by DRAYER, GINA
He put so much effort into surprising her, and she loved it, even when she ruined his plans. The romantic trip he'd planned for the weekend of her birthday was completely derailed when she'd, not knowing his intentions, invited her father to come visit them in Chicago and meet Matt. Needless to say, the weekend of lazy sex and romantic dinners at the bed and breakfast had to wait. But he went out of his way to make sure her father enjoyed his visit and still managed to make the weekend special.
She loved it. She loved him, and this past year was better than she could have imagined. Matt wasn't just a convenient guy back home. He was a huge part of her life, whether she was with him or not. But it was those times they weren't together that made her realize she couldn't imagine her life without him.
This arrangement they had worked, but every time they'd spend a weekend together, it got harder to leave. That's why she knew it was time for a change. She couldn't wait to tell him her big news. She'd caught a four a.m. flight, just so she could be here when he arrived. Unfortunately her plan had gotten derailed by sex and sleep. And now that that he had some big thing planned, she didn't know if she should break the news over dinner or wait until later.
"Okay, I'm ready for you," Matt said when he walked through the door. He held up a blindfold and grinned. "No peeking."
After tying the soft silk over her eyes, he grabbed Beth's hand and led her into the other room. She could smell pizza and broke out in a huge smile.
"I hope you brought the beer, too."
It was one of her rituals, one he'd adopted. Even though they weren't home in Chicago, Beth loved that he wanted to eat pizza with her. But the sound in the background confused her. She could hear the faint sounds of waves crashing and the soft murmur of voices.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"A year ago, I met this beautiful, giving, and slightly crazy woman on my flight. Little did I know, in less than two weeks, I'd be madly in love with her. I'll never forget those weeks on the cruise, and I hope you won't either."
Matt slipped off the blindfold and she looked around. The living room of the suite had been transformed into a boat deck. He'd pushed the sofa out of the way and pulled in the lounge chair from the patio. The big double lounger sat in the center of the room, with a blanket tossed over it, and of course, the pizza and bucket of beer. Hanging on the wall was a huge banner with a photo of the ocean at sunset. The silly man had even found some life preservers and scattered them around the room. But she knew exactly what he was going for when she saw the movie playing on the big screen. Always a Bridesmaid.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him. "I can't believe you did this." She swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears burning the back of her throat from spilling over.
"We had our ups and down, but it was that night on the ship that I knew." Matt took both her hands and smiled. "I love you, Beth. You're the best thing to ever happen to me, and I can't imagine my life without you."
His profession of love was nothing new, but the look in his eyes told Beth everything she needed to know. He took a step back and shoved his hands in his pocket, but she didn't want to let him go.
"God, I love you, too. I'm done with this hotel stuff and seeing each other every five weeks. I'm taking the director's position and staying in Chicago. I've been thinking about it for months, but I can't stand being away for so long. I'll still have to travel, but just a couple of weeks here and there. Nothing like I do now." Pulling him back into a hug, she blurted, "I want to be with you, Matt. I want to live in a house with a picket fence and a golden retriever. I want to have 2.5 kids. I want everything."
"What?" He pulled out of her arms and stared with his mouth hanging open. "Kids?"
"Well not right this second, and I actually love the apartment, but I wouldn't mind getting a dog. I'm just saying, you're it for me. You're the guy Ana was telling me about. The one worth coming home to, and I'm ready. We're in Vegas. Why don't we—"
"No!" Matt took several steps back and pointed to the lounge chair. "Sit down and stop talking. I've been planning this for too long and I'm not going to have you beat me to the punch."
She sat down quietly, worried that she'd messed things up. What was she thinking? She shouldn't have mentioned kids. She was just trying to make a point. She was ready to settle down. It wasn't like she wanted a baby right this second. All she wanted was him.
"Matt, I didn't mean—"
"I said no." He shook his head, and started mumbling under his breath. "We're going to follow my plan for once. I should have known you'd manage to derail this. Just once I'd love to have things go exactly like I planned."
Before she could pull out a snarky comment, Matt knelt in front of her and pulled out a black ring box. "I had this big speech planned. I thought up a rebuttal to every argument you might have. But at this point, I think the only thing I have left to ask is, will you marry me?"
He flipped open the box and took out the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. She loved that he didn't go traditional with a solitary diamond. It was gorgeous and practical, exactly what she would have picked herself.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your big proposal."
"You didn't. But you also haven't answered the question."
"Yes. Of course, I'll marry you."
"I just needed to hear the words." He slid the ring on her finger and she couldn't hold back those tears. He wiped her cheeks and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Now, stop that."
"They're happy tears. I'll be fine in just a second. But I'm waiting for the answer to my question."
"What question?"
"I've said yes. We are in Vegas." She pointed to the balcony for emphasis. "I'm ready for this. Are you?"
"What? You want to get married this weekend?"
"What's wrong with right now?" she said. "This is the City that Never Sleeps."
He took a moment to digest her words, and then a huge smile lit up his face. "My mother is going to kill us, but screw the plan. I've already seen this movie anyway. Just let me get my shoes."
WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Want to learn more about the other men at Millennium Marketing? Read Simon's story in the second of The Modern Girl's Guide series: One Night Stands
Simon grabbed his jacket and went to the bar to order a sandwich to take home. He tried to find a quiet spot to catch the bartender's attention. John was holed on the far end of the bar, so Simon headed that direction.
"Hey, John. Looks like you have a lively crowd tonight."
The bartender shook his head, and rubbed down the counter in front of Simon. "A Big Pharma convention."
Simon looked back over his shoulder to the redhead and laughed. He should have guessed. She had sales written all over her designer suit. "Pharmaceutical, huh? Doesn't surprise me. The way that redhead was eye-fucking me, I bet she's pushing Viagra."
There was a loud guffaw next to him and he turned to see a petite woman sitting in the corner. He had completely missed her when he came up to the bar. When she notice him staring, she ducked her head, a bright blush stained her cheeks.
"What?" Simon asked. "Don't you think so?"
When she looked up from her drink, misty blue-gray eye met his gaze. She looked surprised and a little irritated that he was talking to her.
"If I were marketing the drug, she's exactly the person I'd send in. She's confident enough," he said, trying to goad her into a conversation.
The mystery woman turned to look at the redhead in question, tilting her head a bit. There was a sharp focus in those eyes now. Simon took the opportunity to get a good look at her. She wasn't wearing a convention badge, but that didn't mean much. She could have taken it off, but still he didn't think so. She wasn't dressed like the rest of the crowd, wearing jeans and a sweater, as opposed to suits and party dresses. The clothes fit her well and they looked expensive. Her rusty auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail that fell in ringlets down her back. Even casually dressed she looked put
together and polished. She could easily be a society wife on vacation in the windy city. He looked for a ring, but she had her hand tucked in her pocket.
Who ever she was, she'd definitely caught his interest.She was quite striking in an unconventional way, with her wide eyes and a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks that most women would try to cover. Simon couldn't believe he had overlooked her.
The woman turned back and smiled at him as if she knew a secret. The smile transformed her face. "I stand by my original impression. Not Viagra. She's far too sharp. Too aggressive and forward. My bet is on a cancer drug. Something that might well kill you as cure you. Now the blond next to her. She'd be who I'd pick to sell Viagra. She's soft and curvy with those big bedroom eyes. She's got that naughty librarian look down, don't you think?"
Simon turned back and looked at the group of women again. Now that she had pointed it out, he saw the sharp edges and hard lines in the redhead's clothing and mannerism. She did look aggressive. And the blond had large round eyes and pouty lips that screamed sex appeal. He looked down at the woman sitting next to him, amazed that she saw all that in just a few second.
He scanned the crowd again. A man near the door caught his eye. He was lean and reserved, and reminded Simon of a funeral director. "What about the guy in the purple shirt?" Simon asked, making a game out of it.
"Blood pressure medication, for sure. Look how calm and relaxed he is. And the guy next to him," she said with a laugh in her voice, really getting into it now. "Look at the way he dominates the conversation. He's loud and boisterous. I'd bet he peddles some kind of social anxiety meds. He screams life of the party."
"And you? What what kind of drug are you selling?" Simon asked.
She blushed again and tucked a fallen lock behind her ear. "I'm not with the convention."
"On vacation?" he asked.
"No, not really. I'm in the process of moving. I spent the week here while I got settled."
She looked away and Simon got the impression that wasn't the whole story, but he wasn't about to press it. He was enjoying their conversation, and if she didn't want to talk about her move, he was fine with that.
"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, looking down at her empty glass.
She bit her lip, and didn't look up. Simon was afraid she was going to send him away and he tried to put her at ease. "A soda maybe. I'm not trying to get you drunk or anything."
She laughed, nervously and nodded. "Sure. Another drink will be great. Bushmills. On the rocks."
"I'm Simon by the way," he said, and held out his hand for her.
She took his hand, and smiled. "Juliette."
"It's nice to meet you Juliette. That's a pretty name."
"I hate it. My mom was a literature professor. I guess it could have been worse. I could have ended up with a name like Ophelia or Hester."
"I like it," he said, and smile.
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Copyright © 2015 Gina Drayer
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. If the incidents or people in this book resemble your life, you live a far more exciting one than I do! Have a drink for me and be sure to use protection!