Newlywed Games (16 page)

Met, exceeded, and left in the dust.
“You’re a little of what I thought you would be like.”
And a whole lot more.

“Is that a little in a good way or in a bad way?”

“Good.”
Definitely good.
“We should probably go on.” She pointed in the direction of the next display.

“I’m not stopping you.” He raised his hands from where they’d been resting at his sides.

She looked at them in horror. Here she was still snuggled against his chest…and of her own volition! When had he released her?

She was always in a quandary when she was this close to him. Their connection felt so real at times. And her growing feelings for him were certainly real, but she knew the situation wasn’t. He was only pretending. She felt divided.

A lie does that. It divides the heart from the soul. It hurts those involved
.

Oh, Lord, let this be real. Let him feel something for me.

Bruce reached up and brushed back the hair from one side of her face while his other hand lightly touched her back.

The feel of his fingers on her skin was heavenly, and she realized her breathing was erratic at best.

“You two look so cute together.”

Meg turned guiltily to find her mother beaming at them. She wagged a finger at Meg. “It won’t be long.” With that, she went off with a broad smile on her face.

Bruce glanced at Meg. “Won’t be long for what?”

“Grandchildren.” She rolled her eyes. “The woman is obsessed.”

Bruce smiled before hooking his arm around her
waist and moving to catch up to her mother. “Where would you like to go for lunch, Mom? Unless you are too tired, then we can head back home.”

“Lunch sounds great.”

“But I haven’t seen the rest of the exhibit,” Meghann said.

“I’ll bring you back another time, I promise.”

His sincerity melted her protest and increased her feelings for him. She sure hoped he kept his promise because she looked forward to spending more time with him.

They picked a restaurant and ordered their food.

“What have you decided about that house?”

“Mom, you promised to drop it,” Meghann said, exasperated at one of the only two subjects that seemed to interest her mother.

“I promised not to bother you about it any more, but I don’t believe I was talking to you.” She turned to Bruce and waited for his answer.

Bruce smiled, then raised his eyebrows. “I think our food has just arrived.”

After the waiter left and they blessed the food, her mother stared at Bruce, still awaiting an answer from him.

Bruce glanced at Meghann for help. She had none to offer. After all, her mother wasn’t talking to her. She shrugged her shoulders and abandoned him with a sweet smile.

“Well…we aren’t sure yet. We don’t want to rush into anything. Hasty decisions are often the wrong ones.”

“You liked the place, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” he said reluctantly.

Meghann nodded with a congenial smile.

“Was there anything wrong with the place?” Mom asked, her eyebrows raised in determination.

Meghann shook her head. “It was perfect.”

“Nothing that couldn’t be remedied.” Bruce seemed a little uncomfortable.

Meghann sensed he could feel himself being backed into a corner. How was he going to wiggle out of this?

“Then you have to move fast before someone else decides to buy it out from under you!” The woman gained inertia with each word. “You don’t want to lose a find like that? To find a house you both agree on and like is nothing to be trifled with. Do you know how rare it is? Just like that—boom! You found your dream home.”

Well, at least Mom has found her dream home, or should I say her dream home for us—or me—oh, whatever.

“So, what do you think? Are you going to let this pass you by, or are you going to jump on it?”

Bruce looked from his persistent pseudo-mother-in-law to his conspicuously quiet make-believe wife.

Meghann held up her hands in mock surrender. “She’s not talking to me, remember?”

He looked a bit stunned, then swung his gaze back to her mother. “I guess I’ll call the realtor when we get back and get the ball rolling. I’m easy to please. If Meghann likes it, that’s good enough for me. Any house where she is will feel like home.”

Touché!
She was sure her mom liked that little declaration of love and devotion. It wasn’t what she’d
expected him to say, and somehow she sensed he knew it. He’d said the opposite of what he knew she wanted because she hadn’t gotten him off the hook. Well, she had tried at the start, but he refused to go away. Fortunately, he was good at thinking fast on his feet, even if he was sitting down.

“I hope you know you’ve only made matters worse,” she said later that evening after her mother had gone to bed. “You’re egging Mom on. She’ll be impossible to live with now. She’s like a dog with a bone.”

“You could have spoken up.”

“Yes. And you could have gone away on an imaginary business trip.”

He fell silent at that, and Meg looked at him, surprised to see a hint of something—was it hurt?—in his eyes. His question seemed to confirm her suspicions. “Why are you always trying to get rid of me?”

She hugged her knees against her chest. “I’m not.” At his pointed glance, she inclined her head. “Not really. It’s just that lying to my mom is one thing, but I feel awful about dragging you into this. I never meant for you to know what I’d done, let alone have to take part in it!” She realized her voice was trembling and looked away from his gentle eyes. She gave a small laugh. “You probably think I’m a scatterbrained dimwit.”

“Meg.”

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t.

“Hon, look at me.”

Even if she’d been able to resist the endearment, she couldn’t withstand the utter tenderness in the request. She met his gaze.

“Meghann, it was my choice to get involved in this. Basically I knew what I was getting myself into. I can handle it.”

She didn’t doubt that in the least. Bruce Halloway could handle whatever came his way.

“As for you being a scatterbrained dimwit, I figured out a long time ago that women think differently than men and just accepted it. It’s what makes women so interesting. You always keep us men guessing. I find it remarkable that a woman can have so many thoughts going in different directions and still remain functional. It must take a higher intelligence.”

Hah! He could have at least said she wasn’t a dimwit.

“I am only a lowly man, your humble servant, and cannot fathom the intricate workings of a superior mind.” He concluded with a sweeping bow.

She laughed at that. The man was a nut sometimes but a charmer at all times. And for all that he was spreading his foolishness on thick, she was glad he wasn’t eager to dash off the scene.

If only he would realize what she had…that this was the perfect point for him to kiss her.

Not unless he really wanted to kiss you, just to kiss you…after all, your mom’s not here to impress.

He leaned toward her, and she felt her pulse jump. Reaching down, he cupped her face…his thumb caressed her cheek…and her eyes started to drift shut.

“I should be heading off.”

Her eyes snapped open at that, and she watched, incredulous, as Bruce stood and stretched. “Your
mother is probably asleep, so there’s no reason for me to stick around.” He glanced down at her, as though waiting for her to say something to prove him wrong. But she just shrugged. “Nope. No reason at all.”

He nodded slowly, then made his way to the door. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Right. Tomorrow.”

She watched him leave, then lowered her head until it rested against her knees, glad he hadn’t wasted any time in leaving.

She’d hate for him to see her sitting there with her dashed hopes in a crumpled heap at her feet.

U
PON ARRIVING HOME A FEW DAYS LATER
, B
RUCE PARKED HIS
car in the underground garage and waited by the elevator. He had gone to the office early, so he hadn’t encountered either one of the Livingston women this morning. He longed to see Meghann’s face. He missed her.

He’d done his best to concentrate at work—he really had—but his mind kept drifting back to her. He relived their kiss over and over, her soft lips, the scent that was uniquely hers. He knew the experience would haunt him until he kissed her again. He wondered when he’d have his next opportunity.

When indeed?

Sorting out his feelings wasn’t easy. He’d liked her before this charade, and his affection for her had now grown to where he cared deeply for her. Even—dare he admit it?—was falling in love with her. He’d always felt God would let him know, would show him when his heart was being given away forever. Now he realized it was something that happened slowly, gradually…and completely.

He thought about her all the time, wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her again. Would she let him if her mother weren’t there to see it? She seemed nervous and uneasy whenever they were alone. It was as though she were afraid to be alone with him and tried to make sure they weren’t.

The elevator doors opened and Meghann stepped off, which was a pleasant surprise. She seemed taken aback to see him.

“You’re home. I wasn’t expecting you yet. Mom’s still sleeping. Try not to wake her. She had a restless night.” She was rambling; she must be nervous about something.

“Where are you off to?” He made the question as nonthreatening as possible.

“I’m just going to run a few errands. I won’t be long.”

That sounded like a dismissal. “Since your mom is sleeping anyway, how ‘bout if I play chauffeur?”

If he’d hoped for a pleased reaction, he was in for a disappointment. A slight hint of red tinged her cheeks, and she shook her head quickly. “Oh. No. That’s okay. I can manage. I don’t want to trouble you.”

She
was
trying to ditch him. Well, he wasn’t going to make it easy for her. “No trouble at all. I insist.” She opened her mouth; it looked like to protest. He wasn’t going to give her the chance. “We’ll take my car.” He motioned for her to walk in the direction of the cars.

She reluctantly walked to his silver gray Infinity, stopping at the passenger door. She looked worried, biting her bottom lip.

Walking up behind her, he pointed to the cover hiding a sports car next to his other car. “I thought we’d take the ‘Vette since it’s only the two of us.”

“The…what?” She stared at him, clearly perplexed.

He liked throwing her off balance. He went to the back of the cocooned car and pulled up the cover, exposing his red Corvette. Walking around the car, removing the cover, he freed the car of its wrapper. He drank in a deep breath as he stared at it. It was a beauty.

“1978 red special edition Corvette convertible with custom chrome mags, fuel injected L-88 engine with duel chrome pipes, hurst five-speed overdrive surrounded by smoke gray imported leather interior.” He ran his hand along the sleek body. He glanced up at her, expecting to see how impressed she was; instead, she looked as if he had just spoken to her in a foreign language. Maybe he had, but this was his baby and he knew every square inch of her.

“How…? Where…? This is
your
car?”

He nodded.

Her eyes darted from one car to the other and back again. He pulled out his keys and dangled them in front of her. “You want to drive?”

She looked up at him, startled. “Me?” He raised his eyebrows in challenge. When would she ever have a chance to drive a car like this?

He saw a spark light in her eyes, and she was suddenly more agreeable to his presence. A smile slid across her lips as she snatched the keys from him and unlocked the door, no doubt before he could change his mind. Bruce smiled too as he rounded the car to the
passenger side. This would be…interesting…and a challenge, a true test of his commitment to the Lord. He had mentally given over all his worldly possessions, this being the hardest. “Just take it easy, okay?”

She shot him a wicked smile. “What’s the third pedal for?”

His stomach tightened painfully. “You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re not serious.”

Her sudden laughter eased some of his anxiety. She deftly slid it into reverse and backed out smoothly.

Several small incidental errands later, his curiosity was burning. Why hadn’t she wanted him along? Was she
that
uncomfortable alone with him? But why? Surely she wasn’t still worried that he’d do something inappropriate?

Surely not, when you’ve been so circumspect? Kept your distance. Not pressed her on any front.

At the sarcastic thought, he felt an uncomfortable flush fill his face. Okay, so he’d been a little…assertive. So he’d kissed her. Pulled her into his arms a time or two. Was that so wrong?

What do you want from her?

The question took him by surprise. He frowned, turning to look out the car window. What
did
he want from Meghann Livingston?

The answer came clear and sure: everything. He wanted everything. Her heart, her love, her devotion…her. He wanted her.