Derek’s eyes narrowed. “Well, well. Who’d have thought?”
“Thought what?” Jack asked defensively.
“That the great Jack Mason has been brought to his knees by his nanny.”
“Stuff it, Fletcher. It isn’t like that.”
“Huh.” Taye appeared intrigued. “I think it’s exactly like that. I don’t doubt Isabella is a big part of the reason for the hasty marriage, but I think you have a thing for your bride-to-be.” Before Jack could argue the point, he added, “But, the more interesting question is why the hell would she marry you, Mason?”
Jack felt his anger stir. “If that’s the attitude you two are going to adopt, you can support me on my wedding day by taking off.”
Taye chuckled. “Oh, yeah. I can definitely see the appeal now.”
“You know …” Derek chimed in, “Taye raises an interesting point. I thought she was marrying you for the obvious reasons.” He and Taye exchanged a knowing look and chimed in together, “Money.”
“You don’t think she is?” Taye asked.
“Guys—”
Derek shrugged. “I’m not so sure. When I met with her yesterday, I didn’t read ‘gold digger,’ if you know what I mean.”
Jack lost his patience. “That’s because she isn’t.”
“Which brings us back to Taye’s point.” Derek lifted a sooty eyebrow. “Precisely why is she marrying you, Jack? For Isabella’s sake? Fast work, that. What in the world would prompt a woman to sacrifice two years of her life for a child she barely knows?”
“Unless it was for money.” Taye slipped the suggestion in again with far too much cynicism. But then, he had cause, as Jack knew all too well. A small case of been there/done that. “If it wasn’t for the money …” Taye allowed the comment to trail off.
Jack shrugged uneasily. “She cares about Isabella, just as I do. She plans to get her master’s over the next two years, and this will provide her with the perfect opportunity to set herself up for the future while helping Isabella.”
It sounded weak, even to his ears. As though sensing his concern, his friends exchanged meaningful looks and deliberately changed the subject. Jack listened with half an ear. Now that he stopped to consider the matter, he had to admit that his plan to circumvent CPS had fallen into place with impressive ease. Granted, he’d always had a knack for getting his own way and making things come together to his advantage. This was just one more example of that, right? But he couldn’t stop the question from fomenting in the back of his mind.
Why had Annalise really agreed to marry him? Was it for Isabella’s sake, as she claimed? Or did she have a very different agenda?
The wedding itself took place late that afternoon in the serenity of his backyard, with Taye and Derek at his side. Annalise and Isabella walked together across the lawn toward him, hand in hand, while a string quartet played softly and a photographer worked discreetly in the background. His bride paused halfway to the makeshift altar and stooped to adjust his niece’s hat. Dappled sunlight framed them, capturing them within a golden glow. And just like that, his heart stopped.
In that moment, his wife-to-be had to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her hair had been pulled back from her face and allowed to tumble in an abandoned riot of curls down her back. Her wispy veil was anchored in place by a circlet of gold and silver, the craftsmanship of the leaf-and-diamond-encrusted piece drawing attention to her vivid eyes. Her ivory gown was perfectly suited to her tall, lean figure, the bodice fitted, the sweeping skirt complemented by a long flowing train. She looked like a fantasy creature from another era, and yet he knew just how real she was.
Isabella also wore an ivory gown with lace insets that matched the trim on Annalise’s wedding gown. As far as Jack was concerned, his niece resembled nothing more than a small angel. Instead of a veil, she wore an adorable wide-brimmed bonnet that framed her apple-cheeked face. Gold-tipped brown ringlets peeked out from the edges and bobbed in the gentle breeze. She beamed with excitement.
Instead of carrying her Nancy doll—something he rarely saw her without—she held a basket full of ivory and blush-pink roses. Then, much to his amusement, he noticed the doll perched at the base of the tree near where he was standing. He grinned. His adorable niece had dressed the doll for the occasion in a gown and bonnet that, even to his untrained eye, appeared identical to the one Isabella wore.
An instant later, the two joined him beneath the weighty fuchsia blossoms of a crape myrtle, and the minister spoke the traditional opening words that would soon join them together as husband and wife. The ceremony took no time at all. One minute he was a man who’d sworn never to take a wife. The next instant he was married to a woman who gazed at him with such a wealth of emotion that it took every ounce of self-control to keep himself from sweeping her into his arms and carrying her off to where they could spend the next twenty-four hours in uninterrupted seclusion.
That wasn’t part of the plan, he reminded himself. This marriage had nothing to do with his new bride and everything to do with the child standing at their side. And he’d do well to remember that.
The minister cut across his thoughts, speaking the timeless words to conclude the ceremony. “You may now kiss the bride.”
Jack didn’t require any further prompting. He cupped Annalise’s face and tilted it upward. Her veil fluttered like a flag of surrender, while her curls shivered in protest. But her eyes, those glorious honey-gold eyes, gazed at him with undisguised want. Was she even aware of how much they gave away? He doubted it. If she had the least suspicion, she’d have done everything in her power to tuck the truth away behind that serene facade she clung to with such determination. He hoped Taye and Derek didn’t notice her expression. That was his, and his alone, something he refused to share with anyone else.
Slowly he lowered his head and captured her mouth. Her lips were softer than the roses in Isabella’s basket and tasted of sunshine and warmth. He filled his hands with the glorious weight of her hair and the silken curls twined around his fingers, anchoring them together. She sighed against his mouth, the sound one of sweet surrender. If he could have gathered up all the various scents and sounds and tastes and preserved them for all time, he would have given his fortune to do so. But moments like this didn’t last, and their kiss was no exception.