Married for Christmas (Willow Park) Read Online Free PDF Page A

know.”
    He looked understanding, sympathetic, and it meant something
to her. She really would have liked a hug, but they’d never been touchy that
way. There was no reason to expect it to change now.
    “I just got a text from Martha. She said she’d love to do
the flowers.”
    “Great,” Jessica said, feeling better at having something to
do, something to organize. “It’s nice that we’ve known these people for so
long, so they’re willing to work with us at the last minute. So we’ve got the
flowers, the caterer, and the photographer. Kim is driving in on Saturday—did I
tell you? She’s going to help me look for a dress.”
    Kim had been her college roommate and had always been her
best friend, aside from Daniel. She lived in Asheville now.
    “Good.”
    She sighed. “Everyone is really excited.”
    “Of course, they are.”
    “Yeah.”
    He took a step closer to her, nudging Bear out of the way.
“We’re not lying to them, Jessica. We’re getting married. It’s a real marriage.
Our motivations are irrelevant. People are allowed to be happy for us.”
    “I know.”
    “We’re not doing this at all if you’re going to feel guilty
about it.”
    “I don’t feel guilty. I promise I don’t feel guilty.”
    She didn’t feel guilty. She felt a little poignant that this
wasn’t happening the way she’d always dreamed. But then she reminded herself of
what she was getting—a home, a husband, a family, a life not always spent in
waiting.
    Excitement bubbled up in her heart again.
    He searched her face and seemed satisfied with whatever he
saw there.
    Then he stuffed his hand into his pocket. “By the way,
here.”
    She blinked as he extended his hand with a ring resting on
his palm.
    It was the beautifully engraved, princess-cut diamond
solitaire she’d seen in the shop. The one she’d adored.
    She gasped, everything in her heart reaching out for that
gorgeous ring, even as she held herself very still. She managed to say, “You
shouldn’t have—”
    “Don’t even start.” He sounded grumpy again, and he grabbed
her left hand and pushed the ring on her finger before she could object.
“There. Now we’re officially engaged.”
    She stared down at her hands. They were pale and thin with
neat, no-nonsense fingernails.
    But now she had an engagement ring there.
    She made sure to keep her voice dry as she said, “Yay us.”

Two
     
    “What do you think? The couch
against the wall?”
    Jessica looked from Daniel’s face to the long empty wall
adjacent to the fireplace in the house they’d be moving into in Willow Park. “I
guess.”
    “You don’t sound convinced.”
    “Wouldn’t it be nicer in front of the fireplace? Like this?”
She gestured toward a space in the middle of the room, walking off the length
of it. “And then the TV could go here, my big chair could go here, and we could
put bookcases against the wall.”
    She got increasingly enthusiastic about plans as she talked,
but when she’d finished she looked over at him hesitantly, hoping he hadn’t
thought she was trying to take over. It was hard not to be excited, though,
since it was starting to feel real—like she would really be living here in
Willow Park, married to Daniel, in just a month.
    “Yeah. That would be better.” He grinned at her in his
endearing way, causing her chest to tighten. “We are talking about my couch, right?”
    She tried to hide a smile. “I don’t know. My grandma’s couch
is almost an antique—” She broke off when his eyes widened in horror, and then she
burst into laughter.
    She’d been using her grandmother’s old sofa for years
because she’d never felt it worth the trouble of replacing it with something
more her taste. It was perfectly comfortable but also boasted huge pink peonies
all over it. Daniel’s couch was only a few years old and was made of brown
leather.
    He narrowed his eyes as he realized she was teasing him,
making her laugh even more.
    The manse—the house owned