He didn’t dare let Ellery know he’d changed his mind. Not after all she’d suffered to be here and all she would likely endure tonight. The least he could do was follow through with the original plan. But he secretly hoped Allegra would ignore him the entire evening.
And if Ellery volunteers to comfort me in my distress, who am I to say no? Holding my hand…an innocent kiss…
He closed his eyes, recalling how good she’d felt in his arms. A perfect fit. As if she belonged there. Too bad she didn’t remember any of it.
An elbow jabbed his ribs, jarring him back to the present.
“Wake up,” his mother rasped. “You were moaning!”
As the audience stood, Logan dropped Ellery’s hand and turned to watch the bride coming up the aisle on the senator’s arm. Logan’s stepdad sent a sneer his direction. Feeling inexplicably lighthearted, Logan responded with a wink and a grin. That it irritated his stepdad only made him laugh.
A flash of lime green caught Logan’s eye. From the back row, Cole Miller waved his prosthetic hand, and Logan let out a relieved breath that his only real friend had made it to the wedding. The ceremony lasted way too long, and Logan let his mind ponder weighty things like why Ellery’s skin was so much softer than his. Was it part of the X-chromosome or some secret lotion? He was about to lift her delicate fingers to his nose to test his theory when he heard her sniffing.
“Why are you crying?” he whispered, hoping she wasn’t having a panic attack.
She swiped at her eyes. “I always cry at weddings.”
Logan nodded as if this made perfect sense. It didn’t. Why would a person cry at a wedding? Especially when the bride and groom were strangers. As far as Logan was concerned, the thought process of a woman remained the world’s greatest mystery.
When the ceremony ended, Cole and his wife, Brooke, waited in line to enter the grand ballroom with Logan, his mom, and Ellery. From the number of phones aimed their direction, Logan assumed people were trying to get snapshots of the famous green-armed Houstonite.
“You may not want to be associated with us tonight,” Logan told Cole. “My mom and I aren’t exactly popular with this group, especially with Duane Edwards.”
“That’s ironic,” Cole said, “since I wasn’t even going to accept the invitation until you mentioned you were coming to this event. You and I are going to talk business tonight. We have a proposition for you.”
Brooke frowned. “I’ll be annoyed if you two talk techno stuff and ignore the rest of us.”
“You’re impossible to ignore.” Cole gave her a devilish grin. “Not only are you beautiful, but your belly is the size of a football stadium.”
Laughing, she pretended to shove him.
“When are you due?” Ellery asked.
“Four more weeks.” Brooke placed her hands on her rounded abdomen. “It’s either Jasper or Tatum. We wanted the gender to be a surprise.”
“I’m hoping for a boy,” said Cole. “I don’t need another woman telling me what to do. Our two-year-old, Nicole, already has me wrapped around her little finger.”
For the first time in his life, Logan tried to picture himself as a dad. Would he be a good father? Or turn out like his stepdad? Unbidden, his thoughts went to Ellery. She was so compassionate, she was bound to be a good mother. As if she read his mind, Ellery glanced up at him and smiled, and his heart leapt in his chest.
How had he become so enamored with this woman in such a short time that a mere smile would make him feel like dancing? He wasn’t kidding himself—he couldn’t possibly have fallen in love in less than two days’ time. On the other hand, he’d never met anyone who made him feel like Ellery did. A woman who accepted him for who he was and gave him nothing but encouragement. Well, maybe she gave him a little lip, but nothing he didn’t deserve. She refused to be pushed around, but she didn’t try to push him around, either. Despite what she’d been through, or maybe because of it, she knew what was important in life. Unwittingly, she’d become the standard by which he would judge every other woman he met. He couldn’t imagine another who would measure up.
Upon reaching the door to the ballroom, Cole made a polite request that their seating arrangements be changed. The wide-eyed steward with the table map scuttered away and returned with the father of the bride, Duane Edwards, in tow.
“Cole, I’m so glad you made it.” Duane wore a benevolent smile. Logan had seen it before, though seldom aimed his direction. “What’s this about you not liking your table? You’ve got the best spot in the house, buddy…up front, right next to mine.
“You’re too kind, Senator. But Brooke and I would like to sit with our friends.” Cole stepped aside and swept his arm back.
Duane’s eyes widened when his gaze fell on Logan and his mother. “I didn’t know you were acquaintances.” Though it left his eyes, his smile was frozen on his lips. He whispered something in the steward’s ear, and the man hurried off.
“We’re beyond acquaintances,” Cole said, slinging an arm around Logan’s shoulder. “A billion dollars or so beyond. Logan and I are friends and business partners. This man’s ideas have been a golden egg for Phantom Enterprises.”
“I had no idea.” Duane scrutinized Logan again, his expression conveying something akin to lust. Logan found his hand being shaken by the politician. “You know, Cole, Logan and I go way back. In fact, he and my daughter dated quite seriously at one point. You should talk to her, Logan. I’m sure she’d love that.”
Logan wrenched his hand away. “Duane, have you met my date, Ellery Akins?”
The senator gave Ellery a cursory perusal, his gaze lingering on her scarred cheek before dropping down to her necklace, his eyebrows arching as he sent a questioning look to Logan. For the first time, Logan questioned the wisdom of adorning Ellery in the extravagant necklace. As Houston’s largest diamond dealer and exclusive jewelry designer, his stepdad would take it as a slap in the face, which was fine with Logan. But he hadn’t considered that his stepfather’s friends would recognize the insult. Logan didn’t want Chester’s ire aimed at Ellery.
Duane turned back to Cole. “When are you going to give me that endorsement, Cole?”
“Well, Senator…” Cole laid a casual hand on his shoulder. “I’m still waiting for you to push that handicap research and aid bill out of committee and up for a vote.”
“Ow!” The senator winced, squirming away from Cole.
“Sorry, Duane. Shrek must’ve squeezed too hard.” Cole said, in a tone that sounded like he wasn’t sorry at all.
“Shrek?” Duane rubbed his shoulder.
“That’s his name.” Cole wiggled his green fingers. “Poor Shrek doesn’t have any tactile feedback. If only we had more money going into prosthetic advances, that sort of thing wouldn’t happen.”
“You need to be patient. These things take time.”
“Should I be talking to Mike Gonzales?”
“We’ll get it done,” said Duane, paling when Cole mentioned his opponent. “I’m counting on that endorsement.”
The steward returned. “We have your new table ready, Mr. Miller.”
