“Only Gramps.”
Why wasn’t I surprised?
“I’ll need some time to tell Mom.” Another thought niggled at me. “I… I think she’s trying to set me up with Andy, now that I’m ‘single’.”
Denton’s jaw ticked. “Even though she knows we’ve been going on dates?”
I didn’t blame him for getting upset. Even I didn’t understand why she was staying in touch with Andy.
Probably to prevent me from being a single mom, like her.
Now that I was still a married woman, I’d have to put a stop to that immediately.
I snuggled closer to Denton. “I’ll stay for the night.” I smiled up at him. “But I’m not sleepy. It must be all that junk food I had earlier.”
His hand slid up my stomach and settled on my breast. “We’ll need to burn off some of those calories. Starting now.” And he leaned down to kiss the valley between my breasts.
I arched my back, pressing against him. Knowing that Denton did love me gave me a renewed sense of hope. Maybe, just maybe, everything would work out.
“I love you,” I whispered, then moaned as he sucked on my nipple.
“I know.” His words were muffled because his mouth was full. “And I feel the same way about you, Drunk Cute Girl.”
Twenty-Four
When Mom found out about my non-divorce situation, she shouted in relief and gave me a hug. “It’s the right thing to do,” she said once I explained that I’d be moving back into the penthouse. “The best decision you’ve made. You and Denton belong together.”
“Oh, really?” I raised a brow. “Then why were you still in touch with Andy and taking calls from him behind my back?”
“Because my first priority is my pregnant daughter’s future happiness and stability,” Mom retorted. “One man brought up divorce, and another man brought up marriage. It only made sense that I would choose the latter.”
“Well, Denton’s my husband, so you should tell Andy—very nicely, I might add—to go find some other gullible woman to help fix his wounded pride.”
“Tiffany…” Mom warned.
“Okay, okay. I’ll try to be a little nicer.”
That afternoon, I went to visit Ernest at the Hamptons. Now that Gloria knew Denton and I were not divorced, she was all smiles and hugs again.
“It’s so good to see you, Tiffany.” She glanced appreciatively at my growing belly. “How have you been?”
“Tired,” I said truthfully. “And constantly eating. Is Ernest taking his nap?”
“He’s in the study reading. Why don’t you go in now?”
Nodding, I headed straight for the study, eager to see him.
After an abrupt knock, I went inside and stood there with hands on my hips. “You, sir, are a sly and crafty man. Why didn’t you tell me that Denton never processed those divorce papers?”
He glanced up from his leather-bound tome. “Why should I? This was your mess. I was merely the observer watching the train wreck that was you and my bullheaded grandson.”
Smiling, I sat down on the couch. “He told me he loved me, in his own way. So you got your wish.”
“My wish?”
“Yes! Don’t you remember what you said to me? You wanted to see Denton fall in love with someone.”
Ernest waved his hand. “Pfft. That’s not news to me. I already knew that.”
“Oh.”
He pushed his tome back into the shelf and wheeled toward me. “I’ve been thinking about baby names. If it’s a boy, you should name him Ernest North the Second. And if it’s a girl, I want you to name her after my late mother—Lorraine North. Lori for short.”
“Okay.”
He looked startled at my quick response, as if he’d been expecting some pushback from me. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Actually, I’d prefer it that way. Besides, isn’t that the norm in some cultures? That the patriarch of the tribe names the newborn?”
Ernest looked terribly pleased with my decision. “Are you staying for dinner? I’ve been told the chef is preparing salmon poached in a lovely court bouillon.”
I was already salivating. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”
Dinner that evening was a North family affair—Ernest sat at his usual spot at the end of the table, Patrick and Gloria to his left, and Denton and I to his right. The food was so delicious that I had seconds and thirds. For a brief moment, I wondered if Denton might feel embarrassed—I was behaving like a glutton, after all. But a quick glance proved the opposite—he looked at me with such tenderness that I recalled something Ernest had said months ago.
He shows all the signs—he fawns over you, talks about you all the time, actually wants to spend more time with you, and smiles more whenever you’re around. If that isn’t a man in love, then I don’t know what the heck it is.
Denton had never needed to say “I love you” because I would have seen it if I’d really taken the time to look. He was a man who showed his love. Words were not enough.
“Is something wrong with the food? Are you crying?” Denton leaned closer, worried.
“No, the food’s fine. It’s incredible, actually. I just… I think there’s an eyelash in my eye.”
“Let me take a look.”
“It’s okay. I got it out.” Giving him a grateful smile, I returned to my salmon.
The rest of dinner was filled with serious conversation about where the baby would attend preschool. Naturally, it was Gloria who led the discussion.
“Some of the waiting lists are unbelievable,” she said, clearly annoyed. “But a North only goes to the best schools on the East Coast, so we’ll start the applications tomorrow.”
I choked on my salmon. “Even though the baby isn’t born yet?”
Denton leaned in again and whispered, “Let her do it. It’ll keep her busy and out of your hair for a while.”
That was an excellent point.
After dessert and promises to drop by again soon, Denton and I drove to the penthouse, tired but content. Because my growing belly had been causing me some back pain, he drew a warm bath for us. I groaned softly as I settled in between his strong legs.
“And my belly’s not even that big yet.” I sighed, leaning back on his broad chest. “I’ll probably be in bed all day when I enter my seventh month.”
“I’ll give you a massage every night to ease some of the pain.”
“Why are you so good to me?” I hummed with pleasure.
He let out a quiet laugh. “Just a few weeks ago, you were probably stabbing tiny pins into a voodoo doll with my name on it.”
“Not me. But Andy might have.”
Mom must have nicely told him to back off, because I hadn’t heard from him in a while. I hoped she’d told him about my still-married status. It might’ve finally given him the incentive to give up on me and go find someone else, someone who actually returned his feelings.
Denton continued massaging my shoulders and back. “Gramps told me you gave him the okay on naming the baby.”
“Yes.” I groaned as he hit a particularly sore spot. “You don’t mind, do you? Because when I saw how happy that made him, I knew it was the right decision.”
“Mind? Not at all. If anything, I should be thanking you for caring about Gramps so much.” He chuckled. “Gramps hated all of my past girlfriends. Never wanted anything to do with them.”
My fingers were starting to prune. “My mom’s the opposite. She likes all my exes.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Denton grumbled.
We climbed out of the tub and got ready for bed. As he spooned me from behind, I had a sudden thought. Denton was no longer my fake husband. This was my life.
I had my own family and a baby on the way.
It was a lot to process, and I’d never in a million years believed I would be married and settled in my early twenties, but this was my reality now.
I grinned in the dark and closed my eyes. It was the best reality I could have
ever hoped for.
Twenty-Five
“How I do look?”
Rach squinted at me across the pile of clothes on her bed. “You look like a baby whale.”
I felt my body break out in a fine sweat. “You’re not supposed to say that to a pregnant woman!”
I was trying on different outfits of Rach’s, unwilling to subject myself to the maternity department as of yet. Denton and I were going out on a date, but he’d told me to dress up this time. “Wear something comfortable but nice,” he’d said to me over the phone.
Unfortunately, my belly no longer fit into most of my “nice” clothes.
“Where’s he taking you?” Rach asked, rummaging through her closet.
“No idea. He just acted all mysterious.”
“Maybe he wants to go dancing.”
“Unlikely. It’s probably a charity event or something similar.” When she handed me a loose black dress, I hurriedly undressed to slip it on. “How’s this? And please don’t say I look like a mortician.”
Rach smiled with approval. “It’s understated, but elegant. I think it’s perfect.”
She helped me with my makeup and hair, and in a half hour, I was good to go. To my surprise, however, it wasn’t Denton who came to pick me up at six, but Ernest’s chauffeur.
“Mrs. North, please put this on.” He held up a silk blindfold.
I shook my head. “No way. I didn’t spent the last hour trying on different outfits just so you could dump my lifeless body in the Hudson River.”
He bit his lip, unsuccessfully hiding a smirk. “These are my orders, I’m afraid. Please, Mrs. North, I’m just trying to do my job here.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, and allowed him to cover my eyes only after I was safely bundled into the car.
As we drove through the streets, I peppered him with questions. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a secret, Mrs. North.”
“Stop calling me that. I’d prefer it if you called me Tiffany.”
“Very well.”
“Are we going to the Met for a premiere? Or some charity event?”
“Nothing like that. And please stop tugging on the blindfold.”
“I’m not!”
He sighed impatiently. “I can see you in the rearview mirror.”
Man, he was one tough cookie. “I’m guessing Ernest knows what the surprise is?”
“Of course. He knows everything.”
That only made my curiosity grow. What was the big deal? And why all the secrecy?
Annoyed, I slumped into the seat and counted the seconds that crawled by.
I must have fallen asleep sometime during the ride because I awoke to the chauffeur shaking my shoulder.
“We’re here.”
“Is that so? And where is ‘here?’” I said in a snippy tone.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Now please, Tiffany, if you could just step out…”
“Okay, okay.” With his help, I managed to get out of the car. “You’d better hope this blindfold hasn’t smeared my eye makeup. I don’t think Denton will appreciate it when he slips off the blindfold and sees a pair of angry panda eyes staring back at him.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard him snortling under his breath.
It was windy and cold out in the open, so it was with great relief that we entered some sort of building. The ding of an elevator sounded in my ears. We were going up, it seemed. I poked at the chauffeur’s ribs to get his attention.
“I don’t like this. Take me back down,” I demanded like a spoiled brat.
“That’s not possible.”
“This feels dangerous and a little irresponsible. Didn’t your mother tell you you’re not supposed to stress out a pregnant woman?”
“This is hardly a stressful situation, Tiffany.” The elevator dinged again. “Ah! We’re finally here. Thank god,” he added under his breath.
I chose to be the better person and ignore that last remark.
After he pulled me out of the elevator, the chauffeur left me standing on some windy part of the floor.
“Leave it,” he ordered when I yanked at the blindfold. “Mr. North will be here shortly.”
This evening no longer felt like a surprise, but more of an ordeal. Suddenly emotional, I burst into loud sobs, burying my blindfolded face in my hands.
The chauffeur grew alarmed. “Now, now, Tiffany, there’s no need to cry. And uh… if you keep crying like that, you will end up with Alice Cooper eyes.”
I lifted my head, sniffling. “Who’s that?”
“A famous rocker from my generation.” He paused, then said with relief, “Here comes Mr. North. Now dry your tears, Tiffany, before he sees them.”
Doing as I was told, I quickly pressed the blindfold into the corners of my eyes.
“Thank you, Nigel,” Denton said, his voice drawing near. “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”
“On the contrary, Mr. North. She was an absolute delight,” Nigel lied through his teeth. “Have a lovely evening.” He quickly excused himself, probably to get away from me.
“I hate you,” I grumbled as Denton pulled me in for a comforting hug. “Can I take the blindfold off now?”
“Sure. Let me help you with that.” He untied the knot at the back. When the blindfold slipped down my face, I was treated to the beautiful sight of Denton’s wide smile.
And he was wearing a tuxedo.
“Look around,” he said, and I immediately obeyed.
“This is an observation deck.” I shook my head, still not understanding. “Wait… are we on the Empire State Building?”
Denton dropped to one knee. “We are.” He opened a small red box and held it up for me to see. “Tiffany North, will you marry me? For real this time?” His green eyes filled with playfulness. “I promise to give you the world.”
“Oh, Denton!” I slapped his shoulder, then laughed as he slipped the huge diamond ring on my finger.
Our imaginary proposal had become real. This was really happening.
“You haven’t given me an answer yet,” he said, rising to gather me in his arms.
“Yes. My answer’s a definite yes.”
“You’re my entire world now.” His expression grew serious. “There’ll be times when I might frustrate you or even make you a little angry, but I’m going to do my best to be there for you always. I love you, Tiffany.”
I threw my arms around his neck, sobbing again. “And I love you.”
We stayed like that for a while, just holding each other.
Later, I pulled back a bit to stare at the diamond sparkling on my finger. “I already have a beautiful ring at home, though, the one you gave me when—”
“That ring has all the wrong reasons attached to it. I want us to have a fresh start, and that begins with a new engagement ring.”
His words made a lot of sense.
“Now, about our wedding…” Denton raised a brow when I gawked at him. “Oh, we’re having a wedding to celebrate our renewed vows. Did I forget to mention that? Besides, your mother should be there this time to bear witness. My parents are quite eager to meet her.”
As happy as I was, it was too much all at once. “I… I think I need to sit down.”
“Actually, I’ve made dinner reservations at Per Se.” Denton checked his watch. “In fact, we should be on our way. Nigel’s waiting for us downstairs.”
We took the elevator down, Denton’s arm wrapped tightly around me. I glanced up to stare at my husband’s face. “Thank you for taking me home when I bumped into you at the nightclub. You kept my drunk ass safe that night.”
He pressed a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. “And thank you for choosing me out of all the pretentious jerks sitting at the bar.”
“You weren’t a pretentious jerk. Although you were definitely the hottest guy there.”
Nigel was waiting beside the car when we stepped outside. He nodded at me, as if to say, congratulations.
I mouthed a silent thank you before settling in the back with Denton.
“Hungry?” Denton placed his hand over my belly.
“Starved. And I speak for the both of us.” I glanced down at his protective hand over the baby bump.
“We’d better hurry then.” He raised his head. “Let’s go, Nigel.”
“Right away, Mr. North.”
As the luxury car drove seamlessly down the street, I kept my gaze on Denton. Through sheer dumb luck or fate, I had managed to land the most amazing husband.
I truly was the luckiest woman in the world.
Like before, our wedding took place at the Hamptons home. However, there were a few differences.
We only invited immediate family and a few close friends.
I wore a simple white dress.
And I was massively pregnant.
Mom and Gloria had to practically roll me down the aisle.
Denton and I promised to love and cherish one another in sickness and in health before our loved ones. And when we sealed our vows with a passionate kiss, we made a new contract.
To love each other.
To take care of each other.
To be each other’s best friend.
Spring was upon us, bringing with it new life and hope for the coming days. We danced and ate beneath a white tent, some of our guests growing alarmingly drunk.
Rach and Dylan attracted a fair amount of attention because they made such a pretty couple. I had to admit, she was right—he was pretty cute with those broad shoulders and puppy dog brown eyes. I just hoped he did right by her.
On the other side of the tent, Mom and Ernest were eating lobster and having a heated discussion. Probably about business, as usual. When they caught me looking at them, they both sent me a cheery wave.
“Save me a dance, young Tiffany!” he boomed before returning to their talk. He looked quite healthy and happy today.
Silently, I offered up a prayer that he would not only live to see his great-grandchild, but have many years to spend with him or her. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Ernest.
“What are you thinking?” Denton whispered in my ear as we slow danced, although it was rather awkward because of the baby between us.
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