Page 113 of An Unexpected Love

Once again, like clockwork, all eyes in the room swiveled to Charlotte, awaiting her response. “I hope you put our name on a waiting list, then,” she murmured.

Elizabeth brightened, and some of the tension lines on her forehead seemed to relax. “I did better than that. You see,” she went on, her voice growing more confident, “there happened to be a cancellation, and so I asked they reserve that day for you and Jason.”

“Wonderful.”

“You’re leaving out the most important part,” Jason said, his lips barely moving.

“The date is July fourteenth,” Elizabeth announced, folding her hands and nodding sagely. “Don’t you think that’s excellent timing?”

“That sounds fine,” Charlotte agreed, when it was apparent once again that everyone was waiting for her to respond. A little more than a year would give her and Jason ample time to discover if a marriage between them was viable. By then, they’d certainly know if a sexual relationship was possible. A year gave them both an opportunity to adjust.

“It’s not July fourteenth ofnextyear,” Jason filled in, his gaze locking with hers. “Mother meant July fourteenth ofthisyear.”

Charlotte was too stunned to respond, other than with a gasp. Her mouth fell open in shock.

“What’s the problem, Mom?” Carrie asked, looking surprised.

“But…but no one can plan a wedding of any size in that length of time,” Charlotte managed after a moment. “It’s…impossible.”

“Not for Elizabeth,” Leah said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Mom’s been working on this since Jason mentioned the wordmarriage.”

“But…”

“I’ve seen to everything,” Elizabeth said confidently. “And itispossible, very possible—if you’ll agree to such a quick wedding. I realize we’re being unfair to you, and I do hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me for taking over like this. The thing is, I know my son, and once he makes up his mind, that’s the endof it. Jason wouldn’t have been willing to wait almost two years.”

“But…there are other places. Besides the yacht club, I mean.”

“Yes, but none of them are as special.”

“Charlotte,” Jason said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it. “I know it sounds crazy, but Mom’s right. I wouldn’t have wanted to wait just so my mother could put on a fancy wedding. At first I thought she’d gone berserk. The idea’s preposterous, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.”

“Leah and I will do anything we can to help,” Jamie inserted. “If you want the truth, we’re both thrilled.”

“Taylor and Christy and their families are flying out. They’ve already made their reservations,” Elizabeth added.

“But they can change them,” Jason told her, frowning at his mother as if to say Charlotte was under enough pressure as it was.

And he was right. She felt as if a giant hammer was poised above her head, ready to smash down on her at any second. The entire family was waiting. Happy. Excited. Thrilled. Carrie’s eyes begged her to say yes.

“Of course, Taylor and Christy can change their reservations, if necessary,” someone said. That was Paul, and Charlotte wanted to thank him.

“Personally, I think it’s wildly romantic,” Leah added. She was sitting in the recliner, her hand resting on her swollen abdomen. Paul was sitting on the armrest, his arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders, his eyes filled with love as he gazed down on her.

“Naturally I haven’t made any final decisions—that would be up to you,” Elizabeth said.

“I…don’t know what to say.”

“You must think I’m a domineering old woman, and I suppose I am, but nothing’s been finalized. I don’t generally meddle in my children’s lives, but—”

“Actually, if you want to be angry with anyone, it should be with the rest of us,” Jamie told her. “Jason is the family’s last chance for Mom to put on a big wedding. She’d been looking forward to it for years and we all disappointed her. She’s always done a fabulous job with the receptions, though.”

“We’ve had our hearts set on a formal wedding for so long,” Eric said.

“But in three weeks?” Charlotte murmured.

“We’ll all need to work together, of course, but we can do it.” Jason’s mother sounded utterly convinced of that. Her eyes sought out Charlotte’s and, in their beautiful blue depths, Charlotte saw how much Elizabeth wanted this. How much the entire family did. They all looked forward to contributing.

“Charlotte,” Jason said softly, “would you like more time to decide?”

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