A Little Bit of Déjà Vu (23 page)

“Ahhh, New York.” Crunch wiggled his eyebrows at the other guys.

Stench grinned. “That only leaves us a couple a hundred hotels to call.”

“Bite me.” Alex shoved his friend’s shoulder. “Listen, I’ll let you dance with my wife while I’m gone if you promise not to end my marriage before I even go on my honeymoon.”

He left Emma with Greg and strolled over to his parents and Uncle Chris. “I hate to interrupt, but I was hoping I could steal my mother for a dance.”

His mom’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Oh, Alex, I’d love that.”

Chris slung his arm around Jake and Alex’s shoulders. “Before you take her away, I wanted to talk to you two.” He hemmed and hawed a few seconds before finally saying, “I—uhh—I was wondering if you’d have a problem if I asked Roxanne to move in with me.”

Jake’s gaze flew to hers. “When did this come about?”

She chuckled and squeezed between Jake and Chris to hug them both. “Gherkin was in New York on business in March. We’ve been seeing each other on weekends since then.”

Chris smiled at her. “I’m trying to talk her into marrying me, but I still have a little convincing to do.”

“Man, that’s great, Rox.” Jake pressed a kiss to her temple. “I wish you all the happiness I never gave you.”

Alex hugged her. Was his dad really okay with his mother living with his best friend?

Jake cocked an eyebrow at his buddy. “So how long have you had a thing for my ex?”

A shadow of pain fell over Chris’s features. “Too long.”

“So that’s why you kept telling me she was wrong for me in college, wasn’t it?”

Chris’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded silently. “I’m sorry about what happened with....you know.” His voice cracked. “I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Gherkin. You may have set things in motion, but I made my own choices.”

Damn. If only they’d quit being so cryptic. Alex stepped a few feet away, hoping if he made himself scarce they might drop their guard.

“You mean you’re not still interested?” Chris laid his hand on Jake’s brow. “Quick, Rox, get the aspirin. The man is sick. Either that, or he’s gone blind.”

Roxanne smiled over her shoulder at Alex and drew him back into their circle. “So how do you feel about all of this?”

He glanced between his parents. “I thought the two of you might eventually get back—”

“No, Alex.” His mother shook her head. “That could never work. As much as your dad and I care for each other, it’s not the kind of love a marriage can thrive on.”

“Well, then I’m happy for you.” He shook Chris’s hand.

Roxanne pursed her lips a moment. “Since Chris’s job is in Wilmington, I talked Grandpa into transferring me to Warrington’s headquarters in Philadelphia. So I’ll be moving back to Pennsylvania.”

“That’s great. How about that dance? I’d like to talk to you alone for a few minutes.”

At her nod, Alex led her to an empty corner of the portable dance floor that had been set up adjacent to the terrace. “I’ve waited for this moment for seven years, Sweetheart.” His mother sniffed, wiping her eyes. “You can have all the time you want.”

He slid his arms around her. “Uhh—I wanted to tell you I’m sorry for acting like a brat. I understand now that you left because you thought it was best for me.”

His mother laid her hand on his cheek as they glided slowly around the polished parquet flooring to Billy Joel crooning,
I Love You Just the Way You Are
. “It’s all right. Just as long as you know, I never stopped loving you.”

He swallowed hard and nodded. “When Dad told me about how he talked in his sleep, I realized if Em ever dreamed about being with another guy, I’d want to die, too.”

“Alex, please don’t blame your dad. Your grandfather’s disappointment in me had just as much to do with my drug addiction as my failed marriage. I was insecure and insanely jealous of any attention your dad got from other women. On top of that, I carried a lot of guilt over things I’d done to him. I’m trying to work through my ninth step and make amends, but there’re still things I haven’t been able to tell him. I just hope things will work out for him and Maggie now.”

“
Maggie
?” Alex glanced over his shoulder at Emma’s mom. Was his mother saying what it sounded like? If so, a lot of things suddenly made sense.

“Oh, jeez.” Roxanne winced, looking as if Alex had tromped on her foot. “Me and my big mouth. Your father is going to strangle—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll let him think I figured it out on my own.” Alex smiled at Emma chatting with Kristen on the opposite side of the terrace. It was too weird that he’d ended up dating the daughter of someone his father had been involved with. “So you’re okay with the fact Emma’s mom is the same woman Dad—”

“Why not? None of it was her fault.”

His respect for his mother quadrupled. He seriously doubted he could be so forgiving and civil to someone who’d caused him that much pain.

Roxanne squeezed him closer. “I just pray Emma feels more secure in your love. If you really care for her, Alex, make sure you never do anything to give her reason to doubt you.”

A spear of guilt stabbed his chest. It didn’t matter that what happened with Brandy had gone down only ten days after he and Emma met—or that it had been meaningless. If his wife ever learned about it, she’d be devastated.

He stared at his shifting feet. “Well, I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry, Mom. I’m really glad you’re moving back to the area. We’ll need all the free babysitters we can get.”

His mother pressed her lips to his chin. “I know your dad wants you to make it on your own as much as you can. But if Emma and you ever really need anything or there’s something the two of you can’t handle, I hope you’ll give me the chance to help and make up for a few years I missed being your mother.”

~~~

After Emma and Alex cut their cake, Jake glanced over at Maggie for the thousandth time that day. She hardly knew anyone here, but she’d managed to find people to talk to. He meandered to the edge of the terrace to spend a couple of minutes with her.

“Would you do me the honor?” He held his hand out to her and jerked his head toward the couples swaying to the music.

“Thank you. I’d love to.” She followed him down the three steps to the dance floor. When she stepped into his arms, her sweet scent shot straight to his libido.

“What’d you think of the wedding?” He guided her around the dance floor.

“The florist did a beautiful job incorporating the flowers we bought into your garden, and the food was incredible.” She looked at him sideways and chuckled. “The DJ, however, is a whole other story. He isn’t exactly the most personable fellow. Talk about boring.”

“What’d you want with less than two weeks notice in June? Alex and Emma’s friends don’t seem to mind.”

She jerked her head toward the punch bowl. “Who’s the tall redhead talking to Emma?”

“Alex’s Aunt Jessica.”

“Aunt? She’s seems as young as he is.”

He spun Maggie away and pulled her back more tightly against him. “There’s only two years between them. She’s the product of Alexander’s second marriage.”

Roxanne wandered up to them and tapped Maggie on the shoulder. “I’m sorry to cut in like this, but I have to leave soon. I’m flying to Japan early tomorrow morning on business, and I still haven’t packed. I’d appreciate a few moments to talk to Jake before I go.”

“Uhh—sure.” Maggie bit her lip and stepped away. “He’s all yours.” She returned to her seat near the fieldstone wall that edged the terrace.

Roxanne filled the void left in Jake’s arms. She smiled up at him as he led her around the polished floor.

“Before I leave, I just wanted to tell you that you’ve done a wonderful job raising our son. You’ve made up for all the ways I failed him.”

Jake pulled her closer. “Rox, Honey, please stop. You’ve forgiven me. Alex and I’ve forgiven you. Now you need to forgive yourself.” He cupped her face between his hands. “You did the right thing. A lousy mother would’ve been too selfish to step out of the picture and let her child go.”

He glanced over at Maggie scowling at them as if she might actually be jealous. A pipedream maybe. But it did wonders for his ego to imagine she could be.

“Thank you.” Roxanne brushed her lips over his cheek. “But tell me one thing, Mr. Psychology. Have you forgiven
yourself
?” She jerked her head toward Emma’s mother. “Or better yet, have you forgiven her?”

“No. And you’re right. With our kids married, I need to find a way.”

Roxanne stepped back and trailed a finger down the side of his jaw while the DJ switched to another romantic tune. “Maybe you should take your own advice and spend a few nights in her bed. It might help you get rid of some of the baggage you’ve been hauling around.”

“Maybe.” He pulled Roxanne back into his arms and resumed moving to the music. “But she still loves her husband too much for that to work. And it would just complicate things for our family. Emma isn’t ready to accept any man in her mother’s life let alone her father-in-law.”

“You know, when Chris first asked me to move in with him, I came up with a half a dozen excuses why I shouldn’t. You, Alex, my drug problem. Then last night, after I saw our son had suddenly become a man, I realized how much time I’ve wasted. Our lives are half over, Jake. Don’t spend the rest of yours resenting the past when you could be having a future.”

~~~

At seven o’clock, Alex finally convinced Emma they’d stayed long enough at their reception. As soon as they changed their clothes, he lugged their suitcases out to the Explorer in the driveway. They hugged their parents and thanked them for the wedding.

Margie kissed Alex’s cheek. “Make sure Emma takes her vitamins.”

Jake tucked a wad of bills in Alex’s shirt pocket. “For tips.” He winked at him and whispered, “Enjoy yourself, but don’t forget your wife is almost five months pregnant. Let her get some rest.”

Alex shifted his hips as his jeans tightened in the crotch at the thought of finally being able to make love to Em again. It’d been two interminable weeks since they’d been to bed together and just as long since he’d had a decent night’s sleep.

Still, he was sort of glad their parents had kept them apart. Their wedding night would be extra special.

As they drove off, he glanced into the rearview mirror and saw his dad slip his arm around Maggie’s shoulders. He tooted the horn and waved. Glancing sideways at Emma, he smiled. “I know a secret, Mrs. Manion.”

“Let me guess.” She grinned. “You love me?”

“That’s no secret. It has nothing to do with us. This is one of those really freaky,
skeleton-in-the-closet
secrets. It’s about your mother and my father.”

Emma peered at him sideways. “Please don’t tell me he’s hitting on my mom again.”

“Why? Would that be so terrible?”

“
Ugh
. Not our parents.” She wrinkled her nose and shuddered. “That’s disgusting. Besides, my mother loves my dad.”

“Your father is dead, Angel. And apparently my dad had prior claim on your mother and is still very much alive.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“You know that football player who supposedly soured your mother on the sport? He was none other than Rocket Manion.”

“You’re making all this up just to tease me.”

He chuckled and brushed his knuckle over her taut nipple. Her pregnancy had nearly doubled the size of her breasts. He was dying to see them. “If I wanted to tease you, Angel, I can think of much more satisfying ways to do it.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “The thought of them in bed together is gross.”

“Why? Do you think people their age don’t do what we do?”

“I don’t even want to think about what my mom does in the bedroom.”

“Well, face it, Sweetheart.” He grinned. “They may not do it as often, but believe me, they
do
it.”

“Just as long as they don’t
do
it with each other. I don’t want your father trying to take my dad’s place.”

“In
your
life or your mom’s?”

She stared out the side window, either unwilling or unable to answer his question. Instead, she changed the subject. “I can’t believe how great the reception was.”

“It was awesome.” Their parents had to have dropped at least ten grand on the party.

The day had been so great, he hadn’t thought about any of the problems ahead of him. The biggest being, how to keep from making a fool of himself at the university. If he didn’t have Emma and the baby to support while he went to school, he’d quit football. Except he needed his scholarship to afford to take care of them.

Emma covered her mouth to stifle a yawn as her eyes drifted closed. “I’m sorry. I’m so tired all the time. I don’t want to sleep through our wedding night.”

“It’s okay, Angel, we have the whole rest of our lives together.”

He never dreamed he could love anyone so much. He’d give anything to confess his guilt to Emma, but it wouldn’t change anything. It would be the height of selfishness to hurt her just to clear his conscience.

As Emma nodded off, he reached over and stroked her hair. Too bad life wasn’t like a DVD. He would rewind to that day for an instant replay, and when Phil issued his challenge, Alex would tell the asshole to go fuck himself.

Miraculously, news of the sordid incident had never gotten back to his dad or the other coaches. Or maybe they’d chosen to ignore it. Unfortunately, half the football team knew what had gone down that day.

For the last eight months, it had been like having the sword of Damocles hanging over him while he waited for one of those goons to thoughtlessly run off at the mouth. Greg’s slip of the tongue this afternoon had dropped the razor-sharp tip of that sword too damn close to Emma’s heart.

Chapter 13

The caterer’s vans finally pulled out of Jake’s driveway a little after nine-o’clock. He blew out a relieved breath as he trudged back to the house. Where had Maggie gone? Had she gotten a guest to drive her home?

Soft crooning floated into the kitchen from the family room as he strolled in the back door. He gazed across the expanse of the house to where Maggie sprawled on the overstuffed sofa in the family room, guzzling bubbly straight from the bottle.