In Defense of Love (Carmen Sisters Book 2)

by Pat Simmons

  Peeping over the desk, he scanned her attire. “Just checking to see you’ve got on comfortable shoes.”

  “Yes.” She modeled the pumps she’d stashed in her desk drawer a few weeks earlier.

  Soon they mingled with the crowds along the brick pavement of Sansom Street, where Jewelers’ Row housed hundreds of upscale jewelry boutiques. Scanning the display windows, they stopped in front of Safian & Rudolph. Shari tugged Garrett inside.

  “Congratulations on your engagement,” the salesman said as he welcomed them, then gave them a general introduction to the collections. He steered Shari to a glass counter display where sparkling diamond clusters battled one another for her attention. “We have over a thousand rings in stock, so I’m sure you and your fiancée will find something,” he advised Garrett.

  Shari nodded and tightened her arm around his. The magnificence of her surroundings was breathtaking. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

  The New Jerusalem will be unmatched! God said, quickening her spirit. A city made of pure gold and walls of jasper. There you will find precious stones, sapphires, chalcedony, sardius….

  The Lord’s voice faded as Garrett squeezed her tighter. “I have—when I first saw you,” he whispered.

  She blushed at his compliment. “Thank you. How about a simple band set?”

  “Hmm.” He wound one of her curls around his finger as he assessed her. “A simple band is for a simple woman from a simple man with simple intentions. We’re neither of those things. I’m pledging my life to you, and, just like my grandfather has a Queen, I’m eagerly anticipating mine.”

  She had no rebuttal, so they glanced from one counter to the next before lingering at the last one. Garrett pointed out a platinum ring that had caught his eye, but Shari insisted they visit other stores before making a commitment. And they did, but they returned thirty minutes later to purchase the platinum ring. It was dazzling, with forty-seven round diamonds weighing more than three-and-a-half carats. She almost fainted when she saw the price tag.

  “Make a scene, and, woman, I will kiss you right here like I already own you,” Garrett said, silencing her protest with a threat.

  Shari considered calling his bluff to receive his so-called punishment, but the smart thing was for her to back down and let the man shower her with gifts. “All right.”

  They left the jewelers completely satisfied with their purchase. “I guess this makes it official,” Shari mused.

  “It was official the day I set eyes on you.” Garrett winked.

  Chapter 31

  Every little girl wants a fairy-tale wedding when she grows up. What’s your vision?” Garrett’s mother, Phoebe, asked Shari. They were seated at her mother’s kitchen table, planning the beginning stages of her wedding. Shari already had her bridesmaids lined up—in addition to her sisters, Garrett’s sister, Deborah, and Shari’s best friend, Faith, would stand with her on her special day. It was a violation of the vow she’d made with her sisters, but they’d seemed okay with it.

  Anchoring her elbow on the dining-room table, Shari smiled. “Hmm. My dream wedding would include riding in a horse-drawn carriage, like they did in the movie White Christmas.” She’d always found that idea romantic, albeit maybe not realistic in Philly, where she might freeze.

  Her mother set aside the invitation samples she and Phoebe had been perusing. “Sharmaine Lynn Carmen, is that why you decided on a bitter cold January wedding?” She shivered. “We don’t need to see a ninety-day forecast. There’s almost a one hundred percent chance it will snow. But there could also be ice and subzero temperatures….”

  “I know, it was a childish notion,” Shari admitted, feeling silly as her mother pointed out the cons of her vision. She was about to concede when Garrett walked into the room.

  The look he gave her was filled with love. Wrapping his arms around Shari’s shoulders, he leaned down and kissed her head before rubbing his nose in her hair. She melted from his touch.

  “We’re getting married only once,” he said. “If a horse-drawn carriage is what Shari wants, then I’ll make it happen.”

  Shari turned around to face him. She reached up and rubbed his jaw as she whispered, “Thank you.” Then he pressed his lips against hers.

  “That man must love you if he’s ready to freeze to death,” her mother mumbled.

  “He does,” Phoebe declared.

  Garrett pulled away, his nostrils flaring. “I do. Very much.” Then to Shari, he mouthed, “You’re welcome.”

  Shari’s mother cleared her throat, as if to remind them that they had an audience. “Garrett, I love you like a son already, but you are a distraction to our powwow,” she pretended to scold him.

  “I think my future bride loves my distractions.” Garrett gave her another kiss on the cheek and winked before he stood straight, but he kept his hand on her shoulder.

  “Hush, Son,” Phoebe said. “You two could enjoy a carriage ride in the spring or summer, and it’ll be just as beautiful. Plus, six months to a year would give Annette and me more time to plan. We still need to choose a reception venue, make the menu selections, decide on the music, arrange for a cake tasting….”

  “We can help, Mom,” Garrett said, picking up a pile of sample photos that Shari had set aside.

  He pulled back her chair as if a silent command to follow him. She got to her feet, despite being clueless to what her fiancé might have planned.

  “Shari and I can do the cake tasting on our own. We’re the ones who have to feed it to each other, after all. And I think we’re both musically astute enough to choose our own band or DJ.”

  “Well, I guess a once-in-a-lifetime love deserves a once-in-a-lifetime affair,” Phoebe conceded, backing down.

  Their mothers gave them a whimsical smile and said nothing more as Garrett grabbed their things and ushered Shari out of the house.

  “Your mom and mine looked like they would be brainstorming all day, and I wanted to get you alone,” Garrett said.

  Shari elbowed him. “Part of the fun is the planning—the dress, hairstyle, makeup, cake….” She rattled off the top ten items on her wish list as she got inside his SUV and clicked her seat belt.

  “Babe, I don’t care as long as you say ‘I do,’” Garrett told her. “I can’t marry you fast enough. A saved man can hold out only so long.”

  Shari laughed at his tortured expression and patted his hand. “I’ve held out for you, too. We’ve come this far, and the ninety days till the wedding will have passed before we know it.” She tried to keep a straight face as she gazed at the defiant expression of her husband-to-be. Shari suspected she would see the same sulk frequently from their children. Children. She smiled. With Stacy pregnant, Shari didn’t plan to wait too long to begin the journey of motherhood. “C’mon, let’s go taste-test some cakes.”

  Garrett grunted as he started the ignition and drove off. “I should take you across the border and marry you today.”

  Poor baby. Shari giggled. He was probably serious.

  Ninety days seemed to fly. The closer they got to the wedding, the more the realization set in that she was about to become Mrs. Garrett Nash. She couldn’t keep the glow under wraps. The awe would manifest itself unannounced.

  Shari couldn’t resist touching Garrett whenever he was near, which explained why they were now holding hands in Bible class, forcing Garrett to scribble notes messily with his left hand instead of his right.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Shari murmured close to his ear.

  Although he was focused on the lesson, he paused and studied her with a worried expression, as if she was pregnant and her water had broken. “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “We’re getting married,” she said as tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t help it. Blame the rock on her fourth finger. Every time she glanced at it, the effect was the same.

  ***

  “Yes, we are.” Garrett winked at Shari and exhaled.

  Her love humbled hi
m. He was the blessed one. Thank God he had submitted to the Lord’s will, or he wouldn’t have this jewel to call his own. He could have been stuck with Brittani, subject to the memory of her unfaithfulness for the rest of his life. But that was in the past. The woman beside him was his future.

  “Stop doubting God that He will return,” Pastor Underwood said, interrupting their private moment and drawing their attention to the front again. “We’re closer now than we were yesterday. Keep your mind on Jesus….”

  “You’re too distracting, you know that?” Garrett whispered to Shari.

  Someone seated in the pew behind them cleared her throat, and both of them looked over their shoulders.

  The older woman frowned. “Brother Nash, Sister Carmen, I can’t listen to Pastor’s teaching while you two are carrying on like that.”

  “We’re sorry, Mother Webster,” Shari said, blushing.

  Garrett didn’t really know the woman, but he had seen her on Sundays, decked out with her matching hats, purses, shoes, and attire. Judging from the merriment dancing in her eyes, she wasn’t all that annoyed with their behavior.

  “Ah, it’s nothing. Young love.” The woman sighed, then squinted at them. “I plan to be at the church wedding, whether I receive an invitation or not, just so you know. I’ve known the Carmen family for years, and I was at Stacy’s wed—”

  This time, it was Garrett who cleared his throat. “Yes, madam. We’ll be quiet.” He squeezed Shari’s hand as a cue, and they faced front again. He didn’t say another word as he spied his fiancée fingering her engagement ring for the third time that night. Make that the fourth time. January 5 couldn’t come fast enough.

  With seventy-five days till the big day, the wedding chatter between Shari and Deborah was increasing in frequency and length. Instead of his grandfather interrupting the quality time Garrett spent with her, it was either his sister or one of Shari’s calling to change some aspect of their nuptials. Shari seemed to enjoy the process, though, so Garrett didn’t object.

  One thing for which Garrett did have to pray for was patience when other brothers attempted to vie for Shari’s attention, even though she was spoken for. They’d had their chance for years, and it was too late for them. At church several weeks later, a few men were holding court with her after the congregation had been dismissed. As Garrett stepped closer to the small group, he overhead one of them ask for legal advice.

  Nine to five, he wanted to say, but he knew Shari wouldn’t turn anybody away.

  Seeming to sense his presence, she pivoted on one heel. “Hi.”

  He reined in his instinctual response—devouring her lips in an unforgettable kiss. What stopped him was the fact that they weren’t married yet. Plus, once he started, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop.

  “Excuse me, brothers.” He lifted Shari’s saxophone case from the floor. “I have to feed my fiancée. We’ll see you next week at band practice.”

  Shari looped her arm through his and let him lead her away. “Stacy and Ted have invited us to dinner,” She told him.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes.” Her dimples flashed. Garrett grunted as he nodded at a few saints they passed on their way out of the sanctuary. “The last time I was invited to dinner, at your mother’s house, Ted growled at me when I reached for another roll.”

  “I know.” Shari snickered. “But since she revealed her pregnancy during one of our sister video chats, she’s been in entertaining mode. She’s had Mom over, my uncle and aunt, and my cousins. Now it’s our turn. I thought she would have less energy, but it’s like she’s on pregnancy steroids. I’m sure my sister will have Ted in check.”

  “What about you? Will my wife have me in check when we’re having our baby?”

  Closing her eyes, Shari grinned, then sighed. “I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.”

  “Are you saying you wouldn’t mind starting our family sooner than later?”

  “However the Lord wants to bless us, I won’t complain.” Her eyes sparkled with happiness.

  “That’s good to know.” Garrett smiled, recalling what God had told him in prayer awhile back—that He would bless Shari’s womb. “I can’t want to be a daddy.”

  The drive to Stacy and Ted’s in North Philly took no time at all. Ted was in a jubilant mood as the proud papa-to-be as he catered to Stacy’s every whim. It was actually comical. Things didn’t turn serious until dinner, when Garrett asked him to pass the macaroni and cheese for a second helping. Only after Stacy elbowed him did Ted take a deep breath, grit his teeth, and reluctantly hand him the serving dish.

  “Be nice,” Stacy ordered him. “You know there’s plenty more in the pan in the kitchen.”

  “That’s for my late-night snack.” He smacked his lips, and everyone else laughed.

  The conversation soon turned to the wedding and then to baby stuff. Garrett couldn’t wait for either event.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to be a daddy,” Ted said. “If it’s a boy, I hope he doesn’t eat us out of house and home. Can you imagine our grocery bill?”

  Rolling her eyes, Stacy shook her head. “I have a prelude to that already.”

  Ted’s excitement was contagious. The way Shari squeezed his hand and stared into his eyes, Garrett wouldn’t be surprised if they returned from their honeymoon with a baby being formed by God in her womb.

  After dinner, they said their good-byes and stepped out into the chilly winter night. The sky was dark and clear, and the stars guided Garrett’s drive to Shari’s house.

  “Forty-nine days before you’re mine,” he said at her door before gently capturing her face with his hands and kissing her good night.

  “I’m surprised you don’t know the time remaining down to the minute and second.”

  “I do.”

  After a long embrace, Shari pulled away and went inside.

  The modesty that God required was killing him.

  Chapter 32

  Shari bounced up the stairs of her house, humming “The One He Kept for Me” by Maurette Brown Clark. Those were the only words to describe the kind of happiness she felt. Before going to her room, Shari noticed that her mother’s bedroom door was ajar, so she pushed it open and found her still awake. The doctor had ordered her to stay off her feet for a few days after she’d sprained her ankle while teaching dance lessons earlier that week.

  “Hi, Mom.” Walking farther into the room, Shari kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.

  “How was Bible class?” Her mother fingered Shari’s curls.

  She would definitely miss their bonding time together once she was married, but it was God’s plan for her and Garrett to form the closest union possible and grow the next generation. “Pastor Underwood preached from First Thessalonians four and talked about the rapture.”

  Her mother nodded. “When Jesus comes back to gather the saints of God, the folks that are left behind will wish they had gone to church.”

  Switching her thoughts from Garrett to God, Shari agreed, “That’s going to be a great day…for some of us.”

  They chatted for a few more minutes, until Shari’s smartphone played Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.” She got up and searched for her phone inside her purse. “It’s Garrett,” she told her mother.

  “I know,” she said with a smile. “I’m so glad that you decided to defend the love the Lord gave you rather than prosecute it. Tell him his future mother-in-law says hello.”

  Will do, Shari mouthed as she escaped to her bedroom for privacy. Although her conversation with Garrett was short, it was sweet and full of declarations of love. Soon she signed off so that she could call Shae and Brecee. Checking the time, she realized that Shae would still be working her shift at the television station, so she left a message on her home phone. Shari didn’t want to chance interrupting her sister while she was on the air.

  Then she speed-dialed Brecee, who answered on the first ring. “Hey, Sis. I can’t get ahold of Shae—”

 
“Girl, where have you been? One date with that baseball player turned into two, and let’s just say he may have struck a home run. Shae’s still a little leery, though.”

  “I completely understand,” Shari said. “I guess one bad relationship will do that to anyone. That’s why I’m so thankful the Carmen sisterhood has my back. If the ballplayer is sent from God, maybe she’ll be wearing a ring soon, too. What about you, surrounded by doctors and nurses?”

  “I didn’t get in this profession to find a husband.” Brecee smacked her lips. “After hearing how you and Garrett met, and how Shae met Rahn, all I have to say is, the man who wants me better be just as unpredictable, exciting, and custom-made-fine by God.”

  Shari chuckled. Since Brecee was the baby, she had a fiercer, feistier, more rebellious spirit than the other sisters. She spoke her mind and had no problem backing up whatever came out of her mouth. Shari feared for the man who thought he could tame her. Her sister was a force to be reckoned with whenever she made up her mind about someone or something.

  They chatted about their excitement of becoming aunts, which led to Brecee talking about some of the young patients under her care in her pediatrics residency and their prognoses. Shari decided to end the call before her sister managed to depress her. “Well, I’d better go. I have a brief to prepare for tomorrow. Love you.”

  True to her word, Shari reviewed the class-action suit set for trial the next morning. It was another case of identity theft, which was becoming increasingly commonplace thanks to information exchanged over social media and pin numbers associated with debit and credit cards.

  Ten of her clients had filed suits against Cummins Computer Design for failing to dispose of their sensitive information, which had resulted in a compromise of their identities. When her eyes began to blur, Shari decided to call it a night.

  The next day, Shari’s heart fluttered in hopes that she would cross paths with her fiancé in the courtroom, but she was not privy to his schedule because of the nature of his work. But when she did see him, whether or not their eyes met, Shari knew he was multitasking, watching her and his charge.