Dream Wedding(146)

“Sasha, you want help?” he asked.

Sasha stopped and stared at him. Then she grinned and nodded. “Get Cassie.”

She ran as fast as her short legs would carry her. He circled around from the opposite side. Cassie laughed.

“This isn’t fair. Two against one.” She eyed Ryan as he got closer. “Wait. Maybe we should gang up on Sasha. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Sure, but not as much fun as this,” he said as he lunged for her.

She screamed and ducked, then had to leap back to keep from tripping over Sasha. Down she went onto the soft grass. Sasha jumped on top of her and began tickling. Ryan joined the fray.

He knelt on the ground and pulled his niece toward him. As he did so, he tickled her sides. Sasha giggled and laughed, trying to squirm away.

“Thank you,” Cassie said as she rose into a sitting position. Her hair was mussed, her eyes dancing with amusement. “I thought I was—”

He leaned Sasha against his thigh and kept tickling her with one hand, while with his free hand, he reached out for Cassie. She broke off in midsentence and tried to scramble away. But she was laughing too much and couldn’t get to her feet. She pushed at his hand.

“Ryan, stop. You can’t do this. It’s not part of my job description.”

Then, without warning, Sasha turned on him. Her tiny hands found that one sensitive place on his ribs. Instantly he released both her and Cassie. “No, you don’t,” he said, physically holding her out of harm’s way.

But it was too late. Cassie had seen his moment of vulnerability. She lunged toward him and attacked. Then the three of them were laughing and tickling and rolling in a heap.

He pushed hands away, tried to pin them both down, but while Cassie and Sasha weren’t that strong, they were definitely squirmy. He was also afraid of hurting them, so he couldn’t use his strength against them.

“Truce,” he called after a couple of minutes. “Enough.”

“’Nuff,” Sasha agreed and collapsed against him.

“Agreed.” Cassie took a deep breath and relaxed. Her head was on his shoulder, her body pressed against his.

In that moment, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman in his life. But that wasn’t what scared him. What made him break out into a cold sweat was the realization that this was exactly what he needed. Days like this. With sunshine and laughter, Sasha and Cassie. He needed them to be a family.

Fear came on the heels of desire. Fear and the sense that he was in over his head. As much as he might want to be like everyone else, he knew he didn’t have the skills. He could work hard, he could build a company from nothing with only a dream and determination. He could learn that which could be taught, but he didn’t know how to be a husband or a father. He’d never seen it done. He allowed himself to get close to Sasha because he had Cassie there to keep him from making any big mistakes. But who would protect her from him if they got involved?

Besides, Cassie wouldn’t want a man like him. She would want someone more like herself—open and loving. Someone who believed in family and happily-ever-after. He believed in keeping an emotional distance and working eighty-hour weeks. He had nothing to offer her.

There was only one solution. He had to fix her problem. Somehow, some way, he was going to get her and Joel back together.

* * *

“HERE’S JOHN when he left for college,” Ryan said, pointing to a photograph of a serious young man who looked like a shorter and broader version of his brother. “I guess I was about eight or nine. I didn’t want him to go. He promised that we’d still do things together, but I knew it was going to be different.”

“Was it?” Cassie asked.

He nodded. “He came home for holidays, the first couple of years, then he was too busy.”

The evening was chilly, but Ryan had lit a fire in the fireplace. The welcoming scent of wood smoke filled the living room. Cassie picked up her wine and took a sip. Despite the quiet of the dark house around them and the late hour, not to mention the flickering flames, she refused to acknowledge this was the least bit romantic. Ryan had asked for her help in sorting through old pictures. He’d wanted to put a few up for Sasha to see. That was all. She was a hardworking employee helping her boss. The fire, the wine, the night…well, they were just set decorations. As real and as meaningful as a movie backdrop.

At least that was what she kept telling herself, even as her body quivered and her mouth went dry.

They were sitting next to each other on the sofa. Several photo albums were stacked around them. Ryan reached for a pale fabric-covered one and set it on the coffee table. “This is their wedding album,” he said.