Paris
I WAS LATE.
And the Meadowood Resort in St. Helena was a mob scene. With more than a thousand people packed under a huge circus tent that was heated with towers all around and sealed with some sort of wood flooring, finding anyone was nearly impossible.
I’d fallen asleep and only woken when Tabitha called me. There was little time to get dressed, but I managed. On my way to the auction, I’d thought a lot about what Darcy had said. Are you willing to give him a chance? The answer hadn’t changed. I wanted to believe I was.
Arriving under the tent just in time to see the auctioneer take the stage, I sighed in relief. He was shuffling across to the podium and pointing to the first lot. “Is everyone ready?” he roared.
I read the sign at the reception table. There were to be forty auctions set for the evening.
That was a lot of expensive wine.
Then again, admission to the event didn’t come cheap. At $1,500 per ticket, luxury was most certainly the expectation.
And luxury it was.
Crystal chandeliers.
A band.
Caviar.
And of course, green and gold Dom Pérignon bottles.
The tuxes and designer gowns and diamonds were too many to count, and for some silly reason, I couldn’t stop that Billy Joel song from playing in my head.
Had a Dom Pérignon in a hand and spoon up their nose.
First up was a 1995 Gable Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Interesting that Gable Wineries had submitted to this auction.
This particular auction wasn’t for charity but for profit. Odd. Was he in trouble, too? Or maybe just worried since he’d received his first summons concerning the property line dispute earlier this week. I crossed my fingers on that one.
I listened to the commentary being given, but nothing was divulged other than the details on that particular vintage.
With the auctioneer’s slacks held up by suspenders and his hands flying back and forth, he created a flourish of excitement when he said, “Take a very good look at this because it could be yours.”
Below him sat large groups of vintners who immediately shifted their attention to the podium as the auctioneer started the bidding.
“Ten thousand?”
Silence.
“Ten thousand?” he said again.
“Do I have a ten thousand . . .”
“Ten thousand . . .”
An awkward silence followed.
“There it is . . .”
The bidding wars had begun.
There was a casual lift of a finger from the man in the front row and it brought the price up seven hundred dollars. Then a subtle nod from the woman in the corner that brought the price up another thousand.
The smell of cologne alerted me that Tyler Holiday was near and I breathed him in. Clean and fresh and so very Tyler. He’d come behind me and I imagined him putting his hands on my hips and pulling me close. What I got was a, “You made it. Everyone’s been looking for you.”
That voice was all I had to hear to know that yes, I was absolutely, positively willing to give him another chance. And another and another too if that was what it took because . . . Darcy was right . . . nobody was perfect.
My heart pounded so hard that I couldn’t stop feeling like it was beating out of my ribcage. God, I was such a fool. I’d done to him what my father had done to me—wanted him to be someone he wasn’t.
And that wasn’t fair.
I wanted him just the way he was.
My pulse started to race as I slowly pivoted around. Yes, this man was mine. His gorgeous face was smiling at me and that hot body was dressed in the most superb tux I’d ever seen . . . and he was mine. “Can you believe I fell asleep,” I admitted.
His eyes were busy checking me out, so when he said, “After the afternoon you had, I’m not surprised.” It didn’t register at first.
I raised a curious brow.
His sly grin had butterflies dancing in my belly. “Party of one?”
The surprised breath that surfaced got caught in my throat and I blushed from head-to-toe. Oh my, God, he’d heard me.
“Wish you would have invited me,” he drawled in that voice that sounded like melting caramel.
That blush turned into a flush. “I was thinking of you,” I teased because honestly, it was the only thing I could do to lessen my embarrassment.
His breathing started to accelerate. “Is that right?”
I smiled up at him as I brushed past his shoulder to escape the overwhelming heat. He grabbed my wrist to halt me, tugging me around to face him. He smirked down at me, staring into my eyes.
He was gorgeous in a suit.
He was gorgeous in jeans.
He was gorgeous naked.
Lost in the moment, I was ready to tell him I wanted to give us a chance. That I was ready if he was.
“Finally! There you are!” Tabitha scolded, breaking the moment.
“Yep, here I am,” I managed to say even though I was paralyzed with lust.
“Oh, my God, you look like a princess,” she gushed.
I felt like one too in the dress Wilhelmina had loaned me. She hadn’t worn it in over twenty-five years and it still looked brand new. It was pale gold vintage Halston and it had a sleek silhouette that was perfect for my height and shape. The halter-neck helped balance the plunging back and I was finally able to wear heels again.
Tabitha held up her iPhone. “Let me take your picture,” she said, making a motion for Tyler and me to get closer.
Oh, he took advantage of that. Reaching for me, one of his hands coasted down my back and settled on my hip. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.
With a shiver, I said, “Thank you,” somewhat shyly. Shyly. What on earth was that about? Then again, tonight was the first time in more than two weeks that he’d let his desire for me shine in his eyes. I wanted to soak it up. I relaxed into his touch and I could tell he was surprised when I did by the small gasp he let out.
“Say cheese, or maybe wine in this case,” Tabitha crooned.
I said it. Tyler did not.
The flash went off and after the picture had been taken I turned toward him and straightened his bow tie. “You look devilishly handsome,” I said with a smile.
“Oh, it sold,” Tabitha announced.
“For how much?” Tyler asked.
She shrugged and bit her lip. “I’m not sure.”
Grayson was behind her. He hugged me and said, “Not bad. Almost seventy-five thousand. What do you think, Ty?”
“I think whoever bought it got ripped off,” he replied.
We all laughed.
Darcy shoved past Tabitha and Grayson. “There you are.”
“I know, I’m late.”
“Well you look beautiful!” she said pulling me in for a hug.
I hugged her back.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Tyler was worried.”
I looked up at him. He was gazing at me with such adoration that I don’t think I ever felt so loved before. Words spoken out loud or not, I could see it in his eyes.
Julian joined us and announced, “I got us a table over there.”
Darcy raised a questionable brow. “For how many?”
He gave her a slight shrug and said, “Nine.”
“Nine?” she asked.
His nod seemed fairly confident as he told her, “I got this. Don’t worry, I’ve arranged for Sophie to sit on one side of Christian and Lane on the other, this way we can avoid any protentional catfights.”
“Oh, you really don’t understand women,” she huffed.
He furrowed his brow. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
His smile was charming and cocky at the same time. “That the three of them have worked out some kind of arrangement until after the elections are over.”
“No, I didn’t, but all I have to say to that is let the show begin,” she said.
“Fireworks are going to fly,” Tabitha responded and then took my hand. “While you guys deal with that, I’m going to steal Paris and take her to the ladies room with me. We’ll meet you at the table.”
In her strapless Alexander Wang black dress and six-inch heels, she plucked a champagne flute from a nearby tray and led me down the lit path into the building. The restrooms were down the hall, and as soon as we stepped foot inside them, she looked under all the stalls and then locked the door.
“What are you doing?” I asked with a giggle.
She strode over to the sink, took a gulp of her champagne, and then proceeded to dump the contents of her purse onto the counter.
I watched as she rummaged through the lipstick and powder and gasped when she uncovered an EPT box. “An early pregnancy test,” I said conspiratorially. “Do you think you’re pregnant again so soon?”
Her eyes narrowed. “That’s just mean.”
“What?”
She pointed to me. “I think you’re pregnant.”
I gasped again in shock. “Me? No way. I have an IUD.”
“How long have you had it?” She raised a brow.
“Three years ago,” I answered sheepishly, recalling I was supposed to make a doctor’s appointment and get a new one, but with my father passing and all the chaos of the merger, I’d completely forgotten.
She held out the box. “Go in there and pee on the stick.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
Unwrapping the packaging, she snapped, “Am I?”
I stared at her. “It would be way too early to tell anyway.”
“No, it wouldn’t.”
“Still—” I started to protest, but she cut me off.
“Think about it. You’re emotional. You’re tired all the time. You get sick to your stomach over the smell of just about everything. And your boobs are getting bigger before my very eyes, which, by the way, really pisses me off.”
I stared at the box. I hadn’t put any of those things together. And then there was my crazy lustfulness that I wasn’t even going to mention.
She cocked a hip and shook the box at me. “Hurry up before Tyler comes knocking.”
Nervous at the very thought of having to explain the box to him, I grabbed it and locked myself in the stall. “What do I do?” I asked in such a quivering tone I wasn’t sure my words came out right.
“You pee on the stick.”
“Seriously?”
Her black Pradas were in front of the door. “Yes. Do you want me to hold your dress up?”
“God, no!”
It was tricky to do but at least I wasn’t wearing hose. When I was done I threw what I could in the trash and came up holding the wand. “The box says to wait three minutes.”
Tabitha grabbed it from me and practically ran over to the sink. The area had been tidied up from the contents of her clutch and she set the wand on a napkin that had the resort name monogrammed across it, and then she covered the wand with another napkin.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
After downing her champagne, she said, “Making sure we don’t peek.”
Bracing myself, I took my time pacing over beside her. This couldn’t be happening. This was so not the right time.
What if Tyler didn’t want this?
What if we weren’t ready?
Was I even ready?
Tabitha closed her eyes and squeezed her fists. “I’m so nervous.”
“You’re nervous? I’m the one who’s nervous.” Even my voice was cracking as I spoke.
It was the longest three minutes of my life.
“Ready?” she asked, plucking the napkin from the top of the wand before I could even answer.
My stomach revolted immediately. The thought of looking at the results had me running to the stall.
It was just nerves, I told myself as I dry heaved into the toilet.
Nerves.
That was it.
But even as I thought it . . . I knew it wasn’t.