Jessie marveled at how beautiful her birth mother looked, floating between the round dinner tables to check last-minute changes in seating, a strapless black dress clinging to her slender build, the blunt cut of her auburn hair grazing her shoulders. Every time Fin glanced at Jessie, she beamed.
Jessie stood next to one of the massive arched windows that lined one long wall of the legendary room, drinking in the beauty of the setting, plucking at one of the ruffles on her Oscar de la Renta dream dress and letting the surreal wonder of it all settle over her.
No matter what happened with Patrick and Maeve, she felt loved and welcomed. Now she had two families, and that was a blessing she’d never really expected.
Would they ever blend, her two lives? How would her gritty, gruff father take to the champagne-sipping executive who’d given Jessie birth? For some reason, Jessie wanted her father to like Fin as much as she did, and to realize that although she and Fin would be friends and confidantes, Jessie would always be Travis and Lauren Clayton’s daughter.
But tonight, she had to deal with the New York side of her family.
With Patrick and Maeve…and Cade.
“He’s not coming.” At the whispered words, Jessie wheeled around to meet Shane Elliott’s green eyes.
“Cade?”
A flicker of surprise brightened his expression. “No, I believe Cade RSVP’d the day the invitations arrived. I meant Patrick.”
“Elliott?”
Shane lifted one handsome brow. “I don’t know any others.”
Before she could respond, Fin swooped in. “What’s the matter?”
Shane and Jessie shared a quick look and in her peripheral vision, Jessie caught sight of Fin’s chin lifting a bit in defiance.
“I knew he wouldn’t come,” she said.
“We’re not sure,” Shane responded. “But Liam told me that when he left the office yesterday, Dad said he and Mom were spending the whole weekend relaxing at home.”
Home, Jessie knew, was a luxurious Hamptons estate called The Tides. Patrick commuted by helicopter, so getting to and from the city, even on the weekend, was no issue for him.
If he wasn’t coming, it wasn’t because he couldn’t. It was because he wouldn’t. She hated the disappointment that formed a lump in her throat, and hated even more that she could see the same emotion on Fin’s face.
“It’s all right,” Jessie said softly. “Really.”
“It’s all wrong,” Fin countered. “But I don’t care.”
She did, and Jessie knew it.
Liam Elliott joined them with a drink in hand, the first of three hundred people invited to the spontaneous gala.
It was no surprise that Liam’s steely blue eyes locked on Jessie as he approached. He may have seen her around the offices, but now she was a bit of a curiosity and she braced herself for the onslaught of stares and conjectures from the hundreds of people she’d meet.
Fin put her hand on Jessie’s shoulder. “Have you met my nephew, Liam Elliott?”
“Not formally,” Jessie said.
As Liam reached them, Fin said, “Liam, let me introduce Jessie Clayton, who I’m enormously proud to announce is my daughter. Jessie has been raised by her adoptive parents in Colorado, as you know, and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to the Elliott family.”
The words sent a shower of chills cascading down Jessie’s bare arms. She slid a grateful glance to Fin before shaking Liam’s hand. “It seems we’re cousins, Liam,” she said with a warm smile.
“Welcome to the family, Jessie.” He shook her hand, studying her face closely. Looking for a resemblance he would no doubt find. Then he leaned closer and added, “I can certainly understand why Cade has officially removed himself from the market.”
Jessie’s jaw slackened.
“Cade?” Shane asked. “Removed himself from what market?”
Liam winked at Jessie but Fin put her hand on his arm. “Is Shane right? Did my father tell you he wasn’t coming tonight?”
Liam’s gaze softened. “I don’t think he is, Fin.”
She blew out a disgusted breath and closed her eyes.
Jessie slid her arm around Fin’s waist. “Don’t let it spoil the night for us.”
“You’re right. And look who’s here!” Fin’s face lit up with a smile. “Summer and Zeke, who get the award for coming the farthest on the shortest notice.”
Jessie had met Scarlet’s twin only once and had immediately liked the “softer” version of the beautiful sisters. But her gaze fell on Summer’s fiancé, the world-famous rock star, Zeke Woodlow. The cubicles of all the EPH magazines still vibrated with the story of how Summer met Zeke when she was posing as the more flamboyant twin.
Fin tugged Jessie in the direction of the new arrivals. “Let’s make you official with more cousins, and you can meet the bad boy of rock and roll.”
Zeke whispered something to Summer and when she laughed, his handsome features softened with pleasure.
“He doesn’t look so bad,” Jessie said under her breath.
Fin laughed. “It’s all an act. He’s a cupcake inside, especially when it comes to Summer.” As they greeted each other, Fin launched into introductions, eliciting a squeal of delight from Summer and a nod of welcome from Zeke. A minute later, Scarlet and her fiancé, John Harlan, joined them.
“Save your ‘she’s special’ speech, Fin,” Scarlet said as she draped an arm around Jessie. “I love her already.”
Then Gannon Elliott stepped into the circle, his arms around his pregnant wife, Erika.
“The best thing about Fin finding you is this,” Gannon said, indicating the steadily crowding ballroom around them.
“The party?” Jessie asked.
Gannon gave Fin a smile. “A wonderful reason to stop competing for a night and enjoy our family and friends, which keeps growing.” He laid a hand on Erika’s protruding belly.
“One by one.”
Everyone laughed and chattered about the twins’ planned double ring ceremony, with lots of teasing about the possibility of even more Elliotts.
Scarlet and Fin made sure Jessie was included in the conversation, so that one by one, the Elliotts would get to know her. Most of the Elliotts, anyway. The absence of her birth grandparents niggled at the back of Jessie’s mind. And Fin’s, Jessie noticed, as they’d both glanced expectantly at the door a few times. But they weren’t looking for the same man.
They knew where Patrick Elliott was…but where was Cade?
Within an hour, the ballroom burst with gowns and jewels and tuxedos, and the strains of a soft jazz band filled the multi-tiered room, just loud enough to blend in with the laughter and party talk.
Even though Jessie had met nearly every one of the Elliott family, or had seen them around the EPH offices, Fin made formal introductions every time, each exchange slightly different, but always with the same irrefutable message: This is my birth daughter and we welcome her with open arms.
Fin held Jessie’s hand, moving from one group to another, pausing just once to take champagne flutes for the two of them from a passing tray. “Here, have some bubbly and stop looking at the door. He’ll be here.”
Jessie smiled and they let the crystal flutes ding lightly. “You’re looking, too, Fin.”
Fin sipped the champagne and lifted a narrow shoulder. “I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t want my father here. And my mother. They owe that to me. To you.”
Jessie gave her an understanding look. “He’ll come around, Fin. It’ll take time.”
“I don’t care,” she said, a little too flippantly. “Anyway, what about Cade? I know he’s coming. He told me he wouldn’t miss it. He said he can’t wait to see you in that dress.” Fin waited one beat too long and added a sly smile. “Again.”
Jessie felt the heat rise as she touched one of the zillion layers of mint organza that floated around her. “I may have mentioned to him that you let me borrow the de la Renta.”
“Keep it,” Fin said
, taking another sip.
“Fin, I can’t!”
“Yes, you…” Her gaze slid past Jessie to the door and suddenly the blood drained from her face as the sly smile disappeared. “Can.”
Jessie followed Fin’s eyes and the champagne glass almost slipped from her hand as she stared at the distinctive gray-haired gentleman and felt the piercing gaze of eyes the color of a hot gas flame. The patriarch of the Elliott family stood as tall and proud as any of the men he’d sired or grandfathered, and next to him, the gentle Irish woman who’d been at his side for fifty-seven years.
Only the music filled the air as Patrick and Maeve Elliott stood like royalty under the marble rotunda entrance, because all of the guests took a moment to stare, hold their breath and wonder exactly what would happen next.
“I don’t believe it,” Fin whispered, more to herself than to Jessie.
Jessie squeezed her hand. “Believe it.”
Fin’s narrow shoulders squared and her delicate jaw hitched up a notch as she met her father’s level gaze. The fifty or so people between them seemed to part in slow motion, allowing the two women to stride, hand in hand, across the room. Jessie’s chest constricted as her heart pumped wildly, and she could feel Fin’s pulse doing the same dance.
Jessie chose to look at Maeve, seeing a mix of warmth and curiosity in the green eyes that were so much like her own. Her seventy-five year-old skin was careworn, but surprisingly few wrinkles appeared on her face. Was that because she wasn’t smiling?
Why wasn’t she smiling?
Jessie stole a glimpse at Patrick, who still stared at her and not Fin.
It seemed to take forever to cross that room, to cross that gulf that separated father from daughter and granddaughter. Then, Fin and Jessie reached the rotunda and all four of them seemed to freeze.
As Fin cleared her throat, Jessie followed her lead and looked directly into the unwavering gaze of her grandfather.
“I’m so happy you came,” Fin said, her voice steady but soft. “And I’m delighted to introduce you to Jessie Clayton. This is my—”
“Ooh.” Maeve let out a soft cry as she reached out to Jessie. Automatically, Jessie took her hands and Maeve clasped them tighter. “Look at you,” she whispered, her soft Irish lilt already musical to Jessie’s ears. “’Tis no doubt you are one of us.”
Jessie dared a glance at Patrick. His gaze had moved to Fin and they stared at each other wordlessly.
“Dad, I’d like you to welcome Jessie Clayton to our family.” It was a demand, not an invitation.
Behind her, Jessie felt a movement and glanced to see Shane walk up and take her other side. “Isn’t it fantastic?” he said, putting an arm around Jessie. “After all these years, we’ve found her.”
“If the truth be told,” Maeve said, squeezing Jessie’s hands but looking up at her husband, “she found us.”
“And for that,” Fin said, “I am eternally grateful.”
One single vein pulsed in Patrick’s neck as he stared at his daughter. “I did what I thought was right.”
Fin nodded slightly. “And now I’m doing what is right.”
He dragged his gaze to Jessie. She straightened imperceptibly under his inspection and suddenly remembered one question she forgot to ask Fin. What to call him?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jessie said softly. “I’m honored and so impressed with your family…sir.”
Seconds crawled by. Behind her, a crystal glass dinged against porcelain and the saxophone player melted the last few notes of his song. The elevator door opened and someone far away whispered.
But all of Jessie’s focus stayed on Patrick Elliott. The man who had shaped her life when he’d decided her fate. And she waited for him to do so once again.
“Jessie,” he said, his gruff voice exactly like her father’s when he wanted to sound stern but couldn’t. “The grandchildren call me Grandad.”
She blinked at him and felt Fin stiffen.
“And what should Jessie call you?” Fin asked.
A whisper of a sigh escaped his lips. “Grandad.”
The word washed over her just as Maeve stepped forward and folded Jessie into an embrace. The music started up as the room broke into a spontaneous applause. Jessie closed her eyes and inhaled the soft fragrance of Maeve Elliott, knowing that when she opened them, tears would flow. But that was all right. It was a night for tears.
But when she finally opened her eyes, her gaze landed on the man who’d just stepped out of the elevator and leaned against the wall, watching the tableau unfold.
Cade.
The thing that really got her, more than anything, were the tears in his eyes. Tears of joy for her. Tears of love.
For one moment, for one wild and dreamy moment, Jessie’s world felt utterly complete.
He avoided her.
Not that Cade could manage to get anywhere near the lady in lime who was, without a doubt, the star of the Starlight Roof. She was surrounded by new friends and new family.
So Cade satisfied himself by drifting in the background, catching the occasional glance over her shoulder and satisfying himself with the knowledge that she was looking for him.
And the knowledge that he’d seen her out of that dress, out of her mind and out of control. And while that thought had its usual effect below his belt, it was the effect the memory had on his heart and head that made him reel.
His focus on Jessie, deeply involved in a conversation with Scarlet and Summer, was so intense that he didn’t even notice Fin sidle up next to him.
“You know what I think, Cade McMann?”
He turned to his boss and grinned. “Usually. That’s my job.”
“And you’re good at it,” she said, raising a flute of champagne in a mock toast. “But do you know what I think about Jessie?”
His smile widened, and he used the mention of her name as an excuse to look at her again. “I think you’re really happy you finally found a missing piece of yourself.”
“Oh.” Fin let out a little sound of disbelief. “I can’t believe you said that. That is exactly how I feel. I couldn’t have put it into words more accurately.”
This time he raised his glass. “Told you. Knowing what you think is my job.”
Fin tilted her head in acknowledgement. “I do think Jessie is a little piece of my heart that has been missing for twenty-three years. But I also think I’m not the only one in this room who’s found someone to fill his empty heart.”
He said nothing for a moment, his gaze shifting across the room. “Aren’t we a couple of poetic publishing executives tonight?”
“Happiness does that to me.” Fin laughed. “But am I right, Cade?”
Just then, Jessie laughed and he could hear the musical sound of it floating across the party toward him. “You’re right, Fin.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
At the tiny bit of sharpness in her voice, he turned to Fin. “Are you asking me if I plan to make an honest woman out of her?”
Fin’s expression grew serious. “I’m asking, as her mother, that you treat her with all the love and respect that she deserves.”
“Fin, this isn’t an affair. Jessie has asked me to be discreet. She’s actually asked me to be secretive. I’m surprised you know about it.”
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with her,” Fin said. “And she’s easy to read.”
Jessie looked over and caught them both looking at her. Her eyes twinkled and she said something to the twins. Scarlet turned toward him, then Summer.
He held her gaze, beckoning her with his eyes. He couldn’t stand being away from her much longer, but it had to be her choice to be with him publicly.
Deliberately, she set down her glass and, moving like a breeze over spring leaves, crossed the room.
“Maybe she’s ready,” Fin said. “Like I said, she’s easy to read.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Jessie asked with a gleam in her eye. ??
?As if I didn’t know.”
It took everything Cade had in him to keep from reaching for her and kissing her glossy mouth. “We were just discussing poetry,” he said.
Jessie looked suitably surprised and Cade laughed along with her. But Fin wasn’t laughing. Instead, she was blinking back tears.
“What is it, Fin?” Cade asked, putting his hand on her arm. “What’s the matter?”
She let out a short, embarrassed laugh. “I haven’t cried this much in years.” She glanced at Jessie. “Twenty-three, to be precise.”
“What’s wrong, Fin?” Jessie asked.
She looked from one to the other. “I have to tell you both something important.”
They looked at her expectantly, and she took Cade’s hand and then Jessie’s. “Don’t let other people dictate your fate. Don’t…” She closed her eyes and that forced a tear down her cheek. “Don’t be stubborn or stupid or worried about what people will think. Not when you’re in love.”
For a long moment, the three of them were silent. In the background, the opening notes to an ancient love song began to fill the room.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Fin asked.
“I think so,” Jessie said with a tentative smile.
Cade put his arm around her. “Then listen to your mother, Jessie, and dance with me.”
Her smile widened. “I’d love to.”
As he guided her toward the dance floor, he turned to wink at Fin, confident that what he was about to do would be met with the approval of Jessie’s birth mother.
Jessie slipped into his arms like she’d been there forever. Like she would be there forever.
Pulling her into his chest, Cade slid his hands around her back and she looked up at him as they began to sway to the music.
“Poetry, huh?” Jessie asked with a smile. “Aren’t you full of surprises?”
“Did you like the lilacs?”
“I loved the lilacs.” She closed her eyes and he dipped almost close enough to kiss her, but inched to her ear to whisper, “You are the most beautiful woman here tonight.”
“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said. “You were late.”
“I had something important to do.”
“What was that?”