Have Bouquet, Need Boyfriend (21 page)

understand the truth.

But she didn’t want to lose him.

“Come on in, Rebecca,” Mimi said with a big grin. “I hope you brought

your dress and makeup with you.”

“I did.” Except for Suzanne, who was riding down with Bert, the girls

had all planned to meet at Mimi’s to dress for the party.

“Look, I fixed Cosmopolitans to start the party.” Mimi waved toward the

colorful plastic glasses on the counter.

Great.” Hannah walked into the room holding Maggie Rose in her arms.

Rebecca’s heart clamored at the sight of the baby in the fluffy pink

blanket.

“What do you think?” Mimi flounced her curls. “Cissy gave me a few

highlights this morning at the Cut and Curl.”

“You look great,” Rebecca said.

Hannah cooed at the baby while Rebecca played with Maggie’s tiny

fingers. “I’m baby-sitting while she fixes your hair,” Hannah said, “I

adore being an aunt.”

Alison waltzed into the room, grinning. “Then I get to tend to Maggie

while Hannah gets dressed.”

“Alison was telling us about her honeymoon,” Mimi chirped. “But, darn

it, she won’t share the good parts.”

“I have to have some secrets,” Alison said with a wink. “But it was so

romantic!”

The girls all laughed and began to talk at once. Rebecca sat in the

kitchen chair so Mimi could work on her hair, envious as her cousins

compared wedding and honeymoon stories.

“I remember when I found that ring in my hope chest and had that crazy

dream about Jake,” Hannah said. “I thought I was losing my mind. But

then I fell in love with him.”

“And I almost freaked when I found baby items in my hope chest,” Mimi

said, reaching over to tug at Maggie Rose’s toe. “But look what

happened. Now I have a great man and the most perfect little girl in the

world.”

“And I have Brady, the only man I ever loved,” Alison said dreamily.

“But when I found those annulment

papers, I was afraid things weren’t going to work out.” She sighed, held

out her hand and stared at her wedding ring. “I’m just so happy it did.”

Rebecca wondered if her story would have a happy ending like theirs.

It would all depend on Thomas-after all, he still hadn’t mentioned

anything about love. Or commitment.

Mimi twisted strands of Rebecca’s hair and fastened them with glittery

pins. “Alison, you know Rebecca’s been seeing Thomas, right?”

“Hannah told me.” Alison claimed the kitchen chair beside Rebecca. “I’m

so glad you two are dating. Thomas deserves someone wonderful, and I

can’t think of anyone more perfect for him than you.”

Rebecca gaped at her, her earlier worries resurfacing. “You don’t feel

weird about us dating?”

“Of course not, it’s fantastic.” Alison squeezed her hands. “You two

make a wonderful couple.”

“Who knows?” Mimi said, grabbing the can of hair spray, “Maybe

Rebecca’ll be walking down the aisle next.”

“What did Grammy give you in your hope chest?” Hannah asked.

Rebecca blushed as she described the contents.

“Erotic poetry,” Mimi exclaimed. “And Grammy wrote it?”

“She’s full of all kinds of surprises,” Rebecca said.

“She’s going to be the one surprised tonight,” Hannah said.

“As long as everyone behaves themselves,” Alison added.

Mimi added a hint of hair spray, stood back and

admired the results. Rebecca couldn’t believe her eyes; she looked like

some kind of princess. The next few minutes they dressed and pampered

each other, trading cosmetics and accessories.

“Okay.” Mimi gathered them into a huddle before they dispersed. “Here’s

the plan. Everyone man their stations tonight. If you see any trouble

brewing between our dads, intercept immediately.”

The girls all saluted. Nothing could go wrong, not as long as the

Hartwell girls stayed on the alert.

The entire way to Rebecca’s, Thomas ordered himself to tell her about

his plans to interview for the job in Atlanta. But she and her cousins

were anxious about the party and their fathers, and he didn’t want to

add to her worries.

Or was he being a coward? Using that as an excuse not to rock the boat

of the tentative bond they’d formed over the last few weeks.

Was he afraid if he asked her to move with him to Atlanta that she’d

reject him?

He grabbed the corsage he’d bought and headed up the sidewalk to her

door. Memories of childhood resurfaced-his mother pushing him away after

she’d lost his brother. His father deserting him when his mother had

said she didn’t need him.

What about his needs? Why couldn’t they have loved him?

Did Rebecca?

She’d never mentioned love, and she was against marriage….

Still, he stared at the welcome sign on Rebecca’s door and remembered

the sweet, tender way she made

love to him. The painful memories faded. She couldn’t fake the depth of

emotions he glimpsed in her eyes when they held each other, or the

passion in her paintings and in the way she touched him. She had to care

for him, she couldn’t love him with her body with such tenderness if she

didn’t have feelings for him, could she? Rebecca was too sincere for that.

He punched the doorbell, his pulse racing as she opened it. “My God, you

look stunning.” He’d never imagined the shy girl he’d first met

metamorphosing into such an exquisite creature.

The soft violet dress hugged curves that he knew by heart yet teased him

to unveil them again, right then and there. “Your hair looks wonderful,”

he whispered, leaning forward to nibble at her ear. “I can’t wait to

tear it down.”

Her face flushed. “Thomas,” she whispered in a throaty voice, “you are

too much.”

He checked his watch. “I guess there’s not time.”

She grinned a female grin that sent his libido surging. “Later, honey.”

He laughed and handed her the corsage. “A lily for you to wear tonight.”

Tears misted her eyes as he took it out and placed it around her wrist.

“Why did you get a lily?” she asked, emotions tingeing her voice.

“Because they stand for purity,” he whispered. “Just like you are.”

Pure?

Thomas thought she was sweet and pure and sincere, and yet she had lied

to him!

For a minute after he’d given her the lily, she’d wondered if he’d seen

the painting of the two of them naked and entwined.

Why hadn’t she just admitted she wanted a baby from the beginning and

was exploring her options?

Because she’d been such a chicken.

He would think she was hinting at commitment. After all, he’d admitted

right away that he couldn’t make promises to her. She’d thrown herself

at him and pretended she didn’t want a commitment or marriage when that

was exactly what she wanted. Mercy, she’d dug herself into a hole. What

was she going to do now?

Thomas felt slightly out of place as the Hartwell family gathered in the

Tiara Room. His own lack of family hadn’t prepared him for the happy,

boisterous group. Hannah, Mimi, Alison, their husbands, Rebecca, Suzanne

and their twin cousins, Caitlin and Angie, along with dozen of Grammy

Rose’s friends, hugged and laughed as if they’d come together for a long

overdue family reunion when, in actuality, they’d recently seen each

other at Alison’s wedding. The door squeaked open and two elderly

blue-haired ladies toddled in.

One of them tapped her cane on the table edge. “She’s here.”

“Hit the lights,” Mimi hissed. “Everyone in their places!”

Seconds later Grammy Rose entered, and they jumped up and yelled,

“Surprise!”

“Oh, my word!” Grammy Rose’s wide eyes glittered with joy as she scanned

the crowded room of

friends and family. The girls had arrived early enough to hang a Happy

Birthday banner and streamers of silver and gold across the ceiling. In

the midst of the gold-lace-draped table, the three-tiered birthday cake

Mimi had baked sported enough candles to set the entire place on fire.

Grammy Rose wagged a bony finger at Clara Mae, her best friend. “You sly

old fox, you knew about this, didn’t you?”

Clara patted her curly gray bob and tittered. “Got you on that one,

didn’t we?”

Grammy Rose cackled. “You’re dern right. I thought we were going to

Bingo night.”

Everyone laughed and clapped, each of the girls taking a turn to hug and

wish their grandmother a happy birthday while the church ladies started

the line for the buffet. Thomas spotted Wiley on one side of the room

with Hannah, and Bert on the opposite with Suzanne as if the girls had

posted themselves as guard dogs.

But it was Rebecca who stood out in the crowd. He couldn’t take his eyes

off her. She seemed radiant tonight in that violet dress, and so happy

that the thought of confessing his possible move to Atlanta didn’t seem

like such a good idea. After all, he’d booked a room at the Honeysuckle

Inn and wanted to convince her to stay the night with him.

He didn’t want anything to spoil the evening for her.

The party was a huge success, Rebecca thought, as she watched everyone

eat and mingle. Grammy Rose seemed on cloud nine.

And Thomas…she felt his eyes on her everywhere she went. His heated

looks and sultry glances were

driving her crazy. She’d looked forward to this party, yet now she

couldn’t wait for it to end so they could spend the night together. Her

body tingled at the thought of what they would be doing later.

Grammy opened Rebecca’s gift, a book of love poems, and laughed out

loud. She clutched Rebecca’s hands, then leaned over and whispered, “How

are you and your young man getting along, dear?”

Rebecca blushed. “Fine, Grammy.”

Her grandmother winked. “I had a feeling about him.”

Rebecca laughed and Mimi handed her another gift. Her grandmother oohed

and ahhed at the photo of Maggie Rose that Mimi framed for her. “There’s

a gift certificate to the spa in there, too,” Mimi said. “You can get a

facial, a pedicure, a massage, the works.”

“Mercy,” Grammy Rose said. “I can’t wait for that!”

Hannah gave her a new quilting book. “And we have a surprise,” Hannah

said. “Jake and I are pregnant.”

“Pregnant!” Mimi yelled.

“Oh, my word!” Grammy screeched.

Wiley pulled Hannah into a hug, and the other Hartwells joined in.

Rebecca’s eyes misted, her gaze meeting Thomas’s over the chaos. He gave

her an odd look, then glanced away.

Wiley hugged Grammy. “Happy birthday, Mom.”

Grammy Rose punched his arm. “Oh, heck, son, I’m thrilled y’all are all

here. Having you and Bert together and all my granddaughters is a gift

in itself.”

She winked. “Even if you have been keeping to opposite sides of the room.”

Wiley laughed that boisterous laugh of his. “We both love you, you know

that.”

A twinge of sadness touched Grammy’s eyes as the girls twin cousins,

Caitlin and Angie, approached. “Now about your mother?”

“We tried to get in touch with her,” Caitlin said. “But we couldn’t

reach her.”

“I tried to, as well,” Wiley said. “But we don’t know where Shelby took

off to.”

Grammy Rose shook her head. “She’ll come back in due time, I reckon.”

Rebecca caught the cue from Mimi and urged her to open the remaining

gifts. Grammy hooted and cried and laughed as she opened gag gifts and

sentimental ones.

Uncle Wiley handed her a small box. Grammy shrieked, “Look at this, it’s

a key!”

“To that gold convertible Cadillac you’ve always wanted.” He hugged her.

“I found one and had it restored.”

“I declare, what a surprise, Wiley. I can’t wait to drive it!”

Bert moved toward her and handed her another box. Grammy’s gaze flitted

from one brother to another. “Happy birthday, Mother.”

Rebecca held her breath at the way the two men stalked around each other

like two big old lions vying for the same territory.

Grammy opened the small gift box and held up a diamond necklace trimmed

in rubies, then turned for

Bert to fasten it around her neck. “Thank you, son. It’s beautiful.”