Winter Wedding In Vegas

Slade couldn’t lie to his father. “Guess some rumors are true.”

Silence ticked over the phone line.

“Have to admit I’m surprised,” his father said slowly. More silence. “She pregnant?”

Slade’s face heated. Not that he could blame his father for asking. Everyone who really knew him knew he’d never planned to marry, that he had dedicated his life to medicine, to finding a cure for a disease he hated.

“Not that I know of. She does have a kid, though.” Hadn’t that one been a shocker? Not only had he married but he’d also become an instant father. Not that it really mattered. He wasn’t likely to meet Taylor’s daughter. They’d divorce, pretend as if none of this had ever happened, and that would be the end of their Vegas mistake.

Which was exactly what needed to happen, so why did the image of Taylor’s tears flash through his mind and make him wish life was different? That he was different?

Then again, hadn’t he learned at twelve years old that wishes didn’t come true? If they did, his mother would still be alive because he’d wished more than any kid had ever wished. He was sure of it.

More silence.

“For a man who just got married, you don’t sound very happy. You okay, son?”

Okay? Again, the image of Taylor’s tear-streaked face popped into his mind. No, he wasn’t okay. He’d married a woman he wanted physically, cared for as a person and whom he didn’t want to damage emotionally. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not in some kind of trouble, are you?” Worry weighed heavily in his father’s words. “This is just so unexpected.”

Slade could almost laugh. “I’m not in trouble, Dad.”

At least, not the kind his father meant.

“Well, then, congratulations.”

Congratulations. Because he’d gotten married. And become a father. Why did his tie feel as if it was strangling him?

He couldn’t even respond to his father’s comment.

“She must be something special,” his dad continued.

Images from the night before flashed through Slade’s mind, images of sharing laughter with Taylor, of holding her hand as they’d climbed into the limo to leave the hotel, of kissing her in the back of the limo, of how his heart had pounded in his chest as he’d slid a ring onto her finger and promised to have and hold her forever...

Maybe he was in trouble, because as much as he didn’t want to be married, didn’t want to think about the fact she was a mother, he did want Taylor in his life.

If only she weren’t so complicated. If only they hadn’t gotten married.

“Taylor is special,” he admitted, then realized just how much he’d revealed in his three softly spoken words.

“I’m glad to hear that. After your mother died you avoided getting close to anyone. I’m glad you’ve met someone worth the risk.”

Slade’s ribs threatened to crush the contents of his chest they constricted so tightly. He hadn’t avoided getting close to anyone. He’d just made a conscious decision to dedicate his life to finding a cure for breast cancer. His father didn’t understand that. Maybe no one could. But to Slade, doing all he could to prevent others from going through what his family had was his number-one life priority.

“Dad, I hate to cut you short.” Not really a lie. He loved his father, enjoyed talking to him normally, just not today, not when he was reeling from the past twenty-four hours, from the fact he’d woken up with a wife and a kid. “But I’m on my way to my dream job interview with Grandview Pharmaceuticals.” A dream job that would give him every opportunity of achieving his number-one life priority. “I’ll give you a call next week when I’m back in Nashville.”

* * *

“Hello, my darling, how was school today?” Taylor said into the phone to her daughter. The first rays of happiness were shining that day.

“Good,” the most precious voice in the world answered. “Aunt Nina said I was very smart.”

Although she was no blood relation, Gracie had called Taylor’s best friend “Aunt” for as long as Taylor could remember.

“Aunt Nina is right. You are a smart girl. And a very pretty one.”

Gracie giggled. “You always say that.”

“Because it’s true.”

“I miss you, Mommy.” Gracie’s voice sounded somewhere between sad and pouty. Taylor could just picture her daughter’s expression, see the sadness in the green eyes that were so similar to her own.

“I miss you, too.” More than words could convey.

“When are you coming home?” Gracie demanded.

“I’ll be flying home tomorrow evening. You and Aunt Nina are picking me up from the airport.”

“Are you bringing me a prize? Aunt Nina said if I was good while you were gone that I’d get a present.”

“Aunt Nina said that, did she? So close to Christmas? Well, I’m sure if she said that, then she’s right.”

Gracie talked to her a few minutes more, then handed the phone to Nina.

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Nina immediately said into the phone.

“I hope she’s not been too much trouble,” Taylor told her best friend.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve loved having her here. She’s helped me decorate my house and you know me, I’m one of those who never has things done the week after Thanksgiving. This year, I’m way ahead of the game, and she and I have had a blast getting everything done.”

Taylor understood. Gracie was a blast and loved Christmas almost as much as her mother did. No doubt the little girl had garlands and lights strung all over Nina’s apartment.

“Good. When they told me I would be going on this trip, my first thoughts were what I’d do about Gracie. I’ve never left her before.”

“Are you sure your first thoughts weren’t about getting an early Christmas package from a certain sexy oncologist? Or perhaps the two of you just got carried away beneath some Vegas mistletoe?”

Taylor sighed. She had known Nina would ask about Slade. Especially since she hadn’t answered a single text message from Nina or any of her other friends and colleagues. What was she supposed to say? Yes, I messed up again. It’s what I’m good at when it comes to the opposite sex.

“You might as well tell me, because you know you’re going to. Best friend, remember?”

“I remember.”

“So what’s up with you becoming Mrs. Dr. Sexy?”

Taylor winced. “Please tell me you didn’t ask me that in front of Gracie.”

“She’s watching her favorite television program and is totally oblivious to what I’m saying.”

“Don’t count on it. She picks up on a lot more than people give her credit for.”

“Fine, I’ll walk into the kitchen.” There was a short pause. “Now, tell me if what I read was true.”

“It’s true.”

Nina squealed. “You and Dr. Sain got married? How romantic! Tell me everything.”

“There wasn’t anything romantic about it.” Which wasn’t exactly true. Drunk or not, he’d been sweet when he’d slid the wedding ring onto her finger, had lifted her hand and placed a kiss over the gold band. Just the memory goose-bumped her skin.

“You got married to the sexiest man we know and there wasn’t anything romantic about it?”

She sank her teeth into her lower lip. “Not really.”

“Which means there was at least something romantic going on,” Nina concluded. “Hubba-hubba. This is huge. You got married. I can’t believe it.”

“That makes two of us.”

“This is so unlike you. You’re, like, never spontaneous. I just...” Nina paused and Taylor could just imagine her friend shaking her head while she tried to make sense of what was being said. “So, tell me the details. How in the world did you and Dr. Sain get married?”

“A bunch of us had dinner, went to watch a Christmas show and then I ended up in a limo with Slade. We drove to a cheesy year-round Christmas wedding chapel and exchanged vows. Alcohol was involved.”

Nina moaned. “Please tell me it wasn’t a drive-through ceremony.”

“It wasn’t.” Although if it had been, would it really have mattered? “Santa Claus married us.”

“Santa?”

“An impersonator, but, yes, Santa. There were even elves snapping pictures and throwing fake snow at us.” Ugh. Taylor rubbed her temple. “What am I going to do, Nina? I got married last night.”

“Celebrate the fact that you married the hottest guy around and will be the envy of every female at the clinic?”

“I’m serious.”

“Me, too. So, how was he?”

“Nina!”

“That good, huh?”

“That good,” Taylor agreed, unable to lie. “Better than any man should be.” Better than she’d thought any man could be. He’d set her body aflame and made her ache for more. “But I can’t stay married to him.”

“Why not?”

“We never should have gotten married in the first place. We were under the influence and made a huge mistake. Besides, he is about as opposite from what I want in a man as possible.”

“You want ugly, not sexy and not good in bed?”

“You know what I mean.” Would her temple please stop throbbing?

“Fine. I know what you mean, but you did get married. Show a little more enthusiasm, please. Didn’t you joke last year after Christmas that you should have asked Santa for a man? Well, girl, you must have been at the top of the nice list this year for Santa to have delivered Slade Sain.”

She did recall joking with Nina that she should have asked Santa for a man. She didn’t want to be alone, raising Gracie without a father. But she’d much rather that than to have let the wrong man into her life. She sighed.

“We’re going to get a divorce just as soon as it can be arranged.” She twisted the gold band on her left hand. Why hadn’t she taken it off? Why did it feel seared to her very being?

“Too bad.”

Taylor pulled back her phone to stare at it. “I can’t believe you said that. I made a horrible mistake last night. Can you imagine what my parents are going to say?”

“Who cares what they say, Taylor? You can’t keep trying to make up for disappointing them by getting pregnant out of wedlock. These are modern times. Women have kids without being married. You finished school and have made a great life for you and Gracie. If your parents can’t see what a wonderful woman you are, then phooey on them.”

In theory, Taylor knew her friend was right. In her heart, she hated to disappoint her parents again. They were devoutly religious, had the perfect marriage, couldn’t understand how she’d let herself become pregnant out of wedlock and although they loved Gracie, they’d never let Taylor forget how disappointed they’d been.

“I know you, Taylor,” Nina continued. “I’m not sure how you and Slade ended up married. There must have been some major Christmas magic in the air last night. But quit stressing and enjoy the rest of your honeymoon before planning your divorce. Reality will set in soon enough.”

“I’m not on a honeymoon and reality set in first thing this morning.”

“Technically, you are on your honeymoon,” Nina pointed out. “You got married last night.”

Taylor dropped backward onto the bed. “Crap. You’re right. I’m so stupid.”

“You’re the least stupid person I know.”

Taylor just groaned.

“Obviously, there was something between you two last night that triggered the ‘I do’s,’” Nina pointed out in her ever-optimistic way. “You married a superhot guy who you had really great sex with and now he’s your husband. Why not quit worrying about the details and the pending legal ‘I don’t’s and just enjoy your honeymoon?”

If only life were that easy. “You don’t mean that.”

“Why wouldn’t I? You never do anything for yourself, Taylor. You’re always working or doing things for Gracie. For the next twenty-four hours don’t worry about anyone but yourself. The act is done. You’re married and on your honeymoon with a hunk. Take advantage of that, of him and his skills. What’s going to happen in the future is going to happen regardless of whether or not you grasp hold of what life’s presented to you on a silver platter. Or, in this case, what Santa’s wrapped up in a pretty bow. I say go for it, work off some long-overdue steam, and make some memories before going your separate ways.”

Ugh. Her friend almost made sense. Almost. “You’re not helping.”

“Sure I am. I’m just not saying what your determined-to-be-a-prude ears want to hear.”

“I hate it when you’re right.”

Nina squealed again. “So, you’re going to do it? You’re going to let your hair down and rock Dr. Sain’s world?”

She wasn’t so sure she could rock his world, but he had seemed to enjoy the night before. They had been hot.

“I’m not sure I know how to let loose anymore,” she admitted, positive it was true. She enjoyed life, but all her free time did revolve around Gracie. “And I didn’t say you were right that I should let my hair down. Just that what you were saying wasn’t what I wanted to hear.”

“You want me to tell you that you should hightail it back home and file for divorce without indulging in some fun with your husband first?”

File for divorce. Pressure squeezed her heart. People in her family didn’t divorce. They didn’t get pregnant out of wedlock and they didn’t marry virtual strangers in Vegas and they didn’t divorce. That was her family.

But she would be three for three because she would be filing for divorce. To pretend otherwise was ridiculous. She and Slade had suffered lapses of judgement, clouded by lust and alcohol. That much she could admit to. She’d wanted him last night. When he’d kissed her, she’d melted and forgotten everything but him.

“I’m waiting for an answer.”

Taylor’s grip on her cell phone tightened. “I’m a mother, Nina. Regardless of what I want, I can’t just go around indulging in fun whenever I want to. It’s not that I don’t want to indulge in fun, because I do.” Oh, how she wanted to imbibe more of Slade. “He was amazing. An affair with him would be amazing, but I need to end this without doing anything that might complicate things.”

“Too late. Things are already complicated.”

Taylor’s gaze shot to the open hotel room door and the man who stood there. Crap. When had he opened the door and how much had he overheard?

“Sorry, Nina, but I’ve got to go.” Her gaze latched on to Slade’s and she refused to look away even when that’s what she wanted to do. How was it he made her feel so on edge with just a look? “My husband just walked in.”

CHAPTER FOUR

FRUSTRATED, SLADE STARED at the woman lying on the bed. Clicking off her phone, Taylor slowly rose to a sitting position. Which was exactly where he’d left her.

She’d left the hotel room, though. He’d gone to a presentation, had sensed her sneaking into the meeting room and had turned to catch her sliding into a seat in the back of the auditorium. When the meeting had ended, he’d glanced her way. She’d been gone.

He’d forced himself to go to all the programs he’d marked on his agenda, even though he’d had a difficult time staying focused on what the presenters had been saying. At noon, he’d had an interview with Grandview Pharmaceuticals, the company that owned Interallon and that was renowned for their headway in the fight against cancer.

John Cordova, the older man who’d interviewed him, had commented on how they needed someone dependable, someone able to make long-term commitments, to see things through, to fill the position. The man had then congratulated him on his recent marriage.

Slade had withheld the fact that his marriage wasn’t a long-term commitment but a mistake. He’d gotten the impression that a divorce so quickly following his marriage wouldn’t have won him any brownie points in Cordova’s eyes.

His phone call with his father played through his head. His father was going to be so disappointed in him when he told him the truth.

His temple throbbed ever so slightly. He found himself wishing he could lie on the bed beside Taylor, talk to her about the interview, about his goals and dreams, about his mother and how much he missed her, about the concern in his father’s voice and how he hadn’t had the heart to tell him that his marriage was over before it even started either. He wanted to talk with her the way they had the night before because talking to her, being with her, had felt so right.

Too bad Taylor was staring at him as if he were a serial killer.

Last night had been different. When she’d looked at him, he’d seen something more. That something more had triggered some kind of insanity. She’d wanted to have sex with him, and that knowledge had shot madness into his veins. She’d challenged him with her condition about marriage and, gazing into her eyes, he’d lost his mind and the ability to walk away from the temptation she’d offered.

He had the feeling that before all was said and done, his insanity was going to cost him a lot more than he’d bargained for.

She cleared her throat, reminding him that he had been staring at her for way too long.

“I need to change for the dinner program.”

A semiformal conference farewell that was more socializing than anything else.

“That’s fine.” She watched him from behind her big glasses, which he’d really like to lift off her face so he could better read her expression.

“Not really, but I guess for the next day we don’t have a choice. The hotel is sold out and I don’t plan to move to another hotel.”

She nodded as if she’d already known. Perhaps she’d called the front desk and asked.

Slade had never been an awkward kind of person. Usually, he could come up with something funny to say, something to smooth over any situation. This wasn’t any ordinary situation, though. This was him standing in a hotel room with his wife, whom he didn’t want to be his wife and neither did she want to be his wife.

He raked his fingers through his hair then, shrugged.

“I’ll just grab my suit and change.” He opened the closet door and removed a garment bag. “I’ll hurry in the bathroom so I won’t interfere with you getting ready. If you’re going, that is.”

“I’m going.”

He nodded and turned toward the bathroom.

“With you.”

He paused, but didn’t turn around. “Why?”

“As far as the world is concerned, we’re happy newlyweds. If we go separately, we’ll have to answer too many questions. I don’t know about you, but I’ve dealt with enough questions about our marriage already today.”

Slade looked up at the ceiling, counted to ten, then turned. “That’s my fault. I’m sorry. You’re right. I prefer not to raise questions, but even if we’re together, people are going to be curious.”

“You’re right, but at least if we’re together we can keep our story straight.”

“I won’t lie to anyone who asks about us.”

“You’re going to tell people that you married me so you could have sex with me?”

When she said it out loud, he agreed the reason sounded ridiculous. Still...

“Isn’t that why most men get married?” he said, fighting to keep his tone light. “Because they want to have sex with the woman they are marrying? I definitely want to have sex with you, Taylor.”

“I suppose so,” she responded, ignoring his last comment. “Or we could just tell them that we were drunk and didn’t realize what we were doing.”

He certainly hadn’t been thinking clearly, but he distinctly recalled exchanging vows with her, promising to care for her forever, to cherish her and yet they were planning to end things before they’d even got started.

He stared at her, wishing he could read whatever was running through that sharp mind of hers. “Shall we tell them we married because we were drunk or because we wanted to have sex?”

Her gaze darted about the room as if seeking the answer somewhere within the four walls. Finally, she shrugged. “Take your pick. Both are true.”

* * *

Taylor pulled her dress out of the closet. Her gaze settled on Slade’s clothes hanging next to hers.

Other than her father, she’d never lived with a man, so seeing the mix of Slade’s belongings with hers had her pausing, had her eyes watering up again.

What an emotional roller coaster she rode.

Her safe, secure world felt as if it was crumbling around her.

She’d quit taking chances years ago. Had quit living in some ways. Oh, she lived through Gracie, but what about for herself? Nina was right. She didn’t do anything for herself, just lived in a nice controlled environment where she planned for all contingencies.

Too bad she hadn’t had a backup plan for an unexpected Vegas Christmas wedding.

While Slade was in the bathroom, she changed into her dress, took her hair down from its tight pin-back and pulled it up into a looser hold. She had her contacts in her purse, but wasn’t sure what it would say if she put them in when she almost always wore her glasses.

How ridiculous was she being? What did it matter what she looked like?

Still, she dug in her purse and put in her contacts. She was just blinking them into place when Slade stepped out of the bathroom.

Wearing only his suit pants.

Taylor’s body responded to his bare chest like a Pavlov dog to its stimulus. The man was beautiful.

And hers.

Not for long, but at this moment Slade Sain was hers more than any other man had ever been.

Just as she was his more than any other woman had ever been his.

Maybe.

She frowned because she really didn’t know that to be true. “Have you been married before?”

Her question obviously caught him off guard. “No. Why? Have you? Never mind, silly question with that one-guy thing. You haven’t.”

“No, I haven’t,” she agreed, averting her gaze from his intense blue one. “I just wondered if you had.”

Despite the tension between them, he grinned with wry humor. “Wondering if I make marrying a habit?”

Exactly. “Something like that.”

He slipped his crisp blue shirt on one arm at a time, then buttoned his cuffs. “I’ve never been married before.” He paused, stared at her with a serious look. “I’ve never even contemplated marriage.”

Her feet wanted to shuffle but she somehow kept them still. “Why not?”

Smoothing out his shirt, he shrugged. “I have other plans for my life besides a wife, two point five kids and a white picket fence.”

Her chest spasmed at just how different they really were, because once upon a time she’d dreamed of being a wife with kids and that proverbial white picket fence. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We’re human and made a mistake. People do it all the time.”

He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t know. So why did his words shoot arrows into her chest? “Not me. Not like this.” She winced. “I mean, obviously I have made mistakes before, but I thought I’d learned better than to make this kind.”

“Marrying me makes you realize you haven’t evolved as far as you’d hoped?”

“Something like that. We were practically strangers and got married.” Sighing, she closed her eyes. “Before last night you probably didn’t even know my eye color.”

“I knew.”

His answer was so quick, so confident, that she couldn’t question the truth of his response.

Staring at him, she asked, “How?”

He shoved his hands in his pants pockets. “I know more about you than you seem to think.”

“Like what?”

“Like how much you love coffee.”

She rolled her eyes. “Lots of people love coffee, so that’s just a generic assumption that could be said about a high percentage of the population.”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.