Chapter 39
Lara
The new shipment of goods came in from my seller in Laguna Beach. As I unpacked each of the boxes, I couldn’t help but check out each little item. Everything was so perfect. I could imagine my baby wearing the outfits and me snapping pictures. In my vision, Mason was holding the baby in some of the pictures.
In the back of my mind, I could feel that little part of my brain trying to butt in and squelch my happiness. It was warning me that everything seemed too good to be true. Something would go wrong and I would never find the kind of joy I had dreamed about for so long.
I wasn’t going to listen to that part of my conscience anymore. I didn’t like it. I wanted to hold on to the good feeling with every fiber of my being. I hoped that would be enough to keep the tiny embryo inside me growing and healthy.
The chimes on the door jangled, and I walked out from behind the shelf I was busy stocking.
“Hi,” I said with a huge smile when I saw Mason come in the door.
A couple customers browsing the store looked at the man carrying pink and blue balloons and then at me.
“Hi,” he said, kissing me.
“This is a surprise. What are you doing here? With balloons?”
He dropped to the ground on one knee. My heart rolled and then started beating so fast I couldn’t catch my breath.
“Mason?”
He reached into the pocket of his black slacks and pulled out a box. He deftly flipped it open with one hand and held it up for me to see the contents.
Tears streamed down my face as I stared at him and then the box.
“Lara McCall, would you do me the great honor of being my wife? I don’t care if our baby is a boy or a girl or if there are several babies in there. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, raising our family together.”
I was nodding my head, but the giant lump in my throat made it impossible for me to speak. He was looking at me expectantly. I finally managed to croak out the word he was waiting for.
“Yes.”
He grinned and stood up. He took the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen in my life out of the box and slid it onto my finger before wrapping his arms around me.
The customers in the shop began to clap. Through watery eyes, I could see one of the women crying and wiping her own tears.
“You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet,” he whispered into my ear.
When I finally pulled away, I looked down at the ring on my finger. “This is stunning. I absolutely love it. I can’t believe you picked such a perfect ring!”
One of the customers started chanting. “Kiss, kiss, kiss.”
Mason laughed but obeyed the orders of the women in the store.
“Can I see that ring?” one woman asked. “It is absolutely breathtaking.”
I held up my hand, proudly showing off my engagement ring. I was going to marry the man who had stolen my heart when I was just sixteen years old. It seemed too good to be true, but there he was standing in front of me grinning like a fool.
Mason was looking at the ring with a great deal of pride. He had done an amazing job picking it out and deserved to be standing there like a proud peacock.
“When’s the wedding?” one of the ladies asked.
Mason and I looked at each other. “I have no idea,” I replied.
“We can do it tomorrow or, I don’t know, a year down the road. It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll wait.”
There was a collective sigh from the ladies. I was a lucky woman. I had a very handsome man by my side who loved me.
He kissed me again. “I have to get back to work. I hope you don’t mind, but I made plans with Kali and Brian tonight. All four of us. A celebration dinner.”
“That sounds great. Are you telling me I have to wait until tonight to tell Kali?” I asked in horror.
He winked. I groaned. It would kill me, but I would do it so I could see her face when I flashed the ring.
“Brian knows?” I asked, getting the feeling he did.
“Yes. I asked him if he would be okay with it yesterday. He was completely on board. A little irritated because he says Kali is going to be jealous of the ring, but other than that, he was just fine with it.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been worried Brian would put up a fuss. I wanted him to support my marriage to Mason, but if he didn’t, I wouldn’t have let him prevent my happiness. Not this time—not ever again.
“Should I meet you there?” I asked.
“Nope. I’ll be picking you up at your place. We are doing this the right way,” he said, kissing me again.
He left the store, and I stood there holding the balloons and staring at the door, still in shock.
“You’re a lucky woman,” one of the customers said.
“Thank you. I feel like the luckiest woman on the planet.”
After I tied the balloons off to a shelving unit to free up my hands, I found I loved the way they brightened the place up. They made it festive and fun, and I knew I would bring in baby balloons more often.
I had to stop myself from calling Kali several times to tell her the news. I was horrible at secrets and surprises, but I could do it. I closed the shop a few minutes early and raced home to change into something fun and celebratory for dinner.
When the doorbell rang, I had an epiphany.
I pulled open the door. “Move in.”
Mason was standing there, looking at me with confusion for a brief second before he smiled. “Good plan. I like your place better.”
I passionately kissed him. “I love you.”
“We better cool this down or we’re going to miss our dinner reservations.”
I pouted. “You’re my dessert tonight.”
He kissed me. “Damn straight I am. I just may cover you with whip cream, including the cherry, then eat you slowly.”
My body heated immediately at thinking about him slowly licking me. “Can we skip dinner?” I whispered.
“Not this time.”
I groaned but let him lead me out the door.
Mason kept my hand in his as we walked through the restaurant, effectively covering my ring. Kali and Brian were already seated at the table. Their heads were together as they whispered to one another. It was endearing to see them so happy together.
Kali noticed us first. “Hey. We were wondering if you guys were going to stand us up.”
I was grinning like a complete idiot.
“What?” she asked, looking at me with suspicion. “What’d you do?”
I pulled my hand from Mason’s and held it up, the ring flashing in the light. Her mouth dropped open.
“No!”
I nodded. “Yes!”
“Oh my gosh!” she squealed, and jumped out of her chair, yanking my hand to her face.
I was giggling at the scene she was making. A couple of men sitting at a nearby table congratulated Mason.
He put a hand on my arm. “We should probably sit.”
Kali released my hand and we all sat down again.
“Congratulations, sis,” Brian said with genuine happiness on his face.
“I can’t believe it.” Kali was shaking her head. “When?”
I told her the whole story about Mason proposing in the store. She was pissed she had missed it, so I reminded her it was recorded on the security cameras. I had already watched it several times and had saved that portion for my own personal memory.
“When are you going to do it?” Kali asked.
Mason and I shrugged. “We haven’t actually talked about that,” I replied.
“Well, you either have to do it now or in a year. I’m going to be your maid of honor and I don’t want both of us waddling down the damn aisle,” she asserted.
All of us laughed at her declaration. “I agree. I don’t know if I want a big wedding, though. What about you?” I asked Mason.
“I don’t care. I will marry you anywhere at any time. I would prefer to marry you tomorrow, but I can wait. It’s up to you, babe.”
I smiled. “I think I’d like to be married before the baby is born. We probably won’t start showing for a couple of months,” I said, thinking out loud.
Kali pulled out her phone and I followed suit.
Brian groaned. “Here we go.”
Kali and I were naming dates, each of us checking our calendars. When we finally settled on a date for a month later, we both clapped with glee.
Brian cleared his throat. “Maybe you should ask the groom if he’s available that day unless you two plan on marrying each other.”
I looked at Mason, almost forgetting he had been sitting there. “Oh, I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay. You pick a day and I’ll make sure I’m there.”
We all laughed.
“Dress?” Kali asked.
I shrugged. “We can go tomorrow.”
“Can I make a toast, or will that interfere with your conversation?” Brian asked with feigned irritation.
He held up his glass of sparkling cider and the rest of us waited. “To healthy babies and a lot of happiness.”
We all sipped our cider. The waiter came by with a complimentary bottle of champagne from another diner who had witnessed our celebration. Mason started to decline, but I quickly shushed him.
“Thank you. Please pass along our thanks. This is very sweet.”
The waiter left, and the four of us talked about how much our lives had changed in the past month. They were changes none of us could have possibly predicted, but we were all overjoyed to have them.
“What about Mitchel?” Kali asked.
I curled my lip. “What about him?
“If you’re getting married, he doesn’t have to pay alimony.”
I nodded. “Nope, he doesn’t. I will call my lawyer on Monday and tell him. I don’t have to see or hear from Mitchel ever again.”
“That deserves another toast,” Brian muttered.
I whole-heartedly agreed.
Mason squeezed my thigh from time to time under the table. I found myself wishing dinner would get over so we could go back to my place. Not my place. Our home.
On the drive back, I leaned against the leather seat of Mason’s car. “Are you sure you’re okay with the wedding happening so soon?”
“I am. I told you I would marry you tomorrow. I don’t need all the fancy stuff. I just need you.”
We walked through the lobby, the doorman smiling as we passed him. “I need to get you a key,” I mumbled, already thinking of all the things I needed to do.
“We’ll worry about that later. Right now there is only one thing I want to think about,” he said in a husky voice.
I leaned against him in the elevator, inhaling his scent and thinking about how much I loved him. When we walked through the front door, it felt different. His presence was powerful. I couldn’t wait for him to come through the door every night after work. He made the place feel safe and homey.
“When are you going to move in?” I whispered as he started to undress me.
“Soon. Stop talking. I don’t want to talk about anything but how many times I am going to make you come over the next two days.”
Heat pooled between my legs as I imagined another weekend in bed with the man I would soon marry.
“Mason?”
“Shhh. Let me love you,” he whispered.
“Mason.” I pushed away from him so I could talk.
“What?” he asked irritably.
“Don’t forget the whipped cream,” I said with a smile as I pulled my dress down my shoulders.
He stood there staring at me, his mouth agape.
I winked at him. “You said you wanted to see one of these in every color. I hope you like red.”
I turned and sauntered down the hall, my heels still on.
I heard him groan behind me a second before he yanked open the refrigerator.
It was going to be a very good weekend. I couldn’t wait to show him the blue number I had picked out.