Baby Talk & Wedding Bells

by Brenda Harlen

  Now her cheeks weren’t just hot, they were burning.

  Harper chuckled but showed mercy by shifting her cousin’s attention away from Cassie. “I’m going to make sure Coco isn’t tripping up everyone in the kitchen.”

  “I should probably go in, too,” Cassie said. “To give Ellen a hand.”

  “She has all the help she needs in the kitchen,” Tristyn assured her. “The aunts have been managing family get-togethers for more years than I’ve been alive, and the meal preparation is more expertly choreographed than the dancers in a Beyoncé video.”

  Cassie couldn’t help but smile at the mental image the other woman’s words evoked. “I don’t doubt that’s true.”

  “The bar, on the other hand, looks abandoned,” Tristyn said, linking her arm through Cassie’s and guiding her in that direction.

  “We’re going to work the bar?”

  Braden’s cousin grinned. “No, we’re going to get you a drink to accompany the dish I’m going to give you on my cousin.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cassie would gladly have paid admission to spend a Day with the Garrett Clan—as Braden referred to it. It was a little chaotic and a lot of fun and she loved watching the interactions of his family. There was also much talking and teasing and more food than she’d ever seen in one place in her life. So she ate and she mingled and she found herself falling even more in love—not just with the man but with his whole family.

  It was hard to keep track of who were siblings and who were cousins, because they were all “aunt” and “uncle” to little ones. Cassie had no experience with close-knit families like the Garretts. Growing up, she vaguely remembered a set of grandparents in Utah—her father’s parents—who had sent cards at Christmas and on birthdays, but they’d both died a couple of years before Amanda did. Her mother had refused to talk about her family, so if she had any relatives on that side, Cassie had never known them.

  For almost two years, the first two years after her mom had married Ray, Cassie had felt as if she was part of a real family. For the first time that she could remember, she’d lived with both a mother and a father, her sister and two stepbrothers, and it had been nice. Normal.

  Even when she’d cringed at demonstrations of Ray’s temper, she’d thought that was normal because she’d never really known anything different. But this was even better than that—this was the family she’d always dreamed of having someday, and being here with Braden gave her hope that the dream might be within her grasp.

  “You sure do know how to throw a party,” Cassie said to the hostess, when Ellen brought out a fresh pitcher of sweet tea and set it on the table with a stack of plastic glasses.

  Braden’s mom beamed proudly. “It’s always fun getting the family together.”

  “It’s nice that they could all be here,” she commented.

  And she meant it. She envied Braden having grown up with Ellen and John as parents, and she was glad that Saige, despite not having a mother, would grow up secure in the knowledge that she was loved.

  “Family means a lot to all of us,” Ellen said. “And although I understood why Ryan and Harper wanted to move to Florida, I can’t deny that—for the past three years—I’ve felt as if a part of my heart was missing.”

  “I guess a mother never stops worrying about her children—even when they have children of their own.”

  “That’s the truth,” Ellen confirmed. “But now that all of my boys are home and happy, I’m looking forward to focusing on and enjoying my grandchildren—and maybe planning another wedding in the not-too-distant future.”

  Cassie suspected that Ellen was hoping for some insights about her relationship with Braden, but she had none to give her. “Speaking of your grandchildren,” she said, because she didn’t dare comment on the latter part of Ellen’s remark, “it looks like Saige wore more ice cream than she ate. I’m going to wash her up before she puts her sticky fingers on everything.”

  “There’s a change table in the first bedroom at the top of the stairs,” Ellen told her.

  “Great,” Cassie said, then scooped up the little girl and made her escape.

  * * *

  Braden was catching up with his middle brother when he caught a glimpse of Saige out of the corner of his eye. She’d been sitting on a blanket spread out on the grass with several other kids, all of them enjoying ice-cream sandwiches under the watchful eye of Maura, one of the oldest cousins. Having finished her frozen treat, Saige stood up and turned toward the house. He saw then that she hadn’t actually eaten her dessert but painted her face and shirt with it.

  He started to excuse himself to take her inside to wash up, but before he could interrupt Justin’s ER story, he saw Cassie pick up his daughter and carry her toward the house. He couldn’t hear what she said, but whatever it was, it made Saige giggle.

  He never got tired of watching Cassie with Saige. She was so good with his daughter, so easy and natural. The first day he’d attended Baby Talk at the library, he’d been impressed by her humor and patience. If there was ever a woman who was meant to be a mother—and hopefully Saige’s mother—it was Cassie.

  “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said,” Justin accused.

  “What?”

  His brother shook his head. “Never mind.”

  “Why are you grinning?” Braden asked suspiciously.

  “Because I never thought I’d see you like this,” Justin admitted.

  “Like what?” Braden asked.

  “Head over heels. And—more important—happy.”

  He scowled. “What are you talking about?”

  “I don’t know if you really thought you were fooling anyone, but we could all tell that you were miserable in the last few years of your marriage, at least until Saige came along.”

  Braden couldn’t deny it.

  “It’s nice to see you happy again,” Justin said. “And if Cassie’s the reason for that, you’d be smart to hold on to her.”

  “I intend to,” he said, and headed into the house.

  He found Cassie in the nursery—formerly Ryan’s childhood bedroom that his parents had redone in anticipation of their first grandchild. It had been several more years before they’d actually needed it, but the room was in frequent use now whenever Ellen and John looked after Vanessa for Justin and Avery, or—even more frequently—Saige for Braden. In fact, his parents were talking about adding a second crib and a couple of toddler beds to ensure they’d be able to accommodate all of the grandchildren now that Ryan and Harper were back in Charisma with Oliver and another baby on the way.

  “I wondered where you disappeared to,” Braden said to Cassie.

  She glanced over and smiled at him. “Saige had ice cream all over her, so I brought her in to wash up and change her clothes, then she started yawning and I realized it was getting close to her bedtime, so I decided to put her pajamas on her instead.”

  “You could have asked me to do it,” he protested.

  “You were busy with your brother, and I didn’t mind,” she said, as she fastened the snaps of Saige’s one-piece sleeper.

  The little girl lifted her arms, indicating her desire to be picked up. As soon as Cassie had done so, Saige laid her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes.

  “I think all the excitement today has worn her out,” Cassie said.

  “No doubt,” he agreed. “How about you?”

  “I had a great day,” she said. “I really enjoyed being here, watching you with your family. It’s rare to see so many members of three different generations and all of them so close.”

  He lifted Saige from her arms and carried his daughter over to the crib, setting her gently down on the mattress, before turning back to Cassie again. “I’m glad that Saige has cousins of a similar age, although I haven’t given u
p hope that she might have a brother or a sister—or both—someday, too.”

  “You should have more kids,” Cassie said. “You’re a wonderful father.”

  “Thanks, but first I’d have to find a woman who’s willing to take on the challenges of a widower and his adopted daughter.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble with that,” she said, her tone light and teasing. “Your little girl is pretty darn cute.”

  “What about her dad?” he prompted.

  Cassie smiled. “He’s not hard to look at, either.”

  “Of course, she’d also have to be willing to put up with my family.”

  “Your family is wonderful,” she assured him.

  “Most of the time,” he agreed. “I’m glad to see that you survived your first Garrett family gathering without any visible signs of trauma.”

  “First?”

  He took her hands and linked their fingers together. “I hope it’s only the first of many, because being here with you today, I realized that this is where you belong—with me and Saige.”

  And then he released one of her hands to reach into the side pocket of his cargo shorts and pull out a small velvet box.

  Cassie’s eyes went wide when he offered it to her, but she made no move to take it.

  So he flipped open the hinged lid with his thumb, revealing a princess-cut diamond solitaire set on a simple platinum band. “I’m asking you to marry me, Cassie. To be my wife and a mother to my daughter—and any other children we may have.”

  She stared at the ring in his hand, stunned.

  Because while she had undeniably thought about the possibility of a future with Braden and Saige, she’d counseled her eager heart to be patient. Even if she believed Braden’s claim that he wasn’t still mourning the death of his wife, he’d experienced a lot of changes in his life over the past seventeen months and she didn’t imagine that he was eager to make any more right now. And although he’d recently hinted that he was falling for her, she hadn’t expected this.

  “I know it’s fast,” he acknowledged, when she failed to respond. “And if it’s too soon, I can wait. But I don’t want to wait. I want to start the rest of my life with you as soon as possible.”

  And with those words, her heart filled with so much joy, her chest actually ached. “I want that, too,” she finally said.

  His lips curved then, and the warmth and happiness in his smile arrowed straight to her heart. Maybe this was fast—certainly a lot faster than she’d expected—but it felt so right. And when he took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger, it fit right, too.

  * * *

  “I didn’t think we were ever going to get away,” Braden said, when they finally left his parents’ house a few hours later.

  “It’s your own fault,” Cassie told him. “After you announced our engagement, your mother insisted on opening half a dozen bottles of champagne, and then everyone wanted to toast to something.”

  “Maybe I should have waited for a more private venue,” he acknowledged. “But seeing you with my family today, how perfectly you fit, I knew there wouldn’t be a more perfect moment.

  “And Tristyn, in particular, was thrilled about the engagement, because our impending wedding plans ensure that the focus of attention will be shifted away from her, at least until after the ceremony.”

  “Is she usually the focus of attention?”

  “Only since Lauryn and Ryder got married,” he told her.

  “And her other sister, Jordyn, is the artist married to Marco Palermo and who has the twin boys?”

  “You must have been taking notes,” he mused.

  “A notebook would have come in handy,” she told him. “Because not fifteen minutes after meeting Tristyn, I couldn’t remember her name.”

  “Well, I’m impressed,” he said. “And the combination of Lauryn’s recent wedding with Jordyn’s pregnancy has everyone wanting to know when Tristyn’s going to settle down.”

  “But she’s with Josh, right?”

  Braden scowled. “Where did you ever get that idea?”

  “From the fact that he didn’t take his eyes off her the whole day.”

  The furrow in his brow deepened. “Really?”

  “Or maybe I just assumed they were together, because everyone else was paired up,” she offered as an alternate explanation, attempting to appease him.

  “Well, they’re not together,” he assured her. “Josh is a friend of Daniel’s and his partner in Garrett/Slater Racing.”

  “So is Tristyn the only one who isn’t married?”

  “No, Nora is single, too, but her half-sister status provides a little bit of insulation from most of the familial nosiness,” he told her.

  “They’re not nosy,” she protested. “They’re interested.”

  “Wait until they all want to help plan the wedding—then you can let me know if they’re interested or interfering.”

  * * *

  Cassie didn’t get a chance to announce her engagement to her coworkers on Monday, because as soon as Stacey saw the ring on her finger, she squealed with excitement—an instinctive reaction that prompted a fierce shushing from Helen. She immediately grabbed Cassie’s arm and dragged her into the staff room where they could talk without fear of reprisal.

  “Ohmygod,” Stacey said, her gaze riveted on the rock. “Is that thing real?”

  “I haven’t actually tried to cut glass with it, but I assume so,” Cassie told her friend.

  “Braden?”

  “No, Mr. Pasternak,” she said dryly, giving the name of one of their oldest patrons, who had a habit of falling asleep in the magazine section.

  Stacey rolled her eyes. “Okay—stupid question. But when? Where? How?”

  She smiled at the barrage of questions, happy to share the details and some of her own euphoria. “Last night. During a barbecue at his parents’ house.”

  “He proposed to you in front of everyone?”

  She shook her head. “No, it was just me and Braden. And Saige—but she was sleeping.”

  Her friend sighed dreamily. “So...when’s the wedding?”

  “We haven’t set a date yet.”

  “What are you thinking—summer? Fall?”

  “I really haven’t had a chance to think about it,” Cassie admitted. “Everything has happened so fast. In fact, when I woke up this morning, I had to look at my finger to be sure it wasn’t a dream.”

  “It’s a dream come true,” Stacey said. “You’re going to be Braden Garrett’s wife and a mother to his baby girl.” She sighed again. “Who would have guessed, the first day he came in here, that you’d be engaged to him less than three months later?”

  “Everything did happen fast, didn’t it?”

  “Love doesn’t have any particular timetable,” Stacey said. “It’s more about the person than the days.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. “Are you giving me Pinterest advice now, too?”

  “No, that’s something I learned from my own experience,” her friend said. “I knew that when you met the right man, he would love you as much as you love him.”

  Cassie smiled at that, but as she glanced at her engagement ring, the usual joy was tempered by doubts and questions.

  And when she sat back down at her desk to prepare the schedule for the kids’ summer reading club, Stacey’s words echoed in the back of Cassie’s mind, making her wonder: Did Braden love her as much as she loved him?

  Did he love her at all?

  Because now that she was thinking about it, she couldn’t recall that he’d ever actually spoken those words to her. Not even after they’d made love, when she’d been snuggled in his embrace and whispered the words to him. Instead, he’d kissed her again, and she’d assumed that was proof he f
elt the same way. Now she wasn’t so sure—and she hated the uncertainty.

  But she pushed aside her worries and concerns. After all, a lot of men weren’t comfortable putting their feelings into words. The fact that he’d asked her to marry him told her everything that she needed to know about his feelings.

  Still, she was immensely grateful when a trio of seventh graders came in and asked her to help them find some books for a research project and she was able to focus on something other than the words Braden had never spoken.

  * * *

  It was nearly three weeks after the barbecue at his parents’ house before Braden saw Ryan again. Of course, he knew his youngest brother was busy getting his family settled into a new house and transferring his job back to his old office, so he was pleased when Ryan showed up at his door after dinner on Wednesday night.

  “There’s a Prius in your driveway,” Ryan noted.

  Braden smiled. “Yeah, it’s Cassie’s car.”

  “Has she moved in with you then?”

  “No,” he admitted. “So far I’ve only managed to persuade her to bring a few things over, but she’s sleeping here most nights.”

  “Does that mean I’ve come at a bad time?” his brother wondered.

  “It depends on what you want.”

  “A beer?”

  “I’ve got a few of those,” he agreed. “Come on in.”

  Ryan followed him to the kitchen, where Braden took two bottles from the fridge and twisted off the caps, then handed one to his brother.

  “Are you settled into the new house?”

  “Mostly,” Ryan said, following him out onto the back deck. “Of course, it’s a lot bigger than the condo we had in Florida, so some of the rooms are still empty.”

  “Too bad there isn’t a furniture store anywhere in this town,” Braden said dryly.

  Ryan grinned as he settled back in an Adirondack chair, his legs stretched out in front of him. “Yeah, Harper’s already been to the showroom three times.”

  “She doesn’t like anything?”

  “She likes everything.”