Page 45 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

Jake tapped his glass lightly with his knife.

Soon the others joined in.

Rusty stood and offered her his hand. She grasped it and let him pull her to her feet. His eyes lit with mischief, and she only had a moment’s notice before he placed his arm around her waist and dipped her backwards. When his mouth met hers, she suppressed the squeak of surprise. Despite her perilous position, she enjoyed the feel of his lips. All too soon, he righted her, but her cheeks were hot. Whether from the dip or the kiss, she wasn’t certain.

“And with that,” Rusty said, “I think it’s time for us to take our leave.”

Everyone stood, but when she tried to help bundle the girls into their coats, Marnie and Olivia waylaid her. “Go and enjoy your honeymoon. We’ll see you in the morning.”

Her hands shook. They expected her to go to the hotel tonight with her new husband. And she had to, because it’d appear odd if they didn’t. This was supposed to be a real marriage.

Jake handed over his SUV keys to Rusty. He and Marnie would drive back with the girls in Rusty’s vehicle because of the car seats.

Holding on extra tight when Calleigh hugged her, Remy wanted to ask if her sister would be okay with this, but all the little girl understood was she was spending the night with Bianca the dog. Nothing else mattered to her.

Oh, to be three years old.

Final farewells were exchanged, and all too soon, they stood in the parking lot by themselves.

“Relax. You’re wound so tight, you’re liable to spin out of control.”

“How are you so relaxed?” She snapped the words and then was instantly contrite. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m feeling the same anxiety you are.” He held out his hand and waited until she put her hand in it. “I just handle it differently. This is supposed to be a happy day. You were doing great until just now. Breathe, Remy. Just breathe.”

For a moment, she focused on her breath. In and out. In and out. Slowly, some of the anxiety slipped away. She let him tuck her into Jake’s truck. They made the ride to the hotel in silence as she tried to find some topic that wouldn’t blow this whole thing up in her face.

“I’m sure we could go home. No one would ever know.”

He chuckled. “Everyone would know. Where do you think everyone is staying tonight?”

“Oh, God. Tell me they are not all at our place.”

Our place.

No longer just her home. Their home.

Too fast.This was all going too fast. Suddenly everything was very clear. She rounded on him, anger simmering. “Did you know about this?”

He met her gaze, brown eyes serious. “When Zach approached me, what was I supposed to do? This was a test. A test of whether I was serious. A test of whether this was a real marriage. You said it yourself—we need to make this appear real. It needs tobereal.” He pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, killing the engine, not opening the door. “What we can do is get a second room. They’ll never find out about it.”

Contrition hurt. Another room at this hotel wouldn’t be cheap, and she had no idea of her husband’s finances. She’d let him pay for the wedding because it’d been expedient. But this? She could afford it, but it might be a point of pride for him. His actions and values indicated he viewed her as his equal. His treatment and respect of women could even be called feminist.

“Maybe there’ll be a second bed.”

“In the honeymoon suite? Not likely.” He glanced at her. “I can sleep on the floor, Remy, it’s not a big deal. None of this has to be a big deal. The girls are too young to understand parents normally sleep in the same room. Hopefully when they get older, they’ll just assume…I don’t know. Hopefully it won’t be an issue.” With that, he hopped out of the truck and rounded to her side, helping her out. He pulled their bags from the back seat.

Annoyance simmered in her, close to the surface. Although this’d been in the works for several days, no one had seen fit to include her. She was supposed to be thrilled by this surprise, but she felt anything except that particular emotion.

Just breathe.

He’d sleep on the floor and she’d lie awake all night on the mattress.

How bad could it possibly get?

Chapter nineteen

Alotworse,apparently.A cursory examination of her bag left her in no doubt of how bad things could get. She’d escaped to the bathroom before the hotel door even closed, leaving her cut off from any possible escape.

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