Barbara Dunlop - His Temptation, Her Secret

“It was touch and go there for a while.” TJ forced his mind away from the memory of Lauren, reliving his good friend Matt Emerson’s frantic, ring-less marriage proposal to Tasha, her packed suitcases at her feet. “I thought she was going to say no.”

Caleb cracked a grin. “It all turned out in the end.”

TJ found his own smile for Matt’s good fortune. He was genuinely happy that his friend had found love. Tasha was smart, beautiful and completely down-to-earth. She was exactly what Matt needed in his life.

Caleb clapped a hand on TJ’s shoulder. “You’ll be next.”

“Not.” The cloud moved back over TJ’s emotions.

“You need to keep an open mind.”

“Would you replace Jules?”

The question brought silence.

TJ took a swallow of his drink. “That’s what I thought.”

“It’s easy to say never when she’s right here in front of me.”

Both men shifted their gazes to Caleb’s wife, Jules. She was radiant following the birth of her twin girls three months ago. Right now, she laughed at something her brother-in-law Noah said.

“It’s hard to get past the never part,” TJ said, struggling to put his feelings into words. He liked facts, not emotions. Emotions always tripped him up. “It’s not that I’m not trying. I am. But it always cycles back to Lauren.”

“I get it,” Caleb said. “At least I think I get it. I know I can’t possibly understand.”

“If I could flip a switch...” TJ let the sentence drop.

Intellectually, he knew Lauren wasn’t coming back. He even knew she’d want him to move on. But she was his true love, his one and only. He couldn’t imagine anyone taking her place.

“Give it some more time,” Caleb said.

“It’s not like I have a choice,” TJ responded, hearing the irony in his own tone. Time would march along no matter what he did or didn’t do.

The strains of the song wound down to an end, and Matt and Tasha moved toward them, all smiles. Her graceful tulle skirt floated over the polished floor. TJ never thought he’d see the tomboyish marine mechanic in full bridal attire. When she wore a dress instead of coveralls, she was quite stunningly beautiful.

“Come and dance with the bride,” she said to him, a tinkling laugh in her tone as she linked her arm with his.

“It would be an honor.” As the best man, he put a smile on his face and set down his drink, determined to keep his melancholy thoughts to himself.

“Is everything okay?” she asked as they swung onto the dance floor.

Other couples joined them, and the dance floor filled as the music swelled.

“Everything is great,” he said.

“I saw your expression when you were talking to Caleb.”

“Where did you learn to dance like this?” TJ appreciated her concern, but this was her day. She didn’t need to be worrying about him.

“What’s going on, TJ?”

“Nothing. Well, one thing. I’m a little jealous of Matt.”

“Now, that’s a big fat lie.”

He drew back slightly. “Look at yourself, Tasha. Every guy here is jealous of Matt.”

She shook her head and laughed.

“Except for Caleb,” TJ felt honor-bound to add. “And the other married guys... Well, some of them, anyway.”

Now she looked amused. “That was a very carefully constructed compliment.”

“It really went off the rails there, didn’t it?”

“You just kept getting deeper and deeper.”

“What I mean,” he said, “is that you make a radiant bride.”

“It’s a very time-limited thing,” she said.

It was his turn to laugh.

She put on a frown. “I can barely breathe in the corset, never mind walk in these heels. If there’s an emergency, somebody’s going to have to carry me out of here.”

“I’m sure Matt will be happy to carry you anywhere you need to go.”

She cast a glance at her new husband, and her expression turned to adoration. TJ felt a surge of envy at their obvious devotion to each other.

“Your mother seems delighted by the posh event,” he said, switching his focus.

“I’m doing my duty as a daughter. But I’ve warned Matt, this may be the last time he sees me in a dress.”

“You’re going out on a high note.”

TJ’s phone vibrated in his tux pocket. He had it on silent, but Tasha obviously heard the low buzz.

“You can get that,” she said.

“There’s nobody I need to talk to right now.”

“What if it’s one of your investors?”

“It’s Saturday night.”

“It’s Sunday morning in Australia.” Tasha was aware of TJ’s investment company’s global reach.

“So, it’s not a workday there either.” He had no intention of interrupting the wedding reception with business.

The buzzing stopped.

“See?” he told her. “It went away.”

“It always goes away when you don’t pick up.”

The phone buzzed again.

She stopped dancing. “You need to get that, TJ.”

“No, I don’t.” He gently urged her to move.

“At least see who it is.”

“It’s nobody more important than you and Matt.”

“It could be an emergency.”

“Fine.” He wasn’t about to stand in the middle of the dance floor and argue with the bride.

He discreetly withdrew his phone and started dancing again.

Apparently appeased, she matched his movements.

Glancing down, he was surprised to see the call was from Seattle’s St. Bea’s Hospital. His company was a longtime contributor to Highside Hospital near his home in Whiskey Bay. But there was no affiliation with St. Bea’s. He supposed someone could be soliciting a donation.

“Who is it?” Tasha asked.

He realized he’d stopped dancing again.

“St. Bea’s Hospital.”

A look of concern came over her face. “Someone could be hurt.”

“I don’t know why they’d take them to St. Bea’s.”

He was acquainted with a few people in Seattle, but most of his friends were in Whiskey Bay or Washington’s capital city, Olympia, which was the closest major city. Even in Olympia, there was nobody who’d have him listed as an emergency contact.

The ringing stopped again.

“You better call them back,” Tasha said. She linked her arm with his, steering him off the dance floor.

“Tasha,” he protested.

“Humor me, or I’ll worry.”

“If that’s what it takes.” He hated being the cause of a disruption.

“That’s what it takes.”

At the edge of the floor, she moved away, giving him privacy.

TJ kept walking to the foyer, where the sound of the band was blocked, so it was quieter. He hit the callback button.

“St. Bea’s Hospital, Oncology,” a crisp female voice answered.

Oncology? Someone had cancer? “This is Travis Bauer. I’m returning a call from this number.”

“Yes, Mr. Bauer. Let me put you through to Dr. Stannis.”

“What is this—” TJ stopped talking when the line clicked and went silent.

He waited a few moments, not sure whether to be anxious or simply curious.

“Mr. Bauer?”

“Yes?”

“This is Dr. Shelley Stannis. I’m with the oncology transplant department here at St. Bea’s.”

A light came on for TJ. “Is this about a bone marrow donation?”

“Yes, it is. Thank you for calling back so quickly. Obviously, I got your information from the registry. We have a young leukemia patient here who is a potential match with you. If you’re available, I’d like to set up a consultation and possibly final testing.”

“How old?” It was the first question that came to TJ’s mind.

“He’s nine years old,” she said.

TJ didn’t hesitate. “When do you need me?”

“Are you saying you’re willing to donate?”