Jarod's Heart (King Brothers Stories #2) (21 page)

She removed her spectacles and stared at him for a moment.

Finally, she admitted, “I can’t imagine how hard this past month has been for you, darling. I won’t pretend that everything is sunshine and roses right now because I’m just as confused as you are about Miranda’s death and the miracle of Jessica.”

He closed his eyes in relief. This wasn’t going to be a smackdown.

“But if you think for one second that you can marry Lauren and exclude your family—exclude
me
—then you’ve got another
think
coming, mister.”

Wait, what?

“If Lauren has agreed, and you are dead set on marrying her in such a rush, I’m not going to stop you. I had hoped for a church wedding for the two of you…”

“You knew that I asked Lauren to marry me?” he interrupted, but she ignored his question.

“…but if you have a pressing need to marry her right this second, you could at least let me plan a decent reception for the two of you.”

“Mom…”

She held up her hand in the age-old stop gesture.

“Miranda was never the love of your life, Jarod. You just thought she was. You were far too young to know what love is, and there was no doubt in my mind that Miranda was only with you because you were the heir apparent to our family’s money. The proof was in the pudding when you announced that you were going into law enforcement instead of working beside your father at King Construction. She left without a backward glance. That should’ve told you something.”

He was stunned. He hadn’t thought of his relationship with Miranda in those terms. He had loved her so much, or at least had thought that he had, that he couldn’t see… Of course, she was a gold digger.

Wow, the realization was almost a relief.

“You couldn’t see it because you were too close to it,” she explained as if reading his mind. “Kind of like Julie thinking that she couldn’t love Jason. Her judgement was blinded by lies spun by Billy, who was competing for her affection.

“Miranda had you so tightly wrapped around her finger, that you couldn’t see that she was no better for you than Billy was for Julie.”

It was like a veil had been lifted. For the first time in five years, he saw things more clearly. He hadn’t pushed Miranda away; he hadn’t let her down as a husband. She’d never loved him in the first place.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I know you do, Jarod,” she replied a bit haughtily, making him chuckle.

Turning all business, she said, “Now, if you want to plan a small wedding with Lauren, that’s fine, but you WILL have a decent reception to introduce yourselves to the community as a family, and I will plan it. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now that that’s settled, the girls and I will need to make some adjustments in our schedule to fit this in. When were you planning on stealing her away?”

“Tonight.”

They stared at each other before she began to shake her head.

“That’s too soon.”

“I’m not budging. I want to marry her tonight. I’ve already made the calls…”

“She doesn’t have a proper dress! And we need to get out invitations…”

“We are getting married tonight. I’ve already reserved a chapel in Reno for seven o’clock this evening. I can’t take time off of work right now; I was just on my way down to tell her.”

He heard her blasphemous curse under her breath and quickly silenced his chuckle.

“Fine. But there will be a reception as soon as I can manage it. Understood?”

“Completely. And since she will be my wife, she won’t be able to work for me anymore, so she’ll be readily available for you to torture in that Room of Doom of yours.”

She cracked a grin, then stood to leave. “I left Lauren and Julie in the craft room. Will you be taking Jessica with you?”

Jarod hadn’t thought about it, so he merely shrugged.

“Oh, I hate this rushing around business,” she said before she stormed out of the room, obviously irritated all over again.

L
auren lay on her side, rubbing the gold band around the ring finger of her left hand, mesmerized by the glint of the morning sunshine off the bevel that went all the way around it. She enjoyed the warmth on her face but relished the heat that was engulfing her from her head to her toes. Jarod’s warm body was spooned up tightly behind her. His left arm draped haphazardly around her waist, his torso touching every inch of her naked skin along her back, and a heavy leg was covering her thigh. His spicy male scent flowed over her, keeping this peaceful, dreamlike aura alive in the new sunlight streaming through the window.

As the daylight began to fill the room, she knew that this moment would end soon and he’d be anxious to get home to Jessica. Camille had suggested that she stay home with the family because Lauren and Jarod would need some time for themselves.

She’d been correct.

Jarod had gotten them to the chapel right on schedule. He’d worn black dress slacks, a white dress shirt, and a black tie, but had forgone a jacket. Noting his casualness, she’d worn a long, black, western-cut skirt, her only pair of cowboy boots, and her white silk blouse. There’d been no time to order flowers, but the chapel had provided a simple bouquet of daisies and baby’s breath.

The ceremony itself had been short and sweet, the license and other paperwork taking more time to complete than the I do’s.

By seven-thirty, the minister had pronounced them Mr. and Mrs. Jarod King.

Done deal.

By seven forty-five, Jarod had them checked into the hotel suite, which was an upgrade from a basic room. The front desk clerk had noticed her small bouquet and asked if they’d used the hotel’s chapel. Jarod had immediately said yes.

With a wink and a smile, their room had been upgraded to a spacious suite with a jacuzzi tub right in the middle of the floor and an oversized king bed.

Jarod had taken advantage of both, and neither of them had gotten much sleep.

Lauren smiled at the memory, but she didn’t feel tired now, just contemplative of their new relationship. Morning afters stunk, and she supposed that this would count as one. After all, he had proposed and married her all in the same day. The only difference was that neither of them had been drunk when they’d met with the justice of the peace. She hated feeling awkward and wondered what would happen next.

She got her answer before the thought had been completed in her head when Jarod began to stir behind her. A smile slowly formed on her lips when the hand on her torso began to slide up her body to do more exploring, and she felt his body begin to awaken, coming to full attention behind her. Whisker-roughened lips kissed her neck, gliding up to nibble on her earlobe, making her toes curl.

“Good morning, beautiful. How was your night?” he whispered in a sleepy, masculine voice.

Feeling ornery, she answered, “Horrible. I barely caught a wink of sleep.”

“Horrible, huh? Maybe I should make it up to you,” he said, pushing her to her back and leaning over her for a leisurely kiss.

“Yes, maybe you should,” she agreed breathily.

God, Jarod in the morning was a wonderful sight to see. His short hair was a little flat, and his face was covered in stubble. But his eyes, peeking through dark lashes, were like blue fire, and they were currently focused on her lips.

“Good thing I’m up for the task, ma’am,” he growled.

She only giggled for a second after he put his plan into action.

THEY HAD A
quick breakfast in the downstairs restaurant before checking out of the hotel by eleven o’clock. Lauren was still a bit dazed by this morning’s activities and stunned at Jarod’s nonchalant attitude. He seemed…unfazed by their new circumstance.

Unfortunately, the usual panic was making an appearance, but she fought hard to keep up a happy front. For now, she would follow his lead and try not to give her uneasiness away.

“I’m sorry to rush you this morning, but I really wanted to get back home. I have to get a storage shed rented and order a U-haul. I need to check in with Brad and Eli to let them know of the new changes in the office. And I need to post your position right away.”

Like brakes screeching on asphalt, the repercussions of her hasty marriage hit her smack in the face. His to-do list only reinforced her agitated state as her earlier peaceful calm flew right out the window. Trying to process what he’d just announced, she addressed each item in the order that he’d given her.

“First off, never apologize for making love to me, Jarod. We won’t last long as a couple if you do that.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Sassy, I’m not apologizing for that. If I was sorry for making love to you, that would mean I never intended to do it again. Believe me, I am
not
sorry.”

Okay, so he liked sex. Every man did.

“Well, then, what were you apologizing for?”

“For rushing us out of there.”

“That was your idea of a quickie?” Lauren was surprised and a bit giddy at the prospect of more quickies.

He focused his bedroom eyes on her, making her tingle all over again. “That was way too quick for my taste.”

Oh, goody.

Moving on to the next item on his list, she asked, “Okay, then why do you need a storage shed and a U-haul?”

“Are you kidding?”

“No.” Had she missed something?

“Honey, we need to get your stuff moved out of your townhouse.”

She swallowed. He wanted her to give up her home? But what if this didn’t work out? Sure, she spent the majority of her time with his family, but still, the townhouse was hers. What if she needed some space, some time to think? What if they fought? What if he realized that marrying her was a mistake and he wanted a divorce? Where would she go then?

As if he could read her thoughts, Jarod said gently, “Lauren, you are my wife. You live where I live. You sleep where I sleep.”

He reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss on the knuckles, then turned it palm up to kiss the inside of her wrist. “You are a King now, a part of my family. You are Jessica’s mother. Please don’t run from me…from us.”

The sincerity of his words made her eyes well with tears, and her heart sang with joy at his acceptance of her into his family, even under the circumstances.

“Please don’t shut me out, either. I’ve been there and done that already.” He sounded angry.

That hit a nerve. “Don’t ever compare me to your ex-wife, Jarod King. I’m not a coward.” She let out a breath. “I think I’m just a little overwhelmed at the moment. And since when have you ever known me to run from a challenge?”

He laughed at that. “Never.”

“Okay then.” Geez, she’d just gotten Jarod, and he thought she’d give him up? Not for anything. But her fears of abandonment were just under the surface, so she tried to explain herself.

“When dad left me with my mother, I was all alone. My mother was never sober, and so I had to fend for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining because it made me who I am.”

He was staring out the windshield, holding her hand to his thigh. He gave her an encouraging squeeze. “Go on.”