Second Time Around. Carol Steward

of traveling across the country together, of waking up to one another—

      Bryan’s somber voice interrupted him again. “Put the show aside, Kevin. I know it hurts. You’re not going to like this, but I’m going to say it anyway….”

      Kevin wanted to walk out of the room in the worst way. He didn’t need Mr. Happy here to throw his own words back in his face. Problem was, on the other side of that door was a chapel full of smiling loved ones ready to celebrate “happily ever after.” There was no escaping. No matter how desperately he wanted to leave, he couldn’t do that to his best friend. Not today.

      “It’s time you put the past behind you and looked at your future. And Emily’s as good a place as any to start.”

      Kevin started to say something, and was politely told to wait his turn. The echo of his own words reverberated in his ears. He couldn’t believe it had been little more than a year since he’d used that same line on Bryan. “Just because it worked for you, don’t count on it changing my life.”

      “Come on, Jacob, hold still.” Bryan stood his son on the sofa and straightened the toddler’s tiny bow tie. Returning his attention to Kevin, he added, “You never stopped caring for her. If it hadn’t been for your dad, you probably would have gone after her then.”

      Kevin tugged on the knot of his own necktie, certain it was getting tighter by the minute. “Drop the subject, Bryan.”

      Bryan stepped in front of him and looked him in the eye as he readjusted the silk strip around Kevin’s neck. “That’s why you haven’t stayed with any other woman. You only have feelings for the one who walked away. Swallow your pride, Kevin. Talk to her. You owe it to both of you to settle it, once and for all.”

      “Forget it.” There was nothing more to say. He didn’t want to see, let alone talk to Emily Berthoff, M.D., again. Not because it might rekindle the fire, but because his fire had never gone out.

      The tall oak door opened and a middle-aged pastor with a receding hairline nodded. “Morning, Kevin. You ready, Bryan?”

      “Thought you’d never get here.” Still staring Kevin in the eye, Bryan waggled his eyebrows. “Best day of my life.”

      Kevin walked behind Pastor Mike and the groom into the small chapel filled with candles and flowers and smiling faces. He watched the bride’s father present Laura to Bryan. Their gazes were fixed on each other and love radiated between them.

      “We are gathered here to celebrate the union of Laura Bates and Bryan Beaumont….”

      Even in his sulking mood, he couldn’t help but feel the happiness choke out the bitterness. He laughed at Laura’s youngest son, who was fidgeting with his suit. Kevin lowered his eyebrows and shook his head slightly until the boy stopped. Bryan was going to have his hands full. In just over a year he’d gone from no children to four; from married, to widowed, to honeymooner. You have my best wishes, friend.

      The soloist sang about love that never ended, and Kevin felt the noose around his neck slip another notch tighter.

      He found Emily instinctively, yet stubbornly turned away. With beautiful red hair and a bright smile, she had always stood out in a crowd. Always would. His mind drifted to bitter memories of that day, a month before their wedding, when Emily had announced she’d unexpectedly been accepted into a prestigious medical school—across the country. The day when the very foundation of his dreams had crumbled like bad concrete.

      Though they had known there was a remote possibility she’d be accepted at Johns Hopkins, they’d made their plans based upon her attending medical school in-state.

      Time was supposed to heal all wounds, so the saying went. It hadn’t worked in eight years, and he doubted it ever would. In that respect, Bryan was right; there would be no one for him, because the only woman he’d ever loved had walked away.

      Bryan nudged his hand, and Kevin realized he had missed his cue. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Laura’s wedding ring. He glanced at the bride, who had the smug look of a woman who already had a scheme in mind.

      “Relax, your time will come,” Bryan whispered as Kevin handed him the ring.

      “Not a chance.” He was supposed to be the one calming the groom. Not the other way around.

      In what seemed like minutes, Laura and Bryan were pronounced husband and wife, and the two were joined by four rambunctious children for a walk down the aisle. Kevin waited for the music to change, then followed, trying to ignore the striking woman in the third pew.

      Two hours later, the celebration was winding down. Kevin must have talked to every person in the reception hall, except the pretty doctor. Somehow they had managed to miss one another. He supposed he had the pastor to thank for keeping Emily company. Glancing quickly around the room, he consoled himself with the realization that she had left first, without making any effort to talk to him.

      He backed through the arched doorway and spun around, ready to make a quick escape up the stairs, out the door, and away from this lousy trip into his unpleasant past.

      “They’re perfect for each other, aren’t they?”

      Kevin stumbled up the step as he turned toward the all-too-familiar voice. The slick sole of his shoes on the metal edge sent him sprawling across the stairs. Clenching his jaw to swallow the cry, a deep rumble vibrated against his vocal cords.

      “Kevin! Are you okay?”

      He groaned. “Why in blazes are you hiding in here?”

      “I was paged and needed a quieter place to phone the hospital.” Emily extended her hand to help him up. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

      He brushed her hand aside, stunned by the sincerity of her remark. After all this time, he wasn’t going to let Emily get to him. “I’ll be fine, thanks for the concern, Doc.”

      Children squealed and raced past them across the room in a raucous game of kissing tag. A look of admiration softened Emily’s green eyes. She tipped her head toward the chaos. “Who would have pictured Bryan as a father of four? Laura is so much better for him than Andrea, isn’t she?”

      Tearing his gaze from Emily, Kevin looked at the bride and groom. “Like night and day. It took a while, but I finally got through to them.”

      She flipped her cellular phone closed and put it into a compact purse, her tone turning cold. “How generous of you. Must have been the jealousy routine. You were always so good at that one.”

      He studied her as she concentrated on the newlyweds. Emily’s full lips turned into a smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes as she watched the giddy couple behind the tiered cake. Kevin closed his eyes, wishing after all these years he could forget how wonderful it was to hold her in his arms and kiss the soft fullness of her lips. Don’t be a fool. Emily is off-limits.

      Wishing she didn’t still have the power to make his heart skip a beat, Kevin tugged the knot of his tie loose. “So that was it. Your mother convinced you that all men were like your father, huh? And all this time, I thought it was medical school that lured you away.”

      The smile disappeared and her eyebrows arched up. “And apparently you still think I should have given up the opportunity of a lifetime to follow your dreams. I’m relieved to know I made the right decision.” Emily turned to leave.

      Following her through the doorway, he grabbed her hand. “We can both be happy you realized your career was more important than a family before it was too late.”

      “How dare you,” she countered in a broken voice.

      Kevin stepped in front of her, deliberately blocking her view of the festivities.

      “Sorry if I hit a nerve.”

      “You’re not a bit sorry.”

      “Oh, there you’re wrong, Doc. There are a lot of things I’m sorry about.” He could never forget the tailspin her