Revenge

by Anne L. Parks

  I consider his offer. He has a point; it would be a waste of time for Jake to come in…and Reyes is offering. Of course, I'm sure this will not go over well with Alex, but then, I have all night to make it up to him.

  "Okay, if you're sure it's no bother, I'll take you up on it."

  He heads out of the door and turns back to me. "I'll grab a cart so we don't have to make multiple trips. Be right back."

  The drive out to Alex's is mercifully short. Reyes and I struggle to carry on a conversation, and my anxiety grows the closer we get to home. I should've let Jake come and get me. Reyes and Alex have never gotten along and are barely civil to each other.

  I direct Reyes to park in the circular drive so we can go in through the front door. I jump out of the car as soon as it stops. "I'll grab some help." I dart up the stairs and into the house before Reyes says anything. Jake and Alex come from opposite ends of the house, both giving me quizzical looks, questioning how I got here.

  "I have boxes to bring in. Jake can you help?" I ask.

  Jake heads for the front door, and out to the driveway.

  "How did you get here?" Alex asks, walks to the door and peers out through the glass. He faces me, drags in a deep breath through his nose, and looks less than pleased with my choice of drivers.

  "He insisted, Alex, and I just wanted to get home. This was the quickest way." I walk over to him, place my hands along his ribs, and give him a peck on the lips. "Don't be upset with me. I was desperate to get back to you as soon as I could."

  He presses his lips firmly against mine. "Fine, I'll help so he can get the hell out of my house sooner."

  The door opens, and Reyes comes in, glances around until he sees us. Something dark passes over his face. "Where do you want these?"

  "Uh, in the library," I answer, and point down the hallway. "I'll show you."

  Reyes starts toward me, Alex gives me a tight smile, and walks outside. I lead Reyes down the hall, push the library doors open, and turn on the lights.

  Reyes whistles through his teeth and surveys the room. "Nice digs. Is this your office?"

  "Yeah," I confirm, and point to an area to place the boxes. "Alex had it done for me…while I was in the hospital."

  Reyes nods, does another complete sweep of the room as Jake and Alex walk in. Jake stacks his boxes on top of the ones Reyes put down and walks out the door to grab another load. Alex places his boxes on the floor by the others.

  "Kylie, why don't you change and get comfortable. We can handle this," Alex says, his eyes trained on Reyes.

  "Okay." I head to the door, but don't make it very far down the hall before I hear Alex's voice, and it brings me to a halt.

  "After tonight, there should be no reason for you to be around Kylie, and I trust you'll stay away from her."

  "Kylie can make up her own mind about that," Reyes fires back. "You need to pay closer attention to her. There was an incident while she was living in the apartment. Some flowers were delivered—dead flowers—left on her kitchen counter. She called me to come over. By the time I got there, she was a nervous wreck. I told her I would look into it and see if I could find out who left them."

  "She shouldn't have called you," Alex grumbles.

  Damn.

  My pulse is racing. I should have told Alex about this. Now he's going to think I kept it from him.

  "Yeah, well she did, and I did a little digging around, found the delivery company, and paid them a visit. They gave me a description of the woman who dropped off the box for delivery. I showed them a picture of Kylie—"

  "How the hell do you have a picture of Kylie?" Alex bellows.

  "That's not really the point—the delivery guy was pretty sure, although he couldn't be one hundred percent certain, that Kylie was the person who paid for the delivery."

  What? Reyes never told me that part.

  "What are you insinuating? That Kylie sent dead flowers to herself? For what purpose?" Alex asks, a note of disbelief and—perhaps—desperation in his voice.

  "Kylie is cracking up. It's no wonder, really. You and Sysco have put her through the wringer. You know, the two of you aren't so different, Stone. You're both destroying her. I just hope she realizes it before it's too late and can salvage what's left of her sanity."

  Alex snorts. "And I suppose you'll be there to pick up the pieces, arms wide open?"

  "If she did come to me," Reyes says, and it sounds as if he is barely containing his anger, "I'd take care of her, cherish her the way she deserves, and I certainly wouldn't cause her pain and unhappiness the way you and Sysco have."

  I peek around the corner, Reyes and Alex are standing toe-to-toe, both ready to go to blows.

  "And another thing," Reyes continues, "I'd never, ever give her a reason to leave me."

  The words hit me like a punch to the gut. There's so much Reyes doesn't know about why I left or that I should've stayed and worked out our problems instead of running away.

  The front door closes, and I slip down the hallway to the bedroom before Jake finds me eavesdropping. I toss my suit onto the chaise, put on a pair of yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Sitting on the edge the bed, I pull on a pair of fluffy socks. Alex walks in, closes the door, and plops down next to me.

  "Everything okay?" I ask.

  He lifts his head off the bed slightly and opens one eye. "Yeah, boxes unloaded, Reyes is gone."

  "In one piece?"

  Alex chuckles. "Mmm, yeah, pretty much."

  I sprawl out next to him and roll onto my side to face him. "Good, because all I have been able to think about since you left the courthouse was all the time we have to make up for while I've been preparing for trial."

  "Did you have anything specific in mind you wanted to do?"

  I wrap my arms around him. He caresses my face, leans his head against mine, and takes a long, deep inhale. I gaze into his face, his eyes are closed, and contentment courses through every inch of my body.

  He opens his eyes and looks at me, a smile sliding across his face. "What?" he asks, his eyebrows scrunching up.

  "I'm just...happy," I say, grinning at him. "Really, really happy."

  And, for the most part, it's true. But something is shifting between us, and I get the distinct feeling Alex thinks I'm losing my mind.

  Who knows…maybe I am?

  33

  "We should be in the city in about two hours, and I'll head over as soon as I get there." This is the fifth phone call I've had with Ryan this morning. I roll my eyes at Alex, who just smiles and shakes his head. He's never seen calm, cool, collected Ryan have an anxiety attack—let alone five. "Ryan, you're going to be so exhausted, you won't be able to say your vows, if you don't slow down."

  "That's what you're there for, darlin'. If something happens to me, you have to step in. That's what a best woman does for the groom at his wedding," he says, jokingly.

  "No way, I'm not reciting your vows. With my luck, I'll end up being legally married to Paul, and I'm not at all comfortable with that." Ryan laughs, Alex whips his head around, eyes wide, and I burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Ryan, you should see Alex's face. It's priceless."

  "I can only imagine," Ryan says. "The only vows you give will be to him, and no one else, not even as a proxy."

  Alex is talking to Jake about something to do with his private jet, no longer paying attention to my conversation with Ryan. "Yeah, I wouldn't hold your breath on that one. I'm pretty sure that is not on his radar, at all."

  "Oh, it's on there—a big, bright blip that's most likely driving him insane, my fiercely independent friend."

  Alex…marriage? My heart does a flip at the thought. I used to dream about marrying the perfect guy—my prince charming—when I was a little girl, but those dreams faded when my parents’ marriage crumbled, and then vanished when I learned I would never have children.

  "Let's focus on your wedding, and get through that, shall we?" We pull up next to Stone Holdings’ private jet, and Jake gets out and opens ou
r door. "Okay, I'm about to board Stone luxury airlines."

  "Hmm, what kind of nuts do they serve?" Ryan chuckles.

  "You have a dirty mind," I say, shake my head, and wink at Alex as his eyes slide over to mine. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

  "Alright, darlin'. See you soon."

  "What was that all about?" Alex asks as we sink into the leather chairs across from each other and fasten our seat belts.

  I lean back in my chair, deposit my phone in my purse, and store it in the compartment next to me. "Ryan thinks you're going to sex me up during the flight."

  Alex takes my hand, and lifts it to his lips, his eyes dark and seductive. "Ryan's correct."

  * * *

  * * *

  I step out of the hotel room where Ryan is getting ready, and into the hallway. Alex is walking toward me but comes to an abrupt halt a few feet away. His eyes are wide, his mouth slightly agape, and he scans my body.

  "What?" I ask, and quickly look over my dress. Ryan will kill me if I've spilt something on it.

  Alex clears his throat. "You're wearing white."

  "Well, it's off-white," I stammer. "Besides, it's a wedding, someone has to wear a white dress."

  He wraps his arms loosely around my waist, allowing enough space between us to look me over once again. His eyes meet mine, and he pulls me close and kisses me. "You look so beautiful, baby. I won't be able to take my eyes off of you."

  "Good, I won't have to worry about taking down any other women," I murmur, before I press my lips to his, and he pulls my body close.

  "Jesus, you two," Paul interrupts us, and startles me. "You'd think you're the ones getting married."

  I smile, my heartbeat takes off, and I glance over at Alex. I'm sure he's turned white as a ghost at the mere mention of him and marriage. He smiles and gives me a playful wink.

  Not what I expected, at all!

  Paul holds out cufflinks and drops them into my hand. "Best woman duties," he quips, "you don't get to wear the dress, and have the title, without working for it."

  Alex leans in and kisses my cheek. "I'm heading down to get a good seat for the ceremony." He embraces Paul, wishes him luck, and my heart nearly bursts with happiness. "I'll see you down there, baby," he says to me.

  I watch him walk away, and then turn my attention to Paul and his cufflinks. I take a closer look at them—a Black Onyx, backward "R" joined with a titanium "P." "These are spectacular."

  "Yeah, they're a wedding present from Ryan. He has a pair, also. I'm surprised you didn't see them."

  "Me, too," I chuckle, "which means I better make sure he remembers to put them on." I straighten Paul's cuffs, and gaze up into his eyes. "You know how happy I am for you, don't you?"

  Paul takes my hands in his, gives them a gentle squeeze, and smiles at me. "I do. You know, the day I met you was one of the best days of my life. The second was meeting Ryan, and I owe you for introducing us. We were family from that moment on," he says, and lifts my hands to his lips. "Ryan and I—our relationship—wouldn't be as strong without you. You made it possible for us to discover who we really are, and that made it possible for us to fall in love."

  "The Three Musketeers, right?" I whisper, my voice cracks, and a tear rolls down my face.

  Paul wraps his burly arms around me and holds me tight against his chest. "I love you so much, K."

  "I love you, too, Paul."

  He releases me, and we both wipe the tears from our faces, and laugh. Paul's not usually one to get emotional, but I guess weddings bring that out in everyone.

  "I better go make sure Ryan hasn't feng shui'd the hotel room to eliminate any chance of something going wrong today." I go up on my tiptoes, and kiss Paul on the cheek.

  "Tell him nothing will go wrong. We've waited too long for this, and nothing's going to get in our way." Wow, Paul all touchy-feely twice in one day. This has to be a record. "Shit can go wrong tomorrow."

  And there's the smart-ass I know and love.

  * * *

  * * *

  I tap a knife against my champagne glass. A hush falls over the large reception hall, and all eyes turn toward me. Alex is true to his word, his eyes never venture far from me, even though the ceremony. I almost missed Paul and Ryan exchanging their vows because I was so caught up in a vision of Alex and me at our wedding. I don't know what's wrong with me—I'm not one for sappy, emotional weddings—and certainly not my own.

  I clear my throat. "For those who may not know me –"

  "Then you've been living under a rock," Paul interrupts, "or should I say – a stone."

  The room erupts in laughter. I glance at Alex, who is also laughing. "How long have you been waiting to use that?" I ask Paul. Heat rushes over my skin, up my neck, and floods my cheeks.

  Paul cocks an eyebrow. "How long have you and Alex been together?"

  "As I was saying, I'm Kylie Tate, the best woman, and in charge of giving the toast today." I smile at my two best friends, wearing matching titanium wedding bands, and happier than I've ever seen them. "It's hard to come up with the right words because anyone who knows the two of you—knows the deep love and respect you have for one another. There was a strong, solid commitment between you long before the exchange of vows we all witnessed."

  I lift my champagne glass, glance at the wedding guests, and lock eyes with Alex. "So, my toast is twofold. May you continue to grow in your love, find excitement in all your adventures, as well as in the mundane daily grind. May your commitment to each other only strengthen as you grow old together."

  I pause, my emotions ready to overflow, and I swallow over the lump in my throat so I can finish. "Most of all," I direct to my two best friends, "please continue to show and teach the rest of us how it's done, that true love does exist, and is possible if you never give up on it—or each other."

  I raise my glass over my head, everyone stands, and follows suit. "To Ryan and Paul, may all your dreams come true"

  Cheers and clapping echo through the hall. I tip my champagne glass toward Alex. He smiles and finishes his champagne. So many emotions course through me—the most disturbing is the idea of Alex and I and marriage. I've spent so many years accepting that kind of commitment was not in the cards for me. Alex and I promise always and forever, but we never discuss extending that promise to binding vows.

  I'm not even sure Alex wants to get married, but he didn't cringe when Paul made a joke about Alex and me getting married. And do I really want to get married? Right now—yes, but how much of that is being caught up in the excitement and romance of this day.

  That must be it. I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy because my best friends are so happy in their commitment, and I'm considering things I'm not sure Alex and I are even close to talking about, let alone actually doing.

  After dinner, the DJ opens the dance floor, and to my surprise, Alex is in a dancing mood. He takes my hand, and leads me onto the dance floor, snakes his arm around my waist, and takes my other hand in his. We sway to the upbeat love song. Alex swings me away and pulls me back into him, catching me completely off-guard, and I throw my head back and laugh.

  His lips are at my ear, hot breath warm against my skin, and whispers the lyrics, "I want love, I want us, I want you, I want me, I want peace." My heart melts and I swear I'm about to become a puddle on the floor at his feet. He grabs my earlobe with his teeth, sucks it into his mouth, and I gasp softly.

  "When are your best woman duties officially over?" he asks, his voice husky, his lips trailing kisses across my neck. "If I don't get you home soon, I may be tempted to find a dark corner and take advantage of you, Ms. Tate."

  "Dangerous talk, Mr. Stone, and a provocative idea I'm not completely adverse to," I respond, my lips crashing against his, and slip my tongue in his mouth, before I break the kiss. "But I do believe I have done everything required of a best woman and am free to go. I have to get my stuff out of the room Ryan and I used to get ready, though-"

  "Already had Jake get your stuff
," he says, holds my elbow, and guides us through the mob of dancers. Paul and Ryan are sitting at a table with some of the guests when we approach.

  "Are you two taking off?" Paul asks, and shakes Alex's hand as he rises from his seat.

  "Yeah," Alex confirms, and they give each other those weird man hugs that are something between a hand-shake and a chest bump.

  Paul grabs me, lifts me in the air, and squeezes me tightly. "Going to get some nookie, K?" he whispers in my ear. I smack his arm, but my grin gives me away. Paul laughs. "Yeah, you are. Have fun."

  Ryan embraces me and gives me a kiss. "I couldn't have done it without you, darlin'. Not any of it."

  "I'd do anything for you, you know that. This day means as much to me as it does to both of you. You and Paul have taught me so much about love and friendship, and what it means to be a family. There's no way to repay you guys."

  "You can repay us by finding the same love and happiness we've found with each other," Ryan says, and glances at Alex. "I think you've already found it. You just need to allow yourself to be loved without doubting you deserve it. He can give you the life you never thought possible—trust him, and trust in his love."

  I nod my response and kiss his cheek. Alex steps beside me, slides his hand into mine, and gazes at me with a smile on his face.

  "Ready to go?" he asks.

  "Ready," I answer, give a final wave to Paul and Ryan, and follow Alex out of the hotel and back to his penthouse.

  * * *

  * * *

  I lean against the backboard, pulling the sheet around me, as Alex hands me the bottle of champagne after he takes a sip. He nuzzles into my neck, nipping at my skin, while his hand sweeps over my breast.

  "You cannot be ready to go again so soon?" I take another swig of the champagne, pull my head back, and gaze at him.