Page 71 of The Billionaire Benefactor

Epilogue

seven months later

A second wedding. Jenny never dreamed of this as a girl. Did anyone? She smoothed a hand down the light silvery-blue skirt of her dress. Not white, but light. For the hundredth time, she was second-guessing her dress choice. Or was she having doubts about the whole thing?

“You’re doing it again.” Denise’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Jenny made a face. “I’m trying not to. It’s just—”

Denise held up a hand and sat down in a chair next to Jenny. They were in the bride’s room at her church, a small room just off the sanctuary with a couch, a few padded chairs, and a full-length mirror on one wall. “Your dress is perfect. You look amazing in it. Roman is going to love it.”

Jenny bit her lip. “You don’t think he’ll be disappointed? This isn’t the bride-in-the-white-dress, virginal-first-everything wedding he probably dreamed of.”

Denise squeezed her hand. “Sweetie, he wants to marry you. It’s not about this day or even about what’s ‘normal.’ When Roman put this giant rock on your finger—” Denise fingered the sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds. “—he was telling you that you’re his perfect match. He’s here today not for whatever color dress you’re wearing, but for the woman in the dress. And your first night with him will be your first night together. Just you and Roman. Your first. Whatever nights you had with Hank aren’t part of this. Your future is starting now. And I suspect that it’s going to have a happy ending.”

“How do you always know what to say?” Jenny leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Denise. “I don’t want to think about the past. I just can’t seem to kick out these negative thoughts. The doubts, the worries, the memories of saying vows before…ones that Hank broke. He broke my heart. I can’t go through that again. Why can’t I just enjoy today for today?”

Her voice caught and she held her breath, trying to hold back the sobs. Denise squeezed her even harder. “I know.”

“I should just be happy.” The sobs came then. Jenny was glad that her mom had taken Lucy out for a few minutes for last-minute flower-girl prep. Her mom and Denise both sensed the heaviness that hung over Jenny this morning.

I should be happy. I’m getting a second chance at love with an incredible man. The kids love him. Mom and Dad love him. I love him.

Despite her best efforts, Jenny couldn’t seem to quiet the dark thoughts. She wasn’t good enough for Roman. He would realize too late that he was making a mistake. Or maybe even when he saw her coming down the aisle. He didn’t really love her, but loved the idea of her that he found in the letters. Maybe he only thought he loved her, but the head injury confused him. One day he would remember and then he would want to walk away.

“Jenny?”

Another voice made her lift her head, trying to brush back the tears. When she saw Roman’s mother in the doorway, Jenny covered her face.

“I’m so sorry, Caro. Maybe you should come back in a few minutes,” she said, hiccupping through her sobs.

Caro came in and shut the door behind her. “Do you mind if Jenny and I have a few minutes?” she asked in a soft voice, softer than Jenny had ever heard Caro speak.

Denise gave Jenny’s hand a quick squeeze. Jenny didn’t want her to go, but Denise whispered, “You’ve got this. I’ll be right back.”

Jenny tried to straighten her posture as Caro sat down. Roman’s mother had warmed to her after their initial meeting at the ball, but they weren’t exactly close. Jenny did her best to include Caro in the wedding planning, since Roman was her only son. But even after all the time they’d spent together, she still didn’t feel fully comfortable around Roman’s mother. What would Caro think of her tears? Jenny stared down at the carpet until Caro spoke.

“I wanted to say a few things to you before the ceremony.”

Jenny nodded, feeling like a child waiting for a lecture. She was surprised when Caro reached out and softly took her hands. Jenny looked up. Caro’s gaze was just as tender.

“Jenny, I know you understand how it feels to want the best for your children. You map out the perfect future for them in your minds. Sometimes…” Caro made a face, looking off over Jenny’s head. “Sometimes you make mistakes trying to force what you want for them, confusing that with what’s best.”

Jenny did know. She nodded, then looked down again, knowing full-well that she was not the perfect future Caro had thought of for Roman. Caro squeezed her hands tighter, almost painfully.

“I wanted to tell you before you marry my son that you have my complete blessing.”

It took the words a moment to find their way into Jenny’s mind. She looked back up at Caro, who had tears in her eyes.

Caro continued. “I know that I haven’t always shown this to you, which is why I wanted to be sure I told you now. You are a beautiful, kind, strong, and thoughtful woman. I see it in the way you treat your children. I saw it in how you included me in the plans for this wedding. You didn’t need to do that as much as you did. Most women wouldn’t have thought of it. I appreciate that more than you know, especially since I don’t have a daughter.”

Jenny was crying again, but silently this time, a different kind of tears. Caro handed her a white handkerchief from her purse. Jenny wiped her face carefully. Her makeup was waterproof, but she still didn’t want to push it.

“The thing that matters most of all,” Caro went on, “is how you treat my son. Having you in Roman’s life has brought a new light to him. A joy that I hadn’t seen. You are the perfect match for him and I am nothing but happy for today. But I suspect that you are dealing with some heavy emotions as well. You and I share a lot in common. I’ve been both happy and sad today, thinking about my Reggie.”

Now Jenny squeezed Caro’s hands, then passed back the handkerchief. Caro wiped her eyes, just as carefully as Jenny had.

“I wish I could have met him,” Jenny said.

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