Honeysuckle Dreams

by Denise Hunter

  “We’re glad you think so,” Hope said. “We were hoping you’d marry us.”

  Jack gave a deep nod. “I’d be honored.”

  “We’re not wanting a long engagement, so we’ll need to get it on the church calendar soon.” Brady was glad he’d talked Hope into a real ceremony, though they’d agreed to keep it simple.

  “Call the office Monday. We can get the premarital counseling on the calendar at the same time if you want.”

  “Premarital counseling?” Brady’s mouth went a little dry at the thought. He exchanged a look with Hope, careful to keep his eyes off her lips.

  “It’s pretty basic. Just six sessions. Easy-peasy. Though if you guys would be more comfortable counseling with someone else . . .”

  “No,” Brady said. “That’s fine. I guess we just—”

  “Hadn’t really thought about that yet,” Hope said.

  “Already completing his sentences,” Cruz said. “That’s so cute.”

  Brady elbowed his friend just as the server showed up with their food. He was glad for the distraction. The announcement was over. Now they just had to get through the meal. And apparently six sessions of marriage counseling.

  chapter ten

  They set the date for August twenty-fifth, which gave them only a two-month engagement. They would be married a month and a half when the trial came around. Because of the rushed time line, they decided to get right to the premarital counseling.

  Hope shifted in the chair opposite Pastor Jack’s desk. The office was small, though it boasted high ceilings, ornate paneling, and a wooden door that looked as if it had time-traveled straight from the medieval ages. An oriental rug hugged the plank floor, and the smell of lemons and church hymnals hung in the air.

  Pastor Jack had stepped out for a moment, which gave Hope some time to collect herself. She was more nervous than she’d been since they’d hatched this whole plan.

  More nervous even than when they’d met Brady’s dad for breakfast before church Sunday and told him the news. His response had been reserved, though polite. He and Brady had never been close. Over the years Brady had tried so hard to please his father—getting good grades, finishing college, making a success of his business. But the man never seemed particularly impressed. Hope wanted to shake him. Mr. Collins wasn’t close to Zoe either, though heaven knew his daughter had never been bent on appeasing him.

  Brady set a hand on her leg, and she realized she’d been tapping her heel at a rapid pace.

  “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she whispered, glancing around the office, feeling as though they were being watched, which was ridiculous.

  “It’ll be fine. We know each other pretty well, and you’re good at all this relationship stuff—you practically wrote the book.”

  “It’s just that Jack has that intense stare, you know? The one that makes you feel like he can see straight into your soul.”

  Brady chuckled. “He can’t see any deeper than anyone else. Relax.”

  A rustle sounded behind them as Jack entered the room. He was in his midthirties and had never married, though it wasn’t for lack of opportunity. He was built like an Armani model, and with his thick, black hair and blue eyes, he was easy enough on the eyes. Add to that a disposition of humility and compassion, and Hope figured it must be a God thing he hadn’t found the right woman yet.

  Jack shut the door and eased behind his massive desk. “I guess you meant it when you said you didn’t want a long engagement.”

  “We didn’t see any reason to wait once we were sure,” Brady said.

  “Of course. Well, I keep things pretty casual during these sessions. The purpose is to make sure you’ve looked at all the important issues that’ll affect the health of your marriage. It’s always a good idea to get everything out there on the table.” He gave Hope a look. “I know I’m preaching to the choir here.”

  He started with easy topics, asking what kinds of things they enjoyed doing and how they were compatible. Hope began to relax as she saw they really did know each other quite well. It was easy to spell out the qualities she liked about Brady, and he didn’t have any problems listing hers.

  “She’s kind, she’s a good listener, she’s wise and fun, and she’s pretty darn sexy too.”

  Her eyes had darted to his at that point. She’d never forget the way his eyes flashed with awareness when they turned to her. It would be a long time before she forgot that list too. She’d underestimated him. He was good at this counseling stuff.

  He’d reached over and taken her hand at some point, and their fingers were laced together on his thigh, their damp palms pressed together. She glanced at the wall clock, surprised at how their session had flown past.

  Pastor Jack was nodding as Brady finished a thought. Then he turned toward Hope. “We have time for one more. Hope, why don’t you tell me about the last conflict the two of you had and how you resolved it.”

  “Umm . . .” She looked at Brady, thinking back. They’d kind of argued about whether or not to get engaged, but she couldn’t say that. Even as friends, they hadn’t bickered. She’d always found Brady reasonable and even-tempered.

  “We actually get along really well,” Brady said.

  Hope nodded.

  “Well, sure,” Jack said. “But every couple disagrees now and then. You’ve surely had differences of opinion . . .”

  “Of course.” Hope looked to Brady, desperation probably shining in her eyes.

  “Right,” Brady said. “Well . . . Saturday would probably be the most recent conflict. I, uh, got a little jealous, I guess you might say.”

  Something fluttered in Hope’s belly as her gaze sharpened on him. He hadn’t exactly couched it in those terms on Saturday. She wondered if it was true or if he was just embellishing the story.

  “Okay,” Jack said. “Tell me about that.”

  Brady’s neck was mottled pink. “Uh, it was the other night at the Rusty Nail. I thought someone was flirting with Hope when she was up at the bar getting a drink.”

  Jack looked at Hope. “How did Brady respond to that?”

  She traded looks with her fiancé. “He, uh, seemed a little out of sorts when I got back to the table, and I was concerned. I asked him what was wrong.”

  “Did he tell you what was bothering him?”

  “Yes,” she said. “And I assured him I wasn’t flirting. That I was completely committed to him and our relationship.”

  “Good.” Jack’s gaze shifted to Brady. “And how did you respond to that, Brady?”

  He gave a sheepish smile. “I apologized for acting like an idiot.”

  Jack chuckled. “Well done. Was that the end of it?”

  “Yes,” they both said at the same time.

  “Good.” Pastor Jack nodded.

  He reiterated the importance of conflict resolution and went into detail about what they’d done right. They talked about how disagreements could escalate if handled improperly.

  When time ran out Jack wrapped up the session, and they set a date for later in the week.

  “Man . . .” Brady pulled his shirt from his damp chest as they made their way across the parking lot to their cars. “I’m sweating bullets here.”

  “You were the one who said we had nothing to worry about. I thought it was pretty easy.”

  He shot her a droll look. “You’re not the one who had to admit to being jealous.”

  She chuckled, the melodious sound making something inside him light up. He had to pull his eyes from her stunning smile.

  “So it was true,” she said. “You really were jealous.”

  “Stop gloating.”

  “I can’t help it. It’s so much fun watching you squirm. And so fascinating that you were jealous.” She eyed him for a long moment, ending with a saucy look. “Admit it, Collins. You like me.”

  His lips twitched. “Shut up.”

  “You do.” She nudged his shoulder. “You totally like me. You think I’m sexy.”
/>
  His smile broke into a laugh even as heat bloomed in his cheeks. “You’re impossible.”

  “Impossibly sexy.”

  “I am never going to live this down.”

  “Not in a million years,” she said. “I’m going to tell our children how smitten you were with me from the very start.”

  He nailed her with a look. “Our children, huh? Sounds like our courtship is progressing pretty quickly there, Hope.”

  She gave a little cough. Her chin dipped down as she rummaged through her purse for her keys, her hair like a curtain in front of her face. “Yeah, you keep thinking that, mister.”

  Interesting. He hit the fob to unlock his car, and his heart lurched when she tossed a smile over her shoulder.

  “See you tomorrow,” she said.

  “See you.”

  He hadn’t even turned the ignition key when her Civic rolled past him a moment later. He was too busy sitting there wondering when in the world things had shifted inside him. Wondering if things were shifting inside of her too. The thought brought a moment’s hesitation. Was this shift a good thing or should he start dialing it back?

  Naw, he thought, shaking his head, a smile curling his lips. It was just him and Hope doing their flirting thing. Perfectly harmless.

  chapter eleven

  Hope let herself into her apartment and turned up the air-conditioning. Three weeks had passed since their first counseling session, and she and Brady had fallen into a nice rhythm. She came over in the morning to watch Sam and stayed until Brady quit for the day. They’d squeezed in two counseling sessions a week, and tomorrow was their last.

  She’d spoken with Diana Mayhew about the radio job a few days ago. Hope knew she needed to tell Brady about it, but she’d been putting it off. She knew she’d probably have to give up the opportunity, and he was going to feel just awful about it.

  She didn’t feel so great about it herself, to be honest. She couldn’t help but feel she was letting someone else’s fate dictate her own, and she’d already done that once before. Look how that had turned out. But Sam needed a full-time caregiver, and that’s what she’d signed on for.

  Her cell phone buzzed as she dropped her purse on the counter. She fished her phone from her pocket, smiling when she saw Brady’s name on the screen.

  “Hey there,” she said by way of greeting. “Forget to tell me something?”

  “Nope.”

  She smiled at the deep sound of his voice as she cranked up the air. “I just left your house five minutes ago.”

  “I know. I’m calling to ask you out on a date.”

  “A date, huh? So you can spend even more time with me? We see each other nearly every day. You should be sick of me by now.”

  “I can’t court you without taking you out on dates. Sorry it’s taken me so long to figure that out.”

  She laughed at the sheepish note in his voice. “Apology and invitation accepted.”

  “Great. I’ll make a reservation for Saturday if that works for you.”

  “Oooh, goodie. I get to dress up. And yes, Saturday’s fine. What about Sam?”

  “The Parkers will have him overnight.”

  “Great. That’ll help keep your mind off of it too. I know you fret when he’s gone.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Plus, we can celebrate our graduation from premarital counseling.”

  “Hear! Hear!” There’d been more than one awkward moment in that office. “More importantly, Saturday is exactly one month from our wedding date. That’s certainly worth celebrating.”

  “You are such a romantic,” Hope teased. “See, I never would’ve guessed that about you.”

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet, Daniels.”

  Brady could only stare when Hope opened her apartment door on Saturday night. Her eyes looked exotic, though she wore minimal makeup. Her red lips were her prominent feature tonight. She wore her dark hair partly up, in a style that was a little messy and a lot sexy. He’d been thinking that word a lot lately.

  His eyes swept downward, taking in her little black dress and a pair of long legs that ended in slinky high heels. He was sure he’d seen her dressed up before, and for the life of him, he couldn’t understand how he’d overlooked her.

  “Wow.”

  Her smile widened as she stepped over the threshold and pulled the door closed behind her. “Wow yourself. You clean up pretty good, Collins.”

  He didn’t imagine he could compare in his black pants and button-down. He escorted her to his Infinity and opened her door, not even trying to drag his eyes from her long legs as she tucked them inside.

  They chatted about their days as they made the short drive to the Blue Moon Grill, Copper Creek’s only fancy restaurant. It was situated on the outskirts of town, adjacent to the town’s namesake creek.

  The host led them through the dimly-lit restaurant to a booth beside the bank of windows at the back. The mountains were mere silhouettes against the darkening sky.

  After the server brought their drinks, Brady raised his glass. “To our prewedding anniversary.”

  She clinked his glass. “Cheers.” Her lips twitched as she took a sip.

  “What?” He didn’t want to take his eyes from her face. The candlelight shed a soft glow over her skin, making her look radiant. The soft, wispy curls around her face set off her eyes.

  “I was just thinking how bizarre it is that we’re celebrating an anniversary on our first date.”

  He shrugged. “So we’re doing things a little out of order.”

  “You even proposed before our first date. That must be some kind of record.”

  “Not many women can claim that.”

  “We’ll share a child before we share our first kiss.”

  He gave a playful scowl. “Since we won’t officially share Sam until we’re married, I can only assume you’re shooting me down before I even walk you to your door.”

  She gave him a sassy smile. “I don’t kiss on the first date, mister.”

  “Now you tell me.”

  She laughed, and he couldn’t pull his gaze away from the sparkle in her eyes.

  “You know, you’re pretty charming when you want to be,” she said.

  “Charming enough to get a first-date kiss?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Policies are policies.”

  The server came and took their orders. Brady sank back in the booth, content to enjoy the soft music and relaxing atmosphere.

  “So . . . ,” Hope said. “People have been asking me where we’re going for our honeymoon.”

  “Yeah, me too. I guess we should go someplace for a night or two, or it might seem a little odd.”

  She hitched a brow. “Won’t being on a honeymoon with me seem a little odd?”

  “We’ll just think of it as an extended date. Heather and her husband will have Sam that weekend, so that’ll make it easy. Where would you like to go?”

  “I don’t know. We probably shouldn’t go too far away.”

  “Maybe Gatlinburg?”

  She gave it some thought. “That would be perfect. There’s great hiking there if you’re up for that.”

  “I love to hike. All right then. I’ll reserve a place—two nights?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  The food came soon, and they enjoyed their tender steaks. Hope kept thinking of Diana and that job. Such a big opportunity. Should she bring it up? Or just tell Diana she couldn’t accept it?

  A few minutes later Brady pushed away his plate. “What’s on your mind?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re distracted. You have that little frowny thing between your eyebrows and you’ve gotten quiet.”

  She gave him a look.

  “What’s going on? Are you having reservations? Regrets?”

  “No . . . of course not. I just . . .”

  He leaned forward on his elbows, those blue eyes laser-focused on her. “Tell me.”

  She had to get t
his out. Where would their relationship be if they couldn’t talk about the important stuff? “It’s nothing, it’s just . . . There’s this job opportunity at WKPC.”

  “The station in Atlanta? What kind of job?”

  “Back when I was filling in, Diana called me into her office. She told me their drive-time jock is retiring in October, and they thought I’d be a good fit for the position. She also said they wanted me to bring Living with Hope to their programming.”

  “Hope . . . that’s an amazing opportunity. Why didn’t you tell me? That was weeks ago.”

  “I don’t know. It just kind of got lost in all our . . . planning. And besides, I’m going to turn it down.”

  “What? No, you can’t do that. This is the kind of job you’ve dreamed about.”

  “Brady, the job’s in Atlanta. Your business is here, and I can’t be both places at once.”

  He stared at her for a long minute. “You can’t turn this down,” he said finally.

  Hope set her napkin on her plate. “See, this is why I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d insist on my taking the job, and where does that leave us? And Sam? Don’t lose sight of what’s most important here—our marriage and the reasons for it.”

  “We can work around all that. You can commute. Come home on weekends. We’ll work something out. I’m not letting you give up your dream job to help me.”

  Hope’s heart softened as she looked into Brady’s adamant face. Could that really work? “What about Sam? Who’s going to take care of him?”

  “I can find childcare for Sam. I never intended you to give up your life for us, Hope. Other couples live apart sometimes—military, salespeople.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “We’ll figure it out. All right? I want this for you.”

  Her lips turned up as relief flooded through her. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted that job until this moment. “All right. Thanks, Brady.”

  The conversation lightened as the evening drew to a close. Hope felt immensely relieved about the job situation. Relieved to have the topic finally out on the table. Talking about it had even seemed to draw them closer.