Priceless (16 page)

“You could have told him after surgery,” Beth reminded him quietly.

Mack nodded, his expression suddenly sad. “I know, but just in case…”

Beth went to him. “No doubts, Mack. Tony’s a fighter. He’ll dance at our wedding. I’m counting on it.”

Slowly Mack’s expression brightened. “Okay, Doc. That’s good enough for me.”

It was an eternity before Beth and Peyton finally emerged and pronounced the bone marrow transplant complete. Until then Mack, his brothers and Melanie huddled in the waiting room with Maria Vitale, passing the time with lousy coffee and prayers.

“They’re both okay?” Mack asked, his gaze locked with Beth’s. If there had been any unexpected twists, he would see it at once in her eyes, but they were clear and filled with an optimistic glint.

“Perfect,” she assured him.

“How long will it be before we know if it was a success and that Tony’s out of the woods?” he asked her.

“A while,” she confessed. “But there’s every reason for optimism.”

Mack thought about his promise to Tony that he could be best man at their wedding. He pulled Beth aside and regarded her closely. “Do we need to set a wedding date soon?”

She studied him with surprise. “Are you anxious to get married for some reason?”

“You know what I’m asking, Beth.”

“And I’ve told you, we have every reason to be optimistic. I’m not covering anything up, Mack. I swear it.”

He nodded slowly and finally allowed himself to feel the first faint stirring of relief. He grinned then. “Maybe we shouldn’t put the wedding off, anyway.”

“Oh?”

“I’d hate to have you change your mind once the crisis is over.”

“No chance of that,” she assured him. “If anything, I’m the one who ought to be worried.”

Mack pulled her into his arms and held her tight. For
the first time in his life, he genuinely felt complete. “Sweetheart, you have nothing to be worried about. I told you earlier that I’ve never reneged on a major deal in my life.”

“The Carlton integrity,” she said.

“That,” he agreed, then tilted her chin up until he could look directly into her eyes. “And the fact that this is the most important deal I ever closed.”

A smile tugged at her lips. “Better than that defensive player you hired a couple of weeks ago?” she asked.

He stared at her in shock. “You know about that?”

“Hey, I read the sports pages.”

Mack laughed. “Since when?”

“Since I fell in love with this celebrity jock, whose name is in there nearly every day. I can’t have the entire world knowing more about you than I do.”

“Never happen, darlin’. Never happen.”

I
t was the first Friday in October when Dr. Beth Browning married Mighty Mack Carlton before a crowd of dedicated doctors, somber scientists, raucous football players, loving family and still-stunned friends. Outside the church a throng of well-wishers had turned out, tipped off to the occasion by Pete Forsythe’s column. Naturally he’d learned all of the supposedly secret details, though for once Destiny claimed total innocence.

Tony Vitale was the best man. His hair had grown back, his skin had a healthy glow and his smile was huge as he waited in front of the altar with Mack by his side.

When Tony whispered something, Mack leaned down to listen, then his gaze shot to the back of the candlelit church where Beth was waiting. A smile spread across his face, as well.

Beth heard the start of the organ music, but before she took her first step, she took a good, long look at her two guys, her heart in her throat. If Tony had a hopeful prognosis for a long and healthy life, it was thanks to Mack, as well as Destiny. This family she was marrying into was a remarkable one.

Destiny sat beside Maria Vitale in the front of the church. The two had become fast friends since the transplant. Destiny was now dedicated to mothering both Maria and Tony to ensure their lives were a bit easier.

Richard and Ben stood next to Mack and Tony, looking handsome in their tuxes, though Ben had a slightly wary expression, as if he were all too aware that his days as a bachelor were likely to be short-lived now that Mack was about to be married.

Only a brief ceremony stood between Beth and the future she’d never anticipated on that long-ago day in the hospital cafeteria when Mack Carlton had walked into her life. A ceremony and a honeymoon, she thought, her blood suddenly humming.

The honeymoon had required a major concession on her part. Because neither of them had wanted to delay getting married until after the official football season ended in January, the honeymoon was built around the team’s upcoming road trip, a week in San Francisco, followed by a week in St. Louis. Beth had bought a book on the finer points of football and ten scientific journals to read during the games.

The rest of the time she had other plans for Mack. It hardly mattered what city they were in. She didn’t intend to leave the hotel suite until an hour before game time.

She met Mack’s gaze and held back a smug grin. Something told her if she played her cards right, they might even miss the kickoff.