“You’re not with him now,” he pointed out, his voice showing signs of irritation.
“I know. Another relationship gone to waste,” I said. “I’m not getting any younger. I need more time.”
“You have time,” he whispered.
I took a deep breath. “I need to find a guy who can fall in love with me and rush me to the altar. I cannot do that before I’m thirty. There’s just no way! I’m just starting to get over a breakup. Relationships take hard work. And I can’t just magically find a guy who can propose to me and save me from my family curse!”
He fell silent for a while. Then, he said quietly, “I’m sure you can figure this out, Brianne.” He pulled away from me and stood up from the bed. “Get dressed.”
“What? Why?”
“You’re not staying in this apartment an hour longer,” he said. “You can’t get over that guy if everything around you reminds you of him.”
“Where am I going?”
“I have a hotel suite that I have prepaid for a week, and I’m not using it,” he said. “Maybe it’s best you stay there for a while.”
“Are you serious?”
He raised a brow. “Do I joke about these things?”
I smiled. “No, you don’t.”
“Grab some clothes. You’re staying with me for a while.” And he exited my room, not giving me a chance to argue.
As I packed up my clothes and some essentials I knew I would need, I thought about what Travis told me. That I had time. He’d told me that before, but he said he’d leave it to me to figure it out.
I had to be married before I turn thirty-one.. How could I find a guy who would propose to me in such a short span of time? And even if I worked on a relationship really, really hard…like what I did with Chris…it still would not guarantee a wedding.
I needed at least another three years…to find someone. To fall in love again.
How could Travis think that I had time?
Unless…
An idea kept playing in my head…I would have time…if I called on Travis’s promise. If we got married, I would have years ahead of me to get my life back on track, and if I did stumble upon somebody and fall in love with him, it will be easy to divorce Travis and we go back to the way we used to be. If the guy I found really loved me enough, he would understand that the marriage between Travis and me was just an arrangement.
A month before, I had been hoping Chris would pop the question on my birthday! Now I was thinking of asking Travis to marry me instead.
I loved Travis so much. Could I really ask him to make that huge sacrifice?
Thirty minutes later, we were standing in Travis’s luxurious hotel suite.
“Wow!” I breathed. “This is expensive,” I said. “Do you have business in Connecticut that allows you to rent a suite like this?”
“I do,” he said. He stared at me for a moment. “You.”
I smiled. “Just me?”
“I meet with some investors here once in a while. But mostly, I come here to check up on you.”
“Must be a pain keeping tabs on me,” I murmured.
He raised a brow at me. “I’ve been doing that for more than a decade. Suffice it to say, you’re a part of my routine.” Then he took a deep breath and said, “And I would have done the same thing you did if another person asked me to give you up.”
I stared at him blankly. I hadn’t told Travis why I broke up with Chris. I’d just told him that Chris had been unreasonable and that he was jealous. But I never told him that Chris had specifically asked me to choose between the two of them. And that I’d chosen him.
“How did you know?” I asked him.
“Eric,” he replied. “He called me as soon as he dropped you off. He told me everything. I intended to pay Chris a visit first so I could give him a good beating before I came to your place, but I figured you would be alone and you needed me more than Chris needed a shiner.”
I smiled at Travis ruefully.
“I was waiting for you to tell me,” he said.
I shook my head. “You don’t need to know. I am such a burden already. You don’t need to feel guilty about this. You don’t deserve that.”
He touched my cheek with his palm. “You’re never a burden, Brianne.” He pulled me toward him and gave me a kiss on the forehead.
I inhaled the sweet, masculine scent of Travis. And now, more than ever, I realized that I’d chosen right. I would be ten times more miserable had I chosen Chris over him. Because I knew I could never lose him. I knew how painful it had been to lose Tom. It would be just as painful to lose Travis. No matter how cold, unattached, and unemotional Travis appeared to be, I knew he really cared about me. He was that one person I could always depend on…that one person who would never betray me.
“Nevertheless, do you want me to talk some sense into this guy?” he asked.
Even if Travis explained himself to Chris, we could never go back to the way we used to be. He’d been with Alana. He left her at his apartment at the exact time he knew I was going to drop by. He was rubbing it in my face that they were together now. That I was replaceable.
And Travis was right. This wasn’t me. I used to be fun! I used to be all colors and hues. I was reduced to the timid, insecure, boring little girl trying to fit into Christian’s world. I needed to find myself again.
“Do you want to? Do you think it’s the right thing to do?”
Travis stared back at me and he shook his head. “No. To both your questions.”
I nodded. “I thought so.”
“Although, I hope there is something I can do to ease your pain. To make things right.”
I looked up at Travis. I knew the time had come to call in the favor I’d asked him when we were sixteen years old. I needed time. He needed to buy me some! But it would be too much to ask. I felt like I was asking him for his life so I could extend mine.
I bit my lip and took a deep breath. “You’re right, Travis. I do have time…” I stared into his eyes and took a deep breath. “And I think I’m going to need it now.” I was not sure if he’d gotten what I meant, yet I didn’t want to say it directly.
What could I say? The choices that popped up in my head said, Travis, I’m desperate, will you marry me? and Travis, do you want to commit suicide now?
I didn’t think either was suitable at the moment. The first one was the best, but I’d be damned if I proposed to a man!
He searched my face. Then he closed his eyes and raised his face toward the ceiling for a while. When he looked at me again, his eyes were unreadable.
He took a deep breath. “This is not going to be easy for you, either, you know.”
I nodded. “I know. But I have you beside me, so nothing is too hard.”
“Brianne, I have needs…” he started.
“And you’re welcome to have them fulfilled as per usual,” I cut him off mid-sentence. “Just…don’t let my parents or my close relatives find out. Don’t have it printed in gossip columns…at least not for a year or two.”
He took a deep breath. He narrowed his eyes and said, “I need an heir, Brianne.”
That made me take a step back. “That…that wasn’t part of the conditions.”
“Your conditions. You haven’t heard mine yet,” he said.
“When? You’re too young to be a father,” I said.
“My parents had me when they were thirty-one.” His voice was hard, as if he was trying to make me understand one serious complication in our arrangement.
I took a deep breath. “In two years, we can have IVF if you really want. If…if by then, we’re still together.”
He narrowed his eyes. He shook his head then pulled me to him and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “You can be so naïve sometimes, Brianne,” he whispered in a frustrated voice. “It may be one of the reasons why you have me wrapped around your finger.”
“I do?” I was surprised. It wasn’t easy for Travis Cross to admit any sign of weakness. “I thoug
ht it was because Thomas asked you to give me everything I needed.”
“That too,” he replied. He sucked in a deep breath. “Just promise me we’ll discuss my condition after two years.”
I nodded. In two years, I might have found Mr. Right, or we could always discuss the possibility of having in-vitro fertilization.
Travis smiled at me. I didn’t know whether he’d said yes or no. I stared up at him.
“Sleep in the bed—I’ll take the couch,” he said. “I have a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll give you a call in the afternoon.”
Though I tried so hard, I just couldn’t force myself to sleep that night. It’s difficult when you don’t know whether you’re engaged or not. What would I tell my family? How would I introduce Travis? Had he said yes already? Was he my fiancé? Damn it! All these questions were killing me!
A while before, I had been crying my heart out because of my breakup with Christian. Now my heart was pounding wildly in my ribcage, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to jump for joy or reel with excitement.
Damn! Only Travis Cross could do this to me. After all these years, I still couldn’t figure out how he could evoke such feelings within me when he shouldn’t have had any effect on me at all.
***
I woke up at noon the next day. Travis was already gone. I contemplated going back to my apartment, but I knew that would depress me even more. For hours, I hadn’t thought about Chris. All I thought about was Travis’s answer and the status of our relationship. Was I supposed to introduce him as my fiancé? Should I call my parents?
Because I was getting restless, I decided to go to the dance studio. I danced my worries away, and for a couple of hours, it seemed to work.
When I got back to the hotel suite, I took a nice, hot bath. The phone in the bathroom rang.
“It’s six p.m.,” Travis said on the other line.
“And?”
“And you’re invited to join me for dinner at Le Divalle.”
I giggled. “Wow! That’s…expensive! And formal! Am I allowed to ask why?”
“No reason. I’ve arranged for the hotel car to drive you there,” he said. “See you at seven.”
When I got out of the bathroom, I was surprised to find a big box sitting on top of the bed. I must have been in such a hurry to take a hot bath that I hadn’t noticed it sitting there when I came in. I opened it. There’s a card on top of the tissue cover that read, Wear me.
I pulled out the cream silk cocktail dress from the box. There was a matching pair of sandals that came with it.
I tried it on. It hugged my body to perfection. It was backless, and the hem ended above my knees. I tied my hair into a bun and curled some tendrils to flow around it, and then put on very light makeup. When I put on the glass sandals that came with the gown, I was satisfied by my reflection. The girl staring back at me was far from Alana. Alana looked tough, like she meant business. The girl in front of me looked elegant and lovely. Her facial features were soft and angelic. She looked like the girl who could make even devilish guys like Travis Cross bend to her will.
I took my purse and then went down to the lobby.
“We have a limo waiting outside,” the concierge said, and he had a member of the hotel staff assist me to the entrance.
Before I got inside the limo, I heard someone call, “Brianne?”
When I turned around, I found Christian staring back at me. He had just valet parked his car. Alana’s arm was around his.
I raised a brow at him.
“You look… different,” he said under his breath. Alana gave me one antagonizing look.
“Why? Did I grow an extra head?” I asked him, raising my brow.
He stared back at me, quite dumbfounded.
“That was a joke. But I forgot you don’t have a sense of humor.” I took a deep breath. “Anyway, thank you, if you meant that as a compliment,” I said haughtily. “If you don’t have anything else to say, I need to go. Travis is waiting for me.” I turned my back on him and got inside the limo. From inside, I could still see him looking at me until Alana made a pout and pulled him away.
I had fresh pain inside my chest, but I knew I had to fight it. At least now, I’d managed to stun Chris for a change!
I was taken to Le Divalle. It was an elegant, strictly reservations-only restaurant and the most expensive in the city.
“Travis Cross,” I said at the reception.
Immediately, the receptionist smiled and led me inside the restaurant. I was hoping to see Travis at one of the tables, but I was led to another door.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Mr. Cross made special arrangements. You’ll be dining by the poolside.”
When she opened the door again, I was stunned to find the poolside decorated with candles and flowers. Even the pool itself was adorned with floating candles and a lighted balloon in the middle. There was a table at the center, with two waiters standing at the sides.
“Do you like it?” I heard Travis ask behind me. I spun around and found him staring at me. I couldn’t read the expression on his face.
He took my hand in his and led me to the table. He pulled a chair out for me.
“What’s all this?” I asked him. “And you had to make me dress up?”
“You look lovely, by the way,” he said.
I laughed. “Travis? I’m getting scared. What’s all this about?”
He shrugged. “I just want to have dinner with you. Take your mind off things.”
I raised a brow. “Promise? There’s no catch to this?”
He nodded. He motioned for the waiter to bring us wine. We had Greek salad as an appetizer and then finally, pasta and salmon were served as the main course.
It did take my mind off things. It made me feel loads better remembering Chris’s confused expression when he’d seen me earlier. And being with Travis here made me feel much more secure. The way he prepared everything was…as romantic as a fairy tale, and yet as comfortable as home.
“Where did you go today? You weren’t in the hotel when I dropped off the dress.”
“I was at the studio,” I replied.
“Figured as much.” He looked at me for a moment and asked, “Do you want to stay here, Brianne? Or do you have plans of living somewhere else?”
“Right now? I think a change would be good. I am…close to asking my mother to transfer me to another city. Maybe I could do well managing another branch. Or maybe even better, I’ll try painting something this time.”
“Good” He nodded. He reached somewhere under the table and handed me a box of Godiva chocolates.
I laughed. “You’re not planning to make me fat, are you? Or do you believe that chocolates are the best breakup buddies?”
He shrugged but instead of replying, he smiled at me crookedly.
I opened the box. It was a collection of heart truffles in milk, white, and dark chocolates. There was a huge heart chocolate in the middle with an engraving at its center.
Voudrais tu m'épouser?
My heart caught in my throat. I didn’t speak French, but I knew that phrase sounded so familiar!
I stared at Travis. He was smiling boyishly at me. But he looked nervous! For the first time, I saw a different Travis Cross. One that didn’t look confident of his calculated movements.
He stood up from his seat. He held a box in front of me and then he bent down on one knee.
I covered my mouth with my hands. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. He didn’t have to do this!
He took a deep breath. “Brittany Anne Montgomery, I promised to take care of you for the rest of my life. For years, you’ve been the only thing that I’ve cared about in this world, the only thing that I loved. You’ve been the only family I have. And now, I hope to make that official. Would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Brittany Anne Cross? Will you marry me?”
Tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t say anything. I felt like I was going to die any minute
.
I nodded. “Yes, Travis. I will marry you. You know I will!”
He chuckled boyishly and then he took my hand and slipped a huge diamond ring on my finger. He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed them.
He stared at me for a long moment, and then he took a deep breath before pulling me into his arms. The waiters cheered around us. And as if it wasn’t perfect enough, the skies suddenly lit in a display of spectacular colors.
“Did you do this, too?” I asked.
He nodded. “I wanted it to be perfect for you.”
I rested my head on Travis’s shoulder as we both watched the wonderful fireworks display. It felt… surreal. This was more than what I’d dreamt of. I’d hoped for a dreamy proposal from Chris, but not like this! What Travis did for me was not just a dream. It was a fairy tale!
I didn’t know this side of Travis. He was usually sarcastic, distant…unattached. He did show me that he had a loving and caring side. But this was different. This was nothing like the Travis Cross I’d known at all!
The Travis I knew, the Travis that everybody knew could be cold and ruthless. No one knew of his pains, his weaknesses, maybe except for me. He almost seemed invincible. I would never have expected him to propose to any woman like this. His proposal was so wonderful…so romantic…so perfect!
Travis was looking at me when I looked up at him. He wiped my tears with his fingers. “Why are you crying?”
I took a deep breath. “Why do you always have to make everything perfect for me? Why do you always go through all this trouble just to make sure my dreams will come true?”
I didn’t expect him to answer. But he held my face between his palms. “Because you deserve it,” he whispered.
“You didn’t have to propose to me!” I argued. “I asked you to do this. Why did you have to propose like this?”
He chuckled. “Because I will marry you. It’s not a fake wedding. The engagement is real. And every bride needs to be proposed to first before she gets married. You, more than anybody, deserved a proposal like this,” he replied. “In fact, if your ex-boyfriend hadn’t screwed up and had decided to marry you instead, I think I would’ve be disappointed if he hadn’t proposed to you this way…or at least some way close.” He looked me in the eye and added, “The engagement is official. You have a ring on your finger. So now, you can officially call me your fiancé.”