"And you are mine and I love you, too. So d.a.m.n much," he said, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.

For a while, the bedroom was deathly quiet, except for the sound of their breathing. Then he said, "You know we'll have to confront our parents about what they did. We're going to have to be fair to them, Erica."

She lifted her chin. "Fair! We don't owe them anything, Brian. They're the reason I'm not getting married in three weeks. I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive them for that."

He didn't say anything, knowing she felt that way now but eventually would come around. She adored her father just as much as he adored his mother. They'd made mistakes, he could accept that, but still, he wanted to know how it had happened, why it happened. His mother hadn't been involved with a man since his father's death. How and why had she gotten involved with Wilson Sanders?

"There are going to be stipulations regarding us, though," he then spoke up and said.

She wiped away more tears as she glanced up him. "What kind of stipulations?"

A small smile touched his lips although his heart was literally breaking at the thought she was going away on an extended trip with a woman who hated his guts and would probably use every turn to convince Erica she was better off without him. "That you keep in touch regularly. That way I know you're missing me."

She smiled faintly. "I will be missing you and I will marry you when I get back. Not the huge elegant wedding we have planned now, but-"

"h.e.l.l, I don't care how it's done as long as it's done," he interrupted. "By Thanksgiving."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes, by Thanksgiving."

"No matter what."

"Yes, no matter what. I promise," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Thanks for giving me time to help Mom through this, Brian. It means a lot to me."

He pulled her to him and held her, knowing their separation would be a test of the worst kind. He hoped their love would be strong enough to withstand all the betrayal, deceit and manipulation he had a feeling would be hurled at them.

All he knew was that he loved her and would never give her up.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

"Well, well, the wh.o.r.emonger has returned. Did you bring your s.l.u.t back with you?"

Wilson turned when Karen entered the kitchen, wincing at her words. She had a right to be angry, but there was no reason for getting down-in-the-gutter nasty. It didn't become her. "Karen. And how are you?"

Her face contorted in more anger. "How am I? How do you think I am after finding out about your affair?"

He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the kitchen cabinet. "Don't pretend you care about me having an affair when you gave me the go-ahead to indulge in one years ago. When you stopped being a wife to me."

"Is that all you men think about? Getting between a pair of women's legs?"

"No, companionship is nice, too. Having someone to talk to, do things with. Having someone there for you. But you refused to do those things and be those things over twenty years ago and I never was unfaithful to you."

"Then why now?"

He couldn't help but give her a genuine smile. He could answer that question easily. "Because I finally met someone I truly like." He came close to also adding, Someone I love. Someone I love.

"Well, your timing on this one was awful, Wilson. And you're right, I really don't give a d.a.m.n that you're sleeping with another woman. But I refuse to let you behave so deplorably with a woman I will be interacting with on occasion. But then, your thoughtlessness has given me what I wanted. In a way it worked out in my favor."

He lifted a brow, not sure where she was going with this. "What do you mean?"

"There's no way Erica will marry Brian now."

He heard the finality in her voice and couldn't help but smile. "Don't fool yourself on that, Karen. Erica loves Brian and she will not let anything come between them. Not you, me or Rita."

A smile hovered on her lips. "I beg to differ."

It was the sound of her voice at that moment that made him think there was something going on here. He decided to play his hunch. "Who sent those pictures to everyone, Karen?"

"How would I know? Evidently you and your mistress got sloppy."

"No, I don't think so," he said, moving across the room to her. "I hope this isn't something you concocted to-"

"To do what, Wilson? I didn't force you to sleep with Rita Lawson. But you did, without thinking of how it would look to me or your daughter. Rita might have been your first fling, however, I doubt, since you've gotten a taste of a woman after all these years, that she will be your last. That doesn't concern me."

"Because you think you're going to get what you want out of this, don't you?"

She chuckled. "I have no idea what you're talking about and it doesn't matter. Our lives are what they are. You're not going anywhere and neither am I. The only fool in all of this is Rita Lawson. What did you do? Promise to leave me for her? You and I know that won't be happening."

She was so sure of herself, he thought. So sure of him. "Not this time, Karen."

She lifted a brow. "Not this time, what?"

"I refuse to let you manipulate me in whatever game you're playing. I want a divorce."

She seemed truly shocked. "A divorce?"

"Yes. We haven't had a real marriage in years. I thought I could live with that, but I can't."

"You have no choice."

Now it was he who smiled. "Yes, I do."

She stiffened her spine. "If you leave me for her, Erica will hate you. I'll see to it."

"I'm not going to let your threats keep me from living a happy life, Karen. I met a woman that I can truly enjoy life with and I intend to do just that. And I'm going to believe that our daughter will realize what you're doing. One day she will discover just what a mean, hateful, vindictive and manipulating person you are. When she does, then she will hate you. Is that what you want?"

Karen flinched. "That won't happen."

"For your sake, you better hope that it doesn't. I won't waste my time telling Erica my suspicions because she probably won't believe me, considering everything. But eventually, she will find out the truth about you. There are some secrets that can't be hidden forever."

Without having anything else to say, he walked out of the kitchen.

April glanced across the table at Griffin. Surprising her, he had shown up a few hours ago and she was glad to see him. He had whisked her off to her favorite L.A. restaurant and she hadn't wasted time before telling him that Erica was postponing the wedding and the reason she was doing so. Considering the ice queen-Griffin's words, not hers-that Wilson was married to, he wasn't taken aback to learn the man was involved in an affair.

Griffin had shaken his head sadly and said his own father was still holding the lead as the man to have the most affairs in Hattersville, and that there was no telling how many illegitimate children his old man could rightfully claim but chose not to do so. April hadn't wanted to admit that she'd heard Herbert Hayes had had a problem keeping his pants zipped over the years.

"I think Erica is pretty upset with me," she said after taking a sip of her tea.

Griffin glanced over at her. "That was coming down hard to accuse her mother of setting the whole thing up."

"But who else would have benefited from it? I'm not saying she did it herself, but I bet she arranged it all. Everything is too pat. She's my prime suspect because for her everything will fall perfectly into place."

Griffin met her gaze. "I disagree. They will only fall into place if Erica allows herself to be manipulated."

"And you."

He lifted a brow. "Me?"

"Yes. I still think her sole purpose is to get you and Erica together."

He chuckled. "It's not happening. And I think you might be wrong about Karen Sanders this time. I wouldn't put some things past her but I'm just not sure about this one. Mainly because when word gets out that Mr. Sanders had an affair, it will evolve into a scandal, which is something she wouldn't want to deal with. She's not that that desperate to get me and Erica together." desperate to get me and Erica together."

"But what if she is?" April implored.

"Even if she does believe in that HayesDelbert curse and is convinced the only way to break it is for me and Erica to marry, it takes two to tango. That's one dance neither of us is willing to do, so it would be a waste of time on her part."

"I don't know, Griffin. I just have a funny feeling about the whole thing."

He reached across the table and captured her hand in his. "Hey, don't worry about it. Even if she managed to manipulate Erica, which I doubt she can do, she still has to try her wiles on me and she can't do it. I'm not in love with Erica. I love you, baby."

A myriad of sensations raced through April's stomach. She had needed to hear him say those words while looking in her eyes. She needed to see the intensity in the dark depths, the pa.s.sion, the desire and more than anything, the love. And she saw all of it and was tempted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"And I love you, Griffin."

He squeezed her hand before releasing it and gave her one h.e.l.l of a s.e.xy smile. "So, now that Erica's wedding has been postponed, when are you going to tell her about us?"

Nerves skittered through her. "I'm not sure."

He glanced at her over the rim of his coffee cup. "Is there a reason you want to continue to wait? And please don't tell me it has something to do with your theory about Mrs. Sanders. If you truly believe that, then the sooner we let her and everyone else know about us, the better off we'll be. Then she'll know for certain that my future is set...with you."

"Yes, but..."

"But what?"

"Erica is going through a lot right now."

"And what does that have to do with us, April?"

She drew in a deep breath, not knowing what she could tell him. It really didn't have anything to do with them and, knowing Erica, she would be happy for them. However, that crazy feeling she had just wouldn't go away.

"Nothing, really, but I prefer not telling her until she gets back. She's going on an extended trip with her mother. Dr. Cobb feels she needs to get away for a while."

"How long will she be gone?"

"Not sure. First they're doing a twelve-day cruise and then they plan to stay at their place on Lake Tahoe. Erica said some thing about being gone for almost six weeks."

"That's a long time."

"Yes, but I think they're hoping the scandal will have died down by then."

He took a sip of his coffee. "And they're sure there will be one? What if the only persons getting those texted pictures are the four of them? I wouldn't think anyone would want to spread that story."

"Yes, but once word gets out that Erica has put off her wedding everyone will wonder why."

"Then don't put it off."

April rolled her eyes. "Can you honestly see Mr. and Mrs. Sanders standing alongside of Brian's mother in a receiving line?"

"It would be rather strained," he said.

"To say the least."

Griffin checked his watch. "Do you want to take a walk on the beach before we head back to your place?"

She gave him a huge smile. "That's a wonderful idea. Let's do it."

"All right."

He always made even the simplest things such a joy whenever he came to town. She appreciated every single thing about him and he liked telling her every chance he got that he was hers. Other than Nana, and her friendship with Erica, she'd never felt anyone or anything was truly hers before. He was making her believe that dreams did come true and that she deserved love and happiness in her life like everyone else. And that she didn't have to settle for less.

Now if she could get rid of this nagging fear that it was all a dream and one day she would wake up and he would be gone, that she had only imagined the whole thing, or even worse, that someone would come between them and tear them apart.

Her prayer every night was that it wouldn't happen but her nagging fear just wouldn't go away.

Chapter Twenty-Five.

Erica opened the door to find her father standing there. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"You've been avoiding me. May I come in?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she didn't want him to come in, but for some reason she couldn't do that. And he was right. She had been avoiding him.

It had been five days since those pictures had been sent, and all the arrangements had been made. She and her mother would be leaving in the morning to fly to Barcelona for a twelve-day Mediterranean cruise. Then they would spend an entire month at Lake Tahoe.