A Blazing Little Christmas(15)
A humorless sound escaped her. “Hopefully Mom won’t take that as an invite to check herself into the hospital for some ailment or another.”
“If she does, ten bucks says Kelley tries to beat her to the punch.”
She rested her hands against his chest, absorbing the thump of his heartbeat through his sweater. “I’m sorry I left like that, but I was just so…ugh. About to start screaming.” She related the painful details of the color and centerpiece and floral arrangements and menu and monogrammed versus not-monogrammed cocktail napkin debates.
“I just kept sipping my wine, praying for it to end,” she said, shaking her head. “And I was doing a damn good job of holding on to my patience until I saw the picture of that wedding gown, a gown, by the way, that my mother has already ordered for me.” She shuddered. “Did you see it?”
“The one that looked like something Little Bo Peep would wear?”
“Yes! Thank you! All I needed was a curved staff and every sheep within a five-hundred-mile radius would flock to me.”
One corner of his mouth twitched. “I think Bo Peep also wore a frilly bonnet. And lacy bloomers that came down to her ankles.”
That dragged a slight smile from her. “Not helping. I told my mother that the only way I would wear that dress would be if she somehow managed to wrangle it onto my dead, lifeless body—and even then I’d probably resuscitate myself long enough to rip it off.”
“And that’s when the fight started?” he deadpanned.
A short huff of laughter escaped her. “Pretty much. Although it hadn’t been particularly pleasant before that.”
He brushed back a strand of her hair that she was sure looked matted and gross. “I’m sorry they came here, sorry I didn’t insist they leave immediately. Sorry they upset you. I guarantee they won’t be bothering us again before Tuesday.”
Right. But what about after Tuesday? The nightmare would just begin again. Even though she’d washed her hands of the wedding arrangements, she knew she hadn’t heard the last of it. And that in no way solved the resentment her family felt toward Eric.
Pushing those unsettling thoughts aside, she asked, “How did things go at the bar with Marc?”
“Better than at the wedding planning table.”
“Not a real high benchmark.”
“No, but I think we actually might have taken a small, tottering step forward. But then again, maybe not. He’s not an easy guy to read.”
“He never has been, especially not the last few months. I think there’s something bothering him.”
“Besides our engagement?”
“Yes, but he won’t talk about it. Which means it must involve a woman.”
“If so, he should watch out for that ‘what goes around comes around’ karma. It would serve him right if her family lived in Marble Falls and took an immediate dislike to him. But I’ve got my own problems without worrying about his.” His expression turned serious and his gaze searched her face. “What you said before you walked out, about maybe not showing up at the church…was that just something that shot out in anger or did you mean it?”
A denial rushed into her throat, but she pressed her lips together to contain it. Because this was too important to simply offer him a placating answer. Because this was one of the reasons they’d come here—to talk about the state of their relationship.
At her hesitation, a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Well, that’s the loudest silence I’ve ever heard.”
“Eric…I—”
Her words cut off when he stood and paced in front of her. Then he turned toward her and dragged his hands down his face. “You’re having second thoughts.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement made in a raw, hoarse voice that sounded ripped from his throat.
She rose and framed his face between her hands. “Not about my feelings for you.”
“Just about marrying me.”
“No, but…” She released a long sigh and lowered her hands. “I’ve now reached a whole new level of exhaustion, Eric. Do you know how many arguments we had during the entire six months we dated before getting engaged?”
He considered for several seconds. “No. Other than a few disagreements while figuring out our work situations, did we have any?”
“I can only recall two. Both of them silly misunderstandings, quickly resolved and completely forgettable. The rest of the time, it was…magic.” Yes, romantic evenings filled with conversation and laughter that melted into sultry, sensual nights of discovery and exploration. Ice-skating and walks in the snow when they’d first met last winter had bloomed into springtime hikes and quiet evenings at home. Then summer, with private indoor and outdoor picnics. But then came the end of summer and Eric’s proposal and the start of their current situation.