
_**Wedding Belle Blues**_

**Mia Epsilon**

_  
_

_Weddings by C & C_ Book 2

Copyright © 2015 Mia Epsilon

Cover Design: Victoria Miller

Edited by: Jen Bradlee

Formatting: DB Digital Publications

**eBooks are NOT transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.**

All Right Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author except for brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please go to Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Barnesandnoble.com or iBooks and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is purely coincidental.

First Electronic Print, July 2015

_To Bad Boy Bikers across the world. Thank you for the wonderful scenery._

_For Teachers, especially those with younger grades. It's not a job, it's a calling._

_As always, for my Best Friend & Husband. I'm so very glad the only 'blues' at our wedding were from BB King and Etta James._

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Excerpt: If You Want Me, Weddings by C & C Book 3

About Mia Epsilon

Contact Mia Epsilon

Other Books by Mia Epsilon

Chapter One

_Appalachian State University, Early Senior Year_

Robin Bates paused to tap his head on the wall. _This couldn't go on. Stop stalling and do it._ He opened the door and took a deep breath. "Anna, we have to talk."

The blue lamp on the table glowed. Books and crumpled papers decorated tangled sheets. Her laptop perched at an angle on the pillows. But she was all he could focus upon. Robin's gaze followed the line of Anna's bare legs. All but transparent from numerous washings, her favourite blue nightshirt rode high on thighs he'd give his right arm to caress. His body hardened.

Anna whispered in her sleep and shifted. Her thighs parted.

Robin felt actual pain in his groin. Did she wear those cute smiley face panties or the ones with the little bows? What the hell was he thinking? "Jesus, get a grip." Robin ran a hand through his hair. "I'm supposed to be breaking away from her not perving and imaging sex."

Yet he couldn't stop. Moth to her flame his gaze devoured her in the way his hands couldn't. Her glorious dark golden hair tumbled out of a braid. Waves spilled over sonic screwdrivers and Tardises printed on her pillowcase. One arm was thrown over her head, small slender fingers curled. The slow rise and fall of her chest made him picture her breasts filling his hands. Robin wanted her in a way he'd never wanted anything.

"Robin."

He jerked around as her lashes fluttered. His hands covered his crotch as if that alone could ease the ache. Her southern tone, sweet butter sliding over hot bread, could drive any man insane. When half-asleep her voice became pure sin, honey on skin he could lick and never taste enough. Robin seriously contemplated a shower in ice water from the Antarctica Ocean.

"Robin?"

If he turned right now he'd see which panties she wore, big brown eyes drowsy with sleep, and lips parted on a yawn, an unintended seductress. _God help me focus on the door._

"You're home?"

"Sorry to wake you." Robin began to recite the periodic table of elements in his head. "I'm grabbing a shower." _And chickening out again_. "Go back to sleep."

Sheets rustling, muttered words, the thump of books and computer placed on the table. "I just took a short nap. I haven't finished this assignment because you said you'd help me."

Guilt flooded Robin. "Give me a few minutes. I'll be back."

"Are you all right? You're acting weird." Her voice whispered behind him. "Did something happen on your date?"

_Yeah, something happened. Melody's sexy and fun. But all I could think about was you. She realized my mind wasn't on her and caused a freaking scene._ "Everything's fine."

Anna's small hand gripped his arm. "Doesn't seem fine. What's wrong?"

"Don't touch me." Robin pushed past and stalked to his own bed. He ripped off his jacket and tried to ignore her shocked expression. He tossed his cell phone and wallet onto her laptop.

"Sorry I bothered you." Anna bent her head, long hair falling to cover her face. Her shoulders slumped. "Never mind the assignment. I'll just ask Professor Randall for an extension."

"Stop with the guilt." _Hide in anger_. "When someone offers help it's on their schedule not yours. I have a schedule and a life that doesn't include you."

Her head snapped up, gaze enflamed whisky brown fire. "I'm well aware of that. We worked the whole separate lives things out after I got stuck with you in my room."

" _You_ got stuck?" Robin ripped his shirt over his head. "I thought you were happy with your own damn solution. I've stayed out of your way."

"You aren't ever here. I don't have a roommate." Anna waved her arms. Robin nearly sank to his knees at her exposed skin. "The girls call you Playboy Prince of ASU. Those stupid ninnies think you're God's gift with your tight jeans, leather jacket, and idiot motorcycle. Did the great Robin Bates finally meet the one woman who could resist his infallible charm in Melody? Aw, poor baby. That explains your bad mood."

"I'm not in a bad mood." _I'm horny as hell for you, damnit_. "We both need to cool off before you say something you regret."

Anna marched over to poke his bare chest. "You aren't going to take your rotten mood out on me. It's not my fault-"

"It _is_ your fault." He grabbed her arms and shook her. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders as her head wobbled. Appalled at his treatment, Robin released her. _Anger not violence. Oh God._ She smelled like damned cherry blossoms. He wanted to dive in and see if she tasted as good. _Hell. If I don't get out of here in the next three seconds..._ "Leave me alone."

"No." She stood on tip toe, pressed against him from shoulder to hip. His body ached to be joined with hers. "I won't." She wrapped her arms around his neck, warm, vibrant woman. Her mouth settled under his, tender, trembling, parted. He _was_ only human.

***

_Thank God, thank God, thank God. Finally_. Why hadn't she picked a fight a long time ago? Robin pressed against her, hard and thick. He wanted her. Holy Tardis she wanted him. Anna raised her leg and wound it around his. The rough fabric of his jeans rubbed her bare skin with incredible friction. He moaned. _Please don't stop. Please, please, please._

"Anna." Robin broke their kiss. "That damn well better mean yes."

"Don't talk." Anna kissed him again. His hands cupped her bottom as he lifted both her legs to wrap around him. Heat and dampness flooded her. Everything she possessed needed him deep inside her. He smelled like soap, fresh air, and pure Robin. Her Robin. She'd loved him almost from the moment they met. Now she could show him. He spun her around and slammed them on her bed, left her breathless.

"You aren't wearing any." Robin's hands roamed her skin. His fingers stroked her inner thighs, made her shiver. "Commando."

Heat rushed to her cheeks. She'd figured she'd be alone all night again. "I, um, just didn't-" She cried out as his fingers filled her, sought through her damp folds and into the very heart where she ached most. One finger trailed up until he reached the small button. Her hips jerked as he tugged. She couldn't just lie here. She needed to touch, to caress, to something. Her fingers fluttered over his skin. "Show me what I should do."

"Shh." He feathered her cheeks with kisses. "Just enjoy."

_A master at this_ , Anna realized as his fingers scissored inside her and his thumb rolled her clit. Her hips arched. Her body ached. Who could have guessed anything felt so good? Anna dug her fingernails into his shoulders then clawed at his back. "I need to you, freaking have to breathe you in. God, Robin, please!" Her mind shattered as something inside burst into flames.

"Anna." Robin pushed a strand of hair from her forehead with fingers which trembled as much as she. His ocean eyes gazed into hers while a smug smile curved his lips. "Anna."

Panting, body quaking like the ground under an earthquake, Anna stared up. _He's so proud of himself._ _Guess he should be, giving me my first orgasm_. _I need to do something smug_. She pushed, caught him off guard, and straddled him. "My turn."

Robin laughed which caused her tingling body to shiver anew. "Be my guest."

It took precious moments to yank his jeans and briefs down, for him to kick them to the floor. He was beautiful, all solid muscle and tanned skin. _Feast._ He hissed and shuddered when her teeth closed around his nipple. _Good. Now he understands_. Anna nibbled until he hoarsely called her name. She released and panted out the question. "What?"

Robin's hips thrust up, pushed against her bottom. He cupped her breasts, bare skin over bare skin. Anna shivered, barely able to breathe. He'd pulled off her nightshirt and she hadn't even noticed. His wonderful magical fingers caressed until her nipples stood taut and her lower body wept. His eyes bored into hers. "Do you want me?"

Anna nodded, unable to speak through the pleasure his whisper caused against her hot skin. When his hand slid down her stomach she bit her lip not to scream. "Now. Please."

"Wait." Robin motioned with a shaking hand to floor. "Right front pocket."

_What?_ _Ohhhh._ Anna scrambled to retrieve the condom, refused to think it had been meant for another woman, and ripped it open. _He's way bigger than the banana used in sex ed class. Just because I've never done this doesn't mean I can't._ Her hand closed around his erection, heated flesh over steel, lined with throbbing veins. _Mmm, he feels so perfect in my hands. What if I squeeze right here?_ His grunted curse made her lips twist. _Maybe I should taste him?_

"Anna." Robin's entire body shuddered. He tensed when she ran a fingernail over the tip of him, found him damp. "You're killing me."

"You seem pretty alive." Anna clamped her lips around him. Robin jerked straight up, thrusting into her mouth. Earthy, salty, nothing she'd expected. Pure delight filled her, enhanced the need. She sucked and pushed her mouth further down. His eyes all but rolled back in his head. A few more suckles, a couple of licks, and Anna pulled the condom over him. "Thank God in His heaven." Robin rolled her body under his and with a slow, careful nudge, eased inside her.

Anna wasn't afraid, didn't want slow. She wanted to see him explode, to have the same pleasure he'd given her. His fingers caressed, made her squirm and whisper his name over and over as sensation pounded through her blood. Lost again, so lost in him.

"Wrap your arms around my neck, Carolina Girl."

Only Robin ever called her that. Everything within melted in sweet emotion. Anna took a deep breath, gaze glued to his. "Now?"

"Now." Robin inched inside a bit more and held still.

Anna arched, impatient, wanting, loving all of him. "Harder. More. Please."

He slid deep past the last thin barrier. Anna couldn't help the tiny cry at the small pain which faded under a wave of crushing desire with his thumb on her clit. Robin murmured something she couldn't understand. Their tender kiss, lips caressing each other belied the heat.

Anna felt each of the veins she'd just licked rubbing her inner walls. Her muscles clenched until nothing mattered except their fusion, his fullness, and her acceptance. She held his gaze even as his fingers worked their incredible magic once more. Only love could bring this sensual, consuming, all pleasurable dance she never wanted to end. _I love you. I love you. My Robin._

Her legs wrapped his waist as their bodies pressed heart to heart. His thrusts became more frenzied, more urgent. Anna matched his pace, determined not to succumb to the colors threatening to burst around her. His breaths came in rough bursts of air as sweat dotted his forehead. "Anna, Jesus, you're so hot and tight, it's like-"

"Heaven." _Oh damn, she couldn't hold back_ , _couldn't stop_. His eyes glazed as she squeezed and exploded. Robin shouted her name as his body went rigid.

They just held each other, wrapped tight, his body still inside hers. His heart thudded against hers. _I love you Robin so much. Now everything is perfect. We'll be together as a couple not just as friends._ His breath evened out, become a normal rhythm. The soft sounds he made only when he slept filled the quiet air. Anna didn't want to move, couldn't even if she'd wanted. So she smiled and slept.

The vibration woke her. A cell phone drummed, its hum echoed by whatever it lay on. Anna reached toward the nightstand, eyes half-blind from sleep. Robin laid half against the wall and half over her in the narrow bed. She giggled when his arms tightened at her movements. Anna just avoided poking him in the nose with her elbow. They really needed a bigger bed. She grabbed the blasted loud phone. Its text light flashed.

_Supposed to meet for a ride on your bike. Or another on you. Call me. Kassie._

Anna's heart shattered. So it was Melody last night and Kassie today. _How stupid to think making love with Robin would change anything._ He'd never change. She'd heard him say, "Nothing better than riding with the wind in your face, utter freedom from any nagging female." countless times. Breath hurt her lungs. He wanted friendship with sex now and then. Anna wanted commitment, a relationship. She had a choice to make. Fast.

"Anna?"

Decision made, she dropped the phone. "Hi. There's something we need to talk about."

"Like spending the rest of the day here?" Robin winked, his gaze sliding down her body. "Or we need a bigger bed?"

Anna yanked the sheet over her naked breasts. She tried to smile. Her heart felt like jagged pieces of broken glass. "We can't let this happen again. This, um, sex stuff."

"Sex stuff?" Robin gaped and sat up. "You mean last night?"

"Yeah." Miserable but determined Anna shook off the crushing disappointment. _Pretend to be just like him, calm, cool, collected, always moving on_. "I don't ever want to do anything to jeopardize our friendship. It means the world to me."

"You don't want me." His gaze searched hers. "After what we shared?"

She shoved all the emotion down somewhere dark. _Don't break, keep up the pretense. It's all for the best._ "We just got carried away. Meaningless sex will mess up our friendship."

"Meaningless sex?" He jumped up to tug on his jeans. Anna swallowed hard at the gorgeous curve of his naked ass. "You think it meant nothing?"

"There's emotion sure. I love you as my best friend. I always will." _And then some._ "Can't we put this night behind us and stay the way we were? Please?"

Thunk! One shoe hit the floor. Thud went the other. "Just friends, no sex?"

Anna kept her gaze averted. If he searched her eyes, he'd see she didn't mean a word. Then he'd run fast to the first woman he met. "It's all I can give you. Please stay my friend."

"Fine. Friends." He laughed, though not with his typical lightness and humor. "I'm going to grab some breakfast, maybe take a ride. Want to join me, Friend?"

_With Kassie?_ Anna bit the words back. "No thanks. I'm kind of tired." Plus she needed a good long cry. They could only be friends. Everything went back as it was before last night.

"Later then Carolina Girl." The door slammed.

Anna curled in a ball in rumpled sheets which smelled like Robin. What was wrong with her? She got what she wanted, didn't she? This was the right thing to do. She could keep living with him as her best friend. She couldn't live without him in her life. So this was the only way.

Crash! The door hit the wall, startled a yelp from her. Her heart thundered. Robin plopped on the bed, sighed, and then spoke. "You're right. No more sex. Just friends."

_Don't say I'm right. Say you want more. Say you only need me._

"We're best buds." He grinned, happy-go-lucky Robin again. She was in pieces and he was the same as ever. "Your friendship means a lot. You're right not to mess with it."

Anna nodded and forced a smile. Wheels in motion too late to go back now. "Thanks. Go have your ride. Then maybe you could help me with stats. Please?"

He laughed. "I'll skip the ride. We'll tackle it over waffles in the café. Deal?"

"Sure as long as there's mocha coffee." Anna bit her inner lip not to ask about Kassie. They stared at each other, gazes fused. He showed none of the passion from last night. If he could move on, so could she. "I'll shower and meet you there in twenty minutes."

"You got it." Robin stood and rummaged about for clean clothes. "Don't forget your scientific calculator, laptop, and loads of paper." This time he gently closed the door.

Anna pushed aside the sheet. His scent clung and triggered the memory of his body over and inside hers. Wash him off. That was the first step. "I have to forget. I focus on classes, taking the teaching exams, and graduating. I have my best friend. That's what matters most."

Besides, what choice did she have? None. Anna gathered things for the shower. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. _Ugh. Talk about awful bed head._ She looked the same, no magical transformation in becoming a woman. Now she just had to act normal.

She steeled her shoulders, tossed her hair, and headed out. She'd better get moving or she'd never make breakfast. She began to hum the _Doctor Who_ theme. _Allons-y._
Chapter Two

_Abbeville, North Carolina, Early Fall_

Anna just had to get through this one afternoon, only a few hours. The sun shone on the warm pre-fall afternoon. Birds chirped, kids played on the street, and late flowers bloomed, a happy day. The weather must be a sign, an omen. It had to be. If it had been raining, the whole meeting would be doomed. So she could get through this. She could.

"Here." Doug held out the ruler and wagged it.

"Why do I need a ruler?" Anna blew a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

"The recipe says drop two inches apart. This will help you measure the distance."

"Oh. I don't ever measure." Anna continued to drop cookie dough on the greased pan. "I can tell by sight."

"Are you certain? Not to be critical, darling, but are those 'rounded teaspoons' like this recipe says?" Doug set the ruler on the counter with a snap and pointed at the written sheet of paper stained with smears of butter, spices, and flour.

"I've been making these cookies with my mom since the age of four years. I think I comprehend how to do it by now." _Honestly, who the heck measures the space between cookie dough on a sheet pan anyway? Talk about controlling, anal, and obsessive_ ...

"I was only trying to help."

Anna saw the hurt in his face. He did try to help. She'd been snappy all morning. All week, actually. "I'm sorry. I just want this whole gathering to be perfect for your mom and for you."

"You could have just picked up some cookies from the deli." He glanced around the cluttered disaster area which used to be her kitchen. "It would have been so much easier for you."

_And for you_. Anna bit her lip to prevent a sharp retort. It wasn't Doug's fault his mother intimidated her. His mother could intimidate Attila the Hun. Thank God he took after his father.

She took a deep breath and inhaled deeply of the cinnamon and ginger scents filling the small room. "I appreciate your input, honey. I just wanted to make these for her myself, and baking makes the house smell so good."

He nodded. "Mother won't care if you can cook or not. The last thing my mother can do is bake."

Anna grinned, hoping to lighten his mood and apologize for hers. "Really? There's something the talented and perfect Mrs. Douglas Arthur Harrison the Second can't do?"

"Oh, she can cook, she just doesn't need to." Doug shrugged. "She figures Dorella and the rest of the staff rightly have cooking duty."

Anna turned as the oven timer chimed. _Saved by the bell_. His attitude about people worried her sometimes. More than sometimes actually. She realized it represented part of his upbringing, but still, it irked her. Or maybe she remained too sensitive. She'd made herself a wreck about this meeting and what to say to a woman who had spent her life in charge. General Harrison suited her better than Mrs.

"I guess I wanted to give her a taste" Anna winked at him. "-of who I am and my own traditions."

"You want to soften the blow." He bit into a cookie and winked back at her. "These are great."

"Thanks." She felt a bit better, until she realized exactly what he'd said. "Wait. What do you mean _blow_?"

"You think she'll be angry you're refusing her help." Doug finished off one cookie and reached for a second. "And she won't like any of your decisions."

"It's not like I don't want her help. I welcome it. She's famous for her party planning skills." Anna shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "But this is our wedding, and I have my own ideas."

"She is aware this is our wedding. She's only trying to help, not take over."

"Then why is she sending me color swatches and written announcements?" Anna slapped the counter then sneezed as flour puffed into the air. "We've only been engaged a bit over a week, and she's flooding me with things. It's going to be a small wedding. Does she understand that? We don't want fancy."

"Anna..."

"And my own mom is a wedding planner. I don't need any help with our wedding. I mean, I do, in some ways, but not like that." She paused to take a breath.

"Then just tell her that. Politely." He reached over and brushed at her nose, no doubt wiping away flour. "She really is only trying to help."

"I want her to like me." She caught his hand and entwined their fingers. "It's important we get along, since we're the two most important ladies in your life."

His eyes flashed, quick, but there. She started to worry until he laughed and dropped her hand when the timer dinged again. "Then just be you. She said you impressed her at our engagement announcement during dinner last week."

Anna nodded as she took the hot pan of cookies from the oven, set it on the counter, and slid in another to bake. "She did. But she also doesn't think I'm near good enough for you."

"Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?"

"Oh, let me see." She turned to hide the disgust no doubt written all over her face. "She stated my family wasn't recognized in her circle of friends. Then she asked if my family history held anyone besides poor Irish immigrants, since she'd discovered my great grandfather worked as a butler to her best friend's family. All those comments spoke loud and clear."

"She didn't mean anything by it, darling. You're aware she heads the historical geology society. Maintaining heritage is very important to her. She offered, in her way, to help you trace your roots with the start she'd begun."

_Sure she did, and zebra stripes are green._ "She went too far asking if my mother really gave up a lucrative job to run off to Hawaii, marry a man of no consequence, and plan other people's elopements. Or how about when she stated my brother's choice of career isn't acceptable for a man by polite society? Or when she asked if I really meant to waste my time teaching in a public school in a backwards county."

Doug came over and took her hands. "Darling, stop. Mother is just Mother. She's old fashioned. Sure, I don't agree with her comments and attitude at times, but she means well. She's not a monster."

_No, she's a first class snob_. Anna sighed and shoved the thought from her mind. Doug wasn't his mother. He had sent her flowers and took her on picnics and really listened to her dreams their last year of college. He loved her and would be her husband. Which meant Anna must get along with his mother. Somehow. "I want her to like me, Doug. It's important to me."

"So you've said about three hundred times." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips before stroking the princess-cut diamond adoring her finger. "We've just gotten engaged. Mother will see I've chosen you. I want the two most important women in my life to get along. So please listen to her ideas. She is familiar with what we need."

She tried to smile, tried to release the doubts nagging in her mind, the concern over exactly what the flash in his eyes had been. "All right. I'll trust you."

"Good. Stop worrying so much. Mother always feels someone is hiding something when they show nerves." He let go of her and stepped back to lean against the refrigerator.

_I'm doomed, sunny skies or not_. She shook her head, but the thought stayed first in her mind. "Are you still okay with a simple wedding in Hawaii like we discussed?"

Doug shrugged. "Sure, but Mother has some good ideas. There's no harm in changing our plans, if we want. Nothing is set in stone yet."

"Do you mean you don't like our plans? You want to change them?" She felt sick. They hadn't talked a lot about the wedding, really, but she thought they'd at least agreed on a plan.

Irritation crossed his face. "Anna, stop it. Just talk with Mother and keep an open mind. That's all I ask."

"What do you mean? We have to be a united front. I need to be aware of what you want. Is it what we already talked about or something bigger? Is that why your mother keeps sending me things because we're changing the beach wedding to a formal one?"

"You have your plans and ideas about our wedding but so does my mother. There's no harm in listening to each other or being open to different approaches and compromising." He dismissed her questions with a wave of his hand.

"But, Doug..."

"Come on, Anna. This is supposed to be a fun time. Do you really want to overreact and start a fight right before my parents arrive?"

"No." She took two deep cleansing yoga breaths like her friend Robin had taught her. "You're right. I'm overreacting. Nothing is set really. It won't be until we put down deposits and book venues. So, okay, I'm open to whatever your mom has to say at least as long as you and I agree."

"Thank you, darling." He smiled. "Now you really should get going. It's getting late."

She glanced at the clock and nodded. "Could you please pass me the box of tea over there on the table? I want to brew a sample cup so I can get the serving right. Want one too?"

His frown as he retrieved the tea made her panic all over again. "This is the tea you plan to serve to my mother?"

"Why? What's wrong? You said green tea jasmine is your mom's favorite."

"Darling, this isn't jasmine. It's green tea black. Mother hates this kind."

"Oh my God. Oh, damn." In her hurry last night after the new teachers' orientation meeting, she must have grabbed the wrong one from the store shelf. "What am I going to do? It's the only kind I have."

"Shh, don't worry. We can serve something else."

"But I don't have anything else!" Anna glanced around as if the answer lay hidden in her kitchen cabinets, which it didn't. "Please, could you run to the store and get some? Please?"

He glanced at his watch. "I don't think we have time, darling. They're due at three and my mother is..."

"Always punctual or even a bit early. Yes, she mentioned it when I called to ask them to come over today. Several times. Please, honey. Please just run down to the corner store and get a box. I still have to finish here and clean up..."

"And change." He inspected her sweats and flour dusted shirt, a direct contrast to how he stood, immaculate, as usual, in polished dress shoes, khaki pants, and green button shirt. "You aren't wearing those clothes."

"No, certainly not." She glanced at the clock again. One thirty. More than an hour and a half. "There's plenty of time. Please."

He sighed and moved over to lightly kiss her. "Since it means so much to you, all right. We could both use a breather. I'll be back soon." Doug gave a wave as he headed out the door.

_A breather? What?_ She had no time to worry about it. Anna finished putting dough on the pans. She needed to shower as soon as the last pan baked, do her hair and makeup, check over the living room and make sure anything incriminating got put away, and then...

"Hellloooooo? Anyone here?" The front door opened and slammed.

Her heart stopped then started again with a thunderous beat. "Robin! Thank God! Get in here and help me."

Her best friend Robin strolled in wearing causal jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers, his hair mussed and face lit with a cheerful smile. "Wow. Did a hurricane hit and I missed the news reports?"

"Stop it. I'm making the family ginger cookies for Doug's parents. They're coming at three to talk about the wedding plans." Anna filled the sink with dishwater to tackle the pile of dirty dishes. "I didn't hear the roar."

"You mean the bike? I walked over, gorgeous day and all."

"You really should think about driving something safer."

"Now we're responsible, mature teachers, I need to grow up? Nah, I'm not ready to grow up all the way just yet, even if you are with all this wedding stuff and playing happy homemaker. Although it does smell great in here." Robin picked up the ruler. "What's this for, to measure your standards against Doug's mother's?"

"Funny. Doug wanted me to measure the distance between the cookie dough on the pans, since the recipe said two inches apart." Anna lifted a bowl from the sink and cursed as she dumped dishwater over her shirt and the floor. "Damn it. Can one more thing go wrong today?"

"Good Lord. Are you nuts? Never tempt fate." Robin grabbed a towel and handed it to her. "You can't be serious about the ruler. How anal obsessive."

"Don't mock him. He's going to be a doctor, so he's precise and a perfectionist." Anna wiped at her drenched shirt then bent to dry the floor. "You're aware what he's like."

"He's a stuffy, uptight clod. The only guy in college who wore buttoned dress shirts all the time, even at football games. He made the professors appear underdressed. Plus, he eats sandwiches with a knife and fork and uses tongs to pick up chips when he eats them."

Anna sighed and straightened. "Come on, Robin. You're my best friend, not Doug's, but cut him a break."

"Since his parents blew off coming to graduation, he didn't even take you to meet them until your so called engagement dinner, which so happened to be a charity fundraiser headed by his mother. What groom-to-be would ask his bride to be to share their spotlight?"

"It made sense to announce our engagement at the dinner. His mother's foundation raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the new pediatric wing after we announced it. I really like that our happiness helped encourage people to open their wallets for a worthy cause." Actually, she'd hated having to share the limelight for once, especially during her first time meeting Doug's folks. But he had insisted and to make him happy, she'd agreed. Plus, she loved raising money for the children's hospital. Compromise.

"You should have had your own event. Period. We graduated three months ago. You interviewed at schools here in your hometown and near his hospital, sort of planned the rest of your life around him. Yet he still waited to propose until the night of his mother's fundraiser."

"I hate being the center of attention. His mother glowed, so thrilled we helped raise so much money. Doug's brilliant idea helped everyone."

"He's a selfish mama's boy and didn't think of you at all."

"He's the man I'm going to marry." Anna blew hair from her forehead and glared at her friend. So Doug had put his mom before her. "He honored his mother and thought of sick kids. So what if I couldn't decline? Not saying I would have, anyway. You always think I should be first, but really, I don't need or want to be. I hate conflict. So please behave."

"I'm not trying to give you a hard time, Anna. Yes, you hate conflict. But I'm also aware how you feel about serious relationships, especially marriage."

"My parents had a lousy marriage. I don't want to make the same mistake. There's nothing wrong with wanting something better."

"That's why this whole engagement and wedding thing seems too fast."

"So because my parents were on the verge of divorce before my dad died is a reason for me not to get married?" Anna slapped at the dishwater. "Your parents have a great marriage, but I don't see you rushing down an aisle."

"No, it's not a reason. But _rushing_ is exactly what I mean. You avoided a steady boyfriend for years, wouldn't commit, and even turned down the one..."

"Don't go there."

Robin sighed. "Damn it, Anna. I'm worried about you. You only dated him five months. You don't go all goo-goo mushy saying his name, and, God knows, he doesn't act like he can't live without you. Yet all of a sudden he's the one you want to spend the rest of your life with? Are you sure you really want to marry him?"

Did she? Of course she did. "I said yes, didn't I? Now are you going to help me or not?"

Robin let out another deep sigh and moved to stand beside her. "You already figured I would. What can I do?"

"Finish the dishes. I have to put these cookies on a tray then shower and change."

"You're doing all those things in twenty minutes?" Robin nudged her aside as the oven timer chimed and plunged both hands into the dishwater.

"Huh? What do you mean twenty minutes?" Anna removed another pan of cookies and slid in the last one. "I have over an hour."

"It is two thirty-five, babes."

"No, it's not." Anna pointed at her clock. "See?"

"There's less than twenty minutes to kick off for the Duke game, so I dropped by to see how you were coming along before I go into seclusion with the television for an afternoon of football."

"You're spending the afternoon in front of the TV? You finally listened to me? No skydiving, bungee jumping, or other death defying stunts?" She pretended to wipe a tear from her cheek. "You gave up trying to die in horrific ways. I'm so proud of you."

"Aren't you a funny girl? Don't gloat like you've won the argument yet. It's just for this weekend. But seriously, your clock must have stopped. It's nearly three."

"It can't be." Anna felt her stomach twist. Her future in-laws were due here almost any minute. "Mrs. Harrison can't see me like this."

"You are adorable. There's flour in your hair."

Anna moaned. "Great. I don't have time to wash it now."

"Just tell the old battleaxe mom-in-law-to-be her nagging and emails are turning your hair white before your time." Robin suggested with a wink.

"Not at all funny." She swatted him with the oven mitt.

He grabbed the mitt from her and used it to salute her. "But it's true. I like your hair. It makes a statement."

"Anything like the tousled-just-out-of-bed appearance you have going on?"

"I'll have you understand plenty of women think this windblown hair is sexy." A toss of his head had the nut brown waves falling into messy disorder which somehow appeared even more attractive.

"You can't be correct about the time."

"Check my cell. It's here, in my back pocket."

She dug out the cell and shrieked. _No. No. No!_ "Oh. My. God. It's two forty-five. What am I going to do?"

"Go shower and change. I'll handle the kitchen. Hurry. Go."

"You're an angel." Anna reached up and kissed his cheek before dashing away.

***

He watched her go and shook his head. "Will I ever learn?"

He'd loved her since their freshman college days, when a glitch in the housing department mistakenly roomed them together in the dorm, an easy mistake to make, since his name was gender neutral. They'd both written on their dorm applications the only requirement for a roommate: education major. They'd bonded over the piles of suitcases, books, and clothes, and then laughed through soda and pizza while housing tried to straighten out the mess. When no other rooms were available, they'd developed a system which gave each of them privacy and still kept them roommates. Unorthodox, surely, but it had worked.

They were so alike. Both elementary education majors, both determined to be teachers and make a difference in students' lives. They never ran out of things to talk about. They laughed, a lot. All the time, actually. Anna made him feel amazing and invincible.

They only fought about his love of dare-devil sports and his beloved motorcycle. He fully understood her reasons for hating both. He didn't agree with her, but he understood.

Robin had fallen for her trademark sunny smile, her need to help others, her humor and laughter, and a dozen other things within weeks of meeting her. They had the same backgrounds and goals, same opinions. Not like they didn't disagree. He lived to debate with her, gain her perspective, and get her opinion on issues. His soul mate, his equal, poised to marry someone else.

They'd had one night, before she met Doug, when things changed between them, when they saw each other more as lovers than friends. One night when he showed her how he felt in everything but words. One magical night he could never forget, one that could never be matched. He compared every other woman he dated to her. They always fell short. But like a fool, he'd never told her, too afraid to ruin the friendship they had, terrified she'd laugh, turn him down, and never speak to him again.

She'd always said she wouldn't get serious about anyone because of a deep fear of being trapped in a bad marriage. He figured he had plenty of time to convince her they belonged together. He'd even applied for positions at the same school districts she did, just to be near her and continue his slow, steady wooing.

Yet now Anna planned to marry a stuffy med student not nearly good enough for her, but whom she thought she loved. She saw Robin as a friend, her best friend, but still simply a friend. He was a fool in love with her.

Robin glanced around her cluttered kitchen and saw the charm of the soft blue walls and pretty tile backsplash, the gleam of hanging copper pans, and sunlight streaming through the sheer curtained window. Her childhood home had been restored and remodeled by her mom, so the old cottage style became updated and modern. But Anna stamped her personality everywhere, from the child drawn pictures from former students on the refrigerator to the sassy quipped aprons hanging in the corner.

Robin could see their life here. He always did. Whether they were watching television and sharing notes over classrooms or raiding the refrigerator, he could envision their life together as a couple. But she wanted to marry someone else.

He finished washing the dishes, dried them, and put them away in the spotless cream cabinets. He knew where everything belonged; as familiar with her small house as she with his apartment. His best friend. Why the hell had he waited to tell her how he felt? Now it could be too late.

Robin picked up the ruler before he wiped down the gray speckled granite countertops. Doug couldn't be right for her. He just had to show her somehow. Doug's parents, especially his social conscious, condescending mother, might just be the way.

"Can you zip me?"

Robin swallowed, hard, as Anna rushed in and presented her back. The thin straps of her bra and silk slip crossed over her freckle dotted skin. Her five foot five frame now sported a floaty, calf length floral dress. Her long blonde hair twisted into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. He'd rather have it loose and flowing, so he could gently stroke it away from her skin and...

He cleared his throat and stepped over to slowly slide the zipper closed. He couldn't prevent touching her shoulder to make her turn to face him. He stroked her petal soft cheek and smiled. "You are beautiful, Carolina Girl."

Her brown eyes widened as he called her the familiar nickname. She seemed to stop breathing before she stepped back and laughed with what he recognized as her nervous I'm-covering-something-up tone. "Thanks. Everything is great in here. You worked a true miracle in short time."

"Anna..."

Her doorbell chimed. She jumped two full feet into the air. "They're here. Oh God, they're here and Doug isn't back yet. What should I do?"

"Go let them in, for starters. Can't have Doctor and Mrs. Douglas Arthur Harrison the Second standing on the door step, can you?" He pushed her toward the door. "I'll slip out the back and..."

"No!" She grabbed his arm so hard he winced. Her face resembled a deer caught in headlights, frantic and terrified. "Don't leave me alone with them. Please, Robin. I'll do anything, just don't leave yet."

"Anything?" His mind swirled with the possibilities even as her doorbell chimed again. "Like call off the wedding?"

Her eyes went huge and shocked. "What? Robin, damn it not now! Please."

How could he deny her pleading face? "All right. Go let them in. I'll set the cookies on the tray."

"I owe you."

"Yes, you do," he murmured as she dashed to the door. "Oh yes, you sure do."
Chapter Three

Anna smoothed her dress and pulled open the door. She fixed a welcoming smile on her face and prayed she didn't appear as harried and nervous as she felt. "Doctor and Mrs. Harrison, hello. Please come in."

Doug's mother stepped inside. Her cream pumps were a perfect match to her linen skirt suit and clattered on the wooden floor. She glanced around before her gaze swept over Anna. She leaned in and air-kissed her cheek. "Anna. Good afternoon. How lovely it is of you to have us to your quaint little home."

She said _quaint little home_ as if she meant _dingy little hovel_. Anna gritted her teeth and stepped back. "Thank you for coming. I understand how busy you both must be."

"We're never too busy for you and our son." Doctor Harrison grabbed her in a hug and swung her around before he released her. "So, Ms. Bride, any nerves yet?"

"Um, not really." Anna smiled at him. He resembled an older version of Doug with gray hair. She'd liked him on sight. This joke cracking man had obtained the title of one of the nation's top cardio surgeons.

"My wife has lots of ideas, plus the determination to see them all come to completion." He winked and stepped past both women to take a seat on the sofa. "Early warning, I may whisk my son away and let you two ladies talk colors and napkins and dresses and all woman stuff."

"Where is Douglas?" Mrs. Harrison walked the few steps to the sofa. She sat so gingerly beside her husband Anna got the impression she feared wrinkling her suit. Or maybe she felt the plain fabric sofa contained contaminates or something. "We expected him to be here as well."

Anna smoothed her skirt again and perched on a chair across from her future in-laws. "He had an errand, but he'll be back soon. I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the house."

"We had none at all. This neighborhood is small." Mrs. Harrison paused and shifted her clutch purse and leather bound book to her lap. "You will be moving to a more established area once you marry Douglas, of course."

_No, we won't_ , Anna thought. _Doug and I like it here just fine._ "This house has been in my family for generations. It's not huge, but I grew up here. I like the idea our children will also grow up here."

"What is the amazing smell?" Doctor Harrison made a show of deeply sniffing the air before his wife could speak. "It's incredible and makes me think of my mom's baking."

"I made ginger cookies. It's an old family recipe." Anna stood and moved toward the kitchen. "Let me get some for you."

"Surely we can wait for Douglas."

Anna twisted her fingers in the skirt of her dress as she gazed at Mrs. Harrison. "Yes, we can. I just thought we might be more comfortable if we went ahead?"

"Anna, hun, we aren't here to examine or inspect you. Relax." Doctor Harrison pointed at the shelf of books and family photographs. "A photo of your mother and step-father? The mountains behind them are breathtaking."

Anna picked up the silver framed photo of her mom and step-dad and handed it to him. "It is, yes. They held their wedding at one of their own venue sites, the most popular."

"I can understand why. You look like your mother. She's lovely as well." He smiled gently and winked. "I'll call her your sister when we get to meet her and her very tall husband. He's native Hawaiian, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. They met through the corporation they both once worked at and knew each other for years before they became romantically involved. The wedding venture may have been Charlie's idea, but Mom really loves it. C and C Weddings is now the top wedding business in Hawaii."

"They make a very striking couple. I can't wait to meet them. When will they be able to fly back here to our little corner of the world?"

Anna laughed, thankful he seemed to be trying to put her at ease. "They're planning to fly here in a few weeks for the holidays. They're swamped right now with ceremonies. It's the end of their busy season."

"Doug showed us the article in _Brides Magazine_. It's quite a spread for a fledgling company. I was impressed with the photos and interview from them both. Plus, I have to admit, they couldn't have a more beautiful set up. I wouldn't mind getting married there or enjoying a vacation in such a paradise."

Anna wanted to kiss him; one of Doug's parents was on her side. "The mountain backdrop is just one of the wedding venues they offer. There's a beach one with the ocean behind the couple, one near the foot of a volcano, and then one in a sort of jungle setting, loads of palm trees and a waterfall. Doug and I thought the mountain venue might be perfect for us, and since Mom and Charlie were married there, it has sentimental meaning too."

"No. You will be married in the Duke Chapel. Since Douglas Senior and I are alumni, even if our son is not, he qualifies to be married there. There is no other option."

Anna turned to gaze at Mrs. Harrison. Her face set, her ice blue eyes steady and hard. _Okay, wow. Mrs. Harrison really hated the idea of a Hawaii wedding and sounded way bitter Doug hadn't graduated from Duke._ Anna swallowed. So, the war had begun. Oh, boy. "But since Mom and Charlie own their own venues, it makes sense for us to get married at one of those."

"It is an honor to be married in the Duke Chapel, Anna dear. Our family has certain standards to maintain. Surely Douglas mentioned this to you when he proposed."

No, actually he hadn't. They'd talked about a flight to Hawaii with their families, a small ceremony, and then a vacation/honeymoon with everyone. Standards? Wow. You had to be alumni to be married in a chapel? Seriously? Weren't chapels open to everyone, even ones on private university campuses?

Anna bit her lip. Should she openly argue? Doug had told her to be herself. But he'd also asked her to listen to his mother's ideas. Doctor Harrison smiled and appeared to support her as well. She cleared her throat. "The Duke chapel is beautiful. Plus it has such history. It would be an honor to be married there, but we really wanted a small, simple wedding."

"Unacceptable. As our only son, Douglas must have more than a little country elopement." Mrs. Harrison sniffed a bit.

"Hawaii isn't the country. We were thinking a small wedding, with our families and a few close friends, who could enjoy a mini vacation in paradise after the ceremony while we go off on our honeymoon." Anna smiled. Mrs. Harrison's gaze narrowed. _Battle lines drawn_. _Damage control in full mode_. "You both have hectic schedules and with Doug in med school and me just starting to teach, this small wedding at my mom's venue seemed the perfect solution for everyone."

"While we appreciate your attempt to think of others, you must accept you are marrying into a prominent family who is expected to maintain certain standards." Mrs. Harrison set her purse on the low coffee table in front of her. "A Hawaii wedding appears too much as an elopement, and you don't wish to give the impression you had to be married right away, do you? Unless, of course, there is something Douglas and you need to tell his father and me about the true reason you need to be married?"

Anna almost choked. So this woman thought the only reason Doug would marry her would be because of force? Good Lord, they'd dated the whole last semester of college. They'd set a tentative wedding date months away. Of course they didn't have to get married. Not to mention they hadn't even... "No. We don't _have_ to get married. I'm not pregnant. I don't want anyone to think so, especially when it's not true. And since there's absolutely no reason for a hurried wedding, then we can have whatever _we_ want."

_Hear the "we" part_? Anna silently voiced as she tried her best not to glare at her future mother-in-law. _We. As in Doug and me. Us. Our wedding. I'm trying to be open, but dang it, this is our wedding._

Doctor Harrison sighed and leaned back against the sofa with a hand over his face. "Drat, Anna, you've broken me. I had hoped for a grandchild very soon. First Doug goes off to college somewhere not Duke, and now this gorgeous girl he's engaged to shatters my poor little heart. Guess I'll have to schedule myself for surgery to repair the damage. Grandchildren will have to wait. I'm beyond disappointment now. I may need cookies to revive me immediately."

"Douglas Senior, don't be ridiculous. There is time for grandchildren in the future. Very distant future, once Douglas is finished with medical school and established in a practice of his own. Certainly not before." His wife unzipped the thick leather planner she held on her lap.

Anna had no words. Should she make a joke? Grab cookies? What? She settled for saying, "We missed you both at graduation."

"Douglas Senior being called upon for a consult with the Prince of Wales over his impending heart surgery made missing the graduation ceremony unavoidable. Our son certainly understood why we couldn't attend."

Wow. She didn't mean to criticize them. Although Doug had been upset not have his parents present, even if he had insisted otherwise. Should she apologize? Try to explain she hadn't meant to...

"Now, Anna dear, since we have established Douglas and you will be married in the proper place, the date is essential, since we must book the chapel well ahead of time."

_We established this? Really?_ Anna almost opened her mouth to argue but heard Doug's voice in her head, urging her to listen to his mother. His parents were prominent. Doug himself now attended Duke medical school. He'd probably love to be married in the Duke chapel too. So she gave in. "All right. I can certainly understand. So..."

"Spring is the loveliest time of the year. May, to be precise, will be the perfect month for the wedding."

"We considered next autumn, when the leaves are at peak colors." Anna gave up her first choice of an early Summer wedding in Hawaii and went to the backup plan. "Perhaps after the first six weeks of school are finished for me and Doug isn't so swamped with classes. The weather will start to cool a bit then too."

Mrs. Harrison slipped black framed glasses on her nose. "Oh no. What a classic new bride-to-be mistake. I'm surprised your mother didn't correct you. Fall is overdone, as are summer weddings. May would be after Doug finished his studies for the session and also when classes are near to an end for you, since you insist on teaching in a public school."

The way she said _public school_ made Anna want to grind her teeth. D _oug's mother, Doug's mother, Doug's mother_ , she reminded herself. The date didn't really matter. She and Doug hadn't even had a firm one in mind, just sometime in the summer or fall. Anna could concede this point too.

She cleared her throat, wishing for water, and reluctantly nodded. Where in the world did Robin and Doug disappear to? "Spring is a lovely time of year. So late May, I guess."

"The chapel had one May date free so I went ahead and booked it for you. One less thing for you and Douglas to worry about, plus I didn't want you to miss this opportunity. Usually reservations must be made at least one year in advance."

"Oh. All right. Thank you." _Wow, my mother-in-law picked not only my wedding venue but my wedding date. Interesting_. _Doug's mother, Doug's mother, Doug's mother._ "So, what day is free?"

"May twenty second. The ceremony will be at four. The guests will then go on to the cocktail hour at the reception space while the wedding party takes photos at the chapel. Afterwards, the reception will begin around six and finish by ten." Mrs. Harrison tapped the planner with her pen as if to emphasize her words. "There will also be a rehearsal Friday night at six in the evening. Douglas Senior and I will, as the groom's parents, host a dinner for immediate family and the wedding party at eight thirty in the private dining hall of a local establishment."

Anna swallowed the words she wanted to say and clenched her hands in the folds of her skirt to keep from drumming them on her thighs in frustration. She'd listened to his mother's ideas. She'd even conceded some. Mrs. Harrison needed to concede too. This was _her_ wedding, darn it. Didn't she have some say in it? "I see. Wow. You're certainly planned it all out."

Mrs. Harrison managed to gaze down her nose while still focused on her planner. "Typically, weddings at the Duke Chapel are first come, first serve. Once spaces fill up, there are no other dates or times given. The Wedding Coordinator is a personal friend of mine and on several of my committees for Duke Hospital. She is more than happy to assist me in arranging the date for my only son. I also went ahead and paid the non refundable five hundred dollar deposit to reserve your wedding."

Anna felt her throat close. _Five hundred dollars just to reserve the chapel?_ _Oh my gosh. Five hundred dollars. Holy S-_ "Thank you."

"You're most welcome. As the groom's parents, we are more than happy to pay the deposit for you both. Now, do recognize there is an additional fee of thirteen hundred dollars for the chapel, four hundred for the organist, and five hundred for the amplification system as well as six hundred for the wedding coordinator's services. When you and Douglas discuss the wedding budget, please keep all this in mind."

Her mind spun so fast she actually felt sick. Twenty-eight hundred dollars to rent just the chapel for their wedding? She wanted a small wedding, not a royal one. Had William and Kate had to pay for their chapel? No wonder it cost in the thousands the media reported. How the heck could she come up with all this money? She was weeks out of college on a beginner teacher's salary. She had student loans. All this money for the venue, not the gown or flowers or cake or-she cleared her throat again and prayed her face didn't betray her panic. "Yes, we'll definitely keep those figures in mind."

"Are you all right?" Doctor Harrison leaned forward, his tone tender. "You appear a bit pale."

Anna shook her head. "I'm fine. I just didn't realize there could be so much involved. Doug and I were planning barefoot on the beach, a small gathering of family and friends. This is sounding more like a wedding to rival the recent royal one."

Doctor Harrison winked again. "Well, if you ask her," he said, jerking his thumb in a motion toward his wife, "she'll tell you she's the Queen bee of any hive."

"We understood you would be completely lost in this planning." Mrs. Harrison tapped her planner and shot a glare at her husband. "Also, since Duke Chapel requires a professional chapel wedding director in addition to the wedding coordinator, I'm more than happy to help there, as well."

_Control everything, you mean._ Robin had been correct. This meeting had become a takeover, and it had been smoothly done. So smooth, Anna almost hadn't realized what was happening. _"_ Mrs. Harrison, while I appreciate your efforts-"

"Call her Mother, as I do." Doug entered from the kitchen, patted Anna's shoulder, gave her a small nod, and then went over to kiss his mother's cheek. "Thanks for coming over. We couldn't plan this wedding without you. I knew you'd be the perfect person to help us."

_Perfect person? Doug, come on. This is our wedding and she's taking over. Where the heck were you? It doesn't take long to get a box of tea._ _Did you brew it too?_ _And where is Robin? Had he run?_ Not as if she blamed him if he had _._ Anna fumed and tried to think of a way to pull her fiancé aside to have a quick word with him. "Doug, may I please have a word with you in the kitchen? I need to start the tea."

"No, you don't. I brought it back and Robin's brewing it." Doug hugged his mother. "I'm glad you're here. You'll handle everything for us, won't you?"

"Certainly I will, my darling."

She transformed, Anna realized, with Doug in the room. The glance she gave her son, adoring and soft, a true motherly expression, reminded Anna of the ones her own mom used whenever she smiled at Anna or her brother. The regal ice queen and controlling general vanished when she saw her son. She became just his mom. Mrs. Harrison wanted the best for her only child. She did indeed comprehend society and parties. Anna sighed and mentally waved goodbye to her battle plans. If Mrs. Harrison wanted to plan a pseudo-royal wedding for them, what could be the harm? Though she really hoped the groom's parents also planned to pitch in and help pay for all of it. Hoped? No. They had to pitch in and help.

If they did, she could forgive the takeover. Any mother who loved her son as much as she did couldn't be an ice steel magnolia. No person's blood ran all good or all bad. Right?

"Dad, you appear well." Doug shook his father's hand then laughed as he grabbed him in a bear hug. He came to sit on the arm of Anna's chair. She grasped his hand tightly to anchor herself and not start to immediately spill out all his mother had planned for them. "So, how's the wedding planning coming along?"

Anna smiled up at him and hoped he read the plea. "It's going well, honey. Your mom reserved the Duke Chapel on May twenty-second for our wedding."

His face lit up. "Mother, you're incredible. I've always loved the chapel, and now we can be married there. You're a true marvel."

_What happened to a simple wedding in Hawaii?_ Anna glanced at him in dismay. He really wanted to pay the three thousand dollars just for the chapel wedding? Now his earlier words came back to her. He'd figured out exactly what Mrs. Harrison wanted to do and let Anna walk blindly into it. Dang it. He could have at least warned her. Seeing his sparkling green eyes, how could she stay mad?

"We're more than happy to do anything for you, my darling son. Since your father and I are alumni, you qualify to marry there."

Doug stiffened and shifted a bit beside her. The sparkle died. "Yes, Mother. I am fully aware you still don't understand my reasons for attending ASU over Duke."

"Why did you?" Anna could cut the sudden tension and stifling silence with a knife. She thought she'd been nervous. Doug made her appear chilled out on a beach right now. Maybe she could ease his discomfort by getting the reason out in the open. "I mean, I'm glad you did, or we never would have met. But I guess I don't understand either, especially since you're going to medical school there now?"

Doug met her gaze then turned away. His mother spoke up. "Douglas had this misguided idea he needed to be out from under Douglas Senior's considerable shadow and influence. We are delighted he finally came to his senses and now attends the proper school."

Anna just blinked at him. Wow. Okay, so he'd bucked tradition and made a stand about college, and he'd won. He could stand up to his parents when it mattered. They could compromise, all of them.

"Now, Anna dear, you do agree with Douglas I should be the wedding director, don't you?" Mrs. Harrison glanced at her with a slight tilt of her head.

Anna took a deep breath. She wouldn't concede this. The venue and the date, sure, but not this. "I appreciate your offer, but my mom is a professional wedding coordinator. I really think she should be the one in charge of my wedding."

"But, darling," Doug said as he tugged on her hand and tightened his grip. "Mother is very familiar with the venue, the coordinator, and what all needs to be done. While your mom may comprehend how to plan a Hawaii wedding, she really doesn't have the connections and knowledge Mother does for the Duke Chapel."

"She's my mom." Anna shook her head. How could he even ask her to compromise on this? "I'm her only daughter. I can't possibly have anyone besides my own mom as my wedding director."

"She can help you plan it, of course, but Mother needs to be the director. Plus, with your mom's business in its infancy and with her hundreds of miles away, does she truly have time to plan every detail of our wedding like my mother does?"

Her heart felt as heavy as her stomach. "Doug, I can't hurt my mom's feelings. She expects to help me and be an integral part. She has from the moment I called and told her we were engaged. Before then, even, since I'm her only daughter, and she always knew one day she'd be helping me plan my wedding."

"Anna dear, I'm in no way attempting to take your own mother's place. I simply understand what is expected, the standards which must be maintained, and can arrange everything to meet those expectations." Mrs. Harrison tapped her planner for the umpteenth time. "I will be more than happy to keep your mother, and you, informed of each decision to be made, and expect your input before any final choices. This is the ideal solution."

_Oh really? Like you did before you put down a deposit and planned a date and all the times without even calling me? Did I have input then? Did my mom?_

"There, darling, see? Mother does, indeed, know best." Doug raised her hand and kissed her fingertips.

What could she say? She could have made a stand against Mrs. Harrison alone, but against her own fiancé? Nope. She sighed and nodded. "All right. Both our mothers can plan our wedding. We can _all_ compromise and work together. I want updates and the status of things before decisions are made on anything else, and I do mean everything and anything."

His gaze narrowed a bit. She guessed without seeing Mrs. Harrison's had too. Good. They caught her meaning and emphasis. Both of their mothers would plan their wedding, and so would she. She wouldn't give in on everything.

"You two have already learned the most important rule of marriage." Doctor Harrison gave a hearty laugh. "Compromise. Although it's usually the man who compromises most, as any intelligent husband should."

Anna smiled at him and then at his wife. "I'll make certain you have my mom's cell number and email address so you can keep in close contact with each other. And of course, you can call me any time too. We really do appreciate all you're doing for our wedding, Mrs. Harrison."

"Darling, call her..."

"By my given name, Louise." His mother cut in smoothly. Her ice blue eyes shone warmly at her son, but lost a bit of warmth as they focused on her. "Now as for your gown, I have booked an appointment at Laura's Bridals in Atlanta for the seventeenth."

"Of this month?" Anna tried to pull up a mental calendar even as she attempted to get around the fact her almost mother-in-law had booked an appointment for her at the prestigious bridal salon, which had its own television show, without even consulting her. "A weekday?"

"It's a Thursday. We can drive down, spend the night and of course, your bridesmaids are invited, along with your mother, if they and she can attend. I will reserve rooms at the Atlanta Hilton."

Anna shook her head. "I'm so sorry Mrs...Louise. I can't possibly go on a weekday. I have school to teach."

"Surely you can make an exception for a couple of days, Anna dear. This is your wedding gown we are talking about. It's a focal point of the entire wedding."

"I can't take time off so close to the beginning of the year. I don't want to make a bad impression on my principal. My mom will need a bit of advance notice to fly in too. There's no way I can shop for a wedding gown without her. Could we please make a weekend appointment?" She squeezed Doug's hand. _This is not a compromise_. _Back me up here_.

Instead, his father commented. "Very commendable, Anna, and very professional. I agree with you."

She nodded at the doctor's comments but kept her gaze on Doug. He shrugged. "I understand Anna's point, Mother. It's not unreasonable for her to need a weekend appointment."

"But certainly you don't intend to work after the wedding."

Anna knew her mouth fell open in shock. She closed it and swallowed. "Actually, of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"

"As the wife of an up-and-coming surgeon, you will have many social obligations. In addition, public school teaching is so..."

"Rewarding? Frustrating? Too low paid?" Anna sat up straighter and ignored Doug's tug on her hand. "With all due respect, Mrs...Louise, I spent four years studying my butt off to become a teacher, and I'm not about to waste my degree now. It's what I've wanted my whole life. So yes, of course, I will continue to teach."

_Seriously? You expect me to stay home and cook and clean and go to tea parties and, oh my God, be a mini you?_ Anna felt sick. Her gaze met her fiancé's. His whole face was shuttered, not revealing any of his thoughts, and he didn't immediately rush to her defense. Her stomach lurched. Just what kind of life did Doug expect with her? Not once had he suggested she quit her job. How would they pay the bills and such? Why the heck had she gone to college and gotten her degree and teaching license? They lived in the twenty first century, not the nineteen fifties. Women had choices now. Did Doug really, truly expect her to give up her career? His mother certainly did.

"There's time enough for Anna to be a career stay-at-home wife. Doug hasn't even begun his surgical career yet. She's correct. She spent years on education for her degree. She should put her education to good use. I love the idea of a teacher in the family. It's an extremely underrated career." Doctor Harrison patted his wife's shoulder. "Many of your society organizations fully support educational causes as well. Think of it as Anna doing her part to aid in the future."

Why did his father stick up for her and not Doug? And why even debate it? Anna nudged Doug. _Stick up for me. Please. Support me. Be a team with me._

His face remained blank and unreadable. Finally, he just shrugged again. "I guess it doesn't matter what day you go for wedding gowns, as long as you go and rely on Mother's taste and style."

_Oh boy. We have a lot more to talk about than just wedding plans._ The sick feeling in her stomach only grew stronger. "Then we need to go on the weekend. It will be the best for everyone, from me to my mom and the attendants."

Louise sniffed and flipped a few pages of her planner. "Well, if you insist. We do need to hurry and select the gowns so they can be ordered and fitted properly. Two weeks from next weekend is possibly available for me. I'll have to cancel my appearance at the Surgeon's Ball, however."

"You lucky thing." Doctor Harrison patted her shoulder once more. "I hate those events. They're always the most boring, staid functions we have to attend."

"Douglas Senior, you don't mean any such thing. You're always the star of any ball. Everyone attends simply to speak and be seen with you. The media attention alone is stellar."

"Everyone seeks me out to bore me to tears with tales of their symptoms. The last thing I want to hear while I'm trying to eat a steak dinner is how someone's heart valves aren't functioning or how clogged their arteries are."

Anna laughed and tried to break the distance she now felt between Doug and herself. "Definitely not dinner conversation I agree, sir."

"No kidding." He shuddered. "And I'm Doctor Doug, or just Doc, hun. Not the famous Doctor Who, of course, as I don't think bow ties are cool." He winked, making Anna think it must be a somewhat chronic thing for him to do. "So, you ladies are headed to Atlanta. Guess you'll have to attend the ball with me, Doug my boy."

"Thanks for the invite, Dad, but I have to..."

"Attend the ball with your father." Mrs. Harrison focused on her son. "It can only help you to be seen together, for those who may not realize who your family is, and who your father is and how important you are."

Anna almost spoke up but stopped before she made things worse. Didn't his mother understand? Doug had attended ASU to be away from his father's name and any comparisons to him. Why would he want any of it now? To her, the last thing a new med student needed would be the appearance of pulling strings or riding on his father's coattails. Not as if Doug ever would, but people could be weird about such things. Meredith Grey on television's _Grey's Anatomy_ always fought to rid herself of her famous surgeon mother's shadow. Anna didn't want the same for Doug.

But Doug simply nodded. "All right, I guess we'll have to go it alone for the night, Dad, just you and me."

So much for making a stand like the one he'd made about college. So, this is the way of it, then. Doug deferred to his mother in everything. No wonder he'd told her to listen to her and do what she said. _But at the loss of my own ideas, independence, and dreams?_ "Battle stations ladies, here come the Harrison men. Ready the fainting couches and smelling salts."

Anna put aside her thoughts and grinned. "I want a full report of all the swooning."

"With both of us there and dressed in our finery, there will be dozens. We may raise more money charging per swoon than anything else. Not a bad way for me to get new patients, either."

Okay, this man could really grow on her. Too bad he couldn't be in charge of the wedding.

"Douglas Senior, behave. Now, Anna dear, how many rooms shall we need in Atlanta? You will want to share a room with your mother and catch up, I'm certain. How many of your attendants will also go with us?"

"I only have two, my best friend Robin and my college friend Kassie."

"Two?" Mrs. Harrison frowned. "I would have thought you'd have at least ten. The chapel is so big. It simply won't do to have a small wedding party. Only two attendants will be lost at the altar with you."

Anna squirmed a bit. "Well, Doug only has his dad as his best man and his best friend, so to make the numbers match, I didn't ask anyone else."

"Now don't let my son's reluctance to share a sea of beautiful girls make you stingy as well. I'll be happy to stand up there surrounded by gorgeous young women. Invite at least a dozen."

Doug laughed at his father's comment then sobered at his mother's glare. _Now it's your turn in the hot seat, Doug darling._

"Douglas, of course you won't have simply your father and one groomsman. What about Anna's brother?"

Anna blinked, surprised. Wow. Mrs. Harrison actually wanted her brother included in the wedding? How sweet. Maybe her first impression of this woman hadn't been entirely accurate.

"He may be a bit unorthodox and not at all society material, but he is to be your brother-in-law, after all. How would it appear in the media coverage if you did not include him in the wedding party?"

Okay, take back the sweet. Blasted woman. What the heck did this snob know about her brother being society material or not? _How dare she assume just because..._

"You also have five cousins."

"I haven't seen or spoken with them in three years, Mother."

Mrs. Harrison pointed her pen at her son. "Be that as it may, your aunt Margaret would never let me hear the end of it if you didn't include her sons in your wedding."

"She rarely lets you hear the end of anything. You two were the inspiration for the love-hate actresses in some southern movie about all the women. What's the name of it? Ah, yes. _Steel Magnolias._ The characters Wheezy and Clairee in particular."

Anna choked back a giggle at Doctor Harrison's remark. She'd been joking before thinking the tag _steel magnolia_ perfectly fit her future mother-in-law. However, since her future father-in-law agreed with her, she'd been dead on with her instinctive reaction. This made her worry about what her instincts might be telling her about Doug.

"Douglas Senior, stop such nonsense this moment. How ludicrous it is to compare my sister and me to fictional characters."

"Scarlett O'Hara could have taken lessons from you, my love." Doctor Harrison reached over and pulled his wife close in a hug. "You wrote the book on Southern Belle behavior."

Anna watched in fascination as a flush stole up her future mother-in-law's cheeks, and she smiled at her husband. Wow. The reason Doug's father had married Doug's mother. Opposites did attract. The love glow definitely shone between them.

"Oh hush, you." Louise Harrison pulled away and patted her hair, still smiling at her husband. "Now. Anna will need to ask six additional girls to attend her."

Anna glanced at Doug. He nodded and sighed. "I'm asking my cousins. Surely you have friends you can ask. You always had crowds around you at college."

"They were my cohort members mostly." _They really wanted to be around me because I knew Robin, their ultimate goal. Speaking of the devil...Robin, where are you?_

"And there is Kassie," Doug said. "She's your friend, too. Isn't she?"

Something in his tone made her frown. She'd met Kassie when she went to grab a cake at a local bakery for Robin's birthday. She dropped the cake, and Kassie, a junior baker there, saved the day with a second. A campus celebrity-and highly criticized-due to her spread in _Playboy Magazine's Girls of the Dorms_ edition, the two of them were extremely different. But they had become friends. Doug never seemed to truly approve of their friendship, no doubt because of her magazine modeling.

So why did he sound a bit...awed saying her name now? And, oh my Lord, what would Mrs. Harrison say when she discovered a Playboy model bridesmaid? At least Doctor Harrison would be happy, since he'd joked about being surrounded by gorgeous young ladies. Oh boy.

"And Kassie, like I mentioned before . Wow, eight attendants each, a rather big wedding party. Bigger than we planned." Nothing as she'd hoped. So why should the number of attendants be any different?

"As I mentioned, it is to be a grand affair. It will most probably be the wedding of the year in many circles. Certainly much more civilized than standing barefoot on a Hawaiian beach."

Anna gritted her teeth and felt Doug's fingers dig into hers. A warning? Maybe he warned her to just nod and stop disagreeing. This would cause some problems in the long run. Compromise meant both sides gave in, not Mrs. Harrison steam rolled all of Anna's ideas. "Yes, it certainly is shaping up to be huge."

"Louise never does any function small. It will indeed be a grand Southern wedding, since my wife has a say in it." Doctor Harrison rubbed his hands together. "And I get to be surrounded by young gorgeous belles. This I like. Planning is now over."

"We will also search for the attendants gowns while we're in Atlanta. The salon has a floor dedicated to bridesmaids below the bridal floor as well as a mothers' section. Your mother and I may be able to shop for appropriate gowns while we're there." Louise ignored her husband and began to write in her planner.

No doubt she wrote: _Anna is very stubborn and completely uneducated in social graces, especially in wedding etiquette and agreeing with all I say._ "Wonderful. It's sort of a one stop shopping trip, but I've watched the show, so I understand their rules about taking too many people to dress selections with you."

"Too many cackling hens raise too much of a ruckus for any productive eggs to be laid." Doug's father wiggled his brows.

Anna watched him get a tap from his wife's pen and gave another giggle. "Yes, something similar, I guess. So to keep the gown shopping less complicated and with less being more in the way of opinions, I'd like just my mom and two friends to be there. So four rooms should be plenty for all of us, I believe."

"Four?" Louise's gazed down her nose at Anna again. "A room for myself, one for you and your mother, and one for your friends is three rooms. Surely your best friends can share a room, since you only want two of them to go."

_Oh boy_. "Actually, no, they can't."

"Why ever not?"

"Tea is served, m'dears, freshly brewed by yours truly." Robin whirled into the room like Fred Astaire on steroids, twisting and turning in crazy mad circles. He wore her neon yellow apron with the saying, _You have two choices: Take it or leave it!_ covering his broad shouldered, six foot frame. He came off utterly ridiculous and way too darn graceful. Robin spun and twirled without spilling a drop of tea or even rattling her mother's best china on the tray he held like a dancing partner in his arms. Had he not been her best friend, she'd hate him for his gracefulness alone.

Anna couldn't stop the joy and relief she felt anymore than she could stop breathing. At last, someone guaranteed to be on her side. She laughed and jumped up to stand beside him as he finally came to a halt, so happy to see him she could have kissed him.

"Louise, Doctor Douglas. Please meet my best friend Robin Bates. He's my Man of Honor." Silence greeted her last statement. Anna could hear the thud of her heart as it went from relieved joy to anxious dread.

The small clock on the shelf ticked, a sound rarely heard in her small house. She glanced from Robin's grin to Mrs. Harrison's wide gaze to Doug's bent head. Uh oh. Guess the sunny weather didn't predict a good sign, after all.
Chapter Four

Robin nudged Anna then set the tray on the coffee table and bowed. He reached over, grabbed the older lady's hand, and kissed it with a flourish. "So very lovely to meet you. I've heard so much about both of you."

"I can't say the same for you." Louise Harrison yanked her hand away and held it behind her back. "So, you are Anna's best friend, Robin?"

"I sure am. Anna's bestie, here in the flesh." He glanced back at Anna, saw her slight shake of head, and grinned. She wanted him to tone it down. But after listening from the kitchen as this woman ripped at her and watching her fiancé not defend her hopes and dreams for her own wedding, Robin would be darned if he'd be silent any longer. He'd considered adding something to the tea as he made it-like a shovel of salt-but why ruin the pot for everyone?

He put a bounce in his step and moved over to the famous heart surgeon. He pumped the older man's hand up and down with gusto. "Doctor Harrison, it's truly an honor and a delight. I've read several of your articles in the _Journal of American Medicine_ , and I'm highly impressed with your move into the robotic surgical assistance. It's very cutting edge, if you forgive the pun."

"I can appreciate a good pun as well as the next, and thank you. Not all surgeons see the value of technology, so it will be an uphill battle to convince them for certain. A pleasure to meet you, Robin." Doctor Harrison pumped his hand with matching enthusiasm and then released him. "How long have you been friends with our Anna?'

"Oh, my goodness, let me see." Robin put a finger to his forehead and tapped a few times. "We met freshmen year of college. We were roomies."

He heard Anna choke behind him and saw Mrs. Harrison's obvious shock. "Roomies? You mean to tell me, you were placed in the same bedroom with Anna? And how long did this last?"

"Not long at all." Anna pushed past him and knelt by the coffee table. "University housing straightened it all out in a flash once they realized their mistake."

"A simple mistake, Mother." Doug spoke from behind them. "Some administrator in housing didn't fully read the housing applications and assumed Robin to be female."

_Yeah, and you hadn't been so accepting when you first found out either, Doug Dufus. Threw a cold fit until I assured you there couldn't be anything between Anna and me but friendship. Made her cry a couple of times with your attitude, you big fraud._

"Had I been able to speak at birth, I'd have certainly warned my ma about these terrible non-gender specific names." Robin shook his head as if he felt utter dismay. "But alas, she watched too many Robin Hood movies and just fell in love with the legend. Though I believe the sight of Kevin Costner's naked ass in the movie really sold her on the name."

Mrs. Harrison's mouth opened then closed. Robin almost bowed again. _Mess with my best friend, will you? Lady, don't think you control everything, and never think you can hurt my Anna._

"Then again, I'm thankful Mom isn't into horror movies. She could have called me Norman. With my last name being Bates, well, it could have been ugly."

Doctor Harrison laughed. "I agree, very good thing her favorite movie isn't _Psycho_."

"May I offer you some tea, Louise?" Anna intervened, her tone low and a bit steely under the forced pleasantness as she glared at him.

Robin gave her a but-I'm-innocent expression and almost asked, _What?_

"Of course, Anna dear." Mrs. Harrison cleared her throat and made a point of not looking at him again. "I do believe I would enjoy a cup. Thank you."

Her hand shook as she poured. Robin almost regretted his impulsive over the top behavior. He'd meant to help, lighten the moment, and make her smile again, not upset her more. "You must try the cookies. Anna's an artist in the kitchen."

She shot him a second glare over her shoulder, face tight and mouth compressed. So he knew to sit down and shut up, for now. She leaned over the table to offer the cup and saucer of tea to Mrs. Harrison...and dropped it in her lap.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Louise Harrison jumped up, a dark brown stain spreading across her once pristine cream skirt. The cup and saucer shattered on the floor, the sound like gunshots in the small room. Shards of porcelain flew at Anna's face as she also leapt to her feet and grabbed a napkin. "This suit is Dior and one of my favorites. Now it's ruined!"

"I'm so very sorry." Anna swatted at the stain, only making it worse. "Please let me get you a robe so you can change and I can launder your suit before..."

"This is Dior," Louise repeated, her face flushed and angry. "One does not _launder_ it. It needs a quality, professional dry cleaner immediately."

"Mrs. Harrison...Louise, please let me help." Anna stopped wiping at the stain and stood wringing her hands. "I can take it to the cleaners down on the corner and..."

"And they will ruin it more. Really, Anna, how could you be so clumsy? Did your mother teach you no manners whatsoever?"

"Louise, calm down. You aren't hurt." Doctor Harrison also stood and patted his wife's shoulder. "Anna's correct. It will clean. There's no true harm done."

"Douglas Senior, this is Dior!"

Robin gritted his teeth. Good lord, if she said _Dior_ in such a reverent tone one more time, he'd scream. She wore a rather plain, ugly skirt, not a work of art, and why did Doug sit on the chair laughing and not help his fiancée? Didn't he see Anna's hurt and distress?

Robin moved to Anna's side, took the napkin from her twisting fingers, and dabbed at the blood spilling from her cheek. Two doctors in the room, and he alone noticed Anna, not the drama queen, needed the attention. "You need to get these cuts attended. They seem fairly deep."

"No, I..."

Robin took hold of her shoulder and pulled her toward her bathroom. "I'm going to clean and bandage these cuts. Doug, get your mom a robe from Anna's closet. After she changes, I'll take her skirt to the cleaners."

"No worries, Robin. I can drop it off." Doctor Harrison shook his head at his wife as she opened her mouth again. She shut it with a snap. "I wanted to take Doug to the game, anyway, and leave these ladies to their wedding plans. We can retrieve your skirt after the game and it will be good as new, Louise."

"But it's Dior!"

"And it will clean. Calm down, Louise. Anna's the one hurt."

"I hardly think one can compare a simple scratch to my favorite Dior suit."

Anna stopped dead. Her face held so much misery Robin pulled her closer to his side. "I'm so sorry. Honestly, I am. I'll pay for it to be cleaned and..."

"Anna, it's all right. Go attend those cuts and let me handle Louise." Doctor Harrison placed his arm around his wife's shoulder and squeezed. "Anyone can have an accident. It's not a problem."

Doug stood and moved toward Anna's bedroom, still shaking with laughter. Robin couldn't decide who he wanted to punch most: his mother or Doug. But he knew who deserved his attention. He leaned his head to hers and whispered in her ear. "Come on, hun. I'll Dior you right on up."

He saw her eyes sparkle, her throat swallow the laugh she almost gave. Anna walked with him and sat on the edge of the tub as he closed the bathroom door. He reached into her over-the-sink cabinet to take out some antiseptic wipes. He gently dabbed the three cuts marring her smooth cheek. Her soft, beautiful face bore battle scars. He wanted to throttle someone.

Her gaze met his, misery evident in the chocolate brown depths of her eyes. "Oh, Robin. How could I have been such a klutz? I'm such an idiot. She will never forgive me, and Doug is so mad at me."

"He's not mad. He laughed." Doug Dufus stood for complete, heartless idiot. Yeah, it could be funny, in a way, but Anna came first. Anna should always come first. Doug should be laughing with her, not at her. Doug should be the one here in the room, dabbing her cuts and easing her fears. Moron. Utter moron and stereotypical dumb blond.

"When he stops laughing, he'll be angry. Then he will probably yell at me." She put her head in her hands, interrupting his ministrations.

"He won't yell at you." _He damn well better not. I'll knock his blond head right off his shoulders if he does._

"You saw how he worships her. You had to have heard him before you came out, the way he deferred to her. He kept squeezing my hand, like he was warning me not to disagree with her. She's the most important woman in the world to him, and I spilled tea all over her favorite suit and embarrassed her, making a total fool of myself!"

Robin took her hands and held them. Her whole body slumped, dejected. She appeared so lost. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, protect her, and hold her for hours. Forever.

" _You_ are the most important woman in the world." _At least to me_. "It was an accident. After everyone calms down, you'll see, so will she and Doug. Just like Doctor Harrison already said and believes. I heard him too. He has sense." Probably the most sense of the three. No stereotypical dumb blond there. Maybe he needed to have a word with Douglas Junior about being a better fiancé, or maybe Robin should just beat some sense into Doug.

"You really think so?"

Robin smiled at her. Any other time, he'd hug her, smooth his hands down her back, assure her everything would be fine, but with her threatening to spill tears any second and the despair written all over her features, he didn't trust himself to take her into his arms. He might never let go. "Shh. It's okay. The plain cream needed a dash of color, my dear. It's ever so much more chic now. Even Dior would think so, _dahling_."

He released her hands and swabbed antiseptic on the scratches. "That reminds me. What's with the flaming act, any way, huh? You aren't gay."

"True, but the shock on her face when I spun into the room? Priceless. I couldn't help myself." The cuts weren't as deep as he'd feared. They'd already stopped bleeding and hopefully would fade in a few days. She winced as he dabbed, so he kept his touch as light as he could. "Watching all those old Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers movies with you paid off. Even you have to admit you laughed when I came in wearing your apron."

"Oh, it was something, for sure." She sighed.

Finished, he could no more stop himself from stroking her cheek then he could stop his next breath. "I just wanted to help, make everyone smile a bit." He saw her swallow as her breath hitched. She stared at him. _See me, Anna. I'm here for you. I always will be. I have your back. I promise._

She dropped her gaze and picked at her skirt. "Thanks, I think."

He didn't kid himself her breath stuttered because of his touch, however much he wished it. _See me,_ he wanted to plead. _Throw all of them out, Doug included, and see me as the one who could truly make you happy_.

"I'm the one who ruined everything."

For a split second, he thought she meant them, her and him, she'd ruined their one chance at a relationship after one amazing night months ago. It hadn't been her. Not her alone. He should have just told her.

"I ruined it, Robin. Any chance of a relationship between Mrs. Harrison and me. If we can't get along, what chance do Doug and I have?"

"Nah, you didn't ruin anything. It will be fine. All of it _." Between you and the Harrisons anyway,_ he added silently. "You just need to start talking colors and flowers and invitations and stuff. Get lost in all the wedding details."

She nodded, head still bent. "Maybe. God knows there are endless details to figure out since it's all changed from a small beach wedding to this elaborate Duke chapel thing." She took a deep breath and whispered, "I'm scared, Robin."

He entwined their fingers, aware what the admission cost her and to stop their restless movement before she tore a hole in the fabric of her dress. And because he just wanted to touch, connect, and comfort her. "What scares you?"

"This grand wedding, all this attention and fussing, terrifies me. It's not me, Robin. I believe relationships are about joining and compromise, but all this stuff Mrs. Harrison is planning is just not me."

He stroked her hair and wanted to release it from the tight bun. "It's not your style, no, but you are elegant and classy. You can pull this off in your sleep."

Her mouth twisted as she regarded him. "Robin, I dropped a cup of tea on my future mother-in-law. Elegant and classy I'm not. I'd do better to join you skydiving than be in a huge wedding."

"You really should join me sometime. It's very freeing."

"Yeah, sure it is. Until your parachute doesn't open and you hit the ground at a zillion miles per hour." She blew out a breath. "But I guess it's safer than me passing a cup of tea, huh?"

"Stop, Anna. It's over; it's done. You've bigger things to focus on. You need to tell Doug what you just said to me. Tell him how you feel."

"You heard them. Doug is so tickled at the idea of the Duke chapel wedding and all. I can't disappoint him. What am I going to do?"

_Ditch him! He's not the man for you, anyway, with his ruler to measure cookie dough and his stuffy, social conscious mother. Ditch him and see what's been right in front of you for years._

Anna pulled her hands away and straightened her spine. A determined look filled her face, one he knew well. She wore the same expression before every exam she resolved to ace, and usually did. "Good Lord, what's wrong with me? You should punch me. I'm not a pushover. Yet I'm sitting in my bathroom, whining and moaning. Why you put up with me is a mystery." She smiled and touched her cheek. "Thanks for playing doctor. I'm okay, really. I just need to pull up my big girl panties and get on with it."

He remembered her panties: silky, lacy, delicate wisps of material with bows. Or the ones with the funny sayings or giant smiley faces. And her bras...

"Robin?"

"We men will get out of your hair and let you two ladies continue planning the wedding and bonding." He got to his feet. "Unless you want me to grab the bike and whisk you away from all this?" _Say yes, please say yes._

Her gaze narrowed almost on cue. "You honestly think I'm getting on some death trap? Please think about selling it."

He pulled off the apron. "I will when you call off this wedding."

Her mouth fell open. "You can't be serious. I can't call off my wedding!"

"And I can't sell my bike." He held out a hand to her. "So, go back in there. You hold your head high and show the woman general masquerading as a mother-in-law what Carolina Girls are made of, all right? Call me later and tell me how it all goes."

She took his hand and stood. Her short nails dug into his palm. "Do. Not. Leave. Me. Alone. With. Her." Each word chopped, a bullet plea straight to his heart.

"Anna."

"I mean it. I can't be alone with her. She'll fry me for ruining her outfit and probably plan an all white Dior wedding or something as revenge. I can be strong as long as someone I trust is with me. Please don't leave."

Did she hear herself? Why didn't she say all this to her groom? Why? Because the moron had sat there laughing at her instead of helping her. Robin had been in the bathroom with her several minutes, yet not once did Doug check on his bride. No wonder she turned to her best friend.

Robin opened his mouth to say no, but damn it, she had to grasp when she stared at him all soft and pleading, he couldn't say no. "I've already stayed until Doug got back from the tea run. You'll be fine. Just imagine she's a stubborn six year old kid in your classroom and go from there."

She lifted a hand and cupped his cheek. "Please, Robin."

"Anna..."

"I need you."

If he thought for one second she knew how he felt about her, how he'd walk through fire or rip the moon from the sky if she only asked, he'd turn and race out her door and never come back. It'd be like ripping his heart from his chest, but he'd do it. He couldn't stand manipulating women who played on emotion to get what they wanted. Like Mrs. Harrison, who had Anna so upset she didn't believe her own worth. Or Kassie, who used her friendship with Anna to meet and date Doug's doctor and lawyer friends.

Anna didn't comprehend what she did to him, or how he truly felt. She stood so far from a manipulator, like comparing summer to winter. Anna did need him. She had a fiancé she should be able to depend upon, who instead had sat there and laughed at her misfortune. She faced a master manipulator future mother-in-law who always seemed to get her own way. Anna had steel nerves, nobody's pushover. But she also had a big heart, a loathing of confrontation, and a desire to make Doug happy. A desire even he, her best friend, didn't quite understand. How could he say no?

Bye-bye football game. "You better call my mom after all this is over."

Her delicate brows winged up as she frowned. "Why?"

"To thank her for raising me to be a southern gentleman who can't say no to a lady." Robin sighed and stepped back before he gave in to the impulse to grab her, yank the diamond off her finger, and kiss her senseless. "You always catch me at a weak moment when it comes to a damsel in distress."

"I'm no helpless female." The fire came back, just as he'd hoped, when he spoke the words guaranteed to remind her of how strong she could actually be. "I can handle this. I can. It's my wedding, and I will say what goes and what doesn't."

"Okay, Carolina Girl, let's kick butt and take names." Robin opened the door and grinned as she marched out.

Mrs. Harrison sat stiff on the sofa. She muttered in her husband's ear. Her hands gestured to the front door as they re-entered the living room. She wore Anna's silk robe, belted tight and pooled around her feet. She threw Anna an if-looks-could-kill glare.

"Louise, allow me once more to apologize." Anna halted a few feet from the sofa. "I hope you can forgive me."

Doctor Harrison took his wife's hand and squeezed it when she remained silent. "Again, no worries. What's a little spilled tea between family members? Now, how's your cheek?"

"It's fine." Anna twisted her fingers together and glanced over to the chair where Doug sat. "Maybe you should pour the tea this time?"

"Dad and I are going to take Mother's suit to the cleaner's then catch the rest of the Duke game." Doug stood and moved over to lightly kiss her uninjured cheek. "Let Mother pour her own tea, darling. Try to be a bit more careful. Accidents happen, but I'd hate to practice my doctor skills before I officially graduate."

"I'm so sorry." She clutched at his hand. "Maybe you should stay?"

_Stay fool, stay_. Robin urged.

Of course, the moron ignored his unspoken advice. "I think Mother and you need some time together. Have a wonderful time planning our wedding and really listen to Mother's suggestions. She is aware of exactly what's she's doing."

"We really need to talk. Please. It's important."

"I understand, darling. We do, but not now. We will later, all right?"

Anna nodded. Robin wished he could shake the other man. _Tell her it's all okay and you have her back, damn it. Make her smile. What the hell is wrong with you?_

As if he heard Robin's furious mental command, Doug raised Anna's hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips as he winked at her. _Okay, that's a start but come on, man, say something nice and..._

"You're welcome to join us." Doctor Douglas invited.

Robin glanced at Anna who stood viewing her fiancé's departing back then shook his head at Doctor Harrison. "Thanks, but I'll stick around, help the ladies with anything they might need. I'll be the tea pourer."

"Are you certain? They'll be fine, I'm sure. I have standing tickets for seats on the fifty yard line."

Robin almost moaned. _Fifty yard line? At the first game of the season? Man, the things I do for my best friend._

"Douglas Senior, you are far too modest. You have a private box on the fifty yard line." Mrs. Harrison came to stand beside her husband. "You should accompany them, Robin. There are several things Anna and I should discuss. Alone."

Robin could hear Anna screaming, _Don't leave me!_ in his head. Plus he didn't like the glint in Mrs. Harrison's eyes. He'd stay just to tick her off more. "Maybe another time, Doctor Harrison. Watch the defense line. They cast a shaky shadow in practice."

"Ah. You saw too? The assistant coach is a patient of mine. At his last appointment he spoke of a few kinks in the lineup. He seemed a bit worried."

"He should be. I'm friends with several of the players, and they're all frustrated at some of the new rules and plays, not acting much like a team yet. Today will be the test, I guess. Get them in shape and find the problems before the big game with UNC."

Doctor Harrison winced. "We need our bragging rights restored. Three years of being beaten by our chief rival is hard on the ego."

"And the morale, since there is no joy for Cameron Crazies when we lose."

Doctor Harrison whistled when Robin mentioned the infamous campus tent city which students erected around the stadium to camp out for big games. "I didn't realize football fans had a K-Ville like the basketball ones do."

Robin shrugged. "Football doesn't get near the press as basketball, but the fans are still there. Besides, Duke has the highest student athlete grad rate in the nation."

"Spoken like a true education major." Anna smiled as she slipped an arm through Robin's. "He tutored several of the players, football and basketball, through the joint universities tutoring program."

"Ah, I wondered how that went when I read about it. The idea is Appalachian State tutors Duke players and vice versa. Then there are no claims of passing athletes along just to assist their own school." Doctor Harrison explained to his wife. "It seems to be working very well."

"It really is. None of them would have graduated without Robin. He's still tutoring, even after we graduated."

He heard the pride in her tone. She'd been the one to encourage-push-him into the program in the first place. He'd loved it, just as she'd known he would. Robin grinned.

"How noble it is of you to do community service." Louise Harrison came to stand beside her husband. "How did these very manly players perceive someone such as you, Robin?"

Robin hid his amusement with a shrug. Such a self righteous tone. He'd love to introduce her to his own mom and watch the feathers fly. "We're still friends now. They give me tickets to their pro games, stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and all the social media."

"He's too modest." Anna flashed her sunny smile at him and his heart flipped. "He went to ASU the first two years on a full ride basketball scholarship and maintained a 4.0 GPA."

"Ah!" Doctor Harrison snapped his fingers. "You were the sole freshman on the team. The Cannon they called you for your ability to make three point shots without fail. What made you give up the game?"

Robin shrugged. "I double majored, elementary education and business admin, very different fields with one heck of a caseload of classes. Making sure I graduated with degrees in both became more important to me, so I gave up playing."

"But his legend lives on. The athletes all recognize he once played. It sets an excellent example there's more to college than athletics."

He felt himself stand taller at her praise. Anna, his biggest supporter-and also his biggest critic when he needed it. "So, before I answer your original question, Mrs. Harrison, should I call you Louise?"

"Mrs. Harrison will do fine." She looked down at him, even standing almost a foot shorter.

It made him grin all the more. "I attend university and pro games all over, root for the players I became familiar and friends with and tutored, regardless of team or school. None of them have a problem with me, unless they lose to an opposing team I also tutored. So tell me how they do, Doc."

"I sure will." Doctor Harrison kissed his wife's cheek and patted Anna's shoulder and gave her a wink when he walked past her. "Offer peppermint drops after tea. She loves them, and they help sweeten her up. Always works wonders for me when I'm in the doghouse with her."

"Thank you." Anna smiled but still resembled a deer caught in the headlights as the men left, closing the door behind them. "Mrs...Louise, let's move to the dining room table. I think we'll be more comfortable there."

"I will certainly be safer from any more of your accidents." Louise moved to gather her purse and planner.

Robin almost grabbed Anna closer _. Old bat._ He'd so love to...

"Don't."

"What?" He blinked and forced his most blank expression at Anna's sharp admonishment.

She yanked her arm from his. "This way, Louise. Please take a chair."

Mrs. Harrison marched to the small round table and four chairs near the kitchen door. "We have much to accomplish, so let's get started."

Anna twisted her fingers together. "Of course." She silently mouthed, _Thank you_ _for staying, but behave,_ at him before she took a chair across from the older lady. "Could we start with..."

"The fact you introduced Robin as the Man of Honor?" Louise slipped her glasses on the end of her nose. "What exactly did you mean?"

Robin wanted to tell her those glasses made her a dead ringer for a blonde wicked witch of the west, but he bit his lip. He'd tell Anna later and make her laugh.

Anna glanced at him then back at her almost mother-in-law. "Robin is my best friend and will be a major part of my wedding party."

"Highly unusual. Men are not bridesmaids or _honor_ anything in a bridal party. Perhaps he could stand with Doug as a groomsman or even an usher."

_Oh, you'd like me stuck in the back of the chapel where no one can see me and where Anna is all alone, surrounded by your uppity high standards._ Robin folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall.

Anna shook her head. "I understand it's untraditional. This is also a new century and bridal trends are more open to change. He _is_ my best friend, and he _will_ stand beside me."

Louise blinked and so did Robin. Anna's firm tone invited no argument or hope of compromise. Wow. She'd taken his suggestion to show her spine and be his Carolina Girl to heart. _Go Anna._

"So, now we have settled the matter, let's move on to the flowers."

"We haven't settled the matter at all. What will Robin wear, for instance? A man in a dress will not be acceptable for this wedding regardless what century it is. Not to mention it would be impossible to find a cut and fit for his large size."

Robin wondered if Anna's backyard was big enough to bury a body.

Laughter exploded from Anna, a mix of her I'm-so-nervous reaction and genuine amusement. "Of course he won't be gowned. He'll wear the same tux as Doug and the groomsmen, but perhaps a different tie or vest, something to give him an edge."

"The wedding party needs to be uniform in all ways, Anna dear. You do understand the concept of symmetry, correct?"

Robin moved to the table and opened his mouth. First she insulted him, now she insulted Anna's intelligence? Doug's mother or not, she'd gone too far.

Anna halted him with a smile and raise of her hand. "Certainly I do, Louise. So perhaps we could do a different type of flower for Robin. Which leads us right in to the discussion of the wedding flowers. My brother has offered to make all the arrangements, everything and anything we might need."

"Anna dear, I thought we had settled the matter of this not being a thrown-together-by-amateurs affair. We have standards and an image to maintain. Are you not clear?"

"Yes. I mean, we're clear on what's needed, I think. It's just Adam is a florist"

"I'm not certain we are clear, Anna dear." Louise opened her planner and flipped a few pages. "I have a couple of florists, professional florists, who will agree to create the flower arrangements we need for the wedding."

Robin gritted his teeth and shifted from foot to foot. He hoped Louise received the message loud and clear. He was standing up, literally and figuratively, for his best friend. He hoped Anna got the message more.

"My brother is a professional. He's more than capable of handling the flowers for my wedding."

_Ah, there she is_. _She appreciates I have her back_. He grinned and waited for the battle of wills.

"But he's not established. This wedding demands the talents and experience of a true professional. In addition, the Duke Chapel prefers weddings use florists from their own very elite, short list."

"I understand." Anna sat a bit straighter. Robin could almost see the steel in her spine. "But this is my brother. He's family, and I want him to make my wedding flowers special."

"The required floral needs would be better provided by someone more established."

"Perhaps so, but I prefer my brother. He understands exactly what Doug and I want because he is acquainted with us, which makes a difference too, I think. Plus, if he feels he can't handle this wedding, with the upscale factors, he will be the first to speak up and say so. Then we could contact one of your other florists. What does he need to do first?"

"Well, if you insist." Mrs. Harrison conceded with her face pinched in obvious disapproval. "He will need to contact the chapel immediately. I'll make certain you have the number before I leave. He will also need to clear all flowers and arrangements through me."

"He will, along with my mother, as well as Doug and myself. It is _our_ wedding."

_You tell her, Anna._

"Certainly, you will need to have input. I simply thought, with Doug so busy in medical school and your new position at the elementary school, you would appreciate my attention to all the details. I'm simply trying to help my son and his future wife, to ease the demands upon you both." Louise tugged at the neckline of the robe.

Robin almost moaned as the battle bogged. There's the guilt trip. _Only trying to help_ and yanking at the robe to remind Anna of the spilled tea. Subtle, but there. Anna was a goner for guilt trips, especially when it came to Doug.

"Yes, ma'am, I, we, appreciate that. This is my wedding, and I need to be involved." Anna reached across the table and took the older lady's hand. "The men talked about how the players have to work as a team to win. So do you, me and Doug, my mom, brother, and everyone else if we are to make this wedding the best it can be. So, let's talk flowers and work as a team."

_Well done, my girl. Well done_. Robin turned and walked to the coffee table then brought the tea and cookie tray over. He set it on the table and poured a round of tea. He passed the cups and took a chair beside Anna. "Milk, Mrs. Harrison?"

"Thank you, no." Louise removed her hand from Anna's and lifted her cup to sip. She took a napkin from the tray and dabbed at her lips. "Black green jasmine, well brewed. This is an excellent surprise."

"Doug mentioned it's your favorite." Anna glanced at him. Robin moved his head just a bit to indicate not to mention he'd made the tea. "We really do appreciate your time and assistance."

"As I mentioned, I'm willing to do anything for my son." She almost smiled. "Now, as for the wedding colors, we must be careful on the shades and choices. To compliment the Duke chapel we will use which colors?"

"Blue and silver will be our colors." Anna took a sip of tea.

"Those colors are very fitting, Anna dear. I approve." Louise nodded, the first concession she'd made. Robin felt a bit of hope and knew Anna did, as well, when she beamed at him.

"Would you like a cookie?" Anna offered the plate.

"Thank you, no. We both should be watching our figures, you especially."

Anna had a gorgeous figure, not a thing wrong with it. Robin passed her a cookie and grinned. She had an amazing body, which probably wasn't appropriate for him to think, let alone say at the moment.

Anna returned the cookie to the plate. "I want hibiscus and tulips."

Louise set her cup down with a clatter. "No. We will use roses as the base flowers and Calla Lilies as the companion flowers. Those are the only acceptable ones. We will need several hundred stems to fully decorate the chapel and reception area."

"Those sound beautiful, but expensive." Anna shook her head and twisted her fingers again. Robin wanted to reach over and lay his hand on hers to still the nervous flutters. "How many do you think we'll need?"

"Not counting the attendants' flowers, the honorary corsages and such for family and guests, I would say at least a dozen formal arrangements for the chapel, plus altar arrangements, and door decorations. The chapel does not allow flower petals to be tossed on the floor or anything attached to the pews. Then there will be decorating the reception hall."

"Wow, a lot, then. Hundreds of stems, really." Anna shot him a glance. "Robin, what do you think?"

Robin leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other so his ankle rested on his knee. "Can you re-use the chapel arrangements at the reception, perhaps on the tables or somewhere in the room? Then after the wedding and reception you could donate them to the medical center hospital or a local nursing home. Triple duty flowers."

"Oh, I like it." A smile lit her face. "What a beautiful way to make people feel better and share our joy with them. Plus, the flowers won't go to waste. I'll make sure Adam is aware we plan to donate the flowers. What do you think, Louise?"

"It's a commendable idea. I'll make certain your generous donation is mentioned in the program. This leads me to the announcements, save the date cards, and other such needed stationary. I have developed a check list for you." She passed a sheet of heavy paper to Anna. "You should share this with your mother, brother, and attendants. It will help keep us all on the correct track."

"Wow, this is very detailed. It reads like a syllabus from one of my college classes." Anna gaped, dazed as she scanned the list.

"Again, Anna dear, this is a formal wedding, a true social event. There are many details. It's not an easy task."

"Then I'm glad I have you helping me."

_She didn't return Anna's smile_ , Robin noted with a frown as he studied the two women. Something stank besides Louise's designer perfume. Sure Mrs. Harrison wanted to be in complete control of the wedding, but there had to be something else. He didn't buy her this-is-my-only-child line either.

"When can we formally meet with your brother for the flower consult? We should have him order the stems right away, so the growers can be informed of exactly what we need, how many, and the proper colors, heights, and maturity of the blooms."

Anna jumped up. "I'll call him and see when he can come over. Maybe he has some time now."

After she dashed into the kitchen for the phone, Robin leaned forward and stared at the older woman. "Okay, what's the deal?"

Her arched brows drew together. "I'm certain I don't quite understand what you are..."

"Cut it out. We both get something is up besides your taking over the wedding planning. You've changed their plans from a small intimate beach wedding to this huge social event. You overlook almost everything Anna has to say, ignore her input, and treat her like a child."

"I hardly think you are in any position to dictate..."

"You hardly think, period." Robin held up his hand and watched the older woman all but shake with anger. "Anna's a wonderful, loving woman and she deserves to be treated with respect. This is her wedding, not yours. She has her own plans and ideas. Honor them."

"I am including her to the extent I can. Her brother, an unknown in the wedding world, is potentially handling the flowers."

"He will handle them, and Anna can deal with anything else she needs to handle." _Including you_.

"She doesn't appear to understand the magnitude of what is needed for this event. I'm simply attempting to help her."

"She comprehends exactly what she wants. It's a wedding, not an _event_ for you to show off to your social conscious friends. Let her tell you what she wants and then you plan from there."

She leaned forward, her gaze harder than ice. "Look here, young man. I don't know who you think you are, but this is _my_ son's wedding. Anna is unschooled in the most basic of social etiquette and definitely needs guidance if this wedding is to be anything but a hillbilly barbeque on a beach. While such a thing might be all right for people of your and her backgrounds, we Harrisons have standards to maintain."

Robin wanted to shake her. _Hillbilly barbeque?_ Damn the woman. "Now you listen here..."

"No, you listen. If you value your friendship and continued presence in Anna's life, you will sit there and be silent. I am in charge here. Make no mistake about this fact and cease your attempts to derail any of my plans." She held up her hand as Robin shot to his feet. "This wedding will be planned, maintained, and carried out to my standards, or I will not allow it to continue."

"You think you can break my friendship with Anna?" Robin felt the anger surge through him and reminded himself to be the southern gentleman his mom raised. "Or stop the wedding?"

She smiled, and he almost shivered at the chill. Good God, how the hell did her husband sleep beside this woman and not freeze to death in seconds? "I have no doubts I could persuade my son to see how misguided his choice of future wife is, if I so wanted."

"Then why allow their engagement and wedding at all if you disapprove?"

She leaned back and picked up her purse. "I refuse to discuss my personal business with you. Though feel free to tell Anna everything we have just said. I'm certain she will choose your word over mine. Perhaps even choose your presence in her life over mine. Of course, without me there's also no Douglas or any possible chance of her becoming Mrs. Anna Harrison."

_You bitch_. Robin curled his hands into fists. After what he'd seen this afternoon, this ice queen could very well carry out her threat. While he didn't understand why Anna thought she should marry Doug, he damn well wouldn't be the one to break her heart.

"Please do tell her. I'm certain she'll thank you for breaking off her engagement and ruining her plans for marriage to my son."

Robin wanted to scoff, but he'd seen Doug defer to his mother in everything she said. Would he stand for Anna against his mother? He sure hadn't a few minutes ago. How could Robin risk Anna's happiness? Even if he believed Doug would never be the right man for her.

Anna came back, her face bright with her trademark smile. "Adam has some time now, so he's on his way. He's thrilled to talk over the flowers with us and said, while the upscale wedding is a challenge, he can't wait to get started. He has so many ideas already. He helped with a Duke chapel wedding just last year too."

"How lovely, Anna dear." Mrs. Harrison sipped her tea. "Shall we discuss the invitations while we wait for him?"

"Yes, let's do." Anna watched him, confusion now on her features. "Robin, is everything all right?"

Robin glanced from the smugness in Mrs. Harrison's face to the worry in his best friend's. _Now's your chance, Bates, my man. Tell her he's not right, she's marrying the wrong man and..._

"Robin?" Anna touched his hand. "Is there something..."

"No," he said and patted her fingers. "Everything's fine." He smiled at Mrs. Harrison. "I have a friend at the post office who could arrange pre-postage for the envelopes. How many do you believe we need?"

She inclined her head just a bit. "If we count the invitations, the save the date cards, and the RSVP notes, I believe one thousand to fifteen hundred should be sufficient. How many guests do you intend to invite, Anna dear?"

He listened as the two women began to make a list of names. _All right, General Ice Queen, every dog has its day. Yours is coming. I promise._
Chapter Five

Anna raised her head then lowered it to the desktop as the familiar buzz sounded around her. She kept up the head beating rhythm as she waited. _Please, please, please be there_.

"Hello, Anna. How are you this gorgeous night?"

Anna stopped the motion and lifted her head to peek at the computer monitor. "Hi, Charlie. Awful. Is Mom there?'

"She's soothing our latest nervous bride. Some frantic phone call about the cream colored dress not being cream but more like the yellow of old butter. Tears, screams, and threats of murdering dress designers, throwing herself over a cliff or into a volcano, interment Armageddon-all your mom's domain. I'm just the bookkeeper." Her step-father's navy eyes flashed with humor, twinkling even through the Skype window. "Promise me we won't have any nonsense from you."

"You won't. Maybe. The plans have changed. Everything's changed." _In more ways than just where the wedding would be held, the flowers, and the attendants._ "Could you please have Mom call me when she gets back? I really need to talk to her right away."

"Sure, but you sound upset, and I've plenty of time. I'm a good listener. Not quite as great as your mom, but I'll help in any way I can."

Anna opened her mouth to refuse. Then it all came tumbling out. "Okay, so, Doug's mom has taken over everything. The wedding is now some huge posh affair at Duke chapel making William and Katherine's royal wedding resemble a kids' picnic, and it's May twenty-second instead of summer or fall and none of my ideas are good enough and she threw all of them out except for Adam handling the flowers and Robin being my Man of Honor. Although I bet she'll still try to change both of those too. I dumped tea on her after Robin pretended to be gay by wearing my apron and dancing around the room. Instead of helping me, Doug just sat there and laughed then ran off to the football game with his dad and now called and said he's too tired to come over and will be too busy with school for the next few weeks to see me much and just to agree with whatever his mother says for the wedding and do whatever she tells me. I have to have eight bridesmaids and Calla Lilies when I wanted hibiscus and tulips, and Adam just sat there nodding and smiling with dollar signs in his eyes like some cartoon character and adding more and more elaborate flower creations and she fought me on having your name listed with my mom's as my parents until I finally just started crying and saying you had to be on there too. Kassie's next playboy spread is due the day before the wedding date, which Mrs. Harrison herself set, and it's a totally nude spread and I'm not even sure I even want to get married anymore."

She paused to take a breath, panting like she'd run a race at break neck speed. No doubt exactly like the brides Charlie had just smiled about and asked her to promise not to be.

"You didn't spill the expensive kind of tea, did you? Because if so, what a waste."

Of all the things she'd thought he would say, she'd have never guessed this. Anna felt the giggles bubble up, replace the tears, and escape. She laughed until her sides hurt. Charlie sat and smiled on the screen, waiting her out.

"I guess I broke my promise, huh?" Anna wiped at her face and wanted to sink through the floor. She felt like a five year old after throwing a tantrum. Worse, she felt like one of those idiot helpless females in the old horror movies who stood around and screamed, doing nothing to save themselves from the villains, or the damsel in distress Robin had called her. Only it wasn't a joke now.

"Not at all. I'd offer you a tissue, but since I can't, grab one, mop your face, and then start at the beginning, sweetheart. I've got all night if you need me."

"Okay."

"Thank you for including my name on the invitations with your mother's. You couldn't have touched me any deeper than with such an honor."

Yes she could and would. _Later_. Anna took a deep breath, wiped her face, and then smiled at her step-father. "Well, here's the story..."

As she spoke, Charlie sat back, crossed one leg over the other, or leaned forward, arms folded on the desk. He smiled and frowned. Sometimes he shook his head so his dark hair fell over his forehead as she continued her recount of the day. He'd ask a question here or there, but most of the time he listened, exactly what she needed most. Someone to hear what she said. Charlie heard her.

"First," he said when she finally finished and took a long sip of water. "Your mom came in sometime in the middle of all this and she's here beside me."

"Hello, my sweetheart." Christine's face filled the screen. "Had a rough afternoon, did you? How's your face? Those scratches appear deep."

"Mom." Anna grinned and leaned forward. They couldn't touch, yet feeling better just to see her mother's face and hear her voice, she said, "Sorry for the drama. Just wanted to fill you in on what's going on."

"No worries. How is your cheek?"

Anna touched her face. She'd forgotten the scratches. "It's fine. Robin put antiseptic on them for me. They don't hurt. I'm okay."

Charlie stood. "I'll let you ladies talk."

"No, please stay. I dragged you in, and besides, Mom got a jewel when she married you. A good listener's hard to find."

Charlie sank back down and took his wife's hand. He raised it to his lips, kissed it, and winked at her. She flushed. Anna could tell even through the computer screens and over the miles between them, there was more in her step-father's gaze than a twinkle as he gave her a simple kiss.

Doug kissed her hand all the time. Well, not all the time. He kissed her fingertips. Sometimes. But she didn't blush or go all fluttery excited like her mom did. She could actually feel the love between them, computer screens or not. She wished Doug made her feel fluttery all the time. When had he last made her heart flutter? Had he ever?

"I'm going to write this down so we can all be up to date. I'm not ignoring you."

Anna nodded and clicked a few buttons. "I'm sending you a scan of the papers Mrs. Harrison gave me. She said it's to make sure we all stay on the same page. I wrote notes on the margins, so this will help you see what all we talked about too."

Christine clicked a few buttons and read. "Sweetheart, this says there are fourteen pages."

"Yeah." Anna sighed. "And I'm not sure there won't be more, to be honest. Robin says it will be a novel to rival _War and Peace_ before she's finished."

"Wow." Charlie wiped a hand over his brow. "Definitely a posh affair. I see what you mean about outdoing the wedding of the royals. It's beyond us, I'll admit."

Anna gripped her hands together in her lap. "I'm sorry, Mom, Charlie. I really wanted the wedding there, with something simple but..."

"But it's changed and now the wedding is at the Duke Chapel. I have all the times and will mark them in our calendar. The flowers are roses and Calla Lilies, with Adam in charge of supplying and creating all arrangements. The save the date cards will be printed and sent out by Halloween. The invitations will say-Oh, Anna. Oh, sweetheart."

She smiled as her mother raised tear filled eyes. "They will say Mr. and Mrs. Charles Jergens request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Anna."

"As well they should." Christine cleared her throat as her husband slid his arm around her shoulders. "So, there will be eight attendants, and we have an appointment for wedding gown, bridesmaids' and mothers' dress shopping at Laura's Bridals in Atlanta in two weeks. Do I have everything correct?"

Anna nodded and felt utter misery sweep her. "It's far from the wedding I had planned. I'm sorry."

"Why in the world are you sorry?"

"Because it's my wedding, and I really expected you and Charlie to handle everything and it to be there and it's not going to be."

"Okay, first stop saying you're sorry. Breathe," Christine said in her no-nonsense mom voice Anna knew well. "Yes, we'd have loved to plan and host the wedding here. But we can also roll with the change, sweetheart. This is not the end of the world."

"You aren't mad?"

"Why would we be mad? Is this what you want?"

"It's what Doug and his mom want." Anna fidgeted in her chair. "Mom, you know me. I never made bride books and played wedding all the time. I didn't dream about my wedding and every little detail."

"No, you didn't, but I also understand you have your own thoughts and opinions on what you want now."

"It really doesn't matter." But it did. It mattered. Only without Doug's support, what could she do?

"But is it what _you_ want?"

Anna shrugged. Although she wasn't certain if she meant to convince her mother and Charlie or herself. "You sound like Robin, telling me to stand up for myself to get what I want."

"Robin's correct. So, is this grand wedding what _you_ want?"

"No. But I don't really care where we get married or what kind of event it is. All this grand stuff will make Doug and his mom happy. So I'll be happy too."

Christine nibbled the end of her pen, an indication her mom wanted to say something and held back.

"Say it, Mom."

"I want you happy. Whatever you want, you have my and Charlie's full support. But please make sure you're doing this for you and not just to make Doug's mother happy."

"She's going to be my mother-in-law. This wedding means a lot to her. She keeps talking about standards and appearances. How Doctor Harrison is expected to maintain a certain social standing and how this is an event." Anna reached up to release her hair from its tight bun. She sighed as she once again felt like Anna Howell and not the future daughter-in-law of the famous heart surgeon and his social status wife. "I can understand, I guess. So I don't mind if she sort of takes over."

"Because you're focused on the marriage, not the wedding." Charlie ginned and nodded at her. "Smart girl."

_And what of the marriage?_ Anna wanted to scream. _Could this wedding planning be a hint of what would come after the ceremony? Would Doug always defer to his mother? Mrs. Harrison arranged their wedding to the smallest detail. Would he let her arrange their whole lives too? Like how many children they had and when and their names and... No._ She shoved those thoughts aside. She loved Doug. He loved her. Weddings, especially the planning and details, made people crazy. She'd seen friends stress over the color of the napkins not matching the bridesmaids' dresses and heard the horror stories from her mom and Charlie about people flipping out over the smallest detail. Nothing could be wrong with their relationship. Really.

Anna swallowed. "You don't think it makes me a push-over to just let Mrs. Harrison plan everything?"

"Marriage is all about compromise, adjusting, and merging. If this is what you want to do, fine. Just make sure it's what _you_ want."

"It won't be so bad. It's one day. I have the rest of my life with Doug."

"And what does Doug say about all this?"

"He hasn't said anything. Well, except he lit up like a kid at Christmas when he heard his mom booked the Duke chapel for us. He told me to listen to his mother, because she knew exactly what would be needed and could handle everything. He doesn't want to be involved, I don't think." Anna fiddled with the papers. "When he left and when he called a bit ago, he said listen to his mother and do what she said. He said whatever his mother and I planned would be fine."

_It had hurt_ , she acknowledged to herself. _Deeply._ She wanted him to be involved, have her back, help her stand up to his mother, be a part of the joy and madness, and give his opinions and thoughts. The way Robin did.

Christine exchanged a look with Charlie. "Lots of grooms don't care about being involved in the wedding planning. They're content to leave it up to the bride and whoever else."

"They just want to hear what to wear and what time to show up," Charlie added.

"But Charlie hit the nail on the head. It's the marriage which matters. The wedding is a few hours of one day. The marriage is supposed to be forever."

"You're thinking of you and Daddy and how bad your marriage went, aren't you?" Anna slapped a hand over her mouth after the words spilled out. "Oh, gosh, Mom. I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"Yes you did, because it's true." Christine didn't appear at all upset her daughter had blasted her last marriage. "You are aware your father and I were a poor example for you and your brother."

"Mom..."

"So of course I don't want the same for you, regardless who the groom is. You need a wonderful, supportive husband, and you need to be certain before you say, 'I do'."

"Are you telling me you don't think I should get married?" _Because maybe I shouldn't. What if I am making a mistake?_ Anna didn't want the marriage she'd seen between her parents. She wanted what her mother had now. Was marrying Doug be a mistake?

"Doug is your first serious relationship."

"He is not. I dated, a lot, in high school and college and..."

"Not with any intent to get serious, to make something permanent. We knew your mantra well. Date, have fun, yet education and studies came first." Christine twirled her pen. "Never a lasting, steady relationship with a man, never one who gained your attention and focus except Robin."

"Robin's my best friend. No romance between us." _Except once. One night only, as they'd both agreed_. "Doug might be my first steady boyfriend, but he's who I want to marry. You think I will regret marriage with him like you did with Dad?"

"I don't regret my marriage to your father."

"Oh, come on, Mom." Anna waved her hands. "You two couldn't say ten words to each other without fighting when he came home. Of course you regret marrying him."

"I don't." Christine shifted closer to Charlie. "How could I? It gave me you and your brother. It taught me and helped me grow so when the love of my life finally came to me I could accept it, embrace it, and take the chance. I want you to have the love of a lifetime. The hell with the wedding."

"Oh, Mama." Anna felt tears once more.

Charlie passed her mother a tissue. She smiled at him. _There,_ Anna thought. _Love, acceptance, being in tune with each other. The love of a lifetime like Mom had said. I want it too. I thought Doug and I had it. But do we?_

"Speaking as a man, I have to say I didn't care so much what the wedding day brought. Yeah, we were happy being together with our family and friends, but waking up the next morning with your mom beside me made me complete. She keeps me content. The wedding paled in comparison to every day in your mom's arms."

"Charlie." Christine embraced him, and they just held each other.

"I want that," Anna whispered as she watched them and ached with longing. "I want to be able to say what you just did. I'm okay with Doug's mom taking over. Because the marriage matters more than the wedding." _But am I sure it's Doug I want? Why do I have all these doubts all of a sudden? Is it just the stress of the afternoon spent with his mother? What else could it be?_

"So, my darling girl, whatever you want is fine with me." Christine separated from Charlie. She peered at him and he nodded. "It's fine with us. We just want to make sure it's what _you_ want too."

"Yeah, you both keep saying, same as Robin, you want to make sure I have what I want." Anna smiled. "And I keep repeating the same thing to all of you."

"We have to. I don't think you quite believe us yet. What else is bothering you?"

"Are doubts normal?" She finally gave voice to her thoughts. "I mean, doubts about whether I should get married and all?"

"Ah, I thought so. Marriage is a huge step. It's normal to doubt your choice, especially when the details of a wedding smother you. The more planning, the more doubts, I believe."

"Okay." Anna took a deep breath and felt better. "So these feelings are just bridal nerves. It's all so real now we're actually planning." _Stress. Nothing else. Stress._ She'd taken psychology classes. She transferred her ambiguousness at his mother to Doug. Simple. He had stress too, starting medical school, having to live up to the image of his famous father. They were solid. "It's truly happening."

Christine laughed. "Yes, it appears to be. We have the fourteen pages right here to prove it. Now, tell me what you really think of all these plans. What do you like? What can we work on? What should we change?"

"I don't want to lose me." The words burst out. "I get the social thing and standards. I'm even resigned it's this huge Southern wedding with more belles than the church has. But I want this to be me, to show Anna and Doug and what we are. Not just the right chapel and the right flowers and the right gown and some huge write up in the right paper. I want this wedding to be about us."

"Leave it to Adam, your mother, and me." Charlie put an arm around Christine's shoulders and drew her close once more. "We'll make sure there are touches of Anna in this maintaining of standards. I promise."

"There can be little things here and there adding to the big picture. But first, let's do this. Tell us exactly what you will and won't compromise on." Christine leaned against her husband and pointed the pen at the computer screen. "No holding back. What absolutely cannot be negotiated in any way, shape, or form?"

"I already got one thing: both your names on the invitations. The only other thing is the dress. The rest can be negotiated, even done how Mrs. Harrison wants. But the gown has to be all mine, my own choice." Anna shook her head. "Well and one other thing."

"The cake must be all over chocolate?"

Anna laughed. "You understand me well. But no, I meant who walks me down the aisle. I want to have you walk with me, Mom."

"Oh, Anna." Christine's face went soft. "You want me to..."

"You've always been there for me, supported me in everything I do. Who else could walk with me? I want you and one other person." Anna watched her mother and decided this was the perfect time.

"Adam?"

"No. You two are a true team in everything. I can't have one without the other. So, Charlie, will you please walk with Mom and me down the mile of aisle at Duke Chapel?"

Charlie just stared at the screen, shock in his tanned face. He turned in slow motion to his wife. She stroked his cheek and smiled with love and joy. Finally, Anna knew she'd made the right decision about something

"You made him speechless, honey. Congratulations on achieving something rarer than a blue moon."

Charlie laid his head on his wife's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and turned from the screen to murmur something in his ear which made his shoulders shake with either laughter or emotion.

Anna felt a pang again. She wanted the closeness, the love she saw between her mom and step-father. It just took work. She and Doug had it. They just needed to work at it. _Didn't they_?

"You have everything we've been talking about marriage needing to have. So please say you'll walk with us and soon before you make me cry again too."

"Anna, it will be my honor to walk you and your mother down the aisle." Charlie swiped his cheeks, kissed Christine's hand then smiled at the screen. "Just don't think we're giving you away. We're keeping you and taking him."

"Okay, deal." Anna wiped her own tears. She wanted this when she talked about her wedding, this emotion and happiness. Secure she'd made the correct choice, not because it fit some standard to maintain, but because it felt right.

"Guess I have to wear a tux, tie, and all fancy stuff, eh?"

"Yep, and no fashion better than the groom's." Anna grinned as the moment lightened. "The colors are blue and silver."

"Carolina blue or Duke blue?" Charlie grinned back, making a joke of the traditional North Carolina universities' colors. "Who won? You or the mom-in-law?"

"Stop it." Christine swatted her husband. "The only color blue Anna would choose is Tardis blue. Right?"

"Yep." Tardis blue, a deep, true hue from the show _Doctor Who_ , her all time favorite. Carolina blue resembled the color of a spring sky, while Duke blue bordered on navy. Tardis blue sat right in the middle. "The tuxes will be black with the blue vests and bow ties."

"Bow ties are cool." Charlie said in a near perfect British accent.

_He always somehow makes me smile_ , Anna thought, _so different from the memories I have of my birth father._ "We discussed having Duke blue, since it's in the Duke chapel." Louise had been furious. Yet Robin had taken Anna's hand and given her the strength to stand firm as she had with the wording of the invitations. "But Tardis blue shows better with the structure and in the light. Adam helped convince Mrs. Harrison."

"He nails his flowers and his colors. Plus, he has the silver tongue of a snake charmer when he wants."

"He sure does. Will you be able to come with Mom in a couple of weeks and go gown shopping with us?"

Her parents exchanged a glance before Charlie shook his head. "No, love. I'll need to finish a few things here, keep a few brides calm, and avoid Armageddon. You know, the regular, every day things."

"I understand. Calm nerves over old butter and cream. Lucky brides. You sure calmed me down earlier. Thanks."

"No worries." Charlie stood but bent over to still see the screen. "I'm going to reheat some dinner for your mom. Why don't you two take a break from Mrs. Harrison's ideas and go to the Laura's Bridal site to search for dresses, have some fun, and be giggly girls?"

"Perfect. Anna, go get some tea and those cookies I think you made." Christine grinned and flexed her fingers as Charlie went off. "Then let's go window shopping, computer style."

A few minutes later, Anna pulled up the bridal web site and clicked on _designers_ then _collections_. "I may have to have a big southern wedding, but I refuse to have a big southern belle dress. I don't want anything poufy or Cinderella-like. No big skirts, huge trains, or wedding cake full ball skirts. And no cupcake thing taking up the whole aisle either."

"Thank the Lord. Those things are impossible to go to the bathroom in any fashion."

"Experience talking?"

Christine nodded. "You've seen the pictures of my wedding to your father. I wore a true southern belle style dress with a hoop and miles of material and also unbearably hot, uncomfortable, and I couldn't go to the bathroom for hours. So as I said, thank goodness you don't want poufy."

"It's so not me. Robin told me the same thing. Course, he added not to resemble a walking ball of tulle."

"I like him."

Anna did too. "I loved the gown you wore when you married Charlie, the simple flowing chiffon one with the beaded bodice."

"All right, so simple, flowing style, but something a bit more formal for you, I'm thinking, since it's the Duke chapel and a grand event. Any particular designer in mind? I have the web site pulled up, and the collections tab opened."

"You're reading my mind. Let me send you the Duke chapel official wedding guide." Anna accessed the file she'd downloaded earlier to her computer and hit the send button to transfer it to her mom. "I didn't see anything about dress code in there and neither did Robin when he read through it, but Mrs. Harrison, I mean Louise, says there is one. Nothing strapless, skin tight, or showing a lot of skin. It must be traditional and conservative."

"No problem there. Loads of skin showing isn't your style anyway. By the way, Charlie and I are paying for your gown."

Anna sat stunned, staring at the screen and into her mother's face. "Mom, wow. It's too generous. I can't let you."

"You won't let us do anything else," Charlie interrupted as he set a cup and plate in front of his wife. "And don't tell me Adam isn't giving you a discount on the flowers, because he is. Since we assume Kassie's helping bake the cake, she's giving a discount too or she better be. So let us pay for your gown. It would be our honor."

"Just don't go for some ten thousand dollar, blinged out thing." Christine took her husband's hand. "Let's set a dress budget we can all live with and be happy. Name the price, Anna."

"Well." Anna hedged a bit, sipped her tea, and thought it over. "I've found two I really like and both are under four thousand with alterations. Okay?"

"Sounds perfect, since we would have paid up to seven." Charlie flashed thumbs up sign. "I like them already. Which ones are you considering?"

Anna pulled up a picture, clicked, saved, and sent it to her mother's computer. "This one. And this one." She added the second gown photo. She held her breath as her mother clicked her own computer mouse and pulled up the pictures.

"Wow."

A smile lit Christine's face as Charlie spoke. "These are beautiful, sweetheart, and excellent selections, both of them. Plus, they are very much you. We actually had a bride a few weeks ago who wore the straight across bodice style for one of our church weddings. Which is your favorite?"

"I like them both. The only real difference is the neckline." Anna shifted the pictures until they were side by side and covered her screen. "One is more sweetheart and the other is sort of straight across. I'm not sure which is better."

"Print both pictures, then you can try on each and see." Christine tapped a button and the hum of her printer could be heard. "I'm printing them both too. I like the sweetheart neckline the best, especially for you."

"I do too. I'm just not sure how it will fit. I don't want it to be too deep and show too much. Especially since the Duke chapel has those guidelines."

"Oh you won't be showing too much. We'll make sure."

"Protecting my virtue?" Anna minimized the photos to see the Skype screen again. "You sound like Robin."

Charlie nodded despite his wife's swat. "Our job, isn't it? To be serious though, whatever you pick you will be beautiful. Now I'm going off to man land and leaving you two alone."

"Thank you. For everything." Anna marveled at how Charlie going off to _man land_ made her feel so much different from when Doug and his father had more or less done the same thing earlier.

"No worries." Charlie kissed her mother and disappeared from view.

"So these are the front runners. Let's wait for the final decision until you try both on."

"Thanks, Mom."

"For what?"

"For letting me be me."

Christine smiled. "Any time. Now, I pulled up the rest of the Legends Collection by Romona Keveza because it includes those two you like. Does anything else catch your interest?"

"There's the one with Alencon lace."

"And the half sleeves?'

"Yes. What do you think?"

"Really pretty." Christine hit the print button again. "Are there any more?'

"Hmmm." Anna clicked through the pictures. "There are so many strapless ones. I don't think I'd be comfortable in one of those, and Mrs. Harrison probably would faint."

"You could always wear a lace jacket for the chapel then take it off at the reception."

"Spoken like a true wedding planner." Anna grinned at her Mom. "But I don't think I'd want long sleeves in North Carolina in May. Robin says a sweaty bride isn't attractive. So you pick one. What do you like?"

"My opinion doesn't matter, sweetheart. It's what you want."

"I'd really like your input, Mom. You help brides with gowns all the time, so you understand the market and what's out there."

"True, though most of ours are chiffon and flowing styles. We don't have much call for the very formal ones here. It's too warm."

"The weather worries me some too, like I just said. It's usually fairly warm here by late May. I don't want to be too hot in the dress."

"You won't be. We'll find the perfect one."

"You pick one, Mrs. Harrison can pick one, and I'll try on the two I like most once we get there. Four should be enough to find the perfect one."

"Okay." Anna heard her mom busily click through the photos. "I like the _Legends_ one called _Catherine_."

Anna pulled it up and smiled. "Very Grace Kelly. Elegant, lacy, and it has the wow factor, as they say on the bridal gown shows."

"I thought more like _My Fair Lady_ , her début gown."

Laughing, Anna nodded. "It is very Hepburn. Geez, you are sure know me well."

"Instead of Grand Southern Belle, old Hollywood glam should be the theme of this wedding. You and Adam watched Turner Classic Movies more than any other channel."

"Believe me, I'd be happier with an old glam theme. Since it isn't, I can sneak it in with the gowns. Robin says everything should be in black and white."

"I like this gown." Charlie put in as he took her mother's empty plate. "It's just enough to be elegant without overdoing it. But I like the one with the sweetheart neckline too."

"What happened to man land?"

"It's overrated when there are two gorgeous ladies nearby." Charlie kissed his wife. "I can't stay away from you long."

Anna shoved the pang away. "Thanks Charlie. Want to help pick Mom's gown now?"

"Oh, but..."

"Shh. Our mother of the bride is special and sexy." Charlie set down the plate, clicked a few buttons, and then uploaded a photo to Anna's Skype. "I thought something along these lines for the mother of our favorite bride."

Anna clicked on the picture. "Oh wow. I love it. You'll be incredible."

"Not in black of course, as it's shown. What color do you want me to wear?"

"What color do you want, Mom?"

Christine cleared her screen so her full face showed to her daughter. "Anna Suzanne, this is _your_ wedding. I raised you with spirit and backbone. I'm all for making the future in-laws happy and maintaining social standing and to compromise for the sake of merging and making a successful wedding, if _you_ want."

"Mom."

"Some things you have complete control over." Christine lectured right over her daughter. "Some things you have to compromise. You pick your colors and what the bridal members wear. Period. Now, what color do you most want me to wear?"

"Blue. I want you to wear blue." Anna fought a grin.

Christine nodded once. "The light blue or the navy?"

"The sapphire."

"Okay. Good. Since that's what I already ordered."

Anna burst into laughter. "Oh I love you, Mom."

"I love you too." Christine nudged her husband, and he silently left. "Now shall we talk about your relationship? What's wrong?"

"It's fine. Doug proposed days ago, and we've gone from small wedding to elaborate event. Weddings are a lot of work, and I never thought I'd have such a huge day. We both have started new jobs, well I have, and he's beginning classes Monday. So there's a lot of stress right now." Anna paused for breath. "But we're okay. Our relationship, I mean. Nothing to worry about."

"Hmm. And?'

She should have guessed her mother wouldn't be easy to convince. "Robin has been acting very odd."

"Robin is always odd. In a good way, of course."

Anna rolled her eyes. "I understand, but something weird mixed in today, the way he just kept staring at me, like he wanted to say something and couldn't."

"He wanted to say something about the wedding plans or something else? Because you realize you've said his name more than Doug's or anyone else's."

She hadn't realized, though she did now her mom pointed it out. "I'm not sure. I don't get him. He didn't like the way Mrs. Harrison took over or some of the things she said to me."

"He's your best friend. You two hit it off from the moment you met. He's going to side with you no matter what."

"True."

"I taught you to be respectful, but you're a mature, intelligent college graduate. You are fully aware what you like and what you want. Your personality should come through in your wedding."

"So you're saying I compromised too much." Anna stared at her mom. "I tried to make everyone happy. I hate the conflict."

"You always have. So not in any way do I think you're a pushover. I'm saying you always think of what others want. You're sweet as sugar but if you always do what others want, you don't express your ideas. You should be happy with the choices too."

"I guess." Anna put her head in her hands and blew out her breath. "It is important to Doug his mother and I get along. He absolutely loves the big grand wedding thing. I wanted Robin to see I'm compromising to keep the peace but still being me. I'm not sure he understands."

"There's one thing to remember and what Robin probably tried to tell you as well. When sugar is heated and under pressure, it becomes hard. Then it shatters. We don't want to see you crumble over this whole wedding."

"There's just something in the way he gazed at me." Robin had never watched her like he had right before Adam arrived to talk about the flowers. Like he so wanted to say something and couldn't. Robin had never, ever, had trouble saying what he thought, one of the reasons she trusted him so much. He always told her the truth. "He also said he'd sell his motorcycle if I called off the wedding."

"He said what?"

"He promised to sell his beloved bike if I called off the wedding. He had to be just joking to make me laugh. I mean, really, he loves his bike more than anything on earth."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should ask him why he would make such a rash deal, according to you."

"Oh, come on. No way is he going to sell something that meant the world to him just because I call off the wedding. It must be something else. I just can't guess what."

"You won't find out unless you ask."

Anna raised her head and nodded. "I'll call him tomorrow. We start the school year Monday. His classroom is straight across the hall from mine. Maybe he's nervous about our first real teaching job like I am. And Mrs. Harrison can be really overwhelming. Especially since she made it clear she doesn't much like him."

"Maybe."

Something in her Mom's tone made Anna narrow her gaze. "What?"

"Nothing, sweetheart. Tell me about the school and your classroom. Do you know your students' names yet? How many are girls? How many are boys?"

They chatted a few minutes more before they both signed off. Anna moved to clean up the cups and plates from the afternoon, her mind in a whirl. Could she be labeled a doormat about the wedding plans? Should she stand up more? How could she make everyone understand the wedding really didn't matter to her, as long as her marriage came close to what her mom and Charlie had, gazing at each other and just glowing?

She didn't want the marriage her parents had, where her father stayed gone all the time and cheated on her mom. She wanted a strong union, forever. The twenty-fifth and fiftieth anniversaries, raising children, and grand children, still holding hands after years and years together. Even Doctor and Mrs. Harrison had special something, a loving glow. But did she and Doug really have a glow?

"I just need to talk to him." Anna muttered and dialed his number. "Doug's so logical all the time. He can make all these doubts go away." The call went to voice mail. "Drat. Maybe I should drive over there. But it's a whole hour away, I'm exhausted from the awful visit with General, I mean, Mrs. Harrison, and poor Doug is probably studying and won't like me interrupting him-oh good glory." She yanked at her hair. "I'm talking to myself." She called again, determined to banish these doubts once and for all, and kept calling until he finally answered.

"Hello?"

He sounded half awake. Uh oh. "I understand it's late, but please could we talk?"

"Anna? Now? I need..."

"Maybe we need to postpone the wedding." She said it too fast, a rush of words. She swallowed and said it again slower. "We need to postpone the wedding. Even next May seems too soon. There are so many things we haven't discussed."

"Darling, just let Mother handle it all. She is a pro at this."

"I mean us, Doug. You and me. It feels like we're rushing this whole thing. Even your mother said if we had the Hawaii wedding it screamed impulsive. We got engaged a week ago, and now we have a wedding date and dress shopping and attendants and flowers and five hundred other things."

"Anna darling, most couples set a date and plan all those things. It's called being engaged." He yawned, the sound mixing with the rustling of sheets. "It's okay."

"But Doug, the whole wedding thing is all so different from what we sort of talked about. We said simple and easy. What your mother is planning is huge. Plus, I'm worried about something. I mean, do we really want the same things in our lives? Why did your mother ask about me continuing to work? Do you expect me to give up my job?"

"Of course not. Not right away. Once we have children, I will."

Anna swallowed. _Give up teaching once they had children? But..._ "Children? We didn't talk about having kids. Wait. Why would your mother think I might be pregnant already? You don't expect us to try to become parents right after the wedding, do you? I'm not ready to be a mom, and you're still in med school and we're both so young."

"Anna, good God, stop it. No, we didn't talk about having kids except in the general sense we both want them some day. But some day doesn't mean right away." He yawned again and groaned. "You're a teacher so of course you love kids and want your own someday. Someday in the distant future."

"Someday. Distant future. Yes. Sure. Exactly what I'm saying. And I'm not giving up teaching just because we have children. At least, I don't think I will. Not fully. Maybe I'll sub and still be home while he or she is a baby. But once they start school then I'll want to teach again."

"Anna, is there a point to this?"

"Yes." She took a deep breath and twisted her hair around her finger. "I want us to take some time, think this all through. Not the wedding, but the whole marriage thing. There are a lot of things we haven't discussed and maybe we should have a longer engagement until..."

"This is bridal nerves." She heard him pound a pillow and his irritated puff of breath he tried to disguise as another yawn. "Mother's ideas scared you. Planning a wedding takes a lot of thought, preparation, and work. So you're scared. I understand. You have a bad case of bridal nerves. Now please go to sleep so I can get some rest."

She wished she had a pillow to pound. "Bridal nerves. You think this is bridal nerves?"

"Yes. You took the same psychiatry classes I did. Humans under pressure seek the easiest way to escape. Your simple wedding is now huge, and you're scared. So you doubt everything. Nothing more."

Could it really be so simple? Maybe. She remained unsure and scared. "Doug..."

"You're tired, darling, and so am I. We aren't going to solve anything now. Please get some sleep."

"Okay. Good night." She hung up and went to bed, tossing and turning until she finally got up and went back to her computer. She searched through several bridal and wedding planning sites, pondering, picking, and printing. She made notes, wrote up plans, and drew sketches.

Then she searched psychiatry sites on bridal nerves and how to strengthen your relationship as a couple. Maybe she and Doug should consider counseling. Work out all these doubts and fears. Bridal nerves. Sure. Nothing else.

This would be _her_ wedding. Her and Doug's. Doug loved her. She loved Doug.

"We have to have that glow. We just have to." Anna stumbled back to bed. "Because if we don't...Oh, God, am I making a mistake?"
Chapter Six

"Bye Miss Howell!"

Anna waved the last of her six year old students out of the classroom and collapsed on the closest chair, kid sized or not. Wow. All day teaching alone sure differed from all day interning with an experienced teacher. It had been chaos at first, hectic and stressful, and all those small faces looking to her for guidance and boundaries and knowledge and fun and... She'd loved every day, every hour, every minute of it.

"Anna? Are you alive? Did we really survive?"

She glanced up and grinned. Robin appeared as elated and shell-shocked as she felt. His button shirt wrinkled, his tie askew, pants creased, and brown hair mused he sank into a chair beside her. Paint dotted the back of his hands. His eyes had their custom twinkle only muted. His head fell on the table. "Wow, what a week, huh?"

"The first one is always the hardest, but it gets better, so they say. How many days until Christmas break?"

She laughed at his muffled reply. "There's fifteen weeks until holiday vacation, with a couple of teacher workdays, Vet's day, and Thanksgiving thrown in."

"Thank you, most merciful God."

She reached over and ruffled his hair. "You know you love it."

He grinned. "Oh heck yeah. Every minute. You?'

"Oh yeah. It's so different than I thought and yet so much better, and worse." Anna grinned back. "Morgan is driving me to distraction wanting to learn everything all at once, and Sami just takes her time to make any choice at all, and..."

"Davy only wants to do math, Wyatt only wants to read, and Iris only wants to draw." Robin finished. They shared a laugh until he reached over and stroked back a strand of her hair which had fallen across her forehead. Then he reached up and pulled out the clip which held it up so it tumbled to her shoulders.

Anna's heart fluttered, thumped, and left her open-mouthed in shock.

He'd messed with her hair a hundred times. Never had her pulse jumped. Never. Well, except for the one night when they'd...damn. She could not remember their night. No. Not now. Not ever. What the...

"Anna? Robin?"

They both jumped up at the assistant principal's voice and spoke in union, much as their first graders did. "Yes, Mrs. Barber?"

She smiled as she leaned against the doorway, her short gray hair perfectly in place, tailored suit unwrinkled, and face serene. "I recall my first week, and how it drove me both into elation and despair wondering why the heck I thought I could be a teacher of elementary aged students or a teacher at all."

"I feel that way exactly." Anna laughed and smoothed the front of her loose, calf length dress. "Awesome and frightening, all at the same time."

"I agree." Robin stood behind her, his normal upbeat voice subdued.

"Welcome to the wonderful world of teaching." Mrs. Barber nodded at both of them. "Now go home and forget this place and your students for the weekend. Time enough for all the afterhours and late night work you'll both do. Enjoy a breather while you can. Oh, and Anna?"

Anna felt her stomach clench. Uh oh. What had she done? "Yes, ma'am?"

"Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding. I read about it in today's paper."

"The paper?"

"Yes, in the society section of our local online newspaper. An announcement of your engagement and upcoming wedding at the Duke chapel appeared today."

_It did?_ Anna just stared at her. She'd had no idea. Doug hadn't mentioned anything about it nor had Louise in her numerous emails and files of _things to do_. So much for keeping her informed of each decision. "Thank you."

"I'm an Appalachian grad, myself, but I can forgive you for choosing the Duke chapel. It is a beautiful place. Make sure you put in for the time off. I'm sure you'll need a few weeks before and after the big event."

Anna nodded and remembered to speak. "Yes, of course. Thank you for the reminder. I'll do it right away."

"Time enough on Monday. I recall how stressful wedding planning can be with dozens of details. If you need anything school wise, just make me aware." Mrs. Barber straightened and waved her hand. "See you both after the weekend. Oh, and Robin, you have morning bus duty next week. Please don't forget."

"No worries, Mrs. Barber. Have a great weekend."

Anna turned and bustled about her classroom, pushing in chairs, straightening books, and doing her best to ignore her best friend and what had just passed between them. What had just happened? He'd touched her hair and she...

"Anna? Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you wanted to have pizza and watch a movie tonight." She heard Robin move a few steps behind her. "I can pick up a couple on my way home and then come over."

"No hot date with some sexy mystery woman like most every other weekend?" Anna tried to joke. It fell flat as she immediately wondered if there might be a special woman in his life now, who the tramp might be, why any woman might remotely believe herself good enough for Robin and if he'd... Wait, Robin had dated tons of women. She'd never cared before, why did she care now?

He cleared his throat. "Nope. Not this weekend. I'll even buy the pizzas. Come on, Anna. We need to celebrate surviving our first real week of teaching."

"How are you going to get pizza on your bike?"

He grinned. "I do have a side bag and a rack behind the seat, after all. How do you think I get groceries so I don't starve to death?"

"I thought you just raided my refrigerator and cabinets because you couldn't get grocery bags on the bike. You always claim extra weight throws off the bike's balance." Just behave normally and this...whatever this madness is will go away.

"So you won't ride with me because you think your weight might throw off my balance?" He tilted his head a bit and raised his brows.

She wouldn't ride with him because the thought of her body pressed against his as they flew down the streets might make her go into overdrive and repeat the night they'd tossed everything, especially their clothes, aside and-Anna cleared her throat and shook her head. "I won't ride a death machine because I don't have a death wish like you seem to have."

Robin opened his mouth then snapped it shut. "I'm smart. Your cooking is a whole lot better than mine. I never turn down a free meal, nor should you. So, how about it?"

"Um, sure. Let me call Doug and see if he's free. He won't want to miss the celebration." Anna all but raced for her cell phone behind her desk, grateful for something else to focus on besides whatever ran rampant inside her mind. "He's been slammed all week, so he'd probably love some down time, and-Hi, honey."

"Anna, what it is? I'm right in the middle of a procedure."

Anna felt a pang of disappointment at his abruptness and kept her back to Robin lest he see. "I understand you're busy, so I won't keep you. Want to come over for pizza and a movie tonight? Robin's buying."

"Not tonight. I thought I made it clear I'm really busy. I'll try to get back with you sometime this weekend, but my schedule is so tight."

"Okay, I understand. But I just thought we could have some time for us."

"I'm sorry. I need to go. Bye."

Anna swallowed ridiculous tears. He had told her he'd be busy. She'd watched _Grey's Anatomy_. Med students were busy. So why would she cry because he didn't want to spend time with her? Wait. He wanted to be with her. She wore his ring, planned their wedding, well, sort of planned it. Slammed with work, like all the med students. There'd be a time in the future she'd be buried in grading papers and busy too.

She set her phone back on her desk and took a deep breath.

"He can't make it?"

Anna pulled herself together, plastered a smile on her face, and turned. "No, he can't. Med school is really kicking him right now."

"Hmm." Robin held out her hair clip.

She took it, careful to only brush the tips of his fingers with hers. She still felt the flutter in her stomach and knees. _What the heck_? She swallowed. "So, um, guess it's just us. I mean, if you still want."

"Wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't. We have to celebrate surviving our first week of independent teaching." He smiled, his eyes the blue of an ocean at sunset: gorgeous and sexy and utterly desirable.

_Holy heck._ She stared at him like one of those idiot women they'd met in restaurants and pubs and parks and classes-pretty much anywhere they went together. Half the single teachers at this school had already asked him out. The other half were probably waiting outside the door.

What was _wrong_ with her?

"Anna?" He touched his cheek, inspected his clothing, and swept a hand over his shirt and pants. "Do I have paint on my face or something? You're staring at me like I suddenly grew two heads."

"Sorry. My mind wandered. It's not you." He was her best friend for crying out loud, and she happened to be an engaged woman. She had no business staring at him or thinking him one of the sexiest men she'd ever seen. "We do need to celebrate. I want bacon on my pizza."

"Done." Robin tilted his head a bit. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yep. Just peachy, except I'm worried about you on your death trap bike."

"Anna." He stroked her cheek again, his face serious. "Just because Adam almost died on a motorcycle at age sixteen doesn't mean I will get in an accident too. I'm safe. I'm careful. I always wear a helmet."

"So did Adam, and it's not you I'm worried about. It's the other idiot drivers who concern me.." She pulled away from him.

"He's safe and sound now."

"But it could have been..."

"But it didn't." Robin shrugged. "And besides, you are fully aware how to make me give up the bike."

"Yeah right. Cancel the wedding. Sure."

"Never know until you do it."

"Go get pizza. I'll see what's on movie-wise as soon as I get home." Anna waited until his footsteps faded before she sank to her chair. She wanted to pound her head on her desk. Maybe the week had been harder than she thought. She must be tired. Yeah, mere weariness. They'd watch one movie, and then she'd get a good night's sleep. She gathered her things to leave.

As she drove home, Anna sighed. She thought about Doug. They'd only had a few hurried conversations this week. She just missed her fiancé. But she'd better get used to this. The life of a doctor's wife meant spending days, nights, and afternoons alone, as Doug had told her many times. She didn't think it would start so soon, though, especially when she hadn't seen him all week and had so much she wanted to tell him.

The phone rang as she unlocked her front door. She ran to answer it, tripped over the rug, and all but fell against the wall as she grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"

"Anna, hi!" Kassie's voice burst from the phone. "I had to call and confirm, as of right now, I can go next weekend for the great gown hunt. I can't wait."

"Awesome. We're meeting here at six to drive down. Can you make it then?" Anna rubbed her sore elbow and bent to pick up her dropped keys from the floor.

"Perfect. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Not really. Pack an overnight bag with casual clothes. Oh and maybe a pair of heels, since you'll be trying on bridesmaids dresses." Anna set her purse and teaching bag on the table atop yet more pages of instructions and notes from Mrs. Harrison.

"Oh, wow! Awesome. Now I really can't wait. This is going to be such fun. Okay, have to run. I'm delivering the cake to Doug, and you probably have to dash to get there in time too."

Her fiancé's name caught her attention. "What cake? Get where?"

After a second, a more subdued Kassie replied. "Oh, um, guess he didn't have time to tell you. He's throwing his father a surprise two hundredth surgery party, and I helped make the cake. It's this giant heart. Not the cartoon ones, but the real ones with veins and valves and everything. He came in and drew it out for me so I got everything just right."

Doug went to the bakery and helped design a cake? When? He'd told her he'd be studying and too busy to see her all week, yet he'd gone and designed a cake?

"Then he helped mix the colors for the icing too. He made my boss laugh so hard, telling jokes and hospital stories. It took hours, but we finally got it just right."

"Wow, great. Okay, I think you have to dash. See you next week." Anna hung up and tried her best not to be disappointed. Or jealous. Or downright furious. He'd never even liked Kassie, and now he was spending hours with her? Had he only pretended not to like her? Telling jokes and mixing colors for cake icing? Her serious, staid Doug? He was throwing a surprise party for his father, and he hadn't thought to invite her. Why?

She flipped on a light, kicked off her shoes, and changed into comfy sweats. Maybe he only invited hospital staff. She didn't work at the hospital so Doug hadn't invited her. The party guests were people who knew his father best.

So why did it still hurt? Why had he made time for damn cake icing colors but not for her? Not once all week. Her very first week of teaching.

She dialed Doug's number. "Oh, sure, of course," she muttered when his voice mail picked up. "Doug, it's Anna. Call me, please. We need to talk."

"Anna?" Robin opened the door, the scent of tomato sauce and bacon filling the air. "These smell so good, and I'm starving. I'm definitely going to start packing my own lunch. Elementary school cafeteria food is as bad as I remember. You're lucky I didn't pull over on the drive home and devour one of these pies whole. What movie did you choose?"

"I haven't searched yet." Anna grabbed a box, placed it on the coffee table, and plopped down beside it. She shoved her hair out of the way as it fell around her. "Kassie called as I got in. She's going with us next week."

"Great." He brought the other pizza over to the table and tossed her a bottle of flavored water. "See? I even remembered your water. No empty soda calories before the great gown hunt."

"Thanks." She passed Robin a paper plate. He took a seat on the floor opposite her as she opened the box and let the scent of pizza fill the room. "Oh, man. These smell great."

"This is the true food of the gods." Robin grinned at her. "And starving people on tight budgets everywhere. We've eaten our share with all those late night study sessions and worries over passing the teaching examinations. Now here we are. Two veteran teachers, battle scarred, yet surviving to teach another day. Congrats, Ms. Howell."

"Congrats, Mr. Bates." They both reached for slices and dug in, eating in companionable silence. Ah. Nothing hit the spot like bacon smothered in dough and tomato sauce. She ate one piece and began a second before she asked, "Would you have a party and not invite your bride-to-be?"

Robin chewed, swallowed, and glanced at her with a raised brow. "What kind of party is Doug having he didn't invite you to join?"

"A two hundredth surgery surprise party for his dad."

"Probably only the hospital staff invited." Robin dove into his fourth piece.

In envy, since she'd finished her pre-set limit of two slices, Anna smacked the almost empty pizza box. "Exactly what I thought! Okay. He's forgiven, even if Kassie got to go since she helped make the cake."

"Kassie got invited?" Robin stopped chewing and stared at her. "Doug didn't invite you but invited your friend, Kassie?"

"She's your friend too. We all hung around together, even if we did have different fields and majors. We all went out together, partied together, and graduated together. Even a time I thought you and her were thinking about becoming a couple."

Robin gave a shout of laughter, making her halt her words and gape at him. "Oh hell, no. Kassie and me? No way."

Anna shook her head. She knew he and Kassie had once. Just as he had with her and lots of other women. "Why? She's gorgeous, model sexy, and you're not so bad, either."

"Thanks, I think." He finished his piece while shaking his head. "She's not my type."

"Oh please, don't tell me all of a sudden you're one of those how-could-she-demean-herself-by-posing-in-Playboy crowd." Anna took a sip of water. "You gaped at her spread same as every male on campus."

" _Spread_ is sure the right word. But to be honest, you standing in our room in your nightshirt, with your hair all loose and messy does more for me than seeing Kassie naked and straddling a desk chair."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, right. Stop teasing. I'm not exactly Playboy model material."

"You don't have to be. There's nothing sexier than a woman who enjoys life. I watched you pushing Gracie on the playground swings today. You were smiling more than her. Says a lot, considering she'd live on the swing if you'd let her."

He'd been watching her on the playground? Why? They'd combined their outdoor time so the children in their classrooms had more social interactions, a mad, wild, loud, fun time, kids everywhere, loads of activity, barely time to catch a breath, even more rare when Robin and she could share a word. Yet he'd watched _her_?

She gulped more water. How had this causal evening suddenly turned so...serious? Boggy ground. Oh boy. She needed to change the subject. Fast. "Kassie hadn't been blessed enough to receive a scholarship like we did. She had to pay for college somehow."

"I'm not standing in judgment of her. Not at all. I just never saw how two such different women could be friends, is all." Robin licked a bit of sauce from the corner of his mouth. Her stomach fluttered. "Nice switch of subject too."

Anna bent her head, glad for the curtain of her hair, and decided to ignore his last comment. "Yeah, we're different all right. She's high class gorgeous, and I'm just plain me."

"Not true at all. And not what I meant. You stayed up all night helping Amanda study for the Praxis 2 exam so she could graduate and get her teaching license. Kassie got mad because she had to perform twenty hours of community service for the degree requirement and almost didn't graduate when the Dean discovered she had paid someone to go to the soup kitchen in her place. You paid the graduation fee for Talia, even though you really didn't have the extra money either. Kassie complained about the fee, yet bragged how she spent three hundred dollars on a silk dress to wear under our grad gowns. See the difference?"

Anna shoved at her hair and sighed. "She's had a rough life."

"We've all had something in our lives not perfect, or easy, or right."

Her head jerked up. "Just exactly what do you mean?"

"I mean we all suffer. It's part of life. Kassie takes complaining and whining to a new level, while you try to roll with things and make the best of them. You don't use people, Anna. She does. She's a master manipulator and almost as money hungry as she is man hungry. Kassie only dated guys with money in college and only hung out with you to meet Doug's rich friends."

Did she detect jealousy in his tone? Had he asked Kassie and been turned down? Or had he just been too afraid to ask? She knew they'd...well, she'd seen the texts, after all. It wasn't like Robin to be bitter, or like her to feel this stab of envy. "She'd have gone out with you if you'd just asked."

"I'd never ask. She sees dollar signs with every guy she meets, which is all she cares about, how much a guy, or anyone, can do for her." Robin wiggled his hand so pizza waved through the air. "I absolutely loathe this type of woman, exactly why I said you two are completely different. It has nothing to do with appearances or body figures. It's everything to do with personality and heart."

"But she does have a good heart. She gave me your birthday cake free." Anna racked her brain a bit. "And she came to the pediatric hospital party with us, even manned the cupcake table and helped the kids decorate their own treats."

"Yeah, but she only came because Doug and a dozen other doctors were there, as well as local media reporters. You always think everyone has a good heart no matter what."

"Because usually everyone does have a good heart somewhere."

"Dreamer."

"Pessimist." Anna laughed at their familiar, good-natured taunts and set her plate aside. They were back on track to their easy friendship.

"So," Robin said as he reached for another piece of pizza, "Doug invited Kassie to the party instead of you. Interesting."

So much for easy friendship. "Interesting? She made the cake." Anna waved her hand. "What exactly are you trying to say? Doug chose Kassie over me? He prefers her over me? Or she's chasing after him?"

"Well, she choose a local bakery near his hospital when she could have gone almost anywhere after graduation."

"Oh come on. Taking a job in this area doesn't mean Kassie is chasing Doug. You choose a position at the same school I did, and you're sure not chasing me."

"Chasing you would be a wasted effort." Robin waved the half eaten slice before he set the crust back in the box.

Anna slammed the lid on his hand. "What do you mean? I'm not worth the chase?"

"Hey, starving teacher here." He knocked on the inside of the box and glared at her. "And don't be ridiculous. Of course you're worth a chase, but even I can recognize a no win situation regardless if I can't fully give up on it or you."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" He was hiding something, besides his hand in the box. "Robin?"

The liquid blue fire in his eyes singed her as he spoke. "I didn't give the let's-forget-this-ever-happened-and-just-be-friends speech. I didn't stay too afraid to see where our relationship might have gone. No win situation."

Stunned, she gaped at him. "I thought...but you never said...I mean, we'd..."

He just stared at her, face unmoving, his chest rising and falling as his breaths increased. He was, she realized, getting angrier by the second.

She swallowed and tried to find words, any words, to defuse the tension. "I couldn't bear to think of losing you as my friend. We did the best thing for us."

"We did the best thing for _you_."

"But you...you agreed with me. You said you didn't want to risk our friendship either."

"What the hell could I say?" He shot to his feet, knocking the pizza box to the floor. "You didn't give me a choice. Either be your friend, only your friend, or leave your life."

"I never said we couldn't be friends or you had to leave my life." She whispered the words. Yet it had been close. The next morning, after one incredible night, she'd told him: _Robin, we can't let this happen again. I love you, as a friend. I don't want to risk our friendship on meaningless sex. Let's just put it behind us and stay the way we were before it happened. That's all I can give you. Please?_ He'd agreed.

He paced in front of her. "Maybe it's not the correct time to bring all this up, but it needs to be said. The only reason I agreed was because it was what you wanted. The only reason. Because you asked."

No. This couldn't be happening, Robin saying everything she'd wanted to hear before she started dating Doug, before she'd accepted the ring. So Anna shied away from it, as she had then. "Tell me why you said 'Doug invited Kassie instead of you' in your shocked tone."

"Even now you won't face it." He muttered a curse which shocked her with the anger behind it. "Will you? You won't admit maybe we could have-"

"I faced it the morning after. I'm not an idiot, Robin. When you date a woman, it's like your skydiving adventures. You have a thrill, anything goes, and it's awesome and you're on the high of it all. Then you land and it's over. You never talk to the woman again, let alone have a friendship with her. I didn't want our friendship to be over. I still don't. I can't give more than I am. I can't."

"Why, Anna?" He stopped right in front of her, hands on his hips balled into fists. "Why can't you give more? Because of Doug Dufuss?"

"No. Because I can't just have sex with you and then watch you leave!" _Oh holy crap, did I really admit that?_ _Might as well get it all out there_. "And you _will_ leave. It's what you do. It's what you always do with every single woman you date. You leave like they're revolving doors and your turn, their turn, is over."

"That's not true." He gawked, shaken, his mouth half open. "Geez, Anna, I didn't realize you had such a low opinion of me."

She didn't believe such a horrible thing dwelled in her mind, either, especially about the man she- "Oh, God, Robin. I don't have a low opinion of you. But what I said about your relationships is true. Even the next morning after we...you couldn't wait to jump out of my bed, throw on clothes, and run. If I hadn't asked you to let it all be forgotten and stay friends, we'd have never spoken again."

"No. I never meant for you to think for a moment our night didn't mean something to me. Because it did." Robin shoved his hands in his pockets. "Please, can't we talk about this?"

Anna shook her head. She couldn't, wouldn't rehash this. Not now, not ever. "There's nothing to talk about. I need more than great sex. I need..."

"You thought we had great sex?" He grinned and appeared so proud of himself; Anna wanted to slap him. "I admit, sex with you..."

"Shut up. I need stability and assurance the man I'm committed to will be there the next morning, next week, and next month." _Stop it, God, please stop it. I can't do this, I can't._

"I've been there, damn it. I never left. Even when you started dating Doug Dufus, I've been there." His voice rose as he threw each word at her. "What the hell more do I need to do to prove I'm not going anywhere?"

"Doug will always be there for me. He won't just run away." She held up her hand. "See? This proves it. He gave me this ring to show we'll always be there for each other."

"Yeah?" Robin knelt in front of her, his glare almost making her forget her own name. "So where's he been the last few days? Where is he right now? Or when you need someone? When you need him? Not here, not with you. I'm the one here."

"Stop it." She shook her head over and over. Robin may be right, but she couldn't admit it. She'd lose everything if she did. "I'm engaged to him. I've made my choice. Please don't push me on this. Please. Oh please, Robin, please stop. Please."

The fire left his eyes. "Jesus, ask anything of me, but don't cry. Please don't cry."

"Just tell me why you had the tone." She bent her head, forcing the tears to stop. They had to stay friends. They had to. "If you were ever my friend, just tell me."

He sighed. "If we weren't friends, I wouldn't still be here. I'd walk out, walk away, but if I did, it would just prove your point to you. So you're stuck with me, at least for now. What tone?"

"The tone you use when you're questioning and yet understand something at the same time. You had the same tone when you first saw my ring." More composed, she raised her head.

He threw his hands in the air. "You said you'd never get married and all of a sudden you're engaged. What did you expect me to say?"

"I didn't expect you to say, 'Oh my God, are you crazy? You really want to marry some stuffed shirt?' about fifty times." She ran a hand through her hair. "It insulted me, just as it insults me now you're keeping something from me. I heard what you called him. Don't think I didn't."

Robin let out his breath in a huff. "Come on. I said sorry. I just didn't want you to make a mistake is all. You said you forgave me and now you're dragging it all back up?"

"Doug and I dated the whole last semester of college. It's not like we went out once and he proposed. I'm not a desperate old maid."

He began to laugh, even as she scowled. "You could be eighty and not be an old maid."

She shook her head, refusing to let him compliment her and make her forget the feelings of unease. "What do you get about Doug or Kassie I don't? What did you mean?"

"Why do you have this irrational fear of Kassie? Yeah, she's a Playboy model. Big damn deal."

"Every man who sees her wants her."

"Not me."

_But you had once. Kassie texted then told me. It's how I knew I could never compete with someone like her._ "You recall our party nights. If I even ogled a guy, the minute Kassie walked into the room, they fell all over themselves trying to get to her. Doug remains the first man who didn't."

"You're marrying Doug because he didn't run after Kassie?" Robin's lips twisted in something not quite a smile. "Seriously?"

"No." _Yes, in part_.

"I never ran after her either, and you aren't marrying me."

_You never asked me. If you had..._ "What do you know?"

Robin plopped down on the floor and leaned back against the sofa. "Anna, I don't have any proof and I didn't mean anything. It just seemed weird your friend got invited to your future father-in-law's party and you weren't, even if she did make the cake."

"But..."

"It surprised me because Doug's not, according to you, an insensitive sort of guy. I don't like to see you hurt."

"So now Doug is insensitive?" She felt irrational anger toward Robin. Absolute fury at him for bringing up their night and subsequent morning, for inferring she was running away from something even he didn't want. For not arguing with her when she insisted they stay just friends. He knew her so well and yet not at all.

"Hey, I brought pizza. Why are you trying to pick a fight with me?" Robin sighed. "I haven't done anything to upset you, have I?"

"Only trying to drag up the long dead past. Which is really low of you, especially now." Anna picked at her plate and wanted to throw it.

"And you're upset with me for that?" He shook his head as if he couldn't understand, which made her more furious.

_No, damnit! I'm upset with you because_ y _ou touched my hair. You made me think you were sexy when you licked your lips and made your hair stand on end. You called me sexy in my ratty nightshirt and said I turned you on more than a Playboy model. You brought up the single most wonderful night of my life and you didn't fight me when I said we could only be friends, not lovers. I'm upset because I shouldn't think of what could have been between us, and yet I am. Because you're here, being supportive, and nice, and wonderful, and saying all the things I'm thinking and bury them in my heart. You're being everything my fiancé is not right now and hasn't been for a while, especially since he'd rather make jokes and stir icing colors with my friend than spend time with me. Have you upset me? You don't know the half of it._

"Anna? What's wrong?"

_Get control, Anna. Geez, you're acting nuts. Being mad at Robin because he pointed out Doug's insensitivity or brought up the past? God, what is wrong with me?_ She leaned her head back against the sofa and thought of a quick, almost true excuse. "Kassie said he went over to the bakery, helped design this special anatomically correct heart cake, and then spent hours helping mix the right colors for the icing."

"Hours? Ah, I get it. When did he last come over here? Or the two of you had a date?"

"We went out last Saturday with his parents." She turned her head and saw the sympathy in his gaze. "Stop it. I don't need you feeling sorry for me as if I'm some poor forgotten little fiancée left home alone every night."

"Did I say you were?" Robin took a long swallow of soda while she fumed all over again. "I didn't think so."

"Oh really? Sure you didn't."

"I didn't. I think Doug's an even bigger idiot than I first thought." Tone bitter, he kicked the empty box across the floor so hard it spun and slammed into the opposite wall.

Anna stared at him, shocked at the slap of his anger against her own. "Why are _you_ mad? I'm the one he stood up."

"I don't like the way he treats you. I hate watching you get hurt."

"He doesn't. Not all the time." She sat up to hug her knees, wanting to hug him instead. How could she stay angry at her best friend when he could be so...so...damn it, exactly what she needed right then. And he shouldn't be. He should be just her best friend, not the only man she needed.

"Meaning he does some of the time, and the past couple of weeks, he has most of the time," Robin pointed out. "Why are you marrying him, Anna? Tell me the truth, best friend to best friend."

She closed her eyes so he couldn't see the same thoughts running over and over in her head. "He asked me. He's safe. He's dependable. We'll have a stable life." _And you didn't ask me. You don't see me as a wife. You see me as a friend. I couldn't change your mind on relationships and you can't change my mind, either. It's my own fault, because you did what I asked_. _But I wanted..._ Anna felt sick. No. That couldn't be what she really thought or wanted.

"So he's safe, stable, and dependable. Do you love him?" Robin's tone grew harsh.

She swallowed and twisted her fingers together, took a deep breath and forced the words out. "Of course, and he loves me."

Robin gave a snort. "He has a real funny way of showing it."

"Maybe I misunderstood what Kassie said." Anna picked at the material of the sofa, frustrated with her idiot thoughts, and Robin, as usual, had a point. "She just delivered the cake. She didn't say she got invited. Just she needed to deliver the cake. You've seen what a perfectionist Doug is. No wonder he spent hours wanting everything exactly right."

"You really believe that?" He sighed when she simply nodded. "Either you are very loyal or very naïve."

"I have to trust him. It's what relationships are about. At least until I ask Doug flat out why she got invited and I didn't. I have to see his face and try to figure out what the heck is going on."

"And if you find out he's lying?

"Why would he lie? There's nothing to lie about. I believe in him." She had to believe in Doug. She stared into Robin's eyes. "He's my fiancé."

His gaze narrowed. No doubt he saw straight inside her. He always could. Anna held her breath. But he shrugged. "Sorry then for jumping the gun and implying he's being a jerk. Again." Robin shoved another piece of pizza into his mouth.

Anna plucked harder at the sofa. "You've never been afraid to tell me what you thought with anything and everything before."

"I apologized for saying negative things about your fiancé. So I have nothing else to say. At least about him." He reached for the television remote. "Let's find a movie to watch." He began to flip through channels then stopped.

Anna snorted. " _My Best Friend's Wedding_? Really?"

"Well, _Monster-in-Law_ is on too. I just like this one better." He grinned. "Fitting for us, don't you think? There are some funny moments to lighten us both up, make us laugh, relax, and forget all about some heart party we didn't get invited to attend. I like this movie. I could pick up some pointers from it."

"What, you're going to try to sabotage my wedding?" Anna tossed back half her water and all but choked as Robin spoke again.

"Do you want me to?'

"Funny." She waved a hand.

"Who says I was joking?"

Anna gaped. He appeared serious. There were no signs of teasing, not even a hint of a smile on his almost always smiling face. She blinked a few times, trying to read him. "You can't be serious. Why would you want to sabotage my wedding?"

"Why do you think?" He slid off the sofa to lay his hand beside hers. He didn't touch her, but she could feel the warmth of his skin. "Talk to me, sweetheart. You need an ear."

She could feel the sincerity of his words, backed by his heart. He'd always been there for her no matter what. She broke.

"We've talked about this before. I saw what my parents' marriage became," she whispered her biggest fear. "My father was never home, never there for any of us. They had separate lives, Robin. I mean, they were married, but their lives were separate. They were miserable the few times they were together, nothing near a partnership in any way. Maybe love happened in the beginning. Maybe not. Mom's never said, and I've never asked. I think they got married out of duty, not because they wanted it."

"Are you afraid the same will happen with you and Doug?" He stroked her hair, his expression now soft.

"It already is. This has been the most incredible week of my life, and he's not even here. He said he'd be studying and at the hospital and too busy to see me. Then I find out he's been designing cakes and planning a surprise party." Anna leaned into him, breathing in the scent of paint and books and school and pizza and Robin. Pure Robin. Her best friend. Her rock. "It's like we have separate lives."

"You've always had separate lives, sweetheart." His fingers moved through her hair, caressing, easing her fears and tension. "Sure, we all went to college together, but your paths have always been different. There's nothing wrong with having separate interests or spending time away from each other."

"There is when we never spend time together. I haven't even talked to him on the phone this week. Not really. Hit and miss, how-are-you, I'm-fine stuff. I haven't had a chance to tell him about Morgan or Gracie or the classroom or anything."

"This hurts?"

"A lot. I want what my mom and Charlie have. They each spend time away from each other, but they also always make time for just them, no matter how busy they are. They just see each other and they glow." She drummed her fingers on the table, watching her diamond catch and reflect the light.

His hand covered hers and stopped the restless movement. "My parents have it as well. Mom calls it _Love 101_."

"Is it wrong to want, to need someone?" _Because I want you. I need you_.

"No, my Carolina Girl. You should have someone who wants and needs you, as well. And if you don't..."

"I shouldn't be marrying Doug." She saw the same words written on Robin's face. The moment lasted, one of perfect understanding.

"You need to talk to him, Anna." He broke their gazes to peer at their hands. "Tell him how you feel, what you're afraid is happening, and what you need. Like you just told me."

"You saw what happened when we started dating. He made me feel like I mattered, like he really wanted me and no one else. He sent me hibiscus flowers. Remember? Every week there'd be a fresh bouquet delivered to our room."

"I remember the way he went all cold and disapproving when he found out we were roommates. Because he assumed, as most do, we were having marathon sex every day and night."

It hadn't taken a marathon. It had only taken once. She shrugged her shoulders and her thoughts away. "He thought we were involved."

"How did you convince him otherwise?"

She agreed to wait, to not have any sort of sex until after their wedding. Doug made the request, she agreed, and he believed her. She'd kept her promise. In the physical, if not in her mind and dreams sometimes. But everyone dreamed or had fantasies. It would only be wrong if she acted on the fantasy. Which she never would because Robin would run and she'd lose his friendship forever.

She would never confess to Robin. "I'm not sure. Whatever _you_ said set him straight."

"I told him we were just friends. That's all. Friends and cohorts. He saw me date other girls, always treating you as a friend, and he finally said he believed me."

Another pang struck her heart. Just friends, even he said it, believed it, and they were, at her request. So why did she feel so darn disappointed? "I guess you convinced him. He started sending me flowers. I loved those bouquets. I couldn't wait for the deliveries each week."

"I remember." He smiled at her. "You fell for those flowers before you fell for him."

"Yeah, I guess I did. So when he proposed, I thought we were perfect."

"And now you don't?" He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "What do you think now?"

"I just don't understand." She didn't. Anna thought Doug could be the man for her. But how could he be when she still remembered the night, those feelings, with Robin? She'd only dated Doug because she had to stay just friends with Robin. Anna had to forget their perfect one night and move on, just like Robin had. Then things got serious with Doug after she saw his romantic side in the daily bouquets. She had fallen for the flowers he'd sent more than she'd fallen for him.

How could she have not seen this? How? Robin called Kassie money hungry. _I'm relationship hungry, no matter how much I deny it._ She wanted to belong to someone, to matter, to be someone's glow. Had she just used Doug because she couldn't have Robin? _Oh. My. God._

"Anna? Tell me what's going on. You just went a thousand miles away."

She shook her head. She couldn't tell him. If she did, he'd run from her so fast her head would spin. He'd call her a master manipulator. She'd never see him again. No matter what he might have implied a few minutes ago about wanting more, he really didn't. She'd rather have him as her friend than not in her life at all. What could she do about Doug?

She swallowed and told half the truth. "I'm scared. I'm so scared of making a mistake. Maybe we should postpone the wedding for a while. Maybe now's not the time to try to join our lives." _Maybe never is._

"Maybe. There have been lots of changes for you both: leaving college, moving back to this house, Doug's proposal, him entering med school, you starting to teach. All of those life altering events can change a person, change a couple." He shrugged and pulled her a bit closer. "It takes time and commitment to adjust and find the right balance."

"We didn't change," Anna murmured. "You and me, I mean. Even with all the changes, we stayed close friends." _Well, he didn't change. I did_.

Robin didn't say anything. He just gazed at her. She lost herself in the feel of his arms around her. This felt right. In a way being with Doug never had.

He sighed. His breath stirred the air against her face as he leaned his forehead on hers. "If things between you two aren't right now, if you don't feel a glow, if you have all these doubts about marrying him and making a life together, you probably won't feel different in a few months, a few years, whenever, either."

"You don't think I should marry him, do you?" _Tell me the truth, Robin. Tell me what you really think and not just what you think I want you to say. Please help me figure this out._

"Only you and Doug can make the decision."

Her heart sank. It had been the perfect time for him to tell her if he felt anything besides friendship for her, like he seemed to have been trying to earlier. But he didn't. She must have misread him. He really did only see her as a friend.

She remained engaged to another man.

"Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it." He entwined their fingers together. "What do you need, Anna?"

_I need you to tell me what you feel. I need to be able to tell if you ever felt a glow with me, if I made your stomach quiver when we touched. If you didn't, how could we have had those feelings, the amazing experience we had the one time we joined together? Do you think of me when we're apart?_ _Do you want to be with me for the rest of our lives? Do you see me as a woman? Or just as your friend? Is it all just me and my imagination? Is it transference or my stupid need to belong to someone, anyone?_

Tears threatened once more. She couldn't tell him. What if he said no, he didn't feel the same way? She'd ruin their friendship.

What about Doug? She wore his ring. But should she? As long as she did, how could she betray him by even thinking about another man in any way except as a friend? Even Robin. Especially Robin. She wanted to scream, frustrated and confused and hating every second of it. "I don't know what I need." Not at all true. She didn't know how to get what she needed.

"Talk it out like we tell our students. Use words and tell me."

"You're such a teacher."

"I always am. So?" He played with the ends of her hair. "I already said if you cancel the wedding, I'll sell the bike. If that doesn't convince you, nothing will."

"You weren't serious."

"Cancel the wedding and find out." He wagged his brows.

Anna pushed at his shoulder. "Quit teasing me. I'm trying to talk this out like you just told me."

"Fine." Robin shrugged. "I'll shut up, and you talk it out. Start with what you understand for certain."

"I've been so caught up in school starting, and he's been drowning in med classes. Then I add all this wedding stress and planning and flowers and the chapel and his mother...I want it all over. I wish it finished and done, so I could just move on with my life." _I wish Doug made me feel like you do. Because he makes sense, not this...this...whatever this is between us all of a sudden._

"You're saying _I_ , Anna. Do you hear it? 'I want it...I wish...my life'. Where is the _us_? The _we_?"

_Nowhere,_ she thought as she focused on him. She'd known him for so long and yet she wondered now if she knew him at all. She said _I_ because she didn't see _we_ as her and Doug. Sitting here in his arms, Anna could almost see _we_ as her and Robin. But he didn't see them as a _we_.

"All I want is for you to be happy," he whispered.

Robin put her first. She felt like the most important woman in the world to him. He was her best friend. Not her husband-to-be. No. No. No. She didn't wish Robin... She pulled her hand away and gestured through the air. "You, Mom and Charlie all say you want whatever makes me happy. But I'm not even sure what I want anymore. It all made sense when Doug proposed, I said yes, we talked about going to Hawaii next summer and getting married. Now he's so distant and I'm here with you wishing-" She shot to her feet, horrified by what she'd almost said.

"Wait, Anna."

"I'm going to call him. I need, I want to call him." She rushed from the room.

***

Robin waited until her bedroom door slammed shut. Then he slowly, with utmost care to be quiet, banged his head on her coffee table.

Why, why, _why_ hadn't he just said, _Don't marry him because I love you_? Why hadn't he told her he had the glow, the _Love 101,_ with her and had for a long time? He'd sent the flowers every week and let Doug take the credit. If she would just see him as more than Robin-her-friend she'd comprehend exactly why she shouldn't marry Doug-the-stuffed-shirt-moron.

Especially when she'd admitted she wanted more but felt she couldn't have it, because he rarely dated a woman more than once, feeling, irrationally, he would be cheating on Anna. Plus, he didn't want anyone else. He wanted her. Only her.

She'd felt so good in his arms. So right. Her heartbeat against his, her breath stirring his hair, her gaze burning into his. She'd been asking him for something, almost pleading with him, but for what? To tell her to marry the wrong man? He wouldn't. He couldn't.

He'd come close, in a moment of rare anger, to just telling her everything. Blurting it all out and damn the consequences. Then damn if she didn't stare at him all brown eyes and heart shaped face, honey blonde hair falling all around her shoulders and over her forehead, so soft and sweet and vulnerable as a puppy, asking if she should marry the man she thought she loved.

Robin wanted to hold her, comfort her, and make sure she never again had hurt and disappointment for the rest of their lives, but he didn't have the right. It belonged to the man who'd given her the ring she wore. Who damn well should be here now going over all these damn wedding plans and making her feel like the most important woman in the world. And instead Doug invited Kassie of all people to some dumb party and left Anna alone.

Kassie might be super model gorgeous and a super, man-hungry flirt. He hadn't quite told Anna the whole truth. He'd turned Kassie down, not the other way around. Several times he'd made it plain he wanted nothing to do with her. Including once, when he came back to the dorm to find her standing completely naked in their room, going through his desk and holding his last bank statement in her hand.

She fluttered through life without a thought or care of what other people thought and the consequences of her actions. She didn't have an un-selfish bone in her body. Why she and Anna were friends remained beyond him, except Anna almost always saw only the good in people and thought Kassie just lonely and misunderstood. So if Kassie had been invited to the party and Anna hadn't, to Robin, it clearly said she'd set her sights on Doug. But Anna couldn't see. She saw only the best in others, a trait Robin loved. If Kassie did anything to hurt Anna, if Doug did, he'd... Hell, what would he do? He hadn't stood up to the witch Mrs. Harrison, at least not yet.

_"I'm marrying him because he loves me."_ She'd said those words. She believed it. He knew her well enough to fully understand she thought she and Doug were in love.

Robin felt like an idiot. He stood and collected the discarded pizza box from the floor and stacked it with the other near the trash can in the kitchen. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking about simply leaving. Some space might be the best thing for him and Anna right now, except she might see yet another man in her life running out on her. _Damn. Damn. Damn._

"Are you ready to watch the movie?"

He quirked a brow at her. "All finished with your call? Wow, really quick."

Anna shrugged. "I got his voice mail. The party must still be going on. So I told him I needed to talk to him immediately, an emergency."

"Then I'll go, so you can focus when he calls."

She took his hand and pulled him back to the living room. "No. We're supposed to be celebrating the survival of our first week of teaching. Our own party. Tell me all about your first week, and I'll tell you all about mine. Tonight is supposed to be fun. Not all my whining and crap. Right?"

"Right. But you weren't whining." God, her hand felt good in his, like a missing piece of a puzzle.

"Yes I did, and I'm sorry." Anna winked at him and his heartbeat surged into overdrive.

"You were venting. I asked you to talk out your feelings." Robin let out a slow breath, trying to get back to the easy friendship they shared.

She shrugged. "Still whining. Come on. Let's see what's on."

He walked with her. Okay, so he could be a push over. He wouldn't leave her alone right now. They were best friends, if nothing else. His dream woman, his best friend, engaged to someone else. If Anna didn't soon realize she couldn't marry a moron...

Robin stopped as she continued walking. Anna saw she couldn't marry Doug. Robin just needed to be there, support her, and gently guide her to the truth. She'd accept it better if she came to it on her own. Once she realized and called off the engagement and the wedding, he could tell her how he felt. He could begin to court her as a man and woman instead of best friends. He'd been patient all these months. What were a few more?

She felt the heat between them, the desire and the need. He'd seen it in her body language, in the way her pulse sped up when he held her. They had the chemistry. They always did. Not the flash of instant love, but the more slow growing deeper kind. The glow, as she called it. _Love 101_. Whatever. They had it. She just needed to see it.

This could work. It could definitely work. He had to be patient.

"So, what movie shall we watch?" He took his sprawled position on the sofa as she curled up on the other end. "I guess _My Best Friend's Wedding_ is out."

They ended up with a comedy. After it ended, they talk about their students, their classrooms, schedules, everything school. They laughed, made school plans, compared students, and bonded deeper and more completely.

When he left around midnight, Robin felt confident Anna hadn't thought about the wedding, or about her fiancé, in hours. Doug never called her back. Phase One of _End Engagement_ had been accomplished. _Now on to Phase Two._
Chapter Seven

Anna stuffed heels in her overnight bag, stared at them a second, pondered, spun, and grabbed a second pair. She should have packed last night, not five minutes before time to leave. But she'd been working on cute word search games for her classes weekly spelling words and spent way too much time finding clip art of fall leaves and apples and...

The phone rang and the doorbell peeled at the same time. "Just a second!" She yanked up the cordless phone and dashed to the door. She opened it to Robin at the same time she said, "Hello?" She waved him inside and rushed back to her bedroom.

"Anna darling, I wanted to wish you a safe trip. Mother just left, and I'm headed over to Dad's for the evening. I can see you've tried to reach me a few times but..."

"Doug, I really need to talk to you." Anna stuffed her robe in the bag. "I wouldn't have said emergency if it didn't feel vital to me. We're both busy, but please, we really need to talk. I mean it."

"Yes, I assume from the tone of your voice we need to have a long conversation, and I promise we will. After you return on Sunday from this trip with my mother, we can meet here or at your place and have a long talk, catch up, get a few things settled."

"Doug." Anna added her makeup case and struggled to hold the phone and zip the bag at the same time. Robin nudged her aside and completed the simple act which had seemed momentous to her. She walked a few steps away. "I'm not sure about this shopping trip. Maybe we should call it off."

"Why? I thought you were thrilled to see your mother and have this big girl's weekend. Why would you want to cancel it?"

Anna took a deep breath, very conscious of Robin behind her. "It's not the trip. It's the wedding. Maybe we should postpone it." _Or not even do it_.

Static buzzed at the other end of the line, then she heard, "...will be fine, darling. Fine." He sounded distracted, distant. "Have a wonderful time and really listen to my mother. Her taste and advice are invaluable. She will make certain your wedding gown is amazing."

"Didn't you hear me? This is why I said emergency for us to talk almost a week ago. I'm not kidding, Doug. I think we should postpone the entire wedding."

"Mother warned me about this." He laughed, but even over the miles she could hear the false cheerfulness. "She said you'd try to cancel the trip. You have bridal nerves combined with your fear of commitment and terror over having to buy an expensive gown. It's normal for many young brides planning a wedding."

"Are you taking a psych class now? You aren't listening to me. Doug, really. It's not..."

"Anna, stop it. Talk to my mother as soon as you arrive at the hotel. She'll help you get over these fears."

_If you can't say something nice..._ Anna cleared her throat. "It's not about the gown or bridal nerves or my fear of commitment. Not really. I don't need to talk to her. I need to talk to _you_. We have to discuss..."

"I have to go. The traffic is horrible here. Drive safely, and I'll talk to you soon."

Anna lowered the phone with a pang. No _I love you_ or _I miss you_. Just _listen to my mother_. She sighed. When she got back Sunday, they had to have a long overdue talk. They hadn't seen each other in almost two weeks and these short hit-and-miss phone calls weren't helping. Communication was vital to couples, and theirs lacked.

With each day, she became less and less certain she wanted to get married, at least to Doug. If her mother hadn't flown in especially for this shopping trip, she'd have already canceled it, regardless what Mrs. Harrison might say or how she might fume. How could she shop for a wedding gown when she remained so torn about the wedding?

"Is everything okay?"

_No_. "Yeah. Doug wished us a safe trip. He's going over to his dad's for a weekend of heart surgery talk and charity ball thing tomorrow night. We've both been so busy this week, we haven't had time for dinner or anything."

"So you haven't had time to talk?"

Anna shook her head and trailed her hand down her bedspread. "We will. On Sunday."

"I heard you say you wanted to postpone the wedding. What did he say?" Robin laid a hand on her shoulder, kneading her tense muscles.

"He called it bridal nerves his mother had warned him about, and I should talk to her as soon as I got to the hotel. After a lot of static he said, 'fine, fine,' but the next thing, 'Listen to Mother' and something about my fear of commitment holding me back from making a dress selection." Anna moaned. "Oh, man, feels good. Do you charge by the hour? You'd make a killing."

"He's not listening to you, Anna."

"He will on Sunday. I'll make him listen. Everything will be okay after we talk." She plastered a smile on her face and moved away to grab her purse. "How did your day go? I haven't seen you at all."

"It's been a crazy. Morning bus duty, ugh." Robin shuddered. "Kids running everywhere, parents yelling about forgotten books or lunch boxes, not enough coffee. Mrs. Barber makes us newbies do it as a test, I'm convinced. It sets the tone for the whole day. Bus duty is nuts, nuts, and nuts. But a great sort of nuts. Wait till it's your turn. I love teaching more every day, even with morning bus duty."

"No kidding. I made this word search for the spelling words next week. I'll tell you about on the way, but we've got to get going. I'm running late, which I guess Kassie is too." Anna blew a strand of hair off her forehead as she glanced at the clock. "Let's head to my car. We can swing by and get her if we have to, but I really want to get on the road."

"You can't wait to see your mom." Robin lifted her bag and picked up her keys. He jangled them before he shoved open the front door. "I'll drive."

"Her flight should land in an hour or so, and then she's going straight to the hotel, resting a bit, and meeting us for dinner." Anna snatched up the soft quilted bag which held her gown print outs, motioned Robin outside, and slammed the locked door behind her. "Thanks. I'm too excited to drive and..."

Her cell phone rang. "Anna, hi!"

"Kassie, where are you? Want us to come by and..."

"Actually, we have a huge order here at the bakery, and I can't make it. My boss flat out said she can't let me leave, or I'll lose my job. I'm so disappointed. I can't tell you how upset I am."

"Oh, wow. Me too. But I understand sometimes work comes first." Anna shook her head as Robin lifted an brow. She waved him on and got into her car. "We'll miss you. Especially since now I don't have anyone to try on the bridesmaids gowns."

"I won't miss her at all," Robin muttered, earning a swat from Anna.

"You haven't asked anyone else yet?" Kassie asked.

"No, I need to narrow the selection down too, I guess, soon."

"Yeah, you really do. I mean, some of your friends are chunky, so most dresses won't fit them. No reason for the rest of us to suffer in some shapeless, ugly thing."

"Really harsh, Kassie." Anna pulled on her seatbelt. "And mean."

"Sorry. We can go another time and with all the other bridesmaids, whoever they are. We'll have a girls' weekend only without the stuffy mothers or Robin, the Debbie-downer."

Anna glanced at Robin and saw by his grin he'd overheard Kassie. He shrugged and wagged his brows. "I may be Debbie-Downer, but she's Debbie-does-Dallas-and-every-city-in-between."

Anna swatted him again. "Hope you can find time for some fun this weekend even with the big order. I'll call you sometime next week, okay?

"I will. No worries. Pick a gorgeous gown for yourself and take lots of pictures. Get something sleek and sexy, maybe Pnina."

"Pnina?" Anna grimaced and pretended to gag as Robin put the car in drive and the trip began. He pretended to choke and made her grin. "The designer who loves sheer bodices and waists and tons of bling on her gowns? For the Duke chapel? I don't think so."

"Well maybe not for you, then. But no law says we bridesmaids can't have those."

"Yeah, as long as none of you mind spending thousands of dollars for your dress."

"We have to pay for them? Seriously? I thought Doug and his family were footing the bill?"

"Um, no, he isn't. They aren't." She didn't have to see Robin's face to be know he was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "But I promise the bridesmaids' dresses will be affordable."

"Oh. Okay. Got to go, babe. Talk soon."

Anna switched off her phone. "Well, guess it's just us. Mrs. Harrison, I mean Louise, is going to throw a fit about not having someone to model the bridesmaids' dresses and having to postpone searching for them."

"You don't want to pick something for them yourself? Something affordable because, God forbid, Kassie actually has to pay for her own."

"I can't choose their dresses without them. It wouldn't be fair." Anna ignored his comments about Kassie, although she felt a bit disappointed in her friend too.

"There you go, thinking of everyone else again."

"Maybe. But really, who wants to wear something someone else picked for them?" She shrugged and debated calling Mrs. Harrison to tell her, then decided against it. Better to face the music in person. "Nor am I going to let Mrs...Louise pick their dresses. If I have to have eight attendants, at least they should be in something they had input in choosing."

"Always thinking of others, aren't you?"

"It's just common sense. Let's hope Doug and his mother don't see it as some weird mutiny on my part."

"Stuff happens." Robin turned on to the interstate and negotiated into traffic. "You okay with Kassie canceling at the literal last minute?"

"Not really, but I get it, work is work. She said her boss insisted she stay. Since she's new, she doesn't want to rock the boat. I said the same thing, when Mrs...Louise wanted me to make this trip on a weekday and miss school."

"She could have given you more notice, sort of inconsiderate, but it's par for the course from Kassie."

"She didn't have a clue she couldn't go until just now, and she really sounded upset. I believe her. She likes to be the center of attention. Modeling fancy formal dresses with all our focus on her would be right up her alley."

"No, being the complete focus of attention is right up her alley. This appointment is about you. The bride, not the narcissist bridesmaid."

Anna glanced at the sights beyond the window, watching the scenery along the road fly by. "The trees have already started to change colors. It seems early this year."

"Changing the subject?"

"I'm making conversation."

"There's water and pita chips to tide us over until dinner." Robin pointed at the backseat. "Feel free to dig in."

Anna pulled the snack bag forward, removing and opening a bottle of water for each of them. She wedged the chips in the holder between their seats so he could reach them. "Have I mentioned you're brilliant lately?"

"Not recently. Doug seems awful busy."

"Wow. Talk about changing the subject." Anna sipped water. "He's a doctor, well almost. This is his job. I understood when I accepted his ring he'd be away a lot of the time."

"Did you?"

_No. Not to the extent they couldn't even have a much needed conversation._ "Sure. There will be lots of times I have to be by myself too. Take this week. I spent hours on the word search, hunting for pictures, trying to fit in all the words, and make it challenging enough without being too over the top for the less advanced kids."

"Is this for the spelling words of the week?"

"Yes." Anna glanced at him and grinned. "I have them for the whole month. Want copies for your class?"

"Oh man, would I. Word search is perfect for a fresh approach. You're a genius. Since you did ones for this month, I'll do ones for next month. We can put our heads together for something different for November. Deal?" Robin munched a handful of chips before pouting his full lips. "Pretty please?"

"Well, I don't think that will work." Anna turned her head to hide her grin. She ate a few more chips to delay answering. "Maybe we should keep the classrooms separate, even if the curriculums and assignments are almost the same. You might not like the clip art I chose."

"I'll throw in two dark chocolate Hershey bars."

_Bingo_. "Make it three, and you have a deal."

"Three it is." He held out his hand and she shook it. "You played me like a violin. Slick, Howell, real slick."

"I'm serious about chocolate." She had anticipated his bribe; all those hours of fall pictures and fitting letters into square boxes deserved a dump truck of chocolate. "You can buy me the first bar after we get to Atlanta. I need fortification for tomorrow."

"Did you consider canceling this appointment since you couldn't talk to Doug?"

"I did, but Mom flew in special and there's no harm in searching. I'll need a dress even if we do postpone the wedding." _Or cancel it, in which case I can also cancel the dress. If I even find one._ No law said she had to order it this weekend. "So might as well shop." She leaned forward and turned on the radio. "Let's rock some tunes, shall we? Music always fixes everything."

"What needs fixing besides your friend Kassie and your fiancé?'

Anna turned the volume up. "There's nothing wrong with either. So, jazz okay? Or blues?"

"Not blues, too slow for weekend traffic." Robin gestured to the bumper to bumper cars all around them. "Get something with a beat."

She scanned stations and finally settled on one with a mix of dance tunes and classic rock. They spent the rest of the three hour drive talking about school, students, football, and everything except the wedding, Doug, or Kassie.

"Mom!" The word burst from her as they drove up in front of the hotel and saw Christine sitting on a bench near the entrance.

Robin stopped at the doors as Christine waved and smiled. "Go. I'll park, get your bag, and check us in."

"Thanks. You're a doll." She dashed from the car and into her mom's arms. "Oh, gosh, it's so good to see you. I missed you like crazy."

They stood there endless minutes, just hugging. Anna felt better than she had in weeks. At least since Robin had held her in almost the same way a week ago.

"I missed you too." Christine drew back, smiled at her, and ran a hand over her mused hair. "So, you must be starving. Want some dinner? What are you in the mood to eat?"

Anna bit her lip. "I guess I should call Mrs. Harrison and see if she wants to join us. Which means we'll have to go somewhere formal, I bet."

Christine looped their arms and walked with her into the hotel. "I have our room keys so let's go up, call your future mom-in-law, and go from there. Hello, Robin."

"Christine." Robin leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Great to see you again. All settled in?"

"Yes. We're on the third floor, room 324."

"I'm across in 325." Robin held up his key. "There's a man taking our bags to our rooms. So how about we hit the restaurant here, or order in something, relax, and just have fun? Anna?"

"I have to call Mrs. Harrison and see what she has planned." Anna moved a few feet away and dialed the number. "Hi Mrs...Louise, it's Anna."

"Hello, Anna dear. Have you safely arrived at the hotel?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm here with Mom, and I was wondering if you'd like to join us for dinner?"

"Oh, how thoughtful, but I'm catching up with some old friends at their home here in Atlanta. I will meet you tomorrow morning in the hotel lobby at nine. Your appointment is at ten, and we want to arrive early. Wear supportive undergarments and the same size heel you intend for the ceremony. Good bye, Anna dear."

"Bye," Anna murmured, but Louise had already hung up. She hadn't even had a chance to tell her Kassie couldn't attend and the search for bridesmaids gowns needed to be postponed. Oh well. Time enough tomorrow for Louise to be mad. Tonight, she wanted to celebrate being with her mom. She turned back to Christine and Robin. "Well, Mrs. Harrison is out. So, what's the plan?"

"Italian." Robin jerked a thumb toward the restaurant a few feet away. "Smell the sauce? I bet they have cannoli."

"Darn it. I have to try on wedding gowns tomorrow, and you're tempting me with cannoli? You're evil."

"He's a dream. Tempt me." Christine looped her arm through his and grinned. "You can't get great cannoli in Hawaii. Let's go."

As they ate, laughed, and talked, Anna wondered how easily Robin fit in with her mom, how seamless the evening went and time flew. When Doug met Christine and Charlie at their graduation, he'd been so stiff. She'd put it down to his disappointment his parents were in London and unable to attend the ceremony. She'd tried so hard to include him in her family. But the hours had dragged on until he finally kissed her cheek and left alone. Robin, however, felt like one of the family.

"Oh, my Lord." Christine leaned back against her bench style seat. "I see now what Anna meant. Robin, you are the devil. I'm so stuffed I'll have to roll upstairs."

"I'll be rolling beside you." Robin motioned to their waitress who came over with an easy grin for him. "Could we please have the check?"

"Anything for you, Handsome." She winked at him and leaned down to take their cleared plates, making sure Robin got a direct view down the deep vee of her shirt. "I'll be back in a few."

"I'll cover this." Christine took out her purse.

"Now, what sort of gentleman would I be if I let a lovely lady pay?" Robin shook his head. "My mother would shoot me. You don't want to get me in trouble with her, do you?"

"Silver tongued as well as a master tempter with cannoli. We'll be celebrating your wedding next to some very lucky lady."

Anna felt a stab of pure jealousy. Some other woman spending a lifetime Robin? Wow. She'd never even thought of him married with a family, despite all the women he'd dated. When the waitress returned, passed him the folder, and whispered something to him, Anna almost saw red. He laughed as he signed his name and pocketed the receipt.

"What?" Anna bit out.

"She slipped me her phone number." Robin stood and held out his hand. "And what time she gets off. How funny is that?"

"Oh, it's hilarious." Anna marched out, glaring the waitress as she passed. Who the hell did the woman think she was, slipping him her phone number? How dare she!

"Excuse me a sec."

Anna watched him dash away and definitely did see red then. _Where did he go? Making plans to meet Ms. Hot Waitress later? And why do I care so much?_

Robin returned as they waited for the elevator. He handed her a mega sized dark chocolate candy bar. "As promised. Just don't eat it all tonight and end up too sick to model gowns tomorrow. You aren't leaving us alone with Mrs. Bridezilla Belle."

The weird flutters in her stomach returned, not about the waitress, but because he kept his promise to her. "I won't." She smiled at him as they stepped into the elevator. "I'm too filled with cannoli anyway."

"So am I." Christine linked arms with her daughter. "Now I understand why you're Anna's best friend. You keep her supplied with chocolate."

"A happy Anna is a happy world. Good night, ladies." Robin waved as they reached their floor, and he disappeared into his room.

In their own room, Anna tossed the candy on the dresser near the television and paced while Christine lounged against the padded headboard of one of the double beds. "Okay, sweetheart, out with it. What's bothering you?"

"Who says anything is bothering me?"

"The fact you've worn a hole in the carpet in less than five minutes, the scowl on your face, the failure to mention your fiancé all night, and one hundred other little things. What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, not really. All this wedding planning, the new school year, not seeing Doug, and..." Anna collapsed on the bed beside her mom. "I have to ask you something, and it's going to sound really stupid."

"Nothing you ask is stupid. There are no stupid questions. You should have learned that in college."

"This is. How can you tell when you're really in love? The love to last forever that will make you want to give up the whole world just to have it?"

Christine stared at her a minute and then sighed. "We've needed to talk like this for a while, I think. When I met your father, I thought, 'Okay. This will be a good match. He's charming, nice, and will make a good living. I care for him, he cares for me and I want children.' So when he suggested we get married, I said yes, because it seemed the thing to do."

Anna shrugged, though her heart ached a bit at the blunt reply. "A different time, I mean..."

"I know what you mean, back in the olden days when Mom grew to an adult." Christine winked. "But in many ways, in this case at least, you're correct. I could blame my traditionalist upbringing, or the era I grew up in, only a generation removed from women viewed as simply homemakers, or the fact my desire to be a mother and needed outweighed everything else at the particular point in my life. But we all make our choices, sweetheart. I made the choice to marry your father straight out of high school. Sometimes we follow in set footsteps and sometimes we make our own."

"So you always told Adam and me you didn't care what we did as long as we did what we loved."

"Yes. Are you doing what you love?" Christine tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I love teaching. I always have. I love my school and classroom, even when it's driving me crazy." Anna laughed. "Our first week, I thought I might be nuts, but I can't imagine doing or being anything else."

"It's why I gave you the big chalk board when you were eight years old. Because you said from the moment you could talk, you wanted to be a teacher. So you have the career and job you love." Christine leaned against the padded headboard of the double bed. "Now what about the man? Do you have the one you love?"

Anna squirmed a bit, twisted her fingers, and focused on a spot just beyond her mother's shoulder. "Did you love Dad?"

"Not in the way one should love their life partner." Christine sighed and reached for her hand. "We've never talked about this, and like I said, we should have a long time ago. You're an adult and you deserve the truth. Your father and I cared for each other at first, in the beginning. We each met a need in the other."

"You followed in set footsteps, you mean, like you settled for each other."

"Yes, in a way. Were we soul mates? You and Adam know more than anyone, besides me and Charlie, we weren't."

"You have it with Charlie." Anna plucked at the white comforter covering the bed. "He's your true life partner."

"He is, yes. We have a special and rare love of a lifetime." Christine watched as Anna picked at a loose string.

"What made it different? I mean, how did you know Charlie could be it, especially after you had such a bad experience with Dad?"

"Well, we were thousands of miles apart at first. We had the long distance relationship via computer screens and telephones. The fact we were friends first really made a difference. We had the get-to-really-know-you factor, without the face-to-face sexual tension and male-female thing getting in the way. Not to say I didn't feel an attraction to him, because I did. The man is a god in bed and incredibly sexy."

"Geez, Mom." Anna felt the blush creep up her cheeks.

"It makes all the difference, sweetheart." Christine laughed. "And stop blushing. We've talked sex and love making before."

"Well, yeah. But not about _you_ doing it." Anna broke off the string and wound it around her fingers.

"Did you think Charlie and I don't enjoy an active sex life?"

"No." Anna squirmed. "I mean, yes, I know you do. It's in every glance you give each other."

Christine giggled, something Anna had always loved about her. "Well not every glance."

"All of them." Anna tossed the string aside as she nodded over and over.

Her mother swatted her arm. "Maybe. But the genuine emotion in those glances makes all the difference. Plus, I don't just mean the physical part. I mean the friends part. Are you and Doug friends?"

"Sure. Of course we are." Anna shrugged and reached up to release her hair from its ponytail. "We're friends."

"The same close friends you and Robin are?"

"No. Robin is totally different from Doug. It's like comparing chocolate to cheese. Robin's my best friend. He's who I go to for everything, and I believe he accepts me just for me. I can be without makeup and in sweats with Robin, sitting on the floor eating pizza, cutting out things for the classroom. Doug's more formal."

"Formal?" Christine frowned and held up a hand. "How do you mean?"

Anna shifted, letting her hair fall forward. "I'm not sure how to explain it. I just always feel sort of on edge with Doug. I mean, I love him, I think. I don't really let my hair down and relax around him is all."

"You shouldn't _think_ you love him. You should feel it with every part of you." Christine pushed her daughter's hair back over her shoulder. "It's the first red flag to me, sweetheart. The fact you can't relax around him is another."

"Maybe I'm not explaining it right." Or maybe she finally was facing the truth.

"Why can't you relax around Doug? Let's start there."

"Well, on weekends I'm ready to throw on jeans and go ambling through a book store, but he wants to be dressed up and at a charity event. I want to putter around the kitchen in sweats, yet I feel like I need to meet his expectations of having every hair in place and being dignified. He wants me to be a doctor's wife all the time."

"Like his mother."

"I guess. Sort of." Anna shrugged and struggled to explain how she felt. "Doug's dependable. I don't mean Robin isn't, but geez, Robin's all about the thrill with his motorcycle, the sky diving, mountain climbing. He has this need to do something wild and dangerous. Doug doesn't."

"So you are saying Doug is safe."

"I don't have to worry if he's going to come back with a broken arm or his head cracked open. I already see what every day will be with Doug. We have a routine. It's..."

"Normal?" Christine stroked her hair. "And a bit boring?"

"Yes. There's never a surprise. It's staid." Anna clapped a hand over her mouth. "Yikes, sounds so wrong, huh? But it's my fault, Mom. I mean not Doug's perspective so much as it's mine. It didn't go like this in college. He hung out under the oak trees on a blanket, reading, with a picnic around us, and it didn't feel boring or staid. But we've graduated, so I feel like there's this whole new set of expectations. It's not anything he's said. Well, besides 'listen to my mother, she's aware what's best and what's right'. Doug admires Louise's style, but it's just not me. I feel like he expects me to change and be more of what he wants, leave the girl I like being behind and finally grow up into someone like Louise. That's part of making someone happy, right? Being what they admire?"

"Being happy shouldn't be work. It should just be." Christine tucked Anna's hair behind her ear. "Sure, we all grow up eventually. But it doesn't mean we completely change who we are, feel like we're always on edge or have to stop having fun."

"We haven't had fun in a while. We saw each other almost every day in college and now we're in the real world with responsibilities. Maybe I'm just missing him. This is bridal nerves." Her gaze met her mom's, and she saw sympathy reflected in the shape and color of the eyes so like her own.

"You don't really think so." Christine rose and tugged on her hand to lead her to a chair. She reached in her case and got a hairbrush. "This always helped you think as a kid. Let's try it now."

Anna grinned. "I loved when you'd brush my hair."

"It makes you relax. Does Doug ever brush your hair?"

"No." She couldn't picture him doing this. "He'd think I'd lost my mind if I asked. But Robin plays with it all the time, tucking it behind my ears or stroking it and pulling out the clips when I twist it up."

"Hmmm. You should suggest brushing your hair. It can be quite the turn on."

Anna laughed. "But your hair's so short."

"It doesn't take much for me when Charlie's near." Christine stood behind her and began pulling the brush through her daughter's hair. "Now. Describe a perfect weekend to me."

"Well, we'd meet for brunch, go to the football game, sit in his dad's box, and cheer on Duke. Then shower, change, and attend some dinner or function for a charity. At least to Doug it is. After football season, he'll be tied up studying or at the hospital, and I'll be doing stuff for school."

"What's been the perfect weekend to date so far?"

Anna leaned back as the brush began to loosen the knots in her shoulders and mind. "The one before finals. We spent the day studying under this huge oak tree on campus, the one I just talked about. We were both sort of lost in our own world, but together."

"It makes perfect sense."

"Then Robin joined us, and we talked about what to do for the graduation ceremony. You remember the seniors' unique trick across the stage to top the previous year?"

"You all went barefoot and danced after shaking the Chancellor's hand, funny, unexpected, and adorable."

"It had been Robin's idea and we all had a blast. Doug thought we should all wear the same color under the gowns and bow at the audience. He got voted down as more and more seniors joined us. We ended up ordering pizza and working on dance steps the rest of the night. Well, most of us did. Doug went back to his dorm to study in peace and quiet."

"What did you do?"

"After everyone left, Robin spent hours helping me get my two left feet to cooperate so I wouldn't completely embarrass myself on the stage. We laughed so much my sides hurt."

"Doug should have stayed. He wore shoes and didn't dance at the ceremony, the only one. He stuck out, and not in a good way." Christine made the observation in the same quiet tone as she asked the next question before Anna could defend her fiancé. "How do you feel when he kisses you?"

"It's nice."

"Nice?"

"It's nice, sort of fluttery." _But nothing like it is when I gaze into Robin's features lately. Nothing near what we'd had the one night. Not even close._

"It's just nice? No fireworks?"

"No. I mean, we have chemistry and all, but since we're waiting until after the wedding to..."

"You're waiting until after the wedding? Are you telling me you haven't made love with Doug yet? Not once?"

She felt her face flame. Again. "Geez, Mom. What a very personal question and not at all mother-like behavior."

Christine snorted. "When have we ever not been able to talk about almost anything? Why should the physical side of love be off limits?

"Good point." They could, and did, talk about everything. Even her parents' failed marriage. "No. We haven't. Doug's very traditional. He wants to wait, so we have. He made it clear on our second or third date. It's also why he knew Robin and I weren't shacked up even if we did share a dorm room."

"I'm not sure I understand." Christine halted the brush for a moment. "Why did your promise to wait until your wedding mean you weren't doing anything with Robin?"

"Because it's like a vow of chastity." Anna snapped her fingers. "Maybe Doug and I aren't closer because we haven't..."

"Anna, my love, having sex won't bring you closer to a person. It will enhance what's already there or magnify what isn't." Christine resumed brushing.

What if she and Doug made love and it was awful? Every time? What if it never compared to what she and Robin had experienced? Could she settle? Should she? Anna blew out a breath. "I guess I'm worried, some, about sex with Doug. I want it to bring us closer, not push us further apart."

"Did making love bring you and Robin closer? Or push you away?"

"Closer. I pushed him..." Anna halted, horrified. She'd never told anyone. A couple of minutes with her mom and she was blurting out her deepest secrets. She sighed. Darn it, might as well confess all now. "How did you know?"

"Because I'm your mother. So?"

"It brought us closer." Anna twisted her fingers. "But I just couldn't...I mean, Robin's such a dare devil and a womanizer and..."

"He's not a womanizer." Christine stroked down her daughter's hair.

"Sure he is. There are trails of broken hearts behind him." Anna tried to laugh but it came out more like a sob. "I didn't want to be one of them and ruin our friendship."

"So he got the let's-be-friends-only speech?"

"You really do understand me well." Anna nodded, though it stopped her mother's rhythmic brushing. "It worked. We're best friends. I still have him in my life, the most important thing to me."

"Why do you want to marry Doug?" Christine continued to pull the brush in unhurried, fluid motions through her daughter's long hair when she raised her head again. "Give me the main reason."

"Because he's safe, stable, and he asked." Anna groaned. "Oh. My. Gosh. I said the same thing when Robin asked me. There has to be more. I mean, we mesh well; we click and complement each other. He makes me feel...safe."

"Safe is good. But just think about this, sweetheart, being off guard and a bit uncertain sometimes isn't a bad thing. It keeps you both on your toes." Christine laughed a bit. "Life should have those little unsure moments to keep things interesting."

"Doug is stable and dependable. He'll be a good husband and father." Anna shook her head again as panic rose to all but choke her. She couldn't say the words. She couldn't say she loved him and wanted to marry him. Why? Why couldn't she say the three words she needed to marry him? She couldn't marry without love.

"There's no risk with Doug." Christine massaged the tense muscles in Anna's shoulders. "No surprises."

"We'll have a good life." They could if they loved each other. She'd loved him when she accepted his proposal and his ring. Hadn't she? She must have. Why else would she have agreed to marry him?

"You want marriage and a life with Doug?" Christine's voice remained calm, still soothing, but had an edge Anna didn't quite understand. "Do you want forever with him, sweetheart?"

Anna didn't know. _Right now, at this moment, I don't think so._ As the brush continued to stroke through her hair, she wondered. Did she want the same set pattern for the rest of her life? Or did she want fireworks every now and then? She groaned. What could she do?

***

Robin clicked through channel after channel and finally tossed the remote aside. He stood at the window. Tomorrow he'd watch her pick the dress she'd wear to marry another man. He might as well hang a sign on his back: 'glutton for punishment'.

The knock on the door surprised him. He thought for a second the waitress from dinner may have become even more forward than he'd thought. Or had Anna come to tell him she'd called off the wedding and...

"Robin Hood!"

"Adam! What are you doing here? Is Anna aware...?"

"Nope. Decided to surprise her and Mom." His brown eyes, like Christine and Anna's, sparkled. "They're out of rooms so I told the lovely lady behind the front desk I'm your brother and she gave me your room number. Can I crash with you?"

Robin pulled the other man inside. "Sure. They'll be tickled. They're just across the hall."

Adam tossed a duffle bag on one of the beds. "I figured this late I wouldn't run into one or both of them downstairs and can make a grand surprise entrance at breakfast tomorrow. Where's the Dragon Lady?"

"Mrs. Harrison? Staying with friends, I think Anna said. Ticks me off to see Anna doubting herself or second guessing what she wants and even who she is."

Adam nodded. "I got it from the great flower planning meeting. Don't get me wrong, this is a huge, huge sale for me. It'll pay the rent for months. But Anna didn't appear happy. Not like she did talking hibiscus and yellow ilima leis on a Hawaii beach anyway."

"It bugs me too. So what are we going to do about it?"

Adam sprawled out on the bed, hands folded behind his head. "Guess we could start with you telling her you've been in love with her for years. Shake things up."

"Damn, bro, just go for my jugular, why don't you?" Robin shoved his hands in his pockets. "She's my best friend, and she belongs to someone else."

"Not until the vows are spoken, ring or not."

"She's off limits as long as she has Doug's ring. I'm trying to give her space, so she can see Doug Dufus isn't the one." He shrugged. "You know your sister. Push and she'll go the opposite way. Let her go at her own pace, and she usually sees things for what they are."

"You keep it up and she'll be married and pregnant before you speak the first word."

Pure anger shot through him. Anna married, in Doug's bed, heavy with Doug's child. Oh, hell no. "She hates my 'dare devil sports' as she calls them, says I have a death wish."

"Do you?"

"No. Had to have something to keep my mind off the fact I couldn't overcome her fear of commitment." Robin balled up a sheet of paper from the desk.

"Yeah, fear of commitment. So she's getting married."

"Hell, I can't explain why. And if you ask her, she can't either. Except she has some misguided notion since he asked, she should accept."

"Did you ever ask?"

Robin threw the ball at him. "Like it would make a difference."

Adam caught the ball one handed. "If it's the only reason she says she's marrying Dufus, she might have said yes to you instead."

"It's not the only reason. She says he's stable and safe." Robin pointed at him. "It's your fault she thinks bikes aren't safe. Your accident as a teen."

Adam rubbed his thigh and turned his head away. "Yeah, with it being so soon after Dad died in the car wreck, I scared her and Mom. So she has a valid fear about your safety."

"I get it. But I can't live life wrapped up in cotton, always playing it safe just because Anna's worried I might get hurt."

"No one is asking you to, but you could tone it all down a bit." Adam shrugged as he frowned. "Just sayin', bro. Do you have to skydive every week? Or would every now and then still give you the high? Could you ride the bike on weekends and not every day?"

Robin shrugged. "Yeah. Probably. The bike had been practical for campus but not so much for real world. And the thrill dives are expensive."

"You could get a bigger TV instead."

"You're the big time florist. You get the big screen, and I'll crash at your place for football games."

"You get the television. I'll bring the pizza and beer." Adam held out his hand.

"Deal." Robin went over and shook it. "So what do we do about your sister?"

"I'm no Doctor Phil. But there's something else you might consider. Maybe she thinks Dufus is the best she can do."

"Oh come on. Anna's gorgeous. She could have any man she wanted. Why the hell would she think moron is the..." He stopped. "Well, hell. She probably does. Any time we've gone out, Anna sat back and watched her friends flirt instead of joining in. I thought she felt shy. Then I realized she didn't have the confidence. Didn't help Kassie ended up with any guy Anna even glanced at."

"She get you?"

"Hell no she didn't." Robin cleared his throat. "You?"

"This isn't about me." Adam shook his head. "But yeah, I gave her a spin. She offered, so I accepted. Simple harmless fun."

_Anna may think she had a fear of commitment, but Adam had the same_ , Robin realized. She handled it by withdrawing and accepting the first man who promised nothing but to be safe; Adam handled it like he did: meaningless short relationships. "Did Anna find out about the two of you?"

"There is no two of us." Adam shrugged. "Nor is it like I talk about my sex life with my sister. I don't have the position and money for Kassie's appetite, so I'm good for one-time sex and nothing else. Why?"

"God, I'm an idiot." Robin ran a hand through his hair. "Can it be so simple?"

"I'm not a mind reader. What are you talking about?"

"I walked into our dorm room three weeks before graduation and found Kassie naked. I bundled her out in quick order so nothing happened." Robin shook his head. "But damn. Right after Anna started seeing more of Doug. Kassie must have said something, made it seem like I preferred her. Anna's asked me several times if I wanted Kassie."

"You need to change my sister's perception." Adam pointed a finger at him. "I'd rather have you in the family than Dufus."

"And lose your huge commission?"

"Better bankruptcy than Dragon Lady and Stuffed Shirt around forever. I want Anna happy. Period. So, what's it gonna be?" Adam swung his legs to the floor and stood. "Ready to man up?"

_Am I?_ Robin sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. First thing I better do is sell the bike. Show her I'm serious about her fears with my safety. Plus I told her I'd sell the bike if she called off the wedding."

Adam tilted his head. "Sure you're ready?"

"Like I said, practical in college, cheap on gas. Not so great now I have classroom materials and other stuff to lug around." Robin winked at his friend. "A matter of time before I sold it."

"No reason for Anna to hear, huh?"

Robin grinned. "I'm not idiot enough to tip my whole hand. Let her think she wins."

"Especially if she calls off the wedding and picks you over Dufus." Adam picked up the discarded dinner receipt. "Who's Samantha?"

"The waitress in the Italian place downstairs wanted me to meet her after she finished work." Robin motioned to Adam's laptop bag. "Mind if I borrow your computer to see about listing the bike?"

"Nope. Mind if I go meet Samantha?" Adam waved the paper and winked.

Robin laughed. "Go right ahead. Tell her I sent you."

"Don't wait up." Adam waved and left.

Robin booted the computer. "Time to grow up and begin Phase Two. Here I come, Anna."
Chapter Eight

"Congratulations and welcome to Laura's Bridals. My name is Sara, and I'll be your consultant today. Who's my bride?"

Anna raised her hand and tried to smile. "Hi, Sara. I'm Anna. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's awesome to meet you, Ms. Bride. Who's with you? Neither of these gorgeous men is the groom, are they?" Sara seemed as bouncy and perky as her pixie haircut, black sparkly top, leggings, and bow tipped heels.

"We heard of Laura's rules regarding grooms in her salon: 'No foxes in the hen house'. So these hens left the foxes at home."

Sara nodded. "Okay, I like this guy, so he can stay. What's your name, Mr. Not Fox?"

"Robin. I'm the Man of Honor and pleased to meet you."

Anna watched them shake hands. Every woman alive seemed charmed by Robin. Except maybe Mrs. Harrison, who sat in stiff disapproval, her theme of the day. Her face had been so pinched when Anna admitted none of the bridesmaids could attend she'd given new definition to _ticked off_.

"And you, sir?"

"This is Adam, my brother." What a huge surprise, seeing him come into the breakfast room at the hotel a bit ago.

"Pleasure, Adam." Sara shook his hand. "Are these your sisters?"

"Okay, I like this girl. Whatever she brings you, say yes." Christine held out her hand and grinned. "I'm Christine, Anna's mom."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Christine. And..."

"I am Mrs. Douglas Harrison. I spoke with the owner Laura personally and expected her to be assisting us today, not a junior consultant. Where is she?"

Anna almost gasped at the older woman's rudeness, but Sara didn't seem fazed at all. She kept her pixie grin. "Laura needed to handle a few pressing matters, but she'll be along very soon. So, tell me, Anna, what are you searching for?"

"I have these photos printed out of..."

"We need elegant and understated. There can be nothing flashy, strapless, or showing much skin. Certainly nothing too tight as is the misguided fashion in bridal designs lately." Mrs. Harrison swept her hand to indicate several mannequins in fitted strapless dresses.

"I don't believe Anna had anything similar in mind, so it shouldn't be a problem." Christine inserted. "I believe, please tell me if you agree, Sara, Anna shouldn't go for the very white hues but more of an ivory or antique."

"Completely out of the question." Mrs. Harrison tapped her planner. "It must be a white gown."

"We can stay in the general white area." Sara narrowed her focus as she studied Anna. "Um. I agree, Christine. Anna, with your fair hair and skin, ivory or antique would be incredible on you. True white would wash you out, but different fabrics also show color in different ways, so we can play a bit."

"Just don't bring anything in cream the color of old butter." Anna glanced at her mom, who laughed. She turned back to explain. "One of Mom's brides insisted her dress wasn't cream but butter colored."

"One of your... Oh my gosh!" Sara bounced up and down. "You're Christine Jergens from C and C Weddings in Hawaii! I read the article in _Brides_ about your business. Your venues are as breathtaking as your husband."

"Thank you." Christine shifted a bit, leaning closer to her daughter.

Sara got the subtle hint and focused back on Anna. "All right. Let's head upstairs and get started."

"I had no idea your small business became so famous, Christine." Mrs. Harrison said as they made the short trip upstairs. Her tone could freeze the metal of the elevator.

"The article in _Brides_ _Magazine_ gave us tons of exposure." Christine smiled and patted her daughter's shoulder. "I'm thrilled to be here with Anna to help her find the perfect gown. I can't wait to see her in the choices she has made."

_Always downplaying you for me_ , Anna wanted to say. _True mother love, and boy, did I need a shot of support._

"Neither can I!" Sara bounced in front of them. "The dressing rooms are just back here. You can show me your photos and then we can pull some dresses."

"Exciting." Anna smiled, at ease again but also still nervous. Would Mrs. Harrison act like a diva ice queen this whole time? God help them all.

"While I talk to the ladies in the fitting room, you gentlemen have a seat here on the sofa." Sara gestured to the main room, near a long, slightly raised platform which resembled a models' walkway. "No flirting with any brides while you wait. We do tears of joy here. Not tears of oh-I-want-the-gorgeous-man-over-there."

They all laughed. Well, all of them but Louise Anna noted. _Yep. Diva Ice Queen_.

After they were settled in padded chairs in the small room scented with roses and fabrics, Anna pulled out the computer sheets. "We printed these right from your web site. I really love these first two. I think the only difference is the neckline."

"These are excellent choices." Sara scanned the photos and nodded. "You're right; it's basically the same dress, just different necklines, made by the same designer. Soft, romantic, lacy, a bit floaty, yet still fitted enough to show your lovely figure. Is there one you like a bit more than the other?"

"I'm leaning toward the sweetheart top, but I need to try them on and see."

"Anna dear, I do hope those pictures are from established designers and not off the rack dresses." Mrs. Harrison peered down her nose a bit as she opened her ever present leather binder. "Sara, I believe your name is? Perhaps you don't realize my husband is the world renowned heart surgeon Doctor Douglas Harrison. In marrying our only child, Anna has a certain image to present. This will be a grand affair, the wedding of the year, in the Duke chapel."

"Wow. We've had several brides who married there and found their perfect gowns with us. Just last week, I helped a fairly famous actress find her perfect dress for her red carpet ceremony in London's West Minister Abbey. Anna will make the correct choice, I'm sure." Sara winked. "And just for the record, we don't do off-the-rack-dresses. All ours are made by established designers and lines, with fabulous collections and styles." Anna liked Sara even more.

"Be that as it may, this is what I have in mind." Mrs. Harrison also passed printer pages. "These are by Elie Saab and Vera Wang. Elie designed the gown worn by a European princess, as well as several gowns for a few distinguished personalities."

"The gown I sold the actress came from Elie Saab. She's an incredible designer."

"Oh nice." Anna saw major dollar signs and glanced at her mom. Christine just shrugged. "We can try one, sure, Louise."

"Great!" Sara bounced up. "Christine? What do you see your daughter wearing?"

"I love the _Legends Collection_ , just as Anna does."

"The one designed by Romona Keveza? Oh yes, I love her too." Sara sighed. "The ultimate designs in romance, so feminine, and soft, but still elegant and fun. Like a modern day heroine of your own romantic story. Okay, now I really can't wait. Let's get started. Mrs. Harrison, Christine, why don't you join the guys on the sofa and keep them out of trouble. Anna, here's a robe for you to change into while I go pull these dresses."

After she changed into the silk robe, Anna paced the small room, staring at her engagement ring. The small round diamond twinkled under the overhead recessed lights. Doug had taken her to the charity dinner and pulled out the ring box during dessert. With all gazes from the room on them, she'd said yes without hesitation. But after her talk with Robin and her mom, added to the way Doug seemed to be avoiding her, something didn't feel right.

She realized more and more they'd been too hasty. She'd told Robin and Doug's parents they didn't have to get married. So why were they? "Reevaluate," she muttered and paced a bit more. "I sound like a freaking psychologist. I'm here searching for a wedding gown and not at all certain I even want to get married. I must be crazy. But we're here, so for the next two hours, I'll focus on having fun and surviving Mrs. Harrison." _Why not act like the ultimate southern belle, Scarlet O'Hara_ , _and_ _think about it tomorrow?_

The door opened. Sara returned with a sea of white. "I wanted to make sure I'm clear on the budget before you try these on. The ones from you and your mom are less than four thousand and the ones from your almost mother-in-law are all well over twelve thousand. The princess one is closer to twenty."

Anna swallowed and twisted her fingers in the robe covering her thighs. "We planned for the budget to be under six, with accessories and alterations."

"Then go with the _Legends_ line, hun. You will love those, and they're in your price range."

Anna nodded. "Believe me, we won't be going over budget. My mom and step-father are paying, so I won't force them to buy a dress they can't afford. But I guess I better show at least one of Mrs. Harrison's picks, even if I have no intention to buy it. I hope it doesn't waste too much of your time."

"Oh no worries, it won't. This is your day, and we'll do whatever you want." Sara hung several clear bags on hooks along the wall. "Have you ever tried on wedding gowns before?"

Anna shook her head, gaze riveted to the white gowns. Real. Oh, God, she had no business doing this when she'd just decided not to get married. Oh no, she had?

"All right, let's slide into your choice first." Sara paused in the act of unzipping a bag. "Or do you want to save the best for last?"

Run, just run and- No. Her mom came all this way. She could try gowns for a wedding to happen one day. A lot could happen between now and May. "Let's go with one of Mrs...I mean Louise's choices first."

"Get the worst over?" Sara shifted and unzipped a different bag.

Anna did like this perky girl. "Swallow the nasty medicine before you can feel good."

"Spoken like a doctor's future daughter-in-law." Sara pulled out a gown. "Here's an Elie Saab. It's called Monet, ball gown style in taffeta, lace, and crystals along the bodice. There's also a cathedral length train."

Anna let Sara help her in the gown. She hated it. "The wedding is late May." _Maybe. Possibly_. "Even though they're lace, the long sleeves are too much, and geez, this is up to my neck. The skirt, with all these pleats, makes me look huge."

"I wouldn't have pulled this for you." Sara smoothed a pleat here and there. "I don't think it really flatters you or plays up the true Anna. Want to show them or not?"

"Sure. We all need a good laugh." She gathered up the miles skirt and kicked through yards of scratchy crinoline to march out to the main room. Sara helped her up on the platform before fanning the way too long train behind her.

"No." Adam shook his head and grimaced like he'd swallowed a lemon. "You're lost in all the lace, material, train, and pleats. It's awful."

"You aren't wearing the dress, it's wearing you." Robin also shook his head. "Everyone at the wedding should see you, Anna. Not just the dress. You."

Her heart fluttered a bit. "It's a pretty dress." Anna studied her mom, saw the slight shake of her head, and faced Louise. "But it's not for me."

"It's elegant and fits the chapel's guidelines." Louise frowned as she studied Anna. "But perhaps you are correct, Anna dear. It's not a wonderful fit for you. Please try on the one made for the princess. I do believe it will suit you, and our needs, best."

"So this is a no." Sara helped Anna step down then gathered up the train. "The next dress is coming up." As they walked back to the dressing room, Sara winked. "So? Shall we try the _Legends_ or the American version of the European princess gown next?"

"Let's try the princess one and keep the peace." Anna wanted to change into something, anything, else. Sara wasted no time helping her change.

"This is pretty." Anna touched the lace on her chest. "I never thought I'd like a deep v neckline, but I sort of do. I can't believe Louise choose this."

"It's the American version. The long lace sleeves soften the plunging neckline. This lace is more delicate than the previous gown." Sara adjusted the ribbon belt with attached flower accent. "There's lace floral cut outs stitched into the gown all over so it makes it a bit more edgy and modern."

"Yes. I love the flow of this skirt. It's not tight or constricting. I could move in this and yet not feel lost." _And be able to go to the bathroom_.

"It's a modified ball gown, not as full as the gown we just tried. And behold." Sara handed her a mirror to hold up to her reflection so she could view her back then pulled her ponytail to the side.

"Wow, unexpected and it really makes a statement."

"It sure does. So you like this one?"

Anna nodded. "Better than the last. I'm not really comfortable with this v neckline, but let's show everyone and see what they think."

"After you, lovely bride."

Anna walked to the main room, careful not to step on any part of the skirt. As she rounded a corner and came into view of the sofa, she saw Louise's frown. _Uh oh._

"Anna dear, what are you thinking? Showing so much cleavage and skin in the back? This is not acceptable for the Duke chapel or to marry my son."

"I like the little heart on the back." Robin winked and gave a thumbs-up gesture. "It's different and makes a statement."

Anna grinned at him. "I liked it too. Not your typical wedding gown, is it?"

"Nor is it a gown at all suitable for the Duke chapel. Really, this is more fitted to a wild party night at a club. Of course, my son would never indulge in such a thing." Louise sounded like a repeating monologue. "But really. I cannot believe you choose this. There's not even a decent sized train."

"It's one of your picks." Sara twitched the skirt a bit to the side as Anna stood on the platform. "It's an Elie Saab, the same design as the princess' one, only with the lace modesty panel in the front and back removed."

"Well, of course, if we were to choose this, those modesty panels would have to be restored. Perhaps it could be a contender. It is a Saab, after all."

_Ha. Just because it's an Elie Saab it's now okay? Doesn't matter if I like it or it fits nice, just as long as it's designer?_ Anna turned to the side. She liked the back, but she didn't like the sleeves. Designer or not, it wasn't for her.

"The bride makes the dress. The dress doesn't make the bride. This is different, but I don't think it shows the bride you want to be." Robin shook his head.

Anna smiled at him. "You're right." _He read my mind. Again_.

Louise stood and seemed to be searching the room. "No offense, Sara, but I believe we need Laura to fully comprehend what we're searching for in the proper gowns. You may be a bit young to understand the complexities."

"Sara's been a great help." Anna glanced at her, not wanting the pixie like girl to be hurt, or to lose the sale. "But I do agree with you on one thing, Louise."

Mrs. Harrison glanced at her. "What, Anna dear? You can see this gown, as it is now, is not appropriate for the Duke chapel or for my son?"

"Correct, in part. This isn't the dress. It's time for the actual contenders. No more playing around with dresses I don't like, suitable or not." She marched back to the dressing room, ignoring Adam and Robin's chuckles and her future mother-in-law's gasp of outrage. "I'm so sorry, Sara."

Sara shrugged. "Don't be. I see it all the time, mothers-in-laws who want to take over and brides who get bullied into what they hate. So we showed what you don't want. Let's dazzle them. Here's your choice, the sweetheart top because it's going to be more comfortable and flattering than the straight across. Close your eyes and raise your arms. Let me be your fairy gown finder."

Anna felt the lace and silk flow over her head, slide down her body, and hug like a warm embrace. She smelled the scent of vanilla and new fabric. She heard Sara adjust the skirt with little whispers of silk before the slight hum of the zipper as it closed over her back. Sara tugged a bit here and there, humming some merry tune. "All right, hun. See?"

She drew in a deep breath. What she saw in the mirror stunned her. "Oh. Oh, wow. I love this. I...Wow."

"It's an excellent choice, Anna. I couldn't have pulled a better gown myself. You are amazing." Sara grinned as she stood beside her. "Absolutely amazing."

The dress, all-over delicate lace with a soft silk underskirt, made her feel as if she wore clouds and nothing else. It had wide, off the shoulder sleeves loose enough to move her arms without being constricting. While the sweetheart top left her neck and upper chest exposed, it didn't bare anything beyond a hint of her breasts. It fit tight to her waist then gently flared to pool around her feet. The whisper of train, nothing puffy or grand, provided understated elegance and a feeling of utter rightness.

Anna felt beautiful and special. She felt the _Omg_ moment the bridal gown shows were always talking about when brides found the perfect dress. She finally got it, understood what those shows meant. When it was right, she knew her dress.

Sara lifted her hair, clipped it in an up do style which only made Anna love the gown more. "You could wear a necklace with this or just leave it plain. The embroidered lace makes its own statement without any embellishment. The A-line and dropped waist with just a bit of chapel train is perfect for you. Even this color is right. It's called _antique ivory_."

Anna couldn't stop staring. "Oh, this is the one. It's me, and it's mine."

"The _Legends_ collection is inspired by romantic movie idols Hepburn and Grace Kelly." Sara sighed and bounced on her heels. "It's soft, feminine, and yet a bit modern. See the scalloped hem? Doesn't it add an adorable touch?" Sara bent to show her. "How do you feel?"

"Beautiful. I feel so beautiful." Anna turned sideways, enchanted all over at the light weight and movement of the gown. "Maybe not as elegant as Grace Kelly or..."

"Oh, no, you get any such thoughts right out of your head." Sara bounced back up. "You look every bit as elegant as one of those legends and more."

"I'm glowing in this." Anna murmured the words, still a bit shocked at how finding this made-just-for-her gown made her feel. "This is my dress."

"Then let's go show and tell your family." Sara turned to open the door wide. "Own it, honey. If this is your gown, stand up for it. Make your own legends story and statement."

"Oh you bet I will. Just watch me."

"That a girl. Shoulders back, head high. Give Hepburn and Kelly a run for their money. You're more radiant than they ever were."

Anna didn't walk out. She floated with the certainty she appeared incredible. She felt confident, vibrant, and utterly desirable. She'd heard women talk about the _wow factor_ and _the moment_ when they found their dream wedding gown, but this feeling couldn't be described in words. Anna believed with everything inside her she was the most beautiful, invincible woman in the world. The knowledge she could tackle anything gave her a boost of confidence. Even making the correct decision about her groom, her wedding, and the rest of her life felt within her grasp.

"Oh, Anna, you are so beautiful." She heard her mother say as she stepped up on the platform. Her gaze stayed on the mirror, watching herself in the gown, how it moved, felt. "Oh, my sweetheart. Yes. This is the one."

Anna couldn't take her gaze off the mirror. She never wanted to change out of this gown. She wanted to sing, wanted to dance, and settled instead for twisting from side to side. "I absolutely love this. What do y'all think?"

"The overall effect is great. Wow. My sister's a hot lady and a gorgeous bride. Wait till my masterpiece flower bouquet meets that gown. Talk about true love."

She laughed as she twirled once, twice, three times. "Thanks, Mom, thanks Adam. This is it. This is my dress."

"You cannot expose so much skin. You will need a shawl or a jacket for the chapel."

Anna shook her head at Louise's comment. "No. I'm not covering this gown up in any way. It's too beautiful."

"It will not be acceptable then. There are standards and a dress code to maintain, not ignore. You must..."

"Let's try this." Sara came forward and stood on the tip of her toes. Anna saw the gauzy fabric and bent down. Sara gently attached a veil trimmed in the same lace as the gown to the back of her hair. She pulled both sides forward, so they fell in a streaming waterfall to just beyond her hips.

Anna felt tears. Oh, darn it. She couldn't see her gown with blurry vision. She blinked rapidly.

"There's just enough lace to give the illusion of coverage to your shoulders, but not enough to distract from or hide your beauty in the dress."

"The veil enhances the gown." Christine came to stand beside her, matching tears sparkling. "The lace of this veil is perfect. You are so beautiful. My little girl all grown up to this gorgeous woman. Oh, my sweetheart, I've never seen you wear anything as beautiful as this, a stunning compliment to you."

"Get it. I love it too. You've sure come a long way from the torn jeans and t-shirts you wore to chase me around the yard as kids."

Anna laughed, though she could hardly breathe. She wore her gown, her wedding dress.

"I suppose this gown and veil could be acceptable. Perhaps we should take a picture to send to the chapel coordinator to be certain it meets their standards. If you are insistent on this particular ensemble, it could do. Who is the designer?"

"Romona Keveza, part of her _Legends_ line. You might have recognized her name. She outfitted several of the actresses at the Oscars and Golden Globe awards this past year." Sara clapped her hands and bounced as Anna burst into laughter. "See, Anna? Even mom-in-law agrees."

"It's my dress. Yes, yes, yes to this dress!" Anna nodded and couldn't help the twirls of pure joy. Then she realized she hadn't heard from the other person on the sofa. "What do you think, Robin?" She stopped moving as her gaze went to her best friend's, and her heart simply stopped.

Robin's mouth fell open. His features glowed almost identical to hers. "My...Anna." He cleared his throat, and shook his head side to side with slow care. He ran a hand through his dark brown hair, mussing it in a way she always thought made him so adorable. "You are incredibly beautiful, even more than usual. You take my breath away."

The flash in his eyes stole her breath. Anna just stared at him, seeing something in his face, his open-to-her soul she'd never seen before. Well, she'd seen it, or something similar, once before, long ago, the moment he'd risen above her, and... She took a gasping breath, felt almost faint, as something inside her reached out to what she saw in him.

_Robin_. Robin made her feel incredible and vibrant and beautiful and invincible and utterly desirable. But most of all, he let her be herself. He completed her; let her be the person she wanted to be and helped her go beyond anything, everything she'd ever dreamed she could. Robin, her _wow factor_ , her _moment_ , her glowing, shining future, her rightness. Him. Even this perfect gown paled next to him.

Anna had thought finding her gown incredible. The feeling she had staring into Robin's eyes topped it by about ten thousand degrees. She didn't have to ask how to know when it was right, when love was real, when to be sure you'd met your soul mate, because she instantly recognized it. _Love 101_. The glow she recognized in her mom and Charlie whenever they saw each other. Anna could feel it, sense it, see it, smell it, hear it, and taste it between her and Robin.

Why hadn't she seen this before? Why hadn't she realized it? How could she have been so stupid, blind, and clueless? She took a step toward him...

Then it hit her, again, and again, and again, like a semi truck slamming into then rolling back and forth over her. Robin. Her best friend. Not her groom. She wasn't marrying Robin, and she should be.

Standing in this gorgeous gown, locked into his ocean blue gaze, she could picture walking on the beach with him, their hands joined as they stopped before an official who began reciting the timeless words to link them forever as one person, two parts of a whole. Robin as her groom. In her mind, Anna married Robin, her best friend. She wanted the image and reality. She was in love with him, utterly in love with Robin, her best friend. Not Doug. Never Doug.

She'd never fainted in her life, but all the air vanished from her lungs as if they were squeezed in a vice. Her head sat too heavy on her neck. Her body became boneless and unable to support itself. She locked her knees to keep from falling. _Dear God in heaven._ What could she do?

"Wow, you're stunning!" She turned as someone touched her shoulder, but her gaze stayed glued to Robin's.

Anna caught the spark, saw the awareness, and savored the acknowledgement in his expression. He knew. He felt it too. Robin could always read her so well. He saw what she felt, what she wanted, what she needed. He stood.

"Hello, I'm Laura." She wrenched her gaze from Robin's and focused beside her. The tall lady, wearing an elegant black suit with a tape measure draped around her neck, held out her hand. "I'm the owner of the salon, and it's a true pleasure to meet you, Anna. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Anna forced the words from lips gone stiff with the agony of trying not to cry or to blurt out the truth. She shook Laura's hand, still feeling as though she floated somewhere above her body, and not because she'd found the perfect gown this time. Everything had changed. What could she do?

"So is this your dress?"

Anna nodded, unable to see anyone else now except Laura as she tried to regain control of herself. _Don't come near me, Robin. Please, please don't come near me right now. I can't control this, I can't stop it. Please don't come near me._ _Not yet_.

Applause broke out around her. Her mother and brother hugged her, Sara bounced around like a pixie, and Robin stood at the sofa not moving at all. Her dream dress all right. She just didn't have the dream groom.

"Everyone agrees?" Laura turned to beam at Christine and Adam, moving to shake hands and hear introductions. Anna kept her gaze on the lace skirt of the gown and willed the tears away with every ounce of strength she possessed. She heard Louise debate the gown with the famous salon owner, question its appropriateness and value to the Duke chapel. She heard Laura's calm soothing voice assure Louise the gown passed all the chapel requirements, and not only seemed stunning on Anna, it would photograph like a dream and appear incredible in the media coverage.

Anna didn't care. She couldn't care. She wouldn't go through with the wedding. She couldn't. She loved Robin.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?"

Anna peered at her mother and saw only concern. She wanted to fall into her arms, hear Christine tell her everything would be okay as she had so many times before. Nothing could make it okay. Anna loved Robin and couldn't even look at him.

"So, let's go get you measured." Laura held out her hand to help Anna down from the platform. Still in a daze, Anna turned to walk to the dressing room with her. She took four steps then glanced behind her, unable to resist the pull of him.

Robin smiled as he watched her. She saw the love, his need, his desire for her. Just for her. In a split second, he tried to hide it behind a cocky, devil-may-care grin and jaunty military-like salute. How long had he felt this way? How long had she?

Anna almost went to him. She needed, wanted with everything in her to feel his arms around her. She lifted her hand to reach for him, and the sparkle of her engagement ring flashed like a warning.

Oh God, what could she do? She dropped her hand and walked, not aware or caring how she moved from one room to the other.

Laura and Sara fluttered around her, measuring her for the perfect dress for the perfect wedding to the perfect doctor's son she knew would never happen. Not now. Not when she knew. Not when she felt this way. She had to talk to Doug. Before anything else, she had to talk to Doug and give him back his ring then try to figure out what to do next.

A knock at the door pulled Anna from her thoughts just as Laura finished measuring and writing up the order for the dress. Sara helped her out of the dream gown and back into the realty of the silk robe. "Anna, may I come in?" Christine called.

"Yes, please." Anna hugged Sara. "Thank you so much for all your help and for really listening to me. You're a legend too. You're the best."

"Aw, thanks. I had a blast finding this gown for you." Sara winked and bounced to leave as Christine walked in. "You are awesome. Good luck. Send me pictures of your wedding. I'd love to see them. Take care and all the best."

"Mama." Anna fell into her mother's arms when the door closed behind the pixie consultant. "Oh my God."

"Sweetheart." Christine rubbed her back, holding her tight. "It's going to be all right. It will. I promise."

"No." The words wrenched from her as she struggled to breathe, to speak. "I can't do it. I can't go through with this wedding to Doug when..."

"You're in love with Robin, and he is with you."

"I just realized." Anna pulled back and wiped at her face, hoping she wouldn't flood the room with tears. She'd no doubt already ruined the silk robe with the amount of moisture she dripped onto it. "Why do you think so?"

Christine stroked her daughter's cheek. "Last night, when you had to ask me if you were in love with Doug, I knew you couldn't possibly be. Love is like finding the right gown, as you just experienced. You just feel it."

"Why didn't I feel this sooner and recognize it before now? Oh Mama, so many people are going to be hurt. What am I going to do?"

"Sweetheart, later, after you pull yourself together, we can talk about all the fall out and picking up the pieces." Christine reached up and pulled the clip from her daughter's hair so her ponytail spilled to her shoulders. "But I think there's a few things you need to do first."

"A few? I've made such a mess." Anna twisted her hands together and almost yanked at her hair.

"It would only be a mess if you went ahead and married Doug knowing you don't love him the way a wife should." Christine smoothed her hair. Her face held compassion and acceptance, the things Anna realized she desperately needed. "I'll help you, but you need to work this out for yourself. Only you can do what needs to be done. It needs to be done immediately."

"I have to talk to him. I can't do anything else until I talk to him. Doug, I mean. I can't even face Robin while I wear Doug's ring. It's not right, and I just can't. I have to talk to Doug. Then...I don't, I'm not sure." Anna shook her head, stuttering, stumbling, and unable to put the correct words to her thoughts. "I don't know how to talk to Robin now. I just...I have to talk to Doug first and end things."

"Yes, you do. So you get dressed and go talk to Doug. Be honest with him and be honest with yourself." Christine patted her back and stood.

"I haven't been." Anna put her face in her hands. "I haven't been honest with anyone, especially Robin. Or Doug. Or me."

"It can be fixed. Stop saying how awful it is and get dressed." Christine pulled on her hands then gestured to her street clothes. "Show me the Carolina Girl spirit I sense inside you."

"Carolina Girl is what he calls me. Robin does." Anna threw off the robe, reaching for her simple polo style dress and slip. "He's always been there for me. Always supported me. Why the heck couldn't I see?"

"Now you comprehend why it's often said love is blind. It can seem stupid too." Christine grinned.

Anna gave a choked laugh. "I think I set a record for being the most clueless, blind woman on the face of the earth."

"No, you didn't. Lots of women have been more blind and clueless. I just can't think of any right now."

Anna laughed again, this time with actual humor. "Thanks. Okay. So first I have to talk to Doug." She slipped both her garments over her head. "Wait. Oh my lord. I'm in Atlanta at a bridal salon. Doug's mother is out there. And..."

"Don't worry about anything." Christine held out Anna's purse. "Just do what you need to do."

"But what about..."

"I'll handle everything here, and everyone." Christine gathered the printer pages into her quilted bag. "I'll go get Adam right now. He'll drive you home. Just go, sweetheart. His truck is outside. Find it and get in. He'll be there before anyone else is aware you're gone. Leave it all up to me."

She took a deep breath, hugged her mother, and sighed. "Thanks. So much. For everything. I love you, Mama."

"I love you, sweetheart. Go."

Anna ran from the dressing room and out the front door. Her brother joined her minutes later. She didn't think, didn't really speak, the entire three hour drive. Adam, for once, didn't tease her or make jokes. Whatever Christine had told him, he simply drove and let her maintain the silence she needed. He stopped once for fast food, nagged her until she ate a few bites, and downed all of her favorite chocolate milkshake. He found a soothing jazz and blues station on the radio, reminding her of the ride to Atlanta with Robin.

Robin. Her best friend. The man she'd been in love with, she realized as the interstate miles flew by, for a long time. How could she have been so blind? Oh what a mess.

"Want to try the hospital, the Harrisons', or his apartment first?"

She drew in a deep breath and began to steel herself for what she had to do now they were a few miles from where Doug might be. "Let's try his apartment first. There's some charity ball dinner thing he's attending with his dad tonight so he's probably at home getting ready. Then we can try his parents' house if he's not there." _Please be home, Doug_ , she prayed. _I can't do this in front of anyone but you. You won't want anyone else to witness what I have to say._

She would hurt him. It cut her, making her feel guilty and terrible. Even with the distance between them, with the way he'd avoided her, he didn't deserve to be hurt. He'd be angry and upset. Or maybe he'd see this had to be the right decision, the only choice for both of them, the best thing. _Please, please let Doug realize it's for the best. I hate to hurt anyone. Please let him be aware we have to end this._

Adam drove to Doug's apartment in the trendy section of town only minutes from the hospital and medical school. "I'll be right here. If you're more than five minutes or if I hear yelling, I'm coming in there and decking him."

"It's not his fault. It's mine. All mine."

"Yeah, you're always blaming yourself when the fault lies with both of you. I may not have all the details, but there's no way in hell this is entirely your fault. I mean it, Anna. Five minutes."

"Playing knight in shining armor again?" Anna opened the truck door.

"I'm your brother. I love you. I may not always show or say it, but it's true. I've got your back, and I'm here if you need me. So hurry up and do what you need to." Adam wagged a finger. "Mama didn't raise any cowards or shrinking violets. Remember."

Anna walked up to Doug's apartment door and knocked. He didn't call out or answer, but maybe he couldn't hear her with the shower running or something. She had a key for emergencies, but she twisted the door knob and it swung open. She took a deep breath and rushed inside. "Doug? Are you here? Doug? I have to talk to you. Please. It's really important."

"Anna, what are you doing here?" Doug came out from his bedroom, barefoot, bare chested, with his hair mused as if he'd been sleeping. He tugged up his sleep pants, clearly not wearing anything else. "You're supposed to be in Atlanta with Mother."

"We have to talk. I've been trying for days, but we really, really have to talk. Right now." Anna twisted her hands together. "It's about the wedding."

"I need to talk to you too." Doug grimaced like he'd swallowed something sour. He walked a couple of steps toward her and stopped. He ran a hand over his hair. His hand shook, not at all like him. "Anna, there's something I need to tell you."

"Doug? Is it the pizza we ordered? I'm starving!"

Anna gaped as Kassie exited Doug's bedroom, clad only in one of his open button shirts, showing the pictures plastered all over _Playboy_ and God only knew how many men's lockers, garages, and walls hadn't needed any air brushing at all. "Oh. My. Holy. God. Ohmygod. Ohmygod. Ohmygod."

"Anna!" Kassie crossed her arms in front of herself, closing the shirt the slightest bit. She seemed surprised but not upset. In fact, to Anna, she almost preened with pleasure. "I, um, oh God. We didn't want you to find out this way. Really, we didn't."

"I don't believe this. I really don't believe this." Anna shook her head as she glanced back and forth between the two of them. Doug shifted from foot to foot, like he wished the floor would open and swallow him. Kassie might be pleased, but Doug certainly didn't give that appearance. "My fiancé and my friend have a thing going on. At least it seems to be some sort of sexual thing. Is it?"

"It's not what you think." Doug ran his hand over his hair again. "Or it is. But it really isn't."

Doug never stuttered. But then, they were not at an every day meeting of friends, either. "What is it then? Relieving the stress of a hard day? Studying anatomy for med school exams? Perfecting a procedure?" Anna knew she sounded sarcastic and didn't care. "Or just slutty sex to see if the Playboy model really is a wet dream come true?"

"I'm aware this is a shock, but really, you're being sort of childish." Kassie tossed her long dark hair. "It's not like I deliberately set out to get in bed with your fiancé. I mean, really. I could have done it back in college. It's beneath you to be so insulting."

"You're insulted? _You_? You stand there in my fiancé's house, wearing his shirt and nothing else, and have the nerve to say I've insulted you! You lied to me about work. Both of you freaking lied," Anna shouted then took a deep breath. Adam would hear and come running, which would make this whole situation five hundred times worse.

"I did have to work, and like I said, I didn't set out to get Doug in bed. It just sort of happened."

"This is like being in a bad soap opera or one of those idiot realty television shows about bored housewives sleeping with their neighbors' husbands. No wonder you didn't want to go wedding gown shopping with me. You're screwing my fiancé behind my back. I guess it's sort of hard to watch me model wedding dresses if you've been..."

"I never meant to hurt you. It just sort of happened." Doug shifted from foot to foot again, his focus everywhere but on either her or Kassie. It made Anna angrier he used the same words Kassie had. "Please don't blame Kassie. It's not her fault."

"How long?" Anna watched him, then Kassie, who simply raised a slim shoulder in a shrug, and returned her attention to Doug again. "How long has this been going on?"

"If you mean how long have we been sleeping together, a few times over the last couple of weeks." Kassie tossed her head again, anything but repentant.

"Oh, I think we can safely rule out the 'sleeping' part, can't we?" Anna didn't care a bit if her sarcasm shown through. "Unless you've moved in full time already?"

"Of course I haven't. Yet. It's not like we have committed to a relationship or anything. It's just..."

"Slutty sex like you're best at." Anna shook her head. "Robin always said you were a gold digging slut. I always defended you. Guess the joke's on me."

Doug took a step forward. "Now, wait just a minute..."

Kassie took his hand and his words stopped. She narrowed her gaze on Anna. "Really bitchy thing to say. Sure you're upset, but calling me names and demeaning what Doug and I have isn't going to make what's happened go away. It takes two, as you should be aware."

"Yeah, it does." Anna waved her hand. "So, you were friends with me first to get at Robin then to get at Doug. Wow. I feel so loved."

Kassie tossed her head so her long mane of hair flew. "I never wanted Robin. He's a boy. Doug's a man."

Anna balled her hands into fists. "You texted Robin. You told me you had sex with him. You lied?"

After a glance at Doug, Kassie shrugged. "We all tell little fibs now and then. God, grow up, will you? It's not like I hurt anyone with some harmless fun. You wanted to believe Robin and I had sex, so I let you."

"Kassie, I mean this with all sincerity. I never want to talk to you again. Get away from me. Get in the shower, get back in his bed, whatever. Just go away and let me talk to Doug."

"I don't think you have any right to tell me what to do."

"Kassie, please just go back in the bedroom." Doug turned to her, held their clasped hands against his chest, and shook his head.

_Oh my God._ Anna's mouth fell open in shock. _I'm a complete idiot. He's never looked at me with such emotion. It's not just sex with Kassie. At least it isn't to Doug_. _I've been a fool about everything and everyone around me. I've been a completely clueless, sightless moron, and now I'm some stupid cliché._

Kassie stroked his wrist and reached up to touch his cheek. He nuzzled into her hand. "I'll be just inside if you need me." She turned to Anna. "For what it's worth, I am sorry you got hurt. We didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't set my sights on Doug or chase him or intend to steal him from you. Really, I didn't."

Anna had nothing to say to her. Maybe Kassie hadn't set out to do take Doug, but wow. The smoking glance between the two of them, the way they touched. Either the sex had been mind blowing or- _Love 101_ maybe? The tenderness in their touches, their glances at each other, showed an emotion beside lust. Wow. Oh wow.

Silence descended after Kassie went back into the bedroom and shut the door all but a crack. Doug shook his head as he focused beyond Anna's face. "It just happened, after the surprise party for Dad. I gave her a ride home and..."

"It turned into more than a ride in your car and more like a ride on you." Anna swallowed and choked down the inappropriate giggle. "Sorry. It just slipped out."

His face flushed as he leaned against the television stand. "Please don't reduce me to some sex fiend."

"Why? Obviously you didn't 'wait until the wedding night'. Although, I have to say, I'm glad we never had sex." Anna tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. "Somehow finding you two like this would have been ten times worse."

"Maybe if we had been intimate I wouldn't have needed to turn to Kassie."

"You are so not going to blame me when you were the one who made the request in the first place."

"I only wanted to make certain..." He turned away, waving his hand.

It hit her like a hard thrown baseball from a gifted pitcher. "To make sure I didn't sleep with Robin. You didn't trust me."

"Not really, no. You're attractive and so is he. Living in the same room, well, things can happen."

She would _not_ let this be about Robin. Not now, not after finding Kassie naked in Doug's bed. "If you didn't trust me, why did you ask me to marry you?"

"You're a good match for me, from a fairly good family. Stable. Dependable. You'd make a good doctor's wife and mother."

"I'm safe." She had to laugh, brittle and fake as it sounded. All the reasons she'd given to marry him he now said about her. She didn't want to be anyone's _good_. She wanted to be someone's _incredible_. "Yet you didn't trust me."

"I figured trust would come, in time."

A bigger mess than she thought. Good lord, how could she have been so blind? "What else?" There had to be something else. She couldn't have been this desperate, this stupid, and neither could he.

Doug shifted, cleared his throat, bowed his head, and then shrugged, no doubt to avoid her question. "There's a special program, a fast track for surgical students once they become residents. As long as they are..."

"Married." Anna nodded. "I see. I've heard this is the one time being married helps a harried med student. So you thought marrying me would get you in the program. I'm surprised you didn't just say, 'Hey, I'm Douglas Harrison's son'."

"I've never used my father's name to advance my career. It's why I choose ASU over Duke in the first place." He spun back to glare past her, still unable to meet her gaze. "To make a name based on just my own merit."

"Except you didn't or you wouldn't have. You would have used our marriage to get what you wanted. The same thing, isn't it?"

"It's not the same thing at all."

"Isn't it? Did you ever love me?"

"I swear I never set out to cheat on or hurt you. I didn't. But what I feel for Kassie isn't like anything I've ever felt for any other woman." Doug ran his hand through his hair again, making it stand up in tuffs and spikes.

"Including me?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.

"Including you." He kept his shoulder to her, so she couldn't see his face. "I knew after Kassie and I...after we were together our first time. I wanted to talk to you, to try to tell you, but I wasn't certain how or what to say."

"So you avoided me for two weeks." It made sense now. She understood, sure. It didn't make it any more wrong.

"It just happened, Anna. Haven't you ever been hit with something you should have seen a long time ago?"

"I'm having it now. No wonder you proposed at your parents' dinner. All those people around, the cameras, the flashes, how could I have refused?"

"I really thought we could have a good life together. I did. I hope you believe me."

"You should have told me about the program, the reason for your proposal, Kassie, all of it. You let me plan some fake wedding, drive myself crazy about colors and flowers. You even sent me wedding gown shopping with your mother. A convenient way to get us both out of your hair, I guess."

"Please try to understand." He moved to touch her arm, but she drew back. She didn't want his touch. Not after the way he had touched Kassie as he'd just admitted. "I don't really understand how it happened. It just did. She's incredible. Amazing. And..."

"Stop." Anna held up a hand and shook her head. Her pride might be in the gutter, but damn if he'd stomp all over it with the admission he'd never felt for her what he'd just displayed with Kassie. They'd both been so wrong. She'd felt guilty for falling in love with Robin while all along Doug had lusted after, maybe even loved, Kassie. This could almost be funny.

Anna slid his ring off her finger and held it out. "I came here to tell you I think we shouldn't get married. It's what I've been trying to tell you for days. Any marriage between us would be a mistake and a lie."

He stared at the ring, at her. "No, you didn't. You couldn't have. You want to marry me, you even said yes."

Doug hurt? How? Why? "Oh yeah, I did, but I shouldn't have. I've been trying for days to talk to you. You called it 'bridal nerves', remember? But we both have to see any relationship between us, especially marriage, isn't possible."

"You're upset and angry because you saw Kassie here. So you're trying to make it seem you were planning to call this off."

"You aren't listening to me, even now." She threw up her hands, resisting the impulse to stomp her feet and scream. "Hear me. Please. Good God, I just caught you in bed with my friend! I'm supposed to be in Atlanta with your mother. Why else would I be here right now if I didn't feel I had to talk to you right this very minute?"

"Anna..."

"No. I'm going to say what I should have marched over here two weeks ago and said. Probably what I should have said when you proposed, dozens of people and cameras around or not."

"Anna..."

"We both realize our relationship isn't working, we aren't right for each other." She spoke over him, refusing to stop. "I think we've understood for a while and neither of us wanted to face it. I tried to talk to you about a postponement, but we need to call the whole thing off. You shouldn't have proposed, and I never should have accepted."

"Maybe not. But..."

"We were settling. The reasons don't matter. Both of us deserve better than to settle." Anna waved the ring. "Please just take this back and let's end things clean and tidy."

He held out his hand. She dropped the ring into it, careful not to touch him. "You sure seem accepting all of a sudden. You're not going to scream and rage? Slap me? Break into hysterical tears?"

She shrugged. "I could scream and have Adam run in here to deck you since he's outside waiting for me. Or I could punch you myself."

"Then why don't you?"

"I made my scene. I insulted Kassie and you, and myself. I even let you stomp all over my pride. I could yell and rant and rage, but what difference would it make? It doesn't matter why it's over. It's over. All of this is for the best. It really, truly is."

"Why all of a sudden are you ending our engagement? Why now?'

This time she did scream and yank at her hair. "Haven't you heard a word I've said? Just take a gander at yourself, at the fact one of my former friends is naked in your bedroom right this second and what you just said about never feeling for me what you do for her."

"Oh, come on. You act like this is all my fault."

Anna counted to ten. She could open the door, and Adam would storm in and hit this clueless man. But she wanted Doug to understand his affair with Kassie had nothing to do with her returning his ring and breaking their engagement. Their lack of connection, the way they wanted different things, even their backgrounds held them apart. Plus they both cared for other people. Anna finally knew what she wanted and it wasn't Douglas Harrison. "It is. And it isn't. Our relationship had been in trouble before you slept with her, or you never could have."

"What do you want me to say? She seduced me or..."

"No. You already said it. You feel for her what you never felt for me. I knew in some corner of my mind we shouldn't get married. So did you. It's not because you had sex sessions or an affair or whatever it is you have with Kassie. Neither of us is committed to the other. Not enough to be married, and maybe not even enough to be friends."

"I never meant to hurt you. I swear. You're a wonderful woman."

"I'm just not the woman for you, nor are you the man for me." She held out her hand, amazed at herself, at the calmness she felt. "Let's part on friendly terms, if not as friends at least. Our engagement is over. I'll leave it to you to tell your parents and the rest of your world why. Just don't count on my silence about what I walked in on if you try to make me the bad guy in all this."

"You have a low opinion of me if you think I would." Doug shook his head, refusing to shake her hand. "You want us to part on friendly terms while you try to blackmail me?"

"I'm not trying to blackmail you at all." Anna shrugged. "Your mother is going to need a cover story since she plastered our engagement all over her newspapers. She's going to blame me. You aren't going to let her. You stood up to her before in choosing ASU. If you intend to stay with Kassie and keep her in your life, you're going to have to make a stand again. So practice with telling your mother we mutually decided to call off our engagement. End of story."

"It's not so simple."

"It's always been simple. We made it difficult. Just tell the truth: We realized getting married would be a mistake because we aren't right for each other. I don't think your mother will argue too much, and neither do you."

"I truly didn't mean for this."

"I didn't either. To hurt you, I mean." Anna sighed and dropped her hand. "I thought this would be hard, but it's not. I'm not even upset. Neither are you. You're more worried you have to tell your mother we're not engaged anymore than you are over the fact we aren't. What does it say about our relationship, Doug? What does it say about you, about me?"

He reached out and took her bare left hand. He held it for a second as his gaze met hers for the first time. "There's something different about you, something stronger."

"Well, being made a fool of will change a lady." Anna smiled, even as guilt flooded her. Hadn't she cheated too, emotionally if not physically? She wouldn't throw stones, however tempting it might be. She refused to be a childish hypocrite.

"Neither of us intended..."

"Don't. Not again. I don't need the apology." She shook her head. "Good luck in whatever it is you and Kassie have. I hope it, she, makes you happy."

"I'm going to say it anyway. I didn't mean to hurt you." He held on to her hand even as she tried to tug it free. "Please believe me."

"I do. I never meant to hurt you, either." She watched him nod as she succeeded in tugging her hand free. "We aren't right for each other. I'm glad we found out before we made a huge mistake and got married. Good bye, Doug."

"Maybe I could call you next week. After you've had a chance to settle down and evaluate what you think and feel."

This time she laughed with genuine amusement. "I need a clean break. I don't want to see or talk to Kassie or you for a long time. So let's all stay away from each other. We've already done it for weeks. I don't think you have anything at my house, but if you do, I'll ship it over."

"If you really want things that way, fine." He stepped back, his face now blank.

"It is. Thanks." Anna opened the door. "Doug? Take a chance with Kassie. I think she's the one you need. I hope you make the right decision this time."

He gaped at her, and then cleared his throat. "I hope you can be happy one day."

"So do I." Anna walked out and heard him close the door behind her. Adam waved from his truck as she walked toward him. She glanced down at her bare left hand. Freedom. Just what she wanted, next to Robin.

"Anna, wait a minute." Doug shouted from the doorway as she walked down the drive. He ran to her and thrust a file folder in her hands. "You might want these."

She glanced through the small slips of paper in the folder and frowned at the name and signature on them. "I don't understand. What are these and why do you have them?"

Doug shrugged. "Ask Robin since he initiated the whole thing. I'm sorry for lying about them, too. Have a good life."

Anna watched him walk back into his apartment and shut the door. It couldn't be true. Robin had never lied to her. Why would he lie about this? Before she could tell him how she felt, she had to discover the truth, one way or another.
Chapter Nine

_Doctor and Mrs. Douglas Harrison of Durham are proud to announce the engagement of their son, Douglas, to Kassandra Williams, daughter of the deceased Robert and Amelia Williams of Asheville. The wedding will take place next May in the esteemed Duke Chapel. The News-Times incorrectly identified Mr. Harrison's fiancée in a previous announcement. We deeply regret the error and send our deepest apologies to the newly engaged couple._

Robin heard the whispers in the halls, the staff lounge. He saw the glances at Anna's classroom as people passed it. Everyone speculated at the broken engagement and the quick change of fiancée, especially since Anna refused to discuss it. He had to hand it to Kassie and Mrs. Harrison; between them, they made it appear Doug had never been engaged to Anna. The local media, both print and online, were filled with pictures of the new couple at various events. He wanted to shake the two fake ladies' hands then punch them.

Anna avoided him, no other word for it. She didn't return his calls or texts. Her mom stayed with her a week or so then her house stayed dark every night. She kept to herself at school, avoided other staff, and always made sure to be surrounded by children.

He'd never forget the sight of her in the wedding gown. The way she glowed and sparkled so her beauty alone shone through. The way she'd gazed at him; he'd seen the love he'd always wanted to see. His dream had come true. Anna had looked at him, really focused solely on him, and _seen_ him. So why avoid him?

Adam had been no help. "Sorry, bro, I don't know, okay? Beyond thanks for driving her to Doug's place and waiting while she gave back his ring, she didn't say ten words the entire trip or since. Isn't she talking to you?"

"If she was, would I need to ask you what's going on?"

"Hey, don't get all pissed at me. Anna is chewing on whatever it is, and when she's ready, she'll talk about it, or she won't. End of story."

He considered a call to Christine. Of course, she'd know. But he wanted to hear whatever bothered Anna from Anna. The word searches she'd promised were on his desk the Monday after the gown shopping trip. She had morning bus duty and he had the afternoon one. The playground times had been more chaotic than usual so they rarely saw each other. He gave her space and time, but it drove him crazy.

He sold his bike. As he made the delivery, he realized why his mother cried when he went off to college, well sort of, anyway. The buyer, a freshman in college, ran his hands with tenderness over the motorcycle's leather seat and chrome handlebars, his face shining with excitement. "Wow. She's in great shape. Are you sure about the price?"

Robin nodded and held out his hand. "I am. Take good care of her, and she'll take good care of you. So, let's go change over the title, shall we?" He let go of his baby, his companion, and his connection with everything he associated with being young and fun and carefree. Robin walked away with, if not a smile, the knowledge his bike was in the best hands available. The torch had been passed. A new path lay ahead.

Or course, first she had to stop avoiding him. He went by her house, saw the front door open, and stopped. Now or never. "Anna?" He stepped inside.

"I'm in the kitchen."

He walked through her house. She sat at the dining room table surrounded by papers, her hair clipped in a messy, up-style. Strands already escaped to caress her neck and cheeks. She wore comfy sweats and her bare feet were propped on the chair beside her. She sipped from her favorite _Doctor Who_ mug, the one with the exploding Tardis. Uh oh. Either she was ticked off about something so she needed her comfort mug? Or she was unbearably sad about something?

Her face set, eyes narrowed, she thrust a stack of papers at him. "Want to tell me about these?"

Robin took them, glanced down, and winced. "Oh. Well. They're flower receipts."

"I can see. I can even read. I went to college, to the college where these were delivered. Hibiscus. One bouquet a week. Deep purple or bright yellow preferred."

"You loved them." Weak, sure, but it bought him a few seconds to come up with a way to deal with her anger.

"You let me think they came from Doug." Anna placed her mug on the table. "Why?"

He carefully laid the papers back on the table and avoided her gaze. "How did you get them?"

"Doug gave them to me. He thought I should see them. Why, Robin?" She balled her hands into fists.

Okay, so she had a right to be pissed. "Why do you think?"

"I want you to tell me." Her voice went soft, from merely pissed to absolutely furious.

"You like flowers. You missed your mom. I tried to do something nice for you." Robin shrugged it off even as his heart accelerated. This might not go well if her temper exploded. "You know, a friendly gesture."

"Try again." She drummed her fingers on the table, the sound like thunder from an approaching storm. "Try the truth."

"Damn it." Now she pissed him off as well. How much more obvious could he be? "What do you expect me to say?"

The fire in her eyes could have set him aflame and did, in a very unwanted for this moment kind of way. "I expect you to tell me the truth. You knew I loved those deliveries. I waited impatiently for them, mooned over them, fell in love with them. You even said it, I 'fell for the flowers before I ever fell for Doug,' and you let me."

"Anna." Robin ran a hand through his hair. What the hell could he say when his body went all hard and he wanted to kiss the anger out of her or at least channel all that passion into something so much better than a fight. "Really, I just meant to help."

"You encouraged me, let me think Doug wooed me." Anna slammed her chair back so hard it hit the wall behind her before she stood. "You made me think I was in love with him. Why?"

"Oh come on, I didn't make you think you were in love with the Dufus." No way would he take the fall. "I sent you some flowers. You assumed they were from Doug, and he didn't man up and tell you the truth until now."

"You lied to me too." She waved her arms around before she wrapped them around herself. "Why? Did you want to get rid of me so bad you threw me at the first man to come along?"

"Get rid of you?" Robin's hands clenched into fists as he fought his rising temper. "I followed you here. I applied to only the school districts you did. Why the hell would you think I wanted to get rid of you?"

"Then why didn't you tell me you sent me the flowers? Why did you let me think Doug had?"

"Because you wanted him and didn't want me." Robin stared at her as he shouted, feeling the words spilling out, yet unable to stop them. "I tried to help you, to help him."

"But why did you do it?" She shook her head. Her hair began to slide down her back. "You called him Dufus and said he's a stuffed shirt and..."

" _You_ wanted _him_. And I wanted you happy." God, she couldn't be this dense. Did she want him stripped bare?

"How could you stand by and let me follow a lie?" She gripped her hair in both hands and tugged. "You let me..."

"Let you? For God's sake, I tried to stop you, to tell you, but you were determined to marry him." He shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't grab her. "What the hell more do you want from me?"

She slammed her hand down on the table, making her mug jump. "I want the truth. I want to understand why. You tell me the truth, Robin Bates."

"Because I love you, damn it! You're the only woman excluding my mother I've ever said those words to. I love you. Enough to let you marry the man you think is right for you and stand back while you do, because it's what you think you want." There, the truth, like she wanted and a bit of his temper, too, since she seemed determined to blame him.

"You love me?" she whispered. "You've never said it."

God, seriously, all he'd had to do for these years was say the words? "I love you, and not like a friend. Hell no, there's nothing friend-like in the way I want to rip those sweats off you right now and remind you exactly what we were like together. How there's never been anyone else but you and every night all I can see is you in your ratty blue nightshirt, with your hair mussed, and your eyes all sleepy." Might as well tell her everything. "You want the truth? I've loved you since freshman year and even more after we made love because you complete me, you make me better, you're all I can think about or want. You. Only you."

Anna grabbed onto the table, her hands shaking and eyes wide. "Robin, I..."

"We made love, Anna. Made love, not had sex. I saw the way your eyes locked onto mine the moment before I entered you. Jesus, I was your first, and I want to be your last. I felt the way your body fit to mine, the way you tightened around me, and whispered my name over and over. Your scent, your arousal, your pleasure, I remember every second of it. I dream about it still." His body tightened more finally speaking the words. "And the next morning you wanted to just be friends."

Anna shook her head. "I thought you were walking away. I thought I'd just be another girl to you."

"Then you never knew me at all. There's not been anyone but you since we met in our dorm room the first day and I realized housing made the best mistake of my life. You. Only you."

Her hair fell around her bent face like a curtain and hid her expression. Her way of hiding, he knew. "But all those other girls, all the dates, all the sleepovers and the times you didn't come home."

"Were just dates. I slept on Fred's sofa or the floor. No one has touched my heart since you. No one ever will." Could they still have a chance? "When I saw you standing on the platform in the dream dress, I saw how you stared at me. You love me too, and more than as a friend. You love me."

"Robin, I..."

"I get it." He waved his hands, determined to get past this last barrier. "You think I'm determined to kill myself with reckless motorcycles and dare devil sports. But there's something I need to tell you."

"Something else?" Anna turned around, showing him her back. "Something more than you love me and have for a while?"

She didn't jump in his arms and declare her love. Why? She'd left the salon and ran back to break her engagement after the glance they'd exchanged. He couldn't be wrong. "It's the truth, like you wanted."

"The truth like I wanted. So you deserve the truth too." She pushed back her hair. "You terrify me, Robin. Absolutely terrify me. I don't know how to deal with you and what I feel. I'm not sure I ever will."

Ah, now he understood. It broke him, but at least he had the truth. "You won't take a chance with me because you're scared. I'm not safe. I could give up the bike, the sky diving, all of it, because it's not them as much as it's me, and you and what we could have together. I've done everything I can to prove it to you, but you don't believe me. You don't believe in us."

Her shoulders shook. She must be crying. He certainly felt like he could cry. He sighed. End of the line. Best shot fired, and target missed by a mile. "Okay, I get it. I'll put in for a transfer and leave you to find whatever you think will make you happy, this time all on your own without any interference from me."

Anna walked away, walked from the room and left him standing there. He'd never felt like a bigger fool. He wouldn't stay. He couldn't. Robin moved to the front door.

"I got you a present. Well, it's really for me, but it's for you too. It's a symbol of what I need to tell you." Her voice halted him at the last second.

He gripped the door knob. "Keep it. I don't really want it."

"I think you will. Please look at me."

_Idiot, fool, idiot_. His mind raged, but he turned around.

"I got it yesterday. The man at the shop said it's supposed to fit like this and the straps go around this way. I think I got it right. Did I? Is it okay?" She tugged at the straps under her chin, pushing at the hair now streaming down her back. "I want to be safe and show you I support your decisions. I support and trust you."

He swallowed in disbelief and because she came off so damned sexy his body began to throb again. "It's exactly what you need if you're going to ride on a motorcycle."

She twisted her fingers together. "Then we're set. I couldn't think of any other way to tell you I accept you and your bike. Just as you are. If I have to accept the bike to have you, I will and even learn how to ride it. I mean, I'll still worry some. Probably a lot. The bike, I mean. I can deal with it, because I'm going to be with you. I might scream some before I get used to it, but I promise I'll try."

"I sold the bike." Robin kept the smile inside, even as he wanted to burst with it.

"I...you...what?" Her expression soft and confused, she shook her head from side to side.

He shrugged. "We did have a deal. You canceled the wedding, so I sold the bike."

"But I didn't want you to really sell it!" She stared at him, distress now clear in the features he loved so much. "You love your bike. It's your baby. I never thought you'd actually sell it. I bought this helmet so you can teach me how to ride and be safe, so I could prove I trust you and I trust in us. You couldn't have sold it."

He gestured outside. "It's autumn, not December and not Christmas."

"What? I don't understand." Anna tilted her head, her face all but lost in the helmet. "What do December and Christmas have to do with you selling your bike?"

"Not my bike. I mean the Gift of the Magi. The couple in the story give up what each values most for the other."

She smiled as she reached up to touch her head. "She cuts her hair to buy him a watch chain, and he sells his watch to buy her hair combs. I guess we did too in a way."

"You better never cut yours. Ever." Closing the gap between them in three steps, he pulled off the helmet and dropped it to the floor. He ran his hands through her hair and tugged gently to tilt her face up to his. "Tell me, Anna. God, please say the words I saw our night, the gown day, now."

"I love you, Robin. You're more than my best friend. You're my security, my safety, my home. You're what I want. You. Only you." They shared a kiss like none before and none since, joining, merging, filling. Breathless, she pulled away, wrapping him close in her arms. "We have to take things slow. Really get to know each other as a couple. Make sure it's what we both want for the rest of our lives. Because I can't see life without you, we'll go slow and get it right."

"Hmmm." He grinned down at her and pushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "I agree. Okay. So, we'll take things slow. I won't move in until next week."

"Not that slow." Anna laughed and kissed him again. "Tomorrow is slow enough."

***

The alarm blared. Anna pushed at his shoulder. "Robin, get up. You have bus duty."

"Go away." He pulled a pillow over his head.

"No. You have bus duty. Get up, get in the shower, and I'll make coffee." She started to rise, and he pulled her back down.

"How about you slip under me, and I make you forget all about school and bus duty and getting out of this bed?"

"Robin Bates, get off me and in the shower right this minute." She shoved at his wandering hands. "I covered your morning bus duty last time. I'm not doing it again. Get moving."

He moaned, grumbled, and stumbled off to the shower. She made coffee and met him as he started to dress for the day. "Don't forget, it's Halloween. We have costumes."

"It's too damn early for costumes and for bus duty." He tossed the shirt he held to a chair and slicked back his wet hair. "Gimme coffee."

"You are so not a morning person." Anna passed him the mug, watching him down the contents before he dressed in jeans and cotton tee shirt emblazed with _T-Birds_. "There. All dressed as my greaser Danny. Your leather jacket's on the chair by the front door with your book bag. I'll see you at lunch."

Robin grabbed her, spun her around, and kissed her. "You'll see me after bus duty before we start the day. I'll need my fix. See ya, Sandy."

"See ya." She watched him leave and leapt for the telephone. "Mrs. Barber? Yes, he just left. Is everything set? Okay, great. Thank you so much. See you at school."

***

_Morning bus duty stank, literally and figuratively_. Robin shivered in the nippy, late autumn breeze as he waited. The scent of exhaust in the air and low rumble told of the buses' approach. He yawned and watched his coworkers grin. Why did they all seem so happy when it was so darn early? Sure, Halloween and a Friday, and they appeared funnier than he did in their clown and witch and _Doctor Who_ costumes. What joke did he miss?

The first bus pulled up and stopped with a squeal of brakes. A second and third were close behind it. He waited as the kids began to climb off, some in costumes, some not, all holding a square of poster board against their chests. They filed into a line on the sidewalk, giggling and throwing glances at him while nudging each other.

He shook his head and pointed toward the building. "What are you guys doing? Go on, head inside. You need to get to class and..."

The biggest Harley motorcycle he'd ever seen roared into the parking lot. The driver, a huge beefcake of a man, stern face split with a grin, an American flag bandana tied around his head, halted mere feet from Robin and cut the engine with hands the size of full spiral hams. He turned to help the lady behind him off the bike.

Anna slid off the motorcycle seat, pulled a helmet off her head, and handed it to the man with a grin. At least Robin thought so. She was dressed as the character Sandy from _Grease_ , but not the prim and proper, poodle skirt and high necked sweater Sandy.

Her hair hung in huge curls, fluffed, teased, and whatever else women did to make it standout like she'd just climbed out of bed and would happily climb right back in with the lucky man of her choice. She wore leather form-fitted jacket and skin tight pants, topped off with shiny red heels. He studied her up and down once, twice, three times, and still couldn't believe what he saw or his luck.

She walked over and leaned against him. One red tipped fingernail slowly ran up and down his chest. He almost expected her to say, _Tell me about it, Stud_. Instead she asked, "Well?"

He had to remember how to breathe. Then he had to recall how to talk and not swallow his tongue. "W-well what?"

"What's your answer?" She smiled up at him, used the same fingernail to trace the curve of his face.

"What's the question?"

Anna tenderly turned his head to the line of students. He saw them flip their poster boards to reveal words. Most were in the correct order; a couple were out of sequence so it took him a moment to grasp the sentence. Will. You. Marry. Me. Robin?

"Are you sure?" He glanced down at her and saw the answer already shining in her face.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

The students began to chant, "Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!"

Robin grinned. "Yes."
Chapter Ten

Anna just had to get through this short little trip and then it would all be over.

"Ready?'

She turned and smiled. "Tardis tie! Wow. Have you seen your handsomeness?"

"My focus is only on the beautiful bride. You make the gown gorgeous, Anna. A true legend begins today." Charlie smoothed his light gray suit jacket, stepped forward, and offered his arm. "You could almost be as beautiful as your mother."

"Charmer." Christine, radiant in sapphire blue, grinned at her husband and fixed the last yellow hibiscus in Anna's upswept curls. "You have almost as many flowers in your hair as you would if you had chosen to carry a bouquet."

"I can't carry a bouquet and hold on to both of you." Anna slipped her arms through her parents'. "I'm so ready."

"Final check first. Something old is your grandmother's pearls." Christine touched the necklace Anna wore. "Something new is this gorgeous gown."

"You ordered and surprised me with it." Anna blinked back tears.

"Yours the moment you put it on. Laura had all your measurements, so it worked out to perfection. Plus, Sara got a free trip to Hawaii to bring it." Christine blinked at tears too. "Something borrowed, your mother-in-law's pearl earrings."

"I like her." Charlie grinned. "A travel agent couldn't be more perfect for our family and the business. Plus, her husband's an insurance agent with a huge corporation liking exotic conventions and destination weddings."

"Hush. There will be no business talk today, at least until after the reception. They're staying a few days. We have plenty of time." Christine laughed. "And something blue, your Tardis garter."

"Where Robin found it, I can't guess, but he will love taking it off me in a few hours." Anna shifted, hearing the rustle of silk and lace. "Can we please start now?

"Yes, but there'll be no running to the groom. Your mom and I can't keep up." Charlie winked. "Let's go."

The French glass doors opened to the small aisle. The sand felt warm and crunchy under her bare feet as she stepped out. Sara adjusted her gown one final time as she took the first steps. Just ahead, sheer white panels decorated the small gazebo where the minister stood. They fluttered in the gentle breeze, almost blinding in the brilliant sunlight. Flower scents mingled with the tang of the sea air. Adam waved at them and nudged the man beside him. She heard the ocean waves as they hit the shore and the murmurs of her family, the only guests at her small private wedding.

Robin turned from gazing at the ocean, capturing her undivided attention. His dark hair danced on the breeze. His smile caused her heart to pound even faster. He walked two steps, met them in front of the minister, and stood gazing at her. The love in his features made her feel safe, secure, and so very adored.

He cleared his throat, having to try twice before he could speak. "Carolina Girl, you take my breath away."

"I love you, Robin." He'd heard her say it dozens of times but never had the words meant more to her or, she saw as his face lit up, to him.

"I love you, Anna."

"Who gives this woman in marriage to this man? And who gives this man in marriage to this woman?"

Charlie and Christine took her fingers and placed them in Robin's. His parents walked forward and placed their palms atop her parents, making a mound of six pairs of joined hands. All four of them spoke in unison.

"We take this couple and join them to our family. Two people now become one. Two families now become one."
Excerpt: If You Want Me

_Weddings by C & C_ book 3

_Stay the hell away from Megan Catle_ remained the utmost thought in Adam's cluttered mind while he drove along the interstate. Jumbled within the 'things to do', 'bills to pay', 'orders to fill,' and 'avoid desperate, psycho females' tumbled worry for the woman curled in the seat beside him. The cold gray February day seemed to reach icy grabby fingers into the interior of the van so he reached over and upped the heat when she shivered.

"I really appreciate you coming with me." Anna rubbed a hand over her stomach and grimaced, her pale face pinched. "I guess I owe you one."

"No, you don't. I'm glad to help." Adam glanced at his sister before focusing back on the road. "Still not feeling well?"

"Not really." Anna took a sip of ginger ale from the can she held, swallowed, and groaned. "It's probably some stomach bug from one of the kids. I'll be fine."

"You were the one who insisted on teaching elementary school." Adam lowered the volume of the radio so she wouldn't have to try to speak louder. "How can you want to be around kids who are mini incubators for every disease known to humans?"

"Shut up. I love teaching and kids are not mini incubators." Anna shifted on her narrow seat and glanced from the can, to his head, and back to the can as if debating throwing the drink at him. "Not all the time."

"I could always tell Robin you miss him so much it's making you sick." Adam felt the worry build in his mind. Anna had been ill over a week now, ever since her husband left for a ten day conference, and yet she refused to go to a doctor. 'Stomach bugs' didn't last this long. They had been driving a bit over three hours and he'd stopped five times for Anna to use a fast food restaurant restroom. His old van definitely wasn't meant for long distance travel but she'd never been car sick before.

"You won't. He already feels guilty for being away. But this conference is mandatory for his master's degree plus it gets his name and resume out. He's top of his class." The proud note in her voice made Adam's lips curve. "When he graduates in a few weeks, he'll have his pick of positions."

"Y'all wouldn't think of moving, would you?" Adam threw his sister another quick glance as he took the exit for the small college they were visiting. He slowed for the small two lane road. Surprise and the first tingle of fear licked at the back of his brain. "I mean, you're all settled in Mom's old house and seem pretty happy there. Especially since the upstairs addition is finished and you have twice the room."

Anna shrugged, shifted one hip, and punched at the cushion Adam had supplied for her seat. "We're happy where we are, but if Robin wants to take another position, I won't hold him back. He's a brilliant teacher but he's then again he's brilliant, period. He needs a challenge, I think."

"Like being married to you isn't challenge enough." He braced the side of his body nearest her. Yet Anna didn't punch at him, laugh, or actually throw the can which worried Adam more. She didn't even retort back. She must feel sick-enough-to-be-in-the-hospital rotten. He swallowed more fear and tried again. "Come on, you have to admit that was a funny comment."

"You didn't have to come if all you want to do is insult me." Anna threw an arm over her head.

"But insulting you while you're sick is so easy. I've got to get my laughs where I can." _I'm making her call her doctor the minute we start back down these mountains_ , Adam decided _. Or I'll call Mom, tell her all about Anna's illness, and let her nag at Anna._

"I thought you got enough laughs from Megan spreading the news around town you two were about to get engaged." Anna lowered her arm and glanced over at him. Her big brown eyes opened wide and lashes blinked fast enough anyone who didn't know her would believe the question was asked in concern not sarcasm.

"Ouch, damn, you hit back hard, don't you?" Adam grimaced and allowed the self recrimination to make him the slightest bit disgusted. "For the record and all those at the coffee shop who will be dying to ask you we were never getting engaged. Never. We were never even steady, in a relationship, or anything close to it. Period. And it's not funny."

Her lips compressed over the grin which gave Adam a tiny bit of relief. "Neither is saying me being Robin's wife is enough of a challenge to him." Anna glanced out the wide windows. "We're here."
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**About Mia Epsilon**

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Writing has always been a passion to Mia. Reading is a bigger one. When she appears to be MIA or can't be found, search for her in a cozy nook, curled up with a book or at her computer spinning new stories to share.

Mia is hopeless, helplessly, forever addicted to coffee and chocolate, particularly the _Elite Truffles_ found in a local shop called, fitting enough, _The Chocolate Fetish_. She is married to an extremely patient Husband who doesn't mind (too much) her new book boyfriends and has learned when she's muttering to herself or talking aloud to invisible people to stand clear.

Like Anna and Robin, Mia is a licensed teacher with young children. The daily insights from her students convince her not only is teaching a calling, she learns more from them than she can ever teach.

**Contact Mia Epsilon**

_Mia loves to hear from readers. Please contact her at any of the below contact links and let her know your thoughts on her book._

**Blog** : Authors, Books & Chocolate: The True ABC's of Life

**Face Book** :  Mia Epsilon Author

**Twitter:** Mia Epsilon @MiaEpsilon

**Amazon:**  Amazon.com/author/miaepsilon

**Good Reads** : Mia Epsilon

**Shelfari:**  Search: Mia Epsilon

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**Other Books by Mia Epsilon:**

_The Weddings by C & C Series_:

_Take a Chance on Me_ , book 1

_Wedding Belle Blues_ , book 2

_If You Want Me_ , book 3

_Let Me Know_ , book 4

_Take on Me_ , book 5

_When You Believe_ , book 6

_Stuck on You_ , book 7

_Leave Your Hat On_ , Modern Fairy Tales, book 1
