Second Chances: A Romance Writers of America Collection (Stark World 2.50)

His voice echoed over the hill. Tori cast a nervous look toward the party. Very professional. The wedding planner causing a scene with the best man at the rehearsal dinner. "I can't talk about this here."

Pulling her arms tighter around her, she strode toward the parking lot.

"Victoria ..."

It wasn't supposed to hu

rt like this, eleven years later. Time was supposed to dull everything, but where he was concerned, her feelings were as sharp as ever.

His feet crunched on the gravel, trailing her.

"Tori. Stop." His voice was close, just over her shoulder. A hand closed on her arm, pulling her around, his other hand cupping her opposite shoulder to hold her in front of him. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then his gaze dropped to her lips.

His eyes darkened. His grip on her arms firmed. And she was fifteen again. About to be kissed by Nick Taylor for the first time.

The world simply fell away.

He lowered his head slowly, and by the time his lips brushed hers, so hesitant and sweet, she had forgotten everything she'd ever known except the taste and feel of him. He murmured something, too soft for her to hear, and deepened the kiss, angling, pressing, coaxing for more--and she gave him more.

She gave him the piece of her heart that had always had his name carved on it--the part she thought she'd excised years ago but that had been lying dormant, waiting for him to reappear to start beating again.

Suddenly she was too warm, the chill completely banished. This. This was what she had tried to forget. No one had ever kissed her like Nick. All that focused intensity. All that single-minded devotion. The attention that went into every stroke and touch.

He'd always been hell on her equilibrium. No wonder she'd wound up pregnant--

Tori jerked away.

Lorelei.

It wasn't just her anymore. She couldn't fall into his arms because she had always felt at home there. This wasn't just Nick, the boy she'd loved. This was Nick, the father of her child. And he wanted a relationship with Lorelei. For Victoria to get involved with him ... No. It was too complicated. Too many things could go wrong.

"I can't," she whispered and fled, thanking God he let her go, because she wasn't sure she would have been able to push him away a second time.

"VICTORIA! I HAVE A mission for you. I need you to help me set up my maid of honor with the best man."

Tori froze with her hands wrist deep in lace. She kept her back to Lolly, pretending to be absorbed in rearranging the veil until she controlled her expression. "Taylor?"

Lolly, oblivious to her inner turmoil, pivoted in front of the mirror to study her fluffy princess dress from every angle. "He's such a catch, and now that he's moving back to California, it's perfect! Tammy needs to date someone good for a change. She has wretched taste in men. But that's all about to change. And you get to help me play matchmaker."

Victoria swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Are you sure he's ... dependable?"

"Taylor?" Lolly said. "You heard about his family, I guess?" She practiced smiling in the mirror, batting her eyes. "That was sketchy, but trust me, Taylor's a keeper. He's like a brother to Kipp and if he's anything, he's a man of his word. He might not fall madly in love with Tammy, but he'll never lie to her and jerk her heart around, which is exactly what she needs. A good guy."

The bridesmaids rushed in from the connecting dressing room in a lavender swarm, saving Tori from having to reply. They plucked the veil from Victoria's hands and clustered around the bride in a giggling mass, cellphones waving for selfies with the bride.

Everything was running right on schedule. The chapel was filling, and in exactly seventeen minutes Lolita Carmen Gaines would walk down the aisle. The blushing bride was calm as a cucumber, hamming it up with her friends.

It was Tori who was quietly losing her mind.

She'd never been so nervous at a wedding before, and it had nothing to do with the event.

Was Nick really a good guy? She'd cast him as the villain who had abandoned her, but he'd never lied. He'd never promised her forever. Just the opposite. He'd been very clear that he was going away at the end of the summer.

Yes, she'd hoped he would come rushing back when he found out she was pregnant, but she'd never actually talked to him directly after she saw that little blue line. She'd played a part in the farce, too. She could have gone to New York to tell him in person, but she'd chickened out. Hurt by his silence, she'd chosen to believe the worst of him. It had been easy. After all, hadn't her father walked out on her? Why wouldn't the man she loved the most vanish on her, too?

She'd thought she had absolute faith in Nick, but it had been easy to shatter.

A scratch came at the door, setting off a chorus of squeals from the knot of bridesmaids. Victoria checked her watch. "We still have eight minutes. Just relax. I'll take care of whatever this is."