Page 42 of Her Stepbrother Master
“Of course not,” she snapped, although she had no right to sound so defensive. She was the one who had tricked Brad into having sex with her before they married.
“Then you will not marry. I forbid it.”
Brad stood up, his lips tight. The two had always butted heads, but this time it was much worse. He held out his hand to her and she scooted her chair back to stand. “I will marry LuAnn with or without your permission.”
“No,” her father thundered.
“Yes,” she said, stepping closer to Brad, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Her stepmother looked ready to cry.
“I’m sorry,” LuAnn said.
“Now wait a minute—” her father began, but Brad was already leading her out the door. “Get back here this instant.”
“Bob, please,” her stepmother cried, her voice breaking.
Brad led her out of the house and down the driveway, pulling open her car door for her. “It’s all right, baby girl,” he said, wrapping her into a hug.
Oddly, it hurt much less than she’d thought. She’d expected that outcome, really, and now, at least, the anticipation of it was over. She didn’t feel afraid or upset—not with Brad standing in front of her, willing to shield her. She looked up at the window and saw both their parents looking out at them, her stepmother’s hand on her father’s arm in what appeared to be an entreaty.
“Come on,” she murmured, pulling away. “Let’s go.”
LuAnn’s father didn’t think he was good enough for her. Brad wasn’t sure he blamed the man. After all, their first year as stepfather and son had been explosive. He’d had a devil-may-care attitude about life in general, and Bob Walters had tried, unsuccessfully, to bring him in line.
He didn’t think his stepfather ever believed he’d graduate from college, much less hold down a professional job, especially without the elder man’s financial help and supervision. The fact that Brad had accomplished something with his life had never been recognized.
As he stood next to his bride at the courthouse, four days after their fallout with their parents, guilt wormed its way into his chest. LuAnn deserved better than this. She deserved to have a traditional wedding, and to be given away on the arm of her father. He should have taken more time to assure his stepfather of his worth as a husband and provider for LuAnn.
Brian and Sally had come. His brother had been stunned by the news of their planned elopement, but had quickly recovered and declared himself in support of their union. LuAnn looked gorgeous in a strapless white lace and chiffon tea-length dress. He’d given her a bouquet of white roses to hold and a string of fresh-water pearls to wear. Despite the circumstances, she glowed, looking as happy and radiant as a bride ever looked on her wedding day.
The judge recognized Brian, and greeted them warmly, calling them up to the bench for the ceremony. Brian stood behind him, like a best man, and Sally stood beside LuAnn.
“Do you have a ring for the bride?”
“I do,” he said, digging into his pocket.
LuAnn gaped at him in surprise.
“You didn’t think I’d let you marry without a ring, did you?”
Her smile brightened the entire room and made his breath stall in his chest. Spending the rest of his life working to earn that look from his bride would be a worthy endeavor.
He opened the ring box and withdrew the little ring—a white gold band with a flower shaped out of diamond chips.
“Oh, Brad, it’s beautiful,” she breathed, holding out her finger.
“Hang on, sweetheart, I think there’s an order to this,” he said, looking at the judge expectantly.
The judge laughed. “Indeed, there is,” he said and proceeded to officiate the brief ceremony in which they both said “I do.”
“By the power vested in me by the State of Connecticut, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Brad held both her hands and leaned forward for a brief, but warm kiss, one which he hoped conveyed the promise of a great deal of passion in the imminent future.
They turned around to exit and LuAnn gasped. Their parents stood in the hallway. His stepfather’s hands were jammed in his pockets and his mother’s shoulders were bunched up to her ears. He glanced at Brian, who must have given them the time and location of their marriage ceremony.
His brother shrugged. “Mom wanted to be here.”
