Page 41 of Always a Bridesmaid

“Thank you again for making this happen,” said Mary.

“Really, it was all Henry’s sister Sarah. All I did was pass on Georgia’s request and she jumped into action. Now, why don’t you go and hang with the family in the front?”

Mary looked stunned. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not. Plus, Sarah said it was okay. In fact, she all but demanded it.”

“You’re an angel.”

Mary wrapped Jane in the biggest, warmest, and most genuine hug she’d ever received, and Jane held on like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to the world. She wasn’t sure why, but she’d felt one breath away from tears all day.

She watched Mary and Finn disappear into the crowd and that’s when she felt it, intense and consuming.

Henry.

He’d somehow spotted her, all five feet, three inches—okay, five-six with her knee-high boots. When their gazes clashed it was like a match striking gasoline. His immediately went from relief to rage as he broke contact and searched the crowd around her. Why in the hell was he mad at her? If anyone had the right to be angry, it was Jane!

So when his eyes locked back on hers, she lifted a single condemning brow and he smiled. She frowned, which seemed to amuse him.

Way to go, Jane. Two minutes and you let him get to you. Even worse, you let him see it.

Shit. This was not going to plan.

Unable to control her racing heart nor her growing anger—not to mention her hormones, because who knew how sexy racing suits could be?—she unzipped her team jacket, which she’d bought with her own money thank you very much, to show the T-shirt beneath. It matched Henry’s—all except for the name and number, which readEnzo Rossi #33.

It took him a moment to realize it and when he did, she could see something akin to jealousy boil over in his glare. She smiled the smile of an innocent woman and stood proudly with her chest puffed out for all the world to see the big number thirty-three on her right boob. She could have gone with the generic team shirt, but she wanted to make a point, get under his skin. And her plan had worked. Better than anticipated.

He wanted to play games? She could too. Only the moment she unveiled her betrayal, she regretted it. Because today was his big day, and it was not the time or place for this. There he was on stage in front of hundreds of people, and she was playing games.

A dangerous game.

“What were you thinking?” she mumbled to herself.

She hadn’t been. She’d been angry and hurt and she’d reacted. Something Jane hadn’t done since she’d been a heartbroken kid on a base in Germany. She hadn’t attained the results she’d wanted then, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to get the results she wanted now. She wasn’t sure what those results were, but the Norrises had gone out of their way to make today possible for Finn and she’d gone and pissed off the head of the family.

Disappointed in herself, Jane went in search of a restroom to catch her breath. She found a single unit bathroom not far down an empty corridor and let herself in. She turned on the cold water and let it rush over her hands, which were trembling.

Closing her eyes, she’d just rested her head against the mirror when there was a bang at the door.

“Sorry, someone’s in here. I’m nearly done.”

“Open the fucking door, Elle,” Henry said. “Or I will kick it in.”

Her breath lodged in her throat at the fierce conviction in his tone. She took a step back, hoping he’d just give up and go away.

“I will stand out here all day. The press will come looking for me and then they’ll find me standing outside your door.”

That was all it took for her to unlock the deadbolt. She’d barely turned it when he burst in.

“Take it off,” he snarled.

“What?” She was so overwhelmed by just how much of the bathroom he took up, her brain ceased to function.

“Take off his bloody shirt.”

And that’s when she saw that he’d grabbed another T-shirt, likely boasting his own name and number, on the way to find her.

“It’s just a shirt. What’s the big deal?”

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