CHAPTER TEN

 

 

 

Connor couldn’t breathe.

Was Rey turning him down?

Jumping to his feet, he took after her. As he ran, he closed the ring box and jammed it back into his pocket. “Rey!” Racing to his partner’s office, he expected to find her waiting for him. When he found the room empty, he took off for the elevator. They’d spent the night in the penthouse, so he slipped the keycard in the slot and pressed the up arrow.

“Hurry, hurry, goddamn you.” He should’ve taken the fuckin’ stairs. After what seemed an eternity, he banged his fist on the wall, willing it to go faster. The mechanical door took its own sweet time.

Ding!

As soon as the opening was wide enough for him to squeeze through, he ran, calling her name. “Rey! Baby, I’m here!”

But his penthouse was empty. She must’ve left the hotel! As he headed back to the elevator, Connor called his driver. Rey didn’t have her car, all he could assume was that she’d called a cab. On the way to the first floor, a thousand thoughts ran through his mind. How could she believe those things? Didn’t she know how he felt about her?

Then, it hit him like a ton of bricks.

How could she know?

He’d never told her. 

Connor wanted to rant and rave and scream to the heavens. He loved her. He loved her more than life, but he hadn’t said the words in years. Not since he’d screamed it to his parents the day they took him to the boarding school and left him there.

Agony pierced his chest. In his attempt to protect himself, to don armor sufficient to keep the world at bay, he’d done the same thing to Rey that his parents had done to him. The only difference was that he really loved her…and he’d been too selfish to let her know.

Unwilling to wait on the elevator, he unlocked the stairs and ran down all thirty flights. When he reached the bottom, his car was waiting. “Miss Cassidy’s condo.”

“Sir.” Gerald stopped him. “I called a cab for Miss Cassidy. She’s on her way to the airport.”

 

*  *  *

  Rey was a coward. She not only ran out of the Waterloo to avoid Connor, she hopped on a plane and left the state without a bag and leaving no note behind to let anyone know where she was headed.

Resting her head against the window, she stared out into the blue with unseeing eyes. The plane was headed to Georgia. Rey hoped the solitude of Cumberland Island would give her the perspective she needed.

Before she boarded the flight, she’d changed her phone to airplane mode. No calls could come through, but she could see the texts and the record of messages already sent. Connor had called and texted her over and over. His words made her want to cry.

Where are you, Rey?

I have something I need to tell you, but I want to be looking you in the eyes when I do.

Please answer my calls, I’m worried.

I belong to you, Rey. I don’t want or need anyone else.

How can I live without you?

Tell me where you are. I need you, baby.

She typed in a message that would be sent once she landed.

Connor, I’m working through some things. Just give me a few days and I’ll be back. We’ll talk then.

Rey placed her phone back in her bag. God, she was confused. She wanted to accept Connor’s proposal so much, yet she couldn’t let go of the feeling that marrying him would be a mistake. She didn’t know if she could go through life always expecting her husband to be unfaithful. Women would never leave him alone, he’d be faced with constant temptation. Could she handle it? Could she trust him enough to try?

Burying her head in her hands, Rey admitted she didn’t know the answers to those questions. By the time the plane landed in Jacksonville, she was no closer to knowing her own mind. All she knew was that she loved him. Could her love be enough?

Once she left the airport, Rey rented a car for the trip to St. Mary’s where she would board a ferry to the island. Before she got on the road, she stopped at a shop to buy a few things for the trip. She wouldn’t need much. Rey didn’t anticipate doing anything more than walking on the beach and looking for the wild horses.

As she went through the motions, purchasing jeans and a couple of Tees, Connor was constantly on her mind. He hadn’t answered her latest message and Rey didn’t know quite what to make of that.

…Connor was frustrated as hell. He’d visited Dr. Schumann, the professor who had encouraged Rey to pursue her musical career. The old gentleman had been nice, but he swore he hadn’t heard from his protégé in months. This didn’t slow Connor down. The one thing Schumann could give him was the contact information for the company who had issued the offer of a recording contract and concert tour to Rey. As far as he was concerned, this was his best bet to find her. He’d made some phone calls, but the secretaries pretended to know nothing and refused to put him through to their superiors. All Connor could think to do was travel to New York and stake out the building. He also commandeered their staff to begin checking every hotel within a square mile of the building.

With his private plane winging its way north, Connor felt like he was playing phone tag with Rey. After all the texts he sent and phone calls he’d made, the one communication he received from her left him completely unsatisfied. The message said she would return to him in a couple of days, but he could feel the uncertainty and insecurity in her words. What a fool he was! He’d given to her freely of everything in his possession, save the one thing she needed most of all. His love.

…After a ferry boat ride to Cumberland, Rey found a cottage to rent. Even though her mind was full of worry, she couldn’t fail to notice the beauty of the barrier island. Much of the landscape reminded her of the swampier portions of East Texas. There were marshes, lots of trees, and big stretches of windswept pastures. As soon as she could, Rey packed a few water bottles into a backpack and headed out to commune with nature. The most intriguing thing she found was the remnants of Dungeness, the ruins of a fabulous estate once owned by the Carnegie family, destroyed by a fire decades ago. Once home to the famous family, it had housed nine children and two hundred servants. Now, only the wild horses roamed about. Rey found a place to sit on a fallen pillar to observe the stallions, mares, and foals who made the island their home. With no cell phone service, she could take her time and work through her problems undisturbed.

Alone, in this solemn setting, she began the painful analysis of her own shortcomings, her misgivings, insecurities big enough to prevent her from reaching out and taking hold of the happiness Connor offered her. Were these doubts surmountable or would she succumb to the fears that had haunted her for a lifetime?

Strolling beneath the big oaks and looking up midst the huge branches adorned with Spanish moss, Rey tried to come to terms with the scars from her childhood. She was a rational human being, she could work through this if she put her mind to it. Rey knew the walls she’d built around her heart were the results of careless words spoken to a malleable child. If you tell a little girl often enough that she is lacking in the qualities necessary to make her loveable, she will believe you. But now, a man whom the world lauded for his brilliant mind and handsome face claimed to want her, he’d even asked for her hand in marriage. How did she reconcile the two things? If she hadn’t borne witness to Connor’s seemingly endless appetite for beautiful women, maybe she could take him at his word that he didn’t need them anymore, that he only wanted her. But convincing herself of her ability to keep him satisfied when faced with Serena’s claims and ACE’S suppositions, left Rey feeling completely inadequate. How could she hope to keep the attention of Connor McGregor when she didn’t have his love?

…“She’s nowhere to be found, Mr. McGregor. We can find no trace of her.”

As meticulous as Connor knew his accountant to be, the man’s talent lay in tracking down elusive numbers not a missing woman. Nodding his head, Connor couldn’t complain. He’d had no luck himself. New York wasn’t his favorite place, he much preferred Texas, where even the cities possessed a wild streak and the frontier spirit still lingered. As far as he was concerned, the Big Apple was just big, big enough to hide a woman who didn’t want to be found. “Very well, Herman, I’m going to try something else.”

What he was trying next bordered on the desperate, but he had little shame at this point. Connor had pulled strings. He’d called the governor’s office and enlisted their help in finding out Rey’s destination. Coercing airport personnel to reveal a particular passenger’s destination was an invasion of privacy…unless the one who was asking had the authority to do so. At the moment, he was waiting for a phone call from an old friend of his, Destry Cartwright. Destry was Governor Chancellor’s Secretary of State. He didn’t think jurisdiction necessarily applied, unless official state business was involved. Connor had no idea what Destry might say or do to help him locate Rey.

Back in Austin, he didn’t rest, wandering through the Waterloo, out on the grounds, seeing Rey everywhere he looked, and missing her more than he thought possible. He’d sent a hundred text messages and made almost as many calls, but all had gone unanswered. If he were a sane man, he might give up hope, but he wasn’t. Connor McGregor was mad for his woman and he wouldn’t rest until he found her.

“Mr. McGregor! Mr. McGregor!” Lori’s voice pulled him from his trance. “We found her. Mr. Cartwright called and said she was on Cumberland Island.”

“Cumberland Island.” An instant memory returned to him, Rey telling him how she preferred a vacation there instead of a popular tourist destination. “Of course, Lori. Thank him for me. And call my pilot. I need to leave immediately.”

 

*  *  *

 “Come here, you gorgeous boy, take this apple from my hand.” Rey laughed as the foal tossed his head. He wanted the apple, he just couldn’t bring himself to come close enough to accept it. His mind seemed willing, but his feet couldn’t be still. “All right. Here. I’ll lay it down for you.” She did so, placing the red piece of fruit on the grass and backing up far enough so the young horse would feel comfortable retrieving the treat.

Four days had passed since she came to Cumberland Island. In that time, Rey liked to think she’d made some progress. In the quiet hours, she’d relived and examined every moment she’d spent with Connor, dissecting his words and attempting to read between the lines. She supposed that when she returned to the mainland, her phone would come to life and she’d have more communiques from him. Or at least she hoped so. Honestly, she was a bit surprised he hadn’t come for her. Disappointed was a better word. After having shared with Connor her dream of vacationing here, she halfway expected him to follow her. You’re being too romantic, Rey. Connor is more pragmatic. He’s probably cutting deals, certain I’ll come to my senses eventually. The one thing she had come to terms with was his honesty. She’d examined their history, their past, every facet of their relationship. And the one thing she had to admit – Connor had never, ever lied to her. So, if he said he wasn’t seeing any other women, that he had no intention of doing so…well, Rey believed him. No matter what Serena said or what the gossip rags reported, she would place her faith and trust in him.

Taking one last look at the majestic herd of wild horses grazing serenely in the haunting ruins of Dungeness, Rey turned to retrace her steps to the cottage. It was time she packed her bags to go home.

…Connor tried to read to pass the time, but he couldn’t. He was too excited, too hopeful, too anxious to see Rey again. All he could do was stare out over the expanse of wetlands as his plane passed over southern Louisiana.

The first thing he planned on doing was taking Rey in his arms and telling her how much he loved her. No matter that he’d endeavored to show her, women needed the words. Really, every person needed the words. He could still remember how, as a small child, he’d hungered to be told of his parent’s love. The second thing he planned on doing was taking her to bed and reinforcing those words with actions. Connor intended to shower Rey with love.

Raising a glass of water to his lips, he was surprised with the plane jerked in midair and the liquid sloshed out on his shirt. “What the…”

Glancing out the window, he could see the sky was as clear as a bell. Not a cloud in sight. Maybe they’d hit a bit of turbulence or a pocket of hot air. He knew from experience that the emissions from the refineries dotting the region could create a rollercoaster ride for small aircraft. The clouds of warmer air could make a plane drop a few feet before catching itself, he didn’t know the scientific facts concerning the phenomenon, but he’d experienced it before.

Another jolt, another drop.

“Mr. McGregor, we’re experiencing some turbulence. We ask you to fasten your seat belt please.”

The announcement came over the intercom, but Connor was already ahead of them. He held on to the arms of the captain’s chair as the small jet began to pitch and roll. “Fuck, not now, please not now.” Not when he had so much to live for.

Not before he told Rey how much he loved her.

The pilot’s Mayday call was the last words Connor heard.

…Rey stepped off the ferry and smiled at the bright sunshine that danced on her face. She was going home. Rey still wasn’t completely sure how things would work out, but she did know running wasn’t the answer.

The moment she got settled into her rental car, Rey turned on her phone. Messages from Connor lit up the screen. Scanning through them, her heart began to ache. He was worried. She’d been thoughtless going out of range like that, by the tone of his words, she could read his fear and frustration. With the press of one key, she called his cell and waited…

No answer. The voice said the caller had no service, he wasn’t taking calls now.

Odd. Undeterred, she placed the second call to his office, stepping out of the car so she’d have better reception. The breeze off the ocean ruffled her hair. On the first ring, Lori answered. “Hello? Miss Cassidy? Thank God you called.”

“Yes, Lori, it’s me. What’s wrong?” She could clearly hear panic in the other woman’s voice.

“We’ve been trying to reach you. Oh, it’s just terrible.”

“What’s terrible? Lori, what’s going on?”

“It’s Mr. McGregor. He’s missing.”

“Missing? What do you mean?”

Lori started to cry and Rey died inside. “Where is Connor?”

“He was flying to find you, ma’am, he was on his way to Georgia. His plane went down over the Atchafalaya and the authorities haven’t found him yet. The crew perished. They’re expecting no survivors.”

Rey crumpled to the ground.

 

*  *  *

Unwilling to wait for word, Rey flew to Breaux Bridge, a small town on the edge of the Atchafalaya. As a high-ranking employee of McGregor Developments, she could represent the company in its interactions with the authorities, including the FAA and the NTSB, who came to investigate the crash. Rey oversaw the notifications to the pilot’s and the flight attendant’s families. She also hired extra people to help search. One man familiar with the area stood by waiting to speak to her.

After signing some documents, acknowledging the finding that there was no pilot error, the fault of the crash was mechanical, Rey made her way over to confer with the bearded man. He was a bit scruffy looking, wearing overalls, standing beside a small vessel that looked more like a houseboat than anything else. Every step she made was agony – not from any injury – Rey was suffering from a broken heart. A pain as agonizing as a burn had cauterized her spirit, making her able to deal with the people who were hunting Connor, when all she ached to do was go somewhere private and scream until her throat was raw.

This was her fault. In her abject cowardice, she’d ran away and he’d followed. Connor had been on his way to see her when his plane went down. If she’d stayed home, where she belonged, he’d be alive and well...and they’d be together.

Now, she was alone and he might be dead.

“Ma’am, I’m a needing to speak with you.”

The Cajun’s accent was thick, but Rey had grown up around this type of man. She would have no trouble understanding what he was saying.

“All right, Mr. Robicheaux, you have my undivided attention.”

He nodded toward the uniformed authorities. “What’s them men telling you, cher?”

Rey ducked her head. “They don’t hold out much hope. They’ve retrieved most of the broken pieces of the jet and the bodies of the crew. There’s no sign of Connor.”

“De jet broke up, as I understand. They haven’t located the rear parts yet.”

“No.” She shook her head. Connor’s office was in the back of the plane. “After seeing the wreckage, I don’t know how anyone could’ve survived.”

Robicheaux looked off into the distance. “De swamp is a big, big place. People get lost easy. If your man was able to walk away from the crash, he might be wandering around out there.”

Hope flared in Rey’s chest. She hadn’t identified Connor as ‘her man’, but she wasn’t about to deny it – not anymore. “I want you to find him and I’ll hire as many others as you can recommend.”

Robicheaux took a long breath. “We’re looking at a lot of square miles and there’s a world of alligators out there. A man could be in serious trouble fast.”

“And that’s why I need you to put together an armada to search for him. I’ve requested a satellite image of the area, to see if we can spot anymore wreckage.” Passing her hand over her eyes, Rey ignored her fatigue. “Look, I’ll pay you generously,” she insisted. “And I want to go with you. Waiting here on the edge, doing nothing, is unbearable.”

…A full thirty-six hours later, Rey stood at the bow of Robicheaux’s swamp boat and gazed into the distance. Tears blurred her vision and her chest was sore from crying, but she refused to give up. The idea that Connor might be dead was just too impossible for Rey to comprehend. She couldn’t obliterate the hope that every beat of her heart kept alive.

“You watch the port side and I’ll keep an eye on the starboard. According to the report you received on the satellite images, there’s some metal debris in this area.” The old man hit a blast on the air horn. “Up ahead, there’s a bit of land we can get out and walk around. A big stand of cypress would hide any wreckage.”

“Good.” Rey wiped her eyes and sniffed. “I’m ready to get out and make myself useful.”

“Quit your fretting,” the old Cajun muttered, “we got four other boats out searching. Look around, if there was something out there, birds of prey would be circling.”

Rey couldn’t smile, even if the absence of buzzards was a good sign. She’d been rehearsing what she would say to Connor when she saw him. She had her speech all ready. If she ever got the chance, she’d get down on her knees and this time she’d propose to him.

A bellowing noise off the bow made Rey jump. She stepped closer to see what made the noise and saw a big bull alligator among the water lilies. If she were here under different circumstances, Rey would enjoy this. The Atchafalaya was the biggest swamp in the U.S., but it shared many of the characteristics with the boggy wetlands of the Sabine River bottom where she’d grown up. Gazing into the brackish water, she prayed that Connor was alive. If he’d died coming for her, she’d never get over it. Never.

As was their habit, Mr. Robicheaux gave the horn another blast, then they would be very still to listen. Every time, Rey would hold her breath straining to hear any noise…

“Hey! Hey! Over here!”

Immediate elation caused Rey to scream, “Connor! Connor! Where are you?”

She ran to the side of the boat, her eyes scanning the boggy ground to their right. Rey was so thrilled, she almost fell overboard in her excitement. “We’re here!”

“Easy, missy, hold on. We’ll get there.” Robicheaux began to steer the boat in the direction of Connor’s voice.

“Rey!”

“Connor!” He sounded strong, but Rey had to see for herself.

As soon as they were within a few feet and she could see the sandy bottom through the murky waters, Rey jumped out of the boat and began sloshing toward shore. Robicheaux was shouting words of caution about gators, snakes, and quicksand – but Rey didn’t care. At the moment, she felt like she could walk on water.

“Connor!” she shouted again, as she pulled herself up on the bank by the branch of a low-growing bald cypress. “I’m here, Connor!” Just a few feet up on land, she spotted him. He was standing upright – tattered, torn, and dirty – but he had never looked better to her. “Oh, Connor!” She ran to him and launched herself through the air.

Connor was tired, sore, and hungry – but he would’ve caught her if it killed him. “My God, Rey, I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I came for you. Did you think I wouldn’t?”

Connor didn’t know. “You left me,” was all he could say.

“I know. I was wrong. You were coming for me?” she had to ask, even though she knew the answer.

“I will always come for you.” He swung her in a circle. “Always. I love you, Rey Cassidy. I love you. I love you so much. I should have told you instead of just trying to show you. You belong to me.”

He loved her! Unheeding of Robicheaux’s presence off to one side, Rey didn’t forget her promise to herself. “I love you too, so much.” Sinking to her knees, she held up her hands. “I am so sorry that I hurt us both when I didn’t accept your proposal. I was insecure and foolish. Will you forgive me? Will you be mine?”

“There’s nothing to forgive and I am already yours.” Connor pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “The only reason I want you on your knees in front of me is when…”

Rey kissed him before he embarrassed them before the old Cajun who stood by with a big grin on his face. “Okay, we can pick up where we left off when we get back to Austin. Are you ready to go?”

Connor laughed. “Hell, yes. Let’s go home.”

 

*  *  *

 “Be still, I’m going to kiss you everywhere, head to toe. I came back from the dead for you and I’m not about to let you go anytime soon.”

Rey became very still, holding him as tightly as she could. “I love to hear your heart beating.”

Connor kissed a path from her collarbone to her lips. “Stop worrying, I’m here. I’m not going to leave you, ever.” The near tragedy he endured was brought home to them when they attended the funerals of the plane’s crew. Connor had made provisions for their families, setting up scholarships for the children. He’d never forget waking up on the ground, still strapped in his seat, realizing the plane had gone down. Even without food or fresh water, Connor had refused to leave the wreckage, believing help would come. He still couldn’t explain how he’d made it, he attributed the miracle to the strength of Rey’s love for him. She’d willed his survival.

“I’ll never take you for granted, I swear,” she promised him as he began to undress her, every touch a tender tribute.

“Nor I you.” As soon as he divested her of the last scrap of lace, he knelt at her feet. “You are so damn beautiful, Rey. What can I do to make you believe me when I say that?”

Rey fought back tears. “I wish I could see myself through your eyes.” She sank to her knees to hug him. “But I do believe you.”

“You’d better.” He placed a gentle hand at the pulse point of her throat, then let it glide down her body, between her breasts to the very top of her mound. “You’re exquisite. Delicate. So perfectly made you take my breath away.” He bowed his head to feather a kiss across her nipple. “I’d keep you naked like this all the time if I could.”

“We wouldn’t get much work done.” All she could manage was a whisper. She couldn’t think with him touching her.

“Oh, I bet we could. Sex would just increase the flow of our…creative juices.” He smiled when she giggled. “The only thing I want you to wear is this.” He opened his palm to show her the ring he’d offered to her once before.

“Oh, Connor, thank you. The answer is yes, a thousand times yes.” She held out her hand and he slipped it on her ring finger, then bent to kiss it and then her hand.

“Good. I want to marry you soon, I don’t want to have to wait six months.”

Rey was busy pushing his shirt from his broad shoulders. “Do you want to elope or do you want a big wedding?” She fully expected him to say he wanted them to elope, most men would do anything to get out of a big wedding.

“Are you kidding? I want the biggest wedding Austin has ever seen. I want to show you off. I want there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that I’m taken. You belong to me and I belong to you.” As he kissed her, he cupped her mound, letting his fingers dip into her silken heat.

Rey opened her legs wider, giving him all the access he wanted. “I love you, Connor. I love you so much.” She caressed his cheek, rough with more than a day’s growth of beard, endearingly masculine.

“And I love you, Rey. More than anything. And I’ll tell you so every day for the rest of my life.” Standing, he shucked his pants, briefs, shoes and socks, leaving himself naked, engorged, and ready. Taking her hand, he moved to a big rocker in the corner of his den. “Let me sit and you join me.” He settled down and pulled her to his thighs, her back to his front. “Careful, don’t damage the merchandise,” he teased as she giggled, settling on top of him, his sex notched to hers. The liquid heat of her arousal flashed fire up his spine.

“I can’t touch you like this,” Rey said, her lower lips pooching slightly.

Connor moved her hair to one side and sucked lightly on her neck. “Oh, but I can touch you.” Covering her breasts with his large hands, he began to massage the sensitive mounds. “Lean back against me and open your legs.” She did as he asked and was rewarded. Flexing his cock, he filled the valley of her sex, the head seductively bumping her clitoris. “Now, you’re touching me.”

“You’re so creative,” she whispered, anticipating pleasure.

“Every moment we’re together, I want to be touching you and every moment we’re not together, I’ll dream of new ways to please you.” Connor took a small vial of oil from the end table next to the chair and opened it. “Here hold this.”

“What is it?” She trembled in his arms. “It’s not liniment, is it?”

Connor chuckled. “No, it’s massage cream. Gardenia scented.” He licked the side of her neck. “For your breasts.”

“Oh.” Rey felt her womb clench. This was going to be good.

Connor dipped his fingers into the cream, first one hand and then the other. “Now, close your eyes.”

Rey obeyed, but when he pressed his palms to her nipples, her eyes flew open so she could see the incredibly erotic contrast – darker skin to lighter, hard to soft, male to female. And when he began to rub, soothing the velvet oil into her skin, she jerked in his arms. “God, Connor! That feels so good,” she keened. As he made soft circles over the aching tips of her breasts, she writhed in his arms, her hips undulating with every circle he made.

“Look at you.” He placed his hands under her breasts and picked them up. “How could you not know how sensually perfect you are. You are femininity personified.”

“Only for you, you make me beautiful,” she whimpered.

“And you make me happy.” He kissed her cheek, nuzzling her neck. “More cream, please?” She held up the little pot and he dipped his fingers in. What he did next stole Rey’s breath. He took her nipples between his fingers and began to rub, elongating them, squeezing them – rubbing, tweaking, milking.

“Connor, oh, Connor,” she cried, raising her arms over her head to clasp him around the neck. With every rhythmic tug he made on her nipples, she moved her hips forward and back, riding the length of his cock. Mesmerized, he braced himself for the ecstasy. She was Eve and he was Adam, he felt primal to her Edenic allure. “I need inside you,” he told her, his cock swelling to painful proportions.

Lifting her slightly, he swirled the head of his penis around the tight ring of her opening. She held onto the arms of the rocker and eased her body down, impaling herself on his thick shaft.

“I’m always amazed you fit,” she whispered as he filled her.

“We fit perfectly, you were made for me.”

Once they were joined, she began to move – rising and falling. Connor buried his face in her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. She’d never know the thoughts that had gone through his head as the plane had plunged to the earth. In what he thought were his last moments, he’d prayed to come back to her, promised untold good deeds if he could just have the privilege of holding her in his arms one more time. And now that he had her, he was never letting her go.

Rey gave in to the ecstasy, her body bucking in his arms. His arms banded her, his fingers still playing with her nipples while she rode him. “Connor!” she cried as her body arched, thrusting her breasts out, her head pressing back hard on his shoulder.

A guttural moan rose in Connor’s throat as he felt her convulse in his arms. With every motion of the chair, he slid in and out of her, his cock throbbed without mercy as her tight little pussy milked him like a hungry mouth. Stars burst behind his eyes as he came, Connor thought he might die from pure pleasure.

Slowly, they came back to earth. He cradled her tenderly in his arms, her body resting against his. “So, you’ll marry me soon. Promise?”

Rey sighed with happiness. “I’ll begin making the arrangements tomorrow. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

 

*  *  *

 The biggest wedding the capital of Texas had ever seen was held at the Austin Country Club and catered by the Waterloo Hotel. A thousand guests were in attendance and the bride, as reported by ACE, was beautiful, a radiant vision in white satin. The perfect summer day was a time of mourning for the female population of the Lone Star state, one of their most eligible bachelors was eligible no more.

After the simple ceremony, a lavish reception greeted everyone. As happy as the bride seemed, the groom was jubilant, welcoming everyone with joy. As gracious as he was, neither his gaze nor his attention left his bride for very long. There wasn’t a woman there who wasn’t pea green with jealousy, all wishing they’d been the one to snare the man once thought to be too sexy for love.

Inside the club house, gifts were piled high on the tables, but Connor’s gift to Rey was contained within a simple white envelope. “Open it,” he urged.

Rey smiled at him. “Tickets to Paris?” she asked, before peeking to see what was inside.

“No, but we’ll go anytime you want.” His eager face made Rey curious, she smiled as she tugged out a simple sheet of paper. Opening it, she saw that it was a letter from their lawyer. Connor had signed over fifty percent of the company to her.

“Connor!” she exclaimed. “This was hardly necessary.”

“Oh, it was. Neither I nor the company would be anything without you.” He took her in his arms. “And there’s something else.”

Rey nestled close to him, oblivious to the crowds milling around, eating canapes and drinking champagne. “What else could there be?”

“Just as soon as we finish the projects ongoing now, we’re taking three months off. You’re going on tour and I’m going with you. I want to watch my wife play at Carnegie Hall.”

Joy rose in Rey like an ever-flowing spring. “I don’t know what to say, I can’t believe you did this for me.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly to her. “I love you so much, Connor.”

“I love you too, my sunshine.”

“I wish I had something as wonderful to give you.” She thought about the platinum Rolex she’d bought and had engraved with the date of their wedding.

He smiled, tilting up her face with one finger under her chin. “Your love is the only gift I could ever want.” After kissing her thoroughly – in front of God, Austin, and everybody – Connor took her by the hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”

A round of applause met the stunning couple as they took to the dance floor, but soon they were joined by many others, all celebrating the happy occasion. As Connor swept Rey across the floor, she was surprised to receive a tap on the shoulder.

“May I cut in?”

Rey laughed as a young woman took Connor by the arm, having the foolish notion that she would steal a dance from Rey’s groom on Rey’s wedding day.

“Not a chance.” She reached over and grabbed the lapel of Connor’s coat, pulling him back into her arms. “He’s mine now and I’m never letting him go.”

Without even glancing at the other woman, Connor went with his wife very willingly.

 

THE END

 

 

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