Her mother’s smile widened. “I’ve got eyes, haven’t I? I see how you are together. How you’ve always been. He’s crazy about you.”
Apparently her mother didn’t see as much as she thought. Blinking back tears, Laura swallowed and said over the lump in her throat, “We have some…problems.”
Her mother laughed. “Of course you do. There were times I was ready to kill your father. But now—” her voice broke “—the problems we had seem small. I would give anything to have him here again, arguing with me.” She paused. “I know love isn’t simple or easy. But you’ll do the right thing. You always do.”
Laura swallowed yet again. “Not always.”
Ruth smiled. “Your father used to call you Little Miss Trustworthy. Of all my children, you were the easiest to raise. And now, the hardest to let go.” Her mother shook her head, wiping away her tears. “Look at me. Here I am, making a mess of myself after Gabriel bought me this expensive dress.”
“You’re calling him Gabriel,” Laura said.
“Well, what else would I call my son-in-law?” She kissed her daughter on the cheek. “He’s not your boss now. A husband is quite a different matter.” With a little laugh, she turned to leave in a soft cloud of lavender perfume. “Husbands need to be reminded not to take themselves too seriously.”
“Wait,” Laura whispered.
Her mother stopped at the door. “Yes, sweetie?”
Laura clenched her hands. The bodice of her wedding gown suddenly felt inexplicably tight.
She was standing on a precipice and knew it. The choice she made today would change the entire course of her life. And her son’s life, as well.
You’ll do the right thing. You always do.
“I need to see Gabriel,” she choked out. “Will you send him up to me?”
Her mother frowned. “Right now? It’s bad luck to see the bride. Can’t it wait an hour?”
In an hour, they’d be married. Not trusting her voice, Laura shook her head. With a sigh, her mother closed the door. Five minutes later, Gabriel appeared.
“You wanted to see me, querida?” he said huskily.
A lump rose in Laura’s throat as she looked at her handsome husband-to-be, at the brutal power of his body barely contained in the sophisticated tuxedo. She was suddenly reminded of the last time he’d been in a tuxedo, when he’d kissed her in the shadowy gardens at the Fantasia Ball, then made love to her on the hood of his car overlooking the dark, moonlit ocean…
She set her bouquet on the vanity. “I need to ask you something.”
His lips curved as he came up to her, stroking her face. “What is it, minha esposa?”
His wife. She swallowed, looking up at him.
“Do you love me?” she whispered.
He stiffened. Staring down at her, his handsome eyes became expressionless and dark. She waited, her heart pounding.
“I thought we agreed,” he finally said. “I care for you, Laura. I admire you and I always will. I lust for you and want you in my life.”
Her heart fell to her white satin shoes.
“But you don’t love me,” she said softly.
He set his jaw. “I told you from the start. I can’t love anyone. Not a wife. Not children.”
“But we will have them…”
“No,” he said. He came closer, putting his hands on her shoulders as he searched her gaze. “Is that why you sent for me before the ceremony, to ask if I might want children someday?”
She nodded tearfully.
He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Laura. I thought you understood. Though I can offer you marriage, nothing else has changed. I still cannot offer you love. Or more children.”