The Suspicious Proposal (9 page)

“I didn't tell him about the baby, so he thinks I'm not pregnant. I told him that he has to wear a condom with me every time we have sex so there's no chance I can get pregnant. I told him that so that I would know if he was trying to trick me or not, you know, to get me pregnant so that he can get the money, but he means it. He's willing to let everything go just to be with me. This is real love, Lena, and I am going to marry him."

She felt so excited and happy, and she knew that it would be tricky with Lena, but all the same, she wanted her support. Brittany might have forgiven Logan, but Lena had no emotional ties to him and it might take her a little more time to let go of the frustration and anger she felt for him.

Lena muttered something under her breath. "Britt, honey, I love you, and I want you happy. You haven't sounded this happy in a long time, and I want to see you stay this happy, but it's just crazy that you are taking him back. It's going to take me a while to forgive him."

"Oh Lena! Please be my maid of honor! Please!" Brittany begged and pleaded. "You don't have to forgive him right away, but at least be there with me and support me, and please help me keep the baby a secret. I don't want him to know I'm pregnant for at least two months," she said in a low tone. "After what he put me through, I don't feel bad about that at all. He can wait to find out. It will be a nice surprise later."

Lena laughed at her. "I agree. I think that's the best way to do it. I'll tell you what. I'll be your maid of honor and celebrate with you in your wedding, but he's not going to hear about the baby from me at all, and it may be a while before I forgive him for what he has put you through. Just so you know where I stand."

Brittany chuckled. "Fair enough,” she said happily. "Thank you so much. I know it's asking a lot. I know you'd rather just not like him, but you gave Darren a second chance, so I'm thinking that since Logan really does love me, maybe you could find a way to give him another chance, too."

"We'll see,” she told Brittany.

Two days later, she answered her door to see Darren standing there.

He looked at her hand before he looked at her eyes, and his gaze stayed on the diamond she was wearing. She knew in that moment that he had already heard, and he had come to be sure that he had heard the truth.

"Come on in,” she told him with a smile.

He walked in and when she closed the door, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her close to him for a long moment.

"Darren," she asked him, "are you alright?"

"I'm alright," he answered her. "I just wondered if Lena was right. I saw her this morning and she told me the wedding was back on. I couldn't believe her. I had to come see for myself that it was really true, and I guess I can see that it is." He spoke quietly as he held her in his arms and then he leaned back slightly.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a hint of pain in his eyes. "Are you absolutely sure that there is nothing else that you want more?"

She nodded. "I'm sure."

He shook his head then, gazing at her as if he was desperate to help her see something that she couldn't, and before she could respond or move, he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her softly and tenderly.

She gasped as he moved his mouth over hers, holding her firmly to him and trying to show her what she was missing.

She pushed him away, pressing her hands against his chest, and he looked at her in surprise and anguish as she moved back a few feet from him.

"Darren! You can't do that! I'm engaged to another man. It means something to me, and this ring should mean something to you. It should show you that there is another man who has made a commitment to me and that he and I are both taking it seriously. I know you are trying to show me how you feel, but you can't do that!"

He shook his head and turned away from her. "I know. I'm sorry... I wasn't going to do that, I just got here and I couldn't... I couldn't let you make this decision and change your life without showing you what you will be missing if you are with him instead of me. I can't let you just go on with him without telling you... without trying to show you. I love you, more than anything, and I want you, too, Brittany."

Brittany looked at him in sympathy. "I'm sorry, Darren. He is what I want, and spending my life with him is what I want. I know you have changed, and I know you are putting me first now, but it's too late for us. We can be friends, but that is all that we are ever going to be. That's all that I can offer you. I'm sorry. We had our shot, and it didn't work out."

Darren sighed sadly and nodded. "I thought it would go this way, but I had to try. I had to show you, somehow."

She sighed and took him into the living room to sit down and talk with her.

"Darren, you are changed now, and you are a different person, and I can see that. There's so much about you that is different, and so much that I think would be wonderful for a woman, any woman, to be in a relationship with you. I think if you try to commit yourself to any other woman, you are going to succeed, and it will be great.  It just isn't going to be me." She reached out and held his hand.

He nodded. "I wanted it to be you, but I guess I screwed up so much when I had you that I should have known that it just wasn't going to work. I changed for you, Brittany. I changed so that I could get you back."

"You should never change for another person, Darren. Always change for yourself because that's what you want and what you need, okay? Don't sell yourself short. You are a good man now with a good heart; one that will be a gift for some woman who will be love you as much as you love her. The two of you will have a beautiful life together. You're ready for it now.

“What happened with us... well, those were mistakes that we made and we both had to learn from them and go on, and we have. Now things are so much better for me, and you are a much better person and you're ready for the best kind of relationship. You're ready for dedication and love, and I am sure that it will come to you. It's just going to be with another woman, and you can still be friends with me if you want to be, but you'll have to understand that I am going to marry Logan Grayson and that is what I'm doing with the rest of my life. You need to respect and understand that."

She let go of his hand and watched him to make sure that he understood her. She saw the comprehension in his eyes and she knew that he was finally accepting that he was going to have to let her go.

"We can be friends, and I want that. You're too amazing to lose, but I don't think I will come to your wedding. I hope that is okay. I mean, I wish you the best and I want you to be as happy as you can be, but I just don't think that I could come and watch you marry another man. You understand, don't you?" he asked quietly.

Brittany nodded. "I understand completely. I wouldn't hold that against you, so don't you worry about it. I just want to be sure that you're okay." She knew that he had somehow gotten it into his head that if he changed, he could have a chance at winning her back. He’d thought that there was a chance for them to be together again, after she broke up with Logan. Now she had to make sure that he understood that there was no way that they would be a couple again.

"You know, Darren, you've grown so much; just as a person, I think it would be easy for you to find a lady who could help you grow more, and then you might have more confidence in yourself and your chances with women. You're so different than you used to be, and even if I was single, it wouldn't be right for us. I am sure that you can find someone who would be good for you. You just need to have some confidence in yourself and go out and look." She smiled warmly at him.

"I just wish it was you, that's all. I am ready to begin a relationship, so maybe I'll do what you say, and go out and see about meeting some new women and maybe something good will happen. She won't be you; none of them will ever be as good as you.  I wish I had known that before I hurt you, but I know it now, and you're right, that will make me a better man in a relationship with someone else.

"I'm lucky to count you as a friend," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze. "I do want to be sure about your engagement, though. Are you positive that Logan isn't going to hurt you again? I hurt you pretty bad but I never saw you as upset as you were after he did you wrong. I just want you to think about it real hard before you give the rest of your life to a man who probably hurt you worse than any other man ever has," he said seriously.

Brittany knew that he would bring it up, and she was ready for him. "I know, and I appreciate your concern. I have made sure that he and I will be okay. We talked about it and I have a couple of other little things up my sleeve that will show me just how serious he is about me. I know he and I will be okay, and that's something that I was really careful to make sure of before I made any decisions about taking him back.”

She leaned forward and looked at Darren seriously. "I love him. I want to spend my life with him, and now I can make sure that he wants to spend his life with me for all of the right reasons. I really appreciate your care and concern about it, Darren. Thank you."

He nodded and shrugged. "Just looking out for you. You might not be mine anymore, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about you and want the best for you. I'm always going to want the best for you, and I am always going to care about you."

He stood up to go and Brittany hugged him tightly and patted his shoulder. "Just a word of advice..." she offered covertly.

Darren gave her a side-glance. "Yeah? What's that?" he asked curiously.

"Try to look for women outside of a bar,” she said lightly, but with a subtle hint of her experience with him.

He laughed out loud. "I've already done that. I know exactly what you are talking about. Don't worry, I'm way ahead of you on that one. I'm steering clear of the bars."

She walked him to her front door, hugged him once more and before he turned to go, he looked at her with a genuine smile and said, "Congratulations, Brittany, I am glad to see you this happy. You deserve it."

She could easily see that he meant it, and it felt like everything that had gone wrong between them had been fixed and they would be able to go forward as friends together for a long, long time.

"Thank you, Darren, you take care,” she said as he walked down her steps and she closed the door.

The Final Chapter

It was a beautiful afternoon and the garden of the hotel on the beach was decorated elegantly with flowers and ribbons, candles and fountains. A chamber orchestra played softly and a woman with an arresting voice sang to the guests as they were seated.

The days leading up to the wedding had not been too stressful on Brittany, but she was glad that her wedding day had finally arrived. Lena was helping her with the final touches of her dress, which only just fit her as it had. Her body had begun to swell slightly, but not so much that Logan had noticed or realized what was happening with her.

She thought about when she had talked to Darren just a couple of days after she had called Lena, and she had felt bad about telling him what was happening. She was relieved that he had accepted it and though he warned her to be careful, he had wished her the best, although just as he had said, he did not come to the wedding. She was alright with that, and she was fairly sure that Logan was as well.

Lena fastened Brittany's necklace around her neck and Brittany turned to look at her with tears in her eyes. Lena had been one of her best friends for a long time, and she would continue to be for the rest of her life. They were sisters of the heart in every way.

"You are such an incredible friend. Thank you so much, Lena, for everything. I am so grateful to have you here with me." She reached her arms around Lena and hugged her tightly.

Lena hugged her back. "I'm glad to be here. I still haven't forgiven him, but I am glad to be here for you. It's such a special day, it's so wonderful, and I wouldn't miss it for anything."

They smiled at each other and walked out of the dressing room.

When Lena appeared at the head of the aisle, the music began to play. The guests turned to watch as she made her way down the aisle, and then Brittany followed, her long white dress trailing behind her, her veil frosting her dark skin and hair, and the gown clinging to her lovely curves.

She reached Logan and smiled at him as he lifted her veil. He looked stunning in his tuxedo, with blue accents that brought out his eyes and made her swoon, feeling like she was awake in a living daydream.

They spoke their vows to one another, promising to love each other always, to remain true and to cherish each other until their lives were done.

The pastor pronounced them man and wife and then Logan took her in his arms and kissed her softly and sweetly.

She knew as he kissed her that even though they had faced trials and challenges, and even though there had been a bad breakup between them and a subsequent renewal of their relationship, he was exactly what she needed and wanted for the rest of her life.

She knew without a doubt that she had made the best decisions and the right ones for them both. She knew that their love was true and real, and would last all of their lives.

The sweetest surprise of their wedding came when he took her aside and showed her a large, delicately wrapped box. He held his hand out in reference to it.

"This is something special for you," he told her, kissing her softly before he stood back to let her open it.

"What is it?" she asked curiously, as she began to take the paper off it. As she pulled the paper away, the gift beneath it made her gasp as she caught sight of it.

"It's the painting I love! From the art show at the gallery the night we met! Oh my gosh! Logan! How did you get it! I thought it was sold that night!" She grinned at him, standing up and wrapping her arms around his neck.

He laughed lightly at her.

"I bought it that night. I had a feeling that if things went well with you, I would want to give it to you at some point, but I never did think that it would be at our wedding. I am so glad to give you something you loved so much on our wedding day. This painting was the first thing we talked about, do you remember that?”

Then he corrected himself and smiled. "Well, you were talking about it. I was talking about you. I just couldn't take my eyes off you, and now I never have to." He breathed happily and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her and kissing her.

"Thank you so much," she told him blissfully, loving the painting and his thoughtfulness, loving his kindness and his generous nature. "You are the best."

"Sometimes..." he nodded, "I can do alright," he winked at her and kissed her again, "Mrs. Grayson."

They spent their honeymoon at a resort on an island, and she was careful to hide her growing belly from him. She had hidden the fact that she didn't drink at the wedding by making sure that her champagne was white grape juice, and at the resort, she drank juice and virgin daiquiris. She enjoyed discovering that Logan had meant every word of what he said, and every time they had intercourse, he had used protection, just as she had asked him to.

He had been certain that there would be no way that he could get her pregnant, all the while believing that he was going to lose his birthright and his inheritance. All the while choosing her above and beyond it for love.

She was wondering how and when to tell him that she was going to have his child, and she began to think that their honeymoon was just the right time and place.  The moments came and went, and none seemed right to her until he was dancing with her beneath the moonlight on their balcony, just off their room, and she looked up at him with a sweet sexy smile, and he gazed back down at her, holding her close to him.

"What is this look?" he asked her, raising one eyebrow.

She shook her head. "This is so luxurious here... and I know it's your lifestyle, but it just amazes me that you're willing to give it up for me."

He looked away from her for a moment and then looked back at her. "We've been through this. I love you, I love you more than anything, so we might be able to enjoy this kind of a lifestyle until my birthday, but after that I am not going to care that it's gone, because I will be with you, and there is nothing more important in this world to me than you. I think I've proven that to you by letting it go."

She kissed him softly and smiled at him. "You have. Now, there is something that I want to tell you; maybe you can think of it as a little gift. When you have your birthday this year, you will have a lot of gifts, I think, but the sweetest of them will be a baby."

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited to see what he said. He looked at her and blinked in surprise.

"How can that be? We have been using protection the entire time we've been together,” he said in confusion.

She shook her head. "No, we were not using protection before the break up. I didn't tell you, but I found out that I was pregnant while we were broken up and when we got back together, I wanted to be sure that you really wanted me for me, that you truly loved me and that you wouldn't try to get me pregnant just to save the money. I'm due a month before your birthday. You will get to keep your inheritance, your home, and your businesses."

He stopped dancing and stared at her, his mouth falling open slightly. Tears formed in his eyes and he grinned at her. "You're serious? You... you are pregnant? You're going to have a baby?"

A smile flashed over his face and took over all of it, making him almost glow. He picked her up in his arms, spun her around as he yelled out, then set her down, and kissed her hard before looking at her and laughing.

“You lied to me!" he said with a gasp and mock horror.

"It was my turn," she told him with a sly look.

He shook his head. "No more lies from either of us." Then he laughed again and touched her face. "We're going to have a baby. I can't believe it. I don't think you could possibly have surprised me more, or made me any more happy. This is the best gift ever. Thank you,” he said happily, kissing her gently and then looking down at her stomach in wonder and touching it gently.

"It's really in there... growing right now..." he whispered.

"That's right. Growing fast. I wasn't going to be able to keep it from you for much longer." She laughed.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "And all this time you've been having me make love to you with protection on, thinking that you couldn't get pregnant. Well, tonight, my love, you are going to make love with me and I am not wearing anything with you, but my smile!"

Logan winked at her and teased her all night long, but when he took her to their bed that night, he took his time loving her, running his hands and mouth all over her body and making her tingle with anticipation and shiver with bliss as he loved her deeply and passionately.

Their honeymoon took on a different feel after that, as they shared in the secret joy of the baby she was carrying, knowing that they were going to have a family together. She would have thought that he could not be happier than he was when they were married, but he seemed even happier after the news of the baby.

When their honeymoon was over and they returned to the house, he helped her get moved in and she began to grow accustomed to a very different lifestyle. The servants in the household also grew accustomed to their new mistress, and over time the changes smoothed over and everyone became more comfortable.

Logan and Brittany designed a nursery very close to their own room, doing all of the work on it themselves and preparing for their baby. They let Sherman know that there would be a child in time, and he went to work on the documentation to hand over the estate and inheritance to Logan. He also prepared final wills for both Logan and Brittany.

About three weeks before Logan's birthday, Brittany was coming out of the shower when her water broke and gushed all over the bathroom. She gasped and then yelled, calling out for Logan.

He came running for her, his eyes wide and panic in his voice.

"Are you alright?" he asked her worriedly, but one look at her face and he knew that things were not alright. He rushed to her and clasped his arms around her shoulders. "What is it?"

She planted her hands on her massive belly. "It's time!" she said as she looked from her belly up to him.

It took a few moments for the words to sink in, but he gasped as well and then rushed to get her some clothes to wear and her suitcase for the hospital. Within minutes, he had her dressed and in the car, on their way, and within half an hour, they were checked into the hospital and she was being wheeled to labor and delivery.

The nursing staff gave them both hospital clothing to wear and the delivery nurse checked her dilation and told them that the wait would be a little while, offering to have the anesthesiologist come in and give Brittany an epidural. She accepted the offer gladly, as the contractions were twisting her with pain and with each one it seemed to feel worse, and she would cling desperately to Logan's hand.

He only looked at her helplessly, offering her encouragement and support, until the drugs were inserted into her spine and she was able to relax and breathe a lot easier.

After several hours of waiting and breathing, she was dilated enough that the nurses and doctor came into the room and told the couple that it was time to deliver their baby.

Logan could not have looked more proud or happy, and Lena, who had come to the hospital, got ready to go out to the waiting room to wait for the news. As she leaned over Brittany to kiss her and hug her, she said softly, "Remember that day in your bathroom when you found out and I told you that you would look back at that day as a blessing?" she asked.

Brittany nodded. "It was a blessing. You were right, and this day is a blessing as well; the biggest one of all. Thank you for everything," she said, hugging her friend one more time before she left.

The nurses and doctors got to work, and after nearly half an hour of pushing, Logan and Brittany's daughter, Erica, was born. She had her mother's dark hair in a halo of soft curls around her head, milk chocolate skin, and big blue eyes that were identical to her father's.

When Logan, Brittany and little Erica were taken to their room to rest and relax, Logan pulled an envelope out of the baby bag that they had brought with them to the hospital.