He didn’t know if Faith would ever return his feelings, but her response to his kisses told him that the attraction he felt between them wasn’t one-sided. That knowledge was something he could work with; it was something to build on. The path ahead wasn’t going to be easy. He had to convince her not only of his altered feelings, but also of his changed outlook. Somehow he had to find a way to make her believe that all those words about not being interested in love were the cynical protests of a man who’d already begun to lose the fight.
* * * * *
Faith closed the door of the bedroom and walked over to the dresser. Less than two hours ago she’d taken a man’s name for the second time in her life. The experience was a tangle of happiness and excitement and apprehension. Landris had played the part of an adoring groom to perfection. The warmth in his blue eyes when he slid the wedding band on her finger had been real enough to make Faith’s whole insides turn to jelly.
She caught her unfamiliar image reflected in the mirror. Bless Marly and Felicity. Together they transformed her into something worthy of a bride. Marly had insisted on doing Faith’s makeup, and Felicity had spent over an hour pinning her long hair into a cascade of curls. Their combined efforts hadn’t been wasted. When Landris looked up and saw Faith walking toward him, he hadn’t needed to say anything. His eyes told her that he liked what he was seeing. It was one of those moments she would remember for a long time.
The buzz of conversation and trill of laughter reached her ears. It was time to stop daydreaming and get ready to leave. Landris was in his room on the opposite side of the house changing clothes. She was supposed to be doing the same. The friends and family waiting patiently downstairs couldn’t leave until they did. Her eyes caught the sparkle of the diamond drop earrings Landris had given her the night before. He’d ended her protest of the unnecessary expense with a kiss that had left her head spinning and her legs trembling.
“You’re not ready yet?”
Faith hadn’t heard him come in. Their eyes met in the mirror; his still carried the same look she’d glimpsed earlier. “I’m getting there,” she replied, swallowing nervously as he crossed the room to stand behind her, so close she could feel his breath on her neck.
“I don’t blame you for not wanting to take it off. Olivia was right when she said you look like a princess: a lovely princess that I can’t believe is married to me.” He cupped his hands around the tops of her arms. “I know the last few weeks have been stressful, but the hard part is over. Now you can relax.”
Relax? How was she going to relax? She was going to be alone with him for four days. There would be nowhere to escape and no Olivia to provide a barrier between them.
“Are your bags ready?” he asked as he stepped away. “If so, I’ll take them down to the car.”
She released the breath she’d been holding and walked over to the closet. “I just need to find my windbreaker. When I checked the weather the other day, they were saying it might rain while we’re there.”
He eyed the single piece of luggage resting on the bed with amusement. “Is that all you have? The females in my family can’t seem to leave the house without their entire wardrobe.”
“We’re only going to be gone a few days.” Faith laid the blue jacket on top and zipped up the bag. “I have a smaller one with my cosmetics. I’m not finished with it yet.”
Landris picked it up off the bed and headed to the door. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Bring Olivia with you. I’ve got some new books I want to give her. I was saving them for when we’re gone.”
He stopped at the door and turned around. “You put me to shame. I would never have thought of that.”
Faith reached down to remove her high-heeled pumps. “It’s not much. Just something to make our leaving less painful.”
“That’s what I mean. You think of all those little details that don’t even occur to me.”
“I didn’t remember to get you a wedding gift.”
“You did that when you agreed to marry me. No amount of jewelry can make up for that.” He opened the door. “I’ll send Olivia to you.”
After he left, Faith removed the lacy confection and hung it on the padded hanger. Then she reached for the sleeveless dress she’d chosen for her going away outfit. A few minutes later, Olivia burst through the door with her usual exuberance, a lavender mesh bag dangling from her fingertips.
“Mommy, we’re ready to throw birdseed at you.”
Faith laughed. “I know that will make all the birds in our neighborhood happy.” Reaching into a large shopping bag on the dresser, she removed a box wrapped in pink and white striped paper. “This is for you to open after Daddy and I leave today.”
Instead of taking the box, Olivia threw her arms around Faith’s legs. “I wish I could go with you.”
Tears threatened, but Faith sternly repressed them. Giving way would only make things worse for Olivia. Loosening the grip of the little arms, Faith drew Olivia over to the bed and pulled her on her lap. “I know you do, sweetheart, but Papa and Grammy have come all this way to spend time with you. They want to have you to themselves without Mommy and Daddy.”
“Is Aunt Taryn going on a trip when she marries Mr. Clint?”
Like her father, nothing much got by Olivia. Faith was continually surprised by this. “Yes, she is. They’re going to an island called Bermuda way out in the middle of the ocean.”
“Are you and Daddy going to an island in the ocean, too?”
“Yes, but not quite so far from here. It’s called Tybee Island. We’ll take you there some time so you can see it.”
Landris came through the door. “Now I know why Trent and Clint disappeared right after we cut the cake. I don’t mind the writing on the windows, but I’m not driving all the way to Tybee with fifty cans tied to my bumper. As soon as we leave St. Marys, those things are coming off.”
“Don’t tell them that,” advised Faith. “It’ll spoil their fun.”
“I won’t, but I’ll be plotting my revenge.” He bent down to get the bag of birdseed Olivia had dropped and held it up in the air. “What could this be?”
Olivia laughed. “It’s birdseed, Daddy.”
Landris looked around the room. “I don’t see any birds in here.”
“It’s for when you leave. We’re going to throw birdseed at you and Mommy.”
He pretended to be shocked. “You’re going to throw it at us? Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s like a party. Right, Mommy?”
Faith nodded. “That’s exactly right.”
“Do I get to throw birdseed at you?” Landris asked as he handed Olivia the mesh bag.
“I don’t think so.”
He reached down and plucked her off Faith’s lap. “Well, then, can I have a kiss instead?” Olivia giggled as she kissed him on the cheek. “Mommy doesn’t have any shoes on. Do you think she wants me to carry her to the car? I could put her on my shoulders like I did when your kite was stuck in the tree.”
“Do it, Daddy.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Faith informed them. “I’m planning to wear shoes.” She disappeared into the closet to find her sandals.
“Mommy looks pretty with her hair up like that, doesn’t she?” he asked.
“Mommy is pretty all the time.”
Landris pinched Olivia’s cheek. “You’re right, cupcake. I’m a lucky man. I’ve got two lovely ladies living in my house.” He put her down to take the cosmetic case from Faith. “It’s time for Mommy and Daddy to leave. We’ll call you tonight before you go to bed.”
The last thing Faith saw before the SUV pulled away from the house was Olivia’s tearful face.
“She’ll be fine, Faith,” Landris said, putting his hand over hers. “In five minutes, she’ll be all smiles again.”
“I know,” she told him in a watery voice. “It’s me I’m worried about. I didn’t realize it would be so hard to leave her.”
“It’s par
t of being a parent. I wish I could tell you that it gets easier.”
“I would never have been a parent if it hadn’t been for you. Thank you, Landris.” Bringing his hand to her lips, she pressed a soft kiss on his palm.
“I should be thanking you,” he responded. “You’ve made my house a home.”
Faith hugged those words tightly around her heart. Landris might never love her, but she was helping to make his life better. At its most basic level, wasn’t that what love was all about?
* * * * *
In something less than two hours, Landris and Faith were driving down a narrow road lined with pastel painted cottages separated by white picket fences. Each one had a small porch with just enough room to accommodate two rocking chairs. Attached to the windows were boxes filled with colorful flowers.
Landris pulled into the driveway of the last one in the row and turned to look at his companion. He could still feel the touch of her lips on his palm. Tumultuous words clogged his heart, yearning to be expressed. Would she ever want to hear them?
“It’s darling,” Faith said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I can’t wait to see the inside.”
As they followed the short sidewalk to the front door, Landris noted the small dimensions of the structure and hid a smile. It appeared he should have been more specific when he talked to Corbin. His glance went to the figure in front of him. Things were about to get interesting. When they stepped inside, he did a quick scan of the room and waited. Her eyes moved from the small sitting room with its brightly hued floral-printed furniture to the built-in kitchen with its tall table for two and then to the door leading to the only bedroom. To his surprise, she laughed.
“I guess that’s why these are advertised as honeymoon cottages,” she said, turning to face him.
“Yeah, I was just thinking that. Too bad it didn’t occur to me when I talked to Corbin.”
“What would you have said? Newlyweds don’t need two bedrooms.” She walked further into the room and set her purse on the glass-topped table. “It’s not the end of the world. I can sleep on that loveseat, and you can have the bed.”
He smiled faintly. “My wife is not sleeping on a loveseat.”
“Are we about to have our first argument?” She glanced at her watch. “We’ve only been married about four hours.”
Landris turned back to the door. “The argument will have to wait. I’m going to get our things out of the car.”
When he returned, she motioned him into the bedroom. “Bring our stuff in here. We’ll postpone the discussion of the sleeping arrangements until later.”
The floral theme continued here, too, in everything from the duvet to the curtains on the windows. “Good. I don’t argue well on an empty stomach. Would you consider it poor taste for me to admit that I’m starved?” he asked as he arranged their luggage on the chest resting against the wall. “Tice’s did a great job on the cake, but the little of it that you fed me is long gone.”
She sat down on the bed. “There were a few seconds there when I really thought you were going to listen to your brother and smash cake in my face.”
“You were never in any danger. I don’t make a habit of listening to Trent. Do you mind if we eat early?”
“Not at all. Just let me grab a sweater. I always get cold in restaurants.”
The place Landris took her for dinner was built over the water and located only a few blocks from the cottage. A young waiter in faded jeans and a Hawaiian shirt escorted them to a table in a quiet corner. Illuminated tanks filled with colorful fish adorned the walls. Faith waved a hand behind her.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. How did you hear about this place?”
He looked up from reading the menu. “Corbin told me about it.”
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re under water? When we bring Olivia to Tybee, we have to bring her here. She’ll enjoy looking at all the fish.”
His lips twitched. “Are we bringing her to Tybee?”
“Of course. I promised her we would.”
Once he decided what he wanted to eat, Landris peeked over the top of his menu to watch Faith. Candlelight flickered across her lovely features. He could stay like this for hours just looking at her. He’d known many beautiful women in his life, but not one whose outer beauty was simply an extension of the generous, compassionate, loving person underneath. No one could be around her and not see the pureness of her heart. Not even someone as pessimistic and negative as he’d become. He’d still be that way if it wasn’t for her.
“What are you going to have?” she asked, her eyes rising to meet his.
“Probably the steak and lobster tail. What about you?”
“I’m thinking of the stuffed shrimp.” She closed her menu and set it on the table. “It was nice to finally meet your brother and his girlfriend. What was her name? I’m ashamed to say I forgot.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her. “Trent changes girlfriends frequently. The next time you see him, he’ll be with someone else.”
“Until he meets the one who makes all the others irrelevant.”
“I keep telling him that all his fooling around is going to come back and bite him. One day he’s going to run into a woman who won’t fall into his arms at the drop of a hat.”
They were interrupted by the appearance of the waiter with their drinks, a basket of assorted rolls, and butter molded in the shape of a fish. After he took their order, the young man kindly directed their attention to the window. In the distance, two fins could be seen gliding through the water. “Those are dolphins,” he told them. “They’ve been out there every evening this week.”
Landris laughed after they were alone again. “Maybe the dolphins are on their honeymoon, too.”
“They couldn’t have picked a better place. Is Trent something of a playboy? He doesn’t come across that way.”
“Most playboys don’t come across that way,” he told her as he stirred cream into his coffee. “That’s one of the reasons they’re so successful.”
“Is that the voice of experience speaking?”
“That’s a dangerous question to ask the man you just married.”
Faith removed a warm pumpernickel roll from the basket he held out to her. “Not really. It’s obvious you’re not like that now. If you were like that in the past, it can’t hurt me to know about it, and it won’t make me think any less of you.”
He chuckled as he selected one of the rolls and put it on his plate. “That’s a nice, safe answer. Why don’t I believe it? Because women never forget anything. My mom still brings up things my dad said and did twenty years ago.”
“That may be true, but men have a selective memory: they only remember what they want to remember.”
“I can’t argue with that. Some things aren’t worth holding on to. Today isn’t one of them. I’ll never forget the quiver in your voice when you said your vows or the way your hand trembled when I slid on the ring.”
Faith stopped in the process of buttering her roll to look at him. “I don’t know why I was so nervous.”
“Because getting married is a life-changing experience no matter what circumstances brought the couple to that point.” He finished his first roll and reached for another one. “Would you be interested in going out on a boat while we’re here?”
“On the ocean?”
He tried to keep a straight face and couldn’t. “We’re on an island, so yes, at some point we would be on the ocean.”
She grinned. “Where are we getting this boat?”
“It belongs to Corbin and Aubrey.”
“They’re going to trust us with their boat?”
“If spending a few hours on the ocean is something you’d like to do.”
“I’ve never done any boating, but I think I’d like it.”
“It’s hard to believe you’ve lived close to the ocean your whole life and never been on a boat.”
“I guess it is kind of strange when you think ab
out it, but then again, my parents hardly ever went to the beach. We had one of those above-ground pools with the deck around it. I didn’t start going to the beach until I had a car and could drive myself. Do you know how to operate a boat?”
“I do.” He started laughing. At her puzzled glance, he explained, “That’s the second time I’ve said that today. There’s the waiter with our food. It’s about time. I’ve eaten all the rolls.”
“I noticed that. You weren’t kidding about being hungry.”
The rest of the meal was spent making a tentative schedule for their stay on the island. Landris knew the only way he’d survive the next few days was if they were involved in activities away from the cottage. The fewer hours he was alone with Faith, the easier it would be to forget he was on his honeymoon.
Chapter Nine
The sun was setting by the time they left the restaurant. Faith was reminded of the sunset Landris had shown her in the mountains. Had that single act been a catalyst for what followed? When he suggested they drive around the island, she accepted with a smile. It was easier to forget the awkwardness of their situation when it wasn’t constantly staring them in the face. The initial sense of having gained a reprieve slowly faded into a vague disquiet.
Faith was well aware of the contradictory nature of her emotions, but there was little to be done about it. She knew why she was reluctant to return to the cottage; she didn’t like thinking that Landris had any reason for being so. What could it matter to him? Admiration, respect and mild physical attraction were all he was dealing with. He didn’t ache with the knowledge that he loved someone who didn’t want it.
By the time they were walking through the blue door once more, Faith had her fluctuating emotions under control. She knew the terms of their marriage when she accepted Landris. It was a little late to want to renegotiate the contract. All she had to do was get through the next few days. Everything would settle back into a familiar pattern when they returned to St. Marys.
The next half hour was taken up with calling Olivia. Landris had been right about how quickly the little girl would recover. Faith was more affected by the separation than Olivia. As she handed the phone back to him, she hoped he hadn’t seen her tears. While he finished talking to his parents, she made her escape to the bathroom where she blew her nose and repaired the damage in private. When she returned to the bedroom, she found Landris stretched out on the bed.
Love of a Lifetime: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 3) Page 14