“You do, huh? Well I was thinking gray is a good color, especially if you want to go with a more modern style.”
She pointed her finger at me. “Bingo! Yes! Gray! Bravo! That’s a go, Mr. Rivers. I love the way you think.”
“You do, huh?” I said seductively. Would she love the other things I was thinking about? I sat back in the chair and took my head in my hands. I was bad at this. I could get my point across just fine if it was a matter of business, but when it came to relationships, I got all tongue-tied. Why was I so bad? It should have been a simple speech to make.
I love you. I want you. I want to build a life with you. I want us to be a family.
“Boyd, are you okay?” She frowned.
“Peachy.”
She stopped and looked at me, then started rubbing her belly and smiled.
“What is it? Are you okay? Is the baby kicking again?”
She nodded and bit her lip. I circled the desk and placed my hand on her belly. She took it and placed it where the baby was kicking. I felt my child kick over and over, right under the spot where my hand was.
I couldn’t help but smile. There was nothing quite like this.
“What was that?” I asked her when it stopped. “Was that her foot?”
“Or his elbow,” she replied.
“I bet it was her heel.”
She smiled at me, and I was taken aback by the things her smile did to me. It filled me with love and made me feel a kind of happiness I had never experienced before. She had always been beautiful, but now she was stunning—she definitely had that pregnancy glow everyone always talked about. Her skin was luminous, her eyes brighter and happier…but maybe I was just biased and thought she was prettier because she was carrying my child. She complained all the time that she had gotten too big, but she was growing a freaking human. Her features had softened, and her boobs had gotten even bigger. If I could have had my way with her, I would have motor-boated the hell out of those boobs, all damn day.
“Boyd, are you staring at my boobs?” she teased.
I hung my head in shame and let out a loud breath. “You got me. Sorry, I can’t help it. To be fair, they were calling my name.”
“Uh-huh,” she replied, raising her eyebrows. “Sure. My boobs were calling to you. Boooyyyyd, Booooyyyd,” she joked, squeezing them together.
“Sweetheart, don’t do that unless you want me to get a hard-on, rip those clothes off of you, and fuck you right here on this desk,” I growled.
“Ahhh, just like old times. Can I take a raincheck on the clothes ripping, though? I really need to get some stuff finished. You can do the ripping tonight, deal?”
“Deal,” I replied, my mouth curling into a grin.
I wanted to kiss her and shut her mouth up so bad. I wanted to let her know how much loved her. It was time to make Ally understand what my intentions were.
“You promise there will be clothes ripping tonight?”
“Yessssss, your honor,” she moaned. Her fake moans didn’t help at all, and I had to think of dead kitties to get my dick to go down.
“You’re not helping, woman. All right, I’m leaving.”
I got up and headed for the door.
“Boyd, don’t forget—”
I walked back and leaned on the door frame. “Don’t worry, Red, I’ll come later and we’ll go to the prenatal class, okay?”
As soon as I stepped out of Ally’s house, I dialed the number of the first person I could think of.
“Helga? It’s Boyd. I need your help.”
When I mentioned the movie to Helga, she suggested I watch it. I Googled it and found the scene Ally was talking about, but Helga made me watch the whole movie.
I watched it three times.
I rewound the ending almost ten times.
It gave me an idea, and now I just needed help executing it.
I knew what to do now. If I wanted her back, I needed to do something that made her understand I was all in. I had to do something that was completely unlike me.
I needed a grand gesture.
Helga seemed to be all for it, but what she didn’t seem to understand was that grand gestures can go both ways. They can turn out epic, or incredibly wrong.
It was going to be romantic and sincere.
I was going to show Ally how serious I was about us.
* * *
“We’re going to have a baby shower for the two of you. Ella told me that’s what Americans do,” Helga said in her Dutch accent one night over dinner. It was all part of the plan.
“You don’t have to throw us a baby shower!” Ally protested. She glanced at me, looking for support, and I nodded.
“Yeah, Helga. You don’t have to. I mean, it’s very sweet, but it’s not necessary. Ally and I certainly don’t need help with baby stuff. We don’t want to inconvenience anyone.”
“That’s right!” Ally chimed in.
“Nonsense! We’re having this baby shower to celebrate your soon-to-be-born child. I want to have an American baby shower, and you two are not going to stop me!” Helga said in a stern tone. Ally glared at her.
“How could you do this to me? You, my oldest friend! You have to know I’m the last person who’d enjoy that kind of thing. Why do you want to drag me into this?”
“Oh, please! You know how much I love babies and how much I wanted to have kids. I was blessed with one, but I would have loved to have more. Do you know how happy I am you’re getting to experience motherhood? Do you know how much I’m going to love this child? Do you know I’ll love it as my own?” Helga said, getting choked up.
I knew this was all a ploy to lure Ally in, but damn. She was even making me emotional.
Neither my brother or Ally had told me about Helga and Johan’s struggle to conceive. I always thought they were just fine having one and didn’t wish for more.
Helga knew how to strike, obviously. Her words had the desired effect.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Ally gave in and stood up to embrace her. They both sighed and teared up.
Johan, who had been quietly witnessing the whole exchange, raised his glass and clinked it against mine. He was in on the plan, too. Ally released Helga and let out a long sigh. She wiped her tears and tilted her head backward, surrendering.
“You win. You can throw me a baby shower, but no stupid baby shower games or I’ll walk out—mark my words.”
THE DAY OF THE DREADED baby shower was upon me.
I wanted to make Helga happy, but I hated to be the center of attention, and I hated to be celebrated. I had found the cutest maxi-dress just in time—thank God for online shopping. It was black, and from the right angle, I looked like I was just severely bloated, which was a total win for a pregnant lady. The dress had a deep V-neck that made my boobs look amazing, and the turquoise necklace I was wearing enhanced the blue of my eyes.
I almost wished Boyd was around. He had left earlier that day, and I’d forgotten to ask him when I’d see him again.
Hey, do you want to get together for dinner? I’m wearing a dress I think you might like…very much.
I took a selfie, and I sent it to him.
I remember there was a time I couldn’t beg enough to get a picture of your titties.
Perks of being in a “relationship”, my friend.
He replied with a winky emoticon.
So, dinner?
I waited several minutes for his next text to appear, but all I saw was the ellipses forming over and over.
I’m stuck at work. Let me get back to you later, okay?
Aye, aye, Captain. Text me when you’re done.
I walked to the pancake house and stopped when I got closer to the place I knew so well. It looked…different. As I approached my friends’ restaurant, I noticed that the name of the store had been covered by a blue board that said “The Travel Book Co.” in gold lettering. The Travel Book Company…like in Notting Hill?
Was this a themed baby shower? I had expected elephants and b
aby lions; a baby shower themed after one of my favorite romantic comedies? Helga had clearly outdone herself. She’d be beaming knowing I approved of this…as long as I didn’t have to endure any shower games.
In the window of the store was a reproduction of the painting featured in the movie, La Mariée by Marc Chagall. Lined up on the bottom of the window were several travel books of all sizes.
I went to grab the handle of the door and noticed a poster taped to it.
It was a quote from the movie, when Julia Roberts goes to Hugh Grant’s bookstore and he turns her down to protect his heart.
Shit. Just thinking of that scene made me emotional. I fanned my eyes to stop the tears from falling, then took a deep breath and opened the door. The bell on the door chimed. I expected someone to greet me, but the place was deserted.
Some party.
“Hello? Helga? Am I early?” I made my way in and closed the door.
I looked around and noticed that the tables that usually took up the whole room had been pushed aside. Small bookshelves were lined up, creating a path of some sort. I took one of the books from a bookshelf—another travel book. Yes, this was definitely a themed shower. There were dozens upon dozens of books. I hoped Helga had either borrowed them or bought them for very cheap, because this was entirely too much.
I looked at another book, one about the city of Granada that was full of gorgeous pictures. It looked like an art book.
“Hi.” The deep timbre of Boyd’s voice startled me. I turned around and saw him standing at the end of the room wearing a deep blue suit with a white shirt. His shirt was unbuttoned, and he wasn’t wearing a tie; I had never seen him so dressed up. Good lord. He was so impossibly handsome. All he needed was a spotlight on him and he could very well been have an actor in some action movie. He looked just as beautiful as any of them.
My name is Rivers, Boyd Rivers. Special agent, at your service.
I held back a laugh and pursed my lips, just to make sure my jaw wasn’t hanging open.
“What are you doing here?” I asked with a smile. “And so dressed up. I thought you were busy and couldn’t meet me. Do you have a business meeting?” If so, he was slightly overdressed for it. I walked toward him slowly, and I saw a hint of a smile on his face. I just couldn’t get over how beautiful he was. It was like seeing him for the first time all over again.
“Hi,” I said to him as I stood in front of him. “Damn, you look hot. Are you trying to kill me here? I mean, can I even touch you? I’m afraid I’ll get you all wrinkled.” He laughed, and the joyful sound filled the room. His eyes twinkled in a way I had never seen before. We were alone, and it was unusually quiet.
“Where’s everyone else, Boyd?”
He let out a deep breath. “It’s just me and you, Ally.” He looked down at me, eyebrows raised, as if I were missing something. What is going on?
“There’s no party?” I asked, confused.
“No party. I enlisted Helga’s help because I need to tell you something.”
“Oh.”
There was no party—but…the theme. Notting Hill. The books, the painting, the sign…the quote on the door. The man in front of me dressed in his best suit.
Oh.
He had done all this for me? I felt a knot in my throat, and my eyes started filling up with tears. I swallowed a sob as a tear escaped from my eye, but he caught it and wiped it away. Emotions were flying so high, it felt as if Baby Rivers was dancing the Macarena inside me, complete with a final somersault.
“Am I supposed to make the speech?”
“What speech?” he asked, tipping my chin up to look at me. He seemed just about to kiss me, but he didn’t. I longed for his kiss, for his lips. I needed him now.
I sniffled. “You know, from the movie…I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy—”
“No,” he interrupted me, his hand cradling my cheek. “I am. Wait for it.”
The smirk on his face made me want to do stupid things to him. I was going to do stupid things to him as soon as this was over.
“Ally, I know you haven’t always been able to rely on me. I know I’ve let you down a few times, but if there’s one thing I realized in the last few weeks, it’s how much I care for you. If there’s one thing I came to understand while I was in New York, it was how much I need you by my side.” He kissed me softly on the lips but didn’t go any further. I sighed. I needed more. I had no idea where the Boyd Rivers Apology Tour was going from there, but I was sure enjoying the teaser.
His gaze moved from my eyes to my lips, and his eyebrows pulled into a frown.
“I love you, Ally. I have for a while now. I was just too stubborn to admit it.”
“I love you, too,” I said, lacing my hands around his neck.
There was no way to stop the tears at that point. They were just streaming down my face—silently, at least. All I could hope for was to not burst into a bout of ugly crying.
“Ally.”
“Yes?”
“I’m just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him,” he said, quoting the movie. I looked into his eyes, and I realized just then how head over heels in love with him I was. He looked at me in a way I had never seen before, not even the time I’d seen him tear up during the ultrasound.
I smiled. “I do. I do love you, Boyd Rivers,” I said, leaning in to kiss him. He untied my hands from around his neck, and I pouted. He laughed, and the beautiful sound made me want to kiss him again and again, but he was being so stingy with his kisses. What was his deal? I looked up at him and noticed the smile had been replaced by a solemn expression on his face.
And then he kneeled down in front of me.
“Ohmygod.”
I was already swooning hard because of all of this, but I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand as he presented me with a small blue box. It contained a stunning white gold diamond ring—more accurately, I assumed it was stunning; I couldn’t really see it that well with the tears that kept coming out like a waterfall.
“Alberta Ferris, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes! Of course I will.” He slipped the ring on my finger and then got up to kiss me. “Oh, Boyd,” were the only words I was able to say before he attacked my mouth with a passion and need equaled only by my own.
A few moments later, our friends came out of the kitchen to congratulate us. Helga, Johan, Lieke, Hedwig, Ella, Lou—so many people came out to hug us.
We were surrounded by people kissing us and congratulating us on our engagement. Engagement. It didn’t seem true. Drinks were passed around, food was served, and Lou played the piano for a bit.
Boyd was across the room, looking as sharp and handsome as ever, talking to someone I had seen working at his gym.
“You guys were eavesdropping the whole time?” I asked Ella a little later.
“Who’d want to miss this, really?” asked Ella.
“I thought you two were out of the country.”
“We decided to come back early when Boyd informed Lou of his plan,” Ella confessed. Lou overheard our conversation and joined us.
“I couldn’t miss my brother getting down on one knee. Congratulations, Ally,” he said, raising a glass in my direction. I responded by raising up the virgin margarita Johan had made just for me. It was good, though it could never be like the real deal.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” he said, leaning toward me. “You’ve accomplished the impossible. My brother, the one who preached ‘love ’em and leave ’em’, is getting married.”
“Do you have any idea when you want to get married?” Ella asked.
“Uh, do you?” I asked, pointing at her engagement ring. The two had been engaged for months, and they had made no plans at all.
She waved me off. “You know Lou and I agreed we’d wait a little bit. But…you guys are going to have a little…delivery in a few months,” she said, taking my belly in her hands.
“Hey! This is not
up for grabs,” I scolded her. “Am I wearing a shirt that says ‘Free Belly Rubs’?”
“Oh, come on. It’s not like I’m not going to be the kid’s favorite aunt.” After a couple minutes of patting my belly, the baby finally kicked. “See? He already loves me.” Boyd joined us and took my side, and Ella wasted no time in starting to pester him.
“So, brother-in-law, when is this wedding going to be? You know I have to clear my schedule.”
Our eyes met. The way he looked at me was doing stupid things to my body. I needed to have him, and soon. If Vegas had been closer, I would have suggested getting married that night. He put an arm around my shoulder and gave me a serious look.
He seemed to be reading my mind, because he said, “As soon as possible.”
WE WALKED HOME JUST AFTER the sun had gone down, and there was a light breeze that made summers in Amsterdam so pleasant. I was a bit tired from the events of the day, but I couldn’t complain. Everything was just so perfect. I’d never known such happiness. I held on to his arm as we made our way back after dinner, and I couldn’t stop staring at my ring. It was so simple and beautiful. The solitaire setting had always been one of my favorite styles, and I wondered if he’d gotten any help picking it out.
“You’ve done well, Jackson Boyd Rivers.”
“Thank you,” he said simply. “I have to admit, Helga helped me pick it out. I couldn’t decide. She said that one looked more like you.”
“She was right. I’ve always loved this style. It’s perfect.”
He let out a deep breath and gave me a longing look. I narrowed my eyes at him. What else did he have in store for the night?
“What is it?”
“Call me crazy, but in a way, I think I always knew,” he professed.
“What did you know? What do you mean?”
“I mean…you and me. I always knew there was something more between us. You…what you did to me…I hadn’t felt like that in a very long time, woman. It was just an instinct, but I convinced myself I was imagining things. It seemed so unlikely that I kept fighting my attraction and my feelings for you. I’ve been fighting with myself ever since the first time I kissed you on New Year’s Eve.”
Not About Love (This Love Book 2) Page 22