comprehend.
After the first shock had rocked him, he’d been caught up in the explosive heat of the moment. Like a dream come true, the love of his life would actually become his wife and he would be her rescuer and hero. Happy-ever-after stuff. He hadn’t thought beyond the wild excitement of the fantasy until now, when reality slapped him upside the head. Hard.
There was more to it than just being married. More than even the prospect of being a dad. Now he would have to think of someone other than himself—a wife and child. Of their safety, well-being and their reputation in the community. The banker’s daughter was actually married to the convict’s son. How about that, folks? And the ex-fiancé’s abrupt personality change was strange enough to make Buddy Lee suspicious and more than a little wary. He wondered if any of them were really safe. Talk about alligators on his ass. Their numbers were increasing.
Faith watched her new husband wrestle with his thoughts and something akin to tenderness welled up inside her. He was such a dear friend. She pulled free from his hands and placed hers on either side of his face.
“I don’t want you to worry about the money part, Buddy Lee,” she said, looking deep into his dark brown eyes. “My job pays well enough and I’ve got some savings, plus paid maternity leave. Besides, I never intended for you to support me and my baby without doing my share. It’s enough that you’ve given us your name. That’s all I wanted.”
When he flinched, she knew she’d said everything all wrong. What she’d asked of him sounded tacky. Selfish.
“I didn’t mean...Oh, please, don’t look at me like that. I only meant I promise not to be any more trouble. Trust me.”
A look of total disbelief flashed across his face, prompting her to lean forward and give his cheek a quick peck. “I’ve said that before, haven’t I?”
After a pause that lasted long enough to make her wonder if he was ever going to answer, he said, “Many times.”
The huskiness of his voice and the way his eyes darkened sent a shiver of excitement dancing along her spine. She had the craziest urge to plant a real kiss right on his mouth. What on earth was wrong with her? Probably something hormonal, she supposed, dismissing it as simply part of being pregnant.
“Well,” she said, after choosing a slice of nearly-cold pizza and picking the olives off one by one, “here’s what we’ll do. You go to your shop first thing in the morning, call your customers and have them pick up their cars before ten o’clock, then pack a few clothes and come back here.” She popped two of the olives in her mouth. “In the meantime, I’ll go shopping for a few things I need and be ready to leave when you get here. Our flight leaves at three-fifteen. We can be on the beach before sundown.”
Suspicion flickered in his steady gaze. “And just where would we be going?”
She loved the quirky way his eyebrows twitched when he tried to do the "older brother" act. It was so familiar. Even after all this time, she still felt completely at ease around him. A good thing, since they were a married couple now.
“To Mexico. On a honeymoon.” The reservations she’d made at a very private resort would be a perfect hideaway now, as well as compensation for all the trouble she’d put him through. How could he refuse a “thank you” as tempting as a tropical vacation? She’d just cancel Royce’s plane ticket and buy one for Buddy Lee. Simple. Besides, who knew what Daddy or Royce might do when she and her new husband returned home?
“The best thing for us to do right now is disappear for a while.” She gave him her most persuasive smile. “You do have a passport, don’t you?”
Buddy Lee couldn’t get his mouth to move. Words stuck in his throat, frozen in place by total shock. His strangled protest finally tumbled out. “Yeah, I got one last year, but Mexico? Have you lost your mind?”
After the first shock had rocked him, he’d been caught up in the explosive heat of the moment. Like a dream come true, the love of his life would actually become his wife and he would be her rescuer and hero. Happy-ever-after stuff. He hadn’t thought beyond the wild excitement of the fantasy until now, when reality slapped him upside the head. Hard.
There was more to it than just being married. More than even the prospect of being a dad. Now he would have to think of someone other than himself—a wife and child. Of their safety, well-being and their reputation in the community. The banker’s daughter was actually married to the convict’s son. How about that, folks? And the ex-fiancé’s abrupt personality change was strange enough to make Buddy Lee suspicious and more than a little wary. He wondered if any of them were really safe. Talk about alligators on his ass. Their numbers were increasing.
Faith watched her new husband wrestle with his thoughts and something akin to tenderness welled up inside her. He was such a dear friend. She pulled free from his hands and placed hers on either side of his face.
“I don’t want you to worry about the money part, Buddy Lee,” she said, looking deep into his dark brown eyes. “My job pays well enough and I’ve got some savings, plus paid maternity leave. Besides, I never intended for you to support me and my baby without doing my share. It’s enough that you’ve given us your name. That’s all I wanted.”
When he flinched, she knew she’d said everything all wrong. What she’d asked of him sounded tacky. Selfish.
“I didn’t mean...Oh, please, don’t look at me like that. I only meant I promise not to be any more trouble. Trust me.”
A look of total disbelief flashed across his face, prompting her to lean forward and give his cheek a quick peck. “I’ve said that before, haven’t I?”
After a pause that lasted long enough to make her wonder if he was ever going to answer, he said, “Many times.”
The huskiness of his voice and the way his eyes darkened sent a shiver of excitement dancing along her spine. She had the craziest urge to plant a real kiss right on his mouth. What on earth was wrong with her? Probably something hormonal, she supposed, dismissing it as simply part of being pregnant.
“Well,” she said, after choosing a slice of nearly-cold pizza and picking the olives off one by one, “here’s what we’ll do. You go to your shop first thing in the morning, call your customers and have them pick up their cars before ten o’clock, then pack a few clothes and come back here.” She popped two of the olives in her mouth. “In the meantime, I’ll go shopping for a few things I need and be ready to leave when you get here. Our flight leaves at three-fifteen. We can be on the beach before sundown.”
Suspicion flickered in his steady gaze. “And just where would we be going?”
She loved the quirky way his eyebrows twitched when he tried to do the "older brother" act. It was so familiar. Even after all this time, she still felt completely at ease around him. A good thing, since they were a married couple now.
“To Mexico. On a honeymoon.” The reservations she’d made at a very private resort would be a perfect hideaway now, as well as compensation for all the trouble she’d put him through. How could he refuse a “thank you” as tempting as a tropical vacation? She’d just cancel Royce’s plane ticket and buy one for Buddy Lee. Simple. Besides, who knew what Daddy or Royce might do when she and her new husband returned home?
“The best thing for us to do right now is disappear for a while.” She gave him her most persuasive smile. “You do have a passport, don’t you?”
Buddy Lee couldn’t get his mouth to move. Words stuck in his throat, frozen in place by total shock. His strangled protest finally tumbled out. “Yeah, I got one last year, but Mexico? Have you lost your mind?”
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