If The Shoe Fits (8 page)

“Oh, drat, I guess they heard me.”

Before Charlie could respond, her stepmother
appeared. “Stepmother.” Her voice caught in the back of her throat.
Instead of her usual black garb the barracuda had worn a dove gray
gown. Charlie steeled herself as the woman’s sharp eyes took in
every detail.

“Hmmph!” she exclaimed at the sight of her
two daughters. “We will have our talk after the ceremony. It
wouldn’t be right to spoil this occasion, now would it?”

The two sighs flew by Charlie as her sisters’
tension eased.

“Now, Charlotte,” her stepmother began. But
she stopped herself and cleared her throat.

Charlie looked closer, getting a rare glimpse
into the woman’s dark eyes. She swore she saw moisture gathering
there.

“You’re a beautiful bride. Your father would
be so very proud of you today, Charlotte.” And with that, she
nodded slightly and turned to be escorted down the small lane.

Shock rushed through Charlie. She couldn’t
ever recall her stepmother delivering a compliment without the
backlash of a snide remark. And, to top it all off, she’d known
exactly what to say about her father.

“Well, I’ll be.” Dolly whistled. “You think
she’s getting soft in her old age?”

A few minutes later, still feeling the recent
hugs and kisses of Dolly and her sisters, Charlie made her way down
the aisle. The wedding march played softly in the background as she
rounded the bend. In the back of her mind, she recognized the ooh’s
and ahh’s of the people she passed by; however, she held her breath
until the moment she spotted Alex.

Charlie missed a step at the sight of him.
Tall, dark-haired and handsome, he waited for her. His smile warmed
her heart. His gaze captured hers. Her breath stilled. The tug of
awareness pulsed through her. He wanted her. And she wanted
him.

The stunning realization made her gasp. She
wanted to marry him. Not for King’s Department Store. For
herself.

Coming to his side, she felt the tinge of
warmth on her cheeks. Almost shy now, she said, “Hi.” It came out
in a breathy voice.

“Hi, yourself, beautiful.” His mouth curved
into a smile.

In a matter of minutes, she’d finally get to
feel those lips on hers. Disconcerted, she said the first thing
that popped into her head. “Do you come here often?”

His lips twitched. “As a matter of fact, I
do.”

Covering her mouth with a hand, she giggled.
“Yes, I guess you do. After all, it’s your grandparents’
garden.”

He chuckled along with her.

“Of course, you skinned your knees here as a
boy, caught more than your share of frogs, and dug a few holes here
and there.”

“Ah, I see you’ve been talking to my
grandmother. All that and I made a pest of myself,” he added
wistfully.

***

Alex sobered as he took in every inch of her.
He liked it when she wore her hair back and soft tendrils framed
her beautiful face. Her bare shoulders revealed silky smooth skin
he longed to touch. The dress, white and satin, molded to her
exquisite curves and flared out near her ankles. Simple. Classic.
Elegant. Just like Charlie.

A flash of color peeked out from under her
hem, catching his attention. He looked closer. “The red shoes,
Charlie?”

She giggled. “The one and the same pair. What
is it with you and the shoes anyway?”

Smiling widely, he recalled the first time
he’d met her. She crashed into him holding the strappy heels. He
held her to him briefly, but a moment was all it had taken to want
more of her. More warmth flooded him at the memory.

The minister interrupted his thoughts. “Are
we ready to begin?”

“Yes,” Charlotte said.

“No,” Alex broke in.

“What?”

Gasps echoed all around him.

“Alex, my boy—”

“Just a minute, Gramps.”

He turned to her and witnessed the
crestfallen look on her face. She frowned. “But, I thought—”

“Wait. Before we do, I have to tell you
something.”

“Is this why you tried to see me earlier?”
Worry gathered in her eyes.

“Yes.”

She lowered her voice. “Don’t you want to
marry me?”

“Yes, but I have a confession to make.”

More gasps, and louder this time, rang
out.

He turned to the crowd, saying, “Not
that!”

A few chuckles broke the tension.

“Alex, you’re making me nervous. What is
it?”

He swiped a hand over his brow. “It’s the
cards.”

“Cards? Did he say cards?” Gramps nearly
shouted.

“Yes, Gramps, I did.” He pressed a hand over
his eyes. Finally, he gave a sigh, dropped his hand, and then
looked into her…laughing eyes? “Are you—?”

She nodded, beginning to giggle.

“The cards. All the same suit. All aces. You
knew?” Wonder rushed through him, and then dawning struck.

“Blame Dolly,” she choked out between fits of
laughter.

He twisted around to look at the older woman
fishing out a new deck of cards from her purse. “Works every time,
Mr. R. Like a charm.” She chuckled. “Hey, get it? Prince Charming,
works like a charm.”

Suddenly the garden rang with the sweet sound
of hearty laughter.

“Remember, Alex, never bet against a sure
thing,” Charlie reminded him. “Not in ice cream—”

“Or cards. Or you.” Alex stepped closer to
Charlie, cupping her face in the palms of his hands. “Sweet
Charlie, you knew all along.”

“Not really. I figured it out along the
way.”

“If you didn’t agree to marry me because of
the bet, then why did you agree to marry me?”

“Turquoise,” she whispered.

All because of my favorite color?

She stood on tip-toes and, ever so gently,
brushed her lips against his. He sucked in a breath at the tender
touch and the sweet taste of her.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to wait until you
say your
I dos
first?” someone from the crowd called
out.

Charlie broke the whisper-soft kiss, asking
him, “Will you marry me, Alex?”

***

The kiss. He’d never forget that kiss for as
long as he lived.

Now, sitting on the floor in his study, he
looked over at Charlie. He stared at her mouth as she ate a slice
of pepperoni pizza. He dropped his gaze to the creamy satin
nightwear and oh-so delicate matching lace-edged robe. Something
tightened in his middle. He glanced away. “So what do we do now?”
he muttered under his breath.

“It’s our wedding night. What do you think
people do?”

Alex turned sharply, holding his breath. He
knew what he’d like to do.

“Get to know each other, of course.”

He sighed. “Of course.”

She giggled. He smiled.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Alex, but I’m
not that kind of girl.”

He shook his head and suppressed a wider
smile. “I never thought you were.” He stopped to gather his
thoughts. Leaning back against a nearby chair, he stretched out his
jean clad legs, crossing them at the ankle and laced his fingers
behind his head. “So, tell me about yourself, Mrs. Royale.”

Charlie sucked in a breath and then tried to
swallow a few times. She gingerly placed the unfinished slice of
pizza back in the box.

Eyeing her, he said, “That’s right, you are
Charlotte Royale, now.”

“Charlotte
King
Royale,” she corrected
in a strained voice. She blinked. Clearing her throat, she said,
“I’ll always be a King, Alex.”

He noticed moisture gather in her eyes. His
heart tugged. He lowered his arm, and then dragged a hand over his
eyes. “I know. No one can ever take that away from you or where you
came from.” He trailed off, wondering what in the world he was
doing, trying to rob her of her late father’s business.

Her light, brief touch on his forearm had him
jerking back to the moment. “Thank you,” she barely whispered,
making him almost wish he’d told her about King’s Department Store.
Almost.

If a person was capable of mentally kicking
himself, he’d just done it.

“You first,” she said.

“Huh? Did I miss something?” The way she
jumped from one subject to another astounded him at times.

“Tell me about yourself, silly.”

Tipping his hand, he said, “I know I’m not
that interesting, so ladies first.”

She wagged a finger at him. “Oh, so that’s
how you are.”

Warmth spread along his cheeks. “Duly
chastised.”

Before he had a chance to do anything, she’d
leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. By the time he’d realized
what she’d done, she was reseated. He chuckled. “You, my dear, are
very quick.”

“Can’t keep up?”

The challenge in her tone brought heat to his
body. “Loaded question,” he muttered.

“For shame, Alex.”

At that he threw back his head and
laughed.

“All right, if you must know, I love
pepperoni pizza.”

He moved so now his arm rested on his bent
knee as he faced her. “Oh, really.” He nodded as she scooped up the
piece she’d recently discarded. “I’d never have guessed. Champagne?
Caviar? Strawberries and whipped cream? Having an intimate wedding
dinner with flowers and candlelight? Nah. She wants to eat
delivered pizza while sitting on the floor.”

She giggled, taking another bite. Her soft
moans of appreciation shot through him. Once she’d chewed and
swallowed, she pointed out, “You forgot the cozy fire in the
fireplace.”

Alex grinned. “That makes all the
difference.”

Looking at him sheepishly, she confessed,
“I’m not terribly romantic.”

“No, I can’t say that about you, especially
after your reaction to my proposal.”

She reached over and put a hand over his
mouth. “Quit!”

He grabbed her hand, nibbling on her fingers.
“Yummy, pizza.”

Tugging her hand away, she snatched up a
napkin. “You are never going to let me live that down, are
you?”

Glee shot through him. “No. I’m going to
enjoy retelling that story over and over again to our kids and
their kids.” He noted the way her eyes darkened.

“Kids?”

This time he was the one who swallowed hard.
“Yes.”

“How many?”

“As many as you want.” He heard the husky
timber in his own voice as he thought about making love to her. “At
least one,” he added.

“I…” She stopped. Slowly, she put aside the
half eaten slice. Wiping her mouth and hands, she refused to look
directly at him. “I have a confession to make.”

Something hit him in the gut. “Confession?
Now?”
Please don’t let her say it was a mistake. Please don’t
let her say she doesn’t want kids
.

She looked at him under her lashes and the
knot of desire twisted in him.

“I never imagined that I would ever be a
wife, never mind a mother.” She held up a hand. “Wait, let me
explain. Since my father died, King’s Department Store is all I’ve
ever dreamt about. Making it a success has driven me for years. For
all intents and purposes, I’m a workaholic.” She shrugged her
shoulders. “This is all new to me, Alex.”

He slowly released his pent-up breath. “Me,
too. I mean I’ve worked hard all this time. Getting married was the
last thing I ever thought about.”

“Until your grandparents became ill.”

“Yes.”

“But you waited.”

“For the right one.”

“Me?”

“Yes, Charlie, for you.”

He heard her swift intake of breath. “What’s
so special about me?”

For the first time he could recall, he spoke
without thinking. “The question is more like, what isn’t special
about you?”

***

In awe, Charlotte King Royale watched her
husband. He had a way about him that drew her to him.

He’d finally opened up more than an hour ago.
But it had been his question about what wasn’t special about her
that had allowed her to see beyond the image of the man she’d just
married. She’d pictured him as stiff, proper, and business-like,
but he’d let down that guard and hinted at more than just a mere
physical attraction to her. She hadn’t been the lesser of all evils
when it came to choosing a wife.

Admiration shone in his eyes.

Hope filled her heart.

Now she watched the way his eyes lit up and
the way his smile came easily as he told her another story about
growing up. His voice, deep and husky, poured over her like rich
honey. He moved his hands to describe yet another adventure and she
took in every detail of his large palms and long fingers. What
would those hands feel like on her? An ache deep inside her
pulsed.

She longed to lean over and brush back his
hair and trace the contours of his face. Then she wished she could
taste his firm mouth. Softly at first, and then deeply. She
shivered.

“Are you listening?” he asked with a smile in
his voice.

“Yes, go on. I can’t wait to hear how you
explained it all away to your grandmother.”

He chuckled. “It wasn’t easy. Looking back
now, I’m sure I saw her lips twitch more than once. But,” he
shrugged, “who wouldn’t want to laugh at how an eight-year-old boy
could nearly destroy her entire china set?”

“By using them as Frisbees—”

“To feed the birds peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches.”

She joined him in laughter as the vision took
hold.

Moments later, his smile lingered and he
sighed. Her heart hitched.

What was it about him, like no other man,
that tugged at her?

Hours later, Alex halted at her bedroom
door.

“Thank you for a lovely evening.” Her soft
voice tickled him in the semi-darkness of the hallway.

Only a few inches separated them. He inhaled
deeply, savoring her tantalizing scent. Part Charlie, part flowers.
Where did her fragrance end and the perfume begin? He wished he
could discover that secret tonight. “Thank you for marrying me.” He
meant it.