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On that dreary day in the busy airport, tears had stung her eyes. Brody had told her it wasn’t a breakup, just a pause. They weren’t saying goodbye, just see you later. His final goodbye kiss still burned on her lips as his airport promise rung in her ears.Someday, I’ll be back.
She would adamantly deny it if ever asked, but she’d often daydreamed about what their reunion could be like. Maybe she would meet him at the airport with a welcome home sign and a teary-eyed smile. Or perhaps he would surprise her and show up on her doorstep with a bouquet of flowers and, during some of her more hopeful moments, a ring. The setting might have changed, but the ending was always the same; he’d come back, and they’d be together again.
And here he was.
The fingertip-tingles started to work their way up her arms. She hadn’t known if it would really happen. Time had a way of changing things, but what they’d shared was special. She’d been certain then he wasthe one, and seeing him now, all of those feelings came rushing back.
She started to call his name, and the excitement flooding into her threatened to launch her up the stairs and into his waiting arms. But as she took the first step, she caught sight of something else. Or rather, someone else.
Brody turned and offered his elbow to the woman stepping through the door. A smitten smile spread across his face. A smile not made for Paige. She froze in her tracks.
“Whoa. Who’s that?” Aiden’s words didn’t help the sucker punch to the gut reality had just dealt her.
An elegant woman stepped up next to Brody. With one hand she tucked a strand of her long, auburn hair behind her ear, highlighting her delicate features, as she slid the other into the crook of Brody’s arm. Suddenly the world started to spin again, a little faster than Paige was anticipating, and she swayed on her feet.
The power couple walked the few steps to the grand staircase and paused, as if displaying their beauty and poise for the whole world to see. All the excitement drained out of Paige’s body, leaving her limbs feeling limp and heavy. She considered running away. Not to hide, per se, because that would’ve been juvenile. She liked to think of it as postponing a conversation until she was fully prepared, which seemed rather responsible. And by fully prepared, she meant the ability to speak without sounding like a blubbering idiot.
But it didn’t matter if running was responsible or not: her legs wouldn’t cooperate. And even if they had, there was nowhere to escape in this otherwise empty, massive room. So she stood there, with no choice but to face him, scattered thoughts and all.
Brody’s gaze landed on her. His polite smile turned up the corners of his mouth, accentuating his strong jaw, before he whispered something to the girl next to him. Her gaze drifted to Paige, then refocused on him. Paige’s stomach dropped when his intimate look confirmed their relationship was more than friendly.
The girl smoothed the emerald dress that elegantly hugged her curves and then draped her hand over the railing. Then they started down the wide stone steps in perfect unison.
Brody stepped with his usual steady confidence. The girl moved with the grace of a dancer, each of her footsteps skimming the surface of the stairs. The four-inch stilettos at the end of her toned legs seemed to be an extension of her foot, as if she were made to wear them. Everything about her radiated beauty and poise.
Paige glanced down at her own look in comparison. About the only similarity between them was they’d both chosen to wear almost the exact shade of green. Other than their shared penchant for emerald-colored garments, Paige was the complete opposite of the beauty on Brody’s arm.
Paige had chosen her loose-fitting A-line knit dress because it had pockets, something she proudly proclaimed to her friends on staff when she arrived earlier. The fact now seemed childish. Her practical dress was paired with sensible ballet flats, which she wore more for function than fashion, and she’d pulled her hair up in a bun about fifteen minutes after she’d arrived at work to get it out of the way. Even if she hadn’t, her mousy brown hair would have been hanging in a stringy mess around her shoulders at this point. It didn’t matter how many products she armed her hair with, the Texas humidity always won. And although she’d put on lipstick before she arrived, she was positive there wasn’t a trace of it left.
Seeing Brody unannounced at one of her weddings with some knockout on his arm was about as far as possible from any of the reunion daydreams she’d managed to come up with over their thirteen-month absence. Every awe-worthy opening line she’d ever thought up—and, embarrassingly, there were quite a few of them—was invalid. To make matters even worse, at the moment her brain seemed incapable of thinking up something new.
Brody reached the last step and his gaze locked with hers. “Hello, Paige.”
The way her name sounded in his smooth voice sent shivers racing down her spine. Although, she had to admit he sounded less surprised to see her than she was to see him, which sent another round of questions swirling through her mind. The girl on his arm smiled.
Paige’s mind went blank. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out. Brody either didn’t notice or didn’t care. The couple glided over and stopped in front of her.
“It’s nice to see you.” Brody’s familiar words caused her heart to skip a beat and his gaze burned into her.
She tried to answer, but since the shock of the situation was still holding her voice captive, she offered a grin instead. Hopefully, it looked more sophisticated-alluring and less lovesick puppy.
An awkward pause filled the air. Aiden cleared his throat and stepped closer to Brody, offering his hand.
“Brody, Aiden Pierce. It’s been a while.”
Brody held Paige’s gaze for another millisecond. Long enough for her to be positive she sensed the air between them crackle. Just like it used to.
Then he grasped Aiden’s handshake and shifted his attention. “Good to see you again, Aiden.” He let go of Aiden’s grasp and held his hand in front of the beauty next to him, as if to put her on display. “Allow me to introduce you both to Sasha Kane.”
The bitterness of jealousy mixed with disappointment rose up in Paige’s throat, but she tried to appear delighted to meet someone new. When it was clear that was too tall an order, she settled for an expression she hoped looked pleasant-ish.
Sasha extended a graceful hand to Paige first. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Now was Paige’s chance to offer some clever one-liner that would remind Brody of their times together and remind Sasha whose turf she was on. But nothing even remotely clever came to mind. And even if it had, it wouldn’t have mattered because her voice still wasn’t cooperating.
So Paige just nodded at her. This was not at all how she imagined their first meeting going. Once again, Aiden stepped in.
“Pleasure to meet you, Sasha.” He took her outstretched hand and lifted it to his lips. Sasha appeared to be charmed. Brody glared. The whole situation made Paige feel like she might be sick.
