Dancing with my wife.
But why?
Because my great-aunt Olivia considers herself the authority on everything from business to marriage to giving birth. Trust me, you dont want her to start offering us advice.
Oh, she said. Did you say she was your great-aunt?
Yes. My grandmothers older sister. Grateful that the band was playing a slow tune, he held Lily close. It reminded him of the night at the ball when hed held her in his arms for the first time. Just as on that night she felt soft and silky and as elusive as moonlight. He breathed in her scent, the hint of roses and sunshine and some mysterious scent that was hers alone. She fitted him perfectly and he was keenly aware of the weight of her breasts against his chest, the way her dress swished against his pant legs as they moved their feet in harmony. He was also aware of the roundness of her abdomen pressing against him.
You have a lot of relatives, she said, her breath whispering against his ear and causing that rapid beat in his pulse again. Whats it like being a part of a big family?
Annoying, he told her and tried to shake off his sexual feelings. The last thing Lily needed right now was for him to start making marital demands on her. Besides the fact that she was pregnant, she had had her entire life turned upside down. Now that she was a Cartwright her life would never be the same again. Right or wrong, the name Cartwright meant money and power. And while giving his name to her and their child would provide security and protection, it would also subject her to the curiosity, rumors and often the envy of others. Some of it had already started. Hed had a flurry of calls from friends, business acquaintances, members of the country club and even former girlfriends when the news had broken of his impending marriage. He didnt doubt that the gossip mill was working overtime with the scandal of Lilys pregnancy and their marriage. Of course, without Bunny Baldwin and her Social Diary to feed the frenzy, it might lose steam quickly. At least he hoped it would. Until then, he intended to shield Lily from it as much as he could.
Easing back, she looked at him. Id have thought it would be wonderful to have so many people related to you. Youd never be alone. There would always be someone to share the holidays with, to spend special moments with.
He knew that Lily had spent most of her holidays alone, the outsider watching foster families celebrating. There was a part of him that ached for the lonely girl she must have been. He couldnt go back and wipe away those unhappy memories, but he promised himself that he would make happy memories for her in the future. I guess it is pretty nice most of the timeexcept at times like today when those well-meaning family members, like my mother, insist on getting in your business and hosting receptions like this one so that she can show us off.
Its not that bad, she told him.
Shh. Dont let her hear you say that or shell never let us out of here. Lily smiled and it was the first real smile hed seen from her all afternoon. Drawing her close, he moved her into a slow spin.
Were being watched, she told him.
Ignore them, he said, not wanting to allow anyone to intrude upon the moment. It was the first time shed come close to relaxing with him since theyd agreed to get married.
That might be kind of hard to do. Your aunt Olivia is waving a napkin at us. I think she wants us to come over to her.
Shes our aunt Olivia now, he informed her. He had indeed seen Aunt Olivia motioning them over. Shed been hard to miss since she was the only eighty-five-year-old woman with Lucille Ball red hair holding a glass of bourbon in one hand and a cane in the other. You do realize that now that youre a Cartwright, all these annoyingly wonderful relatives are yours now, tooincluding Aunt Olivia.
Um, Jack. I think our aunt Olivia is getting impatient.
Jack glanced over to where his great-aunt had just slapped her glass down on a table and was insisting the young waiter help her to her feet. Wed better go see what she wants.
What she wanted was to give them both a lecture on what was necessary to make a marriage work. Since Aunt Olivias own marriage had spanned sixty years until the death of Uncle Charlie, she considered herself an authority on the subject. Shed lectured them on the importance of being good to one another, of respecting one another and of sharing the responsibility for raising the kids. Shed told them not to make the mistake of taking each other for granted. She also told them that they needed to make time for one another and to listen to what the other one had to say.
You young people are big on the term communication. Well, communication is one of the keys to a good marriage. And that communication needs to start in the bedroom, Aunt Olivia told them. She pointed her cane at him. You keep your wife happy in the bedroom and the rest will take care of itself.
Lily turned beet-red.
Jack coughed. Thanks, Aunt Olivia, but I dont think
And you, she said, turning her focus on Lily. You need to remember that men are like little boys. Every one of them wants to be a super hero between the sheets. If you spend all of your time and energy on the children or the house, youll be too tired to let them do their super-hero act. Their fragile egos cant handle it. So you make sure you save some of yourself for your man, she continued. Even if it means ordering takeout food or hiring a sitter for the kids, do it. Because when you close that bedroom door, you need to be a woman first. Understand?
Um, yes, maam, Lily said, but Jack noted she averted her eyes.
Theres no need for either of you to be embarrassed. From where I stand, it looks to me like youre not having any troubles in the bedroom now. All Im saying is make sure you keep it that way. Good sex is one of the most important things in a marriage. Why do you think Uncle Charlie and I made it for more than sixty years? Its because we had a good sex life up until the day he died.
Which was a lot more than he wanted to know. Thanks, Aunt Olivia. We appreciate the advice.
Yes, thank you, Lily said.
Just doing my duty, Aunt Olivia told them.
And before she started doling out any more advice on sex, Jack said, Youll need to excuse us, Aunt Olivia. It looks like Mother needs us to cut the cake. Taking Lily by the arm, he hustled her across the room. I dont know about you, but Im ready to get out of this place. What do you say we cut the cake and then head for home?
It sounds good to me.
Lily squirmed in the seat of Jacks car. Ever since shed hit the fourth month of her pregnancy, trips to the restroom were like clockwork. They came at two-hour intervals without fail. Shed gotten used to it for the most part and simply made sure she was in close proximity to a bathroom when the urge hit. But she had been so anxious to leave the reception that she hadnt paid attention to her inner clock or visited the restroom before leaving. As a result, she was well past schedule for a bathroom break and there didnt seem to be a service station anywhere in sight. She shifted in her seat again and wondered what Jacks reaction would be to his new bride ruining the leather upholstery in his shiny Mercedes. She didnt want to find out. Is it much farther? she asked him.
About five minutes, he told her.
Lily bit off a groan and squirmed in her seat.
He glanced across the seat at her. Is everything okay? he asked, a worried note in his voice. Is it the baby?
No, everything is not okay, and yes, its the baby, she confessed and would have laughed at his panicked expression, but knew that even a chuckle right now would result in wet leather seats. Our little angel is pushing on my bladder and I really, really need a bathroom. So could you please hurry?
Jack hurried and ten minutes later when she left the bathroom, she felt almost normal again. Or as normal as she could under the circumstances. She had made such a mad dash for the bathroom when theyd arrived that she had scarcely noticed the two-story Colonial and just how lovely it was. After seeing his parents home, she had worried that Jack, too, lived in a sprawling mansion, and she had wondered how she would feel living in such a big place. But she neednt have worried, because while Jacks house was certainly enormous compared to her efficiency apartment, she didnt find it intimidating.
I appreciate the offer, Mother
Lily heard Jacks deep voice coming from another part of the house and realized he must be on the phone. So she used the time to explore her surroundings. She had raced through the door so quickly, intent on finding the bathroom, that she hadnt noticed that the front door was made of walnut. Nor had she seen the leaded side-lights on either side of the door. Turning, she noted the large rectangular mirror set in pewter that hung over an antique table. A crystal vase of bright red tulips added a burst of color to the muted tones. The sweeping staircase was a real eye-catcher. She walked across the diamond-patterned marble floor and found herself in the living room. The room was gorgeous. A fireplace with a dramatic mantel was the focal point of the room. She could easily imagine a fire burning in the hearth on cold winter days. Floor-to-ceiling windows and built-in bookcases gave the room a welcoming feel. Photographs were scattered aboutshots of Jack and his sisters holding skis while they stood in front of a snow-covered slope, shots of his parents on a cruise ship, one of Aunt Olivia standing before a birthday cake covered in candles. She trailed her fingers across the back of one of the couches. The furniture was high-quality and she suspected the chairs alone cost more than all the furniture in her apartment. Yet, it looked comfortable and had a lived-in feel to it. It wasnt just for show.
The living room led to a bright sunroom with flagstone floors, lattice work, ten-foot ceilings and southern, eastern and western exposures. There were French doors leading to a stone patio off the sunroom. Reversing direction, Lily headed back toward the foyer. This time she stopped at the base of the staircase and glanced up to where she suspected the bedrooms were located. Thoughts of the bedrooms and her and Jacks sleeping arrangements set off a nervous fluttering in her stomach.
She hadnt allowed herself to think much beyond the wedding, let alone to the wedding night. She and Jack hadnt discussed what their sleeping arrangements would be. On the one hand, she knew it was silly for them not to share a bed. They were married and it wasnt as though they were two strangers who had never shared a bed. They had. They were expecting a baby togethera baby that had been created the old-fashioned way. But when shed gone to his room that night, she hadnt realized who he was, that he was Jack Cartwright, a member of Eastwicks elite and the newly appointed board member of Eastwick Cares. No, he had just been the handsome stranger who had eased the ache in her heart. That night, in his arms, it hadnt mattered that shed failed once again in her quest to discover who she was and why she had been left at the church. What had mattered was that he had wanted her and she had wanted him. And, for that one night, she hadnt felt so alone.
But she had no mask to hide behind now. There was no more pretending she was someone else. She was still Lily. Only now she was pregnant and married to Jack Cartwright, a man who didnt love her, a man who had married her out of his sense of responsibility because she carried his child. She looked at the rings on her finger, remembered the night Jack had given her his grandmothers engagement ring and kissed her. She touched her lips, recalling the rush of heat and emotion shed experienced that night. Shed felt that same rush of feeling when hed recited his vows and slid the wedding band on her finger. His voice had sounded so strong and true, she could almost believe that hed meant those words.
And if you do, Lily Miller, youre setting yourself up for a fall.
It was true, she reasoned. If she had learned nothing else in those years shed been a ward of the state and in the foster-care system, she had learned not to wear rose-colored glasses. Too many times she had gotten her hopes up, thinking that she would be adopted, only to find herself passed over when the couple shed pinned her hopes on became pregnant or an infant became available for adoption. Lily Miller would do in a pinchbut only until the real thing came along. Jack might desire her, he might even have married her for the babys sake. But he didnt love her. The surefire path to heartache would be to allow herself to think otherwise.
There you are.
She turned at the sound of Jacks voice and darned if her heart didnt kick an extra beat as she watched him walk toward her. Hed lost his jacket, shed his tie and opened the buttons of his shirt at the collar. His dark hair looked a tad less perfect, as though he had shoved his fingers through it. A trace of five oclock shadow darkened his jawline and made him even sexier than shed remembered. He looked so tall and strong and sure of himself, she thought. Unlike her, he didnt seem to be suffering any second thoughts or concerns about the fact that they were now husband and wife.
Im sorry I left you alone so long. My mother and father arranged for us to have the honeymoon suite at the Embassy Hotel for the rest of the weekend as a surprise. Apparently the limo driver was supposed to take us there and I screwed things up by dismissing the driver and taking my own car. But I told them wed take a rain check. I hope thats okay. I thought you might prefer spending some time here, getting used to your new home.
Thats fine and yes, I would. Thank you, she said.
Have you had a chance to look around yet?
Just the living room and the sunroom.
Do you want me to give you the rest of the tour?
Id like that, she said.
The rest of the house consisted of a formal dining room with a fireplace, paneled walls, mirrored china closets and corner cabinets. The family dining annex had French doors that offered a natural flow out to two great covered porches with ceiling fans. One of the porches had mahogany screens and a fireplace perfect for curling up next to with a book. The country kitchen was custom-made with marble counters, tile floors, glass-fronted cabinets, a teak island for chopping and a six-burner commercial stove. The large bay window looked perfect for a family breakfast table and she could easily see herself, Jack and their baby sitting there.
The library is this way, Jack said.
The library was cozy. Paneled with old barn siding, it had another great fireplace and coffered ceiling. There was an adjacent bar room with a fridge and ice-maker and a second powder room.
And this is what I guess youd call a family room, Jack said as he led her into another large room with a stone fireplace and a coffered ceiling.