From This Moment (2 page)

He’d seen her look better. Her eyes were red, their lids swollen. The once sleek and gracefully statuesque young woman with the luminous mocha skin and perfectly coiffed hair now wore a pair of gray sweat pants and a white tank top. She was barefoot, her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail.

He wanted to reach out and caress her cheek, comfort her for the hurt he’d caused, but he knew they had to talk it out first.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step closer.

Ivy stepped backward. “I will be once we get this farce of a marriage dissolved.”

Jonathan sighed deeply before taking a seat on the couch. His heart dropped when Ivy sat on the love seat instead of next to him.

She leaned forward. “I hope to God you didn’t tell anybody what we did.”

“Why would I do that?”

“It was
your
idea for us to get married and
you
were in much better control than I was. So I’m not sure what
you’d
do.” Ivy got up from the love seat. “I know
I
didn’t tell anyone.”

Jonathan leaned forward, resting both elbows on his knees. “No, Ivy, I didn’t tell anyone. And as for me being in control . . . well, I didn’t think getting married was a bad idea at the time . . .” He stopped, but then gamely started again. “And if you want to know the truth, I still don’t. But I don’t think you share my sentiment.”

“You’re damn right, I don’t,” she shot back. “I’m a thirty-four-year-old responsible businesswoman, and there I was in Las Vegas carrying on like I’m Britney Spears. And just like Britney’s this marriage was over as soon as it started, but, unlike Britney’s, nobody’s going to know about it.”

She moved closer.

“Look, Jonathan, I’ve done the research, and in order to get this marriage annulled I’d have to go out to Vegas. I’m supposed to be meeting with the producers for the show, and with the day-to-day business operations of Hearts and Flowers, I just don’t have the time right now. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s already annulled, just not officially.”

Hope. Some hope. Ivy wasn’t going out to seek an annulment right away, which meant he had a chance to get her to change her mind. He found he liked the idea.

Ivy extended her right hand. “Can we shake on this or something? I just don’t want your family or my family to know. I don’t want
anybody
to know.”

Jonathan, rising to his feet, stared at her hand, and then his eyes moved up to her face.

“Do we have a deal?” she said.

Jonathan accepted, but he held her hand in his rather than shaking it. “Yes, we have a deal.”

He felt her try to move away, but he didn’t want to let her go. He held fast, looking down at her small hand enveloped in his large one. The two hands looked good together.

She pulled her hand away.

“We need to forget everything that happened between us,” she mumbled, turning away from him.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. Had she sounded a little breathless? Had she felt something when he cradled her hand? He walked around to face her. “Ivy, I can’t forget. I’m not even going to try. Can you honestly tell me that you can?”

She stared at him.

He nodded. “I didn’t think so.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door. Once there, he paused and turned around.

“Is there anything I can do for you? You look like you haven’t eaten or slept in days.”

“Gee, ya think?” Ivy said sarcastically.

The telephone rang, and it was just as well; he didn’t have anything more to say. As he opened the door, he said, ”You have my number. Call me if you need anything.”

* * *

Ivy watched him until he was halfway down the sidewalk. She closed the door before she answered her phone.

“Hello.”

She recognized the voice instantly. “Vee, are you coming in today? We’re so anxious to celebrate your win, but we didn’t want to plan something if you won’t be here.”

Ivy managed a dry cough. She didn’t want any visitors, especially not her sisters. Not right now. She might blurt out her secret.

“No, Violet, I’m not coming in. I appreciate you guys wanting to do something for me, but I’m not feeling too well.” She coughed again. “We can celebrate another time.”

“Do you think you need to go to a doctor?” Her sister sounded concerned. “It’s been, what, three days since you came back with this bug?”

Ivy had to get Violet off the phone quickly. She sounded curious as well as concerned.

She feigned an uncontrollable cough before speaking. “Violet, I need to call you back later.”

“All right, but we’ll call you tonight to check on you.”

This time Ivy made a sneezing sound. “Okay.” She put the phone down, but not before she heard her sister tell her to get something for the cough.

Ivy threw herself onto the couch. She hated lying. Now that she didn’t have to worry about her sisters calling back, she had another concern and it was even greater than the first. She knew that Jonathan and his brother Marc, her brother-in-law, were almost as close as she was with her sisters. Would he really be able to keep a secret from him?

Meeting with the executive producers of the reality show, the Wedding Industry Association and the Wedding Channel turned out to be more nerve-wracking than Ivy had thought. She had no idea that there would be so many people involved. As soon as she arrived, she learned they planned to tape her first episode in a couple of weeks.

That episode would be the premiere of the nine-episode series between the three planners airing in the fall. Hers would be titled “Here Comes The Bride—Chicago with Ivy Hart”.

She was thrilled that they added the tagline she used in her video presentation for her show: “Where wedding dreams that last a lifetime begin.”

Entries poured in from wedding hopefuls in a casting call from the Chicago area newspapers, national TV ads and The Wedding Channel website. Finally the producers decided on the three couples from the Chicago area whose weddings Ivy would be arranging.

A large notebook filled with photos of the first couple, their bios, and, finally, their wedding wishes was given to Ivy. She had to study them and prepare a wedding timeline for a meeting with the bride and groom. This would be held in the next week. Ivy’s plans for a platinum wedding on a shoestring budget would have to be condensed into a one-hour episode.

Ivy concentrated on the facts and tried not to get overwhelmed with a lot of the details. She concerned herself with the things for which she was responsible and let the producers do the rest. She just hoped the couple wouldn’t be difficult.

Ivy said her goodbyes and assured the producer that, if she had any questions, she’d be in touch.

* * *

Super Bowl Sunday was a big event in the Hart Family. It always had been. A large number of their extended family and friends showed up to eat, watch the big game and have fun together, while some of the women who didn’t enjoy football spent their own time catching up with the happenings of their families.

But Ivy wasn’t at all pleased when she pulled into her parents’ circular driveway and saw Jonathan’s black SUV parked against the curb. Still she knew that asking that he not be invited would only raise suspicions, especially since he’d been attending the annual event for several years.

She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d left her home more than a week before. Communicating with him would only be a reminder of their carelessness . . . and a reminder of her eager responses to his hands and lips that night in Vegas.

Ivy jumped out of her dark blue BMW and went to the back to retrieve her contribution to the party. At home, she’d prepared a pasta salad and three-bean casserole, and on the way over she’d stopped by Subway to get some sandwich platters to go along with all the other food she knew would be served.

She walked around to the back door, leaned inside, grabbing the platters first. When she suddenly heard Jonathan’s voice, she nearly hit her head on the roof of the car.

“Need some help?” He stood behind her.

His immediate appearance made her suspect he’d been watching out for her.

Ivy stepped back, straightened her spine, turned and handed him a sandwich platter. “Thanks,” she said before pulling out another one, placing it on top of the first.

She continued to remove the food from the back seat of her car.

“I can take one of those bags, so you won’t have to carry so much,” Jonathan said.

“I picked up the last of it. I think I’ve got it.”

Without saying another word, she strolled in front of Jonathan wondering if he was watching her as they walked into the house.

Ivy prepared herself to remain calm and not become paranoid. Nobody else in the family knew she was Mrs. Jonathan Damon. She wanted to keep it like that.

* * *

As soon as they walked through the door, everyone inside yelled, “Surprise.”

Ivy almost dropped her casserole. Her heart pounded like she had just finished running the Chicago Marathon. She was already being paranoid, but to meet with such a response when she walked in with Jonathan . . . she didn’t know what to think.

Lili took the casseroles from her and motioned for Jonathan to follow. The two of them disappeared into the kitchen.

Her other sisters, Rose and Violet, ran to her and threw their arms around her. “Congratulations, Vee!”

Ivy’s shoulders went as stiff as a new pair of jeans. What the heck was going on? Her sisters had already taken her to dinner to celebrate her hosting gig, and their parents had come, too. Why were they congratulating her now?

She scanned the room to see who was there. She hadn’t seen her Aunt Elizabeth or her Uncle Joseph at a Super Bowl party in years. She was just as surprised to see her cousin Irene, who always had an excuse for not coming. Ivy couldn’t believe so many people had come out. Her cousin Destiny was there with her husband Nicholas, and family friends Vanessa and Keith sat on the couch.

Good Lord, had Jonathan talked? Ivy hugged her sisters, hoping someone would say or do something so she would know how to respond.

Before she released them, she scanned the room looking for Jonathan. Once she spotted him she raised her eyebrows, anticipating he’d recognize she needed help. “Oh, my goodness, you guys didn’t have to do this.”

Jonathan came over to stand next to her. He helped her out of her coat and handed it to one of her relatives before saying, “You should have seen Ivy when they called her name.” He turned to Andrew, her father. “Mr. Hart, it was truly a Kodak moment.”

Ivy turned to smile at Jonathan, hoping he saw the relief in her eyes. Turning back to the others, she said, “It was an incredible moment.”

“I heard you guys partied like rock stars,” Violet said as she walked back into the room carrying a sheet cake.

Tears sprang into Ivy’s eyes. She didn’t realize that Jonathan hadn’t moved from her side until he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She was truly overwhelmed by the lengths her family went to surprise her.

“Did Lili bake this?”

“Of course,” her sister answered, beaming with pride.

“It’s so pretty.” Ivy looked at the white rectangular cake with bunches of roses in all four corners and the words CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STAR written in the middle in purple script.

She glanced around the room at the beaming faces of her family. “You really shouldn’t have. We already celebrated.”

“Yes, sweetheart, but that was
our
celebration,” her mother, Louvenia, said. “We wanted to mark the occasion again today with friends.”

“That is, if there’s any cake left over when the rest of them get here,” Marc Damon said, his arm around Rose.

“I think Lili did a good job,” Rose said.

“It’s a lemon cake filled with raspberry buttercream.”

Ivy hugged Lili. “You really outdid yourself on this one, my sistah. The roses look so real.” Ivy wanted to reach out and touch them.

“You know better. They’re made out of sugar paste,” Lili said. “Are you going to cut it now?”

“I can so that we can serve it with the rest of the desserts.”

“Wait, girls, I want to get a picture of Ivy cutting the cake,” their father yelled as he rushed from the room to get his camera.

“Go on into the dining room,” Louvenia suggested. “I don’t think there’s any room on the table in the kitchen.”

Everyone filed into the large dining room area and gathered around the rectangular table, which had both leaves in and seated eight. Ivy stood at the head of the table, keenly aware of Jonathan standing slightly behind her.

She picked up the cake cutter when her father returned and motioned to cut into the cake, but Andrew stopped her.

“Wait, sweetheart.” Andrew held up his hand. “Jon, why don’t you get a little closer to Vee? Since you were there with her for her big win, I want you in the picture.”

Ivy tried not to show anything on her face.

“You deserve this,” Jonathan whispered, his lips almost grazing her ear. Ivy wanted to lean into him. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

“Now cut your cake,” he said, speaking normally.

Everyone applauded as she cut into the sweet confection and placed the slice on an empty plate nearby. She felt calmed by Jonathan’s words, and at that point all thoughts of her secret being revealed disappeared.

Ivy looked at her watch. “Isn’t it almost time for the pre-game show to start?” She picked up the small plate and pinched the end of the cake. Popping the little piece in her mouth, she moved from behind the head of the table. “Let’s get something to eat and watch the game.”

Forming a single file line, as many as could fit in her parent’s eat-in kitchen, filled their plates with the variety of foods that had been placed on the table.

There were hot dogs, bratwurst, polish sausage, potato salad, pasta salad, three bean casserole, fried chicken, chips, spinach dip, chili, hamburgers, spaghetti and meat balls and all the condiments. The beer, sodas, juice boxes, punch and flavored water were submerged in ice within three coolers that sat in various areas of the kitchen.

As soon as their plates were prepared, they headed to the family room and balanced them on their laps while gathered around the large television there, which was tuned in to the pre-game show.

Ivy took her place in line. Amid all the loud whiffs and comments about how good everything looked, she realized how foolish she’d been to think that her family’s cries of “surprise!” were due to her marriage. They’d be shocked to learn she and Jonathan were married, and they’d want to know what was going on, how they’d managed to keep a courtship—Ha! That was a good one!—a secret, why weren’t they living together. They wouldn’t just break out in a celebration any more than people really broke out in a song the way they did in Broadway musicals.

Eventually only Jonathan, Violet and Ivy remained in the kitchen. “Can I get you something, Jonathan?” Violet asked.

Ivy stared at Jonathan. She wondered why he was still in the kitchen. He certainly couldn’t fit another thing on his plate.

“I was going to get a beer.” He was trying to steady his food and pick up the bottle of MGD out of the cooler that sat on the floor. His gaze went to Ivy.

“Can you get it for me?” he asked, giving her a big smile.

“Sure.” Ivy reached down, opened the lid of the large red cooler next to the wall and retrieved an ice cold bottle of beer.

She handed it to him and watched as he left the room. She then picked up a paper plate filling it with food. She and Violet walked out of the kitchen and joined the others to enjoy the football game.

* * *

Jonathan couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He discreetly watched as she ate and cheered on her favorite team. She was clearly having fun, and didn’t seem burdened with the fact that they were married.

He’d enjoyed being with her in Las Vegas, but sharing and celebrating with her family was an honor. His brother might be the one married to a Hart sister, but the family had always treated Jonathan like one of their own.

It had troubled Jonathan not to be able to call and check on her, but he respected her wishes. After all, he was the one who told her to call if she needed anything. She hadn’t, but that didn’t change the fact that he wanted to speak to her in private . . . and what better opportunity than during the party?

As they finished eating, Jonathan rose and made his way through the people who sat on big floor pillows, and as he passed the card table where Ivy and Violet sat, he bent and whispered in her ear.

It must have been hard for her being around her family and holding onto this secret. It had to be emotional. Jonathan only wanted her to know that he supported her, or so he told himself.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

“About?” Ivy asked. She nervously glanced over at Violet, who wasn’t particularly paying them any attention.

Jonathan replied in a slightly louder voice. “I wanted to talk to you about the special order for the table linen for the Stone wedding reception.”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“No, we have to give the supplier an answer first thing in the morning.”

“Shhh!” Violet said, pressing her index finger against her mouth. “Go in Daddy’s office and talk, I’m trying to watch the game.”

Jonathan wanted to kiss Violet. He wanted to be alone with Ivy, and she’d just set it up for him.

Ivy stared at her sister and Violet hunched her shoulders. “What? Just go in the other room and talk to him, Vee. He’s just like you, talking business on the weekend.” She waved them away.

Ivy dropped her fork, pushed her chair back from the table and got up.

She tossed her plate in a nearby trash can. Jonathan did the same before following her to her dad’s office.

Jonathan noticed Ivy didn’t bother closing the door once he stepped inside the room. They could still see everyone in the other room, and the people in the other room could still see them.

He was impressed with the décor in Andrew’s office. The dark muted tones of the wall, the characteristic charm of the mahogany desk, which was filled with folders marked with bride and groom’s names and wedding dates created a relaxed and serene atmosphere.

Andrew had been a wedding photographer for more than a quarter of a century. Several photos lay on top, which Jonathan figured were the proofs. He was so busy looking at the photos that he hadn’t realized Ivy was speaking.

“Okay, Mandy Stone is supposed to contact me in the morning. What’s the problem?”

“How’ve you been, Ivy?” he asked.

A crease marred her forehead. “What do you mean?”

Jonathan stepped closer to her. “I didn’t like the way we ended things the other morning.”

She rushed over to the door, peaked out and then carefully closed it. “Would you keep your voice down? Someone might hear you.”

“I thought you said there was a problem with the Stone wedding.”

“There is, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.

“Tell me about the problem with the Stone wedding first.”

“The table linen manufacturer came back with a ridiculous price for the beaded chartreuse overlay Mandy wanted.”

Ivy nodded. “I called your office and told your assistant to go ahead and place the order. Mandy’s mother said she didn’t care about the cost.”