“Wyatt!” I protest.

“Candice!” He calls through the halls.

My best friend appears a moment later with a dress, a brush and some make-up. After that they practically tackle me until I agree to get changed, then I’m held still while Candy applies my make-up and does my hair. They’re not giving me a choice, and I know I won’t be able to get away with it.

“Dad,” I groan when they drag me towards the door. He’s bouncing Penny on his hip.

He grins at me. “Have fun, honey. Penny and I have a movie night planned.”

“Seriously, Dad?” I try again.

“Enjoy.”

Wyatt and Candy drag me to the car, and the entire way I spit curses at them. When we arrive at an uptown club, I know there’s no point in fighting so I willingly get out of the car, much to my despair. We line up and I do this with my arms crossed, glaring at the side of Wyatt’s face.

“Glare at me all you like, girly, you’re doing this.”

“We’re not friends, me and you,” I spit at him. “Got me?”

“Don’t matter.” He grins. “I’m your brother; can’t just end that shit. You’re stuck with me.”

“Prick,” I mutter.

Candy tucks her arm through mine. “It’ll be the best night of your life, honey. You’ll see.”

“What makes you so sure of that?”

She smiles. “It’s the stars, you know.”

I roll my eyes and we head inside. I’m dragged to the bar where I order a shot of tequila straight off the mark. I shoot it down and go for another one.

“Don’t get drunk, honey,” Candy yells in my ear. “Just have fun. Look, there are some hot guys on the dance floor.”

I shoot her a look and see Dusty making his way through the crowd. My face splits into a grin. I can’t help it. He’s been away for a week with work and I’ve missed him. I shoot another shot and rush towards him.

“Girl, I’m so glad to see you out!” he yells, spinning me around.

“I’m glad you’re here. These two are torturing me.”

He grins, poking my nose. “I’m here to torture you, too.” He breaks out into a super-cool dance move and spins before pointing to me. “With my dancing.”

I shake my head, but my smile is real and it feels nice. Maybe they were right; maybe they did have the right idea coming here.

“Fine, one dance.”

With a happy clap, he reaches for me and drags me onto the dance floor. We wiggle and move, laughing and clapping until I’m sweating. I tell him I need a drink and rush off the dance floor to get one, then I find Candy and Ford at a table nearby. I don’t know when he arrived, but he’s currently got his tongue down my best friend’s throat. Gross.

“Ew,” I say, flopping down beside them. “Ford, seriously, enough tongue.”

He pulls back and flashes me a wicked grin before leaning back in his chair. Candy turns to me with a lusty smile. “So, any hot guys out there?”

“No.”

“Seriously? You haven’t seen one?”

I frown at her. “No, Candy.”

She grins and points. “What about him? Yum.”

I turn and follow her finger, and when I see the man she has pointed to, my heart stutters and my breath quickens. Walking through the crowd towards me is Marcus.

He looks exactly as he did the night I met him, only this time he’s wearing a gorgeous blue tie over his white shirt that’s unbuttoned at the top and rolled up to the elbows. His hair is messy, his eyes intense and God, he looks as beautiful as ever.

My breath hitches.

“I don’t . . .”

He didn’t leave. He didn’t abandon us. Something, maybe relief, clogs my throat so when he reaches me, I can’t even open my mouth to say anything. I’ll leave it to him. Is he here to say goodbye? God, what if he is? Or maybe he’s here to demand something? Maybe he wants to see Penny? Maybe he’s got a new lady? God, why is he staring at me like that?

He stops at the table and stretches his hand out towards me. “Hi,” he says, his voice low and throaty. “I saw you dancing and wondered if you’d let me buy you a drink?”

Huh?

Has he lost his marbles?

Candy giggles behind me. What am I missing?

“Marcus, what are you doing?”

He tilts his head to the side. “I’m asking a pretty girl if she’d like a drink. What’s your name, honey?”

“Stop being a dick,” I say standing and shoving his chest. “What are you doing?”

A slow, sexy grin appears on his face. “I said, I’m asking a pretty girl to share a drink with me. Now, are you going to tell me your name, or do I have to guess?”

I narrow my eyes at him and he holds mine. I see then that there’s something different about him; there’s something missing in his eyes . . . I gasp when I realize it’s pain. He no longer has any behind the dark brown depths. All I can see is happiness, humor and love. No more anger. No more hurt. No more stress. What the hell has happened?

“What are you doing, Marcus?” I whisper, pain in my eyes clear for him to see.

He drops his hand and steps closer.

“I told you I couldn’t love you as the Marcus I was. I couldn’t be what you wanted. I needed to let it all go. I divorced you, I sold my house, I sold my business and I started again. Right now, I live in a two-bedroom apartment a quarter of the size of my old house, and I work at a rather large machinery company that I’m not the boss of. You’d never believe it, but I even wear jeans now and then. I told you I couldn’t love you as I was, but I never said I wouldn’t love you again. To start over, the past had to be buried. We need to do this right. We need to start at the beginning. So, I’ll ask you again, sweetheart, what is your name?”