The Battered Heiress Blues - By Laurie Van Dermark Page 0,33
little self-conscious, but he ran his lips over the raised red line, showing me that he loved all of me- even the wounded parts.
“If I hurt you, you have to tell me. We need to be careful.”
“We will be.”
Our bodies moved in unison as we pleasured each other for hours, rediscovering territory from years spent apart. Exhausted, I relaxed back into his arms, sipping the last of the champagne we had uncorked during an earlier break from lovemaking. He walked out of the covers to the table, retrieving the two boxes I had opened.
“The bible is too much.”
“It’s a loaner.”
“Oh,” I replied with great curiosity.
“You have two more gifts to open.”
He reached into the pocket of his jacket which hung off a hook above our heads, and pulled out two black velvet boxes.
“Open the larger one first.”
When I unbuttoned the closure and looked inside, I saw a silver pendant with the monogram JWG. As the W initial started to sink in, Henry opened the last velvet box and placed it in my hands. A stunning diamond ring was sparkling- the light bouncing off the meticulously cut facets.
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue…”
I panicked, putting my finger to his mouth.
“We love each other. Isn’t that enough?”
“Not anymore. Not for me.”
“Be serious.”
“I am serious Jewels. I want you to be my wife.”
“What does that mean to you? How does marrying me change our relationship?”
“We would live together.”
“-Doesn’t require marriage.”
“Financially, we’d be on more equal footing.”
“Never gonna happen. I’ll always have more money than you. You know it means nothing to me. Money doesn’t matter.”
“That is exactly the rubbish spouted by those who have it.”
“Even still…”
“I want to start a family. We can adopt.”
“That requires a good marriage.”
“You didn’t have one before,” he argued.
“Not funny.”
“It’s important to me. I’m a traditional guy.”
“Tell me why now?”
“-Because life is too short. We’ve lost so much time trying to make it without each other. We’ve never been very good at it. We leave mayhem and destruction in our path.”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not exactly commitment material, Tru.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You can’t balance work and a personal life. I know that. I don’t have the expectation that you can so the hurt is manageable when you leave. If I’m your wife, the expectations are different. If we have a family, the expectations are a whole lot different. A child deserves an involved father. I want the total package- marriage and family.”
“I want the same things.”
“Are you prepared to quit Spencer Industries? If my father finds out, he’ll fire you.”
“I’ll handle your father.”
“Even with his blessing, your job is not normal. You leave on a moment’s notice all the time. If our child has a basketball game or dance recital, and you get a phone call, you’ll leave. You know you will. Those disappearing acts get embedded in the memory of a child. I want to co-parent. I don’t want to be a married single mom.”
“I can give you what you’re asking for, but you have to give me the opportunity to show you that. Don’t just shoot me down based on speculation. Give me a chance.”
“-A chance?”
“That’s all I’m asking for.”
“Okay…one chance. For the next week, and I mean seven whole days, you can not do any business. No phone calls. No emails. No quick trips. If you can make me a priority for one week, I’ll give you an answer.”
“No business for one week and you’ll be my wife?”
“No business for one week and I’ll give you my answer.”
“Now, my condition. You have to wear the ring this week. You need a reminder.”
“Agreed. Do you need a reminder?”
“No Jewels. I promise. No business.”
Henry took the Tiffany set diamond out of the box and slid it on my left ring finger. I didn’t want to admit it to him, but I was ecstatic. The man of my dreams just asked me to marry him. I didn’t fold quickly. He would have to prove me wrong. God, how I hope he proved me wrong.
He kissed the ring and turned my hand over to kiss the inside of my palm. That always sent shivers down my spine. He moved up my forearm and to my shoulder, before pulling me on top of him. He pushed my hair back off my face and smiled.
“By the end of this week, you will be Mrs. Henry Truman Walker. Julia Grace Walker.”
“It does sound good.”
I stared down at the beautiful ring- a diamond that