Page 42 of An Unexpected Love

“My hair wasn’t done and I didn’t have on much makeup and I—”

“No,” Shelly interrupted, squeezing Jill’s fingers, “it’s more than that. You hadn’t met Jordan yet. It’s complete now.”

“What is?”

“Everything,” Shelly explained with characteristic ambiguity. “Aunt Milly’s wedding dress, you and Jordan. Oh, Jill,” she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears, “you’re going to be so happy.”

Jill wanted to believe that—how she wanted to believe it!—but she was afraid. So afraid of what the future held for her and Jordan.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Shelly said, dabbing her eyes. “I loved Mark when I married him. I’d loved him for months, but deep down I wondered how long a marriage between us could last. We’re totally different.”

Jill smiled to herself. Shelly was right; she and Markweredifferent, but they were perfectly matched, balancing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“I was sure my lack of domestic skills would drive Mark crazy, and at the same time I thought the way he organizes everything would kill our relationship. Did you know that man makes lists of lists? Even before I walked to the altar, I was worried this marriage was doomed.”

“It’s been all right, though, hasn’t it?”

Shelly smiled. “It’s been so easy—love does that, you know. Love takes something that’s difficult and makes it feel so effortless. You’ll understand what I mean in a few months.”

Unfortunately Jill shared little of her friend’s confidence. She was delighted that things had worked out between Shelly and Mark, but she didn’t expect that kind of happiness for her and Jordan.

“When you think about it, it’s not all that surprising,” Shelly had gone on to say. “Take Aunt Milly and Uncle John for example. She’s educated and idealistic, and John, bless his heart, was a realist and a mechanic with a grade-school education. Yet he was so proud of her. He loved her until the day he died.”

“Mark will always love you, too,” Jill said, smoothing the satin of the wedding dress.

“Jordan feels the same way about you.”

Jill’s heart stopped. It hit her then, for perhaps the first time—Jordan loved her. His love had guided Jill through her uncertainty. It had helped her understand what had led her to this point, helped her look past her mother’s tears and her own doubts.

The small reception and dinner held immediately after the ceremony featured a light, elegant meal and a festive atmosphere. Jill met several of Jordan’s business associates, who seemed both surprised and pleased for them. Even the Lundquists put in a jovial appearance, although Suzi was absent.

When it came time for them to leave, Jill kissed Andrew Howard’s cheek and thanked him once more. “Everything’s been wonderful.”

“I lost my only son,” he reminded her, his eyes momentarily aged and sad. “For years I’ve hungered fora family. After my wife died, and even before, I shut myself away, locked in my grief, and watched the world go on without me.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Jill told him. “Your work—”

“True enough,” he said, cutting her off. “For a while I was able to bury myself in my company, but two years ago I realized I’d wasted too much of my life struggling with this grief. Soon afterward I decided to retire.” His gaze wandered away from Jill and toward her mother, and he smiled. “I think the time might be right for me to make other changes, take the next step. What do you think, my dear?”

Jill smiled, too. Her mother needed someone like Andrew. Someone to teach her that love didn’t always mean pain.

“I’d forgotten what it was like to be young,” he said, now smiling easily. “I’ve known Jordan nearly all his life. I’ve watched him build a name for himself and admired his cunning. He’s good, Jill. But he’s a man without a family, and I suspect I see a lot of myself in him. The thought of him growing old and disillusioned with life troubled me. I want him to avoid the mistakes I made.”

Funny how her mother had said basically the same thing to Jill a few hours earlier. “There are certain mistakes we each have to make,” Jill returned softly. “It’s the only way we seem to learn, painful as it is.”

“How smart you are,” Andrew said, chuckling. “Much too clever for your years.”

“I love him.” Somehow it was important Mr. Howard know that. “I have no idea whether my love will make a lot of difference, but…”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. It will change him. Love does that, my dear, and he needs you so badly.”

“How can you be sure I’ll have any influence over Jordan’s life? I’m marrying him because I love him, but I don’t expect anything to change.”

“It will. Just wait and see.”

“How do you know that?”

His smile came slowly, transforming his face, brightening his eyes and relaxing his mouth. “Because,” he said, clasping her hand in his own, “because it once changed my life, and I’m hopeful that it will again.” He glanced at her mother as he spoke, and Jill leaned over to give him another quick kiss.

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