Finally, a Family--A Clean Romance

by Callie Endicott

  “Where does this go?” Jessica held up a gift bag.

  “There’s a table by the pink rhododendron.”

  Jessica wrote on a page and went to deposit her gift.

  Logan read her inscription.

  To Chelsea and Barton,

  Your love and commitment will give you joy in the good days and help you through the hard ones. Wishing you the very best.

  —Jessica Parrish.

  “Can’t figure out what to write?” Nicole asked as he hesitated.

  “Are we supposed to give advice? Anything I say would be a contender for one of those lists. You know, the ‘Ten Worst Things Ever Said to a Bride and Groom.’”

  “Advice isn’t necessary. Anyhow, it’s difficult to come up with something on the spur of the moment, though I must say, I like what Jessica wrote.”

  Logan liked it, too. Still dubious, he lifted the pen.

  Chelsea and Barton, I hope you find something to be glad about, even on the worst days. You deserve it. Logan.

  Nicole read the brief message and looked at him. “That’s unexpected.”

  “Just building on what Jessica wrote.”

  A worried crease appeared in Nicole’s forehead. “That reminds me—when do you think you’ll have the information together on the potential remodel?”

  “Sometime next week.”

  “Good. It’s admirable that Jessica didn’t simply dismiss our request for her to move, though I’ve been feeling more and more guilty about it. According to the lease she has the right to stay put, at least for the time being, but she’s giving it serious thought and even suggested an alternative for consideration.”

  “I know.”

  Cassie and Jessica were talking by the gift table and as Logan caught up with them, he felt like a moth attracted to a flame. Jessica was wearing a rose-colored gown with short sleeves and a full skirt that fell in long, graceful folds. Its simplicity gave it an air of elegance...or was that the woman inside the dress?

  “Hey, Logan,” Cassie said. “We were just saying that Barton’s parents could rent this place out as a wedding venue.”

  “Or for fashion shoots,” he agreed.

  He put his gift with the other wedding presents. He’d considered asking Jessica’s advice about what would be appropriate, only to dismiss the idea and choose something from the wedding registry. The agency’s official gift was a set of Waterford Crystal goblets and three weeks of paid vacation for Chelsea to use for her honeymoon.

  “Are you all right, Cassie?” he heard Jessica ask urgently. “You suddenly went pale.”

  He wheeled in time to see Cassie wrinkle her nose. “It’s just morning sickness. I was fine until a second ago, then whoosh. But I’m so happy about the baby I can’t complain.”

  “Should I get Adam?” Logan asked.

  “Don’t you dare. He worries too much.”

  “How about peppermint candy?” Jessica asked, taking a bag from her purse. “It might help.”

  “I’ll try anything. This is Chelsea’s special day and I don’t want to spend it in her in-laws’ bathroom.”

  Cassie unwrapped a piece and stuck it in her mouth while Logan fetched a chair. He felt like a fish out of water. Everything in the air was about pregnancy, love and romance.

  She sank down and a few minutes later the color crept back into her face. “Thanks, I think the peppermint helped.”

  “Keep them,” Jessica said as Cassie tried to return the bag. “I have more. When you have a chance, consider getting ginger lozenges, too. Both helped when I was pregnant.”

  “Good idea. I’ll share the info with Rachel. She’s in her first trimester, just like me.”

  An older man approached them. “Is everything all right?”

  “Absolutely.” Cassie smiled up at him. “I’m Cassie Wilding, and this is Jessica Parrish and Logan Kensington.”

  “Don Smith. I’m the grateful father of the happy groom. We’re delighted to have Chelsea joining our family, though she’s already so much a part of us the wedding is just a formality.”

  “That’s how it should be,” Jessica said. “Oh, and thanks for including my daughter in the invitation.”

  “Ah, which one is yours?”

  Jessica pointed. “Cyndi is in the lavender dress.”

  “She seems to be having a good time. Just so you know, we don’t have assigned seating for the meal. There’s a children’s table, but Cyndi is welcome to sit with you if preferred. Also, anyone without a camera or phone for pictures is being invited to use one of the disposable kinds for candid shots. There’s a whole basket of them.”

  As the conversation continued with Don and Cassie, Logan just watched, absorbing Jessica’s warmth and beauty. The contrast between her easy grace with people and his own stumbling efforts seemed to mock him.

  To regain his equilibrium, he began roaming back and forth, taking photos as he went.

  * * *

  JESSICA HATED SEEING Logan withdraw behind his camera. At the Flash Fair he’d finally seemed to loosen up and enjoy himself. Now he was back to snapping pictures as if his life depended upon it.

  To be fair, weddings weren’t his milieu. A man who’d rejected love and marriage wouldn’t be comfortable surrounded by white lace and roses. She didn’t blame him; her own feelings about it were mixed.

  She’d often questioned whether she’d genuinely loved Aaron. It had felt real at the time, but now she’d met a man who was so compelling he made her college romance look like child’s play. If she hadn’t learned from her old mistakes, she might pursue Logan, believing love was worth the risk. In theory she still believed that, but whenever she thought of taking the chance, cold reality brought her up short.

  Despite the counseling and years of dealing with her issues, she still could repeat her mistakes. If Logan ever got married, which seemed unlikely, he’d want someone independent, who wasn’t emotionally hungry. Besides, he erected walls and lived behind them. Life would be complicated with such a man.

  Trying to subdue her inner turmoil, Jessica went to speak with Cyndi, who was having a wonderful time taking pictures and playing games with the other children.

  “Look, Momma,” she said, holding up a disposable camera. “These have film, but they aren’t as much fun ’cuz you can’t see the picture right away. They have to be developed, like Logan told us about at my girl ranger meeting.”

  “The disposable cameras are to make sure Chelsea and Barton get lots of different pictures. You don’t need one—we’ll give Chelsea a copy of all the pictures you take on your own camera.”

  “I just want to give her the good ones,” Cyndi said gravely. “Wanna see?”

  “Of course, I do.” Jessica sat down on the grass and pulled her daughter onto her lap.

  For a moment, she almost forgot everything else. At this moment in her life, Cyndi was all she needed.

  * * *

  LOGAN STOOD PARTLY concealed by bushes and took picture after picture of the milling guests. It was akin to capturing photos of wildlife. Models were accustomed to cameras, but outside the industry, people could be uncomfortable having a lens pointed at them. By stepping back, he could get shots that were truly candid.

  Would Jessica call it intruding on their privacy? He didn’t know, but he couldn’t resist focusing on her again and again as she sat on the ground with Cyndi.

  He held the shutter release button down, taking bursts of pictures. A long time ago he’d tried to set up a similar shot at a fashion shoot, only to have the designer balk at the risk of grass stains. “Do you want to sell your product or worry about a dry-cleaning bill?” he’d snapped impatiently.

  But he doubted Jessica was worried about stains. She enjoyed Cyndi’s questions and youthful prattle. He did, too, come to think of it.

  Someone blocked his view and he looked up
. “Hey, Jordan.”

  “Hey, yourself. I know you offered to be my sister’s wedding photographer. But when she refused and said guests should just enjoy themselves...she meant it.”

  “I realize that. But what would I do without a camera in my hands?”

  Jordan glanced at Jessica and Cyndi. “Spend time with a beautiful woman and her daughter, instead of taking pictures of them. That’s Jessica Parrish, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but Jessica and I talk all the time.”

  “Well, talk to her some more. I have to go. The wedding starts in ten minutes and I’m a groomsman.”

  Logan hesitated before going over to help Jessica to her feet. “We should probably find seats,” he told her.

  Several minutes later strains of music filled the air and the bridesmaids walked down the aisle, followed by the bride. The ceremony was short, but long enough to prompt damp eyes at the obvious devotion between bride and groom.

  As for Jessica? Her face revealed a mix of emotions—true happiness for the couple, but also a trace of sorrow and fear.

  Logan understood the sorrow, but not the fear.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  TO HIS SURPRISE, Logan enjoyed the reception, though it was usually the time at weddings when he started coming up with excuses to leave. He smiled at Cyndi when she trotted up with a curious expression.

  “Can I look through your camera?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  He crouched and held his heavy camera up to her face. She didn’t wiggle and take a fast look before dashing away. Instead, she stared intently through the viewfinder.

  He put her hand on the lens and showed her how to focus it on distant objects, a process quite different from the autofocus on her small camera.

  “It makes things so close.” Then she giggled. “Momma is coming and I can see her big toe, just like my nose is right in front of it, except I need to keep changing the focus thingy.”

  A few moments later, Jessica stood looking down at them. “Cyndi, they’re serving homemade ice cream. Both vanilla and chocolate.”

  “Yum.” Cyndi ducked out of Logan’s arms and then turned to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. It’s just like magic.”

  He straightened as Jessica smiled.

  “I understand some of the science behind your fancy lenses, but I prefer Cyndi’s explanation. We can all use a little magic.”

  Though he was more of a pragmatist than dreamer, Logan nodded. “I guess taking the wonder out of things would be a loss, especially at Cyndi’s age.”

  Her head tilted in a questioning attitude. “But is it possible to experience wonder through a camera lens? I remember seeing that award-winning wedding photo you took in Venice—the one at sunset, by the water. It was hauntingly beautiful. But did you personally feel the enchantment and romance of the moment?”

  “Photography is an art form,” Logan said. “I wasn’t part of the wedding. I was taking pictures.”

  Yet it wasn’t entirely true. The groom had been a friend and Logan had taken the photographs as a gift. When he recalled the wedding in Venice, it was mostly as a series of images he’d carefully constructed...which probably proved Jessica’s point.

  “That’s fair,” she said, mercifully oblivious to his inner thoughts. “I just think there shouldn’t be too much emphasis on recording the moment instead of living it. I know we’ve already discussed shades of this and I’m not trying to goad you,” she added hastily. “But about Cyndi, she’s fascinated with photography, which is fine, except I want to encourage her to have a rounded life.”

  Logan was certain that he didn’t want Cyndi to live the way he did. He wasn’t even sure it was possible; she was too vibrant, the same as her mother. And the thought of Cyndi growing up and being alone... He released a harsh breath. Why was it okay for him and not for her? Or was his kind of alone the same as being lonely?

  Music started, providing a welcome distraction. “How about living in the moment and dancing with me?” he asked.

  “I... Sure.”

  After setting his camera on a table, Logan drew Jessica onto the small dance floor brought in for the wedding. After a few minutes, he realized two things.

  One was that she danced extremely well.

  The other was that she was a perfect fit in his arms.

  * * *

  IT HAD BEEN a long time since Jessica had danced, but after a minute she loosened up. Part of it was Logan confidently swinging her around with perfect timing, sometimes slow, sometimes fast. One musical number flowed into the next and then another.

  Eventually, the musicians took a break.

  “Momma.” Cyndi ran over with another girl following. “I didn’t know you could dance. Can you teach me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Not now,” the second girl scolded. “We’re s’posed to play a game with Lena and Mike.”

  “You’d better go play,” Jessica advised her daughter. “I can teach you to dance at home.”

  “Okay.”

  “Maybe she’ll switch her interests from photography to something else,” Logan said as the girls ran off together.

  “Perhaps, but she’s particularly drawn to art and there’s something intense about her fascination with cameras. Cyndi is curious about everything. Her extramural classes have included things like weaving and gymnastics. She also wants to learn about fixing computers, astronomy, cheese-making, woodworking and car repair. Most of it will have to wait until she’s older.”

  “You didn’t mention crystals and geology.”

  Jessica grinned, feeling mischievous. “She likes crystals, just as much as you like them.”

  Logan’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

  “I’m pointing out that you actually do like crystals. Have you forgotten what LCD stands for? Liquid crystal displays are heavily used in technology, including your beloved cameras. And what about quartz crystal timing mechanisms? Why is it so far-fetched that crystals might have a healing resonance if they can keep our clocks on time and help display pictures on a screen?”

  He held up his hands in a show of surrender. “I apologize for every narrow-minded thing I’ve said or thought about your customers. They could be on the leading edge of innovations we’ll take for granted in fifty years.”

  “That would be nice,” Jessica said, deciding to trust the sincerity she saw in his face. “By the way, I’m sorry for what I’ve said about you just recording experiences. If you were a complete emotional hermit, you wouldn’t have such good friends.”

  “That’s nice of you to say.” He chuckled.

  A waiter came by with a tray of goblets. She chose sparkling cider and saw Logan did the same. The table where he’d left his camera was free, so they sat down. Every couple of minutes she looked to where Cyndi was playing, to be sure everything was all right. It was instinctive. She couldn’t predict an asthma attack, but to be safe, she had an inhaler in her purse and Cyndi had one in her pocket.

  After their break, the musicians returned and the drummer spoke into the microphone.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s keep the dance floor free for Chelsea and Barton’s first dance as husband and wife.”

  Applause rose for the young couple. Chelsea looked shy. Her dress was charmingly old-fashioned with a fitted lace bodice. Her dark hair fell from the top of her head in a cascade of curls intertwined with rosebuds and tiny, sparkling crystals. In a dark suit, Barton looked uneasy but proud, and his face glowed with love for his bride.

  “They make a nice couple,” Jessica said as the music ended.

  “Yeah. I’ve always liked Barton, though Nicole and Jordan know him best since he’s their neighbor. That’s how Chelsea met him. She needed a place to stay when she started working at the agency and Nicole offered the use of her guesthouse.”

  They watched as the bride’
s dance with her father was announced.

  “I never thought about it before, but it seems as if weddings are a chance to strengthen bonds between friends and family,” Logan said. “Kind of a neutral ground where everyone can put their differences aside to support the bride and groom. It probably doesn’t always happen, but it should.”

  Jessica glanced at Logan. He understood more about people than he believed.

  It had been too easy to see herself in Chelsea’s shoes during the ceremony, looking into Logan’s eyes as they exchanged vows. The thought terrified her.

  Even if she changed her mind about marriage, Logan was the wrong guy...except for all the reasons he was right. His physical attractiveness aside, he was intelligent, decent, cared about people and had a sense of humor. He was also good with Cyndi, though it was partly because they’d bonded over photography.

  Jessica reminded herself that Logan Kensington was also far too sophisticated for someone who didn’t wear designer clothes or eat in fancy places. He’d traveled all over the world and had hobnobbed with the rich and glamorous. As for his parents? They were pleasant, but she must seem pretty simple and limited to them. From Regina’s stories, it sounded as if they’d lived in most of the major cities across the planet.

  They were retired diplomats, for heaven’s sake.

  Besides, Logan wasn’t interested in being a husband and father, or at least that was what he’d always claimed. And she hadn’t seen any evidence that he’d changed his mind.

  * * *

  FOLLOWING THE BRIDE’S dance with her father, the dance floor began filling again. Logan immediately spotted a man heading toward their table with a determined stride, his gaze fixed on Jessica.

  Not a chance, buddy.

  Logan stood and held out his hand. “Shall we, Jessica?”

  Her smile seemed strained, but she nodded. The approaching man seemed to recognize that his prospective partner was taken, because he stopped short of the table and disappointment filled his face.