by Robin Janney
Craig nodded. “I’ve been planning this since Thanksgiving,” he said. “Not this specifically.” He waved at the bridge. “But I knew I would be standing before you at some point, asking you to be my wife.” He gave a short laugh. “Not exactly taking it slow, is it?” He drew a deep breath, steadying himself. “I’m a little nervous.”
“Me too,” she admitted.
“So, yeah…” He pulled a ring box out of a pocket. Opening it, he looked at the ring himself. “I brought this back with me from Montana. It was my grandmother’s ring. It was one of the things she left specifically for me, trying to give me something to hope for…even though it wasn’t something I wanted at the time. I…ah, almost sold it a few years ago.” He looked back at her. “And you’re getting cold.”
“I’m fine,” she said, ignoring the shivering. “Can I see it?”
“Oh God, of course!” He turned the box around.
“It’s pretty,” she said. It was a simple diamond solitaire in a silver setting. So unlike the ring Derek had presented her.
“If it doesn’t fit, we’ll fix it later. I know we don’t know everything about each other, but I think we know enough to be here today. Angela Destiny Carman, I love you and I’m asking you to be my wife.”
Mischief filled her. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” He took a step back from her, trying to gauge her seriousness. “Maybe?”
She gave a one-shoulder shrug and a smile. “Definitely?”
He caught on and laughed, his relief evident. “Oh my God, Angela.” He took the ring out of the box, his hands trembling either from nerves or the cold. “I guess I deserved that. Take your glove off.”
“Oh, sorry.” Pulling the glove off her left hand, Angela held her own shaking hand out to him. He slid the ring onto her third finger.
“How’s it feel?” he asked, his voice soft.
“Good.” Twisting the ring around her finger with her other hand, Angela felt relief. “It might be a little loose, but if I keep eating enough pizza, I might be able to grow into it.”
“If not, we’ll have it resized.” Craig cupped her face with his hands and leaned in for a kiss. He kept it shorter than she would have liked. “I have one more thing to ask you, but I want you back in the truck before you get too cold.”
She allowed him to help her back in, turning the heater up as he climbed in beside her. “That was worth it. Thank you.”
“Any time.” He pulled her into another kiss before putting the truck in gear. “I’m just glad we weren’t interrupted. I wasn’t sure how busy this road was.”
“It gets a little busy in summer, but winter is pretty slow. What’s your other question?”
Turning around in Barry’s farm driveway, he glanced at her. “Would you elope with me? Tonight?”
“Tonight?” The suggestion shocked her enough that she didn’t finish fastening the center seatbelt around herself. “I…why so sudden?”
“I like having you in my home,” he said bluntly. “Even though this week has been a little awkward. I want to send Kevin and Sherry home and have you to myself. People might say we’re marrying for the wrong reasons, but they won’t be able to say too much because you’d be my wife. And I could protect you better.”
“I’m not marrying you for your security system,” she said, keeping her voice light. She decided to ask a shrewd question. “Is it so we can have sex without feeling guilty?”
He looked shocked as they pulled into the farm’s driveway. “What? No.” She lifted an eyebrow at him as he had done to her not that long ago. “Maybe a little, but it’s not the main reason, Angela. I love you and I just want to be with you.”
Angela nodded. “I’ll think about it. Where would we go? To be married tonight, I mean.”
He shrugged, shutting the truck off. “Vegas.”
“As in Las Vegas?” she asked for clarification.
He nodded.
“And how would we be getting there?” She was afraid she knew the answer. She’d never flown before.
“Ah, about that.” Craig smiled, even though it looked like he was blushing a little. “I have a jet on standby, just in case you decide to say yes.”
Unconsciously she adopted one of her father’s poses, looking at her fiancé over the rims of imaginary reading glasses. “You have your own jet?”
“It’s a charter flight. A rental.”
I should be panicking. But I’m not. What does that mean?
“Having second thoughts?” Craig asked, bouncing the truck keys in his hands nervously.
“No, it’s just…everything’s been happening so fast. I’m not even used to the fact you’re rich.”
“Angela, there’s no pressure. If you want to wait, we’ll wait. I’m not asking you to marry my money, or my security system. It’s part of the package, I won’t deny that, but I don’t want you making your decisions one way or the other based on it.”
She nodded. “It’s just…try to understand my side. Here I am one day struggling to make enough money to save this farm and go to school and have something more to eat than ramen noodles. And then the next day, I have you asking me if I want to fly out to Las Vegas to get married. Tonight. Because you have a jet on standby.”
“I see your point,” he admitted grudgingly.
“I just want some time to think about it. How long do I have?”
“As much time as you need.” He put his keys away and opened the door to the truck. “I won’t press it.”
Following him out the door, Angela gave him an amused look. “Your jet has an indefinite timetable?”
Craig laughed. “No, they don’t. But don’t worry about it. Please.”
She was still shaking her head in amusement as they walked to the farmhouse, hand in hand.
Inside, her family greeted the news with joy. The only one missing was Cassie.
“She’s out on a date already,” explained Maude as she poured coffee in the men’s mugs on the table in front of them. Jared was puttering in the kitchen making toast. “Chad’s youth group was having an ice skating party at the rink in Jordan today.”
“That’s nice,” commented Angela, still hurting from her sister’s last verbal jab. Her sister hadn’t apologized yet. “I hope he’s a good influence on her.”
“So far he is,” said Maude. She replaced the coffee pot and brought two mugs of tea over. “She’s been listening to country music, and that alone is enough for me.”
“Jared approves of him,” said Philip, ruffling the boy’s hair as he joined them at the table.
“So,” began Maude as she seated herself at the table and slid one of the mugs of tea to her daughter. “Have you decided to elope?”
Angela saw her father rubbing his forehead like he did when exasperated with her mother. Craig had run this by her parents? A little put out at being the last one to know, she gave Craig an amused smirk. “He’s asked. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Oh, Angela.” Her mother sighed and reached across the table to put her hand over Angela’s. “Just go. Marry the man you love. Live in the moment.”
“Mom, are you serious?” It seemed to go against everything her mother had tried to teach her over the years. Even her father was looking at his wife as if she was a new person.
“I am.” Her mother withdrew her hand and picked her mug up. “I admit it was a shock when Craig brought it up, but I’ve been giving it more thought since then. And I think it’s a good idea. We can have a little ceremony this summer, and a little party, under the big maple tree. But for tonight…run off and enjoy yourself.” She leveled her mug at Angela. “I say this with love, sweetheart. Part of the reason why you stress so much is that you’re a planner and things don’t always go as planned. I know you went through the books with your father and already had a plan to present the bank when you approached them. Not because I saw it, but because I know you. You’ve had a hard winter, and I think it would do you good to just go with the flow and relax.”
> “I see.” Angela didn’t even know what to make of all her mother had said. But she remembered the relief that had flooded her when she’d rolled this semester to the fall. She looked at her father. She could see the approval in his eyes, but she asked anyway. “What do you think Dad?”
He shrugged, a smile on his face. “I just want your happiness, honey.”
Craig’s hand came to rest between her shoulder blades. “No one’s pressuring you, Angela. I mean it.”
“Oh no. Just everybody else knew about this before I did. Probably even Kevin and Sherry since they were grinning at me before we left this morning.” She put some primness in her voice. “I’m not the only one who likes to plan!”
Her father’s laughter rang out even as Craig grimaced. “She has you there, son.”
“Well, I didn’t know!” chimed Jared, grinning around his toast.
Now her mother laughed too. “I’m certain Cassie has no idea either.”
Angela cast a disgruntled look around the table before settling her gaze on her little brother. “Now that you know, what do you think?”
Her younger brother shrugged. “I think it’s a good idea, Ange. Seriously. Mom’s right, you’ve had enough sadness in your life.”
Sitting back in her chair, Angela commented, “Hard to argue with that, isn’t it?”
“Not really,” agreed her father. “But it’s your choice, Angela. No one here will judge you either way. It’ll be the two of you building a life together.”
Angela nodded, comforted by the strong hand on her back. “I need to think. Can we talk about something else for a while?”
“Of course,” replied Maude. She began talking about the new church they’d been attending in Sawyersville.
They didn’t talk about the murder in her apartment, or the threat against her life. And Angela was able to relax. She felt removed as she they talked around her, and she observed them as they did. There was nothing she wanted to add to the conversation.
This was her family. Her mother – the gossip who was silent when she should have spoken up. Her father – the uncle who had taken an infant niece into his family and treated her as his own. Her brother – who had forgiven her for her mistreatment of him long before she’d asked. Had her sister been here, would she have joined them around the table? Angela thought so. They’d fought before and made up afterwards, it just hadn’t happened yet for this squabble. And this man beside her – loved her and wanted to marry her. To make her family his own. When would she get to meet his family?
Her mind pondered all these things and more until it was time for them to go. As they were pulling away from the farm, Angela came back to the elopement issue.
“Craig, I need to know something before I agree to elope. It’s something we’ve talked about before, but it was just speculation to me at the time.”
“Ask away,” he said, and she could hear the eagerness in his voice. The hope.
It was enough to make her insides quiver. But she had to ask, “I still plan on becoming a vet. Will that be a problem?”
“Has it ever been a problem?” he asked in return. He shrugged. “It’ll be an adjustment – for both of us, but I’ve always been willing to work around your schooling. Besides, your mom made me promise.”
She couldn’t help but give a small laugh at that. They were turning through Simmons Crossroads, the evening light fading quickly, and a shudder passed through her. They’d been through this intersection many times before, even before they’d even known each other. In a way, they’d met here.
The urgency she had felt before talking to her parents about the accident and her adoption returned, and she knew the importance of this decision.
Looking at Craig in the dimming light, seeing his smile as he glanced at her, she made her decision. Life was too fleeting, and she’d missed out on love before because one of them had hesitated. Craig filled her heart more than anyone else ever had, and as young as it was, Craig’s love was deeper and hotter than even her brother’s boyish love had been. She knew it echoed what was in her own heart for him.
“Alright,” Angela said as the Crossroads faded in the distance. “Tell your pilot to warm the engines up…however that works. I know you probably have things all figured out, so I assume you’ve made arrangements for Princess?”
“I have, yes.” He sounded happy again. “Nora’s agreed to watch her for us.”
Angela nodded. “Are Kevin and Sherry coming with us?”
“They are.” His smile was wide when he looked over at her. “I’ve also spoken with your friend Michelle. She and her husband have agreed to be there too if you said yes.”
Even more happy warmth spread through her. “Thank you. Uhm…I don’t know how Vegas works, or how to ask about money, but I want a white dress. It doesn’t have to be a wedding dress. And I want something nice to wear after and…”
He cut her off, his arm coming around her again. “Vegas has plenty of shops available around the clock. Angela, just like at the restaurant, you can have whatever you want, you can dress however you want. I’ll say the same thing you just said to me, be yourself…”
53
A nd did she ever take his words to heart, thought Craig as he, Kevin and Michelle’s husband watched the three women standing on the other side of the lobby in a Las Vegas hotel hours later. He had sent her off with Michelle and Sherry with a credit card and had given them no limit to spend, and he was sure she had still spent conservatively but even so…
“Is that a dress or lingerie?” he asked Kevin, standing next to him.
His friend laughed. “Pretty sure it’s a dress. Do you really think the woman you’ve decided to marry would choose anything inappropriate? Besides, I think you like it.”
“Well, yeah,” he admitted. “It’s just she’s never shown so much skin before.”
“You gave Angela permission to be herself,” his friend reminded him. “Right now, she is hundreds of miles away from anyone who would judge her. In this moment, she is exactly who she wants to be, and she’s probably scared to death you’re not going to like this.”
“I’d be crazy not to.” He suddenly felt underdressed in his casual suit, and he considered buttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. But then the women’s conversation drew to an end, and they were crossing the lobby. His bride was walking towards him. “I might have a panic attack.”
“You’ll be fine.”
The other man with them said something as the trio of women stopped in front of them, but Craig didn’t hear it. He was focused on the woman he was about to marry.
“Are you ready?” Angela was asking him. Her face was the happiest he’d ever seen, the shadow he usually saw in her eyes gone. Love and joy shone in them. He could see she was nervous too, but it did nothing to ease his own.
He could only nod in answer. The lacy dress she wore was sleeveless and looked too thin for the weather…especially the sheer stretch across her midriff. She’d put gentle curls and gems in her auburn hair, which now ended at her shoulders. Her cheeks were thin from her illness, but there was a flush to them which he knew didn’t come from the light makeup she was wearing. A far cry from the young woman who had stood before him on the back deck of the store six months ago.
“Come on,” said Kevin. “Let’s get you two married.”
And so it was, an hour later Craig and Angela were returning to their hotel suite as husband and wife. After the brief refreshments following the simple ceremony, their friends had elected to enjoy other aspects of the city’s nightlife, allowing them to return to their floor alone.
His wife’s hand in his, Craig waved the room key badge over the sensor and pushed the door to their suite open. He motioned for her to enter first, watching her bounce into the room. Angela’s happiness did nothing to ease his latest nervousness as the door clicked shut behind him, but he enjoyed watching her move. He followed her through the large suite, to the large windows in the bedroom. She stood with the curtains
pulled back, and he stopped by her side.
“We’re so high up,” she said, looking out at the bright Las Vegas strip below them. “How did you get all this on short notice?”
Reaching out and touching her cheek, he admitted, “I took a huge leap of faith early in the week. It was a calculated risk, but I was prepared to lose money if you said no.”
She nodded, her face warm beneath his fingers. “It’s been fun. I’m glad…I’m glad we’re here.”
“So am I.” He cleared his throat and withdrew his hand. Turning his own gaze out the window, he said, “It’s been a long day, so if you want to wait until after we’ve had some sleep, I’ll understand.”
“No…I…” She looked up at him. “Do you want to wait?”
He shook his head and returned his gaze to her. “No.”
Relief blossomed on her face. “Do you mind if I change into something I bought?”
If this was the dress she’d bought, his heart thudded at what she’d purchased for the upcoming moment. “Go ahead,” Craig heard himself saying. She disappeared into the bathroom, and he took a deep breath. Taking the time to pop in the CD of country love songs he’d burnt for tonight into the entertainment system, he started the music and returned to the window.
Trisha Yearwood’s How do I Live was still playing when he heard his wife return. His wife. It didn’t feel real yet. He turned, and as before in the lobby he could only stare at her where she stood at the end of the bed.
It was a pink outfit, the panties peeking out beneath the silky flare of the loose top. Loose except for the lace stretched across breasts where nipples were making their presence known.
And he thought the dress had been revealing.
“Oh my God,” he whispered.
Angela fidgeted a moment beneath his scrutiny. After a shaky start, she rejoined him at the window. “I…I hope you like it. I want tonight to be special for you too.” She picked at the collar of his suit jacket. “You’re still dressed.”
“I’m a little nervous still,” Craig admitted, shrugging out of the jacket and letting it slip quietly to the floor.