Crystal raised a brow then gave a wicked smile. “I think you already know the answer to that and need I remind you that you’re usually front and center in those discussions, so don’t try to act shocked now. You’ve wanted Jacob for a while, and it’s finally happened. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think anyone could have predicted how you two would get together. But it’s happened.” When Lydia put her hands over her face and groaned, Crystal laughed softly. “You, my friend, have never been a woman who did things halfway. You once said that you’d gladly be Jacob’s baby mama, and now that might be coming true in the near future.”
Lydia snorted in disbelief, but she couldn’t quell the tiny shiver of delight that Crystal’s words brought forth. A part of her still felt disloyal to Brett’s memory by wanting Jacob, but she also knew she needed to stop living that way. Brett had made her promise to move on with her life and leave herself open to falling in love again. At the time, she’d have told him anything to give him the peace he needed. She hadn’t been able to imagine ever wanting a future with another man. And for three years, she hadn’t. Her heart had been frozen with grief and she hadn’t so much as seriously looked twice at another man—until Jacob. He’d brought her back to life that day in the garage, and he’d also jump-started her libido.
Cobwebs had practically covered her vibrator for years. But now, she’d already had to replace the batteries twice since meeting Mr. Tall, Dark, and Smoking Hot. Realizing that Crystal was still staring at her, waiting for a response, Lydia cleared her throat and shook her head. “I don’t see that happening. I mean he’ll probably hit me up for a divorce before the night is over.” Then a horrible thought hit her and she cringed. “Crap, what if he brings a date with him? We never even discussed whether we were exclusive. God, that would be so awkward.”
Now Crystal shook her head at her words. “No, he’s a nice guy. Even if your marriage isn’t exactly a traditional one, he’d never bring another woman to an event you’re also attending. Plus, I don’t think he’s really into the whole dating scene from what Mark’s said.” As if realizing how that sounded, Crystal gave her a look of apology.
Before Lydia could think of something to say, the door burst open and Suzy Merimon walked in. Lydia had been in awe of the beautiful redhead since the first time she’d met her. She handled special events for Danvers and was married to the oh-so-sexy Gray Merimon. “Why in the hell am I the last to know that you married hung-like-a-horse Hay? I swear I swung by the guy’s room to tell Gray something and all of the men were in there congratulating Jacob on getting hitched. So I drag my hubby aside and ask what in the hell they are talking about and he says that you and Jacob have been married since Vegas. That was two days ago—and no one told me? Heck, I’d have even settled for a text message. But no, for the first time since I found out that Nick knocked up Beth, I’ve been blindsided. Jesus Christ, Lydia, how could you marry a guy like that and not shout it from every street corner in Myrtle Beach? I was tempted to take out an ad in the paper when Gray put a ring on it.”
“I—I’m sorry,” Lydia stuttered. “It all happened so fast and it’s not real so I didn’t think we were telling anyone. It was just one of those drunken Vegas things that people do . . . Wait, are you sure Jacob told all of the guys himself? Or did maybe Mark let it slip?” She had no idea why it mattered, but somehow, it seemed important that Jacob had the loose lips and not his friend. It was bizarre, but she wanted to know if Jacob would claim her, instead of trying to keep the news to himself.
Suzy still appeared irked that she’d been left out of the information circle, but she answered the question anyway. “Gray said that Jacob told them all together. The hubby didn’t indicate that Jacob said anything about an intoxicated tying of the knot.” Suzy studied Lydia for a moment, seeming to read between the lines. Her voice was softer when she added, “He looked happy and was accepting the congratulations from his friends with no sign of discomfort.”
When Ella walked into the room at that moment, Lydia could tell by the look on her face that she’d heard the news as well. Good grief, what was Jacob thinking? She’d never imagined everyone finding out in this way. Truthfully, she figured she’d be divorced before telling her friends anything was ever an issue. So for the remaining time they had left before the start of the wedding, Lydia filled her friends in on what had happened after the bachelorette party and how she woke up to be Mrs. Jacob Hay.
Then the wedding planner for the Oceanix Resort who was handling everything arrived to tell them it was time. Crystal was having a fairly small wedding with Ella as her matron of honor and Lydia as her one bridesmaid. Mark would have his cousin and assistant, Denny, and his father as his best men. Crystal looked as if she would faint for a moment before Ella took her hand and gave her a quiet pep talk. Whatever she’d said calmed her sister almost immediately, and soon, the women had made their way downstairs and Ella, Lydia, and Crystal, were making their way down the aisle. When Lydia took her place at the front beside Ella, she felt the hairs on her neck prickle. Scanning the room, she saw him almost immediately—her husband. He was sitting in the front row just a short distance away. She swallowed audibly as his eyes appeared to devour her. She suddenly felt naked in the form-fitting sheath dress she wore, even though it was floor length. Instead of avoiding her, as she had feared, it was as if no one else existed in the room beyond the two of them.
Later she would be embarrassed even to admit it to herself, but she could barely remember any of her friend’s ceremony. She was pretty sure that Jacob had missed most of it as well because they hadn’t looked away from each other for more than a few seconds the entire time. What was going on in Jacob’s head? He’d made no effort to see her at all since they had returned home; then suddenly, he was giving her the impression that he’d missed her desperately.
Shit. Another part of the wedding ceremony was passing by and she’d almost missed it. Mark was kissing his bride. Thank God she’d come out of her stare-a-thon long enough to walk back down the aisle. Was it her imagination, or had Jacob bristled when she’d walked past him on Denny’s arm? Surely not. If not for what happened the last time she’d indulged in alcohol, she’d be damn tempted to power walk to the open bar and request a glass and a bottle. She couldn’t, though. Knowing her luck, she’d wake up pregnant this time.
The wedding party stayed behind the other guests for almost an hour for the photographer to take pictures. Strangely enough, Jacob also remained. Why hadn’t he gone to the reception as everyone else had? Was he waiting to accompany her? No, that couldn’t be it. They weren’t really a couple. But it was possible that he wanted to speak with her about how to handle the questions they would inevitably encounter. She’d have a hard time not pointing out that they could have avoided that had he not felt the need to tell all of his friends about the wedding. Even if a small part of her was secretly thrilled that he’d claimed her in front of the people who were important to him instead of laughing the whole thing off as some mistake.
They had just been given the all clear to leave for the reception when she felt a hand at her elbow. She looked over her shoulder to see the man who’d mesmerized her all evening standing so close that she was instantly drunk on his cologne. Dear God, he smells yummy. “Ready to walk next door?” he asked in his deep voice.
Ready to walk off a cliff if you say the word. “Um, sure,” she said shrilly then did her best to tone it down. Dammit, she needed to stop acting like such a freak around him. When he dropped his hand to her lower back, she almost lost her composure. Something about that gesture always seemed so intimate. A small voice inside her head piped up: well, he is your husband.
They were almost at the double doors leading to the reception when he abruptly stopped in his tracks and ushered her into an empty room off to the side. He gave her a sheepish look before removing his hand from her back and sticking both of them in his pockets. The material of his tuxedo stretched tightly acros
s the broad expanse of his chest and Lydia was having a difficult time not gawking at the handsome picture he made. Jacob Hay was gorgeous in a suit, but he was devastating in a tuxedo. She would bet money that it had been custom made for him. The fit was too exact.
“So . . .” he began, still looking uncomfortable. “I wanted to let you know that I’ve told some people about our marriage. We never really talked about how we would deal with that.” He reached out to touch her arm, and she felt a jolt straight to her core. When had she turned into such a sexual being? The nerve endings that had been in limbo for three years were firing on all cylinders now. “I hope you’re not upset with me over it. I mean I couldn’t lie to Mark when he asked me about Vegas, and it seemed wrong to keep it from the rest of my friends as well. Have you told anyone?”
Lydia was all but speechless. Had she entered into the twilight zone? It was almost as if they’d snuck off to Vegas to get married and were now discussing letting everyone in on their secret. Was she the only one who remembered that she’d gotten plastered and woke up as Mrs. Jacob Hay? “Er . . . Jacob—”
He squeezed her arm, grinning at her disarmingly. “My family calls me Jake, and I’d like it if you did as well. Growing up, I knew I was in trouble if my mom called me Jacob.”
Holy shit, the name “Jake” was even sexier than Jacob. She was damn nearing purring when she said, “Okay, Jake, got it.” Did that mean he thinks of me as his family as well? Dangerous ground, don’t even go there, Lydia. “To answer your question, I did tell Crystal because she’s my best friend and I figured Mark already knew. Then Suzy Merimon let me know that she’d found out from Gray and then Ella . . . Well, you get the picture. Any man you told has already shared the news with his significant other if he has one. If not, he’s probably already called his mother, father, and his priest.”
Jake chuckled, causing goose bumps to break out on her arms. She desperately hoped he didn’t notice. “Obviously, the men are worse gossips than I’d imagined. But it’s not a problem for you, right?” Why did he have to give her that puppy dog look? There was no way she could say anything other than, “It’s fine, really. After all, it would have been difficult to keep something like that from everyone.”
He visibly relaxed. “That’s good. I was a bit worried after I’d already done it.” He surprised her further by pulling her into a light hug and dropping a quick kiss onto the top of her head. “It’s good to see you again, by the way. I’m sorry it didn’t happen sooner, but I was dealing with a . . . family emergency.”
Pulling back, Lydia searched his face. “Is everything all right?” she asked in concern. She didn’t know anything about his family dynamic, but she hoped that no one had been seriously hurt.
He glanced away from her, once again looking uncomfortable. “All is well,” he finally responded then immediately changed the subject. “I’m starving, how about you? The food at the Oceanix is unbelievable, so let’s go enjoy it.” Before Lydia could say another word, he’d whisked them from their quiet hiding place and into a very crowded ballroom. In what seemed like a strange twist of fate, but was probably Crystal’s doing, Lydia was seated with Jake and the rest of their friends at a table near the front of the room. He pulled her chair out when they reached it, then slid it back into position when she was seated before taking his own and settling in next to her.
Mark and Crystal were at the end of the table surrounded by their parents. Lydia could tell by the strained look on her friend’s face that her normally difficult mother was up to her usual shenanigans tonight. Both Crystal and Ella had hoped that their normally overbearing mother was turning over a new leaf, but if their pained expressions were any indication, that hadn’t exactly happened yet. Her attention was brought back to Jake as his mouthwatering plate containing prime rib and herbed fingerling potatoes was placed in front of him. She was close to begging for a bite when her meal arrived as well and saved her the embarrassment. Later, she would probably cringe at how she’d attacked her food as if she hadn’t eaten in a month, but at that moment it looked too good to pretend that she wasn’t starving.
Some women might be too embarrassed to show their love of food in front of such a hot guy, but she honestly didn’t care. If the fact she didn’t survive on a diet of lettuce turned him off, then she’d have to live with it. Her eyes practically rolled back in her head as the tender meat literally melted in her mouth. “Mmmm, this is so delicious,” she moaned as the flavors exploded onto her tongue.
She’d taken a few more bites before she glanced at Jake, only to find him fixated on her mouth. I should have worn a bib, she thought ruefully. Surely, something was on her chin. She casually picked the napkin up from her lap and dabbed her face, hoping she’d taken care of whatever Jake was so focused on. When he continued to stare, she dropped her napkin and asked, “Could you point out whatever you’re gawking at? Apparently, I missed it.”
He appeared confused by her words. “I was looking at you because you’re beautiful and I’ve never seen a woman eat with such passion before.”
Suddenly, the food that she had been enjoying felt like a lead weight in her stomach. She couldn’t believe it. He was repulsed by the fact that she was wolfing her food down. Why had he bothered to compliment her looks, though? “This is the first meal I’ve had today,” she said defensively.
“Lydia, you shouldn’t go so long without eating. You’ll make yourself sick,” he said gently. “Finish up and we’ll have some dessert.” Now Lydia was puzzled. Had she misunderstood what he was saying? He appeared downright thrilled when she picked her fork up again and continued. So maybe she’d overreacted. That’s what happens when you marry a man you don’t know.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Jake rarely left her side and seemed intent on playing the part of the doting new husband. A few moments before the reception ended, she found herself surrounded by Claire Danvers, who was married to Jason Danvers, the CEO of Danvers International, and Suzy, who’d already cornered her earlier. Ava Powers and Emma Davis quickly joined them. Ava also worked for the company, and she was married to Mac, who handled security there. Emma was engaged to Ava’s brother, Brant Stone. Lydia could barely work all of the connections out in her head and was constantly asking Crystal to clarify them for her.
Emma wasted little time in blurting out, “Oh, my God, you’re married to Jake! That man has one of the best asses I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“Who the heck is Jake?” Claire asked as she looked around the group.
Emma shrugged. “Brant calls him Jake, but personally I think it suits him. It sounds all dirty sexy.”
“Yeah, I like it better too.” Suzy nodded. “And I agree with you, Em. I bet the man can bring on the nasty. There is no way he’s strictly missionary. Hell, he probably barely remembers that position.”
Lydia knew she was probably blushing like mad as her friends laughed. She was trying to formulate a reply when Mia came jogging over on her dangerously high heels. “I can’t believe I missed the freaking wedding! I told Seth that we needed to fly home last night, but no, he had a last-minute meeting and assured me we’d get home in plenty of time. Well, guess what? Vegas was one big hive of thunderstorm activity and the plane was delayed for hours. For fuck’s sake, look at me. I didn’t even have time to go home and change clothes,” she huffed out. Lydia shook her head. Mia might not be quite as well put together as she normally was, but she still looked gorgeous. “Now, someone tell me about the ceremony and anything else I missed. We managed to catch Crystal and Mark before they went off to change. Man, she set the bar for brides everywhere. Mark is one lucky bastard.”
Suzy grinned and slung an arm over her mini-me. She and Mia had such similar personalities that they were almost clones of each other. “I was wondering where you were. Here’s a quick catch-up for you. The ceremony was kickass, the food amazing, and your BFF over there married Jake Hay a few days ago after the b
achelorette party.” Raising a brow, Suzy asked, “Did I miss anything?”
Yet another round of shrieking and rapid-fire questions commenced as Mia alternated between being excited about Lydia’s marriage and pissed that she was the last to know. When she’d finished lecturing Lydia for not calling her immediately, she smacked her lips dramatically and asked, “So is he as big as his suit pants would suggest? When he has that jacket unbuttoned, it looks like a monster snake lives in the front of those trousers.”
“He does have the Jon Hamm cock outline going on,” Suzy agreed.
“Damn, I totally saw that in Star Magazine.” Emma nodded. “The man had like an extra arm down the leg of his shorts. They were saying something about him walking his dog, but poor thing, that has to be a workout in itself.”
Claire giggled before asking, “Just to be clear, are we talking about Jon Hamm here or Jacob? Oh wait, we’re calling him Jake now, right?”
“Well, we started off with Jake, but that last part was about our favorite television stud,” Mia purred. “He has nothing on Lydia’s Jake, though. I love Seth Jackson to pieces, but I’ve stared at Jake’s ass until I feel as if it’s permanently burned into my brain.” Fanning herself, she added, “I swear, between Seth’s friends and his family, I’m constantly hot and bothered. The Jackson brothers and cousins are in a league all of their own.”