The Laws of Attraction (Love is a Destination Book 2) Page 2

  His mom died fourteen months later. The doctors said her heart gave out. Ares knew better. She’d died because her heart was broken from missing the man she’d loved for forty years.

  For a few years after her death, Ares put everything he had into serving his country. It was all he had anyway. No other family. But after four years, his heart was no longer in it. So, he resigned his commission in the Navy, and went to school.

  Surprisingly, he found himself drawn to the law, probably because of all the rules and regulations he adhered to while still in the Navy. It didn’t take long to realize he not only had an affinity for the law, he enjoyed it. By the time he was in his final year at law school, he’d caught the eye of several top law firms. Recruiters from all over the country flew him out, showed him around. Gave him the royal treatment. In the end, he chose Bird, Myers, and Childress.

  At first, he thought it was because the firm was thousands of miles away from the California coast where he’d grown up. That was definitely part of it, but after working there a couple of years, he knew it was more than that. The law firm was like an ocean of sharks, just of a different sort than he was used to. People at the firm were driven to succeed. They were hungry for it the way he’d been hungry to be the best SEAL he could be. And he’d thrived.

  The one drawback had been Mr. Bird, the senior partner. Ares didn’t like the man’s methods and because of that, he couldn’t respect him. He’d even thought about leaving, until he’d been given Pamela Bird’s case. Initially, the task had irritated him. If she were anything like her father, then he wouldn’t have put it past her to murder someone. He figured the girl was guilty and he hadn’t wanted to ruin his record on a spoiled brat.

  By the end of their first meeting, he realized she wasn’t anything like her dad. In fact, she was completely different. In the last eighteen months, his feelings for her had gone from distaste to understanding, to liking, caring, and now something more. Though, he couldn’t know for sure what he felt for her since she refused to go on any real dates with him.

  Thanks to Max and Katie, he’d been given the chance to get to know her. When they were in town they would ask him to dinner. Birdy was always there too. During the dozen or so would-be double dates they’d been on, he’d had the opportunity to see her for who she really was: a kind person who deeply cared for the world and those around her. In his mind, she was the perfect woman.

  When they first met, Birdy’s hair had been short, styled in a pixie cut. Along with the color and the angles of her face, she’d reminded him of an angel. Since her release from jail she’d allowed her hair to grow out. He liked it, but knew any style would look good on her. The woman didn’t have a bad side. Even the cameramen and show producers had commented on that fact.

  Beyond her outward beauty was what was on the inside. To him, she glowed with goodness. That Birdy had been raised by the likes of Jonathon Bird and still turned out so amazing spoke volumes to the depth of her compassion. She was innately decent, a person who found difficulty saying anything unkind about anyone.

  And her eyes. Like his, they were hazel, but when she spoke they seemed to sparkle, especially when she was feeling particularly passionate about something.

  He knew he’d put her on a pedestal. Instinct told him that was a bad idea. All people were imperfect. His mother had told him that. She’d also said, “Choosing to love despite weaknesses and inadequacies is what makes a marriage work.” He believed that too.

  Not that he’d considered marrying Birdy. Not really. He’d allowed his thoughts to wander there once or twice, but knew that was putting the cart before the horse so he didn’t dwell on what might be.

  He had one goal during the wedding festivities: Win her heart. Since she was maid of honor and he was the best man, they would be spending a lot of time together, and he intended to help her see him as more than just a lawyer at her father’s firm.

  The plane touched down. He took another deep breath, but kept his eyes shut until it came to a stop. Then he unbuckled and stood, stretching his long legs. Birdy did the same, performing some kind of yoga pose. “How is that?” he asked, trying to follow her lead, but he couldn’t get his legs to bend like that.

  “Nice,” she said, shaking her head and laughing.

  He laughed at himself. “Hey, I can’t do yoga, but if you want to learn how to hold your breath for three minutes, I’m your guy.”

  She gave him a sideways glance. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Do that.” He took off his suit coat. The door to the plane opened and the breeze felt good. At least he wouldn’t have to go through the airport or to baggage claim. That was a perk of flying with the star of Birdy Knows Best. She got her own private plane.

  As he went down the stairs, a black stretch limousine pulled up and a man dressed in a white button down and black pants got out.

  He tipped his hat to Birdy. “Miss Pamela. Welcome to Maui.”

  “Thank you,” she said as he opened the door.

  “We stocked the fridge and the bar with the items you requested. Please help yourself.”

  “I will.” She climbed in.

  Ares followed the man to the trunk where he waited for him to unlock it and place all of Birdy’s luggage inside. There was a lot of it. Ares made a mental note. Possibly high maintenance, he thought, undeterred.

  “Thank you, sir,” the man said, taking his one carry-on. Ares also had a garment bag, which contained his tan tux complete with primrose yellow tie. The man placed the bag over the suitcases followed by Birdy’s light green dress. “I believe that’s everything.” He closed the trunk and followed Ares to the door, where he closed it behind him.

  Birdy had a glass of ice water in one hand and something spongy and covered in chocolate in the other. She paused mid-chew. Ares noticed her mouth was full.

  “What are you eating?”

  Birdy held up a finger, telling him to wait. She chewed as the car pulled away from the plane.

  Meredith leaned forward, sitting closer to him. “It’s a Twinkie,” she answered for Birdy. “Not the original though. These are dipped in chocolate.”

  He’d forgotten about the producer, camera person, and personal assistant accompanying them. The woman had an entourage. Their presence might put a damper on his plans. He didn’t want to do anything that might be misconstrued as inappropriate, especially since she was the boss’s daughter.

  “Oh.” He’d never had a Twinkie. His parents had raised him on fruits and vegetables grown in their own garden as well as organic meat and homemade breads. In the service, he’d eaten MREs. He still did sometimes. Somehow, they’d become his comfort food. “Is it good?” he asked, wrinkling his nose.

  Birdy laughed. “You act like I’m eating bugs.” She grabbed a Twinkie wrapped in clear cellophane. “Here. Try it.”

  “I haven’t ever had one either,” Georgie said.

  He took the Twinkie. “See, I’m not that odd.” His first thought had been to tell her no thank you; but he really had eaten bugs and figured the treat Birdy put in front of him couldn’t be worse than those. “I guess I’ll give it a whirl if you will,” he said looking at Georgie. The girl was nice. He liked her. She was good for Birdy, too. She’d witnessed first-hand all Birdy had to handle on a daily basis.

  “I’m in.” Georgie took one and undid the wrapping.

  He opened his. Smelled it before taking a bite. Chocolaty bits broke in his mouth followed by the spongy cake and then the creamy center.

  “It’s so good, isn’t it?” Birdy asked, before taking another bite.

  “Oh wow. Where has this been all of my life?” Georgie said as she took another enthusiastic taste.

  Birdy giggled. “That’s how I felt the first time I had one.”

  “How old were you?” Meredith asked.

  “Let me think. I was in college.” She tapped her finger to her chin as if trying to remember. “It was my freshman year. Katie, me, and two other friends were cramming for a
final. At around one in the morning, one of the girls pulled out a box of Twinkies.” She smiled at the thought. “I ate three that night. And I’ve had at least one a week since then. Mom says it’s a bad habit and will give me wrinkles. But I don’t care.” She took another huge bite of the cream-filled cake. “So, I guess that made me around nineteen.” To Ares, she asked, “What’s the verdict, lawyer-man?”

  Ares lifted a brow, considering his words. The Twinkie was really sweet, especially dipped in chocolate. “It’s not bad.” He wrapped the rest of it and placed it on the seat next to him before opening a bottle of water and swishing the liquid around in his mouth. He would have preferred watermelon covered in whipped topping and a few chocolate chip sprinkles.

  “Not bad?” Birdy sat back before shoving her last bite in her mouth.

  Ares drained his water bottle.

  “It should be a food group, it’s so good.” She harrumphed. “What’s your favorite sweet food, then?”

  He told her about the whipped cream-topped watermelon concoction.

  She gave him a weird look. “That does sound good. I like watermelon, but this is better than good. It’s amazing.”

  Ares chuckled. “If you say so.”

  She took a drink of her ice water, giving him a crusty look. “I do.”

  Chapter Three

  They arrived at the Four Seasons at four o’clock Maui time. When the vehicle stopped, Birdy jumped out before their driver could open the door. Katie and Max were on the steps, with a photographer snapping some pictures. It was probably for an entertainment magazine. Max and his band travelled the country and they’d developed a huge following. Over the last year and a half, his star had continued to rise.

  For that reason, he and Katie had kept the location and time of the wedding a secret. That was also why the guest list had been limited to only family, close friends, and only a few others, with the exact date and location kept on a strict need-to-know basis. By the time the Birdy Knows Best episode aired, the wedding would be over.

  “Hey, Kiki.” Birdy ignored the photographer and swept her friend into a bear hug. She heard him snapping pictures, but didn’t mind. She was sure Josh was filming too.

  “Hi.” Katie hugged her back. “Glad you could make it. Now the fun can begin.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking.” Birdy released Katie and hugged Max. “Hey, Max. Still treating my Kiki like a queen?”

  Max gathered Katie into his arms. “Always,” he said, and kissed the top of her head.

  Her best friend looked relaxed and gorgeous as usual. She was shorter than Birdy with long, dark hair pulled back in a messy bun. With just a touch of makeup, and a halter-style maxi dress, she looked young and fresh. Max looked good too in tan shorts, a cream Hawaiian shirt with blue flowers covering it, and tan loafers.

  “You better,” Birdy teased.

  Ares came up beside Birdy. Max released Katie and stuck out his hand. “Hey, brother. Nice of you to show up.” He leaned into Ares for a bro hug.

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Ares said.

  “Let’s get you guys checked into your rooms,” Katie said, taking Birdy by the hand. “I made sure your room isn’t too far from mine.”

  Once Birdy had her key, she and Katie went to the room.

  “This place is just as stunning as you described,” Birdy said, scanning the extra-large room.

  “Isn’t it?” Katie left the door open for the bellhop to bring in all of Birdy’s luggage. “So how was your flight?” she asked, following Birdy through the bedroom to the sitting area and then into the enormous bathroom complete with soaking tub.

  Birdy knew where Katie was headed with her questions. Her best friend wanted to know if there’d been any sort of connection between her and Ares. “It was…” She paused, thinking about how to respond. “Uneventful,” she finally said. They’d had a moment on the ride over when he’d tried the Twinkie, but that wasn’t really anything more than a funny anecdote.

  “Oh?” Katie was disappointed. “Not even one conversation?”

  “There was plenty of conversation. I talked to Georgie about preparations for your bachelorette party. Meredith and I had a long conversation about how she’d never been to Maui before.” She shrugged. “Nothing too exciting.”

  “And Ares? Did you talk to Ares about anything?” Katie went over to the sliding glass doors and opened them.

  Birdy followed, immediately relaxing when she heard the roar of the ocean outside. Thinking about Ares always caused her pulse to race, but she wouldn’t allow it to continue. He was a lawyer for goodness’ sake, and she didn’t date lawyers. Look at her dad. But Katie’s a lawyer and you like her, her inner voice chided. That was true, but Katie was an exception not the rule. Birdy decided to give her friend something so she told her about the Twinkie incident.

  Katie laughed. “He didn’t like it?”

  “No. It’s like he hasn’t even lived,” Birdy said dramatically.

  Katie shrugged before sitting in one of the lounge chairs. “I’m not a give fan of them either.”

  Birdy gasped. “How did I not know this about you? I just,” she paused. “I don’t even think we can be friends anymore.” She lay back, allowing the warm sun to soothe her insides.

  Katie glanced over. “Bird. You serious?”

  Birdy winked before closing her eyes, tilting her face upward. “What do you think?”

  “That you need to take a walk on the beach with me.”

  Birdy was starving. She didn’t want a walk, she wanted food. Preferably something filled with umami. “I need food.”

  “Of course you do. That’s why we’re taking a walk.” She stood, grabbed Birdy’s hand, and pulled her up. “I’ll show you.”

  Birdy eyed her. “Promise?”

  Katie grinned. “You’re going to love the food. Cross my heart.”

  They walked back into the living room. Birdy eyed her friend speculatively. “I thought I could trust your taste implicitly, but now that I know you don’t like Twinkies, I’m not so sure.”

  Katie gave her a playful shove as the bellhop brought in Birdy’s luggage. “Here you go, ladies. Let me know if you need anything else.” He waited expectantly.

  Birdy ran over to her bag and grabbed some cash. “Keep the change,” she said, handing him a twenty.

  “Thanks.”

  When he’d gone, Birdy closed the door and promptly kicked off her white Jimmy Choos followed by her pants.

  “Bird!” Katie turned around, the back of her neck bright red.

  “Still a prude I see,” she giggled, opening one of her suitcases. “I can wear a swimming suit for this meal, correct?”

  Katie went over to the window, her back still toward Birdy. “As long as you have something on, yes.”

  “Kiki, why don’t you put on one of my suits? It won’t look right if we’re walking along the beach and I’m in a bikini and you’re in… that.”

  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

  “It’s just… Come on. Put on a swimming suit.”

  “Fine. Let me know when you’re decent and I’ll see what you’ve got, but don’t be offended if I decide not to wear one of yours.” Katie crossed her arms keeping her gaze toward the window.

  “Are the other bridesmaids here yet?” Birdy asked, putting on her hot pink bikini. Since Katie had no sisters of her own, she’d asked Max’s half-sister, Thea, and his stepsister, Marcy, to be bridesmaids. To everyone’s surprise, they’d both said yes. Katie had confided she hoped she could get to know them while they were here. Birdy intended to make sure they did and most importantly, she would make sure they treated Katie with the love and respect she deserved.

  “Yes, they’re here as are all of Max’s brothers.” She lowered her voice. “Even Toby,” she added.

  “Shut the Frappuccino maker. He came?” Birdy was almost too shocked for words. Katie had shared that Max hadn’t spoken to Toby in a very long time. Birdy shook her head. With so much of M
ax’s family around, this wedding would either be a disaster or wonderful. She’d hoped for the latter for Katie’s sake. “Have you met him?”

  “Only briefly. He said hello and then went to his room. I know Max went after him, but he and I haven’t had a chance to discuss their reunion. He seems in a good mood, so I hope that’s a sign it went well.”

  Birdy hoped so too. “And your mom and dad? Are they here?”

  “No, they’re still in Africa.” She sounded sad. “But they promised to be here in time for the rehearsal dinner.”

  “They better be.” Birdy forced down the harsh words she wanted to say about Katie’s parents. It wouldn’t help the situation anyway.

  Katie chuckled, but Birdy still sensed her friend’s sadness that her mom and dad were missing the festivities. Max and Katie were paying for everything themselves, including flying everyone out and putting them up in the hotel. The whole affair was quite an extravagance for Katie, but she was happy to do it so everyone could be together.

  At the full-length mirror she studied her reflection, debating whether to ask her next question. She looked tired, but knew a few days in the sun would do her complexion and her spirit some good. New York was her home, but sometimes it could be draining. “What about Max’s dad,” she finally asked. “Is he coming?”

  Katie didn’t respond right away. “Max said he’ll be here, but I have my doubts.”

  “Why? Did he say something to you?” Birdy fixed her hair, pulling it into a ponytail.

  “No, but I’ve met the man. We go to dinner with him once a week when we’re in New York. He’s softened toward me a little bit since the first time Max introduced me to him, but he still believes Max is marrying beneath him. Plus, he hates that Max is having such success as a singer. He’s still holding out hope that Max will join him in the family business.” She shrugged. “But he said he would come, so I’m going to plan that he will…” She trailed off. “I really hope he comes for Max’s sake.”