“Close enough,” he said pushing in her chair.
They ordered their meal; charred soup for her and vichyssoise for him. And for the main course, he had the steak, and she had the chicken soufflé.
“I love being with you like this,” Ronnie confessed. “I don’t have to worry about where we are and who’s going to see us and what they may conclude. I can’t wait for Tracey to get back so I can resign and we can date openly. Do you feel as anxious as I do?”
“Me? I’m crushed. I thought you loved being my assistant,” David said, hand over heart.
“I’m going to assist you to the ER if you don’t stop teasing me,” Ronnie said, jabbing her fork in David’s direction.
~*~*~*~
The meeting with Georges Hermés went very well. Once it was over David and Ronnie returned to the hotel to change into more comfortable clothes; for him, shorts and a polo shirt, for her jeans and a fitted tee. They were ready to explore Paris.
They visited the Eiffel Tower first. Despite having been to Paris a few times, Ronnie had never seen the tower. David hadn’t either, so it was a novelty for them both. Ronnie was fascinated to learn that the Statue of Liberty had been built in Paris using many of the same techniques as the tower, and then shipped to New York. After that, they visited the Louvre and were quite awed by the artwork they saw. They could only spend a short while there because David said they had to go back to the hotel to get dressed for dinner.
“We’ll be back,” he promised as they boarded their cab.
“Back when? We’re leaving Paris tomorrow.”
“Back sometime. Trust me.”
When they returned to the hotel, it was evening.
“So, where are we going tonight?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s this gorgeous chateau outside of Versailles.”
“The Palace Versailles?” she asked excitedly.
He laughed. “Not quite, Princess, but very nice I’m told.”
“That’s a bit of a drive.”
“We’ve got the time. Be ready by 6 p.m. okay?”
She looked at her watch.
“I’ve got two and a half hours to relax then.”
“Pretty much.”
She had a luxurious bath that was so soothing she drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, she didn’t have much time to get dressed. She donned a rainbow-striped Valentino dress and brushed out her hair so that it formed natural waves around her face. Her jewelry was big, door-knocker David Webb earrings and a cocktail ring in purple crystal. She wore multi-colored strappy sandals by Valentino Garavani.
David showed up at her hotel door and escorted her downstairs.
She was surprised to find that they were being taken there in a Rolls Royce.
“How extravagant. What’s the occasion?” she asked, looking over at David as she strapped on her seat belt.
He looked awesome in his white shirt, opened at the neck, navy sports jacket and gray slacks, and he smelled absolutely heavenly.
“Any day with you is a special occasion,” he said tenderly, patting her leg.
“Smooth talker,” she said, cozying up to him.
He draped his arm around her and drew her closer.
“Truth speaker,” he corrected.
When they reached their destination, Ronnie discovered that instead of a restaurant as she had expected it was a private residence and they were the only two people being catered to. As she gazed around at the enchanting surroundings, she wondered how much it cost David to rent the entire chateau for the night.
“This is incredible, David,” she said.
He smiled as he lifted his wine glass to his mouth.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Much later, as their waiter prepared to place their dessert before them, David said, “I know these last few months having to keep our romance a secret has been difficult for you. I sincerely apologize. It has been difficult for me too. I promise it will be over soon. In the meantime I hope that this…” he said, gesturing to her dessert, “…in some small way serves to make up for all I’ve put you through and assures you of my love and commitment.”
Ronnie’s brow furrowed as she took up her fork and looked down at her plate wondering how on earth chocolate cake, no matter how delicious, could make up for anything. Perhaps she had misunderstood, and David was referring to the entire day.
But as Ronnie prepared to stick her fork in the cake she noticed something sparkling was sitting on the top. She blinked and brought her head down for a better look. It was a ring! A spectacular rainbow-colored gemstone set in a platinum band.
With trembling hands, Ronnie removed the ring from the top of the cake where it had been placed on a thin layer of wafer, presumably to keep it from sinking into the icing.
She held the ring between her thumb and index finger and then raised her eyes to David’s not even daring to guess what it meant.
“David?” she whispered, waiting.
He had been watching her in silence all this time. His whiskey-colored gaze was dark with emotion.
“Ronnie…I…will…I.”
He took a deep, shaky breath and then gave a nervous laugh.
“And I’m supposed to be so eloquent. Look at me totally tongue-tied.”
He took another deep breath, enveloped her hand in his and began again.
“Ronnie Dickson, I love you so much. I never thought it was possible to love a woman this much until I met you. I never knew how empty I was until you came into my life. But having experienced this, having experienced a love like this, I know that I can’t go back to how things were before. Without you, life would cease to be pleasurable for me. Ronnie, I want you… no…I need you to be my wife, my lifelong companion. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
And he claimed not to be eloquent! Ronnie couldn’t speak at first. She was so overcome.
“Yes, David. Yes, I will,” she eventually whispered through tears.
“How about right now, baby?” David asked softly, staring into her eyes.
“R…Right now? What do you mean?”
“I’ve got the marriage license, and the minister is here. The owner of this chateau and his wife have agreed to be witnesses. We can be married right now.”
Ronnie could feel her heart beat speed up. Was she dreaming? Whatever happened to Mr. Cautious? She didn’t know whether to feel David’s forehead for a fever or to just take the offer while it was still on the table.
She recovered sufficiently to cry, “Yes! I do! I mean I will!”
She laughed and launched herself at him with giddy excitement, almost off-balancing his chair.
Several minutes later, David, laughing, untangled himself from Ronnie with great effort. He led her to a room in the chateau which had been decked out with wedding decorations, complete with an arch. A patiently waiting minister stood at the front.
The Chateau owner and his wife also stood at the front, grinning from ear to ear as though it was their big moment as well. When Ronnie reached them, the woman handed her a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Ronnie shook her head as if to clear it. How had David arranged all of this? She squeezed his hand. A short while later the beaming couple was exchanging vows.
“Do you, David Henry Jones, take Ronalda Anastasia Dickson to be your lawfully wedded wife...?”
Several minutes later, they were pronounced man and wife, kissed, drank champagne, and chatted lightly with the minister and owners, who took plenty of pictures.
After the brief celebration and their ‘guests’ had bidden them good night, the newly-weds were left alone. David took Ronnie’s hand and led her from the room. He stopped at the foot of a winding staircase.
He inclined his head in the direction of the stairs.
“Shall we?” he asked softly.
Ronnie looked up at the stairs, puzzled.
“What’s going on up there?”
“I rented this chateau for the next two days. Up there is our honeymoon suite.”
“Oh,” she squeaked.
Walking into the suite a minute later, Ronnie mused that it really was a honeymoon suite, from the intimate lighting to the inviting looking bed, to the bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket, to the fresh flowers.
She gulped and sat on the edge of the bed. David closed the door and leaned against it, observing her through hazy eyes.
“Why are you over there?” she asked.
He released a nervous laugh.
“I’m afraid that if I touch you, I’ll explode. I’ve wanted you for so long. But I want this to be pleasurable for you too. I’m just trying to gather control. I’m almost there. Do you want to change or anything?”
“Change into what?” she asked puzzled. She hadn’t brought a change of clothing since she’d had no idea they would be staying overnight.
“I did some shopping for you today after you went to your hotel room.”
“Oh! How do you know my size?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that,” he said huskily.
Ronnie looked at David. At his gorgeous face, sexy eyes, tall, muscular body, and suddenly she felt like they were doing too much talking. She didn’t care if David exploded or not, if she went one more minute without feeling his touch, she would explode.
She reached out her arms to him.
“David, I need you. Now,” she said quietly.
David didn’t need further encouragement. A second later he was eagerly drawing his wife into his embrace.
~*~*~*~
Afterward, as Ronnie lay in David’s arms, she gave a deep contented sigh.
“I can’t believe we’re really married. When did you decide this?”
“That night when you were in Barbados, and we had a bit of a fight, I realized that you didn’t feel quite secure in my love. I thought of a way to prove to you that I love you and want you and am proud to call you my woman and it came to me that the best way to do that was to propose to you. I knew I had a meeting scheduled in Paris and decided that would be the perfect setting.”
He paused in the story to watch her eyes sparkle with delight.
“Then our first night here I was in my hotel room thinking about you. In an attempt to keep my thoughts pure, I picked up my Bible and found myself at 1 Corinthians Chapter 7. I read the Apostle Paul’s admonishment in verse 9 that it is better to marry than to burn with passion. I felt God was saying to me, ‘What are you waiting for? You know you love her and want to be with her forever. There is no need to wait around. Marry her.’ “
He let that sink in for a few seconds and then continued.
“I started arguing in my head that nobody but us would be there, and I realized we were the only people who needed to be there. I felt that I knew you well enough to know you wouldn’t care about the perfect wedding.”
Ronnie felt tears trickle down her cheek and swatted them away as she laid her head against his chest.
“You’re right. You do know me well. It was the perfect wedding because you were the groom and I was the bride, and we exchanged vows before God. That’s all that matters. You, me and God equals a perfect wedding.”
~*~*~*~
On the return flight to Chicago they sat side by side and Ronnie wished with all her heart that she could snuggle up with David, but she maintained her distance. David was a public figure so she couldn’t risk it. One never knew who was on the plane.
As soon as the plane touched down in Chicago, David switched his phone off airplane mode. He took Ronnie’s hand in his and caressed her fingers.
Ronnie gave his hand a squeeze and gently tugged her hand away to break open a pack of peanuts.
“Want some?”
“Some of what?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“Down boy!” she chided.
“Whatever are you suggesting?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“That I could use some of your hot kisses about now.”
She smiled slowly.
“Since you no longer care about being discreet I think I’ll just drop one on you at tomorrow’s meeting.”
He smirked. “Why don’t you go ahead and do that.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“You’re the one who’s tempting me.”
Just then his phone gave a message alert. He pulled it out of his holster.
“I think we should take a gourmet cooking class for couples. After I leave the firm of course,” she said leaning over to return the cooking magazine she had purchased at the airport to her handbag. When she straightened, her eyes traveled over the other passengers. The seat belt sign had come off and they had begun to move around in preparation to disembark.
What a difference a year made. The last time she and David were on a plane together she had been getting to know him, now a little over a year later she was his wife.
Ronnie nudged him and asked, “Dave, aren’t you going to get our things?”
He seemed distracted as he typed on his phone. Instead of un-strapping the seat belt, he stared off into space, the phone still clutched in his hand.
“David?”
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh. It’s great. Great…”
His expression changed again.
“David Jones!”
He sighed heavily.
“Sorry, Ronnie, I just got a message from my sister. My dad’s been admitted to the hospital. He had a heart attack.”
“Oh, my goodness! Why didn’t you say something to me? As soon as we land we need to book the next flight to Washington. You’ve got to go see him.”
David ran a hand over his head.
“I’ll go home first and get you settled. I don’t want to just dump you on my doorstep and take off.”
“I’ll be fine, David. This is your dad. I’d give anything to have even spent one day with my dad.”
He didn’t respond as he pressed his eyes with his thumbs. Eventually he said, “He’s stable. I’ll go see him as soon as I get you settled.”
“If you’re sure…”
He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and tried to smile.
“I’m sure.”
Ronnie squeezed his hand.
“Let’s pray for him, David. At least we can do that.”
“Go ahead. You pray.”
Chapter 24
“Have the flight arrangements all been sorted out?”
Ronnie looked over her shoulder into the bedroom at David. He sat on the bed, going through messages on his phone as she packed away her things in his spacious walk-in-closet.
On the way from the airport, they had stopped by her apartment. David had helped Ronnie pack up some of her things. They planned to tackle the remainder over the upcoming weekend.
David placed the phone down on the bed and came up behind her. He allowed her to finish hanging a blouse then took her hand in his and then wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“Yeah, Joan made arrangements. I’ll be leaving early in the morning.”
She turned around to look up into his face.
“Are you sure I can’t come with you?”
“I need you to attend tomorrow’s meeting. If I can’t be there, it’s imperative that you be. Michael can’t handle it alone. He will need you to brief him.”
Ronnie rolled her eyes.
“One of the other lawyers can brief him.”
“What lawyer on the team knows all that you do about this M&A?”
“Fine. By the way, he called when you were in the bathroom,” Ronnie said.
David looked concerned.
“You didn’t answer, did you?”
She frowned.
“And what if I had? Would that have been so horrible?”
David bit his lip and shook his head.
“You don’t have to worry,” Ronnie said, as she turned away in disgust to resume her packing. “I didn’t answer I just saw his name come up, that’s all.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see David fold his hands across his chest and tilt his head as he observed her.
“You know, when you get mad, there’s this cute little thing you do with your top lip that really turns me on.”
She refused to take the bait, although his comment did make her thoughts get very carnal.
He reached out and pulled on a strand of her hair.
She swatted his hand away and glared at him.
He rubbed his chin.
“Hmm…” then his face broke into a smile. “I know. I’m going to cook for you tonight.”
Ronnie pouted, “Trying to bribe me with your home-made pasta again? Well, it’s not going to work.”
He gently encircled her waist and slowly, insistently, drew her to him. She tried to resist, but he was so much stronger than she was. At least that’s what she told herself.
“I didn’t know I had to bribe you,” he said, leaning down and taking her earlobe between his lips.
“Yes, you have to because I’m mad at you,” she said breathlessly.
“That's okay. I like a challenge.”
She sighed as her hands betrayed her and ran over David’s close fitting tee shirt to caress his muscular chest.
“What’s dinner?”
He nibbled the side of her neck.
“It’s a surprise,” he whispered.
“A surprise, huh?”
“Uh huh.”
“Hmm. I hope it’s not mac and cheese.”
He drew back to give her a look of mock outrage.
“And what if it is? Wouldn’t you still love it?”
She smiled, giving up, pressing her body closer to his.
“Yes, Mr. Jones, I would.”
“Oh. That's more like it, Mrs. Jones. Now here's what I want you to do. I want you to sit down. I’m going to draw you a bath, and I’m going to light some candles, and I’m going to put on a CD with your favorite worship music. And while you bathe and listen to your music and relax, I’m going to make you dinner.”
She shook her head. “You can do all that after.”
“After what?”
“You’re a Harvard graduate. Hazard a guess.”
~*~*~*~
Washington D.C.
A Case For Love (Royals Series Book 3) Page 27