Chapter 13

“What do you think?” she asked just as he stepped into the room. He had insisted on her leaving almost everything at her place, including most of her clothing.

She had arrived at his lift to see several changes made, and one side of the closet filled with new stuff for her. He had thought of everything, including underwear and accessories, the very pricey ones. Her protests had gone unheard, naturally.

His eyes met hers in the full-length Queen Victoria mirror, his expression saying it all.

“Turn around.” He had placed an exquisite square-cut diamond on her finger as soon as she walked through the door.

“I think it needs something extra.” She was wearing a clingy turquoise sweater over a short black velvet skirt. Knee-high boots completed the ensemble, and her hair was loose and crackling with life. Diamond knobs were at her lobes, and her lips glistened with the strawberry lip gloss she was wearing.

She was not big on wearing makeup, but with her complexion and skin tone, she didn’t really need it. He was finding it very difficult to believe that she was forty-two and had demanded to be shown her birth certificate.

“I feel like a dirty old man, along with a teenager," he told her gruffly.

Taking out an oblong-shaped box, he opened it to reveal a shimmering diamond necklace with a sapphire setting.

Collette stared at the stones dazedly before lifting her head to look at him.

“You are spoiling me,” she whispered lowly.

“That’s the plan.” Plucking it out of its velvet bed, he turned her around so he could put it on.

“There, that’s better.” Her fingers touched the stones reverently and she felt the familiar lump clogging her throat. Her eyes, moistened with tears, met his own in the mirror as she leaned back against him. His arms came around her waist, his chin tucked on top of her head.

“I love you.”

His heart did a painful bump against his ribs, and for a few seconds, he could not speak.

“I adore you," he said gruffly. “And if you continue to look at me like that, we are going to be late for Mother’s dinner, and she hates tardiness.”

“Then we’d better go. Janice is being picked up?”

He nodded. “I sent a car for her.”

She turned to face him, her hands crawling up the softness of his black cashmere sweater. “When I saw you coming into the restaurant, I felt a twinge of apprehension.”

“Whatever for?” His thick brows winged up.

“I felt a sense of déjà vu. We were in a restaurant when I introduced her to Trevor, and I should have noticed how she was flirting with him. I wondered if–”

“I was the same as that spineless asshole.” A frown altered his expression, and she realized she had made him angry. “Do me a favor? Don’t ever compare me to that piece of garbage, or I am going to be pissed.”

She lifted a hand to his rigid jaw, her fingers gentle. “Never. It’s a residual of what I went through, never about you, hon. You are the best person I know. You have changed my life in so many ways that I feel my head spinning. I keep pinching myself to find out if I am dreaming or if this is real.” Her eyes became luminous.

“You are nothing like him.”

His expression softened as he stared at her. She had changed his life so much he could hardly recognize himself. Lenny had remarked on the changes and congratulated “that lovely gal” for effecting it.

She was his entire world, and he wanted to give her everything.

“It’s not one-sided. And I warned you about looking at me like that," he said thickly. Lifting her chin up, he took her lips in a kiss that had her toes curling. She clung to him, her nipples growing taut and sensitive.

“We are going to be late, baby.” His heart was hammering, his body hot all over. “We shouldn’t have started anything. Oh sweetheart," he groaned as he stared at the parted lips, glossy from his kiss, and her limpid eyes.

“What you do to me!” He kissed her again before forcing himself to let her go. “You witch.” Releasing her, he went to get one of the brand-new cashmere jackets he had bought her.

*****

Janice stepped out of the limousine as soon as the driver opened the door for her and stood there in the biting cold, with her jacket wrapped around her as she stared at the luxurious setting in awe. It was an apartment, but unlike any she had ever seen, except in magazines. It was a stand-alone building surrounded by palm trees and poinsettias.

“This way, Miss.” The driver, wearing the traditional black uniform, guided her toward the heavy glass doors that opened as soon as she stepped toward it.

Ever since her sister had told her about the relationship and the upcoming wedding to one of the most powerful men in the music industry, she had been in a state of shock and envy. What had compounded it was the way the man had hovered around Collette, barely giving Janice a look.

A gasp escaped her as she stepped into the lofty foyer, the cream and blue décor taking her breath away. She was whisked toward the elevator with hardly any chance to look around.

The car whizzed her up and emptied her into a narrow passageway where a set of teal blue doors were already standing open. Her sister was standing there, looking so different; Janice felt her steps faltering.

The outfit was expensive, and she had on diamonds everywhere. And she was glowing.

Janice felt the sharp pang of envy slicing through her. And realized that the black wool dress she had on was inadequate. Forcing a smile to her stiff lips, she went in for an embrace.

“I asked the housekeeper to relinquish her duty because I wanted to be the first to greet you.” Collette whispered.

Janice inhaled her sister’s expensive perfume.

“Please don’t be intimidated. I tried not to be, and Ruth is a very sweet woman.”

“I am already intimidated.” Janice allowed her sister to draw her into the marble foyer with the silken wallpaper and expensive artwork. Collette led them into a room decorated in the color of strawberries, with delicate white furnishings.

Janice assumed it was some kind of sitting room. The woman standing with the intimidatingly attractive man turned to look at them and Janice saw when his eyes softened and went quickly to her sister.

He came over immediately and drew her to him, his expression transmitting that he was lost without her presence. She felt the sharp pang of jealousy increasing.

Introductions were made, and a uniformed maid came in on cue to serve pre-dinner drinks. Conversations were mostly centered around the upcoming nuptials. Ruth McBride was very enthusiastic and seemed genuinely happy to welcome Collette into the family.

Richard sat on the padded arm of the chair his fiancée was sitting on, his arm around her shoulders, fingers touching her neck, her shoulder, and arm. He could not seem to keep his hands and eyes off her. She was not the only one who noticed. His mother commented on it, too.

“Give the girl some space, dear,” Ruth chided as she sipped her sherry.

“Never.” Leaning over, he tilted her chin up and unashamedly kissed her on the lips.

The intimacy between them was so acute, the other two in the room felt left out.

By the time dinner was announced by a woman wearing a neat black uniform and dazzling white apron, Janice felt as if she was slowly dying.

The dining room was something out of House Digest, with a monochromatic theme of creamy champagne. The table was made of solid oak and draped with a stiff white tablecloth. Richard seated his fiancée first and then his mother before coming over to pull out Janice’s chair.

His cologne assailed her nostrils and made her acutely aware of him as a man. He was very attractive and incredibly virile, and she found herself wondering what he would look like naked and about his performance in bed.

He took his seat next to her sister, and the serving platters were brought to the table. The meal was sumptuous and unlike anything Janice had ever tasted. The utensils were confusing, and she watched the others to make sure she was using the right ones.

Discussions about the wedding resumed.

“You should wear a traditional wedding dress,” Ruth told Collette, in the middle of the serving of the braised duck. “I happen to own quite a few of them.”

“And none would be appropriate for Collette,” Richard remarked wryly, turning to look at his fiancée. “Mother believes in tradition, no matter how many times she walks down the aisle. Her dresses are horribly expensive and completely unsuitable.”

“And I will be getting married at the courthouse. I just want something simple and elegant.”

Richard lifted her hand to his lips. “Call Monique and let her know what you need.”

“You are not paying for my wedding dress,” she told him firmly.

“I already have an account at Romano’s, so it makes a hell of a lot of sense–”

“No. I love you, darling, but if you go behind my back–”

“Okay, fine," he grumbled.

“You are doing everything else; I just want to be able to have control of one small item.”

“A dress from Romano’s is far from being small,” Janice spoke up as she scooped up garlic potatoes.

“This is going to be my one and only wedding, and I am a mature woman who never thought this would ever happen to me, so I am going to splurge.”

“As you should, darling.” Ruth beamed at her. “No matter that it is going to be a civil ceremony, it doesn’t mean it cannot be tasteful as well.”

“Janice, I want to buy your dress as well,” Collette told her sister. Janice had to quell the flare of resentment and the words bubbling up from her throat.

“I can purchase my own dress.”

“Please, allow me to do it.”

She nodded reluctantly, paying attention to her spring vegetables.

The conversation continued, and she was left to stew in her own resentment and envy, never noticing that Richard was watching her throughout the meal.

He took the opportunity to speak to her when his fiancée and his mother were discussing the floral arrangements. After dessert of coffee and crème Brule, they retired to the sitting area.

Pouring two glasses of white wine, he brought one over to where Janice was sitting and staring into the hypnotic blaze of a real fire.

“I have no idea if you like white wine.”

“I do.” She smiled at him prettily admiring the broadness of his shoulders. His sister told her that he was forty-five, but he looked several years younger, especially his body which was lean and powerful, like a caged lion.

“Thanks.”

Richard nodded and took his position against the marble fireplace, one hand draped negligently across the surface. Propping his booted foot on the edge, he studied the woman in contemplative silence and wondered, not for the first time, how anyone could choose her over her sister.

“Your sister is reaching out to you, something you hardly deserve.”

Janice stiffened at that implied criticism. “I don’t need her pity.”

“Is that what it is?” He rolled the stem of the glass between his fingers, his green gaze intimidating. “What you and that weak-willed son of a bitch did to her was nothing short of criminal. I admire her forgiving spirit, and her happiness is personal to me.

I want her to heal the breach between you and she is trying. The least you could do is meet her halfway.”

Janice lifted her chin and tried to out stare him but had to look away. “I already apologized.”

“I am sure you did.” His expression hardened. “I will not allow anyone to ever hurt her again, and that includes you.” He tossed back the wine. “Please bear that in mind.” He turned away and saw the object of their discussion coming toward him, a smile on her lips, and felt his anger drain away.

“Hey love.” Taking her hand, he drew her into his arms. “I was just telling your sister how happy I am that she will be attending the wedding.” His flint-like gaze dared Janice to deny it, and she nodded with a pleased smile.

“And I would love it if you bought the dress for me.”

“Wonderful.” Collette tilted her head to look at him. “Your mother wants to invite a few friends to the reception.”

His eyes narrowed. “A few?”

Collette laughed at him. “I am going to let her tell you herself.”

*****

His breathing was shallow, his body barely recovering from the onslaught of passion from the intense lovemaking a few minutes ago. They had come back home, and he had barely taken the time to take their clothes off before he was on her.

It had started in the car when she placed a hand on his thigh, causing the muscles in his legs to contract. She had gotten bolder and slid her hand near his crotch, just enough to entice him and make him harden. He had floored the accelerator and made a journey home.

He loved that she was getting rid of her shyness and inhibition around him. He had stripped away her reserved manner and was slowly but surely bringing her out of her shell.

Her fingers were tangled in his chest hair, and one leg was thrown over his. “I need to ask you something.”

“Fire away.”

“When you were talking to my sister–”

“Collette–”

“No.” She shook her head as she looked at him. “This is not jealousy talking. I know enough to realize that there is nothing to fear. You love me.” She fought the tears and realized that they had been coming constantly. “I saw the look on her face. Recognized it for what it was.

She tried to hide it, but I know her too well. She was jealous and tried to hide it. And I saw the way she was staring at you, it was the same way she looked at Trevor, that come hither look that made it plain that she was available, and she was better than I was. That she would do things I would never do.

But you kept looking at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the world, and I cannot fathom the kind of love we have that you have introduced me to.” Her throat worked furiously as she swallowed. “I keep asking myself what on earth does he see in me, and I am yet to come up with the answer.”

He whisked the tears away with his thumbs, his touch gentle.

“I wish you could see what I do. You are indeed the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. You have this light inside you that seems to shine out of your beautiful eyes. You are the embodiment of all that I have been searching for and never found until now.’

His voice thickened significantly. “I want to cherish you until you realize how valuable you are. You will always be the most important person in my life. Nothing comes before you. Is that understood?”

Taking his hand, she opened it and pressed her lips against his palm, sending jolts of awareness through his body.

“Oh baby,” he whispered hoarsely. “Bear in mind that I am not a young man, and all these bedroom marathons will be the end of me.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

He dragged her on top of him and, in one swift movement, drove into her. “Is this explanation enough?” he asked.

She arched her back and gave him unlimited access to her breasts. “Yes. Don’t stop, please.” He was adoring her nipples, suckling them ardently, his body driving upward and touching her deep. “Never.”

*****

The morning of the wedding dawned cold and was perfect. Her dress, a champagne-colored sheath that looked deceptively simply until she put it on, was perfect. Ruth had insisted that she and Janice spent the night at her place, overriding her son’s strenuous protest.

“You will both appreciate the wedding night that much more after the separation. Besides, I want to treat all of us women to the full spa experience. You don’t want to see your bride the next morning looking tired and worn out, do you?” He had reluctantly agreed.

They had spent the afternoon and night with a team of people giving them a full body massage, taking care of their skins until they were all dewy fresh. And refreshments had been provided with glasses of expensive champagne.

Now standing in front of the mirror in the lilac-colored guest room, Collette stared at herself in the mirror and could scarcely believe it was her.

Her hair was loose because Richard loved it that way. It had been shampooed and deep conditioned and looked like glorious silk. Barry had added some blonde highlights as well and the result was stunning. Her makeup was flawless, the nude mascara and eyeshadow making her eyes appear larger.

Diamonds were at her lobes, a gift from her very generous fiancé. The something borrowed and blue was a sapphire brooch from Ruth.

“You look unbelievable.”

She turned at the sound of her sister’s voice in the doorway. The sapphire blue dress she had chosen suited her slight frame, and her thick dark brown hair was coiled into an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck. They had talked last night, and Janice had accepted the gift of Collette’s house with tearful gratitude.

“You deserve all of this, and I hated that I was envious. I wronged you so much in the past, and I am sorry. I want us to start all over.”

“You don’t look too shabby yourself.” Collette sniffed as she tried to keep the tears from falling.

“We need to get going. Oh my darling!” Ruth, wearing a sleek emerald green dress to match her eyes, rushed in and enfolded her warmly. “You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, and my son is going to be blown away.”

And he was. Standing in the simple and official courtroom at precisely ten A.M., Richard Ian McBride felt as if he was about to burst from the joy blazing inside his chest and making its way through every part of his body. His bride was radiant. Bride!

He still could not fathom that he was marrying the love of his life. The vows were traditional and older than time itself. Other couples had uttered them over the years, but to the couple standing before the officiant, it was personal, not just something said by rote. Not just words they were asked to repeat.

Each one uttered was a promise, a vow that was going to be honored until they drew their last breath.

It was as if he was alone with her in the large room, his hands holding her, eyes boring into hers as he promised to honor her with his body and be with her through sickness and health. And death was going to be the only thing that would ever part them.

That morning, he had prayed for a very long life so that he could keep the promises he was making her. He wanted to be with her forever, beyond death. He never knew anything like this existed and it overwhelmed him, consumed him.

He slid his ring on her finger, and she did the same, their eyes holding each other’s. Very soon, they were husband and wife—she was officially Mrs. Richard McBride, and nothing had ever felt that significant.

When he kissed her, he showed her how much he wanted to be alone with her. His body was starved. He had spent last night tossing and turning in his big, empty bed and had been tempted to get dressed and go and get her.

“Mrs. McBride," he whispered, hands cradling her face, expression unbelievably tender.

“I love the sound of that,” she whispered back. “Very much.”

“Come on, you two,” Ruth called out, her voice ragged with emotions. “I know you said no press, but this moment needs to be captured. So, we are going to brave the cold and go and take some pictures in the conservatory.”

Richard took her hand, led her into the judge’s office, and signed the papers that officially made them husband and wife.

Pulling her into his arms, he wrapped his hands around her waist. “If I failed to tell you this, you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. And I adore you.”

“I adore you, back,” his new bride agreed.