Evan cocks his head to the side, looking over my shoulder at Caitlin. A cold smile twists his lips.

“Congratulations,” he says in the cocky tone I’ve hated since I was a child. “Welcome to the family. And speaking of family, dear, are you in the family way? Or is this marriage really a product of true love?”

Anger burns inside my chest. There was a small part of me that hoped that his time in prison had changed Evan, taught him a little humility and humanity, done something to make him want to improve his life. Looking at him now, I can see I wasted my energy.

Evan’s the same cold, egotistical bastard he always was. The only thing that seems different is that he is either no longer able to or wants to hide his true nature behind a thin veneer of civility.

His blue eyes clash with mine and I brace myself, preparing to engage in the same battle we’ve been locked in since we were young boys. The problem is that just like then, I have no idea what the fight is about. It’s like Evan was born hating me and simply decided at a young age to do everything in his power to make my life a living hell.

Evan takes two steps forward, coming close enough to touch me. Storm clouds rage in his eyes. For a second I think he’s going to take a swing and try to predict when the blow will come and from what direction. But, instead of trying to land a punch, Evan sidesteps me so that he’s face to face with Caitlin.

My hands clench at my side. Evan won’t harm her physically, at least not here, not now, but I can’t help but remember how the sweet girl he dated briefly in high school, Kimberly Wallace, came to school one morning with a shiner. The day after she’d been out on a date with Evan. She never told anyone how she got hurt, but I’ve always wondered.

I step in close to my wife and loop a protective arm around her waist, partly to ensure that we present a united front and partly so I can pull her away from Evan if I have to.

His eyes follow the gesture and a muscle on the side of his jaw jumps.

He turns his attention to Caitlin, studying her. “My, my, my,” he breathes out. “You managed to land yourself a real looker, didn’t you? Of course, you and I both know that with our looks, women have always found us irresistible. Now that you’re president of Caldwell Industries and one of the richest men in the world, that just makes them throw themselves at you, doesn’t it?”

Evan crosses his arms over his chest and rocks back onto his heels, his expression growing both pensive and restless.

“Brother, I don’t know how you were able to choose just one, the one you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. When I was in your shoes, I know I found it was rather like living in a giant candy box, and each treat tasted better than the last. Of course you were always more decisive than me, weren’t you?“

He leans closer to Caitlin and lowers his voice. Not because he doesn’t want to be heard, but because he wants his next words to really sink in. “And you, someone mentioned that you’re a florist, that you own your own shop. I can’t imagine that’s easy, but I bet the fact that you’re marrying the richest man in the state will make all those troubles go away. Some people will tell you that money doesn’t buy happiness, but I think that both you and I know that it does wonders for paving the way. Don’t you agree?”

Caitlin rolls her eyes up toward me. I give her a reassuring squeeze. I’ve seen Evan do this spiel before and, in those cases, it’s been effective.

Evan’s attempting to drive a wedge between us. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watched him do this kind of thing in the past. There was a time when I thought his lack of subtlety as he pitted two people against one another was crazy, but now I know better. It is almost like his bluntness adds credibility to his words.

But just because something’s been effective in the past, it doesn’t mean the same approach will work each and every time. I’m determined that this will be one of Evan’s failures. Not only do Caitlin and I have a clear contract that states what will and won’t happen while we’re married, as well as a long list of consequences if we slip up, we both went into this marriage knowing what we want … need from one another.

The only complication is that I went and fell in love with her. I’m not sure how either one of us is going to handle that issue, though I’m hoping for the best.

Hate and satisfaction, and something else, something that looks just a little bit like desperation, twine together in Evan’s eyes as he casts one last glance my way before turning his attention to our wedding guests.

My intestines twist themselves into nervous knots. I know that Caitlin and I can handle anything he tries to throw our way, but I’m not as confident about our guests. Evan’s clever. There’s no doubt in my mind that if he wants to, he can find the perfect combination of words that will pit Caitlin’s and my friends against one another.

“Ladies and gentleman,” Evan calls out. He throws his arms wide, as if he’s a circus announcer calling the next act to the center stage. “You’ll be pleased to know that Jeremy and … his new florist bride aren’t the only happy couple here today. I want to take this moment to introduce you to my future bride, Sheila. Baby doll, why don’t you come on up so all these nice people can get a good look at you?”

No one stirs.

“Sheila.” Now there’s an edge to Evan’s voice. He hates defiance of any kind. “Now, baby doll.”

Another long moment passes before a lone woman near the middle of the church slowly stands up. Caitlin gasps.

It takes me only a second to put a memory to the face. This was the woman who caught Caitlin and me right after we’d made love in a maintenance closet. When she saw me, she behaved like a scared rabbit. If she hadn’t looked into my eyes, she probably thought I was Evan, and since I was there with Caitlin, didn’t have a clue how to respond. A panicked retreat probably seemed like her only option.

“There’s my girl,” Evan purrs, his eyes holding her gaze. “Sheila, why don’t you get your cute ass up here so we can have a few words with the preacher man?”

Looking like she’d rather accept an invitation to her own funeral, Sheila slowly makes her way to the altar. Evan grabs her hand, holding it so tightly her bones seem to grind together. She winces but doesn’t whisper a word of complaint.

“Sheila was one of the nurses at the prison. I took one look at her and knew I wanted her for my very own. So, now that I’m a free man, I figure we might as well get hitched. Didn’t know that she was a friend of yours. You’ll have to tell me about the connection someday.” Using his grip on her hand, he pulls Sheila in close to him as he turns to the minister. “So what do you say? Want to help us with our vows and turn this into a double wedding?”

Confused, the minister looks at all of us, taking in our tension. “Well,” he finally says, drawing out the word. “I certainly wouldn’t mind, if that’s what you want.” His gaze falls on Sheila as he says this last bit. She lowers her head and studies the toes of her shoes. “Do you have a license?”

Evan’s brows slide upwards. “A what?”

“A marriage license? Without it, I can’t declare you husband and wife.”

Evan’s jaw clenches as he absorbs this news. “No, we don’t have one of those.”

“They’re not hard to obtain. Once you do, let me know and I’ll happily conduct the ceremony.”

“All right. I’ll do that. Come on, baby doll, it looks like we’ve got some paperwork to complete.” Evan steps up close to me, dragging Sheila with him. “Just so you know, brother. I don’t know about you and your pretty little bride, but Sheila and I have been going at it for months. The odds are good that she’s already pregnant, and even if she’s not, she will be before long. And you can rest assured, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure my child is born before yours. Do you understand me?”

Icy fear arrows through me. Evan has always been cruel and calculating, but looking into his eyes now, I can clearly see the desperation as well as just a hint of madness. There’s no doubt in my mind that he means every single word he says.

But that’s not my biggest problem.

My biggest problem is what I’m going to do about it.