“I... I left.”
“As in you and Simon are over?”
Pepper nodded. “It was never going to work out for us. We wanted different things.”
“Really? Because you two seemed so perfect together at the shelter and when I saw you on television together for the grand opening of his store.”
“I thought so too. But...”
“But what?”
Pepper drew in a deep breath and let it out. “He doesn’t love me.”
“Oh.” Stephanie frowned. “He told you that?”
“No. But when he asked me to stay—”
“He asked you to stay and still you left.”
“Didn’t you hear me? He doesn’t love me. I can’t stay with someone who doesn’t love me.”
“But you love him?”
Pepper nodded. “When I asked him if he felt the same way, he didn’t say anything.”
“But you’re having his baby. And he wanted you to stay. Wouldn’t it be worth giving him a second chance?”
“I don’t know if he wants one.”
“How would you know unless you ask him?”
Stephanie did have a point. Pepper reached for her phone on the end table. She hadn’t paid any attention to it since she’d left the penthouse. There were a number of missed calls. None of them were from Simon. Her heart sank.
And then she stumbled over a text message from him:
Can we meet and talk?
Sure. When?
Top of the Empire State Building? Tonight? Seven?
What an odd choice for a meeting spot.
See you there.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SIMON STOOD ATOP the Empire State Building.
Alone.
He hunched deeper into his coat with the collar turned up to keep out the frigid breeze. Pepper was late. And if she didn’t hurry up, he feared he’d soon turn into a snowman. He’d already gotten some strange looks from other couples as he paced back and forth.
The evening was growing colder with each passing moment. Or perhaps it was he that was growing cold after waiting—for forty-five minutes.
To be fair, he’d been early. She was only...nineteen minutes late. She probably wasn’t going to come. This was the second time she’d ended things with him.
He should leave.
What had made him think this was a good idea? Just because they’d watched An Affair to Remember and he’d wanted to do something romantic for her—to prove just how much he loved her.
And now the first snowflakes had begun to fall from the inky-black sky. How much longer should he wait? How much longer until he accepted that he’d lost the best thing that had ever happened to him?
There was the elevator. He should go get on it. He must look pathetic, standing here all alone, waiting for a woman who wasn’t coming. But his feet refused to move. It was as though if he willed it hard enough, long enough, she would come. Which he knew was totally ridiculous. But the doors to the elevator closed and he remained atop the Empire State Building.
If only she’d give him one more chance, he’d show her just how much she meant to him. But he was also a businessman. He knew when to cut his losses. And so with the greatest reluctance, he told himself that he would get on the next elevator.
He moved inside and waited. While he waited, he replayed the lifetime of memories that they’d shared in just a matter of weeks, from the horrible fire to finding out they were going to be parents. And then there was Daisy. He’d never known that he was a dog person until she came along and stole his slippers. He’d gladly go buy another pair of slippers for her to chew on if his family would just come back home.
His head lowered and he stared blindly at the ground. His heart was heavy. And the weight of misery pressed down on his shoulders.
The elevator doors swung open. He didn’t move. It took a concentrated effort to move his feet. There was still a part of him that wanted to cling to hope—
“Simon?”
His heart reacted before the rest of him. It leaped with joy. It took his mind a few seconds to catch up. He lifted his head, needing to see that Pepper was in fact standing there before he let himself believe there was hope for them.
His gaze connected with hers and held. Was she really standing there? Surely he hadn’t just imagined her, right?
“Simon, are you all right?” She stepped closer. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
He didn’t dare blink or for one moment take his eyes off her. He didn’t want her to disappear. If this was a dream then he never wanted it to end.
“You came.”
Her brows drew together. “You said it was important.”
“It is. But when it got late, I thought—”
“That I wasn’t coming. I’m sorry. There was some sort of traffic jam and it held up everyone.” She glanced around. “Are we the only ones up here?”
He nodded. “There were other people here, but they’ve gone now. I was just about to leave.”
“Oh.” Her gaze lowered. “Listen, I know we have to talk sometime and work out arrangements for the baby—”
“I’m sorry that things ended the way they did. I wanted to call, but I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me.”
“I needed some time to cool off—to think straight.”
“I hope it helped.”
“It did.”
This being distant and cordial was killing him. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, look into her eyes and tell her how much he loved her.
But he worried that if he did, she would pull away. That what little progress they’d made would end. And he couldn’t go back to the utter silence on her part. His world was so much darker without the brightness of her smile.
* * *
What had he wanted?
Why was he acting so reserved?
And what was up with meeting here at the Empire State Building?
For a moment, Pepper felt as though she’d stepped onto a movie stage and she was playing a part. But the question was what sort of movie was this to be? A romance? Or a tragedy?
Maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted more from life. If she didn’t take the chance—if she didn’t put herself out there—she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life. And if it wasn’t possible, she knew raising a child alone wouldn’t be easy, but she could do it. It was the thought of not having anyone to share the day-to-day struggles and joys with that made her sad.
Living in the penthouse with Simon had given her a glimpse of what it’d be like to share her life with him. And now that she knew what it would be like, it was so hard to accept less.
She couldn’t let this drag out. With each passing moment, her heart grew heavier with sadness and loss. “Did you have some papers for me to sign?”
“Papers?” He looked at her with confusion in his eyes.
She nodded. “Isn’t that what you called me here for? To sign some custody agreement papers?”
“Um, no.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I wanted to meet you here so we could talk without being interrupted.”
What was he leading up to? She had no clue, but there definitely wouldn’t be any interruptions up here. At least until the next elevator arrived.
She quietly waited for him to have his say. With each passing second, her heart pounded harder with anticipation.
“Pepper, I’m sorry. I wish... I wish that things hadn’t ended like they did. If I could take it back, I would.”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t all your fault. It was mine too. I wanted things from you that you couldn’t give me. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard.”
“But that’s the thing.” He stared deep into her eyes. It was as though he could see through all her defenses and straight into
her heart that was beating out his name. “I want to give you those things.”
“You do?” Please let her have heard him correctly.
He nodded. “I do. But you know about my dysfunctional family and how I had the worst role model for a father ever. I’m afraid that I’ll end up like him.”
“That could never happen.”
His eyes widened. “You really believe that?”
“With all of my heart. You are a good man, whether you believe it or not. Your nature is to protect those you love, not to hurt them.”
He paused. “I never thought of it that way.” His gaze searched hers. “I love you.”
Those three little words knocked the breath from her lungs. She hadn’t been expecting them. In fact, she never thought he would ever say them to her.
And then a sneaky voice in the back of her mind wondered if he was just saying what she wanted him to say. Was this his way of getting her and the baby back under his roof?
If so, she couldn’t do it. She needed him to love her one hundred percent, for herself, and it not have anything to do with the baby. Because when she gave her heart away, she wanted it to be forever.
She shook her head, refusing to believe he was saying the words that she’d longed for him to say. “You’re just saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear.”
“I mean them.” His gaze pleaded with her. “I love you.”
This couldn’t be happening. It was too good to be true.
“You just want me to move back so you’ll be closer to the baby.”
“I love you and I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do. Whether you live at the penthouse or live above the bakery, it won’t change how I feel about you. I love you. It has nothing to do with the baby. I love you. And I’ll keep telling you that I love you until you believe me. Pepper, I love you with all of my heart.”
He reached out and swiped a tear from her cheek. She didn’t even know she was crying tears of joy. She desperately wanted to believe him. So what was holding her back?
“Do you still love me?” he asked.
She hesitated. She knew putting her heart on the line could be dangerous. But she also knew that without taking a risk, she could be missing the best parts of life.
She nodded.
“Then trust me.” He held his hand out to her.
Her gaze moved to his outstretched hand. What was he up to now? Curiosity had her putting her hand in his. He led her to the outlook.
With the gentle snow falling upon the city, it looked like pure magic. She was definitely in the middle of a movie—a movie of her life. Her heart thump-thumped. And dare she believe that it was going to be a romance? With its very own happy ending?
As though reading her mind, Simon got down on one knee. And then he slipped a box from his coat pocket, opened it and held it up to her.
Her mouth gaped. She couldn’t believe her eyes. In just a matter of a few moments all her wishes were coming true.
“Pepper, you are the most amazing woman in the world. You taught me how to open my heart again. You’ve shown me that love comes in all shapes and sizes. And I would love to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my wife?”
He was full of all sorts of surprises. “Simon, are...are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”
She pressed a hand to her mouth, holding back a squeal of delight. Her wide-eyed gaze moved from him to the diamond solitaire ring nestled in black velvet. “Simon, it’s beautiful. I’d be honored to be your wife.”
He removed the ring from the box. He took her trembling hand into his own and placed the ring on her finger.
In the background there were cheers and clapping from the onlookers that must have exited the elevator somewhere in the middle of the proposal. And there were flashes from cameras. And this time, Pepper didn’t care. She didn’t care if the whole world knew she loved Simon Ross.
Inside, her heart wasn’t just thumping, it was pounding. Her palms were damp. And all she could think about was what that ring on her hand meant—they were going to get their happily-ever-after.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
The familiar chant filled the air. How could they have forgotten the best part of this—the kiss? Simon straightened and swept her into his arms.
“I love you. Never ever doubt it,” he said.
“I will always love you too.” Her voice was soft as it floated through the air. “Merry Christmas.”
“Happy birthday.”
He remembered! “Thank you. This is the best birthday ever.”
He lowered his head and claimed her lips. She knew she’d never tire of his kisses. In fact, she was quite certain she would remember this movie-like moment for the rest of her life. When she was a little old lady, she would tell her great-grandchildren about this moment—this very romantic moment. And she would end the story with “They lived very, very happily ever after.”
EPILOGUE
Valentine’s Day, the Polka Dotted Bakery
HER SECOND MOST favorite holiday had just moved to first on her list.
And it certainly helped that the Polka Dotted Bakery was back in business and busier than ever. Old employees and customers had found that the mass-produced cupcakes weren’t better than Pepper’s homemade ones. As busy as they were, on Valentine’s Day they closed the shop a little early—for a private engagement.
Pepper and Simon were now officially married.
How was this possible?
Pepper stood in her apartment no longer Pepper Mint Kane, but Mrs. Pepper Ross. She loved the sound of it. But she loved her new husband so much more.
She stared down at the diamond band on her finger and smiled. The truth was that she hadn’t stopped smiling since they were declared husband and wife. Mrs. Simon Ross, Mrs. Pepper Ross, or just plain old Pepper Ross. The smile on her lips grew.
“And what has you smiling so brightly?”
She glanced up at her very handsome husband. “I was just thinking that you’re never going to be able to top this Valentine’s. Ever.”
His brows rose. “Is that a challenge?”
Oh, no. He had that look in his eyes that said she was about to lose. But somehow, she didn’t think it was possible to lose this particular challenge. “Yes. It’s a challenge.”
An I got you smile lifted his lips. “I know next Valentine’s will be even better. Want to know how I know this?”
“How’s that?”
“There will be three of us next year.”
Daisy barked her disagreement and they both laughed.
“Okay. There will be four of us. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
“Why did I ever doubt you?” Her hand smoothed down over her growing baby bump. At four months along, her pregnancy was finally showing.
“You’ll learn to trust me. My family will always be my first priority.”
She reached up, running her fingers gently down his cheek. “I already trust you with my heart.”
He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “How did I ever get so lucky?”
“I guess it’s true what they say, you know, about the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” She smiled lovingly into her husband’s eyes. To think she would get to do this for the rest of her life. Her heart fluttered with joy. “We should head out, if we’re going to make it to the country house by dinner.”
“Are you sure that’s where you want our honeymoon? I could call up the jet and have it fly us anywhere in the world.”
She moved toward the kitchen, stopping in the archway to place her wedding bouquet of red roses on the counter. She worried her bottom lip. Was he going to be upset if they didn’t fly away to a warmer climate?
Her heart raced as she worrie
d. This marriage stuff might have a bit of a learning curve.
She turned to him. “But it’s going to snow this weekend. And I thought we could get snowed in together, next to a roaring fire.”
He stepped closer to her. “The image is quite compelling. Whatever my bride wants, my bride shall get.”
Daisy barked in agreement.
“You aren’t upset, are you?”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close. “Not a chance. If we’re really lucky, we’ll get snowed in for weeks.”
“Weeks?”
“You’re right. That’s not long enough. Maybe the rest of winter. Because I couldn’t think of any other place I’d rather be than holding you close as the snow falls. I love you, Mrs. Ross.”
“I love you, Mr. Ross.”
Okay, so maybe the learning curve wasn’t as steep as she’d originally feared. She lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. In fact, learning just might be half the fun.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Jennifer Faye
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Claiming the Drakos Heir
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All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Convenient Christmas Date by Barbara Wallace.
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