Chapter 24
Clare
Yes, Please!
I felt like butter as I walked through the doors to the building of our condo. I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about that.
“Our condo,” I whispered as I recalled all the times Wes told me to stop calling the condo his place. It was our place.
My phone rang, and I answered it without even looking to see who it was.
“Hello?”
“You sound relaxed. How was the massage?” Rory asked.
“Heavenly. The best massage I’ve ever gotten. I really hope Wes doesn’t expect sex anytime soon from me because I’ve never felt this relaxed.”
Rory laughed. “What are your plans for tonight? And what did you get Wes?”
I pressed the elevator button. “The best present a new girlfriend can get a Boston Red Sox fan.”
She gasped. “You didn’t.”
“I did. Season tickets in section T 106, row 1.”
“Oh. My. God. Those tickets are like over seven-hundred dollars a piece. How did you? How?”
Laughing, I said, “Did you forget who I work for?”
“What did he say when you gave them to him?”
“Well, I thought at first he was going to pass out. He didn’t, thank goodness. After calling some guy named Rodney and rubbing it in his face, he hung up, and then proceeded to do anything I wanted in the bedroom.”
Rory giggled. “I bet! I hope you took full advantage of it.”
“Oh, trust me. I did.”
“Bet he’s feeling pretty bad about only getting you a massage.”
The elevator doors opened, and I walked in, leaning against the glass wall. “Are you kidding me? It was a complete spa day! It started with a foot massage, then a facial, then a mani/pedi, and then the massage of all massages. Trust me, it was a beautiful gift, and one I really needed. What did you guys get for each other?”
“I only got Finn a card because I thought for sure he wasn’t going to get me anything more than flowers and candy. He gave me a beautiful pair of diamond and pearl earrings. They’re stunning. Harmony said Preston got her a pair of earrings too! I bet the boys shopped together this year. He also got her flowers and a gift card for a massage.”
“How sweet. I tell ya, Jennifer raised her boys the right way.”
“She sure did!”
“Okay, I am going to run…just got off the elevator. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Rory sighed. “Have a fun night!”
“You too!”
I walked up to the door and smiled as I saw a single red rose taped on the door. I took it off and held it as I typed in the code on the keypad and opened the door, only to come to a complete stop. The first thing I noticed were all the candles everywhere. Then all the rose petals that made a path into the living room.
Tears filled my eyes as I saw Wes standing in the middle of the living room with the biggest bouquet of flowers I had ever seen.
“What is this?” I said, my voice cracking as I attempted to keep my tears at bay. I dropped my purse on the kitchen counter and walked toward Wes.
My eyes took everything in and landed on those green eyes that were filled with so much love, it nearly made my knees give out.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”
“Oh, Wes,” I said as I took the bouquet and drew in a deep breath through my nose! “These are beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you, though.”
Before I could say a word, he dropped down to one knee and I sucked in a breath.
“Clare, we may have started off this crazy relationship totally ass backwards, but there was always a part of me that knew you were the one.”
Tears flowed freely from my eyes and down my cheeks as I looked at the only man I had ever truly loved.
“I hate that I wasted so much time not seeing what was so obvious. You and me. Us. I can’t imagine living this life without you by my side. My partner in everything. My best friend.”
My hand came up to contain my sobs.
Wes took the flowers from me and set them on the coffee table. Then he reached into his pocket, took out a ring box and opened it. I gasped when I saw the beautiful diamond engagement ring. As a matter of fact, I swayed slightly.
Wes took my hand, and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I tried to calm my breathing.
When I saw tears form in Wes’s eyes, I felt my own start to flow again.
“Clare Monroe, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife and lifelong partner.”
Dropping down to the floor, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He pulled me closer to him and deepened the kiss until we both needed to break away and breathe.
“Is that a yes?”
Laughing and crying at the same time, I replied, “Yes! I want nothing more than to be your wife.”
Wes took the ring from my hand and slipped it onto my finger. He gently cupped my face and kissed me so softly.
Suddenly I heard clapping. Turning, I saw Wes’s entire family, plus my parents, come rushing into the living room from both bedrooms.
“Oh my gosh! You’re all here!” I said as Wes helped me stand. Rory ran to me and hugged me. “It was so last minute on Wes’s part, but we all knew we had to be here. Finn and Angie got it all on video too!”
She pointed to Angie, who must have snuck in from the balcony. She walked over and hugged me tightly.
“I can’t wait to have another sister!”
Hugging her back just as tight, I said, “Thank you, Angie.”
Soon a line formed, and Wes and I were getting hugs and congratulations from our families. My father and Mike popped open some bottles of champagne and started pouring glasses. I couldn’t help but notice Angie took one and pretended to take a sip. I made a mental note to talk to her. She was going to be showing soon, and she needed to tell her parents.
Tapping on a glass, Finn got everyone’s attention. “I’d like to propose a toast to my big brother who finally opened his eyes, and to Clare. I knew the moment you laid eyes on each other there was a spark there. Took you long enough.”
Everyone laughed as Wes slipped his arm around my waist and drew me against his body as Finn finished up the toast.
“May you both find the love and happiness that surrounds you in this room.”
Everyone yelled out “Hear-hear!”
“And of course, our mother would like to add, may you soon fill her home with more grandbabies.”
My mother cried out, “I second that!” as everyone held up their glasses.
Leaning toward me, Wes whispered, “I say we practice with a dog first.”
Turning to him, I smiled. “Do I get to pick her out?”
“Her?”
I nodded.
He pretended to think about it, and right at that moment, Flash ran by with one of Wes’s shoes, Finn hot on his tail with Presley running behind him with the other shoe.
With a long sigh, he said, “As long as it isn’t a dalmatian, you can pick out the dog.”
Laughing, I reached up and kissed him quickly on the lips. “Deal.”
Epilogue - Angie
The Truth Comes Out
I drew in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. Time was running out, and I needed to tell my parents about the baby. I was already twelve weeks pregnant, and my brothers were pushing me to tell our parents.
“You okay?” Reece asked as he came and stood next to me.
“I’m scared of what they’re going to say, Reece.”
He turned me to face him. His finger went to my chin, and he lifted my face so that our gazes met. “They love you, Angie. They’re not going to disown you.”
“I called my brothers and asked if they’d be there.”
“Do you want me to come?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well, if you ask me, I think it would look better if I was there with you. We’re partners in this, right?”
Nodding, I tried not to cry, but my emotions were all over the place lately, and a tear slipped free. A pained look appeared on Reece’s face.
“Please don’t cry. I hate when you cry.”
I drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “I think I would really like it if you came.”
He smiled, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Goodness, that was what got us into this situation. Reece was beyond handsome. He was just under six feet and built with muscles that seemed to have their own muscles. Dimples appeared when he gave you his megawatt smile. Topping off the good looks, he had brown hair and light brown eyes that had gold sunbursts.
“Let me get changed and we’ll head out.”
All I could do was nod and wrap my arms around me. The idea of telling my parents I was pregnant made me feel sick to my stomach.
The entire drive to my parents’ house outside of Boston was silent. I loved that Reece didn’t need to have endless talking to fill the silence. He seemed to always know what I needed. I had moved in with him right after Christmas into his two-bedroom condo. Another thing my parents didn’t know about. I dropped my head against the seat and sighed.
Reece reached for my hand and squeezed it. I instantly felt calmer.
“Thank you for coming,” I softly said, turning my head to look at him.
He winked at me as he said, “You’re welcome.”
“Don’t worry, my brothers will keep my father from killing you.”
His head jerked to look at me, a worried expression on his handsome face. “What?” he asked before he focused back on the road.
Laughing, I said, “I’m kidding. I’m not really worried about my dad. It’s Mom who has me worried.”
“It’s going to be fine. Trust me.”
I scoffed. “You don’t know my mother.”
Reece had typed in my parents’ address, and his phone was telling him his destination was on the right. He turned into the driveaway and said, “Here we go!”
After parking, Reece got out and made his way around to my door. He opened it and reached for my hand.
“Be careful, it’s a bit slippery.”
I smiled. “I will be.”
Reece was beyond overprotective from the moment he heard I was pregnant. After our first sonogram, it really hit him that he was going to be a father. From that point on, he read every book he could get his hands on about pregnancy. He bought a new bed, the kind that you can adjust to a sitting position or elevate the feet in case I needed to sleep sitting up because he read somewhere it would be better for me. He made sure all my favorite things were stocked in the fridge, and even stopped drinking alcohol because I couldn’t have any.
The door flew open when we started up the front porch steps, and my mother appeared. “Angie! You brought a date!”
Before I even had a chance to say Reece wasn’t a date, my mother grabbed his hand and nearly dragged him into the house.
“That’s Reece, Mom!” I called. “Reece, my mother…Jennifer the lunatic!”
“I heard that!” she called over her shoulder.
Wes met me at the door and helped me get out of my coat. I shoved my gloves and hat into the pocket.
“How are you feeling?” he asked in a lowered voice.
“Good. I haven’t really had any morning sickness, but I am feeling a bit nauseous right now.”
Wes chuckled. “Come on. You need to save Reece before Mom asks him anymore questions.”
I walked into the living room and Preston was shaking Reece’s hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Reece stated. “Angie has told me a lot about everyone.”
My mother beamed as I rolled my eyes.
“Well, dinner is ready. We were just waiting on Angie,” Mom said with a smile in my direction.
“Yeah,” I directed at her. “Sorry we were late. That was my fault.”
We were soon all seated around the table, and Presley was sitting next to Reece. She promptly handed him a piece of paper and some crayons. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him draw a horse as Presley watched intently.
“Angie tells me that you own an Irish pub, Preston,” Reece stated as he looked up and across the table to my brother.
“I do. You should have her bring you by sometime.”
Reece smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Reece, are you in school also?” my mother asked.
“No, I graduated a year ago.”
Dad cleared his throat. “What do you do?”
“I’m a financial solutions advisor.”
“You and Wes will get along,” Finn said with a wide grin.
Reece and Wes exchanged looks. No one knew they had already met a few weeks ago when Wes invited us over for dinner. They had hit it off, and soon started talking about stocks and bonds and math shit.
“We would,” Wes said as he looked from Reece to me and winked.
It didn’t take long for my mother to get back to grilling, though. “How long have you been dating?”
“We’re not dating, Mom. Reece is…he’s…um…”
All eyes turned to me, and I somehow managed to get the words out. “He’s a friend.”
“A friend?” Mom asked, looking between me and Reece. “A friend?”
“Yes, Mom!” I practically shouted. “A friend.”
Dad looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Angie, don’t raise your voice to your mother.”
I dropped my fork. “Dad, she is grilling Reece and me. Can we not just have a family dinner where Mom isn’t focused on my love life?”
My mother looked hurt, and I instantly felt like a piece of shit. “I was just happy you brought someone home. You could have told me he was simply a friend.”
“Could I have done that, Mom?”
Rory placed her hand over mine and softly said, “Angie, you might want to excuse yourself and calm down.”
“I don’t understand why you’re so angry. Is it wrong for a mother to want to see her children happy?”
“I am happy.”
She raised her brows. “Really? You don’t sound like it.”
I stood quickly, knocking my chair over. Presley cried, “Oh shit!”
“Presley!” Harmony cried out as Preston laughed, but tried to cover it up with a cough.
“Angie, sit down and stop throwing a tantrum,” my father said.
Reece stood, calmly walked over, and picked up the chair.
“I’m twenty-two years old, Dad. I don’t throw tantrums.”
“Angie,” Reece softly said as he placed his hand on my arm. “Maybe we should step away. You’re getting upset.”
Mom watched as Reece attempted to get me to calm down and leave the room to cool off.
“What is going on?” she demanded.
And just like that, the lid flew off the boiling pot. “You want to know what’s going on, Mom? I’ll tell you.”
Reece tried to step in front of me. “Not like this,” he whispered. “Angie, you’re going to regret this.”
My mother stood. “Angela Ward, what has gotten into you?”
“I’m stressed, Mom.”
Her face softened. “Okay, well, why don’t we talk about what has you stressed.”
“I’m pregnant. And I’ve been keeping it from you because I’ve been terrified you were going to judge me. Not to mention the second you found out I was pregnant you would demand Reece and I get married, and who knows what else you’d want from us.”
“Ohhhh man,” Finn said as he scrubbed his hand down his face.
“Angie,” Harmony softly said as she looked at me with a heartbroken expression.
My mother slowly sat back down while Reece guided me down into the chair before he took his seat again. Presley handed him his fork and napkin and he smiled down at her. “Thank you, love.”
She looked at him like she was smitten, and had I not been so upset, I would have thought that was the cutest thing ever.
“You’re pregnant?” Dad slowly asked. “And Reece is the father, but you’re not dating?”
Reece cleared his throat. “I think maybe this conversation should be held without little ears listening.”
Everyone looked at Presley, then at Karleigh, who was still too young to pick up on anything. But Presley was four and was like a sponge.
My mother cleared her throat and forced a smile. “I think Reece is right. Let’s eat dinner and then we can talk.”
Dad stood. “Better yet, the four of us can talk now in my office.”
And there it was. That familiar feeling I got when I was younger and in trouble.
“Dad, let them eat,” Wes stated.
My father shot my brother a warning look and started for his office, my mother right behind him.
Reece stood, smiled at everyone and said, “If you’ll excuse us.”
How in the hell is Reece so damn calm?
Finn stood and stepped in front of me. “You’re an adult, Angie. They love you and they will move past this.”
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat as I reached for Reece’s hand, and we started toward my father’s office.
As we neared the door, Reece leaned in and said, “I think I might actually need your brother’s protection after all.”
Looking up at him, I couldn’t help but laugh. He was smiling down at me, his face completely relaxed.
“How are you so calm?”
He shrugged. “Maybe because I know no matter what happens, we’re going to be okay. We’ve got this. Partners, remember?”
I nodded. “Partners.”
Reece motioned for me to walk into the office first, and when he put his hand on my lower back and followed me, a strange sensation came over me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and for a moment I felt a little dizzy. As if he could sense it, Reece wrapped his arm around me to steady me, and a pull deep in my lower stomach caused me to catch my breath.
Suddenly I was no longer worried about what my parents were about to say. Instead, I was concentrating on the fact that I wanted to grab Reece, pull him to my old bedroom, and beg him to ease the ache between my legs.
When Reece looked down at me and winked, I only had one thought on my mind.
I’m in so much trouble.