Practically Married
Page 14
As Rachel and Carrie moved inside, they stripped dirty coats and boots off the boys. Russ stepped between them and Ashley. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “They just showed up.” She nodded, but the color had faded from her face. “What do you want to do? Tell me and we’ll do it.”
“Do we really have any options?”
“We can leave the house right now if you want. Let my sisters wait here for us.”
“You would run away from your sisters?”
“Absolutely.”
Her eyes shifted, her lips in a tight line. Was she thinking? Angry? He’d have the next few decades to figure out her expressions, but right now he’d kill for Cliffs Notes.
Rachel appeared beside him, glaring at Ashley. “You’re really going to marry him?”
Carrie smacked Rachel’s arm. “I think my sister means congratulations.”
Ashley sighed. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. It’s not that we didn’t want you to know, but—”
“We didn’t want to tell you until this afternoon.” Russ released Phin before sliding an arm around Ashley and escorting her into the living room. Aiden and Leo dumped blocks on the floor as Phin ran toward them. His sisters’ shoes clicked as they followed him to the couch. Not wishing his sisters’ interrogation upon his worst enemy, he sat beside Ashley. She deserved his support in whatever way he could provide it.
Carrie sat on the chair closest to them. Her face was relaxed, but she picked at her fingernails. Never a good sign. “Where are you getting married?”
“At the Lakeside Inn,” he said. “Pastor Stanford is meeting us there.”
Rachel plopped herself onto the coffee table. “Why the Lakeside? Why not the church?”
“We don’t need the whole building for four people. Besides, the inn has a great view.”
“The owner was nice when we called,” Ashley said. “They were happy to let us have a small spot for a wedding.”
“How long have you two been dating?” Rachel crossed her arms. “Why didn’t you mention anything about it at the funeral?”
Ashley shifted, sliding deeper into the couch. Russ covered her hand with his and said, “We weren’t trying to keep it from you. It was a recent decision.”
“How do you know each other?” Rachel asked.
“We met through Tom,” Ashley said. “We honestly haven’t known each other that long, but it’s been long enough.”
Carrie picked. Rachel narrowed her eyes. Ashley sat still as the room filled with tension.
He should say something, try to comfort the women in his life, but he wasn’t an idiot. He’d grown up with this interrogation technique. Silence was his friend.
Ashley hopped off the couch. “Does anyone want a drink?”
“That’s it?” Rachel straightened, her eyes wide. “You’re going to bring me a soda and pretend like this is normal? We haven’t gotten to know each other yet. Where are you from? Do you have a job? Where’s your family? Won’t your friends—”
Carrie threw a pillow at Rachel. “Forgive my sister. She’s a bit of a control freak. She needs to know all of the details and figure everything out before she’s comfortable with a new situation.”
Ashley picked up the pillow. “But you’re okay with this?”
“Carrie inherited my mom’s sensibility,” Russ said. “Even if she doesn’t agree with me, she knows she’ll never change my mind. Besides, you passed her test at the memorial.”
“There was a test?”
“Have you considered all of the outcomes?” Rachel asked, never deterred. “How long have you known each other?”
Russ crossed his arms. “How long did Carrie and Ben know each other before they got married?”
His sisters’ jaws dropped.
“I thought your husband was Paul,” Ashley said.
“Ben was my first husband. It lasted six months.”
“Oh.”
Russ wrapped his hand around Ashley’s. “I’m not trying to be mean or suggest that we know better than you did, but we’ve thought this through, and we’re committed to each other and this marriage.”
“Though we appreciate your concern,” Ashley said. “It’s nice to know you care.”
“But you’re not going to talk us out of this.” Russ squeezed her hand.
DING-DONG! Now who?
“It’s probably Liz.” Carrie stood. “We called her on our way here.”
Of course they did. “How is it that none of you have to work today?”
Carrie’s laugh carried into the living room. “That’s the joy of working for yourself.” She opened the door, and cold air blew through the house. The smile dropped off her face.
Every protective nerve in Russ fired. “Carrie?” She looked at him, her eyes wide, then back at the door. He headed toward her, ready to shoot, hit, or tackle. “What is it? Who’s here?” He pulled the door open wide, and the breath stopped in his lungs. “Jess?”
“Who’s this?” Ashley stepped up next to him.
Russ couldn’t speak. What was happening?
His past stood on the porch, smiling. “I’m Jess, Russ’ ex-girlfriend.”
CHAPTER 20
Ashley stared at the strawberry blonde on the porch, blinking twice to make the vision disappear. It didn’t. Russ didn’t like dating. He didn’t have ex-girlfriends, except … “Excuse me, you’re who?”
“Jessica Miller, but everyone calls me Jess.”
“My ex-girlfriend.” Russ crossed his arms. “What are you doing here?”
Carrie spun around. “Rachel, why don’t we get the kids a snack? I’ll bet Russ has chocolate around here somewhere.”
“Chocolate!” The kids squealed.
Russ’ family disappeared as Ashley stepped closer to her boyfriend—no, her fiancé—ready to defend her claim. A bitter wind tossed Jess’ shoulder-length curls around her face. A brown leather jacket and dark jeans hugged her body, flattering her curves. The green scarf fluttering around her neck popped against the neutral palette. She smiled at Ashley, but her lips looked stiff, forced. Probably a reflection of Ashley’s own awkward smile.
“Why don’t you come in? It’s pretty cold out today.” Ashley grabbed the back of Russ’ shirt and pulled him out of the way.
“Thank you,” Jess said. She stepped inside and closed the door. “It’s been a while since I was here. Not much has changed.”
“A lot has changed. Tom’s dead. This is Ashley.” A hard, cold arm wrapped around her. “My fiancée.”
Ashley’s stomach rolled at the harsh tone of his voice. If this was his “bad experience,” she could understand, but that didn’t explain why Jess was here. Ashley glanced up at Russ. He clenched his jaw.
Jess unzipped her coat. “I’m sorry to hear about Tom. My dad told me. I would have come to the funeral, but I wasn’t sure what to say.”
“Yet you figured it would be okay to show up now?” Russ’ fingers squeezed Ashley’s waist, pinching her skin.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked, stepping away from his vice-like grip.
“I’m fine, but I would like to speak to Russ privately for a few minutes if that’s okay with you.”
Ashley nodded, welcoming yet dreading the opportunity to leave. “I’ll go to the kitchen and see about that chocolate.” She glanced at Russ, hoping for some guidance. The return of Stone Face didn’t help her figure out what to do next, but it did give her comfort knowing he wasn’t pleased with the newest arrival. “Did you want that drink?” she asked him.
Russ shook his head. “We won’t be long.” He motioned toward the living room. “Jess?”
The couple walked one way as Ashley went the other. They looked good together. Jess was almost as tall as Russ, and their jean-clad legs fell into step with each other. He shoved his hands into his back pockets while she sat on the edge of the loveseat. Was she trying to force him to sit near her? Was she trying to win Russ back? It would make sense. Why else would an ex-girlfriend show up today, and h
ow did she know?
A thousand more questions raced through her head. Carrie had recognized Jess. That seemed like a good place to start asking. Ashley marched into the kitchen, ready to get answers.
Rachel met her at the doorway, a bowl of M&M’s in hand. “What did she say? Why’s she here? You left them alone?”
“She wants to talk to Russ.” Ashley took the bowl. “What can you tell me about her?”
“I’ll answer your questions if you’ll answer mine.”
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
“How long have you known Russ?”
“Mommy, I want Ms.” Phin hustled over, reaching for Ashley’s bowl. “Peas?”
Rachel patted his head. “Mommy and Miss Ashley need to have a talk. Can you and Leo play in the family room together?”
Carrie, the shorter, friendlier sibling, came over and scooped out a handful of candies. “Why doesn’t Aunt Carrie put in a movie? I’ll be back in a minute. Rachel promises to play nice.”
“I’m always nice.”
“Come on, munchkins.” Carrie passed out M&M’s as she led the boys away.
Too bad. Ashley would rather talk to Carrie. Or Phin. Rachel gave the impression that there wasn’t a right answer for why Russ and Ashley were getting married, and the woman talking to Russ in the living room made Ashley wonder if Rachel was right.
Rachel grabbed some candy. “So, how long have you known each other?”
Ashley sucked in a deep breath. “We met at Pearl’s Diner.”
“You’ve been to Boyne Heights before?”
“No. We met last week.”
Rachel stared.
“I know. It’s fast. Do you want peanut butter?” Ashley searched the cupboards until she found a jar. “When did Jess and Russ date?”
“A couple of years ago. Are you serious? You and Russ met last week?”
Ashley pulled out a spoon and sat at the island. “Yes, I’m serious. Why would Jess show up today?”
“Because my brother attracts crazy women.”
Rachel stood on the other side of the island as Ashley opened the jar and dumped in a handful of candy. She dug out a spoonful of peanut butter and chocolate bits. As the salty sweetness soothed her frazzled nerves, Rachel’s statement hit its target. Crazy women. Jess and Ashley.
“Why do you want to marry him?” Rachel asked.
“It makes sense. Is Jess the stalker?”
“You aren’t in love with him?”
“I’ve only known him a week, and you didn’t answer my question.”
“Jess is a nonissue. Why would you marry a man you just met?”
“That’s three questions, and you still haven’t answered mine.” Ashley poured more M&M’s into the jar.
Rachel pulled out her own spoon. “He doesn’t talk about it.”
“What do other people say about it?”
“According to what Laney’s mom heard, Russ got cold feet. He says it never got that far. All I know is he seemed more relieved than upset after the breakup. A year ago Jess relocated to Marquette, and I haven’t seen her until today.”
Ashley stopped the next spoonful before it reached her mouth. “That’s it?”
“I’m sure there’s more, but I only believe what I hear from Russ and Laney.” Rachel scooped out her first helping as Carrie returned to the kitchen.
“What did I miss?” she asked.
“Ashley and Russ have known each other for a week, and now they’re getting married because that makes sense.” Rachel stuffed her spoon in her mouth, then smiled around the peanut butter.
“It doesn’t sound good when you say it that way,” Ashley said.
Carrie whistled. “Russ finally snapped.”
“Excuse me?” She’d expected that kind of response from Rachel, but Carrie?
“The pressure finally got to him. It’s like when he bought his truck. He kept fixing up his old one, refusing to accept that he needed a new one. Then, one day he got pulled over for a burned-out taillight, and he snapped. Instead of changing the bulb, he went out and bought a new truck.” Carrie shrugged. “That’s the way Russ works. You might be his new truck.”
His dad’s death, a complicated ex-girlfriend, Tom’s death. That could create some pressure. Ashley sighed. “Great. My engagement is the result of an emotional overload.”
“That’s not a bad thing, though. He loves that truck, but why in the world would you want to marry Russ after a week, especially after this week?” Carrie shook her head. “I don’t get it. Paul and I dated for four years before we got married.”
Ashley set down her spoon, too confused to indulge. “You were so supportive of us a few minutes ago. What happened?”
“I’m supportive of my brother because I know I can’t talk him out of anything, but you seem relatively intelligent. Maybe I can convince you to save yourself and take things slow. I’d be happy to drive you around this weekend and go house hunting. You and Russ could date for a while, get to know each other better.”
“We were planning on having a reception this weekend.” Ashley looked at the clock. “Of course, we’re supposed to leave in seventy-five minutes to get married. If we don’t get out by then, I may have some free time.”
It made sense that she’d miss her own wedding. Nothing else had worked out the way she’d expected. The thick peanut butter clung to her throat.
Rachel helped herself to another scoop. “You still haven’t told us why you’re getting married. How do you start that conversation with a person? And what do your parents think of this?”
“My parents are dead.”
Both sisters stopped moving. They didn’t even blink. Ashley looked between the two women, unsure how to convince the life-sized statues to move. “It’s okay, I promise. They died a long time ago.”
Carrie walked over and pulled Ashley into a hug. Nearly two decades later, and people still felt the need to do that.
“I’m so sorry,” Rachel said, her voice low and sad.
Ashley leaned away from Carrie. “It’s fine. It happened seventeen years ago.”
Carrie held Ashley at arm’s length. “You must have been a kid.”
“I was eighteen. It was a car accident. They didn’t suffer.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“It’s just me.”
Carrie cocked her head to the side as she gave a half-smile. Ashley swallowed a sigh. Someday she’d be able to tell this story without people getting all weepy. Russ hadn’t turned to mush when she talked about her parents. That was one thing she liked about him, not that it mattered much. One hour and fifteen minutes until departure, and Jess still had him cornered. Ashley couldn’t decide if she should panic or cheer. Yesterday everything had seemed so clear. Today three more sets of lenses blurred everything.
DING-DONG!
Great.
*******
Russ recognized Liz’s car as soon as it popped through the trees. Would this day never end? Before he could answer the door, snappy steps pounded on the hardwood. Steeling himself for his baby sister’s assault, he stood by the loveseat and watched Carrie open the door.
Liz burst through and wrapped one arm around Carrie as the other cradled Kristy. And then they looked at him. It was hard to decide which was wider, Liz’s eyes or mouth. Carrie elbowed her.
“I’m sorry, that was rude.” Liz hustled over. “Jess. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too. This must be your daughter.” Jess’ eyes brightened. Russ groaned. No woman alive could resist the maternal instincts Kristy inspired.
Liz smiled. “She’ll be eight months next week.”
“That’s amazing. It’s really been—”
“We’d love to stay and chat, but we have chocolate in the kitchen.” Carrie swooped in and took the baby. “I’ll put her in with the boys, and we can join Rachel and Ashley.”
Liz walked right up to Russ and leaned into his personal space. “Is it true?”
“Y
es.”
She stared at him, wrenching his heart with the sadness in her eyes.
“Can we talk about this in a few minutes?”
She nodded and walked away, taking all of the warmth out of the room. In the kitchen, his sisters and Ashley were no doubt enjoying girl talk, strengthening their bonds and friendships. He still had to deal with Jess.
He summoned every ounce of his manners. “You’ve had me in here for five minutes. It’s nice that your job is going well, but let’s skip the small talk. Why are you here?”
“Emily called me.”
“How did Emily … Brian. Her husband is Sue Whitley’s son, isn’t he?”
“She called Emily last night,” Jess said. “Emily called me.”
“Isn’t this an invasion of privacy? Aren’t they sworn to secrecy?”
“Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything, but I’m glad she did. So the rumors are true? You’re getting married?”
“In about an hour.”
“A year ago you told me you weren’t ready to get married. You said maybe a different time, but now you’re marrying someone else?”
“You’re twisting my words. I wasn’t ready then, but it wasn’t just the timing. We weren’t good together. You know that.”
“We were good at the beginning, but then everything in my life went wrong. I’m sorry about how things ended between us. After my dad left my mom, I got a little clingy, but I always thought we’d get another chance. I didn’t realize you were ending it for good.”
“Even if it was bad timing, you moved to Marquette.”
“Not forever.”
“How was I supposed to know that? Not that it matters. We’d never work.”
Jess stepped into the space Liz had vacated. “Emily didn’t even know you were dating anyone. No one in town has ever seen Ashley before. Does she understand what life on the farm will be like?”
“I don’t care what Emily knows about Ashley and me. I’m sorry you don’t like my explanation, but that’s all I have for you.”
“Is everything okay out here?” The quiet voice drowned out everything else. Ashley stood in the kitchen doorway, hands clasped in front of her as her shoulders rose and fell with deep breaths. Her eyes moved between Russ and Jess.