Blissed (Misfit Brides #1) Page 30
“Mommy!” Noah darted through the mass of CJ’s family and launched himself at Natalie. He was perfect, in a T-shirt that matched theirs, CJ’s Falcons cap still on his head, still holding a piece of CJ’s heart, even if he didn’t know it.
Natalie snagged him in midair and lifted him for hugs and kisses. They whispered to each other, private things CJ couldn’t hear over his sisters’ yapping, and CJ had an ugly moment of being jealous of a four-year-old.
“You know what the marching band between acts made me think of? That time we had to hide Sage’s violin bow.”
“You mean times?”
“Shut up! I wasn’t that bad.”
“Saffron! Dylan! You guys should talk to the person in charge of entertainment here. You could get Billy to perform next year.”
“Yeah, and he could do commercials for Pepper’s boutique.”
CJ spun on them.
“You guys,” Pepper hissed. “Hush.”
Hush was right. That was still Natalie’s boutique they were talking about.
One by one, between CJ’s glare and Pepper’s admonishment, they went silent save for one tiny voice.
“So CJ’s like my dad today, huh?”
And that’s when CJ noticed Fiona and Bob nestled between Basil and Lindsey at the edge of the group.
“No, honey,” Natalie said softly. “CJ will always be your special friend, but Mommy’s just helping him out right now.”
Special friend. That felt wrong too.
“Since his real wife died?” Noah said.
Natalie nodded.
“So he’s gonna leave us again like last time?”
CJ’s heart took a running leap without a parachute. He jerked his head at Pepper.
“Lunchtime,” she announced. She grabbed Poppy’s shoulder with one hand and Tarra’s with the other and steered them both away from CJ’s car. Ginger and Cinna and Gran were next. “And I have to get back to the shop,” Pepper continued. “Natalie, don’t let him give you any shi—crap.” Rika and Sage and Saffron retreated by themselves. So did Rosemary and Margie, who herded CJ’s nieces. His three brothers-in-law gave him sympathetic man-grimaces. Cori shot a glance at Lindsey and the parental units, who hadn’t moved, but Pepper grabbed her by the arm and hauled her away too, sweeping their parents along with them toward the back of the parking lot.
“They’re fun,” Noah said. “They say dime words.”
Natalie gave Lindsey a sisterly look CJ recognized all too well. There was an invisible ass-chewing going on, something that may have involved exposing Noah to CJ’s family. Or possibly to the Games at all. “You and Noah have lunch plans?”
Noah wriggled in her arms. “We’re going to tea with Mrs. Fi and Mr. Bob.”
“If that’s okay with you,” Fi said quickly.
“Of course.” Natalie’s voice hitched, and unguarded vulnerability flashed through her face. “Noah talks about you a lot. We’d love to see you again after—after we’re settled after Knot Fest.”
Something tingled in CJ’s chest. Felt suspiciously like his heart had found that parachute.
Natalie had just offered Fiona a grandkid. A kid who didn’t have another grandma. And she knew it.
Fiona blinked as rapidly as she nodded. “We would like that. We would like that very much.”
“Come with us, Mom,” Noah said. “Mrs. Fi is gonna order me a dinosaur sandwich at tea! Isn’t that awesome?”
“It is.”
“You can come too, CJ,” Noah said. “There’s enough dinosaur sandwiches to go around.”
CJ’s heart swelled into his throat. He’d obviously been forgiven for abandoning his favorite little buddy. Leaving this kid again would break his heart.
Natalie was giving him the wary eye again. “You up for it?”
So long as he didn’t think about that plane ticket he had for Tuesday. Because even though she was here with him, now, he still wasn’t so sure she would’ve chosen him. He was cheating, using borrowed time to make a few more happy memories before he went back to his life of fun. “Sure.”
Noah pumped a fist in the air, then wriggled out of Natalie’s grasp. “Oh, yeah!” he crooned. “Going for dinosaur sandwiches with my big dudes!”
“Cupcakes for breakfast again?” Natalie said.
Lindsey grinned.
“C’mon, Mom.” Noah grabbed her hand. “Let’s go eat some dinosaurs!”
CJ trailed along behind them. If he couldn’t be alone with Natalie, he had the next best thing.
AFTER LUNCH, Natalie and CJ were almost late getting back to the Games. She had barely had time to brush up her makeup before it was time to go out on the stage with the rest of the wives.
And now that she was there, memories and fears were once again threatening to destroy all that had been wonderful about today.
For this last event, all twenty-eight women were lined up.
The sun beat down on Natalie’s hair and shoulders. Her belly churned much like it had the last time she’d been in this position.
But last time, she’d been wondering how much longer her marriage would last, instead of knowing exactly when this charade would end. She’d thought for sure the love letter challenge would’ve ended things. That CJ would write a love letter to Serena, and that Natalie wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
That instead they’d had lunch together with Noah and Serena’s parents after CJ declined the challenge—no. No, Natalie couldn’t afford that kind of hope.
Nineteen blindfolded husbands had already crossed the stage. Thirteen had kissed the wrong women, and Natalie herself had had the distinct privilege of being groped by Wade Sweeney and kissed by one of the out-of-towners.
Neither of which she’d enjoyed, but both of which she’d handled with significantly more grace than she had five years ago.
She’d also had the distinct privilege of watching her father kiss Marilyn Elias.
On the lips.
Without kissing any other women first.
She hoped Lindsey had shielded Noah’s eyes. Or, better yet, taken him home for a nap instead.
Natalie shifted on her stiff legs. Nine husbands to go.
CJ would be one of them.
Elsie announced Gilbert, and Duke led him up onto the stage. Natalie held her breath until they passed her by.
She’d been doing a lot of holding her breath since CJ hadn’t read a letter.
Because she was starting to hope he might stay.
She wasn’t a fool. She came with the kind of baggage a charismatic bachelor didn’t need. She was mouthy and stubborn and a poor compromiser.
Most important, she didn’t know if he cared for her the way she cared for him. Why would he? She’d banged into his life with an announcement that she hated him for ruining her marriage. She’d worn her Bliss’s Biggest Loser badge with frigid pride every time she’d seen him. He’d taken special care of Noah, and she’d kicked him out of her life because of fear of Marilyn Elias.
CJ was special, and he deserved better.
But he made her feel special. As though she deserved happiness too.
A rowdy cheer went up from the Blue brigade. Elsie announced CJ, and his family cheered even louder. Despite their teasing, they obviously adored him.
As they should’ve.
He arrived onstage with assistance from Duke. Even blindfolded, he appeared comfortable with his surroundings, his cocky half-smile teasing his lips and every available female in the stadium, his stride slow but steady, his limbs loose.
And he was here to kiss her.
The bottom dropped out of her stomach.
She hoped he kissed her.
Only her.
And that when he kissed her, he was thinking about her.
Only her.
If he kissed her, she would kiss him back. She would kiss him back with everything she had. Every last person in the stadium would watch her kiss him, and every last one of them would know she wouldn’t have minded kissing him forever.
Because if he kissed her, he’d also have to stop kissing her, and then the Golden Husband Games would be over, and then she would have to move on.
Ironic how this event in these Games on this stage seemed to always break her life.
He passed the first four wives with barely a waver in his step, Duke at his side counting the women off. On the fifth—Marilyn Elias—CJ paused.
Natalie’s heart stopped.
CJ’s lips twitched up in a move Natalie recognized as his gotcha! smirk.
She pressed a hand to her chest, felt her heart kick into gear again. She was going to kill him.
Several thousand people roared with appreciation.
He passed two more wives. In five, he’d be in front of Natalie.
Four.
Three.
No pausing. Two.
One.
Her lungs quit working. Her heart jumped around her chest like Noah in a bouncy house. He wasn’t going to stop.
He was going to walk right past her.
Make a statement about his wife not being here. He’d walk past every one of them. Give Serena one final bow. She was why he was here.
One more step, and he’d be past Natalie.
His legs kept moving—
Then stopped.
He turned his face toward her, the confident smirk fading away, mild curiosity taking its place.
His nostrils wavered.
As if he could smell her adrenaline pushing her pulse past healthy limits.
“This one,” he said to Duke.
Natalie’s breath caught audibly.
The crowd was screaming. The sun too bright. Her knees as solid as wet lace.
CJ stepped toward her. His hand found her cheek. Natalie’s eyes drifted shut.
He was going to kiss her.
“Good thing we practiced five years ago,” he whispered.
Natalie whimpered out a pathetic laugh, but then his lips were on hers, his hand tangled in her hair, his other hand holding her against him.
And he kissed her. Soft, gentle kisses at first, just his lips brushing against hers.
Enough to satisfy the judges. He could’ve stopped.
He probably should’ve stopped.
But his lips lingered on hers, then his mouth opened, and he suckled at her bottom lip.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and she kissed him back. She kissed him for bringing her father home. She kissed him for rescuing Noah’s dinosaur. She kissed him for every drink he’d poured her at Suckers, for returning her wallet after Lindsey stole it, for talking to her in public even though she told him not to. She kissed him for understanding grief, she kissed him for kissing her itchweed boo-boos, she kissed him for making love to her in the moonlight. She kissed him for hiding in the confessional.
She kissed him for changing her life.
If she never experienced love again, she wanted to put it all into this one, perfect last kiss.
And it was perfect. Hot and long and unrestrained, full of promise and excitement and desire. The kind of kiss that could change a girl’s world.
The kind of kiss that could make him stay.
With her.
She shuddered.
She couldn’t. She couldn’t manipulate him. If he were staying, if he wanted her, he had to want her on his own. For all of who she was. Not because of a kiss.
Not because she made him.
The crowd was too loud, the sun too hot. CJ let her go, but he pressed his forehead to hers. “Jesus, Nat.”
“You may remove your blindfold and stand behind your… person,” Duke said over the crowd.
Natalie flinched.
The statement wasn’t meant to get to her, but it was all getting to her. Dad and Marilyn. The Games. The crowd. The welcome she’d received from the other husbands and wives.
How CJ kissed her like he never wanted to stop.
He lifted his head and blew out a shaky breath, then pulled his blindfold off. She wanted to flinch again under the weight of his stare, the questions and promises and hope lingering between them.
She refused to blink. If there was any chance he wanted to explore this attraction between them, she wouldn’t let fear stop her.
Not with CJ.
Duke cleared his throat.
The as—jerk.
CJ slid him a look, then slipped behind Natalie, one hand at her waist, the other on her shoulder. “That’s a dollar twenty-five,” he murmured in her ear.
She looked back at him while they waited for the next husband. “My language is improving, thank you very much.”
There went his all-CJ grin, lighting up the stage. “Mine’s not.”
She laughed, right there onstage at the Golden Husband Games. And with a roaring crowd all around them, CJ kissed her again.
VULTURES.
Squawking vultures.
The Games were over, and instead of hiding in the nearest corner making out with Natalie—which was CJ’s only priority for the next twenty-four hours—he was stuck in the hospitality tent between his family and her family, with Marilyn Elias thrown in for good measure.
“We’re having dinner at the bistro in an hour,” Arthur was saying to Natalie and Lindsey. “You girls want to join us?”
“Can’t,” Lindsey said, all breezy and natural. “I have to take Nat shopping for a dress for tonight.”
“But—” Nat started.
“And we have exactly ten minutes before her emergency pedicure,” Lindsey said. “We’re late.”
Devil woman. Natalie was CJ’s today. Based on the grip she had on his hand, he didn’t care if she went tonight in a paper sack and ragged nails. She wanted him too.
“I’m gonna help,” Noah said.
Arthur looked between his daughters as though he couldn’t decide whether they’d conspired against him to stay away from Marilyn, or if they were telling the truth, but in the end he shrugged. “We’ll see you at the reception then.”
“Can I go?” Noah tugged on Nat’s hand. “I wanna go to the reception. And see all the pretty dresses.”
Lindsey tugged on Natalie’s other hand, toward the door. “What? Then who’s gonna watch Shrek and eat s’mores with me?”
“Good lord,” Natalie murmured. “More sugar?”
“Take it out on my kids some day,” Lindsey said with a smirk.
For the first time since they’d been swarmed, Nat looked up at CJ. But her exasperation was comforting. At least he wasn’t alone.
“I need to go,” she said to him. “I’m apparently busy right now.”
“Yeah.” He got it. She was a girl. Had to do girly things. Then make sure Noah was taken care of. CJ was temporary. They were her real life. “Anything I can do to help?”
“You can go get ready to treat her like a princess,” Lindsey said. “After nails and shopping, she has to get dressed and do her makeup. And Noah and I have an appointment with a pizza parlor right after, so we need to go. Now.”
They were busy. He’d seen his sisters prep for prom and weddings. He got it. But—
Lindsey winked at him. He glanced down at Nat’s fingers.
He’d seen enough manicures in his life to recognize a fresh manicure when he saw one, which was a skill he hadn’t fully appreciated until this moment. He was willing to bet her toes looked the same.
And since when would Natalie not have a reception dress?
This had setup written all over it.
Huh. He was starting to understand why Huck and Jeremy gave Lindsey free drinks.
CJ touched Nat’s shoulder. When she blinked up at him, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll pick you up in a bit.”
“Don’t be late.”
His groin tightened at the hints and promises coloring her words. “I won’t be.”
“Hot damn, getting warm in here,” Saffron said behind them. “Get a room, you two.”
Marilyn cleared her throat.
CJ resisted giving her the finger.
Natalie laughed a beautiful, rich laugh that put a little more brightness into CJ’s world. He let his sisters swallow him into their group while Nat and Lindsey and Noah walked away. For the first time in four years, he kept up with all the teasing and the jabs and inside jokes flowing around him.
His family annoyed him and irritated him and pushed him.
And he loved it.
Natalie shared a cone with Lindsey and Noah at the Milked Duck Ice Cream Shoppe around the corner from Bliss Bridal while they waited for a text from the neighbors that Dad and Marilyn had left for dinner. Noah’s sugar crash tonight would be epic, but Lindsey would deal with it.
Lindsey dealt with a lot of things. Including making sure that Natalie’s nails were done yesterday.
“Was this planned?” Natalie asked Lindsey while Noah finished off the last of the cone.
“An excuse to get you out of dinner with Dad and Marilyn? Was there any doubt?”
“Me being CJ’s partner. You and Kimmie rigged it, didn’t you?”
“Nat. Seriously?”
Natalie stared at her.
Lindsey stared back.
“God help Kimmie if Marilyn finds out,” Natalie murmured. And God bless Kimmie for stepping aside. The last day—she would remember this until the day she died.
Lindsey’s phone buzzed. “They’re gone. House is yours.” They climbed in to Lindsey’s car. When they reached Dad’s house, Lindsey shoved three condoms in Nat’s hand before pushing her out of the car. “Enjoy,” Lindsey called. She and Noah waved, and then they drove off, leaving Natalie to prepare for the rest of her night.
When she went inside, she left the front door unlocked.
But she’d barely hit the stairs when she heard the knock. With light feet, she dashed back and flung it open.
CJ stood there, devastatingly handsome in a tux, his hair styled as though his sisters had gotten hold of him.
“You alone?” he asked.
She nodded. He stepped inside, shut the door, and then his arms were around her, lifting her against the wall, his lips devouring her. He kissed her mouth, her jaw, her neck.
Natalie wrapped her legs around his hips. “I want you,” she gasped.
“I’m all yours, Nat. All yours.”
He kissed her again and carried her to the bedroom, and just for a little bit, she let herself believe in her own happily ever after.