“Is this the one? Is this the one for you, baby?” Joy asked, but she knew, she had been watching Robyn and the various stones they looked at. Once they narrowed it down to the sapphires, she had tried to see which one caught her eye. It was fate that this one ring fit her perfectly when others had been too big or too small and would have had to be resized.
Robyn was almost afraid to nod her head as she gazed at the beautiful ring, the only real piece of jewelry she had ever tried on. She’d thought things like this were out of her reach for so long, she hadn’t worried about it. This was just something others had or did, not Robyn Riley.
“We will take this one,” Joy told the jeweler, who smiled in understanding. “And the matching band,” she added, which made the salesman’s smile wider.
It was not until Joy had paid for it with her credit card and they received the certificate of authenticity as well as an insurance card, that Robyn seemed to come to her senses to object. “Wait, shouldn’t we get you one?” she suddenly asked, looking hard at the blonde.
“You want me to wear one?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly, suddenly overwhelmed for this wonderful woman in her life. She loved her. She LOVED her! She wanted to do whatever she could to make her happy.
“What would you choose for me?” Joy asked, watching Robyn, seeing something in her eyes that made her want to cry with delight.
“I think for you, something colorful. Not a diamond, not a sapphire, but something with…” her eyes lit on an aquamarine display and she realized they matched her girlfriend’s eyes. “Oh, my God, that is it,” she exclaimed as she pointed to the display.
Joy smiled, not for the reason Robyn was thinking, but because that had been her mother’s birthstone. She would wear such a ring for her girlfriend, then she mentally corrected herself, her fiancée. They looked through the various cuts and settings, trying the patience of the salesman, until Joy found one that suited her perfectly. It was not that large by some standards, but it was a nice fit on her hand. It was a Blue Nile aquamarine halo ring with diamonds in a circle around the main seven carat stone. Joy did not even think twice once they found it fit her hand, and she slid her credit card across the counter.
“How am I going to pay you back?” Robyn hissed.
“We will set up accounts for you, including credit cards for the future, when we get back. Do not think about it,” she shushed her, enjoying the ring as she held it up on her hand.
“But…” she began to argue, then seeing the absolute delight on Joy’s face, she shut up before she ruined the moment.
“Would you like the matching band?” the salesman asked before he rang up the overpriced ring, hoping for an additional commission on what had turned out to be a lucrative late-night sale at the end of a dry day.
“Of course,” Joy answered without looking up. She pulled Robyn’s hand up to her own and compared the two white gold bands on their engagement rings. The lighter stone of Joy’s ring against the darker sapphire in Robyn’s ring looked beautiful. “What do you think?” she asked as she looked at Robyn again.
“I think you’re mad and I love you,” Robyn said as she enjoyed the view of the rings, the girl, and the idea behind them all. “Will you marry me?” she jokingly asked, turning her hand and capturing Joy’s as she leaned down to kiss it gallantly.
“I think I better. You’ve compromised me,” Joy teased, and when Robyn looked up in surprise, she grinned and answered in her loftiest tones, “Yes, I will marry you. I thought you would never ask.”
They went into each other’s arms and shared a kiss as the clerk slid a copy of the receipt across the glass for Joy to sign. Once Robyn released her, she signed her name with a flourish. As they took their copy of the receipt and the boxes for the rings in a thick, but glamorous paper bag from the shop, she leaned over and whispered, “Will you take my name?”
Robyn looked surprised. She hadn’t really thought about it. Going from Riley to Parker was not a bad idea and as she mulled it over, she found she really liked it. Smiling beautifully, she said with relish, “Yes, I will.”
Joy was not sure why, but the idea thrilled her. As she gently took Robyn’s hand and led her outside, she said softly, “I’m so glad you are going to be my Mrs.”
“Oh, wow,” Robyn said, her hands going to her face, which felt flushed. “I’m going to be Mrs. Joy Parker, aren’t I?”
Joy laughed, happy with life and her fiancée’s reaction. She nodded and said, “Yes, that’s usually what happens when a spouse takes someone else’s name.” She loved how the street lamp caught Robyn’s ring in its light, creating a sparkle. “Let’s get home, we need to celebrate this momentous occasion.”
They walked quickly through the night, holding each other’s hands, laughing at each other’s jokes, and really enjoying the Paris night air. Nothing and no one was going to ruin it for them, at least not tonight. As they got home and threw the bag on the bedside table, they seemed to fall out of their clothes and into each other’s arms, loving each other for the sheer joy of it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“Are you happy, future Mrs. Parker?” Joy asked, her hand playing with the ring on Robyn’s hand, looking at the sparkle in the morning light as they lay in bed together.
“Oh, God, I’ve never been this happy before,” she answered honestly. “Let’s go home before the bubble bursts.”
“Are you serious? We could bum around Paris for a few more days, even see something of the countryside…” she offered generously.
“I want to share this with my mother, tell her I’m in love with the most awesome woman and she has asked me to marry her,” she gushed and then looked down. “If you want to stay longer…”
“Nope, I’m good. I’m all packed. A couple of days in Paris to last us a lifetime…” she teased, paraphrasing some movie. “We can come back anytime you want.”
“We can?” she asked naïvely, and then her eyes widened as she realized they could. “I would love that.”
“Anything you want, my darling…anything.”
“Let me take a bath and we can get dressed and…” she began and then, “Oh, I forgot to wash my clothes.”
“Pierre already took care of that,” her fiancée told her.
“He did?” and at Joy’s nod she asked again, “He did?” Again, Joy nodded, confused for a moment until Robyn asked, “Including my underwear?” She sounded horrified that a man would wash her panties.
Joy started to laugh and couldn’t stop. It was not until Robyn started hitting her repeatedly with a pillow that she finally held up her hands, trying to stop her attack. “Uncle, UNCLE,” she cried, the laughter winding down.
“Let’s get going, you!” she said as she got up off the bed.
Joy stopped laughing immediately, gazing at the beautiful, naked body before her.
“What?” Robyn asked, looking down at her body to see if there was something on it.
“We aren’t going anywhere,” she told her huskily as she reached for her.
Robyn had never had anyone desire her like Joy proved she did. The enjoyment of making love together was something she had never had before. She’d had sex. She’d thought she had made love with a couple of her girlfriends over the years, but she had never really made love until she met Joy. It took them quite a while to get out of bed, bathe, and dress for the day.
“Would Mesdemoiselles like breakfast?” Pierre teased as they made an appearance late in the morning, still holding hands.
“Yes, Pierre, we would,” Joy answered, not in the least shy about him knowing why they were late to the table. “Could you also call my plane and have them fuel up? We’ll be leaving today.”
“So soon?” he asked, aghast. “One should enjoy Paris,” he said snootily, making Paris sound like Pairee.
She smiled. “We will be back one day,” she promised. “Also, call your friend to sell this place after we have gone,” she told him. “You can fax or email me any offers
you get on the place.”
“I vill,” he promised with a nod. “And, if I might say,” he continued, glancing at both women as he set plates before them, “Congratulations.” He glanced meaningfully at the rings on both their fingers, thrilled for their happiness.
“Thank you, Pierre,” they both said and then looking at each other, laughed at the coincidence of the phrase.
Pierre, the driver of their limo, and the concierge all helped with the suitcases and many boxes they had packed. There was a lot more, so they filled the front of the limo and some of the backseat after the trunk was full. Robyn watched as Joy slipped each of them an envelope, as though she had it ready beforehand. After a hug and kisses to Pierre, they got in the limo to drive away. When they were alone in the car, driving toward the airport, Robyn asked how she had known to have it ready.
“Well, I knew we would be leaving eventually and I knew Pierre would be with us for a couple of days, so I had that ready well in advance. I slipped the concierge what I felt his help moving the boxes and luggage was worth, and the driver,” she nodded towards the front where the driver was separated by a glass panel, “will get a nice tip as well.”
“But how do you know how much?” she worried, wondering if she would have to deal with this sort of thing in the future.
“Sometimes it is just a guess,” she explained. “Other times it is up to you. Most Europeans do not tip, it is part of the service. In America, you tip ten- to twenty-percent, and if the service is excellent, even more than that.”
Robyn sighed. These were things she hadn’t worried about before, but if she was going to marry a rich woman, she supposed she would have to learn.
“Do not worry about it, my love. I will take care of it, if you want.” She wondered what else would concern the brunette as she patted her on the thigh.
“You won’t always be with me and I don’t want to embarrass myself,” she mumbled.
“That is true,” she agreed. “So, go by instinct and it will not steer you wrong,” she advised, hoping that would be enough.
“I’m going to cost you a fortune,” she grumbled worriedly.
“You are worth it,” she promised, and grasping Robyn’s hand, squeezed a little and then held it up so she could admire the ring once again. “You are so worth it,” she amended as she pulled the hand up to kiss the back of it and then each finger. It turned sensual all too quickly and they both leaned in to kiss, making out in the back of the limo until they arrived at a private gate at the airport, missing all the sights that had been so important when they arrived.
Customs came and inspected every box and suitcase, running them all through metal detectors and opening those that contained something they needed to look at. It took a long time, and Joy left the limo driver with the boxes and bags while they went through security and then out to their plane. They relaxed on the plane for the hours it took security to go through her things. The limo pulled up and the plane staff helped him load things in the cargo area. Robyn watched as Joy went out and handed an envelope to the driver, who doffed his cap to her before leaving in the car.
“Well, that’s taken care of,” Joy breathed a sigh of relief as the crew prepared for departure. She made sure Robyn was tucked in her chair before clipping her own seat belt together.
“How long is the flight?” Robyn asked, curious.
Joy cringed as she told her the twelve-hour time table. “We will stop somewhere if you want to get out sooner,” she offered.
“Why does it take so long?” she complained, remembering the long flight from Wisconsin to Holland.
Joy chuckled, hearing the note of humor in her fiancée’s voice. “Because the Earth is round and isn’t spinning fast enough for us. If I’m not mistaken, there is a bed in this plane. Ever thought of joining the mile high club?”
That left Robyn gasping as the possibilities assailed her mind. It kept her amused all through the checklist and take off. When the steward offered them drinks, Joy had to answer for both, and she sipped her champagne thoughtfully as she toasted her girlfriend-turned-fiancée.
The hours seemed to pass quickly as they took frequent naps…together.
CHAPTER FORTY
“Ms. Parker, the captain would like a word, if you have a moment?” the stewardess informed her about an hour or so before they were due to land.
Robyn looked up, alarmed. She had just contemplated jumping Joy’s bones one more time before they landed, but hearing the stewardess’ announcement, she suddenly looked worried.
“It is nothing,” Joy assured her as she got up and went to the cockpit, knocked, waited to hear ‘come in,’ and opened the door. Joy sat in the co-pilot’s seat, the co-pilot having gotten up as soon as she came in the small cabin. She smiled at the pilot and asked, “What did you need?”
He explained that one of her employees had contacted them to warn her there was a mob scene waiting for her at the airport. Reporters were amassing due to a large lawsuit that had been filed on behalf of a Randall, Cecelia, Patricia, and Stewart Parker, a multi-million dollar lawsuit. The suit, charging her with using funds she was not legally entitled to, mental cruelty, and a host of other charges, had been taken to the media. He handed her a paper that someone had faxed to the plane a short while before.
“Are they serious?” she laughed.
He smiled, glad she was not taking it too seriously. “I just wanted you to know what you were getting into at the airport. We can’t avoid customs, but they can steer you and your cargo through security and I’ll radio ahead requesting that.”
“Thank you,” she told him. “Who has the fax machine and how can I send a fax?” she asked.
“My co-pilot can help you with that before he returns to his duties,” he informed her.
“Thank you,” she said graciously as she left the cockpit. Grabbing her cell phone, she smiled at a worried-looking Robyn and looked up a number in the phone. Going back to the beverage area, she asked for a pen and paper, and wrote a hasty note.
“Could you fax this to that number?” she indicated the number she had written across the top of the paper.
“Yes, ma’am, of course, ma’am,” he said immediately as he took it and walked over to a machine on the wall. He punched in numbers, waited for a moment as he looked at the readout on a small screen, and then slipped the paper in face down. He waited for it to spit out the other side of the machine before he handed it back to her. “You can make a call from the handset next to your chair,” he indicated where she had been sitting with Robyn earlier. “I would not advise using your cell phone,” he warned her before he gave her a salute and returned to the cockpit.
“What’s going on?” Robyn asked as she sat down.
“My lovely siblings won’t quit,” she told her as she handed the original fax to her.
“What will happen at the airport?” she worried.
“Nothing,” she replied. “The captain will have us go through customs and security, and a car will take us away from the press. They will never even see us.”
“But what are you going to do?” she worried.
“Are you worried about the money, or us?” she asked, suddenly annoyed for no reason other than her siblings were being brats.
Robyn looked hurt and Joy was immediately contrite.
“I am sorry. I did not mean that,” she quickly added, leaning forward to take Robyn’s hands in her own. When Robyn would have pulled back out of spiteful anger of her own, Joy wouldn’t let her. “I am just angry that they will not stop harassing me. They seem to think the money is somehow partly theirs. Look, I have taken steps to stop them, this time for good.” She showed her the note she had faxed. Written in Joy’s handwriting, it read:
To Hammerman, Fisch, and Royale
From Joy Louise Parker
Lawsuit filed on behalf of siblings Randall, Cecelia, Patricia, and Stewart Parker for undisclosed millions. Suggest we countersue for frivolous lawsuit and leaking details of suit to the p
ress. Arrange immediate order of protection for myself and my fiancée, Robyn Riley. Arriving from Paris to Milwaukee shortly. Will call upon arrival.
It was short, it was brief, but it was to the point.
“Will the lawyers do this?” Robyn wondered aloud, surprised and delighted at the fact that Joy had included her in the order of protection, and then she worried that she might need protection from these people.
“Oh, yes. They want my business badly. I have had them running around with the various legal things I needed to pull off The Town, Site One, Two, Three, and Four, and now with my plans for The Village. We have needed permits of course, and the state has been involved. I am quite a challenging client, as well as a profitable one. They will jump all over this to please me,” she explained.
Robyn was relieved and yet, “Do I really need protection from your siblings?”
Joy leaned back and smiled. “No, probably not. This will just annoy them more: first, that I have a fiancée and second, that I am engaged to a woman. It may take a while for them to realize the name Robyn belongs to a woman,” she chuckled at this, further putting Robyn at ease. “Then, the thought that we might have children will have them frothing at the mouth.” Her mind jumped at that and she asked, “Do you want children? Someday?”
Robyn blinked at the rapid change of topic. “I guess I do. I don’t know. Being a lesbian, I never thought I would have any, but I like them. I don’t know,” she stammered.
Joy laughed and Robyn, after a moment, joined in. “Do you want children?” she asked.
Joy nodded. “I never thought I would find anyone to love. Several years ago, while in Geneva, I went to a clinic and had several embryos frozen,” she explained.
“You did? Why?” She was astounded. She didn’t know anyone who had done that. She had several lesbian friends who had in vitro fertilization, but that sounded so expensive, she had never thought about it herself. Several had also adopted and she had thought she might want to do that someday, but never seriously contemplated it.
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