I'm All Yours (18 page)

“No
,
you didn’t. You must have been going through hell.”

More than
going
through hell and facing it all alone. If only he’d had Evie in his life back then.

“I
was, but how
were you to know what was happening to me
?
So
don’t go blaming yourself.”

He
pulled her in close to him. Glad to have her back in his arms, smelling her perfume, feeling her warmth penetrate into skin through his shirt. God, how he’d missed her while he’d been in
Montana
.

“How’s your mom doing?”

“She’s been depressed
,
but her attorney
says she’ll probably be out in a year. She’s taken up art since she’s been in there
.
T
hat’s
why I thought the two of you would get on so well.”

“I’m so sorry I had to find out like I did.”

“I’m sorry
I didn’t tell you
,
but I did plan to before I
…”

“Before you what
?
”

“Shit, this whole weekend isn’t turning out like I planned.”

“And how had you planned it?”

“Romantic dinner at the lodge,
musicians
serenading
us, me getting down on one knee and pulling out this.”

Kyle walked over to  the kitch
en countertop and
picked up
the
red velvet box.
He opened it up and showed it to her.

“Evie
Winters, would you be my wife?”

Evie put both hands
over her mouth as
yet another
tear ran down her cheek
.

“What
?
Y
ou
don’t like it or what?”

“Kyle, you’re never going to believe it
,
but this is the engagement ring I’ve had my heart set on since I was a little girl.
I had a photo of it tucked inside
…
”
“Your copy of
The Secret Garden
. O
h
,
and you’ll find one of your rings is m
issing. I had to take it so I got the correct size for this one.
So is this a yes, no, maybe?”

“It’s a yes.”

Kyle pulled it out and placed it on Evie’s finger.

“I think we should announce our engagement on your entertainment segment next week,” said Kyle. “I’ll come on as your guest.”

“Yeah
,
and don’t go standing me up
.”

*
***

Sadie wiped the tears from her eyes as her fir
st perfect pairing
couple
moved around the floor for their first dance as husband and wife. Rachel made a stunning bride
,
and Mitchell,
w
ell, what else could she say other than
he was downright handsome
?

And what a wonderful day for a weddi
ng. The sun had been out
with not a cloud in the sky. Now it was setting on the horizon as the
lights in the marquee grew brighter
and other guests headed to the dance floor.

Sadie felt her cell phone vibrating in her purse
,
which
she’d placed by her leg when she’d been seated at the table. She dug it out and saw that it was Nadine.

“Sadie, I know it’s your day off and you’re supposed to be enjoy
ing
a wedding
,
but I thought I should congratulate
you. I know I’m often hard on
you
,
but this time you’ve outdone yourself.”

Sadie popped another one of the
bacon
-
wrapped oysters into her mouth as she listened to Nadine.

“I’ve just picked up a copy of one of those entertainment magazines
,
and did you know that
Evie Winters and Kyle Daley
are engaged?”

She smile
d. She already knew it. She and thousands of others had heard the news yesterday during Evie’s weekly entertainment report.

“That’s wonderful news. I assume I’ll be attending another wedding.”

“And how’s that one?”

“Perfect, like the couple.”

“I’ll let you
get back to the festivities
,
and I’ll be stopping by on Monday to hear about your next pairing.”

Sadie pressed the end call button and hadn’t seen Mitchell and Rachel standing beside her.

“Ms. Sutton, we have
n’t
had chance to visit with you,” said Mitchell.

“Well, that’s understandable
.
I
t’s
your big day,” said Sadie.

“There wouldn’t
have been
a big day without your help,” said Rachel.

“Oh, I just worked my magic,” said Sadie, crossing her fingers under the table.

If th
ey only knew what sor
t of magic I conjure up
.

“In fact, I have another client for you,” said Mitchell.

“I’m going to visit with my cousins while you chat to Ms. Sutton,” said Rachel.

As Rachel walked away,
Mitchell pulled up a chair next to Sadie.

“You see
the guy sitting over there all b
y himself?”

Sadie noticed
a man in his late thirties cradling a glass of
champagne. A han
dsome looking man but with obvious
sorrow written all over his face
.

“He lost hi
s wife seven years ago
,
and that’s the reason he signed up
for the Army
because he wanted to get away and forget everything
.
B
ut
now he’s ba
ck home. As you can see he’s unhappy
,
so
I think it’s about time he found a new
lady. One that will put a smile on that face of his.”

Sadie grinned
.
This was going to be fun.

“But he lives in
Idaho Falls
.
I
s
that a problem?”

“Not at all
,
because
we
have offices all over the
US
.”

She crossed her fingers
again
, know
ing it was only a tiny
lie. One day Perfect Pairing would be in every country in the world.
“Don’t worry
.
I’ll find him a very special lady,” said Sadie tapping the back of his hand.

Rachel rejoined them and wrapped her arms around the shoulders of her new husband.

“Did you hear that
,
h
oney
?
Ms. Sutton’s going to find someone special for Jake.”

“That’s great. He’s a really sweet
guy
,
and any lady would be proud to have him as her boyfriend.”

Sadie nodded.
First thing on Monday morning, she’d track down the perfect lady for Jake.
Oh, how she loved Perfect Pairing.

The End

www.vanessadevereaux.com

Other Books by Vanessa Devereaux:

How I Met My Lover

Take A Chance On Me

Last First Kiss

Keyboards and Kink

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com