A tremulous smile touched Ginny’s lips, and her eyes shone with undeniable joy. “Yes, I do look beautiful. And about ten years younger, too. I never should have let myself go for so long.”
“Don’t focus on the past and things you can’t change, Ginny,” Evie said, hoping someday she’d be able to take her own advice and apply it to her and Eric, once her heart had time to mend. “Just keep looking toward the future and all the good things waiting to happen.”
Ginny grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight, her gaze filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Evie. For everything.”
Evie knew what she meant . . . the makeover and for letting her talk about her family and even the advice Evie had issued. “You’re welcome.”
If Evie was able to do anything for Eric, helping his mother repair her relationship with her son would be her gift to him.
Eric couldn’t stop looking over at the woman sitting in the passenger seat of his car, still trying to process how Evie had taken his mother’s plain, dowdy appearance and had turned her into a stunning, radiant, more confident person in the span of three hours.
When he’d walked into the salon at five p.m. to pick up his mom, he’d done a double take when his gaze had skimmed by her sitting in the reception area because he hadn’t recognized her at first glance. This was the pretty mother he remembered, and seeing her so happy after being sad and depressed for so long was the best feeling ever.
It felt like a new start for his mom, and he owed it all to Evie.
Evie was pleasant when he’d thanked her for fitting his mother into her schedule, and while she smiled on the outside as she accepted his credit card for payment and ran it through her system, the sentiment didn’t fully reach her eyes. She continued to talk to his mother as if the two of them were now the best of friends, while keeping any conversation with him as short as possible.
Frustration welled inside him. He wanted to reach out and touch Evie, just to get some kind of real reaction from her. To see that familiar desire flare in her eyes, or her lips part longingly as she looked into his gaze and made him feel like he was all she needed to be happy. But that wasn’t true, and since he had no right to put his hands on her, he kept them at his sides.
The makeover that Evie had given his mother was more than just a physical transformation. As he kept sneaking glances at his mother as he drove her home, he marveled at the smile on her glossy lips, the self-esteem that radiated off her, and the optimism that made him hopeful that this was a turning point in her life. A good, positive one.
But the closer they got to where his mother lived, the more her smile faded away. By the time they walked into the house, he felt a tangible, somber shift in her and wondered if his mom was already backsliding and immersing herself in the past again, in the memories that surrounded her on a daily basis.
He followed her into the kitchen, where she poured herself a glass of iced tea. “Mom . . . is everything okay?”
After taking a sip of her drink, she set the glass down on the counter and sighed before facing him. “No, everything isn’t okay. I have some things I need to say to you. Things that should have been resolved a long time ago but I just wasn’t ready to face reality. And that reality includes how I abandoned you after your sister died.” Her voice cracked with emotion.
Eric sagged back against the counter, shocked by his mother’s insight, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to have this conversation with her. “Mom—”
“I haven’t been a great mother the past thirteen years,” she went on, ignoring his attempt to cut her off, clearly needing to get this off her chest. “And I know I hurt you with my indifference, while you’ve always been here for me, regardless of my depression, my grief, or my anger over losing Trisha.”
“It was so hard for me, too, Mom,” he said, his own throat raspy. “She was your daughter, but she was my sister and my twin and I lost such a big part of me when she died.” He didn’t need to dump everything on his mom or rehash things that would be painful, but she needed to know he’d been affected, too.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice contrite. “I think when I saw Patty at work, it made me realize everything I’d lost. Not just Trisha, but friendships I’d had for decades, your father, hobbies I once loved doing . . . and I knew if I didn’t make changes, I could possibly lose you, too, because what reason would you have to stick around when I was taking more from you than you were getting in return? And the thought of us eventually drifting apart would completely devastate me.”
Her anguish was real, and he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. “I’m not going anywhere, Mom. Ever,” he assured her, though he had to be honest with her, too. “But I don’t want you living like this anymore. All your focus and energy on keeping Trisha’s memories alive and making this house a shrine. She’ll always be here with us, in ways that go beyond a memorial garden or all the pictures in the living room or keeping her bedroom the same as it was when she died.” He remembered the butterfly at the lake, and how happy he’d been with that simple reminder of her. “Trisha would want you to move on and be happy.”
His mother pulled back to look up at him, clutching his arms. “She’d want you to be happy, too.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say that he was happy, but considering how miserable he actually was without Evie, that would be a lie. He wasn’t sure he’d ever again be as happy as he’d been with Evie last weekend.
“You love her, don’t you?” his mother asked softly and more perceptively than she’d been the past thirteen years.
He had no idea what Evie and his mother had talked about at the salon, but clearly his mother had come to the conclusion that there was more between him and Evie than the friendship he’d told her. Again, it would be so easy to fudge the truth, but considering how open and honest his mother had just been with him, didn’t he owe her the same courtesy?
“Yes . . .” The word sounded pained as it passed his lips. “As much as I know what it’s like to love a woman, yes, I love her.” Because the way he felt about her was a first for him.
“You don’t need to know, Eric,” his mother said, placing her hand on the left side of his chest. “Your heart knows, and it was just waiting for the right woman to come along.”
He shook his head and moved back to the other side of the kitchen, not sure he was willing to leave it all up to his heart. “Did you know that as Trisha’s fraternal twin, there is a shared risk of me getting cancer?”
“Yes. Trisha’s doctor told us when she was diagnosed.”
He exhaled a frustrated breath. “How is it fair to build a life and family with a woman when the possibility exists that I could die the same way?”
She blinked at him, taken aback by his question. “Eric, there are no guarantees for anyone in this life. You could die in a car accident tomorrow, the same way you could die of cancer or any other illness that’s out of your control.” She paused, then said, “You can’t live your life second-guessing what is or isn’t going to happen. You could be healthy for the rest of your life and live until you’re ninety . . . and if that happened and you never took a chance and built a life and family with a woman you love, would you have any regrets?”
He imagined the next sixty years without Evie in his life, and all he saw was a bleak, lonely future because no one would ever be able to replace her. He groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face.
“It’s all fair if she knows and accepts the risks ahead of time, Eric,” his mother went on gently. “And if you find a woman who is strong and tenacious enough to take that chance with you knowing what could possibly happen, then she’s a woman worth fighting for. Don’t push her out of your life because of unfounded fears, because Evie is the kind of girl that some other man is eventually going to snap up.”
That thought made his gut churn with a shockingly possessive animosity, because he didn’t want to share Evie with anyone. Ever. Because she was his and had been from the first time h
e’d laid eyes on her in the coffee shop.
What made him think, or even believe, he could just let her go when she meant everything to him?
God, he’d been an idiot. So wrapped up in what he’d convinced himself was right over the years, he’d done just what she’d accused him of. Taken the choice away from her. Evie was right. His mom was right. Her being with him was her choice to make.
Now he just had to hope that he hadn’t pushed her too far away.
Eric could have driven straight to Evie’s place, but considering how badly he’d hurt her by rejecting the greatest gift anyone had ever given him—her love—she deserved flourish and fanfare. Hearts and flowers and bended knee. And that took at least a day to plan.
He shrugged into the black suit coat he’d brought with him to work to change into at the end of the day just as Leo strolled into his office. It had been a busy Friday, with their schedules conflicting, so his partner had no clue what Eric was up to.
Leo frowned at the dressy attire Eric was wearing. “What’s with the suit and tie?” he asked. “Did I forget about an important meeting we had with a client tonight?”
“No.” Eric adjusted the knot of his tie against the collar of his dress shirt and grinned at Leo. “I’m going to an awards dinner.”
His confusion increased. “For?”
“To support my soon-to-be fiancée.”
Understanding dawned across Leo’s features. “Ahhh. You finally pulled your head out of your ass and realized that Evie is the best thing that has ever happened to you.”
Eric couldn’t even be irritated at Leo’s comment, mainly because it was the truth. “Damn right I did. I’m going to go and get the girl and make her mine. The San Diego Chamber of Commerce is presenting her with this year’s Humanitarian Award at tonight’s dinner, and after that, well, we’re going to go and celebrate our engagement.”
“You sound pretty sure of yourself,” Leo said, bracing his shoulder against the doorjamb. “There’s usually groveling involved in this sort of thing to win the girl back. They love it when you grovel.”
Eric laughed. “There will be a little groveling.” He’d gladly get on his knees for Evie, for a variety of reasons.
“And don’t forget about a grand gesture,” Leo suggested helpfully. “Trust me, that’s the clincher for women.”
“Got it all covered,” Eric assured his friend, feeling confident that he’d managed to achieve the wow factor for Evie.
Was he nervous about tonight and her reaction? Maybe a tiny bit, but deep down, he knew that Evie wasn’t the kind of woman who would change her mind about her feelings for him overnight. She was tried and true, which was one of the things he loved about her.
He was the one who’d walked away from her. He was the one with the hang-ups and fears, but she’d already assured him that she wanted him, even knowing the risks. He’d be a fool to give up a lifetime with her over something that might never happen. Going forward, there would be no doubts, no unfounded fears, and no constant what-ifs overshadowing his feelings for her.
No, there would only be Evie and their life and future together, which was all that mattered to him.
“And this year’s humanitarian award goes to Evie Bennett for her Beautiful You program that supports the local women’s domestic abuse shelters.”
A round of applause broke out in the room where the Chamber of Commerce was hosting the awards dinner. Evie was one of the last recipients of the evening, and with Scarlett and Jessica sitting at the same table in support of Evie and her nomination, she scooted back her chair and made her way up to the podium in the little black dress she’d worn for the occasion.
She wasn’t much of a public speaker, but she’d written a few notes so she didn’t forget the key points of her thank-you speech, which was her biggest worry. Standing in front of the filled room with all eyes on her, she kept her gaze mostly on Jessica and Scarlett—who was taping the acceptance speech—as a focal point as she explained the Beautiful You program and why she’d created it. She talked about women’s abuse issues, then thanked her partners at the salon for their time and donated products and the Chamber of Commerce for putting a spotlight on the Beautiful You program.
Another round of applause ensued, and as she picked up her award and started down the stairs from the podium, she caught sight of a man standing in the very back of the room in a black suit with his arms overflowing with at least two dozen long-stemmed red roses.
Shocked to see Eric, she felt her breath catch in her throat, and she faltered on her heels before regaining her balance and composure and did the only thing her heart was telling her to do. She didn’t know why he was there, but she set her award on the table next to Scarlett, then kept walking straight toward Eric, trusting her instincts, trusting him, that he’d somehow, someway, come to his senses and was there to sweep her off her feet.
Please let him be here to sweep me off my feet.
It was a lot to ask for, but she wouldn’t accept anything less from him.
She stopped a few feet away and nearly melted when he gave her one of his sexy, disarming smiles.
“I hear that grand gestures are a way to a woman’s heart,” he said, indicating the flowers he was holding, the gorgeous, deep red roses contrasting against his black suit.
Truly, there was only one way to this woman’s heart. She didn’t need her gestures to be grand, just heartfelt and real.
He looked into her eyes, narrowing this moment down to just the two of them, even though they were in a room with over one hundred other people watching Eric’s grand gesture play out.
“So, you’ll be happy to know that this is the part where I tell you what an idiot I was.”
She bit back a smile, loving his sense of humor. “That’s a good start.”
“And that I won’t be so stupid again.”
“Debatable,” she teased, and heard a few light laughs from the tables behind them.
His expression turned serious. “And that I want you in my life for a very long time, like forever, which is the nonnegotiable part of this grand gesture.”
Hope and joy started pumping through her veins. “I’d like that, too,” she whispered.
His gaze softened and he looked at her as though she was his sun and moon and stars. “And that I’m going to live my life to the fullest, each and every day, with you right by my side.”
Her heart . . . Oh, God, her heart was nearly overflowing with happiness. “Okay,” she agreed.
He went down on one knee in front of her, causing most of the people in the room to gasp at the gallant gesture and where it was heading. Anticipation sped up Evie’s pulse as he gave her the roses, then reached into the front pocket of his suit, retrieving a small, black velvet box.
“No more doubts. No more fears,” he said, his voice strong and sure as he opened the lid, revealing a breathtaking engagement ring that nearly blinded her with its multifaceted sparkles. “I love you, Evie Bennett, and I won’t settle for anything less than you marrying me so you can be mine for the rest of our lives.”
Tears filled her eyes because she felt like the luckiest girl on the planet. And then she smiled because this man was proof that a girl had to kiss a few toads to find her prince. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
He slipped the ring on her finger, then stood back up and kissed her, so soft and sweet and gentle, before literally sweeping her off her feet, roses and all, and into his arms. With the rest of the guests cheering, he carried her out to a limousine waiting by the curb, and once he had them locked inside, he pulled her across his lap and pressed her forehead to his.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?”
“For not giving up on me while I was in my idiot phase,” he said wryly.
She laughed. “Never,” she promised, and she meant it.
EPILOGUE
Eight months later . . .
Eric stood facing the beautiful woman who was about to become his wife, h
olding both of her hands in his, and marveling at what a lucky man he was that Evie was going to be his for the rest of their lives together.
It was a beautiful spring afternoon in San Diego, and they’d opted to have the small wedding ceremony and reception in his mother’s backyard. Evie had done most of the planning, and she’d explained that this is where he grew up with Trisha, and it was important that her memory was honored on their wedding day. His sister couldn’t be there physically, but spiritually she would be in their hearts.
Sitting in the few rows of chairs behind them were only close friends and family. His mother, of course, who’d managed to rebuild friendships and was pursuing outside interests that kept her active and fulfilled. His father and his new wife had flown down from Arizona, and Evie’s parents, her brother and Aaron, and her grandfather were present, as well. His partner and best friend, Leo, was there with his wife, along with Aiden and Daisy, and of course since Dylan was the reason why Eric had met Evie in the first place, he and his wife, Serena, were there to witness the nuptials, along with Scarlett and Jessica.
Evie had hired the same minister that had spoken at Trisha’s memorial service to perform the wedding ceremony, replacing what had been a sad day almost fourteen years ago with a happy, celebratory one now. They stood beneath a small archway threaded with gorgeous white and pale pink flowers, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the woman who’d given his life new purpose.
She wore a simple white off-the-shoulder wedding gown. Her hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders, just how he liked it best, and her light blue eyes shone with tenderness and adoration as she promised to love, honor, and cherish him, until death did they part.
His heart squeezed tight in his chest. How had he gotten so damn lucky?
He slipped her wedding ring on her finger, the minister announced them as husband and wife, and right in front of everyone he kissed the hell out of his bride until the small crowd behind them were clapping and whistling and cheering.
The Boyfriend Experience Page 17