Free Reflections of Yesterday by Debbie Macomber Page A

that he wanted to marry Angie was if she was pregnant.
    Simon couldn’t believe that his mother would even suggest such a thing. It only proved that Georgia Canfield didn’t know Angie.
    “Of course she isn’t. We haven’t even made love. Angie doesn’t want to until we’re married.”
    “Can’t you see what she’s after?” his father had demanded. “This little girl from Oak Street isn’t stupid. Naturally she doesn’t want to do it until after you’re married. Men don’t like to pay for what they can get free.”
    It took all of Simon’s restraint not to shout at his parents that it wasn’t like that with him and Angie. The taste of gall filled his mouth at the thought that the two people who supposedly loved him so much would try to take the beautiful relationship he shared with Angie and make it into a sordid, ugly thing.
    “You’re only seventeen,” his mother pleaded.
    “And in this state you need our permission to marry,” Simon Senior interjected. “And asfar as I’m concerned, you don’t have it.”
    His father had come to Simon’s bedroom later and sat on the mattress beside him. He draped a fatherly arm over Simon’s shoulder and assured him that Angie was the type of girl for Simon to sow his wild oats with. No need to marry her kind. Later, he suggested, another girl would come along from the right kind of people, and Simon would feel just as strongly about her. At seventeen, Simon wasn’t ready for the responsibilities a wife and possible family would entail. He should have fun with Angie, but be careful that she didn’t get pregnant. Simon’s jaw had been clenched so tight that his teeth ached for hours afterward.
    “You don’t need to tell me what they said,” Angie murmured, when they met later.
    “Listen,” Simon argued, “I’ve got everything worked out. We’ll get married after my birthday.”
    “But you’ll have left for college and …”
    “I’m not going to the U.”
    “Simon, you’ve got to. Your father went there, and his father before him.”
    “Marrying you is more important than some stupid tradition.”
    Angie’s shoulders had drooped as she slowly, sadly, shook her head. “I won’t let you do that.”
    “We don’t have any choice.”
    “Your schooling is important.”
    “You’re the most important thing in my life, Angie.”
    It had seemed crazy that the only serious rift in their relationship had been over getting married. Angie was adamant that Simon continue with his schooling in the fall. She wouldn’t marry him otherwise. What she didn’t know was that his father had already anticipated his son’s defiance and had threatened to cut off Simon’s trust fund money. Simon could never manage school while making a home for himself and Angie at the same time. As for college, he didn’t care. Even being approached about a possible basketball scholarship didn’t faze Simon. All he cared about was Angie.
    Not finding a happy solution to their dilemma, Simon had come up with a compromise. It wasn’t the perfect answer. But when he said his vows in the church that night, he had meant every word.
    Sweat poured off Simon from his long run just as effortlessly as the memories of Angie had filled his mind. He moved from the long driveway into the house and headed for the bathroom to shower. Stripping, he turned on the pulsating power spray and turned his face into the jet stream, letting water wash down on him. Even the pounding water whispered Angie’s name. He felt like singing. The realization produced a smile. It had been years since he’d sung in the shower.
    Stepping onto the bathmat, Simon reached for a thick towel. A frown drove his dark brows together. His wet hair glistened as he eased his long arms into a starched dress shirt and fastened the top button. At seventeen he’d been more in love than he had at any other time in his life, he mused. A love that pure and good wasn’t supposed to happen to a rosy-cheeked kid. Most people