Mama Laverne turned her attention to Lee. “Yes, you met Carly on your own and that was better than I could have expected. But I already had a plan in place. That night when all of you dined at Peyton’s Place, if you recall, it was Diamond’s idea.”
Lee turned around and found Diamond in the crowd, standing beside Jake. Lee gave her an accusing stare. She placed a tentative smile on her face. He didn’t smile back. Instead, he turned to his grandmother, not sure he appreciated how things were unfolding. “Yes, it was Diamond’s idea.”
“And if you recall it was Diamond’s request that Carly, who’d made such a wonderful dessert that night, be called out of the kitchen for all of you to thank her.”
Lee nodded. “Yes, that was Diamond’s request as well.”
“Well, that was supposed to be the first time you and Carly met. I was certain once you saw her, Lee, that you would be so taken with her that you would be smart enough to take things from there.”
Lee shook his head, not liking the idea that he and Carly had been pawns in his great-grandmother’s scheme. “You had no way of knowing that would happen.”
Mama Laverne gave her great-grandson a smug look. “Didn’t I? I keep telling my grands and great-grands that I have the ability to see things concerning all of you that you can’t see for yourself. Over the years, when Ruth would tell me about Carly, I knew in my heart that she was the woman you needed. Not the woman for Nolan, Corbin or any of my other great-grandsons. But you. I knew in my heart that she would be the perfect Madaris bride just for you.”
Lee didn’t say anything as he stared his grandmother down. She had outsmarted him. Even when he’d assumed he had been the one in control of his own destiny, she had been there driving the ship.
He looked around at the faces of his family and friends. They did not look surprised that Felicia Laverne Madaris could pull off such a thing. Some of them were the recipients of her meddling and handiwork. He had shown up today, just knowing he’d beat her at her own game, but in the end he’d discovered he hadn’t even been in the competition.
He found Ashton Sinclair in the crowd and met his gaze. The man was smiling. Lee then recalled the one word Ashton had used to describe how the moment would be when Mama Laverne met Carly. Priceless. Ashton hadn’t lied.
Lee looked at Carly and she was nervously biting her bottom lip. She was probably unsure of what his reaction to his great-grandmother’s revelation would be. But all he could think about at that very moment was just how much he loved her, and regardless of how they met, he believed it was their fate to meet. If his grandmother had used her connections to make it happen, then so be it.
He looked back at his grandmother and saw the way her lips softened at the corners. He knew at that moment just how much he loved her and adored her. She wanted what was best for her family, and, as far as he was concerned, because of her manipulations, he had gotten the best.
He felt the rumble in his stomach as he laughed, unable to contain himself. His great-grandmother had pulled one over on one of her great-grandsons yet again. When he laughed, her smile widened, and those standing around them followed his lead and began laughing as well.
Moments later, after his laughter subsided, a smiling Lee turned to the crowd of family and friends. “Hello, everyone. I would like you to meet my wife, Carly Briggs Madaris. We were married in Vegas in October, but we’ve come home for a wedding. A Christmas wedding. One that I’m sure Mama Laverne is counting on seeing.”
He then pulled Carly into his arms, looked down at her and whispered, “Welcome to the family, sweetheart. I love you.”
And then, in front of his family and friends, he kissed her.
Christmas Day
Carly looked at herself in the full-length mirror and smiled. Her headpiece sat like a crown on her head and a one-tier, full-length veil cascaded over her shoulders and down the back of her wedding dress. She had known it was the dress for her the moment she’d seen it.
Diamond had used Jake’s pilot and plane to fly Carly to Los Angeles to a special bridal boutique owned by a friend of Diamond’s, a woman she had attended high school with, who designed gowns for a number of Hollywood celebrities.
While Carly and Diamond were away in California shopping for her bridal attire, the other Madaris women were at work planning her wedding. She and Lee would get married in his great-grandmother’s church. Invitations had been sent and, to her surprise and satisfaction, Lee had hired Chef Blanchard and his staff from the hotel as the caterers, flying the group all the way from Vegas. It was so nice to see everyone again. Jodie and Jerome had gone ahead with their Vegas wedding and Jodie had to tell her all about it.
Lee had also surprised her with her aunt’s arrival. Shelton, who was now officially one of Lee’s pilots, had flown the jet to Alabama to get her aunt. Shundra had accompanied him, and it had been a joyous reunion for Aunt Ruthie to see Shundra again. It had been years. Too long.
According to Shundra, Gail and Sidney had called a number of times, pleading with her to come home, divorce Shelton, get an abortion and go on with her life as before. But she’d told them she was completely happy being pregnant and married.
Shundra and Shelton had purchased a home in Vegas. And she had transferred her college credits and would attend the University of Nevada in January to complete her last two years of college.
“You look beautiful, sweetie.”
Carly turned at the sound of her aunt’s voice. Since Aunt Ruthie’s arrival last week, she had been spending a lot of time with Lee’s great-grandmother. Carly could see how the two women had become friends all those years ago. Since Mama Laverne was older, she had become the confidante Aunt Ruthie had needed.
Once Carly had a chance to sit down and reflect on how Aunt Ruthie and Mama Laverne had schemed to get her and Lee together, like Lee, she couldn’t be mad at them. They had done it out of love. Mama Laverne had convinced Aunt Ruthie that Carly needed someone like Lee and both women had been right. She did. He was everything she could possibly want and more.
And talking about want... Because of Lee she knew in her heart that she would never feel unwanted again.
“Thanks, Aunt Ruthie. I feel beautiful and I want to thank you for everything. For being there when I needed you the most, and for being the one person I know I can depend on. As far as Gail is concerned, not sharing a relationship with me all those years is her loss.”
“Yes, it was. You don’t have to thank me. Everything I did for you, I did out of love.”
There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Carly called out.
Both Shundra and Heather came in, smiling from ear to ear. “We just took pictures with Sterling Hamilton,” Heather said, gushing.
“And he told me I was just as pretty as my sister,” Shundra said, barely getting the words out for her excitement.
“Did he?” Carly asked, smiling. She had met Sterling, his wife, Colby, and their offspring when they’d first arrived at Whispering Pines. The couple had since invited her and Lee to spend a weekend with them and their family at their beautiful cabin in North Carolina.
“You don’t have much time left, child,” Mama Laverne said, coming to the door on her cane. “That great-grandson of mine is anxious for everything to begin and to be over.”
Carly was anxious as well. The past few weeks had been special, and although she and Lee were already married, to have a ceremony performed in front of family and friends meant everything to her.
“I almost forgot,” Mama Laverne said, coming into the room to hand her an envelope. “I promised Lee I would make sure you got this before the wedding. At least he didn’t try to see you himself today. He respected my rule that the groom is not to see the bride on their wedding day before the ceremony.”
Carly took the envelope, deciding to read it later, in private. However, as if the others knew her thoughts, they excused themselves to give her a chance to read it.
She tore into the envelope and pulled out t
he sheet of paper.
Carly,
From the moment I set eyes on you, a part of me knew you were special. At the time, however, I didn’t know just how much. Now I do.
It’s Christmas Eve, the night before our wedding, and I’m sitting around my fireplace alone, wishing you were with me. But I agreed to honor tradition as my great-grandmother requested. So instead of being with you, I’m here thinking of you and I decided to jot my thoughts down on paper. I won’t see you again until the wedding. However, I will see you at church, the moment you walk down the aisle to me.
When you do, know that you are wanted and desired. Know that you are admired, respected and appreciated.
Know that you are mine as I am yours.
And above all, know that you are loved.
We will spend the rest of our lives together and at times the journey won’t always be easy. But please know that I will always be there for you and with you. You are my heart and soul, and now you are my reason for living.
Until tomorrow,
Lee
Carly drew in a deep breath and held the letter to her heart. She fought not to cry. If she did, Heather would get all over her for messing up her makeup. She turned when she heard a knock on the door. It was her aunt.
“It’s time, Carly.”
She nodded. “Yes, it’s time.”
* * *
Lee’s breath caught as he stood beside his father, who was his best man, watching Carly walk down the aisle to him. She looked absolutely beautiful. Stunning beyond belief. More gorgeous than any woman he knew.
And she is mine.
His heart beat hard in his chest with every step she took toward him; their gazes locked together. Over the past few weeks, a part of him wondered why he was torturing himself with this wedding when they were already married. Now he knew. She deserved a chance to do this. Walk down the aisle wearing her veil and her beautiful wedding dress. She deserved to have everyone stand up in her honor the moment she strolled by their pew. And she deserved the dedication and loyalty of a man who would love her forever. On this day, Christmas Day, she was making her way to him and he felt so fortunate that he had been the one chosen to receive such a perfect gift. Priceless.
After the wedding reception, they would fly to Hawaii to spend two weeks, and he couldn’t wait for his honeymoon to begin. He intended to make it even more special than the last one in Dubai.
Then she was there. He reached out and took her hand, lifting it to his lips, holding her gaze as he kissed it. Then they faced the minister, ready for the service to begin. They had said their vows before and would repeat them again today, reaffirming the promises they’d made to each other.
A short while later, the minister finally said the words Lee had been waiting for. “Mr. Madaris, you may kiss your bride.”
Lee gently turned Carly to him, lifted her veil and whispered, “I love you,” and then he lowered his mouth to hers. This, he thought, was worth the wait.
* * *
Nolan Madaris stood with the others who watched Lee and Carly drive away from the wedding reception at Whispering Pines. When the car was no longer in sight, he turned and almost bumped into his great-grandmother. He hadn’t known she was standing beside him.
“Mama Laverne.”
“Nolan. You’ve been avoiding me today.”
“Have I?”
“Yes, you have. You know what they say. You can run, but you sure can’t hide.”
“Thanks for telling me that.”
Nolan had news for her. He had no intention of hiding. Lee had tried it, and it hadn’t worked. Nolan would stay in plain sight and would gladly be the one to show her once and for all that she couldn’t choose everyone’s mate. Nobody would choose the woman he would marry...if there was such a creature. At the moment, he had no reason to think there was. He thoroughly enjoyed being single and didn’t mind the whispers that he’d picked up where his cousins Clayton and Blade had left off.
There was that one thing, however, that had him confused. “I’m curious about something,” he said.
“And what are you curious about, Nolan?”
“I heard you and that lady at bingo. The two of you were scheming—” he cleared his throat “—I mean, planning to marry her granddaughter off to Lee. But things didn’t work out that way, so did I hear wrong?”
“Partly,” his great-grandmother said, resting her hands on her cane as she stared up at him. “You heard what we wanted you to hear.”
“Oh.” He tried not to frown. “So she doesn’t have a granddaughter.”
Mama Laverne smiled. “On the contrary. She has a beautiful granddaughter. But it wasn’t Lee’s wedding I was planning.”
He was definitely confused. “If it wasn’t Lee’s wedding, then whose wedding was it?”
His great-grandmother’s lips curved in a smile. “Yours.”
Nolan didn’t say anything as he stood and stared at Mama Laverne. Then he turned and walked away.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460321096
A MADARIS BRIDE FOR CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2013 by Brenda Streater Jackson
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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A Madaris Bride for Christmas Page 27