Chapter Fifteen
It had been sixteen days since she'd seen Alex, Andrea realized, as she zipped herself into her bridesmaid's dress. She'd kept herself busy with work and wedding events, managing to get her article written as well as participate in her sister's bachelorette weekend, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner and now the wedding. But all the while Alex had been on her mind. She couldn't believe how much she missed him. It was a deep ache that started in her heart and spread to every nerve ending in her body.
She'd thought of calling him so many times, but she'd always stopped herself. She'd wanted him to reach out to her first. And since her article had come out the day before, she'd been checking her phone even more frequently. But he hadn't called. Maybe what she'd written hadn't made a difference.
She sighed as she looked in the mirror and told herself she was a fool for thinking he'd get in touch. Alex was a man who needed a woman in his life he could trust, and that wasn't her.
"Why are you looking so glum?" Liz asked, coming up behind her.
She turned to her friend and fellow bridesmaid and forced a smile on herself. "I was just lost in thought."
"Thinking about Alex?"
She frowned, wishing she hadn't shared her feelings for Alex at the bachelorette party, but after a couple of glasses of champagne, she'd found herself confessing everything to her friends—not the part about Alex's past, but the part where she'd let herself fall in love with the man she was supposed to be profiling. She hadn't told them about her betrayal either; she'd just hinted that she'd been a little too ambitious and thought she'd hurt him. They'd all been intensely curious, but good friends that they were, they hadn't asked too many questions. They'd just tried to cheer her up and make her feel better.
"I did let myself go there," she admitted. "But I'm done. Today is about Laurel. Is she finished with her pictures yet?" Her mom and sister had been taking some photographs in the garden outside the church for the last half hour.
"Yes, she's her way here," Liz replied.
"Great." Andrea turned back to face the mirror. "We don't look too bad."
"No, we don't," Liz agreed. "I'll never wear this dress again, but at least it's not hideous, just really frilly."
The lacey mint green dress was not Andrea's taste either, but it fit perfectly with Laurel's vision. She smiled at Liz. "The first dress of many."
Liz smiled back at her. "Well, no one else seems to be even close to getting engaged, so hopefully bridesmaids dresses will improve before the next wedding."
Andrea laughed. "I seriously doubt it. By the way, how is your dad?"
"He's a little better, but he has officially retired from the company, which is going to make my life more challenging. I'm going to have to make myself extremely valuable to his partners or they'll find a way to kick me out."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm in the running for a big new account worth millions of dollars. If I can bring it in, the partners won't have any choice but to keep me, and then I can keep my dad's legacy alive."
"I wish you luck."
"Thanks. I think I'm going to need it."
As Liz finished speaking, the door to the church dressing room opened, and the bride and the rest of the bridal party poured into the room. Jessica had arrived the night before from San Diego with her six-year-old son, Braden. Andrea adored Braden. He and Jessica had slept on her pull-out couch the night before, and she'd had some time to catch up with Jess whose divorce had left her reeling but determined to make a better life for herself.
"Hi Andrea," Braden said. "I'm going to carry the rings."
She smiled at the proud look in his eyes. "I know. I can't wait to see you walk down the aisle." Braden was completely adorable in his black suit and dark green tie.
"I just hope he doesn't drop the pillow," Jessica said.
"He'll do just fine."
"Everyone looks so beautiful," Jessica added, wistfulness in her voice. "I really wish I'd done my wedding right the first time."
"You'll have another chance," Andrea assured her. "And we'll all be there for you the next time."
"Well, it won't be any time soon."
"We have time for one toast," Kate interrupted as she and Liz quickly handed out glasses of champagne. "Andrea, do you want to do the honors?"
"Yes." She looked at her sister, her gorgeous, glowing twin sister, and her heart swelled with love and pride. "To Laurel, an amazing daughter, a wonderful sister, and a caring and loyal friend. May today be the start of a future of happiness and love. You deserve it all. And I wouldn't mind a niece or nephew, either."
Laurel laughed. "One step at a time."
"To Laurel," Liz put in.
"And to all of you," Laurel said. "I love every single one of you and you better not cut me out of the fun, just because I'm going to be a boring, married woman now."
"Never," Andrea said as they clinked their glasses together.
* * *
The candlelit wedding ceremony was romantic and perfect in every way. Laurel and her groom looked at each other through the eyes of adoring love, and Andrea felt herself getting misty-eyed more than once, especially during the exchange of vows.
She'd never really thought much about marriage. When her mom and sister talked about it, she usually tuned them out. She'd always had her eye on her career, on getting to the next rung of the ladder, making a name for herself, but now she couldn't help wondering if her goals weren't a little narrow.
Why couldn't she have it all—a job and a relationship? It would be more difficult, but she was up to the challenge. She just had to find the right man.
Actually, she'd already found the right man, but she'd messed everything up.
She forced herself not to think about Alex. She had to focus on her sisters, her friends and her family. Alex was a worry for another day.
After the ceremony, there was almost an hour of pictures. Then they moved on to dinner, toasts and eventually cake-cutting. As waiters passed out slices of cake, Laurel walked over to Andrea and gave her a hug.
"What was that for?" Andrea asked.
"Everything," Laurel said. "You've been a great maid of honor."
She laughed. "You have a short memory, but thanks. Are you happy, Laurel? Was today everything you imagined?"
"It was better than my best dream. And I don't think I've ever felt happier. I can't wait to get our marriage started."
"I think you already have, and I'm glad you found a man who loves you so much."
"Your turn will come, Andrea."
She shrugged. "I'm not holding my breath."
"You might meet someone tonight—someone tall, dark and handsome," Laurel said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"If that man is actually here, then he's probably already surrounded by your six other single bridesmaids," she said, taking a sip of champagne.
"Actually, I think he's looking for you." Laurel tipped her head to the right.
Andrea turned around and saw Alex standing by the bar. He was dressed in a black suit with a dark red tie, and he was just as tall, dark and handsome as Laurel had said. Butterflies danced through her stomach as she met his gaze.
"Isn't that your man of the year?" Laurel asked.
"He's not my man," she muttered, her gaze on Alex as he slowly made his way toward them.
"Are you sure about that? I know you never take my advice, Andrea, but give him a chance. You could do worse than a sexy millionaire."
Laurel slipped away when Alex reached her. As his beautiful green gaze met hers, her heart began to beat in triple time.
"I can't believe you're here," she said in amazement. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to see you."
Her breath caught in her throat at the simple, direct statement. "Really? Because the last two weeks…"
"I know," he interrupted. "The last two weeks have been the worst weeks of my life."
"Were you that worried about the article?"
"I was more worried that I was never going to see you again, that I'd screwed everything up."
"I'm the one who did that."
"Can we go somewhere and talk for a moment?"
"Sure," she said, leading him through the ballroom to the patio.
It was a cool night, and Alex immediately slipped off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, just as he'd done the night he'd taken her to the airport to watch the planes take off.
"Are you warm enough?" he asked.
It was funny that Alex would have such good manners growing up the way he did. Somewhere along the way, he'd learned how to be thoughtful, or maybe it was just his nature.
"I'm fine." She could feel Alex's heat still clinging to his coat. It was almost as if his arms were around her. "Did you read the article?" She hated to bring it up, but they couldn't ignore the elephant in the room.
He nodded. "I did. It wasn't exciting or groundbreaking, but it was well written. How did your boss like it?"
"He had much the same impression. Competent was the word he used to describe it."
"Are you in trouble?"
"Let's just say they won't be handing me any plum assignments for a while."
He gazed into her eyes. "Why didn't you tell the whole story, Andrea?"
She let out a sigh. "Because it belongs to you, Alex. You're the only one who should tell it. I personally think the way you rose from such despairing circumstances would inspire a lot of people, but I understand that it's complicated and that you want to protect your sisters." She paused. "Maybe you want to protect your mother, too."
He frowned. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Did you read her letter?"
"Yes. Did you?"
"No." She shouldn't have been surprised by the question, but it disappointed her. It showed her that Alex still didn't trust her. "I don't open private mail."
"Not even for the scoop of a lifetime?"
"It wasn't going to be that. It was a letter from a mother to a son."
"But without reading the letter, how would you know that?" he challenged.
"When I spoke to your mother, I saw the pain and regret in her eyes. I knew that letter was personal." She paused. "I think we should get something straight. I'm a good reporter, and if I'm after a news story that I think will hugely impact someone's life or expose corruption or greed or fraud or anything like that, I will go all out. I would probably read a letter or intercept a text or do whatever I had to do to get to the truth. But it would only be for the greater good. And maybe you think that makes me unethical or untrustworthy, I don't know, but I can't lie and I can't apologize for what I do. Reporters dig. That's my job, and I do it the best way I know how."
"Are you done?"
"Yes," she said.
"Then can I talk now?"
"I've never tried to stop you from talking," she reminded him. "So go for it."
"I went to see my mother the day after you gave me the letter. We had a brief conversation then and another one last night. She was relieved that you didn't include her in your story or any mention of my sisters. She told me that you must really care about me if you would keep my secrets." He paused. "Do you care about me, Andrea?"
She sucked in a breath, wanting to protect herself from rejection but also wanting him to know how she felt. "Yes."
His smile broadened and his eyes sparkled with what looked like relief. "I'm glad to hear that, because I feel the same way. I know I put you in a difficult position. I should never have agreed to the interview. I just didn't expect the story to be anything deeper than I'd done in the past. You were doing your job, and I probably hurt your career by asking you to keep my secrets. If there is anything I can do to help you out there, I will. I also heard what you just said, and I have absolutely no doubts about your level of integrity. None."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"He took her hands in his. "I want to start over, Andrea. No interview, no secrets, no lies between us. What do you think?"
She thought it was the most wonderful idea she'd ever heard. "I'm in," she said with a smile.
He smiled back at her. "Good. I'm not very good at relationships, but I want you to know that I'm going to try really hard not to hurt you."
"Same here. You can trust me Alex. I know that may be hard for you to believe—"
"It's not," he said, cutting her off. "If I didn't believe I could trust you, I wouldn't be here." He took a breath, then added, "I've always resisted love, because it's usually followed by pain. Every time I love someone or something, they disappear. It's been easier not to care. But I don't want easy if it means you're not in my life."
She was touched by his words. "I'm not going anywhere," she said, putting her hands on his face. "I'm in love with you, Alex."
"I'm in love with you, too," he said, a husky note in his voice. His lips touched hers with passion, purpose and promise.
Then her sister's voice rang out, and they broke apart.
Laurel walked over to join them. "Sorry to interrupt," she said with a curious gleam in her eyes as she turned her gaze to Alex. "I don't think we've met."
"Alex Donovan. I apologize for the wedding crash, but I couldn't wait another minute to talk to your sister."
"It's very nice to meet you. So what's going on out here? Are you two together now..."
"We are," Andrea said as Alex put his arm around her shoulders.
"This is so exciting," Laurel said with delight in her eyes. "Come inside, both of you. Let's tell everyone."
"No way, this is your day," Andrea protested.
"You're my sister. I can't think of anything better than for you to fall in love on my wedding day. It's so romantic. And I am definitely throwing the wedding bouquet in your direction, so come on."
"Okay, okay," she said, giving in. "We'll be inside in a second."
As Laurel returned to the party, Andrea glanced back at Alex. "You do know my sister is going to start planning our wedding before the night is over."
"Really? That soon?"
"But that's her and my mother, not me," she said, wanting him to understand that she wasn't going to rush him into anything. "I just want to be with you. Whatever comes down the road we'll figure out together."
"I like the sound of that."
"But that won't stop the flood of questions you'll get as soon as we step into the ballroom together, so if you want to make a hasty exit—"
"I don't. After getting interviewed by you, I think I can handle any questions," he said dryly. "And it's not like I didn't put you in uncomfortable situations."
"That's right, you did. The awful boat ride was way worse than this," she agreed.
They laughed together at the memory.
"Ready to go inside and watch me catch the bouquet?" she asked.
"I have a better idea. Catch me instead." He put his arms around her, gave her a long, loving look and started a kiss that would last forever.