The Reluctant Fiancée (The Taylor Triplets Book 3)

by Lynne Marshall

  If Paul was willing to compromise with her, especially about children, why not?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lacy wore a huge flowered baby sling with Johnny secured inside on the sunny Saturday afternoon. The day the sisters were leaving for home. She handed her overnight bag to Eva, who stood on the lowest step of the RV, handing up the luggage to Joe, like a conveyor belt. Then the empty baby carrier.

  “Has he proposed again yet?” Eva asked Lacy in a conspiratorial whisper.

  Lacy shrugged. “Haven’t had a chance to ask. Brynne’s with him every time I think of it.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing.”

  Lacy began her reply...

  “If you’re going to have a conversation, woman, please step out of the RV,” Joe said tactfully and sprinkled with sweetness. “We want to be on the road in fifteen minutes.” He checked his watch.

  “Okay,” Eva said, “sorry. I’ll do one last house check.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Lacy said. “Maybe we’ll get an opportunity to corner him.”

  “GPS says we’ve got around a three-hour drive,” Zack called back from the driver’s seat, looking like a pilot preparing for takeoff through the windshield.

  “Did el jefe say something?” Joe teased in the RV entrance, hand to ear.

  “Har-har. As long as the traffic’s good,” Zack continued his thought.

  The sisters shared a “those guys” smile.

  “Well, good luck with that,” Joe said. “It’s Saturday, and we and everyone else in the state are heading to Vegas.” Joe hopped down the steps toward the women, then grabbed two of the three large suitcases lined up in a row.

  “Looks like they’re still doing some roadwork around the strip on I-15,” Eva said after quickly consulting her cell phone. “Might slow us down.”

  Zack made an appearance at the RV door. “Good thing we’re traveling in style,” he said, as though a magnanimous king.

  “Ah, I see the RV brings out your true personality,” Lacy teased from the grass near the sidewalk.

  Emma popped her head around the door from where she’d been hanging out in the kitchen area. “I’m making Dad his favorite for lunch! Grilled cheese!”

  Zack extended his arms and smiled first at his daughter, then at Lacy. “I’m the king of my castle, babe.”

  Eva and Lacy eye rolled together.

  “Okay, you have fun with that,” Lacy said, just before spying Paul by himself. “And Emma, you wait until I’m around to supervise for that sandwich, okay?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Come on, let’s hit it!” she said to Eva with an excited whisper as she grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward their mark.

  * * *

  Ever since Paul had rolled out of Brynne’s bed that morning, he’d been on the run. He’d felt great all day as he’d gone about his long list of things to accomplish before they left for the road trip. First he went home to pack, and there he made calls, loads of calls. People needed to be on call in case there was a breakthrough with Brynne.

  Currently, Brynne was babysitting Noah and Estrella, and he’d just finished putting their bags in the trunk. He glanced over his shoulder at two redheads rushing his way and smiled.

  “Did you propose again?” Lacy said, after she was within whispering distance. Had he been acting that obvious?

  He tilted his head, wondering how best to explain it. “Well, not in so many words. But I got a nod.”

  “A nod?” Eva, also tilting her head, repeated.

  “Yeah.” He leaned against his car with his arms folded. “We had this unspoken-agreement thing.”

  Lacy shook her head. “That’s not good enough.”

  “Well, it is for us. For now.”

  “You’re positive?” Eva said, staring at him until he wanted to squirm.

  “Let’s just say, from my end, it’s all systems go. Plus, we’ve got a long trip ahead with plenty of time to talk.”

  “Just in case, we have the dress,” Eva confirmed.

  “And the shoes,” Lacy said.

  He hadn’t put them up to anything, but these two seemed hopeful they’d see their sister say I do.

  “You’ve got three hours in the car with Brynne,” Eva said, one hip jutting out, arms folded. “It might behoove you to actually say the words and get a verbal response. Preferably something along the lines of, will you and yes.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Paul saluted, feeling silly, since he’d never done that before, but Eva had drawn it out of him.

  Lacy did her little clappy-hand thing. “I can’t wait!” She turned to Eva. “Our baby sister might get married tonight.”

  Seeming satisfied with their info-gathering mission, Lacy and Eva were about to walk off.

  “I’ve got reservations for an early dinner where you booked our hotel rooms. We’ll call it a farewell dinner.”

  “Sorry it’s off the strip, not one of the biggies,” Eva said. “but last minute and all, I wanted everyone to stay at the same hotel.”

  “This’ll be great!” Lacy clapped her hands.

  “What will be great?” Brynne asked, walking up with one hand holding Noah while he toddled along and the other clasping Estrella tight on her hip. Paul thought what a natural she was with kids. His heart swelled with love—until he saw those big blue eyes grilling him for an answer.

  “Oh, I was telling Lacy and Eva about the farewell dinner tonight.”

  “Oh,” she said, her face softening after his reply.

  Eva retrieved Estrella from Brynne. “Even though it’s going to be so sad to say goodbye.”

  Lacy and Brynne nodded in agreement, then they attempted a group hug, with the kids adding to the circle size and awkwardness.

  “Hey, hold that pose a sec. Let me take a picture,” Paul said as the three waited patiently for him to find his phone and snap the shot. Once done, he glanced at the picture first and gave a thumbs-up. Three identical women squinting in the sun but grinning happily, wearing different clothes and hairdos to help tell them apart. They were surrounded by three kids. Johnny, a big bulge hidden inside a loud patterned sling, Noah looking toward the big twuck, as he called the RV, and Estrella playing peekaboo while perched on Eva’s hip.

  In his mind, it was the most beautiful picture he’d ever taken.

  “Are we ready to go?” Zack called from the RV door.

  “How about one last bathroom break for everyone?” Eva called back.

  “Roger that,” Zack said.

  * * *

  Two hours into the drive, as Paul and Brynne got closer to Las Vegas, traffic came to a standstill. The change woke up Brynne. Thanks to her overdrinking last night, then entertaining Paul for several hours into the early-morning, she’d fallen asleep on the road within the first half hour. Which hadn’t given Paul the right time or moment to talk like he’d hoped.

  “Are we here?” she asked, sleepy voiced.

  “Not yet, honey. I think it’s going to be bumper-to-bumper from here on in, though.”

  She stretched. “Wow, how long was I out?” She glanced at her watch. “The whole time?”

  He smiled lovingly at her. “Just about.”

  “Not much company.” She reached over to squeeze his hand resting near the console, while he continued to steer with the other.

  “Well, you sure were last night.”

  That got a coy smile out of her.

  The RV was a few cars up, and Joe and Eva were still right behind them. He could practically feel Eva’s single-minded thoughts drilling into his brain. Propose again!

  “Have a good sleep?”

  “I feel human again, thanks, yes.” She took the water bottle he’d put into the cup holder for her and sipped.

  “Can you remember what you told me last night?”

  “About what? What�
��d I say?”

  “Nope. That’s what you’ve got to tell me so I’ll know you remember.”

  “Um, something about you being right?”

  He nodded. “Now you’re on track. What was I right about?”

  “The job.” She said it like a teenager. “I’d die being a supervisor. So I’m going to apply for one of the per-diem jobs in L&D and sign on for shifts that suit our plans.”

  “Wow, our plans. I like how you’ve really given this some thought.”

  “Plus, I’m going to work part-time at the bookstore, because I enjoy it, but don’t want to run the place. That’s after I have Joe handle all the legal stuff transferring ownership to Rory.”

  “And she’s on board?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “This is great stuff.”

  “I know.” Brynne pointed to the traffic. “But this isn’t.” She gave a long sigh. “Still, this’ll be fun.”

  “Visiting Vegas?”

  She nodded. “My first time.”

  “Want to make it unforgettable?”

  “What do you mean?”

  What the heck, it was no secret how he felt—may as well go for it. “Will you marry me?”

  She went quiet, staring at him, her face unreadable. Did she love or hate the suggestion? Was she about to scream at him or throw her arms around his neck in joy? He had no clue, so he held his breath and waited. This re-proposing was the hardest thing he’d had to do, ever. Except for the first time he’d asked her to marry him eighteen months ago. When he finally needed to take another breath, he said, “I happened to bring the ring.” He patted his shirt pocket.

  “Is that so?” Noncommittal and far too calm to trust.

  He nodded, still waiting and wondering. His stomach and chest tightened, and he put both hands on the wheel for a good strong grip to steady himself.

  “We’ve got a lot to talk about first,” she said.

  “I know.”

  “You do? Good. So, first off, you don’t get to call all the shots.”

  “We’ll be a team. I promise.”

  “I’m not promising a kid.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m scared of motherhood, don’t know what it’ll look like for me.”

  “No one does.”

  “What if it’s only like my job?”

  He reached over and squeezed her arm. “I know you too well, Brynne.”

  “Are you willing to wait a year or three while I figure it out?”

  “If that’s what you need.” The hardest words he’d ever spoken, but he’d promised to compromise.”

  She gave a disbelieving gaze.

  He tilted his head. “Not my ideal, but I want to work with you.”

  “If we did have kids, we’d have to work out childcare.”

  “My mom would be perfect for that job.”

  “And Rory.”

  “Yeah, the more backup the better.”

  “When I’m ready.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And we pick out our future home together.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “No matter how long it takes.”

  “Okay. Oh, and back to childcare. If, and I know it’s a big if, we do have a kid, I’d be willing to pull back on my professor goals. If it makes you happy, I’ll be happy to work my schedule around our childcare needs. In other words, it wouldn’t all be on your back.”

  She gave a sideways incredulous glance. “You’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

  “That night in the rain, when you mocked me with your check, check, check talk, well, you got through to me.”

  “Wow. You’ve come a long way in a few days.”

  “So have you.”

  “Well, we’ve had six months to get here.”

  “And speaking of six months, will you marry me?”

  The bumper-to-bumper traffic had opened up and he stepped on the gas, aware there was dead silence from Brynne. He glanced her way, but she looked like she was preparing to play poker in Las Vegas. He couldn’t tell if he’d blown it again, and his pulse jumped at the thought.

  Finally, a smile cracked her stern expression. “We only live once, right?”

  “That’s the truth.”

  “Okay. Since we see eye to eye on the crucial things, and I love you, with all your flaws.”

  “As I do you,” he quickly jumped in.

  “I say yes.”

  He honked the horn and yelled, “Woo-hoo!” And one car back, through the rearview mirror, he could see Eva cheering. Then Joe honked his horn, too. And soon everyone around them started honking their horns, but for a completely different reason. They’d come to another complete standstill.

  * * *

  Everything came crashing down on Brynne that evening while sitting at the long restaurant table surrounded by her sisters and their families. Paul’s parents, one of his siblings and Nona showed up, Her anxiety reached a new high. Taking her for granted, he’d admitted when they were checking into their room, to having his family on standby all morning. Which made her wonder how much more he’d planned?

  Appearing from what seemed like nowhere, his family waved at her, came by to say hi and kiss her cheek where she sat, then joined the crowd, pulling up chairs and disrupting the waitress from taking their orders. Pressure pushed on her temples and heart.

  Too much was going on, He’d wasted no time in arranging for their wedding that night. She understood the unusual circumstances, and his wanting to take advantage of having her family together for the event. But now this, his family showing up. Now the pressure spread to her chest. There was also everything that had happened in the past week that had led up to now. Plus, the thought of saying goodbye to her sisters after only just discovering them. Grappling with all the changes made her world and life spin far out of her usual comfort zone. She simply couldn’t handle it. As everyone chatted excitedly—Lacy her usual animated self, Eva the observer, assessing everyone—she excused herself for the restroom. Hoping Eva wouldn’t catch on to her panic, Brynne headed through the noisy and crowded casino to the nearest exit. Once outside, hit by heat and, at 5:00 p.m. Nevada time, the glaring end-of-day sunlight, her pace quickened until she ran like a salmon upstream, through the pedestrians on the overcrowded sidewalk. Where to? No idea.

  What was wrong with her? She wasn’t ready to get married. Not tonight anyway. The week had been nuts—she still had much to process. Her sisters were both happily married, she could be, too. But could she have what they had? With Paul?

  He’d promised her the moon, would he remember every little detail after they got married?

  She kept running across the pavement, toward a small outdoor café on the other side of the street. There were benches to sit on, where a girl could think. Man, did she need to think.

  Maybe she was escaping simply because her world, a carefully controlled place she’d created on her own terms, was under siege. A wrecking ball consisting of a fiancé who wouldn’t back down, the shock of discovering siblings and their families, and a profession she loved morphing into a middle-management job headed straight at her. Not to mention in-laws, like a gazillion of them on Paul’s side alone. Plus the new ones. Everyone seemed to want a piece of her, and soon, if she didn’t protect herself, would nothing be left?

  It was all too much. He’d only just re-proposed. She couldn’t deal with it. Nearly numb with doubt, she stood and got swept into the passing crowd.

  * * *

  Paul looked up from his cell phone. The confirmation had just come through. The chapel was still theirs at 10:00 p.m., and he’d be there. Along with everyone else. Yes, he replied. He glanced around the table. Brynne’s chair was empty. His vision homed in as he examined the group. Finally his gaze came to Eva, who seemed to be waiting for him to notice. She jerk
ed her head toward the door. He pointed in the casino’s direction with his thumb to verify. She nodded.

  Brynne had taken off not for the bathroom, which would be the most logical destination, but out the front door.

  He jumped up. Lacy grabbed his hand to hold him back. Had she noticed, too?

  He bent to hear better.

  “It’s called wedding meltdown. We both went through it. Be understanding.” Lacy sounded relaxed, but who wouldn’t be holding a sleeping baby? Brynne? Lacy showed him a mug shot of Brynne with a sign: Crime: Cold Feet. He’d never seen anyone look so unhappy in his life.

  Eva appeared at his side. “And if she needs backup, we’re here for her.”

  His anxious gut guided him across the room, making him step up the pace until, just outside the casino, he broke into a sprint. Where would she go?

  The mug-shot sign had said Bridezilla. Crime: Cold Feet. He’d never think of Brynne, who liked to be in control, as Bridezilla. But the cold-feet part rang true. She’d doubted so much of what he’d wanted for their future. But they’d hammered it out in the car. Finally. He’d stand by those promises. Didn’t she believe him?

  Running full out, he spied a small café with benches across the busy street. As he passed he asked a couple, “Have you seen a woman with red hair?”

  Glancing at him, they hesitated. He’d forgotten about the black eye. Damn! What if they thought she’d given it to him? Or he was a bad guy after her?

  “We’re supposed to get married soon,” he said, trying not to sound desperate.

  Apparently, they decided what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and who were they to judge a guy with a black eye on his wedding day? Okay, that was a lot for him to assume, but his head was spinning, and he needed to catch up with Brynne. Now! The young couple, having made a decision to help such a desperate guy, nodded and pointed in the direction she’d gone. He followed the flow of pedestrians but did his best to sidestep some and go faster than others, to beat the pace of the crowd.

  Finally, up ahead, in front of a coffee shop and boutique, there was another bench. A lone figure sat on it. Brynne. Thank God! Racing for his prize, he didn’t wait for the crossing light, just shot out into the street, having to dodge a straggling car. Damn. The last thing he wanted to do was get killed on his wedding day. With heart pounding, he continued toward his love.