Evan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He could feel the wild patter of her heart against his chest. “It’s not cowardly to want someone by your side to back you up. You haven’t had anyone but your father for most of your life so it’s understandable he holds a certain amount of pressure over you. That stops now. You’re going to make your own decisions about your future, and you’ll have me beside you to back you up, okay?”
She heaved out a great sigh. “Okay.”
Callie clapped her hands and cheered. “Gina and Rory are going to be so excited. Can they come too? They’d be devastated to miss out since you’re here anyway.”
“If we’re going to have them as witnesses we’d better tell the old man too.” Chance shrugged his shoulders. “Or you could change your mind about us being there and just get the clerk to do it. Your call.”
“Denver’s call.” Evan kissed her hair and gave her a slight squeeze. “No pressure here; you let me know what you think.”
“I’d like your family there. It’ll be nice and intimate just as I imagined I’d want it to be.”
“So long as you’re sure.”
“Yes, I am. Honestly.” She leaned in against his chest and he heard her give a small happy sigh.
“I’ll call Rory and Dad then after we get the license. Let’s go to town.”
*
Denver’s head spun with the rush of it all. Evan had taken over and told her not to do or worry about anything. All she had to do was make sure she was dressed and be ready to go by 11:00 a.m. the next morning. He’d organized a table at the Graff Hotel restaurant to celebrate their wedding and they would be returning home the following day to hand in their notice and work out their contracts before moving back to town. The meeting with her father was something she dreaded, so she pushed that from her mind and concentrated on what lay ahead with Evan instead.
The following morning shone bright and clear but did nothing to brush away the nerves she’d felt ever since she and Evan had applied for a marriage license. It had been remarkably easy. Proof of identity and it was theirs. She woke up with her future husband watching her, a serene smile on his face. “Is this going to be an ongoing thing, waking up with you watching me? Not that you creep me out or anything.”
“Probably. I keep kicking myself to make sure I’m awake and the gorgeous Denver has really promised to marry me; it isn’t a dream I’ve fallen into.”
She smiled. He was so sweet and romantic, she couldn’t believe she was prepared to use him for her own gain. Denver leaned over to kiss him and a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.” Evan pulled the sheet up to cover her skimpy tank top and almost-naked body.
The door opened and Callie pushed in with a breakfast tray in her hands. “Hey, sorry if I was about to interrupt one of those moments. I figured you guys deserved breakfast in bed today. Sorry it’s nothing special and you know cooking really isn’t my forte. Toast and coffee is your lot.”
Chance stood at the door and watched, his lips twitching with amusement as his wife smoothed out the bedding and placed the tray between Evan and Denver. “I tried to talk her out of it, promise.”
“That’s very sweet of you, Callie. Thank you.” She glanced at the burnt toast and the black coffee, the fragrance giving her a caffeine jolt she desperately needed. “This looks great.”
“We both know it’s not, but I figure it’s the thought that counts. Anyway, the coffee is good ’cause Chance made that.” She wiggled her fingers at them. “See you downstairs when you’re ready.” She laughed when Sherbet pushed her way in the door, sidling over to the bed. Sherbet sat with her muzzle on the edge of the blanket, a whine coming from her throat. “You big softie.” Callie patted her dog on the head and whistled to get her to follow out of the bedroom but she gazed imploringly at the couple in bed.
“Leave her here, she’s fine.” Evan reached out and stroked her under the ears.
“Right, I’ll leave you two to wake up properly and get ready for the wedding. Be downstairs if you need anything.” Callie shut the bedroom door leaving them alone.
“We have so much to talk about. I mean, where are we going to stay when we get back to the city? How much furniture are we bringing, how much are we leaving behind? Should I—”
Evan silenced his bride to be with a kiss. He stroked her cheek with his fingers and gazed into her eyes. She knew she was stressing out over this, and she had to make sure he thought he was doing the right thing. “Breathe and stop stressing. You’re not on your own anymore, remember? We can work it out when we get back to the city. The house is big enough for everything I own and much more so it makes sense to bring the lot and we can store what we don’t need.”
“You haven’t seen how much I have. Come to think of it, you’ve never set foot in my apartment, either.” Denver huffed and blew a strand of hair from her forehead, watching it lift and fall back down again over her eyebrow. “Are we rushing things here, Evan?” She turned her gaze to him.
“I don’t think so, and you need to make sure it’s what you want to do, Denver. No point in me being the only one who thinks we should be getting married and have it all go pear shaped around us later on. You have to want me as much as I want you.”
“I do want you, really that should be obvious because I can’t keep my hands off of you. We don’t know that much about each other.” She reached for a piece of toast and took a small nibble, pulling a face before washing it down with a sip of coffee. She put the burnt offering back on the plate. “I’m worried you’ll find out something you don’t like about me and regret the impulsive decision to marry me now rather than have a longer courtship.”
Evan laughed, reached for her hand. “Oh, Denver, you make me happy, honestly you do. I love everything about you. You’re as perfect as I could imagine you’d be. Remember I’ve watched you for years and I think I’ve gotten to know you pretty well working side by side.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m not worried. Chance and Callie didn’t know anything about each other when they got married and look how happy they are. Same for Rory and Gina. We’ll be fine, I promise.”
“If you’re sure.” She swallowed, still not convinced.
“Is there something specific you’re worried about?”
“Apart from my dysfunctional family, no.” And we have yet to talk about that.
“I can live with that if you can. Now, how about we get up and I’ll make you a decent breakfast before we go and get ourselves married?” He moved the tray out of the way and pushed down the blankets before sliding out of bed. She watched him walk toward the bathroom, her mouth watering as the muscles in his calves tightened with every step.
“I can feel your eyes on my manly body here, Denver. Care to join me for a pre-wedding coital session in the shower?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She pushed off the blankets and hurried toward the shower.
Chapter Sixteen
It took them three weeks to pack up their respective homes and work out their contracts at the hospital. Denver leased her apartment and moved into Evan’s townhouse to see out their time in Seattle. The week before they left, Denver’s father invited them for dinner. The house itself was imposing enough and Evan wondered how she had grown up here in such a clinical white surrounding. The furnishing were cold and, in his mind, unlivable. More suited to a magazine shoot or a showroom, not a growing family. Nothing like the rough-and-tumble, hand-me-down furniture Evan was used to where you could casually lift a leg up on the couch and not get your butt whipped.
“Evan, how nice of you to make the time to visit before you left town.” Dr. Sinclair led them into the parlor and stood in front of a fireplace with his hands behind his back, his lips turned down in what Evan could only call a sneer. “I must congratulate you both on your wedding.” He gave a tight smile to his daughter and then glanced back at Evan. “Pity you didn’t see fit to let me know of the occasion. I only have the one daughter and had planned o
n giving her away in the traditional sense of the word.”
“We decided we didn’t want all the tradition trappings. Denver and I are quite comfortable with what we had. I’m sorry if that doesn’t meet with your approval, we’re both adults and it was our decision.” He noticed how pale Denver had gone sitting on the couch beside him, her hands in her lap as her father showed his displeasure.
“But as her father, I feel I have a vested interest in her life. Surely you can understand that?”
“Dr. Sinclair, let me make myself clear here once and for all. At work you are in charge but this marriage is between Denver and I and we are the ones calling the shots. What we do is our business and if she was happy to have a quiet, quick ceremony away from the city, I’m sure you’ll understand there were obvious reasons for that.” Evan reached out and touched his wife’s shoulder, willing her to stay strong.
“Of course. I do understand even if I don’t agree with you. Young people these days want things different than what their parents did.” He glanced between them, and Evan waited for another derogatory comment. “Understandable. Can I get you a drink, Evan?”
Denver stood up and brushed her hands down the front of her skirt. “Excuse me, I’ll pop into the kitchen and say hello to Nell. Won’t be a moment.” She hurried out without a backward glance.
Her father watched until she disappeared out of sight then he turned to Evan. “Evan, let me be frank. Talk to you man to man.” He walked over to the drinks trolley and poured them each a scotch. When he handed one to Evan he paused in front of him. “I love my daughter dearly, make no mistake about that. Was I disappointed over the wedding? Yes, I was. Am I disappointed she married you? Not at all.” He smiled again, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and Evan knew he wasn’t the doctor’s choice for a husband for his only daughter.
“I have always believed a woman’s place is in the home. Old fashioned I may be, that’s how I feel and there’s no changing that. I let Denver study medicine because she was so intent in following in my footsteps. I was sure it was only going to be something to keep her amused until she found the right partner and settled down.”
“And instead she has become a highly skilled doctor. I, for one, am proud of what she has achieved.” Evan watched the distaste rise in his father-in-law’s eyes. “As far as I’m concerned, Denver can have a marriage, a family, and a career. I will never tell her she has to stay home and play the little subservient wife and, no matter what you say, that won’t change.”
“I disagree, Evan. I’d appreciate if you kept this conversation to yourself. No point in upsetting everything so early into your marriage.” He pursed his lips before speaking again. “Now Denver is a married woman, I feel it is time to curtail her, shall we say, diversion into medicine. The girl needs to get pregnant and concentrate on what woman are born for—to create the next generation. After all, she only went into the profession because of me. She’s proven herself, but that should be the end of it.”
“I’m not sure I agree with you there, and as I’ve already said, she can have it all as far as I’m concerned.”
“Of course, I expected that coming from you. You grew up in, shall we say, different circumstances than my daughter.”
“If you mean poor, feel free to say so. I have nothing to be ashamed about.” He took a calming breath. “Yes, I did it hard but, thanks to my brother, not as hard as some. I’ll no doubt be paying off my school debt for years to come, but I’m prepared for that.”
“So, Denver’s wealth had nothing to do with the rather fast marriage then?” Dr. Sinclair sipped at his drink, eyes pinned on Evan.
“I take that you meant that to be an insult, Doctor. Because of who you are, I’m going to ignore it. I feel sorry for you. Stuck in your ivory tower, ruling the roost at the hospital as if it were your own personal playing field. I used to be in awe of you, wanted to be like you. I see how wrong that was and, I’ll be the first to admit, you turning me down for the job is the best thing that could have happened. It made me stop and look at what was important in my life.” Evan noticed the color leaching from the older man’s face.
“Practicing medicine is and always will be what is important to me. Not the control of a hospital or even a department. I’ll leave that to those who love that style of administration work. I’m going back to Marietta to be a family doctor, and that’s where I intend to stay doing what I love.”
“And you seriously think my daughter will be happy in some backward little town playing second fiddle to a local doctor? You don’t know her very well, Evan.”
“I believe I know her better than you do.”
“The fact remains, I know my daughter and she was only filling in time playing at doctor. I know she’s very good at what she does, and I’ll be the first to admit it. I still think I’m right in saying she’ll make a great mother.”
“Oh, I agree on that part. Why can’t she have both motherhood and a career? I’m more than happy to support her if that’s what she chooses. To tell you the truth, we haven’t even had time to discuss children. We want to enjoy each other first.” Evan took another sip of his scotch. “I’m sure you understand.” Bet you have no idea, you chauvinistic prude.
“Let me be frank here before Denver comes back. I doubt she will approve of her husband and father having words as it were. If you get her pregnant and she produces a living grandchild, the job you wanted is yours.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Dr. Sinclair looked at him over his glass, one eyebrow raised in question as if Evan crossed the line. “Ah, I hear Denver coming back. Remember what I said Evan. It’s yours.”
*
Denver leaned back in the truck, resting her head as they drove away from her father’s house. “I’m sorry. He was a pig as per usual but at least it’s over now.”
“Yes it is. Now we get to move to our new life and get on with it and you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“I still haven’t told you about my brother. You haven’t asked either.” She glanced out the window, her heart hurting.
There was a moment’s silence before his voice reached her. “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. We don’t have to talk about it now, Denver. I think you’ve dealt with enough tonight.”
She was touched and turned to give him a smile, then sighed knowing it wasn’t as good as she was capable of. “May as well get it over and done with while we’re on a roll of disillusionment. My brother is gay.” She looked back out the window as Evan drove them toward his townhouse. “He came out of the closet when he finished college much to my father’s disgust. He’d wanted Liam to be the one who followed him into medicine, not me. It was a great disappointment that Liam could never be exactly who our father had wanted.”
She remembered the night clearly when Liam stormed from the house, promising never to return. It was the evening when her heart was ripped in two all over again. “There was the predictable fight and he and my father haven’t spoken since. His room was cleaned out and everything stored away and the staff weren’t allowed to speak of him again. As far as my father is concerned, he only has one child. One child that will never live up to his expectations no matter how hard I try.”
“That’s sad. Have you spoken to your brother since?” Evan’s voice was calm and for that she was thankful. It would do her no good to have him as emotional as she felt right now.
“I get the odd post card. As far as I know he’s in Paris living in a small apartment with his boyfriend and loving life. Which is something he never would’ve done if he’d stayed here.” A tear trickled down her cheek unheeded. “I miss him.”
“I’m sure you do. I miss my brothers when I’m not around them too. Why not contact him then and see if you can catch up? At least have a phone conversation to ease your mind and find out how he’s doing.”
“I might do that. I lived in fear of my father’s disapproval and I know logically I shouldn’t have.” She reached out her
hand and gripped her husband’s fingers in hers, the contact soothing. I’m so lucky I finally gave in and accepted that first date with him. And to think I was going to use him to get what I wanted. That was so shallow and callous of me. I’m such a lucky girl. “When I tried to analyze my feelings I put it down to around the time when my mother died. Suddenly I was the one he was grooming to be the perfect hostess to make up for her refusal to give up her job and bow to his demands.” She shuddered. “He didn’t understand why I wanted to be a doctor, not really. It wasn’t because he’d been one, it was because I wanted to help people, the same as he and my mother did. She managed to work around us children as a clinical psychologist and it worked well. I couldn’t bear the thought of being a society hostess. I wanted more out of life, Evan.”
“You can have whatever your want. With me by your side, you no longer have to worry about your father and what he wants, Denver. You’re your own person, never forget that.” He pulled into the parking space at his old townhouse and turned off the engine. “Let’s get you inside. You sound tired, it’s been a long day topped off by an unpleasant evening.”
“Thank you for understanding.” She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “I love that about you.”
“There’s lots to love, let me assure you. I can find you something when we get upstairs if you want me to.” His wicked grin had her smiling again. He really was so good to her, understanding her moods and not letting them get her down more than he could help.
“I bet you could.” Denver climbed out of the truck and held his hand as they walked up the stairs to the front door of Evan’s town house. Once they were inside, she headed for the bathroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower before I crawl into bed.”
“I think I’ll join you.” He threw his truck keys on the kitchen counter and walked in after her, turning on the water as she stripped off her clothes. Once inside, Evan held her close while she let the water fall on her tense shoulder muscles. As the heat soothed her wound up nerves, her fingers began to travel down his body, exploring all the ridges and planes of his stomach before sliding around his back and cupping his butt cheeks.
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