Page 47 of When You Are Mine

“I couldn’t stop Cam from marrying Kerris now even if I wanted to, which I don’t. I love him, yes, but she makes him happy.”

“Why, Jo? Cam loves you!”

“Like a sister, Walsh. He’s not attracted to me.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.” Jo twisted the ring on her thumb. “Let’s leave it at that.”

“No, what do you mean?”

“He doesn’t see me that way. I put feelers out once or twice. The second time I did it, I wasn’t subtle. He didn’t speak to me for almost a month.” A bitter smile settled around Jo’s full mouth. “I finally went to him and apologized for doing anything to give him the wrong impression. I could see the relief on his face. It took a long time for things to get back to normal.”

“But if—”

“Look, this is useless. I’ve accepted it and have moved on.”

“That look on your face was not ‘moved on,’” Walsh said, more convinced than ever this wedding was a mistake.

He thought this was a love triangle between him, Kerris, and Cam. It had taken on quadrilateral proportions, with Jo adding a new dimension to his fear that this wedding shouldn’t happen. But what could he do? He wanted to charge up those stairs Cam had just left, bang on the door, scoop Kerris up, start running to New York, and make a life for the two of them where no one would bother them.

But they would be bothered.

There were too many people he cared about who’d be left brokenhearted, disappointed, angry, and resentful. Starting with Cam and ending with his own mother.

Walsh could only hope he was wrong about how badly this could turn out. But hope couldn’t make things right. The only thing that felt right was him with Kerris, and with each minute ticking toward tomorrow’s wedding, Walsh knew there wasn’t enough hope in the world to make that happen.

Chapter Eighteen

It’s disgusting how beautiful of a bride you are, Kerris.” Jo shared a small smile with Kerris in the mirror.

Kerris studied herself as a bride for the first time. The exoticism of her own face set in ivory satin and tulle snatched her breath. Her full mouth was painted a deep berry, like ripe fruit. Her amber eyes stared back at her. She’d been called beautiful more than once in her life, but now she felt it truly for the first time. She assumed every woman did on her wedding day.

“Cam may run up the aisle to snatch you.” Jo said it like a joke, but her face held no levity.

“He’s kind of doing that already, isn’t he?” Meredith zipped up her chocolate-colored maid-of-honor dress. “Isn’t he meeting you halfway?”

“Yeah, he is.” Kerris tugged at the neckline, needing something to occupy her. “I didn’t have anyone to give me away. He says it reinforces that we’ll have each other from now on.”

Jo met Kerris’s eyes in the mirror again, and this time the other woman barely caught the tears before they drifted down her cheeks. Kerris knew Jo and Cam were nearly as close as he and Walsh. She must be as happy as a sister would be to finally see Cam settled.

“You love Cam, right, Kerris?” Jo’s voice held such emotion, Kerris found herself blinking back tears, too. “You’ll take care of him, won’t you?”

“Yes, I’ll take care of him, Jo, and yes I love him.” Kerris felt this vow somehow was just as important as the ones she would exchange with her groom.

“It’s time.” Jo’s smile was a mere pull at the corners of her mouth. “Cam’s waiting for you.”

“It’s time?” Kerris’s hand flew to the ivory snood encasing her long, dark fall of hair, the netting barely containing it all.

She had forgone a traditional veil, and was glad to at least feel good about what she was wearing from head toe, including Iyani’s bracelet. She cast one more rueful glance at the cymbidium orchid Jo had insisted wasn’t in keeping with the army of lilies they’d ordered, its velvety yellow petals uselessly beautiful. She picked up the bouquet of lilies Jo had selected.

Kerris crossed the few feet of grass to Cam, who waited halfway down the garden aisle to take her to the preacher. Goose bumps broke out over her skin and a cold trickle of perspiration slid down the center of her back. It was early October, and they were experiencing a classic Indian summer. Summer and fall split custody of the weather, yielding defiant bright sunshine and cool air. It wasn’t just the light breeze cooling her, though. She looked into Cam’s face, so sincere and open and earnest in a way she didn’t deserve. Apprehension trembled along her nerve endings like a premonition. This was permanent. This was forever. An irretrievable promise.

Her eyes snapped to the tall, silent man already waiting at the clearing, facing Meredith. She felt the weight of a hundred pairs of eyes. All eyes but Walsh’s, which were trained on some point over Meredith’s shoulder. Her heart contracted into a tightly muscled ball, frozen between beats. Her feet faltered, causing the tiniest of stumbles.

She looked back at Cam, hating herself for the question unfurling in his blue-gray eyes. She’d always thought of them as thundercloud eyes, not only in color, but the tumult that lay behind them. Ever since she’d accepted his ring, they had been placid and cloudless; they had settled into a peace that had been a long time coming. Her resolve returned. She, whose own parents had not seen her worth, and who had never in all her years as a child inspired one couple to adopt her, brought someone peace. Was necessary to someone’s happiness. Walsh had made people happy all his life, and he had an enviable circle of friends and family, people wanting to be with him, to know him, to cater to him. The world was at his feet; he was a charmed prince oblivious to the void she and Cam had lived with their entire lives.

This is right. This is right. This is right.

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