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  As far as he was concerned, if she wanted to annul their union, then they had reached the end of the line.

  She couldn’t have it both ways. They had been drifting in and out of each other’s lives in this limbo for far too long. Maybe a dose of cold, hard reality would wake her up.

  He suppressed a string of colorful words. He didn’t want things to be like this between them. He wanted to bring home his bride, carry her over the threshold and start the rest of their lives together. Why did the simplest things have to be so damn complicated?

  “I did some research about annulments,” she said. “It is a little iffy, but a legal website I went to said that since we haven’t cohabited, as they put it, we might be eligible to have the marriage dissolved.”

  He had fixated on the qualifier, might, because even though they hadn’t formally lived together, they had made love. They had been discreet about their relationship, for the sake of his daughter. And good thing, too, since things seemed to be crashing and burning.

  Even though his love for Kate was soul deep, his love for Chloe was in his bones, in his DNA. If Kate didn’t want them to be a traditional family, Chloe had to be his first priority. His little girl had never known her mother. Veronica had chosen to not be a part of her daughter’s life. How anybody could walk away from their own child was beyond comprehension to him. Veronica had her demons and her own issues, but at least the relationship had produced a sweet little girl.

  For that, Aidan was eternally grateful.

  It was also a mystery to him how a woman like Kate could walk away from the man she claimed to love. He’d thought he knew her. Was he really that bad a judge of character? Or maybe he was just a glutton for punishment. Two marriages and both of them down the crapper. One after a child was born. The other before they could even get out of Las Vegas.

  So he had no idea if their physical relationship would prevent an annulment. But if Kate considered the marriage a mistake, he certainly wasn’t going to force her to stay.

  “Kate? Is that what you want? Do you want to start annulment proceedings?”

  She kept her head bowed but looked up at him through thick, dark lashes.

  “I don’t know what I want, Aidan. From what I understand, the longer we wait the more difficult it could be.”

  “I don’t know much about this since I’ve never been in this situation, but we might have a better chance if you filed and said that you were not in a sound state of mind to make such an important decision.”

  She shot him a dirty look and it brought up pinpricks of irritation. He stood up and walked back to his chair.

  “What do you want, Kate?”

  “It sounds so irresponsible,” she said. “Not of sound state of mind to make such an important decision? That’s not who I am. Aidan, you know that.”

  “I know it is not who you are, but according to you it is the truth about what happened. You’re the one who doesn’t remember. You’re the one who wants the annulment. So you’re the one who is going to have to file, because I knew exactly what I was doing when I married you. You, on the other hand, did not.”

  Her face softened. “You’re still saying you want this marriage?”

  Of course, I want it.

  He shrugged. “Would it make a difference if I did?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know, Aidan.”

  “We exchanged wedding vows. Are you sure you have no memory of it?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut, and he imagined that she was trying to recall the night. But finally she sighed, a sound that made it seem as if she was carrying the weight of the world in her heart, and shook her head.

  “That’s why I don’t drink,” she said. “I’ve never had a problem with blackouts, but my dad was an alcoholic. Did you know that? That’s why I’m not real big on imbibing. Maybe this kind of thing—this alcohol intolerance—is a gradual affliction?”

  The silence hung between them like a guillotine.

  “I just don’t understand why it had to get its claws in me on that night, of all nights.”

  He wasn’t going to say it, but what he didn’t understand was why she had been so eager to marry him one moment, and now the thought of being his wife repelled her.

  * * *

  A week later, on the Monday evening of Gigi and Charles’s homecoming party, Kate and Aidan were still in marriage limbo, and it appeared they might be in that holding pattern for a while.

  They had hired an attorney who had helped them fill out the paperwork. He had said it could take a few weeks before he had word on whether the state would grant an annulment. Since they had been in a romantic relationship before the impromptu marriage, the attorney said it might be a difficult sell.

  Since they had done all they could for now, Kate kept herself busy with her clients at the salon and threw herself into helping Elle and their mother plan Gigi and Charles’s surprise party. Because of that, she and Aidan had not had much time to dwell on the fate of their relationship.

  Stuck in this impasse, Kate had decided to find the silver lining. Because wasn’t it just as well that they hadn’t heard any news either way about their marriage? This way it would not cast a shadow over the happy occasion of the other newlyweds’ homecoming.

  Of course, Aidan would be attending the party. Her family would not dream of having a get-together without inviting him. They loved him.

  When Kate walked into the Forsyth Galloway Inn, Aidan was right there, endearing himself to Zelda and Elle, helping them hang the Welcome Home banner Kate had had made especially for the occasion. He had probably blown up balloons that were bobbing next to the helium machine. He would probably go back and group them into bunches and do all the other tasks he was asked to do with a smile on his face.

  For all intents and purposes, as the guests arrived for the party, Aidan and Kate would be carrying on as they always had. They had never been ones for public displays of affection in front of the family, mostly for Chloe’s sake.

  Ugh, but the family—what was life going to be like after the annulment? Since Aidan’s brother was married to Elle, which made Chloe her sister’s niece, Aidan wasn’t going away. He would be around long after the two of them were finished and their marriage mistake was a cautionary footnote in their personal annals.

  The reality was a sobering thought.

  And it caused a strange pang in Kate’s heart.

  For a moment, she found herself thinking about what it would be like to just go with it. To let herself love Aidan.

  Because what the hell was wrong with her?

  Yeah. What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she being so wishy-washy? Of course, it would be so much easier if the two of them could make a clean break, if they could go their separate ways and never see each other again. But that wasn’t possible. Their lives would forever be inextricably intertwined.

  Someday, Aidan would find a woman deserving of him and all he had to offer. Would he bring her to these family gatherings?

  Kate knew her family probably would toss her out and keep Aidan and his perfect new wife. Kate laughed to herself, but there was nothing humorous in the silent chuckle. Her rational mind knew her strange need for independence would ultimately be her downfall. She would die alone, but by God, she would have her freedom.

  Even Kate could see how ludicrous her own mindset was, but it didn’t change how she felt. She simply hated being hemmed in by anything or anyone—work or relationships. Being tied down made her feel like a caged animal.

  She felt Aidan’s gaze on her from across the room, and when their eyes met, he smiled.

  After all they had been through, after everything she’d said, he could still spare a smile for her.

  What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she be so generous? He really was the perfect man. He was kind and patient. What he lacked in swagger, he made up for in likable app
eal and dependability. His was more of a quiet, bookish charm. Aidan Quindlin was never going to be the kind of guy who rolled up on his Harley and whisked you off to parts unknown. Nope, he had sold his motorcycle after the accident that had put him in a coma and nearly cost him his life. Not that she blamed him for ditching the bike. The bike had been out of character for him anyway.

  And he had almost died.

  When she had heard about the accident, she hadn’t been able to bear the thought of losing him. At the time, they hadn’t been seeing each other, but when she had heard that he had been hurt, she could not rest until she had made amends for the way they had parted when they had broken up all those years ago.

  Where had that feeling that had driven her back to him gone?

  Why couldn’t she hang on to it?

  Why couldn’t she love him like he deserved to be loved?

  Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was for his own protection. Thanks to her past, she was broken. Since she was so tragically flawed on so many levels, maybe Aidan deserved better than the broken pieces of herself she had to offer.

  “Are you doing all right?” He handed her a glass of red wine.

  She accepted it graciously, but the thought of it made her insides roil. Normally she loved a good glass of red wine, but not so much right now. Maybe this was how her nerves were manifesting. Maybe it was the side effects of standing here face-to-face with Aidan.

  “It depends on how you define all right,” she said.

  He raised a brow in that way that was so maddeningly attractive. She felt herself being drawn back to him.

  She shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it. Tonight was not about her or even about the two of them. It was about Gigi and Charles.

  It was about true love. She shifted the wine glass from one hand to another.

  “I’m fine. Really, I am. Thanks for the wine. And thanks for all your help getting things ready tonight. I don’t know what we would have done without you, Aidan.”

  She wished she hadn’t said it.

  He raised his brows and then slanted her a look. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but snapped his jaw shut, looking resigned.

  She knew what he wanted to say.

  She’d bet money that he had been about to tell her, You don’t have to do without me. Of course, he had way too much class to bring it up tonight.

  Her sister Jane, who was setting out the appetizers, caught Kate’s eye across the room and pointed toward the kitchen door. Jane and Liam had returned from New York City a couple of days ago after a business trip for their restaurant, La Bula, and, in short order, had managed to dream up a scrumptious feast for the party.

  “Excuse me, Aidan, Jane needs me in the kitchen.” Kate had never been so happy for an intervention.

  “Of course,” he answered. “Let me know if they need another pair of hands in there.”

  She just hoped her relief hadn’t shown on her face as she walked away from Aidan and made her way toward the kitchen.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Jane said. “We’re a little in the weeds in here. I want to have all the food out before Gigi and Charles arrive.”

  Kate dumped the wine in the kitchen sink and rinsed the glass. She hated to waste good wine like that, but she still wasn’t feeling well. Since she couldn’t drink it, she didn’t want to take a chance of passing along a bug that she might be fighting.

  “Any word on their ETA?” Kate asked before Jane could say anything else about interrupting her conversation with Aidan.

  “Daniel went to the airport to pick them up. Their plane gets in around six thirty. They went through customs in New York, but they’ll have to get their luggage at baggage claim. That could take a while if the flight was full. Daniel said he would text Elle when they were on their way.”

  Jane glanced at her smartwatch. “I figure we have about an hour...tops. Maybe not even that much. Could you help me set out the rest of the appetizers?”

  “Absolutely. Just tell me what’s ready to go out—”

  Before Kate could finish the sentence, Jane had handed her a platter piled high with brie and mushroom crostini that smelled so delicious they made Kate’s mouth water. She suddenly realized she was ravenous and wanted to eat for the first time today. If her hands hadn’t been full, she would have insisted on sampling one before setting them out where they would surely be devoured before she could get back to them.

  Instead of noshing, she made her way out into the dining room to find a place for the tray.

  They were having the party in the Forsyth Galloway Inn’s private dining room. The doors that separated private dining from the lobby room were closed, and a sign that read Dining Room in Use for Private Event rested on an easel to afford them some rare family privacy.

  Even though paying guests who stayed at the inn basically had the run of the place, except for the family apartments and the kitchen, on special occasions the family would close the dining room for private celebrations.

  Kate’s gaze landed on the elaborate centerpiece of fresh flowers on the formal mahogany dining room table, which was dressed with their great grandmother’s best tablecloth and pressed linen napkins. Though they weren’t the flowers her mother had received, Kate couldn’t help but think of them and how Zelda had managed to skirt the subject of the mystery sender. She still hadn’t confided the identity of the new beau who had sent them.

  Kate was sure they were from a man.

  If it had been a vendor, Zelda would have said so right away, but there was something in the far-off, dreamy way she had smiled—and the way she had evaded the question of who had sent them—that made Kate sure they were from a man.

  Plus, every time she saw her mother lately, Zelda had been glued to her phone. Tonight was no exception. Whenever Kate glanced in her mother’s direction, she saw her reading a text or typing something on her phone, closing the screen when Kate or anyone else got too close.

  Kate made a mental note to reopen the conversation about the flowers with her mother and ask about the text messages after the party.

  Right now, everyone had plenty to do to put the finishing touches on tonight’s festivities. The table was set for twenty-five using the heirloom crystal and sterling silver. Kate placed the platter on the sideboard and walked over to the table to straighten a fork at one of the place settings. She adjusted the place card at another. Then she stepped back and looked at the table, smiling to herself. They were pulling out all the stops for Gigi and Charles.

  Exactly as it should be.

  Tonight they were celebrating a love between soul mates who had waited nearly a lifetime to finally find their way back to each other. They had known each other most of their lives, but until recently, fate had had other plans for them.

  Over the years, when Gigi, whose real name was Wiladean, had been free, Charles hadn’t been. Then Gigi had been happily married to Kate’s grandfather, and Charles, ever the gentleman, had respected the bonds of holy matrimony and buried his feelings for Gigi. Though it hadn’t stopped him from naming his restaurant in downtown Savannah Wila, after her.

  That little love note was one of those obvious tells that had been right out in the open, in front of everyone’s faces, but no one had ever talked about the Wila and Wiladean coincidence until after Gigi’s husband passed. And a few years later, Charles had confessed his love for her and had proposed.

  Gigi had managed to find two great loves in the eighty-five years that she had been on the earth. She wanted nothing more than for her three granddaughters to fall just as happily in love.

  In fact, she had said as much at her eighty-fifth birthday earlier that year, when she had announced that the only thing she wanted for her birthday was for all three of her grandgirls to find happiness with their soul mates. Elle had gotten a head start with Daniel and was the first to tie the knot. J
ane, who had fallen in love with Liam, was next.

  Kate was the lone holdout—

  Her heart skipped a beat—and not in a giddy, romantic way—when she realized that, actually, she wasn’t the holdout. She was married. All day long, the reality had been hiding behind her normal day-to-day activities, only to jump out and scare the bejabbers out of her. She’d be going about her business, cutting a client’s hair, talking about their kids or their recent trip to a theme park, when—BAM!—the realization would wash over her that she and Aidan were married. She’d been busy and engrossed in her day but startled suddenly by the memory of what had happened.

  And because of Gigi’s birthday wish, it was going to be all the more difficult if the family found out about the Vegas wedding only to learn that she and Aidan were trying to get an annulment.

  She gave her head a firm shake. She was not going to think about that tonight. She actually wanted to forget about it for a while. Tonight belonged to Gigi and Charles. It was about true love and infinite happiness.

  Gigi and Charles had insisted that there be no wedding presents, wanting only the gift of their family’s time to help plan the wedding in Vegas and attend it. So the greatest gift Kate could give them was to be emotionally present for them tonight.

  She would do that. She would be present and attentive and joyful—even if she felt shackled and weighed down by her big mistake.

  In addition to the newlyweds and six of their immediate family and Aidan, the guest list that Elle and Zelda had drawn up included sixteen of Charles and Gigi’s closest friends, who’d be here for the surprise welcome-home party.

  Kate and Elle had handled the decorations, which were simple and festive. Jane and Liam were in charge of the food, which would be upscale and delicious, no doubt.

  Kate had made several more trips to the kitchen to set out more appetizers that Jane and Liam had prepared—pâté with toast points, a cheese and charcuterie board, mozzarella and cherry tomato kebabs speared with a sprig of rosemary, homemade sweet potato chips with Liam’s famous hot mustard and sweet chili dipping sauce.