The Manning Grooms (11 page)

He hated wearing a suit. Five minutes after they’d arrived at the dance, he’d loosened his tie, and had completely discarded it by the end of the evening. Why he’d worn one this evening remained a mystery.

Charlotte frowned, trying to analyze what was wrong. Waiting for Jason to tell her was making her nervous. He looked miserable, which made
her
increasingly miserable.

She felt close to Jason, closer than she’d felt to any man since Tom. She hadn’t meant that to happen, and she didn’t think Jason had, either. Their relationship had grown steadily more intense in the past weeks. She’d fallen in love—it was that simple—and thought he had, too.

But perhaps falling in love wasn’t what Jason
wanted. Perhaps he was trying to find a way to tell her they were in too deep, that he wanted out.

It made sense.

The fancy dinner, the hesitation and even regret. The fact that his eyes kept avoiding hers. The silence. That was the worst. The awkward silence, as though he couldn’t bear to speak those final words.

“I’m ready to leave, if you are,” she said with false enthusiasm.

He looked over at her, his expression uncertain. Perhaps he planned to tell her in the restaurant, in order to avoid a scene. She’d heard that was a popular tactic. All Charlotte wanted to do was leave, before she made a fool of herself by breaking into tears.

He was going to break up with her; she was sure of it. A hundred explanations crowded her mind. They’d gotten too close, too fast. It wasn’t as if she was…unencumbered. True, she was single, but she had a child, and if a man was going to get serious with a woman, he’d prefer that she didn’t bring along excess baggage. That was common knowledge. She’d heard it often enough from friends and acquaintances.

Jason’s parents might have disapproved of her, too. It wasn’t as if she came from a fine, upstanding family. His mother had asked her a number of questions Saturday morning about her parents and grandparents. Charlotte had found it difficult to explain that she had no idea where her father was, or even if he was still alive. Neither of the elder Mannings had seemed to disapprove of her openly. If anything, they’d been warm
and gracious. But although they might have accepted her, even liked her, they might also think she was the wrong kind of woman for their son.

Jason paid the bill while Charlotte excused herself for a visit to the ladies’ room, hoping to regain her composure.

He was waiting for her by the door when she returned.

Silence accompanied them into the parking lot.

Jason opened her door. By the time he’d walked around the front of his car, Charlotte’s hold on her poise was tenuous. When he glanced in her direction, though, she managed a smile. Her pride demanded it.

Charlotte expected Jason to drive her directly to the apartment, since he hadn’t been able to break the news to her at the restaurant. At least when he delivered the blow, it would be in the comfort of familiar surroundings.

But he drove to a deserted stretch of beach, then pulled off the road, climbed out of the car and came around to her side.

“It’s late,” she said, frowning at her watch. “I should be getting home. Carrie’s by herself.”

“In a minute.” He wore a pensive frown, the same expression she’d seen all evening.

She gazed past him to the shoreline. Small breakers rolled onto the sand, their motion soothing. Charlotte wasn’t soothed, however, and she looked away to the wide expanse of darkening sky. The scent of the sea hung in the air.

“Just say it,” she muttered. Her patience had evaporated and she couldn’t bear the painful silence anymore.

“You know?”

“Of course I know.” She walked onto the sand, removed her shoes and purposefully forged ahead, stopping at a thick log that was charred at one end.

Swallowing a mouthful of self-pity, she looked over her shoulder to discover that Jason had followed her onto the beach. She almost wished he’d driven away, left her behind. It would’ve been easier that way.

Her legs didn’t feel as if they’d support her much longer, so she sat on the log and stared sightlessly out at the horizon, waiting for him to begin his litany of excuses and stumbling explanations.

“Charlotte…I’m not very good at this sort of thing.”

“Who is? Listen, it’s been great.” She strove to sound flippant and knew she’d failed. She lowered her gaze to her hands, forcing herself to continue. “I’ll always be grateful for this time with you.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and she brushed them aside, not daring to look at Jason. “But as we both know, all good things must come to an end….”

Jason said nothing. Not one word, and that made everything even more difficult.

His hands were buried in his pants pockets and when she glanced up at his face, she saw that his jaw was tightly clenched. She didn’t understand his anger, not when she’d made it so easy for him.

“So you had me sit through that whole miserable dinner,” he said with barely controlled antagonism. “Did you enjoy watching me squirm?”

“No.”

“You know, Charlotte, if you weren’t interested in marrying me in the first place you could have—”

“Marrying you!” Charlotte’s head snapped up. “You planned on asking me to
marry
you?” For one wild second she was paralyzed with shock, unable to move or think. There must’ve been a mistake. It was a joke. Jason Manning was a confirmed bachelor, wasn’t he? Despite her feelings for him, Charlotte had accepted that.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know,” he said.

“But I thought…I thought you wanted to stop seeing me.”

He snickered as though he didn’t believe her and turned away. “Why would I take you to a fancy restaurant if I wanted to say something as ridiculous as that?” He turned back, glaring at her.

“To let me down easy. What did you expect me to think, when you were in such a bad mood?”

“I already told you I’m no good at this sort of thing. If you want romance and a bunch of pretty words, you’re going to have to marry someone else.”

She was on her feet and not quite sure how she got there. “You honestly want to marry me?” she repeated as her eyes brimmed with tears. They were tears of relief. Tears of joy.

“Sit down,” he said gruffly. “If I’m going to do this, I want to do it right.”

Charlotte complied and was shocked when Jason got down on one knee directly in front of her. He cleared his throat. “I love you, Charlotte. I wasn’t planning to fall in love with you, but I knew it was hap
pening, and I let it happen because—well, I don’t really know. It happened and I’m glad it did. I can’t think of spending a day without you at my side. I can’t imagine playing softball without you there. I love you. I love the chocolate chip cookies you bake. I admire you for the wonderful job you’ve done raising Carrie. I’m deeply impressed by your wisdom and courage.”

“Oh, Jase.” She blinked back her tears and brought her fingertips to her lips.

“You’re the first woman I ever dated who let me be myself. You didn’t feel obligated to clean up after me. You don’t act as if my refrigerator’s some kind of scary science experiment.” He grinned, apparently pleased with his own wit. “You even like sports.”

The lump in her throat made it impossible to speak. Tears ran unrestrained down her face. With all her heart she wanted to shout, “Yes, I’ll marry you,” and throw her arms around him. But she was afraid to believe Jason would continue to love her once he learned how inadequate she was, how worthless she was as a lover. She didn’t know if she could bear to disappoint him.

“If it helps,” he said in a low voice, “I talked to Carrie, and she’s all for us getting married.”

Charlotte sniffed tearfully. “You mean my daughter’s given you her seal of approval?”

“Yup.”

There was another silence. Then he said, “I don’t mean to rush you, but I have this sore knee. I slid into first base last week and I’ve been in pain ever since. So, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer a quick answer.”

Before she could stop herself, before she could listen to her head instead of her heart, she nodded. It wasn’t a very enthusiastic nod, perhaps, but Jason didn’t seem to have any objections.

“Thank God,” he murmured, awkwardly rising to his feet.

“You idiot. You didn’t have to get down on your knee,” she whispered through her tears.

“Yes, I did,” he said, but he sounded grateful to be off it as he sat down on the log beside her. A deep sigh rumbled through his chest. “It wasn’t the most romantic proposal, was it?”

“Oh, Jase, it was perfect,” she said, touching the side of his face and gazing into his eyes. Her throat was tight and constricted. “What you said about not being able to live without me…that’s how I feel about you. Sharing cookies, going to ball games, walking the dog together—it all sounds wonderful. I guess I’m not much of a romantic, either,” she said with a shy laugh.

“I didn’t buy a diamond ring. I figured you’d want to pick a setting yourself.”

A ring. Charlotte froze. Soon he’d want to discuss a wedding date. A chill worked its way through her, the same cold feeling she’d experienced whenever Tom wanted to make love. A sick sensation would build in the pit of her stomach and by the time they went to bed she’d feel encased in ice. All Tom had to do was kiss her and he’d know. Then the tirades would begin, the accusations, the ugliness.

Jason was going to kiss her, too. Now. His lips
grazed hers. Briefly. Lightly. The cold fear melted as if it had never been. Charlotte groaned and slipped her arms around his neck.

He kissed her again, but this time the kiss blossomed into something wild and erotic that left Charlotte panting, seeking more.

They drew apart, and she rested her forehead against his. When he spoke, his voice was husky and warm, as warm as heated brandy and just as intoxicating.

“We’re going to be very good in bed,” he whispered.

Charlotte tensed, panic a heartbeat away, but she forced it down, focusing instead on how gentle he’d always been with her. How patient. With Jason, she’d felt a level of pleasure she’d never realized she was capable of reaching. When he kissed her she felt hot and quivery from the inside out. Maybe it would be different this time, with this man. Maybe. She prayed that was true.

“You’re worried about making love, aren’t you?”

She nodded.

“I’d never hurt you, Charlotte. I hope you understand that. Whatever the problem is, we’ll work it out together.”

“I’m grateful…for that.” Despite the excitement she felt at his kisses, she had to fight back the fear that threatened to choke her every time he mentioned the physical aspects of their relationship.

Her only recourse was to insist on a long engagement. That way she could slowly, gradually, feel comfortable with their sexual relationship. After they
made love…She hesitated. There’d been a time she wouldn’t have thought that was possible, but Jason had given her hope.

“Do you want to set the wedding date?” she asked, deciding to broach the subject now.

“Yes, but…” He shrugged. “There’s one small problem.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to let my parents tell you. It’s only fair. They’re at home, waiting for us now.”

“I
don’t believe this!” Jason muttered under his breath as they pulled into his parents’ driveway.

“What are all these cars doing here?” Carrie asked from the backseat. Jason had insisted on going back to the apartment to pick her up.

“You’ll see,” he said grimly.

Either his parents owned a car dealership or they were entertaining a houseful of company.

“This is going to be a real circus.” He sighed as he helped Charlotte out of the front seat. Carrie bounded out from the back.

Charlotte’s nervousness, already heightened by the prospect of an audience, grew exponentially.

The door opened and Elizabeth Manning stepped out of the house. Jason’s father and brothers, sisters-in-law and several children all crowded on the front porch behind her. The porch light revealed a variety of expressions, from amusement to elation.

“Well?” his mother asked as she walked toward them.

Jason slid his arm around Charlotte’s waist and slowly, sweetly smiled down at her. In those brief seconds, Charlotte was comforted and reassured by his love. Her senses sang and her heart fluttered wildly.

Jason lowered his head. Charlotte wasn’t sure that kissing in front of his parents, his whole family, was the best thing to do. Oh, what the heck. She was marrying Jason. They were in love, so a simple kiss shouldn’t offend anyone.

Their lips met and she moaned a little with surprise and wonder at the ready response he never failed to evoke from her. Her hand crept up his chest and gripped the lapel of his suit jacket as his mouth made love to hers.

When he broke away, he was breathless. For that matter, so was Charlotte. She marveled that he was able to speak at all. “Does that answer your question, Mother?”

“Charlotte’s agreed to marry you?”

“In a heartbeat,” she answered for herself.

“Isn’t it great!” Carrie shouted.

Spontaneous applause broke out from the porch, followed by several earsplitting whistles. Ryan and Ronnie were pounding their feet but she doubted the little boys understood exactly what the family was celebrating.

The evening was lovely; honeysuckle and roses scented the air. The sun had almost set, casting—literally—a rosy glow over the scene.

Jason bowed as though he were a knight and she his lady, accepting his family’s enthusiasm.

“I hope you realize you’re getting the runt of the litter,” Paul told her, laughing.

“Hey,” Rich put in. “Just be grateful that Charlotte’s willing to put Jason out of his misery. He’s been walking around like a lovesick puppy for weeks.”

Jason glowered at his brothers, but she could tell he wasn’t angry. He took their teasing in stride. From the time he’d brought her to that first softball game, Charlotte had envied him his family, especially the close relationship he shared with his brothers. The three were more than brothers; they were best friends. They looked out for one another and, just as important, they laughed together.

Leah and Jamie were best friends, too. Yet they seemed eager to extend that camaraderie to Charlotte. They’d gone out of their way to include her, to make her feel welcome, a part of the family. One of them.

Jason’s mother came forward, tears in her eyes as she hugged Charlotte. “I couldn’t be more pleased. Jason couldn’t have chosen better.”

“Thank you,” Charlotte said, blushing. Doubt bobbed like a cork to the surface of her mind. Not that she didn’t love Jason. She did, with all her heart, but she still wasn’t sure whether she was the right woman for him.

“I’m so happy for you—and for us,” Jamie said, hugging her next. “The two of you are perfect for each other. Leah and I agreed on that the minute we saw you together.”

A warmth permeated Charlotte’s heart. She wanted so badly to believe it was true.

“We’ll be sisters now,” Leah whispered, taking Charlotte’s hands and lightly squeezing her fingers.

“I couldn’t be marrying into a more wonderful family,” Charlotte said to Jason as they made their way into the house. Carrie followed, carrying Jeremy, while the other children raced excitedly ahead.

His brothers congratulated Jason, slapping him on the back.

Once inside, Jason and Charlotte sat on the couch and the family gathered around them, making them the center of attention. Every eye was on Charlotte, smiling and happy, yet expectant. Puzzled, she glanced up at Jason, wondering if they wanted her to say something, to make some speech or pronouncement.

“Does she know yet?” Paul asked.

“No,” Jason murmured. “I’m leaving the explanation up to Mom and Dad.”

“Smart boy,” Rich said, sitting on the armrest of the couch. He leaned forward eagerly, as though waiting for the opening act of an award-winning play.

“What’s everyone talking about?” she asked.

“Mom?” Jason gestured eloquently toward his mother.

Elizabeth hesitated and turned to her husband. Eric Manning grinned and gave his wife a reassuring nod, which only compounded Charlotte’s curiosity.

“As I said, I’m delighted that you’ve agreed to marry
Jason,” Elizabeth began. “He’s waited all this time to meet the right woman and, frankly, Eric and I were beginning to wonder if that was ever going to happen. Now that we’ve met you, Charlotte, we’re glad he waited so long. We understood the moment we saw you together how special you were to him.”

A low murmuring chorus of assent brought a sheen of tears to Charlotte’s eyes. If anyone should be grateful, it was her. Jason had changed her world, opened her mind to everything she’d believed was closed off to her. Love. Family. Joy. Partnership.

The room went strangely quiet. Charlotte looked around and, although everyone seemed genuinely pleased, there was a tension here, too.

“Just tell her, Mother,” Jason advised. “No need to drag this out.”

By now, Charlotte was more than curious. “Tell me what?”

“Don’t rush me,” Elizabeth said, chiding her son. “Charlotte,” she began, “when Jason told us he’d fallen in love with you, his father and I naturally wondered about his intentions. Then he told us he intended to ask you to marry him, so we decided to do a bit of checking in regard to the arrangements. Weddings need to be planned.”

Jason’s fingers entwined with hers, his hold on her hand tightening.

Elizabeth paused as though she expected a response. “Well, yes,” Charlotte said, since everyone was staring at her. “That’s a practical thing to do.”

“I learned some distressing news,” his mother continued. “The yacht club, which we feel is the best place for the reception, is booked solid for the next twenty-three months.”

Once again, like clockwork, all eyes in the room swiveled to Charlotte, awaiting her response. “I hope you put our name on a waiting list, then,” she murmured.

Elizabeth brightened, and some of the tension lines on her forehead seemed to relax. “I did better than that. You see,” she went on, her voice growing more confident, “there happened to be a cancellation, and so I asked they reserve that day for you and Jason.”

“Wonderful.”

“You’re leaving out the most important part,” Jason said, his lips barely moving.

“The date is July fourteenth,” Elizabeth announced, folding her hands and nodding sagely. “Don’t you think that’s excellent timing?”

“That sounds fine,” Charlotte agreed, when it was apparent once again that everyone was waiting for her to respond. A little more than a year would give her and Jason ample time to discover if a marriage between them was viable. By then, they’d certainly know if a sexual relationship was possible. A year gave them both an opportunity to adjust.

“It’s not July fourteenth of
next
year,” Jason filled in, his gaze locking with hers. “Mother meant July fourteenth of
this
year.”

Charlotte was too stunned to respond, other than with a gasp. Her mouth fell open in shock.

“What’s the problem, Mom?” Carrie asked, looking surprised.

“But…but no one can plan a wedding of any size in that length of time,” Charlotte managed after a moment. “It’s…impossible.”

“Not for Elizabeth,” Leah said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Mom’s been working on this since Jason mentioned the word
marriage.
”

“But…”

“I’ve seen to everything,” Elizabeth said confidently. “And it
is
possible, very possible—if you’ll agree to such a quick wedding. I realize we’re being unfair to you, and I do hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me for taking over like this. The thing is, I know my son, and once he makes up his mind, that’s the end of it. Jason wouldn’t have been willing to wait almost two years.”

“But…there are other places. Besides the yacht club, I mean.”

“Yes, but none of them are as special.”

“Charlotte,” Jason said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it. “I know it sounds crazy, but Mom’s right. I wouldn’t have wanted to wait just so my mother could put on a fancy wedding. At first I thought she’d gone berserk. The idea’s preposterous, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.”

“Leah and I will do anything we can to help,” Jamie inserted. “If you want the truth, we’re both thrilled.”

“Taylor and Christy and their families are flying out.
They’ve already made their reservations,” Elizabeth added.

“But they can change them,” Jason told her, frowning at his mother as if to say Charlotte was under enough pressure as it was.

And he was right. She felt as if a giant hammer was poised above her head, ready to smash down on her at any second. The entire family was waiting. Happy. Excited. Thrilled. Carrie’s eyes begged her to say yes.

“Of course, Taylor and Christy can change their reservations, if necessary,” someone said. That was Paul, and Charlotte wanted to thank him.

“Personally, I think it’s wildly romantic,” Leah added. She was sitting in the recliner, her hand resting on her swollen abdomen. Paul was sitting on the armrest, his arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders, his eyes filled with love as he gazed down on her.

“Naturally I haven’t made any final decisions—that would be up to you,” Elizabeth said.

“I…don’t know what to say.”

“You must think I’m a domineering old woman, and I suppose I am, but nothing’s been finalized. I don’t generally meddle in my children’s lives, but—”

“Actually, if you want to be angry with anyone, it should be with the rest of us,” Jamie told her. “Jason is the family’s last chance for Mom to put on a big wedding. She’d been looking forward to it for years and we all disappointed her. She’s always done a fabulous job with the receptions, though.”

“We’ve had our hearts set on a formal wedding for so long,” Eric said.

“But in three weeks?” Charlotte murmured.

“We’ll all need to work together, of course, but we can do it.” Jason’s mother sounded utterly convinced of that. Her eyes sought out Charlotte’s and, in their beautiful blue depths, Charlotte saw how much Elizabeth wanted this. How much the entire family did. They all looked forward to contributing.

“Charlotte,” Jason said softly, “would you like more time to decide?”

She glanced around; everyone was waiting. The room had gone completely silent; even the children were quiet. Charlotte didn’t know how she could refuse. She closed her eyes and tried to think. If she postponed the wedding, the elder Mannings might hold it against her. It could taint their future relationship. The others were just as eager for this to happen. Each one felt guilty for cheating Eric and Elizabeth out of the family wedding they wanted.

Her whole future with the Manning family could be at stake, Charlotte thought.

“Do I…need to decide now?” she asked after an awkward moment.

“There’s so little time,” Elizabeth warned.

Charlotte glanced from one to the other and knew she couldn’t refuse. She loved Jason and wanted to marry him more than she’d wanted anything in her life. She could be happy with him, happy in ways she’d
hardly imagined before. And for the first time she and Carrie had the chance to be part of a real family.

If she were to marry Jason there was the possibility of her having another child.
If
she conquered her fear of sex. The hollow ache inside her intensified as she studied the soft swell of Leah’s abdomen.

She turned to Jason, needing some kind of confirmation, some indication of what he was thinking. His eyes, so like his mother’s, blue and intense, reflected his love for her. His faith in her. The desire to be part of
her
life. He believed their love was enough to overcome any obstacle. Their love was all that was necessary.

For now, because she wanted to believe it, too, that was enough for her, too.

“We have a lot to do, then, don’t we?” she said, reluctantly dragging her gaze away from Jason and back to his mother.

“Does that mean you agree?”

She nodded and the entire family broke into cheers.

The excitement and the enthusiasm carried Charlotte for a full two weeks. Two of the busiest weeks of her life. When she wasn’t putting in her final days at work, she was with Jason’s mother.

During their first afternoon together, it became apparent that Elizabeth was a gifted organizer. She’d have to be in order to pull off a full-scale wedding in less than a month.

Ignorance had been bliss. Had Charlotte realized the sheer magnitude of what they needed to accomplish in such a short time, she would have refused.

Not a day passed that she didn’t have some kind of appointment, some place to be, someone to meet, some decision to make. There were dressmakers, florists, photographers, caterers and printers. And countless decisions, all of which had to be dealt with right that minute. There wasn’t time to ponder or reflect. As soon as one task was completed, Elizabeth steered her toward the next.

Carrie was delighted to be her mother’s maid of honor. Charlotte’s four soon-to-be sisters-in-law were to be her bridesmaids, and that meant frequent conference calls between Montana and Seattle.

When Charlotte somehow found time to see Jason, it was for a few moments, and then only in passing. He, too, was exceptionally busy.