Excerpt from His Brother's Bride-to-Be by Patricia KayA scene from the beginning of Chapter Three Stephen felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. When Elliott's fiancé had first walked into the room, Stephen had only thought how beautiful she was. It wasn't until Elliott brought her forward to introduce her, and Stephen had looked into her eyes, that he'd been shocked to realize she wasn't a stranger. That, in fact, the woman who had captured Elliott’s heart was the girl he'd never been entirely able to forget. J.J. His J.J. The beautiful nineteen-year-old with whom he'd spent five passion-filled days and nights at Padre Island during spring break when he was a twenty-two-year-old college senior. He'd met her on the beach. She'd been with a group of girls; he'd been with some of his frat brothers. He still remembered the instant attraction that had ignited between them, an attraction that had only grown as the days went on. He also remembered how stung he'd been by the way she'd left without a word to him. It had happened on Friday. They'd been together Thursday night, and after walking her back to her cottage at sunrise, they'd made arrangements to meet later that afternoon. But she hadn't shown up, and when he went to her cottage to see what had happened, one of her roommates said she'd been called home. "Did she leave a message for me?" Stephen had asked. The girl shook her head. "No, sorry." Stephen almost asked if she knew J.J.’s home address or phone number, but something stopped him. Later, he wasn't sure if his hurt feelings had prevented him asking or if, on some level, he'd already known it was probably best to just forget about her. After all, he was going back to Harvard and then would stay on for law school. And she was in college at Southwest Texas. Even that summer they would be thousands of miles apart, because he'd been offered a job as an aide in the Washington D.C. office of a senator he greatly admired. And he knew she had a job lined up, too. So even though he'd felt regret, he'd told himself there was no point in trying to contact her again. But he hadn't banked on just how hard it would be to forget her. Throughout the summer, at odd moments, she'd pop into his mind and stubbornly stay there. This happened most often when he was on a date. Somehow none of the girls he met that summer compared to J.J. Many times over the years he'd wondered about her. Wondered if she ever thought of him the way he thought of her. But he'd never tried to find her. Hell, all they'd really had together was a one-week summer romance and some great sex. Nothing more. Maybe it could have developed into something else, but that time was long gone. He was resigned to never seeing her again. But now here she was. In the flesh. And even more beautiful than she'd been as a girl. His brother's bride-to-be. Stephen's mind teemed with questions, yet how could he ask them? He knew she'd recognized him, too — he’d seen the knowledge in her eyes for one startled moment — but she hadn't acknowledged it, and under the circumstances, he didn't blame her. He doubted they would succeed in pretending they were simply casual acquaintances. He frantically searched his mind for something innocuous to say. "Elliott tells me he met you in Austin?" he finally managed. "Yes," she said faintly. Her face was pale. "Like I told you, it was love at first sight," Elliott said, beaming. "At least, on my part." Stephen hoped his smile disguised the turmoil going on inside of him. For the life of him, he couldn't think of a rejoinder. "Well, here you all are." All three turned at the sound of Caroline's voice. "I didn't know you were having drinks," she continued with a frown. "We've just started," Elliott said. "Join us. What would you like? And Jill? What can I get you?" "Um, a glass of white wine?" Jill said. "I want something stronger," Caroline said. Although it was clear to Stephen that Caroline was not going to make much attempt to be pleasant, he welcomed her addition into the group. Knowing Caroline, she would dominate the conversation, taking the pressure off him. Elliott walked over to the bar, and Caroline followed him. Jill, whose gaze flicked to Stephen, then quickly away, looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there. My God, she was beautiful with that cloud of golden-brown hair and those unbelievable tawny eyes with their thick eyelashes. Stephen couldn't take his eyes off of her. No wonder Elliott was so smitten. She still had that light dusting of freckles across her nose, he saw. He’d been entranced by those freckles. Looking at her profile, he remembered how, after they'd made love, he would trace the lines of her face. Her skin had been incredibly soft and warm, and she'd always smelled like fresh flowers. He swallowed. This situation was going to be impossible. How was he going to wipe those memories out of his mind when he was around her? How was he going to treat her the way he knew Elliott would want him to treat her? "Here you go, darling," Elliott said, walking over and handing Jill her wine. "Thank you." She smiled up at him. Caroline rejoined them, a martini in hand. Eyes on Jill, she took a large swallow. "Are you feeling better now?" she asked. "Thanks for asking, but I wasn't feeling bad. I guess I was just tired. I had a nap." Caroline's expression was filled with disdain. "I don't believe in sleeping during the day." Stephen looked at Elliott, whose own expression had hardened. "Normally, I don't either," Jill said pleasantly. "In fact, I couldn't believe how long I slept." Before Caroline could answer, Tyler and another, smaller boy burst into the room. "Mom, we're hungry!" Tyler said. "You don't have to shout, Tyler," Caroline said, but there was no sting in her words. She adored and indulged her son who, in Stephen's opinion, was abominably spoiled. "But we're starving, Mom," he said petulantly. "When're we gonna eat?" Stephen looked curiously at the other boy, who hung back. He belatedly remembered that Caroline had told him Jill had a son. The boy was good-looking, with clear blue eyes and brownish-gold hair the same shade as his mother's. He smiled shyly when his gaze met Stephen's. "Hi," Stephen said. "Hi." "This is Jordan, Jill's boy," Elliott said. "It's nice to meet you," Stephen said. He stuck out his hand, and the boy took it. They shook gravely. "Why don't you ask Marisol to give you a snack?" Elliott said to Tyler. "Tell her I said it was okay. Because it'll be another hour before dinner." "Okay, Grandpa," Tyler said. "C'mon, Jordan. Let's go find Marisol." Stephen noticed that Jordan looked to his mother before complying. When Jill nodded her okay, he took off after Tyler. Well-behaved, then. As the boys left the room, Stephen's gaze moved back to Jill. What was she thinking? he wondered, unable to fathom the expression in her eyes. Shaken, he looked away. Why hadn't he said something about knowing her? Now it was too late. Now if he said something, Elliott would wonder why he hadn't before. And yet . . . Stephen didn't like keeping something this important from Elliott. He had almost decided to try for a casual tone and say something like You know, Jill, you look familiar. Have we met before? But then Caroline said, "When did you meet Daddy?" Again the question was addressed to Jill. By now Jill and Elliott were seated side by side on the large sofa that faced the fireplace, and Stephen had taken one of the side chairs. Caroline appropriated the rocking chair that had been her mother's favorite. Smiling up at Elliott, Jill said, "Actually, we met because he came into the gallery where I worked to buy a birthday present for you, Caroline." "This past birthday?" Caroline said sharply. Stephen almost laughed at the myriad expressions that flitted across Caroline's face. He remembered how pleased she’d been with the painting. In fact, he’d heard her on the phone one day, bragging to one of her friends about the "good taste my father has." He could imagine what would happen to the painting now. It would probably soon adorn the nearest dumpster. "Jill's an art teacher and a wonderful artist," Elliott said. Once again, his voice rang with pride. "So you just met in February?" “Actually, it was in January,” Elliott said. Stephen wondered which was worse in Caroline's mind. The fact Elliott had only known Jill six months . . . or the fact that Adele had been dead only eight months when they'd met. "The moment I set eyes on her I knew it was meant to be," Elliott said softly, turning his attention back to Jill. Stephen couldn't look at Caroline. He knew exactly what she must be thinking now. For a long moment, no one said anything. The grandfather clock, which had belonged to Elliott's paternal grandfather, chimed the hour. The chimes sounded ominous to Stephen. He wished Caroline were different. Maybe if she were happy, she would be more inclined to want her father to be happy. Unfortunately, what happiness she did have seemed to be all wrapped up in filling her mother's role in Elliott's life. She reveled in playing hostess and in running his home. Now that role would be taken over by Jill. He hoped Caroline would eventually come to terms with Elliott's coming marriage. That one of these days, she'd accept Jill, maybe even become friends with her. But Stephen knew it was highly unlikely. Poor Elliott. Whether he liked it or not, eventually he would have to choose between his daughter and Jill. Realizing just what his brother had in store for him, Stephen knew he couldn't add to Elliott's worries or give Caroline any more ammunition to use against Jill. Best to keep pretending this was the first time he'd ever seen her. Decision made, he tried to relax. When Marisol finally announced dinner, Stephen rose gratefully. Just another hour or so, and he could escape to his own home. He tried not to think about the future. And he dare not think about the past. |
