“He sounds adorable.” Isabeau had spent considerable time with all the family members this past week, but somehow Royce Miller had a way of making himself scarce if there were more than two other people in the room.
“Hmm... Adorable isn’t a word I would choose. He’s sexy and brooding and a great guy. But he’s also a worrier and I want to relax for a moment for some girl talk with my artichoke heart pizza—yes, I know pizza isn’t normally at a reception but I have been craving it.”
“I think it’s delightful and actually have seen it showing up on a number of event menus.” She tossed a smile over her shoulder at one of the Steele brothers as the room began to fill up.
Where was Trystan?
“And you won’t rat me out about the three fruit tarts?”
Isabeau pretended to zip her mouth shut, a theatrical wink following. She leaned in to whisper, “My lips are sealed.”
Naomi lifted one of the fruit tarts toward her lips, clearly excited to indulge. She popped the tart into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Moments passed before Naomi broke the silence, her eyes trained on the horizon. “We appreciate your help with Trystan. This merger means everything to us.”
“You both have beautiful families.”
“And we understand blending everyone into a congenial unit is about more than blending the businesses. But if meshing the companies doesn’t go smoothly, we don’t stand a chance.”
“Trystan is being cooperative, which is more than I can say for some of my clients.” She liked this family, both sides. Which made her feel all the more disloyal for her attraction to Trystan. She owed everyone her best effort.
“Probably because he thinks it’s for only a month.” Naomi folded her pizza slice in half and ate with an expression of bliss on her face.
“Pardon me?” Setting the plate down on her lap, Isabeau turned to face Naomi.
“The fund-raiser is in just less than a month, but I think everyone is hoping that some of your influence will last beyond that time and he’ll be more involved. We would like all the siblings to be more involved, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen, not with Trystan or some of the others, as well.”
Isabeau looked over at the dance floor, at the other family members in question. Delaney, the quietest of the Steele siblings, fluffed her hair. She seemed to shrink into the background, her body language tense. Her younger teenage brother, Aiden, came up to her, dancing circles around her. A true goofball in the way only a teenager seemed to be able to get away with. The reception hall was filling up, only a few left in the sunroom.
Naomi cleared her throat, dropping her voice low as people began to pour through the sunroom into the reception area. “But really, you’ve done a great job with Trystan. It was evident today.”
“Thank you. He’s been very cooperative.”
She glanced at Isabeau, grinning. “I bet he has.”
Isabeau chose to ignore the insinuation. “This was a nice chance to watch how he interacts and make notes of what to work on over the next few weeks.”
“We’re lucky to have you. Takes a lot of pressure off us.” Naomi skimmed another touch across her pregnant stomach. Her long, slender face gazing downward, possibilities seemingly dancing before her dark brown eyes. A long sigh rippled through Naomi. “I had no idea when I decided to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization how upside down my family was about to be with the merger, my brother’s wedding, my dad’s engagement.”
“Congratulations on the baby.”
“I’m pregnant with two babies actually. I should have considered the possibility.” A small silence echoed after those words. In a less aggressive, less confident voice, Naomi added, “I’m a twin.”
Pain twisted in the woman’s beautiful face, pulling at Isabeau’s heart.
Isabeau touched the pregnant woman’s arm, offering a small—hopefully welcome—sign of comfort. “Your sister who...?”
“Yes, my sister who died in the plane crash along with our mother.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I wish I could say it gets easier to handle with time, but it only gets easier to hide the pain. I can’t help but think of them today.”
Isabeau nodded in agreement. “Of course, that’s only natural.”
“You’re a very good listener. I never expected to talk about this tonight.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
“I should get back to my fiancé. He’ll be chomping at the bit for me to sit down, put my feet up, eat something from every food group.”
“That’s sweet that he’s so attentive.” Jitters pelted her, along with memories of her college boyfriend. His attentiveness had turned into something ugly—controlling obsession. She didn’t see that in Royce, but she understood too well the sensation of feeling smothered.
Naomi rolled her eyes. “A little too attentive. But I do love him.” She pushed herself up from the chair. “I enjoyed chatting. Let’s do this again.”
Isabeau couldn’t miss the way Naomi’s face lit up when she spotted her fiancé. The way he returned her smile. There was so much love in the air here. Did these families understand how lucky they were?
Although she wasn’t sure she could trust all this happiness if it landed on her doorstep with a bow.
* * *
Striding past a harpist playing on the lawn at the reception, Trystan scanned the wedding guests in search of Isabeau. Had she gone inside to the sunroom or great room? Even for a gathering of just family and friends went beyond what most would call an intimate affair.
His plan to bring Isabeau as his date had been the perfect distraction from the way his family was meshing with the Steeles. His sister was marrying a Steele now. His mother would be marrying the Steele patriarch in a month.
The fact that his sister’s wedding was at the Steele family compound rather than the Mikkelson home made him edgy and, yeah, angry too. As if the Steeles were working to erase all traces of the Mikkelsons.
All the more reason for him to make a success of this month as the face of their merged company.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy his time with Isabeau. No question, sparks were flying.
He had a sense that up until now, particularly in his interactions with women, he’d been sleepwalking, stumbling through the motions. But Isabeau jolted him, electrified his core.
Surprising him each time he saw her—like now.
He strode faster up the stairs to the deck leading to an enclosed sunroom. And damn, did she look hot today, sunlight catching the flames of red in her hair as she sat by herself in the sunroom, her legs delicately crossed. Manicured fingers gripped a now empty plate, traces of crumbs decorating the china.
A vision.
That’s what she was. A vision he very much wanted to touch, hold and more, so much more. With the signature bravado that enabled him to approach even the flightiest and most aggressive horses, he drew in a breath and walked toward her with the Mikkelson swagger that had turned the onetime small business into an oil empire.
She sipped a glass of champagne, her bright eyes focusing on him as he drew closer.
“Come with me.” Extending a hand, he noticed as her lips parted, brows raising in subdued—but visible—interest.
“Okay.