Vision in White (Bride Quartet #1)(96)

She spun away to take the simple hoops out of her ears and replace them. She dashed to the mirror across from her workstation. "Oh, wow, sparkly!" Tipping her head from side to side, she watched them glint.

"Putting them on right away means you like them."

"I'd be crazy not to. How do they look?"

"A little dim compared to your eyes, but they'll do."

"Carter, you leave me speechless. I never know what-wait." Inspired, she ran over for a tripod. "I'm going to be late, but fabulous earrings for Valentine's Day trump punctuality. Even Parker would give me a bye on this."

"What are you doing?"

"It'll take two minutes. Just stay right there," she told him as she dug her camera out of her bag.

"You want to take my picture?" Watching her set up, he shifted on the stool. "I always feel so stiff in pictures."



       
         
       
        

"I'll fix that. Remember, I'm a professional." She smiled over the camera as she fixed it to the tripod. "You look really cute."

"Now you're just making me self-conscious."

She set the angle, framed it in. "Light's good, I think. We'll try it." Palming the remote, she walked to him. "Now, happy Valentine's Day." She linked her arms around his neck, laid her lips on his.

She let herself sink in, let him draw her a little closer.

She captured the moment, and when she eased back, looked in his eyes, captured another.

"Now," she murmured, turning so her cheek rested against his. "Smile." She pressed the remote, then again as backup. "There." She turned to him again, bumped noses. "That wasn't so bad."

"Maybe we should try that again." He cupped the back of her neck with his hand. "I think I blinked."

"I've got to go," she said with a laugh. Pulling away, she went over, checked her shots before taking the camera off the tripod.

"Aren't you going to let me see?"

"Not until I'm finished fussing with them. Then you can consider the print the second part of your present."

"I was hoping I'd get that when you finished work."

"Why, Dr. Maguire." She repacked her camera. "All right, we'll call it a three-parter."

He rose to help her on with her coat. Mac hefted her equipment bag. "Now you have to wait."

"I'm good at it," he said and opened the door for her.

Apparently he was, she thought, and set off for the main house at a lope.





"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF IT, BUT THERE HAS TO BE A way."

"Mac." Parker held the champagne flute up to the light to check for spots before setting it on the table in the Bride's Suite. "It's just dinner."

"It is not. You know it's not just. It's meet-the-parents dinner. Family dinner."

"You've been seeing Carter for about two months now. It's time."

"Where is that written down?" Mac demanded. "I want to see where that's written down in a rule book." She flopped the napkins down in a way that had Parker sighing, then arranging them properly. "You know what it means when a man takes you home to meet his mother."

"Yes, I do. It means he wants two women who are an important part of his life to get to know each other. He wants to show both of them off."

"I don't want to be shown off. I'm not a poodle. Why can't we just keep things the way they are? Him and me." 

"It's called a relationship. Look it up."

Laurel came in on the tail end with a plate of fruit and cheese. "If you're going to be such an ass about it, Mac, why didn't you just say no?"

"Hello, diamond earrings." Mac lifted both hands, pointed her fingers at the dangling hearts. "I was blinded by the sparkle. Plus, he was sneaky, and he asked oh-so casually after I said we had an early event today and we should do something together after. He trapped me into it."

"Ass," Laurel said.

"I know. Do you think I don't know that? Knowing it, even knowing the ass is rooted in mother phobia doesn't make it less real."

"No, it doesn't," Parker agreed. "You could have said the same to him."

"It's important to him. I could see it through the oh-so casual. He deserves someone who'd go to family dinner and meet his mother. I wish it was later, or that it had happened last week and was over-but they were in Spain last week, apparently. Not that it matters because if it had been last week, I'd wish it was the week before."

"We know her too well," Laurel decided. "Because I know both of us followed that."