Sometimes the more time two people spend together, the more likely it will happen. Her conscience sent a counterargument to its first statement.
With a groan, she closed her eyes and wished Josh had never sat down at her table. If he’d joined the women next to her, she might never have met him.
“Too bad Naomi didn’t find out about Reggie weeks ago,” Evan said after Josh finished filling him in on his conversation with his ex. “At least she told you before the wedding. And the storm gave you the perfect reason to postpone and decide on a way to get out it.”
Get out of it? He didn’t want to get out of it. If not for the incoming nor’easter, he’d marry Courtney this weekend as planned. Then he’d keep trying to prove he married her because he loved her, not because an agreement existed between them.
“Although I’m not sure you want that,” Evan added. “You don’t take anyone up to Bar Harbor except Adalynn. Except for me, Dad, and Shannon, you’ve invited no one to visit you there. But you brought Courtney for the weekend.” His brother crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “You’re not acting, bro. This is real for you.”
Josh nodded. He saw no point in denying it.
“What are you going to do?” When it came to being nosy, Evan could be worse than an eighty-year-old town gossip.
“I’ve got an idea. And that means I need your ass out of here.” He hated kicking his brother out, but he’d endured enough torture already tonight. Every minute his brother remained only prolonged it.
Pushing off the counter, Evan put his almost empty beer bottle down. “Shoot me a text later and let me know what you two decide to do.”
Courtney remained in the same spot, her head tipped back and her eyes closed, when he walked back into the living room. A night with his mom was an experience. If she needed a few minutes to regroup, he didn’t blame her.
“Evan said goodbye.” Although he had his choice of places to sit, he retook his spot on the sofa beside her.
Slowing raising her head, she opened her eyes. “He doesn’t get along well with your mom.”
“They’ve always butted heads, even when we were kids. Now, he only sees her when he has no other choice. And Mom doesn’t come this way often. She prefers the West Coast or her and Trevor’s place in Aruba. Tonight’s the first time I’ve seen her in months.”
He needed Courtney to know that being with him didn’t mean she had to spend a lot of time with his mom. Hell, even he preferred to keep their visits at a minimum, and she was his mother.
“I bet your brother appreciates that.”
“You have no idea.”
His comment earned him a small smile. But it didn’t last long. “Earlier you didn’t have time to tell me much about your meeting. What did Naomi’s fiancé have to do with her seeking sole custody?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He’d waited long enough. Before they left this room, they’d finish their earlier conversation. “Right now, we need to make a decision.”
“You and Evan had the same idea. And it’s not a bad one. People will just think we rushed to get engaged and realized we weren’t right for each other. It happens all the time.”
Over the past few hours, she’d clearly put some thought into this.
“Before your mom got here, it sounded like you had another idea,” she continued, crossing her legs in front of her on the sofa.
“We could stick to the original plan.” Minus the divorce later down the road. “If you’ve got a better idea, I’m listening.”
The corners of Courtney’s mouth turned downward as she shook her head. “No. Those seem like our only options. And either would work. What do you want to do?”
Her questions caused his stomach to coil up into half a dozen knots. He’d rehearsed this in his head. Unless she automatically insisted they go with his first suggestion, he knew how he’d respond. But just because she hadn’t jumped at the chance to never marry him didn’t mean he’d like the answer when he offered up his third and final idea.
Spit it out. He swallowed and ran his tongue across his bottom lip. “I want to marry you. Not because people think we’re engaged and are expecting it. And not because it’ll help me look like a better father.” Earlier, he’d removed the engagement ring he bought before leaving Boston from its box and shoved it in his pocket. He reached for it now. “I want to marry you because I love you.”
Since they’d been together, he’d noticed many of her rings consisted of rubies. She had several sapphires and emeralds too. This afternoon, he hadn’t bothered to look at the diamond engagement rings on display. Instead, he went with a ruby similar to the one she’d been wearing on her left hand all month.
Before she responded, he reached for her hand. There hadn’t been time to get the ring sized, so at the moment it was big enough to fit his finger.
“You….” She glanced down at his hand and then at him again. Slowly a smile spread across her face, and she nodded. “You should’ve started with that suggestion.” Leaning closer, she cupped his face and rested her forehead against his. “I love you too.”
He’d never known it was possible for an entire body to sigh with relief. But his did. Before he shared the words in his head, he claimed her lips for a single kiss. Later, he’d devote more time to her lips and the rest of her body. Right now he wanted to get out the thoughts in his head while he still could, because once he got her into bed, talking would be at a standstill for a while.
“I don’t know what kind of wedding you really want. If you want something more like what your cousins Trent or Gray had, we can postpone for as long as you want.”
He’d attended Trent’s wedding and seen pictures of Gray’s. A lot of planning and money had gone into both. If that was what she wanted, he’d go along with it. The kind of wedding they had didn’t matter to him, as long as they were together.
She shook her head with no hesitation. “Tomorrow I’ll make some more calls. If I can’t arrange everything for a weekend in February, we’ll take Jake’s suggestion. Then we can plan a party to celebrate in the summer.”
He liked her idea. Still, he had to ask. “Are you sure? You might regret it later.”
“Positive. The only person I need there is you.”
Eighteen
Three and a half weeks later
Courtney glanced around at the guests dancing inside Cliff House’s ballroom. Thanks to Addie’s DJ friend and a photographer her sister knew in New York, they’d managed to pull everything together in a little over three weeks. They’d also invited a few more guests than originally planned. Except for two people, everyone was here, including Uncle Warren and Aunt Elizabeth, the last two people she’d expected to make it. Not only was Uncle Warren in full campaign mode but also he’d already taken time out of his schedule to attend her cousin’s wedding the weekend before.
She glanced across the room to where her mom and dad sat with her mom’s three brothers and their wives. Everyone in the family might not always agree, but they let nothing come between them. And no matter what, there was always someone there to help and support you. In her opinion, that characteristic made her family special and unique. She just hadn’t realized how unique until she met Josh. His mother hadn’t told them whether or not she’d be at the wedding until this past Wednesday, and she hadn’t arrived in Rhode Island until late this morning. Honestly, Courtney wasn’t disappointed by Scarlett’s late arrival or quick departure, since it limited the amount of time she spent with Josh’s mom. And while Josh had an aunt and uncle as well as two cousins he was close to and who were all here tonight, he also had an uncle and a cousin he hadn’t seen or talked to in over ten years.