Fatal Intent - Jamie Jeffries Page 0,90

boys made people forget it. Jen was after them, and Alex counted on her to bring the ceremony to a close with some kind of joke.

Dylan stood up, which caught her attention and stopped her mind’s frantic search for something cool to say. What was he doing?

Then, he knelt on one knee next to her.

Alex’s hands flew to her mouth, but Dylan took one of them and held it tightly as he looked deeply into her eyes. She had to remember to breathe, and the room was so quiet she could hear everyone else breathing.

“Alexis Elizabeth Ward, I’m thankful for you. I’m thankful that you love me as much as I love you, and almost as much as you love my boys. I’m thankful your dad let me back into your life. I have one more thing I hope to be thankful for. I’d be thankful if you will agree to marry me.”

Tears sprang to her eyes as the others erupted in applause. Dear God, she loved this man! He took something out of his pocket with his free hand, and showed it to her. An exquisite diamond, set in a circle of smaller ones, flashed at her as he waited for her answer to slip it onto her finger.

“Yes,” she said. “Oh, Dylan, of course I’ll marry you.” Dylan smiled and pushed the ring into place, then took her face in both of his hands and kissed her to the sound of applause, cheers and laughter from the others.

“After I finish school,” she added, when she was able. More laughter greeted her words. And calls of ‘what are you thankful for?’ Everyone quieted down, waiting for her to state her gratitude. Then, before she’d quite figured out how to say it, Davi’s voice filled the room again.

“Now is she your wife?”

That brought down the house. Amid peals of laughter, Alex turned to the little boy at her side. “I’m thankful I have Dylan to love and his boys to mother, especially when they make me laugh. No, Davi, I’m just his fiancée. But I’ll be his wife soon.”

Davi got shy when everyone laughed at his outburst, and couldn’t be persuaded to say what he was thankful for. Juan said he was thankful that he was going to get a new mother, since his old one was in heaven. After that, Jen just smiled and shook her head. “I think that’s a good thing to be thankful for, honey,” she said. “Let’s eat.”

~~~

On the way home on Sunday, Dylan asked Alex how they’d plan the wedding.

“Oh, you get no say in it,” she teased. “Nana, Aunt Jess, Wanda, Jen and I will plan it. Your job is to show up.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said. “You do know I have to wear my uniform and my Smokey the Bear hat.”

“Shut up!” Alex laughed.

So much for that joke. Dylan was serious about one thing. He’d happily plan the honeymoon, but he was thankful to escape the craziness he’d heard went into wedding planning. He just hoped Alex wasn’t going to insist he write his own vows, and that she wouldn’t turn into Bridezilla, although he was pretty sure she was too practical for that.

“Hey, Alex?”

“Yes, my love.”

When she said that, Dylan almost forgot what he was going to ask her. He couldn’t wait to get her home and put the boys to bed. Five long days since he’d made love to her, an eternity.

“Um, I forgot,” he said. “Oh, no, now I remember. Why do you think Jen wouldn’t say what she was thankful for?”

“Because it wouldn’t have been appropriate. I’m pretty sure I know.” Alex had turned serious.

“What do you mean?” Dylan glanced at her face, lit by the glow of the dashboard, and automatically checked the rearview mirrors to see if the boys were still asleep.

“Think about it, honey. Have you ever had a doubt that Jen’s been in love with my dad for years?”

“I guess I haven’t given it that much thought. They always say they’re just friends.”

“That was because my dad was too stubborn to give up on Mom, even when he started caring for Jen too. That poor woman has been waiting for him to admit his feelings for literally years. I feel bad for her.”

“So what’s she thankful for?” Dylan wrinkled his eyebrows, glancing across at her.

“That my mother’s dead.” Her tone was flat.

“You can’t seriously believe that would make her thankful?”

“No, you’re right. That isn’t what I meant, it came out wrong.” Alex crossed