Page 27 of Married at Midnight

Inside the small, private room, Viola lay motionless in the center of her narrow bed. Her eyes were open, but her face was pale, almost gray. A heart monitor beeped in the corner, displaying a heartbeat that was steady and strong.

“Connor, Ellie,” Viola said in a weak voice. At the sight of them, tears squeezed past her lashes and down her cheeks.

“How are you, Grandmother?” Connor bent down and placed a kiss on the older woman’s forehead.

“I want you to start planning my funeral,” her crackly voice replied.

Connor frowned. “You’re getting better. It won’t be long now before you’re out of this bed and back to your weekly bingo nights with your friends.”

The comment stopped her tears and earned him a wobbly smile. “You think so?”

“I know so.” He had to sound positive. Viola still had a long way to go, but she’d always been a fighter. Connor stared down at the withered woman in the bed, so unlike his grandmother. Her dull, watery eyes blinked up at him. With his free hand, he reached for her fingers, wrapping them in his own. Hers were so slim, so fragile.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. He wanted to make everything better, the way she always had for him—which was why he stood beside her bed with Ellie. Their marriage was going to give Viola the hope she needed to get well again.

Viola squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m so afraid.” Tears once again slid down her temples.

Beside him, Ellie’s lips thinned. She looked at Viola with suspicion but said nothing.

Connor frowned, not understanding her response to Viola’s tears. He turned back to his grandmother and brushed the tears from her velvety cheeks. “You don’t have to be afraid, Grandmother. You’re not alone. You never will be.”

“I wouldn’t be so afraid if I had the hope of a great-grandchild.” Her voice was a bit stronger.

Connor cringed at the look that now filled his grandmother’s eyes. He knew that look. He’d seen it before whenever Viola wanted something to go her way. Is that what Ellie had been trying to communicate? That Viola was manipulating them? “Why the rush?” he asked with a hint of his own suspicion.

Viola pushed herself up on her elbows. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m dying.”

Ellie released a soft groan as she studied the pitcher and cup on Viola’s side table with exaggerated interest.

“We’ve been married less than a week, Grandmother. We need to get to know each other before that happens.”

“Then I suggest you speed the getting-to-know-you moments up,” Viola said as she collapsed back against the mattress. “To that end, you’re both going shopping today.”

Ellie’s gaze snapped back to his grandmother. “We need to work on the house.”

Viola’s weak eyes turned steely. “All newlyweds need china. I’ve arranged for you to pick out whatever you want at the downtown Macy’s.”

Ellie’s face paled. “We don’t need china. Nobody uses china anymore.”

“Picking out china is an important part of any couple’s new life together. If I can’t have a grandchild right away, at least let me give you china.” Her heart monitor beeped erratically, punctuating each word.

Connor suddenly felt a headache coming on. “Calm down, Grandmother,” he said, knowing it was easier to comply than to argue. “What a generous gift. We’re so pleased. Aren’t we, Ellie?” He looked at Ellie expectantly. “You said the rain was a problem today. Why not stay inside and shop instead?” he urged.

Ellie released a sigh. “If it will make you happy, Viola, then, yes, we’ll go shopping for china.”

Connor was grateful for Ellie’s capitulation. Eager to escape, he bent over his grandmother and kissed her on the cheek. He took Ellie’s hand and ushered them both from the room before Viola could demand anything more.

Outside the room and Viola’s hearing range, Ellie jerked to a stop, pulling her hand from his. “Why did we agree to something so absurd? We don’t need china.”

He gave in to the smile that threatened. “That whole scene was nothing but absurd,” he laughed. “I never realized how manipulative my grandmother was.”

Ellie stared at him a moment before the corner of her mouth tipped up. “You’re just now realizing that? It was obvious from the beginning. Viola will do anything to get her way.”

“Does she seriously think she can snap her fingers and demand a baby?” Connor asked.

“I think so,” Ellie agreed. “And to punish us for refusing, we’re forced to buy china.” She raised her hands, palms up. “What are we going to do with such formal dinnerware?”

“Have a party?” he suggested. “Or we could throw it at each other before we get our divorce.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Or we could leave it behind for Viola.”

“Well, that’s no fun.” Connor’s laughter continued as he held out his hand to her. “Want to go see what our options are?”

“You’re talking about our options in china patterns, right?” she asked with a hint of a sparkle in her eyes.

“Of course.”

She took his hand.

He curled his fingers around hers, feeling protective of the woman who was his temporary wife. He hadn’t felt as protective of anything other than the onboard robotics in his self-driving car in years.

Having her around was turning out to be more dangerous than he’d imagined. He’d worried about his need to protect his heart in Las Vegas when he should have been worried about the memories she was churning up, the wounds she was healing, and just what would be left of their new china set over the next four and a half weeks.