My Accidental Forever (Love You Forever Book 5)
Page 16
I hit the button and the gate buzzes before finally opening and allowing me to drive up the brick driveway. I park by the fountain in the center then walk up to the door. I knock one time before the door is opened, and I’m greeted by the maid, Beth.
“Good to see you again, Foster,” she says, opening the door wider for me.
“How are the kids?” I ask. Beth’s been the maid here since I was a young boy.
She smiles and nods. “Good as ever. Trever just had his third child and Bethany just graduated with honors from Harvard.”
I return her smile. “Very good. Give them my love, will ya?”
“I will. Everyone is waiting in the back.”
“I’ll show myself outside.” I walk down the hallway and out the glass doors to the patio, where I find Bianca’s parents and my own. Bianca and Harley haven’t arrived yet.
“How is everyone doing tonight?” I ask, stopping at the drink cart where there’s a man waiting to pour my drink.
“Very well. I’m glad to see you could make it this evening. Vegas wasn’t in the plans this weekend?” William asks.
I laugh. “Of course not. There’s no place I’d rather be,” I say, taking my drink and walking over to the patio table.
“I’m glad you could make it, dear,” Mom says with a sweet smile.
I think I could do no wrong in her eyes, so what I’m about to do doesn’t even cross my mind when I look at her. It’s when I look at my father that my stomach drops.
“Bianca just called,” Mrs. Greer says, stealing our attention. “She’s running a little late but promises to be here before dinner is served.”
“How have you been, Mrs. Greer?” I ask, just to make conversation. I force my eyes to look her in the face even though I don’t want to. I know that when I look at her later, I’ll see nothing but anger and disgust when she realizes I’m not choosing her daughter.
She smiles. “I’m very well. And yourself?”
“Very good. Say, is this new furniture?” I ask, looking at the iron table and matching chairs. The table is topped with stained glass and the colors make a pattern on the tabletop.
“It is. Thank you for noticing, Foster. I’ve always said you’d make some lucky woman a very good husband one day.”
I smile. Too bad that woman won’t be your daughter.
My father and Bianca’s father start talking about work like usual, and the women roll their eyes and sip their drinks as a way to ignore the shop talk they hate so much at the dinner table. I space out, hoping that Harley doesn’t shoot me down and make me look like a complete ass in front of everyone who’s already going to hate me. They’re all expecting a proposal, and that’s what they’re going to get. However, I’m not proposing to the woman they want, and that might make things a little uncomfortable . . . for them, anyway. I have a feeling Bianca will be more than happy with the outcome of this dinner.
A little while later, Bianca and Harley come walking out onto the patio. My eyes find Harley and she’s dressed to kill. She’s wearing a cream-colored dress and heels that make her legs look twice as long. Her hair is down in loose curls and her makeup is done to perfection. It’s strange seeing her this way. I’m used to seeing her more laid-back and bare-faced. I bet Bianca got to her and dolled her up for this special night.
They take their drinks from the man at the cart then make their way over to the table. “Daddy, you’ve already met Harley, but Mama, this is my new friend. Harley, this is my mother, Rebecca.”
“It’s nice to meet you, dear,” her mother says as they quickly shake hands.
“Well, it looks like everyone’s here,” Bianca’s father says, lifting a hand and waving.
Moments later, the maid is out, hands full of platters filled with what I’m sure are appetizers. We’re all served some kind of fancy food, and I have to hold back a laugh when I see the way Harley’s looking at the food on her plate. Bianca leans in and whispers something in her ear, and it wipes the look off Harley’s face. Her eyes quickly dash around the table to make sure no one is watching, then I see her carefully take a piece of food from her plate and hide it away in her napkin. She does this slowly, so no one realizes what she’s doing. By the end, her plate is cleared and she tosses her napkin on top of the plate, all balled up. Luckily for her, it’s a paper napkin, since the cloth napkins are reserved for the dinner portion of the meal.
While we eat, the fathers talk shop, the mothers talk shopping and whatever club they’re involved in, and Harley and Bianca talk quietly. That leaves me sitting alone, thinking about the bomb I’m going to drop. The ring in my pocket feels like it’s gaining weight by the second. It’s getting heavier and heavier and weighing me down. It makes time tick by that much more slowly. My heart is racing, waiting for the moment when I know I’ll be expected to propose to Bianca. I’m so nervous I can’t even eat. Sweat beads up on my brow and I wipe it away with the back of my hand.
“Darling, aren’t you hungry?” my mother asks.
I offer her a smile but shrug. “Not really. I’m fine.”
The maid is back and she’s picking up everyone’s dishes to clear the table for dinner. My father and Bianca’s father look at me with curious eyes, but I look away, not ready just yet. Maybe I’ll wait until after dinner. Everyone will be full and less grouchy. I’d hate to ruin their appetites. Moments after the table is cleared, there are fresh plates put down in front of us and big platters are brought out and put into the center of the table. We’re each served a steak, a baked potato, steamed vegetables, and a freshly baked dinner roll. This time, Harley doesn’t move her food from her plate to her napkin. She actually eats it and conversation flows just as smoothly with me still being the only quiet one at the table.
I try to eat, but I’m still so nervous that I can’t stomach the taste of the food or the heaviness of it. I manage to choke down a few bites whenever anyone’s looking—just so I don’t have to answer a hundred questions about why I’m not eating.
All too soon, dinner is done and the plates are cleared. Dessert gets brought out and it’s served with coffee. I wave off my portion, knowing full well that I won’t be able to eat it either, even though the chocolate cake looks fluffy and delicious with gooey chocolate frosting. I take a cup of coffee though, just so I don’t look out of place sitting at the table with everyone else eating. Slowly, I reach into my pocket and pull out the small black box. I clear my throat.
“Everyone,” I start and they all look up at me, practically frozen. “There’s something I haven’t told you.”
Our fathers get grins on their faces and our mothers look concerned. I look at Harley and she seems nervous—almost angry—and Bianca’s smiling because she knows what’s coming.
“The truth is . . .” I pause to work up some courage as Bianca nods me on, trying to give me whatever strength she can. “The truth is that Bianca and I don’t want to get married.” I blurt it out and there are a few gasps from our parents. “Bianca and I are great friends. We’ve always been the best of friends and I think we always will be. But the way we were raised . . . I think you guys thought that putting us around each other would help us to become friends, and that our friendship would lead to love. But that’s not what happened. We didn’t become friends. We’re more than that. We grew to love one another like brother and sister. And the thought of being together like a married couple . . . well, that . . .”
“That makes us both want to vomit,” Bianca says for me.
I can’t help but laugh. “So this dream you guys have of us getting married, giving you grandchildren, and taking over the businesses as a couple, well, that’s not going to happen, and I’m sorry we’ve waited this long to come clean.” I look at my father and while he doesn’t look pissed, he doesn’t look happy either.
“In fact, when I claimed to have a business trip during your last dinner, I actually ran off to Vegas with Harley.”
“Your best friend?” her father asks, looking at Bianca.
“That’s right.” I nod. “I met Harley and we started something up. At the time, I knew what was expected of me and I intended to keep my commitments. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with her.” When I say that, she looks up at me, her eyes wide with surprise.
“In Vegas, we got married and we’ve been trying to get out of it ever since, knowing the day was coming when I’d have to marry Bianca. But I can’t go through with that . . . and I don’t want to end our marriage either, Harley. I want to be married to you,” I say, looking only at her now. “I want to go to bed every single night with you and all your dogs.” This makes her laugh. “I want to wake up and have you in my arms. I want the pleasure of knowing that you’re mine from now until eternity. I don’t care what our lives look like as long as we’re together. So instead of asking you to marry me, I’m going to ask if you’ll stay married to me?” I open the box that holds the ring and show it to her.
The ring I picked out is an engagement ring with the wedding band clipped around it. I couldn’t just give her an engagement ring or just a wedding band. The metal is rose gold and it has a big princess-cut diamond in the center with clusters of diamonds around it. It probably cost more than my first car, which my father made me pay for.
Her mouth is hanging open and her eyes, which are still wide with alarm, are now filling with tears.
I get up and walk around the table to her side. I fall to one knee and hold the box up for her to see. “Harley, will you please stay married to me?”
She turns in her seat so she’s facing me directly. Her hands come up to cover her gaping mouth. She turns and looks over her shoulder at Bianca, who smiles and nods. She turns back to me and whispers, “Really? You want to marry me?” She points at her chest.
I laugh and nod. “I really do. I want you for the rest of my life, Harley. Only you . . . and all your animals.”
She laughs and reaches for me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me in for a hug. “Yes,” she whispers, and I can’t stop myself from kissing her until I’m breathless. When I pull back, I take the ring from the box and slide it onto her finger.
Bianca lets out a loud, “Whoo!” and starts clapping. Other reluctantly join in.
“I think this means we need to celebrate. Daddy, get the champagne I saw chilling inside.”
William flags down the maid and she goes to retrieve the champagne. Soon, the cork is popped and everyone is holding a glass of bubbly champagne.
“To the newest addition to our family,” my mother says, and we all knock our glasses together.
My mom takes Harley’s arm and leads her off to the patio furniture to talk privately. I’m sure she’s dying to get to know the woman who has made me change my ways. My father and William take Bianca and me in another direction.
“Well, you two have really made a mess of things, haven’t you?” William says, eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of us.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. You have to understand that Foster and I . . . we love you guys so much that we were going to do something neither of us wanted just to make you happy,” Bianca says, giving her dad her famous puppy dog eyes.
“What I don’t understand is why the two of you didn’t just sit us down and talk truthfully about all of this. Did you think we wouldn’t understand?” my father asks.
Bianca shrugs but I step in. “We knew that this has been your goal since before we were born, and we didn’t want to let you guys down. We were both worried that by going against your wishes, we might be disowned or something. Bianca wants to finish school and focus on her career. She’s not thinking about marriage or children right now. And I . . . well, all I really wanted was a place in this family and our company.”
Our dads start laughing, and that’s when I know everything will be all right. They may be a little upset by this turn of events, but they both seem to know that our happiness is what really matters.
“Of course you’re still taking over the company,” my father says. “I don’t know what you’re going to do now, though,” he nudges William in the ribs.
William raises his hand and runs it through his dark hair. “Well, I guess I could still sell it . . . that is, if you’re still up for it.”
My eyes grow wide. “You mean you’re still going to sell to me even if I’m not a part of your family?” I ask, surprised.
He laughs. “You’ve always been a part of this family, Foster. And I’m assuming that you will always have a place for Bianca there.”
They both look at me and I smile. “Of course,” I agree.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll retire and you will take over the business. Then William will sell and you can move forward with the merger as planned,” my father says. “Now, excuse me while I go meet my new daughter-in-law.” He steps away and goes to sit by my mom’s side.
“I told you,” Bianca whispers, wrapping her hand around my arm and pulling me into her side.
“Told me what?”
“That everything would work out just fine. Look at your wife over there.”
I turn my head to watch her. “My wife . . . I never thought of her that way before.”
“You won’t be able to look at her that way for long if you don’t call off your lawyer,” she teases.
“Fuck, I forgot. I have a call to make,” I say, stepping away.
The party seems to move around Harley while they all get to know her a little better. I duck off to the side of the house and call the lawyer.
“Hey, we want to cancel the divorce or whatever it’s called,” I tell him.
“Seriously?” he asks. “First you get married by accident, then you almost get divorced by accident?”
I laugh. “I know, we’re a bit of a mess, but we’re staying married.”
“And your father knows?”
“He knows.”
“All right. If I shred these papers, they can’t be glued back together. And the limit is about up. If you want out of this, it needs to happen now. Wait any longer and it’ll be a divorce.”
I turn to look at Harley and am frozen by the wide smile she’s wearing. “No, I think I’m happy right where I am.”
“Sure thing. They’ve now been destroyed.”
“Thank you.” I hang up the phone and go to join the rest of the party. I overhear Bianca’s mother talking about how she can’t wait for the day she’ll get to see her daughter married, and I laugh. Looks like I’m finally out of all those conversations, but she’s still trapped. I bet it’s only a matter of time before her mother starts bringing random men around to try to hook her up with someone.
The night finally comes to an end and I can’t wait to get my wife out of here. I almost have to pull her away from my mother, but she finally lets us go, though not without promises to come to brunch in the morning. I open the passenger-side door of my Ferrari and Harley slips into the seat. I run around the car and climb behind the wheel, more than ready to have her home—where I can show her how much I love her. I drive more quickly than I should, but her hand is in mine the whole way.
“Well, you did it,” she says in the darkness of the cab.
“Did what?”
“You got out of marrying Bianca.”
I glance over at her. “You don’t think I asked you to stay married to me to get out of marrying her, do you?” I look but her eyes are focused on the road.
She shrugs.
“Harley?”
She glances in my direction but puts her eyes right back. “It’s just that . . . I don’t know. I don’t understand how you can love someone like me and not her. She’s perfect. She’s smart and beautiful and rich. What do I have? A house that isn’t in my name and a few foster dogs?”
I laugh at her description of herself. “First of all, Bianca isn’t perfect. And she isn’t perfect for me. You are. Y
ou’re smart and beautiful and I don’t care how much money you have. Being with you has taught me a lot. I’ve learned that money isn’t everything. Sometimes all you need to have fun is the person you love. I can watch TV with you and have fun. You make me a better person. You make me see things in a whole new light and I love you for that. You’re the person I want to spend my life with. You’re all I want and I’m going to work every day to make sure I’m the person you want.”
“You already are,” she says, looking over at me. “I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it. I was afraid of falling for you because I was scared I’d just have to stand back and watch you marry her.”
I pull my car into her drive and shut off the engine. Then I climb out of the car and rush around to her side, opening the door and pulling her against my chest. “Well, now you’re stuck with me,” I tell her, moving my mouth to hers.
Her legs wrap around my hips and I carry her to the front door. Our kiss breaks as she digs through her purse for the keys. She hands them to me and I unlock the door and push it open. I kick it closed behind me, then turn to lock it. The dogs are barking and jumping up and down around us. We’re both laughing as I try to step around and over them. They get between my feet and I lose my balance. Both of us go tumbling down on the couch. The dogs jump up on the couch, stepping on us both. They lick her face and their wagging tails smack me in the face and the side of my head. She’s giggling too much to notice.
One by one, I gently push them down so I have her all to myself once again. I can’t help but watch the joy on her face. When her giggling stops, I lean down. “I can’t wait until we own our own shelter and the house is complete.”
Her eyes stretch wide and her mouth falls open. “You’re buying me a shelter?”
I laugh. “No, I’m buying us some property. You’ve gotta build the shelter,” I tell her, and she lifts her head until our lips are pressed together again.