A Bride's Tangled Vows. Dani Wade
glare was almost visible in the dim light. He should feel lucky he wasnât smoldering under that fire. Instead, a cool brush of air drifted over him as she shifted back on the steps. âIf you had hung around over the past ten years, youâd know that Lily has been like a mother to me. Ever since we were kids.â Pausing to swallow, she looked down for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was once more firm and devoid of emotion. âI understand whatâs being required of me.â
Somehow that monotone didnât make him any happier than her anger, and he couldnât resist the urge to shake her out of it. âYouâd sell yourself to a stranger for what, money? Hoping olâ Granddad will give you a piece of the pie if you work hard enough for it?â
âNo,â she insisted. âIâm not selling myself, but I will sacrifice myself to do what I think is right for Lily.â She reached out in a pleading gesture, but jerked back as her fingertips brushed his chest. A deep breath seemed to stabilize her control. The professional was back. âItâs my belief as a nurse, and as Lilyâs friend, that sheâs conscious of where she is. This house has been her sanctuary since her car accident. I can guarantee that removing her from here will negatively affect her physical and emotional condition. Especially if he puts her inââ a shudder worked its way over her ââthat place. Iâll do whateverâs necessary to keep Lily out of there.... Will you?â
Aiden shifted his legs, wishing he could pace despite the confinement of his surroundings. âWould he really do that to her, you think?â
An unladylike snort sounded in the air, surprising him. But Christina obviously wasnât in the mood to pull her punches. âHave you forgotten that much already? Heâs only become more pigheaded through the years.â
âYou seem to handle him pretty well,â he said, remembering how sheâd stared James down over the medicine.
Her brow lifted in disbelief. âHe only concedes to my medical expertise because heâs afraid of dying.â
âHeâs not afraid of anything.â
âActually, Aiden, deep down weâre all afraid of something.â Her shaky breath told him she was afraid of something, too, but she wasnât revealing any secrets. âDeath is the only thing James canât outwit, outsmart or bully into getting his way.â
Though he didnât understand why, Aiden felt a strange kinship tingle at the edge of his consciousness. She might look delicate, but Christina was racking up evidence of being one smart cookie. On top of that, a common bond tightened between them: Lily. He knew the source of his guiltâhis obligation to his mother. Despite her words, he knew Christinaâs devotion to Lily wasnât just friendship; something else lurked beneath that fierce dedication. Was it just how good Lily had been to her? Or something more? Heâd find out what was going on there. She could bet on it.
The sudden silence must have become too much for her, because Christina moved forward as if to continue down the stairs. The polite thing would have been to step aside, but the ache to feel that body against his once more kept him perversely still. She slowed within a hairbreadth, tension mounting once more. âAiden?â
âSo youâre really willing to do this?â he asked, almost holding his breath as he awaited her answer. What delicious torture to spend the next year with this woman and keep his hands to himself. Could he? This was a huge mistake.
âI donât know. I donât think I can, you know, share a bed with you.â
The way her voice trailed off told him how very uncomfortable she was, which only awakened images of making her very comfortable in a bed for two. But maybe he could find a way to make this work.
âDonât worry. Iâll figure out a way around that.â
âDo you have any other choices for a wife?â she asked. âI didnât really give you a chance to choose.â
Arguments? He had a few, but none that were effective. Excuses? A whole hay wagon full, but none he dared utter in the face of the threat to his motherâs well-being. Other women? He could think of many a delectable armful over the last ten years, but none interested in anything as mundane as marriage. Heâd stayed far away from the home-and-hearth type.
âNo,â he conceded, then stepped aside to let her pass. âI donât think I could pay my assistant enough to move to the middle of nowhere and put up with me 24/7.â
âItâs hardly the middle of nowhere,â she said with a light tone as she scooted past, brushing the far wall in an attempt not to touch him again.
Which was just as well.
She continued, âWe might not have the culture of New York City, but thereâs still a movie theater, nice restaurants and the country-club set.â She kept that delicate face turned resolutely away as he followed her into the soft afternoon light of the kitchen. âNot something Iâm that interested in, but to each his own.â
Interesting. âWhat do your parents think about that?â
âWho knows?â And who cares, her tone said. Could she really brush aside what her family thought that easily? Everything heâd seen since his return made him think she was family-focused. Her graceful appearance, fierce loyalty and career choice made her seem exactly like the marriage, kids and picket-fence type. All the more reason to keep his pants zipped around her.
What were they going to do about that bed? It was long moments later before she finally turned to face him, but for once the delicate lines of her face told him nothing.
âHonestly, Aiden, I want to help. This situation is uncomfortable at best, but for Lily...â
Sheâll do anything. Her earlier question rang once more in his ears: Would he put aside his own selfish wants, his own desire to run far, far away for the second time, for the needs of his mother and his childhood home?
Would he?
* * *
Christina picked her way down the damp concrete steps in front of the stately Black Hills courthouse. Thunderstorms had blown through during the night, leaving a cool breeze that rustled through the Bradford pear trees lining the square. Her trembling body felt just as jostled as she followed Aiden and Canton. Were her feet really numb or was that just the shock of signing the papers?
âItâs official,â the probate judge had said, beaming with the pride of initiating a Blackstone marriage.
Luckily, it wasnât truly officialâshe still had about a week before the marriage license came in to regain her senses, but picturing Lily at home, fragile yet safe in her bed, told Christina she wouldnât change her mind.
She couldnât turn her back on the friend whoâd given up so much for her.
The three of them reached the bottom just as a group of local guys approached. Cleaned up from work in jeans and button-downs, they looked like what they wereâsmall-town guys headinâ down to start their weekend with some fun at Lolaâs, the local bar.
âWell, look at this, boys. Itâs Aiden Blackstone, back from New York City.â
Christina cringed inside. Jason Briggs had to be the cockiest guy in Black Hills, and had the mouth to prove it. Not someone she wanted to deal with given her current edgy nerves.
âJason.â Aiden acknowledged the other man with the single, short word. From his tight tone, Christina guessed his memories of Jason were anything but fond.
âWhatya doinâ back here?â Jason asked, as if it was any of his business. âCanât imagine you showing up after all this time for a pleasure visit.â