Gentlemen Prefer Curves: A Perfect Fit Novel (38 page)

“Don’t change the subject. Call your mother.”

“I will, if you forgive yours.”

“I’ll work on it. I love you,” he said. “You know that, don’t you?”

“I do,” she told him. He told her often but for some reason each time she heard it, it was like a little shock to her system. After all those
I love yous
she had said to him when they were first together, after all that time wondering if he ever loved her, he was now saying it freely. She believed him, but just like the first time together she wondered if this was all too good to be true. Something might happen that let him slip through her fingers.

“Are you going to stay over tonight?”

She took her hand in both of his and kissed his fingers. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

“I want you to stay more during the week.”

She knew that. She knew he hated it every time she walked out the door, but she wasn’t ready to stay with them all the time yet. It just seemed so soon. “What about if I promise to stay over on the weekends?”

“I didn’t want to disrupt Ruby’s routine, but we can come over and stay at your place if you don’t like sleeping here.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I like it here. I like your little house. It could use some better furniture and a couple of paintings on the walls, but it’s so cozy here.”

“Then what is it?”

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, afraid to tell him what she was really feeling. “If it doesn’t work this time, if you break my heart again, I won’t be able to survive it.”

“Well, shit.” He smiled. “I thought you were going to tell me something big.”

“Carter! It’s not funny.”

“I know,” he said softly. “I want to be married to you. I want to build a life with you, a home. I want to have babies with you. I want us to be us. What is it that you want?”

“I want the same things. Ruby asked me what French kissing was last week. And she wanted to know how people do sex! And today she asked me when I was going to become her mommy. I had answers for none of those, Carter. None! Except the French kissing. I told her what that was, but my point is, I’m not sure I’m ready for all of this. It’s happening so fast.”

“I know, Bell, but that’s just the way it is with us. I wish I knew what I could say to make you feel better about us. I wish I could tell that I’ll take it as slow as you like and wait until you’re ready but I’m going to be thirty-six soon. I found the love of my life and now I want to build a life with her. What’s the holdup?”

“I don’t know,” she lied.

I don’t trust you not to break my heart.

“I’m going to try,” she said, meaning it. She had to let go of the past, of that hurt that still clouded her heart from time to time.

“Thank you.” He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a long kiss. “I love you so much.”

“Kiss me again,” she ordered and he obeyed.

“Do you want to do something tonight?”

“No. I want to stay in this house with you and only put clothes on when the pizza delivery man shows up.”

“That sounds like a better plan,” he said into her mouth. “Shut the blinds. I don’t want to neighbors to see us.”

CHAPTER 23

My girl …

Carter watched as the black Mercedes his mother had rented for her trip pulled up in front of the house. He had missed Ruby. She had only been gone for twenty-four hours but he missed her a lot. The house almost felt different without her. Belinda had been there and he loved having her all to himself for a few hours, but that didn’t stop the constant thoughts about Ruby. The worry he always got when she wasn’t around.

The car pulled to a stop and Ruby jumped out, running at full speed toward him. “There’s my kid!” He caught her and kissed her curls, relieved to have her back in his presence.

“Daddy! Grandma took me to the toy store and she said I could get whatever I wanted but I didn’t want no dolls because I don’t like playing with dolls because they don’t do nothing. Grandma got me a scooter instead! But it came in a box and Grandma didn’t know how to put it together, she said she never put anything together in her life, so she gave a man fifty dollars to do it. But she said I couldn’t ride it until I got home. Can I ride it? Please?”

“I don’t know.” He looked at the pink scooter Belinda was helping his mother take out of the car. “You’ve never ridden a scooter before. I think we need to get you a new helmet and knee pads first.”

“But I just want to try it. Can I?”

“Oh, come on, Carter,” Belinda urged. “Just let her take it up the block once before we leave for dinner. We can pick up the pads after.”

He sighed, uneasiness creeping up inside him. It was the same uneasiness he felt when she rode a bike, roller-skated, and walked for the first time. “Okay. Just up the block and then we need to head out to dinner with Grandma.”

He set her down, watching her as she jumped on the scooter and pushed off. “Slow down, Ruby!”

“Relax, son.” His mother came up beside him. “She’s just having a little fun.”

“You shouldn’t have bought her that without asking me first. Ruby!” he called after her when she had whizzed past her fourth house. “That’s far enough. Come back!”

She obeyed and turned around and came back toward them, going faster than before.

“She’s amazing on that thing,” he heard Belinda say.

“She’s going to break her neck.” As soon as he said the words, the scooter started to wobble, Ruby quickly losing control. He watched her fall, her little arms flailing as she went down.

“Ruby!” He went after her. She wasn’t moving. Her eyes were closed and her body still when he reached her. “Ruby,” he choked out as he knelt beside her. His heart was pounding so hard he could barely breathe. “Open your eyes.”

“Ow.” Her eyes popped open and she stared up at him. “I hurt my butt.”

“Baby doll,” Belinda said, bending down to pick Ruby up. “You wiped out. You have to slow down. Okay?” She kissed Ruby’s forehead.

“You shouldn’t move her,” Carter warned. “She could be really hurt. She could have broken something.”

“I’m fine, Daddy,” Ruby said. “It doesn’t hurt no more.”

“She didn’t break anything.” Belinda waved off his warning and set Ruby on her feet. “You’re okay. Right?” She lifted Ruby’s shirt to check her back. “You might have a sore bottom tomorrow, but you’ll be fine.”

How could she be so calm about this? “She could have hit her head, or damaged her organs.”

“Didn’t you ever fall off a bike or out of a tree when you were a kid?”

“I think we should take her to the hospital just in case.”

“No, I don’t think we should. She’s fine, Carter. It was just a fall. You need to calm down before you scare her.”

“I don’t really care what you think,” he snapped. “She’s my child, not yours. I didn’t ask for your opinion. I’ll do what
I
think is best.”

Belinda paused, shock, then hurt, then anger crossing her face. “You’re right. She’s not my kid. She’s the baby you had with the wife I didn’t know about.” She shook her head and then bent down to kiss Ruby. “There’s an ice pack in the freezer if you need it. I’m going home. Call me if you need me. I’ll see you later.” She walked away from him. He knew he had gone too far.

“Carter,” his mother scolded softly. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

“I know. Okay. I know. Bell, wait.” He caught up with her just inside the house, grabbing her hand.

She snatched herself away from him. “I
really
don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you? Because you pulled that she’s-not-your-kid card pretty damn quick.”

“So you’re just going to run away.”

“Yeah, I’m pissed right now and don’t want to have an argument fifty feet away from
your
kid and mother. How the hell can you tell me last night that you want to be a family with me and then when it comes time for me to actually do some mothering treat me like my opinions don’t matter? If this is going to work you are going to have to share her with me. Fully. Not just when you need someone to babysit.”

“Wow.” He took a step away from her. “If this is going to work? You’re doubting us already.”

“How could I not? Everything was always your way or no way the first time we got together.”

“I never made you do anything you didn’t want to do.”

“No? We got married when you wanted, where you wanted, and how you wanted. We moved into your place. Hung out with your friends. We lived your life. You never once asked me what I wanted.”

“You never said anything!”

“You never asked. You never bothered to even ask what I wanted. And I never said anything because I wanted you to be happy. But now I’m telling you that if this is going to work I have to be allowed to have some input in her life. I don’t just want to be your wife. You’ve got to let me be her mother or this is not going to work.”

He was quiet for a moment as her words sank in. She was right, he knew she was, but it had always just been him and Ruby. He had almost lost her once and every day since then he had been terrified of really losing her. He had lost Belinda before and that was nearly unbearable, too. He couldn’t risk her walking out. She made him happy. This had to work.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t go.” He cupped her face, softly kissing her lips. “I’m not used to having someone here. It’s been me and her for so long, but you’re right. I’m going to try. You’ve got to try, too. You can’t walk away every time I piss you off. Because I’m pretty sure I’m going to be pissing you off a lot.”

He felt her relax. “I know. I need to stop walking away from you.”

“Oh, good. You’ve made up,” Bernadette sighed as she walked in with Ruby. “I’m not up for going out tonight. Come along, Belinda. I feel like Chinese, you like to eat. I’m sure you know where to get the best takeout from.”

*   *   *

Carter linked his fingers with hers as they walked up to the restaurant the next evening. They were going to have a nice dinner with Bernadette to celebrate Mother’s Day and her arrival.

“I kept passing this restaurant on my way to work and I thought it looked nice,” Carter said to her. “Have you ever been here before?”

“No,” she said distractedly. She couldn’t focus today. She hadn’t slept well last night. She kept thinking about their argument, how quickly Carter had thrown it in her face that she wasn’t Ruby’s mother and how quick she was to bring up past hurts. Maybe those hurts weren’t past. Maybe they were something she would never be able to get over.

“I have coupons.”

“Do you?”

“Yup, buy two entrées, get one free. I had to dig in the garbage behind my office to get them. I find the best stuff in that Dumpster. Where do you think I found my couch?”

“What?” She looked at him, giving him her full attention.

“You’ve been quiet all day.”

“I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I know,” he said softly. “I felt you toss and turn all night.”

“I kept you up. I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m sorry.” He kissed her forehead. “You know that, don’t you? I love you. I need you in my life.”

“I know, it’s just—”

Ruby ran up to them then, leaving her grandmother’s side. “Can we get frozen yogurt for dessert? I want Grandma to try it.” She slipped her hands into theirs, connecting them all.

“It’s up to Belinda,” Carter said. “I’m not sure she’s feeling well.”

“Really, Belinda?” Ruby looked up at her with worried eyes. “Are you sick?”

“I’m fine.” Belinda brushed the curls away from Ruby’s face with her free hand. “Of course we can go.”

She decided then to snap out of the funky mood she was in. She loved them both and that was a stronger feeling than any old hurt she had experienced.

They were shown to a small private room in the back of Carlotta’s Grille, which surprised Belinda. If Carter wanted this intimate a dinner, she would have cooked for them at home.

“You must be trying to impress your mother with this private room, but Bernie would have been fine with a bucket of chicken and a couple of beers at home.” She wrapped her arm around Bernadette’s slender shoulders. “Isn’t that right, Grandma?”

“I would have been perfectly content with a quiet dinner at home, Bertha, but this private room suits me just fine. Anything to spare the general public from your atrocious table manners. We chew with our mouths closed, dear. And use napkins instead of sleeves to wipe our mouths.”

“Belinda Jane Gordon!” Carmina’s voice caused her to whip around. Her mother never used her name, much less in complete form.

“
Mamá?
What are you doing here?”

“Your husband invited me, but I really came to find out what the hell this is.” She held out the box that Belinda had shipped to her house just the day before.

“It’s your Mother’s Day gift. You said you wanted a new cashmere sweater, and I got you one.”

“No, you had one mailed to my house. You didn’t give it to me. You didn’t call me on Mother’s Day. You sent a text message to my phone, which you know I can barely use. You didn’t call me, even though I went through twenty-seven hours of labor and got stretch marks on my hips bringing you into this world. What the hell has gotten into you?”

“We’re not speaking! Of course I didn’t call you.”

“You are the one who is not speaking to me. I am not the one who is not speaking to you.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, why didn’t you call me?”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because you’re both stubborn pains in the ass,” her father said. “Carmina, you have been sulking around the house for over a week. Junior, you need to talk to your mother. I’m sick of this crap.” He walked over to Bernadette. “I’m Belinda’s father. Bill Gordon.” He extended his hand. “We’re not always this loud and poorly behaved. Sometimes we are but not always.”

“Don’t be so nice to her,” Carmina said. “She was mean to my baby! She tried to pay her to leave her son.”

“Why do you care if she was mean to me?” Belinda shot back. “Wait a minute. How do you know she was mean to me? I never told you what happened.”

“You’re Bill Gordon,” Bernadette said in shock, ignoring them completely. “You’re the baseball player. You played for the Mets. My father adored you.” She looked at her son. “Why didn’t you tell me?”