Breaking Bailey's Rules(37)
“Take your time,” she teased. She rested her cheek against his chest, feeling so light with happiness it was a wonder she didn’t float up to the ceiling. Maybe she was being naive. Maybe he would hurt her again. But at the moment, none of that seemed to matter.
“You never gave me a chance to explain two years ago,” he muttered.
His statement dampened her euphoria. “Would it have mattered? I was desperately hurt and in shock. I’m not sure anything you said would have gotten through to me.”
“I deserved a fair hearing, Lucy. We were in a committed relationship, but you were too stubborn to be reasonable.”
His eyes were closed, so she couldn’t see his expression. But his jaw was tight.
Was it all an act? Jeff playing up his innocence?
There was only one way to know for sure, even if the prospect curled her stomach. “Will you do me a favor?” she asked quietly.
Jeff yawned. “The way I feel right now, you could ask me for the moon and I’d call NASA to help me get it for you.”
She reared up on one elbow and gaped. “Why, Jeff Hartley! That was the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”
And there it was again. Doubt. Many a woman had been swayed by pretty words.
He chuckled, holding her tightly against his side. “I’ve had two years to practice,” he said. “Prepare to be amazed. But let’s not get off track. What’s this big favor you need from me?”
“Will you go with me to Kirsten’s house?”
His entire body froze. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not come anywhere near that woman.”
She kissed his bicep. “Please. I have to hear the truth. I know you want me to take you on faith, but I need something more concrete. I need you to understand my doubts, and I need your moral support.”
“Damn it. That’s what I get for promising you the moon.”
Nineteen
The following morning when Lucy woke up, she didn’t know where she was. And then it all came back to her in a rush of memories from the night before. She and Jeff Hartley had done naughty things in this huge bed. Naughty, wonderful things.
During the night, he had insisted on holding her close as they slept, though in truth, sleep had been far down the list of their favorite activities. Actually, ranking right below mind-blowing sex were the strawberries and champagne they had ordered from room service at 3:00 a.m.
Jeff was still asleep. She studied him unashamedly, feeling her heart swell with hope and then contract with fear. Loving him once had nearly destroyed her. Could she let herself love him again?
She flinched in surprise when the naked man beneath the covers moved and spoke. “I am not a peep show for your private entertainment,” he mumbled.
Reaching beneath the sheet, she took him in her hand. “Are you sure?”
What followed was a very pleasant start to their morning. When they were both rumpled and limp with satisfaction, she poked his arm. “Time to put on some clothes and check out. I want to get this over with.”
An hour later, they were on the highway, headed back to Royal. Lucy sat rigid in her seat, her hands clenched in her lap. Layers of dread filled her stomach with each passing mile.
When they reached the fringes of Royal proper, Jeff pulled off on the side of the road and turned to face her. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
She blanched. “Oh?”
“Nothing bad,” he said hastily, correctly reading her state of mind. “I want you to know that I had my bank transfer twenty thousand dollars to Kenny’s account before you and I ever made it to Midland. I wanted you and me to be intimate, but only if you wanted it, too.”
Lucy shook her head. “Thank you for that.” But even as she said the words, she wondered if his generosity might be a ploy to win her trust...to play the knight in shining armor.
Of course, Jeff knew where Kirsten lived. The party where Jeff and Lucy first connected had been down the street from Kirsten’s house. When Jeff parked at the curb, Lucy took a deep breath. “This is it, I guess.”
Jeff was at her side as they made their way up the walk. Lucy rang the bell. Kirsten herself opened the door...and upon seeing Lucy and Jeff together, immediately turned the color of milk, her expression distraught. She didn’t invite them in. They stood in an awkward trio with the noonday sun beaming down.
Lucy squared her shoulders. “It’s been painful having you treat me so coldly these last two years, Kirsten. But I have to know the truth. If Jeff kissed you and you were seduced into responding, I need to hear you admit it.”
Kirsten scowled. “What does the sainted Jeff Hartley have to say about the whole mess? I suppose he’s told you what a bitch I am...what a terrible friend.”
“Actually, he hasn’t said much of anything. The man I knew two years ago wouldn’t have cheated on me. But the only other explanation is that my best friend deliberately ruined my wedding.”
Kirsten wrapped her arms around her waist, her expression hunted. “Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. But I’ve run out of scenarios, and I’m damned tired of wondering.” Kirsten sneered. “Men are pigs. They want what they can’t have. Jeff put the moves on me. He cheated on you.”
Suddenly, the pain was as fresh as if the incident had happened yesterday. Seeing Kirsten in Jeff’s arms had nearly killed Lucy. But now she had to take one of them on faith. Either her childhood friend or her lover.
She stared at Kirsten. “Did he cheat on me? Or did you?”
It was a standoff two years in the making. No matter what the answer turned out to be, Lucy lost someone she cared about, someone she loved.
Jeff remained silent during the long, dreadful seconds that elapsed. Time settled into slow motion...
At last, Kirsten’s face crumpled. Her eyes flashed with a combination of guilt and anger. “If you’d had more faith in him, nothing I did would have mattered.”
Lucy gasped, struck by the truth in the accusation. But her own behavior wasn’t on trial at the moment. Shock paralyzed her, despite the part of her that must have accepted the truth somewhere deep down inside. “So it’s true?” Lucy spared one glance at Jeff, but he was stone-faced.
Kirsten shrugged. “It’s true. Your precious Jeff is innocent.”
Lucy trembled. Knowing was one thing. Hearing it bluntly stated out loud was painful...and baffling. “Why, Kirsten? I have to know why?”
Kirsten was almost defiant now. “I was jealous. Ever since we were kids, things seemed so easy for you. When we came back from college and you hooked up with Jeff at the party, I was furious. I’d had my eye on him for a long time.”
Lucy shook her head in disbelief. “You were so popular, Kirsten. I don’t even know what you mean.”
Kirsten shrugged. “I hoarded my resentment. Everything came to a head the night of your rehearsal dinner. I saw my chance and I took it. I kissed Jeff. Because I knew you were right outside the door. He had nothing to do with it.”
“Oh, Kirsten. You were my best friend.”
The other woman shook her head. “But not anymore.” Quietly, Kirsten closed the door.
Twenty
Jeff took Lucy’s arm and steered her back toward the car. “Give her time,” he said. “The two of you may get beyond this.”
Lucy stared at him. “How can you be so calm?”
He caressed her cheek, his eyes filled with warmth. “I have you back in my life again, Lucy. Nothing can hurt me now.”
“Take me home with you, Jeff. Please.”
They made the trip in silence. Her thoughts were in shambles. How had she been so wrong about so many things?
In Jeff’s living room, she prowled. He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, his gaze following her around the room. At last, he sighed. “Sometimes we have to put the past behind us, sweetheart. We have to choose to be happy and move on.”
At last, Lucy stood in front of him, hands on her hips. “I love you, too, Jeff. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you...that I didn’t trust us. Kirsten had been my friend since we were nine years old. When I saw her in your arms, it didn’t make sense. So my default was to doubt you. And maybe to doubt myself, too, because I fell in love with you so quickly.” She took a deep breath. “I adore you. I suppose I’ll have to spend the rest of my life making this up to you.”
He pulled her close and kissed her hard, making her heart skip several beats. “Nonsense. We’re not going to talk about it again. Today is our new beginning.”
Even in the midst of an almost miraculous second chance, Lucy fretted. “There’s one more thing.”
He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the sofa, sprawling with her in his arms. “Go ahead,” he said, his tone resigned.
“I don’t want people to gossip about us. Can we please keep this quiet? At least until after Christmas? That will give me time to go back to Austin and turn in my notice. I’ll have to sell my condo if I’m coming back to run the farm. I’ll convince Kenny to turn down the Samson Oil offer and stick around until the new year.”
Jeff’s eyes narrowed...giving him the look of a really pissed off cowboy. “No way,” he said, his jaw thrust out. “We’re getting married this week. I’m not stupid.”