part of the reason their company had made a mark in the world of flower retailing. Jenna had organized red-carpet launches for the past two new blooms, and Faith’s skills as a florist had ensured the most recent, the Blush Iris, had been presented to best effect, garnering them maximum exposure.
“It’s gorgeous,” Faith said, turning her excited gaze to Jenna. “Since you weren’t firm on a name yet, perhaps we could tie it in? Call it the Bridal Tulip.”
Jenna and Faith fell into a conversation about the flowers, while his parents took the opportunity to welcome Callie into the family, even if only temporarily. Adam watched, until his brothers approached him, blocking Callie from view.
Liam pulled Adam to his feet and clapped him on the back. “I can’t believe you’ll be the first of us to get married.”
“Will be?” Dylan said. “He already is married. We’re going to have to watch his drinking from now on.”
Despite knowing it was a good-natured joke, Adam bristled at the thought of having to be watched like a child by his younger brothers, of all people. He tried to move away, but his brothers had boxed him in.
“You know,” Liam said, pretending to think, “I don’t remember the last time I saw him drunk.”
Dylan grinned. “Now we know why. It makes him feel matrimonial.”
Ignoring them, he shouldered his way past, reached for Callie’s hand and then raised his voice to be heard over the din. “Much as I’d love to stay and enjoy Liam and Dylan’s brand of support, Callie and I have to leave. We’re meeting with her family, as well, tonight.”
Within a few minutes, they had extricated themselves and made it to the car. Yet, even as he started the engine, his shoulders wouldn’t relax. No one liked to have their screwups made into a joke, but still, it had rankled more than it should have for his family to witness the consequences of the only time in years he’d lost control.
And this farce was only just beginning...
* * *
Callie glanced over at her husband’s strong profile, and a shiver raced down her spine. She’d spent most of the day with him, but there was something different about being in close quarters together in the dark cabin of the car. More intimate than a large, bright office and much more personal than a room with his entire family.
She felt the pull of him more strongly here, with nothing to claim her attention but his masculine beauty. His scent. Him.
His hands were firmly gripping the steering wheel and he seemed unsettled.
“That went okay?” she ventured.
“Sure, if you like publically admitting to your drunken mistakes and having them turned into wisecracks by your brothers.”
At the words drunken mistakes, she cringed. Her reaction was stupid since she already knew Adam regretted their marriage, but still, she couldn’t help it. It was like a slap in the face.
No point being squeamish now, especially when it was her job that was forcing them to make their situation public. She sat up straighter. “Let’s put your brothers behind us and move on.”
“Fine with me,” he said, rolling his broad shoulders. “Fill me in on your family so I’m prepared before we arrive. Are they likely to mock? Chase me with a shotgun?”
“No, it’ll be all safe and calm. My parents are both teachers, happily married and loving parents. They’ll want to know the details, but ultimately they’ll support whatever I choose to do.”
“Siblings?” he asked as he smoothly overtook a car full of teenagers who had their music up loud. She tried not to be mesmerized by the way his hands and arms worked to control the car.
“One sister, Summer. She’s also my roommate.” And best friend. In fact, Summer was the only person Callie had told about Adam when she’d returned from Vegas. She’d spilled the beans on the spontaneous wedding, her toe-curlingly handsome new husband and her hope that it might grow into something more one day. A hope that had turned out to be in vain.
“Will she be there tonight?” His voice was deep and rumbling, almost a physical presence in the car.
“She said she’d come for moral support. She already knew about Vegas, and I filled her in on the phone this afternoon, so she’s up-to-date on the plan.”
She and Summer had always been inseparable. Even since she was ten and Summer was eleven, they’d had a plan to conquer the world. As they’d grown up, the plan had changed a few times, but their ambition hadn’t wavered. By the time they’d reached college and found they both had a flair for PR, they’d decided that they’d one day open their own firm, Mitchell and Mitchell. In the meantime, they were working in different firms so they could gather a broader range of skills and contacts. Either one of them making partner would give them the best springboard into their own firm, so it had always been a priority.
Along the way, they were both supposed to find men they loved, but who were also movers and shakers. Men with power and social influence. Men somewhat like the man sitting within touching distance from her now. Her husband.
The remnants of a child’s idea of a successful life could still be seen in their life plan, but it was more than that. It was the American dream. Their parents were comfortably middle-class, and happy with their lot, but Callie and Summer had always dreamed of more.
That she had accidentally ended up married to someone who didn’t want to stay married only set their life plan back a little. But she and Summer would get through this and get back on track after Callie was free to divorce Adam Hawke.
As they neared her parents’ house, she gave directions until they finally pulled up in the driveway. Summer’s car was already here, so they were all systems go.
“What a nice home,” Adam said, his tone polite.
Callie looked at the modest, single-story brick house, conscious of how it must seem to him. The gardens were bursting with flowers, but to Adam’s expert eye, they would be nothing special—daisies and other plants that were easy to grow. And, though she knew he’d come from humble beginnings, it must have been a long time since he’d been inside a house that wasn’t luxurious and stylish. She wondered what he was thinking, but his expression gave nothing away.
“Come on,” she finally said. “Let me introduce you to my family.”
* * *
By the time the mission was complete and they were on their way back to Adam’s car with Summer walking beside them, almost an hour had passed.
“That went quite well,” Summer said brightly.
Callie returned the smile but couldn’t match the wattage. “I think they’re disappointed in me.”
Adam whipped his head around to face her, his dark brows drawn together. “They should be proud of you. Any parent would be proud to have a daughter like you.”
Callie stilled. It was the first compliment Adam had given her since the night of their wedding. And even then, he’d been light on the complimenting front. It sent a happy buzz through her bloodstream, to her fingers and toes, and
