by Tiana Cole
“It’s a corollary of the saying that no good deed goes unpunished. We were trying to sort out our feelings for each other. It was before we knew…anyway, I’d pretty much made up my mind to ask you to marry me, well, to stay married to me, but I wanted to wait a bit longer. The problem was that Barbara didn’t have the time for me to get off my lazy ass.”
“But you could’ve told me.”
“And then I’d feel like I was buying you, or maybe you’d feel like I was trying to force your hand. It just felt like it should be secret until our relationship was resolved. After all the creepy things between us over money, I needed to feel that when you gave me your decision, it would be about us, and not Barbara.” He took Barbara’s hand. “Not that I don’t like you, Barbara.”
Barbara giggled. “So you helped me secretly to make my illness a non-issue in your romance.”
“Something like that. I’d say it in a way that made me look better than that sounded.”
“Well, I was the beneficiary.”
“I was glad to use my money for something truly good.”
She squeezed his hand. “Me too, James. But that happens now?”
“You get better.”
“I do?”
“The doctors say so. They insist. I paid them all that money after all. If you don’t, they’ll look foolish.”
She spread her hands out. “If I must. And what do you do? You two?”
James grinned at Deja. “Well, I have a lot of business to attend to, thanks to my lady. By the way, she probably has more influence with my new partner than I do. Other than that, I suppose we’ll just sit around, make moony eyes at each other, and watch you to get healthy enough to be at the birth of our baby.”
Barbara shrieked. “A baby.”
Deja smiled at her. “And, at some point, to dance at our wedding.”
Barbara’s eyes sparkled. “At your wedding?”
He nodded. “Technically it isn’t necessary. As my Irish dog food lawyer is fond of pointing out, we are well married now. We just thought it would be nice to have an Elvis-free ceremony with our friends and family. It seems everybody missed the first one—even me.”
“It turned out that Alan confessed to spiking James’s drink,” Deja explained. “He was more drugged than drunk, and that was why he didn’t pass out. The drug impaired his judgment, but not much else.” She poked his side.
“I’d also like to have a video of our wedding that we won’t mind the kid seeing when she’s bigger.” He squeezed both their hands. “And, in case the public at large cares at all, I want to convert my accidental bride into an extremely deliberate choice.”
Barbara laughed. “That’s all well and good, but getting married without Elvis? I do like Elvis.”
“I’ll buy you all his CDs for a get well present.”
She rubbed her hands together gleefully. “That’s a lot of CDs.”
Deja beamed. Seeing the joy on her sister’s face, a happiness that almost matched her own, was the greatest wedding present a person could have. Suddenly, she put her hand on her belly. “She kicked me.” Then she grinned. “At least I felt something.”
Barbara reached out and Deja put her hand on her belly, holding it there. “It’s still a little early for that, isn’t it. You’re only about three months along. She giggled. “But maybe she’s found a way to send us a coded message.”
“Really?”
“The little dear is telling us she wants the band to play Elvis tunes at the wedding.”
Deja smiled at James. “As an only child, you have yet to learn the harsh lessons of the baggage of family. It’s one of the hazards of marriage. Just in case you hadn’t noticed already.”
He laughed. “I wasn’t going to mention that. Besides, in this case, there are a couple of compensations.”
“Any plans for where you’ll go on your honeymoon?”
Deja laughed and clapped her hands. “Shen Liang offered us the use of a beach house he owns in Tahiti.”
James snorted. “He’s taken a shine to Deja. He overruled what he considered my more pedestrian choices. I was thinking Mexico, and you would’ve thought I suggested Detroit or Beirut.”
Barb laughed. “I like this partner of yours already. I assume he’ll be at the wedding?”
“Of course. He said he’ll come only because he wants to dance with his favorite sisters.”
Deja sighed happily. It had been a rough road.
The choices she’d made in the beginning had started them down the wrong path, but now they were starting to recover. Not that it would be easy. Life with James would always be challenging. Challenging but exciting, and she knew she’d lucked onto a good man, the right man for her. He loved her too…how he loved her and made love to her.
She’d found him by accident. But she was through with accidents. Now she’d have his baby, and be his deliberate bride.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed this story.
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Also from Tiana Cole:
His Surprise Daughter
One Night with the Billionaire
The Billionaire's Carnival Baby
Marrying Her Greek Billionaire
The Billionaire's Super Nanny
Coded Love
Billionaire by Design
The Doctor's Fake Nanny
About the Author
Tiana's a young writer who only recently began having her stories published. At only 30-years-old, Tiana plans to continue her writing for many years to come and seems to have a never ending stream of unique story ideas.
Tiana was raised in New York City and currently resides in a small apartment house in Philadelphia with her two adorable cats. She's yet to meet Mr. Right, but in the meantime enjoys depicting him in her various interracial stories!
