She thought back to the day she’d bought it, the first time she’d noticed something different had been going on with her body, and the one purpose she’d had in mind while she’d searched for the perfect dress—to make herself a woman Jackson couldn’t live without. Had she been successful? Maybe over dinner tonight she’d give him her answer.
Jackson had also put on the dressy suit he’d worn to the wedding yesterday, looking handsome as always, and very Southern. She’d noticed his speech had changed a little since coming back to his home state, sounding a little slower and warmer, and she really loved the Georgia accent.
She studied him. His brown wavy hair had got curlier in Savannah, just like hers had, and the light tan he’d picked up over the past two days made his bright blue eyes stand out even more. She wondered if their baby would get his classic nose or her own nondescript one. Or his shocking blue eyes. For no reason he smiled at her like he had a big secret, and the grooves on both sides of his cheeks highlighted that grin. Damn, he was sexy, and she suddenly had the need to tell him exactly what she was thinking.
“You are so good-looking.”
He grinned. “And you, my lady, are a goddess.” His eyes seemed to sparkle when he said the last word.
Well, that did it. They didn’t have to leave the room, as far as she was concerned, because she’d been acutely aware that since they’d arrived in Georgia they hadn’t made love. She might be pregnant and a little more tired than usual, but all he had to do was look into her eyes with those killer blues and touch her just so and, well, right about now she’d pretty much sign up for anything he had in mind. If he happened to whisper he loved her, she’d definitely give him her answer.
“So you want to get together?” she offered playfully and hopefully.
He took her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly, the kind of kiss that would require a reapplication of lipstick once they were done, and she started thinking they were definitely on the same page. But then he stopped kissing her. “Call me old-fashioned, but I’d kind of like to wait until after you decide if you want to marry me or not.”
Was he blackmailing her by withholding sex? “Seriously?”
“A man’s got to stand his ground for honor’s sake.” He winked.
Again, there was that secret worry that his proposal had been more about honor and not enough about love.
A minute later, with one last fluff of her hair and that reapplication of peach-colored lipstick, they left the hotel room just as the horn of another container ship blared its arrival and floated by their window.
“I’m gonna miss it here,” she said.
“We’ll make a point to come visit often, then.”
She tossed him a look and got chills. He obviously wasn’t backing down on his offer to marry her, making all these future plans and all. Maybe the guy really did love her for herself and not just because she was pregnant.
When they caught the elevator and ended up at the main floor, instead of heading for the five-star hotel restaurant, as she’d expected, he escorted her outside. She immediately remembered the small private setup on the golf-course-green grass near the gazebo and watched for it.
“Oh, look, isn’t that just beautiful?” she said, wondering what the occasion was. Obviously it was a small and private affair.
“It sure is.” He put his hand at the small of her back and guided her toward it.
She resisted him. “We can’t crash someone else’s party.”
“Of course we can. Do you see anyone around? Let’s just go and have a look.”
Only because she was dying to see everything up close, especially now, since small clear glass vases of bright summer-colored gerberas had been placed at each perfectly set table, she agreed. “But isn’t this taking nosy to a new level, at the expense of someone else’s private affair?”
“I don’t see it that way.” Once they got close enough for her to see the fine hotel china and silverware, Jackson cleared his throat and raised his hand. “Can we get some help over here, please?” he said to a nearby waiter.
Her heart palpitated and her face flushed. “What are you doing?”
“Hold on, don’t freak out.”
The silver-haired server, wearing a white waistcoat, immediately snapped to attention. “Yes, Dr. Hilstead. Are we ready?”
“Just give me two minutes first, please.”
Charlotte’s heart went still as Jackson dropped to one knee and took her hand. With the other hand, he fished inside his jacket for the pocket and something small.
“I love you. I’ve been trying to prove it all weekend, and I hope you’ve caught on. Because I mean it. I’m a better man because of you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you with all my heart, and I want us to be a family. Charlotte, since I met you I’ve discovered I’m full of love. There’s room for my sons, and our sons or daughters, but most especially for you. Right at the center. Forever. Do you believe me yet?”
Her face crumpled. How had she not known his proposal had been sincere from the very start? He was a man of his word, but also a man of the heart. If he said he loved her, he meant it. “Yes. I believe you.”
“Then will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
Jackson’s expression of joy promised to plant itself in her heart for life. “Thank God.” He stood and kissed her, then flashed a beautiful ring as he gave some high sign. She could have sworn she heard muted applause.
“We’ll hold the record for the world’s shortest engagement.” He slid the ring on her finger and she took a moment to admire the pure solitaire diamond’s beauty.
With Jackson’s affirmation and a snap of the head waiter’s fingers, soft classical string music began to play the Pachelbel concerto, and a group of people came out from what seemed nowhere.
Now her heart thundered in her ears. She recognized Jackson’s parents and grandfather—how could she ever forget him?—and both of Jackson’s sons, plus a few other people she remembered to be relatives of his, one being his aunt Maggie. Nearly dizzy with wonder, she couldn’t speak, even though her mouth was open.
A husky man around Jackson’s age came toward them and Jackson introduced him to her. “This is my old college roommate, Jarod. Or Judge Campbell these days. He’s a county judge, and he’s managed to pull a few strings for us, and since we were here for a wedding, I thought why not make it two? Jarod’s going to perform the ceremony. Are you ready?”
Her chest clamped down so hard she didn’t think she could draw her next breath. Of course she wanted to marry Jackson, but right this moment? Right here? It was all his family and friends, and she didn’t have anyone to represent her. She didn’t want to spend one second ruining this moment with sadness, but the emptiness flicked her hard.
“He’s going to marry us now?”
Jackson gave the most confident nod she’d ever seen. “Remember our saying? Life is all about what’s happening right now. So what do you say? Let’s get married.”
“But I don’t have anyone here, Jackson.”
“We can get married again in California and you can invite the whole hospital if you want, but I can’t wait another second to be your husband.” His swoon-worthy words sank in and they seemed to be accompanied by the scent of magnolias. She was sure she’d never forget this singular moment when the man she loved asked her to be his wife. In front of a crowd!
“Actually,” he said, “you do have someone here for you, and he’s the perfect person to walk you down the aisle. All we have left to do is say I do. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go stand up there...” he pointed to the decorated gazebo “...and wait for you.” He smiled so reassuringly she couldn’t think of a single reason to refuse tonight as the night to take her vows.
Doing as instructed, Charlotte turned to see Dr. Gordon stand
ing at the back of the lawn, a sweet smile on his face, wearing a white summer tuxedo jacket and black slacks, and holding a small bouquet, which was apparently meant for her to carry. The head of the waitstaff walked her to him, and Jim Gordon proudly held out his elbow for her to clamp her arm onto. And, boy, did she need something to hold on to right now because Jackson had just knocked her for a loop! It seemed a lifetime of stored-up feelings had been unleashed as she took her place beside her mentor, and she’d never felt more alive in her life.
Her chin quivered and her eyes welled, and Jim gave her a fatherly, encouraging look. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you there, dear. It’s time for your happily-ever-after. Now, on the count of three, follow me.”
With that, she took his advice and dived into the moment, the what-was-happening-right-now part, and quickly remembered the special bridal walk from all the movies she’d watched growing up. Step, together, step, together. She thought about her mother and knew this would have made her ecstatic. And on wobbly legs, in front of a new family she couldn’t wait to get to know better, she made her way to the gazebo, with the help of her mentor and stand-in father. There, the handsomest groom in the world, and the most perfect imperfect man she could never have dared to dream of, waited for her to say I do.
EPILOGUE
CHARLOTTE LOOKED UP at Jackson, holding her hand while she lay on the examination table. He smiled reassuringly and squeezed her hand.
“So at twenty weeks we do the official ultrasound. Are you ready?” the magenta-haired sonography tech said.
Charlotte studied the young woman’s brow piercing while she considered the question. Was she ready? Now that she was married and she and Jackson were a team, any potential outcome of what they might find out about their baby seemed far less scary. “Yes,” she said.
Jackson grabbed her hand again as the tech squeezed cold gel onto her stomach and began moving the transducer around her growing abdomen. Soon a pie-shaped section appeared on the screen and shortly after that a profile shot of their baby’s head appeared. They gasped together in wonder. Charlotte’s other hand flew to her mouth. Her baby looked perfectly formed with a cute upturned nose and a really big-looking head. Was there a thumb in the mouth?
“I’ll snap that picture for you, if you’d like. Or maybe you’d rather wait in case we can identify the sex.”
Charlotte’s gaze jumped to Jackson’s and he nodded, indicating, like they’d previously discussed, it was up to her. “I’d like that picture, please.”
“Done.” As the technician moved on, she described every part of the fetus’s anatomy that came into view. “Depending on whether or not you want to know the sex, you may want to look away during this next portion.” She held steady at the point she’d left off, waiting for Charlotte’s reply.
Charlotte smiled contentedly, knowing without a doubt since she’d married Jackson that no matter what the sex of their baby, their love for each other and their future child would see them through any and all the challenges in life. Whether it involved DNA or not.
Right here and now she saw for herself that her baby was perfect in every way, growing as it should be. Jackson had been okay either way about knowing or not, so he kept quiet, just gazing benignly at Charlotte as she finally made up her mind.
He bent and kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes. Did she want to know the sex today? Would knowing add or detract from the wonder of her pregnancy? Since passing through the first trimester, she’d loved being pregnant. Feeling her body change and knowing something she and Jackson had created together grew inside her had put her in an incredibly happy place.
If there was ever a time to think of Dr. Gordon’s recipe for living it was now. Life wasn’t about what might happen, it was about right here and now. She had proof of a perfectly forming baby on the computer screen. Sonography didn’t lie. Then she thought of her mother, because since the wedding she’d been doing that a lot. Her mom had once told her all about the day she’d been born. Back in the day they chose two names for every pregnancy. One for a boy and one for a girl. People gave generic gifts at showers, and the parents had the joy of discovering the baby’s sex at birth. She’d loved hearing the story about the day she’d been born and how happy her mother had been that she’d had a girl.
Because she’d started to show, the women at work all seemed to want to share their own birthing stories, and one lab technician’s stuck out in her mind. The ultrasound had indicated the baby was a girl, and they had only got girls’ baby clothes and items at her shower. The problem was, she’d wound up delivering a boy! Her mother-in-law had had to return all the baby items and buy new ones, adding stress to the shock. They’d been expecting a girl and now had to adjust to having a boy. The ultrasound wasn’t always one hundred percent accurate.
Charlotte turned to Jackson, his brows lifting as he waited for her decision.
“Let’s do it the old-fashioned way and wait to find out when I deliver.”
He laughed and clapped. “That’s a great idea.”
“Then look away,” the technician said as she continued the test.
“You’re peeking!” Charlotte teased Jackson, both of them giddy with excitement for their future as they stared at each other for the next few moments rather than watch the monitor.
“I’m not, I swear. You know I’ll be happy with whatever we have...” he bent and kissed her, and she remembered why she hadn’t doubted for one second how much he loved her since his amazing proposal in Savannah “...because whether it’s a she or a he, our kid will make us a family.”
Charlotte had lost the heart of her family way too early when her mother had died. Things had never been the same and when she searched her heart she realized that for years and years she’d longed for a family of her own. Until she’d met Jackson, she’d never dared to dream it could actually happen. “I like the sound of that.”
“Our family?”
“Yes, our family.”
* * * * *
ISBN: 978-1-474-03748-8
WEDDING DATE WITH THE ARMY DOC
© 2016 Lynne Marshall
Published in Great Britain 2016
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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