Forgotten Honeymoon (Best Friends Wedding Series) Read online

  What a gentleman.

  Since the accident, he’d hadn’t pressured her to sleep with him at all. She’d thought he had finally come around to her way of thinking, and was waiting for the wedding ceremony to consummate their love.

  But now she knew differently.

  She rubbed her stomach and thought of the tiny child growing inside her. She and Nigel were going to have a baby.

  “Won’t your Daddy be surprised,” she whispered, then thought of her parents.

  Oh no. What was she going to tell them? Her dad had never liked Nigel. “Why do you want that long haired musician?” he’d demanded when she told him of their engagement. “Why can’t you be interested in a normal, responsible man like Lars?”

  Of course that was back when Lars Henderson was her father’s favorite Vice President. As far as she could tell from the office gossip, they’d had a falling out in March, Lars had tried to quit, and her father had refused to accept his resignation. Lars went to Boston to supervise the construction of a new plant, with the understanding that as soon as the work was completed, he was free to go. Her father didn’t talk about it, but she knew he felt betrayed by Lars’ defection. Lars had been like a son to him.

  For the past few years, her parents had foolishly hoped that one day she and Lars would marry. It was embarrassing the way they threw her at him -- making him sit by her at company gatherings, or asking him to be a fourth for a trip to the opera or symphony. Poor Lars didn’t like it any more than she did, but he was a good sport and never complained.

  Her parents didn’t understand that she and Lars were only friends -- nothing more.

  At least now with Lars as persona non grata at Rawlins Lighting, her father didn’t talk about him all the time.

  She had hoped that with Lars out of the picture that her father would come to appreciate Nigel. But once her father knew that Nigel had gotten her pregnant, he’d be furious.

  Could she hide it for a few months?

  Could she just get married, not tell her parents, and let them figure out the math when the baby was born? Would the shock kill her mother?

  Her mother had been born with a heart defect that wasn’t detected until she was pregnant with her. The doctors told her not to have any more children. Then when Kelly was ten, she had a heart attack, and surgery, and was told that she would only live five more years. She’d lived thirteen since then, but Kelly knew they were on borrowed time. That was why she still lived at home, to be with her mom as much as possible.

  After the wedding, her parents were planning to go on a cruise for two months. “We’ll have our second honeymoon while you have your first,” her father had joked. He’d even offered to let her and Nigel join them, but Kelly had declined, nicely. She loved her parents, but that was taking family unity too far.

  If she told her father about the baby, maybe he could break the news to her mother gently, while they were gone on the cruise.

  When was the baby due anyway? Her periods were so irregular, she never kept track of them. She hadn’t even noticed that she hadn’t had a period since the car accident. She went online on her phone to figure out a possible due date.

  December.

  That seemed soon.

  And Nigel -- how was he going to react? They’d talked about children before, but more as a distant possibility, not as an immediate reality.

  They had planned to live together in his one bedroom loft apartment, but now that would be too small.

  A baby. That meant getting a crib and everything. Early morning feedings. Diapers. It was overwhelming.

  Kelly brushed her teeth. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look any different -- same wavy brown hair, same green eyes, same faint sprinkling of freckles on her nose.

  How could she be a mother?

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kelly thought “you’re a father” was the kind of information best given face to face, so she decided not to call or text Nigel while he was getting ready for work. He worked nights, came home around four a.m. and slept in until noon. She’d go by his apartment tomorrow and tell him then. Deep in her heart, she knew she was procrastinating.

  What if Nigel wasn’t happy about the baby?

  She slept at the studio, not wanting to see her mother until after she’d talked to Nigel.

  In the morning, she went to her OB-GYN’s office for an official confirmation and some prenatal vitamins, then stopped by her father’s office.

  She carried one of her newest creations, a big brown vase, through the marble floored lobby and over to the elevator doors. The vase was only ten inches tall but so big around that she couldn’t push the up button without placing the vase on the floor. But if she put the vase on the floor, the doors would close before she could pick it up again.

  “I should have brought the dolly,” she muttered.

  Suddenly the elevator doors from the parking garage opened and Lars stepped out. He was impeccably dressed, as always, in a conservative gray suit, crisp white dress shirt and silk tie. Even his shoes were polished. He exuded an aura of strength and reliability.

  She hadn’t seen him in ages, and she was startled by the warm feeling that flooded through her. “Lars,” she said smiling happily. “Long time no see. I’ve missed you.”

  “Kelly?” His voice was hoarse.

  She nodded towards the elevators. “Hey, give me a hand, would you?”

  He stared at her with a look of astonishment quickly masked. Then without a word, he took the vase from her. At six foot five, he was a big man with big capable hands; he hefted it easily.

  She remembered the weekend he’d spent putting up all the shelves in her studio three years ago. Had she ever thanked him for that or had she taken his help for granted? He’d been around for so long, he was almost a member of the family.

  “Thanks,” she said lightly, wiping her hands on her denim maxi skirt. “That thing was getting heavier by the minute.” She pressed the up button and the sliding doors opened.

  “Kelly,” he said urgently. “We have to talk.”

  She was a little surprised by that -- she’d wondered if he was avoiding her. Since he’d gone to Boston, he’d been back once or twice, but she’d never seen him. She followed him into the elevator and stood next to him. “Fine,” she said lightly. “What do you want to talk about?” She reached across him to push the button for the eleventh floor, and for an instant, her arm brushed his. He flinched.

  “Excuse me,” she murmured. What was wrong? Lars wasn’t usually so touchy.

  Truth was, she was a little nervous around him, too. It was all because of Brenda’s comments about him being a good baby daddy. It was ridiculous, she thought, giving him a sideways glance, but since Brenda had said it, it put the possibility in her mind, giving a twist to their calm, friendly relationship. She’d be glad once she had a chance to talk to Nigel and all the uncertainty would be over. She and Nigel could go forward as parents, and there would be no more jokes about Lars. He was a good man and deserved more respect.

  Claire called, “Hold that door!”

  Kelly pushed the door open button for her father’s secretary. She was nearly twice Kelly’s age, but still a lot of fun. Sometimes they went out to eat, too.

  “Hi, Claire,” Kelly said, and stepped backward so there was more room for her in the elevator. “How’s life?”

  “Busy,” Claire said, “My youngest is graduating from high school, and I’ve never been so hectic.” Belatedly, she recognized Lars. “Is the plant in Massachusetts finished?”

  “No.”

  “Then why --”

  “Something came up,” he said tersely, looking directly at Kelly.

  Lars had always been a man of few words. Like the “measure twice, cut once” builder’s code, his conversational code seemed to be “think twice, talk once.” He never used ten words if three would do.

  Kelly didn’t understand what he was referring to. “If you’re in a hurry to talk to my Dad,
you don’t need to help me,” she said reasonably. “Claire can hold open the doors.”

  “No, I want to help.”

  Something was definitely wrong. She’d always thought that Lars should loosen up -- he was a prime candidate for an ulcer -- but she’d never seen him so stiff. Was he ill? “Sounds like you could use a vacation,” she teased.

  He pressed his lips into a tight line.

  Claire must have sensed the tension between them, and in an attempt to smooth things over, asked Kelly, “Is this for the office?”

  Kelly nodded. “I’m thinking of putting it in the reception area.”

  Claire eyed the mottled brown pebbled surface of the vase with distrust. “And what’s it from -- your hedgehog period?”

  “You could say that.” Kelly looked at Lars to share the humor, but he didn’t smile.

  “So how are all the wedding preparations coming?” Claire asked brightly, changing the subject.

  Actually, now that Kelly knew about the baby, the wedding was the least of her worries. “My mom’s handling most of it. All I have to do is show up in three weeks, wearing a white dress,” she said with false cheerfulness. Claire would learn about the baby soon enough. So would Lars, if he stayed around that long. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He was frowning, and the knuckles of his hands holding the vase were white.

  The elevator doors opened to her father’s corporate headquarters.

  She held the doors open. Claire stepped out first, then Lars, carrying the vase, and she followed. She pointed to a long thin table that stood in front of a tapestry landscape she’d woven the year before. “I want it over there.”

  “Glad to be of service,” he said in a tight voice as he walked across the reception area.

  “A little more to the right,” she ordered.

  He glared at her sharply over his shoulder, but didn’t comment.

  He was definitely annoyed with her. Was she being too bossy?

  He obediently shifted it an inch to the right. As he worked, the gray fabric of his suit pants pulled across his hips.

  Nice buns, she thought, surprised that she’d never noticed before. But then, she’d probably never looked closely before. She wished Brenda had never said anything. She did not want to see Lars in a sexual light. Lars was her friend. Whether he continued to work for her father or not, she didn’t want their relationship to change.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  “No,” she said quickly, backing away. The sooner she was gone, the better. Knowing she was pregnant was wigging her out. Everything felt weird today. “Thanks for your help.”

  At that moment, her father came out of his office. “Lars!” he bellowed. “How long have you been in town?”

  Lars eyes focused intently on hers. “We need to talk,” he said again, but more firmly this time.

  Kelly looked from Lars, to her father, then back to Lars. She didn’t want to talk to Lars. “Later,” she promised. “I’ve got to run. See you later, Dad.”

  She hurried, almost ran, out of the office.

  #

  Frank Rawlins frowned. “What’s happening at the plant?” he asked as he closed the large oak doors of his office.

  Lars said, “Don’t worry. Your plant’s right on schedule.”

  “I wasn’t particularly worried,” Frank said wryly, “But I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” He watched Lars pace across the office. “You’re making me nervous. Have a seat,” he ordered.

  Lars shook his head. He couldn’t sit. He could hardly think. He wanted to take that damned infuriating woman by her beautiful long hair and drag her -- he stopped himself. Drag her where? To the nearest bed, of course, and that’s what caused the problem to begin with.

  He clenched and unclenched his hands.

  How could she look at him with that sweet little smile as if nothing had happened between them?

  Damn her lying green eyes and damn him for a fool. He never should have come back. He never should have agreed to continue working for Rawlins. A clean break was always best. He should have walked away and never looked back.

  He would have stayed away forever if he hadn’t gotten her wedding invitation in the mail.

  “What’s the problem?” Frank asked. “I’ve never seen you like this. You haven’t killed someone, have you?”

  “Not yet,” he bit out.

  “Good,” the older man said with sudden humor. “Because I like to know where all the bodies are buried.”

  Lars turned to face his boss, his mentor, and until recently, his friend. Frank Rawlins had been the father he’d never had, the father he’d hoped to have. He took a deep breath to cool the fire raging within him. He asked, “Is Kelly going to marry Nigel?”

  “So that’s it.” Frank relaxed and sat down at his desk. He sighed wearily. “You know I don’t like the guy, but she seems determined to have him. So yes, we’re going through the entire circus. You should see Margaret, running around, fussing over tablecloths and bouquets for the bridesmaids. She’s having a great time, but I worry. She takes everything so seriously.”

  Lars did not want to discuss tablecloths. “How can you let Kelly marry him?”

  Frank shrugged. “How can I stop her? She’s a grown woman and she’s made up her mind. It’s my job to accept it with good grace. That’s what the father of the bride does: he signs the checks and keeps his mouth shut.”

  Lars felt as if he were speaking a foreign language. He slammed his hands down on Frank’s desk, sending papers flying. “But she’s committing bigamy! Do you want her to go to jail?”

  Frank looked as if someone had punched him in the bread basket. “Bigamy?” he repeated weakly.

  “Yes, that’s what happens when you’re married to two different people at the same time. As far as I know, it’s still illegal in Texas.”

  “Are you saying Nigel’s already married?”

  Lars raised his eyes to the heavens. “No. Kelly’s married.” He struck his chest. “To me.”

  Frank gaped, stunned. “How?”

  “We eloped.”

  “But that’s wonderful. When?”

  “March sixteenth. I take it she still hasn’t told you.”

  “No,” Frank said quietly. “She hasn’t told me.”

  Lars raked his hand through his hair. Hell. He knew Kelly would never tell her mother, but he’d thought she’d eventually tell her father. Did she think she could sweep their marriage under a rug and pretend it never happened?

  Frank asked, “Did this secret marriage have something to do with your decision to leave Rawlins?”

  “Yes. I thought it would be better for everyone concerned if I wasn’t working for you.”

  “Then it wasn’t because you were tired of being my errand boy?”

  “No, sir.” Lars still felt bad about saying that, but he’d had to give Frank a reason for quitting, and he’d promised Kelly not to tell him about their elopement.

  Frank rubbed his forehead. “I still don’t understand how you got married.”

  Lars didn’t fully understand it himself. He knew how he’d felt and thought at the time, but now, two months later, it was difficult to be objective. Her rejection had colored everything, making him doubt his own judgment. “It doesn’t matter how it happened,” he said finally, not wanting to outline all the painful details. “Kelly and I both realized it was mistake and agreed to get a quiet divorce.” He frowned, jamming his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I thought she would have told you by now.”

  Frank sighed. “There’s a reason why she hasn’t told me, and I think you’d better sit down.”

  Lars sat while his father-in-law outlined the events of that fateful Tuesday morning two months before.

  Then Lars stood and started pacing again. “Why wasn’t I told about the accident?” he demanded.

  “You were flying off to Boston, having just given me your resignation. Neither one of us was talking much. Besides, we didn’t tell anyone for fe
ar it would get back to Margaret. My wife thinks Kelly had the flu that week.”

  Lars remembered the way Kelly had wound herself around him, scorching his very soul with her kisses. She had certainly been acting under the influence of a fever, but it wasn’t the flu. “So she doesn’t remember anything?”

  “No. She lost several weeks. She says it’s a blank.”

  That’s why she’d been able to greet him so calmly outside. As far as she was concerned, they were still friends.

  This changed everything. Lars let his breath out slowly. He was no longer angry at Kelly. How could he stay angry when she remembered nothing?

  For a moment he wished their whirlwind marriage could stay blank in her mind. He wished he could exorcize them from his memory as well. She didn’t love him, and she probably never would, but at least then he could spend time with her, be near her, enjoy her company.

  Instead he’d risked it all, and lost everything. He sank back down in the chair.

  Frank walked around the large desk and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “If you and Kelly got married, can’t you work your troubles out and stay together? You know Margaret and I would be thrilled to have you in the family.”

  Lars’ throat tightened. “No. It’s too late for that. Kelly loves Nigel and she wants to marry him.” She’d made that very clear.

  Frank looked at him closely. “And what do you want?”

  That was easy. “I want Kelly to be happy.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Kelly climbed the stairs to Nigel’s apartment two at a time, but when she came to his door, she hesitated before she knocked. Should she have called first to let him know she was coming over? He didn’t like surprises.

  She had a sinking feeling that his immediate reaction to her news wouldn’t be a positive one. But no matter what he said, after he got used to the idea, he’d like it. He loved her. She knew he loved her, and that was all that mattered.