‘Mother, this is Ana. Ana, this is my mother, Lily.’
Ana smiled, pulled the shawl that little bit tighter around her arms. So this was her mother-in-law, huh? Good grief. This was total madness. But Sebastian had a twinkle in his eye and she just knew he was enjoying her awkwardness.
‘Sebastian, you’re doing the business for your father.’ Lily turned to her son.
‘Again,’ Seb drawled.
Ana gave him a look. ‘Don’t spoil it.’
His brows lifted and their gazes clashed. ‘I won’t.’
‘So, Ana,’ his mother said firmly, ‘you can come and sit next to me.’
Like a royal summons, the demand couldn’t be ignored. Ana sent Seb a terror look, which he countered with a grin that said she deserved it. She pulled her wrap closer around her so she didn’t give the woman an up-close view of her tattoo.
But in moments she forgot the discomfort as the ceremony got under way. It wasn’t tacky, the bride—who was definitely more than a couple of years older than Seb—did wear white, but it was a suit not a lace and sparkle-encrusted meringue. Their vows were simple, and their smiles were huge. Ana thought it was sweet.
And then she looked at the tall, dark-suited man standing beside his father. He was staring at her. And he wasn’t smiling. And as soon as the formal part was over he walked over to her.
‘They look really happy,’ she said, wishing he could find some joy in the occasion.
‘For a limited time only.’
‘You are so cynical.’
‘Why will this one last when the others didn’t? Second, third time round are even less likely to go the distance than first-timers.’
‘But some do, Seb.’ His stubborn disbelief annoyed her. ‘You’re so determined to think the worst, to expect the worst. It surprises me that a person as competitive as you should be so defeatist.’
He looked startled for a second but quickly covered it.
Well, if he wasn’t going to enjoy himself, she was. She nobbled a passing waiter and took a glass of champagne.
Seb finally smiled. ‘Taking advantage of the free booze?’
‘Isn’t that what weddings are for?’ Besides, she could do with a little Dutch courage.
‘Too right.’ He lifted a glass of juice from the waiter’s tray and winced. ‘Except I can’t face it.’
He couldn’t face the whole thing, could he? Heaven forbid these people actually made a commitment.
‘Good. You’ll be OK to drive and I can kick up my heels.’
‘Fantastic—you can warm up and lose the wrap.’
‘You’re not afraid I’ll make a spectacle of myself and embarrass you?’ some internal imp made her ask.
His gaze travelled over her slip of a dress. ‘I’m half hoping you will.’
Ana withstood the heat for a moment. They were flirting with danger again, weren’t they? But it was worth it to see him smile.
She turned away from him in time to see Seb’s mother embrace first her ex-husband and then the latest of her replacements. ‘I thought you said they were really bitter.’
‘They are. They just hide it under a layer of superficial niceness.’ He looked at her sardonically. ‘For my benefit, of course. They wouldn’t want to openly fight in front of the boy.’
‘Are they that bad? Or is it just you who’s so uncomfortable with the situation?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Look, Seb, I don’t blame you for being bitter. I don’t blame you for feeling hurt. But why won’t you give them a chance? You just refuse to believe in them, don’t you?’
‘There is no such thing as for ever, Ana,’ Seb said shortly. ‘Not ever. They’ve proved it enough times already and I don’t know why they bother continuing to try.’
Ana turned, unable to look at the harshness in his usually so handsome face, and stared at the fairy creature who’d appeared right in front of them.
She had blonde hair. Natural too, the cow, with bright blue eyes and make-you-blink white teeth shown to complete advantage in a wide, pretty smile.
Ana blinked, refocused and then tried not to stare with complete jealousy at the woman’s petite figure. She had the slightest shoulders, her tiny collarbones set off by a beautiful necklace that Ana just knew was a one-off collector’s piece. And she was short—slight enough for any man to scoop her into his arms with ease. So feminine. So lovely. So everything that Ana wasn’t.
‘Sebastian!’ The elf threw her slender arms around Seb’s neck. ‘So nice to see you!’
Ana saw his hands go around her waist. Figured she was so tiny he could probably touch his fingers and thumbs together in a complete circle. And in that lowcut top and slinky skirt? She had the ‘gorgeous slim socialite’ look down pat—was a complete, genuine beauty.