Blame It On Paris

down that delicate, sexy arch, she purred just like a cat. 'Just for the record, why are we talking about religion?'

'Because we have to be sure we agree about what matters, Will. Is it important to you if we believe exactly the same things?'

'No. Not at all.' That was easy to answer.

'I agree.'

Since she seemed determined to add a complicated, touchy discussion to an already complicated, touchy day, he went along. 'Speaking for myself, I think religious and personal beliefs are matters of the heart. They're not up for argument. They're up for discussion, because talking about what matters is interesting and honest. But I don't want to be pushed and I'd never push you.'

'Oh God, Will, you said that so well. And I'm totally on the same page.' She added, 'I think everyone has a spiritual side. The only thing wrong is denying it. If you get a great feeling walking in the woods, then I'll walk in the woods with you. But if I need to go to church, I'd like you to occasionally come with me…or at least be with me about what I need to do.'

'I am. Okay.' He'd given more attention to her right foot than her left, so now he had to make up to leftie. After getting a good long gulp of coffee, he said gruffly. 'I think a couple should protect each other's private stuff. I don't mean sex. I mean the kind of things you're afraid of, when you're all alone or in pain.'

Slowly she swung her bare legs back to her side of the car and put down her coffee. 'Will, you are so good at being honest with me. It's one of the things I love about you.'

Like the day at her house, like the failed Notre Dame breakfast fiasco, like this morning in church. Will felt a raw, gut feeling of fear. He sensed that he was a pinch away from losing Kelly, that she wanted something from him and he wasn't coming through.

Only he couldn't seem to pin down exactly what it was. It was as if his whole life could be threatened if he couldn't solve the Rubik's Cube. He had all the colors, all the pieces, but he still had no idea how to put it together.

He grabbed her wrist when she turned the key and started the engine. 'If you like it that I'm honest with you, why are you frowning? What was this big conversation about?'

'You're honest with me. Will. But I need you to be honest with yourself.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means that you think you're low-key and laid-back. And you're not. You think you're happy lazy. And you're not. You think you're an ex-Catholic. But you're just a Catholic who's angry about church issues, which isn't the same thing.'

'And all this interesting insight is going where?'

'It's going toward your dad.' She must have seen a certain expression on his face, because she said swiftly. 'I know. We've talked this half to death. But I want you to really hear me this time. I'll follow you anywhere. But you and I can't make it if you've got a raw sore on your heart that you keep pretending doesn't matter.'

Oh, yeah. That old song. Will didn't huff, but it crossed his mind again that he could have fallen for a woman who'd settle for diamonds and yachts and traveling around the world free as a bird. Instead, he got Ms. Interfering. Bossy. Poke-Into-Deep-Sores Rochard.

She only said one more thing. 'When you deal with your dad. Will, get your mind off what he wants. Get your mind on what vow want. Think about who you are, not who he is. It'll solve everything, I promise.'

Apart from trying to reason with the most idealistic dreamer who'd ever been born, Will still needed answers that he had yet to find, no matter how hard he tried.

BIG-BAND music spilled from the open doors of the country club. Every bush and branch was lit up on the long white patio and steps.

Kelly didn't freeze, though, until she got a good view of the crowd.

She wore a long black dress that she'd thought was downright adorable when she bought it-a clearance $79.99 buy at T.J. Maxx. Now she saw beads and sequins, satins and organza, and the stones dripping from necks were a long way from her rhinestones.

'We just aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto,' she murmured.

Will tugged on her arm. 'Say what? What's wrong?'

His voice was still laced with aggravation from this morning. Hell's bells, she was just as aggravated with herself. 'Nothing,' she assured him brightly. 'Just can't walk very fast in these heels.'

'This'll be boring as hell.' Will warned her, 'but we should be able to escape in a couple hours. Not until Mom's cut the cake and opened her presents, though.'

Another reason to freeze in panic. Somehow she was sure she'd bought the wrong thing. Or an inadequate thing. 'Will, what did you get her?'

He was carrying a medium-size box, clearly wrapped by a pro, not him. 'My dad and sisters always get her bling and girl stuff. But my mom's actually a techno junkie, so I cater to that. Got her a GPS with her own voice recorded for the person giving directions.'

'That's terrific,' Kelly said, panic building further. She'd gotten a coffee-table book on fancy gardening, because the Maguire house had been so exquisitely and uniquely landscaped. But that was before.

The Maguires had all seemed so natural. Before. They all seemed to have the usual family squabbles and idiosyncrasies. Before. They all seemed to- likely-spit in the bowl after brushing their teeth, like she did. Before.

Now she smiled blankly as Will climbed the steps, his hand at the small of her back, and introduced her to a couple. The woman was wearing a designer gown, her shoes costing more than Kelly made in a month.

'Will!' Another couple greeted him, kissed him. teased him about turning into a Frenchman.

He kept her alongside him. Barbara and Aaron greeted both of them-Barbara giving her a giant, warm hug. Ditto for Aaron. The sisters were there, the kids. Kelly understood why his mother had wanted the family to attend mass together that morning. That was the time the occasion would be about family. This fantabulous birthday bash was clearly less about family and more about an excuse to enjoy the bling. The place didn't need to be lit up. There were enough diamonds to illuminate a couple of universes. Chocolate diamonds. Yellow diamonds. One pink diamond.

'Hey.' Will cornered her after they'd filled plates with an array of gourmet delicacies. A chef was sizzling salmon flown in from Alaska. A king crab the size of a small room was displayed on a satin-gold plate. Individual chefs manned numerous tables, offering foods from the islands. South America, the Orient. Kelly could hardly take her eyes off the wonders.

'Kel.'

She glanced up. Will looked as stunning as she'd ever seen him. The white tux was perfect for his regal bones and ruffled blond hair, he looked a mix of bad boy and elegance. But mostly elegance. He could fit in anywhere, anytime, with anyone, she thought, and his long, lean body was just made for that tux.

'Kelly, wake up. What's wrong?'

She looked up again, and then shook her head with a laugh. ''Nothing. The party, it's just so beautiful.'

'Pretty stiff and formal, if you ask me. But my mom's in her element. She's loving it.'

A woman their own age took one look at Will across the patio and sailed over. 'Will!' Apparently Will had gone to school with the brunette, because she acted as if she not only knew him, but had laid claim to him body and soul-especially his body-at some point in the past. She dismissed her husband as if he were a purse on her arm, threw her arms around Will, shot Kelly a hello and then ignored her, and continued to gab for three minutes solid about their shared history.

It hit Kelly like a slam and kept slamming.

His money had never really bothered her, because she'd always felt so natural with him. But this was the first time she'd had it jammed into her face, that this was the life Will was born to, what he was used to. Not just some dumb money, but real wealth. Not ordinary family and friends, but people who'd been all over the world and had power.

And here she'd been telling him what to do from the day she met him. Demanding he figure out who he was, as if she had the intuition to know what was wrong with anyone as complex as Will, as if she knew anything about the life he'd grown up in.