“Hi, Momma.”
Startled at the sound of Tyler’s voice, I whipped my head around. My back ached from wiping down the booths, but I couldn’t move to my son’s side fast enough.
“Tyler! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at home!” Had something happened to Crystal? She was supposed to be watching Tyler for me. I reached for my apron thinking that I must have missed a phone call from her.
“It’s okay. Daddy brought me.”
My blood ran cold. “No,” I whispered. After all of this, Jonathan wasn’t going to break his promise to me. He couldn’t. “Baby, what have I told you? You don’t go anywhere with Jonathan. He’s dangerous.”
Tyler scrunched up his nose. “Fathers are biological, but Daddies come from the heart.”
Relief swept through me, but I still had no idea what Tyler was talking about. “Baby, what do you mean? Who brought you here?”
“He said that Daddies love us no matter what, and he’s hoping that you will still love him even though he was a block-head and said things that you didn’t deserve to hear.” Tyler spoke carefully as though he’d rehearsed every word. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. “He promises that even if you say no, he’ll still love us no matter what.”
I stared at the ring box. It was almost too much to hope that if I looked up, he’d be standing out there, waiting for me. Terrified that I’d be disappointed, I reached for the box and flipped it open.
I could tell that it was an antique. The huge diamond and seven surrounding emeralds glittered in the sunlight. Apparently, Tyler’s job wasn’t over yet. “He said that if you think it’s ugly as sin, he’d get you something else, but he wanted you to know that you were worthy of his family ring and that even if you said no, he knew that he’d never find anyone else to give it to.”
Lifting my eyes, I glanced out the window. Sure enough, Graham stood against the car, his entire body tense as he watched me.
Still in so much control. “Baby, can you wait here for me?” I asked softly.
“What are you going to say, Momma?”
“I don’t know yet, but I guess I should figure it out.”
Tyler nodded in agreement, and I gripped the ring as I walked outside. His eyes watched me warily. “You’re not going to throw it at me, are you?”
“Using my son is a pretty low blow,” I retorted as I stopped right in front of him. “You have a lot of nerve.”
“No one has ever told me that I lacked nerve.” A slow grin spread across his face. “At least, not until you claimed that I had no idea what it was like to love. You couldn’t be more wrong, Julie. I know exactly what it’s like to be in love. I just didn’t have the nerve to say it out loud until now.”
I folded my arms. “You still haven’t said it out loud.”
“I love you, Julie Dennings. I love you, and I love that ridiculously mature son of yours. In the past two weeks, I’ve been driving myself crazy. I missed ruffling his hair, and I missed waking up with you in my arms. I drove you away because I thought you were a weakness, but you’re not. You’re my strength. I have never felt so alive, and it terrified me. I said the most horrible things to you, and I’m sorry. I’ve never regretted anything more. I deserve nothing more than for you to tell me to go to hell, but I couldn’t let you go until you knew the truth. I want you to be Juliette Porter. I want to adopt your son. I want to help raise him, and maybe a whole mess of other kids with you. I love you, Julie.”
“Christ.” I hadn’t expected him to say all that. I figured he’d just grunt out that he loved me and expect me to fall into his arms.
Of course, I would have, too. That’s how much I loved Graham Porter.
“I know you hate that I’m rich, but I swear that I won’t be my father. Although Daniel loves that kid, he won’t be raising him. We will. That kid will be able to do anything that he wants to do, and I won’t force him to be something that he’s not. I don’t give a damn about the reputation of the Porter name. I just want him to be happy. I want you to be happy.”
“You can stop now,” I whispered. The blood drained from his face, and I took out the ring and slipped it on my finger. “It is a bit big, but maybe if we remove the emeralds, I can live with it.”
“Oh God.” Relief swept over his face, and he reached for me. “I thought you were going to say no.”
“Graham, I was going to say yes the minute you told me that you loved me, but you just kept right on talking.” I laughed as he picked me up and whirled me around in the parking lot before kissing me smack on the lips.
Turning my head, I could see Tyler beaming in the window. “I guess you were my prince after all,” I murmured.
“You’re no damsel in distress,” he laughed. “You’re a Queen. You always have been. I think you’re the one saving me.”
******
WE MARRIED A MONTH later, and the press went wild. Everyone wanted to know more about the mysterious woman who’d finally won over Graham Porter, and he’d just told everyone the truth.
I was his personal assistant and his savior.
THE END