the father?’”
The meaning of his words sank in. “Oh, no—she let you believe you—”
“Yeah. I enjoyed having a son while it lasted.” There was raw bitterness in his voice now. “Dylan was almost a year old when she said she wanted his real father to raise him.”
She could see the truth on his face. “Y’all loved that little boy.”
“I sure did.”
“I’m sorry, Alex—”
“Don’t be.”
“It’s not pity,” she protested. “I’m sorry for that child because his mother is a moron. Y’all are probably better off, except that you miss that baby.”
“He’s not a baby anymore. It’s been two and a half years.”
“I shouldn’t have made you talk about it. Especially on such a happy occasion.” She looked around and saw that the tables were filling up with people ready to celebrate another couple’s love.
“I’m not sorry.” He tapped his bottle against her glass. “Got you to have a drink with me.”
“That’s true.” Got her to soften a little toward him, too. Maybe more than a little, and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. She finished off her wine and stood. Applause erupted when the bride and groom, hand in hand, walked in with the wedding party trailing behind them. “I need to go find a table.”
“Stay.” Alex reached out and loosely encircled her wrist in his strong fingers. There was surprise in his eyes now, and he didn’t look particularly happy about saying it, but he also didn’t let her go. “I bared my soul. Isn’t that worth a drink and dinner?”
Again, the touch felt so good. The warmth peeled back several layers of protection that hid her loneliness from the rest of the world. It had been so long since a man had touched her, casually or any other way. And nearly as long since she’d allowed herself to consider having dinner with a man. She simply couldn’t make herself pull free.
Sitting back down, she said, “That would be nice.”
If she hadn’t really wanted to stay, it would have been easy to walk away. But she couldn’t walk away and just hoped everything would be fine.
Chapter Two
The reception was just as beautiful as the wedding had been. Adam and Jill had their first dance as husband and wife. His brother, who was the best man, had made a toast to the happy couple. Maggie Potter, the matron of honor, had wished them a lifetime of happiness, and her words were particularly poignant because her own happily-ever-after had been cut short when her husband was killed in Afghanistan.
Dinner was delicious and the red velvet cake cut without incident by the newlyweds, as in no icing had ended up where it shouldn’t have been. Servers were distributing pieces to the seated guests, and Ellie had taken a bite because it would have been bad luck not to. This was an excellent time for her to slip away. She needed to go because of how badly she wanted to stay, and that was all Alex’s fault.
She looked at him as he chewed the last bite of his cake. “It’s been a lot of fun—”
“Don’t say it,” he warned.
“What?”
“That you’re leaving.”
“Maybe I was going to tell you that this is the best wedding I’ve ever been to.”
“No.” He shook his head.
“I could have been planning to say that I was late for plate-spinning practice.”
The corners of his mouth curved up in a heart-stopping smile. “I have a feeling you’re not the plate-spinning type. No, your tone clearly leaned toward preparing for a quick getaway.”
“I had no idea y’all were so perceptive.”
“Well, I am. Lesson number one in not judging a book by its cover.”
“And just how did I do that?”
“You thought I was just another pretty face.”
That made her smile, because she just couldn’t help herself. “Now you’re fishing for compliments, Mr. McKnight. Y’all are attempting to get me to list all the reasons I know you’re an intelligent man.”
His brown eyes sparkled with interest. “You think I’m smart?”
“I know so.” No one would accuse her of exemplary judgment where men were concerned, but she’d worked with him long enough to know he was no dummy. “Y’all handle construction crews with a firm, fair hand. Your budget is running five percent under the estimate, and no one in Blackwater Lake has a single thing to say about your personal life.” And she’d done her subtle, yet level best to pry information out of the crew, but more than one person said there was nothing to tell.
“Maybe I don’t have a personal life.”
“Now you’re underestimating me.” She laughed. “Of course a man like you has one. It’s just not here in town.”
“I’m impressed.” The statement neither confirmed nor denied. “But what do you mean a man like me?”
The kind who slides his arm across the back of a lady’s chair, she thought as he did just that. “A man who’s funny. Handsome. And smart enough to engage me in conversation to distract me from my objective.”
“Which is?”
Her goal had been to leave, but now it was changing, she realized. Right now she was concentrating very hard to not notice how close his fingers were to her shoulder. The cap sleeve of her lavender chiffon full-skirted dress didn’t offer a lot of protection from the warmth of his hand. Tension coiled in her stomach, and her breath caught as she waited to feel his touch.
“I really need to go.”
Just then the music started up again as the DJ announced there would be dancing until the wee hours. Couples drifted onto the temporary wooden floor in the center of the wedding tent.
“How about one dance, then I’ll walk you home?” Alex held out his hand.
Ellie stared at him. Cinderella escaped from Prince Charming after one dance at the ball, then her magic spell fell apart when the coach turned back into a pumpkin. The thought should have strengthened her resolve to go now, but it didn’t. She told herself giving in was the better part of valor.
“All right.” She put her hand into his and he tugged her to her feet.
Alex settled his palm on her lower back as he guided her to the dance floor. Then he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her loosely against him. She put one hand on his shoulder as he folded her other hand in his and rested them on his chest. It was such an intimate gesture that all her female hormones squealed with excitement. They moved easily together in time to the music, as if it wasn’t their first time.
“You’re
