Texas Two Step: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

her life. Did Emily have any idea how incredibly lucky she was? Did she realize how many women would give anything to not only find but to marry the love of their life?
    Olivia had once believed Mitch Landry to be the love of her life. But the love of your life doesn’t leave you with assurances it’s for the best because you’re too young to get married. He doesn’t walk away because he’s not ready for marriage, only to marry another woman a short six months later.
    The memory of his phone call to explain his marriage still turned her inside out. His voice had been strained, emotionless, almost clinically cold. She hadn’t argued. Hadn’t told him why he shouldn’t marry Joanna. She’d let him say what he’d needed to say and then she’d hung up. The next day, she’d changed her phone number and tried to get on with her life. Their baby was growing inside her and needed her to be strong. Without Adam, she might have curled into fetal position and died from the pain.
    Wes leaned between the two women. “Let’s see,” he said, “which lady do I have a date with tonight?”
    Both women laughed as Emily laced her fingers through his. “Baby, I’m your date for the rest of your life.”
    He kissed her knuckles. “Lucky me,” he said then hurried off with his fiancée for the rehearsal dinner.
    Olivia smiled as she watched them, their faces aglow with love. She was happy for her friends, but a twinge of jealousy stabbed her heart. She’d had that kind of love once, or at least thought she had, but she’d let it—him—go without a fight. More than once she wondered if maybe she should have fought for a future with Mitch. Would he have come running if he’d known about Adam? She’d thought about her decision to let him go, knowing she didn’t want him to want her because of Adam. She wanted him to want—no, need her.
    She sighed. After tomorrow night she’d have to let him go again. Would it be easier this time than it’d been last time? Somehow, she doubted it.
    Mitch stepped up beside her, took her fingers and pulled them into the crook of his arm. Trapped between the heat of his palm and the hard muscles of his forearm, her hand burned. She tried to pull away but he tightened his grip to keep her firmly in place.
    “You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear. “Thank you for wearing the necklace. Did you put pictures inside?”
    The combination of warm breath in her ear and the softness in his voice sent chills rippling down her spine. Everything inside her tightened. Reflexively, she touched the locket then shook her head. “No,” she lied. “Never did.” She shivered and he gave her hand another light squeeze.
    “You okay?”
    She nodded, unable to force words past the knot in her throat. Oh Mitch, if I could tell you everything, would you understand? Would you hate me? Would you have come if I’d called?
    Mitch was her past and she needed to keep reminding herself of that reality. Until today, she’d been positive her love for Mitch had died years ago. As she walked beside him, touching him, smelling him, her heart inflamed with feelings, she feared she was no longer in control of her emotions. Heck, she was pretty sure she was close to out-of-control. And right now, she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
    Together she and Mitch followed the rest of the wedding party to the staircase leading down to the hotel’s wine cellar. Shoes thumped on thick carpet. Voices filled with laughter and joy echoed off the walls as the wedding party trooped down to an area designed to hold far fewer people than were currently filing in.
    Olivia stepped through the door with Mitch close behind, the palm of his hand scorching her lower back through the silk of her dress. Her heart throbbed painfully in her throat. How could she possibly swallow food around the boulder resting there?
    She stepped forward, trying to put some distance between them, but he moved swiftly, matching her step for step,