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  Melissa had reported to Autumn that L.J. had indeed been offered a managerial position with the New York Knicks. She’d said she had gotten the news straight from Peter’s mouth. But with Melissa in bride mode, she might unintentionally have jumbled the facts or omitted pieces of the story. Autumn needed to hear it from L.J. And if it were true that he was relocating to New York, which she was praying earnestly it was, Melissa wouldn’t be the only one floating down the aisle come tomorrow afternoon. “Are you taking the managerial job with the Knicks?”

  L.J. felt her body tense. He tightened his hold on her, in case she tried to bolt after he told her the truth. “No, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be together, Autumn.” He rushed to explain. “There’s a non-stop flight that will get me here in under two hours and it’s only a seven-hour drive.” He read the apprehension in her eyes, and searched his heart for the right words. “You said you wanted to see this thing through and so do I. I need you in my life, Autumn. I know we can make this thing work.” L.J. paused. He could sense that she still wasn’t convinced. When he spoke again, his voice was tender and his words were soft. “I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy and keep our relationship strong. I promise, Autumn.”

  A smile played on her lips. Over the last six weeks L.J. had demonstrated time and time again that he was a man of his word. If he promised to do something, it was as good as done.

  “Make your life easy and give in to me now or expect to be bombarded with phone calls, gifts, e-mails, faxes, singing telegrams and surprise visits which result in you being confined to your bedroom for hours and hours.”

  “You don’t leave me with much of a choice, do you?”

  “I foresee only good things ahead,” he proclaimed. He gave her a light kiss on the lips. “So, what’s it going to be? Will you or won’t you be my girlfriend?”

  Autumn eyes shone with happy tears. But she wasn’t going to make this easy for him. She didn’t want him to know she’d made up her mind to forgive him before he’d ever approached her table. In her most serious tone of voice she said, “On one condition.”

  “Anything, gorgeous.” L.J. was willing to do anything to have her back in his life, where she rightfully belonged. They’d been at odds for only a day and a half, but to him it had felt like weeks. Feeling confident, and thankful that he had been given a second chance with the woman of his dreams, he urged, “Go, on, Autumn. Ask away! I don’t care what it is, it’s yours.”

  She poked her index finger at his chest, her voice taking on an unusually aggressive tone. “You have to promise to never, ever, make me breakfast again.”

  L.J. threw his head back, his valley-deep laugh filling the night silence. “At least I don’t snore,” he tossed back, pulling her roughly to his chest before recapturing her lips with his mouth. When they broke apart, they were both grinning. “So, you don’t like my cooking, huh?” L.J. nipped at her neck, ignoring her ear-splitting screams for him to stop.

  “Stop it, L.J.!” Autumn giggled, temporarily forgetting they were in a public place. But he didn’t stop nipping and she didn’t stop shrieking.

  “Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

  Autumn’s body went limp. Glancing over her shoulder, she groaned loudly. Tyrell’s unexpected and unwanted arrival only seemed to reinforce what L.J. had said earlier. For the second time in days, he had resurfaced to make yet another impassioned plea for why they should get back together. Autumn didn’t want to get into it with her ex, but he needed a reality check and she was just the person to give it to him.

  He had become a thorn in her side and when Autumn broke her silence, she let him have it. She didn’t hold anything back. “Tyrell, it’s over between us. I don’t know how many more times I have to tell you. Stop calling my house, stop sending me e-mails and stop ‘running’ into me. I know you think you’re the man and you can have any woman you want, but that’s not true. You can’t have me.”

  Tyrell’s laugh was bitter. His eyes were smoldering with revulsion, his thin lips stretched into a scowl. He took a final drag of his cigarette, flicked it on the ground and stamped it out. “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. I don’t want you. Why would I want to be with a home wrecker? You’ve been screwing another woman’s husband for weeks, but had the nerve to bitch at me every time I hit a stripclub with my boys or drank a beer or two. At least I wasn’t hurting anyone. At least I wasn’t breaking up anyone’s family.”

  Autumn laughed. She had never heard anything so preposterous. L.J. married? Please. She would have an easier time believing aliens had invaded Earth and were now forcing humans to be their slaves. “Tyrell, you’re a joke! And your allegations are so outrageous I’m not even going to dignify them with a response. I’d just be wasting my breath.” Glaring at him, she asked, “Why don’t you just leave?”

  Tyrell’s beady eyes shifted from Autumn to his adversary, and what he saw in the man’s eyes made him gloat. L.J.’s face was filled with fear, and he seemed to be shriveling up right before Tyrell’s very eyes. His rod-straight posture had wilted, his shoulders had drooped and he was breathing as though he was about to have the mother of all asthma attacks.

  Tyrell was so pumped up he could barely keep his feet on the ground. Autumn didn’t know! She had no idea that her new beau was married. He massaged his chin, his eyes playing across his ex-girlfriend’s face. Not only was he going to witness the break-ups of all break-ups, but he was going to end up winning her back after all. All too happy to deliver what he was convinced would be life-changing news, he said, “Not only is your new boyfriend a happily married man, but he’s just weeks away from becoming a father. Seems like your lover boy has been a very busy boy back in the ATL.”

  Autumn sighed. Tyrell was pathetic. He just couldn’t let this thing go. She suspected his temperament had more to do with him being dumped than with him actually having feelings for her. “Tyrell, go home. I’m tired of hearing your lies.”

  “I’m telling you the truth!” he insisted, taking steps towards her. “You have to believe me.”

  Laughing hysterically, she clamped a hand over her mouth. Tyrell wouldn’t know the truth if it walked up and slapped him in the face. She had caught him in lie after lie after lie. Even when she had solid proof of his infidelity, he had refused to come clean about it. Tyrell’s allegations couldn’t be more outrageous. L.J. wasn’t the cheating type. He didn’t have it in him. Cheating on a girlfriend would be completely out of character for him, let alone stepping out on a woman who was his fiancée or his wife. He didn’t even look at other women when they were out in public, or try and sneak peeks when her attention was diverted. He wasn’t a saint by any means, but he wasn’t one of those skirt-chasing guys who ran around on their wives or girlfriends, either. L.J. had morals. He had integrity. And more importantly, when Autumn had asked him if he’d ever cheated on a past girlfriend, he’d responded with an emphatic no.

  For a moment, Autumn forgot L.J. was behind her, and stepped forward, aiming her query at Tyrell. “Even if what you were saying was true, which I know for a fact it isn’t, how the hell would you know? Did you riffle through his garbage or something?”

  Tyrell was going to enjoy this more than she would ever know. He spoke in a loud, animated voice. “The World Wide Web, babe. One click of the mouse and I found out all I wanted to know about Mr. Saunders. Born on September 17, 1967, at River Region Medical Centre. Graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1993. Got married last August to twenty-seven-year-old Rachelle Gregory and his wife is now nine months pregnant with their first child.”

  Autumn didn’t want to hear any more. Tyrell was spewing lies. He was trying to get back at her for dumping him and she wasn’t going to give him another second of her time. She had a party to get back to and later on that night, some serious making up to do with her boyfriend. “L.J., let’s get out of here.”

  He was suspiciously quiet. She looked over her shoulder and her heart stilled. L.J.’s skin had lost
its warm brown coloring and his eyes were flicking nervously from side to side. She hadn’t expected to see the truth so plainly on his face. But there it was.

  Autumn sucked air into her lungs. She suddenly couldn’t get enough air and sharp, quick pains were shooting through her stomach and up into her chest. Her hands and legs were shaking uncontrollably but she felt numb all over. The weight of the truth was too much for her to bear. Doubling over, as if she had been socked in the stomach, she tried fruitlessly to block out the words whizzing through her head.

  Married. He belongs to someone else. He’s about to become a father.

  Autumn forced her mouth open. “You’re married?”

  “I—”

  “Answer the question!” she shouted. Her eyes flashed red as hot, ugly tears spilled down her cheeks and splashed onto her dress.

  L.J. reached for her, but she jerked her body away. “Everything he said isn’t true,” he protested feebly, watching helplessly as she moved out of his reach. “Autumn, don’t do this to us.” When he tried to touch her face, she smacked his hands away.

  “Don’t touch me!” she hissed, her eyes dagger-sharp. “Just answer the damn question.” She took a deep breath and released it. She was calm and back in control. Her voice was even when she spoke, all traces of hysteria wiped away. “All I want to know is the truth, L.J. Now, are you or aren’t you married?”

  He hesitated, and she had her answer.

  Autumn’s emotions quickly morphed from out-and-out disbelief to complete and utter outrage. And suddenly, she felt like punching something. Or someone. Hard. With all her might. She wanted L.J. to feel just a tiny portion of the pain she was feeling inside. It was as if an evil spirit suddenly possessed her and she was overpowered by her emotions. Before Autumn could get a hold of herself she was storming towards L.J., hands flailing, voice roaring. “How could you do this to me? Why? What did I ever do but love you? Why would you hurt me like this?”

  Tyrell was enjoying the show. All he needed now was a tub of popcorn, a cold beer and a cigarette. He secretly hoped Autumn would get a few hits in. Maybe knock one of the man’s front teeth out. But when a handful of people filtered out from the restaurant to see what was going on, it was time for him to step in. Tyrell couldn’t stand by idly and watch while Autumn went crazy on the man. After all, he had a reputation to protect. There was no telling who was watching and he didn’t want any of this getting back to his father.

  Tyrell sprang into action. This thing had gone on long enough. He took Autumn by the waist, but not before she stabbed the stiletto heel of her shoes into L.J.’s leather dress shoes.

  Seeing him doubled over in pain didn’t give Autumn the satisfaction she had been hoping for. And when he croaked out the words, “I’m sorry,” she couldn’t stop the tears from coming.

  “Calm down, babe. I’m here now. I’ll make it better.” Tyrell guided Autumn to the parking lot. He held her tightly as she broke down and began sobbing bitterly.

  Autumn had no choice but to let Tyrell help her over to his ink-black muscle car. Sobs heaved up from a place deep inside as snippets of the last six weeks taunted her. She slid into the passenger seat of the car, looked down at her dress and cried some more. She was a mess. Returning to the dinner was out of the question. Black mascara was streaking down her cheeks, tearstains flawed the front of her dress and her curls were hanging around her face like dreadlocks. Autumn closed her arms around her quivering shoulders. She pressed her eyes shut, willing the tears to stop, but they just kept coming.

  Chapter 20

  Peter flipped on the porch light. Whoever was ringing his doorbell like a madman had better have a good reason for interrupting his sleep. Peter looked through the peephole before opening his front door. “L.J.? What are you doing here? I thought you went home?”

  “Do you know where Autumn is? I’m worried about her.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s not at her apartment.”

  Peter scratched his head. “So, what’s the big deal?”

  L.J. ignored the question. “Where is she?” Not bothering to wait for an invitation inside, he stalked into the faintly lit foyer and kicked off his shoes. Horn-shape wall sconces gave light to the main floor, which featured sloped nine-foot ceilings, polished hardwood floors and a whopping black-and-white framed portrait of Melissa and Peter.

  “Yeah, I always know where my woman’s friends are,” Peter said sarcastically.

  L.J. shook the watch on his right arm and tapped the glass. “It’s one in the morning, Pete. One in the morning! The only place she should be is at home in bed. Alone.”

  Peter chuckled, but stifled his laughter when L.J.’s forehead wrinkled with distaste. He found the whole crazed-lover routine hilarious, but sensed now was not the time for jokes. L.J. was pacing the foyer like a father whose teenager daughter had broken curfew, and his lips were moving faster than a ventriloquist.

  “Where is she? Who is she with? Where could she be?”

  “Someone’s definitely had too much to drink.” Peter put a steadying arm on L.J.’s shoulder, and tried to steer him towards the staircase. “You can crash in the guest room, ’cause you’re in no condition to drive. You’ll talk to Autumn in the morning.”

  “No. I need to talk to her tonight.”

  Peter eyed his best friend. L.J. was Mr. Calm-Cool-and-Collected, and even when things were crumbling at his feet, he remained unflappable. Not tonight. L.J. had been out of sorts for the past few days and had unraveled completely at the rehearsal dinner. Whatever was going on between his best friend and Autumn must be serious because he had never seen L.J. so stressed.

  L.J. released a heavy sigh. He knew who she was with; he just needed to know where. He strode into the living room, and made himself comfortable on the Italian leather sofa. When Peter reluctantly followed, he said, “I need a favor.”

  Peter yawned again. Anxious to return to the comforts of his warm bed, but worried about his childhood friend, he replied, “Sure, what is it?”

  “Call Melissa and find out where Autumn is.”

  “Now I know you’re dead drunk.” He motioned with his head to the clock. “Do you know what Melissa would do to me if I woke her up now? Sorry, bro, but you’ll just have to have your heart-to-heart with Autumn tomorrow.”

  “You don’t understand, Pete. Tomorrow might be too late.” He controlled the quiver in his voice. He sounded hysterical, but he didn’t care. Autumn was with Tyrell doing God knows what and if he didn’t act fast he could lose her forever. “I’ve been screwing up all week and this could be my last chance.”

  “What happened between you two?” Peter questioned. “I thought things were going well.”

  L.J. told him an abbreviated version of what had taken place on Wednesday evening. “That’s why Melissa moved me to another table,” he concluded. “Autumn didn’t want me to sit with her, so she asked for me to be shipped off to another table. That hurt. Bothered me. Stayed with me all night. So, while everyone was busy getting dessert, I went to her.” He shook his head softly. “I had to beg her for a good five minutes before she finally agreed to talk to me outside. We had just smoothed everything over when Tyrell showed up. He—”

  Peter waved his right hand in front of L.J.’s face. “Don’t bother with the rest of the story. I know how the scenario played out. Tyrell picked a fight with you, you leveled him and now Autumn’s angry at you, right?”

  “Worse.” It was painful for L.J. to discuss what had happened. He’d lost his one true love and just thinking about how Tyrell had screwed him over made the heat rise in his chest. “He told Autumn about Rachelle.”

  “How did he find out?”

  “I don’t know, but he knew all sorts of things.”

  Peter whistled. “Damn, bro. It doesn’t get any worse than that.”

  L.J. buried his face in his palms. When Peter put a comforting hand on his shoulder, he lifted his head. “After Rachelle left, I threw myself into my work. I spe
nt long hours at the arena and when I finished up there I went home and worked in my office. It wasn’t until I met Autumn that I realized my life was lacking. I thought I had everything I needed. A dream job, a gigantic house, a couple of luxury cars and more money than I knew what to do with. But I’d give it all up to have her in my life. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I won’t be able to sleep until I tell her that.” A vivid picture of Autumn and Tyrell making out on a dingy motel bed flashed in his mind. L.J. gave his head a hard shake. “She’s with Tyrell, Pete. I can feel it. And it’s killing me inside. What if he took her back to his place? What if they are…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “What? Talking?” Peter started chuckling, but he stopped when L.J. shot him a nerve-jangling look. “Stop stressing, Tyrell is not a threat. No matter how many times he cajoled, pleaded or cried, Autumn never let him get past first base, so quit—”

  L.J. raised his shoulders and lifted his eyes to Peter’s face. “What did you just say?”

  “I said ‘stop stressing.’”

  “No, after that.”

  “You didn’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  Peter loved L.J. more than his three brothers combined, but he wasn’t about to divulge privileged information about his fiancée’s closest friend. That would surely lead to death. “Man, I’m beat. I’m so tired, I’m not making any sense.” He stretched his hands over his head and yawned. “I’m going to turn in. See you in the morning, man.”

  He jumped up off the couch and streaked across the room, but L.J. was two steps ahead of him. They met in the middle of the Navaho-style area rug, and when their eyes locked, Peter knew L.J. would throttle him if he didn’t tell him what he wanted to know. His best man wanted details and he wanted them now.