Montana Reunion (13 page)

“Your mother’s burning a hole
through me she’s staring so hard,” Jack muttered.

She laughed, looking over her
shoulder and catching her mom in the act. Her dad was nowhere to be seen, no
doubt grumbling to try to get her mom away from the window.

“I think we need to head inside.”

He tugged her closer, dropping a
slow, sweet kiss to her lips that she hoped wasn’t just for the benefit of the
person watching them.
Because
it felt real to her
.
“Can’t we just stay out here a little longer?”
she asked with a groan.

His lips left hers with a murmur
and he dropped a kiss to her head instead, slinging his arm around her
shoulders at the same time and tugging her back toward the house. “No,” he told
her. “Now is about your family enjoying the fact that their daughter is
marrying their handsome neighbor.”

“Handsome, huh?”

Jack gave her a nudge in the ribs.
“Would you prefer gorgeous?
Suave?
Mesmerizing…”

Maddison
groaned and pulled away from him, only to be grabbed around the waist and
tugged back to his side.

“Annoying, infuriating…” she told
him.

She burst into laughter as he held
her tighter.
But the words he whispered
in her ear made her laughter die in her throat.

“Once you’re Mrs. Gregory, I’ll
punish you for talking to your husband like that.”

Maddison
looked
into his
eyes,
saw the amusement dancing through his
gaze, the smile tugging at his lips, but it still sent a shiver through her
body.

Because part of her couldn’t wait to be Mrs.
Gregory.
And that told her
their marriage of convenience had the potential to mean a lot more to her than
it might mean to her husband-to-be.

“Hey, did you hear from your boss
again?”

Maddison
took a deep breath, pushing her worries aside. This was Jack. She had to
remember that, and no matter how badly she might fall for him, he’d never hurt
her.
At least not intentionally.

“I need to head back tomorrow.” She
sighed, wishing she didn’t have to run when her tyrant boss ordered her to. But
she had a job to do, and she took her work seriously, didn’t want to let her
clients down. “I could be gone a week.”

“And then you’ll be all mine for a
while?”

She gulped.
All his?
A voice in her head kept
reminding her that she couldn’t be all his, that she had to keep at least a
little part of her to herself, but she knew that might prove impossible.

“Then I’ll be all yours.”

He nodded, pushing open the door
for her as they reached the house. “Does that mean I need to make some space
for you at my place, or are we going to wait until our wedding night?” Jack’s
serious expression made her laugh.

Heat flooded her body, an electric
current that reminded every part of her of the night they’d shared.
Waiting wasn’t something she’d even thought
of, and from the heat in Jack’s gaze, he was hoping she’d say no.

“Play your cards right, and you might
be surprised.”

If
his gaze held heat before, now it was on fire.
Something had changed
between them, something powerful that could just be lust, but right now felt
like a whole lot more.

She
was falling for Jack, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

“I think it’s time we told your mom
our news.” Jack’s voice was low, husky, and she knew
exactly
what was on his mind.

Maddison
took his hand, linking their fingers, and marched them toward the kitchen.

Right now was
about family. Later she could think about Jack, and not a moment before.

Jack had thought being around
Maddison’s
family might be uncomfortable now, but it had
been a stupid thought. They’d always treated him like he was one of their own,
and tonight wasn’t any different. Except for the fact that he kept catching his
wife-to-be sneaking glances at him from across the table, and her mom kept
patting
him on the shoulder every time she passed like he
was a child in need of praise.

Now he was watching
Maddison
as she glared at her sister, and if he wasn’t
mistaken, she was giving her a kick under the table, thinking no one would
notice.

“Everything okay,
ladies?”

Maddison’s
eyebrows
raised
at her sister, before she settled her
gaze on him. “Just trying to keep Charlotte in line,” she muttered.

Jack smiled, remembering how the
Jones girls had bickered when they’d been kids. It seemed like age hadn’t made
a difference, only they’d become more sophisticated in their methods.

“I was just asking
Maddison
if your proposal had anything to do with the fact
you need a wife right now.
Seems awfully convenient.”

Maddison
opened her mouth, no doubt to blast her sister, but he stepped in before they
could argue.

“I’ll have you know,
Charlotte
, that there is nothing
convenient about the feelings I have for your sister.”

Charlotte gave him a smile,
grinning at him over her glass even though
Maddison
was glaring daggers at her.

“I think it’s time for a toast,”
Maddison’s
father announced, raising his glass, oblivious
to what was going on at the other end of the table.

Jack smiled at
Maddison
before raising his own glass, drawn to the way both girls stopped as soon as
their dad spoke.
So different to his own father – who had
demanded attention in a way that neither of his sons had respected.
This
man was so loved by his daughters that it was obvious in every look they gave
him, in the way they spoke to him and
he
to them.

“Jack, you’ve always been like a
son to us. Katherine and I would like to welcome you to our family, and I’m
sure we can all agree that
Maddison
needed someone
like you to put that smile back on her face where it belongs. You keep that
smile there, and you’ll never be without a family. You hear me, son?”

Jack stared at the man talking to
him. He swallowed.
Hard.
And then
again.
An unwelcome taste hit the back of his throat, a rare burst of
emotion that took him so by surprise that he didn’t have a chance to stifle it.
He would do anything he could to keep that smile on
Maddison’s
face, even if it wasn’t love that was bringing them together.

When
his father had died, he hadn’t felt even a hint of sadness, of emotion. And yet
here, sitting at a table surrounded by people he’d known all his life but who
weren’t his family, he was on the verge of crying like a damn baby.

Jack held his glass high before
taking a long, slow sip. “
Maddison
was my best friend
as a kid, and now she’s going to be my best friend again. Only this time she’ll
be my wife too.” He took another deep breath, refusing to let anyone see the
emotion within him. It had been too long since he’d allowed himself to feel
this way, he’d never really grieved for the family he’d lost. Even though his
dad had been an asshole, it still hurt to be an orphan.
“To
Maddison
.”

When he looked across the table, at
Maddison
holding her glass high and meeting his gaze,
Jack felt a single tear escape at the corner of his eye. She saw it, he knew
she did, but she never so much as blinked in acknowledgment.

And that’s why he knew he could
trust her, that he was doing the right thing. Because he needed someone he
could trust in his life, needed a partner by his side, and
Maddison
was the only person he could be himself with, open up to.
The
one person who knew the truth of his past, of the pain, of what he’d been
through.
The one person he’d always been honest with.

With
Maddison
,
he was safe.

“So when are you two lovebirds
going to tie the knot?”

Charlotte pulled him from his
thoughts, made him refocus.

“I’ll leave that to
Maddison
.”

The warmth in her gaze made him
smile.

“Well if it’s up to me, it’ll be
sooner than later,” she said with a laugh. “Once I’ve finished planning my next
work event, I’ll be all over
our
plans.”

“Small, though, right?” he asked.
He wasn’t into big get-togethers.

“Small and
intimate.
Just for our family.”

Maddison
reached for his hand over the table, and he knew it wasn’t just for show.

“That’s my
girl.”
And he meant it.

Maddison
sat on her bed, staring at herself in the mirror above her dresser. She’d sat
often as a girl, staring back at herself, wondering what the future held, and
now she knew. She’d made her decision, and she was happy with it.

Except
for the fact that now she had to decide what to do about her job.
Where to base herself.
Whether she was ready for a life back
here on the land, or whether she would spend the rest of her days commuting
between both lives.
Her former and her future.

She brushed her fingers across her
lips, left them there as she thought about Jack. About the kiss he’d placed
there before he’d said goodbye, of the way his palm had cupped her cheek.

What
they had might be convenient, but it was also real.

Which meant she
needed to deal with work and get back here.
Make sure Jack knew how she
really felt about him. And be with her dad, too. Because she hadn’t missed the
catch in his breath, or the way he’d been slower tonight than he had been since
she’d returned home.

CHAPTER
TEN

MADDISON blew out a big breath and
looked at the room. It looked incredible.

“Happy?” Zoe called out.

She turned and smiled at her
assistant. “I think they’re going to love it.”

“They’ll be arriving within the
hour, want a drink?”

Did
she
ever. “Please. I’ll meet you at the bar in a minute.”

Maddison
did a final walk through the room. They’d asked for extravagant and she’d
delivered, or at least she hoped she had. She’d turned the room into a winter
wonderland for the party, adorning every square inch of the room in white and
silver for their Vodka on Ice theme. The only thing that wasn’t going to seem
wintery was the temperature – she doubted any of the women would arrive in more
than a cocktail dress, which meant she’d been working on getting the
temperature perfect too.

Maybe her boss had been right that
she’d needed to come back, because no amount of forward planning and notes
would have accomplished all this as seamlessly. Not given the fact that she’d
pinned up half the decorations herself just to make sure they were perfect.

She joined Zoe at the bar and
slumped down over it. “I’m exhausted.”

“
Don’t look
now, but here comes
Cruella
de
Vil
herself,” her assistant hissed.

Maddison
groaned and hauled herself up. The last thing she needed was a dressing down by
her boss after the 12-hour days she’d been putting in. Not to mention the fact
that she had promised to be home by now and she was still stuck working herself
to the bone.

She forced herself to perk up and
paste a smile on her face.

“Looks good,
Maddison
.”

The words were crisp and cool, but
she appreciated the praise.

“I thought I’d stay to see the
first of the guests arrive,” she said, stepping back so her boss could approach
the bar. “Care to join us for a drink?”

“Perfect.
Might
give us a moment to discuss upcoming projects.”

Maddison
smiled politely when inside she wanted to groan. She’d only just finished this
event, was ready for the vacation she’d never had.

Zoe passed her a glass of champagne
and nodded in a silent toast.
Maddison
raised her
glass and took a small sip, then put it down quickly. The smell of the alcohol
sent her stomach into a twist, leaving her queasy and lightheaded.
She needed the restroom.

“
You feeling
okay?” Zoe asked.

Maddison
nodded, asking the bartender for a glass of water. “I’m fine. It’s just been a
long day and I haven’t eaten since breakfast time.”

It was a lie, she’d had snacks in
her handbag like she always did when she was on a job, but she didn’t want
anyone to make a fuss.
Even
if her stomach was turning again just at the sight of her boss sipping on her
own drink.

“I think you can take over the
Mercer account next week, start work on their upcoming launch party, and the
summer functions will need attention too.”

Maddison
was listening but she wasn’t.
Because she
thought she’d made herself clear that she needed a break.

“Sheila, I know I came back for
this event, but I still need to spend time with my family,”
Maddison
said, forcing
herself
to look her boss in the eye,
maintain contact. “My dad is still recovering, and to be honest I just need to
refill the well. Take some time to myself and let me renew my creativity
again.”

She received an arched eyebrow in
response. “You realize how big these accounts are, don’t you?”

She
did. For fuck’s sake, she knew the importance of everything in the industry,
had poured blood and sweat into her job for years. Not that she’d ever say it
out aloud.