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“Shit. At least I asked Kara to marry me. I wasn’t planning to let her refuse, but at least I did ask,” Simon grumbled, shooting his older brother a troubled stare.
“I told her I wanted her to marry me. Same damn thing,” Sam answered, his voice irritable.
“Uh…not exactly, bro,” Simon answered. “I don’t think Maddie’s the type of woman who wants to be told what to do. She’s kind of like Kara in that way. You have to let Maddie think she’s managing things once in a while.”
“Why?” Sam demanded, shooting his brother a disgusted look. “If I do that, she could bolt. I’m not willing to let her get away this time. She’s marrying me.”
Simon nodded emphatically. “Right. Well, in that case, you don’t have a choice. You’ll just have to make her marry you.”
“Oh, good grief. Am I really hearing my two sons discussing marriage as though they were arranging something in the Stone Age? Samuel Hudson, you are going to court that woman appropriately and then politely ask her to marry you.” Their mother, Helen Hudson, strode into the room, shooting Sam a harsh, admonishing look.
Oh, shit. I hate that look. Makes me feel like a five-year-old.
Sam shot his mother a charming smile, even though he knew it wouldn’t work. Mom had been on to him forever. “We were just discussing possible options, Mom.”
Helen walked over to him and craned her neck to look up into his eyes. Strange, but even though his mother had to look up at him now, that knowing glance still made him want to squirm like a naughty child.
“You treat that woman right or you’ll lose your chance,” she warned him sternly. “I saw the way you were with her today. You need her.”
Sam couldn’t argue with that statement. He definitely needed Maddie. The question was…how to get her where he wanted her.
Simon was sitting behind the desk, his mother’s back to him, and Sam saw him smirking.
“And don’t be sassy, Simon. You married a wonderful woman today. You need to treat her right,” Helen admonished, without even turning around, making Simon sit up in his chair and wipe the smile from his face.
Sam looked at his mother affectionately. The woman really did have eyes in the back of her head.
“I treat Kara like a princess,” Simon objected, slouching back in the office chair.
“You better continue to do it,” his mother answered.
Helen was still dressed for the wedding, looking stunning in a navy blue dress with matching pumps. Her blonde hair was still nicely coiffed and she didn’t look in the least bit wilted from the long day she had put in helping from sunrise until just this moment. Even though Sam had told her to go home, she had stayed to oversee the clean-up.
Wish I would have remembered she was still here. I would have closed the door.
Folding her arms in front of her impatiently, Helen asked sharply, “Did I…or did I not hear you say you were going tomakethat girl marry you, Samuel?”
Dammit. He was really in trouble if she was calling him Samuel.
“She’s going to marry me,” he told his mother stubbornly.
“She’s educated, she’s smart, and she’s beautiful. Stop treating her like you have dominant caveman genes and maybe you’ll succeed. You can’t just club the woman over the head and drag her away to your cave. She deserves your respect,” Helen admonished him.
“I do respect her. I wouldn’t want to marry her if I didn’t,” Sam argued.
“Then treat her well and stop acting like an ass,” Helen retorted. “I’d like to see you as happy as Simon is, Sam,” she finished in a wistful voice. She lifted her palm to cup his cheek. “You both deserve to be happy.”
Sam bent and bussed his mother’s cheek. Helen Hudson hadn’t had an easy life, and she had given both he and Simon as much as she possibly could when she was raising them, including her love. He knew she wanted him to be happy.
“Are we ready?” Kara strode into the room, dressed to travel in jeans, a trendy sweater, and ankle boots, with Maddie following behind her.
Simon jumped out of the chair so fast he nearly tipped it over. “Yeah. I’m ready, sweetheart. Let’s go.”
Sam nearly burst into laughter at Simon’s eagerness. He knew his brother was not only ready to start his honeymoon, but impatient to get away from Mom when she was in one of her rare lecturing moods.
Maddie stood beside Kara, having showered and changed into jeans and another breast-hugging shirt. The three women locked arms and headed toward the door, hugging and kissing like they would never see each other again. Kara had been a friend of his mother’s for years, and Maddie had become very friendly with Mom over the last year.
Sam started after them, ready to seeeverybodyout. He wanted to be alone with Maddie.