He shook his head. “It wouldn’t have. I know you too well, Tessa, and the fact that I was attracted to you would not have compelled you to leave your husband. The way we finally got together – it had to happen that way, love. You had to end things with Peter first, and for the right reasons. As much as I wanted you, I would never have broken up your marriage.”
“I know. And you’re right, of course. Still - ”
“Shh. We’re together now and that’s all that matters. Ah, here’s our table.”
They had been seated with several of Julia’s and Nathan’s co-workers – the co-owner of the firm, Travis Headley, and his partner Anton Nguyen; Nathan’s PA Robyn Reynolds and her husband Dan; and Jake Harriman, the associate architect working on the new Gregson resort in Napa, accompanied by his date Abby.
During the multi-course wedding meal, Tessa learned that Travis had been the interior designer responsible for decorating Ian’s home; that Anton also worked as a personal shopper at Neiman Marcus – albeit in the men’s department – and that Marlene Brennan was a mentor of his; and that Robyn had originally worked with Nathan and Travis at a different architectural design firm before – as she fondly recalled – “the boys decided to spin off on their own and practically shanghaied me into going with them.”
It was, all in all, a beautiful wedding with wonderful food and wine, pleasant company, and a magnificent setting. Tessa took a sip of her wine and gazed admiringly around the trellised patio.
“This is so beautiful,” she told Ian. “I think this might be my favorite of all the hotels I’ve seen so far. Not that I’ve been to all that many, of course.”
He nodded in agreement. “It’s one of my favorites, too, and one of our most popular. Especially for weddings. But,” he added mysteriously, “I have an even grander venue in mind for the day I finally make you my wife. And before you ask, darling, that bit of information is going to remain a closely guarded secret. Let’s just say it will be another first.”
Once the lavish meal had been cleared away, the dancing began. Tessa and Ian watched along with all the other guests as the bride and groom shared a tender first dance before changing partners multiple times to dance with parents, siblings, and the members of the wedding party. As soon as the rest of the guests were invited to join in, Ian tugged Tessa to her feet, and smoothly drew her onto the dance floor.
She went into his arms with a little sigh, resting her cheek on his shoulder, and smiled when she recognized the song.
“This is what was playing when we danced for the first time in Lake Tahoe,” she told him as he guided her around the dance floor to If I Ain’t Got You.
“I remember. Very, very well,” he replied with a warm glow in his hazel eyes. “And it’s true, you know, what the lyrics say – if I can’t have you, Tessa, then nothing else in this whole world means a thing.”
She touched his cheek, which was already starting to show signs of a five o’clock shadow. “Same here. I told your mother that sometimes I wish you didn’t have all this money, that you were a truck driver or something like that, and that we lived on a little houseboat somewhere. Just so that you’d know you were the only thing that mattered to me.”
He pressed a kiss to her palm and smiled. “I do know, darling. You show me that every day in more ways than you realize. As for driving a truck – I much prefer the Jaguar, thank you very much. And the houseboat – I have to confess to an occasional bout of seasickness so I’m afraid we’ll have to stay on land.”
She laughed along with him as the song finished, and then Ian went to claim a dance with Julia while Tessa and Nathan paired up.
Tessa couldn’t recall a time when she’d enjoyed herself more – laughing with all the other guests when Nathan “accidentally” smeared cake frosting all over Julia’s mouth, and then egging him on as he slowly licked it all off; watching Lauren start up a raucous conga line that was quickly joined by most of Nathan’s drunk friends; and then listening dreamily to Julia’s father Robert serenade his daughter with a touching rendition of Sunrise Sunset.
Then it was time for Julia to toss her bouquet, and at Ian’s prodding Tessa joined the other single women on the floor, giggling the whole time. Save for Angela, Tessa was taller than most of the other women present and thus had a better than even shot at catching it. She actually had a hand on the gorgeous bouquet of pink and cream roses, was convinced she could snatch it up, when it tumbled instead into the hands of Lauren McKinnon.