The Secret Wedding Wish

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Chris held up a silencing palm, adroitly cutting off whatever speech she had been about to make. “Not to worry, Mom,” Chris said with a look that promised he would be on his best behavior in the absence of parental supervision. “I’ve got my evening all planned out, too. I’m going to start getting my stuff ready for camp on Sunday, and watch the hockey video Uncle Joe gave me, take a shower, get something to eat and head to bed. So you can come in whenever you want because I won’t be waiting up.”

  Flushing, Janey avoided Thad’s gaze. “That’s very considerate of you, honey. But I’ll be home by midnight, I promise.”

  Chris shrugged, looking as unwilling for his mother to have to cut short her fun on some arbitrary time clock as Thad was. “Don’t rush on my account,” Chris repeated.

  Janey rolled her eyes, then leaned forward to kiss the top of his head. “See ya.”

  “See ya!” Chris hugged her then darted off, turning when he was nearly to the kitchen. “’Bye, Coach!”

  “’Bye, Chris.” Thad smiled at Chris, thinking what a great kid he was, then held the door for Janey and escorted her down the sidewalk to his waiting SUV.

  As expected, Janey’s embarrassed apology wasn’t long in coming. “My brothers aren’t that bad when it comes to interfering in my love life,” Janey complained.

  Thad leaned closer, pressed a light kiss to her cheek and whispered in her ear, “I think it’s kind of cute. The way he sort of keeps pushing us together.”

  Janey paused next to the passenger door and waited for him to open it for her. A becoming pink flush staining her cheeks, she chided ruefully, “You say that now.”

  And although Thad would like nothing better, the thinking side of him knew it wasn’t the wisest course to take. Janey needed to know he wasn’t just interested in her for the sex—which was, admittedly, by far the most incredible, physically invigorating and emotionally satisfying he’d ever had.

  Rather, he wanted to spend time with her, discover everything about her there was to know—and tell her everything in return—until they were as close as it was possible for a man and woman to be.

  Not that it was going to be easy, of course. Thad was only beginning to get past his own reservations about getting involved with a woman with a child. And Thad knew Janey still had her defenses up. He could tell by the way she looked at him sometimes that she feared the sizzle between them was going to fade, as soon as the novelty passed. But Thad knew that aspect was likely to only get stronger and stronger with time. As were their feelings for each other. Because the more he knew about Janey Hart Campbell, the more he liked—to the point he was beginning not to be able to imagine the rest of his life without her. Or her son.

  The trick, of course, would be to get Janey to feel the very same way about him. But Thad had managed much more difficult tasks in his life. All he had to do to accomplish what he wanted was to keep them both in the game until the victorious finish.

  “YOU’VE GOT TO SAVE ME,” Molly told Thad soon after he and Janey walked into the crowd of guests congregated at The Wedding Inn to celebrate Molly and Johnny’s wedding.

  “And why would I need to do that?” Thad asked, as Janey looked across the room at his sister’s new husband. Johnny was clad in a handsome summer suit and speaking to a group of guys his own age.

  “Because,” Molly retorted, looking pretty but petulant in a pastel pink dress with a fitted bodice and full calf-length skirt, “Mom has the bright idea we’re going to say our vows in front of everyone.” Her lower lip slid out another half inch. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a wedding gown waiting in the wings somewhere.”

  Thad laced a comforting arm around his younger sister’s shoulders. “You are her only daughter. Would it really hurt to humor her about this?”

  “Yes.” Molly folded her arms in front of her. “Having to endure this reception is bad enough, without going through some cornball reenactment of our vows.”

  An odd thing to say about your wedding, Janey thought, even if you weren’t much for sentiment. And she didn’t necessarily believe Molly was that pragmatic, even if she were acting so at the moment. “Does Johnny feel this way, too?” Janey asked Molly.

  Molly shrugged. “Probably, but he’s too polite to say so.”

  “You know…” Thad drawled, trying—like Janey—to tease the bride into a better mood. “In some circles civil behavior is actually considered a virtue.”

  Molly made a resentful face. “Thank you, Mr. Manners.” She slipped beneath an air-conditioning vent and fanned herself. “Do you mind?” she said when Thad followed. “You’re blocking my air.”

  Thad frowned, looking more worried now than perplexed. “You have got to calm down,” he told his little sister sternly.

  Her cheeks pinkening all the more, Molly looked at Janey for her reaction.

  “Your brother’s right,” Janey said gently. “You look all flushed.”

  Worse, Molly was wearing her heart—or perhaps what was lacking in it—out for everyone to see. It had only taken Janey a few minutes to see that even when Molly and Johnny were walking around to greet the guests together, they seemed to be avoiding eye contact with each other. And there was always a discreet space between them of a foot or more. They weren’t holding hands or brushing up against each other or smiling adoringly at each other from time to time. They were simply working the room, politely, efficiently. Whether because they were nervous or there was something really wrong with this picture, Janey didn’t know. And neither did Thad.

  Lionel came up to Thad. “Steal you for a moment, son? We need to talk about the champagne toast with Johnny’s folks and figure out how it’s going to go.”

  “Go, go!” Looking pained but relieved, Molly shooed them away.

  Thad and his stepfather moved off.

  “Honestly, I can barely breathe because the bodice of this dress is so tight,” Molly complained, the moment they were alone. She looked at Janey. “Will you help me loosen it for just a minute?”

  Janey knew a ploy to escape the party when she saw one. “Sure,” Janey said easily, aware the bodice did look a little snug over Molly’s breasts. But not so much it would be causing aggravating discomfort. “Let’s go upstairs to the bridal dressing room.” They would have privacy there.

  To avoid having to stop and speak to arriving guests every other step, they slipped through the back hall, past the kitchen and to the service stairs. Once inside the luxurious suite, Janey obliged Molly by unfastening the hook and eye and lowering the zipper on the back of her strapless silk-chiffon dress. Aware Molly still looked flushed and unhappy, she went into the adjacent bathroom, dampened a washcloth with cool water, and came back and laid it across the back of Molly’s neck. “Maybe this will help cool you off.”

  “Thanks.” Molly dropped onto the middle of the chaise lounge next to the window. She shook her head miserably. “This kind of attention is the last thing I—we—wanted. It’s why we eloped in the first place.”

  Janey sat down next to her and took her hand. “I never realized that you were that shy,” Janey said.

  “I’m not.” Molly studied the plain gold band on her left hand, as if wondering how it had gotten there. “I just hate the speculation. Everyone staring at me. Trying to figure out why we eloped.”

  Janey smiled at her gently. “I would think that at least would be obvious.” Her words were meant to comfort. Instead, Molly looked stricken.

  “Wh-what do you mean?” Molly demanded as she vaulted from her perch. Her dress started to slip. Frowning, Molly reached around behind her, to zip up her dress.

  Janey shrugged as she stood up to lend a hand. “You’re in love. You’re young. Obviously a little impetuous. What else do people need to know about the situation?”

  Abruptly, Molly began to relax. She looked at Janey. “That’s right,” she said thoughtfully. “You eloped, too.”

  “I’m surprised you remember that, since you were only—what—eight at the time?”
>
  Molly removed the cool cloth from the back of her neck and gave it back to Janey. “Actually, my mom mentioned it to me when we got back from Gatlinburg. She was telling me about all the famous Holly Springs elopements. Yours created quite a stir.”

  Yes, it had, Janey thought as she put the cloth in the bathroom hamper.

  “How did you ever survive it?” Molly asked.

  Easy, Janey thought. I took one look at the lay of the land and chose the coward’s way out. A rueful twist to her lips, Janey recalled, “I dropped out of college and stayed in Colorado.”

  “Just like that?”

  Janey gestured to indicate her regret. “I was pretty impulsive.” And occasionally still was. Otherwise, she never would have made love with Thad the other night. Fortunately, these days, the demands of motherhood and the need to set a good example for her son kept her on the straight and narrow 99.9 percent of the time. At least that had been the case before she had fallen hard and fast for Thad Lantz.

  Intuiting the direction of Janey’s thoughts, Molly said, “I’m so glad you and Thad are getting together.”

  “This is our first date,” Janey sputtered self-consciously.

  “So?” The smile on Molly’s lips finally reached her eyes. “I saw the way he looked at you when you two walked in together tonight. You probably never met Renee—”

  Janey shook her head.

  “Well, suffice it to say he never looked at Renee that way, even when they were first getting together.” Molly went to the mirrored dressing table and sat down in front of it. She took a small brush from her evening bag and ran it through her hair, restoring order to the dark, naturally curly strands. “Her son, Bobby, was another matter. Thad was always crazy about Bobby. So much so that he was totally destroyed when the marriage broke up and he had to relinquish custody rights. But I guess he told you about all that?”

  “We’ve talked about it a little,” Janey allowed uneasily, telling herself there were actually no parallels from Thad’s past to the current situation. Yes, Thad liked Chris. But it was his interest in her, that had him coming around that often, making sure they had daily reasons to see each other. Not to mention looking at her as if she were the only woman on earth for him and kissing her at every single opportunity….

  “Well, anyway,” Molly continued, “Thad’s always wanted a family of his own and I know he still wants to be a dad. So that makes it good for you, too. Instead of Christopher being a detriment to any romance you might have with Thad, the fact you have a son is actually kind of a key selling point, you know?”

  Janey had never thought of it that way.

  Until now, anyway.

  “WHATEVER YOU SAID to my sister really calmed her down,” Thad noted as Janey found Thad talking to his father moments later, while a smiling Molly went off to find Johnny.

  And totally unnerved me, Janey thought, still reeling a little from the notion that a big part of Thad’s attraction to her might be her son. The fact that she came with a ready-made family.

  With difficulty, Janey turned her thoughts back to the bride. “I think Molly’s going to be okay,” Janey told both men. “She’s just nervous and a little emotional.” And possibly—like Janey herself at that point after her own marriage—was already regretting her impulsive decision but didn’t know quite what to do about it without sacrificing every ounce of pride she had in the bargain.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Thad’s father, Gordon Lantz, said. He was, like Janey’s own mother, in his early fifties. The years had been kind to him—perhaps because the owner of the most popular garden and landscape center in the area had a job that kept him working outdoors year round, as well as physically fit. His tall, lean physique was every bit as handsome and distinguished as his suntanned features and neat, graying hair.

  Gordon smiled at Janey. “How are those broccoli plants I gave you working out?”

  “So far, so good.” Although she hadn’t known Thad growing up, she had been acquainted with his father for years, and felt very comfortable with the warm, personable man. “But since it’s my first year trying to grow a vegetable garden on my own I’m not going to brag about it until I actually get a crop of everything I set out this spring.”

  “That’s right,” Gordon recollected kindly. “You didn’t garden in Colorado, did you?”

  Janey shook her head. “The growing season was too short. And I didn’t really have the time or space.” She hadn’t owned her own home there. She, Chris and Ty had always lived in apartments because Ty hadn’t wanted to be tied down. Which was why when she had moved back to Holly Springs, she had resolved to rent a house with a yard, with an option to buy when her finances improved to the point she could manage a down payment on a mortgage and closing costs. She’d thought it would be better for Chris.

  The waiters came out, bearing trays of champagne and sparkling cider. Thad’s stepfather came over to collect Thad for the toasts. “Show-time!” The two men headed for the raised platform at the other end of the ballroom where the DJ for the evening had set up.

  As both fathers spoke of their hopes for the marriage, Molly and Johnny stood side by side. Janey didn’t know if it was just the spotlight and the scrutiny being heaped upon them, but both had the look of deer caught in the headlights. To loosen them up, perhaps, Johnny’s dad turned to him. “Maybe you’d like to say a few words to your bride, about your own hopes for the future?” Ted Byrne asked.

  Johnny looked as if he’d rather sing karaoke, and Johnny didn’t sing. He turned to Molly, posture stiff as a board. “Three years ago, when we first started dating, I never imagined we’d be standing here today as man and wife, but here we are,” he said with forced cheer. “And I know in my heart—I’ll always know—it was the right thing to do,” he finished soberly.

  For the first time since the toasts began, Molly’s plastered-on smile began to slip precariously.

  “Molly,” her dad prompted, hoping—like everyone else assembled in the ballroom—that she would be able to save the rather odd turn the moment had taken. Dutifully, Molly took Johnny’s hand in hers and looked into his eyes. “When you married me last weekend, I got what I had wished for a very long time,” she said, her voice trembling audibly. “I want to thank you for that—because your willingness to stand up with me tells me what kind of man you are and always will be.”

  “What about love?” someone behind Janey whispered.

  What indeed? Janey wondered. Thus far, the only ones who had spoken of love were the two fathers.

  The DJ hired to MC the event stepped forward, glass raised. He seemed to know that to let the toasts go on any longer would be to court disaster. “To the bride and groom!” the DJ stated with the enthusiasm his job required. “And the happily-ever-after they deserve!”

  “Here, here.” The murmur rippled through the crowd, as crystal clinked, and congratulatory sips were taken.

  Up on the bandstand platform, Thad kissed his sister, shook Johnny’s hand, then wound his way back to Janey’s side. “Well, that was interesting,” he murmured as the music started up again.

  No kidding, Janey thought, as Thad pulled her into his arms and they swayed gently to the romantic ballad. She’d never heard such odd toasts, and having grown up and worked many a wedding on The Wedding Inn ground, she thought she had just about heard it all by now. But seeking for a way to reassure Thad, she theorized practically, “They just weren’t prepared to speak in front of such a large group.” There had to be two hundred people assembled there that evening.

  “I hope that’s all it is,” Thad frowned, cutting his sister a protective glance as she danced.

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE you’ve never done this before!” Thad teased Janey a little while later as they tied the string of cans to the bumper and put the Just Married sign in the back window of the Bentley.

  “Never any reason.” Janey straightened, glad to finally be alone with him. “It’s sort of a guy thing.”

  “So is this,” Th
ad murmured in a low, sexy voice as he took her into his arms.

  Janey tipped her face to his. Her heart was beating double-time. Lower still, there was a warm, fluttery feeling. “What?” she asked, ignoring the tingling in her breasts and the hard implacable ridge of his own arousal.

  Thad grinned, capturing the hands she had pressed across his chest. “Kissing your woman.”

  His woman, Janey thought, as his mouth came down on hers. Was that what she was to him?

  It certainly felt that way as his mouth moved beneath her jaw, down her throat, then back up again, to her lips. Janey couldn’t help it—she moaned, and then his lips were pressed firmly on hers, just the way she had wanted them to be all night long. His tongue dipped into her mouth, stroking the insides, tangling with her tongue. Janey made a helpless sound in the back of her throat, and went up on tiptoe, meeting him caress for caress. She burned like fire. And it was a fire only he could put out. She was trembling fiercely when he let her go. Wanting…so much more.

  “I wish we didn’t have to go back inside,” she said, not caring that she was once again putting her heart and soul on the line.

  Thad’s eyes darkened ardently as he tenderly locked gazes with her. “So do I,” he murmured sincerely as he bent his head to kiss her again. Sweetly, this time, thoroughly. And that was when they heard the discreet feminine cough.

  Janey and Thad broke apart, and turned. Helen Hart was standing there, a wicker basket of organza and ribbon-wrapped bundles of birdseed in hand. She looked both stunned and irritated by what she had seen. “I thought I’d let you know Molly and Johnny are about ready to leave for their honeymoon,” Helen said politely. “People will be coming out shortly. I was hoping I could get you to pass these out for me.” Helen looked at Janey meaningfully.