The Maverick's Red Hot Reunion (Entangled Indulgence)

by Christine Glover

  A heaviness settled in her chest. She shook her head to swipe away the impending feeling of gloom and sorrow before entering her office. Though she’d wanted to go seek out her mother’s comfort, she’d refrained.

  No one. Not even her cousins or her parents could drive the pain out of her heart. Only the distraction of work and planning the fundraiser carried her through this crippling grief. Besides, she hadn’t had the heart to tell anyone the truth. Not when they all had such joy. There’d be time enough to deflate their happiness after the benefit—if it wasn’t already deflated by more bad news about her best friend.

  “Have you heard anything more about Michael?” she asked Caleb.

  He slipped a file into the cabinet in the corner, then closed it with a hitch of his hip. “His doctors are guardedly optimistic that he’ll be well enough to leave the hospital,” he said. “Zach’s got all the travel arrangements covered. And he’s with him now.”

  Her heart ached. Of course Zach had gone to help Michael. But had he already exposed their lie? How would that impact Michael’s health? She prayed he hadn’t told Michael anything. “That’s good. Really good.” She stepped into her office and shrugged off her coat. “Get me the historic downtown renovation file and call the mayor. I want to get the downtown architectural renderings ready for the New Year.”

  “Roger that.”

  Kennedy sank into her chair. “Double check the people with special needs.” Although the wing they’d dedicated to assist the handicapped guests had been outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and rendered wheelchair accessible, she wanted to eliminate any possible glitches before they held their benefit.

  A wave of nausea passed through her, making her dizzy. In her rush to accomplish the jobs of three people, she’d forgotten to eat. “And bring me a turkey sandwich. I need something in my belly.”

  “Will do.”

  Caleb exited her office and she lost herself in the daily distractions of emails, scheduling meetings, and coordinating the final details of the benefit. Though she’d eaten half her sandwich by nightfall, she’d given up any hope of suppressing the continual bouts of sickness.

  She tossed the remains in the trash and rose on unstable, wobbly legs. Whatever was wrong, Kennedy refused to let it stop her from giving the resort’s special guests and the man of the hour a stellar benefit.

  “Are you okay?” her mother asked when Kennedy went to check in with them at the lounge. “You look pale.”

  She sighed. “I think I have a touch of the flu, but I’m sure I’ll be fine by morning.”

  Her mother lifted to her tiptoes and kissed Kennedy’s forehead. “No fever.”

  Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Mom, that’s an old trick. I’ll probably have one by morning.”

  “Most likely you’ll just get sick and feel better for a while,” her mother chided, looking at her from top to bottom with the intensity of a terrorist interrogator. “When is the last time you had your period?”

  Horror swept through her. “How can you think I’d risk carrying a baby?” She held a shaky palm up. “There’s no way I’m pregnant.” They’d been careful to use condoms this time.

  “I remember that peaked look quite well, young lady.”

  Scratch interrogator and skip straight ahead to grand inquisitor of the universe. “Tell you what, Mom. I’ll take a pregnancy test in the morning just to prove you’re wrong.” She’d pop into the local drugstore later that day and buy one to ease her own mind, too.

  “Lovely.” Her mother caressed her cheek. “I’ll check in with you first thing. But no matter what, I’m sure Zach will be thrilled.”

  She moaned inwardly. Her days of thrilling Zach had ended. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” A good night’s sleep would cure her of the real reason for the nausea—her worry and concern about her family’s reaction to the news that she and Zach had never intended to get married.

  The cold winds blowing through the North Carolinian mountains mirrored the tundra chilling her soul. Her night was restless. She’d wake. Readjust pillows. Smack the covers with frustrated fists. Sleep came, but her dreams suffocated and strangled her. And when morning finally arrived, she fought to wake again.

  She mentally tabulated every sexual encounter she’d had with Zach. There was a chance, but slim at best. Still, here she stood in the bathroom, waiting for a sign that her mother had been wrong. She couldn’t possibly be pregnant, and the negative test result she fully expected would prove it.

  Memories of the first time she’d been in this position zipped through her mind. Though she’d been nervous about the outcome, Zach had been by her side all those years ago. This time, however, she faced the consequences alone. She closed her eyes, opened them again, and breathed in deeply as she lifted the stick to eye level.

  Her stomach hollowed. Two pink lines. Positive. This time the only dazed expression meeting hers was her shocked reflection in the mirror. Kennedy dropped the stick. It clattered on the tiles and echoed loudly in her ears as she sank to the bathroom floor.

  She gulped down breaths, holding them to the point of pain in her lungs. This couldn’t be happening. They’d been careful to use protection every time. Every. Single…

  …except…

  Black spots, a wave of dizziness coursed through her. No. The stick had to be wrong. No way could she know this quickly. She couldn’t be pregnant. Impossible. But then, they had been very passionate when they’d made love in Asheville, and condoms weren’t foolproof. Quickly, she picked up the test. Shook it several times. Reread the same telling lines.

  Pregnant.

  Knocked up.

  And this time there’d be no groom at the altar waiting for her at their hastily arranged shotgun wedding.

  She tossed the stick into the trashcan and scrunched her hair into a tight knot, twisting. The past bled into the present. Zach had never wavered when she’d shown him the results five years ago. He’d folded her into his arms, encouraged her with his enthusiasm, and embraced her with his love.

  Then there’d been laughter and kisses and acceptance.

  Once her parents had gotten over their initial surprise, they’d welcomed Zach into their family and wholeheartedly supported Kennedy. But how could she face them with this news when she no longer had a fiancé standing by her side? Giving her strength. Holding her steady.

  And what about the baby? Her chest tightened and jagged emotions scraped her belly into shreds. She’d wanted the first baby so much. Kennedy still had the toddler-sized construction hat that her father had presented to Little Girl Tanner at the baby shower.

  She heaved in more air and rocked. Losing her baby had carved a gaping hole in the fabric of Kennedy’s heart. Oh, how she’d loved Brianna. But she couldn’t fall in love with this child. It would hurt too much to have her ripped from her body and go through that kind of desolation again.

  Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. They burst through the logjam she’d erected to hold them at bay. She loosened her hold on her hair and dropped her head into her hands, no longer able to contain the river. The wailing and keening cries of her heart breaking all over again echoed in her ears.

  When she’d lost Brianna, Zach had been with her. His arms had enveloped her grief-wracked shoulders. His anguish had mirrored hers. She remembered how she’d clung to him after the nurses had gently taken the tiny body, which they’d wrapped in pink bunting. Tears sprang from her eyes anew. Oh, how she missed her baby.

  But during the dark days of mourning, she’d been so desperate to stop the wanting, to suppress her desire to become a mother, that in her anguish she’d driven him away. When he’d returned from his business trip with optimistic dreams to start making new babies, she’d told him she wished they’d never conceived their daughter.

  But the lie she’d shouted in a moment of postpartum depression and despair had more to do with saving herself than protecting Zach.

  Kennedy remembered begging him to fill her empty arms again. And he’d wanted t
o. But when she’d learned she could miscarry again, she’d pushed him away. And as much as she wanted to spare herself a rerun of the same horrific events, she clung to the thought that she was here because her mother hadn’t given up. And maybe, just maybe, she’d have a second chance after all.

  Kennedy looked down, cradled her abdomen, and allowed herself the first glimmer of hope. “It’s just you and me, little one. I promise I’ll do my part. You do yours. And, if we’re lucky, your daddy will come through for both of us.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Zach glanced around the ballroom, trying to catch sight of Kennedy. The resort’s newly hired staff had transformed the grand space into a fairy wonderland. Tiny lights and sparkling crystals decorated the white-clothed tables and covered dining chairs. Sprays of evergreen and holly and silver branches had been tucked into elegant, tall vases. The room had an ambient glow of candlelight, and each table held champagne bottles chilling in pewter ice buckets.

  He touched Michael’s shoulder. “You see Kennedy?” he asked.

  His best friend blinked and a recorded voice answered, “Not yet.”

  Zach’s throat tightened. Michael sounded different. Yet by using previously taped computer backups, his friend’s special speaking device mimicked his tone and inflection. Zach had given his friend the ability to talk, but he wished for more.

  He swallowed, then straightened Michael’s tie. “Picture looks good clipped to the wheelchair.” After he’d unearthed the time capsule they’d buried and opened the rusty lid, he’d discovered everything they’d put inside was intact. Everything including the photograph of Michael with his two best friends.

  “You should have waited.”

  “Screw that,” Zach said. “We don’t have time to wait.”

  “True,” Michael said. “Good thing you found the notes. Otherwise you might have hauled your stubborn behind back to New York.”

  He’d have let pride and ego drive away the one woman he couldn’t live without. “No way am I giving up on Kennedy.”

  Zach had come prepared. First he’d gone to his friend and confessed everything, but Michael had already connected the dots. After eating a generous portion of suck-it-up-shithead-pie served with a high dose of guilt, Zach had convinced Michael he was serious about winning her back.

  He’d spent the better part of three days formulating a plan to win her over. And, after getting the doctor’s permission for Michael to travel again, they’d returned to Sweetbriar Springs with Zach’s scheme in place.

  One Zach prayed would convince Kennedy to give him a third and final shot to get it right.

  He tugged his collar. “I’ll signal you if she says yes,” Zach said.

  “Quit stressing,” Michael’s recorded voice admonished. “Focus on perfecting your groveling.”

  “Thanks. I won’t let you down again.” Zach should have known he’d never fool Michael. His friend had almost died, and he’d lost his natural speaking ability, but he hadn’t lost his keen intellect.

  “There’s Kennedy,” Michael said, moving his head slightly to the left.

  Zach’s lungs expanded and he held his breath, fixated. Her fiery hair cascaded in waves around her face and accentuated the angles of her high cheekbones. She’d painted her lush lips a deep shade of crimson. Her long, strapless dress draped perfectly over her sleek build. The champagne colored beads glittered at her bodice, catching the lights and shimmering like stars.

  He blew out the air he’d trapped. “She’s incredible.”

  “You betcha,” Kennedy’s dad said, joining them. “You think you can convince my little girl to take you back?”

  Zach had also gone to Kennedy’s father with the truth. Asked for forgiveness. And officially begged for acceptance as his son-in-law. After eating another large serving of humble pie, her father had given his approval.

  “Damn straight.” Zach accepted the glass of fortifying scotch from her father and downed a healthy swallow. “I want Kennedy to grow old with me.” He was no one without her. She was the safe place he’d yearned to discover.

  He finished half of his scotch, then put the glass on a passing waiter’s tray. “Wish me luck.”

  “Son, if you’re honest with her, and willing to compromise, you won’t need luck.” Ken clapped him on the back.

  “Thanks, sir.” Coming from her father, that meant a lot. Zach looked at the man he wanted to keep in his life, and the friend he prayed would stay longer on the earth than all the dire predictions foretold. “Michael, no offense, but get lost. Ken, make sure he’s out of sight until I give the signal.”

  “Will do,” Kennedy’s dad promised.

  Zach waved them off and moved through the crowded floor space. He heard cutlery clinking against the china, the hum of chatter and laughter. The clatter faded with each step he took toward the woman he loved.

  A group of local business people circled Kennedy, talking about upcoming plans and renovations for her company.

  “The event planner you stole from the Palms Resort in Orlando has outdone herself,” he said when he reached her side.

  “Yes.” She played with a strand of her hair. “She can spin gold out of air under an incredible time crunch.”

  The people surrounding her nodded. “Yes. Lovely job,” a stout woman with a pug-shaped nose said. “Would you consider letting her provide outside services?”

  Zach shifted closer, inhaling Kennedy’s unique scent of spring water rushing over verbena leaves. “Absolutely.” He pressed closer. “As long as you use our catering staff.”

  A dusty rose flush crept up Kennedy’s chest and neck. “We’ll want you to refer Sweetbriar Springs to them,” she said, not missing a beat.

  “Of course,” the woman said.

  Kennedy smiled. “She’s by the chocolate fountain if you’d like to meet her.” She pointed to the other side of the room.

  “Gentlemen, follow me.” The stalwart local matron, wife of the mayor and the power behind the small throne, marched away with her companions.

  “Thanks for getting rid of her,” he said, wanting to touch her but afraid to move too quickly.

  “I was ready for a break,” she admitted, giving him a direct gaze.

  Bruises shadowed Kennedy’s emerald eyes, a translucent white pallor crossed her cheeks, and the thin lines of her tendons stretched taut in her neck’s slender column.

  His stomach clenched. She’d been suffering and he was the sole reason. “I’m sorry I coerced you,” he said. “And for the problems our fake engagement caused.”

  She indicated the back of the room with her chin. “I don’t want to talk about it tonight. This can wait until the morning.”

  “No. I’ve waited too long as it is,” Zach said. “Please, Kennedy. Hear me out.”

  Tears filled his strong princess’s beautiful green eyes. “There’s too much between us to go back. I can’t pretend that I haven’t been changed by everything that happened to us.”

  His breath temporarily bottled in his chest. Us. She’d used the word freely. She hadn’t completely booted him out of her heart. How could he convince his strong, beautiful woman that she was the only one for him?

  Around him the noise dimmed and time stretched wide. “I don’t want to go back.” He closed the scant distance between them. “I propose a different scenario.”

  Her breath hitched. “How different?” she asked.

  “One with no strings attached. One which would lead to a lifetime of happiness if you’ll take me back. If you’ll forgive me.” He clasped her hands, afraid to let her go, to let her escape again. This time he’d bind her to him for all the right reasons. “I want to walk into the future with you.”

  She swallowed, and her eyes gleamed. “I’d like that but…”

  Her cold palms chilled the blood flowing through his veins. Ice spiked his vocal chords. For an instant, the fear of losing her threatened his ability to voice the love blooming within his heart. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, counti
ng to ten, refusing to surrender to doubt.

  He raised her hands to his mouth, released the warm air in his lungs, and heated her fingertips. “I was wrong to push you to have another baby after we lost our daughter.” A tear slipped down her cheek. He swept the tiny drop away with his thumb. “And when you told me why you had been terrified to try again, I acted like a bullheaded fool.”

  She blinked and the moisture dewed her dark lashes. “I shut you out,” she whispered, tucking her chin down. “I was a coward.”

  His heart pumped faster. “You’re the bravest person I know,” he said. “Nothing could have prepared us for that kind of devastating loss.”

  Another shudder traveled through her body. “When you returned to Sweetbriar, I wanted to hope. I wanted so much more,” she said. “But I thought it was impossible.”

  He tilted her chin up and caressed her cheek. “After we broke up, life was gray and dull and old. I was living, but I wasn’t alive. When I’m with you, I’m at home. You’re my best friend, my lover, my heart, and my future.”

  “Zach, I…we…” Tears trailed down the planes of her beautiful face. “What if…”

  Her unfinished question suspended between them like a wrecking ball. Silence surrounded them as if everyone in the room had inhaled a collective breath.

  “A future without you would be like living in a never-ending winter.” Zach stroked her hair and brushed a strand from her temple. “You’re the spring meadows and warm golden sunshine sparkling off the Tennessee River on a clear day. You’re all the seasons of my life.”

  “I want you to have the future you deserve,” she said.

  Her voice wavered. He heard the indecision and the fear behind her courage. “I don’t want to live with anyone else. I only want you.” He kissed the top of her head, then gazed into her crystal green eyes. “I never really left Sweetbriar Springs five years ago. I couldn’t when my heart still lived here.”

  She touched his lips with her finger, shook her head slightly. Everything in Zach’s body tightened, seized, making him want to force her to say yes. But he knew if she were to deny him, he’d have to let her go.