’s dad wanted to chat, they’d chat.

  “Michael, is it?” Mr. Morgan gave him the side-eye as he waited. “I apologize. I’m not the best with names.”

  “Yes, sir. Michael MacGregor.”

  “I’m sorry we didn’t get much of a chance to talk earlier, but I thought now might be a good time.” Her father rested his hands on the counter and carefully watched the bartender mix his drink, even instructing him to dump the ice and go easy on the water. “So my daughter tells me you’re in the military. She also told me you two met at Samantha’s bachelorette party?”

  “Kacie told you that?”

  “No. Samantha did.” Her father took a cautious sip of his drink, all the while glaring at him over the rim of the glass. “Kathryn, on the other hand, hasn’t said a single word about you. Aside from when she introduced you at the church.”

  It took a moment for Michael’s brain to catch up with what the man was saying. His sunshine, Kacie, was a Kathryn? At that point he could’ve been knocked over with a feather.

  This time her father took more than a sip of his scotch.

  “What is it you do in the military, Mr. MacGregor? You’re not a pilot like the last one, are you?” The tone of her father’s voice was a low, slow rumble that reminded him of an old cowboy.

  “No, sir. I’m the battalion surgeon for the 75th.”

  “You’re a doctor, then?” His tone lightened.

  “Yes, sir.”

  From that moment forward her father appeared far more relaxed and eased off the intimidation factor. Instead, they spent the next fifteen minutes or so chatting about a variety things—golf, fishing, you name it. Then their conversation turned to Kacie, how her name was actually Kathryn Claire. They spoke of her career plans, her upcoming fellowship and relocation to Durham. It wasn’t long before Michael learned just how much Mr. Morgan disliked Kacie’s ex, how he thought the guy lied to and manipulated Kacie for years in the hopes that Mr. Morgan would hook him up with a posh job as a test pilot where he worked.

  From across the ballroom Bryce let out a loud whistle and Michael, along with everyone else, turned to see what the commotion was all about. Sam had returned to the ballroom wearing a dress far shorter and far more revealing than her wedding gown. While she was beautiful in her own right, in his mind she would never compare to her sister. Then, right on cue, Kacie appeared from the hallway. She scanned the room, presumably looking for him, and her eyes widened the moment she spotted him standing with her father.

  She made a beeline for them. “Are you being nice, Daddy?”

  “Of course, Kacie-cakes,” he said before placing a kiss to her cheek.

  Michael could hardly believe what he was seeing. In an instant, the cold, hard intimidator had been replaced by an old softy.

  “It’s about time you girls made it back. I was about to send out a search party.” Mr. Morgan turned to Michael and extended his hand. “It was very nice talking with you. I have to go report back to my wife now.” He smacked Michael’s shoulder. “Take my girl for a spin on the dance floor and enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  “Thank you, sir. Same to you.”

  Michael placed his half-full beer on the bar top and offered her his hand. “You heard your dad, Kacie-cakes. I’m supposed to show you a good time.”

  “Do not call me that.” She crossed her arms, refusing his hand.

  “Okay, then. How about Kathryn Claire?”

  Kacie shook her head in disbelief. “Oh, my God. How long were you two talking before I showed up?”

  Still holding out his hand, he wiggled his fingers. “Come on, sunshine. It sounds like they’re playing our song.”

  Her laughter was light and sweet as he took her hand and towed her out onto the parquet dance floor.

  “We don’t have a song,” she said as he twirled her to face him.

  “Then this can be our song.”

  Kacie tilted her head, listening closely to the wedding band. As she focused intently on the lyrics being sung, he found himself enchanted by the loose strand of hair curling along the side of her neck. “This can’t be our song.”

  With the hand at her waist, he pulled her closer so there was no space between them, and stared down into her face. “And why not?”

  Her head fell back as she smiled up at him. “Because it’s Taylor Swift.”

  “You have a problem with T-Swizzle?”

  She laughed out loud then. “I don’t even want to know how you know she’s called that. But yeah, seeing as I’m closer to thirty-two than twenty-two it feels a little young for me.”

  “Fair enough.” He sent her into a quick spin, only narrowly avoiding a couple of her fellow dwarfs who were . . . well, to be honest he wasn’t sure what they were doing. It didn’t look like dancing. It was more along the lines of them all struggling to hold each other up.

  As the band segued into a slow song, Kacie wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingertips stroking his nape. She looked up at him with an inquisitive grin on her face.

  “What is running through that head of yours?” he asked.

  “I’m just curious.”

  “Are you now?” He waggled his brows suggestively at her. “I like it when you’re curious.”

  Kacie punched his shoulder.

  “And rough,” he added. “I like that, too.”

  She pretended to be offended, but couldn’t keep a straight face as she tried to get away. He tugged her back into his arms. “What is it you want to know?”

  “I want to know what you and my dad were talking about.”

  “The standard stuff. What I do for a living. Where I’m from. What my intentions are.” He took hold of her hand and held it against his chest. “One thing is for certain, he does not like your ex. Had more than a few choice words about him. And then he asked why I didn’t wear my uniform to the wedding.”

  Her eyes widened. “What did you say?”

  “I told him: one, because I was off duty, and two, it’s not a military event. But if he wanted I could rush home and change, especially if there was some kind of parade fo
llowing the reception.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He laughed and smacked me in the arm!”

  She smiled while shaking her head in disbelief.

  “Now I know where you get it.”

  “It’s a bad habit. I admit it.” Kacie tossed her arms around his neck. “But that definitely means he likes you.”

  And for that, he was very glad.

  Although she didn’t really want to be there, Kacie stood with the other single ladies as they awaited the tossing of the bouquet. While she didn’t make any move for the small bundle of roses as it sailed over her head, she did have to raise her hands in order to protect herself; the drunken bridesmaids went crazy, turning the bouquet toss into a death match, scrambling to get it. By the time the small nosegay was held high in the air by one of her sister’s friends, it was a shadow of its former self with a carnage of white petals scattered all around the floor.

  Kacie quickly edged away to where Michael was standing.

  “That looked scary,” he said.

  “You have no idea.”

  As the single men reluctantly gathered for the garter slingshot, Michael made no move to join them. Unfortunately for him, the garter still dropped right at his feet. And unlike the women, no man made a play for it.

  Kacie laughed as Michael stared down at the lacy blue elastic draped across the toe of his shoe, waiting a significant amount of time before he finally picked it up. “You looked like you could hardly contain your excitement. I didn’t realize you were in such a rush to get married?”

  Michael twirled it around his index finger. “Me neither. But now that I have it . . .”

  He waggled his brows at her and a silly thrill of excitement rushed through her.

  But the thrill dissipated the moment the aforementioned drunken bridesmaids forced him to the middle of the dance floor where the one that wrestled the bouquet into her grasp sat on a banquet chair, eagerly awaiting him.

  The brunette crooked her finger, then lifted the hem of her dress high upon her thigh.

  The crowd gathered in a large circle around them and of course the groomsmen were all clustered together, laughing to the point of tears. Michael looked back at her with an expression that undoubtedly meant he did not want to do this.

  Sam sidled up next to her. “You were supposed to catch the bouquet, idiot.”

  “Was this all a setup?”

  “Mmm-hmm. And I didn’t get a chance to tell Bryce to abort mission before he sent it flying.” Sam shook her head. “There is no good that will come of this. Did you know Tara hit on him that night on the bar? And she doesn’t have an ounce of subtlety. There’s no telling what she’ll do.”

  “Why is someone like that your bridesmaid?”

  “Because she’s my friend?” Sam said as if it were no big deal.

  Kacie’s stomach turned a bit as Michael knelt at the woman’s feet and the bridesmaid immediately lifted her foot and placed it on his shoulder.

  Sam laughed. “See what I mean?”

  Howls of laughter went up all around her as Michael took hold of her foot and carefully lowered it to the ground. Then he made quick work of slipping the garter on, placing it just below her knee. As he rose to his feet, about to make his getaway, the girl reached out and grabbed his tie.

  “It’s supposed to be higher up,” the bridesmaid said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You need to fix it.”

  Michael smiled politely. “Well, you should probably just put it wherever it feels comfortable.”

  “I was kinda hoping you’d do that.” She tugged again on his tie, trying to bring him closer.

  “Sorry about that, but you’ll have to handle it yourself.”

  After prying his tie from the bridesmaid’s grip, he made a hasty escape, taking hold of Kacie and towing her out of the ballroom. With her free hand, she grabbed as much of her skirt as she could so she wouldn’t trip in the layers of fabric as they ran across the back lawn. The farther they went, the more they laughed, and the lower the bodice of her strapless dress got. By the time they found a secluded outdoor sofa a safe distance away, she was on the verge of indecent exposure.

  Michael collapsed into the cushions, still laughing as Kacie stood in front of him, blatantly tugging the top of her dress back up where it belonged.

  “Pervert.” Kacie grinned.

  “Yes,” he said, and followed the pronouncement with a wink and a charming smile.

  He stretched out nearly the length of the sofa, so she settled between his legs, reclining against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. Once their laughter subsided, they both stared up at the starry night sky and released a contented sigh.

  “So . . .” she began. “As dangerous as the bouquet toss was, it appeared you had it far worse in the end.”

  “I was worried I’d have to put my SERE training to use to get away from her,” he said with a chuckle.

  “I’m sorry. I had no idea they’d act that way.” She turned so she could see his face. “But I really appreciate you coming, especially since you didn’t know anyone besides me.”

  He pulled her back against him and wrapped her up in his arms. “Don’t worry about that. I had fun. And the food was amazing.”

  “Was it?”

  He craned his neck so he could to see her face. “You didn’t eat?”

  “Didn’t get the chance.”

  Michael settled back against the corner of the sofa. “Well, I hate to tell you, but you really missed out.”

  “I did have a few bites of the ham and Swiss you bought. Sam ate a whole sandwich.” His laugh was a low rumble in her ear. “As much as I hate to admit you were right, it was a damn good thing you made me take them up to her room. She’d likely be passed out cold by now if it weren’t for that convenience store roast beef and cheddar.”

  “I’m glad to be of assistance.”

  She turned to look at him again. “If anyone owes you, it’s Bryce.”

  They both snickered a bit before the silence returned.

  As far as she was concerned, their time together had passed way too quickly. And even though she wasn’t ready for the night to be over, for this thing, this arrangement between them, to be over, the fact remained she would still be leaving in a month.

  Her practical side said to go ahead and put an end to it tonight, just as planned. Treat it like the proverbial Band-Aid and rip it right off. But her other, less practical, side told her to soak up every possible minute she could and just enjoy the time they had. Because in a month, she would be far away from family, from friends, from the only job she’d ever known, and she’d need these memories to keep her warm at night.

  A cool breeze kicked up off the water sending a shiver right through her. Immediately, Michael tightened his arms around her and lowered his mouth to her ear. “So I guess this is it, huh?”

  She shifted in his embrace, turning just enough so she could see his face. “What do you mean?”

  “The dress fit, the wedding’s done,” he said matter-of-factly. “We’ve reached the end of our agreement. This is where we go our separate ways.”

  Even though she was the one who made the rules in the beginning, set the strict guidelines and established the deadline for this fling, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye now that the time had arrived. Not just yet. “I guess once you agreed to be my date, I always assumed we’d at least have tonight.”

  The corners of his eyes crinkled. “That’s really good to hear.”

  With those words the giant knot in her stomach eased and she breathed a sigh of relief having delayed the inevitable. But she promised herself that tomorrow she would be ready to let him go.

  Immediately, she rose to her feet. “Give me a few minutes to say goodbye to everyone and we can get out of here.”

  “Actually . . . I booked a room.” A slow smile spread across his face. “Just in case, you know, we had too much to drink and didn’t want to drive home.”

  “In that case,”
she said, holding out a hand to him, “what are we waiting for?”

  After retrieving her things from Sam’s room and saying goodnight to her parents, Kacie headed up to their room on the twelfth floor while Michael grabbed his overnight bag from his car. Kacie placed the key card on the dresser and made her way to the balcony, easing back the curtains and opening the sliding door. From this height, she could easily see the tourists walking along River Street and the hotel pool down below, along with the outdoor sofa where she and Michael had sat just moments before.

  She was so caught up in the scenery that she didn’t hear him come in until he called her name.

  “How’s the view?” He asked as she stepped back into the room.

  There was something about the way he looked at her while he removed his tie. Something that made the butterflies take flight in her stomach.

  “Amazing. You should really take a look.”

  As he unbuttoned his cuffs, he started toward the balcony, only to be stopped by a knock on the door. He smiled at her. “That must be room service.”

  “You ordered food?” As if the beautiful room for the night wasn’t enough.

  “Just a snack, really. You said you hadn’t eaten much.”

  He opened the door and the waiter made his way inside, placing a tray on the table.

  “Wine, beer, or water?” Michael asked as Kacie lifted the first cover, revealing a bowl of fresh strawberries. They were nice, but not something she was really craving after weeks of dieting. “Water, please,” she answered, investigating the second dish, which turned out to be a delicious hot pile of French fries. “I can’t believe you did this.” Kacie’s stomach growled as she snatched a long crinkle-cut strand from the plate. “I honestly didn’t realize I was starving until just this moment.”

  Michael handed her an opened bottle of water. “If you like that, wait until you see what this is.” With dramatic flair, Michael lifted the third cover, revealing a huge slice of chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.