Read Online The Escape Clause by Bernadette Marie - Free Book Online

he’d said. It seemed that Pete was an ideal tenant. The new tenant would be moving in on Thursday.
    As they readied to go to his parents’ house for dinner he noticed that Avery had nearly been avoiding him.
    Standing in front of the bathroom mirror he watched as she pulled her long, beautiful hair back and banded it into a ponytail.
    She looked into the mirror and batted her eyes at him. “What are you looking at?”
    “You. You’re just the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
    She turned, moved to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m nervous. What if your mom cries like mine did?”
    Pete pulled her in. “She will. Just be ready for it. I have sisters too. They’re going to cry.”
    “I feel horrible. I’m taking you away from them.”
    “I made my own choice. Besides, by the time they’re done being shocked that I finally convinced you to marry me, they won’t notice we’re in France.”
    She focused those dark chocolate eyes on his. “Pete, you’ve always been my dearest friend. And I won’t lie, I thought about us a few times, but I thought you only loved me as your friend. When did you decide I was the one?”
    He tried to control his grin, but it pushed through. “About the seventh grade.”
    “No,” she laughed. “Be serious.”
    Pete lifted her chin with his finger. “I’ve never been more serious.”
    He wondered how she never could have known how he felt. Surely he hadn’t been able to hide it as hard as he tried. Obviously he hadn’t done too well. The entire Keller family knew how he felt about her and how many times had his sisters and his mother asked when he was going to finally make his move on her?
    “Do you think your mother will be okay with me? I mean as a daughter-in-law.”
    “Avery she loves you as much as she loves my sisters.”
    She rested her head against his chest. “I love them, Pete. I just want them to be happy.”
    Because he knew his own voice wouldn’t be steady enough to convey it, he didn’t tell her they’d be fine with it. His mother and father adored and loved Avery. However, deep inside he knew that his mother would have reservations about them moving, though she’d never think about sharing them in front of Avery.
     
    Avery stared at the overfilled plate in front of her. As usual Pete’s mother had over done herself. On the short notice, only his sister Kacey and his brother Sean, and their families, had made it. That was all the better, Avery thought. The moment Kacey had seen her ring she’d started to cry. Then his mother cried. Sean’s wife cried and that sent his daughter into hysterics because everyone else was crying.
    Avery did have her confirmation on how much his mother cared for her though. She’d immediately pulled to her bosom and held her there for a long time. Then she hurried her through the house to show Avery her well-preserved dress and her own wedding album.
    It was a bonding moment for the women. No longer was Avery just Pete’s best friend and the woman he took care of. She was to be his wife and it seemed as though that thought made his mother very happy.
    “I should have lunch with your mother,” Pete’s mother said as she turned the page to her wedding album. “I haven’t had the pleasure for years.”
    “She’d enjoy that. She loves to lunch,” Avery laughed. “I suppose that stems from her old life .”
    “I wondered if she ever missed that jet set life.”
    Avery had always assumed she missed it a little bit. The trade off, however, had been greater. True love was abundant around Avery. She’d seen it in her parents, her grandparents, and her aunts and uncles. Now her cousins had all married and they were absolutely all smitten with their husbands and wives—just as she was finding she’d been with Pete for years. Well, she was known for being stubborn. She figured having taken so long to realize she was in love with the man proved it.
    “Do you suppose you’ll honeymoon somewhere?”