Jinxed (25 page)

Tension eased out of her spine and she folded in to his chest. The offer meant more than any diamond. He was giving her time although it scared him. The fear which had fueled his entire frantic pursuit was swallowed, swallowed to give her what he thought she needed. It didn’t vanish, it didn’t cease, it was just shoved behind his…love. His love for…her. She pulled away and gawked deep into his pleading gaze. Whatever he thought he saw in her face made him put two fingers to her gaping lips.

“I want to say one more thing. I love you. I am in love with you. I want you today and tomorrow and for the rest of my life. You may be vanilla but everybody knows vanilla is the purest flavor in the world.

“There’s nothing flashy or overpowering to hide some basic imperfections. It’s just absolute sweetness with a slightly nutty warmth you can’t imitate. You can add it to something else to make it better, make something more appetizing, but you can’t replace it. There’s no substitute for you in my life. You’re
my
vanilla, Frannie; my favorite flavor.”

If she could have breathed, she might have sighed. Or laughed. Or even cried. Instead all she did was believe. Her heart skipped and stuttered and her lungs paralyzed as his words melted her icy resolve.

She loved him.

He loved her.

And she believed him.

Somewhere angels sang and the heavens rejoiced but it was nothing compared to the crescendo that burst through her soul. She half-expected a beam of glorious light to stream from the sky and spotlight her.

She believed.

She didn’t understand it and she didn’t deserve it.

But she believed.

She loved him.

And he…he loved her! For real and honestly loved her.

And then she did breathe and laugh and cry and sigh all at once as she leapt into his welcoming arms.

Mind whirling like a child’s toy, she lost count of how many times she told him she loved him. In between joyous breaths, she repeated the word “yes” over and over.

“Yes? As in yes, you want to get married?” Wide eyes stared in disbelief at her transformation.

“Yes as in yes, I want to get married, yes I want to be with you forever and yes, yes, yes, I love you.”

Jinx pulled her close and swung her around, his whooping laugh bouncing off the cold walls. She peppered kisses on him until his face was pink with her lipstick. Stilling their ecstatic whirl, he caught her lips and showed her the depth of his devotion. Weeping for joy inside, she gorged on the rich taste of love and passion. And vanilla.

“Hell-ooo!” Tracey’s irritation broke through their bliss. Standing fists on hips, steaming like a sparkly red firecracker, she glared at them. “Some of us are wearing underwire and control tops here. Care to get your asses back in here and do this thing?”

“What do you say, dollface? Want to go back inside? We don’t have to. We can walk out of here and—”

“No way, nutball. You asked me to marry you and I said yes. This is our destiny, remember? Let’s do it.”

“You’re sure? It’s an awful long walk to the altar.”

“It is. But it’s worth every step if you’re at the end.”

Frannie had no idea what, if anything, Jinx said to the guests in the sanctuary and she didn’t really care. All she knew was that this was her perfect dream wedding and she was marrying her Prince Charming. The rest of the world could go fly a kite in a hurricane. Her feet barely skimmed the runner. She floated down the aisle, a one-way trip this time. Steve pecked her cheek and shook his head at her but spoke clearly and strongly standing in for her father. He placed her hand in Jinx’s with a gentle press. Tears of joy dampened her newly mascaraed lashes and she basked in the poignant moment of becoming Jinx’s wife.

The minister, who kept sneaking glances at her as if she was going to disappear, began with the familiar and thrilling words, “Dearly beloved…”

The oration was lost as she drowned in the love beaming from Jinx’s face. He worshipped her with a look that made her heart pitter-patter. Unhinged by the outpouring of emotion, Frannie squeezed his hand with ever-tightening strength. A sexy smile of defiance crossed his lips before he turned to her and drew her mouth to his. The minister was flabbergasted.

“Uh, son, not yet.”

The kiss was filled with the realization of every dream she’d dared to imagine. It lasted for a lifetime and promised the same. Twitters broke out in the congregation as they waited for the couple to break. Mike cleared his throat and Tracey sighed loudly but nothing parted them. Finally, vaguely, through a veil of lusciousness, she heard the mirth. And the strains of the
Addams Family
theme song.

Pulling her lips from Jinx’s, she turned to stare at Derek. The boy, so like his uncle, grinned back at her with deliberate innocence and slid his fingers from the piano keys.

“Are we ready to begin again?” Pastor Brightwell asked with a small frown.

At Jinx’s nod, he began the traditional words of commitment once more. With a fragile hold on her overworked emotions, Frannie forced herself to focus. Things flowed smoothly and she eagerly listened to the vows that would forever bind her to the man she loved.

In an almost offhand manner, she realized she was buzzed. Not on alcohol or drugs, but drunk with emotion. In one day, she’d swayed from debilitating fear to vivid mortification to absolute joy. She was a basket case skittering toward a crash on a greased road.

And then one word jumped out at her.

“
Obey
?” Eyes bugged in raw amazement, she looked at the minister and then Jinx. “Listen fruit loop, I do love you but if you want obey, go buy a dog.”

The church froze. Eyes closed for a deep breath, Jinx turned to her and spat through a whisper. “Chill, dollface, it was an oversight. Pastor Brightwell, if you would, substitute something else for the word ‘obey’, please.”

“Of course, most times couples choose that anyway. Is ‘respect’ okay? Good. Now, where was I? Oh yes. Do you, Frances, promise to love, honor and respect, uhm, Francis—my, the same name, that is unusual, isn’t it—er, anyway, continuing—Francis as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

Two simple words but they sent a relieved tremor through the congregation. Chuckling, Jinx brought her hand to his lips and smacked a loud kiss on the back of her hand. Relief shone in his eyes as he took his turn at reciting his vows. When the clergyman repeated love, honor and respect for Jinx, Frannie whispered teasingly, “And obey.”

His lips twitched in suppressed humor as he murmured back, “We’ll see about that.”

“Son, you have to answer. Is it ‘I do’ or ‘I don’t’?”

Startled, Jinx looked at the irritated pastor and blushed. “It’s ‘I do’. I always have.”

“All right then, let’s move on, shall we?”

Holy words were spoken and rings exchanged with no other mishap. Until the last prayer when Pastor Brightwell got a little long-winded. Frannie fidgeted and Jinx rocked on his heels. Tracey threw up her hands and stalked over the front pew and sat glaring with arms crossed.

Bumping his shoulder lightly, Frannie leaned into Jinx and whispered, “How long is this going to take?”

Jinx shrugged slightly and put his finger to his lips. Impatient to be finally declared married, Frannie rolled her eyes. It seemed like she waited for an hour. Her hands were hot and sweaty from gripping her bouquet and she had to pee. And of all things, she was getting bored. She murmured to him once more.

“So, what comes next? After the reception? Are we going away? A honeymoon?”

Jinx nodded fractionally and whispered back. “We have a flight out in the morning. Our plane lands in Des Moines, Iowa at noon and then we’ll drive out to a little town named Hooplegany—”

“Wait! What? What the hell is in Hoopalena, Iowa?” Louder than she intended, her exclamation halted the minister who stared at her with saucer eyes.

Jinx groaned and hung his head. “It’s Hooplegany and—”

“Who cares? It’s the middle of nowhere! Nobody goes to Hulahoop, Iowa for a honeymoon!”

“Frannie, calm down. It’s a small town near—”

“I don’t care where it is. I wanted to go someplace warm and beachy with palm trees and waiters named Orlando. Not some godforsaken spit dot town in the frozen Midwest.”

Mike quickly stepped over to the minister and grabbed his arm. “Finish this ceremony so we can get them the hell out of here!”

The flustered pastor nodded and started the closing words of the service.

Jinx growled over the ceremonial words. “If you would let me finish a damn sentence, you might start to understand—”

“What? That you’re crazy? I know that, fruitcake! It’s my honeymoon. Can’t we at least go to Disney World or something? Why on earth would anybody want to go to Hooplezony, Iowa?”

“Frannie.” The harsh snarl did nothing to stop her tirade. Half out of her mind from her emotional rollercoaster, she thrust her bouquet at his chest. His hands flew up automatically and clutched it, sending blood red petals flittering to the floor.

“No. No way in hell am I going Hullabaloo, Iowa.”

“Now wait a damn minute!” Jinx blindly pitched the bouquet to Mike who made an amazing one-handed catch. “It’s my honeymoon too, and we’re going to Hooplegany, Iowa if I have to carry your ass there!” Jinx shot daggers with his eyes but she was too pissed to care.

The minister broke in. “Uhm, son, did you hear me? I said you may kiss the bride.”

“Do I have to?” Jinx glared at her, brows slanted in harsh angles.

The pastor choked on his tongue and Frannie’s jaw fell open. “You overgrown, pompous, son of a—”

“No!” The pastor slammed his sermon book shut loudly, cutting her off, and spoke directly to the guests. Sweat beaded off his forehead and he looked near collapse. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my—er—honor to present Mr. and Mrs. Francis Sullivan. There. You’re married. We’re done. I need a drink.”

Jinx bent, threw her over his shoulder and barreled back through the church. Dumbfounded, Frannie flapped her mouth like a guppy. Instead of playing the recessional, Derek improvised, pounding out the jaunty strains of “I Wish I Was in Dixie”. The church erupted in spontaneous laughter and applause as the double doors once more slammed shut.

Fighting the veil trailing over her face, she sputtered in fury. Jinx sat her back on her feet and silenced her with a firm kiss. Love poured through her and wiped the anger from her spirit. He broke the kiss and smiled at her.

“Hooplegany, Iowa is the home of a master craftsman I have to visit to set up a design contract. It’s a one-day stop I couldn’t avoid. Then we fly out, headed to the Mediterranean for a very private island honeymoon where I’m sure there’s at least one waiter named Orlando. But you’re my wife now. No flirting with the cabana boys.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Laughing loudly, he pulled her close. “And you say I’m crazy.”

She purred and cuddled into him, happiness lifting her soul like a warm spring breeze. “I can’t believe a month ago we were fighting over an airplane seat and now we’re married. My Gawd, this is unbelievable. I’ve never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you.”

“Uh, Frannie, about that seat…”

Brows raised in a believe-I-am-innocent-even-though-I-am-guilty-as-hell look, he confessed, “That was never my seat. I saw you in the terminal and had to find a way to meet you. Then Fate stepped in. The rest has been a wild, turbulent, fantastic ride.”

“There was no computer mix-up? You made it up?”

“Hey, I know a good thing when I see it. And you’re a good thing. The best thing ever in my life. I love you, my Frannie.”

“And I love you, fruit loop. For forever. Think you can handle that?”

Kissing her sweetly, he smiled against her lips. “Well, one thing’s for sure, dollface. Our lives are never going to be ordinary.”

Epilogue

“But in spite their differences, they had one important thing in common.

They were crazy about each other.”

—Duke in
The Notebook

One Year, One Week and One Day Later

“Frannie, come on. We’re going to be late,” Jinx called from the kitchen to the closed bathroom door and massaged his temple. If the realtor was to be believed, this was their dream house and he didn’t want to risk anything going wrong. But Frannie was going to make them late if she didn’t hurry up. Striding to the alcove, he absently rubbed his wedding band with his thumb, his new habit. He liked being reminded that Fate was a wonderful thing and he’d been blessed. He’d never imagined life could be this perfect.

Except my wife has an aversion to being on time.

“Frannie, it’s ten ’til one. Hurry up.”

A strange sound gurgled from inside the bathroom. Hands on the doorframe, he leaned close and listened.
Is she crying?
All thoughts of the new house fled as concern flooded him. The door vibrated with the force of his knock. “Open the door, dollface.”

“Jinx.” Hushed and wet, her voice barely escaped the half bath. “Can you get me something?”

Hand on the knob, he rattled it loudly. “What’s wrong? Let me in.” A sniffle eked out and suddenly he knew. Leaning his forehead against the wood, he sighed. “Aw, Frannie, I’m sorry. It’s okay. We’ll just keep trying. Maybe next month it’ll work.”

“We’ve been trying for five months. No one has more sex than we do.”

“But it’s fun,” he tried to tease. A sob echoed from inside the closed room and tore into his chest. “Frannie, please don’t cry. We’ll have a baby someday.”

“Just drop it, okay? I don’t want to talk about it anymore. And I don’t have anything in here. Can you bring me something from our bathroom?”

Welcome to married life.
Left brow cocked in resignation, he agreed and headed down the hall. His own disappointment welled and he forced it down. She’d been late again and he’d really thought this time…

Inside the vanity drawer, a half-crushed blue box sat sandwiched between her makeup kit and the hairdryer. Fishing inside the lid, his fingers closed around the solitary item. It wasn’t what he expected and he pulled it out with a frown. There was no crinkle of a wrapper. This was hard. And flat. It was a long white plastic stick with two tiny windows. One had a line and the other a pink plus sign.

A plus sign.

A plus sign
!

Whirling, he nearly collided with his smiling and crying wife.

“Are you saying—?”

“Congratulations…Daddy.”