Going to the Chapel by Deborah Cooke

Author:Deborah Cooke [Cooke, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-988479-89-7
Publisher: Deborah A. Cooke

Three

Jonathan went to the bar for another drink. He hadn’t had any alcohol since he and Ally had started fertility counseling, and the way he saw it, he was getting an excellent value from what he’d imbibed so far on this night. If a guy couldn’t get drunk at his sister-in-law’s wedding, when he didn’t have to drive or do anything other than get back to the hotel, then when could he indulge?

He was shaken by Ally’s response to the baby’s arrival. The hunger in her eyes had been a glimpse of her heart that he could have done without. They’d gotten back together and he’d moved back to Montrose River, but everything felt tentative to him. They hadn’t talked about babies at all, but he knew she hadn’t forgotten her desire to have a family.

The topic was the proverbial elephant in the room.

But as much as he’d suspected that nothing had changed, he hadn’t been prepared for the look in her eyes.

“Rum and cola, please,” he said. “A double.”

“Make that two,” his father-in-law said from beside him and sighed. “Is there anything worse than knowing that the woman you love wants only one thing in the world, but you can’t give it to her?”

Jonathan was startled to hear his own thoughts spoken aloud, and then surprised that William would be so tactless.

“It would be nice if having each other was enough, along with financial security, but it never seems to work that way, does it?” William didn’t seem to expect an answer. He shrugged and took his drink, raising his glass to Jonathan, then looked back at his wife as he sipped. His eyes narrowed slightly and Jonathan realized that William had been talking about Marianne.

“I don’t understand. What does Marianne want?”

William made a face. “Grandchildren,” he admitted, exhaling the word. “She thinks just one will do it, but I know her better than that. One of each would be the minimum.”

Jonathan looked down into his drink, feeling as if he was letting down everyone he knew. He sighed without meaning to do so.

“I think we might have something in common,” William said softly.

Jonathan raised his gaze to that of the older man. He was surprised to find compassion in William’s eyes and understanding.

“Do we?”

“Maybe we could help each other out of our respective predicaments, and make the world a happier place along the way,” William said smoothly. “I understand there’s an obstacle,” he continued with care, keeping his gaze averted. “And I really don’t want to know the specifics.”

“That’s good,” Jonathan said, also fascinated by something on the far side of the room. “Because I don’t want to talk about them.”

“Fair enough. You know, Marianne and I always wanted a son. The girls came quickly, but then, apparently, the shop was closed for business. We tried.” He flicked a look at Jonathan. “But no luck. At the time, there were few resources for improving the odds, shall we say, especially in Montrose River. We would have gone to Chicago but we found out the price and that just wasn’t an option.

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