Made To Love Her (3 page)

I
barely make
eye contact with the faces sitting around the table, even though they’re all paying attention to me.

“Maggie, Lily was going over the plan for Friday’s rehearsal dinner.”

I look up from my plate to see who said that. It was Madison. She’s wearing a sly grin.

“How about we just have dinner at the country club instead of coming back here?” Anne asks.

“Um, I’ll have to look into it,” Emily says. She’s watching me closely, but I wonder why she’s even talking.

“Thanks, Lily,” Anne says.

I shake my head, flabbergasted. “You’re Lily? The wedding planner?”

Emily shows me the phony smile that she used to give me when she was chasing after Vince while pretending she could do my old job. I’m shouting three words in my head, willing them to not explode from my mouth—
what the fuck!

“So you’re the one who arranged my fittings, the cake tasting, and the flowers, and booked the location?” I ask Emily.

“Why yes,” she says as if she weren’t screwing with me by making sure I had the worst of the worst to choose from.

I fall back in my seat and laugh. I look from Madison to Lexington to Alexandria, and finally to Anne—the woman who is going to be my mother-in-law.

“How could you not tell me?” I ask Anne.

She looks surprised. My body is shaking, and my head is spinning. I’ve lost all of my carefully crafted composure. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, knowing all eyes are on me. Now I’m positive Anne’s been screwing with me alongside her daughters, but it’s still in bad taste to call out the mother of the man I love so much on her despicable behavior.

“Sorry…” I anxiously scratch my right temple. “I’m not hungry.”

I’m walking so fast that I’m almost running. I clutch my stomach, battling the desire to throw up all the cake samples from this afternoon. When I make it to the bedroom, I get right to work. First things first: I have to get out of this house in order to gain mental clarity. I swipe my phone off the dresser and flip it open. For one second, I allow myself to hope that Vince called while I was downstairs to tell me that he’s okay. No such luck.

I call Fast Taxi and ask for a cab in the next fifteen minutes. Just as I end the call, someone knocks on the door.

“Mags, it’s me.” Robert opens the door.

I search his expression. “Did you locate him?”

The corners of his mouth turn down.

I press my hand over my mouth and close my eyes as a grave feeling washes over me.

“I’ll make some more calls.”

“Calls to who?”

Robert studies me for a moment. “Some of our old friends that may have taken Vince on a breakout ride.”

“A what? Breakaway ride? What’s that?” I sound irritated as hell, but I’m a bit relieved and a little peeved at myself. If that’s what’s happened, then why did I assume the worst? And what is the worst that I’m assuming?

“It’s a break-out ride. Our buddy Ben took our buddy Chris out on one before he got married.”

I frown harder. “What does this ride entail?”

Robert’s eyes shift right before they expand while staring at me.

“What, Robert?” I urge, losing patience.

“A few strip joints and a happy-ending massage.”

“What?” I snap. I can hardly believe what he just told me.

He throws up his hands as if to tell me to pipe down. “Listen, Mags, I know Vince, and he’s just not one to take that ride.” He looks off to think then smashes his lips together as he shakes his head.

“I agree,” I say.

“They still could’ve kidnapped him though.”

“Vince doesn’t play frat boy, either.”

He sighs. “I know.”

My phone rings, and I look at the caller ID on the screen. Robert is watching me with his eyebrows raised curiously.

My heart feels as if it’s shrinking. “It’s not Vince.” I answer the call.

It’s the cab company. The driver is waiting for me outside. I tell them I’ll be right out. Robert helps me gather my suitcases.

“Let me at least take you to the hotel,” he says.

I pick up my suitcase. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think that’ll be wise.”

He ruffles his brows as if he has no idea what I’m referring to. “Oh, that…” he finally says.

“They know, Robert. I’m sure of it.”

“Who gives a damn? We’re not going to repeat the past. I sure as hell learned from that mistake.”

I snort, recalling the misery that ensued after screwing Robert Tango. What’s funny is that I can hardly remember the act itself. That’s the thing about having frivolous sex—it’s over just as fast as it starts.

“Didn’t we all,” I finally say.

“I just don’t think you should be alone in the shape you’re in.”

“I’ll be fine.” At the door, I stop to give the room a final once-over.

Robert picks up Vince’s suitcase and hangs my weekender bag over his shoulder. “I still think you’re making a mistake by leaving.”

“I don’t think so. Vince and I planned on moving to a hotel tonight, after dinner.”

“But Vince isn’t here.”

“I know that,” I say snappishly, and take a deep, calming breath. “I mean I know that. When he returns, he’ll know where to find me but I can’t stay here while he’s missing, gone or whatever. It’ll drive me crazy.”

Suddenly, the door rattles. Robert and I look at each other with hope.

“Come in,” I say.

Anne opens the door, and she pays notice to the luggage Robert and I are carrying. “May I come in?” she asks.

“Sure.” I step back to let her pass.

She smiles, relieved. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I mutter. My head’s floating in three, maybe four, different directions.

“I want to apologize for not telling you that my daughters hired Emily to be your wedding planner.”

I restrain the urge to snort disdainfully. I can’t believe she’s throwing her daughters under the bus.

“I know it’s difficult to believe that I didn’t have anything to do with it, but I assure you I had no idea who Lily was until a few days ago.”

I part my lips to speak, but Anne holds up a hand to halt me.

“I know that gave me plenty of time to sit down with you and tell you the truth, but…” She sighs heavily. “I didn’t want you to call off the wedding and do what you’re doing right now. So I just went along with it, hoping you would too.”

My mouth is still open, only now, I’m at a loss for words. “Okay,” I finally say. “I believe you.”

Anne smashes her hands against her chest. “Thank you so very much. And I mean it. You put the most important day of your life in our hands, and we have been failing miserably.” She shakes a finger defiantly. “But no more. I promise you.”

I nod acceptingly. “Thank you.” I really mean it.

She sighs and studies the luggage in my hand again. “It looks like you’re going to leave, but I would love it if you would stay.”

“Um…” I examine her earnest expression. I sort of wish she was still acting like the enemy—that way, it would be easier to catch my cab.

“Is Vincent coming back tonight?” she asks.

Robert and I glance at each other. I try to conceal the look I just gave him.

“Um, he’s going to meet me at the hotel,” I say.

Anne studies me curiously. “And he had to work?”

I can kind of read her thoughts. The more I think about him having to dash off to work without even coming inside to let anyone know, the odder it sounds.

I put on a fake smile. “Oh no, we just found out he was carried off on a ‘farewell to being single’ tour by his friends.”

She slaps her chest. “Oh, that’s a relief. I thought…” She shakes her head. “Well, I’m glad he’s okay, but what in the world does a ‘farewell to being single’ tour consist of?”

“Tons of naughtiness,” Robert says. His grin is just as fake as mine.

Anne laughs. “And you’re not involved?”

He winks at her. “Not anymore.”

She gets a nice little chuckle out of that and tries one more time to sway me to stay. I agree to come over for breakfast tomorrow. She wants me to sit down with her daughters without Emily to straighten out the mess between us.

Robert and I take my luggage downstairs. The chatter at the kitchen table quiets when we pass. I don’t even look in their direction. I see that Robert does, and he smiles and winks at them. Stepping onto the porch, I take a deep breath. I finally feel as if I’m making progress.

“Hey, Mags, how about I take you to some places where Vince might be?” Robert asks.

I’m caught off guard by his offer. Ever since I got reacquainted with Robert Tango, many moons after high school, I have never trusted him. I can’t say I do now, either. I search for that salacious look in his eyes, but I don’t see it. And really, would he risk disassociating himself with Vince for a second time, and this time possibly forever, just to make a pass at me? I am vulnerable. Robert has always done his best work on me whenever I was susceptible to his charm.

“I don’t know,” I say.

Robert studies me for a moment. “Maggie, I apologize for my past behavior.”

I flinch. “What do you mean?”

“Me coming on to you, even though I knew you love Vince and he loves you. You were right—what you said that night when we were in London. I was like a fucking snake in the grass, waiting for my opportunity to pounce on Vince’s prized possession. I got you, and that was only temporary. And in the process, I almost lost the one person on this planet I don’t want to live without. Vince.”

My mouth hangs open in surprise. I don’t even know this Robert Tango that I’m looking at right now, but I trust him. More than that, I need him.

“Okay,” I say, choked up.

A slow smile forms on his mouth, and it’s not the snaky one I’m used to. “You accept my apology?”

I nod. “And I’ll take you up on your offer.”

After a brief back and forth, I let Robert pay the cab driver for his time, then we get inside of the midnight-blue Jaguar he’s renting. Just before backing out of the driveway, he makes a call. Buzzing resonates from the screen on the dashboard. After the fourth ring, a woman answers. I kind of recognize the voice, but I’m not sure.

“Carter, it’s me, Robert.”

“Yes?” Her voice is formal.

“Are you still at the table?” he asks.

“Yes,” she says in the same tone.

He grins. “And you answered the phone?”

She snickers.

“Is Anne giving you the eyes?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then I’ll make this quick. If Vince shows up, could you call me please?”

She pauses. “Um…” I can hear her excuse herself from the table. After a few more seconds, she asks, “Where are you?”

“I’m taking Maggie around to see if we can find Vince.”

She falls silent again. “Oh, okay,” she finally says.

There’s more awkward silence between them. I feel as if I should say something.

“I’ll talk to you later?” Robert says.

“Sure,” Carter replies.

He’s still grinning. It’s strange. “All right. See you soon.”

I frown inquisitively.

“Okay. I’ll see you,” Carter says.

Robert waits for Carter to hang up the phone. That one action of his clues me into something.

“Are you two seeing each other?” I ask.

Robert balls his hand up and puts it over his mouth to clear his throat. “No,” he says in a high-pitched voice then clears his throat again. “I mean, no.”

I examine his carefully crafted calm demeanor. He’s trying too hard, so I know he’s lying.

“Well, she’s nice and beautiful.” I sniff cynically. “Probably the only sane relative in Vince’s family.”

Robert chuckles. “Probably.”

I feel a little like I would be crossing the line if I ask him to tell me more about his relationship with Carter. At least now I understand why she was so gung-ho to help me keep the mystery of the missing groom under wraps. So I choose to abandon the subject of him and Carter.

Robert calls two more of his friends and asks if they’ve seen Vince tonight. He gives them the third degree, asking the same questions I would have. Each of them asserts that he has no idea where Vince is.

“Brother, we stopped the last steps of freedom caravan after what happened last time,” his friend Allen says. “Shit was a disaster. Todd actually fucked the stripper and ran off with her that night. The next time we saw that asshole, he was in a brothel in Reno. Stephanie still blames me for what that fucker did.”

“Stephanie’s his wife,” Robert whispers to me.

I nod.

“Before that, it was John Beattie. After the happy ending at the end of the massage, he decided he didn’t want to get married anymore and didn’t bother showing up the next day for the wedding.”

Robert glances nervously in my direction. “Okay. Thanks.”

“So has Vince backed out on his chick? I heard she’s a real bitch.”

“No, he hasn’t. I got to go,” Robert says in a rush and taps a button on the steering wheel to end the call. “Ah, Mags—”

I lift a hand to stop him. “Forget about it. I know I have a reputation among Vince’s circles.”

“Well…” He shrugs. “They’re all screwed up anyway. You heard what he said about John and Todd.”

I allow myself to chuckle a little. “Yeah, that’s crazy.”

“Well, that’s home folks.”

I snicker weakly. “Right.”

We spend the next hour going to strip clubs. We even drive to the happy-ending massage parlor. It looks closed for the night, but Robert gets out and knocks on the door. A short, petite lady with black hair opens it. She shakes her head, and Robert waves a thank-you.

As soon as he gets in the car, he takes a deep breath. “Now I’m worried. Very worried.”

“Then I take it that he’s not in there getting a happy ending,” I say.

“Nope.”

I close my eyes and let all the strong emotions war against each other, hoping they’ll annihilate each other so that I can think clearly. I sigh hard. “Okay. I need you to take me to the hotel now.”

Robert turns to look at me. “Are you sure you should be alone tonight?”

I nod. “Yes. I need to find Vince.”

“How?”

I sigh again and shake my head. “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”

Robert scratches the back of his neck anxiously. “I don’t know, Mags.”