Broken Embrace by Dana Mason

Author:Dana Mason [Mason, Dana]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Dana Mason
Published: 2014-05-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Brian went in search of Ali, hoping she'd talk to him. He didn't want her leaving for her honeymoon before he had a chance to apologize.

He found her standing behind the head table with her hands entwined with Johnny's, and Brian had to smile at the look on her face. She and Melissa look so much alike. Brian wondered if he'd ever seen such a look on Melissa's face.

Chase Collins couldn't make her that happy. He thought about the night she'd taken those pain pills. He'd wanted so much to make love to her. She'd wanted it, too. She'd even said she loved him—the expression on her face and that smile he hadn't seen in years. It was his smile, and he knew it. No way in hell had she ever smiled at another person like that. His heart gave a little flutter, so sure of what he wanted now that the fog had cleared.

He exhaled, the flutter turning his stomach. Melissa's misery in the bathroom after the ceremony today, it broke him to see her so upset. He couldn't stand it, and he blamed himself. He'd put pain in her heart.

When Ali's eyes met Brian's, the beautiful expression changed to anger.

"May I talk to you?"

Ali's eyes flickered around to see if they had an audience. Then she turned and sat in her chair with Johnny standing behind her. Johnny put his hands on her shoulders and nodded encouragingly to Brian.

Brian sat down and faced her. "It was a beautiful ceremony. Thank you for including me and Erin…and letting her stand in for her mom."

"You don't have to thank me. I love Erin, too."

"I need to explain something to you, Ali." He exhaled heavily. "I didn't purposely set out to hurt Melissa. You know I would never hurt her on purpose."

"I didn't always know that Brian."

"Yes, you did. In your heart, Ali, you get how much I love Melissa. But here's the thing…I couldn't make things harder on Julie by telling everyone I married her because she was pregnant. I loved Julie. I loved her the day I married her, and I loved her the day she died."

"I don't doubt for a minute how much you loved Julie, and yes, I've always known your true feelings for Melissa, even when you tried to lie to yourself. I still knew better."

Brian bowed his head and nodded. "I'm sorry Melissa got hurt. More sorry than I can ever express, but I don't regret my decision. I can't, not when I have such an incredible family. The truth is…I couldn't tell Melissa back then. I couldn't face her because I was afraid I'd back out of what I had to do. I chose to let her go, and I had to live with that. I still have to live with it."

"Why, then, would you want me to talk her out of marrying Chase?"

"He's not right for her, and he can't make her happy. I don't want her to get hurt again."

"Then do something about it, Brian.

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