Chemistry of Desire (14 page)

“S
o when do we tell the family?” Todd was sprawled across the bed, watching Emily getting dressed. Thanksgiving morning had dawned bright and cold, and it was time for them to go have breakfast.

She smiled as she pulled a bright blue cowl-necked sweater over her head. “I’m pretty sure it’s common knowledge by now. But how about after we make some decisions about where we’re gonna live?”

Todd reached for her as she began to put on a pair of jeans, but she slid away. “No! Once you get that look in your eyes, it’s all over. Put on a shirt or something so we can talk.”

“I just assumed you’d want to stay in South Carolina,” Todd said. “I’m sure I can get a job down there with no problem.”

Emily zipped up her jeans and sat on the bed again. “Suppose I want to stay here?”

“Here, where? Chicago?” Todd looked dumb-founded.

“I like it up here. I like being around my family and your family. And I think it’s time that I cut the umbilical cord at USC. I’ve been there for far too long, and it’s time that I move on and test myself in a new academic environment.” She told him about the oddly prophetic conversation she’d had with Dr. Awerbuch before the holiday. “Sometimes you have to make a big change in order to see real progress in your life.”

Todd grabbed her, regardless of her admonishment about putting on clothing. “I think we’ve made a lot of big changes already. What will your mother say if you move?”

Emily laughed. “She’ll say welcome to the neighborhood, since she plans to move up here, too.”

He laughed, too, and then turned serious. “My career isn’t any more important than yours, baby. I don’t want you to think that.”

“But you’re more important to me than my career. I love you, Todd, and I’m not exactly lacking
in credentials myself. I can easily find something to do up here.”

He kissed her hard and was making another move when Emily remembered to ask about his parents. “Have you told them?”

“It can wait. You’ve never met them and we should put that off as long as possible. They aren’t like Billie’s parents, or yours. They’re on the snotty side, to be honest. And my sisters, the plastic surgeons, are impossible. Whatever you do, don’t believe a word they say, because the truth is like Botox to them. They inject it here and there so they can reshape natural events. And they like to make trouble, so if they tell you my name is Todd, don’t believe them.”

“That’s awful! How can you say things like that about your own family?”

“You’ll see. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Can I have one more kiss?”

“Maybe just one,” she murmured. “Just one little one.”

It was quite a while later before they made it back to Ayanna and Johnny’s house. No one commented on their long delay in arriving or on their exceptional appetite for breakfast, because they were too busy getting the food loaded into Johnny’s SUV and getting the children ready to go to
Nick and Dakota’s house. It didn’t take very long, and they were soon ready to go. Emily had just picked up Madison when the light struck her hand and the resulting gleam made a rainbow dance across the kitchen. Ayanna was the only one who saw it, and her eyes got huge.

“Don’t say anything yet,” Emily said urgently. “Just wait until we’re all together. Todd and I will spill all, I promise!”

She proved true to her word when, after all the families had gathered and the huge table had been set, Todd asked to say grace, which he did with great dignity and faith. He ended by saying he had a special announcement.

“It will probably come as no surprise that I had the good sense to fall completely in love with Emily and she was kind enough to return the feeling. So we are happy to announce that we will be getting married in the very near future.” Emily was seated next to him, and she stood to kiss him and show off her ring.

When the hubbub and congratulations had died down, Lucie posed a practical question. “So when is the very near future?”

Todd and Emily looked at each other with huge smiles. “We were thinking Saturday,” she said. “The day after tomorrow, at Ayanna’s house,” she added.

Everyone started talking at once except Alex and Cameron, who shrugged and started eating. No one noticed Boyd, Johnny and Nick passing folded bills to Jason, who took them with a wicked grin. “I know my brother, and there was no way he was letting her leave here before they made it legal. Pay up, gentlemen.”

Todd and Emily were completely serious about a quick, intimate wedding. Neither one of them wanted a big ceremony, although they agreed to a big party in the summer, just to placate the families. They had just the kind of wedding they wanted, performed by Ayanna’s minister in front of the big fireplace in her living room. It was just perfect for them, as perfect as they were for each other. Lucie was as happy as she could be, although she warned Emily that there would be bloody retribution when Alexis and Sherri found out what she’d done without them.

“Sherri is in Orlando with Sydney, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to wreck her trip. Alexis went to California to visit her sister, and it would be expensive and time-consuming for her to get here in time. And I read somewhere that it’s always easier to get forgiveness than permission. Or attendance by best friends, in this situation. They love me. They’ll have to forgive me one day,” Emily said with a smile.

Two weeks after Thanksgiving, Emily was making a fresh pot of coffee in her kitchen. Sherri and Alexis were at the door, and she had to hurry to answer it.

“Well, hello, ladies! Are you coming in or are you going to drill a hole in the door with that laser-powered side eye you’re giving me?”

“Don’t get smart with me. I’ll have some coffee, thank you, and a cinnamon roll. I know you made some to bribe us with,” Alexis said as she sailed into the kitchen.

“Ditto for me,” Sherri added. “And let’s not waste any time here. Why are you just coming back to Columbia? You always acted like that university would crumble to the ground if you weren’t there to prop it up, so why did you stay in Chicago so long?”

“And why didn’t you call anybody or send a text or an email or something?” Alexis asked narrowing her eyes at Emily.

“My, that’s a lot to handle at once. Why don’t we start with something small? How was your Thanksgiving?” Emily said brightly.

“Fine, how was yours?” Sherri asked as her eyebrow rose slightly.

“It was lovely, thanks.” Emily put the creamer and sugar dish on the table, along with a thermal
carafe of coffee. Everything else was ready for her friends.

Sherri looked at Emily with new eyes. “Tell me, hon, what happened with that man from Chicago, the one who treated you wrong. Did you see him while you were up there?”

Emily gave her a dazzling smile. “Yes, I did.”

Both women leaned forward to get all the details. “So what happened? What did you do? What did he do?”

She hesitated for a moment before holding up her left hand. “We got married.”

Before Alexis could scream or Sherri could shriek, Todd came around the corner wearing tight jeans and no shirt. “Baby, have you seen my… Oh, hello, ladies. You must be Alexis and Sherri. I’ve heard some great things about you, but I think I should get dressed before I socialize.” He kissed Emily and waved at the women before leaving.

There was dead silence for a full minute before Alexis said, “Listen, girl, I’ma need to borrow that Hilton Head house for a long weekend. If that’s what you come back with, I definitely need to go.”

Sherri’s eyes were still looking at the spot that Todd had just vacated. Then she looked at Emily, long and hard. “Okay, Miss Girl, you have one minute to come sit your butt down and tell us just what the hell you got into up in Chicago. Don’t
skip any details, not a one. Starting with that ring,” she said with an avid gleam in her eye. “What kind of stone is that?”

Emily sat down and crossed her arms. “It’s called a jeremejevite. Isn’t it gorgeous?” She spread her fingers to admire it again. “Okay, ladies, here goes. It’s not really a long story, but it has an exceptionally good ending. We fell in love, we got married right there because neither one of us wanted to wait, and I’m moving to Chicago because I love it there, my sister is there, my mom wants to move there and I need to cut down on my workload anyway.”

“Not the chronic workaholic! Why do you want to slow down?”

Emily smiled into her cup as she thought about the extraordinary passion she shared with Todd the day before he proposed. He had whispered in her ear that they had just made a baby, but it was a few days before she believed him.

Todd came back into the kitchen in search of coffee. Alexis and Sherri insisted that he join them, so he did. Alexis, never shy, asked if he had anything to do with Emily wanting to slow her career down.

“Emily can do anything, we all know that,” he said as he covered her hand with his own. “But since this is our first baby…”

“A baby!” they screamed as one. After a few minutes of high-volume joy, Alexis turned to Emily with her hand extended.

“Girl, I’m serious now. Give me the keys to that Hilton Head house, because I plan on spending New Year’s there.”

Everyone laughed except Alexis, because she meant every single word.