Her Accidental Husband(67)

And she wondered, for a moment, if Cruz hadn’t come into her life, shown her what real happiness was, whether she’d have accepted his apology. Maybe grieved a little longer, make him grovel, show real contrition, and eventually…taken him back.

It was a sad truth to know it was a distinct possibility. That she had thought so little of herself, of the possibility of real happiness, that she would have accepted being just okay. Content even.

Until she saw all the possibilities that were open to her, thanks to Cruz. And herself. Now, she was impatient to get this thing over with Brad so she could find Cruz. Tell him that although their marriage may not be legally binding, it didn’t change anything for her. She still wanted to give them a chance. Maybe even consummate that choice a time or two before they went downstairs to the brunch that was planned with his family.

She glanced over to the clock on the wall. Almost ten. Was Cruz still asleep? She’d hoped he would have come looking for her by now.

Brad was still studying her, really studying her maybe for the first time. “You actually think this Cruz guy is going to make you happy?”

She sighed. “You’ve heard about us then?”

“Your mother was pretty keen on getting me out here, thought I should know about this guy that you went and got yourself married to so that I could come down here and talk sense into you.”

“Is that why you’re here? Because you were jealous?” For a minute there she had thought that Brad had shown up here because he needed to apologize.

“I am here because I knew that I made a mistake and I needed to tell you. Besides, as your mother has probably already told you, your marriage wasn’t real.”

Wow, her mother had wasted no time sharing everything with Brad. She wondered why her mother had even bothered with the farce this morning of pretending Payton had been at an early breakfast since it seemed everyone knew where she’d been.

“And yet, knowing this,” Brad continued, “knowing that you’d spent the night with this guy whose motives, I have to tell you, seem less than stellar, I still got on that flight and came here. Look, Payton, I think these past few months of planning, we’ve both lost sight of what was important. Each other. I love you and want to be with you, and I am willing to look past this…thing you had with Cruz Sorensen,” he uttered the name with blatant contempt, “and hope you can find a way to forgive me and we can work this out.”#p#分页标题#e#

“I’m sorry, Brad. Really I am. It’s just not going to work. I’m sorry you came all this way—actually,” she paused and grinned, “no I’m not. It’s the least you could do after what you put me through.”

He returned her smile. “Yeah, I guess I can give you that. But if I’m going to have to bring your mother home with me, then we’ve got to call it even. You might even owe me.”

“Don’t push your luck.” She looked at the clock again. “What time are you planning on heading back?”

“I’ll give the pilot a call and see how soon he can get us the go ahead, but I’m hoping later this afternoon. No sense hanging around this beautiful paradise if I’m not with the person I want to share it with.”

He really was a charmer, and she could see how the two of them could lead an easy life. But it wouldn’t be anything as exhilarating as one with Cruz. “You’re free to hang around here, but you’ll have to excuse me, I need to go find Cruz.”

“Thanks.” He hesitated, “There’s one more thing I should tell you. I kind of already had a chat with Cruz earlier.”

She stopped at the door. “You spoke with Cruz?”

“After I left here. I had something my father wanted me to drop off. A business contract. And I might have mentioned to him that your marriage wasn’t real.”

“Why? Why would you think it was okay to interfere in my life like that?”

“I’m not proud. I guess I was just being a little childish. He’s getting you, right? I think I had a right to be…peevish.”

Here she was all this time chatting up Brad, trying to let him down easy, when Cruz was back at his room with God knew what kind of doubts running through his head. He knew they weren’t married. That they didn’t have anything that really kept them together anymore. They could walk away from—

She was being paranoid. Last night had been more than she could ever have hoped for. She’d never felt closer to anyone in her life. Not being married didn’t change that.

Still. “I’ve got to go.”