Chapter Thirty One
TWO WEEKS LATER
PENNY
"I think there’s a real risk Jeannie won't give Ben back," I said as Spencer hung up. Ben had spent the night at Jeannie's with Agatha, and she had just called to ask if he could also stay half the day there.
"They’re good with him," Spencer said.
"I know. And she looks so happy too when Ben is around."
"And it means that we get the morning all to ourselves." He had a suspicious smile on his handsome face. One I hadn't seen before.
"What shall we do?" I asked.
"I have some plans."
"Oh, you do?"
"Oh yeah."
He came up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing down my cheek, and moving further down to my neck until I got goose bumps everywhere. I rose on my toes so he could reach more of me. "Someone likes my plan."
I laughed. "Yes, I do." I sighed, pressing him even closer to me.
I’d moved in here two weeks ago, and I still couldn't believe I was living with this gorgeous man and our adorable baby.
Yes, I was calling him "our," and I didn't care what anyone had to say.
And as a perk, my best friend lived next door.
Sometimes I feared I might be dreaming and would wake up any second now.
My mom had met Spencer during a video call, and she instantly liked him. She didn’t even admonish me for turning down the job in London. I was happy with the one I had here and with my additional freelance projects.
"Oh, but wait… I need to do a few things first," I said. Biting my lip, I added, "I know that Ben is coming later, but I still want to prepare the onesies I bought for him."
"Sure." The glint in his eyes intensified.
I’d pay good money to know what was on his mind.
"I'll bring them up for you," he said.
"Thanks."
I couldn't wait to take pictures of Ben in the onesies.
I liked the nursery as it was, so I hadn't made any changes.
In fact, I hadn't changed much in the whole house.
Even though Spencer said that I was the lady of the house—yes, he'd actually used those words—I didn't want to buy too much stuff.
But I had zero self-restraint when it came to baby clothes. They were simply too cute.
I sat on the bed, folding the three outfits I'd brought up from the laundry yesterday. Some days I still couldn't believe how little Naomi wanted to be part of his life. After their last encounter, Spencer set the parameters of their next visits very clearly, and she'd accepted them all too easily.
Naomi had then confessed that she’d gotten back together with her boyfriend Gregory and that she’d only suggested she and Spencer rekindle things because she was in a dire financial situation. I couldn’t understand the choices she made, but who cared?
Spencer was very happy with the way things were proceeding at Whitley Publishing, especially with the inclusion of The Digital Owl.
I'd met the three writers last week. I was already plotting with them about a surprise for Spencer for his birthday. It was the day after Natalie and Jake’s wedding, so he didn’t want to make a fuss, but I was determined to get him a kick-ass gift.
There was still plenty of time, but I was happy I’d started working on his present already. I had to be very diligent about it because I needed information from all the Whitleys, and I didn't want Spencer to hear a peep about it.
I started folding the onesies on the bed opposite the crib and finished just as Spencer came in. He sat on the mattress in front of me. His body language was a bit too stiff.
I looked up at him. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah."
Hmm, he was keeping secrets, and I was going to make him confess all of them as soon as I was done.
I took the first onesie and folded each of the legs first, then the tiny arms before folding it in half.
I repeated the motion with the next two.
Grabbing the last one, I noticed that something was stuck inside the right leg.
"Something got stuck in here. Feels like a round thing. Metal. Maybe it's a key chain or a coin? No, it can't be a coin."
"Let me do it," Spencer said. He took the onesie from me, shoving one hand down the right leg.
He pulled it out slowly, and I nearly fell off the bed.
He was holding a ring. He effortlessly slid from his sitting position down onto one knee in front of me, holding the ring up close.
It was breathtaking. I'd never seen anything so beautiful.
The stone was a round shape with dark red stones in the center and white ones on the edge.
Only a short while ago, I’d never imagined getting married again. But now all I could think about was a future with Spencer and Ben.
"Spencer," I murmured. "Yes." Then I pressed my lips together. "Oops, you didn't even ask the question, did you?"
He laughed. "No. But I already like the answer." He took both of my hands in his, leaned forward, and kissed them before straightening up. "But I'd still like to ask. Actually, I simply want to tell you a few things."
"Like what?"
"Like how much you mean to me, Penny. I love you more than I thought possible. Every morning, I wake up thinking about you and ways to make sure you're happy and content."
"And I am," I murmured. My voice broke. "Every day," I assured him.
"Good, because that's exactly what you deserve. You came into my life at a moment when I thought I couldn't possibly let anyone in. You showed me different. With you, I've discovered a kind of happiness I didn't know existed."
"I didn't know either," I said.
"And I can't wait to rediscover it every day for the rest of our lives. I can’t wait for you to be mine. And for the whole world to know, to see it." He spoke as he put the ring on my finger.
Thank God I'd already said yes before, because my throat was so closed up that I didn't think I could speak right now.
"Thank you for loving me. And most of all, thank you for loving my son."
"I do," I said. My voice was suddenly strong. "As though he's mine."
He squeezed my fingers tightly.
He came back up to sit on the bed, pressing his mouth to mine and exploring me softly. At first, I responded just as gently, but then I grew hungrier and greedier for him and climbed into his lap. I laughed as we paused to breathe.
"I promise to love both of you forever," I said.
"I know you will. You're a beautiful soul. The next time I see Becky, I'm going to buy her a treat."
I blinked, moving down from his lap. "I'm not following."
"If she hadn't pulled you to the ground, I wouldn't have had a reason to ask you to my place."
"Right. Like you wouldn't have tempted me with wine?"
"No, I would have. I'm sure of it. But there was something special about being on my knees in front of you, feeling your skin turn to goose bumps and watching you pretend it was because it was hurting."
My jaw dropped. I covered my mouth with my hand, standing up. "Oh my God! You knew I was faking?"
He rose to his feet too. "Of course. Your pulse had quickened, and you have a delicious way of drawing in your breath when you're turned on—like you’re surprised by your body’s reaction.”
He touched the side of my body, sliding his hands down to my hips.
"It did take me by surprise. I hadn't been attracted to anyone in forever. I wasn't even sure certain parts of me still worked. But then you made it clear they do."
He grinned. "In case you're in doubt about it, let me know, and I'll make sure to prove it to you again, even if I have to work overtime." He wiggled his eyebrows.
I loved life with this man. We laughed and loved each day, just like this.
I rose on my toes, kissing his jaw. "That was a very creative way to propose."
"I mean, the essential part was missing."
"What do you mean?"
"Ben was supposed to be here too, and you were supposed to try and put the onesie on him and find the ring."
"So why didn't you wait?"
"Because I realized there are benefits to the two of us being alone."
"Hmm." I narrowed my eyes, looking at the ceiling. "I wonder what those are?"
"I’d be happy to show them to you. Every single one of them."
He kissed me deeply as he led me backward out of the nursery.
When we stopped moving, I glanced behind my shoulder and gave a fake gasp. "We reached the bedroom. What a surprise."
"It was part of my master plan all along. We have a few hours on our own, and I plan to make the very best use of them."
"Oh, I don't doubt you will."