Jackson shook Alex's shoulder a couple of times. The other man groaned, rolled over and blinked sleepily up at him.
"Hey," Alex said, his voice hoarse. "I know you. You're here for my wedding. I miss Courtney. She's great. Have you noticed how great she is?"
"Courtney's amazing," Jackson told him. "And you're going to marry her tomorrow."
Alex slowly pushed into a sitting position. "I know. She's beautiful and stuff, but she can be selfish and it makes me crazy. Then I think about not being with her and it hurts to breathe. What do you think that means?"
"You're nervous about getting married," Jackson said firmly. "It happens. You need to focus on what you love about Courtney, how you felt when you proposed. Back then you knew you'd be happy together forever. Remember that now."
Alex blinked several times. "That's deep, man."
"I'm a trained professional," Jackson said, comfortable with the lie. "You need to get up and go back to the hotel. Shower, shave and have a lot of coffee. Then you're going to find Courtney and tell her how much you love her. After that, you'll have to deal with your mother. It's possible that your father slept with Aunt Tully."
Alex's stare turned glassy. "My father what?"
Jackson helped Alex to his feet. "Your mother will fill in the details. Now do you remember what you're supposed to do?"
"Shower, shave, coffee, Courtney, Mom. Got it."
"Excellent."
"So you're a shrink?" Alex asked, leading the way out of the small building.
"Something like that."
"Katie's lucky to have you. She deserves someone really great."
"I know."
"It wasn't me."
"Apparently not."
Alex sighed. "I miss her, too."
"She's not on your list."
"I know."
Jackson watched Alex trudge toward the hotel. When the other man disappeared inside, Jackson stayed where he was and wondered how big a disaster this wedding was going to be.
Eight
"Why does Alex think you're a psychiatrist?" Katie asked later that afternoon as she and Jackson walked toward the room where the rehearsal would be held.
"I gave him advice and he assumed."
"Makes sense." She smiled. "He's not going to be happy when he finds out the truth."
"If the wedding goes as planned, it shouldn't matter one way or the other."
Jackson sounded confident and he looked yummy. Or maybe it was the fact that due to all the stress and trauma, she'd missed lunch.
She eyed him, taking in the tailored pants, the long-sleeved shirt and sports jacket. He looked good. Good enough to make her forget the growling in her stomach.
Danger, she reminded herself. Falling for Jackson wasn't smart. Not until she knew a little more about him. But they hadn't had much time alone and now that they were by themselves, she couldn't think of a single normal opening line. "So tell me about yourself" didn't exactly meet the subtle requirement.
"Did you get any sleep?" Jackson whispered in her ear, his hand at the small of her back.
Something warm and liquid flowed through her. "I tried, but there were too many interruptions."
"Should I apologize?"
"You weren't the one interrupting me."
He grinned at her. "You know what I mean."
Their gazes locked. She felt the crackle of awareness, of need. "No," she whispered. "Don't apologize."
"Good."
They'd stopped just outside the open door. Katie could hear conversation and knew they should take that last couple of steps and go inside. But staring into Jackson's eyes was the best part of her day. Well, kissing him was better and when he touched her...
"I read science fiction," he blurted.
"What?"
"I read science fiction. I like spy movies and thrillers. I can sit through a romantic comedy if it's important to you. I like relaxed vacations, preferably by the beach, but I can do the mountain thing, too."
He cupped her face. "Tell me what you like."
"Um, I read romances and mysteries. I like most movies, as long as they're not too violent or gory. I can't remember the last vacation I took, but a beach would be nice."
"I fell out of a tree when I was eight and broke my arm."
"I have a tattoo on my butt that says Buddy."
He dropped his hands and stared at her. "Buddy."
She laughed and kissed him. "Kidding. No tattoo."
"I didn't think so. I would have seen it last night." He grabbed her in his arms and spun her around. "We wasted way too much time, Katie. My mom's going to love hearing that."
Her heart pounded hard and fast. What exactly was he saying? Could she hope that he was as crazy about her as she was about him? Was it possible that she was going to get that lucky?
She opened her mouth, prepared to ask, when a soft voice spoke his name.
"Jackson, do you have a second?"
He put her down and they both turned to find a very beautiful, worried-looking Ariel standing behind them.
"I have to go to the wedding rehearsal," he said, his hand still on Katie's waist.