Selective/Memory: The "Depth of Emotion" Book 2 (The Depth of Emotion) (34 page)

“Me?” Carter asked, shock registering all over his face. “No—no. I’m not ready for that. Lacey’s a hard act to follow.”

Blake cocked an eyebrow at him.

“You can’t compare all women to your wife, you know. No one’s ever going to take her place,” he said, making an obvious statement.

“I know that,” Carter replied, reprimanding as he rubbed at the back of his neck. The thought of him being with another woman made him uncomfortable.

Noticing his nervousness and trying not to be insensitive, Blake gave him a break.

“You’ll get back in the game when you’re ready, man. It’ll happen,” he said, not pushing.

Carter shook his head as he stood and walked across the room.

“I might never be ready, Blake,” he admitted. “In my book, Lacey was as perfect as they come. I don’t know if I’ll ever find someone like that again.”

He faked a smile for Blake as he opened the door to take out the trash.

“To tell you the truth,” he said, pausing, “I don’t know if I’ll ever want to…”

“What do you think, Mom? Does it look okay?”

Aria directed her mother’s attention to her dress and smoothed the front and back as she stood before the mirror.

Jeannie noticed the slight difference in her daughter tonight, though no one else would. She was slightly flushed and a bit jumpier than usual. This was the fifth time Aria had straightened the front of her dress, and now she was breathing a bit more rapidly. She was well aware of the cause even though Aria didn’t say it out loud—Declan.

“It doesn’t just look okay—you look beautiful,” Jeannie said, reassuring her. “He’s not going to be able to keep his eyes off of you.”

With that remark, Aria stopped her fidgeting.

“Am I that transparent?” Her pleading look seemed to add to the distress.

“Not to anyone but me. Only I know you that well. Come. Sit,” she said, patting the seat beside her on the sofa.

Aria dutifully came to sit with her mother.

Jeannie took her hand and held it in her own. She turned it so she could rub the back of it, to comfort her.

“You’re going to be fine tonight, sweetie,” she comforted. “All of your friends will be there. You aren’t even sitting at the same table. This is a first step. Look at it this way—you have to start somewhere.”

Aria laid her head on her mother’s shoulder.

“I wish you were going with me,” she said wistfully.

The thought made Jeannie smile.

“I know, but this cold is kicking my butt. You wouldn’t want me there coughing and sneezing all over the place,” she said just as a sneeze escaped as if to emphasize her point.

Aria picked her head up and tenderly looked at her mom.

“Please say a prayer for me tonight,” she asked. “You’re right. We have to start somewhere. Maybe tonight’s that night.”

“Everything will be okay, Aria. You have a good head on your shoulders. Just trust your gut,” she said, patting the back of her hand. “Now c’mon. You’ve got to get going or you’re going to be late.”

Aria stood and gave herself one last look in her Mother’s full length mirror. Thankful that she had purchased a new dress, she knew that it would be one to Declan’s liking. He’d always liked this color on her.

Grabbing her clutch, she bent to give her mom a kiss.

“Don’t forget, mom,” she reminded. “Say a prayer.”

“Aria,” Jeannie playfully scolded, “you’re always in my prayers—each and every day. Now stop worrying,” she ordered.

Aria went down the walk to her car. As she got in and buckled her seatbelt, she opened the glove compartment and kissed her fingers, placing them on the picture of her dad that was safely tucked there. Pushing it closed, she heard the click and waved to her mom as she drove, accompanied by the butterflies that had now taken residence in her stomach.

The Studio looked stunning, but then again, it always did, and a part of Aria felt pride. Transformed for the benefit, she became emotional upon entering the lobby. A beautiful picture of Lacey had been enlarged just for the event. A lump of almost equal size had formed in her throat upon seeing it. Recollections of the day she was informed of Lacey’s passing flittered across her consciousness, and she had to wrestle with those memories to maintain her composure.

Once she was informed of the seating arrangements, she went to find her place. She saw Paige and Katherine as they made their way toward her.

“Hey, girl! You look great!” Katherine said, giving her a quick hug. “We’re over here.”

“Great,” Aria said nervously.

Katherine drew back giving her an apprehensive look.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Looking around, she added, “Where’s your mom?”

“She’s sick. She wanted to be here, but she didn’t want to get everyone else sick,” Aria explained regretfully. “She said to tell everyone hi.”

“Awww. Tell her we missed her.”

Katherine frowned, noticing that something else was the root of her friend’s uneasiness.

“You know, Aria, if it’s Declan you’re worried about, I put him at a different table,” she said.

Relief instantly washed over Aria’s face and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you.” She exhaled, causing them both to smile.

“Now, he isn’t far away from us,” Katherine informed her. “He just isn’t at the same table, so fair warning.”

Aria could handle close—just not too close. She wasn’t sure how to approach after the way things ended in Hawaii. She followed Katherine as she led her to the table and greeted Paige.

As the girls caught up, they made their way around the open space, viewing the items up for auction, catching up with people they all knew and just mingling in general.

Aria knew the moment Declan was near. He came up behind her, and he didn’t have to say a word. She’d know his cologne anywhere, and her body seemed to tingle with nervousness.

For the moment, she was thankful that he had chosen to be at her back. He didn’t see the flush that she felt on her neck, or the goose bumps that instantaneously rose on her arms when she’d recognized his fragrance. Her body remembered with pleasure how much his nearness affected her.

“Hello, Aria.”

Two simple words.

Two…simple…words.

Her heart did a back flip into her stomach at the sound of his voice. For a nanosecond, she was a schoolgirl and he was her first crush, all because of the sound of his voice saying her name.

Three deep breaths, Aria…Three deep breaths…

After taking her mother’s advice, she turned to look into the eyes that always left her breathless. All at once, she was acutely aware of her pulse in various places of her body.

“Hi,” she said, smiling back at him.

Her smile was incentive enough for him to reward her with one of his own that liquefied what was left of any resolve she thought she possessed.

His gaze roamed up and down appreciatively, taking in her appearance.

“You look…stunning,” he said in a voice of crushed leather.

She could feel that she was blushing, but she knew that he’d always liked that.

“Thanks,” she responded, unconsciously tilting her head shyly down.

He found that nearly incapacitating and wanted to tilt her chin up to kiss her, finding it hard to behave himself.

“Is Jeannie here?” he asked, directing his thoughts elsewhere to make her, and himself, a bit more comfortable.

“No, I’m sorry to say she’s under the weather,” she explained. “I’m hoping to see Carter to tell him, but I’m sure he’s catching up with a lot of people tonight.”

“I’m sorry she’s not well,” he said, disappointed. “…and I’m sure you’ll run into Carter,” he assured her. “He’s a little nervous before his speech. It’s an emotional night for him.”

Lips dry from nervousness, she moistened them with her tongue, a detail that caught his eye and he found bewitching.

God! Was every little thing she did going to drive him crazy tonight?!

Quickly averting his gaze up to her eyes, he found them slightly hazed with tears.

“I can only imagine how hard this is for him,” she said, returning his thoughts to Carter. “Lacey was a special person.”

She could reduce him with her tears, a fact he somehow trivialized, and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and console her—but, of course, it wasn’t the time or the place—and he’d have to wait until all of Carter’s suspicions were resolved. There were too many eyes watching, and he was relieved when the music had begun for their guest artist, Melody Gardot.

“Sounds like we’re in for a treat,” he said, raising his eyes as he heard the orchestra. “Shall we?” he asked as he placed his hand out indicating their direction.

Aria smiled sweetly and stepped in front of him, making her way to the tables where her mood was dampened at the sight of Marisol. She was seated at a table next to Blake, and as Aria found her way to her seat, she saw that Declan, too, had been seated with Marisol and Blake.

What was Katherine thinking?

They sat one table apart, mere feet in measured space. Melody Gardot was announced as their special guest of the night. She spoke for a few moments, telling her own story. She, too, had been the victim of a hit and run. Her story was bittersweet and moving. It was unbelievable that she was here to perform. The violins began to play, and Melody held the microphone in a light caress.

Declan postured himself and made eye contact with Aria once they both recognized the tune. It was a song they had shared on a special evening; a milestone in their relationship. They had argued about the purchase of the building they were now sitting in—The Studio. He had returned from his shoot in Tokyo, had purchased a Mustang for Aria, and they’d enjoyed a lovely dinner at Fresco’s. When they arrived home, they’d gotten comfortable and put on some music. This song, “
Our Love Is Easy,
” was playing in the background as they shared tender moments. It was a special night for them both.

“Deep within your heart you know it’s plain to see, like Adam was to Eve, you were made for me…our love is easy…”

Melody sang in her signature torrid voice. Their eyes never left contact, and memories exchanged telepathically between them.

Aria could feel desire as Declan responded to her gaze. The flutter of her eyelashes fanned the heat within him and his control was tested as she glowed from the pink of her blush. Only he was privy to the memories that caused the change in her skin tone, and the recollection kindled his desire.

Reminiscence of what they had shared that evening was having its effect on her as well, and Aria shifted slightly with her own yearning. Stroking her hair, she pulled it to the side, causing him to suck in a breath with longing. As he did, she felt a rush of pleasure and knew she was treading on dangerous ground.

Breaking their mutual fixation, she no longer looked in his direction, thinking it less dangerous to hold and play with her drink. Although he made an effort to look away, he was hypnotized by the simplicity of her finger as it swirled the rim of her wine glass. What he really wanted to do was to take her by that hand and find the nearest private space, recreating any moment he could of that night.

As the song continued, he glanced at Marisol, who looked bored with the event. He then reminded himself that this small thing that he was doing for his brother would soon be over, and he could get back to living his own life. Carter had done much for him, especially since the accident, and if Lacey had given up her life because of the witch sitting at his table, and he’d been the one to bring her into all of their lives, then he’d do what he could to find out so they could lock her up and throw away the key.

Stealing another look at Aria, at what he’d had and almost thrown away, he knew that, for her, he’d do anything…