Nora tried to be pleased about all that had happened. But as much as she wanted her brother to be happy, she’d dreaded his wedding and the reception that followed. Darbys and Fitzgeralds occupying the same space was enough to make anyone nervous.
Aaron Fitzgerald had been true to his word—that he would never forgive his daughter for marrying a Darby. He hadn’t bothered to respond to the invitation. But his wife, Suzanne, had arrived with their children Blair and Brent in tow. The teenagers looked anything but excited to be at their half sister’s wedding, but they were polite to everyone.
Stephen tightened his hold on her waist. “I’ve met the enemy,” he murmured.
She didn’t know if she should cuff him or laugh. “You mean David?”
“Who else? There’s nothing like meeting the ‘other man’ to make a fiancé feel protective.”
He was teasing her to make her feel better and she appreciated that, but his words also made her heart ache just a little. Mostly because she wanted him to be speaking the truth. Stephen being jealous of David Fitzgerald would mean he cared about her as more than a bed partner and the mother of his child. An unlikely occurrence, she reminded herself.
“You don’t have to worry,” she told him. “David is a little too busy with his own life to even notice I’m here.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true. I would say he’s very aware of your presence, and my proximity. Good. Let him eat his heart out. He had his chance and he blew it.”
She followed his gaze and saw the man in question talking to his wife. Fern was seven or eight months pregnant. David already had three girls. No doubt he was hoping for a boy this time.
As she studied David, she searched her feelings, wondering if any emotions lingered. She felt a small amount of regret that she’d been hurt by his marriage to another woman, but she didn’t regret the loss of the man. With the hindsight of years, she wondered if they would have made each other happy. While she’d been raised on a ranch and was familiar with the requirements to keep it running, she found she preferred her life in town. Owning the beauty shop gave her a sense of pride. No matter what happened in her world, she would never need to depend on anyone to take care of her.
“Fern looks tired,” Stephen said.
“You try having three small kids at home with a fourth on the way. We’ll see how perky you feel.”
He surprised her by grinning. “You never just have a conversation, do you? It’s always a battle. You’ll probably threaten my life on a regular basis, but I’ll go laughing.”
Before Nora could respond, Hattie clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.
“I have a special surprise,” she said, moving to the television that stood against the far wall. “Someone very special wants to send the happy couple wedding wishes.”
“Who is it?” Katie asked.
Jack only smiled at her. “You’ll see.”
They stood close together, their arms around each other. Nora glanced around the room. Monica, Tom and Wyatt had made it home from college for their big brother’s wedding. Only Ivy and Keith hadn’t been able to fly in for the ceremony. Ivy’s son had an ear infection, which prevented them from flying in—and Florida was too far a drive for a weekend visit. Keith’s work kept him out of the country.
Nora found herself wondering when was the last time the entire family had been together. Everything had changed so much from when they were kids. Keith was her twin, yet she rarely saw him anymore. He’d left for college nine years before and she doubted he’d been back even a half dozen times since. Ivy had been the same.
The television screen flickered as Hattie turned on the VCR. The camera wobbled a bit, then focused. Nora caught her breath as two familiar figures came into view. They were seated on a hospital bed, beside a bandaged figure.
“Hey, Katie and Jack, it’s us, wishing you a happy wedding.” Dallas Fitzgerald waved. She was a pretty young woman in her mid-twenties. A.J., Katie’s younger brother, also raised his hand in greeting.
“Welcome to the ‘better’ family, Jack,” he called out humorously. “So are you going to change your name to Fitzgerald?”
But Nora barely noticed them. Instead her attention focused on the bandaged figure in the middle. Dressings covered the woman’s face and there was a cast on her left leg. Nora’s chest tightened as she took in the equipment beeping in the background and the sterile hospital room.
“Hi, Katie and Jack,” the woman said. “It’s Josie. I know you can’t tell because I’m currently pretending to be mummy-woman, but it’s really me. I hope you will be very happy together. I love you both, and you, too, Shane. The doctor says you probably won’t recognize me when I’m finished with my surgeries, but she’s promised I’m going to be gorgeous, so that’s something.”
On the video Dallas and A.J. both hugged their sister. They called out a few more greetings, but Nora was too shocked by her friend’s appearance to listen.
As if he sensed her distress, Stephen put his hand on her shoulder. “I know it looks bad, but she’s getting better.”
“I hope so.”
Nora tried to reconcile the injured woman with the girl who had once been her best friend. She looked at the laughing Fitzgerald siblings on the video.
“Are we idiots to carry on the feud?” she asked.
“Of course,” Stephen told her. “But you already knew that.”
She didn’t respond to his statement. Instead she glanced toward David—the man who had broken her heart and humiliated her in front of the entire town. He was tall, blond and still very handsome. He was both strong and kind—characteristics she admired. As she watched him with his wife, she sensed a tension between them and knew they weren’t happy together. At one time she might have been pleased to know his marriage wasn’t working, but not anymore. They’d taken different paths. Eventually she might find out what had happened to make him marry someone else, but it no longer mattered the way it had. She was content to let him—and their past—go.
“I guess you’re right,” she said slowly. “There’s no reason for the families to keep fighting. Not after all this time. But try explaining that to Katie’s father. Sometimes I think the feud is the most important part of his life.”
Stephen glanced at Shane, Katie’s son and Aaron’s grandson. “Then he needs a different life. He’s missing out on a lot by not being here. It’s sad.”
She agreed. But some things couldn’t be changed and Aaron Fitzgerald was one of them.
“Time for lunch,” Hattie said when the video had finished. “Everyone find your places, please.”
She and Stephen made their way toward the round tables, reading place cards as they went. Nora noticed that David and his wife were at the other end of the room. Something else she had to thank her mother for. It was one thing to feel generous toward the man in her heart. It would be another to have to sit across from him and his wife at a meal.
As Stephen held out her chair, a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and flooded the room. “An omen,” he told her, taking the seat next to her. “But is it for them or for us?”
“Maybe both,” she answered, trying not to notice the flutter of nerves in her stomach. After the wedding reception, she and Stephen were driving to Dallas, where they would fly to Las Vegas. Their own wedding was scheduled for later that evening. They would spend the night there and return late tomorrow.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell anyone what we’re going to do?” he asked.
“I don’t want to spoil Jack and Katie’s day.”
While she was a little concerned about her mother’s reaction, she was more worried about what they were doing. Could she really marry this man, knowing that she was in love with him and that he didn’t share her feelings?
“Are we doing the right thing?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Don’t you dare back out on me now,” he instructed.
“I won’t.” She knew she wouldn’t, but she also hoped
he was right. That getting married so suddenly wasn’t going to be something they would both regret.
“Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Nora swallowed against the lump in her throat. She stared deeply into Stephen’s hazel eyes, searching for second thoughts or uncertainty, but there was only quiet contentment in his gaze. He seemed so sure. Was she really willing to be the only one to back out now?
“I do,” she whispered.
“Are you exchanging rings?” the judge asked.
She was about to say they hadn’t thought of that when Stephen nodded and pulled two ring boxes out of his suit jacket pocket. She blinked in surprise.
“When did you get those?” she asked, her voice low.
He grinned. “I made time.”
He opened the first box and pulled out a plain gold wedding band. From the second he pulled a circle of fiery diamonds. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the stunning piece of jewelry, so elegant and unexpected.
“It’s so beautiful. I don’t know what to say,” she breathed.
“Just keep saying ‘I do.”’
The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. Nora vaguely recalled reciting more words, then briefly kissing her new husband. Fifteen minutes later she was wearing her new ring, which felt awkward and unfamiliar. The paperwork was complete and they were on their way up to their suite.
“Did I mention how beautiful you are?” he asked when the elevator door closed behind him and the car started up.
She glanced down at her white wedding dress. She’d found the gown on sale at a shop in Dallas. It was sleeveless with a scoop neck. The satin basket weave bodice clung to her body from her breasts to her hips. From there, smooth satin fell to the floor in an elegant sweep. “I wasn’t sure if you would be upset that I chose to wear something traditional, but I haven’t been married before and I thought…” She cleared her throat. “I just didn’t want to be married in a regular dress.”
“I meant it, Nora. You’re gorgeous.”
She blushed, something that never happened. Rather than look at him, she studied her wedding ring. “I didn’t expect anything like this. A plain gold band would have been fine.”
“But you like this better.”
She risked a quick glance at him. “Of course. Who wouldn’t?”
“Good. That’s what I wanted. To make you happy.”
The elevator stopped on their floor. She wanted to ask if he really meant that, but couldn’t think of a way without getting into territory that was dangerous. How could he want to make her happy without wanting to love her? But if she was going to go in that direction, he could have as easily asked her how she could have married him without loving him. Except she did love him, which made everything so complicated.
He placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her toward the suite. Once there he used his card key to let them into the spacious lodgings.
The drapes had been pulled back from the floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a view of twinkling lights.
“How about something to drink?” Stephen asked.
He crossed to a bottle sitting in an ice bucket and pulled it free. She set her bouquet of white roses and stargazer lilies on the table by the sofa and nodded in agreement.
They were staying in a lovely suite at the Venetian Hotel. A sweeping foyer with a marble floor led to a bedroom with a canopied king-size bed. The bathroom—complete with double sinks, a huge glassed-in shower and a tub big enough for an armada—was slightly larger than her kitchen back home. Past the bedroom was a living room with a sofa and two club chairs. There was a round table with four chairs by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“I would have offered you champagne, but under the circumstances…” Stephen smiled at her as he handed her a champagne flute filled with sparkling apple cider.
She took the glass from him and hoped he didn’t notice that her fingers trembled. Married. They were really and truly married.
“To us,” he said, raising his glass to hers. “Long life and much happiness.”
“To us,” she repeated, and took a sip.
The sweet apple taste fizzed on her tongue. She forced herself to swallow past the lump in her throat, then set her glass down on the coffee table.
From the moment they’d touched down in Las Vegas, everything about the evening had been magical and surreal. Stephen had arranged to have a limo waiting to take them the short distance to the hotel. Once she’d stepped into the multistory building, she’d had a real sense of being in Italy. Marble floors, gilded columns, incredible art reproductions on walls and ceilings all contributed to the ambience. The bellboy had told her there were gondola rides on the shopping level of the hotel.
Now they were alone in their luxury suite and she found herself terrified of her new husband. Husband. The word was strange and uncomfortable in her mind. She’d never thought that she would marry anyone, let alone marry under these kind of circumstances.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as he came up behind her and placed his hands on her bare shoulders.
His skin was warm, but his words made her shiver. She couldn’t tell him what was on her mind. He would never understand and she wasn’t about to explain.
“I’m nervous,” she admitted, because that was probably enough of the truth to appease him.
Nervous and afraid she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life. Worse, she had told Stephen that they weren’t going to be intimate until after the wedding, which was now, and she had a bad feeling he was about to take her up on her promise. She wasn’t sure she could do that with him. Not without blurting out her feelings—something she’d sworn she would never do.
“I’m nervous, too,” he whispered as he pressed several soft kisses along her neck.
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
She’d pinned her hair up on her head in a cascade of loose curls. He pushed aside the ones trailing against the nape of her neck and nibbled down her spine.
Despite her misgivings, anticipation began to fill her. Their lovemaking before had been amazing. There was no reason to think it wouldn’t be again. As for confessing what was in her heart—she was going to have to learn to hide that part of her. He could never know the truth.
“You smell wonderful,” he said as he turned her toward him. She allowed herself to move as he directed, then placed her hands on his strong shoulders. He still wore the navy suit he’d had on for Jack and Katie’s wedding. Passion darkened his eyes and tightened his expression. She read his need and his desire. He might not love her but he wanted her. For now that would have to be enough.
She reached for his tie, but before she could begin unfastening the length of silk, he found the zipper in the center of her back and unfastened it. Nora hesitated before shrugging out of her gown. She’d gone all out on her wedding day lingerie. She wondered if her new husband would appreciate the effort.
With a graceful move, she let the dress fall to her feet, then she stepped out of the shimmering mound of satin. As Stephen stared, his mouth dropped open and his eyes glazed over. She raised her head slightly as she smiled. All right. So the obscenely expensive scraps of silk and lace had been worth it.
She wore a white lacy bra, cut low, with thin straps. A matching triangle scrap of silk served as panties. A slender garter belt hugged her hips and held up white stockings that had a seam down the back. White satin high-heeled pumps finished her ensemble.
Stephen gathered his composure enough to close his mouth and swear. “Where do you buy something like that?”
“You like it?”
“Oh, yeah.”
She turned to show him that the back of the panties was little more than a skinny elastic strap. “The set comes in other colors.”
He swallowed visibly. “Great.”
He reached up and fumbled with his tie. As she sauntered over to the bed, he trailed after her, dropping items of clothing like so many
breadcrumbs. Some of her confidence returned. At least she knew she had his attention.
At the edge of the bed she paused, waiting for him to catch up. He’d removed his jacket, shirt and tie and was tugging off his shoes and socks. His arousal was clearly visible under the lightweight wool of his slacks. But instead of finishing his undressing, he straightened and looked at her.
“You’re beautiful,” he said simply.
“Thank you.”
“I want you.”
She gave him a slight smile. “I guessed that part.”
“Tell me you want me, too.”
For a second there was a flash of vulnerability in his eyes. Whatever lingering reservations she might have had faded at that moment. She moved close to him and wrapped her arms around him.
“More than I should,” she breathed, and raised her mouth to his.
Their first kiss was hot and passionate. There was no time for gentle exploration—not with the fire flaring so brightly it threatened to blind them. She parted her lips as soon as their mouths touched and he immediately plunged his tongue inside her. He tasted sweet—like the apple cider, and yet like himself. She remembered his flavor, how she had savored his taste, his scent, even the way he moved against her.
His hands slid up her arms, then down her chest to cup her breasts. Instinctively she surged against him, desperate for more contact between them. His thumbs found her already tight nipples. He teased the sensitive tips, brushing against them over and over until she couldn’t breathe.
“Don’t…” she insisted.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t stop.”
The last word ended on a gasp as he bent low and nipped her breast through the lace of her bra. A shudder raced through her as her heart rate increased. Her body felt hot all over. Every inch of her skin had been sensitized to his touch. Magic. He was magic and she didn’t want this ever to end.
Unexpectedly Expecting! Page 16
