“I’m not. Matt and I aren’t even dating.” Her words came out all pathetic and trembling.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Heather said. “We’re the Donaldsons. We don’t date. We tend to get married and worry about the other stuff later. Matt proposed to you while you were trapped. So it’s a done deal. No getting out of it now.”
“He didn’t propose, he ordered me.”
“Same difference.” Heather seemed unconcerned.
“Doesn’t it bother you that your son wants to marry me?” Jena demanded. “I’m a mess. My house is rubble. I have fourteen dollars, I mean pounds, in the bank. I don’t have a proper job and I can’t teach dance like this. My mother can’t stand me. My ex-boyfriend tried to kidnap me and turn me into his pet stripper.” Her bottom lip wobbled. “I just found out I’m living here illegally. All of my belongings are now under a house. I don’t even know where my clothes are. I know I was wearing some when I was rescued. On top of that, everything I touch breaks. And everyone around me gets hurt at some point. I’m the last person you should want your son to marry.”
The tears came. She couldn’t stop them. She was a joke. A useless waste of space. No good for anything.
“No.” At Matt’s voice, Jena’s head snapped to the door. “You’re not the last person I should marry. You’re the only person I should marry. You’re the only woman I want to marry.”
He stepped into the room. His eyes only for her. Jena chewed her bottom lip as tears fell. She was so relieved to see him. At the same time she knew he should run far, far away from her. “You’re only saying that because you feel sorry for me.”
Matt burst out laughing. “Silly girl.” He stepped up to the bed, sat on the edge and put his palm on her cheek. His thumb brushed away her tears. “You make me laugh. You make me take things less seriously. Your enthusiasm and sense of adventure means every day around you is fun. You’re hard-working. You’re kind. You’re so optimistic you make the sun shine just by being you. You look out for everyone.” He leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “You are incredibly sexy. You’re unpredictable. Eager to learn. Slightly mad and seriously accident-prone.”
Jena gave a sad little laugh.
Matt’s beautiful blue eyes held hers. She saw in them the truth of every word. She saw the depth of feeling he had for her. It was all there. Raw and open for her to read.
“Don’t send me away, princess,” he whispered. His voice husky with emotion. “I need you. Without you I’ll become one of those sad, uptight old men who only cares about rules, regulations and how neat his house is. I need you to drive me crazy every day of my life and remind me what I’m living for.” He kissed her lips ever so gently. “I’m living for you, princess. You’re my soul mate. Don’t take that from me.”
“I love you so much,” Jena whispered. “But I don’t deserve you.”
He smiled at her, making her heart melt further. She was defenceless against him. “I’ll remind you of those words frequently.”
She shook her head at him. Matt looked over his shoulder towards the door. “Come on in,” he called.
From the looks on his family’s faces, they were none the wiser about who he was talking to either. The door opened and the vicar of Invertary Presbyterian Church walked in. Jena shot a confused look at Matt. He held her uninjured hand tight and pinned her with his gaze.
“We’re getting married. Now. Here. Don’t argue. It’s a done deal. Just accept it,” he said.
“What?” Jena gaped at the vicar. “Shouldn’t I agree to this first?”
“Generally, yes,” the vicar said, but didn’t seem at all bothered that she hadn’t.
Meanwhile, Matt’s mum burst into tears as she hugged Matt. “This is wonderful. I love it. Your dad would have loved it. It’s exactly the kind of thing he would have done.”
She wiped a tear from her eye before giving Jena an equally enthusiastic hug. Jena winced, and Matt’s hand shot out to pull his mom back. “Remember her ribs are cracked.”
“Oh, sorry, Jena.” His mother fussed over her, and it was kind of nice.
“Right, let’s get this over with,” Reverend Morrison said.
“Hey,” Matt said. “Attitude.”
The old man rolled his eyes. “I’ve got the paperwork. There aren’t any rings. So all we need to do is say the vows, sign the certificate and you’re done here.”
Matt scowled at him before smiling at Jena. “We can have another wedding when you feel better. A proper one. We can go shopping for rings together.”
Jena blinked at him. “Is this really happening?”
Heather and the twins laughed as Matt smiled at her. “Oh yes,” he said.
“Does she have concussion?” the minister said. “Is she in her right mind? I can’t marry her off to you if she doesn’t know what she’s agreeing to.”
“Jena, tell the man you want to marry me,” Matt ordered.