Another love, p.26
Another Love, page 26
He watched as she moved her hand at different angles, observing how the three-carat round stone glowed, reflecting light from the fire and the candles. And he, too, was caught up in the magic of its sparkling message.
“Do you really want us to have another wedding?” Erin asked later, as they lay in bed, content and sated.
“Yes. I want to commit myself to you and mean it.”
“Me, too.” She stroked his hand, and he felt the love in her touch.
I won’t wear a ring. He had meant that when he took off the wedding band Glenna had given him. But now the words rang harsh in his mind. Did Erin remember that conversation, too? If she did, he imagined his grief-inspired words still caused her pain.
Lifting her hand to his lips, he looked into her eyes. “This time I’d like to wear your ring. Will you get me one?”
* * * * *
After they got home, she did that and much more. How she managed to keep from floating in a haze of pure euphoria, she didn’t know. But she’d kept functioning somehow.
Erin held the etched gold band and read the inscription. “From Erin, with all my love,” it said simply but from her heart. The courier had just delivered it, and she could hardly wait five more days to put it on Blake’s finger.
Funny how love made problems seem less significant. Timmy’s mastery of crutches improved each time she saw him, and she trusted they’d soon go the way of his wheelchair as he healed and became accustomed to using Buddy, as he’d whimsically named his new prosthesis.
“Would you like the baby now?”
She turned and smiled at Theresa. “Yes.” She’d feed Jamie, and then she and Sandy were heading to Saks to find the perfect dress to wear when she and Blake renewed their vows.
Later, as she searched through designer gowns, Erin remembered another day, another store, where she’d been looking for a dress to wear for what had almost been a cruel farce. Glenna’s ghost had brought a light, cheery bit of humor to what could have been a somber experience. Where had Glenna had been hiding lately, anyhow?
A simple ivory sheath of soft, silk crepe caught her eye. “I’ll try that one on,” she told the saleslady, recalling how Sandy and the ghost had coaxed and cajoled to get her to buy her other wedding dress. Moments later, Erin and Sandy left the store, mission accomplished.
On their wedding day, Erin thought again about Glenna’s ghost—and felt a little guilty for having run her off. Not about loving Glenna’s widower, though. Nothing could dull the joy Erin found in his love. But she’d liked Glenna, and she had a feeling that without the ghost’s downright pushy interference, she and Blake might have floundered around for years before they found happiness together.
“What are you thinking about?” Blake asked when he joined Erin in the garden room.
He’d think she’d lost her mind if she told the truth, or even if she mentioned ever having seen and talked with Glenna’s ghost. Erin was certain of that, so she merely smiled. “Tonight.”
He grinned. “Me too.”
She’d been right the day they’d met. When Blake was happy, he could break hearts with that ruggedly handsome face. He certainly had captured hers.
“This is for you,” he told her, setting a narrow velvet box on her lap before joining her on the sofa.
He isn’t much into buying baubles.
Glenna had said something like that at the store. Well, she must have been wrong, Erin thought smugly, noting the solitaire on her hand as she picked up the box that could hardly contain anything but a piece of jewelry.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
“Oh. Yes.” She snapped open the lid and gasped. It was a sapphire as big as a marble, as dark as Blake’s mesmerizing eyes. A sunburst of sparkling diamonds surrounded it, reflecting its brilliant color in their twinkling facets. Set in gold, the pendant hung suspended on a finely worked chain. “The sapphire reminds me of your eyes,” she murmured when she found her voice.
“It reminded me of yours. Will you wear it tonight, for me?”
Erin nodded and moved into his arms. For a long time, he held her, until it was time for them to dress and greet their guests.
Chapter Thirty
“If I keep officiating at weddings, I’m going to have the ceremony memorized,” Judge Adkins commented good-naturedly as Blake ushered him into the formal living room.
“That’s good.” He and Erin had opted for tradition, instead of rewording the promises they would give each other. Uncharacteristically nervous, he straightened his bow tie and adjusted the cuffs of his tux shirt.
He’d greeted the fifteen or so people he and Erin had invited to share their joy, cuddled Jamie before handing him over to Theresa, and introduced Timmy to the friends who had come. Now he was getting impatient to see his beautiful bride.
Suddenly Erin appeared, a vision in creamy silk that gently skimmed curves of the body he could hardly wait to explore again in minute detail. Every time she moved, the long slit skirt swayed and gave him a glimpse of shapely calf and thigh. He liked the way she was wearing her hair, too, artfully tousled and loose against her bare, tanned shoulders.
She had on the pendant he’d given her, nestled just above the upper curve of her breasts. The fragrance of La Mer l’Été and a scent of the roses she carried mingled to assail his senses.
Looking radiant, like a woman in love, Erin took his breath away. He reached out and took her hand, drew her closer until he felt her warmth against his side. In a small, sane corner of his mind, he realized Greg and Sandy had come to stand beside them.
The words were familiar. He—like Greg, yet for different reasons, he thought with just a twinge of regret—had repeated them not once but twice before. They seemed new and fresh tonight, like his love for this strong, beautiful woman who miraculously loved him, too.
“Erin, with this ring I marry you and pledge my faithful love,” he said, holding her gaze as he slipped a new, wide band on her slender finger.
The judge’s voice intruded on Blake’s thoughts. “Erin, repeat after me…” The judge’s instructions faded. All he could see was Erin.
“Blake, with this ring I marry you and pledge my faithful love.” She spoke softly, her tone low and melodious. Her wedding band felt solid, right on his finger.
Judge Adkins cleared his throat. “You may kiss your bride.”
Gently, Blake took his wife in his arms and gave her a tender kiss. Then, they turned back to the judge.
“These rings you have exchanged have no beginning and no end. May your commitment to each other be the same. My friends, it is with the greatest pleasure that I introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Blake Tanner.”
His arm possessively wrapped around Erin’s slender waist, Blake turned them to face their guests. Suddenly, a bright, golden aura nearly blinded him. He stared, unable to tear his gaze away, and slowly he was able to make out the image as it crystallized from the gold dust. Glenna.
Erin squeezed his hand, hard. Did she see this, too? Or had the Scotch whisky he’d had just one shot of earlier gotten to him?
“Mr. and Mrs. Blake Tanner. Has a nice sound, doesn’t it?”
Now, this vision talks. Blake didn’t believe it. He stole a glance at Erin. For some reason he didn’t understand, he was sure she could see and hear this ghostly apparition, too. But she seemed unflustered. Unaffected.
He wanted to interrogate this—this ghost—the way he’d ream a witness in the courtroom. But he couldn’t. Judge Adkins and everyone else in the room would know he’d taken leave of his senses and haul him off to the funny farm if he started talking to someone or something that wasn’t there.
“Don’t mind me, darling. I just came to say goodbye. I’ve accomplished what I wanted for you two—a real, happy marriage filled with love. You’re going to get along just fine without me, now.”
Blake watched the specter of his beloved wife’s face turn soft and dreamy as it faded into the golden aura that shone around her. He had to strain to hear her parting words. “Now I can go. It seems I’ve discovered three adorable little girls who belong to me, and it’s time for me to start being their mother.”
Nonplused, Blake watched the surrealistic presence of his dead wife slowly fade away. Then he turned to Erin. “Did I just see what I thought I saw?”
She smiled and gave him a quick hug. “Uh-huh. And you know what, my love? She’s been around here the entire time.”
“You’ve seen her before?”
“Seen her. And talked with her. I’ve listened to her advice. I’ve even argued with her.”
Blake leaned closer and whispered in Erin’s ear. “About what?”
“You. You’ve had at least two women who loved you to distraction, Mr. Tanner,” she replied, pretending to nuzzle at his neck. “I’ve had a feeling she was gone for good, but I’m glad she came to tell us goodbye. Aren’t you?”
Erin shot him an impish grin. He couldn’t help returning it. Soon, those grins dissolved in gales of laughter. Was it hysteria or relief? He wrapped his arms around his wife and held her for a long time.
“Is it all right—that she came?” Erin asked quietly.
He hesitated. “Yeah. It’s okay now.” Not getting to tell Glenna goodbye before she died had been a bitter reality for him to swallow. Now, even if Glenna’s ghost had been a product of his and Erin’s imaginations, she’d given him the gift of closure, the freedom to love Erin with all his heart.
And he did. Erin was his greatest miracle of all.
Also at Ellora's Cave
Love Magic
Love Slave
A Mutual Favor
Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
www.ellorascave.com
Ann Jacobs, Another Love
