Page 7 of Corrupt Obsession

Isaac gripped Jesse’s shoulder.“Are you ready?”

He looked up at Isaac and noticed that he had beads of sweat at his temple. He grinned and raised a brow. “Are you?”

“Of course,” Isaac said gruffly as he smoothed a hand down the front of his suit. “I just wish we could have gotten hitched at the courthouse and avoided all this.”

Isaac gestured to the church where their guests were taking their seats.

“Mom already did that with my dad. She wanted an official wedding this time around,” Jesse reminded him, even though they’d heard her say it countless since Isaac proposed.

Isaac scanned the road. “They’re late.”

“Mom says women are supposed to be.”

Isaac gave him an appraising look. “No nerves?”

“About what?”

“You aren’t worried things will change once we’re married?”

“No.”

“What about the adoption?”

Mom and Isaac introduced the idea several days ago. Since they had no other relatives, Mom wanted to ensure he had family if anything happened to her. He didn’t need Isaac to adopt him to know his stepfather would be there for him. Isaac was a man of his word, but they both knew it would give Mom peace of mind.

“Once you marry Mom, you’ll become my dad. The adoption is just a formality,” he said.

Isaac visibly relaxed. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“But I’d like to keep my dad’s name.”

He was his father’s legacy, the only insurance that the Sampson family name would continue.

Isaac nodded. “I expected that. You don’t have to change your name. You’re family whether you carry the Carr name or not.”

He’d suspected Isaac wouldn’t mind, but he was relieved to hear it, nonetheless. In five short months, he and Isaac developed a bond that rivaled the one he’d had with his father. The fact that he’d been given another strong father figure to guide him through life was a blessing.

“The only one who may fight you about keeping your name is Violet. She was set on all of us being Carr’s,” Isaac said with a grin. “But I know you can handle her.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

Isaac gave him a considering look. “This has been a whirlwind and you two have taken everything in stride.”

If only Isaac knew how much he and Violet had schemed to hurry along their nuptials. Mom didn’t need to be convinced. She was in love with Isaac and, after losing his father, didn’t want to waste any time. It was Isaac who needed to be prodded and coaxed. With the three of them on board, Isaac had no choice but to surrender, which he did by proposing two months ago.

Mom and Violet had taken over after that, resulting in this hasty wedding. Mom was happier than he’d ever seen her. It was patently clear that his mother hadn’t loved his father the same way she did Isaac. Was it meant to be that his father passed so he and Mom could find Isaac and Violet? The four of them fit together like they were meant to be. Life, for the first time in a long time, felt right.

Isaac straightened. “There they are,” he said as a minivan turned into the parking lot.

Isaac hurried forward. Jesse followed in his wake, adjusting his tie. The first suit he’d worn was for his dad’s funeral. He was glad it was a happy occasion that made him don his second suit.

“Late enough to make an entrance, not late enough to be rude,” Mom’s friend Molly announced as she leapt out of the driver’s seat and came around to the side door. Molly eyed Isaac. “Shouldn’t you be inside? It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”

“I don’t believe in that stuff,” Isaac said impatiently and stepped forward to open the door himself.

“Okay, okay. Hold your horses.”

Molly slid the door open and a second later, Isaac breathed, “Violet.”

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