A Matchless Romance (Aisle Bound) (12 page)

They stopped at the edge of a crowd of people on the sidewalk leading to the black granite pool. Tabitha looked up at the fifty foot, glass brick video towers. It was too early in the year for the water to cascade down, so she had an unobstructed view. But the usual video clips of locals weren’t playing. A jolt of recognition ran through her at the sight of Gagnor, the unmistakable main character from
Trolls Under Tribeca
.

“Look, that’s Drew’s game. Game Domain must have decided to throw money at a cool new advertising campaign now that he’s on board.”

But as she kept watching, the screen flashed to a new character. A redheaded princess that looked more than a little like Tabitha. Well, a cartoonified version, but Tabitha nonetheless. What was going on? And why was Gagnor wearing Drew’s evolution of a robot T-shirt? Trolls in his game only wore a sword belt and weapons pouch that covered all the necessary bits and pieces.

“Go on,” said Ivy with a tiny shove in the small of her back.

“What’s going on?”

Mira smiled mysteriously. “Go and find out.”

Something was up. Something weird, that they were evidently all in on. Tabitha pushed her way through the crowd, barely aware of the three women following in her wake. At the edge of the pool stood Drew, with a controller in his hands and a frown of concentration. She drank in the sight of him in an outfit she’d selected; a fuschia and blue pinstripe oxford tucked into jeans. Oh yeah, her pizza and ice cream overload hadn’t done a thing to quell her feelings for him. But it did make her regret wearing the orange spandex sports bra with her yoga pants.

“Drew? What are you doing?”

“Trying to rescue the fair princess, of course.”

“I don’t need rescuing,” she said automatically.

A pleased smile spread across his face. “So you recognized yourself in the game. Good. Makes this simpler.”

She watched as the princess tried to break free of a horde of what looked like Vestal Virgins pinning her down. Wished for her own controller so she could take a turn. “I don’t understand.”

“I wrote an algorithim, explaining why we work as a couple, the obstacles we’ve overcome. I turned it into a new level of
Trolls Under Tribeca
just for you.”

Even though her heart fluttered at the thought of a private version of her favorite game, his words made no sense. If he wanted them to be a couple, why hadn’t they talked since the night they’d made love? “Why me? You’ve got literally handfuls of women to choose from now.”

“Exactly.” A flick of his thumb, and Gagnor loped across the street to deliver a kick to a ninja that looked a lot like Drew’s boss. “Getting all that attention from the women at the Match-n-Mingle was great.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you,” muttered Daphne at her shoulder.

Drew continued. “It convinced me that if all of them thought I was great, then I was good enough to go out with you. That even though it was obvious you were done with me, I had a right to fight for you.”

She goggled at him. “Done with you? We’d barely started. I didn’t think
you
wanted
me
anymore. You’d made your conquest. Time to move on to the next level.”

Drew cocked his head. “There is no other level. You’re the top. The best there is. I didn’t need to actually date any other woman to know that you, Tabitha, are the one for me. You appreciate me. You get me. And all I can do is try my hardest every single day to do the same for you.”

It was everything she’d wanted to hear. No, these words were far more than Tabitha had even hoped to hear from him. The now wholly self-assured Drew evidently knew exactly what he wanted and was making a stand to get it. To get her. The man in front of her wasn’t hiding from anything anymore. So she’d give him one last test. See if he could rise to the occasion. Biting her lip to hide the enormous smile trying to break free, Tabitha raised her eyebrow in a challenge. “What are you saying?”

“You were partially right. I was scared. Scared of wasting the opportunity Game Domain’s given me, and not giving
Quest
my best effort. But the one stupid choice that led to my silver medal doesn’t have to define me. Being with you won’t distract me from work. Your passion for my work actually inspires me to do more, to be better.”

With a quick toggle of the controls, Gagnor wrenched the princess through a shimmering wall of energy and cradled her in his arms in a field of red, heart-shaped trees. Drew’s rock-steady blue gaze held her with the strength of a tractor beam. “Will you be my one and only match?”

“Does it mean I win the game?” Tabitha asked, with a catch in her throat that threatened to turn into full-blown tears of joy. Without waiting for an answer, she dropped her yoga mat and surged forward.

He tossed aside the controller and picked her up, arms tight around her torso. “You win my heart.”

“I’ll take both,” she said with a laugh. Then his lips took hers in a kiss full of promise. A kiss that shot warmth through her, and lifted one foot off the ground. And Tabitha knew she’d indeed won in Drew what mattered most. A matchless romance who would fill her days and nights with delight.

Five months later…

Sure, Chicago’s legendary snow and wind might blow in before the end of the month. But this early October afternoon in the Chicago Botanic Garden was sunny and warm—probably from the radiance of the bride’s smile alone. Mira, okay it was a cliché, but darn it, she glowed. Her sleek lace sheath of a dress with a back that dipped down low enough to prove that she’d escaped the craze of tattoo tramp stamps was stunning. But really, it was hard to look away from her beaming smile and googlyeyes trained on her handsome groom. Tabitha hitched in a breath at the sight.

“Here.” Drew handed her a handkerchief from his suit. One that she’d chosen, although he was getting more comfortable with clothes beyond jeans and hoodies, thanks to a few more coaching sessions from her friends. He’d even chosen the pink tie with thin silver and green diagonal stripes himself.

“Thanks.” She dabbed at the corner of her eyes. Then cocked her head in surprise at her handsome fiancé. “Kind of old-school for you. Since when do you carry a handkerchief?”

“Only at weddings.” He took it back, folded it neatly and repocketed it. “I discovered they were a necessity when I did another round of research to prep for this one. You know, since none of you were pleased when I painstakingly incorporated ethnic traditions at Ivy and Ben’s wedding.”

Tabitha dug her fingers into his side. She knew all his ticklish spots by now. Loved that her big, strong athlete could be taken down with a single finger wiggled in between his fourth and fifth ribs. “Don’t try to whitewash it behind the scholarly veil of research. You
kissed
the
bride
.”

A devilish, cocky smile flashed across his face. “And I don’t regret it one bit.”

Mira grabbed Drew’s arm with a laugh. “I’m not Swedish, so that custom shouldn’t apply. But I’m all for ethnic diversity. Want to plant one on me?”

“Hey,” barked Sam. “I’m standing right here.”

“And we’re not married yet,” she teased.

“Good point. Let’s get you out of temptation’s way.” Sam grabbed her around her waist, picked her up high enough that her slight train left the ground, and deposited her on the opposite side of the bed of daisies. Then pointed through the precisely cut hedges to an island. “Remember what happened over there on our first official date? How I had you begging?”

Mira swatted him. “Point taken. Embarrassing, awkward point, but I get it. Drew, I withdraw my willingness to be kissed. Sam’s all the sweetness I need.”

“Probably for the best.” Drew tucked his arm tighter around Tabitha’s waist. “Because Tabitha got really mad the last time I kissed a bride, and we weren’t even dating then. I get the feeling she’d be twice as angry if I did it today.”

As everyone laughed, Milo and Matthew came down the path carrying trays of champagne flutes. Ivy passed a glass to each of her friends.

“Officially, we at Aisle Bound only give out ginger ale before a wedding. This, however is the real deal. Since we know that nobody’s nervous or having cold feet.”

Tabitha glanced down at her cushion-cut, pink sapphire engagement ring surrounded by diamonds. The same ring presented to the princess in the final level of
Trolls Under Tribeca
.

Not that she’d made it that far yet on her own. But sleeping with the game designer did have certain privileges. She loved that he’d commissioned her ring to remind her of his epic love declaration at the fountain. No, there’d be no cold feet when they got married.

“Correction.” Drew raised a hand. “You’ll all probably have cold feet at our wedding. Since the temperatures are usually well below freezing in Chicago on Valentine’s Day.”

Always so literal. God, she loved him to pieces. “This is Mira and Sam’s special day. Let’s focus on them,” she said, tugging down his arm.

“Actually, the champagne is so we can focus on everyone,” said Ivy. She let go of Ben’s hand and stepped into the middle of the circle. Took a long, slow look around at Daphne and Tabitha in the apple green satin bridesmaid dresses with white lace overlay that matched her own. At Ben, Gib and Sam in their navy suits with green ties. Fashion plate Gib, of course, had to stand out a little and rocked the French cuffs. Tabitha would never mention it to Drew, of course, but they looked so handsome clumped together, like models in a fancy cologne commercial.

Milo and Matthew put the trays on a bench and joined the circle. “Any day the boss hands out champs is a good day,” said Milo.

“No,” Daphne corrected, twitching her hair behind her shoulder, “it’s a great day. Could still be upgraded to a terrific day…if you also rustled up a tray of appetizers for us.”

“I’m serious. Since we’re all together today, I wanted to stop and take the time to make a toast. To all the milestones that you fantastic people keep amassing.”

“Ooh, I love it when you call me fantastic,” gushed Milo.

“And I love that you and Matthew moved in together. No more trawling the clubs and coming in to work with circles under your eyes.”

“Who knew that falling in love was great for your complexion!” he said with a wink.

Ivy raised her glass and turned to Mira and Sam. “I’ll toast your wedding at the reception. But for now, I want to congratulate Sam on expanding his business enough to hire two more employees at Lyons Bakery & Truffles. And to Mira for turning A Fine Romance into a far better store, I’m humbled to say, than I ever dreamed of.”

“It’s been a pretty great year,” Sam acknowledged with a nod.

Gib cleared his throat. “That’s Sam’s understated way of saying that this has been the best year of his life, and he’s the sodding luckiest bastard in the world. Well, third luckiest, right behind me and Ben.”

“God, you go through words the way you used to go through women,” Sam said with a sigh. Then he raised his glass. “Extra props to Gib, here, for letting us honeymoon on his estate.”

“It’ll be good practice for the staff. It officially opens as a B and B next month. They needed the dress rehearsal.”

Tabitha still found it hard to believe that she was friends with an actual viscount. Harder yet to believe was that he’d open the doors to his huge mansion in the English countryside and let strangers stay in it. What was not hard to believe was that he’d let Sam and Mira have the run of it, and his townhouse in London, for free for a week. Gib hid his huge heart behind bespoke suits and designer ties, but she’d seen it too many times to count since getting pulled into this group.

“Thanks for the segue, Sam.” Ivy pivoted in the grass. “Because I want to congratulate Gib on his new hotel opening next month. I know it’s been a long summer with you stuck slogging away as manager at a mere four-star hotel.”

“You’ve no idea.” Gib exaggeratedly drew an arm across his forehead. “Might as well be working in the bloody salt mines if not in a five-star place.”

Daphne rolled her eyes. “You still have the mayor on speed dial, a standing reservation at the top five restaurants in the city, and you played tennis with a Saudi sheikh and the director who swept Cannes. Some salt mine.”

“Yet still a business owned by someone who could decide they don’t like the way I speak the Queen’s English and fire me. Buying my own boutique hotel was the only way to guard against that happening again.”

“It’ll be sexy and classy, just like you.” Daphne stood on tiptoe to nibble down his neck.

“With the most gorgeous floral arrangements in the city, thanks to you.” He looked around. “Did my modest wife mention that she got asked by the Cavendish Grand to do the flowers for the president’s visit next week?”

Tabitha goggled at her. Geez, her friends were talented. She knew it, intrinsically, but most of the time accepted it as simple fact the same way they knew she rocked as one of Chicago’s premier matchmakers. But then she’d see Ben’s name roll in the credits of the show he produced, or hear something like this, and get just a tiny bit star struck. “That’s such an honor. Why’d you keep it a secret?”

Daphne leaned forward, and in a stage whisper said, “I didn’t vote for him.” Then she straightened with a laugh. “But I’m focusing on how since that hotel cut Gib loose, I’m more than happy to take their money. And charge them an extra
you fired my husband
twenty percent.”

It was only fair. Practical, romantic, with a splash of vengeance. Tabitha liked Daphne’s style.

Ivy clutched Tabitha’s hand. “Ooh, speaking of husbands, I have congratulations for the newest member of the Aisle Bound family. Tabitha, why don’t you share your big news?”

Thank goodness. She hadn’t wanted to pull any attention away from Mira, but had just about exploded trying to keep it under wraps. Although Drew had certainly thrown himself into trying to distract her last night. Once against the wall, once in the tub, and she had to admit, the third mind-blowing orgasm on the bed did finally wear her out enough to fall asleep.

“A wedding invitation came in the mail yesterday. From two clients that I matched. We’ve got our first successful marriage in the works. Talk about the ultimate referral.”

Ben wolf whistled. Daphne jumped in the air, splashing her champagne a little. And Drew whispered in her ear, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Drew had a good day at work, too,” she gushed. “He gets to be on the interview team for his new boss.”

Ben gave him a companionable sock on the arm. “Really? How’d you turn into the Big Man on Campus?”

“The whole reason Keiko got fired was for treating the creative department, well, like crap. So HR asked me, as the head of it, to represent them and make sure that her replacement respects the process as much as the profits.”

“Way to go. You’ll be running that place before you know it.”

“God, I hope not.” Distaste coated his words. And Tabitha had to admit that as an acknowledged groupie of his amazing games, she’d far rather have him designing than upgrading to a fancier title with less time to let his imagination run wild.

Ivy lifted her glass even higher. “Work is going great for all of us. But what matters most to me doesn’t have anything to do with profit margins or getting mentioned in the news. I want to thank you. All of you.”

The fountain burbled behind her. The scent of hundreds of flowers Tabitha couldn’t begin to name perfumed the air. Romance hovered around them like a heart-filled cloud. And she wished she still had Drew’s handkerchief. She’d heard that Ivy liked to make speeches. The kind that made tears run fast. Like being squirted in the face by those annoying mall perfume pushers.

“Daphne, Milo, Gib, Sam and I thought we had a pretty good thing going. A tight-knit group.” Ivy linked hands with Ben. “But then it grew. Ben, you were first—and my favorite, of course. Then Mira, Tabitha, Drew and Matthew. You helped take us from being a group of friends to becoming a family. My life is so much better with all of you in it. I love you all.”

One by one, they each clinked glasses. Tabitha saw that hers weren’t the only moist eyes. And when she blinked away the tears, for a second, she could see straight into the future. Years of working together, playing together. Parties and vacations, all surrounded by the people she loved, shared with the man she adored. The vision was so perfect Tabitha almost didn’t want to open her eyes.

But then she did. Tabitha saw the smiling faces of her friends, felt the strong, loving grip of her fiancé. And knew that this sun-dappled day was just the beginning.

* * * * *

Don’t miss
Up To Me,
book one of Christi Barth’s new
Shore Secrets
trilogy, coming in June 2014
.