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Aaron and his father, Cyrus, were standing near the entrance of the tent chatting. An old classmate, Douglas Hanover, walked past them, heading in Melissa’s direction. Before she knew what she was doing, Melissa was jumping to her feet and practically throwing herself into Douglas’s path.
“Douglas?” she all but squealed. “Douglas Hanover!”
“Melissa?” His eyebrows raised as a question flashed in his eyes.
“Yes, it’s me.” She beamed at him. “Oh my goodness, it’s been so long.” She hugged him and noticed that he was stiff for a moment before hugging her back. “I see you on television all the time,” she said as they pulled apart. “I always trust your forecasts.”
“You watch me on the morning news?”
Douglas was employed by a network in New York City, and Melissa watched him every morning as she got ready for work. “Every day,” she said. “I’m in Newark.”
“Ah, okay.”
She glanced beyond Douglas’s shoulder at Aaron, trying to not make it obvious that she was looking at him. He was staring at her, watching her with curiosity. Even when she’d left him and joined her sister and Tasha, she’d noticed Aaron looking at her here and there.
“You always said you wanted to be a weatherman,” Melissa said and grinned widely. Did she look idiotic? Or like a woman flirting with a potential new guy?
Aaron and his father were walking toward the front of the tent now—and heading right in her direction. “We should get together for coffee sometime,” Melissa said to Douglas, speaking loudly enough for her voice to carry. “I get into the city quite a bit.”
“That would be awesome,” Douglas said. “Here, meet my wife.” Douglas extended an arm, and a gorgeous woman Melissa had noticed heading in their direction sidled up next to him. “This is Diana. She’s one of the producers of the morning show.”
“Oh...” Melissa wanted to slink into her chair. Not because she cared that Douglas had a wife. She was happy for him. But because she had hoped to find someone—anyone—with whom she could flirt. There was something about the intense gaze Aaron had been leveling on her that had her distinctly uncomfortable. If she had someone else with whom she could spend some time, maybe he would throw his wandering eyes in someone else’s direction.
“Very nice to meet you,” Melissa said, shaking the woman’s hand.
Diana’s smile seemed forced, and Melissa couldn’t blame her. To her, Melissa must have seemed like a threat. A woman determined to pounce on her husband.
“Lovely to meet you as well,” Diana said, her voice professional and poised but lacking sincerity. “Sweetheart, we should go get our seats.”
“Of course,” Douglas said. “Melissa, we’ll talk later.”
No, they wouldn’t. Melissa had already made a fool of herself. She felt bad for her pathetic display of flirtation, but seeing Aaron had gotten to her.
She glanced at her old flame again, saw that he was indeed looking at her even as he spoke to another guest. She quickly sat back down.
“What was that about?” Arlene asked, her gaze following Douglas.
“I just... I guess I reacted as a fan,” Melissa lied. “I watch him on television every morning.”
Arlene didn’t look entirely convinced, but Melissa was saved from having to answer any more questions when Ryan began to speak again.
“Thank you, everyone, for taking your seats,” Ryan said as the last of the stragglers found their tables. “And thank you all for being here. Isn’t it a great day?”
People clapped, and some cheered.
“Tasha and I are glad that the sun is shining and that the forecast for the weekend is clear skies all around. I put in a special request to Douglas, and he delivered!”
There were chuckles among the crowd, and Douglas waved a hand.
“But more importantly,” Ryan went on, “Tasha and I are happy that each and every one of you is able to join us for our special occasion. This wedding wouldn’t be the same without you here. So we thank you so much for taking time out of your schedules to be a part of this.”
“There’s nowhere else we’d rather be,” someone said, raising a wineglass.
There was a round of hear hears, and people raised their glasses in turn.
Ryan smiled. “Many of you here are in the wedding party, and some of you are dear family and friends. All of you are important in our lives in some way. So this welcome dinner is as much about thanking you all for being here with us as it is a cause for celebration.”
Aaron slipped into the seat beside Melissa. She twirled the stem of her wineglass, pretending she hadn’t noticed.
“Some of you asked why we’re not having the wedding here,” Ryan continued. “And this is certainly a stunning location. But aside from the fact that this house might not hold all the guests my wife-to-be wanted to invite...” Ryan glanced down at Tasha, who was now seated, and she gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s also very important to Tasha and to me that we have our wedding in a church. We want God’s blessing on our union, and we feel that’s the right way to do it.”
“Amen,” Cynthia Burke said. Beside her, Cyrus patted her hand.
The one thing that Melissa had always liked about Cyrus and Cynthia was their absolute devotion to each other. Even as a child, she had seen how much they loved each other. How odd that their sons had become such players, despite the example of their loving and doting father.
Why was she even thinking about this?
But she knew why. She could feel the heat emanating from Aaron’s body beside her, and it was stressing her out.
Tasha got to her feet and took the microphone from Ryan’s hand. “But despite the number of people attending the wedding, it will still have an intimate feel. Because we love each and every one of you so much. Blood or not, you’re all family.”
Melissa lifted the bottle of Riesling that was on the table and poured some into her glass. A whiff of Aaron’s cologne, musky and masculine, wafted into her nostrils. The heat from his body continued to radiate toward her, and she had to swallow.
He was entirely too much man. The problem was, he knew it.
She should be counting her lucky stars that their relationship had fallen apart. God forbid, what if they’d gotten married? He would’ve broken her heart the way he had Ella’s.
Ella had fought so hard to snag a Burke brother, no doubt for the bragging rights, but she’d had to endure Aaron’s infidelity. Successful soccer player, wanted by many women around the world—it was no wonder that he had such an inflated sense of ego and had not been able to remain faithful.
At least Melissa had avoided that very life, a life she would not have been able to deal with. She didn’t care how successful a man was; she demanded fidelity. She would not stand by her man as he cheated on her, just to keep the facade of a happy home and to maintain whatever luxuries she had become accustomed to. Material things didn’t matter when your heart was breaking over and over again.
“Melissa, will you pass the wine?” Aaron asked.
A simple request, yet Melissa wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard him. But a nanosecond later, she knew the evening would be that much harder if she played this game.
So she raised the bottle and poured him a glass.
Carlton appeared at the table then and took a seat on her right. She had already learned that he would be paired with her sister for the wedding.
“Melissa Conwell,” Carlton said, smiling warmly at her. “It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you as well,” Melissa said, and she was glad that she had Carlton to chat with. It saved her from having to spend more time talking to Aaron.
“I can see that the staff is itching to take over,” Ryan said, glancing at a man standing off to the side who was dressed like a butler. “But despite the table numbers, I’d like to ask that the table with my parents, grandparents and our gracious hosts for this evening, my uncle Cyrus and aunt Cynthia, make their way to food line first. Please, everyone, give them a round of applause.”
People clapped as two generations of Burkes stood. They acknowledged the guests with warm smiles before making their way over to the food.
A hum of chatter filled the tent. Wilma, Tasha’s aunt, was seated with them because she was in the wedding party, and Melissa was glad that she was. Wilma was a talker, the type who liked to be the center of attention. She regaled the table with a story about how she’d been out with one of her sons in Buffalo and people thought they were dating. Wilma was in her fifties, but looked no older than her late thirties. She loved that no one was able to guess her age.
“So, Melissa,” Aaron said.
She started to turn toward him, but the butler called their table then, announcing that they could proceed to get their food.
Melissa was the first one to jump up.
Anything to escape Aaron.
Chapter 5
She was ignoring him.
Aaron had made that determination shortly into dinner, when Melissa turned her attention to those on her right and kept it there throughout the night. She threw her head back and laughed many times, as though the conversation on that side of the table was utterly fascinating. She barely threw him a second glance as she proceeded to have the time of her life engaging with everyone at the table but him.
Which meant only one thing. She was angry with him. Maybe she even hated him.
Almost twelve years had passed since he’d last seen her, and apparently those years had not been long enough to bury any animosity between them. He had hoped that now, years later, with both of them more mature, they could rekindle their friendship. Even though things had fallen apart between them, he’d missed her friendship.
She had been a godsend in his life that summer when they’d dated, especially when he had been able to open up about the tragedy that had shaped his life. His little sister, Chantelle, had drowned. On his watch. He’d never been able to forgive himself.
Every great milestone he’d achieved had been marred by guilt. Good things were happening for him, yet Chantelle was dead. Did he actually deserve happiness when it was his fault that his sister had drowned?
That dark cloud had hung over him his whole life, even now, no matter how hard he’d tried to shake it.
That night he’d opened up to Melissa, she’d assured him that he did deserve love, happiness and success. And he had so wanted to believe her. Their relationship had seemed perfect, but perfect never lasted, did it? He’d learned that with Chantelle, so before it was too late, he’d ended the relationship with Melissa.
“Did you try the cheesecake?” Arlene asked, extending the plate of bite-size desserts past Carlton and toward Melissa. “This is to die for.”
“No, let me try one.”
Melissa took the plate of desserts, plucked a cherry cheesecake, then placed it beside the fruit on the small plate she already had. She didn’t bother to extend the dessert plate to Aaron; she just put it down.
Aaron smirked slightly. Yeah, she was upset with him.
At the front of the tent, Ryan stood and spoke into the microphone. “Just so you all know, the party’s not over. Please join us for some dancing. DJ, hit it!”
The next instant, a funky old school tune exploded from the speakers. People were standing, sitting or chatting, and some now made their way out of the tent, jiggling their bodies as they did.
“Please, enjoy the bar, the dance floor, the music,” Ryan went on. “The dinner is over, but the night is young. And the wedding is in two days, so you can sleep in tomorrow.”
Melissa quickly got up from the table and walked over to Arlene. They shared some conversation that Aaron couldn’t hear. His eyes were on her, watching her every move.
She was mesmerizing. She was as enthralling as she had been when he’d known her years ago. If she had come here hoping to avoid him, she should have picked anything other than the sexy red dress she was wearing. Because she had his attention. And he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She was the most gorgeous woman here.
The dress was stunning. The formfitting, stretchy fabric highlighted her hourglass figure. She was the epitome of a sexy vixen, with those large breasts, narrow waist and voluminous hips. The black pumps she was wearing had a streak of red on the underside, and Aaron found himself thinking about sex.
With her.
As soon as he could get her naked.
Her hair was pulled up into a chignon and he wished more than anything that he could hold her in his arms, release the hairpins and let those raven strands down. He was tired of her frosty reaction to him, and he wanted to help her warm up to him and unleash her inner vixen.
The first song faded into another upbeat tune. “Ooh, that’s my song!” Bonnie exclaimed. She took both Melissa and Arlene by the hand and pulled them out from the tent. The three women made their way to the dance floor that had been set up while everyone ate dinner. Aaron watched them go, his eyes fixed on the shapely figure in the red dress.
Out of nowhere, his brother Keith, younger by a year, appeared and plopped himself down on the chair that Melissa had vacated.
“Have you finalized the plans for the bachelor party?” Keith asked.
Aaron nodded. “The limo’s arriving at eleven.”
“And he knows nothing about it?”
“Ryan is clueless.”
Keith smiled. “Good.”
* * *
Melissa had had enough, and she kicked off her heels. She wiggled her bare toes, hoping to bring circulation back into them. The shoes were beautiful, one of her rare splurges, but she could only wear them for so long. She had passed the threshold of comfort quite some time ago. There was no way she could continue on the dance floor in these.
“Whoever invented high heels wanted to torture women,” Melissa said above the music. She was dancing with Arlene now, as Bonnie had bopped off somewhere else.
“That’s why I wear flats as much as I can,” Arlene said, then raised a foot to show her sensible flat sandals.
Melissa typically did sensible, but today, she’d wanted to do something different. Wanted to come back to Sheridan Falls and make a certain someone realize what he’d missed out on. The beauty of it was, Aaron could only look but not touch, because he was married.
Speaking of married, where was his wife? She hadn’t been here all evening.
Arlene leaned close and asked, “Are you going to the bachelorette party?”
“I’m here, so I guess I’m going to join everyone as we make the rounds.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it.” Arlene frowned. “Craig says he’s busy tonight, and he’s giving me a hard time about being a neglectful mom. I might have to pick up Raven from the babysitter’s.”
“Neglectful mom? What the heck is he talking about? You’re an awesome mother.”
“He’s just...he’s finding any excuse to pick a fight with me. I don’t know if I have it in me tonight to argue with him.”
“How’s he even going to know if you go out?” Melissa asked.
Arlene’s lips twisted as she looked at her. “This is a small town, remember?”
Her sister was right. The smallest of news spread like wildfire in this town.
“He’s been on my case about having the babysitter watch her too much. I don’t know how he expects me to hold down a job...”
“Why don’t you ask Mom and Dad to watch her?” Melissa suggested. “He can’t complain about doting grandparents.”
“They’re always coming through for me. Sometimes I feel guilty for leaning on them too much. I don’t know. Tonight I might just stay home.”
Melissa’s eyebrows shot up as she looked into Arlene’s eyes, trying to gauge her sister’s mood. “Everything okay? Is there more going on than you’re telling me?”
Arlene shrugged. “I’m just a little bit stressed. Working, being a single mom...it’s not easy.”
“All the more reason for you to come out with us tonight and enjoy yourself.”
Melissa knew that the plan was to head to Buffalo and make the rounds at several bars. Tasha was ready for her big night, complete with an outfit that would let everyone know she was a single woman about to be married. The bridesmaids were going to treat her to her last big hurrah, so to speak. Perhaps there would be some flirting, but nothing outrageous. They weren’t going to have strippers or anything like that. Just enjoy a great time bonding before Tasha’s big day.
“I’ll see,” Arlene said with a shrug.
The music had changed from a hip-hop beat to something slow, and Melissa watched as Ryan pulled Tasha into his arms in the middle of the dance floor. A smile tugged at Melissa’s lips. It was nice seeing her cousin so happy.
“Mind if I steal you?”
Melissa’s spine stiffened. Certainly Aaron was not speaking to her.
Swallowing, Melissa glanced up and over her shoulder and saw that her ears had not been playing tricks on her. “Steal me for what?” she asked.
“To dance with you.”
Was he out of his mind? “Arlene and I are discussing something.”
“No, you go on,” Arlene said. “Dance. I’ll talk to you in a little bit.”
“But...” Melissa’s protest died in her throat when Arlene smiled at Aaron, then headed off the dance floor.
Melissa wanted to scream at her sister. Why would she encourage Aaron dancing with her? She knew how much he had hurt her years ago. Besides, he was a married man, so dancing to a slow tune with him was inappropriate.
Aaron stepped forward and slipped his arms around her waist. Melissa stood as still as a rock.
“I won’t bite,” Aaron said, trying to urge her body to sway to the music. Then he leveled a charming smile at her.
Melissa could almost imagine his unspoken words. Unless you want me to...
Oh, he thought he was smooth!
Because she knew it would look ridiculous to stand ramrod straight while Aaron tried to lead her in a dance, Melissa moved with him. But she eased her body backward as far as possible so that people watching them wouldn’t get any crazy ideas. The last thing she needed was to come back to town and be embroiled in any sort of scandal.
“So,” Aaron began, “we finally have a moment to talk.”
Melissa said nothing.
“Are you still going to give me the silent treatment?”
Melissa made a face as she looked at him. “What are you talking about? We’ve talked all evening.”
He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. “You’ve barely said anything to me.”
“I don’t know what you expect me to say. I haven’t seen you in years.”
“True.” Aaron was silent for a moment as he turned with her, edging her ever closer against his body as he did. He leaned in and said softly, “It really is good to see you again. You look amazing.”
Melissa glanced up at him. She felt a tingle of warmth as she saw the expression in his eyes, something that looked a lot like attraction.
He held her gaze for a long moment, and God help her, the warmth turned to a searing heat. Why was he looking at her as though he wanted to...
To kiss her?
No, she must be imagining things. Maybe he was just fascinated that he was seeing her again. Maybe there was even some level of regret on his part, knowing that he’d let a good woman go. She could only imagine what his life was like with Ella. Despite that Aaron was rumored to be a playboy, she couldn’t imagine that Ella made his life easy.
But that had been his choice, hadn’t it?
The reality that he’d rejected her hit her anew, killing any bit of physical attraction she was feeling.
When was this song going to end? She couldn’t handle this anymore.
“It certainly looks as though life is treating you well,” Aaron said.
“It is,” Melissa said, exaggerating the excitement in her tone. “My life is amazing. I have no complaints.”
“That’s good to hear. I always wanted good things for you.”
Melissa wanted to roll her eyes and tell him not to be patronizing. What, did he think she’d lived a boring and unhappy life because he hadn’t been with her?
“You’re single?”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not happy.”
Aaron looked at her askance. “I didn’t say that.”
No, he hadn’t. Melissa was being far too sensitive. She inhaled deeply and told herself to calm down.
“I’m glad you’re happy, that life is going well for you.”
“Thank you.” Though Melissa didn’t want to be conversing with Aaron, she figured she ought to offer something to the conversation. “And you’ve been very successful. Soccer worked out well for you.”
“It did, yes.”
“Well, that’s what you always wanted. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Aaron released her to take her by one hand and twirl her around. Then he pulled her close again. “You know, when I found out you were going to be in the wedding party, I asked Ryan to make sure we were paired up.”
Melissa couldn’t help gaping at him. “You did?”
“I figured it’d be fun.”
Was he out of his mind? Fun? Was that what this was to Aaron? A game?
She didn’t know what was going through his mind. Maybe he was flirting with her because he was one of those guys who wanted to feel that no woman could resist him.
The very fact that he was dancing with her like this was disrespectful to Ella.
Again, Melissa wondered where she was. How had the Ella she’d known in high school given up this opportunity to gloat on the arm of her husband?
Aaron splayed his fingers across her back, making her skin tingle. He pulled her close as the slow song came to an end, and for one insane moment, Melissa reveled in the feeling of her body pressed against his. She luxuriated in the heat that consumed her.
But only for a moment.
Because the next instant, she pushed herself backward, though he refused to release her.
“I think that’s enough,” she said, looking up into his eyes. Why did he keep looking at her with that smoky gaze, as though he wanted nothing more than to get naked with her?
“It’s not nearly enough,” Aaron replied.
Melissa glanced around uncomfortably, certain that she would see disapproving gazes everywhere. Instead, she saw Tasha looking at her with happy curiosity.
“Maybe this is just your...way,” Melissa said distastefully, “but I’m not going to become a point of gossip for this town.”
“We’re dancing,” Aaron said, and when Melissa tried to extricate herself from his grasp, he used the opportunity to twirl her around again.
Oh, he was infuriating!
Even though the tempo of the new song was upbeat and didn’t lend itself to slow dancing, Aaron snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her against his body. Despite her irritation with him, a fresh wave of heat washed over Melissa. She looked up at him, aghast, and saw that the edges of his lips were curled in a grin. He thought this was funny!
“Aaron, that’s enough,” Melissa said, her voice firm. She knew what would happen tomorrow. Phones all across town would be ringing, people gleefully sharing the news that Melissa Conwell had been getting all cozy with Aaron Burke at the welcome dinner for the wedding.
Finally, Melissa wiggled her way out of Aaron’s arms and glanced around, trying once again to ascertain just how much of a spectacle she’d become.
“What’s the matter?” Aaron asked.
Melissa guffawed. “You’re not serious.”
“I’m dead serious. I was hoping you’d be happy to see me.”
Melissa wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but instead she forced a neutral look onto her face. Leaning forward, she said in a low voice, “I know that you’re used to women fawning all over you, but this isn’t Europe, where no one cares. This is Sheridan Falls. Everyone here knows you’re married.”
Instead of looking even a little embarrassed for his unflattering behavior, Aaron chuckled.
“I can’t believe you think this is funny. Consider your wife. And what people will say. By tomorrow, all seven thousand residents in this town will be talking about us and our disrespectful behavior on the dance floor.”