The Reluctant Groom

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “Don’t worry. I haven’t met Mr. Right yet. Which reminds me. You never told me the story of how you and Katie met.”

  “Hmm.” He rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “I’m not sure I remember.”

  Hailey widened her eyes. “How can you not remember something like that?”

  “I don’t know. We met through mutual friends. There’s not much to tell.” His nineteen-year-old sister was the biggest romantic he knew. If she had any idea what was really going on, she’d disown him. Good thing she was too naïve to realize what he was up to.

  “Mom is beside herself that she doesn’t know her future daughter-in-law. In fact, everyone is talking about how you’ve kept her hidden and never talked about her.”

  He frowned. “You know I’m a private person.”

  “That’s what I tell people. She’s adorable, and I’d think you’d want to show off the woman you love. Unless.” Her eyes widened. “Is there something wrong with her? I know she looks normal, but…”

  “What? No. She’s a sweet girl.”

  “Girl?”

  “Sorry. Woman.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “Robbing the cradle?”

  “She’s only four years younger than me. Not a big deal at all. Now enough with the questions, Grace.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him. “You know I hate that nickname.”

  “Exactly why I used it. No more questions.” He held in a chuckle. When his sister was a kid, she had the grace of an out-of-control train and had the scars to prove it. One day Renee had said she needed to take ballet to learn how to move gracefully, and the name Grace stuck.

  “Fine. I won’t ask about her anymore, but do you at least have a picture of her? I want to have one framed, sitting by the guest book. Actually if you have one of the two of you together that would be even better.”

  Having anticipated this request, he’d secretly taken a few shots of Katie on Friday when they were shopping. He pulled up his favorite.

  His sister laughed. “You’re so mean. If you went around showing a picture of me biting into a muffin, you’d have to start sleeping with one eye open.”

  He chuckled. “You’re always so dramatic. I think it’s a cute picture.”

  Hailey giggled. “True love. Don’t you have one of the two of you together?”

  He slid his finger across the screen of his phone to show a selfie they’d taken at the coffee shop.

  “I guess that’ll do.” She seemed disappointed. “I hope you’ll at least have a photographer at your wedding.”

  “Of course. Kari White said she’d do it for us.”

  Hailey grinned. “Cool. When I grow up, I want to be Kari.”

  He chuckled. His little sis had always admired his long-time friend. They’d grown up together since they were in diapers. Many thought they’d marry one day, but marrying Kari would be like marrying his sister—gross. “If we’re done here, let’s go. I’ll pick you up first thing tomorrow to help get everything set up. Are you sure your friends don’t mind helping?”

  “They’re cool. I promised them each Starbucks gift cards. Don’t forget!”

  He pulled out his wallet and counted out one hundred dollars. “Will you take care of them for me?”

  “Yes. Mom has the cake and the punch covered.”

  “Good.” A part of him felt guilty for not being completely honest with his family about the circumstances of this wedding. Truth was, he was afraid of how they’d make Katie feel. They wouldn’t be mean—at least Hailey wouldn’t—but he wanted his mom and sister to accept her as his wife and not look at her as an outsider.

  Hailey stood and walked to the door leading down to the main level of The Ring. “Be honest with me, Ray. Is Katie pregnant?”

  His face heated. “No.”

  “Okay. Mom thought maybe…”

  He sighed. “I should’ve expected that.”

  Hailey punched his shoulder. “It’s your own fault for not telling us about her.”

  “I know. But go easy on Katie. She’s kind of shy. It took her a long time to warm up to me.” His sister didn’t need to know Katie had only started opening up to him a little over a week ago.

  “Oh. I see. You were protecting her. Don’t worry. I’ll warn Mom. It’ll be okay.”

  “Thanks.”

  Katie rubbed the rag back and forth over the craft table at the community center until her hand cramped. According to her former caseworker, Cassandra, Katie’s mom was back and wanted to reconnect. Why now, after all these years was her mother interested in a relationship? She wanted to slam the door on the woman who’d rejected her, but curiosity ate at her.

  “Can I go play on the basketball court?” Emily asked.

  “I can’t see you in there, and I need to work in this room. I’m sorry, but you’ll need to stay in here with me until your ballet class starts.”

  Emily’s bottom lip protruded. “I’m bored.”

  Katie sighed. What was she supposed to do with a four-year-old? Maybe keeping this job had been a mistake, but it gave her purpose, and she loved the families that frequented the center. She couldn’t give up her time here.

  She’d been in a rush on Thursday and hadn’t done her normal thorough cleaning since she had moved that night. Then Friday, she was too worn out from lifting those heavy boxes. Now was her only time to sanitize and make sure she had everything ready to go for the art class she’d lead in another hour. “How would you like to watch a video?”

  Emily’s face brightened. “Yes.”

  Thankfully, there was a television set with an attached DVD player in this room. This would be one of the few times she’d use the TV to entertain Emily. The center also had a nice selection of G-rated videos. Katie pulled open the drawer holding all the DVDs. “Go ahead and pick out what you want to watch. Then slide it into this slot.”

  Emily nodded, and Katie readied the TV so Emily could do the rest on her own. With her soon-to-be niece entertained, time flew, and before she knew it, people began to trickle into the community center. “Emily, your ballet class is starting soon. We need to get you into your leotard and tights. Grab your backpack.”

  Emily scrambled to obey. “Hurry, Katie. I don’t like being late.”

  Katie chuckled. She’d heard Renee say the same thing many times—like mother, like daughter. Was Katie anything like her mom? It’d been over a decade since she’d last seen her.

  Emily tugged on her hand. “Come on.”

  “Okay. I’m coming.”

  They dashed to the restroom, and ten minutes later, Emily rested a hand on the wooden bar along the mirror. Slow classical music played from an ancient record player, and Emily’s face scrunched in concentration. She looked to be completely engrossed in the class, so Katie returned to the craft room.

  “Good afternoon.” She looked from one face to another in her class of eight art students.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Katie,” they said in unison.

  She explained what they would be drawing and showed an example from her own sketchbook. “If you have questions or need help, I’m here for you.” She walked around the room and offered suggestions here and there.

  Ray walked by the window that looked into the craft room and waved as he passed. She waved back. He must be going to watch Emily’s ballet class. She couldn’t help but smile. Ray was going to make a great dad for his niece.

  “Who was that man,” one of her female students asked.

  “He’s…my fiancé.” It felt weird saying that out loud, especially since she’d never even had a boyfriend. Her foster mom had discouraged boyfriend/girlfriend relationships when she was in high school and had instead urged her to develop strong friendships. Well, she’d had one strong friendship. There were a few guys that she liked, but she’d been too shy to do anything about it.

  “You’re getting married?” a boy asked.

  “Yes. This Thursday.”

  �
��Wow,” Breeze, another one of her female students, said. “I wish I could go. I love weddings.”

  “You do?” Katie had only been to one wedding as a child and had found it boring, but Breeze was one of the older kids in the group. If memory served, she was eleven and in the sixth grade. “You can come if you want.”

  “Really?” Her eyes widened.

  “Sure. I don’t have any invitations on me.” She wasn’t sure if they’d even printed any. “But I’ll make one for you.”

  “Thanks!” Breeze’s pace picked up on her drawing, and what had started off looking dark, rapidly changed into a bright and cheerful piece.

  After thinking about how best to make an invitation, Katie tore a page from her sketchbook and cut it into fourths, then drew up several wedding invitations in case anyone else wanted to come.

  She drew a rose bud in the bottom right corner, put the information along the left side, then colored the rose red.

  “What’s this?”

  She jumped and looked up at Ray. “I didn’t realize you were standing there.”

  Her class giggled.

  He sat beside her. “You were quite intent on that rose.” He pulled one off the table and studied it. “We should make copies of this and hand them out.”

  “I didn’t even think of making copies.”

  He chuckled. “If you’re finished with this one, I’ll run it across the street and have it printed on high quality glossy card stock. What do you think?”

  “It’s not necessary. I only needed one. The others were for just in case.”

  He shrugged. “It’ll only take a few minutes. They have several self-service machines.”

  “Okay.” She caught Breeze’s eye.

  The girl raised her brow and gave her a thumbs-up.

  Katie laughed. “Oh, stop.”

  “What? He’s cute.”

  Katie whipped her gaze toward the door to make sure Ray was out of earshot. Thankfully, he was long gone. A smile touched her lips. Her future husband was very handsome.

  “I bet your mom thinks he’s cute, too,” Breeze said. “My mom and I talk about boys all the time.”

  Katie’s stomach knotted at the reminder of her mom. What was she going to do? Cassandra was waiting on her decision. Thankfully, her former social worker wouldn’t give her mother any information without Katie’s consent. She’d always wanted to understand why her mom had left her with her dad but wasn’t sure she wanted her back in her life. Even after years of counseling, a part of her was still angry with the woman that was supposed to nurture and protect her. What if Mom was as big of a mess as Dad?

  Chapter Nine

  Monday evening Ray glanced at Katie sitting at the far end of the couch. She looked good in his living room. “I’m relieved Emily’s sleeping better. Bringing the contents of her bedroom here was genius. I wish I’d thought of it.”

  “I’m glad she’s not so upset. Her grief counselor is probably helping as well.”

  “Maybe.” He wasn’t sure how much good the woman was doing. He hadn’t seen any improvement until Katie started taking care of her. Now Emily was more content. Not herself yet, but perhaps her new self. “Did you pass out the invitations I had printed?”

  “A few. Some of the kids in my art class want to come.” She shrugged. “We’ll see if they do or not.”

  “Either way, it was nice that they wanted to.”

  She nodded and folded her hands in her lap. “Do you think you could help me with something? Normally I’d ask Brandi, but with her wedding this weekend, I hate to bother her.”

  “I’ll do my best.” He shifted to better face her and wished they were closer. The thought surprised him. Then again, over the past week, they’d spent a lot of time together and had grown closer than he’d expected in such a short period.

  “I received a call from my social worker earlier today.”

  “You have a social worker?” Now this was news.

  “No. Not now. She handled my case when I was in foster care.”

  “Oh, I see. Why would she be calling you so many years later?”

  “She checks up on me from time to time. But that’s not why she called.” Katie took a deep breath and let it out slowly as if to calm herself. “My mom is back and wants to connect with me. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Whoa. That’s big.” Now he understood why she was jumpy after taking that call.

  She shrugged. “I’ve thought about it all day, and I’m no closer to a solution. I think about Emily and how she’d do anything to see her mom again. I feel ungrateful because I’m not sure I want to see mine.” She looked his way, and their gazes locked.

  Hurt, pain, and confusion filled her eyes. “Does that make me a bad person?”

  “No. It makes you human.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Maybe you should make a list of pros and cons.”

  “You sound like Renee.”

  He chuckled. “I do, don’t I?” He was glad they could share memories of his sister and that Katie wasn’t afraid to talk about her. He reached across the cushion between them and grasped her hand. “Pros?”

  “I’d like to see if we look anything alike. She took off so long ago my memory has faded since the one picture I had as a kid was taken away.” She looked to him. “One of my foster parents confiscated it as a punishment and never gave it back.”

  “That was a bit excessive and mean.” He fisted his free hand. It was no wonder she was cautious around people she didn’t know well. He hurt for her and wished he could give her a do-over.

  “Perhaps, but I probably deserved it. I was a very troubled girl and acted out a lot.”

  “I can’t imagine.” He really couldn’t. From what he’d seen, Katie was a sweet, mild-mannered woman with a kind heart. This person she hinted at did not sound like her at all. “But back to the list. You want to see what she looks like. It’s probably good to get a medical history, too, if she’s willing.”

  “Good point. But I don’t know if I want a relationship with her.”

  “Maybe she’s changed.”

  “It’s possible. I sure have.” She ducked her head.

  He smiled. “Why are you suddenly the color of a perfectly cooked lobster?”

  “I still can’t believe I proposed to you.”

  He chuckled. “You were braver than me. I was going to, but I got cold feet.”

  She sat up straight and turned her body to face him. “Seriously. You planned to propose? When?”

  “That day I requested you come to my office, but then I felt like I’d be putting you on the spot and didn’t ask, even though I felt the Lord tell me to ask you.”

  “Do you mean to tell me you were really going to ask me?” She grinned and the bright red faded to her normal color.

  He nodded. “After you planted the idea in my mind that night at the diner, I couldn’t let it go.”

  She giggled.

  He chuckled. “What?”

  “Oh, nothing. I just find this very amusing—to think I felt self-conscious about being the one to propose. I don’t feel that way anymore.”

  “Good.” He pulled her closer and hugged her to his side. “I have high hopes for us, Katie. And I enjoy spending time with you like this.”

  She stilled in his arm. “Yeah. Me, too,” she said softly. She shifted and her eyes met his.

  His breath hitched. If he didn’t know better he’d think he read love there. Clearly, he wasn’t good at reading women, because there was no way she had strong feelings for him—yet. Then again, his own were rapidly moving in that direction. He drew closer to her.

  She blinked and broke the contact. “I still don’t know what to do about my mom.”

  He dragged his mind back to the topic. “I suggest you continue to think through the pros and cons. Then pray and consider the worst that could happen if you do let her into your life.”

  “Good advice. I suppose we could meet on neutral ground, set up by Cassandra, then go
from there. I don’t have to let her into my life to meet with her.”

  “True. And if you need backup, I could come along.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’d do that for me?”

  “Absolutely.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s getting late.”

  She sat up then stood. “You’re right, and Emily doesn’t sleep in either. ’Night, Ray.”

  “I’ll walk you to your door. I don’t like the idea of you being outside alone at this time of night, even if it is a short distance.” They lived in a relatively safe neighborhood, but he was suddenly feeling protective.

  “Thanks.” A smile lit her eyes. “It’s only ten, but I won’t turn down the escort.” She slipped her hand around his arm and walked silently beside him all the way to her apartment door. She turned to him. “Good night.”

  He touched a hand to her face—so soft. Somehow, she already held his heart.

  Her eyes widened, and she stilled.

  “May I kiss you?” he spoke the words softly.

  She nodded in the glow of the garage light.

  His lips met hers ever so briefly—a teaser for what was to come—some day, he hoped. “Sleep well.” He waited until he heard the lock slip into place then went back inside his house. Though he couldn’t honestly say he loved her, could it be too much to hope for good things to come for them?

  Katie touched a finger to her lips as she stood on the other side of her apartment door. She’d never sleep now! There was no way her mind would shut off after such a sweet kiss. She yawned…then again, maybe she could sleep. She had a four-year-old to care for all day tomorrow.

  How was it she could feel so many different emotions in one evening? Fear, frustration, confusion, contentment, peace, and dare she go there—love. No, it was too soon. What they shared wasn’t love. It couldn’t be. Strong liking was more accurate. Yes, she very much liked Ray and hoped that things would continue to progress with him, but there was so much more to consider. Her mom for starters. She needed to get back to Cassandra as soon as possible if she was going to meet her mom. She wanted to do it before the wedding, which left tomorrow or Wednesday. What do I do, Lord?