“I—” She had to swallow. “I prefer the word classic, or heirloom. Or let’s get real, woo-hoo. Harper, Roz must—”
“It was promised to me. Given to me to give to you, to the woman I want to spend my life with. I want you to wear it. Marry me, Hayley.”
“It’s beautiful, Harper. You’re beautiful.”
“I’m not done.”
“Oh.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I can’t imagine there’s more.”
“I want you to take my name. I want Lily to take my name. I want the whole package. I can’t settle for less.”
“Do you know what you’re saying?” She laid a hand on his cheek. “What you’re doing?”
“Exactly. And you better answer me soon, because I’d hate to spoil this romantic moment by wrestling you to the ground and shoving this ring on your finger.”
“It’s not going to come to that.” She closed her eyes for a moment, thought of flowering plums, of generations of tradition. “I knew you’d ask me to marry you when I told you I was pregnant. You’re built that way, to do what’s right. What’s honorable.”
“This isn’t—”
“You had your say.” She shook her head fiercely. “I’m having mine. I knew you’d ask, and part of the reason I felt sick about all this was because I was afraid I wouldn’t know for sure. That you’d ask because you felt it was what you had to do. But I do know, and that’s not why. I’ll marry you, Harper, and take your name. So will Lily. We’ll love you all of our lives.”
He took the ring out of the box, slid it on her finger.
“It’s too big,” he murmured as he lifted her hand to kiss.
“You’re not getting it back.”
He closed his hand over hers to hold the ring in place. “Just long enough to have it sized.”
She managed a nod, then threw herself into his arms. “I love you. I love you, I love you.”
With a laugh, he tipped back her head to kiss her. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
SHE FELT A little awkward going in with Harper to make the announcement to his mother and Mitch, to have David serving champagne. She was allowed half a glass, and had to make due with that for both toasts.
One on the engagement, and one for the baby.
Roz gathered her into a hug, and whispered in her ear. “You and I have to talk. Soon.”
“Oh. I guess so.”
“How about now? Harper, I’m going to steal your girl for a few minutes. There’s something I want to show her.”
Without waiting for a response, Roz hooked an arm through Hayley’s and led her out of the room and toward the stairs.
“You giving any thought to the sort of wedding you want?”
“I—no. It’s so much.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Harper . . . he said something about getting married here.”
“I was hoping. We could use the ballroom if you want something splashy. Or the gardens and terrace if you want something more intimate. Y’all discuss it and let me know. I’m dying to dive in, and I plan to be very opinionated, so you’ll have to watch me like a hawk.”
“You’re not mad.”
“I’m surprised you’d say such a thing to me.”
“I’m trying to put myself in your place,” Hayley said as they climbed the stairs. “And I can’t quite get there.”
“That’s because you’ve got your own place. I like having mine to myself.” She turned toward her wing.
“I didn’t get pregnant on purpose.”
At the entrance to her bedroom, Roz paused, looked Hayley squarely in her swimming eyes. “Is that what’s going on in your head? Me thinking this is calculated on your part.”
“No—not exactly. A lot of people would.”
“I’m pleased to say I’m not a lot of people. I’m also a superior judge of character, with only one major stumble in my illustrious career. If I thought less of you, Hayley, you wouldn’t be living in my home.”
“I thought . . . when you said we had to talk.”
“Oh, that’s about enough of this business out of you.” Roz walked over to the bed, opened the box that sat on it. She lifted out what looked like a pale blue cloud.
“This was Harper’s blanket, what I had made for him right after he was born. I had one made for each of my boys, and they’re one of the things I saved to pass on. If you have a girl, you’ll use something of Lily’s or want something new and feminine. But I hope, if you have boy, you’ll use this. In either case, you should have this now.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Roz held it against her cheek a moment. “Yes, it is. Harper is one of the great loves of my life. There’s nothing I want more on this earth than his happiness. You make him happy. That’s more than enough for me.”
“I’ll be a good wife to him.”
“You damn well better be. Are we going to sit down and have a cry now?”
“Oh yeah. Yeah, that’d be good.”
WHEN SHE LAY beside him in the dark, she listened to the steady, drumming rain.
“I don’t know how I can be so happy and so scared at the same time.”
“I’m right there with you.”
“This morning, it felt like everything crashed down on my head, like a whole bookcase, and every book smacked me with the hard edge. Now it turns out it was flowers falling, and I’m covered in all these soft petals and perfume.”
He took her hand, the left, the one where her thumb kept rubbing along her third finger. The ring was in its box on the dresser. “I’ll get it to the jeweler tomorrow.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel about being married to somebody who reads my mind.” Then she rolled over onto him, tossed back her hair. “I think I can read yours, too. And it goes something like this.”
She lowered her lips to his.
Soft and smooth, that’s how she felt with him. Lovely and loose. And most of all, loved. Whatever tried to darken her heart, whatever brewed in the night, she could, she would, hold off and have this time with him.
Safe, secure. Seduced.
She could trust him to hold her, as he did now, with their bodies warm, their lips tender. She could trust herself to be strong with the taste of him teasing her tongue.
“It was promised to me. Given to me to give to you, to the woman I want to spend my life with. I want you to wear it. Marry me, Hayley.”
“It’s beautiful, Harper. You’re beautiful.”
“I’m not done.”
“Oh.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I can’t imagine there’s more.”
“I want you to take my name. I want Lily to take my name. I want the whole package. I can’t settle for less.”
“Do you know what you’re saying?” She laid a hand on his cheek. “What you’re doing?”
“Exactly. And you better answer me soon, because I’d hate to spoil this romantic moment by wrestling you to the ground and shoving this ring on your finger.”
“It’s not going to come to that.” She closed her eyes for a moment, thought of flowering plums, of generations of tradition. “I knew you’d ask me to marry you when I told you I was pregnant. You’re built that way, to do what’s right. What’s honorable.”
“This isn’t—”
“You had your say.” She shook her head fiercely. “I’m having mine. I knew you’d ask, and part of the reason I felt sick about all this was because I was afraid I wouldn’t know for sure. That you’d ask because you felt it was what you had to do. But I do know, and that’s not why. I’ll marry you, Harper, and take your name. So will Lily. We’ll love you all of our lives.”
He took the ring out of the box, slid it on her finger.
“It’s too big,” he murmured as he lifted her hand to kiss.
“You’re not getting it back.”
He closed his hand over hers to hold the ring in place. “Just long enough to have it sized.”
She managed a nod, then threw herself into his arms. “I love you. I love you, I love you.”
With a laugh, he tipped back her head to kiss her. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
SHE FELT A little awkward going in with Harper to make the announcement to his mother and Mitch, to have David serving champagne. She was allowed half a glass, and had to make due with that for both toasts.
One on the engagement, and one for the baby.
Roz gathered her into a hug, and whispered in her ear. “You and I have to talk. Soon.”
“Oh. I guess so.”
“How about now? Harper, I’m going to steal your girl for a few minutes. There’s something I want to show her.”
Without waiting for a response, Roz hooked an arm through Hayley’s and led her out of the room and toward the stairs.
“You giving any thought to the sort of wedding you want?”
“I—no. It’s so much.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Harper . . . he said something about getting married here.”
“I was hoping. We could use the ballroom if you want something splashy. Or the gardens and terrace if you want something more intimate. Y’all discuss it and let me know. I’m dying to dive in, and I plan to be very opinionated, so you’ll have to watch me like a hawk.”
“You’re not mad.”
“I’m surprised you’d say such a thing to me.”
“I’m trying to put myself in your place,” Hayley said as they climbed the stairs. “And I can’t quite get there.”
“That’s because you’ve got your own place. I like having mine to myself.” She turned toward her wing.
“I didn’t get pregnant on purpose.”
At the entrance to her bedroom, Roz paused, looked Hayley squarely in her swimming eyes. “Is that what’s going on in your head? Me thinking this is calculated on your part.”
“No—not exactly. A lot of people would.”
“I’m pleased to say I’m not a lot of people. I’m also a superior judge of character, with only one major stumble in my illustrious career. If I thought less of you, Hayley, you wouldn’t be living in my home.”
“I thought . . . when you said we had to talk.”
“Oh, that’s about enough of this business out of you.” Roz walked over to the bed, opened the box that sat on it. She lifted out what looked like a pale blue cloud.
“This was Harper’s blanket, what I had made for him right after he was born. I had one made for each of my boys, and they’re one of the things I saved to pass on. If you have a girl, you’ll use something of Lily’s or want something new and feminine. But I hope, if you have boy, you’ll use this. In either case, you should have this now.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Roz held it against her cheek a moment. “Yes, it is. Harper is one of the great loves of my life. There’s nothing I want more on this earth than his happiness. You make him happy. That’s more than enough for me.”
“I’ll be a good wife to him.”
“You damn well better be. Are we going to sit down and have a cry now?”
“Oh yeah. Yeah, that’d be good.”
WHEN SHE LAY beside him in the dark, she listened to the steady, drumming rain.
“I don’t know how I can be so happy and so scared at the same time.”
“I’m right there with you.”
“This morning, it felt like everything crashed down on my head, like a whole bookcase, and every book smacked me with the hard edge. Now it turns out it was flowers falling, and I’m covered in all these soft petals and perfume.”
He took her hand, the left, the one where her thumb kept rubbing along her third finger. The ring was in its box on the dresser. “I’ll get it to the jeweler tomorrow.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel about being married to somebody who reads my mind.” Then she rolled over onto him, tossed back her hair. “I think I can read yours, too. And it goes something like this.”
She lowered her lips to his.
Soft and smooth, that’s how she felt with him. Lovely and loose. And most of all, loved. Whatever tried to darken her heart, whatever brewed in the night, she could, she would, hold off and have this time with him.
Safe, secure. Seduced.
She could trust him to hold her, as he did now, with their bodies warm, their lips tender. She could trust herself to be strong with the taste of him teasing her tongue.
