Worth the Wait (Crimson Romance) (31 page)

Jared followed slowly. He appreciated Uncle Bruce’s advice, but he wouldn’t ruin Malcolm’s day. He’d pull Tasha to the side, explain how he felt, and covertly work to keep this guy her dad mentioned — he’d bet money it was the good doctor — away from her.

All that was shot to hell when he entered the sanctuary. Tasha stood at the back of the church. Her tan skin glowed in the silver dress and her full lips were curved into a smile. His heart lightened and his crotch tightened. His gaze traveled over her still thin figure, lingering on her stomach. The roundness of her pregnancy was only slightly visible beneath the dress. Their child was there. His mouth curved into the same goofy grin Malcolm had worn all day.

The doors of the sanctuary opened and Jared’s grin fell as Dr. Kevis Flynn entered. If Tasha was surprised to see him, she didn’t show it. They shook hands, and Kevis leaned over to kiss her cheek. White-hot jealousy shot through Jared. He took a step forward, but Malcolm grabbed his arm.

He turned to Malcolm who shook his head. Pushing back the need to rip every appendage from the good doctor’s body he stepped back. Tasha turned away from Kevis and caught his eye. Her lips parted and her eyes softened for the briefest second before she looked away.

Almost instantly, she was moving to the side and the bridal recession music began to play. He noticed nothing as the wedding party entered. He kept his eyes on Tasha. She’d sat beside Kevis. He willed her to look at him, but she avoided his gaze. She looked at everything except him. He wanted her to see the look in his eyes, to see he wanted the same things she wanted. He wanted everyone to know he loved her.

Reverend Smith began to talk. The wedding had started. He looked at Malcolm and Kenyatta. They looked as if it were only the two of them in the church. Love and happiness shone in both of their eyes. He looked back at Tasha and his heart constricted when their eyes met. He would marry her. Today if she wanted. He mouthed the words
I love you
and hoped she would do the same.

Instead, she closed her eyes and for the first time since he’d known her, he saw tears go down her face. She stood and turned to walk out. Kevis looked between her and him before standing too.

Without thinking, Jared did the first thing that came to his mind.

“Stop!” he called out.

• • •

Tasha froze at the door. The murmurs and rustling of the people in the church proved her imagination wasn’t running wild. Turning slowly, she faced the front of the church. Her eyes met Jared’s, hers questioning, his pleading.

“Are you stopping my wedding?” Kenyatta screeched.

Jared looked between Kenyatta and Malcolm. “No.”

“Then why did you yell stop?” Malcolm said, scowling.

Jared turned back to Tasha. “Tasha, don’t leave. Please, don’t leave.”

She looked around the church. Everyone looked eagerly between her and Jared. It was too much. The entire day had been too much. Seeing him at the altar, feeling his gaze on her so keenly it could’ve been a caress. The pain of knowing it would never be them at the altar was worse than she could imagine.

“No, you stop, Jared. This is your brother’s wedding. Please stop the games.” She turned to leave.

“No more games. Tasha, I love you. Do you hear me? I love you and I don’t care if everyone hears it.”

She turned back. He moved away and came to the front of the aisle. “You were right. I wanted our relationship on my terms. I was uncomfortable with people knowing how I felt, so I only shared my feelings with you. I was ashamed to let people know that I love you more than anything. I didn’t know how to trust what I felt. I didn’t know how to trust in general, and because of that, I hurt you. I am sorry, and I’ll show you that I’m sorry for the rest of my life.”

“But it’s not enough,” she said. “I want more than that.”

He walked toward her. “I want more than that too. Marry me, Tasha.” She staggered and he rushed forward. “Marry me today. Be my wife, let me take care of you, our child … our children. Please, Tasha, please marry me.”

Warmth spread from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair. Tears welled in her eyes and for the first time she didn’t care who saw her crying. Jared Patterson had proposed to her in the most dramatic fashion possible, and she was ecstatic.

He reached for her, but she hesitated. “But you said marriage doesn’t matter.”

“It matters when you realize you’ve waited forever for your soul mate.”

Unwilling to fight her feelings, Tasha flung herself into his arms. His lips came down on hers and she clung tighter. He kissed his way to her ear and repeating over and over that he loved her. She didn’t know how long they stood there, before the sound of people clapping broke through her haze.

Jared pulled away but held her hand. He rushed back down the aisle and pulled her along with him. He turned to Kenyatta. “I’m sorry.”

Kenyatta grinned and shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”

He pulled Tasha to his side and joy fluttered through her.

Jared looked at her dad. “Reverend Smith, I know we’ll need a license later, but will you marry us after you marry them?”

Tasha reluctantly met her father’s gaze and was surprised to see satisfaction in his eyes. They hadn’t spoken in weeks, but apparently the tidy ending to her pregnancy pleased him. It hurt a little to know that’s what it took for him to accept her, but her happiness was too great to make room for pain.

Her dad smiled. “If you promise no more outbursts.” There was laughter from the pews and her dad’s smile broadened.

Jared looked back at her. “Is this okay? I know you probably had your perfect wedding planned out.”

Tasha looked at her sister, standing as a bridesmaid, smiling at her. Her mom sitting in the front pew with tears in her eyes. Her dad at the pulpit with a self-satisfied look. Then she looked at Jared, smiling at her with love and affection.

“This is the perfect wedding.”

Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of 13. It was only natural that she would begin penning her own romances soon after. It wasn’t until 2010 that she began to actively pursue her publishing dreams. Her first novel,
You Can’t Plan Love
was published by Crimson Romance in 2012. When she isn’t writing, this Green Queen, as dubbed by South Carolina’s State Newspaper, works to improve air and water quality, while balancing the needs of her husband and two sons. You can keep up with Synithia by visiting her website,
www.synithiawilliams.com
, where she blogs about writing, life and relationships, on Facebook (
www.facebook.com/synithiarwilliams
) or on Twitter @synithiaw.

In the mood for more Crimson Romance?

Check out
Secrets of the Heart
by Patti Shenberger
at
CrimsonRomance.com
.