What Matters Most: The Billionaire Bargains, Book 2 (3 page)

He didn’t bother to paste on a fake smile as he stalked up the aisle toward the groom. And Jeff’s fake smile slowly faded into a look of apprehension as Tony approached.

Tony took his place next to his friend. He smoothed his tux jacket, straightened his tie and said, low enough for only Jeff to hear, “There’s always the part about if anyone objects and, buddy, I
really
object.”

Jeff leaned and spoke out of the side of his mouth. “You wouldn’t do it in front of all of these people.”

“Try me.” Tony kept his gaze on the flower girl who was walking up the aisle and dropping rose petals at an excruciatingly slow pace, clearly milking her moment in the spotlight. He forced himself to relax. It was going to be over soon.

Jeff swallowed hard. “Why do you care so much?”

Tony started to reply and then schooled his features, reminding himself that planting a fist in Jeff’s face and getting blood all over the expensive tuxes was an overreaction.

He’d like to think that he would have been this upset with Jeff no matter who he’d cheated on. It wasn’t like he thought Jeff was an angel. Jeff was most definitely not an angel, and Tony had been a part of many of his most non-angelic moments. But Jeff wasn’t a cheater. Jeff wasn’t
this
kind of a cheater, Tony amended. Jeff cheated at poker from time to time, he always cheated at pool—because he sucked—and he had cheated on women before. But no one he was serious about, and he’d always come clean about it afterward.

Of course, it had ended all but one of those relationships and that girl had been crazy. And cheating on Jeff too.

Which was obviously a huge part of him not wanting to tell Reese.

But he’d never fallen in love with the other woman before either.

Tony couldn’t help but feel bad for Anna too. Per Jeff and his drunken ramblings, they were madly in love.

Yeah, he definitely objected to this wedding. On several counts.

“I care because you both deserve better than this,” Tony whispered to his friend. “I don’t want anyone regretting this in the morning.”

Like him. He would definitely regret it if this wedding happened.

“You’re really going to…” Jeff trailed off as the music changed and the first of the bridesmaids appeared at the end of the aisle.

Yep, he was really going to.

The procession continued, the bridesmaids smiling, their hair and makeup perfect for the ceremony and the photos afterward. Which were never going to happen.

Tony felt the anticipation building in his chest. He was going to break up this wedding. When the minister asked if there was anyone who had a reason why Jeff and Reese shouldn’t be married, Tony was going to answer with a loud I do.

He’d already seen Reese in her dress, but when she appeared at the back of the church ready to walk down the aisle, Tony felt his heart clench.

She was so damned beautiful.

And she looked nervous as hell.

That was probably normal, but he chose to believe that it was because she didn’t really want to go through with it. Maybe she was having second thoughts.

Tony glanced at Jeff.

Jeff looked green.

“I can’t do it,” Jeff whispered, actually turning to Tony.

Tony turned him back, as inconspicuously as he could. Fortunately, everyone was looking at Reese.

“You don’t have to do it. I’ll do it,” Tony told him.

“I mean I can’t marry her,” Jeff turned to Tony again.

Tony turned Jeff toward the bride that was halfway down the aisle. “I know you can’t.”

At least they finally agreed on that. Of course, this realization would have been helpful an hour ago. But it wasn’t too late.

“So you’re going to tell her that I’m in love with someone else?” Jeff asked. “In front of everyone?”

Tony frowned at him. “That is
not
what I’m going to tell her.” But an hour ago that had been pretty much exactly what he’d been planning to tell her. Now in front of all of her family and friends, however, that seemed…insensitive.

That was, actually, a weak word for it.

Truthfully, he hadn’t thought through what he was going to say. He’d been simply focused on the fact that he was going to say
something
. Whatever it took.

But yeah, there was probably a bad way to do it and a…less bad way to do it.

He hated the idea that Reese was going to be hurt but she was also going to be embarrassed. Humiliated even. Finding out about Jeff’s infidelity was bad enough, but with an audience it would be horrible.

Fuck.

He would have pulled the fire alarm or something if he’d thought about it.

Dammit.

Okay. He could still protest the marriage. He didn’t have to be specific about why. Did he? He’d actually never witnessed someone answering yes to that question about an objection at a wedding. Was there protocol? Would the minister need to know why? And if so, how much detail would he need?

Dammit. Dammit.

Reese was now at the front, smiling nervously at Jeff. She looked gorgeous…and edgy. Her gaze flickered to Tony and when their eyes met, Tony felt it rock through his whole body.

Oh, yeah, he was doing this. Somehow. Somehow he had to break up this wedding with as little hurt and humiliation to the bride as possible.

Her father gave her away and she stepped up next to Jeff in front of the minister. She tucked her hand into the crook of Jeff’s arm.

“Dearly beloved,” the minister began.

And Tony opened his mouth.

“Hang on a second.”

Reese froze. Her ears had been filled with a weird, fuzzy humming noise since she’d started her procession down the aisle. But she’d heard those four words clearly.

Jeff had just interrupted the minister.

“Is there a problem?” Reverend Lawrence leaned in slightly, a worried frown on his face. “Are you feeling lightheaded? Be sure to unlock your knees and breathe.”

“Uh, no, that’s not it,” Jeff said.

Reese tried to take a deep breath, but her lungs felt stiff and hard. She tried to swallow, but that didn’t work either.

She risked looking to her right. She’d been stoically facing forward ever since she’d met Tony’s eyes when she’d come up the aisle.

Tony was watching her now, and the impact of meeting his gaze directly slammed into her again.

She swung her gaze back to the minister, then higher to the cross on the wall behind him.

If only Tony hadn’t come into the dressing room. If only she hadn’t seen him up close in his tux. If only he hadn’t teased her about the wedding night. God, for months she’d been
over
her infatuation with him. Ever since she’d said yes to Jeff’s proposal, she had
not
thought about Tony and how his low rumbly laugh gave her goose bumps and how she wished he meant even half the things he said when he was flirting with her.

Jeff was the man for her. Jeff was the one who had pursued her, who made her feel special, who listened to her, who wanted to spend time with her.

That felt good. It felt good to be important to someone, to be the focus of their attention.

She was always the one pursuing people—trying to help her brother and sister, encouraging her friends, showing up on her clients’ doorsteps and taking them to job interviews, AA meetings and parenting classes. She was always the one expending the energy in her relationships. So when Jeff had come along and actually courted her, she’d fallen for it quickly and easily.

Tony Steele was not a man who pursued anything. Things and people came to him with very little effort from him.

He certainly hadn’t come after her. She’d known him for two months before she met Jeff. In those two months of flirtations, she’d actually hoped maybe he was working up to asking her out.

But he never had. He’d been content to see her for a few hours twice a week surrounded by other rich, poker-playing men.

And then he’d introduced her to his best friend.

Of course she’d known Tony would be the best man. He’d been there last night at the rehearsal too. But she’d avoided looking at him last night. She’d learned that trick several months ago at the club.

Waitressing at her stepfather’s club was supposed to have been a part-time help-out-with-the-new-car-payment temporary thing. It was supposed to have helped make ends meet while she spent her days saving the world as a social worker. It was supposed to have been easy, low-pressure work with big tips.

It was not supposed to have changed her life.

But she’d met Tony at that club, and then because of Tony, his best friend, Jeff, had come in one night. And now she was standing next to Jeff in front of a minister that had the power to make them husband and wife.

While she purposefully avoided looking at the best man.

She looked up at her husband to be instead. He’d reassure her. He’d give her a smile and she’d know everything was going to be okay.

Except he looked like he was about to throw up.

She frowned. “Jeff?” she whispered, pulled from her musings and aware that there was a lot of shifting and whispering going on in the church behind them.

“Dude, be cool,” she heard Tony say.

Jeff glanced at him. “I can’t.”

Tony gave him a stern look. “You have to. Just walk if that’s what you need to do.”

Just
walk
?

Reese turned completely to face the two men. Just walk? As in walk out of here? “Are you all right?” she asked Jeff.

She didn’t whisper it. Heck, everyone in the church knew something was going on now. They hadn’t gotten past
dearly beloved
.

And Jeff still looked like he was going to throw up.

“No, he’s not all right,” Tony said to her.

And their eyes met.

Looking at the two men standing side by side in identical tuxedos, she was struck by the similarities…and the differences…between them.

They were both successful, respected, suave.

But Jeff was sweet. Tony wasn’t. Tony was inappropriate and naughty and funny.

Jeff was nice. Tony wasn’t. Tony had a hint of “this could be trouble” about him that she found very addicting.

Jeff was good-looking. Tony was gorgeous. And he knew it.

She had flirted with Tony. She hadn’t been able to help it. He’d encouraged it in fact, flirting back, saying outrageous things. But it hadn’t gone anywhere. She wasn’t sure she’d ever truly expected it to. Tony was a player, out of her league. Then again, she’d thought Jeff was too, but he’d been obviously interested from the beginning.

That was the most stark difference between the men—Tony was a big talker, but he didn’t
act.
Jeff did.

Jeff had wanted her. Tony hadn’t.

Jeff cleared his throat. Oh, yeah, something was wrong with him.

“Why aren’t you all right?” she asked.

Maybe he was sick or severely hung over or…

“I can’t marry you.”

“I’m in love with you.”

Jeff and Tony spoke simultaneously, their words tripping over one another and mashing together in Reese’s brain.

She stared at them, looking from one to the other. She was vaguely aware of gasps and rustlings from the people in the pews—her friends and family mostly. Oh, and she couldn’t forget the governor.

But she didn’t care. What she cared about was right in front of her.

“What did you just say?”

“I can’t marry you.”

“I’m in love with you.”

They both spoke at the same time again. But it still made no sense.

“You can’t marry me…” she pointed to Jeff, “because you’re in love with him?” she asked, pointing at Tony.

There was
no
way
Tony Steele was gay.

That was the only thought that was clear and made sense at the moment.

Tony frowned. “I’m not in love with
him
,” he said, moving Jeff partially out of the way. “I’m in love with
you
.”

Okay, that made more sense. Tony was in love with her and Jeff…

Her eyes widened. “You’re
in love
with me?” she asked Tony.

He nodded. “Completely.”

Chapter Two

In shock, she looked at Jeff. He looked…relieved. She frowned. That didn’t make sense.

“Did he tell you this? Is that why you think we can’t get married?” she asked, adrenaline pumping hard through her veins, her heart pounding, emotions too numerous rushed through her too fast to name anyway.

“No.” Jeff shook his head. Then he shrugged. “Yeah, I knew he had feelings for you. But he didn’t tell me he was in love with you.”