Rebecca managed to keep the smile pasted on her face, though the happy glow in her eyes faded quickly. It was only Kane’s firm hold that kept her grounded. She drew on him, thankful for his strength and presence.
Lexi, bless her soul, suddenly appeared, placing herself between the two couples. “Mr. and Mrs. Harrison!” she said with a radiant smile that was pure Lexi magic. “How wonderful it is to see you!”
In true Lexi style, she embraced each of them warmly as Ian slipped in between Kane and Evan Harrison as well. It was a timely distraction, and no doubt an intentional one, but it worked like a charm. Rebecca exhaled the breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding and patted Kane’s hand to let him know she was alright.
As Lexi introduced Ian to the Harrisons, Rebecca turned to face her brother, whose jaw was now so tightly clenched it was in danger of cracking. “May I speak with you?” she asked, doing her best to control her voice. “In private. Right now?”
Aidan’s lips thinned. He glanced at their parents, who were still bathing in Lexi’s gushing attentions. “Of course.”
“Kane, would you excuse my brother and me for a moment?”
Kane leaned over and kissed her tenderly, but possessively, searching her eyes, which she hoped managed to convey her desire to handle this her way. It must have worked, because he caressed her cheek and said, “Take as long as you need, love. I’ll be right here.”
God, how she loved this man! She flashed him a grateful look, vowing to lavishly reward him later. She turned and addressed her parents. “Please, have a drink and enjoy the music while I speak with Aidan, won’t you?” Without giving them a chance to respond, Rebecca slipped her arm through Aidan’s, leading him out of the ballroom.
“What in the hell were you thinking?” Rebecca hissed the moment the huge double doors closed behind them. “Have you lost your mind?”
Aidan stiffened defensively. “I was thinking that it’s your wedding day, Becca, and your mother and father might actually want to be there for you. Or, God forbid, that you might want them to.” He kept his voice low, but there was no mistaking the disapproval that laced his tone.
Rebecca paced the width of the hallway, trying to alleviate some of the pressure she felt building inside of her. “You couldn’t have told me? Prepared me in some small way? You thought that just springing them on me in the middle of the reception was the way to go?”
“It was kind of a last minute impulse on my part,” Aidan admitted. “When I was walking you down the aisle, all I could think about was how it should be our father doing it and not me. I called from the back of the church as soon as the service was over.”
Given that three hours later they were here, they must have chartered the private company jet the moment they’d hung up.
Rebecca paused only long enough to shoot him a contemptuous look before continuing. “You had no right, Aidan.”
Aidan blew out a breath as Rebecca continued, seething. “Did you hear him, Aidan? The first words out of his mouth? Dear Lord, even after all this time the man is not happy unless he is humiliating me.”
“Cut him some slack, Becca. You’re his only daughter. You walked away twelve years ago - ”
“While he held the door wide open and told me not to let it hit me in the ass,” she reminded him.
“You hurt his pride, Becca. You know how he is. Once he realized you’d really gone, he was beside himself.”
Yes, she did know how he was. Her father was a fiercely proud man, one who tolerated nothing less than absolute obeisance and loyalty from those he chose to surround himself with. More often than not, he had trouble drawing the line between his employees and his family.
“He has a hell of a way of showing it.”
“You don’t know what it was like, Becca,” Aidan said, emotion thickening his voice. “Not knowing where you were, what you were doing, if you were even alive. Christ, it was hell.”
Rebecca took a deep breath, laying her hand upon Aidan’s. Her anger receded as quickly as it had surged. “I’m sorry, Aidan. I never meant to hurt you.”
Aidan pulled her into his arms, resting his forehead upon hers. “I know, Becca. But please, if only for tonight, could you try to forget the past and remember that no matter what, we are still a family?”
Rebecca heard the heartfelt plea in his voice, and realized how important this was to him. “For you, Aidan, I will try.”
He kissed the top of her head. “That’s all I ask.”
––––––––
“He is a fine man,” Dione said, sweeping up to Rebecca with effortless grace. “And you love him very much, do you not? I can see it in your eyes, koukla mou. This one has captured your soul.”