Dave pulled up in front of her house right on time to pick them up. As they drove to Dawn’s house, he commented on how beautiful she looked.
“Thanks,” Kelly said, “but I don’t feel like it.”
“You’re gorgeous! But then again, you could wear a pair of sweats and have a messy ponytail and I’d still think you’re hot.”
“Why are we going out to dinner again?”
“To get you out of the house, to cheer you up, and to spend time together.”
“Am I that miserable?” she asked as they took Emma inside to drop her off.
“No, but I like to see my doll happy. That’s all.”
On their way back out to the car, Dawn yelled out to them, “Be careful and don’t worry if you stay out late. I’ll keep her until tomorrow.”
They waved goodbye as they drove off, heading towards downtown St. Louis.
“It sure is nice out, isn’t it?” Dave asked as he admired the breathtaking sunset.
“It is. The weather’s been splendid lately. Actually, it’s been kind of warm out for February.” Kelly added.
“Speaking of, what do you want to do for Valentine’s Day?”
“Oh, God, I haven’t celebrated Valentine’s Day in forever! How about if we just stay home and watch movies or something?” she suggested.
“Like what kind of movies? That sounds kind of boring.”
“The Notebook is my favorite movie. Nicholas Sparks is the best author of all time, hands down. And just so you know, the Notebook is not boring. It’s awesome!”
“Uh-huh, I see. Well, I’ll think about it and get back to you. I may have something else planned for the two of us,” he winked at her.
The valet took the keys and parked his car in a private parking garage as they stepped out in front of the restaurant. He wrapped his arm around the crook of her arm and walked inside.
“Name please?” the petite blonde asked when they stopped at the podium.
“David Carr,” he replied.
She scanned the reservation list for a moment. “Oh, yes, come with me,” she said, realizing who he was. “We have a private table for you hidden in the rear corner of the restaurant.”
He must be planning our Valentine dinner early, she thought, as they walked through the restaurant. Upon arriving at the table, he pulled out her chair as a real gentleman would.
“After you,” he said, bowing to her.
“Thank you,” she responded as she took her seat. “Is this an early Valentine’s dinner?”
“No, I just thought we’d do something special tonight. I’ve never brought you here before so I thought I would show you what authentic Italian food tastes like. They fly in all of their wine and most of the menu straight from Italy.”
“Nice!”
While the two of them enjoyed a quiet dinner and shared stories about their awkward teenage years, they laughed the night away. At the end of dinner, he asked the waitress for the check and handed her his credit card when she returned with the bill. When dinner was over, Kelly was sad the night was coming to an end.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as her smile faded.
“Oh, it’s just that we had a great time and I’m sad to see it end.”
“That’s funny you say that. I actually have another surprise for you. Follow me,” he said.
Curiously, she followed him outside, but the valet didn’t bring the car around. Instead, they began walking down the cobblestone street toward the riverfront. Kelly strolled along beside him as they neared the Mississippi River. At the end of the road where it branched off, she saw a horse carriage.
“Those are so beautiful. I’d love to ride one sometimes,” she told him.
“How come? What’s so neat about them?”
“They’re just so romantic. I love the white horses that carry the black buggy. It’s like something you’d see in a movie.”
“Hm, well, would you do me the honor?” He asked, holding out his hand as he stepped into the carriage.
“What? Is this for us?”
“Yes, it is. I told you that I had one more surprise for you, and this was it. Come on, get in.” He said, extending his hands to help her into the cart.
Trotting along the riverfront, they admired the river and the lighting of downtown St. Louis. The carriage stopped in front of the Arch. Dave got down on bended knee inside the carriage and took a deep breath.
“Kelly,” he began, “I love you and Emma so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
“Dave!” she cried. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”
He had slipped a brilliant, shiny diamond ring onto her finger before they began kissing. “Oh, Dave,” she said, marveling at her ring. “It’s beautiful!”
Tears ran down her cheek as he took his seat next to her when the carriage started moving again.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, cupping her chin in his hand.
“It’s just. It’s so beautiful. The whole night… the dinner, the carriage ride, the ring. Everything! You’re such an amazing man.”
“You’re an amazing woman. I always pictured myself with a caring woman who always put her family first. That woman is you. You’ve shown me what love is, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“Wait until I tell Dawn! She’s going to flip!” Kelly squealed.
“She knows,” Dave smiled at her. “When I asked her to watch Emma, she asked me why so I told her. She’s so happy for you. I’m sure she can’t wait to hear all the details.”
“She knows? And she didn’t tell me? That rat!” she laughed.
“Yep. I figured since your parents are gone, I’d ask your best friend for permission to marry you. She definitely approved.”
“Did you show her my ring?”
“No, I only told her my plans over the phone. I bet she’s dying to see it.”
“I bet! It’s absolutely gorgeous!” she exclaimed, holding her hand out under the moonlight as the diamond shined under the St. Louis skylight.
The next morning when she picked up Emma, she showed off her ring to her best friend. “Look! This is my engagement ring, Dawn! My engagement ring! I’m going to get married!” she sang as she held out her hand.
“That’s some rock!” Dawn said, holding Kelly’s hand to get a better look at the gem.
“When are you going to get married?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll have to start planning the wedding. I’d say sometime next year. That should be plenty of time, right? A year to plan a wedding?”
“I’d say so. I planned mine and Derek’s wedding over the course of six months. It was kind of crazy and hectic, but you know me. I’m never boring,” the girls laughed.
“Well, this weekend is Valentine’s weekend. I was thinking of making a special dinner at home with Dave. Could you keep Emma for me or do you and Derek have plans?”
“No plans that I know of. I’m sure we can watch her. I’ll come pick her up so you have time to get everything ready.”
Later that week, Emma had her second injection of her new drug. She hadn’t had many improvements after the initial loading dose, but she didn’t let that stop her. Kelly drove to school on a daily basis to pick up her class work so she didn’t fall behind and the two of them did her lessons together. By the end of the week, Emma was actually moving around a bit more; comfortably.
“Emma Buggy, I think you might be able to go to school next week,” Kelly told her.
“I think so too. I probably could’ve gone to school this week, but I didn’t want to push myself too hard. I’m ready to go back!”
“Good, I’m glad. Listen, Aunt Dawn’s going to keep you this weekend while Dave and I spend some time together.”
“Yeah right, mom! I know it’s Valentine’s Day. You can’t fool me,” she laughed.
“You’re right. I can’t fool you. Dave’s coming over early Friday afternoon, but I think Dawn’s going to pick you up that evening.�
�
When Friday rolled around, Dave came strolling in right after lunch. Emma spied a present in his hand.
“Is that for me?” she asked, trying to see what was in his hand.
“It is! But you have to wait for your mom to come in so she can watch you open it.”
She started calling for her mom to come into the living room. “Momma! Look what Dave brought me for Valentine’s Day! Can I open it now?” she looked at the two of them for approval.
Nodding their heads, she ripped the paper off the box. Then she opened that box to find another box. After several boxes, she started getting frustrated. “Is this a joke?”
“No, there’s a present in there. I had to disguise it,” he smiled at her.
Finally, when she got down to the last box, she noticed how tiny it was. “What’s in this?” she asked, ripping the last box open.
A small white jewelry box was inside. She recognized it immediately; her mom had several of these in her jewelry box. Carefully, she opened it and saw a gold locket necklace.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed as she took the necklace out of the box and began to put it on.
“There’s something inside of it if you open it up,” he told her.
She opened the locket, curious to see what was inside. Once it was opened, it revealed a small heart-shaped picture of her and Dave in the swimming pool from the previous summer. A smile beamed across her face.
“It’s us, Dave! It’s me and you! I love it!” she threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight.
“It was the best picture that I had of us. Your mom took it on her phone and put it on Facebook. I stole it from her images and printed it out. Now I’ll always be with you, no matter where you are.”
“But you’ll always be with us anyway. Mommy says you two are getting married!”
“Does that make you happy?” he asked. He hadn’t thought to seek Emma’s approval before popping the question.
“It makes me happy and proud,” she smiled up at him as she fastened the locket around her neck.
A few hours later, Dawn came to pick up Emma as promised. She showed off her new necklace as they were walking outside; Dawn smiled at Dave and winked at him before giving a thumbs up. When they were gone, Kelly flopped onto the couch, exhausted from cooking.
“What are we having? It smells delicious.”
“I’m making lasagna. It’s one of my favorites.”
“I can’t wait to dig in. I’m starving,” he admitted.
“Me too!”
The two of them enjoyed a candlelit dinner in the dimly lit dining room after it was ready.
“I noticed you’re not drinking any of the wine that I brought. Don’t you like it?” He was surprised to see that she’d hardly touched it. She frequently enjoyed wine.
She dropped her fork on her plate. “Dave, we need to talk,” she announced.
Oh, shit, he thought, here we go. It’s never good when a woman says that phrase. “About what honey?” he sweetly asked.
She paused and intently stared at him for a moment before beginning. “I’m pregnant,” she announced.
“You’re pregnant?” he repeated. “How is that possible? I mean, I know how it’s possible, but when? Never mind. I know that answer too. Are you okay with it? How do you feel about it?” Shock began to set in. He was going to be a father.
“I’m scared. It’s so soon in our relationship. We’ve not even been together for a year and we only just got engaged. I’ve thought about it, and I’m glad you asked me to marry you before I found out that I was pregnant.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t want you to think I was only marrying you because I’m pregnant. I'm going to marry you because I love you.”
“I know that, and I would never think differently.” Tears started beading up at the corner of her eyes. “Come here, sit on my lap.”
She walked over to him and sat on his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. “Tell me it’s going to be okay.”
“Kelly? It’s going to be fine. I’m a billionaire. I can take care of us. You haven’t mentioned it yet, but I was wondering when are you going to move in with me? I can hire movers to pack your things so it’s less stress on you.”
“That’s the thing, Dave. I haven’t said anything about moving because, I sort of don’t want to.”
“What? Why?”
“I love your house, it’s spectacular, but…” she looked around the room. “It’s not my parent’s house, and this one is. I don’t want to let go of it. I’m not ready yet. Do you see that door over there?” she asked, pointing at the bedroom door.
Dave nodded.
“That was my mom’s bedroom door. When she lived here, she used to put her hand on that doorknob to open the door. She touched it.”
He began to understand what she was getting at.
“And that garage right there? My dad used to go out there to drink beer and work on his cars that he’d buy and rebuild. I have so many memories here.”
“Baby,” he whispered, “you don’t have to sell it. You can keep it, but there’s not enough room here for all of us. Soon there will be another person. You can move into my house—our house—and keep this one. No one said you have to get rid of it.”
She was elated to hear that he understood. “Are you sure? I figured you’d want me to sell it, and I’m not ready to do that.”
“I’m positive,” he reassured her.
Over the course of the next week, they hired a moving company to help Kelly pack up her house. Emma finally returned to school and was happy to be back. She was even more excited to move into Dave’s humungous house and bragged about it to all of her friends. For once, things seemed to be looking up for everyone. After they had been all moved in and settled, Kelly thought about her upcoming wedding.
“Dave, I wanted to talk to you about the wedding,” she said as he came in from work one evening.
“What about it?”
“I would really like to be married before the baby’s born, but I’m worried that I won’t have enough time to plan everything,” she confessed.
“Hm,” he thought about it, “what if we hired a wedding planner? How soon were you thinking?”
“I’m not sure, maybe before I start showing. That would give us a couple of months.”
“Yes, it would,” he agreed.
“Emma’s doing so much better since the doctor started her on Humira. I think this would be the perfect opportunity to take advantage of that; I’d like to have her in the wedding.”
“That’s a fantastic idea. What would you have her do? Be the flower girl?” he suggested.
“Yes, I was even looking online and found a beautiful flower girl dress that would look amazing on her.”
“Call around tomorrow, see what you can come up with and hire a wedding planner.”
The next morning, she searched wedding planners in the St. Louis area and began calling around. Most of them said that it wouldn’t be viable to plan a wedding in such short time. The more she called, the more discouraged she started to become. Just when she was about to give up, she saw one wedding planner who advertised short notice weddings. With an inkling of hope, she dialed the number and hoped for the best.
“No, that wouldn’t be a problem at all. We’ll have one of our planners organize and help you plan every detail of your wedding. We offer a wide variety of services, you just tell us what you need and we’ll see to it that it gets done.”
Those words were music to her ears. She hired them on the spot. Within a few days, a woman named Ann was knocking on her front door with a clipboard in hand, ready to plan her special day. The two of them sat at the kitchen table and poured over every single detail and idea that Kelly had in mind. By the time Ann left, Kelly was confident that her wedding was going to be something amazing.
A couple of months later, Kelly and Dave tied the knot as Mr. and Mrs. David Carr in his backyard. Under a white arched t
rellis elegantly decorated with white and red roses, the couple read their vows and said their ‘I Do’s’ on a warm early-summer afternoon. Dawn was the maid of honor and Charlie was the best man. Most of Dave’s family flew in from L.A., including his proud parents, as well as his grandmother. While Kelly knew her parents wouldn’t be attending the wedding, she could feel them in spirit. Just as she met Dave at the in front of the podium that the ordained minister was standing behind, she caught a whiff of her mom’s scent—she knew her mom was smiling down at her.
Rescued by the Billionaire (Billionaire Romance Novel) Page 15
