Page 19 of Always a Bridesmaid

“Why are you acting so weird?”

“You left my best friend waiting in your car. You’d think Mum raised you in a pasture.” She stopped them in front of the bridal suite. “And here we are. I’ll be right back.”

Sarah disappeared and quickly returned with a light-blue patterned scarf that would match Jane’s number to a tee. And there went that suspicious pinch to the gut again.

“Did the wine really spill or are you trying to shove us together for some reason?”

“No.” Sarah looked so horrified, he believed it. “I am definitely not. She is one hundred percent off-limits. To youandyour friends. So make sure you tell them.”

“I already did.”

“Good.” She side-eyed him. “I mean it.” When Henry remained mum on the topic she added, “I’m trying to give you a normal day out. Like a normal person at a destination wedding.”

“Destination? I live here.”

“You live in Monaco. You haven’t called London your home since you were a kid.”

It was true. He felt more himself when he was back in Monaco surrounded by other racers, where they talked about racing, strategy, and guy stuff.

“And I’m sending Elle because she is so stressed out, she needs a break. Plus, she was a sommelier for a few years back in college. Now go have a normal day out like a normal person.”

He had to laugh. Henry hadn’t felt normal in quite some time. Actually, that wasn’t true. For a brief moment down on the street he’d felt a flash of normal pass between him and Elle. And he was interested to see where the hell that led.

6

If Jane thought London was beautiful, the lush, expansive countryside left her breathless.

At first, she’d been nervous about being stuck in a car with Henry, but the convertible had solved that problem. With the wind rushing past, it made any real conversation difficult, so they’d settled into a shared silence. After they left the bustle of the city, there hadn’t been an awkward moment, more like comfortable companionship. That didn’t mean she couldn’t feel his gaze on her.

It took everything she had to keep her eyes straight ahead, on the view outside and off the view inside the car. Because, man, what a view he made. His windblown hair, his cheeks ruddy from the chilled air, the way he kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the gearshift while he took the turns of the country roads with a purpose and confidence that Jane couldn’t muster on even her best of days. Then there was this big dick energy that filled the car and nearly suffocated her.

While there was no awkwardness, there was definitely chemistry—on both sides. It snapped and sizzled every time the gear shifted and his hand nearly brushed her leg. Which waswhy Jane moved to the far edge of her seat and focused on the landscape.

The sun was high and, surprisingly, there was not a cloud in sight. It was still February though, so the temperature was in the fifties. Unexpectedly, Henry had given her a coat to wear and a blanket for her lap without making a big show of his gentleman-ness. Although her nose was a bit chilled, the rest of her was nice and toasty—and smelled of his cologne, which wafted off his coat and into her bloodstream, and she had to admit he smelled like sexy, sensual, yummy man.

Jane watched as vibrant green fields lined by mature English oak and ash trees whizzed by. Twenty minutes into the drive, Henry slowed down and turned onto a long stone drive that followed a massive pond, complete with lily pads and other water foliage.

“Are we here?” Jane asked.

He glanced over at her and their eyes locked and held. “It’s about a kilometer up the road.”

“Sarah said that family friends own the winery.”

“Louis and I raced Kart together when we were kids. He’d made it to Formula 3 when his dad passed and he quit to help with the family business. If you ask me, he’s an adrenaline junkie with a heart made of wine.”

“He doesn’t race anymore?”

“From time to time we go to the track for a day of fun and to catch up, but even as a kid he found it hard to be away from home for too long. He’s a family man through and through.”

Which she took to mean that Henry didn’t have dreams of a wife and kids anywhere on the horizon. According to Roxy’s research he hadn’t even been in a serious relationship in nearly two years. She wondered if that was due to his hectic schedule or a broken heart. Then she wondered why she was wondering.

“Sarah told me how you had to move out at a young age and live at the academy. That must have been hard for you,” she said, loud enough that her voice didn’t get carried off in the breeze.

He just lifted a shoulder. “At first, but then I got used to it. I guess it’s like boarding school, just with private tutors and racing. It’s no different than what many other athletes at the top of their game do if they want to compete at the highest level of their chosen sport.”

Jane thought about her cousin who left home for Juilliard to follow her dreams of ballet at just sixteen. Yet Jane got the feeling Henry was playing down just how hard it had been to be torn between his dreams and his family. Especially for a protector like him, to be away from his mom and sisters must have been a difficult choice. It just showed her how much people in his position had to sacrifice to get to where he was in his career. It also made her wonder just how lonely that position was for him.

She knew he had friends. She’d met them at the cocktail party and they’d seemed like really great guys who’d have his back through a zombie apocalypse. But Jane knew the kind of loneliness that came with growing up without the everyday support and love of a parent. Oh, her mom loved her, but her mom’s capacity to love wasn’t all that exceptional. And after her dad passed her mom became even more closed off, even more absorbed with her work, leaving Jane to console herself. Which became harder and harder the more frequent their moves became.

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