Groomless - Part 3 (2 page)

“I remember all those times we talked under the starry skies.”

“Yeah. We were so silly, thinking we could take on the world and conquer anything. Gosh, we were so naïve and clueless.”

“Well, we did both take on the world, and we ended up with fabulous careers. Look at what you’ve accomplished. You’re one of the most talented fashion designers in New York City. Kate showed me the fashion article you did in
Cosmo
.”

“Yeah. I took the pics
and
wrote the article.”

“It was amazing!”

“I really love what I do,” I said. “It’s more than a job. I have a passion for design, photography, and fashion.”

“So you quit that sous chef gig at the restaurant?”

“Yeah. I was really getting tired of counting olives. I’d like to think I have more to contribute to society than that.”

“You photography career is doing fantastic. Your mom would’ve been proud.”

I glanced down. “Yeah, I know. Mom and I were as close as two people could get.”

“I know you were.”

“I have MMM Syndrome,” I said.

“What?”

“Missing My Mom Syndrome, and there’s no cure. I’ll have it for the rest of my life. It’s a chronic disease, and I know it will flare up again when I really do find the man of my dreams and get married, when I buy a house, when I get pregnant, when I give birth. The list goes on and on.” Tears welled in my eyes. “Sometimes I feel so utterly alone. We were best friends, and I never would have imagined I’d have to plan a wedding without her. She was the all-star cheerleader in my life.”

“Well, I know she’s smiling down on you as you plan this wonderful reception.”

“I know, but my heart’s breaking.”

“This must be incredibly difficult for you. I’m sorry you feel so alone.” He placed his hand over mine. “I’m always here for you, Julia. I know it’s not the same as having your mom, but I’m here.”

“Thank you, Luke. That means a lot.”

He removed his hand and smiled at me, melting me all over again.

“It’s just… Mom’s opinions and advice always meant everything to me. We used to look at bridal magazines together, and we made a scrapbook of our favorite ideas and gowns.” I grinned. “Remember we used to make those collages?”

“You spent hours on those photo albums.”

“Scrapbooks. Can you believe I still have them? I just couldn’t throw them out, since we made them together. I guess I’ve actually kind of planned two wedding receptions, the one Mom and I scrapbooked and now this one. I never could have afforded either, so I guess I should be thankful things are working out as they are.”

He chuckled. “Hey, if you need anything—”

I cut him off. “Nope. I’m not taking another cent of your money. Everything’s covered. I just hope it doesn’t drive me crazy. Gray hair doesn’t look good on a bride.” 

“You’re just like your mom,” he said, laughing.

I smiled. “Yeah? Well, I take that as a compliment, Luke.”

“Good, because I meant it as one.”

“She used to tell me stories about her wedding, and I hung on every word, dreaming that I’d have my own Cinderella moment one day. Mom loved those big, fancy princess gowns, and she couldn’t wait to see me walking down the aisle in one. I try not to let it get to me but it does.”

“I miss Maggie so much.”

“My parents always loved you.”

“The feeling was mutual. You should find a way to include her in the, uh…festivities. Her favorite movie was
Gone with the Wind
, right?”

“Yep. She loved that movie.”

“Maybe you could use ‘Tara’s Theme’ for the recessional, in honor of your mom.”

“But we’re not having a recessional. It’s only a reception, Luke, and a fake one at that.”

“This is your party, and you can plan it the way you want.”

“It would be beautiful,” I said, pondering his idea.

He glanced down at my ring. “That is so gorgeous on you. I think you had a picture of one like it in your collage.”

“You have such a good memory.”

“Well, that collage was part of the reason I wanted to get a good job. I wanted to give you things like this. I know you’ve never been materialistic, but I wanted to be a good provider, because you deserve the best. I wanted to give you the whole world.”

“I know you wanted to be a good husband, and you’ll be a fantastic one for someone someday. You’re going to make some girl very happy. I guess it’s all about timing. It just wasn’t right for us.”

He stared intensely into my eyes, as if he hated my words that ripped his heart in two.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to leave the ring on.”

Luke winked. “You like being my fiancée, don’t you?”

When he took hold of my hand, a shiver shot down my spine. “You’re funny. Although it does have a nice ring to it.”

He grinned his billionaire smile again.

“I want to wear this gorgeous diamond for the cake tasting, just to see what it feels like to devour gourmet cake with a big rock on my hand. I see that in those TV shows, and I’ve always been a bit jealous of those brides, even if they are crazy.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d love to come with you.”

“Sure.”

“And while we’re at it, I’ve got an idea. Instead of confusing the vendors with our story, why not just pretend we’re really getting married? That guy back at the jewelry shop almost needed a straightjacket by the time we left.”

I giggled. “We did confuse the poor man.”

“You’re keeping the ring on anyway, right? Why not have the groom too?”

“What the hell? I’m totally up for a little role play,” I said, winking at him.

“Role play definitely keeps it exciting,” he said. “Do you have any sexual scenarios you’d like me to particularly act out?”

I playfully slugged him. “Yeah. The one we just discussed. Let’s just pretend we’re really getting married, madly in love, and planning the greatest wedding of all time.”

He winked. “You got it. You know what?” he asked, smiling back at me.

“What?”

The smile left his face, and he spoke with heartfelt sincerity. “I think we would’ve made the perfect couple.”

“We were,” I said.

“We never even fought till…well, after. If we would have stayed together, we probably never would have argued.”

“Don’t count on it. I’m sure you leave the toilet seat up now and then, like all guys do.”

He laughed. “You’re probably right.” 

Chapter 3

When the taxi stopped, I reached for his hand. He gripped my hand tightly, as if fate had somehow thrown us back together in our unfinished love story. As we walked to the bakery, hand in hand, it almost felt like old times. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and we walked on, like two loves taking a stroll through the Big Apple. For just a moment, when we walked past a storefront window, I caught our reflection, a glimpse of what could have been. I couldn’t deny that I loved it, that I still enjoyed his big, strong arms around me. In that moment, I didn’t want it to end. I needed Luke, craved him, wanted him, but I didn’t know if he was worthy of a second chance. The one thing I did know was that my heart would not be able to bear losing him again.

I tried to tell myself that the whole sham meant nothing to me, that I was just play-acting the part of a happy lover.
Luke is just an old friend, an old flame,
I reminded myself
. Why can’t we just have the friendship we once had?
I was sure it wasn’t possible, but I wished we could give it a try. I wanted to be his friend, and I missed his deep laugh. He truly was my best friend. He had seen me at my worst and at my best. Over the years, we had shared tears and laughter. He had taken me to prom, and even in that awful dress, he made me feel like the belle of the ball. We knew absolutely everything about each other, and I was sure neither of us had changed very much in just a few years, even if life had carried us in different directions.

All it took was one look, and we found ourselves kissing like two long-lost lovers reunited. Luke certainly had rhythm, and he hadn’t lost his ability to drive me crazy with just his nearness and his touch. After the first kiss, he pulled away and stared lovingly into my eyes, then kissed me again. Heat flooded through every inch of me, and my heart jumped into overdrive.

When he softly bit into my shoulder, goosebumps pimpled me all over. His kiss went from tame and innocent to totally hot, growing more demanding, more savage, more intense, and wilder, till I just wanted to melt into his glorious body. He groaned in my mouth, and everything within me cried out for more. I was overcome by a deep-rooted hunger, one that demanded to be fed. I traced the hard lines of his perfectly sculpted chest, and his muscular curves and contours felt so good under my hands.

He applied gentle suction to my bottom lip as he pulled away. “That was just… Wow, Julia,” he said, practically gasping. “Nobody can say we don’t have chemistry.”

I cupped his face. “You literally take my breath away. We’ve still got those fireworks, I guess. That was more like…a goodnight kiss out of some crazy old romance movie.”

“See what you do to me? I don’t ever wanna stop kissing you,” he said. “You’re so beautiful.”

I blushed and shrugged. “I guess we’ve never lost our spark, huh?”

He slowly kissed my lips again. “We can always come back and taste cakes.”

“Aw. How cute. You’d really give up red velvet and cream cheese frosting for my kisses?”

“Any man with half a brain would. I always was and always will be addicted to you, Julia. There’s no place I’d rather be than with you, and there’s no pastry as sweet as your kisses. I hate to sound corny about it, but you really are the icing on the cake.”

“Sweet, Luke…and punny,” I said, rolling my eyes at him. “But this is all pretend, remember?”

He pulled me into his arms. “Don’t even try to tell me that kiss was fake.”

He was right, for my skin was still tingling from his touch. I couldn’t believe a kiss could change everything, but it sent shivers from my neck to my toes. It was spine-tingling, magical moment of pure ecstasy, and it left me with butterflies dancing the samba in my stomach.
What kind of guy can do this to a woman?
I thought, staring into the depths of his eyes. Luke, that’s who. I wanted him to cradle me in his arms forever, and I never wanted to pull away from his gaze. For years, I’d fantasized about being held by him. He was my addiction, and he was a hard habit to break.

“I-I was just getting into the part,” I whispered nervously.

Heat crept across my cheeks as he studied me. “You never could lie to me, Julia,” he said, in a husky whisper that made me want to devour his mouth once again.

I let out a long breath. “I think it’s just this ring on my finger, all this wedding talk, and the gorgeous guy on my arm. I just kind of got lost in the moment.”

“Okay, I get it. We’re friends, pretending to be lovers, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, I almost would have believed that bullshit, but that kiss totally gave you away.”

“Well, if that’s what you think, then I guess I need to stop kissing you.”

“Are you really ready to fake it?”

“I never faked anything with you before, Luke, but I guess I have to now.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, locking his melting eyes on me once again. “C’mon. We have some acting to do.”

The bakery owner, led us to the cake-tasting room. “You two are just adorable,” she said, “and that ring is gorgeous. Somebody sure loves you.”

I looked up and kissed Luke softly on the lips, careful not to be too passionate about it. “It’s this handsome man on my arm.”

“When I look into her eyes, it’s like falling in love all over again,” Luke said.

“Our love was interrupted, but we’re never going to let it go this time.”

She smiled and brought out many cake samples. We had a hard time deciding, since they were all so delicious. We laughed and chatted and smeared frosting on one another’s noses. Luke was almost irresistible, so charming and charismatic. I loved it when he gazed into my eyes. I loved the way he smiled at me, the way he held my hand. Just for a minute, it all felt perfect, almost real.

“I think this one’s perfect for my reception,” I said, holding up a piece of cake on a fork and licking frosting from the corner of my mouth.

“Don’t you mean
our
reception, luv? Luke said, winking at me.

“How could I ever forget? Even if you did forget me for a few years,” I said, then threatened to smash a piece of cake in his mouth. “We’re supposed to practice this, right? For our big day?”

Luke chuckled. “Let’s not get carried away, Sugar Lips.”

“But, Pooh Bear, I want to.”

“Listen, Cuddle Bunny…”