Resting his hand at the small of Greer’s back, Jason nodded. “Jason Cole and this is Miss Evans. My fiancée,” he added as if an afterthought. “She would like to see some pearls.”
“Freshwater, cultured, Tahitian or South Sea?”
Greer offered the fastidious man an open smile. “Let me see what you have.”
Hugh pressed his manicured hands together. “Please follow me.” He led them to a display case where strands of pearls in different hues were displayed on white velvet. Greer sat on a stool, Jason standing behind her, one arm around her waist. “All of our strands have been hand-knotted, and you can either purchase these or select a clasp separately or we do have some with clasps.”
Jason pressed his mouth to Greer’s ear. “I’d rather purchase the clasp separately. But it is your choice.”
“Thank you, darling.”
He kissed her hair. “You’re welcome, darling.”
Hugh took a quick glance at Greer’s bare fingers. “I noticed, Mr. Cole, that you referred to Miss Evans as your fiancée. Does she have an engagement ring?”
If Jason had been more impulsive, he would’ve hugged the man. “No, she doesn’t.”
Hugh’s sky-blue eyes sparkled in his much-tanned face. “Would you like see a few of our more unique rings?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Greer and Jason had spoken at the same time.
“Yes or no?” Hugh asked.
Jason decided to take charge. “We hadn’t planned on becoming officially engaged until Christmas, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get an idea of what style ring I’d like to give Greer.”
Like a bloodhound catching the scent of an escaped prisoner, Hugh turned on the charm. “Please bring your beautiful lady with me, and I’ll show you some rings that are certain to please the most discriminating woman.”
Greer didn’t know whether it was the lights shining down on the showcases—filled with diamond rings in colors ranging from blue, pink, yellow to white—or the brilliance of the stones themselves.
Hugh measured her finger. “You’re a six. Let’s see what we have in your size.”
Again Jason stood behind Greer, looking over her shoulder. He saw a ring he couldn’t take his eyes off of, but if Greer was going to select a ring, then it had to be something she’d be willing to wear for the rest of her life.
Hugh picked up one with a large emerald-cut diamond flanked by two smaller ones, slipping it on her finger. “The center diamond is a little more than three carats. The total carat weight is three point seven-five. The setting is platinum.”
Greer extended her hand, shaking her head. “It’s too overpowering. What do you think, Jason?”
“I agree.”
Slipping off the ring, she handed it back to Hugh. She pointed to one with an octagon-shaped center diamond. “I’d like to see that one.”
“Good choice,” Jason said under his breath. She’d selected the ring he liked.
“This ring is one-of-a-kind,” Hugh crooned, slipping it on Greer’s finger. It was a perfect fit. “The center diamond is an Asscher cut surrounded by eight specialty cut trapezoid-shaped diamonds, and you also have two rectangular straight baguette-shaped diamonds. All set in platinum.”
Jason moved from behind Greer to stand beside her. “Do you like it, babe?”
She spread out her fingers. The ring was exquisite. Her gaze shifted to their salesperson. “Do you mind if I talk to my fiancé a moment?”
Hugh stood up straight. “Not at all.” He walked away, giving them a modicum of privacy.
Greer rested her hand on Jason’s shoulder. “What are we doing?”
He blinked once. “I’m buying you an engagement ring.”
“Don’t you think we’re moving a bit too quickly?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a question you should’ve asked yourself before you offered to live with me.”
“Touché, Jason. I suppose I deserve that one.”
Pulling her into a close embrace, Jason kissed her fragrant curls. “I told you before. Cole men don’t cohabitate unless they’re willing to commit. I’m committed to spending the rest of my life with you. And that ring is a sign of my commitment. We don’t have to marry this Christmas, if you don’t want. I’m willing to wait until you’re ready, but I’m not going to wait forever.”
She smiled. “I thought you were a patient man.”
“I am. I waited thirty-three years for you. You try spending thirty-three years behind bars. For someone who’s incarcerated, that’s an eternity.”
Greer touched his face, smooth and silky from a professional shave and facial. “Thank you. I love the ring.”
Jason signaled to Hugh. “We’ll take the ring, and we still have to look at pearls.”
Hugh’s grin was so wide Greer could see almost all of his porcelain veneers. “I’ll have the ring cleaned while you select your pearls.” He slid the ring off Greer’s finger. “Would you also like to see wedding bands?”
She shared a look with Jason, who nodded. “Okay.”
* * *
Greer felt as if she had entered an alternative universe where she didn’t recognize anything. Not even herself when she looked at her reflection staring back at her in the bathroom mirror. And it wasn’t for the first time that she questioned whether she was sane.
A man to whom money was no object had placed the titanium card on the counter to pay for seven carats of diamonds for an engagement ring and eternity band and a double strand of South Sea pearls with matching earrings as Hugh whispered to one of the salespeople that he’d just waited on Jason Cole. It was then she realized she was marrying a celebrity, someone used to people pointing fingers and whispering once they recognized him as the producer for Serenity Records. Greer had made one purchase that day—Jason’s platinum wedding band.
Afterward, they had stopped at a restaurant offering more than forty varieties of crepes and then returned to the boutique where they picked up her dress and accessories. Mrs. Marlowe had gushed over her ring and Greer had been unable to stop blushing.
Leaving the bathroom, she entered the bedroom and got into bed beside Jason. He sat with his back supported by a pile of pillows, waiting for her. “I have to call my parents to let them know I’m getting married,” she said.
Jason glanced at the bedside clock.
Greer noted it was after eight, and that meant it was after eleven on the east coast.
“Isn’t it too late to call them?”
“No. They always stay up to watch the late news, then the late night shows.” Leaning over, she picked up her cell phone. The government-issued secure cell was in the tote along with her shield and handgun. Greer smiled when she heard her mother’s distinctive greeting. It was as if she were singing hello.
“Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“I should be asking you the same,” Esther Evans said.
“I’m good, Mom. In fact I’m very good. Is Daddy there with you?”
A hissing sound came through the earpiece. “Where else is he going to be? Now that he’s retired, he sticks closer to me than white on rice. I think he believes I’ve been stepping out on him.”
“Mama!”
“Don’t worry, Greer. After spending half my life with this man, I don’t have the strength or the inclination to break in another one.”
“Can you please put your phone on speaker? I have something to tell both of you.”
“You’re pregnant! We’re going to be grandparents!”
Greer laughed. “No, I’m not pregnant. Please put the phone on speaker.”
“Who’s pregnant?” asked Gregory Evans.
“For the second time I’m not pregnant, and that means you’re not going to be grandparents.” Greer swatted at Jason when he
started sniggling. “Stop it.”
“Who are you talking to?” Esther asked. “We have you on speaker.”
“I’m calling to let you know I’m engaged. His name is Jason Cole, and he lives in Florida.”
“Is he there with you?” Gregory asked.
“Yes, he is, Daddy. Do you want to talk to him?”
“Of course I want to talk to him.”
Greer handed Jason her cell, closely watching his expression as he listened to what her father was saying to him.
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, sir. I love your daughter.” His expression grew hard. “Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. I said I love your daughter, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Rather than continue this conversation on the phone, I’d prefer to talk to you face-to-face. Greer and I are going to Virginia this coming weekend for my cousin’s wedding. Is it possible for us to meet?” He met Greer’s eyes. “Yes. Maybe since my family’s going to be hers, and vice versa, I’d like you to attend the wedding, too.” He shook his head. “You will not be seen as a wedding crasher. Greer will give you the particulars. Thank you. I’ll see you next week.” He handed the phone back to Greer.
“What did you say to him, Daddy?”
“Never you mind.”
“Please don’t tell me never you mind, Daddy. I’m going to marry this man, and I don’t need you fighting with him.”
“Do you really love him, baby girl?”
“Of course I love him. He’s nothing like that horse’s behind who managed to snow all of us until it was too late.” Greer hated that she had to defend Jason, but she knew why her father was so apprehensive about her marrying again.
“Greer, baby. You have to see it from my vantage point. I can’t have you hurt again.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
“Cooper came by the other day and told us you’re in Mission Grove.”
“Uncle Bobby’s talking about retiring.”
Gregory laughed softly. “That old water buffalo has been talking about retiring for as long as I’ve known him.”
“Don’t you dare call my dead sister’s husband a buffalo,” said Esther in the background.
“I’m going to let you two fight it out about my uncle. I’ll see you guys next weekend.”
“We can’t make it, baby girl, even though I told your fiancé we would come to the wedding. Your mama and I have plans to drive up for my brother’s big six-oh, and it’s a surprise. You tell your young man that I’m giving him my blessing. I have a lot of respect for a man who can stand toe-to-toe with his future father-in-law. Let him know we’ll get together soon.”
Greer blinked back the tears pricking the backs of her eyelids. “I’ll let him know. I love you guys.”
“We love you, too,” the elder Evanses chorused.
She replaced the phone on the table on her side of the bed. “My father said he’s giving you his blessing but can’t make the wedding because of a prior engagement.”
Jason eased Greer down to his pillow. “Be certain to thank him the next time you talk to him. By the way, I understand where he’s coming from when it comes to you.”
“You do?”
“Yes. My father tried something similar with my oldest sister’s fiancé minutes before the wedding was about to begin. He’d asked Merrick to come to the library where he and his brothers were waiting. I believe Dad had a temporary lapse in common sense when he threatened a man who’d worked for the CIA as a covert operative.”
“What did he say?”
“He told Merrick he was only going to warn him once. He wanted him to protect Alexandra with his life, and if he failed, then look for her father to come after him.”
“How did Merrick take this obvious threat?”
Jason chuckled softly, his fingers rubbing the soft curls grazing his shoulder. “Merrick never batted an eye when he told his future father-in-law that the minute Alex becomes his wife, he was responsible for protecting her. Then he went on to say he may not have as much money as Alex, but he could support her and the children they would have. He also said he’d signed up to go back to the CIA—when he’d promised himself he never would—because he had a wife and family to support. He wasn’t going back as an operative but as a trainer. That’s when everyone realized Dad was concerned about Merrick’s lack of employment. We ragged him about that for days.”
“So it wasn’t about protection but money.”
He nodded. “More or less.”
Tilting her chin, Greer stared up at the man she loved and respected. She knew her father could be intimidating—on the phone and in person—yet Jason hadn’t backed down. He’d gone so far as to demand a face-to-face sit-down. She smiled when she realized she was going to have her own personal superhero.
“Speaking of money. Are you going to want a prenuptial agreement?”
Jason’s expression changed as if he were a snake shedding its skin. “If I wanted one, would you sign it?”
“Of course,” Greer said without hesitating. “I don’t want or need your money.”
“You don’t want or need money, but I want and need you. The Coles are unique wherein there’s never been a prenup or a divorce once we marry.”
“So you guys are known for having perfect marriages?”
“We’re far from perfect, babe. My grandfather cheated on his wife, and the result was an illegitimate child that took him four decades to acknowledge. My uncle Martin acknowledged Joshua as his brother long before my dad or his sisters. They felt if they acknowledged him, then they were being disloyal to their mother.”
“What happened to Joshua’s mother?”
“She married my grandfather’s business partner because in those days an unwed teenage mother would’ve been ostracized regardless of their social status. Teresa married Everett Kirkland, gave birth to my uncle, but their marriage was fraught with violence and alienation. Although Teresa had married Everett, she was still in love with Samuel.”
Thoroughly engrossed in the story, Greer asked, “Was he in love with Teresa?”
“He admitted to me a part of him would always love Teresa because she needed his protection. She was the daughter of immigrant parents who had to flee Cuba because of her father’s political opposition to the government at that time. They were very poor, and Teresa was studying to become a nurse when she came to work for Cole-Diz as a part-time translator. She and Samuel had a brief affair, and she found herself pregnant at the same time Abuela was pregnant with her third child. When Teresa flaunted the fact she was carrying her boss’s baby, all hell broke loose. I’m certain my grandmother would’ve divorced my grandfather if divorce at that time hadn’t been such a stigma. Here she was in a foreign country, married to a man who not only controlled his money but also hers. If that had occurred today, there’s no doubt she would’ve divorced him and wound up with a tremendous settlement.”
“Did she stay with him out of necessity or because she loved him?”
“I think it was both. Someone overheard her saying she would never divorce Sammy because then he and that puta would get together. But she also loved her husband. He’d become her rescuer and her protector. He had saved her from an arranged marriage, and his ultimate wealth elevated her to the personification of Cuban-American elegance and sophistication. Although Grandpa wasn’t the perfect husband, he was a good father.”
“How did he reconcile with Teresa’s son?”
“Grandpa suffered a stroke and even his doctors didn’t expect him to survive, or even if he did, that he would never speak again. But he did. Uncle Josh sat at his bedside until he came out of the coma. What happened in that hospital room had to have changed both of them. There were times when Grandpa called Joshua son and he in return called him Father.”
Greer closed
her eyes. “I know of family feuds that have gone on for generations.”
“Nicholas’s mother and his grandmother have been at each other’s throats for years. Nichola never learned to cook or speak Spanish, and Nancy reminds her of this every chance she gets.”
Shifting in a more comfortable position, Greer opened her eyes. “Why didn’t she take cooking lessons?”
“Why should she when she employed a live-in cook?” Nichola is a true diva. Her father and brothers spoiled her, and her husband continued the tradition. You’ll get to see her at the wedding.”
“What about her mother-in-law?”
“You won’t get to see the entire clan until Christmas. Between my aunts and uncles, their children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren, there have to be more than a hundred of us.”
“Where does everyone stay?”
“Everywhere. There are twenty-four rooms in the house where my father grew up. My aunts open their homes to accommodate at least forty folks between them. I have cousins in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. It’s less than seventy-five miles between Miami and West Palm. My parents’ house in Boca Raton is even closer, so they are able to put up many of the out-of-towners.”
“It must be nice having a large family.”
Jason heard the wistfulness in Greer’s voice. “It does have its advantages. I take it you have a small family?”
“Very small. Both my parents had only one sibling. My father lost his parents at an early age, and his grandmother raised him. I have cousins in Maryland and a few in Oklahoma, but those are the only ones I know about.”
“I suggest you get in touch with them because I’d like to invite them to our wedding.”
“Will they also be invited to your weeklong Christmas to New Year’s family reunion?”
“Of course. Your family will become my family and vice versa.”
“Are the weddings usually lavish celebrity-like affairs?”
“No. They’re always private. The family compound is patrolled by security around the clock, and no one will be permitted to attend unless they’re invited. Their RSVP will include their name and vehicle’s license plate number. So we don’t have to worry about wedding crashers. Nicholas’s horse farm also has what I consider extremely good security.”
Secret Vows (Hideaway (Kimani)) Page 20