by Kylie Brant
She thought again of the customs his grandmother had patiently explained to her, each one steeped in the culture and tradition of his heritage. “Very much.” For her, their wedding would symbolize more than their union; it would meld their worlds so that backgrounds—experiences—no longer mattered. All that would matter was the life they built together.
“I’m looking forward to all the traditions. The charm pulls in the cake, jumping over the broom with you and even the charivari, although I’m not quite sure what that entails.”
His thumb brushed over her knuckles and the look in his eyes was heated. “Don’t be wastin’ your energies on some silly customs, cher. Save them for the honeymoon.”
Because her knees were going weak, she straightened them. “Maybe you’re the one who should be…” The rest of the sentence was forgotten as she caught sight of Peter Brummond ahead of them, getting into a chauffeured car.
Lucky’s gaze followed hers. “I heard there’s some doubt about the paternity of the child his wife is carryin’.”
“What?” Her attention snapped to him. “Where did you hear that?”
He lifted a shoulder, nudged her to get her moving again. “At that affair you dragged me to last week. Guess I won’t have to kneecap him, after all. He’s already got plenty of trouble in his paradise.”
A better person wouldn’t have felt a niggling sense of satisfaction at the news. Jacey decided she could live with the fact that she was no saint. “He isn’t important to us.”
“Non, but she is.” He nodded toward the limo pulling up behind Brummond’s for the lone woman standing on the sidewalk. Charlotte Wheeler waited impatiently for the driver to stop, get out and come around to open her door.
Jacey’s lips firmed. She hadn’t returned any of her mother’s phone calls. Had had only one short conversation with her five months ago. She hadn’t been naive enough to expect an apology, but she had expected that the woman would have had the sense not to bring up her opinions of Lucky again. They were never going to agree on that topic and Jacey was far happier not having to deal with her at all.
“Have you sent her an invitation?” Lucky murmured.
“They haven’t been sent yet,” she hedged.
They both watched as the woman was handed into the car and the door closed. Moments later, the driver rounded the limo, got inside and the car pulled away from the curb.
“My grand-mère won’t live forever.” With a slight tug on her hand, they began to move again, in the direction of the Firebird. “Your mother is goin’ to be the only grandparent our children will have.”
Thoughts of having Lucky’s children sent a warm glow spreading through her stomach, but she still muttered, “Then God help them.”
He regarded her soberly. “Family is important, darlin’. Neither of us have enough to be careless with it. You’ll be happier in the long run if you patch things up with your mother.”
“How can you even want that? She has nothing but loathing for you. She’s never going to stop trying to cause trouble between us.”
He pursed his lips, as if considering her words. “I figure I’ve got the best revenge. Me bein’ married to you will drive her crazy for the rest of her life. I can afford to be generous.” He tugged on her hand to bring her into his arms. Uncaring of the curious eyes around them, she went willingly. “She can’t hurt us, unless we let her,” he murmured, his lips close to her ear. He dropped one quick stinging kiss beneath the lobe, making her shiver. “And we’re not goin’ to let her, are we?”
His words made sense, even as she realized he was underestimating the problem. Her mother would never change her meddlesome ways, but their effect on Jacey would be minimized. In the face of their happiness, Lucky was right. They could afford to be generous.
“All right. I’ll put her on the guest list as soon as we get home.”
Approval shone in his eyes, as well as a sizzling steam that never failed to turn the blood in her veins molten. “It can wait a while longer,” he drawled, his tone rife with promise. He brushed a kiss over her lips, returned to linger. “First I think we need to start practicin’ for that honeymoon.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6305-9
CLOSE TO THE EDGE
Copyright © 2005 by Kimberly Bahnsen
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*The Sullivan Brothers
*The Sullivan Brothers
*The Sullivan Brothers
†Charmed and Dangerous
†Charmed and Dangerous
†Charmed and Dangerous
**The Tremaine Tradition
**The Tremaine Tradition
**The Tremaine Tradition
**The Tremaine Tradition
