Free Blue Moon by Mackenzie McKade

understand? Nothing happened?”
    What exactly was she saying?
    “You didn’t sleep with her.” A spark of bitterness followed. “Cathy removed your clothes to make it believable.”
    The weight of the world flew from his shoulders. He knew no matter how drunk he was that he would never betray Sam. “Does this mean I’m forgiven? We’re okay?”
    “I’m sorry, Kyle.” A sheen of tears glistened as she gazed up at him. “I should have trusted you.”
    Pulling her trembling body into his arms, he rested his chin on her head. “No, baby. I don’t blame you for how you reacted.” He only wished Cathy had come clean earlier. Thoughts of strangling the bitch vanished when he heard Sam’s mother.
    “Time’s up, you two.”
    As Sam attempted to step away from him, he slid a knuckle beneath her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. “Man. I want to ravish you.” He settled for a brief kiss that tightened his gut and left him hungry for more.
    “Later.” She walked away, leaving the promise to linger between them.
     
     
    The rest of the evening was pure hell. After an hour of posing and smiling until Sam’s cheeks ached, everyone settled into their assigned seats for dinner, with the exception of Kyle. He had gone missing after the last snap of the camera. The wedding party sat down at the head table just as the lights blinked on, bathing the area in a twinkling fairytale land of light. It was breathtaking—a moment to savor, only enhanced when the man she loved moved hastily through the crowd, stopping to chat with her mother before he leaned down and whispered something in Brad’s ear. Brad grinned down the table at her. That’s when Sam realized two people separated her from Kyle—the bride and groom. Cathy sat to her left, which made the arrangement even more uncomfortable.
    Sam’s only saving grace was that Kyle couldn’t keep his eyes off her. It might have been her imagination, but he regarded her with the same admiration that Brad did Jennifer. It made Sam giddy and warm all over. Thoughts of last night, Kyle’s hands and lips across her body, made her squirm in her chair.
    “Excuse me.” A waiter offered her a glass of champagne and she cringed.
    “Ohhh… No—” No more alcohol for her.
    Jennifer giggled. “Take it, Sam. It’s for the toast.”
    The toast? She’d forgotten about the toast. Silly her.
    Fingers curling around the cool stem of the flute, she watched the bubbles rise and burst. Who knew that this innocent-looking drink could hold such a punch?
    When Kyle got to his feet, tall, dark and handsome, Sam sucked in a taut breath. This man raising his glass in honor of Jennifer and Brad and speaking of love, of new beginnings and futures, loved her.
    For a second, a shadow fell across her eyes. Could things be the way they were?
    No, Negative Nelly would not take hold of her.
    Refusing to let the past rain on her parade, Sam pushed the thought aside. Tonight was for new beginnings not only for the newlyweds, but for her and Kyle. Nothing would stand in their way. Then Cathy spoke and Sam felt her house of cards tumble into a pile.
    “Can you forgive me?”
    Heart pounding, a bitter response perched on the tip of Sam’s tongue, but then she saw their mother watching them.
    “Cathy, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget the damage you caused, the years you stole from Kyle and me. Mom can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but she would have understood. We all would have understood. But what is more important, we would have stood behind you. I can’t forgive you. Right now I can’t even bear to look at you.”
    Ducking her head to hide her emotion, Cathy batted at falling tears. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Sammy?” Jennifer squeezed her hand drawing Sam’s attention. “It’s your turn.”
    “Turn?”
    “A toast.”
    Keep it short and sweet, that’s what Jennifer had suggested earlier. Scooting out of her chair, Sam stood, taking the microphone Kyle had passed to her