Finding Perfect

by Susan Mallery

  She knew enough to recognize he was the kind of man whose word meant something. He was offering her all he had—except his heart. She believed he would take care of her and after all she’d been through, that was nearly impossible to resist. Compared with security, love came in a very distant second.

  But this wasn’t just about her. “It’s one thing to marry me without being in love,” she said. “But the babies are different. You can’t be any different with them because they’re not biologically yours.”

  “I know. They have my word, too. Marry me, Pia. Say yes.”

  She looked into his dark eyes and knew that he would be with her every step of the way. That for reasons she couldn’t explain, this man wanted to take on her and three unborn children that were no relation to him.

  The thought of not having to do everything herself, of knowing there was someone else who would have her back, was tempting. The fact that the guy in question was Raoul made it irresistible.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He stared at her. “Yes? You’re accepting?”

  She nodded, once again feeling slightly faint. Maybe it wasn’t the pregnancy, she thought as he pulled her into his arms. Maybe it was him.

  Then his mouth claimed hers and she couldn’t think at all. She could only feel the warmth and affection and even a slight hint of passion.

  “You won’t regret this,” he told her. “I’m going to buy you the biggest house, the biggest diamond ring. I’ll take care of everything.”

  She drew back slightly and eyed him. “You’re not going to become some freakish, controlling guy, are you?”

  He grinned. “No. Are you objecting to the diamond or the house?”

  “It was the ‘I’ll take care of everything’ part that threw me.”

  “How about I’ll take care of everything after running it by you?”

  “That works.”

  “Good.”

  He kissed her again, then straightened in his seat and grabbed his seat belt. She did the same. He started the car and they drove out of the parking lot.

  Pia stared at the familiar road and told herself it was okay. That the fluttering sensation in her stomach was anticipation, not frenzied dread. Marrying Raoul was a good thing. It’s not as if she would ever get tired of looking at him, and despite the fame and fortune, he was a nice guy. In marriage, nice mattered.

  This would work, she told herself. In fact, she was downright lucky. It was the right thing to do for the babies. As for her dream of falling in love and being swept away by a handsome prince…given everything going on in her life, this was as close to the fantasy as she was going to get.

  AFTER DROPPING PIA OFF at her office, Raoul returned to his house. He walked through the two-bedroom place and knew there was no way it was going to work for a family of five. He’d been thinking about buying something permanent for some time now, but there hadn’t been a rush. That had all changed. Now he had a family to provide for.

  The thought would have brought some guys to their knees, but Raoul was excited by the prospect. He was ready to be married again, ready to be a father. If things had gone the way they were supposed to with Caro, he would already have at least one kid.

  Sure, his arrangement with Pia wasn’t traditional, but little about his life had been. He was a street kid who’d been blessed with the ability to think on his feet and throw a football a hundred yards. Now he was getting lucky again. Besides, Hawk and Nicole would be thrilled to be honorary grandparents to the triplets. Hawk would be proud of Raoul for doing the right thing.

  He left his rental and headed downtown. On the way, he passed a jewelry store. Jenel’s Gems was located in a small square of exclusive shops. He’d probably passed it a dozen times and hadn’t noticed. Now he changed direction and went inside.

  The interior was all glass and light. Sleek and sophisticated, it was the kind of place that made you feel as if everything you bought was special.

  A tall, pretty blonde walked over to him. “Hi. Can I help you?”

  The last time he’d gotten engaged, he’d designed the ring himself. He’d had very specific ideas and had spent two days picking out the diamond. He’d had this idea that the ring had to represent who he was and what he wanted his marriage to Caro to be. The ring was to have been a statement.

  Talk about a crash-and-burn, he thought to himself.

  “Are you good at keeping secrets?” he asked.

  The woman smiled. “I sell engagement rings. I have to be.”

  “Good. Do you know Pia O’Brian?”

  Surprise and pleasure flickered in the woman’s blue eyes. “Yes, of course. I like her very much.”

  “Me, too. I want a ring for her. Something that suits her taste. Something she’ll love.”

  “I see. And may I ask what this ring is for?”

  “She’s agreed to marry me.”

  The woman tilted her head and smiled. “Then you’re a very lucky man.”

  “I think so.”

  “I have a ring,” she began. “The design is unique but classic. Let me go get it.”

  She disappeared into the back for a few minutes, then returned with three rings on a lavender velvet display tray.

  “This is the engagement ring,” she said, holding out a diamond ring. “The center stone is two carats. It’s surrounded by a bead-set diamond border.” She turned it upright. “See how the stone is set up to catch the light, but the border not only protects it, it makes it less likely to catch on anything. Like a sweater.”

  Or hurt a baby, he thought.

  The woman turned the diamond ring again, to show the profile. “These are channel-set square diamonds on the side. As you can see, I have two matching bands of the square diamonds. They would slide in on either side, completing the look.”

  “They’re the wedding bands?”

  She nodded. “They can be worn alone, if Pia prefers.”

  He picked up the ring. It glittered in the overhead lights. There was something right about it. Something that told him Pia would like it.

  “Let me show you a few other things,” the woman said. “For comparison.”

  They went through the cases. He asked to see a couple of things, then shook his head. “The first one,” he told her. “That’s it.”

  “I think so, too. Are you going to faint when I tell you the price?”

  “No.”

  “It’s a high-quality diamond and a custom setting.”

  “That’s okay.”

  Fifteen minutes later, he had all three rings in boxes tucked into his jacket pocket. He’d refused the shopping bag, not wanting anyone in town to see him carrying it. He was starting to get a handle on Fool’s Gold. He knew how word would spread.

  Now that he had a ring, it was time to go see a man about a house.

  PIA STOOD IN FRONT OF her dry-erase and corkboard calendar, checking the events against her master list. Some of the festivals only required minimal prep work, but others took weeks of planning. If decorations were required, they had to be pulled out of storage and installed. The city maintenance workers appreciated plenty of lead time, and she knew better than to annoy the muscle portion of her operation.

  With Halloween coming soon she would need to get the decorative flags changed and put out the scarecrows and hay bales, which reminded her that she needed to order fresh hay. The stuff they’d used last year had looked a little ragged.

  She crossed to her desk and had started to pick up her phone when her office door burst open and Liz Sutton and Montana surged into the room.

  “I can’t believe it!” Montana shrieked. “We sat right here talking about my boring life when you had news like that? How could you keep it to yourself? I may never forgive you.”

  Pia might have been worried except she had no idea what her friend was talking about, and the fact that Montana and Liz were both grinning like fools meant that it wasn’t bad news.

  Liz reached her first and hugged her. “Congratulations.
He seems really sweet. And hunky, which is always a nice plus. I know I get a little shiver every time I see Ethan. Especially when he’s naked.”

  Montana winced. “Hello, that’s my brother we’re talking about. Don’t share details.”

  “Sorry,” Liz said with a laugh, then turned back to Pia. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  Montana and Liz grabbed each other’s arms and actually jumped up and down. It was a little bit scary, Pia thought, taking a step back.

  “You’re marrying Raoul!” they shrieked together.

  “I’m going to forgive you for not telling me if you promise to spill all the details,” Montana said. “Start at the beginning and talk slow. You said hi and he said?”

  Oh, no. Pia sank into her chair and groaned. This wasn’t good at all. It had been a matter of—she checked her watch—four hours. How could word already be spreading?

  The truth was she’d barely accepted that he’d proposed to her, let alone the fact that she’d accepted. The impossible situation had left her too confused to do much more than pretend it hadn’t happened. It had been the only way to get work done.

  “Pia?” Liz asked, her smile fading. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Just confused. How did you hear?”

  Montana and Liz exchanged glances.

  “Raoul went to see Josh,” Liz said. “Ethan was there and heard the whole thing. Raoul said he wanted to buy a bigger house. One with a lot of bedrooms. Josh wanted to know why and Raoul said the two of you were getting married but not to tell anyone. Josh and Ethan swore they wouldn’t, then Ethan called me.”

  Pia winced. It wasn’t his fault—he probably thought the information was safe with his close friends. He wasn’t a small-town guy and would have no idea how this sort of news fed on itself. In a matter of hours, it would be everywhere.

  “I ran into Montana on my way over here and told her,” Liz continued. “But you don’t look very happy. What’s wrong?”

  They each pulled up a chair and sat close, looking concerned. Pia wanted to bolt, but these women were her friends. If she couldn’t explain the situation to them, how could she possibly go through with it? Not that she was having second thoughts—she wasn’t. It was just that everything was complicated.

  She drew in a breath. “Crystal left me her embryos,” she began, then explained how she’d made the decision to have the babies.

  “At first Raoul offered to be my pregnancy buddy,” she continued. “He said he would help out while I carried the babies.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Montana said with a sigh.

  But Liz was more like Pia—less of an overt romantic. Her gaze narrowed. “Why?”

  “That was my question.” She hesitated. “It turns out he knew Keith. Raoul went over to Iraq with some football guys and Keith was part of their escort team. They became friends. Keith told him about Fool’s Gold and Crystal. Raoul was there when he died.”

  “I didn’t know any of this,” Montana said, her eyes wide. “Is that why he came here?”

  Pia nodded. “Normally he wouldn’t have paid extra attention to our invitation to the pro-am golf tournament, but he recognized the name of the town and wanted to check it out. He liked what he saw and decided to move here.”

  “Did he talk to Crystal?” Liz asked.

  “No. He didn’t know what to say. So he didn’t know she was dying or about the embryos until I found out she’d left them to me and had a bit of a breakdown in front of him. Everything sort of spiraled from there.”

  “And now he wants to marry you,” Montana said with a sigh. “It’s so romantic.”

  It was more practical than romantic, but why state the obvious?

  Pia shrugged. “He really wants to be a part of things. And I sort of liked the idea of not being so alone.”

  “You’re not alone,” Montana told her. “You have us.”

  “I know and that’s great.” She hesitated.

  Liz got it right away. “But having friends with lives isn’t the same as having someone who is always there for you. When I was pregnant with Tyler, I was scared and confused. You’re having triplets.”

  Pia nodded. “I try not to think about the actual number. Anyway, Raoul’s been with me as I made every decision. He’s been a rock. Today, after the ultrasound confirmed all three embryos have implanted, he asked me to marry him.”

  “You’re having Crystal’s babies,” Liz said, her eyes filling with tears. “That’s such a blessing for both of you. She would be thrilled.”

  Pia was still in the confused camp, but she smiled anyway. “I’m committed now.”

  “Babies,” Montana said. “And a proposal. Was it wonderful? Did he get down on one knee?”

  Pia hesitated. “Montana, we’re not in love. Raoul wants to marry me and be a part of the babies’ lives. He wants to be their father. When I asked him why, he pointed out that I’m not their biological mother and no one is questioning my commitment. I’m willing to have them for a friend, because it’s the right thing to do. He wants to be their father, and me to be his wife, because of Keith and because it’s the right thing to do.”

  Just saying the words was tough. Believing them would take some time.

  “I wasn’t sure whether to say yes at first,” she admitted. “But he can be really convincing. We like and respect each other. He’s a good man and I trust him. I haven’t been able to say that about a guy before.”

  Liz hugged her. “I have a good feeling about this,” she said. “Arranged marriages have worked for generations.”

  “But you’re not in love,” Montana said, looking crushed. “Don’t you want to be in love?”

  “Sometimes you have to be practical,” Liz told her. “Love can grow.”

  Pia hadn’t thought of that. She wasn’t sure if she could make herself that vulnerable—especially with so much at stake. It would hurt too much if he didn’t return her feelings and, worse, it could make their arrangement awkward.

  “Maybe he’ll fall madly in love with you,” Montana told her.

  “I don’t think so,” Pia said firmly. “To date, all the men in my life have resisted the process…and me. Men who claim to want to be with me tend to leave. I’d rather have the truth up front. Raoul’s been honest and I appreciate that.”

  “I guess.” Montana didn’t sound convinced. “It’s just not romantic, you know?”

  “Romance can be painful,” Pia reminded her.

  Liz sat back down. “So there’s no love allowed?”

  “We haven’t discussed the rules,” Pia admitted. “But it’s understood.”

  “Hmm. You’ll need to be careful, then. The heart is a tricky beast.”

  “Trust me. I have big plans to stay emotionally whole.” She hesitated. “Could you two please not say anything about why we’re getting married? It’s okay to tell Charity, but no one else.”

  “Of course we won’t talk,” Liz promised. “You don’t need that kind of speculation right now. But brace yourself. Everybody is going to find out about you and Raoul, not to mention the pregnancy. You’re going to be a star.”

  “I can handle it.” Pia had been the center of attention in town once before and it had been awful. Now the reasons were different and she was sure everything would be fine.

  Raoul had given his word and she chose to believe him. He would stay with her and the babies. Maybe they weren’t crazy in love, but that was okay. There were a lot of different ways to make a happy family and they would find theirs.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  PIA AVOIDED GOING TO THE grocery store as long as she could. If there was one place in Fool’s Gold where she was likely to run into people wanting to talk about her upcoming marriage, it was somewhere between produce and the frozen-food aisle. But she’d used up the last of her milk that morning and there was absolutely nothing in her freezer, so it was time to grit her teeth and get through it.

  Thinking that the store would be quieter midday rath
er than after work, she used her lunch hour to go there. The trip there was stressful enough with lots of men she didn’t recognize strolling through town. Some guy had even pulled out a grocery cart and handed it to her as she entered the store. Talk about strange.

  She got through cleaning supplies, the meat counter and was halfway to the dairy case when Denise Hendrix spotted her.

  “Pia!” the woman cried, abandoning her own cart and rushing over. “I heard. I’m so happy.”

  Pia braced herself for a warm, enveloping hug. Denise was the matriarch of the Hendrix family. An attractive woman in her early fifties, she’d lost her husband about ten years before. She was an active member of the community and the mother of six, including her daughters who were identical triplets.

  They embraced, then Denise stepped back.

  “Look at you, having Crystal’s babies. That’s such a blessing.”

  “Thanks. I’m still in denial, with a slight bend toward panic.”

  “Of course you are, but you’re doing it anyway. I’m so proud of you.” She smiled. “I am available anytime for advice or conversation or to talk you down from the panic. A multiple birth is completely manageable. You just need to plan.”

  “I’ve heard that.” Planning was important, Pia thought. Just as soon as the idea of having three babies at once became real to her, she would start. “I appreciate the offer to talk. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of questions. I just don’t know what they are right now.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. Let me know when you’re ready.” Denise raised her eyebrows. “I also heard that more congratulations are in order.” Her gaze dropped to Pia’s bare left hand. “Have you set a date?”

  “Not yet.” She tucked her hand behind her back. She was still slightly stunned to find herself engaged.

  “I imagine you’ll want a small, quiet wedding. You’re not going to have the energy to plan anything large. Unless you want to wait until after the babies are born. Then you could go all out.”

  Marriage was one thing, Pia thought, feeling slightly uneasy. But a wedding? She hadn’t put those pieces together. “I, um. We haven’t decided which way we’re going,” she admitted. “Everything happened so fast.”