12. Scarlett
Chapter 12
Scarlett
My phone rings and I flinch at my father’s name on the screen. Anton’s eyes meet mine as I answer.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Father’s voice booms through the speaker. “Cassandra sent me photos of you and Anton together. Have you lost your mind?”
I straighten my spine, gripping the phone tighter. “As she is in custody, you must have had the photos at least a day. What took you so long?”
“We’ve been busy.”
Always busy with everyone else. Even this takes him until he has nothing else more important to do before he acts upon it.
Mom’s voice filters through in the background. “She’s old enough to make her own decisions. Stop overreacting.”
“I’m not overreacting, Sam. He’s my best friend! And he is too old for her.”
Heat rises in my cheeks as I lock eyes with Anton. “You know what, Dad? I don’t care what Cassandra sent you. I’m an adult, and I can be with whoever I want.”
“Did you not hear me? He’s twelve years older than you!”
It’s actually thirteen, but I choose to keep that to myself.
“And? That doesn’t matter to me. I’m not coming home, by the way. I’m staying right where I am.”
“Scarlett—”
Mom’s voice comes closer. “Give me the phone.” There’s a rustling sound, then Mom’s calmer tone. “Honey, I’ll talk to your father. He just needs time to process this.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Your father will come around,” Mom says, her voice softening. “He’s just protective of his little girl.”
“I’m not little anymore.”
“No, you’re not.” She pauses. “Anton is a decent man. I’ve known him as long as your father has.”
I sink onto the couch, relief flooding through me. “You’re okay with this?”
“Sweetheart, all I want is for you to be happy. Are you happy?”
Anton sits beside me, his hand finding mine. I squeeze it. “Yes, Mom. I’m better than happy.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
Dad’s voice thunders in the background. “Have you both lost your minds? Sam, you can’t encourage this!”
Mom laughs. The sound is light and musical. “Remember when my father said the same thing about us? You were that hotshot lawyer, yet you still weren’t perfect for his daughter.”
I giggle, picturing Grandpa’s face back then. “Did he?”
“Oh yes. He threatened to disown me. Said your father would break my heart and leave me penniless.”
“Well, that worked out fine for him,” I say, remembering how Grandpa became Dad’s biggest supporter.
Dad grumbles something unintelligible in the background.
“Speaking of your father being a hotshot lawyer,” Mom says, “remember when he tried to impress my parents by cooking that fancy dinner?”
“No, what happened?”
“He set off every smoke alarm in the house and we had to order pizza. The fire department showed up.”
We both burst out laughing. Even Anton chuckles beside me.
“Sam!” Dad shouts. “Stop telling her these things!”
“Oh hush, James,” Mom calls back. “Honey, just give your father time. He’ll realize that sometimes the heart knows better than the head.”
“It does,” I say with tears in my eyes. “Thank you. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, darling.”
I hang up and drop the phone onto the counter.
Anton moves closer, his hand finding the small of my back. “You okay?”
“I will be.” I lean into his touch. “I just hate that Cassandra got to them before I did.”
“We can’t change that now. Let me take you away for a few days. Get some distance from all this drama.” His fingers trace circles on my back. “What do you say?”
The morning light is shining in through the large windows in the bedroom, and it’s so peaceful and perfect. Anton’s head is on my belly and I gaze out at the rising sun as I run my hands through his thick hair.
His sleepy eyes slowly open, and he smiles at me. “You really look like an angel when the sun is on you.”
I grin. “I’m sure I have bed hair and look the very opposite of angelic.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. And I know what that means.
I shake my head at him, laughing.
Then stop and stare. His smile is beautiful, and I don’t want to break the sweet moment.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks me, turning and kissing my stomach.
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
“You know I have a magic wand and can fix anything?” he says.
“That’s what you call it now,” I say and arch an eyebrow.
He knows I’m putting off the inevitable. And he turns and sits up, facing me and taking my hand. “Tell me.”
There’s a steely determination on his face, and I know I’m not getting away without giving him the truth. But what if he no longer wants me when I tell him the truth of my mother’s and maybe my infertility?
“What if I can’t get pregnant?” I whisper, looking up at him through my lashes. My stomach is in knots at what might be my truth. My heartbeat thunders against my rib cage. That’s it, I told him.
“I mentioned that my mother went through rounds and rounds of IVF.” I swallow. “It might be hard for me to get pregnant, or I might not get pregnant at all.”
I hate my next words, but I have to be totally honest. “And you’re older, and that makes it harder again.”
“Oh,” he says. His voice is soft and sounds dejected. “Are you saying you don’t want to be with me because I might not give you a baby? Because my age makes it harder?”
“Oh my god. No. I’m giving you an out of this relationship. I know time isn’t on your side and I know my family history makes it hard for me. The two of us together...” My words rush out, and blood pounds in my ears, thinking this could be the end. He brought me here and I should have been brave enough for the conversation before now.
He smiles, and his face softens.
“I don’t want an out. I want you. I want you to be Mrs. Hawthorn and if we have babies, then I will be the best father in the world. If we don’t, I won’t love you any less and I hope you won’t love me any less.”
“I won’t.”
He pushes me down into the bed, covering my body with his muscular one, before he kisses me and pulls away. “This isn’t about a baby for me. I never wanted children before you came along. At least I never thought I did.”
He lowers and kisses me again. The moment is so beautiful and I believe him. I believe he wants me more than anything else and what comes with this love we have, we will share it.
When he pulls back, our gazes lock.
“And there is more than one option for children,” he says. “You, of all people, know that.”
I nod, knowing he is talking about my adopted sisters.
“Let’s enjoy Paris,” he says, kissing me on my lips.
I squeal. “I can’t believe you brought me here. I love Paris.”
He smiles. “I guessed. The handbag, the purse, your backpack, tee-shirts. Is there anything without the Eiffel Tower on?”
I shake my head. “My parents brought the twins here for a commercial they acted in. All I asked for was to go to the Eiffel Tower.” I sigh and chew my lip, trying to hold back my emotions from the memory of that time.
“They didn’t take you,” he states.
Shaking my head. “Too busy.”
“Well, my beautiful Scarlett. Today and tomorrow you will visit anywhere and everything you want. I have a few things in mind, but don’t hold back if you want something.” He stops and stares at me and smiles. “I’m going to give you everything. You will never want for anything ever again.”
I grin, arching an eyebrow.
He rears his head back, laughing. “Later. Now you have to get in the shower before I tie you to this bed and we don’t get to see anything of Paris. Don’t let me break my vow to you.”
It was mid-afternoon when we left the Louvre. Having fitted three tourist attractions into the morning, lunch on a boat along the River Seine, followed by more attractions, and now we were going for an early dinner at Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower.
Anton looks gorgeous in his charcoal suit, wearing it with a white button-down shirt. I’m wearing a simple red, spaghetti strapped dress, and a pair of fancy red-soled heels that Anton bought me when we went shopping.
The night is perfect.
We ate a seven-course meal, delicious food, and wine, shared with the best company I could ever hope for.
As the dessert plates are taken away, Anton takes my hand and says, “I love you, Scarlett. I now know how it feels for real, and I never want to lose this feeling.”
I smile. “I’ve always loved you.”
“I know,” he says and after a second, he pushes his seat backward and takes a small black box from his jacket pocket. My hand slams against my mouth and my breath catches when he kneels down beside the table. I gasp out that caught breath.
He kept talking about getting married, but I never expected him to ask so quickly. But as he opens the black velvet box that is now resting on his palm, I see an enormous diamond sparkling in the moonlight. It’s sitting in the middle of a slim and delicate gold band. Elegant and perfect. Tears brim my eyes as I gaze at him.
“Be mine... make me yours, forever.”
I smile. “I was always yours. I was always waiting for you...for our forever.”
He grins and my teeth scrape my lip. He takes the ring out of the box. “I guess that’s a yes.”
“That I accept this ring as a token of our friendship?” I tease.
He laughs. “Scarlett, my gorgeous, sexy, sassy lady.” He brushes his lips across my knuckles. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
“Yes,” I whisper as he leans up, kissing me softly on the lips.
“Yes.” He hesitates. “I was so scared you’d find a reason to say no, and ask to wait a few years,” he says.
“I know it’s you. It can only ever be you. So why wait?” I say as he slips the ring on my finger.
He cups my face in his hands, his forehead drops against mine. “You’re making all my dreams come true and I’m going to make sure all yours do, too.”
Our eyes lock. I know he will do anything for me, but I never realized I was his dream.
“We can be married by the end of the week.” Still holding my face, he kisses my lips. “We can fly to Vegas.”
I know he is worried about my father making me change my mind once they return from their trip.
“I won’t change my mind about you,” I say. I can get married without my father. My mother, not so. But I also don’t want my father hurting my mother for siding with me. It would break her heart to choose. “But the venue, the amount of guests, how many tiers are on the cake aren’t important. You are, and I’ll marry you wherever you want to.”
“Vegas?” he says. “I can get my assistant to book the flights from here. Or we can wait for your father to come around.”
I shake my head and grin. “No. Let’s do it.” I’m taking charge of my life for a change. I’m not allowing my father to decide anything for me ever again.
I wrap my arms around Anton’s neck, and he kisses me, our lips clashing, tongues dancing, and I never want it to end.
It was always him for me and it always will be. Only Anton makes all of my dreams come true. I feel light and happy for the first time in my life.
I feel like I’ve finally found my home.