Sister of the Bride (Fool's Gold #2.5)(22)

Katie winced. "Mom, do me a favor. Please don't say sucking face."

"Isn't that the right term? You young people today, always changing the language. It's hard to keep up."

Katie linked arms with her mom. "I know. We do it on purpose. Now is there anything else I should know? Are Alex and Courtney speaking?"

"That is a question for the ages."

Jackson had to surrender Katie to the stylist at about one-thirty. He spent the next few hours exploring the Fool's Gold city Web site and checking out real estate. From what he could see, the town was great and he could understand Katie's reluctance to move.

Shortly after four, he dressed in the dark suit he'd brought along, then went down to the lobby to wait for his mother. His father had gotten out of having to attend by a carefully scheduled business trip to Hong Kong.

He spotted his mom as soon as she walked in.

"You look great," he said, kissing her cheek.

"So do you." She put her hands on his upper arms and kissed his cheek. "Very handsome. And yet you're not the one getting married. Have I mentioned my need for grandchildren?"

"Sometimes you go a whole hour without mentioning it."

"Hmm, I must be slipping. How are things here?"

"Frantic," he admitted. "Trouble in paradise. Courtney and Alex are at odds. I have no idea where they stand now."

His mother winced. "No wonder Janis left me a voice mail telling me it would help if I drank before the wedding. I hope everything goes all right."

He agreed, although he wasn't sure what would define all right. At this point he would think the odds of Alex and Courtney figuring out how to be happy together were fairly slim, yet he agreed with Janis. The couple was oddly right together.

He glanced around to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. "Alex showed up at Katie's door, drunk, a couple of nights ago."

"What did he want?"

"Guess."

His mother shook her head. "Talk about a mess. What happened?"

"She called me, and I got him out of there." He wasn't going to mention how he'd then spent the night. Some details were best left undiscussed.

"So you've enjoyed your time with Katie," his mother said.

He led them to the bar and ordered them each a drink. While they waited, he faced her.

"Yes, Mom. You were right."

She sighed happily. "Hearing that never gets old. So you like her?"

"Katie's great. Funny and charming. Sweet, pretty, smart. We've had a great time. I'm sorry I waited so long to let you get us together."

His mother's gaze turned speculative. "Interesting. That's a little more enthusiasm than I was expecting. Are you planning to see her again?"

"Yes. She's going to show me around Fool's Gold tomorrow."

The pleasure bled from his mother's face. "Why would you do that? You don't have any interest in the town."

"I want to see where she lives."

"Is that all? Because I know you're thinking about moving your company. You can't move it here, Howie."

He did his best to keep from wincing as she spoke his name. "Why not? There's an educated workforce, great school and inexpensive housing."

"If you move the company here, Katie's going to think you're moving because of her. She's the daughter of my best friend. You can't do that if you're not one hundred percent sure of this relationship. I don't want you to hurt her."

"I don't want to hurt her, either."

"You never want to hurt them. But you do. You get involved to a certain degree and then you back off. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm sure none of the young women you've dumped have been 'the one.' But Katie is different. If or until you know how serious you are about her, don't lead her on."

The bartender served their drinks. Jackson automatically handed the guy a twenty and waved off change.

He wanted to say his mother was mistaken. That he didn't have a pattern. Except looking over his past, he could see where she was right. He did get involved--to a point. But when it came to getting serious, when it came to getting married, he'd always backed away. He'd never been able to see himself spending the rest of his life with someone.

Until now.

Because while the thought of growing old with Ariel or any of the others would have sent him running for the impressive mountains behind the hotel, the thought of sixty or eighty years with Katie was appealing.

She would grow more beautiful with passing time. Her quirky humor and curious mind would challenge him. He found himself wanting to take care of her, make her feel safe. God knew he wanted to protect her from the few vicious elements in her family.

"Please don't take this wrong," his mother said earnestly. "I do love you, Howie, and I would love to see you and Katie together. But I don't want Katie to be hurt. You're amazing and the odds of her falling for you are huge. What woman wouldn't want you?"

"Spoken like a true mother," he murmured. "I get it."

"Are you sure?"

"I would do anything to avoid hurting Katie."

"Good. As long as you remember that."

Eleven