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“Zach is different with her. I’ve never seen him so eager to please someone else—and be so damn happy about it. Seeing him this last week, so lost and hurting... I think he does love her. If he’s willing to take that chance, I’ll be happy for him. And I’ll have no problem reminding him of that if there’s ever a need.” He paused, shaking his head.
She knew he meant it, too. He had a protective streak that would include Bianca once she was family. “Who knew underneath all these hard muscles and tough attitude was a true romantic?”
“Guess this whole experience has made me see things differently.” He stood in front of her, making the air spark.
“Differently bad or differently good?” she asked.
His eyes nailed hers, spearing her heart with the intensity of his gaze. “Good. Definitely good,” he whispered.
She waited, longing for some sign that she might be what he liked, too. That she might be something he’d take a chance on. As great as it was that he was willing to give Bianca and Zach a chance, she wanted more. Never in her life had she imagined she’d want what Bianca did. Not that she’d ever give up her career, it was too much a part of who she was. But with Patton, the house, the companionship, the dog—even the kids—were starting to sound appealing.
“You should go,” she said again. “Thanks for checking in on me. And the sex. It was fun.”
“Cady—” He frowned, a mix of sadness and frustration in his voice.
“I’ve got a lot of work before I can go to sleep,” she lied, needing him to go.
“Okay,” he relented. “I’ll see you again?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged, trying to act like her world wasn’t falling apart.
He tugged his clothes back in place and pulled her against him. She didn’t melt against him, she was proud of that. She stayed stiff and rigid in his arms. When he let her go, she smiled but didn’t make eye contact. She locked the door behind him, turned off the lights and collected her clothes before heading to her bedroom.
Then Cady stood under the shower and cried.
13
CADY STRAIGHTENED ONE of the bows on the back of the chair. Everything looked perfect, almost magazine-worthy really. Bianca and Zach had been lucky Mrs. Ryan had managed to get the library that Saturday at Tucker House for the wedding shower. Considering they’d had only two days, it was amazing how everything had come together so perfectly. The library was smaller than the sunroom they’d originally booked, but no one seemed to mind. Cady preferred this room. With its massive floor-to-ceiling casement windows and a glorious view of the lake, the setting was already lovely.
She and Celeste had been working since the ea
rly hours of the morning, setting up tables and chairs, draping tables in peach cloth and arranging countless flower arrangements. Cady had never been much of a do-it-yourself kind of woman, but Bibi was determined to keep their costs at a minimum. And that included decorations. Sure, she’d burned two fingers with a hot-glue gun and sliced her palm with some wired ribbon, but the battle wounds were worth the effort. The room screamed romance.
She smiled as she assessed the space. As much as she’d fought against it, her best friend was getting married in two weeks. And she was going to be the most enthusiastic maid-of-honor-cheerleader ever. Bianca deserved nothing less.
“You two are amazing.” Bianca’s hazel eyes took in every detail.
“We are good.” Cady hugged Bianca. “Seriously, I just did what Celeste told me to do. This was totally her vision.”
“I’m trying to convince Cady to change careers,” Celeste said, nudging Cady in the side.
“So you can expand into wedding planning and parties?” Bianca nodded. “It will happen Celeste, I know it will.”
Cady’s attention wandered to the door. She was going to be fine. She’d be better if she stopped looking for Patton. He would be here. And she needed to get a grip. If she was lucky, no one but Bianca—and Zach since Bianca told him everything—would pick up on the fact that she was crazy in love with him.
“We’ve got you set up in the front,” Celeste said. “You have the gift registry list, Cady?”
Cady snapped to attention. “Yep, we’re ready.” She led Bianca to the front of the room.
“You holding up okay?” Bianca whispered.
“I’m fantastic,” Cady answered immediately, winking.
Bianca rolled her eyes and took her seat. “You don’t have to pretend you’re fantastic, Cady. I know you’re hurting.”
Cady wrinkled her nose. “Who, me? I’m fine,” she teased. Yes, she was hurting. But it would go away, she knew that. She had to be strong. She had to resist the pull between them and keep her hands to herself. Seeing him would be hard, but she was going to put her best foot forward—for Bianca and Zach.
Instead of dwelling on Patton’s off-limit status, she focused on the party. Bianca should be thrilled over the turnout, especially since it had been called off before it was back on again. Lucy arrived, hugging her before carrying a huge present to the gift table. Cady made small talk with her brothers, Jared and Dean. It really was a shame she couldn’t be attracted to Jared... Maybe Meg? She grinned. The idea had potential. At least she knew Jared was single.
