Page 120 of Hearts Aweigh
“You can love someone and still take your time marrying them. Trust me. I speak from experience. My poor husband, Bill, had to wait a year after proposing before I shopped for a wedding dress.”
Emily’s words clattered inside Abby’s head. They resurrected her buried doubts. She gnawed her lower lip, realized what she was doing, then licked her upper teeth to remove any lipstick marks. Mustn’t ruin her makeup. She had a wedding to get back to.
Or did she?
“Aaaaaahhhhh!” A dark-haired boy hollered inside a jungle gym to their left. The child’s upper half hung from a circular opening near the top.
Abby raced over. With careful hands, she rescued him from his uncomfortable position and set him on the ground. A little girl barreled through the spurting jets. Her heavy steps splashed water onto the wedding gown.
Abby checked the stains and moaned. Oh well. It was a job hazard. She returned to the table, and Emily nodded.
“See there? You’re in your element around the children. No matter how busy you are, you keep an eye and ear tuned to what’s going on around you. It’s time you rejoined the real world and put your God-given abilities to better use. You were born to be a teacher.”
Abby plucked at the wet hem of her dress. “Spencer didn’t ask me to give up teaching.”
“I’m sure he didn’t. He’s not an idiot. But the best marriages take place when each partner knows who they are and what they can bring to the relationship. Spend time getting to know each other. Then you’ll be all the stronger when the two of you come together.”
Abby covered her face. She managed a shuddery breath, and her voice wobbled. “You’re right. But”—she swallowed hard—“what if Spencer isn’t willing to wait?”
“Pish-tosh.” Emily patted her shoulder. “Don’t underestimate the man. I imagine he’d fetch you a piece of the moon if you asked him. Postponing the wedding isn’t too hard a request, as long as you help him understand you’re not abandoning him.” Emily thumped the table. “Besides, I’m not telling you to join a convent. I’ll bet New Orleans is dying for good teachers. If you took a job there, you could see each other seven days a week.”
Abby raised her head. “You think so?”
“I know so. It’s obvious Spencer didn’t get much care or affection in his previous marriage. Take some time enjoying your courtship.”
“I was looking forward to being Maddie’s mother.” Abby brushed impatient fingers over her watery eyes. “She deserves to be showered with affection.”
“Maddie’s another good reason to wait. Her father needs to be the one to shower that affection first. Allow them the opportunity to get close. It will make it even sweeter when you join the family.”
Abby sat on her hands and rocked in her seat. “How do I break this to him?”
“With lots of love.” Emily grabbed her purse and stood. “And it won’t hurt to throw in a few hot-blooded kisses. Give him a preview of how much fun it will be to date you.”
Fun?Abby suspected her conversation with Spencer would be anything but fun. What if he decided she wasn’t worth waiting for?
CHAPTER 59
EIGHT STEPS.
It took exactly eight steps to cross the outer balcony opposite the chapel. Spencer knew the distance well because he’d paced it for five minutes. Where was Daisy? Considering he’d given the Shippers a mere ten minutes to change his mind, the delay confused him. His brain had calculated every argument his mother might use and prepared a proper response. No one and nothing would talk him out of marrying Abby.
The door opened, and Spencer braced himself. Daisy’s pink suit matched the shade of Madeleine’s flower girl dress. This doting grandmother in no way resembled the cold, proper woman of his childhood.
He firmed his jaw. “Well? Let me have it.”
A tender smile adorned her lips. She walked over, slipped her hands under his arms, and wrapped him in a warm embrace. The subtle scent of magnolias teased his nostrils.
Spencer froze. Two hugs from his mother in one week. It must be a record.
After a few seconds, she drew away and captured the decorative timepiece around her neck. She yanked hard. The delicate gold chain snapped. Extending her fist, she unclasped her fingers to reveal the watch.
“I remember when your father gave me thisgift.” Her tone hardened at the word. “It was on our wedding day. Naive, starry-eyed girl that I was, I presumed it symbolized his never-ending love for me. I soon learned differently.”
The broken necklace strands swayed in the sea breeze. Daisy’s fingers closed. She faced the billowing waves. “When he and I were courting, he waited for me without complaint as I primped and powdered. But after the marriage ceremony, his patience ended. This gift was his way of telling me he wouldn’t wait again.” Her head bowed. “You’re more than aware of your father’s insistence on punctuality.”
Spencer’s shoulders constricted at the very mention. As a child, he’d spent many hours locked in his room because his lateness had affected his father’s schedule. The controlled Julius Masterson never once hit him, but the emotional punishment he’d inflicted was acute.
He studied his mother’s profile. The wind whipped the sides of her sleek silver bob against her cheeks. Her sophisticated nose wrinkled in a sniffle.
