by June Bowen
A mix of emotions passed over his face, but she couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking because they were so fleeting.
“I think your decision makes sense,” he said after a pause. “But I’ll check back in with you to see how things are going.”
That was the dogged businessman that Kelly came to love. She couldn’t help but to smile. “I would be shocked at anything less.” Kelly noticed one of the women from his earlier harem approaching. “I think our time is up. Besides, there’s a nice-looking man at the buffet I want to speak to.” With that, she struck out toward the man she mentioned.
* * *
Damn Rafe, Kelly cursed as she blotted at the tears streaming down her face. In the weeks since the No Kidding event, she’d been on a number of dates. Some of the men she had quickly rejected, knowing they were only drawn to her because of the makeover. Several others were really nice men who’d make great fathers. But they bored her to tears. She got more of a thrill from accidently brushing by Rafe than she did from their passionless kisses.
A knock on the door interrupted her morose thoughts. Mrs. Gibbs. She’d borrowed Kelly’s mixer. For some reason, her unit didn’t have one. Kelly quickly dried her eyes and stuck her face in the freezer portion of her small fridge for a second to try to calm down the redness. She caught her reflection in the mirror on the way to the door. It hadn’t worked.
“Hi, Mrs.—” Kelly stopped when she realized it was the object of her thoughts.
“May I come in?”
Kelly moved aside without thinking, closing the door after him.
“I’m—” Rafe stopped. “Are you crying?”
With that, the waterworks started back up again. Rafe pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. This was the feeling that she was looking for. The thrill of his touch. The strength of his arms around her. His unique masculine scent.
He pulled her back to look her in the eyes. “Are you all right? Did someone hurt you?”
Grief swiftly turned to anger. “You did.”
“Me? What did I do?” His voice held genuine surprise.
That just fueled Kelly’s anger more. “You made me love you, you jerk.”
Chapter Six
Kelly belatedly clapped her hand over her mouth.
“You love me?” Rafe was having trouble processing the words.
“Yes, but don’t think that’s going to change my mind about your offer. You can take it and stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
She may love him, but evidently she wasn’t very happy about it. Rafe couldn’t help but smile as her anger was pulling out her Southern roots. Now it all made sense. That is why Betty was upset about him coming here. “Did you move back here to get away from me?”
“Only partly. Don’t think you can take all the credit for that. I did want to come back home, too.”
If she loved him, she’d surely want to have his baby. But she wanted someone who would be there. She wanted a husband. Rafe couldn’t stand the thought of her being with someone else. He didn’t even want to consider why for fear of revealing feelings for her he didn’t want to admit.
But he didn’t need to. She’d already confessed hers. If she wanted a husband, he’d give her one. He’d marry her. It would be perfect. Hot damn! Rafe grabbed her up and swung her around.
“Are you crazy?”
He silenced her by kissing her soundly.
“What do you think you’re doing?” She seemed thoroughly dazed by his actions. Good.
“I’m kissing my future wife, that’s what I’m doing.”
“Now I know you’re crazy. You’re a confirmed bachelor, remember.”
Rafe sobered up. “I wish I could change the past to let myself love you. But I truly like and admire you.”
“Be still my heart.” Sarcasm oozed from her words. “Just what every woman wants to hear from the man who didn’t even have the courtesy to propose.”
“If I did, you would have just said no.”
“You’re right, I—”
Rafe took advantage of her open mouth to kiss her, his tongue teasing hers.
Kelly pulled back. “Stop.”
“Marry me,” Rafe commanded.
“I…”
Rafe rained kisses down her neck to the base of her throat. “Say yes.”
“Yes.” Her answer came on a soft sigh.
He kissed his way back up her neck, nibbling her earlobe. “You won’t regret it. I promise. I’ll make you and our children very happy.”
“Children?”
Rafe worked his way back down her neck, slipping both hands under her shirt. “Why just stop at one?” He’d just reached the clasp of her bra when a knock sounded at the door. Kelly tensed.
“Ignore it,” said Rafe.
Kelly rested her head on his shoulder. “I can’t. It’s Mrs. Gibbs. She won’t go away.”
Another knock sounded to prove Kelly’s point.
Kelly gathered herself together and opened the door.
“I’m just returning—” Mrs. Gibbs handed the mixer to Kelly but stopped when she saw Rafe. “Oh, you have company. I’m Louisa Gibbs, Kelly’s neighbor.”
Rafe accepted the offered hand. “I’m Rafe, Kelly’s fiancé.”
“Now—” Kelly never got the chance to finish.
“Congratulations. Kelly, why did you keep that a secret? So, how long have you been engaged? Have you set a date yet? Are you going to get married here on Mimosa Key? You know the Barefoot Brides do an excellent job with weddings. You really should give them a call.”
“Thanks for the tip.” He turned back to to Kelly. “The reason I came over was to let you know that I’m heading out to Tampa tonight. There are a few things I need to run down on the Wellington bid. Why don’t you call the Barefoot Brides and get things underway?”
Before she could react, he grabbed her shoulders, planted a very thorough kiss on her, and left.
“What a nice man. I’m so happy for you.”
* * *
The rat bastard. He’d told one of the biggest gossips on the island and then escaped before she could set them both straight. “Thanks, Mrs. Gibbs,” said Kelly, even as she was showing the woman to the door.
She had to put an end to this, feelings or not. Didn’t she? Her head said yes but her heart wouldn’t agree.
Moving away hadn’t helped. Dating had just proved to her that no one else compared, even with his hang-ups.
Would it matter that his feelings for her weren’t the same? He was intensely loyal. Knowing his feelings about divorce, this marriage would be a lifelong relationship. In a really odd way, she’d have more security about her relationship with him than she would with someone who loved her like she loved Rafe. Since running from him didn’t work, shouldn’t she try running to him?
Chapter Seven
“Are you sure you’re not on drugs?” Gussie asked as all members of the Barefoot Brides were huddled together reviewing everything for tomorrow’s event with Kelly one last time. “Prozac, maybe?”
“Gussie!” Willow looked shocked at her partner’s question.
“Seriously. Kelly has to hands down be the easiest bride we’ve worked with,” Gussie defended. “She let you, Willow, have free reign with the food and beverage.”
“Except for insisting on the tres leches groom’s cake.” Kelly pointed out her one request. “It’s Rafe’s favorite.”
“See. Even your one demand is for your future husband.” Gussie wasn’t relinquishing her point. “Ari had carte blanche on decorating. I did have to deal with Bernie, but what we came up with together is just fabulous, if I do say so myself.”
“I can’t thank you enough. You’ve planned an amazing event in a such a short time.”
“I did happen to wonder if you were pregnant,” Ari confessed.
“Not yet, but I hope I will be soon.” Kelly glanced at the time on her phone. “If you ladies will excuse me, I need to meet Rafe and his godmother.”
Kelly fairly floated out of the offices of Barefoot Brides. She was so glad now that she said yes. Not only was she closer to having a child of her own but being engaged was so…well, so fun. He called her every night. He’d share what was going on with the bid or have some story about someone in the office. She’d update him on the wedding plans and tell him the latest funny thing Jeremy and Drew, her nephews, did. She hated that business had kept him in Tampa. She’d have lunch with him and his godmother now and they’d have a quick walkthrough of the wedding, then she wouldn’t see him tomorrow until she was walking down the aisle.
Kelly crossed the lobby to the entrance of Junonia, the restaurant at Casa Blanca. Rafe was waiting.
“There you are. I was wondering if I’d have to brave the bastion of Barefoot Brides to find you.” Rafe looked her up and down. “Whatever you were doing was worth the wait.”
Kelly could tell by the appreciation in Rafe’s eye that another one of Bernie’s selections was spot on. The iced-blue sundress worked.
Kelly melted into Rafe’s arms. She returned Rafe’s kiss with a lifetime of longing and he heatedly responded.
Rafe gently pulled back. “If it were any other person, we’d be skipping lunch, but I know Tia Maria would find us. But before we go in, I have something for you.” Rafe dropped one of her hands to reach into his pocket. “Kelly Edwards, will you be my wife?” He slipped a simple platinum band with a brilliant diamond on her finger. The stone sparkled like the waves in the gulf do in the Florida sunshine.
“Well, aren’t you confident? Slipping the ring on my finger before I said yes.” Kelly couldn’t help but tease him. She might love him down to his toes, but she’d never be a pushover. At least not all the time.
“I’m confident that if I went across the lobby to tell the wedding consultants who have probably moved heaven and earth to plan our event in record time, they’d find a way to get you to say yes.”
Kelly laughed. “Very true. I’m not that brave. In that case, yes, I’ll be your wife.”
Rafe planted a quick kiss then tucked her hand in his arm. “Come. Tia awaits.” He navigated the restaurant to a table where a slight, older woman was seated. Her gray hair was expertly coiffed. She was dressed in a smart suit. Keeping his arm around her, he positioned Kelly to face the most important woman in his life. “Kelly, I’d like you to meet Tia Maria. She was best friends with my mother. Tia, this is Kelly, my affianced.”
Kelly resisted the urge to curtsey. “It’s nice to meet you.” Kelly extended her hand. Tia Maria immediately took it in both of hers.
“At last, a woman of quality.” Tia turned to face her godson. “When I heard you were engaged, I was afraid it was one of those bimbos you usually hang around. I see you came to your senses.”
Kelly couldn’t help but smile at the forthright opinion. So maybe not every woman fawned over Rafe when he was growing up.
“I think I’m going to like you a good deal,” Kelly admitted.
“I hope so. I would like that very much. Now, let me see me the Gutierrez ring. I’m sure Rafe told you about the ring that has been in his mother’s family for many generations.”
Kelly was confused. The setting looked rather modern. “No.”
Tia turned over her left hand. A look of disapproval came over her face. She immediately turned her look of displeasure to Rafe.
“Why isn’t your bride wearing the family ring?”
Rafe looked decidedly uncomfortable. Kelly didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t known of a family ring.
“You didn’t like his mother’s ring?” Tia asked Kelly.
“I, ah…”
“She never saw Mother’s ring. I thought we’d pass it on to our eldest child.”
Tia fixed Rafe with a hard stare. “Hmm.”
Kelly felt the cloud she’d been floating on dissipating. She’d let herself forget that her love wasn’t returned. At least not in kind. Wanting to put the uncomfortable scene behind her. Kelly sat. “I don’t know about you, but all this wedding planning has left me famished.”
After they ordered, Tia turned to Kelly. “Now what is it you do for Rafe’s company?”
Kelly explained what her role at the company was. Soon, Tia started regaling her with stories from Rafe’s childhood. Most had her laughing. Others had her wiping the corner of her eyes.
The object of their discussion had to leave the table to take a call. They both watched him leave.
“So, does my godson know you love him?”
“Sadly, yes. I opened my big, fat mouth. That’s how we got to where we are.”
“I suspect my godson feels a good bit more about you than he wants to admit. He carefully guards his heart. But once given, it is yours for life. That’s a rarity these days.”
“Yes, but I don’t expect that to happen.”
“We’ll see.” Tia Maria patted her arm. “We’ll see.”
Kelly made it through the rehearsal, but now her feet were firmly planted on the ground. She would marry him and hopefully have his child. She would strive to be a good wife, and she was sure he would be a loyal husband. But the ring was a reminder. She didn’t have his heart. She would only have his name.
* * *
Kelly was dressed and coiffed in the Rockrose villa and ready for the call that it was time to walk down the aisle. Okay, ready was probably a stretch. With yesterday’s dose of reality, she’d become more and more worried about the wedding night. While her heart was full of love and her head caught up in the fantasy, her sad lack of experience wasn’t a concern. Now, with two feet planted in reality, it was a different story.
Kelly spied Rafe’s laptop. He texted her this morning that he’d just sent off the bid on the Wellington project. He must have left it out. She could use his laptop. She’d learned many things by Googling. Maybe she could learn a few tricks that would bolster her confidence.
She grabbed the laptop and perched on the edge of the bed. She pulled up the search engine but stared at the text box. What to type? How to be a better lover. She selected the first result, which was full of pictures. Impressive ones at that. “Oh, my.”
After typing in a few other phrases with results that were more visually disturbing than the one before, Kelly’s nerves grew. Associating the laptop with what she saw, she put it under the bed. She didn’t want any reminders.
Janie came into the bedroom. “It’s time.” She paused when she saw Kelly. “What’s that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look about, Sis? This is a wedding, not an execution.”
Kelly swallowed to work up enough moisture in her dry mouth to speak. “It just hit me that in less than a few hours I will be having sex with a man who, until a month ago, I had only known as my boss.”
Janie’s eyes softened as she looked at her sister. “Well, it’s not like you don’t know what to expect. At least you were with Steve in college.”
“About that,” said Kelly. “It was over before it even started. Between my shocked look and his embarrassment, we really didn’t talk or see each other afterwards.”
“Oh, why didn’t you say something?”
“It seemed like something I should just keep to myself.” Kelly could feel the heat of the awful red blotches of a flush start up her neck to her face.
Janie leaned down and hugged her sister. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry it was like that. I don’t think that will be an issue with Rafe. I’m sure the man has developed some control over the years.”
Kelly pulled way just enough to look her sister in the eye. “That’s the problem. He’s used to being with someone far more experienced.” Kelly’s eyes watered up.
“Okay, we aren’t going to start crying before the wedding. Gussie and Bernie would have my head if I let you ruin all their work. Once you learn more about the male ego, you’ll realize what a boost Rafe will get when he realizes he’s the first to storm the castle walls, so to speak. But you’re going to have to tell him first.”
But how would she tell him? And when?
This information wasn’t the kind you shared in a casual conversation.
When they arrived at the venue, Kelly still didn’t have a solution. Her mind was reeling even as Janie walked down the aisle before her. Now it was her turn. As she made her way to Rafe, she realized she couldn’t tell him that she’d never had sex before. If she couldn’t tell him that, how could she ever stand naked before him?
Naked! The image hit her as she stopped at the altar beside Rafe. His warm, solid grasp kept her from swaying too far at the thought.
“Dearly beloved, we’ve gathered together in the sight of God…”
Oh, God. Don’t let me pass out.
“…and man to join…”
Join! I can’t do this. I can’t do this.
“…knows any reason why these two should not join together as man and wife, speak now…”
Yes. That’s it. Someone speak.
Her friends—her traitorous friends—remained silent. Only the pastor, who seemed hung up on the joining thing, continued.
“Do you, Rafe, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do,” came his calm, confident reply.
“Do you, Kelly, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
The pregnant pause built up inside Kelly until she thought of the reason for all this. A baby. A baby of her own to love.
“I do.” Kelly’s reply wasn’t as strong as Rafe’s, but it didn’t sound as frantic as the voice in her head had been. No, this might not be what she had dreamed of, but it was the means to the end she wanted.
As the pastor concluded the ceremony, Kelly gathered her frayed nerves. She’d do this. Somehow. Someway.
She allowed herself to be directed as the photographer snapped a few pictures. The reception was a blur. She must have responded appropriately as she was posed, hugged, and toasted. Everyone acted as if she was behaving normally.
It wasn’t until the cake cutting that she was pulled out of the brainstorming session going on in her head.