Jericho (A Redemption Novel) (17 page)

“I know it’s a little shabby and needs to be updated, but it’s a good house. My parents had it redone about fifteen years ago.”

She nodded absently and took Abby out of her stroller. She walked up the driveway to the porch. She could place hanging baskets there. Begonias or maybe petunias. They could paint the porch, too, give it a fresh coat of white paint. The flowers would look so pretty against it. It was a large enough space for Abby to play on. They could sit out here in the evenings and watch her play. Maybe they could get a swing. It would be nice to have dessert outside, or maybe breakfast in the mornings. A little café table would fit nicely in the corner.

“Georgia.” Christian placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned and looked up at him. He looked concerned; a line of worry was creased into his forehead. “I know it’s not the nicest place on the block—”

“It’s the best house I’ve ever seen,” she said, unable to peel her eyes from it. “I can’t believe you lived here.”

* * *

That was all he needed to hear to let the weight ease from his chest. He thought he would feel more pain seeing his home again after so long. He thought grief would overtake him, but it didn’t. He was more concerned about what Georgia thought of this place.

She hadn’t said anything when they first saw it. It had been neglected, terribly so. He hired a local guy to come a couple of times a year to make sure the house hadn’t fallen down. Just the bare minimum to keep the neighbors from complaining. The paint was peeling in spots on the porch and his mother’s little garden was so thick and overgrown that he could barely see through it.

The inside wasn’t much better. Most of his parents’ personal things were gone, in a storage unit that he had never been to. The remaining furniture was covered in dust cloths and the curtains were so bleached by the sun that it was impossible to tell what color they were originally.

He didn’t feel his parents here like he’d thought he would. He almost thought it would feel as though their ghosts were walking around this place. But it didn’t. This place felt more like a vacation home to him, a place where he had some pleasant memories, but it had never truly felt like home.

“Why didn’t your parents sleep in this bedroom?” Georgia touched his cheek, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“My mother had problem with her joints, the stairs were too much for her, so they turned the den into their bedroom. I slept here.”

“Did you?” She gave him a soft smile. “I can just imagine you in this big bedroom, in one of those large four-poster beds with one of those pretty girls from the College of Charleston.”

“I’ve never had a girl in this bedroom. There were women before you, but I’ve never had a girlfriend. Or been in a real relationship. I’m an ugly son of a bitch and I’m not very nice.” His eyes passed over her. She was so pretty. So sweet and small, the opposite of everything he ever was. “Are you sure you want to be married to me?”

She closed the gap between them and rested her head on his chest. “It hurts me when you try to get rid of me.”

“I’m not trying to get rid of you. I’m letting you know how I am.”

“You’re a lot better than you think you are. There have been a lot of soldiers since I worked at Jericho. You’re the only one I’ve ever lost my head over, and my job.”

“There’s something about you, Georgia.” He kissed her forehead. “You make me want a whole new life.”

“I can see us here. I can see the future. I want to live in it now.”

“Okay.” He pressed his mouth to hers and she opened for him. She was learning. Her kisses were still shy, still innocent, but there was something erotic about them. He couldn’t wait to have all of her. He couldn’t wait to explore her fully. He couldn’t wait to have her as his wife. “Let’s go get our marriage license. Then we can start making plans to move here.”

“That sounds like a very good idea.”

CHAPTER 17

A
fter spending the next two days with Christian, Georgia fully understood why he was a commanding officer. He simply got things done. There were workers at their house repairing the kitchen and painters in Abby’s room and movers delivering furniture. He told her didn’t want to start their new life as a married couple in a hotel room. He wanted to start it in their home, and he did everything he could to make that happen.

They would officially start their life together tomorrow. But to Georgia, it felt as if it had started already. He took care of her and Abby as if nothing else mattered in the world. He was going to be a good husband. She had always thought her father was a good husband. And maybe he was. He was harsh with his daughters, cold and unyielding, but Pastor Williams was a man who loved his wife. Or at least Georgia thought he did.

Her mother, Fiona, was always a very delicate woman. A daughter of a preacher, too, she never raised her voice or spoke her opinion. She was meek. She told her daughters that their jobs as wives would be to honor and obey their husbands, to look after their homes and children, to treat their men like kings. Carolina had always soaked up those lessons, but they had never sat well with Georgia.

Obey your husband.

Why didn’t the husband ever have to obey his wife? But even with that rule, her parents’ marriage seemed to be solid. Even after Abel had died and father turned bitter. Sometimes she would see them sitting at the kitchen table together at night when they thought they were alone. Her father would hold her mother’s hand, and he would look at her with...tenderness. It was the only way she could describe it. He looked like a man who loved his wife. He would speak to Fiona softly. He treated her as though she was fragile. He made his daughters do all the cooking and cleaning, anything and everything to make sure his wife didn’t have to.

Georgia wondered who was doing that now. The cooking and the cleaning. The washing and the ironing. The polishing of her father’s shoes. Carolina was gone. Her brothers... She didn’t know what had happened to them. Who was taking care of Mama?

She’d thought about her mother a lot these past few days as the wedding got closer. She thought about the phone call they’d shared a few weeks ago. Her mother had sounded so unhappy. She’d sounded as though she was breaking. And while she felt sorry for her mother, while she wanted to take her away from her world, she was angry at her, too.

Fiona wasn’t strong enough. She was never strong enough. She never stood up to her husband. She never made her feelings known. She never spoke a word against him even though she knew he was wrong. She just let things happen. Nothing could make Georgia send away her baby. No one.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Christian asked her with a kiss to her forehead.

She looked up at him, at this good man who had been placed in her path, and she felt foolish. Bitterness kept rising in her chest these past few days. Before, when she was working and so overtired, she couldn’t think straight. She didn’t have time to dwell on her family, but the past few days since Christian had taken so much weight off her shoulders, she was able to do so, and the more she thought about them, the angrier she felt.

But she shouldn’t allow her past to haunt her. She had a good man in her life. She needed to make sure he was happy.

“Nothing.” They were alone in their bedroom now. Christian had just put Abby in her crib for a nap.

Georgia reached for him, needing to feel his big body wrapped around her, needing those nasty thoughts to dissolve. She wanted to feel his skin and his lips. She wanted to feel his weight on top of her. He had barely touched her since he’d told her he wanted to wait and it bothered her. She slept in bed with him every night and smelled his skin and was surrounded by his warmth and she wanted more. Her breasts ached when she was around him; her nipples turned to hard little points whenever she brushed against him. And that throb between her legs had grown almost painful.

There was a time in her life when she’d never thought sex would interest her. She’d never thought her body would crave to be with a man, but Christian had come along and he’d changed all of that for her.

“Will you lie down with me for a little while?”

“No.” He stroked his hand down her back, sending a rush of tingles along her skin. “Everything is all set for tomorrow, Georgia. The justice of the peace is coming. I called the restaurant to reserve a back room. I got my dress uniform out of storage. There’s only one thing left.”

She looked up at him. “I need a dress.”

“Yes.”

“I’m no good at buying clothes. I don’t know where to begin.”

“You’re beautiful.” He kissed her forehead again. “You’ll look beautiful in anything, but I called for help. Picking out a wedding dress is something you shouldn’t do alone.”

She frowned at him. “You’re not coming with me?”

“No. I don’t want to see you in your dress until you’re walking down the aisle toward me. I called your sister. She’s downstairs.”

“But...” She was speechless and angry and hurt and...relieved. Mrs. Sheppard and her daughter were going to be at her wedding, and they were her friends, but when she was a little girl she had never imagined getting married without her sister by her side.

“Talk to her. I know you’re mad, but she wants you in her life and I think you should be. I don’t have a family—losing mine made me realize how important they were to me. But you can have yours back, or at least a piece of them. Please take this chance, Georgia.”

She looked up at him, knowing she didn’t deserve him, afraid she wasn’t going to be enough to keep him happy.

“I don’t know whether to smack you or kiss you.”

“Go with the second.” He gave her a small smile before he pressed his mouth to hers. She felt a little burst of heat when his lips met hers and she immediately wanted more. She reached for his face, to pull him closer and kiss him until the world drifted away, but he stopped her and pushed her hands toward her sides. “Not now.”

She felt a little stung by his rejection, but she knew they would be man and wife tomorrow. She knew in a few hours she could show him all her appreciation and affection. She would give her body to him.

“She’s in the lobby. I called for a car. Have lunch. Talk to her. Miles and I will watch BB.”

Georgia nodded, nervous to see her sister again after their fight. “You’re good man, you know.” She lifted his scarred hand and kissed it. “The best one I know.”

She left the room and their hotel suite without looking back. Miles was in the hallway walking toward her. He was carrying a box of pizza and what looked like beer in glass bottles. “Hello, Georgia.”

“Hello, Dr. Hammond.”

“I’m Miles to you and you know it. We’re family.” He frowned for a moment. “I’m sorry about Carolina the other day. I love her more than anything in the world, but sometimes I feel as if she’s been raised in a bubble. I blame Oakdale. The town is run by your father’s church, and it was bad before you left, Georgia.” He shook his head. “In the time you’ve been away, it’s gotten worse. Your father is a miserable man who preaches hellfire and brimstone, and your mother is at the point where she’s going to break. I want to get Carolina away from there. I don’t want to raise our baby in an environment of hate, but she doesn’t want to leave your mother. I’ve been offered a partnership in a practice here. I’m going to take it. Now that you are in Charleston it will be better for us. You’ll be good for her. She needs you.”

“Carolina doesn’t know you’re going to move here yet?”

“No. I’m going to tell her after you are married. I really like Christian. He’ll make you a fine husband. If you were my sister, I would pick a man like him for you.”

“Thank you, Miles. I appreciate that.”

“She needs you, Georgia. You’re her anchor. Please forgive her.”

Carolina was sitting in the lobby when Georgia got off the elevator. She looked so much like their mother, like a lady. She wore a blue sundress printed with tiny flowers and a cardigan to cover her shoulders. Every hair on her head was in place and her hands were neatly folded in her lap.

They were so different. Georgia had never mastered being ladylike, or docile. She never was as serene as her sister.

“Hello, sister.”

Carolina’s face lit up for a moment when she saw her, but then she sobered for a moment. “I’ve been a terrible person.” She stood, her pretty eyes filling with tears. “I hate myself. I was stupid and wrong and bad.”

“Oh, Carolina.” Georgia reached for her sister. “Shut up.”

“No. I’m sorry. Did I ever tell you I was sorry? I’m so sorry. I am. I know if it were the other way around, that you would have been there for me. You would have left with me. But you are so much stronger than I am. I knew you would be fine. In the back of my mind I knew it. You don’t understand how hard it was after you left. Daddy had him over for dinner. He apologized to him over you. But the boys couldn’t stomach that. Especially Eli. Robert was supposed to be his best friend. I don’t know if he believed that Robert forced you, but he didn’t believe Robert was telling the truth. They stopped talking. He told Robert not to come around anymore and he and Daddy got into a big fight over it. Eli stopped going to church. He moved away and he and Daddy barely talk anymore. And then Gideon left for the army. He barely comes home, even when he’s on leave. He sends Mama letters to our house. Josiah is still in Oakdale. He feels real bad about what happened to you, Georgia. He believes you. He wants to make amends, Georgia. He told me that just yesterday. He’s got a little girl now. I didn’t tell you that. But he has a little girl. She’s six months old. He got married to Lacey Matthews and he told me that he couldn’t do what Daddy did. He couldn’t choose some stranger over his daughter. He’s been so different since he had the baby. I—”

Georgia put her hand up to stop her sister’s endless words. It was too much to take. It was too much to hear in that moment. “Let’s find me a dress. We’ve got the rest of our lives to talk.”

“You mean that? You’re not mad at me anymore? I’m so relieved. You don’t know how mad Miles was with me after you left. He said he thought I was raised better than to judge Christian by the way he looks. I was and I’m sorry. He’s a good man, Georgia. He called me and asked me to come, and he’s rented that big black car for us today to take us around. I was wrong about him. I’m sorry. If you like him and Miles likes him, then he must be a good man.”

“He is, honey. And I forgive you. Let’s go.”

* * *

“You nervous, son?”

Christian looked over at General Lee, who was standing by his side as best man, glad he was there. If he couldn’t have his father with him then the general was the next best thing. “No. Do you think I should be?”

“She’s a lovely girl. She’ll be good for you. I heard that you haven’t officially resigned yet. You aren’t thinking of reenlisting?”

“They offered me Afghanistan, but I can’t go overseas and leave Georgia and Abby behind. It would feel wrong.”

“Lots of soldiers do it.”

“Yeah, but I can’t. If I died she would be pissed at me.”

“There’s a base not too far from here. You could be an instructor. I already put in a good word for you.”

“I’m leaving,” he said even though he had failed to take the final steps. “Once a marine, always a marine, but I’m not going to be on active duty anymore.”

“What are you going to do? Have you decided?”

“I’m going to learn about my company. I’m going to be involved.” How? He didn’t know yet.

The music started playing and thoughts of his future work drifted from his mind. Georgia walked down the aisle with Tobias. The young boy was giving her away. It was Georgia’s idea. She said he was her favorite patient.

Tobias was beaming as he used his cane to guide them. His still-wounded eyes were covered in sunglasses, but the smile on his face was incredible. He was honored to be there and Georgia was happy to have him.

She smiled up at him, and laughed when he whispered something in her ear.

Christian almost lost his breath looking at her. She was happy. He was afraid today she wouldn’t be. Her sister was there but the rest of her family wasn’t. Their wedding was simple and small. He wasn’t sure it was what she wanted, but looking at her in her pretty white dress as she came toward him, he knew this was the right wedding for them.

Tobias stopped before him. “You’re a lucky man, sir. I wanted to be the one who married her.”

“Sorry, kid. Find yourself another nurse.”

Tobias handed Georgia to him, that big smile still on his face. “Good luck. I’m happy for you.”

Tobias’s mother led him back to his seat, leaving Georgia with Christian. She smiled up at him. “Hello, Jarhead. You look so handsome in your uniform.”

“Hello, Nurse Williams. You’re too beautiful in your dress.”

The justice of the peace cleared his throat. This was it. It was their time to get married.