Until a strong hand pulled me loose. Ian grasped my arm and led me out of the hot, packed club to a car waiting outside. Unsteady on my heels, I blinked at him on the pavement. He opened the car door, glowering at me. “Get in.”
“What if I was having a good time in there?” I protested. I hadn’t been, particularly. Now that I was out in the fresh air, I realized I was feeling really groggy and out of it. Bed would be my friend. “Anyway, you weren't interested in spending time with me,” I grumbled.
“Is that what you think?” He leaned into me with dark intensity in his eyes. But then he took my arm and guided me into the car. “Make sure she gets back to the hotel safely,” he said to the driver.
“You're not coming?” That came out sounding too plaintive. I’d had too much to drink and it had loosened my tongue.
“This isn't over,” he told me cryptically before slamming the door shut.
Late the next morning, after a shower and some coffee, I packed my suitcase and made it down to the lobby to a waiting chauffer. He would take me to my next destination, a Friday night event simply listed on my itinerary as TBD, To Be Determined.
Climbing into the back of the limo, I assumed I’d be sharing the ride over with Deirdre. Ian sat there instead.
“Oh, hello.” I tugged my skirt down. It had ridden up a bit as I’d slid onto the leather seat. My words from last night came rushing back to me, remembering how I'd asked him if he weren't coming with me. I was sure he could tell from the tone in my voice I had hoped he was. “Are we going to pick up Deirdre?”
“No, I believe she’s spending the weekend with some friends.”
“Not with us?”
“Not with us.” He paused as the driver pulled out into thick city traffic. “How has your week been?”
“Okay. Busy.” Was he not going to tell me what was up? “So, where are we headed exactly?”
“Well, Annie, that's up to you.”
My heart started beating rapidly. “It is?”
“There’s an event this weekend that I’m hoping you’ll attend with me. But you can decide.”
“Is that the semi-formal company event?” I remembered that throwing me for a loop on the itinerary, wondering what to pack.
“Yes, but it’s not exactly a company event. It’s a wedding.”
“What?” I nearly gasped.
“A friend is getting married. On Naugatuck.”
This was crazy. The man had barely spoken to me over the last few weeks and now he wanted me to spend the weekend with him at a wedding? “Ian, this is sudden.”
“I was hoping you’d see it as a romantic gesture.”
“A romantic gesture,” I repeated, stunned. Had I been reading him wrong? What was happening? “Whose wedding is it?”
“My friend Jax.”
“He was on the boat with you.” I remembered his name from the story of that awful night.
“He was on the boat with me.”
“And the wedding’s on Naugatuck? That’s where you got injured.”
“That’s right.” His strong jaw tensed. “You don’t have to come. I can have the driver take you to any hotel you want. You can spend the weekend exploring the city, going to museums, shopping in SoHo and Fifth Avenue, anything you want at my expense. But I’m hoping you’ll come with me.”
My head swirled. I was so filled with mixed emotions about him already, and now as I sat in the backseat with him he offered a whole weekend together. The man who'd always been such a mystery to me was inviting me to join him and his closest friends and family. We sat so close I could feel his body heat, his leg almost touching mine. I probably shouldn't do it. It would be a lot smarter to say no.
“I’ll come,” I told him.
“Good.”
The car took us to a private airfield where we boarded a chartered plane. If I'd been impressed in first-class, I now had a whole new level with which to compare that luxury.
“I apologize,” Ian murmured to me as he had to take call after call. It appeared a funder had fallen through, but a new one had surfaced and required immediate attention. I didn't know how his phone worked up in the sky, or even exactly what he was talking about, but I actually felt grateful for a little adjustment time.
I felt so stunned—a whole weekend together. Back at a place that meant so much to him, with all his closest family and friends. Had I had questions I wanted answered about him; he was giving me the keys to the kingdom. But I hadn’t entered yet. I still felt bewildered. Why had he asked me? What did this all mean?
I kept sneaking peeks at him as we flew, that handsome profile so strong. The way he stood up and paced while on the phone, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to walk. The last time I'd seen him at his estate, he'd been muddy and bruised, sprawled on his couch drugged and drunk. He looked like a new man. But I could still see my Ian underneath. As much as his new powerful persona intrigued me, it was the old Ian I knew and still loved. And now we’d get to spend the weekend together.
Naugatuck was a gorgeous little island. Once we landed and got into another car, Ian got off the phone and started playing tour guide. “This is the downtown.” Outside the car I took in the cobblestone streets, the gas lamps, flowers blooming on every storefront. “They have great ice cream there,” he pointed to a local shop with a big cow out front.
“It’s so pretty!” I'd lived in a quaint little village for most of my life, and even I found it charming. The car took us to a bed and breakfast in a historic gray shingled home with white trim and giant blue and purple hydrangeas outside.
“Doesn't your family have a house on the island?” I'd remembered him telling me about it, and how many summers he'd spent living there as a child.
“We’re staying here,” he answered simply. I figured he had his reasons, and perhaps at some point along the course of the weekend he would tell me. We had adjoining rooms, separate but connected through a door. I didn't know whether that made me feel relieved or frustrated. It continued to keep whatever was between us extremely ambiguous.
The wedding rehearsal was at three, with dinner right after. We barely had half an hour to freshen up and change. I was glad I'd brought that silver dress. It would be perfect for the wedding tomorrow. For the rehearsal, I pulled out a pale pink shift dress I'd already worn once with a jacket in New York. It would serve double duty for the rehearsal.
The drive was short and I could tell Ian felt tense, not saying much as we headed over. My mind was filled with unspoken thoughts and questions as well. We turned onto a long driveway on a large property with a beautiful home near the street, and another, smaller one on the waterfront. “This is Liam's family’s home,” he explained. “He grew up here. Now he and my sister Sophie live in the big house, his mom in the cottage.”
“It’s gorgeous.” The bright blue sky with puffy white clouds looked serene and cheerful over the sparkling blue ocean beyond.
“The ocean’s friendly on a day like today.”
He must be thinking of the day over 15 years ago when the ocean turned enemy. I reached out and took his hand. Startled, he looked at where we touched, then up at me. “Thank you for coming, Annie. It means a lot to me.”
“Of course,” I answered. Didn't he know I would do anything for him? All he had to do was ask. Then he dropped my hand and we headed out to meet everyone and anyone that meant anything to Ian.
“There he is!” A younger, female version of Ian came running toward us, slender and graceful, throwing her arms around him.
“Easy there,” Ian chuckled, giving what I assumed was his sister a hug.
“Is this her?” The woman turned to me, tears of genuine joy in her eyes. I liked her immediately.
“Sophie, I'd like you to meet Annie.”
I stuck out my hand, feeling somewhat shy, but she was having none of it.
“It's so great to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you!” She gave me a giant, friendly American hug.
&
nbsp; Ian coughed loudly over my confused response as I asked, “You have?”
“You made it.” A big, tattooed guy made his way over to us.
“The groom,” Ian responded, giving him a bear hug.
“And here's the one we have to thank?” Jax turned toward me.
“This is Annie.” Ian introduced me again to the growing group of people who seemed to already have heard all about me. I was soon surrounded by excited greetings and hugs, men and women of all ages welcoming us to the festivities. Ian rustled the hair of a gorgeous little girl about seven years old, his niece. I'd forgotten he had an older sister, too. He introduced her as Margot.
All of the wedding party got hustled away to rehearse. The ceremony would be held at a breathtaking point overlooking the ocean. I found a seat and a tan, fit blond woman maybe a few years older joined me.
“Are you with Ian?” she asked with excitement, seeming to almost burst at the seams with enthusiasm. I introduced myself and she exclaimed over everything, my Scottish accent, my adorable dress, how excited everyone was that Ian had found someone like me.
“We've all been so worried about him,” she confided in me.