Almost Hitched

by Kylie Gilmore

  “We should hire a wedding planner,” she told him.

  No response.

  “Of course, we’ll need to set a date before that.”

  Silence.

  “And possibly a venue. I think Chicago might be too hard for most of our fam—” Her wedding planning was cut off when Ian’s large hand wrapped around the back of her neck, pulled her close, and his lips met hers in a hard demanding kiss. His tongue delved into her mouth. Her last thought before her brain shut down was that they were both naked and that was good, though she suspected he’d tripped the circuit from her brain to her libido just to shut her up.

  She let him.

  For a really long time.

  She waited until they’d both been thoroughly satisfied and lay panting in the aftermath before returning to the topic at hand.

  “I’m keeping my name,” she informed him once she could speak. “I’ve already racked up several publication credits under the Kate Lewis name.”

  He tucked her head against his chest. “Shh…”

  “But our children can be Lewis-Furnukle to avoid confusion. Like Barry and Amber did with Violet.”

  He tilted her chin up and pressed his mouth to hers. Her brain shut down again. Then he stayed like that, not moving at all, just covering her mouth.

  She pulled away. “You were just trying to quiet me with your sexy stuff, weren’t you?”

  He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close, covering her mouth with his own again. She closed her eyes, suddenly tired. His hand dropped from her head as he eased back and let out a soft snore. She relaxed even more. They’d have plenty of time for wedding planning in the morning.

  Only the next morning, when she sat up and reached for her cell phone to call Amber, Ian tackled her, drawing her down under him, making her pant and shake and tremble until she couldn’t think of anything but his name. Sneaky wild fiancé.

  ~ ~ ~

  Ian took a shower later that morning, debating if he should admit he had cold feet. He never, ever wanted to hurt Kate, so he thought maybe he shouldn’t. It would probably pass. He’d just been surprised, that was all. Soon his brain would catch up with his new reality, and he’d think this was all great news.

  On the other hand, every time Kate mentioned the engagement and wedding planning, a raw primal fear clawed at him. Like he was trapped. He channeled that trapped animal feeling into a roaring, escaped animal by taking her again and again. But that wasn’t practical long-term. After their two weeks together—this week in Boston, next week in Chicago—they’d be long distance again. A little too much time apart would really snowball the wedding planning stuff.

  He stepped out of the shower, and Kate appeared in her pink robe and handed him a towel. “Guess what?” she asked.

  He snagged the towel and gave her a quick kiss. “What?”

  “Barry and Amber want to take us out to a congratulations dinner!”

  He swallowed. “Oh. You called them already?”

  “Yes! Just now. They’re so happy for us. Barry wants you to call as soon as you’re dressed.”

  He dried off. “Okay, great.”

  “It is great. Amber said we should stay the weekend at their place. We’ll go out to dinner tonight after Violet’s birthday party, and tomorrow we can shop for wedding gowns! I’ve already staked out three bridal boutiques near Clover Park. I’d love for you to come!”

  “And I’d love for you to come,” he growled, palming her ass and pulling her up against him. He kissed her long and deep. She rubbed herself against him, and he thrust his leg between hers. He knew sexing her up was a cop-out. He didn’t care. He needed more time. The last thing he wanted was for Kate to know about the cold feet problem when she was this excited about their engagement. This trapped feeling would pass.

  It had to. His brother would call him on it the minute he saw him.

  He slid a hand into her hair and kissed her roughly. She moaned against his mouth and everything else faded away.

  Chapter Three

  Ian rang the bell at his older brother’s house in Clover Park, a white colonial with green shutters, and took a deep breath. Kate was literally bouncing with excitement at his side. The door swung open.

  “There she is,” Barry sang, his arms out to Kate, “the newest Lewis-Furnukle!”

  Kate beamed and stepped inside. Barry gave her a big bear hug. His oldest brother by seven years looked like an older version of Ian—six foot, lean, light brown hair, and brown eyes. Kate always said Ian was a cuter, younger version of Barry. She was biased, but Ian let her keep thinking that.

  “Congratulations!” Barry said, taking them both in.

  “Thank you!” Kate exclaimed.

  “Thanks,” Ian mumbled.

  Barry turned to Ian. “So how’d you do it? Rose petals and candles? Romantic dinner?”

  Ian rubbed the back of his neck. They hadn’t gotten their story straight. Kate wore a skimpy hydrogen costume and went on her knees, making me think with my little head didn’t sound all that romantic.

  Kate looked to him, and he shook his head, silently telling her he had no clue what to say.

  Honest as always, Kate announced, “I proposed to Ian in a hydrogen costume I had made especially for the occasion.”

  Barry blinked. “Well, uh…”

  Amber and Violet appeared. “Of course she did,” Amber said with a smile, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. Like Kate, Amber was petite and blonde, though the artsy Amber sported violet streaks in her hair. Violet’s blond hair was in pigtails, her eyes brown like her dad. Her hair would likely darken. He and his two older brothers had all been blond when they were little.

  Kate rushed to hug her sister, saying, “I love you.” Then she scooped up Violet in a big hug. “I love you!”

  “Wuv you, Tate,” Violet said. She had trouble with her Ls and Ks. Her Ss were lispy too. So adorable.

  Amber hugged Ian and whispered in his ear, “You’re good for her. Look at her with all the hugs and I love yous.”

  He looked over where Kate was now smiling and rubbing noses with Violet. His heart squeezed. She adored their niece. There was a time when he thought Kate was too cold to adore anything but physics.

  “That’s just the Violet effect,” he said under his breath.

  Amber kept an arm around him. “It’s you, being in love. She has friends now at the university.”

  He didn’t know that. “That’s great.” Though it occurred to him that they must be guy friends because she was the only female in the particle physics laboratory, and maybe that was why she hadn’t mentioned it.

  Barry gave him a hug and pounded him on the back. “I knew you two would get engaged one day. A little sooner than I thought, but who cares? It was inevitable.”

  “What evable?” Violet asked.

  Kate set her down, and Violet ran to Ian, grabbing him around the legs and making his knees buckle. He snagged her by the waist and flipped her upside down. “How’s my favorite niece?”

  Violet giggled. “Good! I ate a hot dog.” Ian set her down to prevent the hot dog from coming back up. “More nieces?” She peeked around his legs like he might be hiding a few. “Where?”

  Ian tapped her nose. “Just you.”

  “Oh.” She was sharp. She knew favorite meant a preferred choice among many. Violet turned her attention back to Kate. “What evable?”

  “In-ev-i-ta-ble,” Kate enunciated clearly, “is something that’s definitely going to happen.”

  “Wite tate!” Violet exclaimed.

  “Like cake,” Amber translated.

  Kate beamed. “That’s right!”

  Violet ran into the living room and grabbed a small pink backpack off the sofa. She sat on the floor with it.

  “That’s her stash of toys,” Amber said. “We put away the rest for the party. So tell us everything wedding! When, where, details!”

  “Still plenty of time for all that planning stuff,” Ian said. “How can we help g
et ready for the party?”

  Amber and Barry exchanged a look. Amber immediately guided Kate over to the sofa.

  Barry narrowed his eyes at Ian. Caught! He knew Barry would call him on this cold feet business. “Help me get some drinks for the ladies.”

  Ian swallowed hard. “Sure.” He turned to Amber and Kate. “What can I get you?”

  “Bring us all some ice water,” Amber said. “And bring Violet a juice box.”

  Violet leaped up. “Juice!”

  “Stay with Mommy,” Barry ordered.

  Once they were in the kitchen, Ian watched his brother get out the glasses. The silence stretched as Barry pulled out the ice tray and cracked it, tossed ice in the glasses, and poured the water.

  Finally Ian couldn’t take the silent judgment anymore. “She surprised me!” he whispered fiercely.

  Barry lined up the glasses on the counter before turning to him and asking quietly, “So you don’t want to be engaged?”

  Ian lifted one shoulder up and down. “I’m getting used to it.”

  Barry crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “It’s a little fast. You’ve only been dating three months.” Barry kept his voice low, out of consideration for Kate probably, but Violet was chattering so loudly Ian didn’t think they’d hear anything from this distance anyway.

  Ian rubbed the back of his neck. “Not even three months. Almost three months.”

  “It’s too much too soon.”

  Ian blew out a breath, relieved his older brother seemed to understand the prickly situation. “Yeah.”

  “She’s new at relationships,” Barry said.

  Ian stifled a groan. “I know.” Barry had a soft spot for Kate, who had idolized Barry from the moment they met for his achievements with his groundbreaking app. Kate had a keen appreciation for intellectual breakthroughs. In any case, Ian was well aware he was only Kate’s second relationship. He’d kept tabs on her over the years. He also knew her first relationship had lasted two months. Maybe she thought that their relationship passing the two-month mark meant it was time. Hell, he’d been with his ex for three years and never even considered proposing.

  Somehow things had gotten really serious really fast with Kate. He forced a slow deep breath.

  Barry cocked a brow, probably waiting for Ian to say something reassuring about not hurting Kate, but he feared he was going to end up doing exactly that. If everyone could just stop talking about the wedding, he might be able to deal.

  He grabbed two glasses of ice water, prepared to make his escape. Barry fetched the juice box, tucked it under his elbow, and grabbed the other two glasses.

  Ian had only taken one step toward freedom when Barry stopped him.

  “Ian, wait.”

  He turned. “What?”

  Barry’s brown eyes were kind and completely nonjudgmental. “You can tell her you’re not ready. Honesty is important in a relationship.”

  Ian stepped closer to his brother and lowered his voice. “And break her heart? Did you see how happy she is?”

  Barry inclined his head.

  “I’ll get there. I told you she surprised me.”

  “Okay then,” Barry agreed easily. “Leave that to you.”

  “Thank you.” He turned, thinking he’d finally put an end to the painful conversation when his brother quietly spoke again.

  “It’s better to hurt her a little with the truth now than wait until you’re in deeper down the road.”

  Ian kept walking. He needed time. That was all.

  When he returned to the living room, Kate and Amber were looking at an iPad, chatting about necklines and lace. Apparently, they were already shopping for a wedding gown. His gut churned. He set the glasses on the coffee table and took a seat on the floor next to Violet, who plunked a mermaid doll in his lap.

  Kate sent him a questioning look. He looked away, not having an easy answer. He wouldn’t be able to sex her up here as a distraction. It was time for the Serious Talk.

  ~ ~ ~

  Kate was getting a very weird feeling. Something was off with Ian. He looked way too serious for a man holding a mermaid doll. She’d ask him tonight when they were alone in the guest room. And this time she would make sure he didn’t touch her. No short-circuiting this important of a conversation. She focused her attention back on Amber. Her sister was seven years older, similar in looks, but with a much more outgoing artistic personality due to her having a different mother than Kate. Amber’s mom was a famous artist living in Paris. Kate’s mom was a physicist at Princeton University. So was her and Amber’s dad. Amber was a bit of an oddball in their family, not being a physicist.

  Amber exited the wedding gown website and set the iPad down. “Bad luck for the groom to see,” she said to Kate. “So,” she said brightly, taking both Kate and Ian in, “have you set a date?”

  Kate looked to Ian, who seemed to be avoiding her eyes. “Not yet,” Kate said. “Maybe next May or June after I wrap up my postdoc. Or earlier if the fellowship opportunity in Geneva works out. They have special benefits for spouses.”

  Ian’s head snapped up. “Geneva?”

  She nodded. “At the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. It’s the largest most powerful particle accelerator in the world. The director of our program wants me to apply for a fellowship. If I get it, I’ll spend the last year of my postdoc there. It’s an extraordinary opportunity. That’s why I have an easy week next week. I’ll be filling out the paperwork for my application.”

  “Wow!” Barry said.

  “Wow!” Violet echoed.

  “That’s awesome!” Amber exclaimed. “I remember you mentioned you wanted to run some experiments at the Hadron collider.”

  Barry sent Amber an approving look. Her sister did her best to keep up with Kate’s physics career though she understood very little about it. Barry understood more. He was a brilliant software engineer that had developed an app, Giggle Snap, that used a groundbreaking compression algorithm to share sound files across social networks. It made him big-time money. Now he ran a fro-yo shop for fun and developed apps on the side.

  Ian took a long drink of ice water. Kate couldn’t quite put her finger on the problem, but Ian seemed tense.

  “You should get married here,” Amber said. “Then I can help you plan it. Do you remember where me and Bare got married at the big mansion in Clover Park?”

  Kate focused on her sister, who was, as usual, relaxed and cheerful. “Yes. It was beautiful.”

  “The official name is Ludbury House,” Amber said. “Anyway, they have a wedding planner now. Maybe we could meet with her while you’re in town. She often takes appointments on Sundays.”

  “What do you think?” Kate asked Ian.

  “Whatever you want,” Ian mumbled.

  That wasn’t like Ian either. He was usually very decisive. Her brows scrunched together as she puzzled over Ian’s strange behavior.

  “Guys don’t enjoy wedding planning as much as we do,” Amber said in a soothing voice. “I planned our wedding with Susan.” That was Barry and Ian’s mom. “Except for the music. That was all Bare.”

  Kate nodded. Amber was probably right. She understood a lot more about interpersonal relationships than Kate did. That would definitely explain Ian’s weirdness when Kate talked about wedding planning. For a moment there, she worried that he didn’t want to get married. She reassured herself that he wouldn’t have said yes to her proposal if he didn’t want to. She would never agree if she didn’t want to do something. Ian probably just wanted to show up in a tux. She, on the other hand, was imagining the Cinderella experience like she’d never had before. A horse-drawn carriage. A beautiful white poufy gown, a tiara, shiny crystal and silver slippers—the works. White flowers, pink flowers, red flowers. Doves. Confetti. Bubbles. Violet would be the flower girl. Kate could already picture herself and Ian joyfully running down the aisle as husband and wife to applause with bubbles, confetti, rice, and doves releasing into the sky.

 
“Have you told Dad and Maxine?” Amber asked, popping Kate’s fantasy bubble. Maxine was her mom, Amber’s stepmom. Just the mention of her mom’s name was sobering. Her mom was humorless, all of her focus on her physics work. Kate had been uncomfortably similar before she fell in love with Ian. Love was a powerful phenomenon, making her relaxed and happy in body and mind. She was grateful she finally got to experience it.

  “No, I didn’t tell them yet,” Kate said.

  Ian stood abruptly. “I’m going to grab our bags from the car.” He left.

  She bit her lip, more than a little worried about Ian’s odd behavior.

  Amber snagged her cell. “Better to give them a heads-up. You know Maxine doesn’t do surprises well.”

  Neither did Kate until Ian gave her a few really fun surprises. Now she was more open to them, though still a little slow in reacting appropriately to what was usually a positive thing.

  Kate sighed. “They’re not going to be excited.”

  “They’ll be happy for you,” Amber said, already tapping her phone. “Trust me.” Kate heard the phone ring and Amber shoved the phone at her as soon as her mom answered.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hello, Kate. Why are you calling from Amber’s phone? Are you visiting her?”

  “Yes, I flew to Boston to surprise Ian, and we drove to Barry and Amber’s for Violet’s party.”

  “We’re on our way and should arrive in two hours, barring traffic.” Her parents were very precise and scheduled. They liked to arrive exactly fifteen minutes after a party’s start time and planned accordingly for their drive from Princeton, New Jersey. “Why did you call if we’re going to see you in person?”

  “I wanted to tell you the good news.” She sucked in a breath, sure her mom was going to rain on her happy parade. “Ian and I are getting married.”

  “Oh, I see. And when will this occur?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  The phone went silent, there was a rustle, and then her dad got on. “Hello, Kate. Your mom just told me the news. He’s a nice young man.”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, then. We’ll see you in two hours, barring traffic.”