Back to December (Ward Sisters Book 1) (45 page)

“Em, is everything okay?” Liam asked.

“It's fine, Liam. I'm coming back to the table.” She glared at Josh, turned on her heel again and left.

Liam guided her as he had done so many times before, with his hand lightly on her back. He leaned close and said, “You sure you're okay?”

Emily took a breath and nodded. She refused to cry about Josh and Annie. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

Liam rubbed her back lightly and sat down next to her. Rob looked concerned, so she tried to convey that she was okay. Or would be. At some point.

He squeezed her hand under the table, and she smiled.

Rob could make anything better just by being there.

The rest of brunch, Em was spared interaction with her family outside the people at her table. Eventually, Liam talked to Nina, and Emily could see that he really did like her. She smiled to herself.
Well, well
. Maybe it would benefit Liam to be stuck in Maine for a little while. Nina owned a home in Portland not far from Emily's apartment.

As the brunch ended, they said goodbye to the guests who were leaving that day. Since Em had anticipated helping with final clean-up, she'd paid for an extra night in her room. It meant another night with Rob, hopefully without outside interference.

Nina had planned the same as Em, but Meg had to leave for a conference the next day and didn't even stay for brunch. Given that Annie was newly engaged, Emily hoped that her younger sister didn't still plan to help. She had no desire to speak to Annie at the moment.

Liam disappeared to help Nina with something, which Em suspected was getting naked in Nina's hotel room.

Before Charlie and Dan headed back to their room to pack, Emily introduced Rob to the two of them. Dan chatted with Rob while Em pulled Charlie aside.

“Thank you for letting Rob and Liam be here.”

“You're right. I owe you, Em. I'm so sorry I never said anything to you. I should have tried harder yesterday, but I was so busy, it was impossible to get away. I was hoping she'd tell you herself. Or that they'd tell you together. I didn't expect you to hear it from Rob.”

“Neither did I. But I'm glad he came all this way to tell me. We're...” she hesitated. She wanted to tell Charlie about the engagement, but they had decided to wait. She had made that request herself. So she resisted.

Charlie made an assumption. “Back together?” Em nodded. “Did you...reconcile?”

Em laughed. “Yes. We made up for lost time.”

“Like a few times?” Charlie whispered.

“Like a box worth of condoms,” Emily whispered, eyebrows raised.

“Wow.”

“Oh, wow never quite covers it with him. Wow is kissing. Appropriate words don't exist for the rest.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Rob asked as he snaked his arms around Emily.

“Just girl stuff,” Em said, trying to sound innocent.

“Uh oh. I always worry when you say that. It usually means you're saying things that will embarrass me.”

“Trust me, it
always
means that,” Dan said. “Time to get moving. See you two at the lake? We'll be back next week.”

“Hopefully. It was great to meet you both,” Rob said. Charlie and Dan walked away, hand in hand. “I like him.”

“Everyone likes him. He's one of those guys that very few people don't like. They adore each other. The two of them are unshakable.”

He turned her to face him. “What about the two of us? Are we unshakable?”

“We found our way back together. I'd say after all that, we're in good shape. But you and me, we have flaws. Those two, they're perfect.”

“No one is perfect. And I love you, flaws and all.”

“I love you. I missed you. So, so much.”

“I missed you too. Let's not do that again, okay? I hate being apart from you.”

“Agreed. Lucky for you, I've got the type of job that travels well. I should be able to come with you on location.”

“About that...we should talk more later. I've got news. It can wait though. Let's just concentrate on this for now.”

She agreed and kissed him quickly.

When most of the guests were gone, Emily brought Rob to meet her father.

“Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Rob.”

“Nice to meet you, Rob. Say, do you think you can help me carry some of this stuff out to Dan's truck?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Ward.”

“Great. Grab what you can. And call me Tom.”

The two men left, her father chatting amiably. Her mother appeared at her elbow. “Your father likes him, apparently,” Gail said, seeming annoyed.

Emily looked at her mother in disbelief. “Yes, well, Daddy tends to reserve judgment for when he actually knows someone. He doesn't rely on tabloids to supply him with information.”

Gail scoffed, “Emily, there has to be an element of truth to the things they report or else they would be sued for slander.”

“Really? Are you sure about that? Because suing for slander only happens if someone
wants
to sue. I didn't sue when they said I slept with Rob and, at the time, it was a lie. Not that
you
wanted to hear what I had to say. So don't try to pretend you understand because you
don't
. Until they print something false about you, Mom, you have no clue.”

“Well, if it was a lie, why didn't you sue them?”

“Because it didn't matter! The only people who actually cared if it was true didn't believe me, anyway! My point is, your assumptions that everything you read is either true or partially true are uninformed. Believe what you want about Rob, but I know the real man, and he and his family have treated me better than my own has in the past year. Think about that.”

The shock of her harsh words registered on Gail's face. Em turned away from her mother, ready to stomp off, when she was brought short by her mother's shaky voice.

“Emily.”

She turned back, glaring. “What?”

There were tears in Gail's eyes. “I'm sorry. For all of it. For not supporting you, for making you feel like you had to stay with Josh when you were clearly unhappy, for judging Deac...I mean, Rob, without really knowing anything about him. But I'm especially sorry for keeping your sister's secret. It shouldn't have been like that, at your expense. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but it wasn't.”

“I'll get over it, Mom. Just not yet.”

“Do you love him?”

“Rob?” Her mother nodded. “Yes. So much that I'm not sure what it was I ever felt for Josh, but I wasn't in love with him. You need to learn to be okay with my relationship. Rob isn't going anywhere. Don't make me choose. You won't like my decision.”

“I won't, Emily. I'll try harder.”

“Good. Here he comes with Daddy. Start now.”

“Princess!” Tom said, kissing Em's cheek. “This fellow of yours is one hell of a guy. He managed to pack everything inside of Dan's truck bed and got the tonneau cover to latch.”

Emily laughed. It didn't take much to impress her dad, he was such an easygoing guy. “I'm sure Dan and Charlie will be glad to hear it.” She grabbed Rob's hand and kissed his cheek. “So, Daddy, now that everything is packed and cleaned up, we're headed into Bar Harbor.”

“Will we see you at the house before you head back to L.A., son?” Tom asked. Emily smiled. Her father really liked Rob or else he wouldn't have called him son.

“I'm actually going back to Minnesota. I was hoping Emily would come with me.” Rob looked at Emily, who was surprised but pleased. She squeezed his hand in answer. “But, yes, before we leave I'd love to stop by your house.”

“Well, then we'll see you soon. Just give us a call when you're headed our way. If we've got time, I'd love to take you on the boat.”

“That sounds great, Tom. Emily has told me how much fun she had on the lake as a kid. We'll make time to visit.”

They turned to leave and Gail's voice caught them.

“Rob?”

He looked at her and smiled, his expression curious. She put out her hand for him to shake.

“I just wanted to say that it was nice to finally meet you. And to thank you for being so supportive of Emily.”

Rob was gracious. “It was nice to meet you too, Mrs. Ward. And I wouldn't have it any other way.” He looked at Emily then. “She's my whole world.”

He gave her the grin she fell in love with all those months before. She kissed his lips sweetly and gave him a look that said the feeling was mutual.

“Please, call me Gail. We'll look forward to seeing the two of you at the lake then. Will it be in the next couple of days?”

Emily was surprised that her mother gave Rob permission to use her first name. She was more contrite than Em realized. It was unusual. Em would have to discuss it with Charlie later.

Rob looked at Emily again. “Actually, I'll be here for a couple of weeks. I have some things to do while I'm here. I'm hoping the magazine will give Emily some more time off when I'm ready to head back to Minnesota.” Emily knew she looked confused, but she was sure he would tell her later.

“Let us know when you'll be in our area then. We'd love to have you.” Gail hugged Emily and whispered
I love you
. She told her mother thanks, and she knew it was understood that it was for more than just the invitation.

They said goodbye and went back to their room so Emily could change into better walking shoes. Before Em could take off the stilettos, Rob shut the door, pressed her against it and kissed her.

“Not yet,” he said, and he peeled off her dress. He growled, “I've been wanting to do that since I walked out of the bathroom earlier.”

“Miss me, did you?” she asked as he kissed her neck and ran his hands along her body.

“Every single second we were apart. It's going to be a while before we make up for lost time.” He groaned, “Damn. We don't have any more condoms.”

Emily laughed. “We have one more,” she said. She opened her purse and took out the lone condom that had been in there since the last time she saw him in L.A. She looked at the date and it was still good. “I couldn't get rid of it. Just in case.”

Rob laughed and kissed her shoulder. “Hoping to run into some well-endowed stud?”

Em wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked at his mouth before gazing into his blue eyes, kissing him passionately, claiming him as her own.

“Only one. I seem to recall he mowed me down outside a toy store once. I was hoping the universe would bring us together again.”

“We should thank the universe for granting our wishes.”

“How should we do that?”

“I vote that we love each other for the rest of our lives.”

“Second. It's unanimous.”

“Oh, good. I was afraid I'd have to overrule.”

“You think you have that power over me?” she teased.

“Never. I think I finally found my true partner.”

“So did I.”

When their wedding day arrived, Emily expected to be nervous and freaking out, but she felt surprisingly calm. Rob had relocated to Maine for Emily and to film his directorial debut. That Friday, everyone coming from far away had made it safe and sound to their house in Harpswell, Maine. To Emily's surprise, Rick had flown ahead to New York to bring Grampa Deacon to JFK, where the two of them joined the rest of the family for the last leg of their trip.

But the best surprise had been her dress. She asked Christopher to bring something in cream, mostly because she wanted it to be a dress she might have worn to any of Rob's events to divert suspicion. They hoped to fool the paparazzi and pretended this was a housewarming event. Though, given that they now lived an hour north of Portland in an entirely inconvenient place for reporters, it was unlikely that anyone would show up.

Christopher didn't listen, but what he brought couldn't have been more perfect. It was a white, Oscar de la Renta dress in a crepe fabric that had red flowers embroidered on it. It hit just below the knee and was sleeveless but wasn't strapless. It fully covered her chest and disguised the fact that her breasts were a little larger. She hadn't quite gone up a cup size yet, but Christopher had obviously realized they were bigger when he did her last fitting. He created a beautiful, silver fabric belt for the waist and he brought the stunning, sparkly, silver, peep-toe, sling back, $3,700 Louboutins that Charlie had joked would be her shoes for the Fluxus gala.

Em didn't even have to ask – the red, of course, was a tribute to that first dress he put on her. Christopher, it seemed, had recalled how much Rob liked her in red. And stilettos.

Left to her own devices to choose her wedding dress, Em might not have considered this one, but it was just right. Anyone who saw her in this dress wouldn't guess she was about to be married, and yet, it was perfect for her to wear to marry Rob.

Em didn't ask prices, but while getting ready, Charlie joked that Emily's wedding clothes probably cost the same as her entire wedding. Smirking, Christopher didn't respond.

He had put a bug in Reggie's ear that this was likely to be a wedding, and he'd told her about the dress so she could plan Em's makeup. Apparently, at her last fitting, he'd guessed she was pregnant. When she called about the dress, he put two and two together. Without asking, he planned her wedding attire for her. He even brought Armani for Rob, recalling Emily's reaction to her fiancé on New Year's Eve.

It was a perfect and wonderful gift from their stylist.

The morning of the wedding, the Harpswell house became a beehive of activity. Between brunch, the seven Deacon kids, wedding preparation, clam bake setup and the arrival of Emily's family, activity was constant.

Em hardly saw Rob after they woke that morning. While they would normally have made love first thing, she told him they had to wait – might as well do something out of the ordinary to make their wedding night special. She saw him so infrequently that it was as if they were at separate locations.

Christopher and Reggie took turns, with Christopher dressing Rob at the last minute.

When Rob heard that Emily's dress had red accents, her stylist said he'd insisted on wearing the tie she'd bought him for Christmas. A private joke between the two of them, it was the one thing about their wedding which would be only theirs.

Emily dressed in the living room while Rob prepped in their bedroom. Christopher had created a makeshift platform and he'd happily employed Rick's daughter, Liv as his unofficial minion.

She was thrilled to be a part of it.

Liv's eyes widened when Christopher stripped Emily down to nothing but her lacy white panties. He wrapped the corset around her torso, then lifted her breasts into her dress to settle them perfectly. Like Liv, the women in Emily's family all gasped, in part because Em didn't even flinch.

Under his breath, Christopher said, “You're lucky I included extra room in the top. They grew a little since I last saw you.”

“Really?” Em whispered. It hadn't been that long since her fitting. “Damn. They'll be huge by the end.”

“Don't worry, I have plenty of ways to disguise that for you. Which will be crucial for the Oscars.”

He had her step into the dress, which he zipped and adjusted. Despite the fact that they were not alone, Em drifted into a zone where it was just her and Christopher.

Her voice rose slightly. “You think we're going to the Oscars again this year?”

Christopher laughed. “Of course. You, my dear, will be going as a very sexy pregnant woman. You'll be almost as big as Miss Jenna is right now. We'll find a way to make that look hot.” He tied the silver fabric belt around her waist artfully.

“Do you think he'll be nominated again?” That made her strangely nervous.

“Oh, it'll be a bigger deal this year, hon. He'll get nods for
all
the awards in Lead. You'll be walking the red carpet a lot in the coming months. Get used to new pairs of Louboutins.” He winked. “Shoes.”

Liv brought the shoes. As Em stepped into them, she asked, “You think he'll get Lead noms for
Not Worthy
? How can you know? It hasn't even hit wide release yet.”

He fluffed and adjusted, smoothed and tucked. “Look at you, miss thing, learning the lingo. I know because I've seen the movie numerous times, hon. Remember, I traveled the circuit with him. There was buzz everywhere. He'll get it. He might even win.”

Emily had an unpleasant flashback to her last conversation with Rachel.
Oh, the Academy favors actors in couples, especially ones who are in non-actor relationships.

“Why do you say that? Because he'll be married?”

Christopher laughed. “Oh, honey, that's an old wives tale. Who told you that? I said it because he kicked that role in the teeth. He earned the right to be among the elite. I'm just glad he'll have you to share it with.” He kissed her cheek in a rare display of genuine affection. “Now, Reggie will be down in a minute to do touch-up and I'll go make your gorgeous fiancé look perfect. I'll see you in a few for the big walk.” He squeezed her hand and rapidly exited the room, Liv hot on his heels.

“Wow,” Charlie said. “What was that?”

Emily laughed. Christopher didn't faze her anymore. “That's what I said the first time, but he's a genius. What do you think?”

Gail bit her lip. “Oh, Emily, you look beautiful.” She lifted Emily's curls off her shoulder. “Your hair is stunning and that dress fits you like a glove. It's a bold choice, but it suits you perfectly.”

“You really like my hair?”

“Oh, darling, of course! I've always loved your hair. I never understood why you straightened it every day when it was so beautiful like this.”

Emily almost started crying and took a deep breath to steady herself. All those years, she'd had no idea what it was her mother had wanted. She'd made assumptions, went with what she thought was the perfect way to be to please her mother, and had probably done everything opposite of what her mother had intended.

She threw her arms around her mother and sniffed, “I love you Mom. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch the last year.”

Gail hugged her back. “I love you too. And we've all made some mistakes this past year,” she said, pulling away. She looked at Annie, who gave a sad smile. “I'm glad I made the effort to know the real Rob. And I'm especially glad we could be here to share this with you. All of us.” She looked at Charlie, Nina and Meg, who all smiled and nodded. “I miss my girls when you're away. We need to spend more time together.”

“We have another wedding to plan,” Emily said, looking at Annie. They weren't ever going to be the same, but things were better, bit by bit. It was hard to believe that a week ago, Em had confessed to her sister that she was pregnant. It was the only way to put everything past them, to admit they had all made mistakes and to apologize.

“And a baby shower,” Annie noted, squeezing Emily's hand. Em nodded her agreement.

Meg noted, “With any luck, those won't be the only celebrations this year.” Her expression spoke of things unsaid.

The women all hugged Emily in a group. “I don't think I could do this without you guys. Thanks for always sticking by me, even when you probably wanted to tell me to take a hike.”

They all laughed.

Reggie walked into the room then, and touched up Emily's makeup. Christopher returned.

“Are we all set? Can I send Rob down and retrieve your father?” Emily nodded and he set things in motion.

“Are you nervous?” Charlie asked.

“No. Were you?”

“Nope. Except worrying about falling on my face in those shoes. But I was excited. Are you excited?”

“I can't wait. You know how good he looks in Armani...” Emily joked, recalling their conversation the day Emily was fitted for the gala.

Charlie laughed. “Oh, God. I forgot about that. How will I ever concentrate? I'm glad you're the one performing the ceremony, Nin. I'd never be able to talk with him standing next to me looking like that!”

They all laughed. Meg shook her head. “I don't think I ever would've imagined my best friend marrying the guy I used to fantasize about. Sorry, Gail, but it's true.” Gail laughed. “I think the more surprising thing is that, after knowing him, he just seems like a regular guy. Albeit still a very hot one.”

They all laughed again. Charlie shook her head. “Sorry, Meggie. You haven't seen him and his brother in swimsuits. See that, then we'll talk about him being a regular guy.” Gail nodded and murmured her agreement.

“Mom!” Emily exclaimed.

“What? She's right. I might be older than you but I'm not dead. I'm glad to have some new eye candy around the lake.” They all laughed again.

“Okay,” Christopher said, “It's time. Ladies, why don't you all take your places. We'll see you out there.”

The women all gave her quick kisses on the cheek and left. It was only Em and Christopher for a moment, and he surprised her with his teary- eyed smile.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked.

“You're a vision. I know it's my doing, in part, but you're beautiful. I just wanted to tell you that. And I want you to remind that man
every
single day how lucky he is to have you. You got it?” Emily nodded. “He was drifting through his life before you. I'd be insanely jealous of you if you didn't truly deserve him.” He regained his composure, wiping a tear. He kissed her cheek again. “Now let's go out there and get you married.”