Read Have Bouquet, Need Boyfriend Online
Authors: Rita Herron
Tags: #Contemporary, #Romance, #Erotica, #Fiction, #General
understand the truth.
But she didn’t want to lose him.
“Come on in, Rebecca,” Mimi said with a big grin. “I hope you brought
your dress and makeup with you.”
“I did.” Except for Suzanne, who was riding down with Bert, the girls
had all planned to meet at Mimi’s to dress for the party.
“Look, I fixed Cosmopolitans to start the party.” Mimi waved toward the
colorful plastic glasses on the counter.
Great.” Hannah walked into the room holding Maggie Rose in her arms.
Rebecca’s heart clamored at the sight of the baby in the fluffy pink
blanket.
“What do you think?” Mimi flounced her curls. “Cissy gave me a few
highlights this morning at the Cut and Curl.”
“You look great,” Rebecca said.
Hannah cooed at the baby while Rebecca played with Maggie’s tiny
fingers. “I’m baby-sitting while she fixes your hair,” Hannah said, “I
adore being an aunt.”
Alison waltzed into the room, grinning. “Then I get to tend to Maggie
while Hannah gets dressed.”
“Alison was telling us about her honeymoon,” Mimi chirped. “But, darn
it, she won’t share the good parts.”
“I have to have some secrets,” Alison said with a wink. “But it was so
romantic!”
The girls all laughed and began to talk at once. Rebecca sat in the
kitchen chair so Mimi could work on her hair, envious as her cousins
compared wedding and honeymoon stories.
“I remember when I found that ring in my hope chest and had that crazy
dream about Jake,” Hannah said. “I thought I was losing my mind. But
then I fell in love with him.”
“And I almost freaked when I found baby items in my hope chest,” Mimi
said, reaching over to tug at Maggie Rose’s toe. “But look what
happened. Now I have a great man and the most perfect little girl in the
world.”
“And I have Brady, the only man I ever loved,” Alison said dreamily.
“But when I found those annulment
papers, I was afraid things weren’t going to work out.” She sighed, held
out her hand and stared at her wedding ring. “I’m just so happy it did.”
Rebecca wondered if her story would have a happy ending like theirs.
It would all depend on Thomas-after all, he still hadn’t mentioned
anything about love. Or commitment.
Mimi twisted strands of Rebecca’s hair and fastened them with glittery
pins. “Alison, you know Rebecca’s been seeing Thomas, right?”
“Hannah told me.” Alison claimed the kitchen chair beside Rebecca. “I’m
so glad you two are dating. Thomas deserves someone wonderful, and I
can’t think of anyone more perfect for him than you.”
Rebecca gaped at her, her earlier worries resurfacing. “You don’t feel
weird about us dating?”
“Of course not, it’s fantastic.” Alison squeezed her hands. “You two
make a wonderful couple.”
“Who knows?” Mimi said, grabbing the can of hair spray, “Maybe
Rebecca’ll be walking down the aisle next.”
“What did Grammy give you in your hope chest?” Hannah asked.
Rebecca blushed as she described the contents.
“Erotic poetry,” Mimi exclaimed. “And Grammy wrote it?”
“She’s full of all kinds of surprises,” Rebecca said.
“She’s going to be the one surprised tonight,” Hannah said.
“As long as everyone behaves themselves,” Alison added.
Mimi added a hint of hair spray, stood back and
admired the results. Rebecca couldn’t believe her eyes; she looked like
some kind of princess. The next few minutes they dressed and pampered
each other, trading cosmetics and accessories.
“Okay.” Mimi gathered them into a huddle before they dispersed. “Here’s
the plan. Everyone man their stations tonight. If you see any trouble
brewing between our dads, intercept immediately.”
The girls all saluted. Nothing could go wrong, not as long as the
Hartwell girls stayed on the alert.
The entire way to Rebecca’s, Thomas ordered himself to tell her about
his plans to interview for the job in Atlanta. But she and her cousins
were anxious about the party and their fathers, and he didn’t want to
add to her worries.
Or was he being a coward? Using that as an excuse not to rock the boat
of the tentative bond they’d formed over the last few weeks.
Was he afraid if he asked her to move with him to Atlanta that she’d
reject him?
He grabbed the corsage he’d bought and headed up the sidewalk to her
door. Memories of childhood resurfaced-his mother pushing him away after
she’d lost his brother. His father deserting him when his mother had
said she didn’t need him.
What about his needs? Why couldn’t they have loved him?
Did Rebecca?
She’d never mentioned love, and she was against marriage….
Still, he stared at the welcome sign on Rebecca’s door and remembered
the sweet, tender way she made
love to him. The painful memories faded. She couldn’t fake the depth of
emotions he glimpsed in her eyes when they held each other, or the
passion in her paintings and in the way she touched him. She had to care
for him, she couldn’t love him with her body with such tenderness if she
didn’t have feelings for him, could she? Rebecca was too sincere for that.
He punched the doorbell, his pulse racing as she opened it. “My God, you
look stunning.” He’d never imagined the shy girl he’d first met
metamorphosing into such an exquisite creature.
The soft violet dress hugged curves that he knew by heart yet teased him
to unveil them again, right then and there. “Your hair looks wonderful,”
he whispered, leaning forward to nibble at her ear. “I can’t wait to
tear it down.”
Her face flushed. “Thomas,” she whispered in a throaty voice, “you are
too much.”
He checked his watch. “I guess there’s not time.”
She grinned a female grin that sent his libido surging. “Later, honey.”
He laughed and handed her the corsage. “A lily for you to wear tonight.”
Tears misted her eyes as he took it out and placed it around her wrist.
“Why did you get a lily?” she asked, emotions tingeing her voice.
“Because they stand for purity,” he whispered. “Just like you are.”
Pure?
Thomas thought she was sweet and pure and sincere, and yet she had lied
to him!
For a minute after he’d given her the lily, she’d wondered if he’d seen
the painting of the two of them naked and entwined.
Why hadn’t she just admitted she wanted a baby from the beginning and
was exploring her options?
Because she’d been such a chicken.
He would think she was hinting at commitment. After all, he’d admitted
right away that he couldn’t make promises to her. She’d thrown herself
at him and pretended she didn’t want a commitment or marriage when that
was exactly what she wanted. Mercy, she’d dug herself into a hole. What
was she going to do now?
Thomas felt slightly out of place as the Hartwell family gathered in the
Tiara Room. His own lack of family hadn’t prepared him for the happy,
boisterous group. Hannah, Mimi, Alison, their husbands, Rebecca, Suzanne
and their twin cousins, Caitlin and Angie, along with dozen of Grammy
Rose’s friends, hugged and laughed as if they’d come together for a long
overdue family reunion when, in actuality, they’d recently seen each
other at Alison’s wedding. The door squeaked open and two elderly
blue-haired ladies toddled in.
One of them tapped her cane on the table edge. “She’s here.”
“Hit the lights,” Mimi hissed. “Everyone in their places!”
Seconds later Grammy Rose entered, and they jumped up and yelled,
“Surprise!”
“Oh, my word!” Grammy Rose’s wide eyes glittered with joy as she scanned
the crowded room of
friends and family. The girls had arrived early enough to hang a Happy
Birthday banner and streamers of silver and gold across the ceiling. In
the midst of the gold-lace-draped table, the three-tiered birthday cake
Mimi had baked sported enough candles to set the entire place on fire.
Grammy Rose wagged a bony finger at Clara Mae, her best friend. “You sly
old fox, you knew about this, didn’t you?”
Clara patted her curly gray bob and tittered. “Got you on that one,
didn’t we?”
Grammy Rose cackled. “You’re dern right. I thought we were going to
Bingo night.”
Everyone laughed and clapped, each of the girls taking a turn to hug and
wish their grandmother a happy birthday while the church ladies started
the line for the buffet. Thomas spotted Wiley on one side of the room
with Hannah, and Bert on the opposite with Suzanne as if the girls had
posted themselves as guard dogs.
But it was Rebecca who stood out in the crowd. He couldn’t take his eyes
off her. She seemed radiant tonight in that violet dress, and so happy
that the thought of confessing his possible move to Atlanta didn’t seem
like such a good idea. After all, he’d booked a room at the Honeysuckle
Inn and wanted to convince her to stay the night with him.
He didn’t want anything to spoil the evening for her.
The party was a huge success, Rebecca thought, as she watched everyone
eat and mingle. Grammy Rose seemed on cloud nine.
And Thomas…she felt his eyes on her everywhere she went. His heated
looks and sultry glances were
driving her crazy. She’d looked forward to this party, yet now she
couldn’t wait for it to end so they could spend the night together. Her
body tingled at the thought of what they would be doing later.
Grammy opened Rebecca’s gift, a book of love poems, and laughed out
loud. She clutched Rebecca’s hands, then leaned over and whispered, “How
are you and your young man getting along, dear?”
Rebecca blushed. “Fine, Grammy.”
Her grandmother winked. “I had a feeling about him.”
Rebecca laughed and Mimi handed her another gift. Her grandmother oohed
and ahhed at the photo of Maggie Rose that Mimi framed for her. “There’s
a gift certificate to the spa in there, too,” Mimi said. “You can get a
facial, a pedicure, a massage, the works.”
“Mercy,” Grammy Rose said. “I can’t wait for that!”
Hannah gave her a new quilting book. “And we have a surprise,” Hannah
said. “Jake and I are pregnant.”
“Pregnant!” Mimi yelled.
“Oh, my word!” Grammy screeched.
Wiley pulled Hannah into a hug, and the other Hartwells joined in.
Rebecca’s eyes misted, her gaze meeting Thomas’s over the chaos. He gave
her an odd look, then glanced away.
Wiley hugged Grammy. “Happy birthday, Mom.”
Grammy Rose punched his arm. “Oh, heck, son, I’m thrilled y’all are all
here. Having you and Bert together and all my granddaughters is a gift
in itself.”
She winked. “Even if you have been keeping to opposite sides of the room.”
Wiley laughed that boisterous laugh of his. “We both love you, you know
that.”
A twinge of sadness touched Grammy’s eyes as the girls twin cousins,
Caitlin and Angie, approached. “Now about your mother?”
“We tried to get in touch with her,” Caitlin said. “But we couldn’t
reach her.”
“I tried to, as well,” Wiley said. “But we don’t know where Shelby took
off to.”
Grammy Rose shook her head. “She’ll come back in due time, I reckon.”
Rebecca caught the cue from Mimi and urged her to open the remaining
gifts. Grammy hooted and cried and laughed as she opened gag gifts and
sentimental ones.
Uncle Wiley handed her a small box. Grammy shrieked, “Look at this, it’s
a key!”
“To that gold convertible Cadillac you’ve always wanted.” He hugged her.
“I found one and had it restored.”
“I declare, what a surprise, Wiley. I can’t wait to drive it!”
Bert moved toward her and handed her another box. Grammy’s gaze flitted
from one brother to another. “Happy birthday, Mother.”
Rebecca held her breath at the way the two men stalked around each other
like two big old lions vying for the same territory.
Grammy opened the small gift box and held up a diamond necklace trimmed
in rubies, then turned for
Bert to fasten it around her neck. “Thank you, son. It’s beautiful.”