Tony smirked. “That’ll be interesting to witness. We’ll be returning on Saturday. I’ll let you know when I know more about the wedding.”

“You know me—always at your service,” she quipped.

Tony grinned as he hit DISCONNECT.

After some coffee and a light breakfast, Tony made the rest of his calls, and within a few hours, he had the whole wedding thing underway. The next hurdle was quickly approaching. Within a matter of hours he’d have the opportunity to meet his future in-laws face-to-face. They weren’t exactly strangers. He knew everything about them and had even been at their wedding. Tony smirked; now, they’d be coming to his. Sometimes he marveled at how strangely things come full circle. That wasn’t really true. He’d know that they were at his wedding; they’d had no idea.

With a few hours before his surprise guests arrived, Tony decided to go upstairs. He wanted to visit his fiancée, tell her about their wedding plans, and enjoy what was his for the taking. Besides, with their impending visitors, it was never too early to remind the future Mrs. Rawlings that her change of name would not mean a change in his rules.

Everyone has to make their own decisions. You just have to be able to accept the consequences without complaining.

—Grace Jones

Risk versus Failure in the World of Business—that was the title they’d given him. Tony wondered sometimes how they came up with this crap! Three years ago the bottom fell out of the damn economy and he’d survived. It seemed as though some of these symposiums and seminars were trying to tell the up-and-coming entrepreneurs that the failure was the fault of business. That wasn’t entirely true, but voicing his true feelings wouldn’t win him any supporters in the necessary arenas. So, every now and then, he’d concede to play their game and talk their talk.

Inspirational—that was what the planners called him, as they crooned, gushed, and requested his presence at their seminar. Shelly received invitations like this all of the time. More often than not, she turned them down. After all, Tony was a busy man; however, every now and then, she’d ask him to consider attending. She’d remind him that he needed to do the occasional public-relations outreach. It not only kept his name on the tips of people’s tongues, sometimes he found talent along the way.

As he delivered the keynote address, Tony talked about recognizing and weighing risks. He discussed the importance of knowing your opponents and competitors, as well as your customers and investors—he admonished the audience to be informed. Don’t be blindsided—be prepared. The people in the crowd hung on his every word. After all, he was Anthony Rawlings.

The act of delivering the occasional speech wasn’t new; he’d been doing it forever. The newness came in that he didn’t mind doing it as much as he once had. Looking to his left and seeing the emerald gaze, his business smile morphed into a genuine grin. The way Mrs. Rawlings watched and listened to his every word fulfilled an emptiness that he never knew existed. Many of the magazines and tabloids referred to Claire as nothing more than an ornament to adorn Tony’s arm. That wasn’t true. She was so much more.

Without a doubt, she was much smarter than the press gave her credit. It wasn’t just her education—she was also a quick learner; however, when it came to her degree, Tony was thankful that Claire never mentioned pursuing meteorology. Other than a night a long, long time ago, in a bar, in a faraway land, the subject never came up. As a rule, Tony enjoyed fulfilling Claire’s requests. He liked the entire process. He liked being asked and watching her techniques of persuasion. Most of the time, he enjoyed granting her desires; however, if she’d asked to return to the world of weather, he’d have denied it, without thinking twice. Since last December, Claire’s full-time job was him. She was his wife—Mrs. Anthony Rawlings—and as such had no time for other endeavors. When he allowed her to enter the spotlight as his fiancée and wife, Tony hadn’t realized the many roles she’d be required to perform. He didn’t manufacture the responsibilities—they just were. With each new task, Claire succeeded. Whether it was charity work, hosting a party, or being at his side, he was constantly awed by her perfection. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been. After all, as a Rawlings, nothing less would be acceptable. Public failure could not be tolerated. She handled her responsibilities well.

On occasions such as this particular seminar, after the speeches were complete, Tony was expected to mingle with the attendees. Claire was the one with that talent. She possessed an uncanny ability to talk to anyone and was the master of small talk. With a smile on her face, she could move people through the process, keep him from being saddled with one person too long, and most importantly, get them out.

Once his speech was done and he sat, Claire’s small hand moved to his thigh. No one could see below the table, yet her light touch combined with her beautiful smile gave him a sense of accomplishment as he’d never known. A grin, a touch, and suddenly the evening was not only tolerable, but enjoyable.

Every now and then while the speeches continued, she’d whisper something to him—most of the time it had nothing to do with what was being said. It might be an observation of someone in the audience, or something totally random. It was strange how that, too, could make him relax. Externally, he was calm, cool, and professional, just as he’d always been. Tony recognized the difference—it was internal.

Sometimes he’d think back to a year and a half ago in sheer wonderment. The woman next to him was so different than the woman he met in Atlanta. Claire had exceeded his expectations at every test and turn. Tony knew that the same could be said of Catherine’s expectations. Eighteen months ago, Catherine begrudgingly agreed to assist in overseeing Claire’s care. Today, she was Claire’s biggest cheerleader. As such, she’d articulate accolades at Claire’s success with each new test or challenge. Catherine would remind Tony how proud Nathaniel would be of what he’d accomplished. He successfully removed a Nichols—a child of a child—while keeping her in a blissfully unaware state of debt.