He felt a hand rubbing his arm. “Daddy, are you awake?”
His eyes flew open. “I am now.”
“I’m hungry. Can we get something to eat?”
Just the thought of food made his stomach queasy. Coffee was all he’d be able to handle. “I don’t see why not. What should we have?”
“Miss Faith made blueberry muffins yesterday.”
“That sounds good to me.” He stood up and walked into the kitchen, Olivia skipping happily beside him. “How about some milk to go with them?”
“Yes, please.”
While the muffins were warming in the microwave, Landris poured milk into a glass and started the coffee maker. “I think it’s time we got a kitten. What do you think?”
Olivia jumped up and down. “Yes, Daddy, yes! Can we go today?”
He smiled at her euphoric expression. “That’s a good idea. Let’s take Miss Faith with us. She likes kittens, too.”
The closer the clock got to ten, the more nervous Landris became. The stress of not knowing Faith’s answer was making it difficult for him to think about anything else. In his mind, this was much worse than coming up to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded, two outs and his team down by a run. The aforementioned situation was at least somewhat within his control; his current problem required the cooperation of someone else.
Faith was waiting on the porch when they arrived at her house. The nauseous feeling in Landris’s stomach intensified. Maybe he should have tried to put something in there besides coffee. Leaving Olivia in the SUV, he went to meet Faith on the sidewalk. If she told him no, he’d be forced to hire a stranger to live in his house. He’d spend every hour away from Olivia wondering if she was okay. If Faith agreed to marry him, he’d get a beautiful wife and a caring mother for his child. What would she get? A husband who was more fearful of love than he was of anything else.
When he reached her, she slid her arm through his. He didn’t know if this was a response to the apprehension she saw in his face or whether it was an indication of her own.
“My answer is yes,” she said quietly.
Landris could hardly speak for the lump in his throat. Relief pulsed through him followed by a profound sense of gratitude. He owed this woman more than he could ever repay. “I can’t tell you what this means to me. I’ll try hard to make sure you never regret it.”
“I know you will.” Her glance left him and went to where Olivia waited. “When will you tell her?”
“The kitten will be enough excitement for today. We’ll tell her tomorrow.”
“We’ll tell her. Don’t you think it would be better if you told her alone?”
He started walking back to the car, drawing her along with him. “Not at all. I wouldn’t deprive you of getting to see her face when she hears about her new mommy. I hope you realize that your days of peaceful solitude are numbered.”
“Solitude is overrated.”
“I agree.”
From the time they entered the vehicle until they arrived at the pet store, Olivia never stopped talking. If she was this animated about a kitten, Landris couldn’t imagine her excitement when they told her about Faith.
An hour later a decision about which of the tiny creatures would go home with them still hadn’t been made. Faith and Olivia had taken turns holding each of the ten kittens. Landris failed to understand what was so difficult about it. In his mind, they were all about the same. Part of his impatience was his own fault. It had become almost impossible to ignore the hunger pains gnawing at his empty stomach.
“The wait is over,” Faith said as she rose to her feet. “Olivia has decided to get this little guy.” She held a sleepy orange and white striped kitten in her hands. “Could you hold him for us? We need to get a collar, food, toys and a litter box.”
Landris grinned as he took the kitten from her. “You sound like you’ve done this before.”
She returned his smile, looking as if accepting marriage proposals and then buying a kitten were nothing out of the ordinary. “I grew up with cats. I had to give them up when I married Ian. He was allergic to pets.”
“Have we decided on a name?”
“Of course. That’s what took so long. Say hello to Napoleon.” When his lips started to twitch, she poked him in the chest. “Don’t you dare laugh.”
“I was just thinking that Napoleon will have a lot to live up to. Don’t forget a carrier.”
“Good idea. See ya in a few minutes.”
Faith took Olivia by the hand and disappeared into the maze of aisles behind him. Though he couldn’t see them, he could hear one of them. Olivia had two volume settings: loud and quiet. The latter was only used when she was telling a secret. The rest of the time it was the former. Napoleon would have to get used to it.
Landris laughed inwardly. It wasn’t only the kitten who would be adjusting to a new life in a new place. He was asking Faith to leave the house she’d lived in since she got married. Her love for Ian impressed him with its tenacity and taunted him with its purity. He’d tried to ignore it, to deny it and then to rationalize it. None of those actions were successful in keeping him from wondering what it would be like to be loved like that.
* * * * *
Faith watched Olivia’s eyes slowly close. It had taken longer than usual to get her down for a nap, not surprising given her excitement about her new pet. When Faith got downstairs, the living room where she’d left Landris sitting was empty. She ventured further down the hall and found him in his office.
“Where’s Napoleon?”
He pointed to a shoe box behind his desk. “I borrowed one of the baby doll blankets. I’m sure Olivia won’t mind.”
“That was thoughtful. I know Napoleon appreciated it.”
“Let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”
That somewhere turned out to be the porch.
“Are you sure, Faith?” he asked as he handed her a glass of iced tea. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
She sat down beside him on the seat. “I don’t want to change my mind.”
“Then the next thing we need to decide is when and how big.”
“Soon and small.”
Landris laughed so hard he almost spit out the drink of tea he’d just taken. “I wasn’t expecting you to answer so quickly or decisively.”
Faith shrugged. “It just makes sense. We’re not marrying for the usual reasons, and we’ve both already done this. I would suggest we go to the courthouse, but we have Olivia to consider. For her sake, we should have some type of ceremony and reception even if we have it here.”
“Having it here would be ideal. We could keep it to just a few friends and family.”
“That would also make it possible to get married sooner rather than later.”
“How long would it take to find dresses for you and Olivia?”
“A week or two. It’s not like I need a fancy bridal gown. Cake and punch would suffice for after the ceremony. I can start working on that.”
“I’ll ask Trent to take some pictures. He’s got a three thousand dollar camera sitting around in his condo collecting dust.”
“Don’t forget a marriage license or all our planning will be for nothing.”
“We’ll take care of that next week. What about a honeymoon?”
She could feel the heat enter her cheeks. “Is that necessary?”
“It’ll look odd if we don’t go somewhere even if it’s just for a few days. No one in their right mind is going to believe I don’t want to be alone with you.” The color in her face deepened. He touched her cheek with a gentle finger. “It’s nothing to get upset about. I don’t expect anything from you but friendship.”
She knew why he was marrying her. Why did it hurt so much to hear him say it? Because she wanted more than he could give. “What about Olivia?”
“I’ll ask my parents to stay behind after the wedding.” He sat back and draped his arm along the back of the seat. “There’s
no reason we can’t pull off this thing within a month. As to the living arrangements, I’ll move into the guestroom. You can have the master bedroom.”
“Why can’t I sleep with Olivia in her room? That’s what I’ve been doing.”
“Because you’re not the babysitter anymore.”
She wouldn’t be a wife either so what did it matter? “I don’t like the idea of kicking you out of your room.”
“You’d like it even less with me in there.” He smiled boyishly. “Don’t you remember what happened last time you woke up and found me in your room?”
“That was different. I didn’t know you then.”
“Neither of us knew how fateful that weekend would turn out to be.”
“That’s true. I’ll have to decide what to do about my house.”
“I’ll leave that up to you. If you want to keep it, that’s fine with me.”
She played with the ice cubes in her glass. It helped take her mind off the fingers brushing against her skin. “Why would I keep it? We don’t need two houses.”
“I didn’t know how you felt about selling the house you lived in with Ian.”
How many men would have thought of that? Or cared enough to mention it? “I hate to tell you this, but leaving the house isn’t leaving Ian. He’ll always be where I am.”
His fingers moved to her hair. “I hope he doesn’t mind sharing you with me.”
Faith laughed uncertainly. “If anything, it should be the other way around.”
Landris shook his head. “He found you first. I can never mean as much to you as he does.” He lifted his arm away and stood up. “I better go check on Napoleon. He might need to be reminded where his food and litter box are.”
Faith stayed where she was. In spite of the warmth of the afternoon, she felt strangely cold. Now she understood why Landris felt safe marrying her. He thought that her love for Ian would prevent her from falling in love with him. She could have told him how wrong he was, but he wasn’t ready to hear it. There was a pretty good chance he never would be.
Chapter Seven
Landris stared down at the tiny black box sitting in the middle of his desk calendar. He hadn’t asked Faith whether she wanted an engagement ring for a very simple reason: he didn’t want to give her the chance to refuse. He knew that a ring offered without love didn’t mean much. Nevertheless he’d found himself in a jewelry store purchasing one, and now three days later, he was still trying to work up the courage to give it to her.
She and Olivia had gone dress shopping. They should be back any time now. Faith had said something about needing his help deciding on a bakery. He wasn’t sure what that would entail, but before they got started, he’d show her the ring. Hopefully, she would like the solitaire in the vintage white gold setting. As soon as he saw it, he knew it was the one he wanted. The delicate filigree design reminded him of her, and it wasn’t so large that it would look out of place on her small hand.
After checking his emails and paying a few bills, he ventured outside. There were things he should be doing in his office, but he couldn’t concentrate. Manual labor might work better. By the time he finished spraying off the patio and getting the leaves out of the pool, the other two had returned. His request to view their purchases was laughingly denied.
“You can’t see our dresses before the wedding, Daddy,” Olivia informed him with the air of an expert.
“Who says?”
“Mommy told me.”
Olivia had been calling Faith that since they gave her the news. Though technically it wasn’t true yet, neither of them had corrected her. Across the room, his eyes met Faith’s. He didn’t have to wonder what hearing it meant to her. Her delight was almost a physical thing, closing the distance between them and warming his skin as if she’d actually touched him. It pleased him to know he’d been the means of giving her something that meant so much to her.
“In that case, it must be true.”
“I need to check on Napoleon,” Olivia said, running toward the stairs.
Faith watched her go with a smile and then looked back at Landris. “I brought samples of cake from three bakeries. While Olivia is taking a nap, we’ll do a taste test.”
“Sounds like fun.”
She removed several boxes from a shopping bag and placed them in a row on the counter. “Eating cake is always fun.”
“I’ll go take care of Olivia. You’ve earned a break.”
He found Napoleon and Olivia sitting in her small rocking chair by the window. “Time for your nap, cupcake.”
“Can Napoleon stay with me today?” Olivia asked as she climbed into bed.
“He can stay until you fall asleep.”
“Mommy got me new shoes to go with my dress.”
Landris picked up the book lying on the nightstand. “I suppose I can’t see those either.”
“When we were having lunch, this man with a funny leg came up and talked to Mommy. He tried to steal some of my fries.”
It wasn’t too hard to figure out who that was. “Did he really?”
She nodded. “He said he’s coming to the wedding.”
Matt Gibson had been the best man at Faith’s first marriage. Would he be as happy for her if he knew why she was marrying again? Probably not.
“Aren’t you going to read to me, Daddy?”
Her question put an end to those thoughts – at least for the moment. Landris had no doubt they’d return later. “I sure am.”
Halfway through the story, Olivia fell asleep. Landris put down the book, picked up Napoleon, and headed downstairs. Faith was sitting at the kitchen table, doing something on her laptop.
“Grading essays again?”
“These are the annotated bibliographies for the research papers due at the end of the term.”
“Which is the week we’re getting married. Are you planning to read papers on our honeymoon?”
“It may come to that. I’m looking forward to visiting Tybee Island.”
“Thank goodness for Corbin. We would never have been able to find a place to stay let alone a cottage on the ocean this late in the season.”
“He’s the guy who built this house, right?”
“Yes. Most of his work is renovation. He made an exception for me. Right now, he’s working on a block of homes in Savannah. Before we stuff ourselves with cake, I need to show you something. Let me put our little friend in the laundry room. I’ll meet you in my office.”
When he arrived there, Faith was sitting in his chair looking adorable. Feeling more nervous than the occasion demanded, he removed the box from the drawer, opened the lid, and held it out to her. “This is for you.”
Her mouth fell open as she looked down at the ring nestled in the fold of velvet. “Landris! It’s beautiful!”
The sincerity in her voice couldn’t be doubted. “I’m glad you like it.” He watched as she lifted it out of the box and slid it on her finger.
“Like it?” she asked in disbelief, looking up at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I love it! Thank you so much.”
Before he realized what she was going to do, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. As brief as the contact was, it sent a thousand sensations racing through his body. “You’re welcome.”
She looked at the ring again, turning it from side to side. “It’s absolutely exquisite.”
“Like you,” he said, taking her hand and lightly kissing her fingers.
A hint of pink entered her face. “You shouldn’t have done it.”
“Shouldn’t have done what? Kissed your fingers or given you the ring? At this point, I can’t take either one of them back.”
“I meant the ring. I wasn’t expecting to get one.”
“Which is the point of a surprise. Now that we’re properly engaged, we can conduct our taste test.”
“The cakes! I got so caught up with my ring that I almost forgot. We need to hurry. Olivia’s going to be waking up soon.”
He laughed as she gr
abbed his hand and drew him down the hall to the kitchen. Her enthusiasm was as irresistible as Olivia’s. They might not be marrying for the usual reasons, but he was becoming more and more convinced that they could make this work. Was that because every day he was becoming more fascinated by the woman who would soon be his wife?
* * * * *
Faith’s heartrate still hadn’t slowed down to its normal rhythm. Her eyes kept gravitating to her left hand. The style of the ring was too similar to the jewelry she normally wore to be a coincidence. If Landris had only been interested in giving her a ring for appearance sake, he would have suggested they purchase one when they bought their wedding bands. Instead, he’d taken the time to notice what she liked and then he’d gone back without her. Those actions told her that he wasn’t merely checking off items on a getting-married to-do list. It mattered to him.
If things were different, she wouldn’t have had to settle for giving him a kiss on the cheek. As it was, her lips still tingled from contact with the light stubble of beard on his face. Not to mention the fact that he smelled wonderful, like pine woods and sunshine.
“Are the cakes all the same flavor?” he asked from behind her.
Faith grabbed two forks from the drawer and handed him one. “Yes. Vanilla with buttercream frosting.”
After they’d taken several bites of each one, Landris shook his head. “I can’t tell any difference. To me, they all taste good.”
“I like the one from Tice’s Bakery the best. The cake is super moist. The frosting is creamy, but not overly sweet. If I’m not mistaken, Tice’s did Matt and Darcy’s wedding cake.”
“It appears they’re going to be doing ours, too. Since we’ve got the cake here, shouldn’t we practice feeding it to each other so we’ll know what to do at the reception?”
Faith laughed. “I know where this is going. You want an excuse to shove cake in my face.”
Love of a Lifetime: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 3) Page 12
