An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [146]
“Would you mind if I spoke to my wife alone for a moment?” Chase interrupted. Lesley’s arms were cradling her middle and she was staring out the window. She gave no indication that she’d heard him.
“I…I suppose not.” Mrs. Campbell-Sterne flushed. “I’ll go and dress.”
“Thank you,” Chase said. He waited until his mother-in-law had gone into the bathroom and closed the door before he approached Lesley.
He stepped behind her and went to rest his hands on her shoulders, stopping just short. He closed his eyes briefly, then dropped his hands to his sides. “I just made a world-class jerk of myself, didn’t I?”
Lesley nodded, still refusing to face him.
“You left a note at the house?”
She answered him with another sharp nod. “And messages.”
“What did they say?”
“That my mother had phoned and was worried about me and our sudden marriage. She was hurt that I’d gone through with the ceremony without trying harder to contact her. She decided to fly up immediately to meet you.”
“Oh…” He didn’t know what had possessed him to think she’d leave without some kind of explanation.
“Tony called Mom and Ken,” Lesley went on. “He claimed I’d married on the rebound and that I’d made a terrible mistake. He was hoping to undermine our relationship.” The way Lesley said it made Chase wonder if Tony had succeeded.
After the stunt he’d just pulled, he couldn’t blame Lesley for believing she had made a mistake. Apologies seemed grossly inadequate.
“You flew down to meet your mother.” Once again he wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. No doubt her mother thought Lesley had married a madman and he’d quickly gone about proving her right.
“What’s wrong with you, charging in here like a bull moose?” Lesley demanded, finally turning to face him.
His salmon imitation returned, and he couldn’t manage a word, let alone a coherent sentence.
“I’m waiting for an answer,” she reminded him.
“I…I thought you left me,” he mumbled.
“You’re not serious, are you?” Her eyes, which he’d always found so bright and beautiful, were filled with disdain.
It sounded so weak. “I couldn’t let you leave.”
“Why not?”
Now was the perfect opportunity to confess how much he loved her, how his heart wouldn’t survive without her, but he couldn’t make himself say it, not with her looking at him as if he should be arrested.
“What else was I supposed to think?” he flared. “You up and left.”
“You left, too, and didn’t return when you said you would, but I didn’t immediately leap to some outrageous conclusion.”
“That’s different,” Chase argued, although he knew that made no sense. He disliked the turn their conversation had taken. He didn’t want to quarrel; what he yearned to do was pull her into his arms, bury his face in her neck and breathe in her scent.
“Can I come out now?” June asked from the bathroom doorway. She’d changed into blue-and-green-plaid slacks and a pale blue sweater. She was nearly as tall as Lesley, with the same clear, dark, intelligent eyes. And like Lesley, her thoughts were easy to read. Chase didn’t have to guess what his mother-in-law was thinking. He hadn’t impressed her, nor had he done anything to reassure her that Lesley had made a wise choice in marrying him.
The worst of it was that he couldn’t blame her.
“It’s all right, Mom. You can come out.”
“You’re sure?” She said it as though she was ready to contact the police and have Chase removed.
“I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake,” Chase said, hoping he could explain what had happened and at the same time address her concerns about his and Lesley’s relationship.
“You can say that again,” June returned crisply.
“Perhaps we could discuss this over lunch.” Feeding them both sounded like an excellent plan and once they were relaxed, he’d be able to smooth things over.
Lesley’s mother didn’t look too pleased about stepping outside the hotel room with him. She cast a guarded look in Lesley’s direction. “What do you think, dear?”
“That’ll be fine,” Lesley said, reaching for a white sweater, neatly folded at the foot of the bed. Chase moved