by Virna DePaul
All she could do was stare. It couldn’t have been more perfect had she designed it herself. Something about the room made her want to stay, work it out, raise the baby with Alec, with or without marriage, but at least living together. Possibly.
“Ruby, you aren’t saying anything. It’s freaking me out. Are you okay?”
She wasn’t okay, but not for the reasons he feared. Going to the crib—a beautiful piece of furniture made of walnut, the blankets a plaid with green and blue stripes, she could only touch the soft cotton sheets and choke back tears. When she stepped to the bookshelf filled with all kinds of picture books, a sob finally escaped.
He did all this for me.
Because he loves me, and he loves our baby.
“Ruby?” He peered into her eyes.
The thought only made her cry harder, especially when the next thought she had was: I’m in love with him, aren’t I? Yes, I am. Stop being stupid and accept him already.
“Shit, Ruby, don’t cry. Why are you crying? Do you hate it? We can change whatever you want. I told the designer that the mobile was too much, but she insisted—”
Ruby shook her head before shushing him. “It’s perfect, Alec,” she said through tears. “It’s absolutely beautiful. I’m crying because I’m happy. I never could’ve imagined a better nursery for our baby.”
At that, his face transformed into that wide smile she loved so much. He held her close, stroking her back as she cried. When she finally got her emotions somewhat under control, he showed her every nook and cranny of the nursery.
“See the animals on the wall? I did those. Took me forever to get them right, but I think they came out pretty good.”
He’d painted them himself?
He’d actually painted their baby’s wall art?
Then, Alec pointed to a giraffe stuffed animal that looked like it’d seen better days. “And that’s mine from when I was a baby. I asked my mom for it. I told her about the baby. I wasn’t sure how you felt about me telling, but it’s my mom. You know she’s private, Ruby. She won’t tell a soul. What she did say was that I would be the biggest idiot ever if I didn’t marry you.”
She coughed back a laugh, then picked up the giraffe to stroke its soft head. “I love it, Alec,” she murmured. Looking into his dark eyes, she said, “I’m serious. I was worried that you’d done this, worried that it would be all wrong, but…”
“But?”
“But you’ve given me no reason to be afraid of anything,” she said, and he sighed with relief. “If anything, you’ve done everything right.”
“And that’s bad because?”
“Because I keep feeling like I’m in a dream. Like something is going to go wrong. Like life—or you—can’t be this perfect. I don’t know what the future will bring. I don’t even know how I’m going to feel tomorrow, but I can tell you right now that I love you. Thank you for this.” She wrapped her arms around him and melted into his frame.
She loved him. There was no denying it.
“Even though I drive you crazy?”
She nodded, overcome with emotion.
His eyes darkened, and he took an unsteady breath. “God, Ruby, I’m so glad you said that.” He cupped her face in his hands, tenderly stroking her cheeks. “I love you, too. I know we’re going to be so happy with this baby. I know you don’t want to talk about getting married, and this wasn’t a ploy to get you to marry me. I just really wanted you to see how excited I am about this. I’m here for you, Ruby. And for the baby.”
She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back, and they stood like that for a while, simply enjoying each other’s warmth. Ruby inhaled Alec’s scent, loving that he smelled so good. She didn’t know what it was—his soap? Some cologne?—but every time she was near him, she couldn’t get enough of that smell. She inhaled his shirt, her body heating.
It was the first time she’d felt anything other than fear, sadness, and desolation. It was also the first time she’d left the loneliness of her townhouse in a week. Being at Alec’s was good for her, she surmised.
She tipped her head back to look at him. His eyes were dark, searching. His nostrils flared, and she felt him breathing harder. Touching his chest, she pressed a hand against his heart and felt it pound beneath her fingertips.
“Ruby,” he said gruffly.
She loved how he said her name. His voice had entranced her the moment she’d first heard it. She stifled a smile, wondering if she loved how he smelled or how his voice sounded more. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed her mouth to his. He didn’t react for a millisecond, but then he took control of the kiss.
I lied, she thought to herself, I love the way he tastes the most out of everything.
When he pulled away, he tipped her chin up the way he loved to do. “You know what made you pregnant, right?” he asked.
“Sex?” She laughed.
He shook his head. “My super sperm. It blasted right through that birth control and made it all the way up there.” He flexed his arms and chest. “You gotta admit, that’s pretty damn impressive. Am I right?”
Ruby slapped his chest and rolled her eyes. “Oh, you would say that.”
That night, he made her dinner, and when he took her to bed, when he thrust inside her, completely bare, completely hers, she reveled in it. The openness. The freedom. The lack of worry, if only for one night. She whispered how much she loved him, and when they came together, Ruby knew they were meant to be. It didn’t mean they needed to get married, though. She’d stick firm with that. But no matter her own reservations, or her fears about her father or her job, or about the future in general—they were destined to love each other. And their little one on the way.
Chapter 18
With each day that went by, Alec’s restlessness grew. Not only because he had a baby on the way but because he couldn’t do much about it. Ruby had let him back into her life, and that was good, but he still hadn’t been able to convince her that getting married was the best thing for them. According to Ruby, she still believed Alec wouldn’t consider marriage, much less having kids, if it hadn’t been for this surprise being forced on him.
She wanted to be with him. She accepted and even rejoiced that they loved one another. But because of the way things went down with Colleen, with Alec telling her he couldn’t marry her and pulling out of their engagement, Ruby seemed to think that she and the baby were a similar situation. It didn’t matter how many times he told her that it wasn’t—that he was actually excited about the possibilities with Ruby, that she should move in with him immediately—she would shake her head and say he was just being a good guy.
Since when had being a good guy been a bad thing?
Those excuses drove him insane, so much that he had to get away for the evening. He called up Kyle and Heath, agreeing to meet them down at the bar for a while. Ruby was home working, and there was no practice tonight.
“Jesus, you look like shit,” Kyle said, as Alec and Heath sat across from him at Duffy’s, their local hangout. “What happened?”
Alec had asked that his two buddies meet him for drinks, citing he had some things he needed to tell them. They’d agreed without asking for details, but they had no idea how deep the rabbit hole went. They were, however, about to find out.
“All right, you guys know that Ruby and I have been seeing each other,” Alec began with a heavy sigh.
“Is that what you kids are calling it these days?” Heath laughed, grabbing a napkin.
Alec gave him a dour look.
“Shit, buddy,” Kyle said, ordering a round of beers for the three of them. “Alec’s serious. So, what’s up? What’s going on? You guys having problems already?”
“No, that’s just it.”
“Is Colleen giving you shit about Ruby?” Kyle asked.
“Actually, she is, but I mostly ignore her. The problem is, things have been great. Really great. It took Ruby a while to accept my feelings for her, which are strong
. I mean, you guys know how great she is.”
Heath nodded. “She’s pretty fucking awesome. And Camille loves her for you. She talks about it all the time.”
“Yeah, so I even took her to meet my mom, which you know I never did with Colleen. I just felt…I don’t know…like she was the one.”
“I fail to see the problem, buddy.” Kyle sipped from his beer, passing the other two down the bartop.
Alec knew what he was about to say wasn’t going to sit well with his buddies. He’d already told them a mere three months ago that Colleen was pregnant, even though that ended up being a lie. Would they make fun of him for saying it again, only with another woman this time? “The problem is…Ruby’s pregnant.”
Two pairs of eyes stared back at him. Quiet. Assessing. Then, they looked at each other. Then, Heath burst into laughter. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Great,” Alec said, “thanks a lot.”
“No, I’m just…” Heath gripped his shoulder. “I’m shocked, but I’m happy for you. Right, Kyle? We’re happy?”
“Super happy, bro. Like, thrilled to death. I’m not kidding.” Kyle raised his glass, and the three of them toasted. “To Alec, the most fertile one of us three. I suppose you’re getting engaged soon?”
“Guys,” Alec said, shaking his head. “That’s just it. We’re not. Ruby doesn’t want to get married. She’s convinced I proposed because I’m just doing the right thing like I did with Colleen,” he finished before taking a long drink of his beer. “She thinks I don’t want kids for a while, because of something I said in the Sports Armour meeting. I don’t know how to convince her that I’ve always been crazy about her and I’m proposing because I want her. Even since before Colleen.”
Heath whistled. “Damn. I thought Camille and I had a complicated relationship.”
“Uh, who has a complicated relationship here? Me.” Kyle raised his eyebrows. “I’m the one dating a princess, you know.”
“Yes, and you’ll be her Prince Charming shortly, buddy,” Heath teased.
“Of that I have no doubt,” Kyle said. “So, what are you going to do?” he asked Alec.
“I don’t know.” Alec pressed his forehead to the bartop. “Honestly, I see things her way. I love her. I believe I would have asked her to marry me sooner than later, and that discovering she was pregnant speeded things along. But I love her. I really love her. I don’t see marrying her as a duty or burden, but a natural progression in our relationship. It would have happened eventually, I know that. Why can’t she see it, too?”
“There may not be anything you can do,” Kyle said. “She has to see it for herself, and the only way to do that is to give it time.”
Maybe Kyle was right—maybe it would just take time. All he could do was keep showing Ruby how much he loved her and hopefully, everything would fall into place.
“Another thing...” Kyle drawled. “Have you tried groveling?”
Heath nodded. “Sounds like you need to grovel, big time.”
“But I didn’t do anything wrong.” Well, maybe it was his super sperm’s fault, but hell, it wasn’t like he’d orchestrated getting her pregnant.
“Doesn’t matter,” Heath said. “You’re a charming guy, Alec,” Heath said.
“And that’s bad?”
“In this case, kind of. You go on press conferences to convince people of shit all the time. Ruby knows this. Ruby’s the one who encouraged you to do it whenever you were in trouble. Plus, the big one—Colleen told you she was pregnant and you didn’t hesitate to propose to her. Hell, even when you found out she was lying, you refused to tell anyone. You’re all about doing the right thing, even when it means acting your ass off. Yes, this time it’s for real, but you can see why she’d have her doubts.”
“She’s worth fighting for, right?” Kyle asked.
“Fuck yeah, man.” Alec looked up at them. “Never would’ve gone through this for anyone else.”
“Then, you don’t think twice about it. Just prove yourself over and over. Grovel. Eventually, she’ll see the truth, just like Arabella did with me.”
Alec winced at the reminder. Due to Kyle’s asshat father, Arabella had once thought Kyle had sold her out to the media. Thankfully, things had worked out for his friends in the end. Was it possible he and Ruby would have the same shot at happiness in the end?
“To Ruby seeing the truth.” Heath raised his glass, then Kyle and Alec followed.
“No, to the women who make us grovel,” Kyle said.
They clinked glasses.
“To the women who make us grovel,” Alec and Heath said at the same time.
Chapter 19
Ruby walked into the O’Brien PR offices for the first time in two weeks. As far as anybody knew, she’d had a terrible stomach virus that had knocked her out, kept her bedridden, but now she was back and ready to return with a vengeance.
Along the way to her office, everyone congratulated her on the Sports Armour contract. Way to go, Ruby. Congrats for corralling Alec, Ruby. How did you do it, Ruby? Everyone wanted to know. What special magic powers did she possess to make Alec LeBrun, NFL Bad Boy Extraordinaire, fall in line and behave like an exemplary model citizen?
She’d done it. By just being herself, giving him the evil eye when he needed it, and cracking her whip whenever he fell off the wagon. He’d done it, too. Love was an amazing motivator, and he’d wanted to prove to Ruby that he could be the man she needed.
He’d succeeded far more than he could have planned. Just by being Alec. The talented football player. Good friend. Generous hearted man who did house chores for his mother and played “tackle” football with kids with cancer and designed a nursery for his unborn child. With each hour that passed, he was starting to break down Ruby’s fears that he only wanted to marry her because of the baby. Because truthfully, hadn’t he shown her how much he cared for her before he even knew she was pregnant? Maybe it was she who needed to have more faith in Alec. She’d always had that faith in him as a football player. Could she have it in him as the man she loved?
Could she believe that her situation with Alec and the baby was nothing like what he’d had with Colleen and everything about what fate had in store for them so they could have the happily ever after they deserved?
She was thinking yes, and that made her heart feel lighter than she had in weeks.
So, then, why did she get a bad feeling, suddenly, when her father stuck his head out of his office upon hearing her return and demanded she enter his room immediately?
“My office. Now.”
A chill ran through her.
Was it the contract? Did it fall through? Did Alec do something stupid last night that just came out in the news? Her body fluttered with anxiety, which, mixed with pregnancy symptoms, was proving to be a recipe for disaster. “Yes, sir,” she replied automatically.
She couldn’t help but compare his tone to all of the times he’d yelled at her as a child for doing something wrong or not living up to her potential. A B+! Ruby Marie, you can do better than that. I don’t care how hard that test was. You’re going to make up this grade until it’s an A+.
She shook off the memories. She wasn’t a little girl or even a teenager: she was a “grown-ass woman,” as Alec liked to put it. To keep her mind steady, she thought of him, of his love for her and their baby. Both gave her the strength to walk into her father’s office and face his rage for whatever had happened.
She shut the door, but before she’d even sat down, Phil barked, “Is it true?” He whipped around and slammed a hand onto the desk, which made Ruby jump. “Are you pregnant with Alec LeBrun’s child?”
The blood rushed from her head, and she staggered to sit down. How had he found out? Swallowing, her throat dry, she croaked, “Yes, it’s true. But let me explain, please.”
Phil’s face looked like a volcano about to erupt, mottled with various shades of red and pink. “Ruby Marie, dating him was one thing. It was supposed to make him appear favorab
le in the public’s eyes. No one told you to go get pregnant!” he yelled.
This was definitely not how she wanted to tell her father that he would soon be a granddad. Tears rose into her eyes, but she pressed them back. “It wasn’t part of the plan, Dad. Things haven’t happened the way you thought.”
“And here I was, thinking you were sick at home. I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt and made excuses for you to everyone. Meanwhile, you were lying to me. I don’t know what makes me angrier—that you’re pregnant or that you’ve lied to me and your mother.”
“Dad…I’ve been waiting for the right moment to tell you.” Ruby wrung her hands and tried to figure out how he could possibly know. The only person who knew was Alec, and there was no way Alec would have thrown her under the bus.
Unless…
“I’m not a fool,” her father continued. “I saw your face in that interview outside the restaurant. Your relationship didn’t just start with that ‘celebratory kiss,’ did it?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Of course not. You have to be at least five or six weeks along.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you would do something so stupid and completely outside the bounds of decency.”
“Decency? Dad, Alec and I are in love. He’s asked me to marry him, and I’m beginning to have faith it’s not because he feels it’s duty, but because he truly wants me and the baby in his life forever. I know it’s not the way we wanted everything to go down, but it’s all going to be okay. I know it is.”
“You slept with a client, Ruby. That’s the first rule of professional boundaries. Never sleep with the client. And two, you lied about it. Three, you kept it from your own father.”
A hot flush of humiliation crawled up Ruby’s cheeks, but she refused to show her father how upset his words made her. “I’m sorry I lied to you as a boss. I am. But I’m not sorry I hadn’t told you yet as a father. You can be very hard on me, Dad. So much that I’ve hated myself for two weeks now, all because I got pregnant. I’m not the A+ child you’ve wanted me to be all my life. Sometimes I’m B+. So I got pregnant first, then got thinking about getting married after. So what. Life’s not perfect, and neither am I. But if you love me, you’ll be happy for me.”
