Page 78 of Mr. Scandalous

Alec nodded and followed his uncle to the Jeep parked at the base of the mountain. They settled into the front seat. Mac started the engine and turned on the heater.

“Okay. Spill.” Alec rubbed his chapped hands together to warm them.

“When you hear the word ‘cancer’ it puts things in perspective.”

“Cancer?” Alec felt the blood drain from his face. His beloved uncle, the man who’d been a father to him ever since his own father died, had cancer?

“The doctors thought it was malignant. They did a biopsy and the tumor turned out to be benign. But those weeks while I waited for the biopsy to be scheduled were excruciating and I was forced to do a lot of soul-searching.”

“So you’re getting married now because you were scared of dying alone?”

Mac shook his head. “I’m getting married because I finally admitted to myself that I love Sophie. She’s been my rock. Throughout this whole ordeal she’s been right by my side. I’m embarrassed to think of the cavalier way I’ve treated her over the years, coming in and out of her life on my own whims. I was determined to do things my way. Lucky for me, she forgave me for being such a jerk.”

“She loves you.”

“Yeah and I never appreciated what I had.”

“But all those years, you said marriage was a straitjacket.” Alec shook his head, still unable to comprehend what his uncle was telling him. “You said a predictable life was worse than death.”

“I was wrong.”

Stunned, Alec took the thermos of coffee that Mac held out to him. Everything he’d ever believed in was turned topsy-turvy. He felt angry and confused and hurt and relieved.

Yes, relieved. Because of Mac’s confession, maybe he too could admit that he’d been wrong.

He had no trouble releasing control when it came to daredevil stunts. He relished the thrilling experiences. He loved testing his body’s limits. So why did he have such resistance to emotional risks? Why did intimacy scare the pants off him? How come he could commit to hurling his body through space, but he could not manage to admit he needed something more?

Alec had absolutely no idea, but he was determined to find out.

* * *

“What do you meanit’s over?” Jayne Lockerbie bit down on her thumb and trailed Eden through the boutique as she put together the latest shipment for Spice-Up-Your-Love-Life Cruises.

“Hmm?” Distracted, Eden barely glanced up from the Farmer’s Frisky Daughter theme basket.

“You two looked so adorable together at Jill and Randy’s wedding. I can’t believe you broke up.”

Eden stopped immediately. Although two weeks had gone by since she’d seen Alec, her body still throbbed with the memories they’d made together.

After having her imagination kindled to a full roaring blaze by his incredible caresses it had been hard going back to her quiet life. She’d taken all that excess energy and channeled it into her work. Business was booming and that’s the way she wanted it. If she kept busy, she was less likely to get depressed over how things had gone with Alec.

She wondered how long it would take her to get over him. A month? Two? Three?

What if she never got over him? What if she spent the rest of her life mooning over an unobtainable man?

Stop it right there, Eden Montgomery.

No more worst-case scenarios. By taking a chance, she’d learned she could live through heartbreak and survive. No more feeling sorry for herself.If nothing else, the pain of losing Alec was worth that lesson alone.

“Alec and I were never together. I told you from the beginning this thing between us was just a sexual adventure. It was never meant to be anything more.”

“I don’t know about that. If you work sexual magic on a man, he tends to fall in love with you. That’s how I snagged Roger. It wasn’t my cooking, believe me.”

“Jayne!”

“It’s the truth.”

“Well, I tried every trick you taught me, and Alec still didn’t fall in love with me.”

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