“Hush.”
“Seriously, though, if you don’t mind taking her someplace with a lot of, uh, old memories, the ice rink has open skate this afternoon.”
Dex snorted. “If I only took her to places in Westfield where I’d never taken Jessie, I could only take her to places built after the breakup. It’s a small town. Jessie and I went everywhere here, especially if it was even slightly romantic.”
As high school sweethearts, he and Jessie had probably found every niche and alcove in the town where they could share a few kisses and fumbled fondles. They’d had more than a few dates at the ice rink in town, but it held no special significance to him. No major firsts had occurred there, unlike the little theater down by the courthouse, where he’d had his first ever kiss, or the church they’d be standing in for Tommy and Jill’s wedding, where she’d left him at the altar. He couldn’t avoid memories of Jessie in Westfield. He could only make new ones here with Lena.
“Maybe I’ll just see what Lena wants to do today. Give her the options and let her choose.” He pushed back from the counter. Standing, he put his plate and coffee mug in the dishwasher. “Thanks for breakfast, Mama. I’m going to take Lena’s coat out to her before she freezes out there.”
Grabbing her jacket—and one of his brother’s jackets for himself since his own was covered with blood—he stepped out on the deck and caught a snippet of Lena’s conversation.
“Yes, Dex will be attending with me. I did RSVP for myself and a plus one for a reason.”
She smiled up at him softly when he wrapped her coat around her shivering shoulders. She mouthed a thank you at him before rolling her eyes at something her mother must have said.
“I know that, Mother. And believe me, I am fully aware of the expectations that you and Father have for my behavior. I trust Dexter to behave in an appropriate manner.” Her lips thinned out to a barely visible line. She grew silent and while he couldn’t make out the words, he could just make out that her mother was lecturing on the other end of the call.
The seriousness on her face and the formal way she spoke to her mother struck him as unacceptable. Today was supposed to be a fun day and he didn’t want to let her mother ruin that for her. The witch had already stolen the sparkle from Lena’s eyes. Needing to see her smile, Dex stuck his thumbs to his ears and wiggled his fingers while making a cross-eyed face.
Lena snorted and spun away from him. “Of course I wasn’t laughing at you. That was a sneeze.”
She looked back over at him and grinned. Her shoulders shook in silent laughter, and her eyes once again contained a glint of delight.
Mission accomplished.
“I’m sorry, Mother, but I really do need to go. We are attending a luncheon with his parents and it would be unacceptable for me to be late.”
She ended the call and stepped up to him, pressing her face against his chest. His heart thudded against his rib cage as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Thank you for that,” she murmured, her voice muffled. “She drives me crazy.”
“I could tell.”
“Lecturing me about behaving in a manner befitting a Franklin while I’m here as well as at the gala, as if I hadn’t attended dozens of formal events at their sides throughout the years. I think if I’d told her you were standing next to me, she’d have given you a lecture on expectations as well. Actually, you should probably expect one once we get to California.”
The loud sigh of resignation Lena gave sank deep.
“Well, if she gives me a lecture, I promise not to hold it against you. We really do need to head out soon to get to the restaurant on time, but you have time to change if you want.”
“Is my outfit unacceptable?” Lena stiffened against him.
Open mouth, insert foot.
“You look amazing. I did not mean to imply otherwise. I have this condition where my mouth works faster than my brain. It gets me in trouble a lot.” Squeezing her close, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “After lunch, what do you say to a craft fair or ice skating?”
“Changing the subject from your gaffe?”
“Trying to.” He tipped her head up to his and met her eyes. “You really do look stunning. This isn’t going to be anything formal, so jeans and a sweater are perfect.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“So, will you spend the afternoon with me?”
“Are you asking me on another fake date?” Mischief brightened her expression.
“Who said it was fake?”
The pull to put his lips to hers nearly got the best of him. He’d been aching to kiss her since he walked into the kitchen to find her with flour on her face. When her arms slid up around his neck and she rose up on tiptoe, he groaned. Tightening his arms around her, he pressed his forehead to hers. His voice was low and ragged when he said, “We kiss and this is real.”
Lena stiffened. She dropped down from her toes and moved to step back. “Didn’t you say we had somewhere to be?”
“Hmm... I think the lunch is optional.” He tried to bring her back into his embrace, but she was too evasive.
“Nice try.” Lena stepped away from him, and this time he allowed the separation. “I’m pretty sure that as the best man, your presence is expected.”
“But I get some alone time later, right?” he negotiated, knowing she was right. He had to attend. Not attending would get him strung up by his ears. But in this moment, he wanted to convince Lena to take a risk on him. Only then could he get her out of his system. “An actual real date?”
Smiling at him a little shyly, Lena nodded. Her voice was soft when she said, “I think I’d like that.”
* * *
A short while later, Dex ushered her to his SUV so they could head into town. Butterflies fluttered about in her stomach and she couldn’t decide if it was in remembrance of the embraces on the Henry’s back deck or worries about meeting his ex-fiancée.
Westfield was a twisty maze of narrow streets that flowed along the side of the mountain. And the curves did nothing to settle her stomach.
“Are you sure we have to do this?” Dex slowed to a stop to allow a group of kids to run across a brick crosswalk to the playground on the opposite side. “It’s not too late to make a break for it and head back to Nashville.”
“Ha!” Lena poked playfully at Dex’s arm. “Only if you tell your mother face-to-face, because I don’t want the fallout of her finding out after the fact that you snuck out of town like the paparazzi are hiding behind every bush.”
Groaning, Dex turned right. “This is going to be horrendous.”
“I hate to see what you’ll think of my family dinners, then. Your family is nothing compared to mine. Trust me. We got this.”
She tamped down her nerves. Promises had been made and she wouldn’t go back on them. Turning her gaze to the view outside the car window, Lena focused on the uniqueness of the little town. City planning seemed lax and every building appeared to have been borrowed from a different architectural era. Somehow, it fit together as a beautiful and cohesive patchwork.
Dex pulled to a stop in front of the steakhouse. “Not sure I’m ready for this.”
“Seeing her again?” Lena asked, placing her hand over his.
“Yeah.” He winced. “Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t have said that since I have you here as my date. I didn’t mean...”
“I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to see Connor again.” She sighed. A century would be too soon, but there was a good chance he’d be at the New Year’s Eve gala, and that thought was sobering.
Taking her hand in his, Dex brought it up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on her wrist. “He didn’t deserve you.”
“I know.”
Dex laughed. “Good to see you found a little of your self-esteem, at least.”
At
barely more than a whisper, she confessed, “It’s only because I’m with you. You make me feel like I’m really worth something.”
“Good.” His gaze was hot and intense. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
She cupped his cheek with her palm. “I’m not stopping you.”
With a groan, Dex leaned across the center console to kiss her but stopped a breath away from their lips meeting when there was a tap on the glass. He muttered a curse under his breath before straightening up.
An older version of Dex stood outside the vehicle, grinning from ear to ear.
“My dad,” Dex explained unnecessarily. He turned the SUV off and got out, hugging his dad and laughing.
Why can’t I have that?
Again, Lena found herself envious of his relationship with his parents. Her dad would never hug her like that in public. He barely offered the occasional hug in private. They just didn’t have a lovey-dovey relationship.
When—if—she ever had children, she’d make sure they knew they were loved and wanted from the moment of conception, and not merely because she wanted an heir. She wanted them to have the same carefree joy that Dex must have had in childhood to have such a warm personality and loving relationship with his family. The more she got to know him, the more she saw the truth of the man inside. And the more she liked. Oh, boy, did she like what she saw when she looked at Dex.
Sighing, she reached for the door handle just to have the door opened before she could touch it. Another Henry male stood in the opening. Same dark hair, same broad frame, but this one had a beard darkening his jawline.
“I’m guessing you are Tommy,” she said.
Grinning down at her, he nodded. “And you must be Lena. I’ve heard so much about you.”
She glanced toward Dex. “Oh?”
“You’ve really gotten to him, you know. And from that smile on his face, I’d say that’s a very good thing.” Tommy held a hand out and assisted her out of the vehicle. “It’s good to see him happy again.”
Smiling back at Tommy, she said, “He makes me happy too.”
The thoughts of her and Dex making each other happy flooded her mind and sparked a boatload of questions. Was Dex a good actor? Or was he really and truly happier than he had been the last time his family had seen him? And if he was happier, then what part did she play?
Before the landslide of emotions tied to those questions took her out, Lena let a tease slip from her lips uncensored. “Did the sale fall through once the potato was gone or did your grandfather return you as defective merchandise?”
“Ha!” Tommy chuckled, loud and deep. His laugh had a similar sound to Dex’s but it didn’t affect her like his brother’s did. “They told you about that, huh?”
She eyed him up and down. “I’d have sold you for a snow cone.”
Tommy laughed harder. His eyes watered and he was gasping for air before he could get his breathing under control. “I bet you don’t take any sass, do you? You couldn’t be more perfect for Dex if you tried.”
Tommy’s words warmed her heart. She smiled over at Dex, who was still on the other side of the SUV talking to his dad, and he winked when they made eye contact.
She loved the way he seemed aware of her, even when he wasn’t right at her side. It made her feel loved, more than she’d ever had with Connor or anyone else she’d dated.
Oh, no.
Closing her eyes, she swallowed hard. She couldn’t start loving things about Dex! That wasn’t part of the plan. This was spiraling out of her control. And she’d already agreed to go on a real date with him later today. Nervous energy washed over her. What had she gotten herself into?
“Hey, you okay?” Dex asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You just got really pale all of a sudden.”
With a forced smile, she nodded. “I just need to eat, I think.”
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he leaned in close. Whispering softly in her ear, he asked, “Are you sure that’s all? You could tell me if there was something bothering you. I’ll find a way to fix it.”
He’d come around the vehicle in seconds once he’d noticed her reaction. How could she not fall for a man who cared enough to watch her expressions like Dex did? He was so observant. Now more than ever, Lena couldn’t believe any woman would be stupid enough to leave him standing at the altar.
She leaned her head against Dex’s chest and inhaled his scent. “I’m okay. Really.”
But was she?
She was falling in love with Dexter Henry, playboy general surgeon. Despite the warnings and initial red flags, Dex was a genuinely good man. That’s what made him so easy to fall for. He was kind, considerate, and had a smile that could unlock the most guarded of hearts. But Dex had made it crystal clear that he was only looking for short-term. She had no doubts he’d be interested in kicking their fake relationship up to a full-blown sexual relationship for the duration of the holidays, but it was the concern about what happened when they went back to Nashville in January that gave her pause.
If they got involved and then he stuck to his love ’em and leave ’em pattern, she’d have to look at him every single day at work. She’d gone that route with Connor and the fallout had sent her fleeing across the country when the full details of their unfortunate affair reached the lips of the rumor mill. Where would she go if things with Dex blew up at Metro Memorial?
She sighed and snuggled in closer to his chest. Which was the exact opposite of what she should be doing... She took a deep breath and his scent filled her nostrils. This would be so much easier if Dex didn’t feel and smell like home.
He whispered in her ear, “Are you ready to do this? I’m not sure I am, but I feel like I can face her finally with you at my side. You give me strength.”
Heart slamming into her ribs, Lena tried not to read too much into his words. Really, she did. But his words gave her hope that he was starting to think long-term, and maybe, just maybe, falling for her like she was falling for him. Hope led to excitement. If he was feeling the same, maybe they could make this more than a holiday fling.
Filling her lungs with Dex-scented air, Lena straightened her spine and pulled her courage around her like a protective cloak. Her mother and her grandparents before her were pillars of Los Angeles society, and Lena could fake her way through an awkward dinner with the best of them.
“Absolutely,” she said, pleased to hear that there was not even a hint of a quiver in her voice. “Let’s get this meeting over with and get some food. I’m hungry.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
DEX LED LENA inside the restaurant, guiding her with his hand on the small of her back. He wasn’t sure what had upset her outside, but something had. She seemed to have put it out of her mind, though. She had a smile on her face and held her head high as she walked by his side. Still, something about the way her eyes shifted around the restaurant was less curiosity at new surroundings and more nervousness.
Tommy motioned them toward the back room where the party was being held. He hadn’t stopped smiling today. Tommy had found his perfect match and Dex had never been happier for him.
He steeled his resolve as they stepped through the doorway into the reserved room. His mom sat at the end of the table just inside the door talking to Mary. Mary had a cell phone in her hand, swiping through what looked like a series of beach pictures. His future sister-in-law, Jill, was at the far end of the room. The smile on Jill’s face was as big as the one on his brother’s as she stood there talking to his aunt Peggy. He recognized one of Jill and Jessie’s aunts sitting with Ray.
But the one person he’d expected to see wasn’t there.
He looked around, thinking somehow he’d missed her, but no. Jessie wasn’t there. A wave of frustration washed over him. He’d been ready to see her, ready to get this first meeting over with, and it was a letdown to find that she wasn’t there.
<
br /> “Dexter!” Ray saw him and came over. The older man started to give him a hug, but then switched it at the last second to an awkward handshake. “It’s been a long time. How have you been?”
Years ago, Ray would have hugged him, no question. Now, though? It was awkward. The pain of that resonated deep in his gut. He and Ray had always had a good relationship. Jessie had broken that too.
Okay, maybe he’d contributed by vanishing to Nashville and barely returning, but Ray hadn’t reached out to him, either.
“I’m good, Ray.” He took Lena’s hand in his. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Lena.” He made the introductions and some small talk with Ray for a few minutes. He wanted to ask where Jessie was, but he didn’t out of respect for the woman at his side.
Ray began to look uncomfortable. He shifted from one foot to the other and didn’t make eye contact when he asked, “Uh, Dex, you did hear that Jessie’s coming home for the wedding, right?”
Just the opening he needed.
“I did, actually. I’m glad to hear it. I can only imagine how much you and Mary have been missing her. You haven’t seen her since our rehearsal dinner, have you?” He rubbed his thumb along Lena’s hand, hoping to keep her aware that he was grateful for her presence.
“Not once. She didn’t even call us for the first year or so.” Ray sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But she’s promised Jill and Mary that she’d be here for this wedding.”
He didn’t look happy about that fact. And Dex didn’t blame him. They’d always been such a close family. It had to be eating at them that she’d abandoned her family like that.
“Ah, well, then the wedding’s serving a dual purpose?”
With a wry smile, Ray shrugged. “I’ll believe she’s coming in when I see her. She called and said they bumped her flight back until tomorrow night. She’s still supposed to be here in time for the wedding, though.”
So he had another day without having to face her. He could live with that. “At least you’ll have her home for Christmas this year.”
A Nurse, a Surgeon, a Christmas Engagement Page 12