Her Prince Charming: An Inspirational Romance (17 page)

I
was trying
to repair the edges of my lip gloss when James led us up the stairs and pushed open a set of double doors to reveal my mother, whose eyes widened for a moment before she let loose with a wide smile.

“I was wondering where you two were. Come on, we’re almost late. Though you know Christie won’t be ready on time. But we should be there. You look beautiful, Sara, just wonderful.”

She kept up a steady stream of chatter as she led us to one of the smaller of Drake Garden’s reception rooms. Taking in the elegant space, it was clear the resort did a big business in weddings and other formal events. We slid into our aisle after James scowled away the usher who tried to take my arm. Not too many minutes later, the music kicked in and the ceremony began.

Thankfully, it was a quick wedding. Neither the bride nor groom was particularly religious or spiritual, and they stuck with the basics. I found the service lacking without the presence of God, but I supposed it was a good fit for Christie and Tim. A few words, some back and forth on the vows, a kiss and they were done. I was ready to get to the reception and visit with my Mom while I enjoyed James’s company.

I was thinking about our conversation outside when my mother linked her arm with mine and drew me away from James. He caught my free hand in his and said, “Don’t leave my sight, not until Greg is in custody.”

“I won’t,” I said, letting my mother pull me toward the room’s exit.

“James can do without you for a minute or two,” she said, tucking my arm in hers as we walked. “I’ve never seen you look so beautiful, honey. You’re glowing. Is it love? Or just really amazing sex?”

“Mom!” I was a fully grown woman, but my Mom could still make me blush. She might have suspected I was still innocent, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask, and I didn’t want to talk about it with her. I wasn’t sure she’d understand my choices.

“I think it’s love,” she said with a satisfied smile. I remained silent, admitting nothing as she went on, “I knew you’d hook him, honey.”

“Mom, he’s not a fish,” I said, my need to defend James forcing me out of my mortified silence.

“No, he’s a whale.” She giggled. “Seriously, honey, I knew you’d get him. The way he looks at you. Whew!” She pretended to fan herself.

“I’m moving in to the Drake Gardens,” I admitted. She patted my arm.

“Good girl.”

“It’s not about that,” I protested, worried that she thought I was after James for his money.

“What?” she asked, “The money? I know you, Sara, so I know it’s not about the money. Anyway, greedy women don’t get men like that. The only way to get a man like James is just to be you.”

It was exactly what I needed to hear. I was lifting an arm to hug my Mom when I heard a shout off to the left. Curious, I turned to see Greg bearing down on us, wildly waving a gun in one hand.

I backed away in horror, shouting James’s name and trying to shove my mother behind me. I was taller and bigger, but she had a mother’s need to protect her child, and we ended up scuffling when we should have been running. All the while, Greg came closer, shouting in unintelligible bursts.

I couldn’t see James in the suddenly screaming, milling crowd on the resort floor. From the sides of the lobby men in identical black suits melted out of the sea of people, some of them speaking into clear plastic earpieces, a few brandishing guns. They would have been comforting if they hadn’t been so far away.

In slow motion I watched Greg raise the gun and aim it at me, shouting, “I’m going to kill you.”

Out of nowhere, James launched himself through the air, catching Greg in his gut, taking him to the floor in a tangle of limbs. A blast echoed as the gun went off, followed by a crash as the bullet hit a chandelier above. The impact of hitting the floor jarred the gun from Greg's hand where it was picked up by one of the black suited security guards. Shards of crystal fell around us as I rushed toward them, heedless of the danger in my need to get to James. A hard arm caught me in the midsection, dragging me back. I struggled until I heard a familiar voice in my ear.

“Stay back Sara. James is fine,” Ryan said.

“How did Greg get in here?” I demanded.

“We’re working on figuring that out. The police are already here. He’ll be gone in a minute.”

I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to talk to him before he was taken away. Wrenching back from Ryan, I headed for James and Greg. Ryan was clearly unwilling to wrestle me down because he followed without further discussion.

James held Greg on the floor with a knee to his neck. Greg wasn’t struggling, but James scowled at me and said,

“Sara, get back.” Looking at Ryan, he growled, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I want to talk to him,” I said.

“No,” James answered. “There’s nothing he has to say that you need to hear.”

“James, I want to talk to him. Please.” James scowled at me, but slid his knee back and pulled Greg to a sitting position. Ryan moved behind Greg, producing a set of handcuffs. He secured Greg's hands with the smooth skill born of practice.

“Why?” I asked Greg, finally meeting his enraged brown eyes. “You stole from me. You burned my house to the ground. Now you try to kill me.” Behind me, I heard my mother gasp. “Why?” I demanded. “Why me? What did I do to you?”

“This is all your fault. Everything was fine until your ten grand. That was the money that put me in the hole with Fedorov. I haven’t won a hand of cards since I bet that money. You killed my luck and then you couldn’t make it right. Burning down your house should have fixed it, but it didn’t. I need you dead.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. “You did all this because you think I’m responsible for your bad luck at cards?”

“It’s you. It’s your fault. All of it.” He started to mumble under his breath. Now that I was closer, I could smell the sour scent of stale liquor coming off him. I looked over at James, who had come to his feet and moved to stand beside me.

“He’s insane,” I said, hearing the amazement in my voice. “Completely nuts. He tried to kill me because he had bad luck at cards after betting the money he stole from me? Is that what he just said? Seriously?”

“It is,” James agreed sliding his arms around me from behind. Abruptly the jolt of adrenaline from seeing the gun faded, and I leaned back into James’s warmth. Together, we watched five policemen separate the crowd as they headed for Greg. His prone body disappeared under the swarm of blue. They yanked him to his feet, escorted him across the main floor of the Drake Gardens, and out of my life.

I sent a silent thanks to God for protecting us in such a dangerous situation. I was sure I’d have to deal with Greg again when he went to trial, but for now I was free from the threat of further destruction.

“Don’t do that again,” I said to James, turning to brush a stray piece of carpet fluff off his sleeve. “He could have shot you.”

“He was
going
to shoot you,” James said. “Don’t try to stop me from protecting you again, Sara. I won’t do it. You’re mine. I’d take a bullet if I had to.”

My heart swelled. James was sweet and terrifying at the same time.

“Okay, how about I just stay away from crazy men with guns, and then you won’t have to go near any bullets?”

“That works for me,” he said, pressing a kiss to my lips. As I leaned into his arms I heard my sister’s shrill voice say,

“Is the drama over yet? I’d like to get back to my wedding!”

Typical. I almost get shot and she’s worried about it interrupting her party. Any other day she might have bothered me, but not today. Not when I’d just decided to move in with an amazing man who’d saved my life.

“Come on,” James said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders in a possessive hold. “Let’s go. I want to dance with you at the wedding.”

That I could do. Though the way he said ‘wedding’ made me a little nervous. Three days and I’d kind of agreed to move in. He wasn’t going to get any ideas about weddings, was he?

Mentally, I shrugged. I was done worrying about the future, at least for now. Life was too good to worry. Instead, I was going to hang on tight to James and enjoy the ride.

I
sat
at the bar studying my glass of water and waiting for James. I hadn’t been back to this place since the night I’d met James here. Tonight, another Thursday, it wasn’t crowded. I was even wearing another navy blue dress, though Jessica had picked this one out, and it looked much better on me than the dress I’d been wearing the night James had swept into my life.

It was funny to be here, sitting on the same stool, remembering how miserable I’d been until James sat beside me and asked about my day. Since we’d met I’d known happiness I hadn’t believed possible, even in those first few days with Greg's video and my house burning down.

I hadn’t yet moved out of my room at the Drake. Though it was more than just a room. I should have known when James had agreed to me leaving the cottage that he wouldn’t have put me in a simple room like the one I’d originally booked. Instead I’d been living in a suite and eating most of my meals in one of the resort’s restaurants.

By the time the insurance was finally settled, and I had a big fat check to spend on a new home, I’d been at Drake Gardens for a month and couldn’t imagine wanting to leave. It wasn’t the luxury of the suite, though I didn’t mind that. It was being so close to James. We saw each other almost every day.

It was a rare evening that we didn’t eat dinner together, or at least take a walk in the gardens. When I moved out I knew finding the time to see him would be that much harder.

I’d worried that he might be ready to have his space back. After all we’d originally gotten together to heal his reputation. That was taken care of. The papers carried the occasional picture of us when I accompanied him to an event, but for the most part they’d decided that James had settled down and lost interest.

What if James had lost interest as well? A part of me had wondered if he really could want to be with me all of the time. That small, doubting voice in my head couldn’t quite believe I’d gotten so lucky.

James had solved that problem in his typical straight forward way. He’d run into me at the front desk when I was collecting my mail and seen the envelope with the insurance check in my hands. He’d immediately known what it was. Not wasting time, he’d taken my arm and steered me through the lobby and out to the garden path.

“Is that the check for your house?” he’d asked, his green eyes examining my face. I’d nodded. “And?”

“And what?” I asked, stalling. My stomach twisted in a queasy knot.

“What are your plans?” he asked.

“I’ve looked at a few apartments.”

“Any close to here?”

“Not too far. There isn’t really anything that close to Drake Gardens.” I was sure James already knew that. Drake Gardens was surrounded by large residential lots and a few spots of commercial development, but no large apartment complexes or rentals.

“Will you wait before you do anything?” he asked, surprising me.

“James, I can’t just keep living here at Drake Gardens. Not now that the insurance is settled. For one thing, I don’t like taking advantage of you. What will your parents think?”

“My mother will try to send me to my room if I let you leave,” he said, laughing. “You know she loves you.”

It was true, his mother and I adored each other. I loved my own Mom, as different as we were. But James’s Mom was something else. We understood each other. Well, except that she was a little more forceful than me.

After our first Sunday dinner at her house I’d found myself agreeing to help with the dinner she was arranging as a fundraiser with their family’s church. I didn’t know quite how it happened, but I hadn’t minded. I’d had fun and we’d done a lot of good. And she’d surprised me by showing up while I was volunteering at the shelter and pitched in. I suspect she was trying to take the measure of the woman her son was seeing, but she must have liked what she saw because she’d been nothing but welcoming since.

“I know she likes me,” I’d said to James, “But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to live in the resort and take from the company without giving anything back. I’m not comfortable with it.”

“I understand.” He’d stopped our walk and turned to me, tilting my face up to his. “Then will you just hold off for a little bit? Not forever. Will you trust me and just wait?”

Unable to speak, I simply nodded my head.

So I had. That had been a month ago. I’d tried raising the topic at dinner the other night, but he’d shut me down. I was getting a little frustrated, but he’d asked for trust and I was going to give it to him.

My phone beeped in front of me and I checked the screen.

On my way. Got held up on a call.

James. I’d learned that, as I’d suspected, that first weekend aside, he worked a lot. But I rarely had to ask him to make time for me. He always remembered our plans and kept me posted if he was late or had to reschedule. I did my best to be understanding, aware that when tax season rolled around, he’d be the one getting texts and rushed phone calls about me working until midnight.

We’d had our only real fight the first time he left Atlanta for a family trip. He’d wanted me to join them. I said no. If I hadn’t had my job, I would have loved to fly East to meet his brother and cousin. But I had clients and responsibilities. I couldn’t just leave town in the middle of the week.

James had given in eventually. I think it helped that things were better at work. I suspected either James had gone behind my back and spoken to my slimy boss, or my boss had found out who I was living with. Either way, he’d been keeping his distance and treating me with cautious respect. He also sucked at his job and the higher-ups had noticed. I guessed he’d be replaced any day now.

I felt James at my back before I saw him. His arms came around me from behind, pulling me back into his chest as his head dropped beside mine. He kissed the shell of my ear and whispered,

“Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s okay,” I said, turning my head so I could press my lips to his. “I haven’t been here long. Just sitting here thinking.”

“Hmm? Remembering the night we met? How I talked you into dating me so you could save my reputation?”

He winked at me, giving me an exaggerated lear so unlike his normal, charming smile that I burst out laughing.

“If your game had been that bad,” I said, “You never would have gotten me off this stool.”

“It’s a good thing I knew exactly what to say to get you agree to my plan.”

That was the understatement of the century. What if I had said no to him then? I would have missed so much. Watching him as he took the stool beside me, wearing a well cut gray suit, his dark hair mussed from the long day, I knew there was no way I would have told him no.

I’d had my stupid moments. The whole debacle with Greg case in point. But even at my worst, I never would have been foolish enough to turn James down. And that was without knowing what a good man he was. How sweet. And how loyal. How loving.

I waited for James to order something, but gave a dismissive signal to the bartender standing at alert a few feet away. The bartender left to polish glass on the far side of the room and I looked at James in confusion. We didn’t usually hang out at the bar of the restaurant unless it was part of an event for James’s work.

Clearing his throat, he said, “You’re probably wondering why I asked you to meet me here instead of my office.”

He sounded nervous, completely unlike himself. I realized with a jolt that I’d never seen James nervous. I straightened on my stool, alert to what might be going on. I had no clue. Trying to hide my confusion, I said,

“The thought crossed my mind.”

He reached out and took my hand in his, his green eyes locking on mine. “I saw you that night sitting here, and I knew you were someone special. I only talked to you for a few minutes before I knew I had to get to know you better. What I didn’t know was how quickly I’d fall in love with you. And how certain I’d be that you’re the only woman I’ll ever want.”

Releasing my hand, he drew something from his pocket. My heart stuttered in my chest, and my brain froze. My eyes must have widened comically when I saw the black velvet box in his hand because he smiled and said,

“Will you?”

“Ask me the right way,” I said through a tight throat, too nervous to assume he was asking what I hoped he was asking.

Standing, he tugged me off the stool, then dropped to one knee before me. Taking my left hand in his, he said,

“Sara Cunningham, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. I want to make a life with you, have children with you, and grow old with you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Will you be my wife?”

I managed to squeak out a ‘Yes’ as tears welled in my eyes. James slid the ring on my finger as he stood, pulling me into his arms. I lifted my head, meeting his lips with mine. His kiss was fierce, possessive, and filled with love. On the other side of the bar, I heard the pop of a champagne bottle opening. Two glasses clinked beside us.

James let me go just long enough to pick up my champagne and hand it to me. I discretely wiped lipgloss from my lower lip, but ignored the champagne in favor of checking out my ring.

It was huge. I didn’t know enough about jewelry to guess at the carat weight, but I knew big from small. This was bigger than big, just on the elegant side of too much. Set in platinum - I was sure James would have chosen the more expensive platinum over white gold - the ring had a large, round, brilliantly clear center diamond surrounded by a geometric bezel frame decorated with small diamonds, set in a pave band with yet more small diamonds. It was almost blinding as it sparkled on my hand.

I had a habit of complaining to James when he spent too much money on me. Two months hadn’t been enough to break lifelong habits of sensible economy. But I wasn’t going to say a word about what this ring must have cost. I knew James too well to think he’d get anything less than the absolute best for my engagement ring.

Raising my eyes to his, I said, “It’s beautiful. I love it. And I love you.”

“Maybe this wasn’t the most romantic place to propose,” he said, again sounding a little uncertain. Was it possible even the mighty James Drake got a little off balance where marriage was concerned? To stop him from worrying I raised a finger and pressed it to his lips.

“No,” I said. “This is the perfect place. Who would have thought when I was crying into my drink that I’d end up here, in love with the most wonderful man in the world, ready to spend the rest of my life with him.”

That must have been the right thing to say because James’s uncertainty vanished. He scooped me up into his arms and turned for the exit, saying over his shoulder,

“Have the champagne sent to the cottage along with dinner.”

“We’re eating at your cottage?” I asked, holding on to his shoulders for balance.

“I had them set it up on the porch. Though soon enough, we’ll be eating inside. Alone.”

I shivered in his arms. So far we’d taken things slowly, stopping at kisses. James never pushed me for more. But now that we were engaged, the clock had started ticking. I tried not to want to rush to what would happen after our wedding. We’d waited this long, it would be foolish not to wait just a little bit longer. So we would.

When we were finally together as a man and woman, it would be with God’s blessing. It would be all a marriage was meant to be. And tonight we had all the time in the world to be together. We had the rest of our lives.