Shadows of Yesterday
Page 45
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But the times they had been together hadn’t weakened their desire for each other. On the contrary, they had enhanced it. The words the minister said over them today would only make legal in the eyes of the world the commitment they had made to each other since their first joining. Leigh knew unquestionably that they belonged together.
Why, then, this nervousness? This intuition of impending doom? She hadn’t felt like this since the night she had begged Greg not to leave—
“God, no,” she prayed, and closed her eyes against such a thought. The gardenia bouquet Chad had sent her trembled in her hands.
“Did you say something, dear?” her mother asked.
Shaking off the ghost of apprehension that had wafted over her, Leigh replied, “No, I was only anxious about how Sarah will behave during the service.”
A few minutes later she was meeting her father at the bottom of the garland-bedecked staircase. He led her into the living room where the invited guests—many of whom she’d met at the birthday party she’d attended with Chad—were gathered in front of an arch decorated with flowers and greenery. Chad waited for her there with his pastor.
Her heart turned over, and whatever fears lurked in her mind were pushed aside at the sight of the man she was marrying. He was dressed in a dark navy three-piece suit, white shirt, and gray-and-navy striped tie. From the windows, now banked with baskets of flowers instead of a Christmas tree, the sun shone in to highlight his shining dark hair. His eyes seemed to touch her with their luminous intensity. He radiated strength and confidence. How could she ever be afraid with Chad as her husband?
They recited their vows earnestly and without nervousness. Sarah was quiet until the exchanging of the rings. As soon as Leigh had slid the gold band onto Chad’s finger, she turned to her mother and swapped her bridal bouquet for her daughter. Sarah was included in the wedding prayer. When the groom kissed the bride, he kissed his new daughter as well. Everyone applauded.
For once Amelia had conceded control of her kitchen to someone else. The caterer served sumptuous hors d’oeuvres and punch. Since Amelia didn’t approve of hard liquor, only champagne was served to toast the handsome couple.
Chad ate seven of the pastry cups filled with crab salad, a handful of salted nuts, three cucumber sandwiches, and two pieces of wedding cake. Leigh even caught him poking cake icing past Sarah’s smacking lips. The baby seemed happy to be carried around on her new father’s shoulders and proudly introduced to one and all.
“You’re beautiful when you’re naked.” Leigh heard the lecherous drawl in her ear only a second before she felt Chad’s lips on the back of her neck.
“You’ve got guests,” she said through stiff lips as she smiled at the minister who was watching them from across the room. “Behave.”
“I’m giving you fifteen minutes, then we take our leave. Kiss whoever needs to be kissed, get whatever needs to be gotten, go powder your nose or do whatever needs to be done in the bathroom, and then I’m dragging you out of here by the hair if necessary.”
Pastor notwithstanding, she turned around and kissed Chad soundly. “Yes, sir.”
She said her moist good-byes to Sarah, clinging to the baby with a heartwrenching reluctance to part from her child. As he came down the stairs with the last of their luggage, Chad caught her eye and Leigh knew he understood how painful she found this first separation from her daughter. Consolingly he said, “We’ll be back in ten days, Leigh. And you can call every day if you want.”
“It’s not that I don’t think you’ll take good care of her,” she rushed to assure Amelia.
“She won’t let that baby out—oh, excuse me,” Stewart said, breaking off his assurances to Leigh to answer the telephone.
“What he was about to say,” Amelia continued for her husband, “is that I won’t let that baby out of my sight. Not for one minute.”
“I know you won’t,” Leigh said, smiling. A smile that faded to an expression of puzzlement when Stewart returned.
He avoided her eyes as he said, “Chad, telephone for you.”
Chad laughed. “Dad, I’d just as soon you take a message.”
“It’s Grayson.”
It was as though the name had magic power to disperse a crowd, to eliminate a mood. The guests, as on cue, turned en masse and went quietly back into the living room from the hallway. Conversation, which had been jocular and animated, was reduced to little more than an ominous hum—as if in the aftermath of a funeral rather than a wedding.
Sarah batted at her mother’s suddenly chalky cheek. “Chad—” Leigh gulped hoarsely.
“I’m not on call, Dad. He knew I was getting married today. Is this a ‘good wishes’ call?”
Stewart looked down at the floor. “You’d better talk to him.”
Chad turned to Leigh and squeezed her elbow. “I’ll be right back,” he said with a quick smile. She wasn’t fooled. His eyes weren’t smiling.
She stood as though she had grown rooted to the floor, staring after the figure of her husband as he disappeared into the room at the back of the hall that she knew to be Stewart’s office.
“Why don’t you let me take the baby,” Amelia said in a low voice. Leigh never even noticed when she relinquished the child to her mother-in-law’s arms. She was still staring at the door. As though she had conjured him out of her thoughts, Chad appeared in the doorframe a few moments later.
“Leigh,” was all he had to say before stepping once again into the room.
She thought her feet would be too heavy to move, but somehow she managed to navigate the long hallway until she was entering the paneled, bookcase-lined room. Chad was standing at the window, his back to her. He had taken off his coat and was now working at his necktie. Instinctively she closed the door behind her. The click of the knob brought Chad to rigid attention. Still, he stared out the window for a long, ponderous moment before turning to face her.
She knew.
“No!” she cried, cramming a fist against her mouth. “No!”
“I’m sorry, Leigh.” He plowed both hands through his hair, then covered his face with them, dragging them down over his eyes, nose, and mouth before letting them fall uselessly to his sides. “God, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. I’ve got to go.”
Why, then, this nervousness? This intuition of impending doom? She hadn’t felt like this since the night she had begged Greg not to leave—
“God, no,” she prayed, and closed her eyes against such a thought. The gardenia bouquet Chad had sent her trembled in her hands.
“Did you say something, dear?” her mother asked.
Shaking off the ghost of apprehension that had wafted over her, Leigh replied, “No, I was only anxious about how Sarah will behave during the service.”
A few minutes later she was meeting her father at the bottom of the garland-bedecked staircase. He led her into the living room where the invited guests—many of whom she’d met at the birthday party she’d attended with Chad—were gathered in front of an arch decorated with flowers and greenery. Chad waited for her there with his pastor.
Her heart turned over, and whatever fears lurked in her mind were pushed aside at the sight of the man she was marrying. He was dressed in a dark navy three-piece suit, white shirt, and gray-and-navy striped tie. From the windows, now banked with baskets of flowers instead of a Christmas tree, the sun shone in to highlight his shining dark hair. His eyes seemed to touch her with their luminous intensity. He radiated strength and confidence. How could she ever be afraid with Chad as her husband?
They recited their vows earnestly and without nervousness. Sarah was quiet until the exchanging of the rings. As soon as Leigh had slid the gold band onto Chad’s finger, she turned to her mother and swapped her bridal bouquet for her daughter. Sarah was included in the wedding prayer. When the groom kissed the bride, he kissed his new daughter as well. Everyone applauded.
For once Amelia had conceded control of her kitchen to someone else. The caterer served sumptuous hors d’oeuvres and punch. Since Amelia didn’t approve of hard liquor, only champagne was served to toast the handsome couple.
Chad ate seven of the pastry cups filled with crab salad, a handful of salted nuts, three cucumber sandwiches, and two pieces of wedding cake. Leigh even caught him poking cake icing past Sarah’s smacking lips. The baby seemed happy to be carried around on her new father’s shoulders and proudly introduced to one and all.
“You’re beautiful when you’re naked.” Leigh heard the lecherous drawl in her ear only a second before she felt Chad’s lips on the back of her neck.
“You’ve got guests,” she said through stiff lips as she smiled at the minister who was watching them from across the room. “Behave.”
“I’m giving you fifteen minutes, then we take our leave. Kiss whoever needs to be kissed, get whatever needs to be gotten, go powder your nose or do whatever needs to be done in the bathroom, and then I’m dragging you out of here by the hair if necessary.”
Pastor notwithstanding, she turned around and kissed Chad soundly. “Yes, sir.”
She said her moist good-byes to Sarah, clinging to the baby with a heartwrenching reluctance to part from her child. As he came down the stairs with the last of their luggage, Chad caught her eye and Leigh knew he understood how painful she found this first separation from her daughter. Consolingly he said, “We’ll be back in ten days, Leigh. And you can call every day if you want.”
“It’s not that I don’t think you’ll take good care of her,” she rushed to assure Amelia.
“She won’t let that baby out—oh, excuse me,” Stewart said, breaking off his assurances to Leigh to answer the telephone.
“What he was about to say,” Amelia continued for her husband, “is that I won’t let that baby out of my sight. Not for one minute.”
“I know you won’t,” Leigh said, smiling. A smile that faded to an expression of puzzlement when Stewart returned.
He avoided her eyes as he said, “Chad, telephone for you.”
Chad laughed. “Dad, I’d just as soon you take a message.”
“It’s Grayson.”
It was as though the name had magic power to disperse a crowd, to eliminate a mood. The guests, as on cue, turned en masse and went quietly back into the living room from the hallway. Conversation, which had been jocular and animated, was reduced to little more than an ominous hum—as if in the aftermath of a funeral rather than a wedding.
Sarah batted at her mother’s suddenly chalky cheek. “Chad—” Leigh gulped hoarsely.
“I’m not on call, Dad. He knew I was getting married today. Is this a ‘good wishes’ call?”
Stewart looked down at the floor. “You’d better talk to him.”
Chad turned to Leigh and squeezed her elbow. “I’ll be right back,” he said with a quick smile. She wasn’t fooled. His eyes weren’t smiling.
She stood as though she had grown rooted to the floor, staring after the figure of her husband as he disappeared into the room at the back of the hall that she knew to be Stewart’s office.
“Why don’t you let me take the baby,” Amelia said in a low voice. Leigh never even noticed when she relinquished the child to her mother-in-law’s arms. She was still staring at the door. As though she had conjured him out of her thoughts, Chad appeared in the doorframe a few moments later.
“Leigh,” was all he had to say before stepping once again into the room.
She thought her feet would be too heavy to move, but somehow she managed to navigate the long hallway until she was entering the paneled, bookcase-lined room. Chad was standing at the window, his back to her. He had taken off his coat and was now working at his necktie. Instinctively she closed the door behind her. The click of the knob brought Chad to rigid attention. Still, he stared out the window for a long, ponderous moment before turning to face her.
She knew.
“No!” she cried, cramming a fist against her mouth. “No!”
“I’m sorry, Leigh.” He plowed both hands through his hair, then covered his face with them, dragging them down over his eyes, nose, and mouth before letting them fall uselessly to his sides. “God, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. I’ve got to go.”
