the box. A delicate gold bracelet, adorned with a single pearl, lay across a pillow of pink satin. “This is the something old. Dad gave it to our Mom and I thought Abby might want to wear it today.”
Kate was staring. Not at the bracelet. At him .
“What?” Alex had opened the safe and looked through their mother’s jewelry before he’d left for Mirror Lake. Every year on their anniversary, his father had bought their mother a piece of jewelry. There were more expensive pieces, but for some reason, Alex had kept coming back to this one. Now he wondered if he shouldn’t have given Abby the diamond tennis bracelet instead.
When Kate didn’t respond, he closed the box with a snap. “It’s too plain.”
A small freckled hand, unadorned with any jewelry at all, closed over the box before he could put it away.
“No! It’s beautiful,” Kate contradicted. “Abby will love it.”
There was a slight catch in her voice. And to Alex’s absolute amazement, her eyes had misted over.
“Are you crying? ”
Kate’s chin lifted in a gesture he was beginning to recognize. “I always cry at weddings.”
Alex didn’t point out the obvious. That the wedding hadn’t even started yet.
“That’s very sentimental.” He couldn’t quite prevent the urge to point that out.
“It’s also perfectly acceptable,” Kate shot back. “As long as they’re happy tears.”
Happy tears?
“Isn’t that a contradiction?”
“Only if you’ve never experienced it.” Kate rapped on the door and opened it a crack. “Abby? There’s someone here to see you.”
It took Alex a moment to realize that she’d stepped to the side.
“Tell Abby I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Kate ducked past him.
“Kate?”
She paused at the top of the stairs and looked back, a question in her eyes.
Alex unleashed a slow smile. “The prenup is in my other pocket.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, Kate collapsed against the stair rail and closed her eyes.
What was more disturbing than Alex Porter in a tuxedo?
A crack in Alex Porter’s Armani armor, revealing a side to the man that Kate wouldn’t have thought existed, that’s what.
Kate would have guessed that Alex would follow tradition by giving Abby something over the top. Say, a tiara. Or a diamond bracelet from Tiffany’s. He had accused her of being overly sentimental and yet he’d chosen a modest piece of jewelry for Abby because it had a special connection to their mother.
And the glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes when he’d asked if the bracelet was too plain made him seem more…human.
Kate didn’t want him to be human.
It was much easier to keep her distance when he played the part of the stuffy, condescending executive, not the caring older brother who wanted to give Abby a reminder of the parents who couldn’t be there on her wedding day.
“There you are, Kate!” Esther Redstone spotted her at the top of the stairs. “How is our bride-to-be?”
“Beautiful,” Kate said promptly.
No wedding-day jitters for Abby. Her friend was practically glowing with anticipation.
There was no doubt in Kate’s mind that God had brought the couple together. She was thrilled for her friend, but she couldn’t but feel a tiny—very tiny—pinch of envy.
In high school, Kate had promised God that she would wait for the right man—the one that He had chosen for her. She just hadn’t expected it to take so long.
Anytime, Lord. Really.
“I peeked in the kitchen a few minutes ago. Everything looks wonderful. And the cake!” Esther chuckled. “Very creative.”
“Abby didn’t want a traditional wedding cake. She told me to use my imagination.” The result being four dozen miniature cakes with chocolate mousse centers and slathered in butter-cream frosting, decorated to look like campfire s’mores. Abby’s favorite dessert.
“I better check to make sure Cody is ready.” Esther’s blue eyes twinkled. “Not that I don’t trust my husband to get the
Kate was staring. Not at the bracelet. At him .
“What?” Alex had opened the safe and looked through their mother’s jewelry before he’d left for Mirror Lake. Every year on their anniversary, his father had bought their mother a piece of jewelry. There were more expensive pieces, but for some reason, Alex had kept coming back to this one. Now he wondered if he shouldn’t have given Abby the diamond tennis bracelet instead.
When Kate didn’t respond, he closed the box with a snap. “It’s too plain.”
A small freckled hand, unadorned with any jewelry at all, closed over the box before he could put it away.
“No! It’s beautiful,” Kate contradicted. “Abby will love it.”
There was a slight catch in her voice. And to Alex’s absolute amazement, her eyes had misted over.
“Are you crying? ”
Kate’s chin lifted in a gesture he was beginning to recognize. “I always cry at weddings.”
Alex didn’t point out the obvious. That the wedding hadn’t even started yet.
“That’s very sentimental.” He couldn’t quite prevent the urge to point that out.
“It’s also perfectly acceptable,” Kate shot back. “As long as they’re happy tears.”
Happy tears?
“Isn’t that a contradiction?”
“Only if you’ve never experienced it.” Kate rapped on the door and opened it a crack. “Abby? There’s someone here to see you.”
It took Alex a moment to realize that she’d stepped to the side.
“Tell Abby I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Kate ducked past him.
“Kate?”
She paused at the top of the stairs and looked back, a question in her eyes.
Alex unleashed a slow smile. “The prenup is in my other pocket.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, Kate collapsed against the stair rail and closed her eyes.
What was more disturbing than Alex Porter in a tuxedo?
A crack in Alex Porter’s Armani armor, revealing a side to the man that Kate wouldn’t have thought existed, that’s what.
Kate would have guessed that Alex would follow tradition by giving Abby something over the top. Say, a tiara. Or a diamond bracelet from Tiffany’s. He had accused her of being overly sentimental and yet he’d chosen a modest piece of jewelry for Abby because it had a special connection to their mother.
And the glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes when he’d asked if the bracelet was too plain made him seem more…human.
Kate didn’t want him to be human.
It was much easier to keep her distance when he played the part of the stuffy, condescending executive, not the caring older brother who wanted to give Abby a reminder of the parents who couldn’t be there on her wedding day.
“There you are, Kate!” Esther Redstone spotted her at the top of the stairs. “How is our bride-to-be?”
“Beautiful,” Kate said promptly.
No wedding-day jitters for Abby. Her friend was practically glowing with anticipation.
There was no doubt in Kate’s mind that God had brought the couple together. She was thrilled for her friend, but she couldn’t but feel a tiny—very tiny—pinch of envy.
In high school, Kate had promised God that she would wait for the right man—the one that He had chosen for her. She just hadn’t expected it to take so long.
Anytime, Lord. Really.
“I peeked in the kitchen a few minutes ago. Everything looks wonderful. And the cake!” Esther chuckled. “Very creative.”
“Abby didn’t want a traditional wedding cake. She told me to use my imagination.” The result being four dozen miniature cakes with chocolate mousse centers and slathered in butter-cream frosting, decorated to look like campfire s’mores. Abby’s favorite dessert.
“I better check to make sure Cody is ready.” Esther’s blue eyes twinkled. “Not that I don’t trust my husband to get the
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