A Proposal at the Wedding (Bride Mountain 2)

She gave a little push against his chest, and he dropped his arms immediately, thinking maybe she was too tired, after all. Instead, she gave him a slow smile and took his hand. Without a word, she turned and moved toward her bedroom.

Articles of clothing fell just inside the bedroom door, at the foot of the bed, next to the head of the bed. They lowered themselves to the bedclothes, snuggled together and slowed down to savor with long, tender kisses and soothing strokes. Bonnie’s little purrs were music to Paul’s ears, letting him know she took pleasure in his touch, that their caresses were as arousing to her as they were to him.

“Mmm,” she murmured, when he rubbed his hand in slow circles on her back, gently massaging the knots he found there. “This is exactly what I needed tonight.”

What she needed tonight, he repeated to himself. No mention of the future, no reason to think she was reading anything more into this than she should. A few hours of pleasure. He couldn’t help wondering how many more nights he would have with her. How many more times they could be together this way, so easily. So passionately. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to walk away from her without leaving a part of his heart behind—and that was a fear he’d never really faced with anyone else.

“Paul?” Bonnie caught his face between her hands and drew back enough to give him a quizzical glance. “You look so stern all of a sudden. Is everything okay?”

What the hell was he doing? He was in bed with a beautiful, willing woman and he was wasting time trying to predict their future?

He rolled her beneath him, pressing her into the pillows with his best imitation of a pirate’s grin. “Most definitely okay.”

Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his mouth down to hers. “Good,” she murmured against his lips. And then, a moment later, “Very good.”

The wedding shower for Cassie on Sunday afternoon was a big success, and the food Bonnie served received glowing reviews. She hadn’t wanted to be too heavy-handed with Cassie’s wedding colors of pistachio, dove-gray and coral, but she’d incorporated all of the colors in the antipasto and petit four trays, in tiny sandwiches and canapés and, of course, little bowls of pistachios and mints. She didn’t make the stunningly beautiful cake, which was purchased from a bakery in Christiansburg, but it looked exactly right amidst her own contributions.

There weren’t a lot of guests, only Cassie’s closest friends, her sister and mother, but it was a cheery group with a lot of laughter, chatter and genuine happiness for Cassie. Bonnie stayed quietly in the background for the most part, keeping an eye on the food, discreetly refilling coffee carafes and water pitchers. Cassie opened gifts with squeals of appreciation. Then, almost before Bonnie knew it, the guests began to leave.

Which meant that Paul should be arriving soon, she thought with a thrill of anticipation.

She hadn’t seen him since he’d left her apartment late Thursday night, though they’d spoken by phone Friday and Saturday nights. There’d just been no time to get together. Their chats had been light and easy. They’d talked of her work and his preparations for the coming new school year, of the wedding preparations and funny things the twins had said. They did not talk about the future, nor about any feelings they might have for each other. Any time the conversation had strayed too close to either of those subjects, they’d both quickly deflected it. She certainly didn’t want to admit her deepening feelings for him over the phone, or discuss her concerns about whether she meant more to him than a friend with benefits—very nice benefits, but increasingly not enough for her.

One of the shower guests paused in front of Bonnie, a tiny baby in her arms. Bonnie hadn’t even heard the infant fuss during the event, though she’d seen her passed around and cooed over quite a bit. “This is such a beautiful place,” the woman said. “I can see why Cassie decided to have her wedding here. I’m Lynn, by the way.”

“Thank you, Lynn. We’re delighted Cassie chose us. I’ve been admiring your baby during the shower. She’s been so good,” she said, leaning in to get a better look at the sweet little face beneath a stretchy pink lace headband adorned with a white lace rosette. “What’s her name?”

“Alanna. She’s five weeks old. My husband had to work unexpectedly today and I couldn’t bear to miss the shower, so Noelle said I should just bring her with me.”

Alanna’s eyes were open, trained on Bonnie’s face with that puzzled, intrigued, slightly unfocused look unique to infants. “Is she always this quiet?”

“Most of the time. But when she gets wound up, she can pretty much bust your eardrums. Would you like to hold her while I get my things and say goodbye to Cassie?”

Bonnie blinked a little in surprise, since she didn’t even know the woman—but her hands were practically itching to get ahold of this tiny vision in pink-and-white lace. “I would love to.”

The transfer went smoothly. Lynn stepped away to gather her things and speak with her friends, though Bonnie noticed she kept a close eye on the baby, understandably so. Alanna seemed perfectly content to be held by a stranger, looking wide-eyed at the room around them, her gaze occasionally locking on Bonnie’s face. Bonnie was quite sure she wore a sappy smile as she cooed at the infant, and when she was rewarded with a quick, toothless smile, she laughed delightedly.

“You,” she crooned, “are an angel. Just about the cutest baby ever.”

Alanna made a sweet little sound accompanied by a funny face that caused Bonnie to laugh again. When it came to babies, she was just such a girl, she thought wryly.

She’d been so focused on the baby that she didn’t immediately notice Paul had arrived. She glanced up just in time to see him staring at her with a startled expression before Lynn came to reclaim her child. All the guests departed, leaving Bonnie with Cassie, her mother and sister. And her father.

“Dad, look at all the nice gifts my friends gave me,” Cassie urged him, motioning toward the items displayed on a table. “Wasn’t that sweet of them? I’m going to miss them all so much.”

Paul pointed a finger at his daughter, speaking in a stern voice underlaid with a note of humor. “Don’t even start that. I’ve gotten enough tears from your sister.”

Fourteen-year-old Jenna, a cute brunette with braces on her teeth

and a hint of freckles across her short nose, put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “I didn’t cry, Uncle Paul. All my friends did,” she insisted.

“Uh-huh.”

In response to his teasing skepticism, she rolled her eyes in a way only teenagers could pull off so eloquently.

While Bonnie began to tackle her part of the cleanup, Cassie and her family repacked gifts and carried them out to the parking lot. Bonnie couldn’t help watching Paul interacting with his daughter’s mother and half sister. He was so easy and comfortable with them, his affection for them visible on his face. His behavior toward Holly wasn’t exactly fraternal, but very close to it. Considering they’d known each other since childhood and had been platonic partners in child-­raising for more than twenty years, Bonnie supposed that made sense.

With everything packed away, Holly reminded Jenna that they had plans for the evening. She took her leave of Bonnie graciously—the way she seemed to do everything, Bonnie couldn’t help thinking. “I’m sure we’ll see each other several times during the next couple of weeks,” Holly said. “We’re getting down to the wire.”