by Scott, D. D.
“I know you two are tired from running all day. Why don’t you relax and watch television with us?” Ruth asked.
Mac sensed that Jan’s lingering discomfort from the earlier run-in with his mother, but she was doing a good job of keeping her feelings hidden. He and Jan took of their shoes and cuddled up in a corner of the sofa.
“Great game wasn’t it? How’d you like it, Jan?” John said, letting them know he’d watched it on satellite.
“Truthfully, I’m not a football fan, but anything that makes Mac so happy is all right with me.”
John sent an approving look in her direction. “Smart woman.”
“Are you still going shopping tomorrow morning?” Ruth asked during the first commercial break.
“Yes. I’m taking Jan to your favorite hangout.”
Jan’s eyes widened. “And where is that?”
He stroked his chin and smiled. “Neiman Marcus, a Dallas landmark. I’m thoroughly convinced my mother played a major part in putting the store on the map. She doesn’t like to shop anywhere else, and she’s responsible for me knowing they have a world-class lingerie department. I want to get you something special for our honeymoon.”
“Oh, look out now!” John said with a salacious grin. “That’s a good habit to start, letting your husband buy you expensive lingerie. Make sure he keeps it up.”
They watched television until the eleven o’clock news went off when Mac announced, “We’re going to crash now.”
“Will you at least be having breakfast with us in the morning?” Ruth sounded almost needy.
Jan hurried to answer. “Of course. But we want to be downtown when the store opens so we can get back to visit with Pat and Grant for a while too.”
“No problem. We’re up with the birds.”
• • •
In the morning, when Mac knocked on the door to the guestroom, Jan was packed and ready to go. With the exception of Ruth’s brief interrogation, Jan actually enjoyed her visit. As usual, Verna had been right. Her time there wasn’t nearly as awful as it had been in her mind’s eye. Yet she was looking forward to going back to Atlanta where she and Mac could just be themselves and not “the son and the fiancée.” John and Ruth were gracious hosts, but no matter how hard she tried, Jan couldn’t help but feel like an outsider.
“I heard the water running in the shower, so I knew you were up.” Mac kissed her neck. “Are you ready to let me spoil you?”
She returned his kiss. “You’ve been spoiling me since we got here. You can continue though. I don’t mind. This’ll be my first time in Neiman Marcus.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No. I told you I’m more of a Target woman. I wouldn’t think of shopping Neiman Marcus even for a special occasion.”
“Well, we’re going to have some fun then. Let’s go eat and get out of here.”
Ruth and John were enjoying their morning coffee when they walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning,” Ruth greeted them. “Make yourselves some coffee. I’ll have breakfast on the table in a few minutes.”
“Do you cook like this all the time, Ruth?” Jan asked looking at the bacon, sausage, biscuits piled on plates, a pot of grits on the stove and eggs Ruth was scrambling in a cast iron skillet.
“No. That’s why it’s such a treat when someone comes to visit. What time do you think you’ll be back? Pat wanted me to call her and let her know.”
“We should be back by one,” Mac reassured her. “That’ll give us a few hours with you guys before we have to leave for the airport.”
Mac explained to the saleswoman that they were getting married and he wanted to see the hottest pieces she had. She proceeded to treat him to a display of teddies, bustiers with garter belts and baby dolls that made his head spin. Jan chose the three that elicited his strongest reaction. She wanted him to drool when she wore them. She reveled in the experience of having a man buy such intimate items for her, another habit Robert had never cultivated.
Mac smiled when he and Jan pulled into the driveway and found his brother and sister already waiting for them. “Baby, I’m going to change my clothes and shoot a few hoops with my brother. We haven’t spent any time together since I got here.” Mac handed her the shopping bags.
“Okay. I think I’ll sit out here and talk to your father.”
A few minutes later he came out of his room wearing a pair of shorts and a muscle shirt that clung to his exquisite torso like a second skin. She’d never watched him play ball, and she wanted to see him doing something purely physical.
John wasn’t fooled by her offer to keep him company. “He’s in great shape, isn’t he?” The sly smile he wore gave away his thoughts.
Jan uttered an embarrassed giggle realizing how transparent she’d been “Ooh, I guess I’m busted. He’s a very good-looking man, but he does come by it rightfully.” Jan playfully patted her future father-in-law’s arm.
As the Sinclair brothers worked up a sweat, Jan couldn’t hide the titillation their exhibition stirred up in her. “I think we should go inside.”
“So, how did the shopping trip go?” Pat asked as they left the yard and entered the kitchen.
“The store was wonderful, and now I know your brother’s taste in lingerie.” Jan shook her hands like she’d just put her palm into a flame.
Ruth chuckled behind them. “That boy is so much like his father, it’s not even funny. You wouldn’t believe how many trashy things I have in my closet thanks to John. Watch out, Jan. If he gets you to wear those on a regular basis, you just might end up pregnant anyway.”
Jan’s stomach tightened and her jaw clenched. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pat glare at her mother.
Well, it looks like she’s not going to let this go. So, if she wants to make a real issue out of this, so be it. “I plan to make sure that doesn’t happen. I do intend to spend the rest of my life spoiling your son. That’ll be enough to keep me busy,” Jan answered, refusing to be intimidated.
Ruth pressed her further. “If you knew you didn’t want children, why on earth did you pick a young man in the prime of his life. I’m sure there are lots of older men who want the same things out of life you do.”
Jan swelled with anger, tapped her fingernail on the kitchen counter and raised her voice a little louder than she intended. “Tell me something, Ruth. Would you be this upset if Mac brought home a twenty-five-year-old girl? I’m sure it wouldn’t make a difference if he were eleven years older. And for your information, I didn’t pick him. He picked me.”
“A lapse in judgement, I’m afraid. Just because you’ve already experienced motherhood, don’t you think it’s selfish to rob my son of his opportunity to be a father?”
“Momma!” Pat exclaimed.
“I appreciate the backup, Pat, but your mother has a right to say what’s on her mind. She just doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Jan glared, her eyes conveying the fury within her. “For your information Ruth, I had serious reservations about getting involved with a younger man, but your son pursued me like a bloodhound. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. So, if you have a problem with me, you’d better take it up with him.”
Mac and Grant were in the middle of an intense one-on-one game when the screen door slammed and Jan stormed down the back steps into the yard. He looked up and saw the ferocious expression on Jan’s face and called a timeout. “What did she do?”
“What did she do, baby?” he repeated, wiping the sweat from his face.
John rushed over. “There has to be a reason why you look like you’re ready to take on Mike Tyson and almost took my screen door of its hinges. What happened, sweetheart?”
She spoke through the tears choking her throat. “Ruth has decided that Mac asking me to marry him was a lapse in judgment. And that’s a quote.”
Before Mac could reply, John turned on his heel and stormed into the house.
Mac bounced the ball to Grant, indicating an end to their game then cupped
Jan’s face in his palm. “I need to talk to my mother and take a fast shower. Give me a half hour.”
“I’ll wait for you out here. My suitcase is packed. It’s at the foot of the bed in the guestroom. My purse is right next to it.”
Jan walked down to the swing at the end of the yard to get as far away from the house as possible, not realizing Grant was right on her heels.
He grabbed her elbow. “Jan, wait a minute. My mother is wrong, and we all don’t agree with her. Mac is happier than I’ve ever seen him, and it’s only because of you.”
“Thank you, Grant. That means a lot to me,” she said gulping in deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. “But it’s time for me to go.”
Chapter Six
Mac threw open the wooden back door so hard it slammed against the house and glass shattered. He marched into the kitchen with Grant a few paces behind, as if he didn’t want to miss a second of the impending battle. Ruth attempted to say something, but Mac stalked toward her. John kept quiet, leaving the battle between the two contenders. This was something Mac needed to handle himself.
“You were out of line, Mom,” he yelled. “Way out of line for talking to Jan like that. And I’m not having it. She’s going to be my wife. You need to just accept that and get over it.”
Thick tension filled the air. She appeared shocked by his response.
“I love Jan, and I won’t have you disrespecting her. This might sound cold, but if you refuse to accept her, you won’t be seeing much of me anymore. The wedding is Valentine’s Day. You decide whether you want to be there or not. We’re leaving now.”
He grabbed their suitcases from the bedrooms and strode out the front door.
• • •
John came out the back door where Jan was still sitting on the swing. “Mac’s putting your bags in the car, sweetheart. He’s ready to leave, but before you go I want to say I’m sorry for the way things turned out this weekend. Ruthie is very protective of her first-born. She’ll get used to the idea in time.”
“And what if she doesn’t? I don’t want to come between Mac and his mother.”
John put both hands firmly on her shoulders. “At this point in his life my son needs a wife, not a mother. You’re good for him.”
“And he’s good for me. I love him so much, John.”
“That’s crystal clear, darlin’.” They shared a smile.
Mac came around the side of the house and announced that he was ready to leave. Pat and Grant waited by the car in the driveway.
“This isn’t like my mother.” Pat said after she gave Jan a tight hug. “I can’t speak for anybody else, but I wouldn’t miss your wedding for anything in the world.”
The three of them embraced her, apologized again for Ruth’s behavior and promised to be at the wedding.
• • •
A week after Jan and Mac returned to Atlanta, she met Verna and Noreen for lunch. “Mac and I are meeting with Pastor tomorrow night for our first counseling session. I’m looking forward to that about as much as a bikini wax. The thought of me at forty-six, getting ready to marry a thirty-five-year-old and being counseled by a pastor who just turned forty is enough to make me cry.” Jan winced. “My life is like a soap opera. And tonight Val and Bobbi are coming over, so I can ask them if they want to be in the wedding. Somebody just drop a brick on me now and put me out of my misery.”
Noreen rolled her eyes in Verna’s direction. “Oh, please. We both know she’s thrilled to be hooking up with that fine young thing. She’s not fooling anybody.”
“Of course I’m thrilled. It’s just all of the associated foolishness that has me upset. Like being insulted by his mother, because I won’t give her some grandchildren.”
“Oh, no she didn’t!”
“She even asked me why I didn’t ‘go after’ an older man who wants the same things out of life that I do.”
“Ooh, that’s cold.”
“Like you chased Mac down and made him propose to you against his will or something,” Verna added with a disgusted expression.
That night Jan’s binder filled with all of the wedding details sat on the cocktail table in the living room awaiting Bobbi and Val’s visit.
They came in together, and Jan was thankful they both seemed to be in good moods. The whistle from the kitchen announced that the water on the stove was ready for tea to go along with the cake she’d made.
Bobbie spied the refreshments. “Uh oh. She has food on the table. This must be something serious.”
“Well, at least she always feeds us before she drops the bombs.” Val giggled. “What’s going on, Mom?”
“Sit down and I’ll tell you. Rather, I’ll ask you.” She poured steaming water into their cups, picked up her binder and opened it to a page marked with a sticky note. “I asked you to come today because I want to know if you would be my bridesmaids?”
Val’s face blanched with astonishment. “You want me to be in the wedding after the way I showed out on Mac?”
“That’s all water under the bridge. Mac’s not holding that against you, and neither am I. There’s nobody else I’d want to be in my wedding more than you two and Mrs. Scott, of course.”
Her daughters shared a long glance then a big grin. “We’d be honored, Mom,” Bobbi said. “I just have one question. You’re not going to make us wear those horrible bridesmaids dresses, are you?”
“You know me better than that. This is the dress I like. It’s simple and classy and would look great on both of you.” She opened the book and placed it in Val’s lap.
Bobbi leaned in to check out the picture of the sleek, strapless gown Jan had selected. “That’s nice, Mom. It’s sophisticated and not fussy. What color are you thinking of?”
“Deep purple, the color of royalty. Verna wouldn’t feel comfortable in something strapless so she’s wearing a tailored suit in the same shade. I think you’ll all look gorgeous.”
They discussed shoes, jewelry and hair for a while before Bobbi finally had the guts to ask, “How did your visit to Dallas go?”
“It was interesting.”
“That doesn’t sound too good.”
“To make a long story short, Dallas is great. Mac’s father, brother and sister are wonderful, and let’s just say I’ll reserve judgement on his mother until a later date.”
Bobbi grimaced. “Didn’t go too well, huh?”
“Not really. She had reservations about our age difference, just like I expected. She wants grandbabies. I had to let her know that I’m wasn’t going there.”
“Thank God!” Val exclaimed then exhaled what sounded like a sigh of supreme relief.
Jan gaped at her youngest in horror. “I know you didn’t think I was planning to start all over again.”
“I was afraid to ask. That would’ve been so embarrassing.”
“Well, it’s one thing you won’t have to worry about. Mac and I have agreed that it wouldn’t only be foolish, it’d also be dangerous at my age. So you don’t have to live in fear of being humiliated by a pregnant middle-aged mother, Valerie.”
Six weeks of intense counseling sessions at Jan’s church covering everything from money to sex forced her and Mac to confront the issue of not having children. Discussing the subject with her pastor succeeded in relieving Jan’s trepidation over the matter, and convinced her that Mac was genuine about his decision. Neither of them dropped any bombshells or revealed any secrets, and they received the go-ahead for a Valentine’s Day ceremony.
• • •
Six months later small bouquets of white and purple flowers decorated the wedding chapel. White gardenia-scented candles filled the room with a sweet fragrance and gave it an ethereal glow. When the music started, Mac, Ken and Grant entered the chapel from a side door and stood at the front. Bobbi, Val and Verna assembled in the lobby looking regal in deep purple. When the back doors opened, and the music changed signaling the entrance of the bridesmaids, Bobbi and Val kissed Jan. She held back tears and watc
hed her daughters precede her down the aisle.
“This is it, girl,” Verna said before she stepped across the threshold. “Go get your man.”
The Wedding March heralded Her entrance, and the guests in packed chapel stood and turned toward her, but she had tunnel vision. The only face she saw was Mac’s. The love in his gaze enveloped her like an ethereal cocoon. He didn’t take his gaze off hers until she reached the altar.
• • •
During the touching, emotional ceremony, Verna had to use the handkerchief the dressmaker made to match her suit to dab her eyes several times before Jan and Mac said, “I do.” But when the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, the church erupted in cheers.
When they turned around to be introduced to the congregation as husband and wife, Jan saw a face among the guests she wasn’t prepared for – Robert’s.
By the time she and Mac reached the lobby for the receiving line, Jan was livid. “I can’t believe this!” she whispered in Mac’s ear, trying to cover what she was feeling inside with a big smile. “Robert is here. Why would he do this to me?”
Mac kissed her to stop her from talking. “Baby, I’m sure Val told him. At least he didn’t stand up during the ceremony and object, so everything’s cool. Calm down.”
The mere knowledge of Robert’s presence set Jan’s teeth on edge as they lined up to receive the guests. Once the wedding party took their places, she leaned over and whispered to Val with a gracious outward smile. “I guess you are responsible for your father being here.”
“I didn’t invite him, Mom. I just told him you were getting married today. That’s all.”
“So how did he find out the time and place?”
“He asked me. So I told him. I didn’t think he’d show up.”
Verna saw the heated exchange between Jan and Val, and asked Bobbi what was going on. Before she could move over to speak to Jan, Robert was approaching them in the line. She sent Jan a take it easy, and don’t panic look.
Robert hugged his daughters, kissed Verna on the cheek and stopped in front of Jan. He stepped back and took a long look at her then reached out his hand for hers and shocked her with his next words.