Finally Satisfied (10 page)

Her only regret was that she’d pushed him
away for so long.

They fell asleep afterwards, bodies entwined,
still slick with perspiration. When they woke up, the sun had set.
She wondered if the others had looked for them, if her mother was
wondering where she was, and decided she didn’t care. They’d figure
out they were both missing and know they were together.

“You okay?” Mitch asked, looking down at her
with concern.

She looped her arms around his neck.
“Couldn’t be better unless you kissed me.”

He did, then he scooped her up off the bed
and carried her to the bathroom. “You want the first shower? Or do
you want to share?”

She gave him the best wicked grin she could
come up with, woefully out of practice as she was. “My mother
always taught me to share.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

He managed to turn an ordinary shower into a
totally sensuous experience. His hands didn’t miss an inch of her
body as he soaped every nook and cranny. She returned the favor,
and when one thing led to another they ended up having to wash all
over again.

When they finally dragged themselves out of
the shower and into their clothes, Angel wished she could spend the
night with him. But that would mean getting those looks from her
mother and questions from Cara.

When she got home, she was going to start
looking for a place of her own.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Angel smiled as she framed Cara in her
viewfinder. She looked heartbreakingly beautiful in her wedding
gown, but it was the expression on her face that Angel wanted to
capture. The excitement, anticipation, the sheer joy that lit her
face from the inside out. Surrounded by her mother, Reggie, and the
flower girl, Cara’s happiness let everyone know she had absolutely
no doubts that marrying Gray was her destiny.

Her joy was infectious, infusing them all
with the same excitement. The noise in the small dressing room was
approaching deafening proportions. A few months ago it would have
sent Angel running for the nearest bathroom. Now it only threatened
to give her a headache.

She took as many preparation shots as she
could before she had to get into her own dress. Her stomach
fluttered a bit as she wondered what it would be like to be the
bride instead of the bridesmaid. To know Mitch was waiting,
watching for her to glide down the aisle. She’d never allowed
herself to entertain those kinds of thoughts before, and she
couldn’t afford to now.

Later, when it was all over, there would be
time to dream.

She carefully stepped into the dress and
pulled it up. Her mother zipped the back, then squeezed her
shoulder as their eyes met in the mirror. “Your time will come
soon, sweetheart. I’ve seen how you two look at each other.”

So much for keeping their affair a secret
from her mom.

She slid her feet into the boots, pulled the
gloves up past her elbows, and slipped the stole around her
shoulders. Her mother put the necklace around her neck and made
sure the clasp was secure.

“You look absolutely beautiful.” A tear
slipped down her mother’s cheek. “Both of my girls look
beautiful.”

“So do you, Mom.” Angel kissed her cheek.
“You have enough tissues?”

Her mother opened her small purse. The inside
was stuffed full with tissues and a single tube of lipstick.

“Yeah, that should hold you.”

The wedding coordinator opened the door.
“It’s time.”

Angel took a deep breath, kissed Cara on the
cheek, and ushered the flower girl out the door. Reggie was right
behind them. As they lined up at the edge of the crimson runner,
Angel looked up. Mitch and Sam stood beside Gray at the end of the
aisle. All eyes were focused on the women and a ripple of
appreciation rolled through the small crowd.

The music started and the coordinator gave
last minute instructions to the two children and sent them on their
way.

When it was her turn, Angel glanced at Mitch
to find his gaze locked on her. She smiled and held his gaze all
the way down the aisle. His eyes gave her something to focus on
besides the people watching her every move, besides the flash of
the lights. She made it to the front without a single misstep and
breathed a sigh of relief.

When Cara took her place at the end of the
aisle, Angel wished desperately for her camera. The look that
passed between Cara and Gray was priceless. The rent-a-‘tog had
better have gotten that shot.

Then Cara and her mother started down the
aisle. Cara had asked her mother to give her away since her father
was long gone and there was no other close male relative. And it
only seemed right since she’d been both mother and father to them
since they were little.

The ceremony itself was short and sweet, with
Cara and Gray reciting the vows they’d written themselves. And then
it was over and Angel met Mitch in the middle, taking his arm to
walk back down the aisle.

Why had she stressed so over this? It felt
like the most natural thing in the world.

And maybe, just maybe, she would dance with
him after all.

***

Mitch had always thought Angel was gorgeous.
Even as a scared teenager in a world of trouble, she’d been the
most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He’d hated his brother back
then--not only because he had treated her so terribly, but because
Angel had been in love with him. He’d gotten over the hatred, but
their relationship would never be the same.

And if he married Angel as he intended, it
would sever the last of that relationship, because he wouldn’t
subject her to his parents or his brother. It was something they
would have to discuss, would have to work out. But he would walk
away and leave his family if it meant a life with her.

“Hey, why so serious?” Angel handed him a
glass of champagne and touched her glass to his. “This is supposed
to be a celebration.”

He shook off the thoughts and concentrated on
her smile. “You look happy.”

“I am happy. My sister has broken the family
curse, and she’s married to the man of her dreams. It gives me
hope.” She sipped the champagne, then set it on a table. “Would you
give me the honor of this dance?”

He laughed as she gave him a deep bow. “Isn’t
that supposed to be my line?”

“Ah, but you gave me control, remember?”

“Any chance I can take it back now?” He set
his drink aside and took her outstretched hand.

“Possibly. But first, we dance.”

He pulled her into his arms and she settled
easily into the embrace. She followed his lead perfectly, though he
was pretty sure she didn’t have a lot of experience with
dancing.

“I wanted to dance with you on the cruise,
you know. But you were too busy avoiding me.”

“Didn’t stop you from flirting with Reggie,
though. You know, I never did understand that.”

He looked into her eyes. “We were only trying
to make you and Sam jealous. Did it work?”

She shook her head. “It only made me want to
scratch Reggie’s eyes out.”

“That’s jealousy. You never let on,
though.”

“No, it wasn’t jealousy. It was pure…oh hell,
you’re right. I
was
jealous.” She laid her head against his
shoulder. “I was just too scared of feeling anything, and I hated
that you’d made me feel something. I kept building up my walls, and
you kept knocking them down.”

“Have I told you how beautiful you look?” He
pulled her in closer. “Like a snow queen. All you need is a tiara,
though the ear muffs were a nice touch.”

“Your eyes told me, though it’s nice to hear
the words.”

The dance ended and, though he hated to let
her go, she had pictures to take. But he stayed close by, helping
her with the lighting or toting her tripod around the room. The
more he watched her work, the more she impressed him. She had a
knack for getting exactly the expression she wanted. She was good
with both adults and children, more at ease behind the camera than
she was without it.

He supposed it gave her a degree of
separation between herself and others. But he could see how far
she’d come over the last few months. She no longer twisted her
hands together whenever the attention shifted her way. She no
longer looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. And best
of all, she no longer scowled when she looked his way.

She chose that moment to catch his eye,
giving him a brilliant smile, followed by a wink full of promise
for the night to come.

Oh, yeah. You’ve come a long way, baby.

EPILOGUE

The sound of small feet barreling down the
hall gave Angel just enough time to brace herself before her
daughter’s small body landed in the middle of the bed.

Mitch rolled over and opened one eye. “Is it
morning already?”

“It’s Christmas, Daddy! And it’s snowing!
Come see!”

Christmas. Suddenly, Angel was nervous.
Though she hadn’t had a panic attack in nearly five years, she
could feel the familiar signs.

And then she was in Mitch’s arms. “It’s okay.
It’s going to be okay. Don’t think about what might go wrong. Think
about how right this is.”

“I know. I’m trying.” His arms tightened,
giving her strength.

“You’ve waited half your life for this day,
Angel. It’s natural to be nervous. Just don’t let it overwhelm you.
I’m here with you. Mia and I are both here.”

She kissed the top of her daughter’s head.
“Yes, you are. Okay, let’s get this show on the road. I wonder what
Santa Claus brought?”

Her daughter’s eyes rounded and she bounded
off the bed. “Hurry. We have to go see.”

“Hey, you have to wait for us!” Angel laughed
when Mia’s face twisted into a pout. “We just need a few minutes to
get dressed. Go sit by the window and watch for Gramma, okay?”

With an exaggerated sigh, Mia did as she was
told. Mitch showered first, then distracted Mia with Christmas
songs while Angel took her shower and put on her makeup. She
wouldn’t normally bother with makeup on Christmas, but today was
special.

Today she got to meet her son.

Though she’d hoped he would be ready when he
turned eighteen, he’d decided to wait until he was twenty-one.
They’d corresponded by email, he’d sent her pictures, but it wasn’t
the same as seeing him in person, holding him in her arms. He’d
grown up so much just in the three years they’d been in touch. But
now he was only a few months away from graduating from college, and
he’d already been accepted to graduate school. He wanted his entire
family there for his graduation, and she desperately wanted to be
there, to cheer from the sidelines.

“Angel,” Mitch called from the bedroom.
“They’re here.”

She laid a hand over her quivering stomach
and looked in the mirror. “You can do this. If he can do this, so
can you.” Then she took a deep breath, walked into the bedroom, and
took her husband’s hand in hers.

“Let’s do this.”