The Suspicious Proposal

by Kay, Cherry

  She had been thinking on her feet, for once with him, and she realized that she wasn't going to be showing her pregnancy for at least three or four months. She realized that the best way that she had of knowing whether or not he really loved her and really wanted her, the best way she could test the validity of his assertion of love and declaration of commitment to her, was to let him believe that she wasn't pregnant and that she didn't have any intention of being pregnant.

  If he pushed her to have a baby, she would know that he was with her for the money and for no other reason than because he didn't have time to find another woman to marry and have a child. He had already romanced her, he had already proposed, and she knew that with her, half the battle to get the inheritance was gone; they only remaining thing was, as Sherman had said, the baby.

  If he could be with her and tell her that he loved her but not press her for a baby, then she would know that he really meant it. She would know that he truly did love her and wanted to be with her always, and when she knew that without question, then she would tell him that she was pregnant already, but not before.

  "Are you sure that's what you want? You could be with someone else. You could find another girl and marry her and have the baby, and then you could get your inheritance, but with me, there will be no money. None at all. Are you really sure that's what you want?" She looked at him carefully to see how he would respond and react to her.

  He nodded and pursed his lips. "Then it's without money. I won't lose you," he repeated. "I could have chosen another woman from the beginning when I found out about my father's will, but I wanted you. I still want you. That is not going to change," he told her solemnly.

  She wanted to believe him. The pounding of her heart against her chest beat wildly for him, and she wished with everything in her, that he meant every word of what he said and that he loved her and wanted to be with her whether there was money or not, but only time would tell.

  "Alright. I will marry you, just as we planned. No kids, at least not before your birthday," she told him.

  He took a big breath and let it out slowly with relief. "Thank god. I wasn't sure if you would take me back, even if you knew the truth."

  He reached his hand into his pocket. "If we're going to get married, then you are going to need this." He pulled her diamond ring from his pocket and slid it onto her finger. "I promise never to give you a reason to take this ring off ever again."

  She looked at it on her hand and thought to herself that it looked as if it was right where it belonged and she smiled for the first time since she had stepped up to the door of his office during his meeting with Sherman.

  Logan slid his hands up to cup her face and lift her chin to his. "I love you," he said again, as if he couldn't say it enough times. He lowered his mouth to hers, pressing his lips softly and gently to hers, tasting her hungrily. His hands moved from her cheeks down her neck to her shoulders and then to her waist as he embraced her snugly and kissed her with the starved passion of a lover who had been denied.

  She kissed him back, just as anxiously as he did, for she had missed him like the air that she needed to breathe, and feeling herself in his arms again was much more powerful than she had ever imagined it might be. He opened her mouth with his and slid his tongue along hers, twisting and turning, drawing up the need and heat in her belly so sharply that she closed her fingers and hands around him tightly.

  She lost her breath as he slid his hands into the loosened buttons on her blouse, moving below the material and grasping her rounded breasts. He moved his fingers and thumbs over her stiff nipples and she moaned with pleasure as his hands massaged her ardently.

  "I need you..." he told her, "now... It feels like it's been so long since we made love. I miss you. Come with me to your bed." She closed her eyes and let the thrill of desire flood through her. It set her on fire, made her breathless, and the more his mouth moved over her, canvassing her mouth, her neck, and the tops of her breasts, the more she lost herself to her growing passion for him.

  "Brittany..." he pleaded, “make love with me!" He pulled her close to him and she felt his hard need against her. It made her ache with need for him in return and she looked up at him and kissed him ardently before taking his hand and leading him to her bedroom.

  They pulled one another's clothes from their bodies, and their emotion was heightened by having gone through so much anguish apart, that as they began to come together, they felt every nuance, every pleasure, every need and desire, even more so.

  Her nimble fingers moved over the buttons on his shirt, pulling them open until he was bared before her and she was able to kiss and touch the body that she had missed so much. He too, pushed and pulled at her jeans and blouse until she was nude and he could cup her curves and run his hands and fingers along the lines of her.

  Logan laid her down in her bed and she reached for a condom, handing it to him as he hovered over her, ready and throbbing for her. He did not hesitate a moment, but put it on himself and in moments he had spread her legs apart and thrust himself into her depths.

  She arched her back, her fingers holding tightly to his shoulders and then to his back and finally to his hips, as he began to push himself into her, and she lifted her own hips to meet his.

  Pleasure felt like electricity flashing through her and nearly paralyzing her with its power and magnitude. His mouth could not get enough of her; kissing her skin, biting at it, sucking soft and then hard on every part of her that he tasted, from her neck and ears to her nipples and fingers. The more they shared with one another, the more they wanted.

  "This...." he told her as he rolled to his back and held her on top of him, clamping his hands to her hips and rocking her over his erection, "...this is what I want for the rest of my life. This, always with you. God I could never get enough of you."

  He looked up at her face, into her warm brown eyes and told her, "I love you. Do you hear me? I love you, more than anything."

  She was thrilled to hear him say it and she grinned at him as she swayed her body over his, sliding him deep into her, "I love you, Logan Grayson. I want this always, too." She leaned over and kissed him, tasting his lips and running her fingers firmly down his muscular chest as they rocked in a hard rhythm with one another.

  They touched, teased, tasted, and made love for a long while before he could no longer hold in his release. He held her tightly to his chest, to his heart, and gasped loudly as his body shuddered and he came, his condom reassuring her that he wanted her for who she was, and not so that she could carry his child for money.

  Brittany felt relief and joy wash over her, and she leaned up and kissed him softly, and they fell back onto her bed together and rested deeply. It was the most peaceful sleep she’d had since he asked her to marry him. He rested just as well as she did. When they awoke the next morning, he could not hold himself back from kissing her softly, slipping his hands over her body, sliding his fingers between her thighs and making her moan and move against his hand until she came, and then he rolled another condom over himself and entered her again.

  They loved for the length of the morning and their farewell was long and slow, but by midday, he was gone, with a promise to see her that night. He told her that he wanted more time with her, and much more closeness and intimacy than they had shared up until then.

  She knew that they would have it, and she was practically glowing as she closed the door behind him and squealed in delight and happiness to herself.

  Brittany almost ran to her phone to call Lena.

  "How are you doing, honey? Are you okay? Are you feeling any better than you were?" Lena asked in concern.

  "I am amazing!" Brittany told her gleefully.

  There was a pause and then Lena asked in confusion, "Is this what it's going to be like dealing with your baby hormones? You're good and then you're bad and then you're great or what?" she asked quizzically.

  Brittany sat down and bit her lip as she tried to figure out how she was going
to tell Lena exactly what was happening.

  "I need to ask you if you will be my maid of honor. And I need to ask you to hear me out and don't kill me until you know everything, okay?"

  "What?" Lena asked in shock. "You can't be serious. You can't be talking about Logan!"

  Brittany laughed a little. "I am talking about Logan. I’m serious. He came by yesterday and we spent some time talking. He told me that he's been trying to get a hold of me since I left. He said that he loves me and that he doesn't care about the money; he is willing to let his whole inheritance go if he can just be with me. He wants me more than he wants his own money and home. He is willing to let all of it go if I will just marry him and take him back.

  “I didn't tell him about the baby, so he thinks I'm not pregnant. I told him that he has to wear a condom with me every time we have sex so there's no chance I can get pregnant. I told him that so that I would know if he was trying to trick me or not, you know, to get me pregnant so that he can get the money, but he means it. He's willing to let everything go just to be with me. This is real love, Lena, and I am going to marry him."

  She felt so excited and happy, and she knew that it would be tricky with Lena, but all the same, she wanted her support. Brittany might have forgiven Logan, but Lena had no emotional ties to him and it might take her a little more time to let go of the frustration and anger she felt for him.

  Lena muttered something under her breath. "Britt, honey, I love you, and I want you happy. You haven't sounded this happy in a long time, and I want to see you stay this happy, but it's just crazy that you are taking him back. It's going to take me a while to forgive him."

  "Oh Lena! Please be my maid of honor! Please!" Brittany begged and pleaded. "You don't have to forgive him right away, but at least be there with me and support me, and please help me keep the baby a secret. I don't want him to know I'm pregnant for at least two months," she said in a low tone. "After what he put me through, I don't feel bad about that at all. He can wait to find out. It will be a nice surprise later."

  Lena laughed at her. "I agree. I think that's the best way to do it. I'll tell you what. I'll be your maid of honor and celebrate with you in your wedding, but he's not going to hear about the baby from me at all, and it may be a while before I forgive him for what he has put you through. Just so you know where I stand."

  Brittany chuckled. "Fair enough,” she said happily. "Thank you so much. I know it's asking a lot. I know you'd rather just not like him, but you gave Darren a second chance, so I'm thinking that since Logan really does love me, maybe you could find a way to give him another chance, too."

  "We'll see,” she told Brittany.

  Two days later, she answered her door to see Darren standing there.

  He looked at her hand before he looked at her eyes, and his gaze stayed on the diamond she was wearing. She knew in that moment that he had already heard, and he had come to be sure that he had heard the truth.

  "Come on in,” she told him with a smile.

  He walked in and when she closed the door, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her close to him for a long moment.

  "Darren," she asked him, "are you alright?"

  "I'm alright," he answered her. "I just wondered if Lena was right. I saw her this morning and she told me the wedding was back on. I couldn't believe her. I had to come see for myself that it was really true, and I guess I can see that it is." He spoke quietly as he held her in his arms and then he leaned back slightly.

  "Are you sure?" he asked with a hint of pain in his eyes. "Are you absolutely sure that there is nothing else that you want more?"

  She nodded. "I'm sure."

  He shook his head then, gazing at her as if he was desperate to help her see something that she couldn't, and before she could respond or move, he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her softly and tenderly.

  She gasped as he moved his mouth over hers, holding her firmly to him and trying to show her what she was missing.

  She pushed him away, pressing her hands against his chest, and he looked at her in surprise and anguish as she moved back a few feet from him.

  "Darren! You can't do that! I'm engaged to another man. It means something to me, and this ring should mean something to you. It should show you that there is another man who has made a commitment to me and that he and I are both taking it seriously. I know you are trying to show me how you feel, but you can't do that!"

  He shook his head and turned away from her. "I know. I'm sorry... I wasn't going to do that, I just got here and I couldn't... I couldn't let you make this decision and change your life without showing you what you will be missing if you are with him instead of me. I can't let you just go on with him without telling you... without trying to show you. I love you, more than anything, and I want you, too, Brittany."

  Brittany looked at him in sympathy. "I'm sorry, Darren. He is what I want, and spending my life with him is what I want. I know you have changed, and I know you are putting me first now, but it's too late for us. We can be friends, but that is all that we are ever going to be. That's all that I can offer you. I'm sorry. We had our shot, and it didn't work out."

  Darren sighed sadly and nodded. "I thought it would go this way, but I had to try. I had to show you, somehow."

  She sighed and took him into the living room to sit down and talk with her.

  "Darren, you are changed now, and you are a different person, and I can see that. There's so much about you that is different, and so much that I think would be wonderful for a woman, any woman, to be in a relationship with you. I think if you try to commit yourself to any other woman, you are going to succeed, and it will be great. It just isn't going to be me." She reached out and held his hand.

  He nodded. "I wanted it to be you, but I guess I screwed up so much when I had you that I should have known that it just wasn't going to work. I changed for you, Brittany. I changed so that I could get you back."

  "You should never change for another person, Darren. Always change for yourself because that's what you want and what you need, okay? Don't sell yourself short. You are a good man now with a good heart; one that will be a gift for some woman who will be love you as much as you love her. The two of you will have a beautiful life together. You're ready for it now.

  “What happened with us... well, those were mistakes that we made and we both had to learn from them and go on, and we have. Now things are so much better for me, and you are a much better person and you're ready for the best kind of relationship. You're ready for dedication and love, and I am sure that it will come to you. It's just going to be with another woman, and you can still be friends with me if you want to be, but you'll have to understand that I am going to marry Logan Grayson and that is what I'm doing with the rest of my life. You need to respect and understand that."

  She let go of his hand and watched him to make sure that he understood her. She saw the comprehension in his eyes and she knew that he was finally accepting that he was going to have to let her go.

  "We can be friends, and I want that. You're too amazing to lose, but I don't think I will come to your wedding. I hope that is okay. I mean, I wish you the best and I want you to be as happy as you can be, but I just don't think that I could come and watch you marry another man. You understand, don't you?" he asked quietly.

  Brittany nodded. "I understand completely. I wouldn't hold that against you, so don't you worry about it. I just want to be sure that you're okay." She knew that he had somehow gotten it into his head that if he changed, he could have a chance at winning her back. He’d thought that there was a chance for them to be together again, after she broke up with Logan. Now she had to make sure that he understood that there was no way that they would be a couple again.

  "You know, Darren, you've grown so much; just as a person, I think it would be easy for you to find a lady who could help you grow more, and then you might have more confidence in yourself and your chances with women. You're so different than you used to be,
and even if I was single, it wouldn't be right for us. I am sure that you can find someone who would be good for you. You just need to have some confidence in yourself and go out and look." She smiled warmly at him.

  "I just wish it was you, that's all. I am ready to begin a relationship, so maybe I'll do what you say, and go out and see about meeting some new women and maybe something good will happen. She won't be you; none of them will ever be as good as you. I wish I had known that before I hurt you, but I know it now, and you're right, that will make me a better man in a relationship with someone else.

  "I'm lucky to count you as a friend," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze. "I do want to be sure about your engagement, though. Are you positive that Logan isn't going to hurt you again? I hurt you pretty bad but I never saw you as upset as you were after he did you wrong. I just want you to think about it real hard before you give the rest of your life to a man who probably hurt you worse than any other man ever has," he said seriously.

  Brittany knew that he would bring it up, and she was ready for him. "I know, and I appreciate your concern. I have made sure that he and I will be okay. We talked about it and I have a couple of other little things up my sleeve that will show me just how serious he is about me. I know he and I will be okay, and that's something that I was really careful to make sure of before I made any decisions about taking him back.”