A Tangled Web (A Books We Love Erotic Romance) (14 page)

Erin
knew Derek's parents were in town. They'd arrived when he was in her room, but what could have happened at the hospital?

Barbara leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Whatever occurred, Angel says she doesn't love her fiancé and she's going to call off the wedding. Julia is beside herself over the chaos that will cause. She thinks Angel is suffering from temporary insanity brought on by pre-wedding jitters."

Erin
picked up her drink and took a gulp to steady her nerves. She felt like she was on a roller coaster that had just pinned her to the seat. "She
really
wants to call off the wedding?"
Derek had said something about it, but she'd found it impossible to believe, under the circumstances.

Barbara nodded. "Angel says she's going to cancel the minister and the three-tiered cake and notify all the guests. It's so near the date of the ceremony, presents are already bought and everyone who lives far away will already have bought plane tickets. It will nettle every one of the guests, and you know how this town is. People will talk about it for years. Julia says she'll be so humiliated she'll never be able to show her face at church again.

"And get this—Angel said she's moving out of her parents' house even if she doesn't get married. You can imagine how much that upset her mother! It's like Angel's turned on her and she's always been such a good girl. Almost too goody-goody at times."

Tell me about it
,
Erin
thought.

"Julia made her into such a mama's girl. I tried not to do that to you."

Did you deliberately nag to push me away?
Erin
's head was spinning. "Angel was never able to leave home before."

"I know. She was miserable that year she went to college. I can't imagine what Julia's going to do without her. They were such good friends." She looked off into space. "Maybe I can help fill the gap for my sister. Walter doesn't like to do a lot of the things Julia does, so she'll need a companion."

"That's a wonderful idea, Mom,"
Erin
said. "It will be good for both of you. You might be able to get her to loosen up a little and dress more tastefully."
But what could Julia teach her in return?
Erin
always thought Angel was lucky her mother didn't compare her unfavourably to anyone. Now that she realised what a price Angel paid to come out on top, she didn't think her cousin was so fortunate
. "
Were you close when you were girls?"

"We would have been if our mother had treated us equally. Angel's like Julia was. She never got into trouble."

"Well now, your mom isn't in the picture anymore and you're both mature adults. Besides, I'll bet she did things that weren't right. You and your mother just didn't know about them."

Barbara chuckled. "I did know about some improprieties, but Mother wouldn't have believed me if I'd told her. Julia was sneaky and I wasn't.

"
Erin
, don't look now but…" Barbara sat up straight, eyes wide. "There's a handsome man headed this way."

Erin
swivelled in spite of herself and her heart pounded widely. "Derek. What—?"

"Derek?" Barbara echoed. "You thought that was the groom's name."

"I've been looking all over for you," Derek said. "Your car's in the lot and I hoped you were somewhere on the premises." He took the chair next to her and flashed his wonderful smile at her mother. "Do you mind if I join you?"

She eyed him curiously. "Not if it's all right with my daughter."

Erin
didn't know whether to welcome his appearance at this particular moment or wish he'd disappear. Derek looked at her and she waved a hand. "It seems you already have. This is my mother, Barbara O'Brien. Mom, Derek Acampora."

"I'm sorry to barge in. Are you sure you don't mind, Ms O'Brien?"

Erin
's mother smiled coyly and shook her head. Derek was out to make a good impression and succeeding. She wasn't surprised, Derek had that effect on people. And what he did to her left her breathless just remembering. The touch of his tongue as he licked then sucked her nipples, the taste of his cock when she nibbled it from base to head where a drop of pre-cum gleamed at the slit…
No!
She couldn't let herself think about that, remember all she had lost.

"Mom was telling me that Angel plans to call off her wedding,"
Erin
said as coolly as she could manage.

"I heard." He grinned and motioned over a server. "Give these two ladies another drink and I'll have your best scotch over rocks."

"Celebrating something?"
Erin
asked dryly. Like the fact that your fiancée let you off the hook? Her head whirled with questions she wanted to ask. When it's your child, how can you possibly be so happy? Where does this leave us? Can there ever again be an 'us'? Can I ever again have your rigid cock plunging away inside me, sending flames shooting along my nerve endings, causing that coil of tension inside me to tighten until I come screaming your name? "I understand her mother is still hoping to change her mind."

"I'm surprised she'd want to." Derek's smiled clouded over. "If
your
mother wouldn't mind, could I have a word with you alone, Erin? It won't take long."

"I don't believe there's any call for it."

"
Erin
, don't be snide," Barbara said. "It's all right. Go ahead and talk to this charming man. I'll wait."

Sighing,
Erin
rose and followed him to another table. He took her hand. "Sweetheart, I told you everything would work out. What's wrong? Why aren't you happy? The wedding is off."

Erin
drew her hand away. "How can you feel so good about walking out on Angel?"

"It's not like that. She doesn't want to marry me. I told you that earlier, but now that she's announced it in front of her mother and mine, that makes it official. So I can propose to the woman I really love. I do love you, Erin."

A tear ran down her cheek. "You can't be serious. Marry the man who fathered my cousin's baby? See that child at every family gathering and know my husband is his daddy? That's sick."

"Oh. My. God. You think…" Derek slapped himself alongside the head. "Erin, the baby isn't mine. Dior is the one who got Angel pregnant."

Erin
's heart almost leaped out of her chest. "Really? There's actually a man named Dior?"

"Absolutely. And Angel is still in love with him. He'd left town and she came to me—desperate and bordering on suicidal, or so I feared. She and I dated a few years back and—"

"That's what you meant about being a Samaritan. She asked you to marry her and you said yes? Good Lord, Derek. That's more stupid than noble."

"Ouch. I proposed because I felt sorry for her
and
I can't father children so—"

"You can't?"
Erin
touched his shoulder.

He shook his head and went on. "So, this was a chance to indulge in fatherhood while helping an old friend. I was all right with the idea at the time, maybe even liked the thought of playing the role, but later realised that I'd not only made a mistake, but it was snowballing.

"Once I met you… I think you're familiar with what happened. I fell for you right away and wanted to grab onto whatever time we could have together. I knew it was wrong but couldn't help myself. I thought I was doing the right thing to go through with the marriage I'd suggested, even though it wasn't what I wanted.

"But now that I've been chastised for trying to be noble, I realise it was the wrong thing." He rubbed his hands over his eyes. "You won't believe all that's taken place today."

She thought she knew a little of it, thanks to her mother, but Erin's mouth hung open as he related the story about the fiasco at the hospital. "And now Angel's angry with you because you didn't tell her you were sterile?"

Derek nodded. "Does that bother you?"

"That you can't make babies? Of course not. I have an eleven-year-old and I'm not eager to start over." She took his hand. "Mother said Aunt Julia longs to be a grandmother, so I'm surprised she didn't change her mind about wanting you for a son-in-law."

"I guess she figures she has a grandchild on the way, and she'll settle for one, to keep Angel from disgracing herself and the family," Derek said.

"That's an old-fashioned attitude and unfair to everyone concerned."

"Including Dior," Derek said, arching a brow. "She didn't tell him."

"For God's sake, why not?"
Erin
threw up her hands.

"Hey!" Derek took them in his. "Where did you get this diamond?"

"Would you believe I bought it for myself?"

"I don't know what to believe. Everything is so screwed up."

Erin
stood and tugged his arm to get him to do the same. "Let's go see if we can explain some things to my mother and clear matters up for you at the same time."

* * *

Derek felt like he'd been run through the wringer on an old-time washing machine and was about to go through again. He and his parents had had a talk after they'd left the hospital and returned to the hotel. Then he'd gone off to find
Erin
because he wanted them to meet her before they left for home.

Now that they'd sat down again with Barbara, he was facing another interrogation. Why couldn't he just sweep
Erin
up in his arms, carry her up the elevator, take her to his room and throw her on his bed? He wanted to make her feel loved, make sure not a single doubt remained in her mind. He wanted to kiss every inch of her delectable body. He wanted to lick her clit until she moaned and admitted she couldn't live without him. Then he'd fuck her until they both exploded in ecstasy. And then he'd do it all again. And again.

But despite his erection that had begun to ache with desire at the prospect, he would have to wait just a bit longer.

"You're the man my niece was supposed to marry?" Barbara asked, narrowing her eyes on him. "But you're in love with my daughter?"

"That's right. And Angel is in love with another man, Dior."

"How did you end up engaged to both of them?" Barbara asked, glancing at the ring on
Erin
's hand.

"I believe
Erin
can explain that better than I can."

"You know, Mother, you've always compared me to Angel, and whenever you nag…whenever you brought up my failings, you always mentioned my broken marriage as one of them. I couldn't compete with Angel in many ways because she and I are so unalike, but she'd never managed to snag a man, so that was a way I could one-up her."

"What on earth are you talking about,
Erin
? You thought I wanted you to get married again? Is that what you're saying?"

"There are two times I've pleased you, Mom. One was when I married Joseph. You thought he was some sort of god. The other was when I gave you a grandson. Those two events put me two steps above my
perfect
cousin."

Barbara gasped. "I never meant to—"

"But you did,"
Erin
said. "And I…I made up the story about being engaged to a handsome, successful man." She rolled her eyes. "Then Angel announced her upcoming wedding and I was supposed to produce my fiancé and show off my diamond ring."

"I can't believe you made up the whole thing. Derek didn't buy you the solitaire?" She examined it closely. "It's lovely."
             

"I've always had good taste, and remember asking me how big it was? I know it's despicable, Mom, but I bought it to wear to the wedding, and if I was going to con people, I might as well do it right."

"Who were you going to introduce to the family as your fiancé?" Derek asked. She was supposed to enlighten him along with her mother, and he was still confused.

"You. I planned to invite you to the wedding the Saturday night that you never showed up at my house."

He flinched at the reminder but nodded. "Why so last-moment?"

"I was certain you loved me and I was waiting for you to tell me. I also hoped you'd propose. When it got down to a week before the marriage, I knew you weren't going to. So I was going to explain my predicament and tell you I'd furnish a ring for our scenario if you'd go."

Derek was blown away by her declaration but he had to ask. "After I didn't come back like I said I would, what were you going to do about a man to introduce as your future husband, Erin? Ask Mitch? Or was he too against marriage to even pretend?"

She blushed, something he'd seldom seen her do. "Mitch has light hair. I'd told Mother my fiancé was tall, dark and handsome. So I was going to borrow my partner Margo's husband."

Derek suddenly realised that Barbara was looking from one to the other of them like an observer at a ping-pong match. "I'm sorry." He touched her hand. "This is no way to meet the man who hopes to become your son-in-law."