No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,82
do.”
“Okay. That happened when I was at the Naval academy. The girl I was dating got a summer internship in California. I was stuck in Maryland. We made do with calls and texts. As it got closer to her return, I made plans for our first evening together. I wanted it to be special. It was special, all right. She broke up with me within five minutes of coming off the plane. That was the longest drive from the airport to her house.”
“It was nice of you to drive her home. I think I would have been tempted to leave her at the airport. What was her reason?”
“The usual. She didn’t feel the same way about me anymore.”
“Was she responsible for the three-date rule?”
“No. That was because of Addison. She was always trying to set me up with people. Do you know where we are?”
She looked around vaguely. “Is that a trick question?”
“We’re approaching the spot where I first saw Owen. I’m thinking about installing a marker to commemorate the occasion. At that time, I was still foolish enough to think I could get over you.”
She laughed as she laced her fingers through his. “When did you realize you couldn’t?”
“Six days later at the fundraiser.”
“I think I’ve been slowly falling in love with you ever since I fainted on the dock and woke up to find you carrying me. I didn’t recognize it as love because I thought I was in love with Wade. That was another of my misconceptions. I thought love had to be sudden and blinding. But it’s no less powerful or consuming when it grows slowly.”
“Just promise that you’ll never stop loving me.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You have my word on it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Robin made good time to Fleming Island. Today’s wedding venue was a restored 1940s mansion situated on several acres of lake front property. A team of workers were carrying chairs to the ornamental gardens in preparation for the ceremony. The pictures would no doubt be lovely, but for the sake of the cake she’d spent the better part of two days making, Robin was glad the reception was being held indoors.
On the way from the parking lot to the house, she ran into Benson, the photographer hired for the occasion.
“Lovely day for a wedding,” he said, smiling at her.
He’d been saying the same thing for as long as she’d known him. “It is, indeed. How’s that new baby of yours?”
Benson reached for his phone. “You tell me.”
Robin happily looked through dozens of pictures. “She’s lovely. Do you think we’ll still be doing this when she gets married?”
“I can’t see us doing anything else.” He eyed the boxes loaded on her trolley. “How long before your masterpiece will be ready to be immortalized on film?”
“Check back with me in a half hour.”
A team of florists had transformed the ballroom into a rose garden. Long tables covered with white linen had been set with elegant gold place settings and crystal stemware. Only the round table in the middle sat empty. Robin preferred to be the last man in and the last man out. That way there was less chance of something happening to the cake.
She hummed to herself as she worked to set up her five-tiered ‘masterpiece’. Calling it that wasn’t too much of an exaggeration. This had been one of her more complicated projects. The intricate scrollwork and pearl accents inspired by the bride’s veil had taken hours to apply. It was the same for the clusters of peach and ivory Juliet roses adorning the top and clinging to the sides.
When she heard movement behind her, she assumed it was Benson. “Almost done,” she said without turning around.
“Take your time. I’m in no hurry.”
That wasn’t Benson. She swung around so quickly she almost fell down. Reece was standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets.
“What are you doing here?”
He sent her the slow smile that tied her stomach in knots. “Would you believe I was in the neighborhood?” He pointed to the cake. “That’s what I call a work of art. I hate to think your creation will be a shell of its former self in a few hours.”
“That’s the fate of every wedding cake.”
“Have you given any thought to yours?”
“Of course. I want something traditional and elegant with minimal decoration. What I like to call beautifully understated.”
“I’m guessing the color blue will be heavily featured.”
She grinned as she unboxed the engraved server set and placed it on the table adjacent