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His gaze tunneled through the surrounding crowd, and when those intense blue eyes finally landed on her, she couldn’t suck in a deep enough breath of air.

AJ whirled around as though she hadn’t felt the weight of his stare and searched for her sister. From the corner of her eye she saw him maneuver through the laughing and chatting bodies to get to her.

She tipped back the wine glass and downed the remaining contents.

You’re over him. So cool it.

Her hand trembled as she set the empty glass down on the closest table.

Yeah, that worked real well, she thought wryly.

She tried and failed to force herself to look at him as he approached. AJ closed her eyes and stole another quick breath. She squared her shoulders and turned to face him, making certain the polite smile she managed to pull together couldn’t be interpreted as anything but sincere.

Forget that she was shaking inside. Badly.

The slow smile that curved his mouth, transforming his face from hard-ass police officer into something much softer—sexier—made her stomach tug.

“Hi,” he said slowly.

AJ swallowed. “Mom said you were coming to the wedding.”

His grin widened. “She said you were okay with it.”

“I am.”

He crossed his arms, the gesture instantly getting her back up. “I’m fine with it,” she repeated, her voice purposely cooler.

She could do this, be polite, friendly. They’d done it a number of times since their break up almost three years ago.

So why was this time so different?

Because you’re marrying someone else tomorrow.

“How’ve you been?” AJ waved over his shoulder as her aunt left the party, probably for the night.

“Good. What about you?”

“Good. Busy.”

“I’ll bet.” He drawled it out, shoving his hands in his pockets.

An awkward silence settled between them.

“I figured you would’ve had a big case on the go.” He always did. Always had.

Cooper shook his head, his gaze dipping to her mouth and holding there.

Heat rushed through her veins, then promptly fizzled out as she remembered all the nights he’d left her home alone, each case increasingly more important than the last, until there hadn’t been enough room for her in his life. Not when he ate, slept and breathed the job.

She had finally wised up and realized she couldn’t live like that. Couldn’t settle for second place every damn time.

Cooper nodded towards the terrace doors. “Can we talk?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing now?”

“Alone.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

An expression she couldn’t decipher crossed his face and he took a step back. “Maybe I should go.”

Damn, now she felt guilty. They were still friends, sort of. She reached out and grabbed his arm, keeping him from turning to leave. His gaze dropped to the fingers she curled around his shirt, then up to her face.

She immediately let go. “Stay. Dad loves talking to you. I heard him complaining that you hadn’t stopped by long enough to watch a hockey game with him lately.”

Cooper smiled and her stomach did that predictable flip thing again.

“There you are.”

A smile came instantly to her lips at the sound of Kirk’s voice. And with it, a feeling that should have been anything but relief eased her rigid spine.

Kirk slipped an arm around her waist and held out a hand. “I’m Kirk.”

Cooper didn’t hesitate on the handshake. “I’m the ex.”

“Ah, I see.” The grip on AJ’s waist tightened. “I didn’t know you were coming.” Kirk shot AJ a glance that fell just short of annoyed.

Cooper nodded over his shoulder. “It was AJ’s parents who talked her into inviting me. She didn’t know I was actually going to show.”

“I see,” Kirk said again.

AJ frowned up at him, surprised at the distaste in Kirk’s voice. He wasn’t normally so clipped with anyone. That had been one of the thing’s she’d always appreciated about him. He wasn’t the overly passionate type, but reliable, steady. Everything she needed. Looking at Cooper, it almost felt childish to admit—even to herself—she’d found those characteristics so appealing in Kirk because they were the opposite of her ex.

“I’m going to go say hi to your parents.” Cooper ignored Kirk’s jealous tone and walked away.

“You should have told me he was coming.”

“Mom just mentioned it this morning.” AJ reached out and straightened Kirk’s tie. “Where did you disappear to?”

Kirk blinked. “Just last minute wedding stuff.”

AJ laughed. “Last time I checked, everything had been left to me.”

“Not quite everything.” Distracted Kirk glanced around the room, his attention pausing on Cooper and the blonde standing next to him at the bar. AJ recognized her from Kirk’s office.

“I’m going to go mingle.” He kissed her forehead and headed over to a small group that consisted of his brother and parents.

The rest of the day started to catch up to her. The running around, the things she still had to look after in the morning, the fact that her husband-to-be and her ex—whose gaze she could feel boring into her—were sharing the same space.

Where was her sister? Taking so much after their mother, Melody never failed to give her a hundred different things to ponder at once. And right now she wanted to think about anything but the fact that Cooper had come.

A few more relatives sidled up, exchanged a few words, and departed. It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes of distraction, but when she scanned the room, she didn’t see Cooper. Both relieved and…

She shook her head. No way was she going there tonight.

Spotting the terrace doors, she decided a little air and a peek at the gardens where she’d be married tomorrow might be exactly what she needed to settle herself down. The soft February breeze caressed her face, unseasonably warm for this time of year. AJ crossed to the wrought iron railing and looked out over the illuminated gardens.

“Nice night.”

AJ whirled at the voice that came from the shadows to the left. Her breath trembled out as Cooper stepped forward and came to stand next to her. She had to tip her face back to see his face, his expression masked by the dim lighting. He stared at her for a long moment, his gaze inspecting every angle.

He glanced out at the gardens. “Does he make you happy?”

“Yes.”

Cooper nodded thoughtfully. “I’m glad.”

Music drifted from the opened window behind them.

He reached out, gripping her waist and drawing her close, moving to the slow sway of the beat.

AJ tensed, her palm flat on his chest. “What are you doing?” And just where had her voice gone too?

The smile he offered in response took her back to the day they met when he hit on her at a friend’s place. “Dancing.”

She tried to squirm free. Unsuccessfully.

“Come on,” he pleaded. “One last dance before you’re a married woman.”

The warm pressure of his arms holding her tight battered away at her resistance. “One dance.”

He beamed, and she glanced away, focusing on anything but his handsome face.

For a full minute they managed to simply…dance. She felt him watching her.

“Do you ever think, ever wonder what things would have been like if we…if things hadn’t ended the way they had?”

The regret she heard in his voice brought her head up. Big mistake.

Now she was looking directing into his eyes. Eyes that melted into hers countless nights as they talked, laughed, made love. When she realized she was staring at his mouth, she stepped out of his arms.

“That was a long time ago.”

“Not to me.”