How would he react to hearing she was pregnant with his child?
That was the major question.
She shouldn’t be thinking of the other issues between them.
His response to her pregnancy would colour everything else.
After the ceremony the wedding party formed a semi-circle behind Lucy and Tony while families and guests lined up to congratulate the newly wedded couple, kissing and shaking hands, then milling around afterwards. Tammy didn’t look for Fletcher, not wanting him to think she was hanging on his presence. She chatted to Angelo, Tony’s youngest brother, who was the groomsman partnering her.
‘Oh, Lord! He’s brought someone with him!’ Kirsty hissed, swinging an urgent gaze to Tammy. ‘Don’t look!’
Her heart plummeted. The very slim hope that something good might come out of this meeting died a painful death. ‘I told you it was over,’ she slung at Kirsty, and to prove it she did look, steeling herself not to be the least bit affected by the sight of Fletcher with another woman.
He was shaking hands with the groom and smiling at the bride. Linked to his other arm was a stunning Junoesque blonde—a tall woman, almost as tall as Fletcher, her long shining hair cut into different curved lengths to frame a perfect face, a fashionable fringe drawing attention to wide-spaced, spectacular light-blue eyes. She had bee-stung lips like Angelina Jolie’s and her voluptuously curved body was poured into a strapless scarlet silk sheath. This woman so far outshone her, Tammy felt herself sinking straight into a dark purple night, savagely wishing she could hide there forever.
Pride forced her to turn to Kirsty and say in cynical dismissal, ‘Well, he can afford the best.’ Then she resumed chatting to Angelo, pretending that nothing momentous had happened.
Angelo had put himself out to be nice to her during yesterday’s tour of the vineyard and had also been good company at dinner last night. That might well have been out of a polite sense of duty since she was his partner for the wedding. She hadn’t actually sensed he was attracted to her so there seemed no harm in being extra friendly to him now when she desperately needed some cover for the terrible anguish of knowing beyond any doubt that Fletcher had moved on and would certainly not welcome learning that he was the father of her child.
Angelo Andretti was nowhere near as handsome as Fletcher, who would undoubtedly consider him a comedown for Tammy, but she didn’t care about that. In fact, he was quite attractive, his hair a mass of tight black curls, his eyes a warm brown, his nose distinctly Roman, declaring his Italian heritage, and he had a happy disposition that made him pleasant company. It was easy to overlook the fact that he was rather short—barely matching Tammy’s height in her high heels—and stocky.
As the wedding party moved off to pose in the vineyard, Lucy grabbed her arm and pulled her aside for a quick, confidential tête-à-tête. ‘I didn’t know Fletcher was bringing a woman with him, Tam. I would have warned you.’
‘It doesn’t matter, Lucy,’ she insisted.
‘I just asked Mum about it. He called this morning to check if it was okay for him to bring a partner and she said it would be no problem. I’m so sorry, Tam.’
‘Lucy, it’s no problem. Please don’t worry about me. Let’s just enjoy your wedding. Okay?’
Lucy searched her eyes anxiously. ‘You sure?’
‘I’m sure!’ Tammy replied emphatically, forcing a big smile. ‘Are we going to frolic amongst the grapes for the photographer?’
Lucy relaxed and grinned back. ‘Why not? It’s fun time.’
Apparently Kirsty and Lucy passed the word to the gang that she was not upset by the situation because none of the others mentioned Fletcher to her, much to her relief. She did her absolute best to block him out of her mind and float through the evening as though he wasn’t there.
She sat beside Angelo at the long bridal table, giving him most of her attention. He was keen for her to sample the wines being served, and she did, though only taking small sips of each one. Eating was difficult but she determinedly forced enough food down to display a reasonably good appetite, not wanting to raise any questions about it. She applauded the speeches, smiled at the comments Angelo whispered in her ear about them, and generally felt that anyone observing her—especially Fletcher—would think she was having a lovely time.
Unfortunately Angelo was not a good dancer. He shuffled through the bridal waltz, twice stepping on her toes during the turns, for which he apologised profusely, making it difficult to ignore his clumsiness. It was obviously a relief to him when the waltz was over and Tammy said she now had the duty of serving the wedding cake, which excused him from having to continue dancing with her.
The DJ was inviting guests to join the bridal couple on the dance floor as she and Angelo left it, and suddenly there was Fletcher, walking directly towards her with the blonde’s arm hooked around his. Trying to avoid him would indicate that his presence with another woman had hurt her. Defence mechanisms instantly kicked in as the distance between them closed and he made no move to avoid her. She held her head high, looked at him with a curious air as though wondering why she had ever found him attractive, and when they were virtually face-to-face, pasted a dry little smile on her lips.
‘Surprise, surprise!’ she said sardonically. ‘You seem doomed to be hooked into my friends’ weddings, Fletcher.’
His eyes burned into hers. ‘Any chance that you’ll be the bride at the fourth, Tamalyn?’
‘Who knows?’ she said with a shrug, hugging Angelo’s arm more tightly as she turned a smile to him. ‘This is Celine’s brother, Fletcher Stanton, Angelo.’
‘And you’re the brother of the groom,’ Fletcher chimed straight in, thrusting out his hand, which meant Angelo had to detach himself from Tammy to take and shake it. ‘Fine vineyard you have here.’
‘Thank you. We’re proud of it.’
‘A wonderful setting for the wedding,’ the blonde gushed, her accent distinctly foreign—German? Swiss?
‘Heidi Bergman,’ Fletcher said in a too-brief introduction, not giving any information about his companion. ‘Angelo Andretti and Tamalyn Haynes, Heidi.’
‘Hi!’ Tammy said as brightly as she could.
‘Hope you’re enjoying yourself,’ Angelo said warmly.
‘I am,’ the blonde assured him, smiling a row of perfect white teeth.
Tammy barely stopped herself from gnashing hers.