She pulled her hands free and laid one hand against his cheek. She wanted to love him. She just needed time to talk to Brady, sort out this annulment, put the past behind her forever. “I need some more time, Thomas. It feels like we’re rushing things.”
He studied her for a long moment, his expression calm and understanding. “Okay, take all the time you need. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”
He was too good to be true.
Alison pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Thomas.”
Before she could elaborate, Vivica bounced up behind her. “Ali! Hey, look who’s here.”
Alison spun around, her breath whooshing out when she saw Brady standing beside her.
BRADY’S JAW ACHED from forcing a smile on his face. He’d been congratulated by at least a dozen people when he’d gotten off the float. Thankfully, Vivica had rescued him and heralded him through the crowd. Now he knew why. She’d purposely dragged him right to Alison.
When he’d seen Alison kiss Emerson Brady had clenched his jaw harder, bitten his tongue and almost cracked a tooth.
“Dr. Emerson, this is my brother, Brady,” Vivica said, smoothing over the awkward moment by launching into a long diatribe about how she and Brady had known Alison in high school. Brady shook the man’s hand, studying Alison out of the corner of his eye. He tried to read her reaction—hurt, anger, disappointment or a combination of them all?
She had a right to be hurt, he thought. He had broken promises, stopped writing, sent her letters back even after she’d pleaded with him to write and explain what had happened to change his feelings toward her.
She’d be even more disappointed if she knew the truth about him now.
“Brady, aren’t you going to give your old friend a hug?” Vivica nudged him forward. “I swear you and Alison are acting like you’ve never met.”
He forced himself to hold out a hand, his insides clenching when she placed her long slender fingers in his and squeezed. “It’s good to see you again, Alison.”
“Brady.” Her dark expressive eyes flickered with emotions.
“How long are you in town for?” Emerson asked, seemingly unaware of the tension between them.
“About a month.” Brady adjusted his hat, aware that Alison followed the movement. Aware she also saw the long jagged scar on his hand. There were others she couldn’t see. Some he would never reveal to anyone. “Maybe longer.”
Alison’s jaw went slack.
“He came home for the wedding.” Vivica tucked her hand through his arm. “I asked him to run interference between me and Mom with the wedding plans. If it was up to her, I’d have three thousand guests, a full string orchestra, and the ceremony would be televised.”
Alison smiled slightly, obviously trying to recover from the shock of learning Brady planned to stay in town all month. “She reminds me a little of Dad.”
Vivica and Emerson laughed, and Brady gritted his teeth again. Was the man always so damn friendly? It was downright irritating.
“Brady, guess what?” Vivica tugged on his arm. “Alison owns the bridal shop in town, Weddings to Remember. She’s coordinating the wedding for me.”
Brady’s mouth fell open this time, but he quickly snapped it shut.
“Since you offered to pay for the wedding, you’ll need to work with her about finalizing all the details.”
Brady shot Vivica a murderous look. His sneaky, conniving sister had set him up.
A beeper chirped and Emerson checked his, then threw an arm around Alison. “I hate to leave the celebration, but duty calls.” He grinned. “Babies like to pick their own schedule. Of course, it’s usually during the middle of the night.”
He pecked Alison on the cheek, making Brady’s blood boil with all his friendliness and attentiveness, then said goodbye and sauntered away.
“I have to run, too,” Vivica said. “Got to go see if I can find that fiancé of mine so I can introduce the two of you, Brady.”
She flitted away, leaving Alison and him alone.
Alison turned grave eyes to him and he fisted his hands by his sides. He wanted desperately to apologize for the way he’d treated her, to explain about the training exercises that had taken him away for months, the accident that had scarred him for life, his uncertain future, but that would mean explaining about his friend’s death and his part in it.
And he could never tell her or his family about that.
Of course, she’d gotten over him anyway, or she wouldn’t be seeing another man and considering marriage to him.
ALISON BIT DOWN ON her lower lip, furious with Vivica for deserting her. Although Vivica didn’t know the entire story about the wedding and annulment, she did know Alison had written Brady daily. And that he’d broken her heart.
Why would she do this to her?
One of the ladies from church nudged her in passing, and Alison forced her thoughts back to Brady. He was standing ramrod straight, military style, his expression as hard and ungiving as the dry ground beneath her feet. So different from the friendly, easygoing way Thomas looked at her. And the hungry way Brady used to look at her.
The sooner she told him about their little problem the better.
“I…we need to go somewhere and talk.”
His dark brow raised slightly. “Now?”
She could have sworn his voice quivered. “If you have time. It’s…” She twisted her hands in her skirt. “It’s important.”
“Is there a problem already concerning Vivica’s wedding?”
“No.”
He studied her, his lips pressed into an unbending line. “Can’t you say what you have to say here on the street?”
Alison glanced around at the crowd. Oh, no, she didn’t think that would be a good idea. But she might as well ask for the annulment, because Brady certainly didn’t look as if he’d come to rekindle their relationship. “Let’s go to my shop. It’s closed today, so we can speak in private.”
Chapter Three
Brady winced, feeling awkward and absurdly large, as he stepped inside Alison’s frilly bridal shop. The lacy white fabrics and pictures of bridal gowns, invitations and other paraphernalia reminded him of his own wedding to Alison—and the simplicity of their ceremony.
But the vows had still been very real to him.
His hand once again pressed over the inside pocket to make certain her letters were still there, although he knew they were safely tucked within. He checked a hundred times a day. It had become a habit.
She
