“Dance with me, Beckett,” Gail said.
He grinned at the woman who might has well have been his second mom. The one who’d been there when he’d broken his wrist. Who’d made him hot chocolate along with all her other children when they’d come in from the snow. She’d shared as many moments with him as he had with his own parents.
He admired her for her strength, for her ability to keep a level head while raising half a dozen kids if you included him, and for building up such a successful business mostly on her own.
A live band started up a slow song and he took Mrs. Keller’s arm, leading her around a throng of bridesmaids to get to the dance floor.
“You look wonderful,” Beckett told Gail. She was dressed in a tailored navy suit that looked like it had come from Jillian’s closet.
She smiled. “You always were a charmer. Both you and Eli.”
“He taught me everything I know.”
“I believe it.” Her lips curved. “It’s a beautiful wedding.”
He glanced around with a nod. Lights glowed softly everywhere, candles danced in holders on the tables, and the air was scented with jasmine. They’d opened up the wide doors on the side of the barn as well, and lights dangled over the patio outside, where other guests dined and chatted in the warm evening.
The bride danced with her groom and everyone seemed happy. He’d be happier, though, if he could get some downtime with Anna. Find her in a corner and kiss her, let her know he was here for her whether she wanted him to be or not.
He hated what Tom had done to her. It hadn’t been like this before. She’d always been willing to accept his help. But then, things were different on other levels now, too.
“I know what’s going on, you know,” Gail said.
His gaze snapped to hers. “What do you mean?”
“Do you think I don’t notice how you look at Anna?”
“I, uh…” He shook his head. “Anna?”
“Don’t you play dumb with me, Beckett Hansen. You know if your mother were here, she’d say the same thing. She’d leave you two to what you need to do, just like I am, but she wouldn’t like it. And I don’t either. Especially not after Anna showed up at my house this afternoon, clearly needing someone to talk to.”
“So she told you?” Beckett asked.
“She didn’t tell me one thing,” Gail answered.
“But…”
Great. Now Gail knew, too, and Anna was probably the only one who had no idea her whole family was aware of what was going on with them.
“You know my Anna. She thinks she can handle everything on her own. I could tell she needed to talk, but she wouldn’t open up. Just made up some excuse about it being nice to get ready for the wedding together.”
Beckett’s teeth clenched. Damn it. Why hadn’t she talked to her mom? Talked to someone?
“But she can’t keep going like this,” Gail said. “It’s all going to catch up to her.”
It seemed like it already had. But he knew Anna wasn’t going to admit it. And at this point, it felt like there was nothing he could do to help her.
“Are you in love with her?” Gail asked.
The question made him stop dancing. The world, the music, the lights, the people—they all faded to the background.
“You don’t have to answer that,” Gail said, letting go of him. “It’s only that I’ve been keeping a close eye on her. She needs…”
Beckett swallowed. “What? What does she need?”
“You. She needs you. Even if she hasn’t realized it yet.”
He moved to the side as the deejay started to make an announcement. He touched Gail’s arm, wanting to reassure her as much as she had just reassured him. “Yes, I love her.”
“Good.” Gail nodded. “Then don’t give up.”
{}{}{}
It was what she needed. To spend the afternoon with her mom, even if they’d only talked about clothes, and Dad, and weddings. She needed to remember her parents together and how happy they’d been. She needed to take some time away from her own thoughts and be around one of the most upbeat people she knew.
She left the dance floor and walked to the kitchen, prepared to start setting out plates. If they were on schedule, which they always were under Jillian’s direction, they’d cut the cake in twenty minutes.
Her mom walked in right after her with a wide smile.
Anna couldn’t help but return it. “You look really great, Mom.”
“So do you.” Her mom smoothed Anna’s hair off her shoulder. “But tired. You can talk to me, you know.”
And before she could change her mind, Anna blurted, “Tom came to see me today. And this isn’t the first time.”
Gail slowly crossed her arms, her expression going stony. “And?”
“He wants to talk.”
She waited as her mom took a few calming breaths. Gail rarely got angry, but she’d been furious when she’d found out what Tom had done. She and Eli had both wanted to go give him a piece of their minds. “I hope it’s to apologize.”
“I…I’m not sure.” Anna guessed it wasn’t. Or at least not only that. She was starting to get the feeling Beckett was right about Tom.
“Are you going to talk with him?”
Anna lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. I didn’t talk to him when it all happened. I just walked out. And every time I see him, I still get angry.”
“You need closure.”
The words sunk in, and Anna nodded. “I think I might.”
Gail hugged her. “If you think it’ll help, you should do it. So you can move on.”
Jillian breezed into the kitchen. A handful of servers followed her. “It’s time to cut the cake.”
“Time for cake,” Gail told Anna with a wide smile. “You should have a big piece and find someone to dance with.”
Anna laughed, even though she felt dangerously close to crying. Her mom always knew how to make a situation seem manageable. She wished she had time to tell her about Beckett.
But even as they wheeled out the cake, Anna knew what she needed to do. She needed to talk with Tom, no matter what he had to say, and tell him where she stood. And more importantly, she needed to get on the same page with Beckett.
Anna watched the bride and groom cut the cake, smiled at the cheers from their family and friends, and helped the servers cut slices. By the time the last of the pieces went out to the tables, Anna was impatient to find Beckett.
She grabbed a large slide of cake and a fork and left the kitchen, searching for Beckett in the crowd. When she eased around the back tables, she ran into Eli.
“Hey,” he said, letting his camera hang from his neck. “You brought me cake?”
Anna smiled, but it was tight. “It’s not for you.”
Eli sighed and propped one hand on his hip. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? But I know Tom’s been bothering you and I’m your family. After what he did, all of us wanted to go after him, but we didn’t because you said it was over and finished and you didn’t want to deal with it anymore. We respected that. But now…he’s back and it’s not so easy to stand aside while he tries to weasel his way into your life again.”
“He’s not trying to weasel anywhere.”
“How do you know?”
Anna bit her lip instead of answering. She didn’t. And that was the worst part. She was starting to feel like a fool all over again. If she’d dealt with this head on in the first place, maybe she wouldn’t be in this position now.
Eli reached out and touched her shoulder. “I’m just saying, we all want to be there for you. It’s a natural response-especially for me and Beckett—to want to protect you from Tom. So just…try to understand that, okay?”
Anna blew out a breath and nodded. “And try to understand I need to deal with him on my own eventually. I need to…find closure.”
“Closure. I get it.”
“Good.” Anna glanced around again, still searching for Beckett.
“He’s outside, on the patio.”
Her gaze whipped back to his. “What?”
“That piece of cake is for Beckett, right?”
“No. I mean—yes. He’s been so busy working, I don’t think he even had dinner. I thought—”
“Hey.” Eli held up his hands with a chuckle. “You do whatever you want with your cake.”
Anna grumbled out a response, and he laughed again before lifting his camera.
“Back to work,” he said and vanished into the crowd, snapping pictures on the way.
Gathering herself, Anna squeezed around the crowd at the back of the dance floor and walked to the patio. She spotted the Mother-of-the-Bride and chatted with her a few minutes before finding Beckett.
Their gazes connected in the crowd. She finished her conversation and walked toward him. He leaned against the metal railing at the edge of the patio, the glow from the hanging lights reflecting in his eyes.
She’d never noticed before how handsome he looked in a suit. How well it fit his frame and how comfortable he seemed either dressed up or laid back. How had she never noticed so many things about him before? Like how kind he always was to her or how he seemed to know her better than herself most of the time?
“I brought you some cake,” Anna said. He took it from her but looked cautious. “Don’t worry, this isn’t a trick. I’m not going to yell at you after this. I promise.”
He rested the plate on a nearby table. “Thanks for the cake.”
“I was surprised to see you and Eli earlier at the store.”
“I was surprised to see Tom at the store, too.”
“I know…” Anna swallowed and studied her shoes. She hated feeling like she needed to stick up for him, when really what she needed to do was stick up for herself. “I guess he got tired of me ignoring his phone calls.”
Beckett made a noise of agreement but didn’t comment otherwise. He sampled a bite of cake and nodded. “Good.”
She frowned. “You’re mad at me.”
“Do I look mad?”
“You look…really good, actually. I like that tie.”
He pressed his hand flat against it and looked down. “Really?”
She almost reached for him right there. Set her lips on his. No matter who was watching. Screw secrets. She just wanted to be in his arms. But she made herself hang back.
“Really,” she answered. “And I don’t blame you if you are mad at me. You probably should have picked another sister if you wanted into this family so badly. I’m not exactly the most stable one. And I have baggage.”
He smiled. “Your instability aside, I don’t want to pick another sister. I want you, Anna.”
Chills raced across her arms. How could he say that with such certainty? “Even with what’s going on with Tom?”
He set down his fork and moved closer to her. He kept his hands to himself, but his eyes warmed. “I’ll admit, I don’t like Tom being around you, but that’s because I’m afraid he’s going to hurt you again.”
“I need to talk to him so I can…deal with what happened between us. I hope you can understand that.”
“I can. I do understand.”
Her shoulders dropped in relief. She brushed her fingers on his arms briefly. “What are you doing after this?”
“Whatever you’re doing.”
She grinned. “Poppy’s staying at Mom’s with Summer. My place is open.”
“That’s not fair.”
“What isn’t?”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “Telling me that when I can’t touch you.”
Her stomach clenched. God, he killed her when he said things like that. “Maybe that’s something we can talk about. Tonight.”
He flashed her a smile and checked his watch. “I’m all done here. Ready?”
She laughed. “Soon enough. I just have to clean up the cake.”
“Hurry.”
{}{}{}
Beckett stepped inside Anna’s apartment behind her, admiring himself for his patience. It had taken everything he had to keep himself from going to her several times throughout the wedding. From pulling her into his arms and kissing her.
He’d waited, but he hadn’t liked it.
When Anna flicked on the lights, she glanced around, as if checking for something. Or someone.
“I thought you said Poppy wasn’t going to be here,” he said.
She turned and smiled. “She’s not. Sorry.”
“Would it be better if we went back to my place?”
She hesitated for a split second. But that split second told him a lot. “No, it’s fine. Unless you want to.”
“No.” He buried that tiny flicker of frustration and reached to pull Anna into his arms. “I like your place. We’re taking steps, right?”
Like the ones he planned on taking tonight. Telling her the truth. Convincing her to tell her family. Telling her how he’d really felt all these years.
She reached around him to lock the door, and then settled her cheek against his chest. “Steps. Right. When was the last time you were here?”
“When you first moved in, I think.”
She pulled back. “No. You came over after that, didn’t you? For our housewarming party.”
He scratched his cheek, looking around. “The one it took you three months to have?”
“That one.” She grinned. “Yeah, well. It was wedding season, and I was busy…”
With Tom. That’s who she was busy with. He remembered clearly. Remembered when she’d introduced him to the family. Remembered when she’d stopped coming to family functions because he had a dinner to go to in the city. Or he had a fundraiser to attend. Always something with Tom.
She wrung her hands, glancing toward the kitchen. “How about some wine?”
“Sure.” He followed her to the kitchen, letting her go through her small routine to get comfortable. “A goat crisis.”
Anna paused with a wine opener in hand. “A what?”
He grinned, taking the opener from her. “A goat crisis. That’s why I couldn’t come. Mom and Dad were out of town and one of the goats got sick. I had to call the vet.”
She passed over a bottle of merlot. “I remember. You helped us move in all our furniture and then didn’t even get to come to our housewarming party.” She leaned against the cabinets as he opened the bottle of wine. “I even made those quiche tartlets you like so much.”
“You did?”
“Sure. To say thanks.”
He set the opened bottle on the counter and leaned past her to grab the glasses she’d pulled out. His senses went on high alert. All at the simple scent of her. Something sweet. Cake frosting?
He exhaled. “You always smell so good.”
“That’s because I always get cake ingredients on me whenever I bake. I’m not the tidiest person in case you haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Part of your charm.” He smiled, sliding the glasses aside and boxing her in at the counter. He propped his hands on either side of her. “I’ve known that about you my whole life.”
Her chin lifted, eyes locking with his. “You’re more perceptive than I gave you credit for.”
“You can thank me now.”
She blinked. “What?”
“For moving your stuff in here. Since I didn’t get to eat the tartlets.”
Her arms wound around his neck as a smile curved her lips. “What did you have in mind?”
He pressed her against the cabinets, bodies flush. “Surprise me.”
Her lips found his, soft but demanding, and it nearly brought him to his knees. It still didn’t seem real that he had Anna in his arms. That she’d kiss him without hesitation because she wanted to. Because she obviously felt more for him than he ever imagined possible.
His hand tangled in her hair. And in the background, somewhere outside her door, he heard the sound of a voice. Of laughter.
Anna jerked away, eyes wide. Then she froze, listening as the voices faded away and it was silent again. She breathed out, dropping her gaze. “Sorry. I thought…”
“You thought it was Poppy.”
She reached for the wine glasses, clearly using the motion to distract herself. She poured them both a generous amount and passed his over. “You want to sit outside on the balcony?”
“We’re going to have to talk about this,” Beckett said.
He studied her face, watched for what she wasn’t saying. Waited for her to brush it off like she always did. Before, when she was distracting him with her hands, he might have been able to forget about it. But now, tension lingered in the air. It wrapped them up tight and wouldn’t let go.
“You’re right,” Anna said finally, giving a nod. “Let’s sit outside.”
He hid his surprise. He hadn’t expected her to give in, but if she hadn’t, they would have gotten here eventually. Wine or not. Sex or not, they needed to have this conversation.
He took her hand and pulled her toward the back doors. “Outside, then.”