Slow Hands

you.”
    Oh, boy. He sensed the bride was about to confess something. She looked jittery and nervous, obviously upset, more on edge than she’d been at the church.
    “I am so sorry, Maddy, but there are two people upstairs who you are not going to want to see.” She glanced across the car, saw Jake, gave him a brief smile, then focused on her sister again. “I could wring my future father-in-law’s neck. I’ve been watching for your car so I could give you a heads-up. I’m really glad you guys decided to park down here so we have a minute.”
    “What’s wrong? Who is upstairs?”
    “Bitsy.”
    “Ick.”
    “I know. She was having dinner in the restaurant. I guess she knows Bradley’s family. Anyway, Mr. Kent spotted her, and invited her to join the party, which, of course, delighted Deborah.”
    Maddy glanced at Jake. “Bitsy is one of my stepmother’s cronies. She, uh, was there. That night.”
    “Oh, this just gets better and better,” he mumbled.
    “No, it gets worse,” Tabitha snapped. “Because Bitsy wasn’t alone. She was with a date, the old skank. None of us realized who it was until they’d sat down. I told Bradley to get rid of them.” She shook her head. “But he said Bitsy’s family and his had been friends for years and he wouldn’t do something so rude.” She looked away. “Not even when I begged him to.”
    Jake sensed Tabby was hurt by her fiancé’s refusal to back her up—which made him actually start to like her, maybe a little. At least for looking out for Maddy. The one thing he didn’t get yet was who this unwanted second person was.
    “I bet the witch did it on purpose,” Tabitha muttered. “I can’t imagine she didn’t know our rehearsal dinner was being held here. And there is absolutely nothing she likes better than stirring up trouble and sitting back to watch the explosion.”
    Maddy was obviously losing patience. “Did what? Who is she with, Tabby? Would you just spit it out?”
    “It’s Oliver, Maddy. He and Bitsy are sitting right upstairs in the restaurant, where everyone is waiting for you—both of you—to join us.”
    * * *
    A S J AKE LED HER toward the elevator a few minutes later, after Tabitha’s shocking announcement, Maddy felt him silently offering support, even though he, himself, was tense and angry, obviously ready for trouble and spoiling for a fight.
    “I know you probably don’t want me around right now,” he said, his tone gravelly, his jaw stiff. “But I’m not letting you walk into the lion’s den alone. We’ll finish our conversation the minute it’s over.”
    He’d been keeping his voice low, to prevent Tabby, who walked a few feet ahead of them, from overhearing.
    “I do want you around, Jake.” So much it scares me .
    She admitted it to herself—but not yet to him. She couldn’t give him that much power, not yet, not until they had finished their conversation. Though she suspected he’d assume she wanted him there for support, tonight, that wasn’t it.
    She just wanted him in her life. Despite everything.
    Maybe, even because of everything. Because Maddy could not deny that, while mortified and angry, she was also more than a little relieved that Jake hadn’t stuck around for money. He had never, in fact, taken money from any woman. And falling hard for a great guy who saved people was a whole lot easier on her heart than falling for one who had sex for cash.
    Maybe he really could be the man of her dreams.
    But he’s also a man who lied. So don’t get your hopes up.
    “I can hardly wait to see this bastard.”
    “I don’t give a damn about Oliver. He’s nothing.” Frowning, she added, “And don’t for one minute think you need to ‘protect me.’ The man is not worth the breath it would take to tell him off.”
    “We’ll see,” he muttered.
    Caveman. The act was still kind of cute, if entirely unnecessary. Maddy could handle her ex. She could handle just about anything.
    Except Jake walking away from her. Especially before she’d found out everything she needed to know.
    “You doing okay?”
    He wasn’t referring to Oliver and they both knew it.
    “I still want an explanation,” she whispered. “And we will have that conversation. But I can’t hate you when the whole thing started because of my stupid family dramas and a complete misunderstanding.”
    It was true. She was humiliated that he’d let her believe she’d “bought” him for a month. She definitely wanted to know why. But