A Tricky Proposition(57)

How had he not understood this before? Probably because he didn’t want it to be true. He hated to think that she’d find someone new to love and he’d lose her all over again.

Over dinner, while Rachel and Max indulged the guests by kissing at every clinking of glassware, Jason pondered his dinner companion and where the future would take them after tonight. He’d been happier in the past couple of weeks than he’d been in years. It occurred to him just how much he’d missed the closeness that had marked their relationship through high school.

He wasn’t ready to give up anything that he’d won. He wanted Ming as the best friend whom he shared his hopes and fears with. He wanted endless steamy nights with the sexy temptress who haunted his dreams. Most of all, he wanted the family that the birth of their baby would create.

All without losing the independence he was accustomed to.

Impossible.

He wasn’t foolish enough to think Ming would happily go along with what he wanted, so it was up to Jason to figure out how much he was comfortable giving up and for her to decide what she was willing to live with.

By the time the dancing started, Jason had his proposition formed. Tonight was for romance. Tomorrow morning over breakfast he would tell her his plan and they would start hashing out a strategy.

“Hmm,” she murmured as they swayed together on the dance floor. “It’s been over a decade since we danced together. I’d forgotten how good you are at this.”

“There are things I’m even better at.” He executed a spin that left her gasping with laughter. “How soon can we get out of here?”

“It’s barely nine.” She tried to look shocked, but her eyes glowed at his impatience.

“It’s the bride and groom’s party.” In the crush on the dance floor, he doubted if anyone would notice his hand venturing over her backside. “They have to stick around. We can leave anytime.”

Her body quivered, but she grabbed his hand and repositioned it on her waist. “I don’t think Max and Rachel would appreciate us ducking out early.”

Jason glanced toward the happy newlyweds. “I don’t think they’ll even notice.”

But in the end, they stayed until midnight and saw Max and Rachel off. The newlyweds were spending the night at a downtown hotel and flying on Monday to Gulf Shores, Alabama, where Max owned a house. The location had seemed an odd choice to Jason until he heard the story of how Max and Rachel met in the beach town five years earlier.

As the guests enjoyed one last dance, Jason slid his palm into the small of Ming’s back. “Did your sister say anything about Evan’s plan to miss the wedding today?”

A line appeared between Ming’s finely drawn eyebrows. “No. Did you try calling him?”

“Yes. And I spoke with my dad, too. He hadn’t heard from him. This just isn’t like Evan.”

“Let me call Lily and see if she knows what’s going on.” Ming dialed her sister’s cell and waited for her to pick up. “Evan didn’t make the wedding. Did he tell you he was planning on skipping it?” Ming met Jason’s eyes and shook her head.

“Find out when she last spoke to him.”

“Jason wants to know when you last heard from him. I’m going to put you on speaker, okay?”

“Last night.”

It was odd for his brother to go a whole day without talking to one of them. “Is something going on with him?”

“Last night he proposed.” Lily sounded miserable.

“Wow,” Ming exclaimed, her excitement sounding genuine.

“I told him I couldn’t marry him.”

Anxiety kicked Jason in the gut. “I guess I don’t need to ask how he took that.”

Twice he’d seen Evan slip into the same self-destructiveness their father had once exhibited. The first time as a senior in high school when his girlfriend of three years decided to end things a week after graduation. Evan had spent the entire summer in a black funk. The second time was about a year before he and Ming had started dating. His girlfriend of two years had dumped him and married her ex-boyfriend. But Jason suspected neither of those events had upset Evan to the extent that losing Lily would.

“I don’t understand,” Ming said. “I thought you loved him.”

“I do.” Lily’s voice shook. “I just can’t do that to you.”

Ming looked to Jason for help. “I don’t blame either of you for finding each other.”

While the sisters talked, Jason dialed his brother again. When he heard Evan’s voice mail message, he hung up. He’d already left three messages tonight. No need to leave another.