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“We haven’t set our date yet.”
Six weeks later…
“I think December 24 is a perfect day for a wedding,” Norma Jean gushed to Ivan’s grandmother at Tiffany and Ivan’s engagement party. “Of course, that doesn’t give them much time to plan a wedding, but I’m sure it will go off without a hitch. Ivan is everything I want for Tiffany and more. I couldn’t be happier. Besides Adrian and Milán, they’re my best match.”
“Your match? The way Ivan tells it, you kept fixing Tiffany up with men who were completely unsuitable for her, and that they got together on their own.”
Norma Jean sat down next to Cecile. “You know, sometimes getting a basket full of prepackaged fruit isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. On the top, you might have some good-looking fruit that’s shiny and appealing, but if you buy the whole basket without delving deeper, you might find yourself at home later with some old, rotten pieces, too. But when you pick and choose the fruit yourself, taking the time to really look around, you find the fruit that you were meant to have. That’s the kind that tastes the sweetest.”
Cecile snorted. “Are you saying you planted my grandson in Tiffany’s fruit basket?”
Norma Jean smiled. “I’m saying that things have worked out the way they were meant to.”
“Well, it’s all kind of fast, don’t you think? Don’t get me wrong, I love Tiffany. She’s time enough for my grandson, but in my day we had courtships. Weddings took time to plan, and there was a great deal to do.” Cecile observed Tiffany and Ivan from across the room.
“Kids nowadays rush to do everything,” Norma Jean agreed. “But in this case, they truly love each other and can’t wait to start their lives together. With Ivan traveling as much as he does, I think they should cut the long engagement short. Besides, I think it’s much more romantic than an extended, drawn-out affair.”
*
A round of toasts was done by Norma Jean and Heathcliffe, Cole, Milán and Adrian, and lastly, Ivan’s grandmother.
Next Tiffany presented Ivan with a gift. He opened the box and held up a charm of two white-gold swans interlocked to form one heart.
“Sweetheart, it’s beautiful.”
“This is so you’ll always remember how strong our love is,” she explained. “Like this symbol, we’re joined together by love, faith and commitment. You’re taking my heart with you to Dubai, Ivan. I won’t be whole again until you return.”
He swept her up into his arms and kissed her. “I love you,” he whispered for her ears only.
“I love you,” she whispered back.
He held out a beautifully decorated box. She opened the gift to find a date book with a bright red piece of fabric. She went to that page and flipped it open. Each box had a red X across the date. She turned to the next calendar, and it was the same. She flipped through the remainder of the calendar until it ended. Curious, she gazed up at Ivan.
“When I come back next week, I’m not going on any assignments again until after we’re married and back from our honeymoon.”
Tiffany’s face lit up. “Ivan, are you serious? I’ll have you all to myself till
the end of January?”
He nodded. “At least. Can you handle that, Mrs. Mangum-to-be?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. “You know, I think I could definitely get used to that.”
She loved this man so much. There may be obstacles to face on the road ahead, but they would face them together. Ivan always said that they did their best work together, and it was true. He had done much more than protect her since walking through her door months before. He had restored her faith in love, in the commitment between a man and a woman, and the notion that there was truly a happily-ever-after. Ivan Mangum was all she had ever wanted. She had found her heart’s desire.
Epilogue
The marriage of Colonel Ivan Thomas Mangum to Tiffany Adele Gentry was a very grand affair. They were married at Ivan’s parents’ church in Beverly, followed by an elegant reception at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, where the newlywed couple truly started their amazing journey together. The bride wore a Vera Wang gown, and the groom a black Brioni tuxedo.
Several hours later, the groom carried his bride upstairs to the same suite they’d used the night Ivan proposed. The next day, they would fly to the exotic retreat of Turtle Island in Fiji and stay in an ultraprivate villa called a bure that overlooked the Blue Lagoon. The pictures looked breathtaking, and Tiffany couldn’t wait to get there and be totally alone with her new husband.
Ivan was lying on their bed wearing only silk pajama bottoms. His arms were crossed behind his head, patiently waiting for his bride to emerge from the bathroom.
“Should I send in the troops?” he called out.
“I don’t think you want them seeing your wife like this,” she replied sweetly.
Moments later, Tiffany appeared in a long silk gown. It curved around her body like a second skin before trailing behind her.
