“But…” His ‘yes’ fills me with anxiety.
Alex heaves a deep sigh and rolls onto his back, removing his arm from me. I prop myself up on my elbow. He stares at the ceiling with a hard look on his face. A sinking feeling takes hold, one that feels vaguely familiar.
The morning after our birthday party tryst, Alex got a text message from Cadence that set my teeth on edge. The message was a little too intimate to be from a simple friend. Once I added up the contents of her message with his strange behavior around her the night before, too many questions lingered. I high-tailed it out of the hotel before giving him the opportunity to explain. Maybe that was a mistake.
“I need to tell you something,” I begin.
He turns to face me.
“The morning after we were together, at the hotel, I was in the bathroom and your phone started ringing. I didn’t answer it but I saw who was calling. It was Cadence.”
His expression remains unchanged, unsurprised.
“She left you a text message and I know I had no right, but I read it. She’d wanted to know why you hadn’t made it home and she said she was worried about you.”
His eyes drop, sad and defeated. Electricity shoots through me, making me hyper sensitive to everything. The room is too quiet, the air too still. I just want him to say something, anything.
No, that’s not true. I want him to say I was mistaken. That I’d taken the message out of context and it didn’t mean what I was afraid it might.
But he doesn’t.
“Are you in love with her?” I ask.
His head moves side to side slowly, but confidently. “No.”
A small weight is lifted from my chest. “Are you…have you…been…with her?”
“No.”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Charlie--,” He pauses to capture some of my hair between his fingers. “I do want to be with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but it’s complicated. With my family.”
“Your family? Why?”
Alex rolls back onto his side to face me again. He runs his hand through my hair, bringing my face closer to his. “They’re not good like you.”
I give him a small smile. “You met my aunts. We’re not exactly the Waltons.”
He looks away from me for a moment. “You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand? Is it because my family’s poor?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then what is it?”
He looks down, frustrated before meeting my eyes. “They ruin everything they touch. I couldn’t stand it if they hurt you.”
I place my palm against his cheek and try to reassure him with my eyes. “Then don’t let them. I’m ready to fight for this, Alex. For you. Please, just let me in.”
He applies pressure to the hand at the back of my head, pulling me in for a hard, passionate kiss. I return it with everything I’ve got.
Alex leans in for several smaller kisses, working me into a frenzy before pulling back. I follow his lips forward, claiming them once more before allowing him to speak.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. Are you?”
His thumb rubs across my cheek. “I’m sure about you.”
Chapter Five
Forty-Two Days Until Wade Double Dips In the Caviar
“Charlie we’ve got ourselves an emergency.” Brook yanks my elbow in the direction of the buffet table and points. “I
told
Jolene to leave them idiots at home.”
Cousin Wade, in full view of my sister’s future grandmother-in-law, removes a hand dripping in liquid chocolate from beneath the elegant fondue fountain, and sticks all four fingers in his mouth.
Grandma Chamberlain shudders.
Wade goes back for seconds.
“Oh Jesus, no.” I walk as quickly as I can, stopping just short of a jog. I can’t erase the image our cousin double dipping from the old lady’s mind, but I can stop him before he moves on to the ice sculpture.
“Wade, come here.” I wave him over as Brook comes up behind me, her hair extensions flying in every direction.
He smiles stupidly and walks toward us, licking his thumb. “Hey ‘cuz. Quite a party, huh?”
“Wade, you can’t stick your fingers in the fondue.”
He sighs, rolling his eyes. “I’m not a complete idiot, Charlie. I know it’s not finger food.”
“Then what the hell were you doin’?” asks Brook.
“They forgot to put out the
spoons!
I had to improvise.”
It’s not often my cousins surprise me. I’ve seen them try to get toothpaste back into the tube, but this… “Wade, you’re supposed to run pieces of fruit under the chocolate. It’s why they’ve got those skewers laid out.” I point to the stack of wooden fondue sticks lying to the side of the fountain.
A dawn of comprehension washes over his face. “Ohhh. Yeah, that makes more sense.”
Brook shakes her head in disbelief. “I told your Mama not to smoke menthols when she was pregnant with you.”
Grandma Chamberlain eyes us with filtered disgust and moves away. Great. One more in-law I can add to the growing list of people who won’t be attending Thanksgiving dinner in Harlow County.
“Brook, do me a favor and wrangle up the rest of his brothers.” I jut my thumb toward Wade. “I promised Paige I’d keep an eye on Aunt Patsy. She’s after Ken’s newly-widowed uncle.”
“Oh yeah, I saw him earlier. She’ll be after him like a fly on shit.”
“Why? Is he good looking?”
“Nah. He’s rich, sick, and partially deaf.”
The trifecta as far as my aunt is concerned. I leave Brook to round up the rest of Jolene’s boys, Wayne, Wendell, Walter, and Willy. I search the crowd for my gold-digging aunt. Fortunately, someone much better crosses my path.
“Hey, you.” Alex trails a finger across my forearm. We agreed it would be best not to go public with our relationship until after the wedding. It’s a really hard promise to keep when he smiles and reveals his dimples to me. They crease each cheek in such an endearing manner, I want to lick his face.
“Hey back,” I say.
“So, are you enjoying yourself?” Alex’s relaxed posture is a strong indication that he has yet to meet up with any member of my extended family.
“I’ve been a bit preoccupied helping Paige. The serving staff showed up short a waiter and she asked me to sort of oversee the food and drink situation.”
Alex drops his gaze to the ground and huffs. When he looks back up, it’s with a pinched expression. “Are you serious?” His voice is tinged with irritation. “She asked you to be a waiter at her engagement party?”
I wave my hands. “No, no, no, she didn’t ask me to be a waiter. Technically,
she
didn’t ask me to do anything at all.”
“I don’t understand.”
I’m not explaining this properly. Flustered, I lay a reassuring hand on his arm, forgetting momentarily about our plan to keep things secret. I snatch it back quickly. “She just wants everything to be perfect is all, and she sent Cadence to ask me if I’d mind helping.”
He rolls his head back and closes his eyes. “Cadence asked you?”
“Yeah.”
He looks at me, a trace of cynicism in his eyes. “I’m not so sure they’re short a waiter, Charlie.”
“I don’t understand.”
Alex boxes me in and places a hand at my waist. I look around us, afraid someone will see, but we’re hidden from view by a large white gazebo. The longer he looks at me, the stupider I begin to feel.
“Don’t overreact, but I think this may just be Cadence being…Cadence.”
I’m starting to feel like I’ve got a handful of fondue. “What’re you saying?”
“I’m saying that in a very misguided attempt to ensure things run smoothly today, she may’ve set various members of your family on tasks that don’t really need doing. I spotted one of your aunts refolding napkins earlier. I didn’t know what it was all about but now…”
I swivel my head in the direction of the party guests on the far lawn. Almost as soon as we got here, Cadence asked me to help with the food and drinks and she asked cousin Willy to help man the cigar bar. She seemed panicky; I thought we were helping.
“That unbelievable bitch.” I spin on my boot heel toward the party. “I’ll knock her veneers out.”
Alex grabs me around the waist and brings me hard against his chest. “Whoa!”
“Let me go,” I say, struggling. “I’m sick and tired of that woman. It’s time I put her in
her
place, for once.”
“Going after her in this crowd is just giving her what she wants.” His voice is calm and even against my ear. “She’s jealous of you, baby.”
The endearment falls so naturally from his lips it instantly calms me. I relax against him. “What’s she got to be jealous of? She’s the Maid of Honor, after all.”
“Yes, but you’re still Paige’s sister. And you’re the most beautiful woman here, including the bride to be.”
“You’re just saying that because you want to get laid later on.”
Alex turns me back to face him. “I’m saying it because it’s true. It’s been torture, watching you walk around all afternoon and knowing I’ve got to wait until later to do this.” His lips are warm and soft and I completely forget where we are as I let him devour me.
It’s been three long days since our last kiss. The newness of it still thrills me. I suck his top lip between my own and use just a hint of tongue to tickle him. He smiles against my mouth then pushes against me, deepening the kiss. I return his lust, full force, not caring if Paige, Daddy, or Jesus himself turns up to see us.
I wiggle my arms out from between us and wrap my hands around his neck. Alex pulls me closer and with his arms wrapped around my waist, lifts me from the grass so I’m as tall as him.
“Aren’t you,” I say, between kisses, “worried,”
kiss
, “anyone,”
tongue
, “will see us?” I sigh, pulling away from his mouth.
“Baby, I’d make love to you on the champagne tower if you’d let me.”
Something very hard bumps against my leg, just above my knee, and I’m tempted to see if he’s serious. Unfortunately, rational thought takes over. “You better put me down. I don’t want to risk being accused of stealing my sister’s thunder and of being a useless redneck, all in one day.”
“You want a red
neck
?” Alex grins and brushes my neck with his lips. “I can help you with that.”
He tickles me cruelly for a minute but deposits me on the ground when I can no longer suppress my yelps of laughter.
“You look beautiful today, by the way.” He cups my cheek with his hand. “The dress matches your eyes perfectly.”
I smile, knowing I made the pairing purposefully.
Alex loves the light sea-blue of my eyes. I’d briefly considered completing the look with a pair of black heels but knowing the party was to be held on the sprawling lawn of Ken’s parent’s home, I thought my cowboy boots would be a wiser decision. The last time I wore heels in a garden around Alex, I ended up getting spanked in my hotel room.
I may have made the wrong decision...
I adjust my dress and run a finger beneath my bottom lip, hopefully removing the evidence of our mini make-out session. Once I’m reasonably sure I don’t look like we’ve been doing what we’ve been doing, I ask, “So, now that I’m
off the clock
, you want to give me the grand tour?”
Alex extends his hand before him. “It’d be my pleasure. In fact, there’s something I’d like to show you.”
“Lead the way, dimples.”
Ken’s family estate is truly breathtaking. The sweeping front lawn is peppered with white linen-covered tables featuring overfull centerpieces of white and pink lilies. The house acts as an imposing backdrop behind the neatly trimmed hedges and bright-colored rosebushes. Red brick with leaded windows and curved spires make it look more like Camelot than a ranch in northern Texas.
As Alex leads me up a gravel path in the lawn, I try my best to fit in. Not for the first time, I wonder how Paige does it. Moving from the Pueblo Princess Trailer Park into the high society of Dallas’s elite seems like an impossible transition, yet here we are. My baby sister’s got more nerve and determination in her little finger than I’ve got in my whole body.
Alex stops very suddenly. His whole demeanor changes. Back straight, jaw set, he looks like a man ready for a fist fight. I follow the direction of his stare and watch as a man ambles toward us. He’s tan, extremely well dressed in a creamy linen suit and a salmon colored shirt. With his combed-back salt and pepper hair he reminds me of the Dos Equis man. I can tell by the expression on his face that he doesn’t attend parties often, but when he does, he attends the shit out of them.
“Alex.” His voice is smooth with a trace of an accent. I meet his gaze and smile politely. His eyes are a deep brown, just like--
“Charlie, this is my father, Juan Ramirez.” His words are curt, void of the pleasantries you expect when being introduced to someone’s parent.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Ramirez.” I extend my hand.
“Please, call me Juan.” He takes my hand.
Next to me, Alex is as stiff as a straight shot of whiskey. “Charlie is Paige’s sister.”
Juan’s expression brightens. Clearly he’s another admirer of my beautiful, clever little sister. “Of course you are. I should have recognized it immediately. You have her same coloring and, dare I say, beauty.”
I begin to thank him for the compliment, but Alex interrupts me.
“We were actually just going to find Paige and Ken, so if you’ll excuse us.“ Alex places his hand on the small of my back.
“They’re having some photos taken. I think they’ll be some time.” His tone dismisses the excuse to leave. Although he’s shorter than Alex by several inches, Juan feels more imposing and his eyes, so like those of his son, are calculating rather than kind.
Alex’s hesitation over me meeting his parents hasn’t bothered me much. Even at my age, meeting the parents is a nerve-wracking business. But his reaction to his father feels much more like fear or dread. It makes me nervous.
“So, Charlie,” he pronounces my name with long vowels, sounding it out, “how do you and my son know one another?”