“Sure.”
They crossed a patch of grass to a long pier built over the water. In the summer months, children jumped into the lake from here, but tonight it was empty. She shivered in her dress and light sweater, and Jed shrugged out of his sports jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. They reached the end of the pier and sat side by side with their legs dangling over the water. The last of the light faded from the sky.
“I need you to know something,” he said. “I love you.”
“You do?”
“Yes. These weeks with you have been the happiest of my life.”
“I love you too.” She’d had to hold her tongue so many times over the last few weeks to keep the words from slipping out of her mouth.
He kissed her softly before withdrawing to gaze into her eyes. “I need you to understand that you’re first in my life. My mother’s trying to control me, but it’s not going to work. She can threaten to cut me off all she wants. I’m not giving you up.”
“Are you sure? They’re your family.”
“Nothing matters except that I love you.”
“What if they kick you out of the company?” she asked.
“They won’t. My mother’s bluffing. Dad won’t let her do it anyway.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I was what she wanted for you.” She couldn’t help but feel like she’d failed him. “I tried, but I can see she hates me. I mean, before I heard her say it, I knew I was a disaster.” Tonight had been a test, and she’d gotten a big, fat F. “I’m mortified over the coughing. That cracker just got stuck in there.” A giggle escaped.
He laughed too, which made her laugh harder. Soon, they were practically hysterical. Tears streamed down her face as she reached for him, talking and laughing at the same time. “Stop, this is not funny.”
“I’m sorry.” He wiped his eyes. “You’re right. Choking from dry crackers and pâté is not funny.”
“Promise me I’ll never have to eat that liver pâté thing ever again.”
“I promise,” he said. “I want you exactly how you are. I’ll never ask you to change. Not for my mother. Not for me. You stay exactly you, Alissa Mann, and I’ll be happy.”
A week later, after not hearing from his mother, and with his father communicating to him only at work, Alissa and Jed were curled up on his couch, talking.
“Your dad really hasn’t said a word to you all week?” she asked.
“Other than a few sentences of email, no,” Jed said. “It’s not like we talk that much. He allows me to run my department how I wish. But he’s definitely making his displeasure known. My mom might act like the bad guy but they’re a united front.”
“Do you think they’ll fire you?” she asked.
“I had my lawyer look at my contract this week. In no place does it say anything about the business being handed down to me after his retirement. I have a regular employee contract. So, they could.”
“How does that make you feel?” Alissa asked, remembering from therapy when she was a kid that open-ended questions were a great way to get people to talk.
“I don’t know. This whole thing is weird.”
She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I wish I knew what to do to make her like me.”
“That’s just it—this has nothing to do with you.” He sighed and pressed his hands into his thighs. “She’ll either come around or she won’t.”
Alissa jumped when the doorbell rang.
“Who could that be?” he asked. “It’s almost eight.” Jed uncurled from the couch and went to the spy camera that hung over the front door, then cursed under his breath. “Speak of the devil, it’s my mother.”
Alissa’s heart leapt to her throat. She sat up straighter. Wearing only a pair of black leggings and a sweatshirt with no bra, she wasn’t exactly ready for company. Earlier, they’d messed around in front of the fireplace. In fact, her bra was somewhere in this room, having been tossed away by Jed.
“Should I ignore her?” he asked.
“No, that wouldn’t be nice. Maybe she’s come to apologize.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I doubt it.”
The doorbell rang again.
“For heaven’s sake, I may as well let her in, or we’ll never get rid of her.”
“Um, do you see my bra anywhere?”
He chuckled. “Yes, here it is.” He reached under the coffee table and held up the lacy pink undergarment.
“I’ll freshen up in the powder room.” She scurried over to the small bathroom off the living room. Once inside, she brushed her hair and put on some lip gloss and her bra. Did the flush on her cheeks give away the hot sex they’d had like twenty minutes ago?
By the time she returned, Mrs. Marsh was already seated in one of the easy chairs. Jed was in the kitchen opening wine.
“Hi, Mrs. Marsh,” Alissa said.
“Hi there. Nice to see you.” Mrs. Marsh crossed one slender leg over the other. She wore black slacks, a yellow sweater and four-inch pumps.
Jed brought a glass of the wine to his mother. “Sweetie, do you want a glass?”
“No, thanks,” Alissa said as she took a seat on one end of the sectional.
Jed went back for a glass for himself, then sat next to Alissa. “What’s up, Mom?”
“I wanted to come and say hello,” Mrs. Marsh said. “I didn’t realize you’d have company.”
“We’re together, Mom. You can expect to see her if you want to see me.”
“Right, yes. So you indicated the other night,” Mrs. Marsh said.
“Alissa heard everything you said,” Jed said. “Even if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t be returning your calls. Mother, you can’t treat someone I love like that and expect we’ll have a relationship.”
“Yes, of course. My apologies that I made you upset. Both of you.”
Jed didn’t say anything. Alissa could almost hear his thoughts. That’s not really an apology, Mother.
“Anyway, I wanted to make sure you were still coming to your father’s birthday party, next weekend.” She paused for a moment. “You’re both invited.” That second sentence reminded Alissa of the sound a balloon makes when the air is suddenly released.
“Thanks, Mom. We’ll discuss it and let you know.”
“Your father has been slowing down of late,” Mrs. Marsh said. “It’s more important than ever that he feel sure of your dedication to the business.”
“Mom, you’re the one who threatened to kick me out.” Jed spit out the words.
Mrs. Marsh folded her hands in her lap. “That was wrong of me. Your father has no intention of giving your spot to anyone else.”
Alissa suspected that was about as much of an apology as they were going to get from Mrs. Marsh.
“Okay, well, that’s good to know,” Jed said.
“We know you went to an attorney,” Mrs. Marsh said.
Jed set his wineglass on the coffee table and then looked directly at his mother. “Let’s be clear. I went to a labor attorney to have an outside party look at my employment agreement. I found out I’m just a regular employee like everyone else. Instead of a son, who gave up any dreams of his own, so that Marsh Distilleries always stayed in the family. Did it ever occur to you that I might want to do something else?”
“Did you?” Mrs. Marsh’s gaze locked on her son. Alissa could almost feel an electric current pass between them. “And what would that possibly be?”
His gaze moved to the floor. “I’ve learned something over the last few weeks. I don’t feel safe being vulnerable with you. Even if I felt inclined, I wouldn’t share it with you. But I’ll say this. I’ve been a good son, bowing to your wishes, even buying into the legacy of the business being passed from father to son. However, I cannot have you in my life if you’re disrespectful to the woman I love. If you don’t like my choice, then you’re free to fire me and kick me out of your lives. But this relationship is nonnegotiable. Do you understand?”
“Yes. You’ve made that quite clear,”
Mrs. Marsh said tightly. “Which is why I’m here to clear the air. Your father is ready to retire. He wants to talk to you about a transition plan. We plan to enjoy ourselves with whatever time we’ve got left. He’s worked a lot, as you know, Jed. He’s promised me some travel, for leisure, instead of business. We need to understand if you’re still loyal.”
“My loyalty has never changed,” Jed said.
“Good. I’ll let your father know.” Mrs. Marsh nodded to Alissa. “I should be going and let you enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks for stopping by.” Jed’s voice softened. “I appreciate it.”
Mrs. Marsh stood. “Yes, of course. I’ll look forward to seeing you at the party.”
After he walked his mother to the door, Jed came back to sit with her.
“Do you really mean it?” she asked. “You’d give up everything for me?”
He stroked the side of her cheek. “You and me, baby. It’s all I need.”
“What would you have liked to do other than take over the business?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe a therapist specializing in dysfunctional families?”
She smiled. “I’m serious.”
“I would have liked to be an English professor and talked about books all day long.” He looked up at the ceiling.
“Like my father was.”
“Weird, right?” He flashed her a sheepish grin. “I’ve never said that out loud.”
“It’s not too late,” Alissa said. “You could go back to school.”
“I’m thirty years old,” he said. “I want to settle down and have a family. Going back to school would be a definite derailment, not to mention the loss of income. And anyway, that was a dream from a long time ago.”
“You could become a high school English teacher. That wouldn’t take as long.”
He gazed into her eyes for a few seconds. “How would we live on two teacher salaries? Especially here?”
“We could move to somewhere cheaper. Like the town I grew up in, for example.”
He played with a strand of her hair, tickling her neck with it like a painter with a brush. “You have this way of making it seem like there are endless opportunities.”
“Not endless. But there are other ways to live your life. If you’re unhappy with the path you’re on, there’s no reason why you can’t change.”
“Except that I’m a dutiful son. And, honestly, that was just a fantasy from a long time ago. I love working at the company. I’m proud of how I’ve grown our market. And I’m spoiled.”
She nodded. “Being poor is no fun. I’d hate to see you have to take up stripping.”
He laughed. “I don’t think anyone would pay me to do that.” After a second, he added, “Is it time for you to leave the club?”
“I’d planned on working through the summer, at least.”
“Why? Sophie’s back on her feet.”
“I don’t know. I guess I like the extra money. It makes me feel safer to have a savings account.”
“I understand,” he said. “But I’d like to spend time with you on the weekends. You work until one a.m., then you’re dead tired the next day.”
“I didn’t know it bothered you.”
“Not the work, but not being able to take you anywhere on the weekends does.”
“Thank you for telling me,” she said. “I’d love to be done.”
“Do you see a future for us, like I do? Like one where we’re married?”
She teared up at his earnest expression. “Yes, I see it.”
He smiled. “Good to know.”
“Give me until the end of the school year,” she said. “That’ll give me a few months to save.”
“For what?” he asked.
“If we were to, say, get married, my mom will insist on paying for it. I’d like to have some saved to contribute.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any way to talk either of you out of that idea?” he asked.
“Not a chance.”
Chapter 5
Early spring turned to summer. They developed a happy routine together, spending the nights splitting the time between his place and hers. In the evenings, they cooked together and talked about their days. Things settled down between Jed and his parents. He hadn’t mentioned a change of career paths since the night they’d talked, so she didn’t bring it up either. She figured if he wanted a change, he would make one. All paths seemed to lead elsewhere, however, as his father had spent the last few months grooming him to take the CEO position.
Since they’d talked about marriage, neither of them brought it up again. Knowing Jed and his romantic heart, she suspected he was planning a special proposal. She wanted to be surprised, so kept herself from asking any details, knowing he would do it when he was ready.
With just two days left of school, Alissa was looking forward to having the summer off to spend with friends, and maybe even take a trip home to see Mom. Jed had mentioned he’d like to take her somewhere warm and tropical for a week or two, which sounded like heaven.
While the children were at lunch, she opened the doors and windows to let the fresh air into the classroom. The walls were bare of their art projects and papers, as they’d spent the morning tidying up and preparing their packets to take home. She ate a sandwich standing by the windows. The children, having finished their lunch in the multipurpose room, were now leaping and running around the playground. She would miss her little students. They’d come so far since the first day, bonding with one another, learning how to be part of a group and take direction. Every year since she’d started teaching, the last few days of school were emotional. Saying goodbye was not something she enjoyed about her job.
Her assistant teacher, Megan, poked her head through the open door. “Alissa, there’s a message for you in the office. They asked you to go down there.”
“Really? That’s weird. Do you mind getting them to settle down at their desks when they come in? I’ll be as quick as possible.”
“Happy to,” Megan said.
She headed down to the office. One of the secretaries was at the main desk and smiled when Alissa walked in.
“These came for you,” she said, pointing to a bouquet of pink tulips.
Embarrassed, Alissa opened the card.
Happy end of school. I love you. Jed
She gathered the bouquet and walked back down the hallway to her room. Pushing the door open with her hip to keep from dropping her bouquet, she froze at the sight before her. The children stood in a semicircle around the rug where they had story time. They each held a piece of cardboard in their hands. Jed stood by her desk, dressed in a one of his dark blue suits and looking pale and nervous.
“What’s going on?” Her stomach fluttered.
Megan took the flowers from her, then pushed a button on her phone. The song “Will You Marry Me” played through the Bluetooth speaker.
Then, one by one, starting from the farthest left and so on, the children raised their signs. Each child had one letter that eventually spelled out the sentence: Alissa, will you marry me? With the comma and the question mark, it equaled exactly twenty-two students.
Jed approached and fell down on one knee. He had a small velvet box in his hand, which he lifted toward her. “What do you say? Will you make me the happiest man in the world?”
The song continued softly in the background.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” Tears flooded Alissa’s vision.
All the children cheered, as Jed slipped a solitaire diamond ring onto her finger. He rose and pulled her into an embrace, then kissed her chastely on the mouth.
“I can’t believe you,” she whispered. “This was so perfect.”
“And now we get to have a party with cake,” Megan said.
The children cheered once more, then all rushed toward Alissa. She knelt on the floor, hugging them each in turn. Taking her cue, Jed did the same. Seeing their little bodies hurl themselves into his big frame made the tea
rs start again.
The breeze carried a scent in through the open windows, her mother’s perfume mixed with her father’s pipe tobacco. They’re here, she thought. They see how happy I am.
And after this, she would call Mom and her sisters, and tell them the good news. They would be so glad for her and would want to start planning the wedding before the phone calls even ended.
She looked over at Jed just as another boy hurled himself into his arms. He smiled back at her. That smile was everything she’d ever wanted. This man would be her husband. She couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Chapter 6
December, the month of the wedding, finally arrived. The day after school was out for the Christmas holidays, Alissa held the pair of glittery silver wedding pumps against her chest before setting them inside her suitcase. Almost everything was packed, other than her wedding dress. She’d had the shop send her gown directly to the lodge, where the attentive staff had promised to take good care of it until her arrival.
They’d quickly decided on a Christmas wedding, agreeing to keep it small and only family. Mom suggested Cedar Mountain Lodge, and after a trip out to see it, both she and Jed had fallen in love with the rustic yet elegant lodge and grounds.
Her apartment lease ended in February, so she and Jed had agreed to pack up her things after they returned from their honeymoon.
With Mom’s help, she’d been able to nail every detail. Once they’d decided on dusty blue and gray for the color scheme, everything had fallen into place. She and Jed had chosen just one attendant each. She’d worried that Sophie would be hurt that she’d chosen Hailey as her maid of honor, but her friend had understood perfectly. Of course, Alissa would have her sister Hailey. They’d been through so much together. And anyway, Sophie said, she wouldn’t be able to come for the wedding. After her recovery, she’d taken a nanny job in England and couldn’t afford to fly home. They’d promised to celebrate together later.
Jed had chosen his best friend from childhood, Mitch. Sadly, she had wanted to introduce Sophie to Mitch, but it would have to wait. As long as Sophie didn’t fall in love with some English guy while she was away, Alissa felt certain they were perfect for each other.
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