“Not quite. I work for a financial software company in Boston. I’m V.P. of global marketing.”
His dreams had been the most important thing in his life. More important than her and their baby. She hoped the price he’d paid was worth it. “Still planning to make your first million before you turn thirty?”
“We’ll see.”
No, he would see. There was no room for him in her life. What they had shared the spring of her senior year of high school had been like a dream—a dream come true for a few short days. He’d come back from college and she’d seen something different in him, felt things she’d never felt before and done things without a thought to the consequences or the future. Reed had swept her off her feet and stolen her heart.
Until their time together, she had never felt loved. Not by her parents who wanted her to be perfect, not by her then ex-boyfriend Art who didn’t want her unless she had sex with him, not by anyone. But Reed had made her feel the way she’d longed to feel—loved only for who she was. As if no matter what she did or said, he would still love her. Or so she thought. Samantha had been wrong. Their story hadn’t had a fairy-tale ending. No happily ever after for them.
But she was older and wiser. She would not repeat the mistakes of the past. And that’s where Reed belonged.
In her past.
The only thing he could do in the present was destroy her life by letting the truth about Timmy come out. If he wanted to pretend he didn’t have a son, fine. She was more than happy to oblige.
With her resolve firmly in place, she forced a smile. “It’s been nice seeing you, but I need to return the missing bouquet to an upset bridesmaid and light the luminaries outside the church before the guests arrive.”
“I’ll see you later,” he said.
Not if I can help it. She was going to stay as far away from Reed Connors as possible. Too much was at stake to let him near her again. “We’ll see.”
Reed watched Samantha walk down the aisle and into the vestibule. She looked sexy in her little black dress. The sway of her hips hypnotized him as if he were under a spell or dreaming. The slamming of a church door told him he was doing neither. He was wide awake.
He had believed he was over Samantha Brown and had gotten her out of his system years ago. He had.
Samantha Wilson, however, was another story. Such a beauty. Her bright, blue eyes contained an intriguing soulfulness. He was itching to pull the pins from her blond hair to see whether she’d cut the length to match her new matter-of-fact personality. Her figure had improved over the years—no cheerleader outfit necessary to show off her curves in all the right places. And she seemed more confident, self-possessed, mature. Qualities he’d never associated with her before. Qualities he found surprisingly attractive.
His system was going haywire. Talk about circuit overload. But there was no customer-service number to call. The engineering department would be no help, either. He was on his own. And for once he didn’t like it.
Instead of feeling like a man in control of his own destiny, he felt like an insecure, uncertain teenager. He hated that.
He was successful, in demand, everything he wanted to be, yet Samantha still made him feel like the dork he’d once been.
Reed took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He couldn’t allow her to get to him like this.
Once upon a time, she’d been the princess and he the court jester, strictly there for her entertainment and to make sure she didn’t fail any of her classes.
But things had changed.
She was a florist in a no-nothing town, perfectly attainable if not for her marital status. He, on the other hand, was achieving all he’d dreamed about.
Reed had everything he’d ever wanted.
Everything except Samantha.
Chapter Two
As the new Mr. and Mrs. Mark Slayter finished their stroll down the aisle to the tune of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” the bells in the steeple chimed. Reed followed the stream of wedding guests outside to the steps of the 275-year-old church. People milled about as if it were a spring afternoon, not early December with a wintry chill in the air.
“I’m Rebecca,” an attractive woman with hazel-green eyes said to him. “Are you a friend of the groom or the bride?”
“The groom,” Reed answered. “Rebecca Donnelly, right?”
“You know my name, but I’m positive we’ve never met before.” She smiled seductively. “I would never forget a man like you.”
“You sat next to me in physics and world history senior year.” Her blank look didn’t surprise him. “Reed Connors.”
Her mouth gaped. “I’m sorry, Reed. I didn’t recognize you.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I only lived in Fernville a couple of years. No reason for you to remember me.”
She pursed her glossed lips. “Can I make it up to you?”
“Possibly.” His hint of suggestiveness left Rebecca nodding and batting her heavily mascara-covered eyelashes.
As he made the one-block stroll to the reception, Reed searched for his friends from high school. They had to be here, but he didn’t see them. He reached the reception site, the town’s recreation center. An odd choice for a wedding reception considering he used to compete in chess tournaments there. The only difference between then and now was a new sign out front.
Inside, a framed picture of Mark and Kelli sat on an easel. A white mat with guests’ signatures and greetings surrounded the photo. Reed picked up the pen, scribbled the words “May the force be with you as you live long and prosper together” and signed his name. Mark would understand as only a former Star Wars/Trekkie geek would.
With his seat-assignment card in hand, Reed stepped through the pine-garland-trimmed entrance to the multipurpose room and was transported from the recreation center’s nondescript decor into a romantic winter wonderland.
The scent of pine permeated the air. White gauzy fabric with sparkling snowflakes on it covered the walls. Garland entwined with white lights was draped over them. Next to the dance floor stood a twelve-foot Christmas tree decorated with white lights, red bows and crystal hearts. A smiling angel, with wings spread wide, graced the top of the tall tree. Reed’s assistant had sent a gift for him, and he wondered if it was under the tree with the other wedding presents.
Had Samantha done all this? The girl he remembered hadn’t seemed interested in flowers unless they were for a prom corsage. Though she’d been more concerned about whether they clashed with the color and style of her dress. But Reed had thought he’d seen more in her. Too bad he’d been wrong.
Reed passed a group of carolers dressed like characters from a Dickens novel and made his way to the other side of the room. He located table four.
“Hey.” Reed was happy to see three of his closest friends from high school and two women seated here. “I’ve been wondering where you guys were. It’s been a long time.”
“I don’t believe it.” Wes Harkens, who had a goatee and a lot less hair than Reed remembered, rose from his seat and shook his hand. “Mark said you were coming, but I didn’t see you at the church so I thought you hadn’t made it.”
“I was with Mark until right before the ceremony,” Reed said, thinking how good it had been to catch up on the past eight years with his old friend. “Mark was as cool as a cucumber, but once I saw Kelli, I understood.”
As his three buddies nodded knowingly, the attractive brunette sighed. “Don’t you guys think about anything else?”
“Sorry,