by KB Winters
My father interjected, “Is this why you haven’t been focusing on your promotion?” He shook his head, not even attempting to conceal his disapproval.
Every inch of skin heated with the fire rolling through my veins. I squeezed Karena’s hand as I pushed away from the table. “Father, this isn’t up for discussion. Karena and I came here tonight, against my better judgment, and I will not have our relationship thrown under your critical magnifying glass.”
“Against your better judgment?” My mother repeated. I cringed as her voice reached a new octave. “Just what is that supposed to mean, young man?”
A cold laugh burst from my lips and my tense jaw went slack as I turned to face her. “It means that every time you invite me to one of these family dinners, I run through a long, long list of reasons why I can’t go, not that it matters, because if I skip out, whether legitimately or not, I’ll be hearing about it for the next year!”
I exchanged a dark look with Jeff from across the table, waiting for him to back me up. He clenched his jaw. “Colton, come on, sit back down.”
“Let him go, Jeff,” my father roared, throwing his napkin down on the table. “If he doesn’t want to be here, then let him go.”
“Robert—” my mother started, but stopped short before she could finish her objection.
I didn’t wait, I helped Karena from her seat and ushered her from the room, not looking back to say goodbye.
* * * *
“I’m so incredibly sorry,” I said, once we were sealed inside the safety of the cab of my truck. Karena was staring straight ahead, up at my parent’s massive house, still shell shocked from the dinner.
“What just happened in there?” The words rained down on me like taking heavy fire as she whipped to face me. “I thought we weren’t going to tell them anything about the marriage experiment.”
“I didn’t like the way they were interrogating you,” I started, pinching my eyes closed, wondering how things had gotten so far off track. “All I wanted was to get them to back off. I figured telling my mother about the wedding, would change her mood…”
Karena scoffed. “Mission accomplished.”
“I’m sorry, Karena.” I reached across the console for her hand, but she tugged it away before my fingers could reach her. “God, I don’t know what I was thinking. I figured she’d be so overjoyed that I was finally settling down, that she’d spend the entire dinner in a state of euphoria, mentally planning our wedding, and plotting how many children we should have. She tends to set the tone for these things. That whole, if mama’s happy, everyone’s happy. But, obviously that backfired, and my father…well, that I should have expected. He’s very…”
“Rigid?” Karena offered, her voice flat.
I smiled softly. “I was going to say pigheaded. But, sure, rigid works too.”
Karena smiled but it melted away within a moment. “They hated me.”
“They didn’t hate you, Karena.”
“Well, it was very apparent that I wasn’t what they expected.” She scoffed, shaking her head.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. It doesn’t matter what they think.” I turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. All I wanted to do was get Karena to myself and salvage as much of our night as possible, proving to her that I didn’t care what anyone else thought about her, or about our relationship.
“How can you say that?”
“What?” I stilled, my hand still on the key, as I looked over at her, surprised by her outburst.
“How can you say it doesn’t matter what they think? They’re your family. Of course it matters.”
I shook my head. “They’re just surprised by the news. Karena, I swear to you, this has nothing to do with—”
“Are you serious?” She interrupted, with a sarcastic laugh. “Your mom just said it, plain and simple, that I’m not what she wants for you. Why else would she have brought up those other girls she has lined up around the block for you?”
I shook my head. I didn’t have an answer. At least, not one that was easy to explain.
Karena dropped her gaze from mine, and I watched as her eyes flicked up to take in the large house ahead of us. After a long moment, she shook her head slowly. “Wow. I can’t believe I really thought this was going to work…”
“What are you talking about? Karena, look at me.”
She tore her eyes from the house and met mine. Her eyes shone in the moonlight and my heart slammed into my chest, hating myself for making her so upset. “Colton, I can’t do this.”
“I don’t—”
“There are things you don’t know about me,” she interjected. She paused and wiped the corner of her eye with the tip of her finger. “This whole thing is too much. People like your parents are never going to accept me. Or us. And I don’t need another jacked up family situation to deal with. Trust me.”
I sighed. “Tonight wasn’t the best example…”
“It’s not just the dinner.” She shook her head and stared back up at the house. “Your parents are loaded, obviously. I mean, I don’t think you get how opposite I am from all this.”
“That doesn’t matter to me, Karena. I’m not Mr. Moneybags or anything. Yes, they have money, but that doesn’t matter.”
“But this is what you want? Right? That’s why you posted the ad, you wanted a wife who could help you get ahead and get promotions and follow the path your father has for you. Someday you’ll be a General, just like him, and I’ll be the one planning tea parties for the Officer’s wives club, throwing charity brunches, and schmoozing our way to the top. I can’t do that, Colton. It’s not who I am.”
“Where is this all coming from? I never said you had to do any of that shit!”
“Your mom showed me the invitations options she was considering for her next dinner party. And you know what? I couldn’t even tell the difference between the two samples!”
She buried her face in her hands and I stared at her, utterly at a loss for words. I reached for her, hoping my hands could convey the message I couldn’t verbalize. But she pulled away, and pressed into the passenger door. Her eyes flicked from mine to the windshield. “Can we get out of here, please?”
“Karena, can we—”
“Please, Colton. I can’t do this right now.”
I shoved the truck into gear and pulled around as fast as possible, ready to leave the disastrous dinner and my parents in the rear view.
Chapter Twenty-One: Karena
In an attempt to drown out my screaming thoughts, I rolled the window down and let the wind flood the cab of Colton’s truck. I sucked in the crisp evening air in greedy gulps. Everything inside me had gone tight with panic. Colton’s parents’ words were still resounding in my mind, and I’d added my own commentary as I replayed the scene in their dining room. Even before we’d sat down for the meal, a creeping sense of doubt had crawled over my heart.
At the beginning, everyone had been nice and welcoming, and although there had been a few jokes, they revolved around Colton being shy and never sharing his lady friends in the past. His mother had shown me some invitations for a dinner party and as I stood there, grinning and nodding along as she prattled on about the differences between heather and slate, I got a crystal clear snapshot, and the realization hit me over the head like one of the priceless vases on display in the china cabinet in the expansive foyer of their home.
Colton’s mother was just like my clients back at Beckham’s.
In an effort to get as far away from those types of women as possible, I’d inadvertently put myself on a yellow brick road to becoming one of them.
The entire thing had me yearning for a pair of magic slippers that would take me home.
Fast.
All at once, I’d been sucked into missing Becca, my apartment, and damn it, I even found myself missing my job.
The safe. The familiar. The comfortable.
Life with Colton had been a protected bubble, and that bubble popped with a big
, messy bang, over the first course.
As we drove, Colton kept his hands on the wheel, and his eyes on the road. I knew he was worried, confused, and even probably a little pissed off, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything to him. I lost myself in the rush of the wind as it whizzed through the window and shut my eyes.
When we pulled into the driveway, he put the truck in park, but kept the engine running and the headlights on. He kept his eyes straight ahead, watching the glow of the headlights as they bounced off the garage door. “So, where does this leave us? Do I need to change your plane ticket?”
He was vocalizing thoughts I’d been having all the way home, but for whatever reason, hearing them from his lips hit me in the gut like a sucker punch.
“Colton, wait.” I reached over and set my hand on his arm as he reached for the keys in the ignition. He met my eyes and I swallowed hard. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
He released his grip on the key and twisted our fingers together, resting our interlocked hands on his leg. “I’m listening, Karena. Tell me anything. Tell me everything.”
I sighed, trying to slow my rapid pulse. I knew I owed it to him. I couldn’t leave Georgia without letting him know the reason why. He deserved the full truth. But it was like prying a safe open with a crowbar.
I twisted in my seat to face him. “I didn’t go to college…in fact, I never even finished high school.” My eyes scanned Colton’s face for a reaction. “It’s a really long story, but I dropped out my junior year. My parents went through a really, really nasty divorce that dragged on for way too long, and in order to escape from their constant fighting and arguing over money and custody, I ran away and found some new friends who showed me some ways to escape from it all. I drank a lot, and experimented with drugs. Nothing too hard core, but enough that I couldn’t function like a normal high school kid.”
I paused to catch my breath that was coming in ragged puffs as the dark memories of the past came rushing out. I normally kept them locked in a box that was shoved so far in the back of my mind, that most of the time, I even forgot it was there. “I went from a good student, all A’s and B’s, to a high school dropout within nine months. My teachers tried to help, the school counselor tried to get me into a program for troubled teens, but none of it worked. I didn’t care. My entire world was collapsing around me and the only way to get away from the chaos was to drink and party. And eventually, it was either go into my senior year, knowing I had way more credits to make up than could possibly be done in one school year, or drop out, and I chose the latter.”
Colton held my hand tightly and waited patiently for me to finish my story.
“It’s not something I like to talk about. Really, besides my parents and brother, Becca is the only other person who knows. Well, and now, you. When your dad asked me about college, it threw me off, but then I realized it makes sense. From their point of view. They’ve always imagined you marrying some accomplished, bright, ambitious woman. Not someone like me, who doesn’t have a diploma, and earns a living working long hours in a mall. Throw in the fact that I come from a broken home and no family support to speak of, and I go from being the first girl you’ve ever brought home, to a nightmare candidate for the job of being your wife. And that’s what this is, right? A job?” I stilled, staring at Colton, breathing in long and slow to keep the nausea from bubbling up. I couldn’t believe that after everything, this was where it ended. “I’m not qualified.”
Colton reached over and ran his free hand through my hair, before resting his palm against the side of my face. “It’s not a job, Karena. I know this whole thing has been a little unorthodox, but I never meant for you to feel that way. I don’t look at you and see some walking resume. I see a gorgeous woman with a huge heart, a warm soul, and a sense of humor that drives me wild. You’re not only qualified, but you’re the entire package.”
I opened my mouth, ready to object, but he stilled my lips with the touch of his fingertips.
“Thank you for trusting me enough to share that with me. If anything, it makes me feel more strongly for you, to know that you’ve gone through so much and come out the other side, this amazing, fierce woman with more strength than you can even see in yourself. Karena, I never want you to feel that you are anything less than amazing, and I won’t let anyone make you feel that way. I’m sorry my parents were so difficult, but just know that I don’t care what they think. I know who you are, and I’m falling in love with you.”
My heart flipped in my chest. “You are?”
Colton smiled. “More and more every day.”
He kissed me and the deep, rich sensations as our lips met warmed through and drove out the lingering fears and doubts that were clinging to my heart.
* * * *
I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face, reminiscing about the love Colton and I had made the night before, as I opened my eyes. It wasn’t the first time we’d been together, but it was the first time true emotions had been threaded through each act and had added a layer of depth that had only heightened and intensified each sensation and thrill of pleasure.
As the memories rushed back, I rolled over to find Colton, but my hand was met with cold sheets. I bolted upright, my heart springing halfway up my throat, as my eyes adjusted and I confirmed the worst. The bed was empty.
“Colton?” I called, pressing the sheet against my chest.
Footsteps sounded from down the hall and I relaxed slightly. Seconds later, Colton appeared in the doorway, fully dressed, with a satisfied smile on his face at the sight of me. “Good morning, gorgeous,” Colton’s honey drawl carried over, warming me from the inside out.
“Where have you been? Please tell me it involves coffee…” I asked, smiling over at him.
He laughed and came to join me in bed, kicking out of his running shoes, as he lifted his legs up onto the bed. “I had an errand to run this morning. Sadly, it didn’t involve coffee, but we can fix that here in a minute.”
I smiled up at him, my eyebrow quirked with mild curiosity. Sometimes I forgot how incredibly handsome he was, and when his dark eyes sparkled with amusement, it made him irresistible. His eyes were framed with thick lashes that women would kill to have, and the way his easy smile spread slowly over his face, in a way that made me wonder what he was thinking about. He leaned over and kissed me and I knew where his mind was.
He left me breathless every time.
“Before we get coffee, there’s something I need to ask you about,” he said.
“What? Colton, where did you go?” I sat up a little taller, trying to figure out what was fueling the mischief in his eyes.
“I went to see my parents.”
I groaned. “Oh, God.”
“Hold on, give me a second,” he replied, holding up a hand. “I explained everything and it actually went well. All right, as well as could be expected.” I arched a skeptical brow at him but he just smiled. “We have time to sort out the details later. Right now, this isn’t about them, it’s about us. I know we got a little distracted last night, and didn’t circle back to finish our conversation, so…”
He pulled a small, black box from the interior pocket of his leather jacket and handed it to me, closing my fingers around it.
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
He smiled as I popped the box open and gasped at the glittering vintage diamond ring inside. My hand flew to my mouth and I couldn’t take my eyes off the large diamond sparkling in the morning light. “Colton?”
“This was my grandmother’s ring. When she passed, she left it to me in her will, with strict instructions that it was to be worn by my wife.” He tipped my chin up and took the box from me. I watched as he took the ring out of the delicate velvet case and held it up for me. “Karena Anna Harper, I know we aren’t at the end of the two weeks, but I don’t need another four days to know what I want to happen next. Last night, I told you that I’m falling in love with you, and this mornin
g, I realize I need to amend that statement just a bit. Karena, I am in love with you. This isn’t about a promotion or appearances. It may have started out that way, but that’s done. This is about you and me, and the life we could build together.”
He paused and reached for my hand. “Karena will you be my wife?”
I stared at the ring as Colton’s sweet declaration resounded in my ears, and before I could even merge my thoughts into an answer, I nodded, surprised when a rush of tears spilled over my lashes.
“Yes, Colton, I will!”
Chapter Twenty-Two: Karena
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, when the wedding plans went into hyper drive, just like every other aspect of our whirlwind relationship. With the clock on the countdown until Colton would be on a plane to the Middle East for his tour, we didn’t have time to draw up anything fancy or elaborate. Which suited me just fine. I’d never been the kind of girl to plan and obsess over my someday wedding, and I was finding that even the comparatively small amount of plans to be somewhat overwhelming.
A week after the proposal, Colton and I were a day away from saying our vows in front of a chaplain by the lake. Lucas and Miles had agreed to come along and be our witnesses, on the condition that they got to share the title of best man. Colton had asked me if I wanted to fly my parents in for the occasion, or even just my younger brother, but I assured him it would be more trouble than it was worth. I didn’t even know where my brother was, the last time we’d talked, he’d been couch surfing his way through New York, and probably engaging in a long list of things I didn’t need to know about. As for my parents, they’d never been able to be in the same room without someone calling the cops. And that was definitely something I wanted to avoid on my wedding day.
So, it was just me.
And I was all right with that. I’d called Becca to tell her the news, and although she was still skeptical, it didn’t take long for her to get swept up in the excitement of a wedding, and we’d spoken daily since. Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to be able to fly out on such short notice. With two jobs, she couldn’t take the time off with only a few days’ notice.
