In the Arms of a Stranger (16 page)

“Oh
, good,” she said, presenting him with her backside, “you’re just in time to help me with this zipper.” 

There was a muffled groan then the padded sound of bare feet on the carpet before his fingers clasped the zipper and dragged it slowly up her back until it was just below her shoulder blades.
  Bri waited several seconds before asking if it was stuck.

“It…uh…yeah, but I think I got it.”

She turned around and stood on her toes to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.  If Jake thought his suffering was over, he was seriously mistaken because she planned on asking him to unzip the dress when they returned to the room for the night.  Pretending indifference to his partial nudity, she dug her brush out of her purse and disappeared into the bathroom.  If it was his intention to take a step back from their relationship, Bri was bound and determined to use whatever methods were necessary to haul him back her way.  She’d already gone through the pain of being separated from Jake once and wasn’t about to let it happen again.

As soon as he was dressed, they went down to the casino and played a few games before taking a stroll
on the Strip.  The city was alive with activity; the excitement distracting Bri for awhile and allowing her to forget that her life was seriously unbalanced.  She and Jake teased each other mercilessly the entire evening, just as they had when they were working on the project together.  By the time they sat down to dinner at the hotel restaurant, her sides ached from laughing so much.  Exhaustion caught up with her halfway through the meal, and she was fairly certain she nodded off while eating her dessert because Jake was suddenly by her side, coaxing her out of the chair.

“Let’s get you to bed,” he said with a tender smile.

Bri nodded tiredly as he ushered her out of the restaurant.  “Don’t you have to pay the bill?”

Jake chuckled, pulling her closer to his side.
  “Sweetheart, I did that about five minutes into your little nap.”

“I’m sorry.
  I don’t know what’s come over me.  I’m just so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

“You had a rough day, you’re entitled.”

Jake chastised himself for keeping her out so late.  Inside the room, he led Bri to the bed and had her sit down so he could remove her sandals.  She could barely keep her eyes open when he pulled her back onto her feet and divested her of the dress and bra and helped her into the nightgown, but it damn near killed him.  The pounding of his heart didn’t stop thundering in his ears until after he had Bri tucked into bed with the covers pulled up to her shoulders and even then it was still a little erratic. 

She was fast asleep within seconds, and Jake sent up a silent prayer of thanks before donning his own pajamas and crawling into bed.
  He turned onto his side, keeping as close to the edge of the mattress as he could so there was no chance their bodies would touch.  Today had been a test of his inner strength, but tomorrow would be a whole different story.  Tomorrow was going to be a test of his endurance.

 
                                                                 ***

“Jake?”
  Bri bolted upright in bed, a cold sweat beading her forehead.

He was instantly by her side, dropping down onto the edge of the bed and smoothing the damp curls back.
  “It’s okay, baby, I’m here.”

Tears welled up in her eyes.
  “I reached for you but you weren’t there.”

Jake gathered her in his arms.
  “I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep.”  His hold tightened protectively when he felt how badly she was trembling.  “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.

“I’m scared, Jake.”

“Look at me, honey.”  When Bri tilted her head back, he held her gaze so that she could see the truth in his eyes.  “I love you with all my heart and nothing,
nothing
will ever come between us again.”  He kissed her softly on the lips then dried her tears.  “Now, I have a very full day planned so I want you to find your smile and get ready for breakfast.  I figured after the heavy dinner last night, you’d want to eat light so I ordered toast and a little fruit.”

She smiled gratefully.
  “You figured right.  I don’t think I can eat much this morning.” 

She took his hand and let him pull her out of bed then hurried off to the bathroom to relieve herself and run a brush through her hair.
  She should tell him about the baby, she thought, as a sudden wave of nausea reminded her she wouldn’t be able to hide it for long.  He had a right to know, to choose whether he wanted to continue with this relationship or walk away, but by the time she came out of the bathroom Jake was leading the bellhop into the dining area with the food tray. 

It smelled good, but she was smart enough to stick to the toast and fruit as well as a glass of milk.
  Jake, on the other hand, had the appetite of a lumberjack this morning and she envied his ability to eat whatever he wanted without the threat of losing it.  He also seemed to be harboring a secret because he was avoiding eye contact but couldn’t quite seem to keep his lips from twitching into a half smile. 

Bri pushed her plate away.
  “Are we going to the casinos again?”

“Maybe later.”
  He glanced at his watch.  “I’m taking you someplace special this morning so we’ll have to hurry if we’re going to make it on time.”

“I hope a dress is appropriate since that’s all you bought me.”

“That will be fine.”  He stood up and moved around to give her a kiss.  “Get dressed while I run down and arrange to have my car brought around.  I’ll meet you downstairs in a few minutes.”

Again
, Bri was disappointed by the physical distance between them.  Was that why he’d gotten up early, to avoid any chance of intimacy with her?  There was only so much battering her heart could take and she was perilously close to reaching her limit.  She was glad now that she hadn’t told him she was pregnant, not when she was so unsure about his feelings for her. 

Come hell or high water, she and Jake were going to sit down to have that talk and arrive at some decisions about where this relationship was going.
  She was tired of having her emotions bounce back and forth like a ping pong ball and had to put an end to it one way or another.  Bri finished dressing and found Jake waiting for her near the lobby entrance.  With a defiant lift of her chin she marched up to him and demanded to know when they would have time to talk. 

“No wonder I woke up crying,” she told him in an accusatory tone, “I have no idea where I stand with you.”

Jake cupped her elbow and steered her towards the door.  “I promise we’ll find some time later today.  Right now, I need to get you into the car or we’ll be late.”

Bri stopped at the bottom of the steps and pulled her arm free.
  “Late for what?  Damn it, Jake, this is important.  We need to talk, not take in a show!”

His smile was indulgent, but his voice was firm and commanding.
  “Bri, get in the car.”

With an irritated sigh, she turned to find a sleek black limousine parked where his car should have been
.  A warm blush began to work its way up her neck and into her cheeks when she realized it was for them.  The chauffeur tipped his head towards her then opened the door, but when Bri took a step forward so she could get in, Jake wound his arm around her waist and held her back.

“Do you trust me, Bri?”

She didn’t hesitate.  “Yes.”

“Then don’t be upset with me, honey.
  I know you want to talk and I promise we will, but I played hell getting this set up because I want to show you just how much you mean to me.”

Brianne’s anger withered into nothingness.
  “This better be damn spectacular, Malone.”

“It will be.”

She let him help her into the limousine, waiting until he’d settled in beside her before asking, “Is it far?”

“Not very.”

“You’re being very secretive.”

“Not for long
.  You’ll figure it out in about ten minutes.”

“It feels like Christmas morning, knowing there are presents under the tree for you but
having no clue what’s in them.”

“Now that you mention it, I do have something I want to give you.”

She tipped her head back, a childlike giddiness making her stomach flutter.  “What is it?  Can I have it now?”

“Yeah,” he grinned, “you can have it now.”

A soft moan hummed in the back of her throat when he lowered his mouth to hers.  It was better than Christmas, better than any gift she’d ever received in her life, and Bri never wanted it to end.  Her arm snaked up his chest and curled around his neck, the heavy coiling in her abdomen so intense she would have given herself to him right there and then if he’d asked.  By the time he drew his head back, Bri was so drunk from his kisses it didn’t even register that the limousine had stopped until the chauffeur opened the door.  She followed Jake out, immediately aware of the excitement in the air as people bustled in and out of the building. 

“Where are we?”

“The courthouse,” he said, as if it was a silly question, then whisked her towards the door.

Bri’s heart did a wild flip.
  “The…the courthouse.  What are we doing here?”

Jake laughed and pressed a hard kiss to her lips.
  “Getting the license, of course.”

Brianne’s step faltered and she would have fallen if he didn’t have such a tight grip on her waist. 

“Jake, wait.
  What are you saying…are you asking me…I mean, are we…?” 

She tried to make him stop but already there were people behind them practically pushing them through the doorway.
  Only when they were inside and standing in line with a dozen or so other couples did he answer her questions.  Jake pulled her into him, his own excitement shining through his eyes. 

“I’m
saying
we’re getting a marriage license.  And yes, I’m asking you to marry me.  No, let me rephrase that.  I’m
telling
you we are getting married.  I want you to be my wife, Bri, and I don’t want to wait.”

Bri’s head was spinning and her throat was suddenly so dry her voice came out in hoarse whisper.
  “We’re really doing this?  Today…right now…this very minute?”

Chuckling, he slow danced her backwards as the couple ahead of them moved up a few feet.
  “We’re getting the license right now, then we’ll head over to the church to get married.”

“My parents will kill me if I get married without telling them!
  And Miranda will be so disappointed…and…and…what about your own family?”

His brows lifted in mock surprise.
  “Brianne Carrington, are you telling me you don’t want to marry me today?”

She opened her mouth, fully intending to give him a host of reasons why they should wait but suddenly none of them seemed to matter, not one little bit.
  Bri smiled up at him. 

“I’ll marry you, Jake.
  Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”

“It
has
been a while, so if you don’t mind saying it again…”

She all but melted into him.
  “I love you, Jake Malone.”

A man behind them cleared his throat then pointed towards the front of the line when they both looked back at him.
  They’d been so absorbed in each other, neither of them noticed the big gap that had formed, or that there was only one more couple ahead of them.  It seemed almost surreal, taking turns giving information to the clerk then waiting while the woman typed out the form and handed it to them to review and sign.  Within minutes, they were back in the limousine and heading for the church.

“What about my dress?”
  Bri asked between the kisses Jake was smothering her face with.

“It’s beautiful,” he mumbled.

“Well, yes, but…” she gasped when his lips slid down the side of her neck.  What was she saying?  Oh, yeah, the dress.  “It’s just that…” 

Her eyes closed for a moment then fluttered open again.
  Bri braced her palms against his chest and put some distance between the distraction of his kisses and her train of thought. 

“I
love the dress, but it’s hardly what I would have chosen to get married in.”

Jake smiled indulgently.
  “Today is about making it legal, sweetheart.  If you want a big wedding later with a fancy dress and family and cake and the whole nine yards, you can have it.”

“I do, oh Jake, I really do.
  And what about the rings?  Don’t we need to have rings to get married?”

He nodded thoughtfully.
  “I suppose we should, but it’s just a symbol for the vows we’ll take.  It doesn’t negate the marriage if we don’t have them.”  He shrugged indifferently.  “If you want, we can go pick them out after the ceremony.”

Bri frowned.
  “You’re not making this romantic at all.”

“I’ll be romantic tonight.
  Right now,” Jake drew her back into his arms, “all I want to do is make you my wife.”

She melted like a popsicle in the hot summer sun.
  “You know I’m going to make you pay for this for years to come,” she warned with just a hint of a smile.

“I’m tough, I can take it.
  Now give me a kiss, we’re almost there.”

Bri happily complied and was almost sorry they arrived so soon because it cut the kiss short but as they got out of the limousine, disappointment was replaced by a sense of awe.
  She didn’t know what she expected; a little Vegas chapel with another procession of people lined up in front maybe, but certainly not the grand structure standing before her.  This being the city it was, however, she assumed there must be several small chapels inside the church building so they could conduct multiple weddings at the same. 

Jake swept her along, hurrying her up the stairs, past the massive white pillars and in through the ornately carved double doors.
  Obviously there was some sort of time table they were racing against because he didn’t even give her a chance to take in the grandeur of the place.  It seemed a little odd that there was no one else in the corridor he was hustling her through, especially since she’d gotten a glimpse of the parking lot and knew it was practically full.  But her curiosity was shoved aside when Jake’s long stride began to slow and then stopped altogether in front of one of the doorways.

Bri glanced up at him nervously.
  “Is this it?  Is this where we’re getting married?”

“Not exactly.”
  Jake took her hand and led her to a bench beside the door.  “Sit down for a minute, honey, there’s something I need to do first.”

It was all happening so fast she could barely catch her breath, but as much as she wanted this moment to happen, as many times as she’d prayed for it, Bri couldn’t let Jake propose without telling him about the baby.
  Maybe he would want to delay the wedding until he had time to think it through, or maybe he would simply call the whole thing off.  Regardless, it wasn’t fair to wait until after they were married to tell him he was going to be a father.  Bri drew in a deep breath, even more afraid than when she’d packed her bags and left Wyoming. 

“Jake, I think there’s something you need to know before
we go any further.”

“There’s nothing I need to know except that you love me.
  Now will you please sit down, you’re ruining the magical moment.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, but this is important.
  You might not even want to marry me once I tell you.”

“Oh, no you don’t.”
  Jake put his hands on her shoulders and gently but firmly forced her to sit down.  “You’re not going to start listing the reasons we shouldn’t get married.”

“But…”

“Listen, honey, there isn’t a thing you can tell me that I haven’t thought of and dismissed myself.  Yes, it’s true we don’t know each other very well, but we’ll have a lifetime to do that.  Granted, it might be a little uncomfortable for you to face some of your friends and colleagues since you’ve already sent out invitations announcing your marriage to Chad, but in time that it will be forgotten.”

“Jake, it’s not that, it’s…”

“I know.  You want your family here, but we can have a second ceremony later.  We’ll have to work out whether to keep your house or mine or maybe sell them both and buy one together, and we’ll have to decide if you want to continue working for your Dad or come and work with me.  The point is, we
will
work it out and we’ll do it together.”

Close to tears now, Bri tried pleading with him one more time.
  “Jake, if you’d just give me a minute…”

“Do you believe me when I say I love you with all of my heart?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Then I want you to believe it’s the
only
reason I’m so desperate to marry you right now.”

Bri’s heart thumped against her chest when he knelt down on one knee and pulled a black velvet box from the pocket of his jacket.
  Tears sprang to her eyes as he slowly opened it to reveal a large pear shaped diamond encircled by smaller diamonds on a golden band that had obviously been fitted for her slender finger.  He’d planned this, she thought with an enormous surge of love, he’d actually gone out and selected a ring just for her and had it sized.

“Oh
, Jake, it’s beautiful,” she exclaimed as he lifted it from the box and took her hand.

Jake’s gaze met hers, and if there had ever been any doubt in his mind that she loved him, there was none now.
  Her eyes were like windows to her heart, and the magnitude of her love hit him square in the chest, nearly bowling him over.  This was what he’d been searching for, the part of him that had been missing all these years, only he hadn’t even known it until he met Bri.  But he knew it now, and soon they would be joined forever.

“I almost lost you,” he said softly.  “I didn’t trust you when I should have and said horrible some horrible things that I will regret forever. 
When I discovered you were gone, it felt as if someone had ripped my heart out.”

“It was the same for me,” Bri admitted, her eyes misting with tears.

“We both made mistakes, but the point is we knew it wasn’t over and that it never would be.  That’s why I came for you, and why you didn’t hesitate to leave Chad’s house with me.  As long as we are together, our love for each other will always see us through.”  Jake took the ring and slipped it over her finger.  “I love you, Brianne Carrington.  Would do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes,” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck.
  “Yes, yes, yes!”

He kissed her then, his mouth moving over hers slowly, tenderly, then reluctantly pulling away.
  “It’s time,” he whispered.

Bri cupped his face in her hands, her insides shaking.
  “Jake, I can’t.  I have to tell you something first.” 

She fought to get the words out, to find a way to tell him that wouldn’t make him get up and walk away from her, but she couldn’t seem to make her mouth work.
  Jake finally put his hands over hers and pulled them away, placing a kiss in the palm of each before standing up.

“It’s okay,” he said softly, “we’ll work it out together.”

His words instantly dispelled her fears.  How could she doubt Jake would want this baby when it was so obvious how deeply he loved her?  She rose to her feet and obediently followed him back to the door beside the bench, giving him a questioning look when he tapped on the door.

“I thought you said this wasn’t where we were getting married.”

“It’s not, but this is where I leave you.”

“I…I don’t understand.”

Jake didn’t say anything.  He simply touched her cheek briefly then opened the door and gently pushed her inside.  Bri turned to ask him why she was here and why he was leaving her all alone but he’d already made his exit.  She took a few tentative steps into the room then let out a startled gasp when the door to an adjoining room was flung open and two familiar faces appeared.

“Surprised to see us, darling?”

Brianne blinked, not quite if she was dreaming.  “Mom?  Miranda?  But how…?”

Juliette swept across the room to embrace her daughter.
  “We’ll explain the how and why and when later.  Right now we need to get you dressed for your wedding.”

“This is so exciting,” Miranda said as she hooked her arm through Bri’s and pulled her through the doorway she and her mother as just entered through.
  “Look,” she pointed, “Jake had Mom pick out a wedding gown and veil.  He was simply adorable, Bri, reminding Mom to pick up stockings and shoes as if she wouldn’t think of it.  He wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

Bri started to undress,
still in a bit of a daze.  “But…how did he do all this when we’ve practically been inseparable since yesterday afternoon?”

“He called me,” Juliette told her.
  “Well, actually he called your father first and told him it was over between you and Chad and that he was going after you.  Phillip arranged for a private plane to fly him back.  During the flight, he called me and we had a nice, long chat.”

Bri slipped on the silk hose, not entirely surprised that her mother had gotten her a garter belt with white, silk underwear to go with the whole ensemble.
  As Miranda helped her into the exquisite gown and styled her hair, their mother recounted her conversation with Jake.  The man was arrogant beyond belief to just assume she would hop at the chance to marry him, Bri thought, then quickly amended that. 
Confident
, she smiled to herself, Jake was confident she would marry him.

“He asked me to pick out a gown and have
 a tux delivered to the hotel.”  Juliette laughed.  “The poor man was stumbling all over himself in his excitement to marry you.  He told me that if I could arrange for a church and a minister, he would make sure you got here on time.”

Bri looked at herself in the mirror and hardly recognized the woman standing before her.
  Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and shiny.  She looked like a woman in love, a woman who was happy beyond belief.  Her mother had done a wonderful job in picking out just the right gown, but then Juliette Carrington rarely did anything without great finesse. 

Tiny beads of pearl adorned the scooping neckline and the bodice was snug against her breasts and waist.
  The silky material tapered over her hips and thighs, stopping a good four inches short of her knees.  But what Bri loved most was the lacy bustle in the back and the long, flowing train.