A Wedding Story Read Online Free Page B

glance over Madelyn’s shoulder with Ruth Anne.
    “I don’t care who he’s related to, he’s repel ant,”
    Madelyn grumbled, creating a cloud of spray in exuberance. Ruth Anne always thought Louie was cute in a helpless, never-going-to-get-a-job-but-fabulous-in-bed kind of way. He had the Wichowski dark good looks. He even had the same musical talent Bobby had. Louie just had no ambition. Or charm.
    “So, once we get the toasts out of the way, we can go?” Ruth Anne asked, stil trying to decide what she wanted to do. It al seemed like a huge mess with too many emotions (and way too much bloodletting) to make any decisions. She just wanted to go home, sink into her bathtub and pretend the whole thing never happened. That would be the smart thing, wouldn’t it?
    Bobby shook his head at her, showing his annoying skil of seeming to know what she was thinking exactly when she least wanted him to.
    He took hold of her hand and pul ed her from Madelyn’s not so gentle ministrations. “You’l get to fix her at our wedding,” he tossed over his shoulder, pul ing Ruth Anne close to his side. “Don’t start getting ideas, Rhubarb. We’re just getting started, you and I.”
    “I’m sorry,” Madelyn said from behind them, sounding breathless. “ Your wedding?”
    Bobby turned to look at her, holding Ruth Anne fast. (How’d he know she was considering running for it?) “You can put it together in a week, can’t you?”
    He smiled as Madelyn made a familiar sounding thump on the cathedral carpet.
    “God does bad things to people who do bad things in church,” Ruth Anne warned him, though her mouth was smiling without her consent.
    “If that’s an invitation, babe, I’m sure we can work something out.”
    She elbowed him in the ribs, but it didn’t get her free. Al it got her was bumped back, which forced open the doors to the reception. Where everyone was waiting. Watching. And where Father Larkin was in mid-sentence with their huddled, wide-eyed mothers.

    Al eyes turned to them and the party went silent.
    There was only one thing left to say, as Bobby took her hand in silent support.
    “See?”

Chapter Nine
    “You see a way out of this one?” Bobby asked through lips that didn’t move.
    “Uh-uh.” The only thing that moved between them was the tightening of their fingers together.
    Ruth Anne watched the mouth on Father Larkin moving, but she couldn’t quite hear anything. Just the sound of Bobby breathing. Her own heartbeat, rambling in her ears, picking up pace like a downhil locomotive. And yet...she could stil hear him breathing. Even, steady, unafraid.
    “You realize if we take a single step in that room, you’re going to have to marry me,” she said, turning away from every face that was staring at them, al the confusion, the growing whispers, even the looming thunder on Father Larkin’s face. None of it mattered. Not her mother crossing herself. Not Bobby’s mother’s eyes getting wider and wider and wider. Certainly not her sadistic sister starting to turn purple while Bobby’s brother laughed his head off.
    For the first time in her life, she tuned out every person she knew and what they thought. She listened only to the only person she’d worked al her life never to hear.
    He met her gaze square on, no hesitation, nothing hidden. “I’m not the one with doubts, Rhubarb.”
    “No, you’re just the one who’s never said a word in al the years we’ve known each other.” The truth of al he’d been saying that day had sunk in right to the core of her.
    His mouth curved downward, wryly. “It’s not exactly easy on the ego when the girl you want more than breathing compares you to algae. What would you have said if I showed up under your window some night and asked you to love me for the rest of your life?”
    “You mean after I looked for the video cameras?” She smiled, using her gentlest touch to caress the curve of his mouth upward, where it belonged. “I probably would have