and Ian.”
“Even so. I don’t know if I’ve ever said it
to you, but I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Honey bit her lip as Jasmine met her gaze,
her eyes sincere. “Thanks,” was all she could manage, her throat tightening.
Jasmine smiled brightly. “Still, you have
Dex now, eh? And you’ll be married on Saturday and then off on honeymoon!”
“Yeah. I guess.”
Jasmine’s smile slipped. “What’s up?”
“I…” To her alarm, Honey’s eyes filled with
tears. “Oh crap.”
“Oh no.” Jasmine stared in alarm and shoved
a paper serviette in her hand. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing, it’s just me being
over-emotional as usual.” Honey mopped her eyes. “I’m being stupid, I know. But
with Mum’s anniversary, and then this awful court case touching a nerve, I’m
worrying about everything.”
“What’s bothering you about Dex? Last time
I saw you both on Sunday, he looked like the cat that had been at the cream.”
“I know. Something happened on Monday, but
he won’t tell me what. At least, I think something happened. I’ve only spoken
on the phone to him since then, but he’s been distant. He didn’t want to come
and see me Monday night, or last night, and he was sharp with me. Dex is never
sharp with me.” She rubbed her nose.
“I’m sure it’s just nerves,” Jasmine
soothed. “After what happened last time, he’s bound to find the whole process nerve-racking.”
Honey frowned. “I don’t quite get the logic
of that. The idea of waiting to sleep together until we were married was
supposed to take the stress away. What does he have to worry about? I’m the one
who has to worry if he’s going to turn up, because his track record has proven
he has a habit of doing the opposite. I can’t pretend I’m pregnant. And until recently,
he didn’t show a bit of nerves. No, something happened to change his mind.”
She stared into her coffee. Had one of his
friends said something to put doubt in his mind? Something about the serious
nature of marriage, and about how awful it was to be tied to one girl? Was it
just sinking in about how it would be forever? Or was it about sex? Ian’s words
about her being boring in bed were always fluttering in her head like moths in
an attic. Maybe Dex was beginning to worry that Ian was right.
While they were making out, Dex had often
murmured the things he’d like to do to her once they were married, but Honey
had always been too shy to return the sexy talk, worried she’d say the wrong
thing and make him laugh. She’d always responded to him, and she was certain
that when they went to bed—even if she didn’t know every move in the
book—they’d have a great time because she loved him and wanted to please him. And
she enjoyed sex, or at least she thought she would, if she were with the right
man. But maybe Dex had taken her reticence as meaning she wasn’t keen on it.
Maybe she should have been more open with him about what they were going to do
when they finally got to the bedroom.
But she was who she was, and Dex had fallen
in love with the shy, uncertain girl—in fact he’d told her he adored her
relative innocence, and that she cleansed him and brought light into his life
where before there had been only darkness. There was no point in trying to
pretend to be someone she wasn’t.
She gave Jasmine a bright smile. “I’m sure
everything will be fine. It’s just me being me, you know what I’m like.”
“I wish you didn’t have this horrid case to
go through,” Jasmine said.
“Yeah, me too.” Honey checked her watch.
“And unfortunately, it’s time to go back there now. But thanks for lunch.”
The sisters hugged.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Jasmine
whispered in her ear. “You’re so lovely, Honey, you deserve to be happy.”
Honey smiled and kissed her goodbye, then
began the short walk to the courthouse. But Jasmine’s words played in her head. You deserve to be happy. The trouble was,
“Even so. I don’t know if I’ve ever said it
to you, but I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Honey bit her lip as Jasmine met her gaze,
her eyes sincere. “Thanks,” was all she could manage, her throat tightening.
Jasmine smiled brightly. “Still, you have
Dex now, eh? And you’ll be married on Saturday and then off on honeymoon!”
“Yeah. I guess.”
Jasmine’s smile slipped. “What’s up?”
“I…” To her alarm, Honey’s eyes filled with
tears. “Oh crap.”
“Oh no.” Jasmine stared in alarm and shoved
a paper serviette in her hand. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing, it’s just me being
over-emotional as usual.” Honey mopped her eyes. “I’m being stupid, I know. But
with Mum’s anniversary, and then this awful court case touching a nerve, I’m
worrying about everything.”
“What’s bothering you about Dex? Last time
I saw you both on Sunday, he looked like the cat that had been at the cream.”
“I know. Something happened on Monday, but
he won’t tell me what. At least, I think something happened. I’ve only spoken
on the phone to him since then, but he’s been distant. He didn’t want to come
and see me Monday night, or last night, and he was sharp with me. Dex is never
sharp with me.” She rubbed her nose.
“I’m sure it’s just nerves,” Jasmine
soothed. “After what happened last time, he’s bound to find the whole process nerve-racking.”
Honey frowned. “I don’t quite get the logic
of that. The idea of waiting to sleep together until we were married was
supposed to take the stress away. What does he have to worry about? I’m the one
who has to worry if he’s going to turn up, because his track record has proven
he has a habit of doing the opposite. I can’t pretend I’m pregnant. And until recently,
he didn’t show a bit of nerves. No, something happened to change his mind.”
She stared into her coffee. Had one of his
friends said something to put doubt in his mind? Something about the serious
nature of marriage, and about how awful it was to be tied to one girl? Was it
just sinking in about how it would be forever? Or was it about sex? Ian’s words
about her being boring in bed were always fluttering in her head like moths in
an attic. Maybe Dex was beginning to worry that Ian was right.
While they were making out, Dex had often
murmured the things he’d like to do to her once they were married, but Honey
had always been too shy to return the sexy talk, worried she’d say the wrong
thing and make him laugh. She’d always responded to him, and she was certain
that when they went to bed—even if she didn’t know every move in the
book—they’d have a great time because she loved him and wanted to please him. And
she enjoyed sex, or at least she thought she would, if she were with the right
man. But maybe Dex had taken her reticence as meaning she wasn’t keen on it.
Maybe she should have been more open with him about what they were going to do
when they finally got to the bedroom.
But she was who she was, and Dex had fallen
in love with the shy, uncertain girl—in fact he’d told her he adored her
relative innocence, and that she cleansed him and brought light into his life
where before there had been only darkness. There was no point in trying to
pretend to be someone she wasn’t.
She gave Jasmine a bright smile. “I’m sure
everything will be fine. It’s just me being me, you know what I’m like.”
“I wish you didn’t have this horrid case to
go through,” Jasmine said.
“Yeah, me too.” Honey checked her watch.
“And unfortunately, it’s time to go back there now. But thanks for lunch.”
The sisters hugged.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Jasmine
whispered in her ear. “You’re so lovely, Honey, you deserve to be happy.”
Honey smiled and kissed her goodbye, then
began the short walk to the courthouse. But Jasmine’s words played in her head. You deserve to be happy. The trouble was,
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