Special Order Groom

by Tina Leonard

  The very thought made his chest tighten again. No, he’d advised his patient—no, not his patient but an old family friend—appropriately.

  Now, getting Crystal into a wedding gown was something he wanted so much he thought he might die from the wanting, so he wasn’t quite certain his conscience was as clear in that area. She was soft and sweet like she’d always been, and he had known utter ecstasy when they’d joined their bodies together. But he wasn’t quite truthful about the convenience stuff. If that was what she needed to believe, then he’d give her plenty of space, but no way was he planning for this marriage to be simply a sham to make her family happy and give him some professional stability, no matter that he might have agreed to it in theory.

  Couldn’t he be just a tiny bit guilty on this matter? Having her this close to being his forever was a temptation he would never want to be cured from. He wanted her desperately—and he would love her from her toenails to her dainty ears.

  Fortunately, she hadn’t pushed him about performing the surgery on her mother. She probably didn’t think he’d be reliable enough to show up. He’d let her down once before.

  What she didn’t know was that she was correct. He wasn’t reliable and he wasn’t the cardiac surgeon everyone thought he was.

  He was too afraid.

  It had happened when he’d least expected it. A girlfriend he’d dated in med school had developed unanticipated cardiac problems. She had come to see him, because of their past history somewhat, but mostly because he had developed a fine reputation in the cardiac field.

  He had assured her she would be fine. It had felt good to comfort a woman to whom he’d once given a small piece of his heart. They had parted on comfortable, mutual terms, and now it felt comfortable and right to do what was really a rather routine medical procedure on an old friend of his.

  To his utter horror, she had died the next day from infection. His mouth still dried out and his mind totally receded from thinking about it, but six months hadn’t erased the bleak memory.

  No matter that she had died as a result of infection and not his surgical skill. He had told her she’d be fine.

  He’d been horribly wrong.

  From that day forward, he vowed never again to operate on a patient he loved. The thought, the very consideration of trying again, sent him into a state of terror.

  Crystal brought light and laughter into his life, and he desperately needed that. Now that he was so close to getting everything he had ever wanted back in his life, he wasn’t about to do anything to screw it up.

  Mitch decided Bess was right about the ring. Convenient or not, he was getting Crystal a ring that shouted Mine! Mine! Mine! Whether she wanted to think of him in nonconventional terms or not, he was firmly going to mark her with a significant token of his affection. They could work out the bumps of their agreement as the marriage progressed.

  For that matter, he was going to plan the wedding. Crystal could handle the church details, but he’d let her down once in front of the whole town.

  He would plan the reception—and it was going to be every bit as big and public as her birthday party. More talked-about than the prom.

  This time, he would be there. He would prove to Crystal that she could count on him.

  “MOTHER SHOULD BE COMING out anytime now.” Crystal paced the waiting room. Mitch sat quietly in a corner. Martin and Elle pretended to read magazines.

  Crystal took a deep breath and thought about drinking the first cup of coffee she’d ever drunk in her life. There was a coffeepot with some ink-black coffee nearby, but Crystal decided that trying to drink the unappealing liquid wouldn’t take her mind off her mother’s surgery and might very well give her a stomachache or caffeine-electrified nerves. She was frazzled enough.

  “The nurse said she’d get us when Bess was coming around.” Mitch got to his feet and put his hands on her shoulders. “I think we’d better celebrate by getting you an engagement ring.”

  Crystal felt herself smile. “I can’t think about that right now.”

  “She’s right, you know. We should make this official, with an announcement in the town newspaper and everything. I’d like to do this right, even if it’s a short-term thing.”

  “Have you told your folks?”

  He slapped his forehead. “I completely forgot!”

  “Maybe a marriage of convenience doesn’t rate as much excitement as a regular one. We should keep the event as quiet as possible.”

  He snorted. “Getting you to an altar is a marquee event, trust me.”

  She wound her arm into his, taking solace in his warmth. “How come you never got married, Mitch?”

  “Never felt like it. But I do now, despite having to beat Barney off to enter into this squirrely arrangement.”

  She laughed. “Maybe we should talk about our squirrely arrangement.”

  He pulled her up against him. “Okay. I’ll feed the dogs, you bathe them. I’ll feed the cats, you bathe them. I’ll do the laundry, you vacuum. Convenient enough?”

  “Sounds like I’m getting a roomie instead of a husband.”

  “Husband. Husband. I like the sound of that. Are you keeping your own name? I’m sure you are,” he said woefully.

  “I haven’t thought that far,” she said, smiling up at him. “But the fifty-fifty definition of that would probably be yes, I am.”

  “At least I get fifty percent of your bed.” He sneaked a fast kiss.

  “I’m going to have to tell the dogs they’re sleeping on the floor from now on.”

  “Oh, boy. That will endear me to them.” He grinned, not bothered by the dogs’ looming disappointment at all. “By the way, I’m going to ask Barney to be my best man.”

  “You are?”

  He nodded. “And Linc and Frankie to be ushers.”

  “Oh, joy.” Crystal smiled. “I’m asking Janet to be my maid of honor. And Genie to be one of my bridesmaids. That leaves me with one less attendant than you.”

  “There’s always Kathryn,” he said with a wink until he saw the expression on Crystal’s face. “Kidding! Kidding!” he cried, holding up an arm to ward off her sudden smack on his arm. “Well, she was once your best friend, you know.”

  “That was a long time ago.” But strangely enough, she found herself giving his suggestion some real thought. So much had changed over the years. She and Kathryn had been close as sisters before that fateful night. “Wait a minute.” She turned to face Mitch. “Whatever happened to her pregnancy?”

  “Oh.” He took his arm from Crystal’s and scratched the back of his neck. “She miscarried. That’s why she’s so delighted about this pregnancy. She was really afraid she couldn’t carry a pregnancy to term. I wish her husband would grow up and hang around some, the schmuck.”

  “Oh, my goodness.” Kathryn had even worse luck than Crystal. She felt sorry for her old friend. First a high school crush had walked out on her when she got pregnant, and now her husband was doing the same. “So do you still keep up with her, Mitch?”

  “Yeah. Her gynecologist is in the same medical complex as my office. So we have lunch when she comes to town.”

  “I see.” Mitch had had more than ample opportunity to date Kathryn over the years and hadn’t. She had let a friendship get away from her for nothing. “How did you end up taking her to the prom, anyway?”

  “She came to my house upset, all dressed up, about twenty minutes before I was to pick you up. I guess she’d been talking to your mother and Bess suggested she ask me to go. All I ever knew was that you weren’t feeling well, and that you wanted me to go with Kathryn to the prom. I thought nothing of it since she was upset about being dumped, and you two were best friends. She said you’d gone to bed. Next thing I knew you weren’t speaking to me.” He caught her hand in his. “I suppose your mother didn’t want us together at all.”

  “All these years I’ve been angry with you, and I should have been angry with my mother. But I can’t be angry with her, because she’s co
nvinced her guilty secret has made her ill.” Crystal gazed at him, remembering how she had decided never to speak to Mitch again when she learned he’d gone to the prom with Kathryn. She’d been convinced something had happened to him. Then her mother had called—pretended to call?—Mitch’s house and broken the news. “Of course, that still doesn’t explain the kiss. I know you said she was sad, but for some reason, I feel somehow jealous.”

  He looked perplexed for a moment, then leaned over and gave her a fast peck next to the lips.

  “What was that?”

  “The same kiss I gave Kathryn.”

  “That was it?” She could hardly believe he was telling her the truth.

  He shrugged. “Crystal, you and I had just made love the night before. I wasn’t exactly thinking about making out with anyone else.”

  “I want to believe you,” she murmured.

  “You have to believe in your husband,” he said. “That’s in the marriage vows, isn’t it?”

  “Not if you’re Kathryn.” Crystal felt depressed for her old friend. She thought about the dog bowl Kathryn had painted for her birthday gift. “I’ll ask her to be in the wedding. She may not be feeling up to such excitement, but I can ask. She can hold my hand if you don’t show up for our wedding.”

  Mitch gave her a squeeze. “I’m going to be there. Count on it. Nothing could keep me from seeing you in a wedding gown.”

  “You can visit your mom for a few moments,” the nurse called into the waiting room. “She did just fine. And she’s asking for you.”

  “Oh!” Crystal hurried into the hallway and then the recovery room, with Mitch following close behind. “Mother,” she said softly as she neared the temporary hospital bed. “How are you feeling?”

  “I think I feel wonderful as far as the body goes. But I had a nightmare that you and Mitch were just pretending to get married so I wouldn’t have negative vibes during surgery.” She peered at both of them from squinty eyes. “You are getting married, aren’t you?”

  “In two weeks,” Mitch assured her. “And then we’re taking a honeymoon cruise to the Bahamas a week after that.”

  “We are?” Crystal whirled to face him.

  “Yes. We’d leave right after the wedding, but I have some upcoming…um, business I can’t get away from, and I thought you’d probably need a little more time to find someone to work in your shop. Is that all right?”

  “Martin and Elle and I can handle the shop just fine,” Bess said petulantly. “We are experts in wedding dreams.”

  He smiled at Crystal as he realized she hesitated. “Being on a ship in the middle of the ocean ought to convince you that I mean to stay by your side, Crystal Jennings.”

  “Handcuffs would be more convincing,” she stated with a wry smile for her mother’s benefit.

  “Who wants handcuffs?” Uncle Martin asked as he and Aunt Elle came to join them. “Bess? They threatening to handcuff you to keep you in bed?”

  “No.” Bess closed her eyes with a weary smile. “After all these years, Mitch and Crystal have decided to get handcuffed.”

  “I think she’s tired,” Crystal said to Mitch.

  “Still a little dopey,” he agreed. “Let’s go pick out our handcuffs while she sleeps it off.”

  “The purpose of a convenient marriage is to not feel handcuffed,” Crystal said.

  “You’re going to like wearing my handcuffs,” he assured her.

  They left, smiling at each other.

  Elle stared at her brother. “I’m confused. Who’s wearing handcuffs?”

  Martin shook his head. “Ever since Sister said she’d been behind Mitch not showing up the night of the prom, I’ve tried to ignore everything as it transpires.”

  “I wish Sister was the only one at fault,” Elle said, clasping her hands together as she stared down at her sleeping sister. “I told Mitch to go down to the wedding shop to see Crystal. I didn’t exactly reel him in by accident.”

  “That wasn’t a coincidence?”

  “It was not,” Elle said on a pained gasp. “He had called the house to inquire after her. I seized the chance to fix up our girl. We agreed to meet at Crystal’s shop, and Mitch was waiting for me to give him the signal to come inside after I’d softened Crystal up to see him for the first time since they’d broken up. I never got around to it before Sister issued her challenge. So, I reached out the door and jerked him inside.”

  “You are a sly one,” he said admiringly. “To make it seem so coincidental.”

  “Don’t tell Crystal. Matters are going so well, even if she is handcuffing him to her, or vice versa!”

  He shook his head. “I won’t say a word. I’m a great believer in leaving all family skeletons firmly locked away.”

  Elle let out a great sigh. “Once upon a time, I thought that, too. But now that I’ve told someone I meddled, I feel ever so much better.”

  Martin shook his head. “I have no confession I care to make at this time. And I’m feeling just fine!”

  THE HANDCUFF MITCH WANTED to put on Crystal was a two carat diamond, perfectly oval-shaped.

  “It’s very extravagant for a marriage of convenience, don’t you think?” she asked.

  “Is there a guide we could consult? I have no idea what is considered proper in our situation,” he said, his gaze teasing.

  “I don’t think there is a guide,” she said, sniffing. “I’m only suggesting that you don’t have to spend so much on something that isn’t permanent.”

  “Wait. This is permanent.”

  She was startled. “It is?”

  “Yes. All I thought I was agreeing to was to go out with my friends whenever I wanted to, like Barney. And you’re agreeing to do your own thing, whatever that is. But it’s permanent.”

  She digested that, her pulse suddenly erratic.

  “So it’s convenient, but it’s also forever in my mind. It’s the only way to have a marriage, Crystal. Don’t you like the ring?”

  “It’s lovely.” Somehow the new heaviness on her hand was comforting and gave her a welcome sense of security she desperately wanted. “Try one on. You’ll probably like it.”

  He picked up a gold band.

  “It’s not as extravagant as mine. Don’t you want a band with diamonds or something?”

  “I’m not a flashy guy. This works fine.”

  She frowned. “Maybe mine is too flashy.”

  “I want everyone within a mile to know you’re conveniently married.”

  A thrill tightened her stomach. “That’s putting a twist on the term, I suppose.”

  “I thought so. Let’s go show Bess so she can recover in peace.”

  “She won’t. As soon as she sees this ring, she’s going to wear out the phone company calling all her friends.”

  He kissed her thoroughly. “We’ll insist she rest often.”

  “Thank you, Mitch. Not just for the ring, but…for forgiving my family and taking such steps to reassure my mother.”

  “I’m not marrying you to reassure your mother. It may have started out that way, but that’s not the way I feel at all about you. I’m starting to like this convenience thing.”

  She closed her eyes, not ready to hear him express deeper feelings. He didn’t say he loved her, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Opening her eyes, she said, “I’m not marrying you to reassure my mother, either.”

  “I’m marrying you to keep you from Barney’s clutches.”

  She nodded. “That’s good enough for me.”

  BESS RECOVERED QUICKLY, the scent of wedding triumph speeding her health as she slowly rehabilitated in her home. “I can’t wait! I can’t wait! I must see your gown!” she insisted to Crystal.

  “Absolutely not. Not even my husband can see the bridal gown.” Crystal was adamant on this point.

  “All that talk of handcuffs makes me nervous. Promise me you’re not going to strut down the aisle in something Genie would wear,” she said.

  “Just wait and see.” C
rystal held in a shiver of anticipation. Everything was going better than she could have hoped. Mitch slept with her every night, claiming his right to his fifty percent of her bed. The dogs had adjusted nicely; the cats welcomed an extra hand to scratch them under their chins. Kathryn had readily agreed to be in her wedding, although Crystal had truly dreaded talking to her, fearing her old friend wouldn’t say yes. But Kathryn had—with great enthusiasm and gratitude at leaving the past behind.

  Crystal couldn’t have been happier—until the nerves set in.

  “Bridal nerves are common,” Bess told her.

  “Every bride has them,” Elle counseled.

  “A little bit of nerves is good,” Martin comforted. “Keeps you on your toes.”

  Crystal didn’t want to say that her nerves had spread to throwing up in the night.

  “Maybe you’re pregnant,” Mitch suggested.

  “Shut up,” Crystal said on a groan as he ran a cool cloth over her forehead. “That would not be my idea of bedside humor.”

  “I wasn’t exactly trying to be funny, but never mind.”

  She groaned when Kathryn, Genie and Janet sat in her salon that afternoon.

  “I didn’t get nerves until after my wedding, when I realized Tom was a jerk,” Kathryn said. “Then I had nerves.”

  “I didn’t get nerves, but then, I married Linc so fast I didn’t have time to,” Genie said happily. “But I didn’t get them after the fact, either. I love him so much.”

  Janet took a deep breath. “You know, Crystal, even though Mitch is my brother, I would feel guilty if I didn’t remind you that we had a similar conversation about nerves when I was engaged. It resulted in my breaking off the engagement.”

  Crystal winced. “Don’t remind me.”

  “Maybe you should give your advice some consideration,” Janet said gently. “Genie and I want you to be happy, no matter what you decide. But you wouldn’t be suffering so if everything was copacetic.”

  “Fine bridal consultant I am to need advice from my attendants,” Crystal grumbled. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”