Before Ella could reply to that, she found herself back where she started. Blake’s gaze crashed into her, and then went immediately to Hannah. She could plainly read the look of confusion on his face.
There was no way she could answer him right now, not with so many confusing feelings of her own. The only positive at the moment was that she was not in love with Drew.
During the rehearsal dinner, Hannah kept everyone entertained with stories about her and Drew as children. Ella laughed despite the lingering nerves as Blake sat directly across from her. He never looked at her directly, but she could feel his heated, questioning gaze.
Despite years of training to expect the unexpected, Ella and Hannah’s recent friendship, especially tonight, was utterly mystifying to Blake.
Why in the hell would Ella allow herself to become friends with the other woman... unless she thought to—
He gave himself a mental shake. No, Ella didn’t need to get close to Drew through Hannah. Ella already knew everything about the man.
In that instant, Blake hated Drew more than he thought possible. How could he command such undying love from a woman like Ella? She was impossibly strong-willed and goal-oriented as well as fair-minded.
In his heart and head, it made no sense at all for her to scheme to—do what exactly? Convince Drew that Hannah was no good? That his wife and childhood companion had an ulterior motive for marrying him? Drew had been the one to go to Hannah and beg her to marry him, not the other way around.
Ella had years to convince Drew to fall in love with her, to send those bloody emails, but she hadn’t. She’d been strictly professional, only faltering once, when she found out about Hannah and Drew’s hasty marriage.
If he didn’t know Ella’s middle name was Miranda, he would have sworn it was Integrity because she had it in spades.
Damn, he’d mucked things up between them. However, that look on her face this afternoon, right after they’d made love, when he’d mentioned the rehearsal dinner, had been like cold water to his system.
Then later, when he saw her expression grow wistful over a man she could never have, while Blake stood there, offering her everything... it was more than his ego could take.
Whatever Ella’s endgame was, it didn’t include him. He knew that now. While she loved what he could do to her body, she didn’t love him.
He speared a bite of vegetable, not really tasting it as he ate.
Connor, Drew’s brother, nudged him in the side. “You’re exceptionally quiet tonight.”
“Reckoned I’d save the chitchat for the best man,” Blake replied. Usually, he enjoyed joking around with Connor, but tonight, he wasn’t good company for anyone.
“Don’t feel much like saying anything... and my father would approve of that. Hell, he’d approve of you as his son.” At twenty-eight, Connor Montgomery was the designated black sheep of the family. Judging by his debouched lifestyle, he was damned proud of it.
Privately, Blake thought the man was wasteful with the money he’d inherited so far. Perhaps more so because Blake knew what it was like to have to be responsible for many on so little.
“I very much doubt that. He says I spend too much time at work and not enough time finding a woman to settle down with.”
Connor sucked in air through his teeth. “He’s determined to get us all married off. Except for London, but she has a couple of years.”
Blake turned his attention to the youngest Montgomery. The only girl in the family, London was beautiful with long, dark hair and expressive green eyes like her oldest brother, Drew. Unlike Drew, London actually laughed more often than not, and her eyes seemed to laugh with her.
God help the man who attempted to date her.
“Not happening, York,” Connor growled.
“I’m thirty-five... not interested in girls fifteen years my junior.”
Connor must have heard the truth in Blake’s voice because he said, “My apologies. Most men stopped giving a damn about London’s age once she turned seventeen.” He tipped his drink in Ella’s direction. “As for me, I prefer a more mature woman.”
“She’s thirty-four, hardly what I’d call mature.”
Connor leveled him with a blue-eyed gaze. “You know what I mean, and since I don’t work for Montgomery Industry, that fucking rule doesn’t apply.”
Blake wanted to argue with the man, but what would he say? That Ella belonged to him? That Ella was in love with his brother? “Perhaps not, but she doesn’t date Montgomerys.”
“Shame.” Connor took another drink. “Always had a thing for women like her.”
“Redheads?” Though Ella’s hair was a deep, rich auburn.