Meddling in Manhattan

by Kirsten Osbourne

  "That works for me." Jake looked at her father. "Do you want my cell phone number? Would that make you feel safer?"

  Billy nodded. "Yes, I think it would. Then I have two numbers to reach the two of you at."

  "Oh, I have an idea," Addie interjected. "I brought both suitcases here to the church. If I condense into one suitcase, would you take the other home with you, Dad? It would make it easier for us tomorrow."

  Jake nodded. "It would. Our flight is at nine. It would make it a lot easier."

  "I'd be happy to."

  "Okay, I'm going to go move the winter clothes into one suitcase and summer stuff into another. I just need summer stuff, right? Do I need any dress clothes?" She was mentally going through everything she'd packed. Why hadn't she thought to put all the cold weather clothes into one suitcase and the warm weather into another as she was packing? She should have thought ahead. Usually she was a great deal more organized than this.

  "There are nice restaurants we'll go to. I'd pack lots of shorts and a couple of nice outfits." Jake cared almost nothing for clothes, but he could tell his little bride would want to be dressed correctly for everything.

  "If you'll excuse me, I'll go pack." She squeezed Jake's hand and smiled at her father.

  Jake looked at her. "I'll come with you."

  Thinking about the nightgown she'd packed for their wedding night, she shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine. I'll be right back." She hurried toward the door, hoping he'd take a hint and not follow her.

  Jake watched her go with a frown. What could she possibly be hiding from him? Her father had already walked away, so he wandered over to where Savannah and Scott were standing in the corner. Dr. Lachele was holding Kaeden, fussing over him.

  "She's getting the stuff she needs all into one suitcase for the honeymoon," he said to no one in particular. He just didn't know anyone else, and he didn't want to look stupid standing alone in the middle of the room at his own reception.

  "What do you think of her?" Savannah asked, keeping her voice soft.

  "She's gorgeous! She seems smart. I have no complaints." Jake watched the door, hoping she'd come back through it.

  "Oh, you will," Scott told him. "Even Savannah and I had a rough patch at first. It's hard being married to a total stranger, even if you know you're supposed to be a good match." Scott winked at Savannah.

  Jake grinned, remembering how clueless Scott had been at first. "Well, I'll do my best to make her happy. I'm sure we'll be fine." He knew better than to accuse his wife of having PMS if she got angry with him for doing something stupid.

  Dr. Lachele looked up from the baby. "You will. Just remember, no separating for the first year, because you two will have it all figured out by then. And I need more Matchrimony grandbabies, so hurry up on that."

  Jake shook his head. "We've only been married for a couple of hours. Slow down!" He had no desire to add babies to his brand new marriage. He wanted time to savor his wife first.

  "No. You hurry up! I need dozens, please."

  Jake looked at Scott. "I'm not having dozens of babies. Are you having dozens of babies?" He wasn't going to bend to the will of a crazy purple-haired woman. He didn't care if he had known her his entire life.

  Scott shrugged. "Probably not. But if she keeps matching couples up, she'll get her dozens."

  Savannah laughed. "I'm not having dozens, but a few more would be really nice."

  Scott swallowed hard. "How many is a few? I didn't much like watching you go through labor!"

  Savannah linked her arm through Scott's and leaned into him. "Another four or five maybe?"

  Scott shook his head adamantly. "Two more. That's my final offer."

  Savannah rolled her eyes but said nothing.

  Lachele looked back and forth between the couple who had almost reached their one year anniversary. "You tell him, Savannah!"

  Addie rejoined them then, going to stand beside Jake, who automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "All done. Dad has my suitcase, so we're all set." The only strangers at her wedding were right in front of her. They must be Jake's friends.

  Jake looked at her with a grin. "Does that mean we're ready to go?"

  Addie blushed, knowing exactly where his mind was going. "You could introduce me to your friends first!" He was certainly in a hurry to start their honeymoon. It was embarrassing that he was so openly enthusiastic about it.

  Jake sighed. She was going to insist on staying a little longer. "This is my best friend since childhood, Scott Ward. Scott, this is Addie."

  Scott held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Addie. You've got a good guy."

  Addie smiled. "I think so. Of course, I'll let you know how I feel about him in a couple of months." She was very aware that she would be annoyed by some of his traits. She had never known a married couple who didn't get annoyed over toothpaste. All the fights seemed a bit different, but they were all about toothpaste.

  Scott grinned. "I know how you feel. Savannah and I were married in this same church a year ago. Lachele fixed us up too."

  Addie's eyes widened. "You're a Matchrimony couple? How's it going?" Her first instinct was to grab Savannah by the arm and drag her off, asking how things had gone, but she couldn't do that.

  Scott looked down at his beautiful blond wife. "It's wonderful. I'm happy. She's happy unless I'm doing something stupid, which happens more than I care to admit. We're good right now."

  "You already have a baby! And you've only been married a year?" Addie didn't want things to happen so quickly for her. Slow and steady when it came to babies.

  Savannah grinned. "We both wanted children and saw no reason to wait."

  Addie looked up at Jake. "I want to wait at least a year before we start trying!"

  Jake nodded, more relieved than he could express. "That sounds good to me. It's not something we need to decide at our reception."

  Addie smiled, but inwardly she disagreed. It needed to be discussed before the wedding night. She'd gone to the doctor for birth control, and she didn't want to deceive him by making him think there was a chance they'd have a child when there wasn't.

  Dr. Lachele looked at Addie. "You have my number for when you need me, right?"

  Addie frowned. "When I need you? You mean if?"

  Savannah laughed. "She means when. Trust me on this. Jake's a good guy, but it's just a matter of time. A New York woman and a Montana man are bound to clash."

  Addie eyed Savannah. "Maybe I need to get your number as well."

  "Oh, you definitely do. In fact, I already wrote it down for you." Savannah handed a small card in an envelope to Addie. "Feel free to call me during reasonable hours."

  "I will." Addie clutched the envelope, knowing she'd need the moral support of the other woman. The situation was too strange to go through alone. She would need someone who understood.

  Jake looked at Scott in mock-fear. "Should we allow this? They won't plot against us, will they?"

  "I'll let the 'allow' comment slide, because you don't know me well," Addie said mildly, winking at Savannah who grinned.

  Jake raised an eyebrow. "You don't think it's your job to obey my every whim?" He didn't think that a man should be 'in charge' of a woman either, but he wanted to see her reaction.

  "No, I really don't." Addie looked at Lachele, playing along with the teasing. "Why don't you screen these men better, Dr. Lachele? I'm going to have to get a divorce before I even have a honeymoon."

  Lachele looked up from the baby. "You'll do fine." She nodded to Scott and Savannah. "If those two could make it, anyone could."

  Addie looked at Savannah again, wondering what had happened between the other two.

  Jake interrupted her thoughts. "We're going. We've dallied long enough."

  Addie raised an eyebrow at her new husband. "Dallied? You use dallied in regular conversation?" It wasn't that she didn't know and like the word. She just didn't know anyone who actually used it.

  "I'm a writer. I use
lots of words in regular conversation." He shook hands with Scott. "Thanks for flying out to be my best man."

  Scott nodded, a smile on his face. "Anytime. You just let me know when you need me, and I'll be there."

  Addie hugged Savannah. "So nice to meet you. I'll be calling you!"

  "I'll be waiting for the call!"

  Jake and Addie made the rounds, saying their goodbyes. Carolyn glared at Jake over Addie's shoulder. "Be careful. Call me if there are any problems. Your father will be on the next flight."

  "I'll be fine, Mom!" Addie turned to her father and hugged him as well. "Don't worry about me."

  Billy hugged her back. "I'm not worried. He's a good man. You'll do fine."

  Addie was surprised her father had become a supporter of Jake, regardless of what he'd found in the man's past. He was usually a great deal more skeptical.

  They went to get her things from the bride's room. "I checked into a room at a hotel before I came here. I hope that's all right."

  Addie was surprised when he named the hotel. It was a legendary New York City hotel that was certainly out of her price range. "That's wonderful. How could you afford that?" She knew the question was rude, but she wanted to make sure he wasn't spending money he shouldn't on the expensive hotel.

  "I have connections." Jake wasn't certain how long he'd be able to keep up the 'starving artist' charade, because he tended to like the creature comforts.

  He hailed a cab, showing her he'd spent some time in New York previous to that day. When had he been there? "You've been in New York before?" she asked.

  "I was here for Scott's wedding and ended up extending my stay because of the Manhattan Library."

  Addie smiled. "One of my favorite places in the whole world!"

  His eyes lit up as he faced her in the backseat of the cab. "Really? You're a reader?"

  She nodded. "I'm a voracious reader. I thought about having a small second-hand book shop after college, but instead decided on my craft store."

  "Tell me about your store." He loved to listen to her talk about anything.

  Addie smiled. "Well, my craft store is different than any other I've ever seen. It's not tiny, but it's not big either. I sell craft patterns, both new and second hand, and I offer support. I only sell crafts that I, or someone on my staff, knows how to do well, and we're there to lend a hand. We have classes that teach each of the crafts. For instance, I have a crochet class I teach every Tuesday afternoon, and I teach a mommy and me paper crafting class on Monday mornings." She frowned. "I'm not home a lot, because my job is very demanding." If he couldn't understand her need to work, they'd never last.

  "I understand having a demanding job. The voices in my head don't let me stop until I've put enough words on paper to satisfy them."

  "The voices in your head? You realize that makes you sound more than a little bit crazy, right?" She liked it though. Well she liked it as long as her parents didn't hear it and come unglued.

  He shrugged. "However it makes me sound, it's true. I have all these stories that want out, and I have to make it happen. I'll go nuts otherwise."

  "Then you should make the stories happen." She leaned her head against the back of the seat, facing him. "Do you enjoy writing?"

  "So much. I think I'd do it even if no one ever bought a single book. I just need to be able to get them out of my head." He reached out a hand and used his index finger to trace her upper lip. "I'm not a poet, but you make me want to write odes to your beauty."

  "Odes to my beauty?" She giggled a little. "It's going to take me a while to get used to the way you speak."

  Jake leaned over and kissed her softly. "I'm more worried about how quickly you'll get used to my touch."

  She blushed. "I don't think that's going to take nearly as long."

  The taxi driver pulled up in front of the hotel, and Jake got out, holding the door for her. He paid the driver, and then walked around to the back of the taxi to take her suitcase. "Thank you," he called, holding her hand firmly in his as he pulled the suitcase into the hotel.

  He headed straight for the elevator, hoping she wouldn't need to eat, but realizing she probably would. They'd only served cake at the reception. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

  Addie put her hand on her stomach. She was hungry, but she was also nervous. She wasn't sure if she could eat. "A little."

  "We could get room service."

  "I'd like that."

  They got off the elevator and walked down the hall to a room on the right. He inserted his key card in the door and held it open while she stepped inside.

  "Oh, wow!" She looked around the room in amazement. She'd heard a great deal about the hotel, but she'd never imagined she'd stay in a room so lovely. "The view is awesome!" She slid open the door to the balcony and stepped out. She loved Manhattan late in the afternoon. It felt so special to her. She couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

  Jake set her suitcase on a bench in the room and followed her out to the balcony. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his cheek atop her head. "I can't believe we're really married."

  She smiled, leaning back against him. "I can't either. It all happened so fast."

  "What made you decide to go see Dr. Lachele?" he asked, wondering how a beautiful woman like her had ended up meeting a man and marrying him at the same time.

  "It all started with a man I like to call Boring Bob the Boob...You see, my roommates were constantly setting me up with different men. Most of them were pretty worthless. I lived in an apartment with three other women. One of them, Danielle, worked for Dr. Lachele. I went out with this absolute creep who wouldn't stop staring at my chest, and he couldn't manage to string a sentence together because he was so busy ogling me. That's how he got his name."

  "Boring Bob the Boob?" Jake grinned, the writer in him loving the alliteration. The husband in him wasn't pleased to hear that the man had been staring at his wife's breasts, but they hadn't met at the time, so he couldn't complain too much.

  "Yes. Boring Bob the Boob. Anyway, when I got home from that awful date, my roommate Danielle told me about Dr. Lachele. She suggested that the reason I kept going out with losers was because I kept letting people who had no idea what they were doing set us up. I told her I wasn't desperate enough to see a professional matchmaker and marry whomever she found for me on sight."

  "You did? How did we end up here then?"

  "Well, the following week, Danielle asked me to meet her for lunch, and Dr. Lachele was there, thinking I was ready to hire her. It took us a minute to connect, and at first I was furious with Danielle, but I listened to Dr. Lachele, and decided I could agree to at least give her a chance." She sighed, actually happier at this moment than she thought she'd be. She felt so comfortable with Jake. It was as if she'd known him a great deal longer than she had.

  "I'm glad you did." His words were simple, but they carried a lot of weight.

  She turned to him, a smile on her face. "I'm glad I did too."

  He leaned down and kissed her, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips. His hands went to her narrow waist, pulling her flush to his body. She was still wearing her wedding dress, and all he could think about doing was peeling it off her. He backed into the hotel suite, having left the door standing open behind him. He turned once they were inside, not breaking the kiss, so he could close the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. He moved them toward the couch, which he knew was beside the balcony door, sitting on it and pulling her into his lap. "I want to make love to you," he whispered against her lips.

  Addie was surprised at the heady feeling of power at his words. She'd never before felt like she had so much power over a man. She sank into his kiss, her lips parting for his tongue. Her hands tugged at his jacket, pulling it off his shoulders, before removing his tie and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt for him. He couldn't be comfortable in the restricting clothes.

  Jake was thrilled at her actions, and his hands went to the tiny buttons running
up and down her back. He wanted to groan, hating the idea of having to slowly maneuver each button out of the hole. As he was struggling with the second button, his finger rubbed against a zipper. Were the buttons just for show? Why would someone do that?

  Sure enough when he tugged at the zipper, her dress opened at the back, and his hand slipped inside, only to encounter a slip underneath her dress. He wanted to touch bare skin!

  "Stand up," he whispered, breaking the kiss. "I want to get this off you!"

  Addie blushed, but she stood, turning her back to him so he could push the dress off and unfasten her strapless bra, before turning her back around to face him. When she stood before him in just her panties and stockings, which were held in place by garters, her face was red. She forced her hands to remain at her sides, trying not to cover herself in her embarrassment.

  Jake's eyes traveled her body from head to toe. She had full breasts, a narrow waist, and wide hips. Everything about her was just perfect in his eyes. "You're beautiful," he whispered reverently. "I've never seen such a beautiful woman in my life."

  "I..." Addie swallowed hard. She needed to tell him, but she wasn't sure how. Would he mind? "I've never done this before."

  Jake's eyes widened, and a slow grin transformed his face. "You're a virgin? I didn't think they even existed anymore."

  She nodded. "Does that bother you?" She'd never felt comfortable enough with a man to let him touch her so intimately. She'd only known Jake for hours, though, and it felt right to her, even as it felt wrong. She was so confused!

  He shook his head. "Of course not." He got to his feet, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her softly. Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her into the bedroom, setting her on her feet next to the bed. "I want to teach you all there is to know about lovemaking." He finished unbuttoning his shirt and removed it, tossing it on the floor. He kicked off his shoes, ignoring where they landed. His socks came next, because he didn't want his new wife to see him without his pants on for the first time when he was still wearing socks. How stupid would that look?

  He unbuttoned his pants and dropped them to the floor, watching her eyes as they went to the tent formed at the front of his boxers. He could see she was nervous, but he had no idea how to soothe her. "You okay?" he whispered softly.