Anything for Her(103)

She shook her head, but he saw a new shimmer in her eyes. “No. I love my store, and quilting, and being Allie Wright. Thanks to you, I can be Allie, with no regrets.”

He looked into her eyes and saw that she meant it, heart and soul. The tangle inside him was still painful but also so sweet. Having everything you’d ever wanted handed to you was an astonishing experience.

“Does that mean you’re not going to take my name?” Lightening the moment seemed like a good idea.

Allie’s smile brightened. “Actually, I would love to take your name. I’m not all that attached to the name Wright, you know. You promised that I could keep Radek forever. I like that idea.”

“Yeah.” His arms contracted around her. “Forever sounds good to me.”

“Me, too.” She lifted her face for a kiss.

Kissing her was a damn good idea, too. He kept right on doing it long after hearing a stupid little bell ring somewhere.


One month later

“I HAVE THIS horrible feeling we’ve forgotten something important. Rushing is never a good idea.” Mom paced almost to Nolan’s dining room, then back across the kitchen. She frowned. “Flowers.”

“Done, Mom.” Knowing perfectly well why her mother was so nervous, so lacking in her usual confidence, Allie could be patient.

“Your dress is perfect.”

Allie smiled at her. “So is yours.”

“I can’t believe tomorrow is your wedding day.”

Allie could. She’d been ready from the moment she told Nolan that she was staying with him no matter what happened with Mom.

Their first thought was to get married immediately in a civil ceremony so Allie’s mother could be there. But when it became apparent that she wouldn’t be relocated, after all, they had decided to arrange a somewhat more traditional wedding.

The intervening month had seemed to drag on forever as far as Allie was concerned. Nolan had been even more impatient. Because of Sean, neither of them was comfortable with her moving into his house before they were a married couple, which meant not seeing each other nearly as often as they wanted.

And now here they were, less than a week before Christmas, and tomorrow was her wedding day.

But at the moment, it wasn’t her wedding that had Allie and her mother both fidgety and hopeful.

They were waiting to hear the sound of Nolan’s truck turning into the driveway.

Feet thundered down the stairs from the second floor. Claws clattered on the hardwood floor, and Cassie galloped ahead of Sean into the kitchen, her tail and butt swinging with pleasure at finding two of her favorite people there. Allie’s mother had become very fond of Cassie, and was even talking about adopting a dog herself.

“Something smaller,” she had said. “You know how tiny my yard is. But I think I’d enjoy the company.”

Allie had privately smiled and suspected Mom would come home from the shelter with a Great Dane mix or something equally inappropriate. Sort of like Lady the beagle, with her wandering gene. How many times had Mom thrown up her hands and exclaimed, “We should find her a home in the country!” just before sneaking a treat under the table.

“How come he isn’t back yet?” Sean complained.

“He might have hit heavy traffic,” Allie said. “Or the flight could have been delayed.”

“I’m going to look stupid in a suit and tie.”

Allie laughed, went to him and rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “You’re going to look handsome, and you know it.”

His cheeks reddened. “At least no one I know will see me,” he said gruffly.

“You know us. And now your aunt Anna and your grandparents.”

Nolan’s parents and sister had arrived the day before but had decided to sightsee and have dinner out this evening. Allie thought they were being polite, not wanting to intrude on this reunion. They planned to return before bedtime.

Jed’s wife was pregnant again and vilely nauseated, and he’d felt too guilty to either drag her onto an airplane or leave her. Nolan had laughed and said, “That’s an excuse I can accept.” His parents were going home to Chicago for Christmas; Anna was staying to celebrate the holiday with Nolan and his new family.

Now Sean scowled. “They’re not really my grandparents.”

Allie smiled at him. “They will be.” She and Nolan were going to officially adopt him after the first of the year. They had given him the choice of keeping his last name if he wanted, but he’d decided to become a Radek, too.