Newlywed Games (37 page)

The office door was closed but not latched, and she heard nothing from within its darkness. She knocked softly and pushed the door open when she heard no reply. The only light in the room was a small desk lamp, casting strange shadows around the room. Since no one
was here, she decided to use Bruce’s phone to call a taxi and crossed the room to the desk.

“This night was a raving success, thanks to you.”

Meghann spun around at the voice in the murky dimness, clutching the receiver to her chest. The light from the hall revealed a form stretched out on the couch. Bruce was still here?

He sat up. “It’s a little late to be making phone calls, unless you’re calling Europe or something.”

She glanced at the instrument in her hand. “I was just calling a taxi. It seems my carriage has turned into a pumpkin.” She couldn’t tell if he smiled at that or not.

“I’ll drive you.” He stood and strode across the room. Her heart took off on a wild dance. “It’ll take too long for a taxi to show up. I can have you home and be back here before one would even show up. It’s the least I can do for a loyal employee.”

She glanced at the couch behind him. “You’re going to sleep here?” She realized he’d done so many times before, during their mock marriage. She felt bad that he had slept on a too short sofa on her account. Why would he do that for her?

“I have to be back here in a few hours anyway and didn’t want to disturb my family.” He stopped in front of her, still in his prince costume minus the coat, and held her in his gaze. “I don’t know if there will be room for the two of us in the ‘Vette with all that gold satin your dress is constructed of.”

She smiled at the thought of stuffing her full dress, hoop skirt and all, into his little sports car.

“You have a nice smile. I wish I could bring it to
your face more often.” He sounded downhearted, almost defeated.

Entranced by his fierce gaze, she could neither breathe nor talk. He just stood there unmoving. Her heart thumped so hard against her ribs she thought it might break free.

“I’ll warn you right now, I haven’t given up on the two of us.” His voice had a new earnestness, low and husky. “Meghann Livingston, you are the woman I’ve waited for all my life. I know it as surely as I know my name. And I’m going to hound you until you realize it, too.”

“You are?” His ardent pledge sent her stumbling back into his desk chair. If not for the quick reaction of his strong arms she would have fallen backward into the chair and probably tumbled to the floor.

A slow smile pulled at his mouth as she stood there, motionless, nestled against his chest—the place she was meant to be.

“I am. Because I can’t fathom living life without a young, vibrant woman with hair the color of honey and brown eyes that sparkle with green, sometimes so much there is barely a trace of brown. A woman with a spirit so sweet I couldn’t help but be drawn to her.”

His words washed over her, and she felt the final remnants of her doubts slip away. This was true. This was solid and real and what mattered most—Bruce’s feelings for her; her feelings for him.

As for Charmaine…she was the fantasy. The mirage that deceived her into seeing things that weren’t there. Bruce had told her the truth; Meg was certain of it, deep inside.

He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers and leaned closer. “I love you, Meghann Livingston, now and forever.”

She basked in the feel of his hand on her face and covered his hand with one of her own. “I lov—” but her declaration was lost in his tender kiss.

And at long last, Meg felt as though she’d come home. Now and forever.

I
N THE SIDE ROOM DESIGNATED FOR THE GROOM,
B
RUCE
straightened his tie in the full-length mirror. This was a perfect day. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Today he would marry the woman of his dreams. The six months since the masquerade ball had seemed like an eternity.

Brock slammed through the door, out of breath. “Bruce, you have to come quick. Our father is at it again. He has Meghann cornered.”

Bruce grabbed his tuxedo coat and swung it on as he rushed out the door after Brock. His father had been more agreeable since they had their altercation over his attempt to bribe Meghann to walk out of Bruce’s life. And the last time his father visited, he hadn’t stocked Bruce’s junk food bar with liquor. He’d really expected his father to behave himself. He sure hadn’t expected him to try and pull something today.

He followed Brock through the church to the bride’s dressing room. He charged into the room without fear of catching anyone only half dressed. If his
brother had been in here and his father was in here, it was safe.

“Bruce, what are you doing here? You aren’t supposed to be in here.”

He ignored the women’s protests; he didn’t believe that nonsense anyway and searched out Meghann. There, in the corner, behind his overbearing father. He crossed the room quickly and plucked the prenuptial agreement from her hands.

“I don’t mind signing it.” There was laughter in her voice as she gazed up at him lovingly.

She took his breath away, and for a moment he forgot why he was there. But the papers in his hand reminded him. “Our marriage is going to be based on trust. When I marry you, it is for life. We don’t need this.” Bruce held up the distasteful document in the air.

“I know. That’s why I don’t mind.”

“I
do
mind.” He tore it in half and handed it back to his father.

“It’s your funeral, son,” Ivan said brusquely.

Bruce looked his father in the eye and said firmly, “No, it’s my wedding.” Bruce turned to Meghann. “You ready?”

She nodded enthusiastically and took his arm.

“I hope that God of yours is as great as you believe,” his father called after them. “You’ll need it.”

“He is and more.” Was that really his father mentioning God? Maybe he was softening and there was hope for him after all. But he couldn’t think about that right now; he had the love of his life to marry.

He slipped a paper of his own from his inside jacket
pocket and handed it over to her.

“Don’t tell me you had your own prenuptial drawn up?” Her eyes sparkled with laughter.

“No, darling. It’s your wedding gift: the deed to our home.”

Her eyes widened. “The house we looked at with Mom?”

“Unless you want a different house?”

Her squeal—and the way she grabbed him around the neck in a hug—gave him all the answer he needed.

He would gladly give her the world if it made her happy. Holding on to her tightly, he kissed her soundly.

“Hey, you’ll have plenty of time for that later, brother.”

Bruce let go of Meg and smiled at Brock. “I sincerely hope so.”

Brock shook his head, an indulgent grin on his face. “Newlyweds, can’t live with ’em—” he winked at Meg—“and that pretty well covers it.”

She laughed and batted at him. Watching them together, Bruce was thankful he didn’t feel even a twinge of jealousy. Just gratitude that his soon-to-be wife and his brother were so fond of each other.

Meg came to loop her arm in his. “God has given us so much, hasn’t He?”

“More than I ever dreamed possible.”

“All things really do work together for good, don’t they?”

He tucked her into the crook of his arm. “They do, indeed, my love.”

“Promise me one thing, Bruce.”

At the somber request, he gazed down at her. “Name it.”

“No more games. No pretense. No lies. We do this God’s way, all the way.”

His heart filled with gratitude for the woman God had given him. “I promise. No more games. Just a lot of years of love and honor and remembering how blessed we are.”

He cupped her face in his hands and bowed his head, reverently sealing his vow with a kiss.

“Well, I’d say our plan was a total success.”

They looked up to see Olivia and Gayle standing there, faces beaming.

“Oh yes, indeed,” Gayle was agreeing. “It worked like a charm.”

“Your plan?” Meg tilted her head as she asked the question.

“To get you two back together.”

“Mother!” Meg’s hands came to her hips. “You promised not to meddle!”

Gayle didn’t look the least bit repentant, and Bruce had to fight back a smile. “But I’ll bet you’re glad I did this time—” Gayle looked from him to Meg—“aren’t you, sweetie? Just look at the lovely husband I found for you.”

“Mom…”

Waving at her daughter, Gayle reached out to loop her arm with Olivia. “Now, all we need to do is work on the issue of grandchildren.”

“We should have the first within the year, don’t you think?” Olivia agreed.

“Mother!”

Bruce and Meg said it together, and both their mothers turned, grinned at them, and sauntered away.

Meg looked up at Bruce. “They’re unstoppable. You know that, don’t you?”

“Well, so are we,” he replied firmly, and was rewarded by a beautiful grin. She took his hand.

“So, onward into the future.”

“With you? Absolutely.”

As they walked toward the sanctuary, he knew their life together was going to be wonderful. And blessed. And filled with laughter.

And never, ever boring.

You can write to Mary Davis:
c/o Palisades
P.O. Box 1720
Sisters, OR 97759

D
AVE WAITED UNTIL
K
ATE’S BROTHER
S
TEPHEN DISAPPEARED
up the stairs. “Why didn’t you tell me yesterday? Trust me?”

“Tell you what? That I might have someone in my past who may be a murderer?” Kate swung away from him into the living room. “I’ve never even met this guy. Until twenty-four hours ago, I didn’t even have a suspicion that he existed.”

“Kate, he’s targeting you.”

“Then let him find me.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“There is no reason for him to have blown up a plane just to get at me, to get at some banker. We’re never going to know the truth unless someone can grab him; and if he gets cornered by a bunch of cops, he’ll either kill himself or be killed in a shootout. It would be easier all around if he did come after me.”

“Stop thinking with your emotions and use your head.” Dave shot back. “What we need to do is to solve this case. That’s how we’ll find out the answers and ultimately find him.”

“Then you go tear through the piles of data. I don’t want to have anything to do with it. Don’t you understand that? I don’t want to be the one who puts the pieces together. Yesterday was like getting stuck in the gut with a hot poker.”

He understood it, could feel the pain flowing from her. “Fine. Stay here for a day, get your feet back under you. Then get back in the game and stop acting like you’re the only one this is hurting. Or have you forgotten all the people that died?” He saw the sharp pain
flash in her eyes before they went cold and regretted his words.

“That was a low blow and you know it.”

“Kate—”

“I can’t offer anything to the investigation, don’t you understand that? I don’t
know
anything. I don’t know him.”