The Billionaire's Practice Kiss - Tamie Dearen Page 0,23

nauseated. How horrible that Nancy and Logan had had so many years living in a dysfunctional family and that Logan’s stepfather continued to haunt them.

God, I’m sorry. I was so angry for what I lost that I forgot to be grateful for what I had.

A twenty-minute drive took them to the exclusive country club. Logan handed off his key to the concierge parking attendant and opened Ellery’s door.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow and squeezed. “For driving slow and also for bringing the SUV. I notice all the other cars are fancy.”

“That’s okay. It takes more than an expensive car to impress these people.” Logan nodded at the tuxedoed doorman.

Entering the foyer behind Logan’s mother, a multitude of gapes and whispers hidden behind hands accosted them, and Ellery felt Logan stiffen.

“You shouldn’t have brought me,” Ellery mumbled from the corner of her mouth. “People are already staring.”

“They’re staring at Mom and me, not you,” Logan muttered. “No doubt they’re shocked we were even invited.”

A scan of the room revealed a single welcoming expression among the throng. The lone smile came from an attractive woman across the lobby who waved at Nancy and called her over.

“That’s Carlotta Edwards, mother of the bride,” Logan explained. “She refused to turn her back on Mom when all this happened. I imagine she and her husband exchanged a few angry words over it.”

“I see why you didn’t want your mom to come alone.”

“It’s like a sea of sharks.” The corner of his mouth curled up. “They’re circling, waiting for blood to be drawn. Probably anticipating a showdown with dear old Dad.”

“The men may be waiting for the kill, but the women are drooling.” She hoped her words would distract him from thinking about his stepfather. “They’ve never seen you look so hot.”

Color rose in his face, but he dismissed her comment with a shake of his head. “I shouldn’t have come. I don’t know why I thought it would feel any different once I’d made my own money. I still don’t belong here.”

From somewhere came a voice announcing that everyone should move toward the outer doors where the seating would begin. As they followed the crowd toward the opposite doorway, Logan plastered a casual smile on his face, exuding an air of confidence. But his arm shook beneath her hand as if every muscle in his body was coiled to fight.

His mother rejoined them, head held high, defiantly ignoring the ogles aimed her direction. From the entrance area, one man’s voice rose above the crowd, and a current of tight emotion rippled through the foyer.

“Don’t look now,” Logan murmured, “but that’s my stepdad.”

Ellery waited until they were next in line to be ushered out before glancing over her shoulder to the voice’s owner. She supposed he could’ve been considered handsome, with thick salt and pepper hair, a trim form, and a strong jaw.

Logan turned to glare at his stepfather, whose answering smile resembled a hungry crocodile. The other wedding guests seemed to emulate his hostility. Logan’s arm wrapped around her back as if he were shielding her from it. It was too sweet for words.

I’m not the one who needs protection…Logan is!

She had to focus on the job at hand. To support Logan in every way possible. And right now, that meant being a convincing girlfriend.

She could do it! She could forget her own insecurities and concentrate on Logan. She could pretend this thing between Logan and her was a real relationship.

And she could ignore the pain of wishing it was.

Chapter 10

This was the moment Logan had been waiting for. With the grace of a ballet dancer, Allegra Edwards floated down the aisle, iridescent silken fabric accenting her lithe form. Five years hadn’t lessened her beauty one iota. As always, her features, her complexion, her hair…everything was absolute perfection. Logan waited for the pangs of yearning to hit him. But they never came.

Even when her gray eyes made a jolting contact with his, widening in surprise, he didn’t feel a drop of desire. Perhaps his anxiety was blocking his other emotions. He was certainly aware of his stepdad’s glare on the back of his head from two rows behind.

“Is that her?” Ellery whispered.

Logan answered with a nod.

As Allegra took her place at the front and turned to face the audience, she refused to look at Logan. From her quivering chin to the blanching of her face, it was obvious she wished he hadn’t come. And in