The Manning Brides

by Debbie Macomber

  “Why did you cancel the appointment with Dr. Fullerton?”

  “Because…you know.” She rubbed her palms together. “I didn’t hear from you this morning—not that I expected I would. I mean, overnight was much too soon for you to make up your mind. It would’ve been unreasonable for me to expect anything of the sort.” Jamie knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t make herself stop. “My…our appointment with Dr. Fullerton is…was for tomorrow and I couldn’t very well go through with the insemination process, could I?”

  “You’ve already been through one insemination process.” He seemed to enjoy reminding her of that.

  “Yes, I know, but…this is different.”

  His mouth slanted upward, his eyes bright with laughter. “I should hope so.”

  “I didn’t want to cancel the appointment.”

  “Any chance you can reschedule?”

  “Uh…” Her eyes connected with his, her heart pounding so loudly she thought he could hear it. “Are you saying you want to stay married and have the baby and—”

  “That’s exactly what I want.”

  Jamie couldn’t help herself. She let out a cry of sheer joy, threw her arms around his neck and brought his mouth down to hers.

  Ten

  Rich moaned in surprise and welcome as Jamie’s mouth sought his. He wrapped his arms around her as she stepped deeper into his embrace. His breath—and her breath, too—was heavy, abrupt, as if they’d both been caught off guard by the power of their attraction. The power of their need.

  Rich tried to discipline his response to her, but his arousal was fierce and sudden.

  He wanted Jamie as he’d never wanted anyone. He needed her. The kiss, which had began as a spontaneous reaction of joy and excitement, quickly became a sensuous feast of desperation and desire.

  Rich groaned. He couldn’t stop himself. His wife was in his arms, where she belonged, where he intended to keep her.

  Patience, patience, his mind chanted. They’d make love soon, very soon and when they did, it would be a celebration of their marriage. There would be no grounds for regret or misgivings. No room for doubts. It would all come in time. Soon, Rich promised himself. Soon.

  By a supreme act of will, Rich drew in a tattered, shaky breath and buried his face in her hair. “You taste of marshmallows.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” It demanded more control than he’d ever imagined to ease himself from her arms. “What about ordering that pizza?”

  “Sure.” She recovered quickly, Rich noted. Far more quickly than he did. She smiled shakily up at him. “There was a coupon in Tuesday’s mail….”

  “Do you want pepperoni and sausage?”

  “Sounds good to me,” she said over her shoulder. She moved away from him as if they’d never touched. Rich envied her ability to do so. He had difficulty disguising her effect on him.

  Jamie pulled out a kitchen drawer where she maintained a small file for coupons. Once again he was astonished—although he shouldn’t have been—at how organized she was. In no time, she’d located the right coupon and placed the order.

  The pizza arrived promptly, thirty minutes later, and by then they were back on an even keel with each other. Rich would’ve liked to discuss their kiss, but didn’t want to say or do anything to destroy this fragile peace. There’d be lots of time later to talk about their feelings. For now, he would bask in the warm glow of his love for Jamie and wait patiently for her to love him back.

  It shouldn’t take long. He didn’t mean to be cocky about his attractiveness or charm, but their love would be built on the firm foundation of friendship. All he had to do was exhibit patience and tenderness. The way he figured, in a week or two he’d be confident enough to approach her with the truth about his love. By the end of the month he’d be moving in with her.

  No one would fault his plan. Least of all Jamie. He’d bide his time, give her the love and attention she needed, prove that he’d be a good husband to her and a good father to their child.

  If everything went according to his plans, Jamie would be pregnant long before they could see Dr. Fullerton again.

  Soon the pizza box lay open on the kitchen table. Jamie had set out plates and napkins and two cold cans of pop.

  “This is delicious.”

  Rich agreed with a nod of his head. The pizza was excellent, but its taste couldn’t compare to Jamie’s kisses. In fact, he could easily become addicted to the flavor that was hers alone.

  “I’ll call Dr. Fullerton’s office in the morning,” she said casually. “I probably won’t be able to get in until next month.” Her eyes briefly met his, as though she was seeking his approval.

  “That sounds fine to me.”

  Her dark eyes brightened and her hand reached for his. “We’re gong to make this work. We can, I know it.”

  “Of course we can,” Rich told her. If things went the way he wanted them to, they’d soon be a family—and that was exactly how they’d stay, at least if he had anything to say about it. Jamie didn’t know that yet, but she’d discover his intentions soon, and by that time she’d be as eager as he was.

  The alarm blared and Jamie rolled onto her back, swung out one arm and flipped off the buzzer. The irritating noise was replaced with the gentle sounds of the soft rock station she listened to each morning.

  The bed was warm and cozy and she didn’t relish the thought of crawling out into the dark, cold world, especially on a Monday morning. It was far more pleasant to linger beneath layers of blankets, thinking about the good things that were happening between her and Rich.

  They hadn’t seen much of each other in the past week because Rich was involved in a defense project for Boeing. He’d worked three to four hours overtime every night, plus both days of the weekend. Yet he called her every day without fail, usually late in the evening.

  He sounded so frustrated at not seeing her as often as he wanted. As often as she wanted. Jamie had done her best to pretend it didn’t matter, but it did. She missed him dreadfully, although their night-time phone conversations went a long way toward making up for that.

  They were like a pair of teenagers talking on the phone. There wasn’t really a lot to discuss, yet they often spent an hour or more chatting and laughing as if it had been weeks since they’d last spoken. Afterward, Jamie would spend the rest of the night swaddled in happiness.

  Rich was exhausted whenever he called her. Although he’d never said as much, she had the impression he hurried out of the office and drove straight home just so he could talk to her.

  Although they hadn’t actually seen each other since the week before, Jamie felt encouraged by the way their relationship was developing. They were close, closer than they’d been at any time since high school. It seemed natural for her life to be so closely entwined with his. Natural and right.

  Everything was going so well for them, she thought again. Rich seemed pleased when she rescheduled her appointment with Dr. Fullerton. Jamie often fantasized about their child—boy or girl, she’d be delighted and she knew he would, too.

  Stretching her arms high above her head, she yawned loudly and kicked away the covers. Although she’d prefer to laze the morning away thinking about Rich and their future, she had to shower and get ready for work.

  Still yawning, she sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. The room started to sway. Jamie exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. The sensation worsened until she was forced to put her head back on the pillow. The dizziness was followed by a surge of nausea.

  Apparently she was suffering from a relapse of the flu. Wasn’t she?

  Jason called Rich at the office early Tuesday morning. “I haven’t heard from you in a while,” he said, giving the reason for his call. “I thought I’d check in to see how everything’s going with you and Jamie.”

  “Fine,” Rich said, studying a design layout on his desk. He held the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he worked. “I appreciated your words of wisdom the
other night.” However, as Rich recalled, Jason had been more concerned with getting him out of his apartment than shedding any new light on Rich’s muddled marriage.

  Rich had been more shaken that night than he’d realized. The mere mention of the word divorce had thrown him. It had also forced him to deal with the depth of his love for Jamie and had set his determination to do everything within his power to make their marriage work.

  “So things between you and Jamie are better?”

  “So far, so good.”

  “No more talk of a divorce?”

  “None.” Thank God, Rich mused.

  “Then you’ve agreed to her terms?”

  “More or less.” It was the terms they’d both agreed to—only he wanted to change the rules now. All he needed was a few days to convince Jamie how crazy she was about him. It shouldn’t be that difficult, especially when he was already so much in love with her, as long as he could get a few hours free from work. Which was difficult right now, with that defense contract gearing up.

  “What does ‘more or less’ mean?” Jason wanted to know.

  “It means,” Rich said, his words heavy with impatience, “that I intend to make this marriage real.” He glanced around to be sure no one in the office across the hall from him could hear. This wasn’t the way he wanted his fellow workers to learn he was a married man.

  “How does Jamie feel about this, or—” Jason hesitated “—does she know?”

  “She will soon enough.” Rich had never felt more frustrated. The defense project was taking all his time; knowing he’d volunteered for it didn’t help, either. He’d been single at the time, but his life had changed and he was a married man. Sort of a married man. One who longed to be a real husband to his wife.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve considered telling Mom and Dad that you’re married, have you?”

  Jason should’ve gone into police work, Rich mused. He certainly possessed interrogation skills.

  “It wouldn’t hurt, you know,” Jason added.

  Rich frowned. “Is there any reason I should tell them?”

  Jason’s chuckle annoyed him. “Not really,” his brother said. “Just promise me you’ll let me be there when you do.”

  Rich didn’t find any humor in his teasing. “I will when the time’s right.” That might take longer than he’d originally planned, thanks to all the overtime he’d been putting in lately. Informing his parents that he and Jamie were married, and had been for the past six weeks, wasn’t a task he relished. Of course, the longer he waited, the more offended they’d be.

  “Talk to you later.”

  “Okay,” Rich said absently, more concerned about the designs he was reviewing than the conversation with his brother. He hung up the phone and glanced at his watch. The defense project was winding down, and if the day progressed as he hoped, he’d be able to take a break this evening and visit Jamie.

  Rich was so involved in the designs that he didn’t notice someone standing in the doorway until he glanced up. When he did, his eyes widened with shock.

  “Jamie.” Her own eyes were red and glazed with tears. Yet she was smiling. Rich didn’t know which emotion to respond to first. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, Rich, you won’t believe what’s happened,” she cried, and ran toward him, arms outstretched. “You just won’t believe it. I…I know I shouldn’t have come here, not when you’re so busy, but I had to, I simply had to.”

  Worried that there might be something seriously wrong with her, Rich got out of his chair and had her sit down. Then he crouched in front of her, holding the armrests, forming a protective barricade around her.

  “Tell me,” he said tenderly.

  “I woke up sick yesterday,” she muttered, opening her purse and digging through it for a tissue. When she found one, she dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Once again she was smiling broadly and weeping at the same time. Tears slid down her face, and her mouth trembled with some as-yet-undetermined emotion.

  “I assumed it was the flu,” she said, sobbing, “but I felt fine a little bit later. I didn’t even think to mention it when you phoned last night—but this morning my stomach was queasy again and I felt light-headed, as though I was going to faint. I wasn’t sure what to think until I checked the calendar.”

  “The calendar?”

  She nodded enthusiastically.

  “Jamie?” Rich was afraid to place too much significance on what she was saying—what she seemed to be saying. She couldn’t possibly mean what he hoped she did. It was ludicrous. They’d only made love that one time.

  Once again she nodded wildly. “Rich,” she said, her hands gripping his. “We’re pregnant.”

  “Pregnant,” Rich repeated in a whisper, stunned. If he hadn’t been clutching the sides of the chair, he would’ve toppled onto his backside. “Pregnant,” he repeated slowly.

  “I never dreamed it would happen so quickly. My temperature was only elevated a little that morning and…I didn’t really think I was fertile yet, but obviously I was. Rich, oh, Rich,” she sobbed joyfully. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  “A baby.” Rich stared at her. “You’re sure? You’ve been to see Dr. Fullerton?”

  “No…I bought a pregnancy test in the drugstore this morning and a few minutes later—”

  “You’re sure?” he asked again.

  “The stick turned blue. You can’t get any more positive than that.”

  “Blue…does that mean the baby’s a boy?” His head, his heart, were racing, trying to take it all in.

  Jamie laughed and hiccuped and laughed some more. “No, silly, it doesn’t mean we’re having a son, it means we’re going to be parents.”

  “But we could be having a son,” he challenged.

  “Of course. Or a daughter.” She threw her arms around his neck and laughed, an outpouring of joy. It was the sweetest, most poignant song he’d ever heard.

  “We’re pregnant,” Rich said, finally—fully—taking it in. “We’re really pregnant.”

  “Really,” she said, brushing the tips of her fingers over his face. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

  “Pregnant.” Slipping his arms around her waist, he stood, bringing her with him. His mouth found hers, and he kissed her the way he’d longed to do all week.

  Jamie moaned. So did Rich. The kiss created a need for much more, and this was neither the time nor the place.

  “Say something,” she whispered, her eyes holding his. Her hands pressed against the sides of his jaw. “Tell me you’re pleased about the baby.”

  Everything he wanted to tell her—his joy, his excitement, the overwhelming love he felt for her—it all formed a huge lump in his throat. To his dismay, Rich couldn’t utter a single word. Finally he threw back his head and released a shout that sounded like a war cry.

  “Rich?” A frowning Bill Hastings appeared in his doorway.

  Rich grinned and waved. He broke away from Jamie, but took her hand in his. “Hello, Bill. Have you met Jamie Manning, my wife?”

  Jamie’s smile grew and grew. “Jamie Warren Manning,” she corrected.

  “Your wife?” Bill frowned again, but recovered quickly. “When did this happen? You never said a word. This isn’t the same Jamie Warren you…you know, is it?”

  “Yup,” Jamie answered for him. “I’m the one he wanted you to ask out.”

  “You two are married?”

  “We’d better be.” Rich said, tucking his arm around Jamie’s slim waist. The time would come when that same waist would expand, her belly filled with his child. Thinking about it, he felt shaky inside. Rich hadn’t realized men were susceptible to those kinds of emotions. He’d assumed they were reserved for women. His heart was full. Overflowing with a happiness so profound, it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. His throat thickened as though he might break into tears. Rich couldn’t remember the last time he’d wept. It wasn’t something men did often. But knowing Jamie was pregnant with his child
, his son or daughter, was enough to reduce him to tears.

  “I see,” Bill said slowly, clearly not seeing a thing.

  “I’m pregnant,” Jamie announced.

  Bill grinned, then turned to Rich. “But you offered me Seahawks play-off tickets to take her to dinner, and that wasn’t more than two months ago.”

  “You paid him to take me to dinner?” Jamie muttered under her breath.

  “What can I say?” Rich teased. “I was young and foolish.”

  “This is all rather sudden, isn’t it?” Bill continued, choosing to ignore the whispered conversation between Rich and Jamie.

  “Not really,” Rich answered. “We’ve had a fourteen-year courtship.”

  “Fourteen years!” Bill looked astonished. “It seems congratulations are in order. I’m very pleased for you both.”

  “Thank you,” Jamie returned graciously.

  Bill left the office then, and Jamie whirled around to face Rich. “You told him we’re married!” she cried.

  “You mean we’re not?”

  “Rich, we can’t tell your coworkers and not our families.”

  Rich hadn’t given the matter much thought. It had happened spontaneously. But if a husband had just learned he was about to become a father, he should be able to tell someone, and in this case Bill was that someone.

  “Since you told Bill,” Jamie said, pacing his office, “then I should be able to tell someone, too. Agreed?”

  “Agreed.” Personally Rich could see no harm in letting the news out. Especially when revealing the truth might actually help him achieve his goal.

  Jamie reached for his phone, hesitated momentarily, then sighed deeply and punched out a phone number. Rich had no idea who she was calling. It didn’t matter.

  While she was waiting for whomever she’d phoned to answer, Rich moved behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. He closed his eyes and reveled in the emotion he experienced as he held her tight. He wondered how long this euphoric feeling would last. All day? A week? A month? Deep down, he began to doubt it would ever entirely leave him.