The Marriage Agenda. Allison Leigh

right to start without Dekker.

      Dekker Smith might not be blood to them, but he truly was family. His mama, Lorraine, had been their mama’s best friend. Lorraine was gone now, and Dekker hadn’t lived next door since he graduated high school, but he looked out for them all, especially in the past ten years, since Joleen’s father had died.

      Dekker spent his holidays with them. He had been the one who taught both Joleen and DeDe how to drive. He could always be counted upon to show up with his toolbox when something needed fixing—not to mention to stand up for any female named Tilly any time things got rough. Two years ago, when DeDe had her little run-in with the law, Dekker had gone with Joleen to the police station to bail her out and he’d made sure she got the best lawyer around. Same thing with Niki, when she’d been in trouble last year. Dekker was right there, to help out.

      He was family in the deepest way, and of course DeDe wanted him there to see her married.

      But they couldn’t wait all day to start the wedding march. “DeDe, I think we are just going to have to go ahead.”

      “But we can’t go ahead,” DeDe cried.

      “Yes, we can. And you know that Dekker will understand. You know that he—”

      “I won’t understand. Don’t you get it? I want Dekker to give me away.”

      “Well, I know you do, but he is not here.”

      DeDe glared. “Oh, you, Joly. Always so logical. I cannot stand to hear logic at a time like this.”

      “Well, I am so sorry to be reasonable when you would rather not, but—”

      DeDe cut her off by bursting into tears.

      Joleen closed her eyes and silently counted to ten.

      When she opened them again, she saw her mother, Camilla, hovering in the doorway to the hall. “What is it, baby? What has happened here?”

      “Joly says we have to go ahead.” DeDe sobbed. “She says we can’t wait for Dekker.”

      “Oh, now, honey…”

      “I want him here, Mama. I want him to give me away.”

      “Yes, and we all understand that.”

      “It won’t seem right if he isn’t here.”

      “Oh, I know, I know…”

      DeDe let out a frustrated wail. The cry brought Camilla out of the doorway. She rushed across the room, slender arms outstretched. Joleen slid to the side and got out of the way. DeDe stood. Camilla gathered her close.

      “Aw, baby,” Camilla cooed. “Now, you know you are going to ruin your face, carrying on like this. Now, you just settle down.…”

      But DeDe was not settling down.

      And Camilla had started crying, too. Tears filled her huge brown eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Sobs constricted her long white throat. Joleen backed away a few more steps, as her middle sister and her mother held on to each other and wailed.

      “Honey, honey,” Camilla cried. “Don’t you worry. It’s okay. We will wait. We will wait until Dekker gets here. We’ll wait forever, if we have to. Till the end of time, I swear it to you.…”

      There was a gasp from the doorway. Joleen looked over.

      Niki. She had Sam perched on her hip—and her hazel eyes were already brimming. Sam had a teething biscuit stuck in his mouth. He sucked it steadily, not much disturbed by all the excitement on the other side of the room.

      But then, why should he be disturbed? His grandmother and his aunts never hid their emotions. He was used to lots of crying and carrying on.

      “Mama?” Niki gulped back a sob. “DeDe? What is going on?”

      Her mother and middle sister only cried all the harder. Niki’s face started to crumple.

      Joleen reached Niki’s side in three quick steps. “Before you start,” she warned, “give me my baby.”

      “Here.” Niki held Sam out. He reached for Joleen automatically, gurgling, “Mama!” And then his biscuit-gooey little hands encircled her neck, his soft weight was on her arm and his sweet, slightly dusty smell filled her senses.

      With a hard sob, Niki flew across the room. Camilla and DeDe enfolded her into their embrace. The three hugged and bawled, their arms around each other, a sniffling, tear-streaked huddle of satin and lace.

      Joleen stood a few feet from the door, resolutely calm as always, holding her baby and watching her mother and sisters wail and moan, wondering how in the world she would manage to calm them all now.

      “What is this, a wedding—or a wake?”

      Joleen turned toward the sound of that deep, wry voice. It was Dekker, in the doorway. He had made it, after all.

      Chapter 2

      Relief washed through Joleen—and a sweet rush of affection, as well. She should probably be good and angry with him for being so late, but how could she be angry when she was so glad to see him? And he looked so handsome in the nice lightweight suit they had picked out together just for this occasion.

      He also looked…easy within himself and relaxed. Something good must have happened out there in Los Angeles.

      “You’re late,” she muttered.

      He shrugged. “Air travel is not what it used to be. I sat at O’Hare for ten hours.”

      “Your cell phone—”

      “Needs recharging. Sorry. I tried to call you.”

      “At my house?”

      “Right. From a pay phone, this morning around eight.”

      “I left at seven-thirty.”

      “And I also called here. Twice. Got a busy signal both times.”

      She wasn’t surprised. The house had been full of people all day and the phone had been in constant use.

      “Dek!” Sam shouted. He let go of Joleen’s neck and reached for the man in the doorway.

      “Whoa, big guy.” Dekker stepped up and took him.

      About then, DeDe stopped sobbing long enough to glance across the room. “Dekker! You made it!”

      The three Tilly women broke from their huddle and rushed for the door. Joleen got out of their way again. They surrounded Dekker and Sam, all of them talking at once.

      “Where were you?”

      “We’ve been waiting for hours.…”

      “We were so afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

      “Is everything all right?”

      “Is everything—”

      He chuckled. “Everything’s fine. There was just a little matter of a long delay between flights. But I am here now.” He had Sam on one arm. He wrapped the other around DeDe, who looked up at him through shining eyes. “And I am ready to give away this gorgeous bride.”

      * * *

      Twenty minutes later, down in the backyard beneath the pecan trees, the wedding march began. A blessed breeze had actually come up, so it wasn’t quite as stifling as it had been for most of the day. The ceremony went off without a hitch. And when Wayne Thornton kissed his bride, everyone could see that this was a true, love match.

      Joleen had had her reservations, when DeDe and Wayne first announced that they would marry. After all, DeDe was only twenty. It seemed young to Joleen.

      But looking at the two of them as they repeated their vows, Joleen let go of her doubts. Wayne was a good, steady man. And DeDe adored him