Sean's Sweetheart (22 page)

Chapter Fifty-three

Leading Sean over to the porch swing, Talia pushed him to sit first so that she could snuggle into him. While the days were still warm, the nights were starting to be chilly. Summer had reached its end. Not having thought to grab a jacket, she nestled in tighter to Sean's body for warmth. He pulled her in close as he brushed his lips against hers.

"So, are we making wedding plans out here? Or avoiding your grandparents for a little while?" His chest rumbled beneath her as he spoke.

"A little of both?" She laughed.

"Okay, sweetheart, you want a big wedding? I don't really have many people to invite, so that wouldn't be my preference. But if that's what you want, then we'll do it."

"No, I'm thinking something small. You know what would be great? If we could get married at Garden Falls. My grandparents couldn't take the hike though."

"Well, we could always do a garden somewhere and have it outside. Have to do it soon before it gets too cold though. Speaking of cold, we should go back in. I don't want you to get chilled."

She wouldn't let him up until they had one last kiss, a true kiss, not the mere whisper of his lips crossing hers. She couldn't get enough of his kisses. He pulled her so that she was sitting across his lap, his hands holding her close. Yanking his shirt free of his pants, she ran her hands up his sides. Sean trailed kisses down her jaw and began to nibble on her earlobe. He held her tight against him and she leaned into him. By the time she broke away, Talia's face felt heated and the brisk evening air was refreshing on her heated skin.

They headed back into the house with Sean trailing behind her shoving his shirt back into his jeans. Settling into the only free chair in the library, Sean drew her down onto his lap.

"Dad! Talia's sitting on Sean's lap again!" Zane shouted. Then in a false whisper, Zane leaned toward her, "Pssst… Dad doesn't like it when you sit on that man's lap, don't you remember?"

"Now, Sam. Is it that you don't like for her to sit on my lap, or can I just not tickle her while she sits on my lap?" Sean asked the older man with a smile. He knew he was taking a risk, cracking a joke with her dad. But he hoped it would be okay.

Her dad laughed and shook his head. "So, did you all decide on anything about a wedding while you were out there, or were you too busy kissing?"

"I want to get married in a garden somewhere."

"Garden? You want to get married at the club?" Karly's surprised voice cut through the softer tones of the older people in the room. "I mean I guess we could make an aisle on the dance floor, but a club? Really?"

"No, I meant an actual garden, silly. Not the club. I mean, I love the club and that is where we met, so there would be significance behind it, but that's not what I had in mind. I would love to get married at Garden Falls, but that's a heck of a hike. It's just… We met at Garden. We had our first kiss at Garden Falls. Gardens have such happy memories and positive meaning for us. Ya know?"

"Your first kiss at Garden Falls... If I remember right, you went hiking with him long before you told me you were dating him," her dad said gruffly.

"And that was the kiss she mentioned at Zane's that day when she told you I pushed her away and ran," Sean answered for her.

Sam nodded when he remembered that conversation. "So, how about the yard here? It's big enough for a wedding if you're keeping it small."

Sean shook his head. "But it's overgrown and shabby. She deserves better than that."

That comment earned him a kiss; she only released him when her dad cleared his throat beside her. A girl has to reward her man when he makes sweet comments, doesn't she?

"Well, we would have to pay to use the botanical gardens. What if we put that money into the yard here?"

Sean exhaled loudly. Shoving his hair out of his eyes, he said, "I don't have the money to do the yard right now. I was serious when I said the yard had to wait. I just can't afford it, Sam."

"I think paying for a wedding is a father's job. We'll take care of it. If you two want to do that, I can have a crew out here in the morning."

When she agreed with her father that the yard there would be lovely, conversation turned to wedding plans. Sean seemed reluctant to let her parents pay for the work in the yard, but they insisted they would be spending the same at the botanical garden. The men focused more on the logistics—repairing the gazebo, replacing the back walkway, and landscaping. The women started talking about dresses and flowers. By the end of the evening, all the necessary plans had been made.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Sunrise on the day of the wedding found Sean sitting in the gazebo in the backyard. The trickling of the newly installed water feature broke the silence of the early morning hour. Talia contended if she couldn't get married at Garden Falls, she wanted the sound of the water, at the very least. Sam's crew had worked overtime to get the yard perfect for her dream garden wedding. Finding enough fall-blooming flowers to please her had taken some work, but she'd had tears in her eyes yesterday during their rehearsal.

Sam had insisted that Talia go home with him and Helen last night, tradition and all, and that left Sean in the big Victorian alone. It had been a long night. He'd grown accustomed to sleeping next to Talia and her absence hurt. He sighed when he thought of how he'd nearly lost her.

"Not having second thoughts, are you?" Sam's voice called through the fog that blanketed the lush garden.

He jumped up to face his future father-in-law. "Hell no. Just impatient. I couldn't sleep. What are you doing here so early?"

"Couldn't sleep either. Had to make sure everything was right for my girl." Sam laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. "I wanted to talk to you before the ceremony too, so I'm glad you're up. I want to apologize again for how I treated you. I'm not usually so unreasonable."

With a deep shrug, Sean's voice was low when he replied, "I'm used to it. People look at me and see bad news. I worry about how people will treat Talia and our baby because of prejudice against me. But I can't change it."

Sam squeezed the younger man's shoulder. "Sean, you can change it. Keep being the same calm and loving man I've seen with my daughter. They'll see why she's so drawn to you. I did. Okay, so it took me a while… but hey, I got there."

Sean laughed and offered the older man a cup of coffee. They took their coffee back out to the garden and sat in the gazebo but Sean couldn't sit still. He hopped up to pull a few dead leaves off one of the plants. Picked a dropped bloom out of the fountain. He didn't know what to say to Sam, so he waited for the older man to initiate conversation. He and Sam had gotten along well these last two weeks and he'd hate to ruin it with a misplaced comment on the day he married the man's daughter.

"You don't have to walk on eggshells around me. Relax. I'm not going to stop you from marrying Talia. I've admitted I was wrong," the older man told him with a smile.

The smile didn't reassure him. He gave Sam a weak smile and returned his focus to the coffee cup in his hands. What if she changed her mind? Her dad finally seemed okay with them getting married, but what if Talia decided it was a bad idea.

"She'll be here. Don't worry," Sam said, slapping him on the shoulder.

"How did…"

"How'd I know? Because you looked like I felt the day I married her mama. I thought there was no way in hell that Helen was going to show up. But she did. Talia will too."

The two men were quiet for a moment.

Sam was the first to speak and asked Sean, "So, I know things were not the best with your mom. Where's your dad?"

"Don't know. He took off before I was born. Brian was only a toddler."

"Okay, this may seem random. But Talia told me a few things about your mom and they… uh, well, they struck me as familiar. Can I ask you… was her maiden name Welch?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Sean looked over to see Sam looking embarrassed.

"I, uh… I used to date your mom."

Sean laughed at the irony of the whole situation. What the hell? Sam had dated his mother. He could have had a father like Sam instead of the absent bastard he had. But, like he told Talia before, he wouldn't have been the man he was today without his background. Sam changed the subject and started telling stories about Talia when she was a child. It helped him to relax. Mainly because it helped him realize Sam really was okay with Talia marrying him now. And given their history, that was a damn good feeling.

Chapter Fifty-five

While Sean and her dad were having coffee and checking over the yard, Talia and Helen were already preparing for the ceremony. Talia's nerves kept her jittery, but she had no doubts Sean would be there waiting for her. If there was anything she was certain of, it was Sean's love for her. Her mother insisted on doing her hair and makeup. Once that was done, Talia dressed carefully in a simple ivory gown. The slightest hint of a baby bump raised the bodice of the satin. Sean would love it. He loved her growing belly.

As she arrived at the house, Sean was ushered outside to the gazebo. He wasn't supposed to see her. How was seeing your future spouse prior to the ceremony bad luck? Her parents were adamant that at least a few traditions be followed. So despite a deep-seated need to see Sean, to be in his arms, she waited. She sat in the library and watched all the cars pull up. Watched all the guests walk around the new path to the rear of the house. The guests were all seated when she came out on her father's arm. Sean had a few friends on his side, Jack and Angie from Garden, and surprisingly, Anna. Her side was full. Claire blew her a kiss when their eyes met.

Looking up at Sean standing in the gazebo, the broad smile on his face warmed her heart. His charcoal grey suit emphasized his broad shoulders. Talia couldn't take her eyes off him. He was magnificent. His love for her filled the air and she could feel it from there.

Her father walked her up the flagstone aisle to where Sean stood with the pastor. He kissed her cheek before putting her hand in Sean's and reaching up to squeeze the younger man's shoulder. Talia's eyes filled with tears at the smile on her father's face. She was overjoyed to see his smile and she pulled her father in for a big hug before she turned to Sean. His face lit up with that crooked smile she loved so much.

The day could not be more perfect.

Tears filled her eyes and her voice shook with emotion when she said her vows. Sean, however, spoke his vows with such conviction that she heard several of the guests sniffle. When Sean slid the simple gold band on her finger next to her opal engagement ring, the tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. He wiped them away with a shaky hand. When the pastor proclaimed them man and wife, Talia's heart skipped a beat. They shared their first kiss as a married couple. Mindful of their audience, they kept the kiss soft and tender like the night they started dating.

Epilogue

Three and a half years later…

Graduations tend to bring rarely seen family members out of the woodwork. Talia's Aunt Carol was no exception. "How could she miss her darling Talia's college graduation... even if it
did
take her an extra year?" she had apparently asked.

Yet, she hadn't been able to come to Sean and Talia's wedding. In fact, Sean had yet to meet Aunt Carol. She'd never met their daughter, Rose, either.

The morning before graduation, Talia woke Sean to tell him she was going out shopping with her mother. She asked him to meet her at her parents later and let him drift off back to sleep.

Sean let himself in when he got to Sam and Helen's, like he usually did. As he walked in to the kitchen, a woman who looked a good bit like Helen started screaming. She threw a skillet at him and shrieked, "Sam! David! Where are you? Oh help me! Please, please don't hurt me!"

What the hell?

Sam ran in with another man right on his heels. When his eyes met Sean's, he fell to the floor shaking with laughter. The other man shoved the screaming woman behind him and assumed a protective stance. Sean sighed and picked up the skillet she had thrown at him. Placing it in the sink, he gave her a tight-lipped smile. He reached a hand out to haul his still laughing father-in-law up off the floor, rolling his eyes at the older man.

"Carol, you idiot, that's Sean. He isn't going to hurt you. You think he broke in or something? Geez, that's Talia's husband."

"You cannot be serious. My sweet Talia would not have married…him."

The sound of the front door creaking open and little feet running across the tile caught their attention.

Turning toward the sound, Sean's face brightened with a big grin. A little dark-haired girl ran straight into his arms, giggling. Quick to scoop her up, he spun in a circle holding her up above his head. Talia and Helen followed the toddler into the kitchen. When she saw him holding their daughter, Talia smiled at him and stepped over to them. Helen ran to greet her sister, but drew back at Carol's harsh tone as she asked whatever Talia could see in a man like that.

Sean sighed. He thought they were past all this crap. For God's sake, everyone had tattoos these days. Okay, so maybe not as many as he did. But damn...

The smile slid off Talia's face when she turned to her hard-faced aunt and Sean readied himself for the explosion. "Oh, for goodness sake. I'm already married to him, Aunt Carol. Nothing you say will change my mind about him. And I mean, absolutely, nothing. I love him. He loves me. He's a good man; look past the tattoos, will you?"

"Mama throwed up at the coffee place today," Rose told her father before anyone else could say a word. She completely missed the undercurrent of anger in the room as only a young child can do.

His heart lurched. He handed his darling daughter to her grandfather. Reaching out for Talia—for his beautiful wife—he tipped her chin up so that she was looking at him when he asked in a soft voice, "Is there something you need to tell me, sweetheart?"

At her nod, he bent down and kissed her. Happy tears threatened and he buried his face in Talia's hair so that everyone didn't see him cry.

"I was hoping to actually tell you this time. You know, last time you asked me the same thing," Talia told him with a laugh.

He looked up to see Sam and Helen both smiling at them. He had the woman he loved in his arms, one beautiful child, and another on the way—everything a man could want.

Who gives a shit what Aunt Carol thinks?