A Wedding in December

He lifted her face to his. “Mom hasn’t been too overwhelming?”

“Not at all. She’s the kindest person and so generous. I love her.” That was true, even though it was also true that Catherine’s expectations about the wedding added another level of pressure.

“And she loves you.” He smiled as he kissed her. “She told me that if she could have chosen a daughter, she would have chosen you.”

And...more pressure.

Oh this was ridiculous. She needed to tell him about the conversation with Katie. But then he might be mad at Katie, and she couldn’t bear that. She didn’t want to begin a marriage with family tensions.

“Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

“You mean a really deep, dark secret?”

She swallowed. “Yes.”

“Something no one else on the planet knows about me, not even Jordan?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? Because I have some pretty serious stuff buried in my past.”

Her heart started to pound. Maybe Katie was right. Maybe there were things they didn’t know about each other that really mattered.

“Tell me. You can tell me anything.” And she should be able to tell him anything, shouldn’t she? After he’d made his big confession, whatever that was, she’d tell him straight out about her doubts. Neither of them would be hiding anything.

“It’s pretty shocking.”

“Go on.”

He took a deep breath. “When I was seven I found my Christmas presents under my parents’ bed and opened them all.”

Anxiety turned to relief. “That’s it? Oh, you—” She pushed at his chest and he grinned.

“I told you it was shocking.”

“I’m being serious.”

“This was serious. I was grounded for two weeks. And no, I didn’t get any other gifts that year. That was when I figured out Santa wasn’t real, although I did wonder briefly if maybe he’d paid us an early visit and stored mine under the bed.”

“That’s your deep, dark secret?”

“Yes.” He lowered his head and kissed her briefly. “I don’t have deep, dark secrets, Rosie. I’m pretty straightforward.”

“I know, and I love that about you.” Her heart was still knocking against her ribs. She’d braced herself to hear something awful, and she should have known it would be a joke. He

loved to tease her, and most of the time she loved his brand of teasing. “Here’s something about me that you don’t know—I’m allergic to dogs. And cats.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. My worst asthma attack ever happened when I was staying with a friend who owned a dog. Which basically means I can’t ever own a pet.”

“Damn.” He ran his hand over his face. “Then we’re done. We’re over. Better call Mom and cancel the wedding.”

Her heart almost stopped. “Are you—” she swallowed “—are you serious?”

“No, of course I’m not serious. You should know that.” His expression was midway between amused and exasperated. “What’s wrong with you today?”

“I don’t know. I’m worried you’re going to change your mind, I suppose.”