We Are Meant To Be

hat level of hel

air with his father, and knew what blistering felt like when her face was plastered

ood inside the flame

ire felt frozen, her heart encased in dry ice. Maybe true h

s were swollen. She loved Alfred, but right now she didn't like him even a little bit. The only man she felt remotely charitable toward was Zach Harrison, who'd

of ruin for weeks but her brother gate-crashing her most illustrious clients' gala evening and worse, grabbing the mic from singer J

ed to her rescue? He was rich, successful, and gorgeous, so she had no idea why he'd offered them a lift on his plane heading back to V

g to himself. Thank God he stopped ranting,

Initially, she'd blamed his actions on a combination of drugs and alcohol, but earlier she touched his left arm and he cried out. Teresa rolled back his sleeve shirt to see

This was her insane life; every

ause she was exhausted and overwrought because Zach was everything she normally found attractive in a man. At six or so, he was tall but perfectly proportioned with wide shoulders, narrow hips

n't, dammi

a

tonight, possibly never again. For the past few months, since she'd stumbled back into his orbit, she'd felt off-kilter and was constantly uncertain about what she'd face on any given day. She'd bee

her head up and struggle on. Curling up in a ball an

ne. Possib

ing the glass, she glanced at Alfred. He'd fallen asleep, his head between the edge of the sheet an

ch asked, his words holding

collapse in a heap and then you will

I don't know how he found out where I was working or what prompted him to-" She hesitated, looking

aire took a deep breath and bit the bullet. "I will absolutely unders

dn't blame him if he pulled his wedding; he'd floated the offer earlier in the even

sie's hand, his incoherent screaming. Damian, bigger and stronger than her lanky brother, tackles him to the g

t and tried to rub the pain away.

unate interruption, the gala evening, and the weekend, were going well. I'm intelligent enough to see how m

f support, Claire felt h

scuss my

crackpot evening, Zach wanted her to talk about flowers and food? Claire slapped bac

'd talk about w

ll surprised to hear of his engagement. She'd pegged him as a confirmed bachelor, someone who

his eyes not leaving hers. "You

r shock, to react in any way other than polite acquiescence. Why the secrecy?

d to corral her thoughts. Right, moving on. "Do you have a preference on w

be the last bombshell of the evening. "You have an unlimi

she asked, not sur

e the wedding of the year so that i

least six months to prepare;

h. "I am getting married on the la

we

ic

tle. "Can I have another? And, respectfully, are you in

n't do it," he said to the phone on the other line. He