Page 113 of Mistletoe and Mischief

Gloria and Chad took the sofa, huddled close to each other.

Corrie slid onto her favorite chair, her heart in her throat.

A tense silence pervaded the room as both she and Roy waited for whatever announcement was about to be made.

Gloria looked at Chad as if she wanted him to do the talking.

“Gloria and I wanted you to know we decided to get married,” he blurted out. “She agreed to marry me a couple of weeks ago but we wanted to keep it to ourselves until Christmas, and—”

Corrie was instantly on her feet. “That’s wonderful news!” she said, interrupting him and clasping her hands together. Her mind was whirling. While she hoped it would be soon, for the baby’s sake, she’d love a June wedding. That would give her enough time to plan. She’d get started first thing after Christmas. They’d need someplace special for the reception and, of course, there were the invitations, which they’d want to send out immediately. They’d have to find a dress; at this stage of her pregnancy, Gloria probably wouldn’t fit into Corrie’s wedding gown, which was a shame.

“When’s the happy date?” Roy asked.

“Actually...we’re already married,” Chad said.

Corrie blinked, assuming she’d misunderstood. “Already married?” she repeated. That wasn’t possible!

“When?” Roy asked, following the first question with a second. “Where?”

Again it was Chad who explained. “I’m afraid I’m responsible. Gloria said she’d marry me but we couldn’t agree on a date.”

“I wanted to wait until after the baby’s born and have a summer wedding,” she told them.

Corrie nodded, understanding.

“And I wanted us to be marriedbeforethe baby’s born,” Chad said.

Ah, yes,Corrie thought, seeing the problem.

“So we decided to simply go ahead and get married right away and then, this summer, have another ceremony and a reception.”

“Makes sense to me,” Roy said, obviously pleased by this unexpected turn of events.

“Why didn’t you let us know?” Corrie asked, feeling a twinge of hurt despite her happiness. Even if it was a quick affair, she would’ve liked to be there.

“I agree we should have asked you to attend,” Gloria said. “But if you were there and Chad’s parents weren’t, they would’ve felt cheated. So we just did it. We applied for the license and were married a couple of days later.”

“By whom?”

“Judge Griffin,” Chad said. “At the courthouse. Mack and Mary Jo stood up with us.” He paused. “I don’t blame you for being upset.”

“We’re not upset,” Roy told him, and Corrie nodded.

“As Gloria mentioned, we plan to have another ceremony later, with friends and family from both sides.”

“This way weallget what we want,” Corrie said happily. A marriage and a baby—another grandchild for her and Roy—and a wedding.

Roy stood, extending his hand to Chad. “Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you.” The two men shook hands.

Corrie hugged her daughter and Chad. She’d spend the next few months getting ready for the wedding and reception, and the thought filled her with anticipation.

“Mom and Dad, there’s another reason we stopped by early.”

“Oh?” Corrie murmured.

“You’re not pregnant with twins, are you?” Roy asked, half-joking.

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