26. Libby
CHAPTER 26
Libby
I t’s Christmas Eve, and I just finished some last minute shopping. I got Riggs the cutest boxer briefs with Fish Assassin printed across the butt. And there’s a fish on the front directly where his *ahem* will sit.
My fingers drum on the steering wheel as I fret about the size. I mean, he’s a big man, so the large will probably fit him, but what if he wears a medium? He does have slim hips.
Shit. I hate returning items after the holidays. All the lines and grumpy-ass people are annoying. Gnawing my bottom lip, I turn on my blinker and head toward Riggs’s house. He’s at the marina with Joe today, so I’ll just dash inside and check his underwear size. I still have time to return them before the store closes at five.
I hop out of the car and use the key Riggs gave me to unlock the front door. Ace skids up excitedly, and I bend to give him a quick neck rub before jogging to the bedroom. Checking the sizes in a couple pairs, I sigh with relief. Large . I figured all that cake couldn’t be contained in a medium. Not to mention what he’s packing in the front.
I’m about to close the drawer when something catches my eye. “Is that a ring box?” I ask the empty room. It doesn’t respond.
Scratching the side of my face, I stare down at it as my heart rate picks up a notch. I recognize the distinctive black and white box as being from an exclusive jeweler that specializes in engagement rings.
Surely he’s not… No, of course he’s not. We haven’t even said I love you to each other. And that’s when my gaze snags on the paper beneath the box. It’s folded so only the words HOLIDAY PROPOSAL are visible.
Shit. I know I’m falling in love with the man, and I’m certain he feels the same, but a proposal after only two months? And we haven’t even been a couple for the entire time.
Should I talk to him about it? I’d hate for him to propose only to have me ask for more time. I’d never want to make him feel bad. What if he does it out in public? Oh my fucking god. What is he thinking?
I have to look. I have to see what’s on that paper. Maybe it will give me some kind of clue. It’s possible that the ring is a family heirloom that he’s holding onto, and he’s planning to propose next Christmas.
I won’t look at the ring though. I want to see it for the first time when he gives it to me. Carefully pulling out the papers, I begin to read.
HOLIDAY PROPOSAL
As soon as dessert is served, get down on one knee with our families surrounding us. Say the following:
My dearest Lucinda,
“Hold on a damn minute. Lucinda?” I snap at the paper. I read that part again before continuing.
From the very first time I saw you, I knew you were the one for me. Your beauty is indescribable, but your warm heart is what captured my own. The love I have for you burns from within my soul, and I can’t wait to spend my life with you.
My lungs have forgotten how to breathe. My heart has forgotten how to beat. My legs have forgotten how to hold me up.
As I sink to my knees, I force myself to read the rest of the elaborately worded proposal. To her. Not me.
A warm nose nuzzles my neck, and I wrap an arm around Ace’s furry body as he whimpers, trying to give me comfort that I’m not sure is even attainable at this point.
“Is this how he feels about her?” I ask the dog, and he licks my face. “Thank you, nugget. You love me, don’t you?” Sweet Ace crowds me until his big body is on my lap, and I bury my face in his fur and dampen it with my tears.
Sitting like that for the longest time, I let the pain pour out of me. I feel more for Riggs after a couple months than I did during the years with Logan. I thought he was my person.
My stomach clenches with nausea at the thought of losing him. He can’t possibly want to be with Lucinda. She’s not right for him. Because I’m right for him.
Wiping my face, I kiss Ace on the head. “I’m okay, buddy. You can let me up now.” With a gentle shove, I manage to remove the pooch from my lap and stand. After replacing the letter in Riggs’s underwear drawer, I give my fluffernugget one more hug and leave.
My lips press together as I sit in my car and stare at the house I love but will probably never see again.
“Goodbye,” I whisper, gritting my teeth against the need to cry again. My breastbone feels like it’s sinking into my chest, attempting to crush my heart, and fuck, this hurts .
Without thinking, I swipe on a name on my phone and wait.
“Hey, Libs,” a voice answers.
Pulling out of the driveway, I don’t even look back as I speak. “Gemma, I need you.”
Her voice is instantly alert. “What’s wrong?”
“You know how I called you, Ava, and JoJo this week and told you about me and Riggs?”
“Yeah,” she replies warily. “And we said we’re all happy for you.”
“It’s all blown up in my face, Gem. I think it’s over.”
On the short drive back to Port Saint Joe, I fill her in on what I found.
“What the fuck? Why are men so goddamn stupid?” she spits, and I hear something in her tone that worries me.
“A-are you and Trey okay?” I ask, momentarily forgetting about my own problems. Trey was Gemma’s first BBB client, and much like Riggs and myself, they fell hard for each other.
“No, I don’t think Trey is my happily ever after,” she sighs sadly, and my broken heart manages to shatter into even more pieces.
“Gemma, no! I thought…”
“I did too,” she murmurs.
“Tell me what happened.” I pull up in front of my cute little house and grab my purse. By the time I get inside and change into lounge pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt that hangs to my knees, Gemma has spilled her guts.
“So that’s it,” she says, as I lounge onto my couch.
“Damn, Gem. I’m kinda torn. On one hand, I’m thinking maybe he had a good reason, but on the other hand, I want to put on a boxing glove and punch Trey in the face.”
That earns me a watery laugh from my friend. “I’m oscillating between the two as well. Why are all the men with good dicks so deceptive?”
“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at that. What are you going to do?”
“I have no clue. What about you?”
“Same. All I know is that I can’t go to the Christmas Eve party at Nana’s tonight. Especially if he’s going to propose to Lucinda there. I was thinking, since you’re visiting your grandmother in Florida, and you’re only about an hour from me…”
“You want to come hang with us?”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You won’t be. We’ve just gotten into our pajamas, and we’re about to watch movies and eat enough crappy food to make us bloat. You’re welcome to join us, but, hmmm.”
My ears perk up at her thoughtful hum. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking this whole thing doesn’t sound like Riggs, not from what you’ve told me. It sounds like he’s being pressured or something because that man is completely into you, not his ex.”
“What the hell can I do about it? I’m not going to beg a man to love me.”
“Fuck no you’re not. Look, do you have that hair-styling iron I sent you?”
“The one I thought was a sex toy at first?”
“You should have known I wouldn’t send you a sex toy without the appropriate lube.”
“In a fuchsia tube?” I ask dryly, and she bursts into laughter.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, Lubey Libby. We’re going to FaceTime so I can help you pick out a spectacular outfit, and then you’re going to do your hair and makeup like the sexy vixen you are.”
“Okaaaay,” I drawl. “Then what?”
“Then you, my friend, are going to be the most kick-ass book girlfriend that’s ever lived.”