If I Can't Have You (If You Come Back To Me #3) (5 page)

Some people couldn’t help it. They were born having it all.

Of course, appearances could be misleading. Tragedy had struck Colleen not just once, but twice by the time she was thirty years old. First her father had been killed in the wreck when she was sixteen. Then her husband had been killed in Afghanistan several years ago.

He knew that for most men, the first things that would pop into their head when they considered Colleen was her good looks and effortless ability to talk to anyone. It was why she was such a talented clinical social worker, after all. She could put a long-term drug addict and recidivist criminal at ease as quickly as she could a wealthy blue blood who was struggling with his wife’s alcoholism. Eric knew that Colleen was probably born with a lion’s share of kindness and charm, but it was her pain and grief that had molded her into the person she was today.

Of course, he only knew about her kindness and natural ability to connect with other people from observing her during her clinical work. That, and the memory of a bluish green-eyed stare and a smile that could haunt a man for half a lifetime.

Sometimes he was convinced that he couldn’t stand Colleen when she turned on her Princess of the Icy Realm act, but his irritation at her was usually only short-lived. He understood that their uneasy history sparked her hostility, and she did it to defend against past hurt. Once he got some distance from her, his annoyance at her would become tinged with sadness.

He’d watched her work, and the truth was, he admired her. She was no pushover, and the patients at The Family Center knew better than to try to manipulate her. Her kindness wasn’t of the “sweet” variety, but the deep, enduring, measurable type; it was demonstrated daily through her relentless faith in people’s ability to heal and her track record for going the extra mile for her patients—not occasionally but as a matter of course.

It sucked, plain and simple, knowing he was one of the few people on the planet who couldn’t make Colleen smile. He wished he hadn’t been forced into admiring and respecting her from a distance. He’d rather be doing it up close and personal.

“I’m right in here,” he said.

She followed him into his office. He sat on the edge of his desk and observed her while she glanced around curiously and then wandered over to his bookcase, smiling when she saw a photo of a ten-year-old Natalie. Nat wore a tutu and an anxious, hopeful smile. Colleen took a few steps and looked closely at his diplomas, and then his old hockey stick from college. She sobered when she saw the photo of his mother.

There it was.

For the thousandth time, he wished the weight of the past didn’t stand like a ten-foot-thick barrier between them.

“They say that men who are so neat have something to hide,” she said briskly as she turned around. She sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk and crossed those long, booted legs.

“Who are
they,
exactly?”

“Okay.
I
say that,” she replied with a bewitching little smile.

“I thought women liked a man who picked up after himself.”

“Maybe some women.” Her eyes flickered over him briefly before she glanced out the window at the brilliantly sunny fall day. For a moment, he took pleasure in examining her while his regard went unnoticed. Her heart-shaped face managed to convey delicate, feminine beauty and strength all at once. She wore her bangs long and spiky. They highlighted her large, expressive eyes to perfection. Her hair was loosely curled and tumbled around her upper arms and back, and as always, he experienced a desire to delve his fingers into those glossy locks.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” she prompted.

He cleared his throat and forced himself to focus.

“I was watching you in the waiting room when Liam and Natalie announced they were getting married. I saw your expression. I know I’m not the only one who thinks they’re being impulsive about this.”

Colleen shrugged. “I didn’t make a secret of it. My brother is a wonderful man. He’ll make Natalie very happy. You’ve got nothing to complain about.”

“And you do?”

She stood up quickly. “Not at all. I happen to like Natalie very much.”

“I like Liam, as well. I
do,
” he said when she gave him an incredulous glance. “Granted, I haven’t always. But he’s gone out of his way to get to know me over the past few months. I know that hasn’t been easy for him, either. I respect the fact that he’s done it for Natalie’s sake. He’s not the first person I’d pick for Nat, but—believe it or not—he’s not the last,” he admitted gruffly.

“Stop. Your benevolence is overpowering me.”

“Cut the sarcasm for a second, will you? I’m trying to talk to you about something serious. You can listen to everyone else on the damn planet. Can’t you do it with me for ten minutes?”

She froze. He hadn’t intended to sound so sharp. Regret swept through him when he saw the color fade from her cheeks. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath.

“I care about my sister, and I know you feel the same for Liam. Would it be so awful for us to both think they’re rushing into this marriage? Would it really be so terrible for us to share an opinion on something?”

She glanced away from him. He guessed he’d irritated her, but he sensed she was torn, as well.

“You know what I mean, Colleen,” he continued in a low voice. “Even though you don’t want to admit it, you think they’re making this decision rashly. You don’t want to see Liam get hurt any more than I want to see Nat suffer.”

She said nothing as she stared out the window. Despite her cold expression, he knew if he touched her smooth cheek, she’d be warm.

And soft.

He stood and walked around his desk, moving away from her because he had a sudden desire to move closer. His movement put him in her line of vision. He caught her eye.

“You know I’m right,” he said quietly.

She looked annoyed. “Why do you always have to make a habit of proving that point?”

He shrugged and fell into his desk chair. He stretched and placed his hands behind his head. She glanced down over his neck and chest. He went still in sudden awareness.

She looked abruptly out the window. “There’s nothing we can do. They’ve made up their minds. You know how impossible it can be to talk reason to two people who are drunk in love with each other.”

“We have nearly two months to make them pause and reconsider their hastiness in the matter.”

Her eyes flashed at him.
“We?”
she asked, looking haughty—and damn beautiful. He nodded soberly, trying to prove to himself he was affected by neither of those things. He had a lot of experience, at this point, in deflecting Colleen’s burning stares.

Her beauty was a lot more difficult to ignore.

“Look, Marc and Mari will also be in the wedding party,” he said, referring to Colleen’s brother and his wife. “But you and I live here in Harbor Town. We’ll hire a wedding planner, but we’ll probably be the relatives most involved in the preparations.”

“And you’re reminding me of these unfortunate circumstances
because
…”

“Because it will give us a chance to…tweak the situation a little. Maybe provide Liam and Natalie with some more realistic perspectives on just how serious the venture of marriage is, and encourage them to take some time and at least think about extending their engagement.”

She stared at him, then shook her head slowly. “You’ve got real nerve, you know that, Reyes?”

He smiled.

Color rushed into her cheeks. “It wasn’t a compliment,” she snapped.

He shrugged, hiding his grin with effort. Even when she snarled at him, she appealed. “Either way, you must realize what I’m saying makes sense. It’s not just Natalie I’m thinking of here. It’s Liam, too.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Do
not
try and make it seem like you’re being generous. It’s weakening your case. Considerably.” She began to pace in front of his desk. “Even if I did agree with you that they’re being impulsive, there’s nothing we can do. I know it won’t make any difference for me to talk to Liam about it. He’s stubborn as an ox when he makes up his mind about something, a Kavanaugh through and through.” She looked up. “Can you talk to Natalie?”

“I’ve tried a dozen times. It’s like talking to steel armor. The Kavanaughs haven’t cornered the market on stubbornness,” he said mildly.

“Humph,” she muttered, her sweeping gaze telling him loud and clear that while she doubted his claim in his sweet sister’s case, she certainly believed he’d received his fair share of bullheadedness. “What exactly do you mean by ‘tweaking the circumstances’? Do you want me to reveal some deep, dark secret about Liam to Natalie? Should I tell her that he used to not change the empty toilet-paper roll when he was fourteen years old? Do you think that will send her running?”

“No,” he replied levelly, refusing to allow her to prick his temper. “But I can think of a few things that might cause one of them to hit the pause button if the information was presented in just the right way.”

“Like what?’ she asked suspiciously.

“Don’t give me that look. I’m not picturing anything traumatic. Do you think I would ever purposefully hurt my sister?”

She hesitated, but when she finally resumed pacing and answered, she sounded honest enough.

“No.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said, forcing himself to look away from the distracting sight of her scissoring thighs.

She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to tell me what you have in mind or not?”

“It’s simple enough. We just make sure Liam and Natalie encounter the type of thing that would make any rational person stop and consider before leaping impulsively into marriage.”

“What? Force them to watch old documentaries about failed celebrity marriages? Remind them repeatedly of how much Brad said he adored Jennifer before Angelina woke him up?”

“No. But not too far from that. Has it ever occurred to you that we’re mutually acquainted with couples who have gone from head over heels to heading to divorce court in record time?”

She paused and studied him. He leaned back in his desk chair, musing.

“It might be…
prudent
for Liam and Natalie to observe some of those jaded couples firsthand. We can start off by asking a few of them to the engagement party,” he said.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked, her forearms crossed beneath firm, generous breasts.

Definitely
not
like the typical mother of his patients.

“The engagement party you and I will be throwing Liam and Natalie,” he said reasonably. “We should plan to have it as soon as possible. Maybe even next weekend, given the short period of time we have before the wedding.”

He pretended to misunderstand her incredulous—or was it horrified?—expression.

“Sorry. I just assumed.... Somebody is going to have to throw them an engagement party, and we’re the most likely candidates. Don’t you want to? I thought that was the right thing to do.”

“I…of course, it’s…” She made a sound of frustration. “Don’t tell me what the ‘right’ thing to do is, Reyes. Who made you the leading authority on correct wedding etiquette?”

“I’m far from being an expert. That’s why I need your help so much,” he said as humbly as possible. He rocked back in his chair, thinking. “I want my sister to have the best of everything. She deserves that, and more. But I really believe they should consider hitting the slow-down button before taking the big plunge.”

“Maybe,” Colleen muttered after a moment of silently wearing down his carpet with her treading feet. “But I’m not agreeing to anything malicious. If they’re determined to get married after only knowing each other a few months, there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do to change their minds.”

“I agree one hundred percent,” he said. “It’s not meant to be hurtful. Just…a wake-up call.”

“Other than that, we’ll give them a
wonderful
party.”

“Are you kidding? We’ll throw them the best engagement party Harbor Town has ever seen. The best wedding and reception, as well.”

She stood directly in front of him, her jean-covered thighs slightly spread. “Do you promise that’s the only thing you’ll do? Try to subtly encourage them to extend their engagement? Because I’m not agreeing to anything dishonest.”

“I promise. I despise dishonesty,” he said truthfully.

He waited while she studied him closely.

“Okay,” she finally conceded. “Mari, Marc, you and I will be responsible for the cost and planning of the engagement party. As for the wedding and reception, can you speak with Natalie and get some of her thoughts on decorations, budget, that sort of thing? I’ll do the same with Liam, just so we’re all operating on a consistent plan.”

He nodded. “I understand the bride’s family is traditionally responsible for the finances. I’m Natalie’s whole family, so I’ll be paying for the wedding.”

She paused, her mouth hanging open.

“That’s very generous of you to offer,” she said slowly after a moment. He couldn’t decide if he should be flattered or insulted by her expression of surprise and grudging respect at his offer. “But couples finance their weddings a lot of different ways these days, and I’m sure Natalie would agree you’re under no obligation. Plus, I doubt Liam would ever expect you to pay for everything, but that’s something we have to clarify.”