I Do, I Do . . . Again Read online

  Jessi's eyes widened. "You got married in your prom gown?"

  Sunny nodded. "Other kids went to the lake after the prom. We went to Maryland and got married." She laughed softly, remembering. "At least your dad had mastered the bow tie by that time."

  "Didn't you want to go to college?" Jessi asked.

  "Sure I did," said Sunny, trying to act as if this friendly conversation with Jessi was an everyday occurrence. "We had it all planned."

  "We didn't," said Olivia and Millie in unison.

  "Were you mad at Dad and Sunny?" asked Jessi.

  Millie yielded to Jessi's biological grandmother. "Not that they loved each other or wanted to be married," Olivia said, smoothing her granddaughter's hair off her forehead. "But we wished they had decided to wait. It didn't have to be as difficult as it was."

  "Where did you live?" Jessi turned to Sunny. "Did you go to work?" Her tone made it obvious that she couldn't possibly imagine how two teenagers could make enough money to pay rent and buy groceries.

  Sunny told the girl the truth. "We had a little studio apartment in South Philly with a shower stall and a hot plate. It was very difficult," she said, "but we loved each so much that we didn't mind."

  "Then what made you get a divorce?" Jessi persisted. "If two people love each other, don't they want to stay together forever?"

  "Sometimes life gets in the way," Sunny said quietly.

  "You don't have to tell me," Jessi said, that stiff smile appearing once again on her face. "I mean, it's not like I have a right to know or anything."

  Olivia and Millie excused themselves and headed for the kitchen to make coffee. The other guests busied themselves admiring the myriad of gifts.

  "I'd like to tell you, Jessi." Sunny met the girl's eyes. "You see, not long after we married your dad and I found out we were going to have a baby."

  "You weren't pregnant when you got married?"

  Sunny shook her head. "Despite popular opinion, no. The baby was a surprise--a wonderful surprise." Her voice caught on the last word. "Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. I miscarried at the start of my fourth month and your dad and I...." She let the words fade away.

  Bright patches of color appeared on Jessi's cheeks as she looked at Sunny. "A baby," she said, as if she'd never considered that possibility.

  "We didn't know how to handle sorrow," Sunny said after a moment. "We broke up not long after." She turned her hands palms up in a gesture of finality. "You know the rest." Robert went to law school where he ultimately met Christine, while Sunny threw herself headlong into the pursuit of the art career she'd always wanted.

  Sunny watched as Jessi struggled with her thoughts. The girl's emotions were so close to the surface that Sunny could almost reach out and touch them. It had to be hard to imagine your father in love with somebody else--or that if things had been different, you might never have been born at all. Talk to me, Jessi. We could be such good friends....

  "Can I be excused?" Jessi asked. "I have my math final tomorrow and I have to study."

  Sunny suppressed a sigh. "Go ahead," she said, feeling another opportunity slip through her fingers. "I wouldn't want your math final on my conscience." Try as she might she couldn't keep the disappointment from her voice.

  "Sunny, I--" Jessi stopped.

  This is it! She wants to talk to me.

  "Sunny!" Her sister Liz popped up next to her. "Mom needs you to check the final seating for the rehearsal dinner."

  "I'll be there in a few minutes," Sunny snapped. What rotten timing. She looked back at Jessi. "What were you about to say?"

  Jessi hesitated.

  Sunny held her breath.

  In the doorway Liz tapped her foot impatiently.

  "Nothing," Jessi said after a moment. "I guess I'll go to my room."

  ***

  "We were this close to becoming friends," said Sunny to Robert over dinner later that night at a lovely French restaurant in New Hope. "For the first time I think Jessi really saw me as a person."

  Robert refilled her wine glass. "I hadn't told her about the baby."

  "I figured that much."

  "I'm surprised you told her."

  "I want to be honest with her. At that age there's nothing harder to deal with than half-truths."

  "You're going to make a terrific mother," he said, eyes glittering in the candlelight.

  "If I get the chance."

  "Michael is crazy about you already."

  "Michael is a great little boy." She sipped her wine then smiled. "He wants to know if he can call me Mom after we're married."

  "And what did you say?"

  She started to laugh. "Are you kidding? Mom, mommy, mother--take your pick." She gave Robert a wry glance. "Now if Jessi liked me half as much, I'd be home-free."

  "She likes you. It's the idea of us that's giving her trouble."

  "Maybe we should have waited awhile longer, given her a chance to adjust to everything."

  "How long is long enough?" Robert countered. "What if she takes a year to adjust to our wedding? Life doesn't come with guarantees, Sunny. It can be over before you know it."

  "You must do well in the courtroom."

  "This has nothing to do with the courtroom." He reached for her hand and held it tightly. "This has to do with the rest of our lives. We'll work on it together as her parents."

  She thought of Jessi's mother and of how the future could be over in the blink of an eye. "I want so much for us," she whispered. "For all of us. We're so lucky to be given this second chance, Robby. I want everything to be perfect."

  Music drifted toward them from the next room. "Do you remember the last time we danced together?"

  "The senior prom?" she asked.

  He nodded. "It's been a long time."

  "What if we make a spectacle of ourselves at the reception?"

  "Couldn't let that happen." He pushed back his chair and stood up. "We used to be pretty good."

  She grinned and rose to join him. "We were a lot younger."

  He took her hand and led her toward the dance floor in the next room. "Some things get better with age."

  "You were right," she said a few moments later. "Some things definitely improve with age."

  If possible they fit together even more wonderfully than they had as teenagers. The music was slow, dreamy. They stood together on the floor with their arms around each other and swayed with the rhythm. With her head nestled against his shoulder and his hands warm against her back, Sunny felt as if she understood what heaven was all about.

  "Don't dip," she murmured into his ear. "I'm too tired to be dipped."

  "Don't worry," he said. "I don't intend to let you go long enough to dip."

  "The next time we dance will probably be at our wedding."

  "And the next time we make love...."

  "Seven days," she whispered, pressing closer to him."Do you realize that this time next week I'll be a mother?"

  She sensed a certain tension in the way he held her.

  "Robert?"

  He stopped dancing and led her back to their table. "We need to talk."

  Her stomach knotted. "You look serious."

  "There's one thing we haven't talked about," he said, holding her chair out for her.

  "What type of champagne to serve at the reception? The first song? Stuffed cabbage or pepper steak on the buffet table?"

  "A baby."

  "A baby?"

  "Our child," he said, his voice low and intimate. "Part of us both."

  "Oh."

  "How do you feel about that idea?"

  "Elated...scared..." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Hopeful."

  They were quiet while a busboy cleared the table and the waiter served coffee and dessert.

  "It won't be like the last time," Robert said, linking her fingers with his across the table.

  "You said life came with no guarantees," she pointed out. "What happened to us might happen again.".

  "No." His voice was strong, firm
. "Not this time."

  "You can't be certain."

  "Maybe not but I know that whatever happens, this time our marriage is for keeps."

  Tears of happiness spilled down her cheeks. "I love you, Robby," she said.

  "Care to show me how much?"

  She started to laugh. "Here? I don't think the staff of Chez Ondine would appreciate it."

  He threw down a pile of bills on the table and stood up. "I know some place better."

  Ten minutes later, he angled his car on a rise overlooking a valley and doused the headlights.

  "Inspiration Point," Sunny breathed, glancing toward the other cars scattered about. "When was the last time--?"

  "The night of the prom," said Robert, unsnapping his seat belt.

  There was something about the look in his eyes that made her blood run quick and hot as he unsnapped her belt. "The night we decided to get married."

  "You're sexier today than you were as a girl."

  "Smart man," she said, sliding closer to him. "If we were in the back seat, I'd prove it to you."

  Moments later that was exactly where she found herself.

  "You're incorrigible," she giggled as he reached beneath her silky top and deftly opened her bra. "You haven't lost your touch."

  "Come here, woman," he said, pulling her onto his lap. "You talk too much. This might be our last chance until the wedding night."

  "Yeah?" she said, bringing her mouth close to his.

  "Yeah." His mouth covered hers and she felt as if she were standing in the middle of a raging fire. She pitied the adolescents they'd once been. Teenage passion was nothing compared to adult lust.

  And lust combined with love was a potent mixture, designed to bring a man and woman to the flash-point in an instant.

  "This is crazy."

  "No, it's not. It's the only sane thing we've done since the day we met at the gallery."

  "Someone might see us."

  "The windows are fogged over." His low laugh thrilled her. "Besides, they're all too busy to worry about us."

  He moved a little to the right, she slid over a tad to the left and the next moment they agreed that nothing was impossible if the man was inventive enough and the woman, limber.

  ***

  It was after two in the morning when they walked up the steps to Sunny's front door .

  "A policeman," Sunny said, shaking her head in bemusement. "How embarrassing!"

  "He didn't take our names," Robert pointed out.

  "It doesn't matter. I almost died when he pointed that flashlight in the window."

  "I thought you were the unconventional one."

  "About some things." She fished around inside her purse for her house keys. "What if we'd been arrested? Our mothers would have publicly disowned us."

  "Not before the wedding," he said dryly.

  He watched as she unlocked the door. No woman had the right to look so beautiful by moonlight. He wanted to toss her over his shoulder and spirit her upstairs to her bedroom and have his way with her again.

  "I'm worried about you," Sunny said after they stepped into the dimly-lighted foyer. "That long drive home...."

  He pulled her into his arms. "I can think of a way around that long drive."

  "Oh no," she said, laughing. "I think that policeman was an omen. Maybe we should wait for our wedding night."

  "Bad idea."

  She laughed and placed a hand on his chest. "What would the kids say if you stayed out all night?"

  "I'd be home before anyone knew I was missing."

  "Kids know more than you think," Sunny chided, shooting him a sharp look. "Not to mention Mrs. Jennings."

  He followed her into the living room, waiting while she switched on the Elvis desk lamp she was so fond of. "Are you planning to bring that with you when you move in?"

  "You don't like my Elvis lamp?"

  He bypassed the question and gestured toward the bright yellow hammock swinging from the exposed beams. "That might end up in the back yard."

  She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Are you telling me you hate my furniture?"

  "I'm saying we might have a problem fitting everything in."

  "You look like the cat that ate the canary," she said. "What are you up to?"

  He grinned at her and gave Elvis a playful sock on the jaw. "You'll find out soon enough."

  Chapter Five

  "There," said the seamstress, adjusting one of the hundreds of tiny seed pearls on the bodice of the gown. "You're a vision!"

  Sunny, in wedding gown and running shoes, looked toward the women assembled in the doorway. "What do you think?"

  "Spectacular," said Olivia, hands pressed together in rapture. "You are a vision."

  "Wow!" said Jessi.

  The seamstress caught Sunny's eye over the girl's head and winked.

  Sunny's mother didn't say a word. Her tears of joy spoke for her.

  "Take a look, Ms. Talbot," the seamstress urged. "This is your last chance before the wedding." Today was Wednesday. The rehearsal dinner was just seven hours away--if Sunny's nerves held out that long.

  Slowly Sunny turned to face the three-way mirror. She'd never considered herself the traditional style. Her own sense of fashion was decidedly funky and imaginative. The thought of being decked out in a fairy tale princess wedding gown was as foreign to her as the thought of wearing a navy blue business suit. Just keep cool, she warned herself as she opened her eyes. Even if you hate it, don't let anyone know. This wedding meant so much to everyone that she wouldn't do anything to upset things at this late date.

  At first she didn't recognize herself. The dress was a confection of satin, lace, and pearls and not even the running shoes peeping beneath the hem could dilute the effect.

  "Oh!"

  "You like?" asked the seamstress.

  "I don't like," she breathed. "I love!" She pirouetted before the mirror, shamelessly entranced with the romantic loveliness of her reflection. "I never dreamed I could look like this."

  "Just you wait until you walk down the aisle on Saturday," said her mother who had recovered her voice, "and Robert sees you for the first time."

  "Did I hear my name?" A male voice floated through the half-closed door to the main dressing room.

  Sunny shrieked. "Robert! Don't you dare come in here!" She spun around and looked at her mother and Olivia. "Stop him!"

  "You're superstitious," Robert laughed a few minutes later when, back in jeans and a t-shirt, she read him the riot act.

  "I'm not superstitious," she lied, fingers crossed behind her back. "I'm cautious, that's all."

  "I'm going to see you in your wedding gown in three days. Why not a preview?"

  "Over my dead body," said his mother, glaring up at him in her most patrician manner.

  "And mine," said her mother.

  He turned to Jessi. "What do you think about it, sweetheart?"

  The girl visibly beamed. "I think you should wait until Saturday."

  Sunny clapped her hands together. "Female solidarity is a wonder to behold."

  Robert looked bemused and somewhat bewildered. "I hate to break this up, but we have something to do."

  Jessi stepped forward, looking expectant. "Lunch at the Happy Sprout."

  He ruffled her bangs. "Not that carrot juice and tofu place outside of town?"

  Jessi's face drooped and Sunny immediately stepped in. "I'm in favor of lunch at the Happy Sprout. It wouldn't hurt any of us to try eating healthily for a change." She looked at her mother and Olivia. "You'll join us, won't you?"

  Millie reached for her iPad and opened her calendar. "Today we have a run-through with the caterer."

  "Not the caterer," said Olivia, glancing at her own iPad. "We have to review the florist's sketches."

  "I'm sure it's the caterer." Millie trailed a finger down the items on her To-Do list. "We have to sample the dessert crepes and make a final decision."

  "But the florist is expecting us," Olivia pointed
out. "He found a source for stephanotis and--"

  Sunny moved closer to Robert. "I think this is our chance to escape."

  "Yeah," said Jessi. "We could be at the Happy Sprout before anyone knows we're missing."

  "Sounds good to me," said Robert. "Why don't we--"

  "Not so fast, you three." Millie, the General Patton of wedding preparations, swung on them with all guns blazing. "We're not through with you yet."

  "Us?" Sunny stared at her mother. "Since when do we have anything to do with this wedding? So far the only thing you've let us do is choose our wedding rings."

  "The license," said Millie, checking her list. "We need the license for Reverend Davies."

  "We applied for it weeks ago," said Sunny. She turned to Robert. "Did you pick it up?"

  He shook his head. "I thought you did."

  "Me? When would I have time? You said you'd get it next time you were at the courthouse."

  "I don't know where you got that idea. You told me you'd swing by there the next time you went to see one of your artist friends."

  Olivia looked to be on the verge of swooning. "Do you mean to tell us you don't have your marriage license?"

  "There's no need to yell, Ma," said Robert, wincing. Elegant Olivia, however, was beyond decorum. "The wedding is in three days and you don't have a marriage license?"

  "Grandma," said Jessi, staring wide-eyed at the woman. "Your face is turning all red."

  Millie gave the future bride and groom her sternest look. "I can't believe you two could be so irresponsible! We ask you to do one thing and you can't manage that."

  "Like we have nothing else on our minds, Mother?" Sunny's own temper flared to life. "I'm trying to get my art gallery off the ground, Robert has a law practice, and we'd like to find time to have a life."

  "And I suppose you think planning a wedding has been easy on Olivia and me?" Millie was a match for her daughter. "We're working our fingers to the bone, trying to make this the most wonderful day of your life."