Ethan grinned. “I know. A little spy told me that you saw it and liked it.”
“Julie?”
He laughed. “Do you really think Dan noticed which tea kettle you liked best?”
“Good point,” I said, grinning at the thought. “But how did you get it?”
“Julie got the business card of the store, and I called and talked to them. Well… with a little help from Rob. He taught English here for a year after college, so he speaks pretty good Japanese.”
“I didn’t know that.” But I could totally see Rob patiently coaxing English out of a bunch of smiling students. He was that kind of guy.
Carefully, I placed the tea kettle back into its spot. “Thank you,” I said. “It’s beautiful.”
“So are you.”
A little bit nervously, I smoothed down my hair. Not that that did much to tame my waves, but I still had to try.
Ethan was watching me intently. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I told him.
He took my hand. “Me too.”
“Thank you for my six-month anniversary present.” I smiled at him and then hesitated. “I, umm, I have something for you, too.”
“You do?” he asked, sounding a little surprised. I hoped with all my heart that this would be a good surprise, not a bad one.
“Yeah… let me go get it.” I stood and wrapped my robe a little tighter. I moved quickly to the bedroom, took a deep breath, and got Ethan’s present.
“Here,” I said, too nervous to say more than that as I hovered at his side.
Ethan took the small white bag and squinted at it. “You got me something from a Japanese pharmacy? Is it condoms?”
Involuntarily, I laughed. But then the apprehension returned. “Open it and find out,” I said, echoing his earlier words.
His hand snaked out, and he lightly smacked me on my ass, making me jump. And then relax. He always knew how to make me relax.
Even so, I held my breath while I watched Ethan open the bag. And then stare at the white plastic stick in his hand. He looked up at me quizzically, started to speak, but then hesitated. Then his jaw dropped, and he looked at the stick again. “Is it… is it positive?”
“It is.”
“Are you sure?”
“I took the test three times. So—yes. I guess I am.”
Silence.
Silence for a long, agonizing moment.
And then Ethan was on his feet, his arms coming around me, hugging me. Surrounding me. Protecting me. Engulfing me and the baby inside me.
Our baby.
“We’re going to have a baby,” Ethan said with wonder in his voice.
Tears poured down my cheeks as I nodded.
“You’re going to be an amazing mother,” he said, his hands stroking up and down my back.
I hoped so. I wanted to be. I wanted to be the best mother in the world for this child who was half me, half Ethan.
Though I’ve only been sure of its existence for a quarter of an hour, I loved it already. But the question was—did Ethan?
Slowly, I pulled my head back so I could look at his face. He smiled down at me, and ran his thumb over my cheeks, wiping away the tears. “Those are happy tears, right?” he asked.
“They are,” I assured him. “But what about you? Are you happy?”
“Are you kidding?” He stared at me in disbelief. “That was the best anniversary present ever.”
Relief flooded through me. Yes, we’d talked about having kids, but it had always been at some point a few years in the future. We hadn’t planned for this to happen now, but plans changed. They had to, because sometimes life happened.
Julie, Dan, and I had planned to take this trip by ourselves. Now it was sometimes the three of us and sometimes the four of us. And sometimes just two of us like right now. It wasn’t what we’d planned, but it was amazing nonetheless.
Just like this news. “I’m so glad you’re happy,” I said, tears still trickling down my cheeks.
“I’m more than happy. I’m completely and utterly thrilled.” Ethan punctuated each word with a light tap on my nose with his forefinger. Then he ran it down to my lips and I kissed it. He grinned. “And I know two other people who are going to be thrilled.”
“We can tell them when we meet them at the rock garden later today.”
“Sure, but I was thinking of two people stateside.”
“Your grandparents? Oh my god, they’re going to be over the moon.”
“And then some,” Ethan agreed. “Should we call them now?”
I started to nod, but he still had his finger resting on my lower lip. Reaching my tongue out, I licked the tip of his finger and then drew it into my mouth. I sucked gently before releasing it and saying, “Or we could call them a bit later.”
“So we can have breakfast first?” Ethan raised an eyebrow at me even though I was pretty sure he knew that wasn’t what I meant.
“Nope,” I said and then resumed sucking on his finger.
Ethan closed his eyes for a second. “It’s about five p.m. there. So we can wait a few hours before calling them.”
“And we may have to cancel the rock garden, too.”
He laughed. “Good. Because my thoughts right now aren’t very Zen-like.”
“Mine either.”
I took my husband’s hand and led him back into the bedroom. Once there, he picked me up and placed me gently on the bed as if I were the most important thing in the world to him.
He absolutely was that to me. Ethan was the man I loved, and I intended to show him exactly how much he meant to me. How excited I was to be taking this huge step together.
Building a family with the man I loved was as real as it got.
I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
A few hours later
“That’s such good news.” Bridget’s eyes were full of tears as she looked at Ethan and Kate on the screen of the laptop.
“I’m really happy for you, Ethan, m’boy. A new generation of Grants—I can’t think of anything more exciting,” Walter added.
Ethan smiled on screen. “We couldn’t wait to tell you both.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Bridget said. “Enjoy the rest of your trip, and thanks for making us great-grandparents!”
A moment later, the Skype call ended, and Ethan and Kate disappeared from the screen.
Walter reached over and closed the laptop. “Thanks for making us great-grandparents.” He kissed his wife on the cheek.
Bridget grinned at the love of her life. “You’re very welcome.”
“Your granny the matchmaker would be proud. But… I still don’t understand how you knew.”
“About the baby?”
“No, how you knew that Ethan and Kate would be perfect together. I was naïve enough to believe him when he told us he was dating someone, but you saw right through him.”
Bridget chuckled. “That boy could never lie to me. Not about stealing cookies when he was a child—and not about relationships as a man. I knew he was just humoring us, but when we met Kate, I realized she was the one he’d described. That told me that at the very least, he was attracted to her. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to give them a little nudge in the right direction.”
“I think your little nudge was more of a big shove, but you were right. She’s perfect for him,” Walter said. “Thank god you got me on board so I could help you question her. Otherwise, we never would’ve known how right they were for each other.”
“And you did good, dangling the prospect of making Ethan president at just the right time. You’re a good actor.” Bridget squeezed her husband’s hand.
“You’re not so bad yourself. Like telling him that people would talk unless he got Kate to move in with him. We did a fair bit of lying ourselves.”
“But for a good cause.”
Walter got a twinkle in his eye. “Like when you insisted that Ethan tell us how he proposed? I’ve never seen him look more like a deer in headli
ghts.”
His wife laughed. “Okay, maybe that lie was more for fun than for a good cause.”
“Want to do a little more lying?”
Bridget looked up, surprised. “About what?”
“About forty feet away in the master bedroom.” Walter chuckled at the puzzled look on his wife’s face. “Let’s go do some lying on our bed.”
He held out his hand and helped her to her feet, looking pleased that he’d made his wife of fifty years blush. “Are you with me?”
“Always, my dear.” She smiled up at him. “Always.”
Thank you so much for reading my novel, Mr. Right Stuff! It would mean a lot to me if you’d leave a review at Amazon.
Also, I hope you’ll check out the companion story, Mr. Right Touch.
It’s the story of Erin, a smart but shy young woman with a lifelong fear of speaking in public. She applies for a copywriting position at Seth-Tech, the world-renown company run by the man of her dreams—Seth Spencer.
Erin is thrilled to meet the hot-as-hell tech genius, but Seth doesn’t want her for her writing skills. Instead, the perpetual playboy sees past her stammer and makes her his personal assistant. Just one problem: that job entails public speaking— lots of it!
Seth’s up to the challenge, determined to draw Erin out using his considerable charm and persuasion, as well as some hands-on private instruction. He definitely has the right touch as far as Erin’s concerned, but if he pushes her too far, too fast, he might lose her forever.
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Also by Sophie Brooks
Have you read my Cinderella-Billionaire series?
If not, please check out Charming, Tempting, and Dashing. Each one features a strong, feisty woman struggling to make it, and a titan of industry who hasn’t met the right woman yet.
The novels can be read in any order, but Dashing contains some characters who were in the first two.
I hope you’ll give them all chance! You can find all of my books on my Amazon page.
Charming: A Cinderella Billionaire Story
He's a bad boy trying to be good...
Ford's gone from playboy to responsible CEO. Since inheriting his father's billion-dollar corporation, he has everything to prove. He also has a secret.
Her name is Autumn, and her voice is perfect. Sometimes sweet and innocent, sometimes sultry and seductive, but always exactly right.
She's a good girl pretending to be bad...
Autumn's fantasy hotline job helps pay the bills--and with a sister to raise, she has lots of those. So the shy 23-year-old plays the roles the callers want. Except with Ford. He wants the real Autumn. And she can't help wishing he were more than a voice in the night.
When Autumn's in danger and Ford rushes to her rescue, their unlikely connection becomes a Cinderella story. But Autumn has a secret, too... one that might destroy their fairy-tale romance.
View Charming at Amazon
Tempting: A Cinderella Billionaire Story
Penny’s new boss is her baby’s father, but neither of them knows that...
Blake:
Wealth, charm, and a good time. That’s all I can offer a woman, and that’s how I like it.
Until her. The pale beauty from the masquerade ball captured my attention in a way no other woman has. Her charm, wit, grace… for once in my life, I want to offer someone more, but I can’t. After one amazing night, she vanished, leaving me without a name, a number, or even a glass slipper.
A year and a half later, she still dominates my thoughts. I’ve lost interest in one night stands. I don’t even look at other women. Not until I meet my new personal assistant. Penny is a young single mother, and there’s something familiar about her...
Penny:
Every night since the ball, I’ve fallen asleep thinking of him. The gorgeous, kind, funny man I shared the most amazing night of my life with. I told him things I’d never told anyone. I felt things I hadn’t felt in years.
When the clock struck midnight, we got separated. I left without his name or number, but he left something for me. Nine months later, my daughter was born. I love her with all my heart, and I wish more than anything I could find her father.
But now that I’m back at work, the gorgeous billionaire CEO keeps me busy. His hot-as-sin looks and his wicked grin tempt me to let him become more than my boss. I know that’s not a good idea, but somehow it feels like I’ve known Blake for a long time instead of just a few short weeks...
View Tempting at Amazon
Dashing: A Royal Cinderella Billionaire Story
Only an idiot would start a relationship that must be temporary. The only thing dumber? Falling in love.
The Prince needs a nanny…
Cara isn’t anything like what he was expecting. The beautiful young blonde is fun-loving, impulsive, and unafraid to step on a few royal toes. Nico hasn’t been any of those things since a tragic accident in a country he’s vowed never to return to.
Romance is the last thing on his mind, but the feisty American just might make him reconsider.
The nanny needs a fresh start…
What do you do when your dreams go up in flames? If you’re like Cara, you run off to a fairy-tale castle on the other side of the world. To her shock, her new boss is Prince Nico, the hard-partying playboy who was plastered over US tabloids for years.
Nico’s different now. He’s as handsome as ever, but he’s almost as closed off as his children. It’ll take all of Cara’s enthusiasm and dedication to make a difference in this royal family’s life.
In the face of nearly insurmountable odds, could she possibly go from servant to Cinderella?
View Dashing at Amazon
Mr Right Stuff Page 16
