This.
But a second later it was over, the ribbon snapping and sinking beneath the murky water.
“Ryan, no.” Tess broke the kiss, pulled herself from my arms. “This isn’t right. You’re with my sister, and I’m not getting in the middle of all of that. I don’t live in the same world you do, and I can’t afford to get swept up in movie star fantasies. I’m too old for that. I live in the real world.” Her voice broke as she said, “Just stay away from me, and then go home. Go back to Hollywood, where you belong.”
She turned and walked out the big barn door, leaving me standing in the dark, my heart racing and my future becoming a distant icon as she moved away from me.
More than ever, I knew exactly what I wanted.
I wanted her, and I didn’t care about anything else.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tess
I practically ran out of the barn. The last thing I needed was more time in his arms, more ideas blooming in my mind about what might be possible between us. I’d settled myself with reality this afternoon. Movie stars were Juliet’s business, not mine. And I wouldn't survive the heartbreak that would come with Ryan McDonnell.
I slid back into my seat next to Granny, ignoring her questioning stare, and shoveled a huge bite of my waiting cake into my mouth.
“Jesus, slow down, Tess,” Granny said, cringing at my gluttony. “You’ve already had a brush with death once today, and I swear to God I’m going first. I’ll stab myself with this butter knife if I have to.” She picked up a piece of flatware from the table and waved it menacingly as I scarfed down cake.
Hell, if I couldn't have Ryan, at least I could have chocolate and cherries. I closed my eyes and forced myself to enjoy it. Yes. Cake. I would have a future filled with sugary smooth cake and frosting. It would be glorious, and I would just have to get bigger kayaks. And bigger clothes to fully accommodate the true love of my life. Chocolate cake.
Mmmm. I was shoving another mouthful in, telling myself I was fine when I heard Ryan’s voice over the speakers.
“I hope you don’t mind if I take just a second to say something,” he said, and the crowd quieted again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ryan
I hadn’t been sure what would happen when I picked up that microphone. I only knew I had to.
“What are you waiting for?” Juliet had asked, shoving me in the ribs with her small hand.
My eyes found hers. “But … the cameras. Alison is on us like Gran on a Manhattan.”
Juliet shrugged and her eyes scanned the room. I assumed she was looking to see if Alison was watching, but her gaze moved somewhere else and I followed the direction, but as I turned my head, she laughed lightly and turned back to me. One of her security guards at the tent entrance gave me a light nod and I lifted my hand. I was too nervous to wonder what that was all about. At his side, Jack and the chicken stood, the chicken wearing a little bow tie for the party.
I thought it was a girl chicken. I guessed girls could wear bowties too.
“I’m sick of pretending,” Juliet finally said, pulling me back from my chicken ponderance. “And I don’t think it makes things better. Mostly, I think it hurts the people we care about.”
“If we stop pretending,” I reminded her, “the press goes back to pulling apart the details of your divorce. They’ll find out about the settlement. The tape.”
“They’ll find out anyway.” Her voice was tired, resigned. “It’s like trying to stop a tidal wave with a silk scarf, Ryan. In the long run, it’s impossible. And really … what’s the worst that could happen?”
“The scarf would be wrecked,” I quipped. I was still considering her question, knowing full well the worst that could happen would happen to Juliet, not to me. My agent might be disappointed. My career might not explode as we’d hoped, but my agent was going to be plenty disappointed anyway, when I let her know I was planning to relocate to Maryland. What difference would this make? Juliet went on.
“Please put my sister out of her misery,” she said. “Look at her, she’s so consciously trying not to look at you, it’s hurting me. And I think she might be trying to commit suicide via cake.”
“She is?”
“Oh my God, do I need to do this for you guys?” Juliet started to stand up.
“No, no.” I pulled her back down and was surprised when the burly security guard who’d been by the door was suddenly standing behind us.
“Easy,” he growled. I released Juliet, looking between them. What was going on here?
“It’s fine,” Juliet said, glancing up at him, something soft in her eyes. “Jace, I’m fine.”
The mountain of man backed off and I raised an eyebrow at Juliet. “Pretty devoted security there.”
She ignored my comment. “Do I need to tell my sister how you feel?”
“No,” I said. “No, of course not.”
A minute later, I had the microphone in my hand and was running my mouth, wishing I’d planned out something to say. My stomach was in my throat and my palms were so sweaty I had to keep switching hands and rubbing them across my tux, but somehow I managed to get out the words I needed.
They were crazy words—even to my own ears. I wasn’t just talking when I said I’d never believed in love at first sight. What an insane idea. Love involves time and experience, shared hardship and a deep chemical attraction, right? How could anyone possibly believe they loved someone else the second they first saw them? It sounded impossible.
But I knew for a fact it wasn’t. It was real. It wasn’t like my rational mind looked at Tess Manchester and said, “yep, that one.”
But still, I
