Later she would be embarrassed even to admit it to herself, but she could barely remember any of her friend’s ceremony. She was pretty sure that Jacob had missed most of it as well because they hadn’t looked away from each other for more than a few seconds the entire time. What was going on in Jacob’s head? He’d made no effort to see her at all since they had returned home; then suddenly, he was giving her the impression that he’d missed her desperately.

   Shit. Another part of the wedding ceremony was passing by and she’d almost missed it. Mark was kissing his bride. Thank God she’d come out of her stare-a-thon long enough to walk back down the aisle. Was it her imagination, or had Jacob bristled when she’d walked past him on Denny’s arm? Surely not. If not for what happened the last time she’d indulged in alcohol, she’d be damn tempted to power walk to the open bar and request a glass and a bottle. She couldn’t, though. Knowing her luck, she’d wake up pregnant this time.

   The wedding party stayed behind the other guests for almost an hour for the photographer to take pictures. Strangely enough, Jacob also remained. Why hadn’t he gone to the reception as everyone else had? Was he waiting to accompany her? No, that couldn’t be it. They weren’t really a couple. But it was possible that he wanted to speak with her about how to handle the questions they would inevitably encounter. She’d have a hard time not pointing out that they could have avoided that had he not felt the need to tell all of his friends about the wedding. Even if a small part of her was secretly thrilled that he’d claimed her in front of the people who were important to him instead of laughing the whole thing off as some mistake.

   They had just been given the all clear to leave for the reception when she felt a hand at her elbow. She looked over her shoulder to see the man who’d mesmerized her all evening standing so close that she was instantly drunk on his cologne. Dear God, he smells yummy. “Ready to walk next door?” he asked in his deep voice.

   Ready to walk off a cliff if you say the word. “Um, sure,” she said shrilly then did her best to tone it down. Dammit, she needed to stop acting like such a freak around him. When he dropped his hand to her lower back, she almost lost her composure. Something about that gesture always seemed so intimate. A small voice inside her head piped up: well, he is your husband.

   They were almost at the double doors leading to the reception when he abruptly stopped in his tracks and ushered her into an empty room off to the side. He gave her a sheepish look before removing his hand from her back and sticking both of them in his pockets. The material of his tuxedo stretched tightly across the broad expanse of his chest and Lydia was having a difficult time not gawking at the handsome picture he made. Jacob Hay was gorgeous in a suit, but he was devastating in a tuxedo. She would bet money that it had been custom made for him. The fit was too exact.

   “So . . .” he began, still looking uncomfortable. “I wanted to let you know that I’ve told some people about our marriage. We never really talked about how we would deal with that.” He reached out to touch her arm, and she felt a jolt straight to her core. When had she turned into such a sexual being? The nerve endings that had been in limbo for three years were firing on all cylinders now. “I hope you’re not upset with me over it. I mean I couldn’t lie to Mark when he asked me about Vegas, and it seemed wrong to keep it from the rest of my friends as well. Have you told anyone?”

   Lydia was all but speechless. Had she entered into the twilight zone? It was almost as if they’d snuck off to Vegas to get married and were now discussing letting everyone in on their secret. Was she the only one who remembered that she’d gotten plastered and woke up as Mrs. Jacob Hay? “Er . . . Jacob—”

   He squeezed her arm, grinning at her disarmingly. “My family calls me Jake, and I’d like it if you did as well. Growing up, I knew I was in trouble if my mom called me Jacob.”

   Holy shit, the name “Jake” was even sexier than Jacob. She was damn nearing purring when she said, “Okay, Jake, got it.” Did that mean he thinks of me as his family as well? Dangerous ground, don’t even go there, Lydia. “To answer your question, I did tell Crystal because she’s my best friend and I figured Mark already knew. Then Suzy Merimon let me know that she’d found out from Gray and then Ella . . . Well, you get the picture. Any man you told has already shared the news with his significant other if he has one. If not, he’s probably already called his mother, father, and his priest.”

   Jake chuckled, causing goose bumps to break out on her arms. She desperately hoped he didn’t notice. “Obviously, the men are worse gossips than I’d imagined. But it’s not a problem for you, right?” Why did he have to give her that puppy dog look? There was no way she could say anything other than, “It’s fine, really. After all, it would have been difficult to keep something like that from everyone.”

   He visibly relaxed. “That’s good. I was a bit worried after I’d already done it.” He surprised her further by pulling her into a light hug and dropping a quick kiss onto the top of her head. “It’s good to see you again, by the way. I’m sorry it didn’t happen sooner, but I was dealing with a . . . family emergency.”

   Pulling back, Lydia searched his face. “Is everything all right?” she asked in concern. She didn’t know anything about his family dynamic, but she hoped that no one had been seriously hurt.

   He glanced away from her, once again looking uncomfortable. “All is well,” he finally responded then immediately changed the subject. “I’m starving, how about you? The food at the Oceanix is unbelievable, so let’s go enjoy it.” Before Lydia could say another word, he’d whisked them from their quiet hiding place and into a very crowded ballroom. In what seemed like a strange twist of fate, but was probably Crystal’s doing, Lydia was seated with Jake and the rest of their friends at a table near the front of the room. He pulled her chair out when they reached it, then slid it back into position when she was seated before taking his own and settling in next to her.

   Mark and Crystal were at the end of the table surrounded by their parents. Lydia could tell by the strained look on her friend’s face that her normally difficult mother was up to her usual shenanigans tonight. Both Crystal and Ella had hoped that their normally overbearing mother was turning over a new leaf, but if their pained expressions were any indication, that hadn’t exactly happened yet. Her attention was brought back to Jake as his mouthwatering plate containing prime rib and herbed fingerling potatoes was placed in front of him. She was close to begging for a bite when her meal arrived as well and saved her the embarrassment. Later, she would probably cringe at how she’d attacked her food as if she hadn’t eaten in a month, but at that moment it looked too good to pretend that she wasn’t starving.