One Night with a Star (Second Chances Book 2) (2 page)

The elation in Spence’s face hardened to concern. “Yeah, she’s here.”

“Excellent.” Simon broke into a smile that matched the pounding of his heart. “I can’t wait to see her again. You have no idea.”

Spence’s concern deepened. “Look, Simon, I know you have high hopes, but don’t go thinking you can just walk back in and kiss and make up. As far as she’s concerned, and Tasha, for that matter, you slept with her then walked out last summer.”

“There were extenuating circumstances,” Simon defended himself. “You know that.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Spence sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He suddenly looked nervous. “There are a lot of extenuating circumstances on this one, Simon. I….” He stopped abruptly and clenched his teeth, then growled.

“What’s that all about?” Simon balked.

Spence pinched his face and let out a frustrated grunt. “There’s something you don’t know,” he said at last. “I’ve been begging Tasha and Jenny to let me say something for months, but I value my balls where they are, so I haven’t said it.”

“What?” A wave of dread threatened to carry Simon away in its undertow. “Jenny’s dating someone? She’s engaged? She hates me? All of those possibilities have crossed my mind.”

Spence practically squirmed out of his skin as he stood there. “She is sort of dating somebody,” he said. “A pinhead she knew from school. I don’t like the guy. He seems to think my job is playing with toys and getting my picture taken all day. But that’s not it.”

“What is it, then?”

Simon crossed his arms. He’d known things might not be as blissful as they’d been in his imagination today, but he didn’t think it could be that bad. He and Jenny had really connected last summer. There’d been more there than just a fun little romp in the sack. The two of them had barely slept, staying up that one night talking about their hopes and dreams and making love enough times to set a record. Sure, he hadn’t told her any of his real problems, but by the time the sun had come up, he’d been determined to right his wrongs and make himself the kind of guy a girl like Jenny would actually like if he was around for more than two seconds.

“Look,” Spence said, rolling his shoulders and then planting a hand on Simon’s arm. “Find Jenny and talk to her as soon as you can. Before you do anything else. Don’t talk to anyone else, and especially don’t talk to her family.”

“Her family? Now I’m worried.”

He’d meant it to be a joke, but Spence gave him a look as though it was no laughing matter. The thundering of his heart against his ribs turned into something far less fun than the hope of a happy reunion.

“You say Jenny’s inside? Getting changed?” he said through a tight jaw.

“Yeah.” Spence nodded. “Go find her.”

“Spence, what are you doing down here?” Their conversation was ended by a tall, late-middle-aged woman in a linen pants suit striding around the corner.

“Ma.” Spence greeted her by striding down the porch and crushing the woman in a bear hug. “I’m gonna do it.”

“I know you are, son, and we’re so happy for you,” Spence’s mom laughed.

Simon gave the pair a wistful smile and headed into the house. The last time he’d talked to his mum, she’d flicked a cigarette at him and told him to get lost. He’d been thirteen. Some men had all the luck when it came to living a charmed life full of charmed people. He was not one of them. He had to fight for everything he got, especially in the love department.

By the time he was halfway down the hall, at the juncture between the kitchen, the dining room, and the stairs leading to the second floor, Simon’s mood had taken a nose-dive. It wasn’t right. He was here to support his best friend on the day he married a fabulous girl, not to wallow in things about himself that he couldn’t change. He paused to shake himself, brush the badness off, then peered up the stairs, as if Jenny would appear that moment and run into his arms.

She didn’t. Instead, a sharp, halting baby’s cry startled him. Hard on the heels of that, a pan clattered in the kitchen.

“Crap,” someone hissed.

The baby made another undecided cry, as if it was thinking whether to burst or to just stay where it was.

“Could you get him?” the person in the kitchen said. “I’ve got my hands full.”

“Sure.”

Glad for a tiny reprieve before facing what he had to face, Simon stepped backwards and changed direction to walk into the dining room. There, hanging out on the dining room table along with stacks of plates, some trays, and a bunch of chafing pans to be taken outside, was a peach of a baby in a blue carrier. Whatever grumpiness had been trying to glom onto Simon vanished, and he broke into a wide smile.

“Hello, hello,” he said, striding up to the baby and lifting him into his arms without a second thought. “Look at you. Bumming around with the caterers in the hope of getting lucky tonight?” he laughed.

The baby boy glanced up at him with round, startled eyes. He was adorable, with a shock of blond hair and blue eyes. They were the kind of eyes that would stay blue too. Simon knew as much about babies as he did about yaks of the Himalayas, but he knew that eyes changed color. One of the few nice things his own mum has said about him was that she was glad his eyes stayed blue.

He tucked the baby against his side, rocking him and taking hold of his hand, tiny fingers wrapping around his thumb. The baby continued to stare up at him with that look that said he wasn’t sure if he liked this bizarre man with spiky blond hair who’d just picked him up out of the blue.

“Yeah, I’d be a bit nervous about strangers too, if I was you. Especially big, weird, British blokes, like me,” he said. “Isn’t that the first thing they tell you in kid-school? Don’t talk to strangers?”

Whether it was his silly voice or the smile that Simon couldn’t wipe off his face at that point, the baby made his decision and broke into a slobbery, gummy grin. Simon laughed at the expression, then laughed harder when the boy giggled with him.

“There we go,” he said. “We’re not strangers anymore. Pleased to meet you. I’m Simon. And what’s your name?”

The baby gurgled, flailing his arms and legs.

“Oh, I see.” Simon straightened and turned toward the kitchen. “Is that your mum working in there? Should we go see her and find out your name?”

He stepped into the hall. At the same time, the clack of heels on the wooden stairs snagged his attention. Baby drooling in his arms and goofy smile still in place, Simon turned to see a vision coming down the stairs. Jenny was every bit as gorgeous as he remembered her—long, graceful legs, straight blond hair a curtain of gold down her back, almost to her perfect backside, flawless skin, round breasts bigger than he remembered them. He barely registered the designer dress that hugged her hips and ended mid-thigh to show off her legs. Pink, of course. Jenny and pink would always be synonymous to him. His heart resumed its mad thundering against his ribs.

A giddy smile spread across her soft pink lips, ratcheting up Simon’s pulse even more. She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. And as she continued down the stairs, she saw him. For one gorgeous moment, her eyes lit up with surprise and excitement. Then she froze, all color leaving her face, and her smile with it.

Chapter Two

Jenny took one look at Simon—standing there looking hot enough to ignite the ocean in his tailored tux—holding Daniel, and her world came to a screeching stop. She’d imagined this moment a hundred times in the last year, imagined all the ways she would tear into Simon and make him suffer for breaking her heart and ruining her life. Not once had she imagined him holding Daniel. And smiling. Her heart didn’t know whether to expand or contract, whether to melt with the hope of her baby finally meeting his daddy, or to harden and shatter with fear.

She didn’t know what to do.

“Go,” Tasha whispered behind her. “Go!”

Jenny opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She continued down the stairs, but only because she owed it to Tasha.

“Jenny,” Simon spoke at last. His voice was as rich and his accent as cute as she remembered it, and he’d only said her name. “You look fabulous.”

“Thanks,” she said because she didn’t know what else to do.

Tasha pushed down the stairs after her, cheeks pink with expectation and eyes bright. She spotted Simon, but was too carried away in her own world to take much note of him. “The photographer said they’re ready and waiting out back for the dress reveal. Do I look okay?”

From the middle of the maelstrom that was Jenny’s emotions, sense took hold. This was not about her seeing Simon for the first time in fifteen months. It was not about her child gurgling away in the arms of a father who didn’t know what he was holding. This was about her best friend needing to look and feel like a goddess on the most important day of her life.

Forcing a smile, she turned to give Tasha a quick check and a boost of confidence. “You look awesome, babe,” she said, touching Tasha’s hair and taking her hands. “Just awesome. I think I’m gonna cry.” And it would be the perfect excuse too. There was too much going on in the moment not to cry.

“Stop it,” Tasha laughed, blinking rapidly, sniffing, and dabbing at the edge of her eye with a manicured finger. “I just had this make-up put on.”

“Water-proof mascara saves the day,” Jenny said, then took her friend’s arm and moved her into position to walk down the hall and out through the screen door onto the porch. “Knock him dead.”

Tasha started forward. If everything went according to the photographer’s plan, Spence was waiting on the lawn just down the porch stairs. He would see Tasha in her dress for the first time, his bride, with their dream house as a backdrop, and the photographer would snap some million dollar shots. Just like a dream, a happily ever after. Something Jenny was certain would never be hers.

“Are we supposed to be out there with them?” Simon asked. His voice was unusually subdued.

Jenny pivoted to him, and saw fear in his eyes. Yeah, he’d better be afraid. She was about to rip him a new—

She got a whiff of his cologne, the same kind he’d been wearing last summer, and her legs forgot how to work. Dammit, the last thing she needed was to have a physical reaction to this man, this loser. She took in a breath and promised herself that was all it was. Physical. Skin-deep.

“Give them a couple of minutes so we don’t get in the way of the shot,” she said. Why was her voice so high all of a sudden.

“Right,” Simon said. “Let me just give this little tike back to his mum.” He glanced into the kitchen.

Jenny’s throat squeezed. She cleared it and held out her arms, but couldn’t manage to say a word. A split-second of confusion crossed Simon’s face, and he handed Daniel over to her. As soon as Jenny made contact with her little angel, as soon as he squashed himself against her and grabbed her face with a babble of “Mamama.”

“Yes, sweetie. Mama’s got you,” she hummed before she could think anything of it.

A lump caught in her throat, and her eyes flicked up to Simon. Sure enough, his hopeful smile had widened into shock.

“You’re his mum?” he asked.

“Yep,” Jenny replied, her anger growing to where she wanted it to be at last. Damn him for asking, and damn him for looking so good with that vulnerable flush on his coward’s face.

“W-who’s the dad?” he asked, losing his voice.

“Who do you think?” she snapped. “Do the math.”

Simon’s mouth dropped further. He looked from Jenny to Daniel and back again. The vulnerability that had looked so cute three seconds ago made him look like a fool now. She watched as the pieces fell into place in his mind, as he got hit upside the head with the biggest shock of his life. It couldn’t be half as earth-shattering to him as it had been to her.

The screen door squeaked open.

“Guys, the photographer wants the maid of honor and the best man to come out for a few shots.” Spence’s brother, Casey, flagged them down before ducking back out onto the porch.

For a moment, Jenny couldn’t move. Her feet were stuck to the floor by the weight of the secret she’d kept from Simon for over a year. It served him right. Didn’t it? As an electric chill passed down her back, she wasn’t so sure. Her saving grace was that Daniel rocked against her and cooed, giving her something else to think about.

“We’d better get going,” she said to Daniel, not Simon. “Aunt Tasha and Uncle Spence need us.”

She turned without another look for Simon and headed down the hall.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Simon caught up to her at the screen door, reaching over her shoulder to push it open.

Jenny pressed her lips together. She didn’t need his help or his interference. That was as much of an answer to his question as it was a reaction to him holding the door. She struggled to fake a smile as soon as she stepped out onto the porch.

“Oh, honey, let me take him.” Her mother came rushing up the steps, tears in her eyes. She sniffed and said, “I would have come right back in to get him, but I got caught watching Tasha and Spence’s first look at each other.” She finished with an emotional sigh and reached to take Daniel from Jenny’s arms. “Too bad you missed it.”

One look at Tasha and Spence holding hands, looking at each other, and crying was enough to tell her it was a good thing she’d missed it. With what had just happened to her in the hall, she wasn’t sure she could handle it.

“Whoo,” her mother said as Daniel grabbed onto her big, beaded necklace. “Someone needs his diaper changed.”

“I can do it,” Jenny offered.

“No, no.” Her mother waved her off. “You’ve got to take pictures. I’ll clean Danny up and get him dressed.” She started into the house but paused when she saw Simon. “Oh! Simon Mercer. I heard you were coming to be best man.” Her mother’s eyes lit up like a teenage girl meeting a movie star crush.

Simon was quick enough to put on a smile to hide how shaken he was. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“You too,” her mother grinned. “I loved your last movie.” She stayed where she was, just looking at Simon for a few more seconds before gathering herself and saying, “Well, you two go get your picture taken. I’m sure you’ll look great together.”

The comment was like a fist in Jenny’s gut. She’d avoided thinking about that up until this point. Her whole day was going to involve standing next to Simon while people told her to smile and scoot closer to him. She would have started the process with a stiff drink if she wasn’t still breastfeeding.

The screen door slapped as Jenny’s mom retreated into the house. The silence that followed was even louder. Jenny swallowed, then met Simon’s eyes. He still hadn’t gotten over the shock.

“She doesn’t know?” he asked.

“No one knows,” Jenny answered. She let out a breath and tilted her head before saying, “Well, Tasha and Spence know.”

“Spence knew and he didn’t—” Simon stopped and closed his mouth. Somewhere in that little brain of his, he must have just figured something out. At least Spence gained a few points in Jenny’s eyes for genuinely not saying anything when he was asked to keep quiet.

Without waiting to see what the next disaster to come out of Simon’s mouth would be, Jenny brushed her hands over the short skirt of her bridesmaid’s dress and turned to head down the stairs.

“If we could just have the maid of honor and the best man come and stand on either side of the bride and groom,” the photographer called to them when he spotted Jenny.

“Okay.” Jenny put on her best smile and waved to him.

She made it a couple of yards before Simon was at her back again.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he repeated.

“What, now?” she shot over her shoulder. “You want to have this conversation
now
?”

“Jenny, right?” the photographer reached for her as she came near. “I need you to stand right here.”

“Okay, not now,” Simon said, “but we are going to have this conversation.”

“Uh oh,” Spence said, his groom’s smile growing tight as Jenny crossed in front of him to go stand on Tasha’s other side.

“We’re not going to ruin your wedding with this,” she assured him with an expression more suited to the event at hand than what she was really feeling.

“This is your day,” Simon agreed, taking his place by Spence’s side.

“I told you you should have gotten this out of the way before the wedding,” Tasha said.

“I know, I know, babe,” Jenny sighed, hugging Tasha’s arm. “My bad.”

That was the end of it for the moment. The last thing Jenny wanted to do was put any sort of a strain on Tasha. This was her perfect day. And if Simon showed any signs of threatening that, she would squash him like the bug he was.

They finished taking pictures on the lawn, then moved down to the beach. It would have been the perfect distraction if it hadn’t meant that there was a lull in the action while the next round of shots was set up.

“I can’t believe I have a son,” Simon whispered to her, arms crossed as the two of them stood watching Tasha and Spence being photographed with the ocean as a background. They were lucky that the sun was shining brightly for early October and the breeze wasn’t too strong. It made for some stunning shots.

“Neither can I,” Jenny answered him with more of a bite than she expected. “But I love him,” she rushed to clarify. “I’ve never loved anything more in my life.” A jolt of emotion hit her in the gut.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Simon asked once again with far more pleading than he’d had up at the house.

Jenny turned to him. “What was I supposed to say? Uh, Simon, I know you ditched me after a one-night stand a couple of months ago, but guess what? Baby.”

He scowled at her. “It wasn’t a one-night stand.”

Her brow flew up. “What do you call it when you only spend one night with someone and then ditch them?”

“We spent more than one night together,” he said. “I was here for a couple of days. We got along really well together, and one thing led to another—”

“And I ended up as a single mother trying to work a job that isn’t friendly to that sort of commitment,” she finished for him, then turned away.

The silence between them was filled with the sound of the waves and the photographer giving Tasha and Spence instructions. Jenny felt guilty for not being front and center, helping Tasha with her veil and her dress. Tasha’s brother Dave was helping out, though, and Casey and Spence’s sister Olivia were in on the action too. Still, it was a small wedding party, and she should be doing her part. There was always something she should be doing. Up until last year, she had been able to tackle all of it without flinching.

“I would have helped if you’d told me,” Simon said.

Incredulous, Jenny faced him. “What, would you have thrown money at me? Gotten your agent, Yvonne, to make everything right?”

Simon blinked. “Does Yvonne know about this?”

Good question. Tasha had interacted with Yvonne more than she had, but from what Tasha said, Yvonne was omniscient.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She started down the beach toward Tasha and Spence.

Like a mangy dog, Simon followed her. “I want to help now,” he said.

“We don’t need your help,” she tossed at him. “We’re fine how we are.” It wasn’t exactly true, but it would do.

“Let’s bring the wedding party in now,” the photographer said.

All other conversation was stopped short as Jenny and Simon were roped into group photos. Jenny forced herself to smile and look as relaxed and happy as she could. It was a beautiful day, a happy day. These pictures would be saved and framed and treasured. With Spence and Simon involved, they’d probably show up all over the internet and in magazines too. Jenny wasn’t about to be seen in a million doctor’s office waiting rooms across the country with  bitter face. And if she was, it was Simon’s fault.

The photographer finished his job fifteen minutes later than he’d planned. By the time the wedding party headed back up to the house for a final make-up and dress check, guests were already beginning to arrive. The wedding planner and her assistants ran around like mad, making sure the chairs were all in place, people knew where to sit, and the minister had everything he needed. Jenny had enough time to feed Daniel one last time before the show was on. She picked him up from her mom and took him to a quiet corner of the porch, shrugging out of one strap of her dress. It was just her luck that Simon found her like that.