“She just left.” Anna spoke, having somehow snuck up behind the men undetected.
She slipped an arm around her husband’s waist. “Don’t bother asking where she’s gone. I swore not to tell.”
She’d left? Hidden was more like it. “So you do know.”
Anna gauged him through narrowed eyes. “As much as I would like to watch you squirm a little—I do still owe you for that sucker punch to my husband’s gut—I’ve also seen how miserable my sister-in-law is without you.”
And he couldn’t even take pleasure from that because he hated to think of Brooke unhappy. “Then where the hell is she?”
Anna bit her lip, but hesitated only a moment.
“Think—” she tapped her forehead with a manicured nail “—and you can figure it out. If she wants to run from you, where would she go to get her head together?”
His mind churned with what he knew about her, what he’d learned during their intensely compacted time together. The answer took shape. “She would go to family.
But everyone is here except the bride and groom.” He scanned the family decked out in gowns and tuxedos. His gaze hooked on Cassie. Her sister. A confidante—who would be flying home in the morning. “She’s going to Cassie’s place?”
Anna stayed silent, but smiled slightly.
Parker’s grin, however, was full-out. “I know that look on my wife’s face, Jefferies, and you’re on the right track.”
Okay, thank God. He just had to find her before she made it to the airport. “So there’s time to stop her before she joins up with Cassie and Brandon to fly out.”
Anna frowned a definite no, apparently still bent on not speaking on the subject.
“Why would she leave ahead of them—”
“God,” Anna blurted, “for a smart guy, you’re really not thinking like your corporate shark self today. You must actually be in love. It wreaks havoc with a guy’s brain if he doesn’t get things straightened out. She’s taking the family yacht to the Bahamas so she’ll get there after Cassie returns. And don’t start hollering about her health. She hired a nurse to accompany her, just to be safe.”
He exhaled his relief at having found her and, thank God, that she had the foresight to watch over herself and the baby, even during a short trip to the Bahamas.
Then the rest of Anna’s words penetrated his thoughts.
In love?
In love.
Damn straight. He loved Brooke Garrison. Not just because she carried his child, but because all other women faded around her. She was it for him. His chance to have what his parents shared, and he didn’t want to waste another second apart from her.
Now he just needed to convince Brooke he wasn’t a scumbag so he could tell her how damn much he loved her.
Brooke lounged on one of the yacht’s deck chairs, searching the starlit night for answers to the confusion swirling inside her. A gust of wind rolling in off the ocean sent her clutching her lightweight sweater closed over the bridesmaid gown she still wore.
She probably should have just gone back to her place, but all the love and sentimentality of the wedding had left her so weepy, she needed to get away. Far away, before she puddled into a serious crying jag. Thank goodness she’d been able to hire a nurse to come along on such short notice, the only way her sisters and sisters-in-law would help her leave.
In the middle of the swirl of aching feelings, a memory of spending time with her father on their yacht brought her an unexpected comfort. Right now, she appreciated the total quiet here and she needed that utter peace for her baby after the emotional hubbub of most of her pregnancy. Here in the quiet, she could sense her father’s presence, could almost hear his apology. He hadn’t been perfect, but he had been there for her as best he knew how. She could see that now as she viewed the world in a way that involved less extremes and more middle ground.
The past couple of days since seeing Jordan with Sheila McKay had been hell. She missed him more than she could have imagined. How could he have worked his way so completely into her life in such a short time?
Or had this been a long time coming?
She wanted to trust his explanation about the incident with Sheila. Her instincts shouted that he’d told her the truth. But her heart wanted a clear sign that her love was reciprocated.
Yes, she loved Jordan Jefferies. She couldn’t deny it any longer. Maybe in some corner of her heart she’d always known but had been too afraid of the family fallout to pursue the possibility. She wasn’t afraid of her family’s disapproval anymore.
She was, however, afraid of making a mistake, for her own sake and that of her baby. How would she ever know for certain?
Her gaze shifted from the stars—Orion wasn’t offering up any answers anyhow—
down to the opaque ocean. A dim light chopped through the darkness, another late-night boater. The gently lapping waves might not have solutions either, but at least the rhythmic sound lulled her at a time she desperately needed ease from the agitation.
The drone of the other boat grew louder, the beam closer. The sleek craft took shape, smaller than she’d expected. Who used a ski boat this late at night? A hint of anxiousness stirred in her gut. She started to rise and alert the captain, when one of the crew came out onto her deck.
“The captain said to let you know we have company. But no worries, ma’am. The boat’s one of ours. There’s a family member on board.”
“Thank you for the update.” Family?
Brooke rose from the chair and walked toward the metal railing, curious.
Concerned. Her relatives should all be at the wedding. Jordan didn’t know where she was. She’d only told the girls because she’d thought someone should be aware…
The ski boat drew nearer, two towering males becoming visible, a pair of tall figures in tuxedos standing. The craft drew up alongside. She backed a step.
Parker and Jordan .
Her heart did a quick flip-flop much like the fish plopping in the ocean. She should have known Jordan would find out and follow her. Especially after she’d turned him away. And somehow he’d won her brother over to his side. Which led him here.
Someone had ratted her out. Now she faced not only Jordan but her meddling control-freak brother, as well. Still, her pulse picked up speed at the sight of Jordan , who’d come all this way for her.
She gripped the rail and shouted, “Parker Garrison, you traitor. You’re officially out of my will.”