by Gigi Marlowe
"Dillon, I don't know what to say." Jill's hand lightly brushed her throat to remind herself to breathe.
"If we're going to talk about us, then we need the right venue for it. I couldn't think of anything better than an ocean view. Besides," Dillon added as he linked his arm around Jill's waist and pulled her aboard his vessel, "I still owe you that meal." Jill's heart beat wildly inside of her chest. So this is what it was like to be romanced. Once on deck, Dillon motioned towards the cabin. "I've picked out a few dresses that I think you'll like. You can choose whatever you want, to wear tonight and then keep the rest, if you want." Dillon looked at her sheepishly. "I'm pretty sure that I got the right size."Jill gulped as she thought about Dillon going through a store and looking at dresses with her in mind. She imagined him holding up various fabrics and thinking about how they would look on her. She blushed as she realized that to do that, Dillon would have had to consider very carefully what they would look like on her body.
She was unsure of why this thought made her feel shy. Dillon had seen Jill in her swimsuit many times when they were younger. Why, she had just gone on vacation to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland with him and her family last summer. He had gotten plenty of opportunities to see her in her swimsuit then. But this was different. This felt more intimate.
Dillon opened the door, and Jill gasped. In the room, she saw three delicate, stunning floor-length evening gowns awaiting her. Each had their own jewelry and accessories laid out beside it. Jill did not know what to say. Dillon had always told her he wanted to spoil her, but she had never let him before. She had not wanted him to believe that his money influenced their friendship.
"I can't accept this, Dillon."
Dillon walked into the room pulling Jill in behind him. "I think you should." Jill started to protest again, but Dillon cut in and said "I know you can take care of yourself. I know that you are not interested in my friendship," Dillon blushed, "or anything else because of my money. I know that you're interested in me. This is what I do for the people that I love. I want to spoil you, Jill, I always have."
Jill reached a tentative hand to the nearest dress. The fabric felt like silk beneath her fingertips. "Is this really okay?"
"This is more than okay." Dillon smiled and kissed her cheek and left Jill along to change.
She chose a beautiful dark maroon velvet dress with off the shoulder sleeves and a not too plunging neckline. Looking in the mirror before heading out to meet Dillon, she noticed how the deep red of the dress perfectly highlighted her light brown eyes. Jill pulled her hair loose from its messy bun and let it fall freely about her shoulders. As a last touch, she added a shade of the complementary lipstick Dillon had put near the dress. She looked stunning. Sophisticated, Jill thought to herself. Maybe I can date a billionaire after all. Especially if it's Dillon.
When Jill opened the door, she suppressed a chuckle when she saw single table set up in the middle of the deck. Rose petals trailed from the door of the cabin to the table and encircled the chair that was set up for her. She heard the soft swaying of light jazz music and turned to find its source.
Dillon really had thought of everything, she thought as she took in the sight of a small, three player jazz band. Dillon had also changed into evening attire. Jill was unsure of where he had gone off to, but she knew the yacht was so big it must hold many hidden places. Dillon now wore a dark navy blue suit with a sharp looking blue vest that had brown buttons. Jill smiled to see that he also wore a tie she had gotten him when they were in high school as a present. Maybe this can work, Jill mused.
There was no reason that it shouldn't. She was still the same person she'd always been, and Dillon was the same person he'd ever been. Nothing about who they were as people had changed. The only thing that was different was their feelings for each other.
"You look marvelous," Dillon said as he pulled out the chair for Jill.
She smiled appreciatively at him before bashfully saying "you do too."
Jill surveyed the linen covered table and then looked out over the yacht deck to the ocean. She saw that the sun was gently setting in a purple colored sky. Absolutely breathtaking. She watched the colors of the sunset mingle with the soft blue hues of the ocean and felt as if she was in a fairytale, and Dillon was her very own Prince Charming. But will our fairytale end with happily ever after?
The meal was lovely. Dillon had Jax prepare one of their favorite childhood meals. At first, the conversation had seen studded with hesitancy, but laughter soon overtook both Dillon and Jill. It wasn't long before she felt like nothing had changed, except her appreciation for a new side of Dillon. Jill could no longer deny her feelings for Dillon from herself. This was much more than infatuation. Once the sun had finally set in the sky, Dillon and Jill lounged in deck chairs and watched the stars as the waves lapped against the side of the yacht.
"I'm in love with you Jill. I think I always have been. It just took me a while to realize it," Dillon said as he squeezed her close against him to ward off night chill. Jill nestled in even closer to his side and grabbed his hand before resting her head on his shoulder.
"But what about our friendship? I'm just so scared that I will lose you," she admitted in a small voice.
"You'll never lose me," Dillon said. "No matter what happens, I will always be there for you."
"But what if I'm not sophisticated or feminine enough for you. You're a billionaire, certain expectations are a part of that."
"You are precisely the type of woman that I want, and need, in my life," Dillon said. He pressed his forehead lightly against hers before placing a hand on either side of Jill's face. "I don't know why it took me all these years to see what was in front of me all along, you... Jill Sinclair," Dillon whispered. With a contented sigh, Jill relaxed into the inevitability of her growing feelings. She was unsure if there was any better feeling than falling in love with her best friend.
"What do you think about this one, Conner?" Dillon pointed out a diamond engagement ring to one of his friends. It had been seven months since he and Jill had started officially dating, and Dillon had never been happier. Dating her was like a dream come true. Jill complimented him in every way he could imagine.
"That one's just as nice as the other one," Conner said with a smile. He stood next to Dillon and looked over the other rings inside of the display case. Conner matched Dillon in height and build. He had an easy-going demeanor and was rarely seen without a pleasant smile on his face. "I have to ask this, one more time," Conner scratched the side of his head, ruffling his dark blonde hair, "are you sure?"
"I have never been surer of anything in my entire life."
"More sure than you were with Abigail?" Conner watched Dillon from the corner of his eye. Dillon understood why Conner wanted him to be cautious, but Dillon knew something that Conner didn't. Dillon knew the way that Jill made him feel. She made him feel like he was the only person in her world who mattered. It made him feel lighter than air when she looked at him. Being with Jill felt like being in the presence of an angel. When she was gone, Dillon felt like all the color was drained from his world.
"Being with Jill makes me realize how wrong I was about Abigail. With Abigail, I was happy. But with Jill, I feel more than just happiness. I feel complete. It's the best of both worlds. I know Jill is always open to talk about anything. She knows the best parts of me and the worst, but she loves me all the same."
"Not many people find that," Conner said with a nod of approval. "I'm happy for you." He gave Dillon's shoulder a playful shove.
"Do you want to know how I'll do it?" Dillon asked. He was itching to share his proposal idea with someone. He had tried to tell, Lilly, but she had insisted that she remain clueless until Jill told her.
"This'll be good," Conner raised one eyebrow. "You always do know how to make the most grandiose romantic gestures. Do you remember the time you planned that elaborate scavenger hunt for Valentine's Day for Claria?"
"Hey now, that was a perfect scaven
ger hunt!"
"It took her three days to work out all the clues."
"Okay, so maybe it wasn't so great." Dillon laughed. He knew that he would never live that down. Both Conner and Jill had tried to warn him that Claria would not appreciate his meticulous planning. "But this will be different."
"What's your game plan?" Conner asked as he pointed out another ring to Dillon. Dillon shook his head. That one was too flashy for Jill, he thought to himself. He was looking for something with understated, timeless beauty.
"Ever since we were kids," Dillon stated as he pointed out a band to the store clerk, "Jill has always had a love for horses. In fact, I think that if she had been a few inches shorter, she would have trained to be a jockey." The clerk pulled the band out for Dillon to inspect. It was plain silver with a cluster of three small diamonds in the center. Dillon shook his head, and the clerk put the band back. "I plan on flying her out to the Kentucky Derby," Dillon added to Conner.
"That'll be a great place to propose. Are you just going to get down on one knee in the box then?" Conner pointed out another ring to Dillon and smiled. It was exactly what he’d had in mind.
"No, I want to do something more memorable than that." Dillon took a deep breath. "I bought two racehorses, Connor," Dillon observed his friend's face.
"Horses?"Conner's jaw dropped. "You bought the woman two horses?"
"It's gonna be great!" Dillon exulted. "When we were kids, Jill convinced me to go to a horseback riding camp with her,” Dillon chuckled at the memory. “It was so much fun, but not because I love horses,” Dillon recalled the sheer joy that Jill had been in. “Jill had the time of her life,” he continued. “I made sure to get two horses the exact same color as the ones we rode in camp. I named them 'Marry Me' and 'Jill.' Then when the announcer says their names at the starting line, I'm going to drop down on one knee."
"Don’t you think she'll be overwhelmed by it all?" Conner queried.
"No," Dillon assured. "Jill's never had someone who is willing to make big romantic gestures for her. She may act like she's above romance at times, but she really loves it at heart. I count myself incredibly lucky that I'm the one who gets to take her breath away." The store clerk handed Dillon the ring and a matching band in a box.
"You've really thought about this a lot, haven't you?"
"I know that I could have probably gone with something more simple, but I want to spend the rest of my life sweeping her off her feet. What better time to start than with our proposal?" Dillon beamed in triumph has he looked at the engagement ring. He was ready to propose to the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
"I brought over those sunglasses you left at my place," Lilly called as she walked into the room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Jill clutching the side of her dress so hard the whites of her knuckles were showing. "What's wrong?" Lilly rushed to Jill's side and sympathetically rubbed her twin sister's back.
"It's nothing," Jill said through gritted teeth. "Cramps, I think." Jill took a deep breath. "This will pass," she assured Lilly. "They always do."
"I know you've always had pretty bad cramps, but this looks a little extreme, even for you," Lilly stressed. She took Jill's hand and led her to a chair in Jill's kitchen. The bright mid morning light filtered in through a window, its brightness a harsh contradiction to how Jill was feeling.
"It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the pain," Jill begrudgingly admitted. "It feels like someone is pushing a knife through my pelvis and out of my back."
Lilly took a seat across from Jill with a worried expression on her face. "Jill, you've got to see a doctor about this."
"It always goes away after a bit." Jill breathed easier as she realized the pain was subsiding. "No big deal. See?" Jill stood from the chair and tried her best not to grimace. Her stomach ached from the constant cramps.
"What do you mean, always?"
"I've been having this pain for a while now. I keep meaning to go to the doctor about it but then it will go away or something will come up and it will slip my mind."
"Jill, this seems too important to slip your mind." Lilly put a concerned hand on Jill's shoulder. "Promise me you'll go to the doctor."
Jill shook her head. I can't go this weekend. You know Dillon and I are going to be out of town?"
"Just tell Dillon," her sister begged. "You know he'll want you to go."
"No, I can't." Jill knew that if she did tell him now, he would cancel their trip. "He planned this whole romantic weekend. It's not that serious."
"Wait," Lilly stared into Jill's eyes. "Have you told him at all?" She asked accusingly.
"No," Jill turned away from Lilly. "I'm not sure if I should. You know how much Dillon worries. Remember when I got my wisdom teeth taken out freshman year of high school."
In spite of herself, Lilly gave a small smile. "He got so nervous that the laughing gas would leave permanent brain damage that he had to research the side effects of each of the ingredients."
"Then he wouldn't leave my side until the effects had worn off," Jill added. "Think of how panicked he'd be if he found out I had the occasional back pain with my periods. He'd think I was dying of something."
"But it's not just the occasional back pain," Lilly vacillated, "I think you need to tell Dillon. Yes, there's a chance that nothing's wrong, but there's also a chance that something is wrong. And if that's the case, you'll want Dillon there with you. He might be your new boy toy now," Lilly joked, "but he's still your best friend."
As much as she hated to admit it, Jill knew that Lilly was right. She did need to tell Dillon. He would be crushed to know that she hadn't told him about her health problems, especially now that they had just started talking about building a future together. She didn't want any secrets between them. "When did my baby sister get so smart?" Jill remarked.
"Are you always going to hold it over my head that you're two minutes older."
"Naturally." Jill hugged Lilly close. "I'll go, okay. And I'll tell Dillon about it. But that's all going to have to wait until after our weekend getaway."
Chapter 8
Jill's eyes took in the magnificence of the Kentucky hills that rolled like gentle waves in the distance. As excited as she was for this weekend getaway with Dillon, she could not help but wonder if he had something up his sleeve. Even though they had only been dating for the past eight months, their history of a long friendship had taught Jill that Dillon loved surprises. She wondered with mild curiosity just what Dillon had in store for this particular trip. Suddenly, a sharp pain coursed through her, making her gasp.
"Is everything all right?" Dillon asked. He put his hand on her elbow and supported some of Jill's weight.
Jill did not want to ruin their weekend together. Dillon had worked very hard to keep everything a secret. She could tell that he was very excited about something in particular, and she didn't want her minor health concerns to get in their way. Although she had pledged to Lilly to tell Dillon precisely what had been going on, Jill didn't feel like just now was the right time.
"Yeah, I'm fine." she put on a broad smile and hoped that Dillon would not be able to tell that she was faking. Dillion watched her carefully, and Jill knew if she didn't distract him, he would soon figure her out. "So, Kentucky? This is unexpected," she said.
"You know how you've always loved horses?" Excitement flooded through Jill. She did love horses. When she was younger she had dreamed of owning her own horse, but back then she’d had to make do with summer horseback riding camps and vacations on ranches.
"Are we doing something with horses?" She asked trying not to get her hopes up too high in case she was wrong.
"We're going to the Kentucky Derby."
Jill felt like cheering. It had always been a dream of hers to go to the Kentucky Derby. "Oh, Dillon, this is amazing!" She grasped his hand and kissed him quickly on each cheek. The rest of the day was filled with shopping for beautiful dresses, shoes, and large brimmed hats that Dillon deemed
"fancy enough for a horse race". Jill would have thoroughly enjoyed herself if not for the increasing frequencies of her episodes of pain.
She wasn't sure when the right time to tell Dillon was. It just didn’t seem right whenever she thought of telling him. She felt she could not have told him while they were shopping because there were so many other people around. Then, at lunch, she couldn't speak to him about it because sitting on a private patio with him seemed too romantic a place for such dreary news. Especially since Jill assumed that is was just mild menstrual cramps.
And now, it seemed too late. They stood at the Kentucky Derby in one of the large, sprawling stables. Jill's heart soared as she took in rows of horses waiting patiently in their stalls for the races. The smell of horseflesh was as comforting to her as a warm fireplace on a cold winter's day. It was the warm earthy smell that made her feel like all of her troubles were insignificant. Dillon walked confidently down the aisle way of the stable.When Jill, caught in admiration of the barn's beauty, stood still in the doorway, Dillon turned to her and grabbed her hand.
"I have some surprises for you," Dillon grinned. "Two to be precise. Well, two that are here." Jill followed him in wonder. This was precisely how he'd been since they started dating. She got all the best parts of her best friend and all of the most impressive parts of having him as her partner. He was kind and thoughtful like always, but now he also was romantic. Dillon knew Jill's deepest desires almost before she could give voice to them.
It was a dream come true. She looked at Dillon now, leading her through a stable full of racehorses and thought to herself, I want to give this man everything his heart could ever desire. Jill allowed herself to get lost in a momentary daydream. She envisioned herself and Dillon returning here every year with two children. In her daydream, the children were each perfect little clones of Dillon, except for their dark red hair. Jill smiled and raised a hand subconsciously to her stomach, thinking about what it would be like to carry Dillon's babies.
