To Make a Marriage(23)

Although he sounded cheerful enough when he rang her at seven o'clock. Early enough to still allow him to go out to dinner?

Stop this, Andie, she told herself firmly. She had never been jealous in her life-and she wasn't about to start now!

'I'm coming home tomorrow,' he told her cheerfully.

'Do you feel like meeting me at the airport?'

He was coming home a day earlier than expected! She was so thrilled by  this news that she almost missed what he had said next. Almost …

'You want me to meet you off the plane?' she said uncertainly.

'Well, only if you want to. Of course, it's a long way to go. And you probably have other plans. Forget I even suggested-'

'What time does your plane land?' she cut in excitedly. Adam wanted her  to meet him at the airport! Which meant he was coming back alone.

One of her imaginings in the last couple of days Adam had been away was  that this business trip was perhaps a little too convenient, that  perhaps Adam had taken someone else away with him, with the idea of  softening the blow when he told the woman of his impending marriage. As  far as she was aware Adam had never been seriously involved in any of  the relationships he had indulged in over the years. But if there were  someone in his life at the moment …  He wasn't cruel either.

However, if he wanted her to meet him at the airport … !

'Some time in the afternoon,' he supplied distractedly. 'But it was a  stupid idea, Andie. An hour's journey out to the airport, the stuffy  atmosphere there. And then I could be delayed-'

'I'll be there, Adam,' she declared, knowing she needed to see him. If  only to reassure herself he really was going to be her husband.

'You will … ?'

She almost laughed at his own uncertainty. But she didn't. Because she  had a feeling Adam was as insecure in their present relationship as she  was. Hopefully it would be different once they were married.

'I will,' she told him steadfastly. 'I'll be the one that slightly resembles a balloon!'

Adam laughed softly. 'You look absolutely beautiful-and you know it!'

She knew no such thing. But if Adam thought so, that was all that  mattered. 'I'll see you tomorrow afternoon,' she assured him before  ringing off.

Now get a grip, Andie Summer, she told herself. She was one of the  Summer sisters, Jerome Summer's youngest daughter, had never lacked for  confidence in her life.

And she couldn't start now.



Adam felt like a giddy schoolboy. Anticipation tinged with excitement.  And all because Andie was going to be waiting at the airport for him.

He wasn't sure what had prompted him to suggest she meet him off the  plane. In all the years he had been travelling all over the world, for  pleasure as well as work, there had never been anyone waiting for him to  arrive home before.

But now he had Andie. His fiancée. Shortly to be his wife. How good that sounded!

His had been a relatively lonely life, the Summer family the closest he  had ever come to having one of his own. But now he would have a wife.  And shortly a child too. He had never realised before how good it felt  to belong with someone, to someone.

Which made Andie and their child all the more precious …

No, he wouldn't think of Glenda today, wouldn't let her spoil this for him. As she had spoilt so many things in the past.                       
       
           



       

Andie looked absolutely gorgeous as she waited in Arrivals for him; her  hair was an abundance of loose gold curls, just as he liked to see it,  green eyes sparkling, her face flushed and beautiful. So much so that he  noticed several other men looking at her admiringly.

He scowled darkly as he caught, and held, the gaze of one of those men, grey eyes communicating a warning; Andie was his!

'Adam?'

He turned back to find that Andie had walked over to join him, looking  up at him questioningly. He forced himself to relax, putting down his  case and briefcase to sweep her up into his arms and give her a  lingering kiss.

'Wow,' she murmured throatily as they broke the kiss but still stood in  each other's arms. 'Perhaps you should go away more often, Adam.'

He had decided, during the long dragging hours in Germany, that he  wouldn't go away in future at all if Andie couldn't go with him. He had  missed her too much.

His arms tightened briefly before he released her. 'No more travelling  until after we're married, at least.' And even then it was questionable;  Andie's advancing pregnancy meant that she probably wouldn't be able to  fly anywhere within a matter of weeks.

He looked down at the small case and briefcase, cursing the fact that he  wouldn't have a hand free to hold Andie's hand; he wanted to keep this  closeness between them, had missed her more than he had thought it  possible to miss anyone.

Andie solved that particular problem by picking up his briefcase for  him, smiling at him companionably as he linked his hand with hers, the  two of them walking outside into the autumn sunshine.

It felt good to be alive, Adam decided happily.

'Where shall we go for our honeymoon?' He turned to Andie as she drove the two of them back into London.

She looked surprised. 'I didn't know we were going to have one.'

Adam had thought of little else but having Andie as his wife while he'd  been away. In fact, he had probably agreed to all that film director's  demands simply so that he could get back to Andie as quickly as  possible! Their honeymoon, having Andie completely to himself for a few  days, had been paramount in those thoughts …

'Oh, I think we should, don't you?'

'If you can spare the time.'

Not exactly enthusiastic, but then it was still early days between them.  'As we're only going to do this once, I think the least we owe  ourselves is a honeymoon,' he said firmly.

'I'm told that Paris is the place for honeymoons,' Andie murmured huskily.

'Then Paris it shall be,' he decided. 'Leave all the arrangements to me.'

Andie tilted her head as she turned briefly to look at him. 'You like organising things, don't you?'

Adam shrugged, not altogether sure of her reason for the statement.  'It's certainly a fact that if I didn't organise things in my own life  then they would never get done.'

'Hmm.'

His eyes narrowed. 'What does that mean?'

"'Hmm"?' Andie repeated mildly.

'Yes-"hmm"!'

It was Andie's turn to shrug. 'I'm pretty used to making arrangements for myself too.'

He was overstepping an invisible line by choosing to make all their  decisions for them! Andie hadn't exactly said that, but it was obvious  what she meant. Adam foresaw some delicate manoeuvring between them over  the next few months, while they adjusted to each other. Oh, well, no  one had told him marriage was easy. In fact, he knew it wasn't!

'We'll make the Paris arrangements together,' he amended.

Andie laughed softly. 'Did that hurt?'

He gave a self-deriding grin. 'Not too badly, no,' he acknowledged,  looking around them. 'You know where my apartment is, don't you?' They  had reached the city, but his apartment was in the opposite direction to  the one in which Andie was driving.

'I know where it is,' she conceded slowly. 'I just wasn't sure where you wanted to go.'

'Home. So that I can wash the travel dust off me.' He grimaced. 'There's  something particularly-dirty, about air travel. I always get off the  plane feeling as if I need a shower!'

'I went out with Harrie yesterday and bought my wedding dress,' Andie told him suddenly.

'You mentioned that on the telephone last night,' he reminded her watching her carefully.

They were talking for the sake of it, he realised. Trivial conversation.  Because they were both wary of it becoming a serious one … ?

Or was it the thought of coming to his apartment with him that was making Andie seem so distant suddenly?                       
       
           



       

Close as his relationship had been with all the Summer family over the  years, only Rome had actually ever visited him at his apartment. There  had never been any reason for any of the three sisters to go there.

Until now.

He reached out and lightly stroked Andie's hair, knowing by the way she  flinched that things were still far from relaxed between them. The kiss  they had shared at the airport had given him hope that-

It was the thought of going to his apartment that was now making Andie so jumpy!

'Perhaps you would like to make us both some coffee?' he suggested once  they had arrived in his penthouse apartment. 'It will give me time to  hide the whips and chains!'

Andie had been looking curiously around at her surroundings, but she turned to him sharply at this last comment.

'I'm joking, Andie!' he assured her exasperatedly as he lightly grasped  her arms. 'You've looked as if you expect me to pounce on you at any  second ever since I suggested we come here. I thought the mention of the  whips and chains might confirm all your worst fears about the man  you've decided to marry.'

'Very funny,' she snapped.

Adam grinned. 'Disappointed?'