Loving Eden (22 page)

I knew I wasn’t the one who was supposed to be nervous. I wasn’t getting married. However, as I stood at the back of the church, holding my bouquet of orchids and lilies, I couldn’t keep my stomach from churning and my palms from sweating. I smiled at Marin as the door opened and I glided down the aisle, just like we rehearsed.

The guests pivoted in their seats. I heard murmurs and whispers. I tried to keep my eyes straight ahead at the altar. If I could make it to the altar without tripping or wiping out, I could survive the rest of the ceremony.
Keep walking. Keep walking.
I smiled at Pick and the groomsmen lined up at the front of the church. Pick looked nervous, but I had a feeling that would melt away the second he saw Marin. I focused on my next step, exhaling as I moved forward.

Then I saw him. At first, I smiled lightly as if he was any of the guests seated along the pews, but then my eyes met his. His look cut right through me. In that second, he held me with his stare, keeping me from falling, yet making me tumble through clouds and rain, breathless and shaking. The piano music rose, and I took another step closer. Drawn to the way he looked at me with complete abandon, as if right then he would stand up and tell everyone in the church that he was in love with me. The waves were crashing over me one at a time, but this time, I could breathe. I could breathe because he had me. Then, my steps took me past him and I had to stand on my spot at the altar. I think I knew then that when I looked in Grey’s eyes, I saw everything.

I had never been happier to drink a glass of champagne in my life. Marin and Pick were married. The ceremony was beautiful. Pick stumbled over one line of his vows, but it brought a little comic relief to the church.

I let the cool bubbles slide down my throat, knowing the entire time Grey hadn’t taken his eyes off me.

“Want another?” he offered.

“No, I just needed that one. This has been the longest day.” I tipped forward on my toes, ready to plant a champagne kiss on his lips.

“Oh my God, Eden!” Taylor wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pried me away from Grey.

“Hey.” I hugged her. “How was your flight? Did you make it to the church?” I had been too focused on Grey to see anyone else in the audience.

“Yes, we were there.” As soon as she said
we
, Mason walked from around the corner, holding two freshly poured glass of champagne.

“Here you go, babe.” He handed her one. “Hi, Eden. Grey.”

I felt the tension immediately swath us like a prickly burlap bag. I was instantly uncomfortably.

“Hi, Mason.” I smiled. We weren’t at hug status. I didn’t know if we ever would be.

“It was a nice wedding. They seem like a happy couple. Young, but happy.” He took a swig of champagne.

“Marin’s twenty-five. I don’t think that’s too young to get married.” I wasn’t sure what he was implying, but I felt the need to defend the bride and groom.

Taylor slid her palm against his, and I noticed he clutched her hand.

He smiled. “I know they’re your friends. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

I backed down from my defensive stance. Grey was quiet.

Then he broke his silence. “Mason, I’d like to talk to you for a second.”

I looked at both men. This couldn’t be good. I held the crook of Grey’s arm. He smiled at me.

“It’s ok. I just need to say something to him.” His voice was steady and certain. “As a matter of fact, I can say it in front of you. It involves you too.”

“What’s going on, nephew? Threatening me with a countersuit?”

“The opposite.”

Mason looked puzzled. “Go on.”

“I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I think it’s in my best interest if I let the Palm go.”

“Grey, you can’t!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Eden, you were right about the lawsuit.” He looked Mason straight in the eye. “But I have conditions.”

“I’m listening.” Mason had lost his usual cavalier attitude.

“You agree to drop the current lawsuit, and I’ll sell you the Palm for half price.”

“Half price?” Mason asked.

My jaw dropped. What in the hell kind of deal was this?

“I was going to sell it for 2.5 million. Why should I cut a deal on it?”

“Because, we could be in court for years and you might not win. This way, it’s a sure thing. You’re guaranteed to make a profit.” Grey had a determined look in his eye.

Mason looked skeptical. “But why would you give up the potential to make more than twice as much?”

Grey ignored my protests. “I’ve never been in this to make money. I think we all know that. But it is my only employment and Eden’s too. I think we’re owed something for it. So drop the suit, pay me a million dollars, and you can have it.”

Mason rocked back on his heels, a move I had seen Grey make a hundred times. He rubbed his jaw then took a sip of champagne. Taylor didn’t budge.

“You have a deal.” He extended his hand to Grey. For the first time since they met, they shook hands. “I’ll have my attorney draw up the paperwork and deliver it to you on Monday.” I wondered if this is how Mason handled all of his business deals. He seemed like a natural.

Grey nodded. “Sounds good. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to find our table.” He placed his palm on the lower part of my back and eased me into the ballroom.

I wanted to grind my silver heels into his toe and demand he tell me what he had just done, but I smiled and nodded at the wedding guests until we were seated at our table. Our table’s theme was the honeymoon table. There were pictures of palm trees under a sheet of glass and shells scattered on top.

“Grey, you can’t be serious.” I glared at him. “You can’t do this.”

“Darlin’, I just did it.”

My hands balled into a fist. I was tempted to slug some sense into him. He had just given away the only thing he had left from Pops. His childhood memories. Our memories.

“Without even telling me?” Maybe that was the part that hurt the most.

“I didn’t know for sure I was going to do it until today.”

“What made you change your mind?” I was trying to keep my voice down, but my heart was about to pound out of my chest.

“You.”

“Me? But I love the Palm. I never meant for you to sell it. That’s not what I meant. I was worried about the lawsuit, and what could happen to all your money. I would never push you to give up something so important to you.”

He placed a finger against my lips. “Eden,
you
are the reason I want to sell it.”

I searched his face for some logical explanation, a translation that would make sense.

He continued. “I do love that place, no matter what a pain in the ass it is, but there’s something I love more, and that’s you. And if you’re in my life, I don’t want my time eaten up with lawyers and court dates and all our money going down the drain because I’m fighting with Uncle What’s-his-name. I want you. I want to be happy with you, and that means no more Palm.”

I didn’t know how something that made me so sad could give me butterflies and set my heart on fire.

“I don’t know what to say. I’ll support whatever you want to do with the motel. Just tell me you don’t think I’m forcing you to do it.”

He smiled. “You are not forcing me to do anything. It’s my decision, and after today, I think it’s a pretty damn good one. Plus, aren’t you the one who said I should go back into my engineering program?”

“Did I?” I started to think I was getting bossy.

“I can always enroll next spring and pick up where I left off. They are still moving forward with the grant on Padre for wind power. I’d like to be a part of that. Who knows, maybe we can be graduate nerds together.” He winked.

“Me? You think I should go to grad school?”

“Baby, you can do whatever makes you happy as long as that means you don’t want to leave Texas.” Grey had no idea he would be scoring all kinds of points with my father. The idea of me going back to get my MBA fueled almost all of our conversations lately.

“I don’t want to leave Texas,” I whispered before leaning across the space that divided us and finally giving him the champagne kiss that I had been holding for him.

We watched the first dance, the toast, and Pick and Marin cut the cake. They had to be the happiest bride and groom I had ever seen. I excused myself to go to the ladies room to touch up the makeup Lulu had applied. There was no way I was still as put together as when I walked down the aisle. We had taken close to a hundred pictures and the corners of my mouth hurt from the permanent smile I had formed today.

As I walked out of the women’s lounge, I was looking down at my shoes and I almost bumped into Renee.

“Eden, why, sugar, I haven’t seen you in forever.” Renee wrapped me in what I could only describe as a Texas-sized bear hug. Her perfume was almost as powerful.

“How have you been?” I stepped back to talk to her for a minute. I felt bad I hadn’t been to the shop more to see her.

“Oh, busy busy. Things at the store are slowing down, but I’m gearing up for the holiday season in another month.”

That’s right. Thanksgiving was only a month away, and then Christmas. I had to come up with a holiday arrangement quicker than I realized. Grey and I hadn’t made a single plan on where to cut the turkey or share gifts under the tree.

“How’s your sister?”

“She’s good, hon. Thanks for asking.” Renee whispered in my ear, “Is Pops’s other son here tonight? I heard he was.”

I nodded. “Yes. Marin’s parents invited him.” I couldn’t imagine what Renee’s interest in Mason could be.

“I need to speak with him.” Her voice was still hushed.

“Ok. Do you need me to point him out to you?”

“Yes, there are so many people here, it’s hard to even find your neighbor.” She wasn’t kidding. The country club was packed. On top of that, the men weren’t wearing their regular jeans and T-shirt ensembles. It was funny to see Mac and everyone else in a suit.

“All right, let’s see where he is.” We peeked around the corner and scanned the room for Taylor or Mason. She was easier to spot in a pink dress. His dark suit blended in with the other men’s suits.

I saw him near the bar ordering more drinks. “There he is.” I pointed.