Read Online The Morning After The Wedding Before by Anne Oliver - Free Book Online
Authors: Anne Oliver
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don’t know why I’m marrying her.’
Jake grinned and waggled his brows. ‘Having second thoughts? It’s not too late to back out, you know.’
‘Ah, but the reception’s paid for. Why waste good grog?’
‘There’s that.’ His humour fading, Jake sat down on the end of the couch and studied his best mate. ‘Seriously, Ry. Why the big commitment?’
Ry looked up, and Jake saw the furrows of concentration in his mate’s brow smooth out and the corners of his mouth tip up. ‘When you meet the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with you’ll know why.’
‘But
married?
’ Jake mentally shuddered at the word. ‘Why would you want to spend your life with one woman? Man wasn’t meant to be monogamous.’
‘Says who?’
‘I read it in an article. Somewhere. A reputed scientific journal, if I remember right.’
‘Okay, well,
this
man’s monogamous.’ Ry resumed tapping his screen.
‘Maybe
now
,’ Jake said. ‘I remember when you and those twins—’
‘Past history. I was at uni and Stell and I weren’t seeing each other then.’
‘But how do you
know
she’s the one?’
Ry’s finger paused. ‘When I saw my children in her eyes I knew.’
Jake stared at the guy he’d thought he knew. ‘Crikey, mate—break out the violins.’
Ry squinted at something on the screen, slid a finger over its surface. ‘Just because you’re not into the matrimonial thing doesn’t mean others aren’t.’
‘Fair dinkum—
your children in her eyes?
’
Ry looked up, a lopsided grin on his face. ‘Yeah. We want kids. A whole bunch of ‘em.’ His expression sobered. ‘I guess the bottom line is I love Stella. For better or worse. I don’t want to imagine my life without her.’
Jake didn’t want to imagine a life without women either.But
one
woman for ever? Absolutely for worse. But a curious sensation gripped his chest, as if somehow Ryan had betrayed their friendship and left him standing on the outside looking in.
‘So, are you going to tell me why you’re playing sneaky devil?’ Ry asked, his eyes focused on the screen once more.
Jake rose to hunt up the keycard for the room. ‘Because the girl needs a kick up that seriously sexy backside—’
‘Which I didn’t notice, remember?’
‘Yeah, I remember.’ Something that might feel like possessiveness—if he were the type—clawed at the back of his neck. He didn’t care for the sensation and rubbed it away, swiping the keycard from the bottom of his bed. ‘She needs to come out of that shell she’s been living in for the past however many years. There’s more to life than work.’
Ry looked up, expression thoughtful. ‘And you’re going to be the one to show her? Careful. That’s Emma you’re talking about—she’s not just any woman. And she’s my future sister-in-law.’
‘I’m aware of that,’ he muttered, fighting the scowl that came from out of nowhere to lurk just beneath the surface of his skin. He planted a grin on his face and grabbed his jacket. ‘Trust me.’
The moment the door shut behind him his smile dropped away, his own words echoing in his ears. Problem was, could he trust
himself?
But from the moment Emma Byrne had walked into the club in that sexy red coat, those blue eyes smoking and sparking with every challenge known to man, he’d not been able to think past getting her naked. He’d never intended acting on it—he liked his women without prickles, after all—but then there’d been that kiss at the restaurant … Sparks that hot demanded at least some sort of exploration.
He decided to walk the short distance to sample autumn’s crisp mountain air. Cold. Bracing. Invigorating. Mind-numbing. Just what he needed. His breath puffed in front of him as he strode along Katoomba Street towards the girls’ hotel.
After tomorrow it would never be the same between him and Ry again. He passed a warmly lit café, packed with Friday-evening diners, and hunched deeper into the warmth of his
Jake grinned and waggled his brows. ‘Having second thoughts? It’s not too late to back out, you know.’
‘Ah, but the reception’s paid for. Why waste good grog?’
‘There’s that.’ His humour fading, Jake sat down on the end of the couch and studied his best mate. ‘Seriously, Ry. Why the big commitment?’
Ry looked up, and Jake saw the furrows of concentration in his mate’s brow smooth out and the corners of his mouth tip up. ‘When you meet the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with you’ll know why.’
‘But
married?
’ Jake mentally shuddered at the word. ‘Why would you want to spend your life with one woman? Man wasn’t meant to be monogamous.’
‘Says who?’
‘I read it in an article. Somewhere. A reputed scientific journal, if I remember right.’
‘Okay, well,
this
man’s monogamous.’ Ry resumed tapping his screen.
‘Maybe
now
,’ Jake said. ‘I remember when you and those twins—’
‘Past history. I was at uni and Stell and I weren’t seeing each other then.’
‘But how do you
know
she’s the one?’
Ry’s finger paused. ‘When I saw my children in her eyes I knew.’
Jake stared at the guy he’d thought he knew. ‘Crikey, mate—break out the violins.’
Ry squinted at something on the screen, slid a finger over its surface. ‘Just because you’re not into the matrimonial thing doesn’t mean others aren’t.’
‘Fair dinkum—
your children in her eyes?
’
Ry looked up, a lopsided grin on his face. ‘Yeah. We want kids. A whole bunch of ‘em.’ His expression sobered. ‘I guess the bottom line is I love Stella. For better or worse. I don’t want to imagine my life without her.’
Jake didn’t want to imagine a life without women either.But
one
woman for ever? Absolutely for worse. But a curious sensation gripped his chest, as if somehow Ryan had betrayed their friendship and left him standing on the outside looking in.
‘So, are you going to tell me why you’re playing sneaky devil?’ Ry asked, his eyes focused on the screen once more.
Jake rose to hunt up the keycard for the room. ‘Because the girl needs a kick up that seriously sexy backside—’
‘Which I didn’t notice, remember?’
‘Yeah, I remember.’ Something that might feel like possessiveness—if he were the type—clawed at the back of his neck. He didn’t care for the sensation and rubbed it away, swiping the keycard from the bottom of his bed. ‘She needs to come out of that shell she’s been living in for the past however many years. There’s more to life than work.’
Ry looked up, expression thoughtful. ‘And you’re going to be the one to show her? Careful. That’s Emma you’re talking about—she’s not just any woman. And she’s my future sister-in-law.’
‘I’m aware of that,’ he muttered, fighting the scowl that came from out of nowhere to lurk just beneath the surface of his skin. He planted a grin on his face and grabbed his jacket. ‘Trust me.’
The moment the door shut behind him his smile dropped away, his own words echoing in his ears. Problem was, could he trust
himself?
But from the moment Emma Byrne had walked into the club in that sexy red coat, those blue eyes smoking and sparking with every challenge known to man, he’d not been able to think past getting her naked. He’d never intended acting on it—he liked his women without prickles, after all—but then there’d been that kiss at the restaurant … Sparks that hot demanded at least some sort of exploration.
He decided to walk the short distance to sample autumn’s crisp mountain air. Cold. Bracing. Invigorating. Mind-numbing. Just what he needed. His breath puffed in front of him as he strode along Katoomba Street towards the girls’ hotel.
After tomorrow it would never be the same between him and Ry again. He passed a warmly lit café, packed with Friday-evening diners, and hunched deeper into the warmth of his
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