The Player (30 page)

“She’s captured the attention of my man-whore brother. She must be.”

“Shh.” He looked around and pulled her into a pew, worried someone had overheard them, but no one seemed to be paying attention. “Where’s the baby?”

“Drake’s watching her at the hotel.”

“
Drake?
”

She shrugged with a frown. “I know. Drake’s so irresponsible he can barely be trusted with a goldfish. But he’s her father, and he’s threatening to sue for visitation rights. If I let him play house, maybe he’ll be too lazy to pursue it.”

Drake was a worthless piece of scum who happened to contribute his DNA to Kelsey’s baby. “You know I’ll help you with any kind of custody battle.”

“In California?” Her eyebrows lifted in a humorless smirk. “Besides, it’s for less than an hour. Drake’s bringing her to the picnic.”

He groaned. “Damn Aunt Debra. I hear she’s having a softball game too.”

Kelsey laughed. “Mom’ll love that. She only knew about the barbeque. It’s likely to cause a fight.”

“They’ve already had one that registered 6.5 on the Richter scale. And your ears must have been burning.”

She beamed. “I love being the center of attention. Tell me what they said.”

“Nope. That’s what you get for not being here to have my back.”

“Mom’ll tell me.”

Probably. His mother loved to complain about his aunt.

As if on cue, Aunt Debra leapt to her feet and approached the altar. “We’ll have to do it again. You didn’t practice lighting the unity candle.”

Blair headed back into the sanctuary, followed so closely by Neil it was a wonder he didn’t step on her shoes. “We’re not lighting a unity candle.”

Debra put her hands on her hips. “And why on earth not?”

Clearly gunning for a battle, Blair stopped in the middle of the aisle, her hands on her hips. “Because we chose not to have one.”

“How could you not have a unity candle?” his aunt asked, as though it were the most preposterous idea in the world. “Don’t you want your marriage to be unified?”

“Of course we want our marriage to be unified, but lighting a damn candle won’t make a bit of difference.”

Debra gasped and rushed over to her big purse, pulling out the cursing jar. One of the plastic ears had caved in, and the cat’s belly was bulging, presumably from all the money stuffed inside. “I can’t believe you cursed in the Lord’s house!” She held it out in front of her and shook it, causing the money to rattle around inside. “That’s five dollars!”

“What in God’s name is that?” Kelsey whispered.

“Aunt Debra at her best.”

Blair shook her head and pointed at the kitty. “I’m not putting five dollars in that damn jar!”

Debra gasped, her eyes flying wide. Her face turned red, and she spat out, “I’ve resigned myself to Neil marrying a foul-mouthed woman, but the least you could do is try to watch your tongue in church. Your mother should have raised you better.”

Blair’s body tensed, and Garrett dropped Kelsey’s arm and took an instinctual step forward. As protective as Blair had always been toward her mother, this was bound to end badly.

“Mom,” Neil warned.

“Why are you marrying her, Neil?” she demanded. “Why can’t you find a nice girl who will take care of you and give you babies?”

“Mom!”

“Where’s her mother, Neil? She couldn’t even bother to show up for her daughter’s rehearsal. If she were any kind of mother at all, she’d be here washing her daughter’s mouth out with soap.”

Blair took several steps toward the woman, her face frozen into one of her most intimidating looks. The older woman had the sense to take a step back.

Blair’s eyes were cold as ice. “You can say whatever you like about me, but don’t you dare talk about my mother in a derogatory manner ever again. Have I made myself clear?”

The woman nodded, her body shaking.

Blair spun around and stomped out of the sanctuary.

Neil clenched his fists. “If you ruin this for me, I’ll never forgive you, Mother.” Then he spun around and hurried out of the church. “Blair!”

Kelsey moved next to Garrett. “He loves her, Garrett,” she whispered. “You need to let this go.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Kels. He thinks the two of them are going to be some sort of power couple, and he’s already counting the future money he hopes she’ll make. Add to that the fact that she doesn’t require much of his time and attention and the reality that he’ll be taking the woman he knows I want, and he’s become like a rabid dog who won’t let go,” he snarled under his breath. “Love doesn’t compute in that equation at all.”

“What an ass.” Her words weren’t very loud, but they bounced around in the silent sanctuary.

Debra’s eyes narrowed. “Kelsey Lowry, you’re just as vile as that girl who’s trying to steal my boy.”

Kelsey laughed. “You don’t scare me, Aunt Debra. And if you don’t like Blair, then I know I’m gonna love her.”

“She’s lowlife trash, and I’m gonna put a stop to this.”

While Garrett appreciated her goal, he was livid over her assessment of Blair’s character. And he wasn’t the only one.

“
Excuse me?
” Libby demanded, stalking down the aisle toward the woman. “Did you just call Blair
lowlife trash?
” Her eyes were wild, and her hands had fisted at her side.

Megan rushed after her and put her hand on her shoulder. “Libs, she’s not worth it. Let’s go.”

Libby shook her off and gave Debra her full attention. “You have no idea what Blair’s been through. Her family had money until her father divorced her mother to marry one of his mistresses and left his family destitute.”

“I wasn’t even talking about her money. I was talking about her filthy mouth.” The older woman lifted her chin. “But if her father was a cheater, then all the more reason for Neil not to marry her. Cheating runs in her family’s blood.”

Megan gasped, and Libby’s eyes filled with rage.

“
Are you kidding me?
” Libby raged.

“Libby.” Garrett’s firm voice cut her off. “Go find Blair.”

She sucked in several short breaths as she continued to stare his aunt down.

“Come on, Libs. Don’t do this to Blair,” Megan said, grabbing Libby’s arm and tugging. “Garrett’s right. Let’s go find her.”

Mitch looked baffled as he watched the scene, but Noah knew exactly what to do. When Libby continued to refuse to let Megan drag her out of the church, he walked over to them and stared her down. Finally she let Megan turn her toward the door, and Noah murmured comforting words to her, coaxing her down the aisle. He looked back at Neil’s mother. “If Blair’s smart, she’ll run far and fast to get away from you.”

She gasped. “Well, I never . . .”

“Do you think she will?” Kelsey asked Garrett.

“Not a chance. Blair loves a good fight. She’ll marry him for the sake of pissing her off.”

Aunt Debra had probably made his mission ten times harder.

Blair paced back and forth in the parking lot, stomping her feet so hard her soles hurt. “I can
not
believe her.”

Neil leaned against the trunk of his car as he watched her. “Blair, I’m sorry.”

“Who the hell does she think she is?”

He stood and moved in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. “You have to know I don’t approve of what my mother said.”

She studied his face, where she saw undeniable frustration.

“Blair.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll tell her she can’t come to the wedding.”

Her brow rose as some of her anger faded. “You would do that?”

“For you? Yes.”

He wasn’t acting like himself again, which only caused her anxiety to rise. He’d been trying so hard to prove himself to her, but while that should relieve her fears, it was sending her into a near panic attack.

“I love you, Blair.” He sounded desperate. “You have to know that.” She gave him a tight smile, but she let him pull her into his arms. He stroked the back of her head. “I don’t want to lose you.”

If the situation were reversed, she knew she wouldn’t have pled with him like he was doing with her. Was that another sign she didn’t really love him, or was it just a character flaw?

“I know things with my family have been unbearable. I’m sure Garrett throwing himself at you hasn’t helped.”

She couldn’t handle discussing Garrett, but she had no trouble discussing Debra. She pulled loose. “How long have you known that she hates me?”

“She doesn’t hate you.”

“Okay, strongly dislikes me.”

He sighed.

“Lying serves no purpose, Neil. She made her feelings perfectly clear. I can only presume she’s felt this way all along. I only need you to confirm it.”

He leaned his ass against the trunk of the car. “She’s old-fashioned. I have no control over her behavior. Just like you had no control over your father’s.”

Anger burned in her chest. “Don’t you bring him into this.”

“Why not? Isn’t he part of the reason we’re standing here in the parking lot arguing instead of inside with our family and friends?”

She shot him a glare. “We’re out here arguing because of your mother’s bitter tongue.”

“And that’s our only problem? At least we only have to visit my mother from time to time. Your father is haunting us from his grave. Isn’t he part of the reason you’re so cold and unfeeling?”

She gasped.

“Deny it.”

She couldn’t. Everything he’d said was true.

“I know your faults, yet I’m still here.” He stood and moved closer to her. “Why can’t you just admit it? You need me.”

She shook her head.

“It’s not a weakness to need someone.”

He was wrong. It was the worst kind of weakness.

“I don’t
need
you, Neil. We have a relationship based on mutual respect and companionship. That’s all this has ever been. It’s all we’ve ever needed.”

He stared at her, anger darkening his eyes. “Sometimes you can be such a bitch, Blair.”

His words drew blood on her already aching psyche. She clenched her hands into fists and stared into his eyes. “You’ve just now figured that out? Where the hell have you been the last two years?”

They stood in silence. Anger rippled across his face.

“Maybe we should just call this all off,” she finally said.

“You’ve said you don’t need me, but that’s not entirely true, is it? If you don’t go through with this wedding, you’ll lose your job.” He took a step toward her and looked down at her with cold eyes. “So maybe you need me more than you think you do.” He stated it like a threat, and in that moment, she felt she really didn’t know him—that maybe this was her first sight of the real Neil.

“Go to fucking hell, Neil.”

He cursed under his breath and stomped over to his car. Then, without a backward glance, he got in, backed his car out of the parking space, and took off, his tires squealing on the pavement.

“Blair?” Megan called out her name, sounding panicked.

Her eyes sank closed. She loved Megan and Libby like the sisters she’d never had, but the last thing she could handle right now was their hovering and mothering. She spun around to face them as they strode toward her.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m fine.”

“Like hell you are.” Libby looked furious, but Blair knew her friend’s anger wasn’t directed at her. Still, when Libby reached for her, she ducked her embrace and took several steps back.

“No.”

“Blair,” Megan pleaded. “Let us help you.”

“I don’t need any help!” Her shouts echoed in the parking lot, and the guests pouring out of the church could hear her hysterics. Her brewing panic was close to exploding, inflamed by the knowledge that she was about to make a spectacle of herself. “I have to get out of here.” She looked around. “Where’s my purse?”

Megan gave her a patient look. “We’ll get it. Or we can take you to get it.”

“Blair.” Garrett’s voice broke through the rest of the noise like a beacon, and then she saw him, making his way across the parking lot toward her.

She froze, tears burning her eyes, waiting for his pity or contempt, but neither of those emotions were apparent on his face or in his voice.

Her chest tightened, and she fought to catch her breath. “I have to get out of here,” she whispered raggedly.

“You need a ride?” he asked, walking past her two best friends. He glanced over at them, and they both nodded. “Let me take you.”

“You helped get me into this mess,” she choked past the lump in her throat.

His face softened. “I know. All the more reason for you to let me give you a ride.”

“This doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with you.”

He forced a smile and held his hands up in surrender. “I can live with that.” Then he motioned toward his car. She walked past him, opened the passenger door, and climbed in, knowing her friends would take care of her purse.

The driver’s door opened, and he settled into the seat and started the engine. “Where to?”

“Just drive.”

He did as she’d asked, driving toward the entrance to the parking lot. Blair heard Neil’s mother shouting her name, but both of them ignored her. She leaned her elbow on the door and rested her forehead in her hand.