Kiss the Bride by Melissa McClone, Robin Lee Hatcher, Kathryn Springer Page B

endings stood at attention. Too bad they weren’t soldiers who could protect her. Well, her heart. She worried nothing could now.
    “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I realize I messed up long before I didn’t believe you.” Regret dripped from his words like the water running down the gazebo’s support beams. “When we met, I started dating you for the right reasons, but everything got mixed up with the campaign.”
    That wasn’t what she’d thought he was going to say. “The campaign?”
    “Yeah.” He scrubbed his face with his hand as if trying to wipe off dirt. “Running for office took over my life. Everything I did was questioned to the minute detail. From what I wore to who I dated.”
    “You mean me.”
    He nodded.
    She knew where this was going now. “I was a liability.”
    “No, you were an asset.”
    Jenna drew back. “Your father—”
    “Your working-class background was a boon to the polls. Voters related to you in a way they couldn’t with my family.”
    Jenna appreciated his honesty, though his words stung. “Who would have ever thought I could be considered a trophy wife?”
    He gave a half-hearted laugh.
    Good, she thought. They needed to keep their senses of humor.
    Ash drew imaginary circles on the wood. “Seeing you again made me realize the glossy election flier with the photo of the perfect-together engaged couple was no more real than two people who had only dated a few months finding themselves pushed to settle down before the primary election. I’m . . . sorry.”
    “Me too.” Jenna rubbed her thumb over her fingertips. She didn’t look Ash in the eyes. He wasn’t the only guilty party. “The whole reason I attended your church’s singles group was to make contacts in another part of town. I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, but a higher-end clientele. When we started dating, my business took off with new customers. The additional income made life easier for once. Only everything blew up after you called off the wedding. My new clients disappeared. I had nothing. I realized I’d made your life, your friends, mine. I had no connections with anyone outside of my family. My faith was so weak.”
    “That’s not true. I’ve seen you working with the youth.”
    “Before, when I was with you, I wasn’t like the way I am now.” Admitting the truth was almost painful, but a weight lifted off her shoulders. Her heart felt lighter. “You were my catalyst for change. For finding Pastor Dan and his church. For falling in love with God. I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but being dumped at the altar was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
    He smiled close-mouthed, a thoughtful gleam in his gaze. “At least something good came of that.”
    “Lots of good.” She hoped he heard the sincerity behind her words. “We just had the wrong—misguided—intentions.”
    “If I could go back . . .”
    “It’s okay.” Lightning flashed, followed immediately by a roar of thunder. She rubbed her arms. Focused on Ash. “You mentioned being friends. That’s one step we skipped the first time.”
    “Does that mean there’s going to be a second time?”
    Jenna’s chest seized, the beat of her heart seeming to stop. She knew how she wanted to answer. Did she dare?
    He held her hand. Tingles exploded from the point of contact.
    “Are you willing to give us a second chance? Be friends with the possibility of more? That’s what I want.”
    No air remained in her lungs. She drew in a short breath so she could answer. “I want to believe things could be different.”
    “They will be. I promise.” He leaned toward her. “I know I’ve apologized, but I want you to know I’ve changed. I regret what I did, and I’ll never do it again.”
    Those were the words Jenna needed to hear. Peace settled over her. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
    “What do you say?” he asked.
    Hope filled her heart. This time would be different. “I’m up for a second