pictures home.”
“Besides, I want them to be surprised by her inner beauty, as well.” Adam sent a man-in-love look toward his beloved. “Once they meet her, I know they’ll fall in love with her instantly, just like I did.”
Jewel smiled shyly. “Don’t listen to him, Tavia. He’s a real flatterer, but I love every minute of it.”
Adam glanced in his side mirror before continuing. “We talked about getting married earlier, but my parents want to throw us a big spring wedding.”
Tavia frowned. “You mean you’re not living together?”
“We’re both kinda old-fashioned, I guess. We’re both Christians, and didn’t feel it was right to just move in together like many of our friends have done. In fact, we’ve even had separate motel rooms on our trip here.”
“I’m sure your parents are happy about that.”
“Oh, yes,” Adam volunteered, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. “But they’re a pretty romantic pair themselves, even after being together nearly twenty-eight years.”
Tavia wished she had someone who loved her as much as Adam appeared to love Jewel. His devotion for her was written all over his smiling face.
Jewel reached across and cupped Adam’s cheek with her palm, her hand caressing his face. “Although we really wanted to get married right away, we talked it over and decided since we are committing our lives to each other and this was going to be our one and only wedding, we wanted to do it up right.”
Tavia eyed the woman suspiciously. “You’re not—”
“Pregnant? Oh, my, no!” Jewel gave her head a firm shake. “But we do plan to have children—someday. Adam’s parents have his little baby bed stored in their attic, along with his high chair and his stroller. Our children might use the very same things their father used when he was a baby. Won’t that be sweet?”
“Hopefully, we can start a family a year or so after I graduate,” Adam added.
“I hope so, too.” Jewel pinched Adam’s arm affectionately. “From what Adam’s parents have told me on the phone, they want to invite all theirs and Adam’s friends and business acquaintances to our wedding. Do the big church thing, with the huge reception. His mother and I are going to have a blast planning it.”
Adam gave her a quick sideways look of adoration. It was obvious he was crazy about her.
“How about your parents, Jewel?” Tavia asked. “Are they disappointed you aren’t going to have your wedding in Tennessee?” As soon as she spoke, Tavia wished she hadn’t asked the woman such a personal question. What business was it of hers?
“Jewel doesn’t have any family,” Adam answered, even though Tavia’s question had been directed toward her. “Her mom and dad were killed in a car wreck when she was a senior in high school. Other than a couple of distant relatives she hasn’t heard from in years, she’s pretty much alone.”
Jewel lowered her head and blinked hard. “It was a terrible time for me. We’d been so close that for a while I wished I were dead, too. I had great parents.”
“Having family around you, family who loves you and who you can depend on, must be a wonderful thing. I wish I’d been that lucky.” Tavia’s heart went out to her.
Jewel’s face brightened. “Well, I have a family now. I have Adam and his parents.”
“And they’re going to love you as much as I do, honey.” Adam lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “You’ll see. Mom’s always wanted a daughter. Now she has one.”
“I’m so anxious to meet Adam’s parents,” Jewel said. “I’ve missed being a part of a family these past three years. Mr. and Mrs. Flint are lovely, caring people. I’ve received such sweet letters from them, besides talking to them on the phone. They’ve told me so many cute things about this man I’m going to marry. They even told me about the time he—”
Over Adam’s half-joking protestations, Jewel began. “Adam’s parents had just moved into their new home and they invited everyone from their church to come to an open house. His mother spent all morning in the kitchen, making her famous cherry chocolate brownies as the main dessert. Just before their guests were due to arrive, she added the final touches to each of her beautiful brownies—a huge dollop of freshly whipped cream and one perfect, maraschino cherry, then carried the huge silver trays into the dining room and placed them on the beautifully set table. She lit the candles, then closed the dining room doors, planning to keep her lovely table and all its goodies out of sight until everyone arrived.”
Adam reached across with a good-humored frown and tapped Jewel’s shoulder. “Okay, sweetheart, this is your last chance. You’d better quit while you’re ahead or I’ll tell my story, too.”
“Too late, Adam. I’ve already started my story. I have to finish.”
Tavia glanced out the side window. Already, the sun had disappeared behind the mountain range. It was great that this couple had been kind enough to give her a ride, but what was she going to do when they let her out?
“Anyway, when it came time to serve the refreshments, Adam’s mother proudly threw open the dining room door—and let out a scream!”
Tavia gasped. “Why? What had happened?”
Jewel let out an animated laugh. “Someone had removed every single cherry and had run a finger through each dollop of whipped cream, stringing it all over the brownies!”
“Not Adam!”
“Yes, Adam. My prim and proper Adam!” Jewel nodded.
Adam gave her a menacing glare, though his eyes showed it was only in jest. “I’ll get you for this, Miss Blabbermouth.”
“But that’s not all,” Jewel went on. “In the resultant shocked silence, they heard a terrible moaning and groaning coming from the bathroom at the head of the stairs. Adam’s parents rushed up to see what it was, and there was Adam—his little hands resting on the sides of the toilet seat and he was—”
Adam reached across and cupped his palm over Jewel’s mouth. “I think she gets the picture, Jewel. You needn’t go into any more detail.”
Peeking over his hand, Jewel’s eyes glittered with amusement. Tavia couldn’t contain her laughter. In her mind’s eye, she could see the scene Jewel had described.
Finally, Adam took his hand away. “Sorry, Tavia, sometimes my fiancée is a bit over the top.”
“Okay, you win, Adam,” Jewel said, smiling at him, “I won’t give her all the gory details, but I will tell her to this day you refuse maraschino cherries and whipped cream. On anything!”
Adam glanced at Tavia in the rearview mirror. “My turn now.”
“Don’t believe a word he says, Tavia,” Jewel cautioned, patting her fiancé’s cheek. “He has a tendency to exaggerate things.”
Adam sent her a good-natured frown. “Me? You’re the one who exaggerates.”
“I
