Payton’s eyes searched the tables again, in case she missed someone. An odd prickling at the back of her neck told her that she’d found her quarry when seconds later, his warm breath tickled her bare skin.
She didn’t dare to move, didn’t know if she could, as this man, this man who engendered the most bewildering conduct from her, reached her side. Neither of them seemed capable of speech, just enjoying the moment. She was almost afraid to speak for fear the magic of the moment would be broken.
“Payton,” Cruz finally said, his words deep and soft.
But whatever he was about to say was lost as Emily Vaughn’s determined face appeared in front of them, and Payton took a step back involuntarily.
“There you are, Payton. Cruz,” she muttered, barely glancing his way before returning her attention to Payton. “I was worried that Kate was going to keep you hostage the rest of the night for wedding photos. Now that you’re here, we should go take a seat as it appears they’re finally going to serve us dinner.”
“Oh. I was planning on sitting with the rest of the wedding—”
“I hope you understand how difficult it is for me, Payton, being here in this strange place,” her mother said in that long suffering voice Payton knew all too well, “not knowing anyone except you. You’re not going to leave me to sit by myself for dinner, too, are you? I promise I won’t make you miss out on the festivities. In fact, I’ll make myself scarce right after dinner. You may want to consider it, too, since our flight leaves in the afternoon and we need to make sure we leave plenty of time to check in and—”
Payton barely managed to restrain from rolling her eyes. “Yes. Fine. Of course, I can sit with you.” If it meant that her mother would retire to their room as soon as they ate, she could force herself to share a meal. A peace offering to the news that she’d dropped on her mother’s lap.
“We’ll both keep you company,” Cruz said and glanced around “We could probably squeeze in another chair at our table, if you’d like.”
“Isn’t that…sweet. But it won’t be necessary. I already have my sweater and purse holding our seats over there.” She pointed to a location several seats away from Kate and Dominic’s.
If Payton wasn’t actually stressed at the unlimited amount of barbs and insults her mother could level on Cruz in the space of twenty minutes, she might have put her foot down. Told her mother that she wanted Cruz’s company and if she didn’t like it, she could leave.
But Payton knew all too well how the woman’s jibes could cut to the bone. And although she was sure Cruz could handle anything her mother threw at him, she would rather save the peace. For now. “It’s fine, really,” she said in reassurance to the concern she saw in his eyes.
“We’ll catch up later,” he said, almost like a promise. He turned to her mother, and nodded briefly. “I hope you enjoy your dinner.”
Casually, he brought his hand to his heart for barely a second as he met her gaze. With a warm smile that left her stomach twisting all over again, he walked over to the table where his family was already seated.
A memory niggled at her. Of Cruz smiling as she nestled into his crook just after making love. Of him taking her hand in his, then laying it over his heart and whispering something in Spanish that she hadn’t understood, but insisted he translate. He’d kissed her hand and returned it to his heart saying—
“Payton? Are you okay?”
Payton jerked her head and tried to smile with nonchalance. “Just thinking how happy I am for my best friend. The ceremony couldn’t have been more perfect. Should we go take out seats?”
Payton slipped into her seat, barely hearing the litany of complaints her mother unleashed about the horrible hotel service. She was thinking about what Cruz had promised. The words playing in her mind like he was right there, whispering them again.
“You have my heart, always and forever.”
Her mother asked her something, but Payton couldn’t remember the question much less give a response, and her mother glared at her in disapproval.
But she didn’t care. Because tonight, like she’d told her mother, she was going to finally do what she had always wanted for herself.
She was going to live on her own terms. Do what made her happy.
And whether or not she and Cruz decided to permanently dissolve their marriage come Monday, tonight she wanted to dance in the arms of the man that she had promised to love and honor all the days of her life. She wasn’t going to worry about what might happen the next day; she was going to trust in this thing that had developed between her and Cruz and see what happened.
And she couldn’t wait to tell him.
Chapter Fourteen
Cruz sat through an interminable conversation between his sisters as they debated the appealing qualities of Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, and Tom Welling, all men who, in the past decade, had played Superman in various screen adaptations. Daisy seemed to have a soft spot for the brainier, more introspective of the three while Benny’s preference was purely physical—making him fidget for a moment trying to tune out their conversation.
He glanced over to where Payton and her mother sat, looking for any sign of distress on Payton’s part. He’d already decided to rescue her the moment Payton looked the least bit upset, no matter how hard the dragon lady might glare at him. But Payton almost seemed to be in her own world, barely hearing whatever her mother was discussing next to her.
“You are in big trouble,” Daisy’s voice said, breaking into his thoughts. It took him a minute to realize she was talking to him and turned to look at her. She leaned back in her chair, an arm casually thrown over the back of it, and smiled at him with a little too much satisfaction.
He sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean?”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “The way your eyes have been glued on her all night tells me that you’re interested in Payton Vaughn as more than just an…acquaintance.”
He thought about denying it but decided it would be pointless. But he wasn’t about to wax poetic on all the reasons he found the woman intriguing and passionate and like a refreshing breath of fresh air in his life. Especially since that breath of fresh air was about to disappear in a matter of hours. Back to her life. He decided silence was his best defense.
“Fine. Don’t confide in your favorite sister. But from the way her mother is watching her, I’d say you’re going to have your work cut out for you. She’s guarding her like a prisoner. Don’t think she’s going to take well to you shattering her plans for her prodigy.”
Daisy hit the nail on the head with that assessment, but she always was very intuitive. Scarily so.
Kate and Dominic’s wedding party wasn’t overly large but even so it took a couple of attempts for the DJ to get their attention. With the usual introductions and pomp, he introduced the new couple and asked them to go start the evening out on the dance floor as husband and wife.
Kate was flushed with excitement as Dominic brushed her up against him for a soft kiss, taking one hand in his and holding her so close as though he was afraid she was going to slip away. The soft folksy tune of “Crazy Love” began to play and from the look on Kate’s expression, Cruz could see she was shocked and touched by the choice, as some memory must have been triggered.
For a brief moment, the bride glanced across the room at her maid of honor, and Cruz took the opportunity to sneak another long look at Payton. Something passed between the women and she nodded to Kate, a wide smile bursting across her face, tears slipping down.