Newlywed Games

by Mary Davis

  She looked up from her tea. “I’m surprised she’s not up already.”

  “She didn’t sleep well. Bad dreams. See you later.” He felt uncomfortable knowing…as though he were telling Meghann’s secrets. He exited quickly, hoping her mother hadn’t picked up on his discomfort.

  He pressed the elevator button and waited, then the sound of an opening door caught his attention. He turned, and his pulse quickened at the sight of Meghann’s hurried approach. The elevator door slid open. He held it with his hand until she reached him. Her honey-colored hair looked soft and luxurious against her violet sweater. His gaze continued down her jeans and landed on her bare feet. She darted inside the elevator and waited for him. Stepping inside, he released the door. What was she up to? She certainly wasn’t going anywhere without shoes. The doors slid shut.

  “I wanted to talk to you before you went off to the hotel.” She looked a bit distressed.

  His gaze slipped back down to her bare feet. “I figured as much.”

  She wiggled her toes. “Oh.”

  He waited through her silence. She fidgeted with her fingers. The elevator stopped on the fifth, third, and second floors to collect more passengers. Bruce didn’t think she was going to tell him what it was that brought her out without her shoes in a small, crowded space. He had stepped closer to her with each group of new passengers until the two of them were tucked securely in the corner, and he drank in her sweet, soft scent. Had they been alone, he seriously doubted he could have resisted the temptation to kiss her. But had they been alone, he wouldn’t have been standing mere inches from her, being enticed.

  The elevator came to a stop at the garage level and emptied quickly. He held the door and waited.

  He noticed her take a deep breath before starting. “I wanted to apologize for…well, for earlier…when I was upset and everything. You know, crying all over your shirt and all that. I really don’t know why I let a silly dream upset me so much.”

  She was babbling again; it seemed to be a habit of hers when she was nervous. He set his briefcase in the doorway to keep the elevator doors open.

  She shrugged, going on. “I was crying all over you, and I’m sure your shirt was all wet. I guess I just kept my fear of losing her all locked inside and it finally broke loose.”

  She only stopped chattering when he gently touched her cheek and moved his thumb across the soft skin. Her breath caught. Even without makeup she was beautiful. “Don’t worry about it. It’s already forgotten.”

  “Really?”

  He pressed the button for his floor and stepped out of the elevator.

  “Really.” Well, in part. He’d forgotten about his shirt being wet. He could never forget her.

  The doors closed on the vision of her, and he read—and understood—the quandary on her face.

  This whole situation was nothing if not confusing. He leaned his forehead against the smooth, cold wall. “Meghann, what are you doing to me?” With a sigh, he turned toward his car.

  Meghann stared at the closed doors, not seeing her own reflection in the polished steel doors, but Bruce’s endearing face. “Don’t worry. It’s already forgotten.” His words ricocheted around in her head. She stomped her bare foot.

  “Already forgotten!”

  Was she that easy to forget? She could have sworn he almost kissed her again this morning, that he’d felt the same, powerful pull that she had. Now…she shut her eyes against the dread filling her.

  Was it possible she’d misread him? That nothing had happened between them earlier? Was the attraction between them all wishful hoping on her part?

  Do I matter to you at all, Bruce Halloway? Do you ever think of me when we are apart, the way I do you? Apparently not.

  The elevator stopped and she got out.

  “I was wondering if you were coming back, the way you flew out of here after your husband.”

  Meg almost grimaced at her mother’s knowing smile and the glint in her eyes.

  Giving her mom a halfhearted smile, she held up one foot. “I forgot my shoes.”

  “Bruce said you had a rough night’s sleep. Aren’t you feeling well?”

  “I feel fine. I just had a nightmare.” But it was nothing compared to the ongoing nightmare she was living. That nightmare apparently had no end.

  “Isn’t it nice to have a big, strong, handsome man like Bruce to comfort you?”

  Yes, it was nice, very nice. It would have been nicer if it had meant something to him. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  She’d been almost happy last night, lost in the sensations brought about by the kiss she and Bruce had shared. Then she had that stupid dream…and Bruce comforted her…then turned around and forgot her scant moments later.

  What are you expecting here, Meghann?

  She frowned at the internal question. What was she expecting? That Bruce would come to love her? That he’d turn into a knight in shining armor and sweep her away to live with him forever as his princess?

  Yes, yes, and yes. She wanted it all. More than she cared to admit. But even she knew life didn’t turn out that way. Especially not as a result of going against what was right in God’s eyes.

  She and Bruce were not living a fairly tale. They were living a lie, and the longer she let it go on, the worse the consequences would be. It was simple cause and effect. The longer her mother thought they were married, the harder it would be for her to accept the truth.

  “What a tangled web we weave.…”

  Cliché or not, it was painfully accurate.

  “Let’s go in here,” Mom said.

  Meghann followed in her mother’s wake without paying attention to their destination.

  Her mom had been eager to visit the local outlet mall. They had been in and out of more than a dozen stores already. It pleased her that her mom showed no signs of tiring. Just in case, she was keeping a close eye on her to see she didn’t overdo it.

  Meghann glanced around the store and couldn’t figure out what could possibly interest her mother here. The walls were painted in bright primary colors, and a huge talking teddy bear occupied the center of the store. This was a children’s clothing store. How odd. What could her mother be looking for in here?

  “This is adorable,” she heard her mom say from halfway across the store.

  Meghann hurried over. Mom was holding a pink, lacy, ruffly infant dress. Meghann was aghast.

  “Which do you like better? This precious ruffled dress or the cute little boy sailor suit?” Her mother held up the two outfits.

  Meghann rolled her eyes.

  “Do you and Bruce want to have a girl or a boy first?”

  “Mother.”

  The older woman was not deterred by Meghann’s obvious lack of enthusiasm. “Maybe I’ll just get them both. You will probably have one of each, eventually.”

  She hated to dash her mom’s hopes but knew it had to be done. She took the two outfits from her and hung them back on the rack. “Mom, don’t spend your money on something that may never be used. I don’t intend to have a baby for a long time.” A very long time.

  “Well, you can never tell. These things don’t always go according to plan, you know.”

  “Can we just drop it for now?”

  “Fine,” her mother said, holding her hands up in front of her in mock surrender and heading for the door. “But you can’t stop me from dreaming. I’m not getting any younger. I could go at any minute. I think my little episode proved that.”

  Little episode? Her mom had been in a coma, not expected to live through the night. That constituted more than a little episode.

  The next store was safe. Not a baby item in sight.

  Her mom wandered through the linen store and eventually picked out a picturesque throw with a lake nestled up in front of a tree-covered mountain. “Isn’t this beautiful?”

  “I love it.” Meghann fingered the corner of it. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “Good, because I’m getting it for you…and Bru
ce of course.” Her mother headed off and rummaged through a large bin of throw pillows.

  “You’re buying it for me—uh—us?”

  “For your house. It’s a wedding gift.”

  “House?”

  “It will go great thrown over the back of the couch or hung on that wall in the living room. You know the big one opposite the picture window? Push the couch from Bruce’s apartment up against the wall, a couple of end tables with nice lamps, and these pillows will go great with it.”

  Her mother was already decorating a house that they weren’t going to buy?

  “Mom, I can’t let you do this. You already sent me that punch bowl for a wedding gift, remember?”

  “That was just a tide-you-over gift until I knew more what you needed. What do you think? The striped ones or these other pillows?” She held up a black-and-cream striped pillow and a paisley print in matching colors. “I think I’ll just get them all.”

  “Mom, no! I don’t want you to buy any of this for me—us.”

  Her mother looked stricken. “You just won’t let me have any fun today.”

  “It’s not that.” What should she tell her? “What if Bruce doesn’t like them?”

  “Bruce not like them? What is there not to like? Of course he’ll like them.”

  “Can’t you just wait? We don’t even have that house or any house.”

  “Fine. I’ll buy them for myself.” Mom pushed her cart toward the checkout stand. “I just wanted to help you and that cute son-in-law of mine to build your life together. You two obviously aren’t making much effort on your own.”

  “Can we drop this subject, too?”

  She paid for her purchase. “I won’t mention it again to you. But if you or Bruce bring it up…”

  “The only thing I intend to bring up right now is whether or not you have any aspirin. I have a headache.” Meghann rubbed her temples. “Can we go now?”

  “Maybe I should drive us home—”

  “Somehow, Mother, I think letting someone drive who collapsed for no apparent reason is less than wise.”

  Her mother sniffed at that. “I was just trying to help.”

  Meghann put her arm around her mother’s shoulders. They were still painfully thin. “I know, Mom. I’m sorry. I’m just being cranky today.”

  What can I say? I’m in love with a man who finds me easy to forget? A man I’m supposedly married to who will probably never speak to me again once this whole mess is over.…

  With a sigh, she led her mother to the car, where she put her mom’s treasures in the trunk, then slid in behind the wheel. Her mom was only being so pushy because she thought Meghann and Bruce’s marriage was shaky. Well, it wasn’t shaky at all. It was nonexistent. So they were actually doing exceptionally well under the circumstances.

  “Headache any better, dear?”

  Meghann nodded absently, though it wasn’t true. Her head was pounding like a drummer on speed. And Meg was pretty sure that the pain wasn’t going anywhere until her mom went back home.

  The drive was made in silence for the most part, until her mom came up with her next brilliant idea. “I think I’ll move out here. This drier climate seems to agree with me.”

  Meg stared at her, her mouth working but no words coming out. It couldn’t. She was too stunned to speak. Finally she managed to stammer, “You—you’ve got to be kidding! What about your job and all your friends?” Her mom just couldn’t move out here. She couldn’t!

  “I can make new friends and get a new job. Maybe my son-in-law would hire me at the hotel. That way I would be closer to you and Bruce…and my grandkids.” She beamed at Meg, clearly delighted at the prospect. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

  Wonderful? No, that was not what it would be. Terrible, maybe. A nightmare come true, probably. The worst thing that could possibly happen, definitely.

  But wonderful? Not in a million years.

  Eleven

  MEGHANN FOLLOWED AS HER MOTHER AND BRUCE WALKED through the room of display cases stopping at each one to read the Colorado history behind what was displayed there. The artifacts spanned from the early natives before settlers came to the present day.

  “This is so interesting,” her mother said. “I never cared for it when I was in school as a child, but now that I have vivid memories of living through some of this, it sends a shiver running right up my back. It makes me feel old to remember some of this stuff they call history.”

  Meghann had always loved history, loved imagining what people were like and how they lived. It was all so fascinating and somehow almost magical.

  Mom moved on to the next display. Meghann started to follow but Bruce caught her hand and held her back.

  “Wait for me,” he said when she gave him a questioning look. “I’m not finished. I haven’t read about the men and women from here who fought in the Korean War.”

  “I have. I was going to the next exhibit.”

  “Would you read it to me?” His eyes pleading.

  “But…I—”

  “Please. I love to hear the sound of your voice.”

  “That’s so sweet,” her mother cooed. “I’ll just meet you two on the other side of the room.” She moved on to the next display.

  If there was one thing Bruce had perfected, it was the sad, puppy dog look.

  Meghann sighed and tore her gaze from his to the case and began reading about the heroic efforts of a local boy. Bruce leaned against the glass and watched her, making it difficult to concentrate.

  Good, she was done, they could move on and he could read for himself.

  “Why me?”

  Bruce’s low question stopped her in her tracks. “What?”

  “Why did you pick me?” He stepped up to her and slid his arms around her, locking his hands behind the small of her back. Her hands automatically braced against his chest.

  She glanced around, self-conscious—and terrified he’d be able to tell how much she liked what he was doing. “Why are you holding me like this? Mom’s moved on and out of sight.”

  “You’re avoiding my question.”

  She gave him her own innocent, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth look. “Which question would that be?”

  His eyes scolded her gently. “Why did you pick me?”

  She swallowed hard. “Pick you?”

  His mouth curved up slightly at the corners. “Yes. Unless you know another Bruce Halloway who is assistant manager at the Palace Hotel.”

  “No. You are the only Bruce Halloway I know of.” She made the meek admission in a low, hesitant voice.

  “Soooo?”

  “So, what?”

  He gave her a little shake. “So why me? Was it because of my position at the hotel?” His gaze pinned her. “Or was it because you were interested in me?”

  “Well-l-l…” How did she answer this honestly without revealing too much of her feelings for him? She couldn’t tell him that she had been infatuated with him from day one; that, in a moment of pure frustration brought on by her mother’s constant questions, she had hinted to her mom that they were sort of dating. No, she couldn’t tell Bruce any of that. “I knew my mother would like the idea of me being married to an up-and-coming assistant manager who was being groomed for general manager.”

  A shadow crossed his face. “Ah, so George is on his way out. Shall I let him know? And it was my position you were interested in, or the position I would soon have?”

  If his expression were any gauge, this wasn’t going well at all. “No, I was interested in you—” Oh, good grief, what was she saying? “Or at least the idea of you that I had in my head. When I told my mom about you, I didn’t know you. Not like I do now.”

  “And now that you know me better, do I meet with your approval?”

  Met, exceeded, and left in the dust. “You’re a little of what I thought you would be like.” And a whole lot more.

  “Is that a little in a good way or in a bad way?”

  “Good.” Definitely good
. “We should probably go on.” She pointed in the direction of the next display.

  “I’m not stopping you.” He raised his hands from where they’d been resting at his sides.

  She looked at them in horror. Here she was still snuggled against his chest…and of her own volition! When had he released her?

  She was always in a quandary when she was this close to him. Their connection felt so real at times. And her growing feelings for him were certainly real, but she knew the situation wasn’t. He was only pretending. She felt divided.

  A lie does that. It divides the heart from the soul. It hurts those involved.

  Oh, Lord, let this be real. Let him feel something for me.

  Bruce reached up and brushed back the hair from one side of her face while his other hand lightly touched her back.

  The feel of his fingers on her skin was heavenly, and she realized her breathing was erratic at best.

  “You two look so cute together.”

  Meg turned guiltily to find her mother beaming at them. She wagged a finger at Meg. “It won’t be long.” With that, she went off with a broad smile on her face.

  Bruce glanced at Meg. “Won’t be long for what?”

  “Grandchildren.” She rolled her eyes. “The woman is obsessed.”

  Bruce smiled before hooking his arm around her waist and moving to catch up to her mother. “Where would you like to go for lunch, Mom? Unless you are too tired, then we can head back home.”

  “Lunch sounds great.”

  “But I haven’t seen the rest of the exhibit,” Meghann said.

  “I’ll bring you back another time, I promise.”

  His sincerity melted her protest and increased her feelings for him. She sure hoped he kept his promise because she looked forward to spending more time with him.

  They picked a restaurant and ordered their food.

  “What have you decided about that house?”

  “Mom, you promised to drop it,” Meghann said, exasperated at one of the only two subjects that seemed to interest her mother.

  “I promised not to bother you about it any more, but I don’t believe I was talking to you.” She turned to Bruce and waited for his answer.