Ready for Marriage

by Debbie Macomber

  “Evan, please!” She glanced desperately around.

  “Not here. Not now.” She was shaking inside. Her stomach knotted and her chest hurt with the effort of holding back her emotions. Eventually she’d have to tell Evan there’d never been another man, but she wasn’t looking forward to admitting that lie. Or her reasons for telling it.

  “You’re right.” He sounded, reluctant as if he wanted to settle everything between them then and there. “This isn’t the place. We need to be able to talk freely.” He looked at his watch and his mouth tightened. “I’ve got to be in court this morning.”

  “Yes, I know.” She was pathetically grateful that he’d be out of the office for a few hours. She needed time to think. She’d already made one decision, though: she refused to lie to him again. She was older now, more mature, and she recognized that, painful though it was, Evan’s mother had been right. Mary Jo could do nothing to enhance Evan’s career.

  But she wasn’t going to run away and hide, the way she had three years ago. Nor could she bear the thought of pitting Evan against his parents. The Drydens were a close family, like her own. No, she’d have to find some other approach, some other way of convincing him this relationship couldn’t possibly work. Just how she was going to do this, she had no idea.

  Pulling her thoughts back to her morning tasks, she reached for the mail and quickly became absorbed in her work. In fact, she was five minutes late meeting Jessica.

  Her friend was waiting in the Italian restaurant, sitting at a table in the back. A grandmotherly woman was holding Andy, using a bread stick to entertain the toddler.

  “Nonna, this is my friend Mary Jo,” Jessica said when she approached the table.

  “Hello,” Mary Jo murmured, pulling out a chair.

  “Leave lunch to me,” Nonna insisted, giving Andy back to his mother, who placed him in the high chair beside her. Jessica then handed her son another bread stick, which delighted him. Apparently Andy didn’t understand he was supposed to eat the bread. He seemed to think it was a toy to wave gleefully overhead, and Mary Jo found herself cheered by his antics.

  The older woman returned with large bowls of minestrone, plus a basket of bread so fresh it was still warm. “You eat now,” she instructed, waiting for them to sample the delectable-smelling soup. “Enjoy your food first. You can talk later.”

  “It would be impossible not to enjoy our food,” Jessica told Nonna, who beamed with pride.

  “Nonna’s right, of course,” Jessica said, “but we’ve got less than an hour and I’m dying to hear what’s happening with you and Evan.”

  “Not much.” Which was sort of the truth. For now. Mary Jo described how Evan had coerced her into working for him. She’d expected expressions of sympathy from her friend. Instead, Jessica seemed downright pleased.

  “Damian said there’d been some misunderstanding about a file. He said Evan had suspected you of doing something underhanded, and when Damian showed up with it, Evan felt wretched.”

  “That’s all behind us now.” The uncertainty of their future loomed before them, and that was what concerned her most. Mary Jo weighed the decision to confide in Jessica about their kiss that morning. If Jessica were someone other than Evan’s sister-in-law, she might have done so. But it would be unfair to involve his family in this.

  Jessica dipped her spoon into the thick soup. “I explained earlier that Evan and I became fairly close while I was working for the firm. What I didn’t mention was how often he talked about you. He really loved you, Mary Jo.”

  Uncomfortable, Mary Jo lowered her gaze.

  “I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty, but so you’ll know that Evan’s feelings for you were genuine. You weren’t just a passing fancy to him. In some ways, I don’t believe he’s ever gotten over you.”

  Mary Jo nearly choked on her soup. “I wish that was true. I’ve arranged no less than six luncheon appointments for him. All the names came directly out of his little black book. The invitations were accompanied by a dozen red roses.” Until that moment, Mary Jo hadn’t realized how jealous she was, and how much she’d been suffering while he’d wined and dined his girlfriends.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Jessica said. “Evan’s dated. But there’s never been anyone serious.”

  Mary Jo energetically ripped off a piece of bread. “He’s gone out of his way to prove otherwise.”

  “What were these women’s names?”

  Nonna returned to the table with a large platter heaped with marinated vegetables, sliced meats and a variety of cheeses. Andy stretched out his hand, wanting a piece of cheese, which Jessica willingly gave him.

  “One was Catherine Moore.”

  A smile hovered at the edges of Jessica’s mouth.

  “Catherine Moore is close to seventy and she’s his great-aunt.”

  Shocked, Mary Jo jerked up her head. “His great-aunt? What about…” and she rolled off the other names she remembered.

  “All relatives,” Jessica said, shaking her head.

  “The poor boy was desperate to make you jealous.”

  Mary Jo had no intention of admitting how well his scheme had worked. “Either that, or he was being thoughtful,” she suggested offhandedly—just to be fair to Evan. She wanted to be angry with him, but found she was more amused.

  “Trust me,” Jessica said, smiling broadly. “Evan was desperate. He’s dated, true, but he seldom goes out with the same woman more than three or four times. His mother’s beginning to wonder if he’ll ever settle down.”

  At the mention of Lois Dryden, Mary Jo paid close attention to her soup. “It was my understanding that Evan was planning to go into politics.”

  “I believe he will someday,” Jessica answered enthusiastically. “In my opinion, he should. Evan has a generous, caring heart. He genuinely wants to help people. More important, he’s the kind of man who’s capable of finding solutions and making a difference.

  “He’s a wonderful diplomat, and people like him. It doesn’t matter what walk of life they’re from either. The best way I can describe it is that Evan’s got charisma.”

  Mary Jo nodded. It was the truth.

  “Although he went into corporate law,” Jessica continued, “I don’t think his heart has ever really been in it. You should have seen him when he represented Earl Kress. He was practically a different person. No, I don’t think he’s at all happy as a corporate attorney.”

  “Then why hasn’t he decided to run for office?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessica answered thoughtfully. “I assumed, for a while, that he was waiting until he was a bit older, but I doubt that’s the reason. I know his family encourages him, especially his mother. Lois has always believed Evan’s destined for great things.”

  “I…got that impression from her, as well.”

  “Evan and Damian have had long talks about his running for office. Damian’s encouraged him, too, but Evan says the time’s not right.”

  Mary Jo’s heart felt heavy. Everything Jessica said seconded Lois Dryden’s concerns about the role Evan’s wife would play in his future.

  “You’re looking thoughtful.”

  Mary Jo forced a small smile. “I never understood what it was about me that attracted Evan.”

  “I know exactly what it was,” Jessica said without a pause. “He told me himself, and more than once. He said it was as though you knew him inside and out. Apparently you could see right through his schemes. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that you have five older brothers.”

  “Probably.”

  “Evan’s been able to charm his way around just about everyone. Not you. You laughed at him and told him to save his breath on more than one occasion. Am I right?”

  Mary Jo nodded, remembering the first day they’d met on the beach. He’d tried to sweet-talk her into a dinner date, and she’d refused. It didn’t take much for her to realize that Evan Dryden didn’t know how to accept no for an answer. In the end they’d compromis
ed. They’d built a small fire, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and sat on the beach talking until well past midnight.

  They saw each other regularly after that. Mary Jo knew he was wealthy by the expensive sports car he drove, the kind of money he flashed around. In the beginning she’d assumed it was simply because he was a high-priced attorney. Fool that she’d been, Mary Jo hadn’t even recognized the name.

  It wasn’t until much later, after she was already head over heels in love with him, that she learned the truth. Evan was more than wealthy. He came from a family whose history stretched back to the Mayflower.

  “You were different from the other women he’d known,” Jessica was saying. “He could be himself with you. One time he told me he felt an almost spiritual connection with you. It was something he never expected to find with anyone else.”

  “Evan told you all that?” Mary Jo asked breathlessly.

  “Yes, and much more,” Jessica said, leaning forward. “You see, Mary Jo, I know how much Evan loved you—and still loves you.”

  Mary Jo felt as if she was about to break into deep, racking sobs. She loved Evan, too. Perhaps there was hope for them. Jessica made her feel they might have a future. She seemed to have such faith that, whatever their problems, love and understanding could work them out.

  Mary Jo returned to the office, her heart full of hope. She’d been wrong not to believe in their love, wrong not to give them a chance. Her insecurities had wasted precious years.

  When Evan walked in, it was close to five o’clock. Mary Jo resisted the urge to fly into his arms, but immediately sensed something was wrong. He was frowning and every line of his body was tense.

  “What happened?” she asked, following him into his office.

  “I lost,” he said pacing. “You know something? I’m a damn poor loser.”

  She had noticed, but he hadn’t experienced losses often enough to grow accustomed to accepting them. “Listen, it happens to the best of us,” she assured him.

  “But it shouldn’t have in this case. We were in the right.”

  “You win some and you lose some. That’s the nature of the legal game.”

  He glared at her and she laughed outright. He reminded her of one of her brothers after a highly contested high-school basketball game. Mark, the youngest, had always loved sports and was fiercely competitive. He’d had to be in order to compete against his four brothers. In many ways, Evan reminded her of Mark.

  “I can always count on you to soothe my battered ego, can’t I?” he asked, his tone more than a little sarcastic.

  “No. You can always count on me to tell you the truth.” Almost always, she amended sadly, recalling her one lie.

  “A kiss would make me feel better.”

  “Certainly not,” she said briskly, but it was difficult to refuse him anything. “Not here, anyway.”

  “You’re right,” he admitted grudgingly, “but at least let me hold you.” She wasn’t given the opportunity to refuse, not that she would have found the strength to do so.

  He brought her into his arms and held her firmly against him, breathing deeply as if to absorb everything about her. “I can’t believe I’m holding you like this,” he whispered.

  “Neither will anyone else who walks into this room.” But she didn’t care who saw them. She burrowed deeper into his embrace and rested her head against the solid strength of his chest.

  He eased himself away from her and framed her face with his hands. His eyes were intense as he gazed down on her. “I don’t care about the past, Mary Jo. It’s water under the bridge. None of it matters. The only thing that matters is right now. Can we put everything else behind us and move forward?”

  She bit her lower lip, her heart full of a new confidence. Nothing in this world would ever stand between them again. She would have said the words, but couldn’t speak, so she nodded her head in abrupt little movements.

  She found herself pulled back in his arms, the embrace so hard it threatened to cut off her breath, but she didn’t care. Breathing hardly seemed necessary when Evan was holding her like this. She wanted to laugh and to weep both at once, to throw back her head and shout with a free-flowing joy that sprang from her soul.

  “We’ll go to your parents’ place,” Evan said,

  “talk to them about Adison’s response, and then I’ll take you to dinner and from there—”

  “Stop,” Mary Jo said, breaking free of his hold and raising her right hand. “You’ll take me to dinner? Do you honestly believe we’re going to escape my mother without being fed?”

  Evan laughed and pulled her back into the circle of his arms. “I suppose not.”

  Evan was, of course, welcomed enthusiastically by both her parents. He and Norman Summerhill discussed the Adison situation, while Mary Jo helped her mother prepare a simple meal of fried chicken and a pasta and vegetable salad. Over dinner, the mood was comfortable and light-hearted.

  As it turned out, though, the evening included a lot more than just conversation and dinner. Her brothers all played on a softball team. They had a game scheduled for that evening, and one of the other players had injured his ankle in a fall at work. The instant Evan heard the news, he volunteered to substitute.

  “Evan,” Mary Jo pleaded. “This isn’t like handball, you know. These guys take their game seriously.”

  “You think handball isn’t serious?” Evan kissed her on the nose and left her with her parents while he hurried home to change clothes.

  Her mother watched from the kitchen, looking exceptionally pleased. She wiped her hands on her apron skirt. “I think you did a wise thing breaking up with Gary when you did.”

  “I’m so happy, Mom,” Mary Jo whispered, grabbing a dish towel and some plates to dry.

  “You love him.”

  Mary Jo noticed it wasn’t a question.

  “I never stopped loving him.”

  Her mother placed one arm around Mary Jo’s slender shoulders. “I knew that the minute I saw the two of you together again.” She paused, apparently considering her next words. “I’ve always known you loved Evan. Can you tell me what happened before—why you broke it off?”

  “I didn’t believe I was the right woman for him.”

  “Nonsense! Anyone looking at the two of you would realize you’re perfect for each other. Who would say such a thing to you?”

  Mary Jo was intelligent enough not to mention Lois Dryden. “He’s very wealthy, Mom.”

  “You can look past that.”

  Mary Jo’s laugh was spontaneous. Her sweetheart of a mother saw Evan’s money as a detriment—and in some ways, it was.

  “His father’s a senator.”

  “You think his money bought him that position?” Marianna scoffed. “If you do, you’re wrong. He was elected to that office because he’s a decent man with an honest desire to help his constituents.”

  Her mother had a way of making the impossible sound plausible. Mary Jo wished she could be more like her.

  “Now, freshen up,” Marianna said, untying the apron, “or we’ll be late for your brothers’ softball game.”

  Evan was already in the outfield catching fly balls when Mary Jo and her parents arrived. He looked as if he’d been a member of the team for years.

  The game was an exciting one, with the outcome unpredictable until the very end of the ninth inning. Mary Jo, sitting in the bleachers with her family—her parents, a couple of sisters-in-law, some nieces and nephews—screamed herself hoarse. Their team lost by one run, but everyone took the defeat in stride—including Evan, who’d played as hard as any of them.

  Afterward, the team went out for pizza and cold beer. Mary Jo joined Evan and the others, while her parents returned to the house, tired out from the excitement.

  Evan threw his arm over her shoulders and she wrapped her own arm around his waist.

  “You two an item now or something?” her brother Bill asked as they gathered around a long table at the pizza parlor.

&nbs
p; “Yeah,” Rich chimed in. “You two look awful chummy all of a sudden. What’s going on?”

  “Yeah, what about good ol’ Gary?” Mark wanted to know.

  Evan studied her, eyebrows raised. “What about Gary?” he echoed.

  “You don’t need to worry about him anymore,” Jack explained, carrying a pitcher of ice-cold beer to the table. “M.J. broke up with him over the weekend.”

  “You did?” It was Evan who asked the question.

  “Yup.” Once more her brother was doing the talking for her. “Said they were drifting in opposite directions or some such garbage. No one believed her. We know the real reason she showed Gary the door.”

  “Will you guys please stop?” Mary Jo insisted, her ears growing redder by the minute. “I can speak for myself, thank you very much.”

  Jack poured them each a glass of beer and slid them down the table. “You know M.J. means business when she says please stop. Uh-oh—look at her ears. Let’s not embarrass her anymore, guys, or there’ll be hell to pay later.”

  Evan barked with laughter, and her brothers looked on approvingly. He fit in with her family as if he’d been born into it. This was his gift, Mary Jo realized. He was completely at ease with her brothers—as he would be with a group of government officials or lawyers or “society” people. With anyone. He could drink beer and enjoy it as much as expensive champagne. It didn’t matter to him if he ate pizza or lobster.

  But Mary Jo was definitely more comfortable with the pizza-and-beer way of life. Hours earlier she’d been utterly confident. Now, for the first time that night, her newfound resolve was shaken.

  Evan seemed to notice it, although he didn’t say anything until later, when they were alone, driving to her place. Reluctant for the evening to end, Mary Jo gazed at the oncoming lights of the cars zooming past. She couldn’t suppress a sigh.

  Evan glanced over at her. “Your family’s wonderful,” he said conversationally. “I envy you coming from such a large, close-knit group.”

  “You’re close to your brother, too.”

  “True. More so now that we’re older.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Something’s troubling you.”