Page 106 of Summer Weddings
Matt stared at his sister, not understanding. “You want her in your wedding party?”
“Yes,” she said, then quickly added, “But only if you don’t object. I wouldn’t want it to be uncomfortable for you, Matt. You’re my brother, after all, and she was your wife—but she’s still my friend.”
“Why should I care?” he mumbled. “It’s your wedding.” With that, he left the room.
Once he was inside his old bedroom, Matt threw himself on the bed and tore open the envelope. A single sheet of paper fell from the card. Heart pounding, he unfolded it and read:
Merry Christmas, Matt.
It didn’t seem right to mail gifts to Lanni and your parents and send you nothing. But at the same time, it’s a bit awkward to buy my ex-husband a Christmas gift.
I hope this card finds you well.
Sincerely,
Karen
Sincerely.She’d actually signed the notesincerely.As if it was some kind of business letter or he was merely a casual acquaintance. He picked up the Christmas card he’d discarded earlier and found she’d written nothing but her name.
Still, sending a Christmas card was more than he’d done for her. He supposed he’d have to add that to his long list of failures and regrets.
Chapter8
Mitch woke early Christmas morning.
Not wanting to wake Chrissie, he moved silently into the living room, where the miniature lights on the tree glittered like frosted stars. He smiled at their decorations—paper chains, strung popcorn and handmade ornaments.
He rearranged the gifts under the tree. He’d placed them there the night before, after Chrissie had gone to bed. He knew she didn’t believe in Santa Claus anymore, but it was fun for both of them to keep up the pretense.
The largest present wasn’t from him but Bethany. A Barbie thingamajig. Town house or some such nonsense. Only it wasn’t nonsense to Chrissie; the kid took her Barbie seriously. She’d be thrilled with this. He knew Chrissie would be happily absorbed with her gifts all morning, and then later, in the afternoon, they were going to Bethany’s place for a turkey dinner with all the fixings.
Bethany.
He needed these quiet early-morning moments to clear his thoughts and make sense of his feelings.
It had happened.
Despite his resistance, his best efforts to prevent it, despite his vows to the contrary, despite the full force of his determination, he’d gone and fallen in love with Bethany Ross.
He didn’twantto love Bethany, and in the same breath, he found himself humbled that this remarkable woman had entered his life. Especially after Lori. Especially now.
Mitch paced the living room, too restless to sit. Admitting that he cared deeply for Bethany required some sort of decision. A man didn’t come to this kind of realization without defining a course of action.
He knew he had nothing to offer her. While it was true that he made enough money to support a family, his financial status wasn’t impressive. Somehow he doubted this would matter to Bethany, but still…
He was dismally aware, too, that he came to her with deep emotional scars and a needy child in tow. The mere thought of loving again, of trusting again, terrified him. It made him break out in a cold sweat. On top of everything else was the paralyzing fear that he’d fail Bethany the way he had Lori.
Then again, he reminded himself, he had options. He could do what he’d done since September—deny his feelings. Ignore what his heart was telling him.
He might’ve continued that way for months, possibly years, if it wasn’t for one thing.
Chrissie.
From the moment his daughter had met Bethany, she’d set her sights on turning the teacher into her mother and his wife. Watching the two of them together had touched him from the very first. In ways he’d never fully understand, Bethany ministered to his daughter’s need for a mother in the same way she satisfied his own long-repressed desire for a companion.A wife…
As the weeks progressed, Chrissie had started looking to Bethany for guidance more and more often. There wasn’tanythingChrissie wouldn’t do to be with her—including feign flu symptoms.
What confounded him was the fact that Bethany seemed to share his feelings.He felt her love as powerfully as those brief moments of sunlight every day, brightening the world in the darkness of an Arctic winter.
