Eat, Drink and Be . . . Married Page 9

  The door swings open as Dad is backing away from our huddle to seek an answer to this confusing turn of events.

  “You love me?” Jude asks, strolling into the room with the most adorable look of astonishment on his clean-shaven face. And he looks damn near edible in that tux. I cast a loving glance over his body, my heart swelling with happiness. He comes closer, eating up the distance between us, looks at my father, and extends a hand. “Hi, Mr. Burke. I’m Jude Romano. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jude’s eyes never leave mine as he and Dad shake hands. My father appraises him and the way he’s staring at me, but remains silent when Jude releases his hand and cups my face. “Please tell me I heard that right, Leila. Please tell me this isn’t part of the game.”

  I blink, ready to confess, but Dad’s eyes dart between me and Jude. “What game? What in the world is going on here?”

  I feel terrible for leaving him hanging, but I can’t ignore Jude’s question and the ardent need to profess my love. “Daddy, can you give me a second? I’ll explain everything if you just let me speak with Jude first.”

  Dad shakes his head and closes his eyes, baffled, but offers us the floor by stepping back with his hands in the air. Melissa is quick to rush to his side, ready to suck up and tattle on me as if we’re children. To my surprise, she keeps her big mouth shut and watches on as I turn to Jude.

  Licking my lips, I’m suddenly shy. I reach out for Jude’s hands and take them in mine. Our eyes meet and it’s as if it’s simply known that our feelings for each other have come to light. “Leila, you’re killing me here.”

  “I’m sorry.” I laugh, focusing on the ground and praying my legs don’t give out on me.

  He lifts a hand to my chin and tilts it so we’re gazing into each other’s eyes again. “Tell me, Leila. I need to hear you say it again.”

  Without further thought, the words I’ve been dying to say to him all morning erupt from my lips. “I love you, Jude. I do. I know it seems crazy and too soon, but it’s true. This last week has been the most amazing of my life. At first, I thought I was being irrational—getting ahead of myself—but the more time we spent together and the more I took in what everyone was trying to tell me . . . Mama Rosa’s a genius, by the way. She was the one who really made me realize that feeling this way isn’t wrong. I love you, Jude. It feels so right saying that. And you don’t have to say it back, and we certainly don’t have to go through with this wedding, but I do want to spend more time with you and see where this goes because I will not take the connection we share for granted.”

  Silencing me before I can say more, Jude surges forward and claims my lips with his. His kiss is deep and urgent but too quick to savor. He pulls away and I open my eyes again. Jude’s handsome face is beaming. “I love you, too! I think I fell in love with you the moment you stepped off that bus but I couldn’t tell you without the risk of scaring you off or sounding like a psycho.”

  “So you asked me to marry you instead?” I giggle, easing into his touch and radiating right back at him.

  “Well, yeah, but look where it got us. It was the best rash decision I ever made because these last seven days, planning this fake wedding, and getting to know each other have been incredible.”

  “Fake wedding?” My father intervenes.

  Melissa displays an I-told-you-so smirk and then whispers something into my father’s ear. He shoos her away before she can finish and comes right for Jude and me.

  “Buttercup, what’s going on?” Even in such a bewildering moment, my father’s warm eyes comfort me. Rather than fear his disappointment, I sense he’ll understand once I’ve enlightened him with my tale of love at first sight. He’s been married three times. It took him until that third time to find the right woman—my mother, the love of his life. Once I explain to him how deeply my feelings for Jude run, he’ll get it. He has to. I’m happy. All he’s ever wanted for me—and Melissa—is to be happy.

  “Daddy.” I pull my father by the hand and usher him to a sitting area in the corner of the room. Then I start at the beginning.

  Melissa storms out to alert the media or sulk or . . . whatever. I don’t care. She’s the least of my problems, even if she was the motive behind this whole thing. I guess I should actually thank her for leaving me behind at the vineyard to fall in love.

  Jude allows me and Dad some space, but before long he unobtrusively creeps into the conversation. “I’m sorry we lied to you, sir. It was all in good fun, but it turns out our idea of fun transformed into something much more serious. Good serious, of course,” he says, winking at me.

  Dad takes it all in graciously, but leaves us hanging once we’ve caught him up to speed. I offer one more earnest excuse to cover my ass and try to make him see the big picture. “I could never live with disappointing you, Daddy. I was planning to tell you the truth, after the wedding, at the end of the day. I would never keep you in the dark like that for too long. Jude was just trying to help me teach Melissa a lesson for being such a . . . for being so cruel. I’m sorry we got carried away and I’ll make it up to you anyway I can, but . . . Just . . . Say something, Daddy. Please?” I plead, unable to stand his silent scrutiny any longer.

  Dad rakes a hand through his salt and pepper hair and takes a labored breath. Facing Jude first, he cocks an inconclusive grin. Jude stares back at him straight-faced, unwavering but respectful. It’s a stand-off of sorts and the suspense is killing me. This can go either way—Dad is mild-tempered, but then again I’ve never given him a reason to be angry with me. I have no idea what he’s thinking and my only hope is that we’ve somehow touched his sense of humor with our hoax.

  I look down at where my hands are fidgeting in my lap but my father’s voice, directed at me, transports my attention back to him. “Well, I can’t say I’m not surprised with your behavior, Leila. This is so unlike you.” Oh, no. He’s gonna scold me like a child in front of Jude. How humiliating. I should have expected this—part of me did—but the rest of me was so swept away in my emotions, I forgot how my dad can sometimes treat me like I’m still a mischievous five-year-old.

  Reflexively, I open my mouth to apologize again, but Dad sets his hand over my knee and cuts me off. “Let me finish, Buttercup.”

  I nod, grateful to hear my pet name. Seems I’m not the only one full of surprises.

  “In a weird way, I’m partly responsible for all this.” He half-chuckles, half-groans.

  “How so?” I ask. Jude shrugs his shoulders when I look to him in question.

  “I should have paid more attention to your relationship with Melissa. As long as you weren’t pulling each other’s hair out, I automatically assumed things were fine between the two of you.”

  “Huh,” I grunt, but choose to leave it at that.

  Jude, on the other hand, decides this is the time to try to be funny. “With all due respect, sir, I have no idea how both girls can possibility be related. Are you sure you’re Melissa’s father? They’re as opposite as day and night—Leila being the bright, shining sunlight and Melissa being the dark . . . uh, never mind. You were saying.” He stops before he can incriminate himself—he needs all the points he can get—and Dad just waves his blabbering off with a knowing nod.

  “Believe me, son. I know. And I think that’s why I’ve always given Melissa the benefit of the doubt and never given her hell for how she treats Leila as an intrusion.”

  “So you’re admitting it?” I ask. “You’ve known all this time that’s she an insufferable human being?”

  Dad laughs, scratching the back of his head. “She’s insufferable because she’s jealous, Buttercup. She wasn’t always like this . . . but then you came along.” He whispers that last part as if I can’t hear him. But I do, and it stings.

  “Oh, thanks.” I deflate. I’ve always known Melissa was not my number one fan, but hearing it from our father totally hurts.

  “Leila, you’re missing the point.” Dad is quick to get back to the matter at hand. “I understand why you did wha
t you did. I’m not saying I think it was the right thing to do, but you did give Melissa quite the mental breakdown this week.” My dad hides his amusement by covering his mouth. Is my father actually smiling? About this? No, can’t be.

  “Are you laughing, sir?” Jude asks, his own grin forming on his jovial mug.

  Dad clears his throat and arches a brow. “It takes guts to prove a point so boldly, Leila. And it seems your efforts were not made in vain.” A gentle smile paints Dad’s mustached lips. He looks between me and Jude and I just know all is forgiven.

  “You’re not mad at me?” I ask for good measure. I need to be sure I still hold the title of Daddy’s Little Girl.

  “I could never be mad at you, Buttercup. You haven’t given me a day of trouble and this—falling in love—is far from trouble. As long as you’re happy, and as long as you’ll let me spend a little more time getting to know this fine young man before you decide to take the plunge—for real—you have my blessing.”

  “Oh, Daddy!” I squeal, jumping up and wrapping my arms around my father’s neck.

  Jude stands and pats my father on the back. “Thank you, Mr. Burke. I promise to ask for your permission the next time.”

  “Oh, you better!” Dad chuckles. When I ease up on the bear hug and back away, he stands to join me and Jude and places his hands in the pockets of his tuxedo pants. “I’m going to have a talk with Melissa. I think it’s time we set this straight. You are both remarkable women and I think with a little nudge and some TLC, you can actually get along wonderfully.”

  “It would be a Christmas miracle,” I scoff under my breath.

  “I know,” Dad chuckles, leaning down to kiss me on the cheek. “Now, what should we do with the rest of the afternoon? We’re dressed for a wedding and I had my heart set on a dance with my Buttercup.”

  Jude slings an arm around me and plants a sweet kiss on my cheek. “I’m still game, if you are.”

  Dad’s eyes go wide and I bite my bottom lip.

  The funny thing is, when all is said and done, I’d actually go through with the wedding because I’m certain it won’t be too long before we wind up saying I do. And who wants to be the one to break the news to Mama Rosa? Certainly not me.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Jude

  “So, you think you’ll actually go through with it this time?” Leila and I managed to slip away from the rehearsal dinner party at the vineyard to spend a few quiet moments huddled together beneath the shade of the willow tree.

  It’s snowing—just in time for a white Christmas—but I’m too excited to notice the bite in the air because tomorrow I get to marry this amazing woman.

  “I would have married you that first time, you know that,” she teases with a smile. “But now you get to have that Christmas wedding you’ve always dreamed of, you handsome little elf.”

  I remove my scarf with a throaty chuckle, wrap the wool around the back of her neck and use it to pull her against me for a playful kiss.

  We laugh in unison as we get lost in each other but then she breaks away to asks “Are you really upset that we waited?” The soft pad of her fingertip traces circles in my palm.

  I would have waited a forever if I had to, but I won’t tell her that because I don’t want to wait another second, let alone another sleep to make her my wife, for real this time.

  I grasp her hand still and then bring it to my lips, kissing each finger one by one.

  “No. No time with you is wasted, love. I’m just happy tomorrow is finally here.”

  She releases a sweet giggle—the exact sound that’s filled sheet after sheet of music in the last twelve months. “Me, too. Mama Rosa’s work will finally get the acknowledgement it deserves, and I get to be Mrs. Romano at last.”

  “Sounds like the perfect Christmas present—even if you did make me wait a whole year for it,” I joke, nudging her with my shoulder.

  Tilting her head, she rolls her eyes. “Jude, it was for the best. Dad wanted to get to know you better, every local in the Finger Lakes region was under the impression it was an elaborate joke, and Melissa was ready to kill me. Like I said, I would have gone through with it that day and not regretted a single moment, but I think this is so much better. All of our friends and family will be here tomorrow and there won’t be a single doubt in anyone’s mind that this is the real thing this time.”

  “You’re right as always, love. Except when it came to Melissa.”

  Leila nods her head slowly, admitting defeat. “Yeah, guess I was wrong about her all along. She’s been the best matron of honor any girl could ask for. I’m glad we cleared the air. No more animosity, no more rivalry. It’s been a lot of fun having a real sister for a change. Dad’s so happy, too. It’s a freaking Christmas miracle!” She pumps her fist in the air with a cheerful smile.

  I kiss her forehead, taking in her unmistakable scent of lavender and . . . Leila. Her delicious aroma, her striking beauty, and her adoring heart have done nothing short of consume me from the moment we met. I might have known it then, but I’m certain of it now. I don’t know how I got to be this lucky, but I’ll be damned if I’ll question it. “Everything worked out for the best, didn’t it?”

  “It sure did. Especially since it started out on what was my version of the terrible, awful, no good day.” Leila’s eyes spark to life and her posture stiffens. “You’ve had the bathroom lock fixed, right? With all those guests, we don’t need a repeat of your door-busting days.”

  Uncontrollable laughter erupts from my chest. “Hey! My door-busting stunt was the catalyst for a very X-rated first date in the aging room, if memory serves me right.”

  “Your memory is spot on, baby. That first time was quite thrilling, but I wanted to jump your bones long before you rescued me from the bathroom, Jude.” A seductive glow flashes in her cocoa eyes, her lips full and plump, begging to be claimed.

  “Whaddya say we reenact that afternoon right here, right now?” I pull her onto my arms, eliciting a carefree laugh and a blush to her cheeks that has nothing to do with the chilly wind whipping the snow around us.

  “I don’t think my father would appreciate that kind of PDA, but after everyone’s gone, we should definitely revisit the exact spot where you made me scream your name for the very first time.”

  I grow hard from her words and the friction of our bodies. I’d give anything to take her right this moment under our tree, but after tomorrow, I get to spend the rest of my life making her scream my name. “Is it a promise?”

  She crosses her heart with her index finger and seals the deal with a chaste kiss. “I promise. Now, let me go before we get caught. I’m on Santa’s—and Daddy’s—good list this year. I don’t want the vision of his daughter straddling some dude engrained in his head the day before he gives me away. Or ever, for that matter.”

  “I think I’m more than just some dude at this point.”

  “You’re right. You’re the dude. The only dude I’ll ever want for all of eternity.”

  The sun filtering through the powdery, light snowfall and the implication of her words sweep over me in a rush of soothing warmth. I pull her toward me and kiss the tip of her nose, hoping she understands just how much I love her. “I think we should drink to that.”

  “Yes. I think so, too. Thank goodness we’re at the perfect place for that.”

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you for spending the most wonderful time of the year with Leila and Jude. This story was previously released as A Taste of Love as part of a Kindle World, but with a few changes and some magical merriment, this heartwarming, witty, and sexy story has been transformed into my version of a Hallmark Christmas special with all the trimmings.

  I’d like to offer a special thank you to Mignon Mikel of Oh So Novel Creations for creating the perfect feel for this impromptu cover in such a timely fashion and my good friend and fellow indie author, Stephanie Rose, for making room in her busy schedule to format th
is little story just in time for me to get it out for the holidays. And as always, to Trish Mint for lending her big beta heart, even at the last minute.

  From me and my family to you and yours, I wish you a happy holiday and a wonderful 2019! Thank you again for all your love and support.

  Books By Faith

  Standalones

  Moore to Love

  Garden of Goodbyes

  The Hipster Chronicles

  Series

  The Every Breath Duet

  Every Breath You Take

  Take My Breath Away

  The Dream Series:

  Man of My Dreams

  Back to You

  After the Storm

  The Grayson Sibling Series

  Keep Me

  Keep Her

  Keep Us, A Grayson Holiday Tale

  Fate Series

  Feel Again

  First Came You

  Freeing Destiny

  About the Author

  Faith Andrews is living out her dream right outside the greatest city in the world, New York City. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two beautiful and wild daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When she's not tapping her toes to a Mumford & Sons tune or busy being a dance mom, her nose is stuck in a book or she's sitting behind the laptop, creating her next colorful daydream. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, Faith believes in love at first sight and happily ever after.