Her expression turned cynical. “You did.”
“It must be that piece you said about the marital bed.”
“I said no marital bed.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You agreed to it.”
“I did.”
“Did you think it would be something we could renegotiate at a later date?”
“Are you telling me we can’t?”
“I don’t like to say never. What Iamsaying is that you shouldn’t hold out hope.”
“All right, but that’s my prerogative. I’m an optimist.”
“You’re delusional.”
“It’s a fine line.”
“Not from where I’m sitting. What about romantic entanglements? I thought you were opposed to them.”
“Not opposed. I said I wasn’t interested. I meant at this time. Victorine left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.”
“Understandable. What if your interest changes and I’m in the way?”
Roen sighed. “Can we leave that for another time? Can we not get married first?”
“You know that’s not sensible.”
“Nothing about this is sensible, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it work. Take a risk with me, Lily.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I will,” she said. And with those words, her part of the ceremony was done. Lily listened as Roen repeated his vows after each of Judge Miner’s prompts. There was more weight to his speech than hers. She’d heard the trembling in her voice even if no one else had. Roen had taken her hand in his, so she was fairly certain he’d felt the tremble at her fingertips. It calmed her, his hand. That was unexpected. So was the gentle brush of his thumb against her cheek after the judge pronounced them husband and wife. He would have been surprised to know that she thought about kissing him just then. Mercifully, the thought passed.
Lizzie threw her arms around her mother’s legs and hugged her hard. Lily smiled indulgently and ruffled her daughter’s hair. Hannah joined her sister, halting any forward progress Lily intended to make. Clay and Ham stepped forward and gravely shook Roen’s hand.
Ridley corralled the children so Lily and Roen could thank the judge and look over their certificate. Ben took a copy to register it.
“It’s done,” Lily said after the judge had excused himself.
Roen nodded. “Was it painful for you?”
“The opposite. I hardly felt a thing.”
He chuckled. “Just so you remember it.”
There was no chance she would ever forget it, especially the brush stroke of his thumb on her cheek. If she had been alone, she would have covered the spot with her palm. She imagined that she still felt its warmth, but she wanted to touch it and know it was real.
He was so handsome. She allowed herself to appreciatethat now and even acknowledge that it played some small part in her decision. She wondered if he knew. Probably. It was her experience that men generally knew if they were kindly featured. Women, not always, even the pretty ones like Ridley Madison. Lily looked at Ridley now, her arm linked in the crook of her husband’s. She was listening to Hannah, chuckling at something she’d said, but then she glanced up and saw Lily watching, and she asked Hannah and others to wait by the door.
Lily wished she hadn’t done that. Sometimes she needed her children to serve as a shield, no matter that she despised herself for it. Now was one of those times. She liked Ridley, admired her, but the doctor did not shy away from conversations that could be painful. Lily feared that one such conversation was in the offing. Without thinking, she slipped her arm under Roen’s.
“Thank you for standing up for us,” Lily said, addressing both Ridley and Ben.
