Page 48 of A Baby to Make Her His Bride

The words hovered in a glow around her heart, glittering and fragile in their newness.

His mouth covered hers before she could say them aloud, which was okay. She wasn’t ready yet and, pretty soon, she forgot about anything except where her bikini had gone and what else he had in his trunks.

CHAPTER TWELVE

VIENNAUSEDHERconnections at home—Jasper was still trying to get her friends straight, but he was pretty sure she called the one Hunter had jilted—to squeeze the only available date out of a boutique hotel in Toronto. It had been converted from a nineteenth-century bank and they were booked solid for the busy holiday season, but they’d had a last-minute midweek cancellation.

They sent out invites, but kept the baby news to themselves. After a busy month of making arrangements from afar, they landed mere days before their nuptials, into a typical snowy, blustery Ontario storm.

Jasper didn’t mind the weather. It gave them an excuse to stay in while Vienna slept off her jet lag. He did relent and allow his sister and her family to invade the first afternoon they were back. Truthfully, he was excited to see Amelia’s reaction to the baby news and she did not disappoint. She screamed.

Peyton was so startled that she cried and needed a cuddle with Mommy to calm down, but the adults were laughing and Amelia said, “I’m going to cry for days. I’m so happy for you both. For all of us.” She kept hugging each of them, even Hunter and Peyton, unable to contain her elation.

“Vi.” Hunter was quieter in his reaction.

Jasper tensed, not caring what Hunter might say to him, but he was damned protective of Vienna’s feelings. If her brother was the least bit offside, they would have a very serious conversation.

But Hunter’s eyes were damp when he said, “This is really great news. Congratulations. Both of you.” He shook Jasper’s hand with genuine warmth.

Jasper tried not to let the sentiment get to him, but the way Vienna looked so incandescent humbled him. It was a moment of pure shared happiness. Moments like this were as rare as that blue diamond she wore and as close to perfection as anything could get.

Guilt speared into him even as he basked in it, smearing a streak of darkness across the day. If only Orlin Caulfield wasn’t also enjoying life to the fullest. The last report had placed him somewhere in the South Pacific, still evading any sort of law enforcement or consequences for his actions.

“What’s wrong?” Vienna asked, touching his arm. She was always tuned in to his moods.

“Nothing.” Jasper shook off his grim thoughts. He wouldn’t ruin this for her. Or Amelia.

But even as he held his niece and imagined holding his own baby soon, all he could think about was Saqui, and the fact he would never get to experience this at all.

Jasper seemed remote over the next few days. Vienna put it down to how busy they were.

They drove to see his father, so they could share the baby news in person. Tobias was delighted and promised to see them again soon. He was bringing a date, Ola, to their wedding, but they wouldn’t arrive until the morning of the ceremony.

Once all the family had been informed, they made a public announcement confirming that Vienna Waverly was newly engaged, and yes, she was pregnant, and yes, she was marrying Jasper Lindor at a downtown hotel a week before Christmas.

Paparazzi were soon braving the sleeting weather and thick holiday traffic to photograph them as they left her apartment to run a few errands.

“That’s another thing I love about Santiago,” Vienna mused in the car. “No one cares who I am there.”

It wasn’t the most profound statement, but Jasper didn’t respond, seeming distracted.

“Is everything all right?” she asked. “I’m sorry about the party tonight, but people expect to see me there.”

“My sister expects me to be there,” he pointed out dryly.

“True.” It was more of an obligation to Hunter, though. Her brother had always been efficient with his socializing. He hosted two or three huge parties throughout the year, inviting all the celebrities and business contacts who expected it. Vienna had often played hostess in the past, so she knew practically everyone who was invited. “I could be indisposed if you prefer to stay home.”

“I don’t mind. I still feel like the blue-collar boy from Goderich, but you always make these things very easy to bear.”

“That’s funny. You’re the one who makes it easy for me.” They had hosted several of their own parties full of high-profile strangers in Santiago. Vienna still suffered a certain tension, expecting a drunken spectacle like her stepmother used to provide, but Jasper made a good wingman. He knew how to talkfútboland business opportunities while she leaned into arts and culture.

They were turning into quite the power couple, she thought with amusement as they parted. She had a fitting for her wedding gown, but was also picking up the dress she would wear to tonight’s party.

Jasper was out when she returned, which made her wonder where he’d gone, but he was home by the time she rose from a brief nap. The party was black tie, so he dressed in a tuxedo, one tailored to accentuate his shoulders and wedged frame. His beard had been trimmed and his hair was professionally tousled.

“You look amazing.”

“So do you.” His gaze nearly incinerated the blue sequined gown right off her body. His attention flowed down her abundant cleavage to where her little bump was proudly front and center. “You don’t need any adornments, but when you said you were wearing blue, I thought these would go with your dress. Maybe not.” He showed her a pair of earrings. “Tourmalines. They’re from Brazil.”

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