Claim
Page 98
Tessa surged to her feet, heedless of her full skirts, and hurried over to where Simon was still standing. She flung herself against his solid, comforting chest, weeping silently against his broad shoulder as he patted her a bit awkwardly between her shoulder blades.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For being here for me today when I didn’t have a father of my own. I wish with all my heart that you really were my father, Simon, because I’m convinced my real one isn’t even half the man you are.”
Simon pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I wish that too, my dear. And I’ll never forget this day. It was one of the best days of my life.”
He returned her to Ian then, and the two men exchanged a brief hug, thumping each other on the back as though they were the best of friends, rather than employer and employee. But Tessa knew that she would never again think of Simon as merely their chauffeur, or even their trusted bodyguard. To her, he would now be considered family.
After the dinner dishes were cleared away, it was time for the bride and groom’s traditional first dance. As Ian led her onto the dance floor, Tessa’s eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the vocalist who had taken the stage with the seven piece band.
“Isn’t she the singer who was at the Lake Tahoe hotel last year?” she murmured to Ian as the band leader prepared to announce the bride and groom.
“One and the same, love,” he replied with a grin. “And since that particular night is one of the most memorable of my life - the first time you told me that you loved me - I made sure that Donyelle could be here this evening to sing our special song.”
And then, as Ian spun her expertly around the floor in a modified waltz to the familiar strains of If I Ain’t Got You, Tessa thought for certain her heart would burst with joy. There was, after all, only so much emotion, so much happiness, that a person could handle at one time. And since she felt near to overflowing with elation, she knew that this night, this moment, would be the best one of her life. No matter how many other wonderful things might happen in the future - children, anniversaries, special times together - this night when she’d become Ian’s wife would always be the most magical of them all.
Chapter Eighteen
Matthew Bennett motioned to the bartender, who was enjoying something of a lull in the action for the first time that night.
“Can I get a refill on this?” he asked, sliding his glass across the bar.
“Sure thing, sir. Masterson’s, right?”
Matthew nodded at the mention of the ten year old bourbon he’d been drinking for most of the evening. “Good memory.”
The twenty-something bartender grinned good-naturedly as he poured Matthew’s drink. “Not much call for bourbon this evening, what with all these British folks floating around. I don’t think I’ve mixed so many martinis, or gone through this much single malt Scotch in two months combined. So when someone asks for a bourbon I tend to remember. Or the line of Patron shots that this very attractive lady keeps coming back for. Except I think her husband just cut her off.”
Matthew offered the bartender up a smile, plus a ten dollar bill in the tip jar, as he picked up the cut crystal glass that held his drink. “I think I know who that lady is. If it’s the same person I’m thinking of, her twin sister is the matron of honor. And from what I recall from the bachelor party I attended last week, that lady can drink most grown men under the table.”
The red-headed bartender sighed. “Not anymore, apparently. Her husband grabbed the last shot right out of her hand and drank it down himself. She was just about to give him hell for it when he kissed her instead. That seemed to shut her up.”
Matthew laughed, but any reply he might have made was cut off when a couple walked up to the bar and ordered a martini and a glass of Glenlivet. The bartender gave Matthew an “I told you so” eye roll before efficiently mixing up the drinks.
Ian and Tessa’s wedding had been every bit as lavish and wonderful as Matthew would have expected, knowing quite well what a stickler for detail his friend could be. He also knew how devoted Ian was to Tessa, and that no expense had been spared to give her the sort of wedding most women could only dream of. It was a stark contrast to the simple, budget-conscious event that was all he and Lindsey had been able to afford seventeen years ago. But given the way Lindsey spent money like a drunken sailor these days, it seemed at times that she was hell-bent on making up for all those lean years when they’d lived on a budget, and would have never been able to stay at a posh, exclusive resort hotel like this one.
Matthew grimaced as he noticed his wife dancing with yet another partner this evening, this one fortunately nowhere near as young as some of the others she had gravitated to earlier. As usual, Lindsey was doing her damndest to circulate the room, flirting rather outrageously with every good looking man at the wedding, and more or less ignoring the fact that she had a husband of her own present. And she’d dressed once again with the sole purpose in mind of attracting as much attention as possible, especially since she had known all eyes would be focused on the bride tonight. Lindsey was wearing a short, tight cocktail dress of shimmery gold brocade, along with gold metallic stilettos that were so high she’d almost tripped over her own feet several times already. Never one for subtlety, she was practically dripping in jewels - necklace, bracelets, long chandelier earrings, and of course the enormous diamond solitaire ring that she’d insisted he buy her a few years ago to replace the tiny little stone that had been all he’d been able to afford way back when.
She did look good, he admitted, and nearly ten years younger than her actual age of forty-one. But, as Lindsey was so fond of saying these days, having plenty of money certainly helped a person age well, and she spent a considerable sum on a regular basis taking care of herself - hair cuts and color, facials, massages, spray-on tans, pedicures, and a whole lot of fancy spa treatments that he’d never heard of before. She also worked out like a fiend, spending hours each day at the gym or doing Pilates, and watched what she ate like a hawk. The result was a sleek, toned, and tanned figure that would make a girl of twenty jealous, and Matthew conceded that all of her hard work had definitely achieved results. With the exception, of course, of the overly large breast implants she’d had done over a year ago without his consent or approval, and most certainly not with his own pleasure in mind. Like most everything else she did nowadays, having the implants done had been strictly for Lindsey’s own personal satisfaction.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For being here for me today when I didn’t have a father of my own. I wish with all my heart that you really were my father, Simon, because I’m convinced my real one isn’t even half the man you are.”
Simon pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I wish that too, my dear. And I’ll never forget this day. It was one of the best days of my life.”
He returned her to Ian then, and the two men exchanged a brief hug, thumping each other on the back as though they were the best of friends, rather than employer and employee. But Tessa knew that she would never again think of Simon as merely their chauffeur, or even their trusted bodyguard. To her, he would now be considered family.
After the dinner dishes were cleared away, it was time for the bride and groom’s traditional first dance. As Ian led her onto the dance floor, Tessa’s eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the vocalist who had taken the stage with the seven piece band.
“Isn’t she the singer who was at the Lake Tahoe hotel last year?” she murmured to Ian as the band leader prepared to announce the bride and groom.
“One and the same, love,” he replied with a grin. “And since that particular night is one of the most memorable of my life - the first time you told me that you loved me - I made sure that Donyelle could be here this evening to sing our special song.”
And then, as Ian spun her expertly around the floor in a modified waltz to the familiar strains of If I Ain’t Got You, Tessa thought for certain her heart would burst with joy. There was, after all, only so much emotion, so much happiness, that a person could handle at one time. And since she felt near to overflowing with elation, she knew that this night, this moment, would be the best one of her life. No matter how many other wonderful things might happen in the future - children, anniversaries, special times together - this night when she’d become Ian’s wife would always be the most magical of them all.
Chapter Eighteen
Matthew Bennett motioned to the bartender, who was enjoying something of a lull in the action for the first time that night.
“Can I get a refill on this?” he asked, sliding his glass across the bar.
“Sure thing, sir. Masterson’s, right?”
Matthew nodded at the mention of the ten year old bourbon he’d been drinking for most of the evening. “Good memory.”
The twenty-something bartender grinned good-naturedly as he poured Matthew’s drink. “Not much call for bourbon this evening, what with all these British folks floating around. I don’t think I’ve mixed so many martinis, or gone through this much single malt Scotch in two months combined. So when someone asks for a bourbon I tend to remember. Or the line of Patron shots that this very attractive lady keeps coming back for. Except I think her husband just cut her off.”
Matthew offered the bartender up a smile, plus a ten dollar bill in the tip jar, as he picked up the cut crystal glass that held his drink. “I think I know who that lady is. If it’s the same person I’m thinking of, her twin sister is the matron of honor. And from what I recall from the bachelor party I attended last week, that lady can drink most grown men under the table.”
The red-headed bartender sighed. “Not anymore, apparently. Her husband grabbed the last shot right out of her hand and drank it down himself. She was just about to give him hell for it when he kissed her instead. That seemed to shut her up.”
Matthew laughed, but any reply he might have made was cut off when a couple walked up to the bar and ordered a martini and a glass of Glenlivet. The bartender gave Matthew an “I told you so” eye roll before efficiently mixing up the drinks.
Ian and Tessa’s wedding had been every bit as lavish and wonderful as Matthew would have expected, knowing quite well what a stickler for detail his friend could be. He also knew how devoted Ian was to Tessa, and that no expense had been spared to give her the sort of wedding most women could only dream of. It was a stark contrast to the simple, budget-conscious event that was all he and Lindsey had been able to afford seventeen years ago. But given the way Lindsey spent money like a drunken sailor these days, it seemed at times that she was hell-bent on making up for all those lean years when they’d lived on a budget, and would have never been able to stay at a posh, exclusive resort hotel like this one.
Matthew grimaced as he noticed his wife dancing with yet another partner this evening, this one fortunately nowhere near as young as some of the others she had gravitated to earlier. As usual, Lindsey was doing her damndest to circulate the room, flirting rather outrageously with every good looking man at the wedding, and more or less ignoring the fact that she had a husband of her own present. And she’d dressed once again with the sole purpose in mind of attracting as much attention as possible, especially since she had known all eyes would be focused on the bride tonight. Lindsey was wearing a short, tight cocktail dress of shimmery gold brocade, along with gold metallic stilettos that were so high she’d almost tripped over her own feet several times already. Never one for subtlety, she was practically dripping in jewels - necklace, bracelets, long chandelier earrings, and of course the enormous diamond solitaire ring that she’d insisted he buy her a few years ago to replace the tiny little stone that had been all he’d been able to afford way back when.
She did look good, he admitted, and nearly ten years younger than her actual age of forty-one. But, as Lindsey was so fond of saying these days, having plenty of money certainly helped a person age well, and she spent a considerable sum on a regular basis taking care of herself - hair cuts and color, facials, massages, spray-on tans, pedicures, and a whole lot of fancy spa treatments that he’d never heard of before. She also worked out like a fiend, spending hours each day at the gym or doing Pilates, and watched what she ate like a hawk. The result was a sleek, toned, and tanned figure that would make a girl of twenty jealous, and Matthew conceded that all of her hard work had definitely achieved results. With the exception, of course, of the overly large breast implants she’d had done over a year ago without his consent or approval, and most certainly not with his own pleasure in mind. Like most everything else she did nowadays, having the implants done had been strictly for Lindsey’s own personal satisfaction.
