Is This What I Want? (20 page)

“Well, I didn’t sneak away to Paris, though that would be fun. Thanks to the Internet and a picture of the ring I’ve kept since that day, the owner and I were able to make it happen.”

I slid off my mother’s ring and put the new ring on her finger.

“This signifies a new start to our marriage, okay?” She nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks. I kissed the salted streams.

“Rick, this is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me. I love it. I just… I don’t understand… I don’t want to ruin the moment, but how can we afford…?”

Perfect
, I thought.
I couldn’t have planned it better. Well, actually, I did plan it
, I reminded myself.

“That’s exactly what you were supposed to say, because it leads to my next surprise.”

She sat straight up.

“Another surprise? I don’t know if I can take much more.”

She didn’t have to say it, but I knew her well enough to know she felt guilty about being excited and celebrating on the night of my mother’s funeral.

“My mom and I, well, we talked through how I would do all this tonight. She didn’t want us to be sad. She said it would help her when it was time if she knew I was going to follow through on our plan. So she’s here with us, I’m sure of it.”

Then a disturbing thought crept into my mind and I had to make my request out loud, just in case she really was there.

“But you’re going to have to leave pretty soon, Mom, because, uh, you don’t need to be part of what happens later.”

Beth burst into a fit of laughter. Then she covered her mouth to stop herself.

“It’s okay. It is pretty funny,” I said.

“So what’s the other surprise you and sneaky Miss Lucy have for me tonight?”

I exhaled and reviewed the way I wanted to say it first.

“She had a life insurance policy. Kelly and I had no idea. She never had much money, but out of the little she had, she kept up the policy.”

Beth looked incredulous. My mom was the most spendthrift person we both knew, except when it came to toys for her grandkids, but even those were usually from a discount shop.

“After taxes, our share will be just over two hundred thousand.”’

She swayed and I thought she might faint.

“You okay?”

“Did you just say…?”

“Yeah, I did. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it and I have an idea. But my mom made me swear that I wouldn’t do a thing with a single penny of the money without your approval. It’s not my money, it’s ours. So, you can say no.”

Her head moved up and down just twice, to let me know I’d better continue fast.

“I was hoping you’d be okay with me using half of it to start my own practice. You know how much I hate my job. It would be a little risky, but I have a lot of contacts and I’m pretty sure I would do all right.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course, that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard. I felt terrible about how unhappy you were at work but I couldn’t imagine what I could do to make it better for you. Why not use all the money to start the business, or should we set the rest aside as a financial cushion?”

A financial cushion. Clearly, I had influenced her more than I thought in our years together. And the response I was about to give would show how much she had rubbed off on me.

“Sure, a little cushion would be a good idea, maybe ten or twenty thousand. But I think we should use the rest to fix up the house the way you’ve always wanted to and to travel. Maybe take the kids on a trip to Europe next summer?”

She stood up and jumped up and down just like Sam did when we told him we were going to Disneyland for his birthday. Then she pulled me up too and as silly as it felt, I jumped with her.

We hugged and kissed and fell back onto the couch, breathless from our jumping celebration.

“So that’s it,” I said. “That was my last surprise.” She rested her head on my shoulder and I took her chin in my hand, looking deep into her sexy green eyes.

“Well, I might have more thrills in store for you tonight, if you’ll give me a chance. I don’t know if they’ll be a surprise, but it has been a while, over six months. The longest we’ve ever gone in ten-and-a-half years of marriage. So I hope I can control myself. I want it to be the way you want it.”

“The only way I want it is with you, only you, always. I had to learn that the hard way, and I’m sorry for what I put you through. But it’s all over now. I promised your mom I would never hurt you again. I promised her that since I was the only woman to take care of you now, I would finally be the wife you deserve. And she promised to be our guardian angel, to watch over us and fill our lives with love for each other and the kids and all our family. She said she’d be here to bless and protect us always.”

Beth started to cry again and I pulled her into me.

“Come on, let’s go. Let’s make a new start. Just us. Forever.”

Is This All There Is?
(Women’s Contemporary Fiction) Beth Thomas’ seemingly perfect life is about to take a detour. At thirty-five, she’s married to her college sweetheart, has two adorable kids, and finds fulfillment teaching part time at the local university. But when a friend persuades her to go dancing on a rare night out, a chance meeting with a handsome former student changes the course of her life.

Tripped Up Love
by Julie Farley
(Contemporary Romance) When Heather Meadows loses the only man she’s ever loved, her perfect, ordinary life is turned upside down. Little does she know that her world is about to be turned upside down again when one wrong step puts her in the path of a new destiny.

Autumn Getaway
by Jennifer Gracen
(Contemporary Romance)Newly divorced mom meets a chivalrous and handsome man at a destination wedding. Can she overcome her fears for a second chance at love?

Pulled Beneath
by Marni Mann
(Contemporary Romance) When Drew unexpectedly loses her parents, she inherits a home in Bar Harbor, Maine along with a family she knew nothing about. Will their secrets destroy her or will she be able to embrace their dark past and accept love?

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