Tiana (Starkis Family #3) (18 page)

“Are you sure you’re not thinking about your dad’s call?”

I hadn’t been until he’d brought it up. “No. I told you I’m never going to call him back. End of story.”

“I couldn’t help but think as Mia’s father was walking her down the aisle today that you’ll miss out on that opportunity, should your day ever come.”

I felt a sharp stab of regret. I’d missed out on so much more not having a father I could count on. “I won’t have to worry about that since I’m never getting married.”

He inclined his head toward Mia and Deacon, who were dancing in the middle of floor, completely immersed in one another, as though they were the only two people in the room. “Seeing the two of them doesn’t make you wonder if you could find what they have?”

Mia’s words filtered through my head, choking off my response. I feared Damon was asking for something I could never give him.
Hope.
“Damon, you need to understand something,” I said softly, praying my voice wouldn’t betray me. “I’m not like most women. I never grew up fantasizing about finding my happily ever after.”

He stroked my cheek, his eyes lost in mine. “Yet you deserve that more than anyone I’ve ever known. Why can’t you see that?”

The music stopped, and the M.C. announced the bride and groom would cut the cake, saving me from a response. No words could have expressed to him how much I appreciated the sentiment… and how wrong he was. I was living the life I deserved. I’d shut out every man who’d ever cared about me. And I was alone—just as I’d always intended. If he thought it would be different with him just because I’d foolishly allowed myself to feel things for him I’d never felt before, he was sadly mistaken.

We silently watched the bride and groom cut the cake. They laughed and teased each other while the photographer snapped photos and their guests applauded.

“I’ve never seen my brother look happier,” Damon said, slipping his arm around my waist. “I couldn’t be happier he found Mia and that she was willing to give him a second chance. I think it would have destroyed him to lose her for good.”

I thought of the way Mia had moped around our apartment in the weeks after their breakup, as though her life hadn’t been worth living without Deacon in it. I’d tried to tell her to forget him and move on, but she’d claimed it wasn’t that easy. A glance to my right made me question what my life would be like without Damon. I’d come to depend on him more than I should have. I valued his friendship, but more than that, he filled a void in my life, especially now that my relationship with Mia had changed to make room for Deacon.

He kissed my temple. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“This thing between us has gotten complicated,” I admitted, leaning into him. “I don’t know where we go from here, but I know we can’t go back to being
just
friends.”

“You’re right about that.” He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. “We don’t have to decide anything right now, but I want you to come home with me tonight.”

I wanted that to, but I wasn’t sure if that was wise, given how confused and vulnerable I felt. “I don’t know if—”

“You know we need to talk about where this is going, Eleni. We can’t continue ignoring it.”

He was right. I’d been trying to convince myself that simply because I didn’t want to fall in love, it would never happen. But now that it had, I had to deal with the consequences. “Fine.”

The M.C. approached to let Damon know that as the best man, his speech would be next.

Turning toward me with a heart-stopping grin, he asked, “How do I look? Is my tie straight?” He smoothed his cropped dark hair with a steady hand. “How about my hair?”

I ran my hand over his tie, down his chest, as my eyes held his. “You look perfect.”

He
was
perfect in every way that mattered. Had I been one of those girls who wasted time thinking about what the man of my dreams would be like, I’d have had to acknowledge I was looking at him. Damon was brilliant and funny, gorgeous and sexy, not to mention rich and cultured. He was comfortable watching a Mets game at a local bar while wearing a ball cap and torn jeans or at a five-star restaurant wearing an Armani suit with a limo waiting at the curb. He was every woman’s fantasy, which was how he’d held the attention of the paparazzi for so long. They called him one of the country’s most eligible bachelors, a title I knew he was in no hurry to relinquish.

“You’re perfect,” he said, capturing my face in his hands. “I never expected this, Eleni. I never went looking for it, but now that I’ve found it, I don’t want to let it go.”

I couldn’t ask him to define what
this
meant to him. I was afraid to hear him echo my own feelings. If we both admitted to being in love, we would have to decide on the next logical step, and there were only two choices: make a commitment or end it. Both options scared the hell out of me.

I said the first thing that came to mind. “So many people are looking for love. It doesn’t seem fair that we found it without looking for it or wanting it.” I wanted to clasp my hand over my mouth when his eyes widened perceptibly. Was I crazy, being the first to drop the L-bomb? For all I knew, my best friend was way off base about Damon’s feelings for me, seeing only what she wanted to see.

Before Damon could respond, the rest of the wedding party, including the bride and groom returned to the head table. The M.C. called Damon to the podium, and he rushed off, but not before kissing my hand and promising we would continue our discussion later.

I watched him take the stage and thank the M.C. He had been born with a confidence and grace most people would kill to possess. Even though there were more than five hundred people in attendance, Damon didn’t seem the least bit nervous about addressing the crowd, making me admire him all the more. My time to speak would come immediately after his no doubt, but I had little faith I would be able to impact the large group the way I knew he would.

“Deacon,” Damon said, smiling at his brother as he set his champagne flute on the podium. “You know I’ve always admired you. From your business acumen to your laser-sharp focus attacking any challenge, you’ve been an inspiration to me.”

Deacon sat back, settling his arm around his bride as he smiled at Damon, waiting for him to continue.

“But I never envied you until I saw you and Mia together. You showed me an example of something I didn’t even realize I wanted.”

Damon’s eyes drifted to mine, and I held my breath, wondering what his next words might be.

“You showed me the very definition of love. The kind we read about in books or see in movies, but we don’t really believe it exists. I watched you two face your challenges and come out better and stronger in the end. Mia, you taught my brother how to compromise, and I think Deacon taught you how to trust.” He let those words sink in because Mia would understand exactly what he meant. “He helped you learn to trust in what you two had and believe that he would always be there to support you no matter what.”

Mia smiled through her tears, nodding.

“And I know he will be because he’s always been there for me when I’ve needed him. Granted, we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but I knew he was always just a phone call away no matter where in the world I was or what kind of trouble I’d landed in.” Damon smiled when many of the guests laughed, no doubt recalling some of his shenanigans. His eyes landed on mine when he said, “When you’re lucky enough to find that one special person who makes you feel complete, who makes you want to strive to be better or stronger or more fearless, you hold on tight with both hands and never let go.”

Deacon smiled before kissing his wife’s cheek.

I knew Damon was speaking to the bride and groom, but it felt as if he were speaking directly to me.

“I know you two are smart enough to appreciate what you’ve found with one another. No matter what obstacles life throws in your path, and I know there will be a few, you’ll conquer them together.” Damon raised his glass. “Mia, I want to welcome you to our family. You’re not just my brother’s wife, you’re also my friend. I’m so grateful that you came into his life—
and
mine.”

Mia giggled when Deacon brushed away a tear gliding down her cheek.

“I love you both. So please,” he said to the guests, “raise your glasses and help me wish this beautiful couple a lifetime of happiness.”

Damon

I watched my beautiful cynic take the stage, and I wondered how she would pay tribute to lasting love when she’d made it clear she’d lost faith in the sanctity of marriage.

“Well,” Eleni said, narrowing her eyes at me, “you are a tough act to follow, Damon Starkis. But I’ll do my best.”

I smiled and winked to let her know she’d be flawless because I knew she’d be speaking from the heart.

Eleni looked directly at Mia, as though they were the only two in the room. “Mia, you’ve always been the one to ground me, and I know you’ll do the same for Deacon. You’re the kind of person who epitomizes dependability and compassion. You look for the best in everything and everyone, even when I’m trying to point out the worst.” Eleni winked at Deacon.

Deacon and Mia smiled at each other before he kissed her hand.

“And Deacon…” Eleni let silence fill the room before she said, “I didn’t think I’d ever meet anyone good enough for this amazing woman, but you proved me wrong. When we first met, you weren’t perfect. You’d made your fair share of mistakes, and since I had too, I wasn’t in a position to judge. But I watched you work hard to be the man Mia needed and deserved. That’s when you not only won her over, you won me over too.

“I’ve watched you become Mia’s best friend over the past months.” My eyes captured hers when emotion made her voice raspy. “You’re the person she turns to when she’s had a bad day and needs to vent or something special happens that she wants to share. At first, I was a little jealous, but I realize that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You’re supposed to be her best friend, her lover, her confidante, her everything—just as I know she’s all of those things for you.”

Her words clearly reached the happy couple. They leaned in for a brief kiss.

“I know you two have a lifetime of happy moments ahead of you, and I hope to be there to witness the big ones because I’ve been envisioning Mia’s happy ending almost as long as she has.” The friends shared a teary smile. “You are her happy ending, Deacon, and I couldn’t be happier for the two of you.” Eleni raised her glass and glanced at the crowd. “Please raise your glasses to the first day of the rest of Mia and Deacon’s life together.” Eleni hugged my brother and Mia before claiming the seat beside me.

I kissed her cheek. “You were amazing. To listen to you, you’d almost think there was a hopeless romantic in there somewhere,” I teased, drawing my finger under her chin.

“I guess days like this soften even the most pessimistic of us, huh?”

“Maybe days like this are meant to make us see what’s possible.”

I wanted to believe that something had shifted, that witnessing her friend get her happy ending had made Eleni believe it could be possible for her too. Of course, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe we had an easy road ahead of us. Even if she decided to give us a chance, we still had the issue of the daughter she knew nothing about.

“Come home with me tonight,” I said, drawing her into my side as the band played. Instead of boring the crowd with speeches all night, the bride and groom had decided to space them out throughout the evening, which gave me a chance to talk to Eleni while the rest of the wedding party hit the dance floor.

She closed her eyes before she leaned on my shoulder and watched the happy couples sway to a romantic ballad. “I’m not going to lie, I don’t feel like being alone tonight.”

It was a big deal for Eleni to admit she needed comfort, so I tightened my grip and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t ever have to be alone unless you choose to, sweetheart.” I wanted her to know that I would never stifle her need for independence, but I would always be there when she needed a safe place to land.

The flash of a photographer’s camera lit up the dance floor, and I was grateful Deacon had ensured the press wouldn’t be able to make it past the gatekeepers tonight. I wasn’t ashamed of my relationship with Eleni—I was proud of it—but until Andra and I found neutral ground, I didn’t want to give her any more reason to question my lifestyle.

“I’m just going to the restroom,” she said, reaching for her handbag on the table.

I took her hand. “You didn’t answer my question. Will you come home with me tonight?”

Her hand grazed my face as a soft smile touched her lips. “I’d like that.”

I watched her walk across the hall under the watchful eye of my father, who soon made his way toward me. I’d expected Demi’s inquisition, but I’d been so wrapped up in Eleni that I hadn’t considered how I would handle it.

“It looks like you’re making progress with the lady,” Demi said, claiming the seat next to mine. “I’m glad to see that.”

I wasn’t surprised he approved of Eleni. Though she hadn’t been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she understood our culture, which she’d proved during the traditional ceremony and reception rituals. “We’re getting there.”

I’d never discussed women with my father, mainly because I knew he wouldn’t approve of the girls I’d dated. They weren’t the type I’d have considered bringing home—opportunists and gold diggers, as Demi liked to call them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t argue with him. For the most part, that was an accurate assessment. I’d never been with a woman who wanted me for me. Sure, a few had claimed to love me, but they’d just wanted the perks the Starkis name and bank account could afford them. That was what made Eleni so special. She didn’t care about any of that. She just cared about me.

“Don’t waste too much time,” Demi warned. “Women like that won’t wait around for a man to make up his mind.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, frowning. There was no doubt in my mind how I felt about Eleni, and I didn’t appreciate my father, who knew nothing about our relationship, calling my feelings into question.