Page 58 of Summer Weddings
Cole walked quietly up behind her, and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“In the last fifteen minutes? No, you haven’t.”
“Then allow me to correct that situation.” He nibbled the back of her neck gently. “I love you to distraction.”
“I love you, too.”
He sighed then and whispered hoarsely, “It was a difficult decision to marry me, wasn’t it?”
Robin agreed with a nod.
“Had I given you so many reasons to doubt me?”
“No,” she said quickly, turning in his arms. She pressed her palms against his jaw. “I had to be sure in my heart that you weren’t trying to replace the son you’d lost with Jeff. And I had to be equally certain you loved me for myself and not because I was Jeff’s mother and we came as a package deal.”
He shook his head decisively. “Jeff’s a great kid, don’t get me wrong, but there’s never been any question in my mind about how I felt. The first time we met, you hit me square between the eyes. I didn’t mean to fall in love again. I didn’t even want to.”
“I don’t think I did, either,” Robin confessed.
“Past experience taught us both that loving someone only causes pain. I loved Jennifer, but I could never make her happy. When we divorced I accepted my role in the breakup.”
“But she had a drinking problem, Cole. You can’t blame yourself.”
“I don’t, not entirely, but I accept a portion of the blame for what went wrong. It tore me apart to see Bobby caught in the middle, and in an effort to minimize the pain I didn’t fight for custody. He was an innocent victim of the divorce, and I didn’t want him to suffer any further distress. I was willing to do anything I could to spare him. Later, when I realized how serious Jennifer’s problem with alcohol had become, I tried to obtain custody, but before I could get the courts to move on it, the accident happened. Afterward, I was left facing the guilt of having waited too long.
“The thought of ever marrying again, having children again, terrified me. I couldn’t imagine making myself vulnerable a second time.” He paused, and a slow, gentle smile spread across his face, smoothing away the tension. “All of that changed when I met you. It was as if life was offering me another chance. And I knew I had to grab hold of it with both hands or live with regret forever.”
“Oh, brother,” Jeff said as he dashed into the yard. “Are you two at it again?”
“We’re talking,” Robin explained.
“Your mouths are too close together for talking.” He strolled past them, Blackie trotting at his side. “I don’t suppose you thought about making me anything to eat, did you, Mom?”
“I made sandwiches.”
“Great. Are there enough for Blackie to have one?”
“I think so. There’s juice and some corn chips in the kitchen, too.”
“Great,” Jeff repeated, hurrying into the house.
“Are you hungry?” Robin asked Cole.
“Yes,” he stated emphatically, “but my appetite doesn’t seem to be for food. How long will you keep me waiting to make you my wife?”
“I’ll have to call my parents and my brother so we can arrange everything. It’s important to me that we have a church wedding. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but I’d like to invite a handful of good friends and—”
“How long?”
“To make the arrangements? I’m not sure. Three, possibly four months to do it properly.”
“One month,” Cole said.
“What do you mean, one month?”
“I’m giving you exactly thirty days to arrange whatever you want, but that’s as long as I’m willing to wait.”
“Cole—”
