Sealing the Deal

by Sandy James

  The wedding would be in a church strewn with pink flowers, looking a lot like the Pepto-Bismol wedding for Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias. She’d have at least six bridesmaids and an adorable flower girl, and her father would have to pay attention for once as he walked her down the aisle. The train on her lacy dress would stretch at least five pews behind her, and people would ooh and aah when they saw her.

  “I might as well wear jeans,” she muttered before mentally kicking herself.

  “Jeans? You want to wear jeans?” Robert asked.

  She hadn’t meant to say that aloud. But now that it was out there, she nodded. “Why not?”

  “Beth, no.” Dani’s frown was fierce. “You wanted a big—”

  Not about to let Dani make Robert feel bad that this wedding wasn’t what she’d told Dani she wanted, Beth interrupted. “It’s fine, Dani. We’ll keep it low-key.”

  “But you said—”

  “It’s fine. Leave it be. Please.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Alexis announced.

  Robert came around to stand in front of Beth. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. “Can we talk? Alone?”

  Great. Now he thought he’d disappointed her again. She wasn’t about to make him think he had to give her a showy wedding, especially after going to so much trouble with improving his proposal. “Sure.”

  Once inside the house, he led her to the sofa. They sat side by side.

  “B, I don’t want you to settle.”

  “Settle?”

  “For a crappy wedding.”

  “It won’t be crappy. It’ll just be… fast. That’s all.”

  When he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, she leaned against him, laying her cheek on his chest. “It might be in a courtroom, but we can still dress up,” he suggested. “It can still be a nice wedding.”

  “Sure, Robert. Whatever you want.”

  “No, it’s whatever you want. Guys don’t care about the wedding.” He kissed the top of her head. “All they care about is the wedding night.”

  She chuckled, glad he could find humor in any situation. He was right. She could have a nice wedding. Small didn’t have to mean her dreams had to die. “Maybe Dani and I can find a nice wedding dress that works for a courtroom ceremony.”

  “That’s my girl.” He rubbed his chin on her head. “Are you sure you won’t be disappointed with a civil ceremony? No white dress. No bridesmaids. No big reception with dancing and gifts and—”

  Beth brushed her lips over his. “None of that matters. Truly. The Ladies will help me make it a nice wedding. Besides… all that matters is that we’re married and that we can keep Emma.”

  “Don’t worry, B. I won’t let anyone break up our family.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Beth checked herself in her grandmother’s cheval glass mirror, one of the precious things Robert had helped her retrieve from storage when they’d moved into the house. Even though this was an impromptu wedding, she still looked like a traditional bride. The minute the date had been set, panic hit her hard. This small wedding was going to be anything but austere.

  Dani took Beth on the hunt for the perfect dress. Both took a personal day from school so they could hightail it to Chicago for some serious shopping. Four chain stores and at least a dozen dresses later, Dani led Beth into a small vintage clothing store just off the Miracle Mile.

  Flipping through the racks of dresses mostly from the twentieth century, Beth stumbled across an ivory sheath. It was satin with a simple cut—square neck with short, capped sleeves. The entire dress was covered in a layer of Chantilly lace that ended right below the knees. A quick check made her heart skip. It was her size. Once she tried it on, she knew she had her wedding dress.

  Dani stepped up beside her. She wore the A-line dress she’d bought on the Chicago trip. The deep purple complemented her light hair and eyes. “You’re beautiful!”

  “You’re my best friend. You have to say that. But I appreciate the compliment.”

  “Since it’s your wedding day, I won’t scold you for your lack of self-esteem.”

  “Thank you for the restraint.”

  “Nervous?” Dani handed Beth a nosegay of violets that matched her own.

  Beth shook her head. “Not one bit. I’ll admit I thought I would be. I’m just… not.”

  “Why’d you think you’d be nervous?” Dani asked. “The groom’s supposed to balk, not the bride.”

  “Because I’m still not entirely sure he loves me.”

  The derisive snort seemed out of place coming from such a pretty blonde. “Then you’re the only one who isn’t sure. Has he told you he loves you?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Is Robert a guy who lies?”

  “No, but—”

  “You don’t get to ‘but’ this time, Bethany Rogers-soon-to-be-Ashford. For once, you’re going to look at this without your mom’s voice in your head.” Dani nodded at their reflected images. “Are you happy with how you look?”

  Beth considered her image again, trying hard to push aside any negativity about herself. How odd that she could be so positive about everyone else and so pessimistic where her own appearance or actions were concerned.

  The dress was a flattering cut for her body type, making her appear slender. She had to admit she wasn’t truly fat, no matter what Carol often said about hiding a pretty girl behind a layer of padding.

  Beth’s hair was longer than it had been since high school. Today, Dani had helped her sweep the thick mass into a French twist, leaving a few loose curls on each side of her face and against the back of her neck. Then Dani held it all in place with a pearl-accented comb and sprayed the whole thing with hairspray that added a touch of sparkle every time the light caught Beth just right.

  Jules had done Beth’s makeup, putting emphasis on her eyes, which Beth considered to be her best feature. She’d been powdered and pampered, and she looked like a model ready for a photo shoot.

  Beth smiled at her reflection. “I’m… pretty.”

  With an enormous smile, Dani patted Beth’s shoulder. “By George, I think she’s got it.”

  Someone knocked before the bedroom door opened. “It’s not Robert,” Mallory called as she came inside. “He and Ben already left for the courthouse.” Her gaze caught Beth’s in the mirror, and Mallory stopped so quickly Jules ran into her back.

  “Geesh,” Jules said, stepping back. “You need brake lights, Mal.”

  “Beth.” Mallory hurried to her. “You’re gorgeous. That dress is amazing.”

  Jules came to stand next to Dani. “Robert won’t know what hit him.”

  * * *

  Robert had never been a nervous pacer. He’d watched more than his share, mostly anxious customers waiting for their real estate closings. He’d always thought walking back and forth was a sad waste of energy, probably because patience was his only virtue.

  That virtue had abandoned him. Now he was the one taking sixteen steps to the end of the corridor and sixteen steps back. Each time, he passed by the carved wooden bench where his oldest brother, George, and Ben Carpenter sat waiting for Connor to chauffeur the Ladies to the courthouse.

  Both George and Ben grinned at Robert each time he strode past, but they had the decency not to say anything, especially not to indulge in teasing him. He wasn’t in the mood for it, and until Beth arrived and took her vows, he was likely to jump down the throat of anyone who pushed his buttons.

  The funny thing was that he knew Beth loved him. At least he thought she did. She wasn’t a woman who toyed with people’s feelings. The fear that she’d change her mind shouldn’t plague him. But it did.

  The next time he found himself in front of the bench, he stopped and looked at Ben and George. Both were married men, which he hoped meant they could help. “Were either of you this nervous?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Ben replied.

  “A lot worse than you,” George added.

  “Why?” Robert rubbed th
e back of his neck. “I mean, you love your wives. I love Beth. Why am I so damned worried?”

  “Because,” Ben said with a smirk, “you’re not doubting your love for her. You’re asking yourself why such a great gal would want to marry a guy like you.”

  George nodded. “Exactly. Until that preacher—”

  “Judge,” Robert corrected.

  With a roll of his eyes, George said, “Whatever. Until you hear her speak the vows, you’ll be scared she’ll get away.”

  “Here comes the bride!” Dani’s singsong voice echoed down the corridor.

  “Thank God,” Robert muttered, hurrying over to the small group climbing the ornate marble staircase.

  He took Beth’s hand as she came up the last step. His gaze swept her from head to toe, and any words he might have uttered froze in his throat. She’d never looked as lovely as she did at that moment. He was the luckiest man on the face of the planet. “Wow.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, brushing a quick kiss on his cheek and then using her thumb to smooth away the lipstick she’d left behind.

  “You’re absolutely gorgeous. Where’d you find the dress?”

  “On the Chicago trip.”

  When Beth had finally decided not to play their wedding low-key, Robert had been relieved. He’d feared that she’d regret letting it pass without something special to mark the day. Even if they wouldn’t have a church strewn with flowers and candles, they would have a wedding day to remember.

  Ben went with Robert to buy new suits since neither thought anything they owned fit the importance of the event. Now that he saw Beth in her lace dress, her hair and face the picture of perfection, he was glad he’d gone with Ben’s suggestions for his suit, shirt, and tie. New shoes were even a part of the package.

  “B, you are gorgeous,” he said, taking a tight hold of her free hand.

  She dropped her gaze as a blush bloomed on her face.

  Jules cuffed her lightly on the shoulder. “For pity’s sake, woman. Learn to take a compliment.”

  Connor adjusted his lapels as he stepped up to his wife. “Well, if that’s not the pot calling the kettle—”

  “Shut up and tell me I’m beautiful,” she ordered.

  He obliged. “Prettiest woman I’ve ever been married to.”

  “I’m the only woman you’ve ever been married to, smartass.”

  Ben had risen to go to his wife and waited nearby with an arm draped over her shoulders. “I will never understand why women don’t want to hear guys tell them they’re pretty.”

  “Oh, we do want to hear that!” Beth said.

  “We just don’t believe it,” Dani added with lopsided smile.

  Giving his head a shake, Ben said, “No matter how old and wise I get, I will never understand women.”

  “Oh, please,” Mallory said with a chuckle. “You know me better than I know myself.”

  He gave her a mock gasp. “No way. You’re like a computer with a hundred tabs open at the same time.”

  Connor nudged him with his elbow. “Like Juliana always tells me, the only things women need are for us to tell them they’re beautiful and then hand them some chocolate.”

  The banter was great, something Robert had begun to truly enjoy, but he wanted this wedding done. He needed Beth to be tied to him. Permanently.

  “Feels weird, doesn’t it?” Beth asked softly.

  Robert cocked his head. “Getting married feels weird?”

  “No, being here without Emma.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jules added. “I keep looking around for the twins, wondering where they’ve disappeared to now.”

  “Aubrey’s got them all,” Robert reminded the women. “They’re fine.”

  “I know,” Beth said. “It still feels weird. I love that little bugger so much.”

  “Me too.” He gave her a quick kiss.

  Thankfully, the door to the courtroom opened, and a man in a sheriff’s uniform stepped out. “Are you the weddin’ party?”

  A ridiculous question considering the men were in suits, Beth was dressed like a bride, and the women were all carrying flowers. “That’s us. Is the judge ready?” Robert couldn’t even keep the impatience from his voice.

  “Are you all right?” Beth asked. The way she’d knit her brows in concern, he half expected her to put the back of her hand against his forehead the same way she did whenever she was worried that Emma might have a fever.

  “I’m fine. I’m just ready to get this over with.”

  Her features softened despite his poor choice of words, and she squeezed his hand and tossed his words back at him. “Me too.”

  “If you’ll follow me.” The deputy opened the door and waited as Robert led Beth into the courtroom, the Ladies and their guys right behind.

  Robert didn’t know Judge Layton. Thanks to Alexis, the man had agreed to stay late to perform the wedding ceremony. He appeared to be close to Robert’s age, which came as a surprise. Weren’t all judges supposed to be ancient, silver-haired founts of wisdom?

  The judge held his hand out to Robert. After they shook hands and Robert introduced himself, Judge Layton nodded at Beth. “The bride, I presume?”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied, her voice a whisper.

  “You don’t have to keep your voice down,” Judge Layton said with a wink. “Court’s not in session now.”

  Her cheeks flamed.

  “If the two of you will stand in front of me, we can begin.” The judge’s gaze shifted to the entourage. “If you ladies will stand next to the bride and the gentlemen will join the groom, we’ll get the knot tied for these two.”

  There was a bit of a Southern drawl to his voice as he read from a small black book he held. There were none of the religious admonitions. No words of faith. Blessings weren’t offered. Instead, the judge spoke of love, fidelity, and promises for the future. The words were more moving to Robert than any that a preacher could have spoken, especially when Judge Layton uttered words of commitment.

  Robert had never expected to pledge his life to one woman. He’d always enjoyed playing the field, even if the field in Cloverleaf was a bit limited. The chase had always excited him, while boredom kicked in almost immediately after he caught the woman who’d captured his fancy.

  But that was before Beth. In some ways, he’d been faithful to her from the moment they started working together. He’d dated less and less, and his sex life had rapidly dwindled until it went into full hibernation. The days he could spend with her as she helped decorate the homes he built were what he looked forward to, even finding reasons to call or meet with her that were downright frivolous. Hell, he’d lived for whatever time she could fit him into her busy teaching schedule.

  Yet he’d never told her, he’d never found the balls to ask if she wanted to try for a relationship. It had taken Emma coming into Beth’s life to finally get him to realize all he could have with Beth. With them both.

  Just looking at her now made him feel as though someone were squeezing his chest too tightly for him to breathe. How he’d managed to get a woman like her, someone so beautiful in mind, body, and heart, to fall in love with him was still confusing, but he thanked God every day she’d looked past his flaws and loved him for who he was.

  Judge Layton loudly cleared his throat, drawing Robert out of his meandering thoughts.

  “Sorry.” Heat spread across Robert’s face.

  “Will you, Robert Stuart Ashford, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?”

  “I will,” Robert replied in a strong, steady voice.

  The judge gave him a grin; then he glanced at Beth. “Will you, Bethany Michelle Rogers, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?”

  * * *

  Beth clenched the nosegay in her hand so tightly some of the stems snapped. A couple violets broke off and tumbled to the floor as the gravity of the situation slammed into her.

  She wanted to say the words, but they’d stuck in her throat a
nd refused to budge. Doubt crowded out all the reasons she should be taking these vows with Robert. Uncertainty about whether he truly loved her. Doubt about what the future would be if Darren Brown was Emma’s father. Doubt about whether Robert would want to be tied to her if Emma wasn’t a part of their lives.

  He’d hesitated, had been lost in his thoughts when Judge Layton had asked “the” question. What had Robert been thinking? About whether he really wanted to do this? About whether they were rushing into marriage?

  If only she could read his mind.

  The judge cleared his throat again, the same way he’d gotten Robert to stop standing there, daydreaming. It didn’t have the same effect on Beth. Instead, she only worried more as she wondered exactly what had seized Robert’s thoughts so tightly he’d forgotten he was in the middle of getting married.

  Dani stepped closer and leaned in to whisper in Beth’s ear. “Beth, you need to answer the judge.”

  Beth gave her a brisk nod, but she couldn’t spit out the words.

  “If you don’t want to do this,” Dani began. “We can—”

  “We need a moment, please,” Robert said as he took Beth’s elbow and pulled her away from the judge and their friends.

  Beth hurried after him as he marched several steps toward the door. Then he abruptly stopped, turned to face her, and grabbed her shoulders. “Why don’t you want to marry me?”

  There was no anger in his voice. Instead, she heard fear and a note of hurt. Those are what she reacted to by wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his chest.

  “Please, B. I need you. Marry me.”

  Her hesitation wasn’t fair. She was embarrassing him, shaming him in front of all these people. “I’m so sorry. I was just… worried.”

  “What are you worried about?”

  She wasn’t about to tell him her concerns. Her heart wanted him. Emma needed him. There was no turning back. “It was only cold feet.”

  “Do you want to marry me?”

  Easing back, she looked him in the eye. “I do.”

  “Try saying that for the judge now,” he teased, dragging her back to the gaping folks who’d come to see a wedding.