Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride (30 page)

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Andy pulled back the paper sheath on the wooden chopsticks, balling it up and tossing it into the paper bag at his feet. As he popped up the lid on the Styrofoam container on the coffee table, the aromatic invitation to dinner set his taste buds to salivating. Fried rice brimmed over from the two small sections, and the larger one overflowed with a generous, heaping portion of pepper steak.

Just as he dug the chopsticks down into it, the screech of tires snagged his attention. Holding the sticks in mid-air, he held his breath, waiting for the impact. Another squeal, this time much closer, sent Andy to his feet. Dropping the sticks to the foam container, he jogged down the hall and opened the front door.

Sherilyn's Explorer sat running in the driveway, lights on, door open. A moment later, he noticed her racing up the sidewalk toward him with no coat on.

What is she wearing?

Gym shoes, black sweats, and an oversized white t-shirt. Her ponytail flopped over her head as she ran straight for him.

"Sheri—"

Without a word, just as she reached the edge of the porch, Sherilyn dove through the air toward him. When she landed on him, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist, he went over backwards, and they both fell to the ground with a powerful thud.

"Wh-at are you do-ing?" he asked as she seemed to continuously butt against his head with hers. An instant later, he realized she was pecking his face with kisses, and he began to laugh. "Sherilyn. What's going on?"

"I love you," she squealed between kisses. "I love you . . . And I want to marry you . . . And I want us to live here . . . And have a family . . . And . . . I don't know what else . . . but I love you."

"You might want to go out and shut off the ignition before we do all that," he told her.

She released a stream of giggles that thrilled him. They fumbled to get to their feet, and she started out the door, then turned back again and wiggled a finger at him.

"Wait right here," she demanded.

When he nodded, she skipped down the sidewalk to the SUV.

Andy's heart soared as she ran back to the front door, already talking a-mile-a-minute.

"I was at a tasting today with Emma and everyone. Serbian food. I don't recommend it on an empty stomach, by the way. Lots of cabbage and meat. Anyway, she made these little chocolate nut cookies called pandas, and we had to make a decision about a menu for this luncheon Georgiann is giving."

Andy didn't bother to interrupt her. He just closed the door behind them and followed her into the living room as she chattered on, knowing she would eventually get to the heart of the matter.

"Oh, you ordered Chinese food. Anyway, so just as we're finishing up, Cristián comes in, and he says he wants to talk to me. It wasn't a long talk, it really wasn't, but I think we both got some sort of closure that we needed, you know?"

Andy nodded toward the Styrofoam container with an arched brow.

"Oh. No, thanks, but you go ahead. Anyway, so we kind of said what we needed to say, what we've been holding in all this time, and I said I'm sorry, and he said he forgives me, and then I went with Emma to a kickboxing class."

She's taking longer than usual to bring it all back around.

"I know, right? Me? Kickboxing? But I think I did really well, at least Emma said I did. And afterward I was lying there, collapsed on the floor, and I thought,
Andy!"

She went silent, looked at him expectantly, her eyes open wide.

"Andy," he repeated.

"I just wanted to tell
you
about it. About everything. About my day, and about Cristián, and about how much I
really love kickboxing!
And about this revelation I had on the floor of the gym where I think I realized I've been overeating and losing wedding dresses and expecting your mom to reject me, and all the time it's just been about guilt. You know, over what I did to Cristián. And that's when I realized it, Andy . . .
I have to marry you."

Amused, he asked, "I'm sorry. You made that leap, how again?"

"There's no guilt with you."

He waited for her to expound, but she just looked back at him, that adorable wide-open grin on her porcelain face, the one that said, 'See? Am I a genius, or what?!'

"None," she finally said. "I don't think you've even noticed that I've been layering my past with chocolate. And if you have, you sure never made me feel like you did. You've been patient with me and understanding and loving. You've never once made me feel like I wasn't enough."

Andy's heart
thud-thud-thudded
inside his chest. He scooped up both of her hands, kissing each of them.

"I can totally be
Sherilyn
with you, and you never make me feel like there's anything wrong with that."

"Wrong?" he exclaimed. "Of course there's nothing wrong with it. I love every last thing about you."

"Exactly!" she cried. "Everything I've been missing . . . Family. Trust. Reassurance. Andy, you give me all of that. I've never felt like this about anyone before in my life."

"I know what you mean," he said with a grin.

"You told me to go and find that old Sherilyn. But I've found something even better. I've found a path where the old one and the new one come together into one
whole
Sherilyn. I'm at my absolute best with you, Andy. So will you?"

"Will I?"

"Marry me, silly!"

"Oh!" he chuckled. "If I don't, will you kick my rear end?"

"Maybe," she cried, hopping to her feet and taking a kickboxer's stance. "I got the skills now, buddy!"

"Well, yes then. I will marry you. Will you marry
me?"

"As soon as possible."

Andy stood up and faced Sherilyn. Sliding his arms around her, he pulled her into an embrace. Just as he leaned in for a kiss, however, a sudden roar of engines startled them both.

"What is that?" Sherilyn asked him.

"You did turn off the Explorer, right?"

"Yes. That sounds," she said, tugging on his hand and leading him toward the front door, "like it's right outside."

They opened the door and crossed the front porch, and Sherilyn squealed with glee at the two motorcycles revving in the driveway behind her SUV.

"Andy, it's Russell! He's back!"

"Oh, goodie," he groaned as she flew out the door and down the sidewalk.

Hot coffee had been brewed and served when Andy, Sherilyn, J.R., and Russell gathered around the dining table.

"Tell me everything," Sherilyn exclaimed. "Where did you go first?"

"Tampa," J.R. replied.

"They have a Hard Rock Hotel there," Russell told her. "No Seger memorabilia though, love. Sorry."

She chuckled. "I see you had your guitar with you on the trip," and she nodded toward the case Russell had strapped to his back when he pulled into the drive. "You're all the rock star they needed in Tampa."

Russell and J.R. exchanged an interesting glance that she couldn't quite decipher. "What? What was that look?" she asked him.

"Go on," J.R. said with a nod. "Tell them what you've really been doing."

"Does this have anything to do with the boxes you sent to my office?" she asked.

Russell groaned. "Nah. Those are just the booty from my roam. Couldn't strap all of it onto the back of the bike, now, could I?"

"Well, tell us. What have you been doing?"

"He's been playing in a few little places down the coast of Florida," J.R. told them. "And he's pretty good too. Have you heard any of his music?"

"Russell!" Sherilyn exclaimed.

"It was just a test run," he said. "Popped in at a couple of clubs and coffee houses, just to see how people respond to my tunes."

"And?"

"And they loved him," J.R. answered.

"Oh, I don't know," Russell corrected. "They seemed to like it."

"Is it your own music? Did you write it yourself?"

"Some. I did a combination of classic rocker stuff and the tunes I've been writing for the last year or two."

"Very thoughtful music too," J.R. interjected. "Russell Walker, Soul Searcher."

"Play something for us, Russell!" she said, rushing over and grabbing the guitar where he'd left it against the pantry door.

"Ah, no, love. Another time. I'm beat, and we have to get over to the hotel." Russell turned to Andy and grinned. "Can you believe Jackson's letting me back in as a paying customer?"

"You don't say," Andy replied. "I'd take your best behavior with you so he doesn't think better of that move."

"Righty-oh."

An idea crept up on Sherilyn like a warm, fuzzy caterpillar, and she approached it cautiously, with Andy's reaction in mind. "Hey, Russell." She could hardly contain her excitement, and she hopped to her feet and plopped back down again.

"Could you give me a ride over to the hotel?"

"Yeah!" he sang.

"No, Sherilyn. No way," Andy objected. "On the back of a Harley in this weather? With
him?"

"It's less than fifteen minutes to the hotel," she said, biting her lip. Turning to Russell, she told him, "I haven't been on the back of a motorcycle since college."

"You'll freeze."

"You got a slicker?" Russell asked her.

"My coat is in the car in the driveway!"

"Sherilyn."

"Andy, it will be fine. I promise."

J.R. grinned at Andy. "I'll spread a net to catch her."

"Great," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "Very comforting."

Sherilyn rounded the table and stood behind Andy. Placing her arms around his neck, she kissed his cheek. "Russell will be very careful," she promised.

"Sure he will."

"I'll call you as soon as I arrive."

He sort of grunted, and Sherilyn giggled as she kissed his cheek again.

"Thanks for saying you'll marry me," she whispered, grinning at J.R. over Andy's shoulder.

"If you're flat as a piece of paper, I can't very well do that, can I?"

She kissed him a third time. "I love you."

The expression on Andy's face nearly made her laugh right out loud as she headed out the front door with Russell and J.R.

"Love you," she called back to him, and J.R. strapped on Russell's guitar while she grabbed her coat from the Explorer.

"Ready then?" Russell asked her, and a surge of adrenaline pulsed through her as she climbed aboard behind him. "Hang on tight."

"Don't go too fast until Andy can't see us anymore," she said into his ear as she waved at Andy's silhouette on the front porch. "I don't want to scare him."