“Ninety-ten.”Jack made a face, and this time he offered a full-on smile.“Men have a tendency to be stubborn, ornery, or just plain pitiful.We need direction, and once you realize that, like the rest of us have—” he lifted his hand and began ticking names off his fingers, “—Nate Desantro, Nick Borado, Harry Blacksworth, Cash Casherdon, Ben Reed…”
“Then you have a good life with a solid relationship.”Dolly’s voice turned gentle.“And it’s wonderful.”
Mimi stepped in and shared the rest.“Your life will be happy, prosperous, and filled with love.”
Jack lifted his shot glass, saluted them.“Amen to that one.”He tossed back his drink, glanced at the door.“Time to get this show started.”Jack set down his glass and headed toward the hallway.
Would he and Katie ever be like these couples?You didn’t get there by forcing the other person into marriage.He shouldn’t have done that, but he’d been scared of losing herandlosing the security for his child.If she really didn’t want to do this, it wasn’t right to force her.It wasn’t right to…
His thoughts fizzled when Katie stepped into the room, her arm looped through Jack’s.She looked beautiful in a lacey white dress that brushed her ankles, hair pulled high with tiny pearls woven through it.Her gaze locked with his, lips unsmiling, face pale as she moved toward him, one step, two, until she stood a touch away.
Jack released his arm, said in a gruff voice.“I’ll give you two a minute to sort things out.Just give me the go-ahead when you’re ready.”The old man shot him one last look before he grabbed his shot glass and turned to his wife.“Dolly, let’s get a refill.”
“Very good idea.I don’t need more wine, but I would like to give Ian and Katie a second or two of privacy.”
When they’d disappeared into the kitchen, Ian cleared his throat and spoke from his heart.“You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”Her cheeks turned pink.“I like the suit.And the hair.”
His world might fall apart in the next few minutes, but Katie could always make him smile.“I thought about a shorter haircut, but I couldn’t do it.What if my father found out and offered me a job?I wasnotgoing to risk that.”
A hint of a smile crept over her pink lips.“You’d have to wear long sleeves so he wouldn’t see the tattoos because that would be a definite dealbreaker.”
“True.I’m not getting rid of the tattoos, and I’m not hiding them.”Did she want him to…?
The smile inched wider.“Working for your father would be a disaster.”
Relief spread through him.She might not want to marry him, and she might never forgive him, but she understood him.“Agreed.I would age twenty-five years in a week and be miserable before lunch.”
“But those would be good lunches.”She tilted her head to the side, eyes sparkling.“Really good lunches.”
Despite the mess in his life, he laughed.“Yeah, but the company would be so…”
“Predictable?Boring?Painful?”
“All three.Intolerable as well.”Ian cleared his throat, half-wished he’d had a double scotch instead of a beer.A liquid courage booster would’ve helped get the words out, but it looked like he’d have to rely on himself.“Katie, I don’t want to force you to do something you don’t want to do.It’s not right, and I shouldn’t have put you in that situation.”
“Thank you for saying that, but I’ve decided…” She held his gaze, eyes filled with tears.“I have no expectations for us, except that you’ll be part of the baby’s life.If you can commit to being one hundred percent involved in his or her life, then yes.I will marry you.”
Why did he feel like there was a lot she was leaving out?What did she mean about the “no expectation” part?He should have had this conversation with herbeforethey were minutes away from exchanging vows, but he’d wanted to give her time.Time for what?To back out?Yes, time to back out,or,he’d hoped, time to say she wanted to give him another chance.But she didn’t do either.“I want this to work.”He reached for her hand, clasped it between his.“I wantusto work, and I’ll do anything to make that happen.”
“Have you ever noticed that people will say or promise to do anything, but the actual doing is where they fall short?”Her voice quivered.“I’ve been disappointed too many times, so it’s your turn to back out if you want to.You can still be a father and take a chance that your parents will accept the baby and all that goes with it.But if you commit to this, then know it won’t be easy.I won’t jump into your bed, and I’ll have to see actions to go with words.”Her voice cracked.“Actions that will have to be repeated over and over again if there’s any hope that trust can be restored.”
“I’m not backing out, and I’m not giving up on us.”He’d spent years dodging relationships and commitment, but then she’d come along and stolen his heart.Unfortunately, he’d broken hers.
A nod, a quiet “I think you should tell Mimi we’re ready.”
“Okay then.”His heart weighed ten pounds right now, filled with sadness and uncertainty, but also shreds of joy and hope.Would they make it as a couple?A husband and wife committed to one another and their family?He’d fight for that right and do whatever was necessary to make Katie believe in him.
Minutes later, they stood in the sitting room surrounded by fresh-cut flowers, photo albums of meant-to-be couples, Jack and Dolly, and Mimi.Katie repeated the vows Mimi recited, but when it came time for Ian to do the same, he turned to Mimi and asked, “I wrote my own vows.Can I say them?”
“Of course.”Mimi nodded and gestured for Ian to begin.
Ian turned to Katie, spoke what had rested in his heart for so many years.“Katie Layton, I have loved you since the first time I saw you chopping wood at the cabin, wearing an old T-shirt and cut-off shorts.You weren’t impressed or afraid of me, and I didn’t know what to make of that.I’d never met a girl who didn’t slather me with praise or words coated with flirtatious innuendos.You were different, and I wanted to get to know you.”His voice turned hoarse, but he continued with his confession.“The more I learned about you, the more I wanted to be a part of your life.You were all that represented goodness, strength, and honesty.It’s rare to meet someone with all of these qualities, but you had them.”She listened as he spoke, so still, lips pinched, eyes burrowing into him as if she could pull more from his heart.
“You made me a better person, and all I wanted to do was spend my life with you, giving you everything you deserved—especially love.”He blew out a long breath.“But I broke your heart instead.It didn’t matter how much I thought I was protecting you or how much I wanted to help you.I shut you out and stayed away when I should have told you everything and let you decide.I couldn’t do that, and later, I didn’t have the nerve to do it.
“I will spend the rest of my life regretting that decision, but if you give me one last chance, I promise I will never stop fighting for us.I will love you, cherish you, and I will never withhold the truth from you again, no matter how uncomfortable or scary it might seem.”He reached in his pocket, pulled out a black velvet box, and removed the diamond wedding band.“I know I don’t deserve you, but maybe one day if I work hard enough, I will.”He placed the diamond on her left ring finger, held her gaze.“Katie Abigail Layton, with this ring, I pledge my heart and my love, forever.”
