Surrender to Love (28 page)

Epilogue

“I am so happy that the two of you worked things out.” Jon’s mom was beside herself as she leaned across the table and enveloped her son in a warm, one-armed hug.

Jon chuckled. “It’s been over six months, Mom. You can stop saying it now. We know you’re happy.”

“What your mother is trying to say,” his father chimed in, “is that we are all very happy for the two of you.”

“Thank you
, Mr. Bradshaw.” Patti smiled demurely.

“How many times do I have to tell you, young lady,” his father said with a disapproving frown. “Call me Walter.”

“Or Dad,” his mother suggested with a toothy grin.

Jon chewed his food happily, glancing at Patti in time to catch the shy smile crossing her face as she tipped her head down and focused on her plate.
After having lost her own father, he knew she would never claim his as her own, but he also knew his mother would never stop offering. She was simply too eager to have a daughter-in-law.

Under the table, his hand rested on
Patti’s thigh, and he moved it higher, skimming the silky flesh beneath the fluffy fabric of her dress. Her eyes darted to his, and she chewed her lip, making his mind run wild with ideas for what they’d be doing later.

“So,” his mother said, breaking the
heated moment of silence. “How are you handling everything at the office, Patti? My son isn’t working you too hard?”

A secret smile passed across her face before Patti looked away from him to answer the question. “Everything is going great. I love working with Jon.”

He squeezed her upper thigh, the tip of his pinkie finger tracing the edge of her panties. “I love working with you, too,” he told her. To his parents he said, “This way we get to spend the whole day together. I’m glad I thought of it.” He winked at Patti. Despite her initial claim that she never mixed business with pleasure, once they’d decided to move in together, merging their lives in every possible way, she saw how much trouble he was having finding an accountant worth their salt, so she finally agreed to sign on for the job. They both agreed it was one of the best decisions they had ever made.

“
You’re such a smart man,” Patti said sweetly, then nudged him playfully in the side.

“He gets it from me,” his father said proudly. Biting off a hunk of his dinner roll, he grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

“Behave,” his mother scolded, tossing a cloth napkin across the table and hitting him square in the face.

His father’s eyes widened innocently. “What did I say?”

“So it’s not too tough on you and the baby? You get off your feet often?”

“Believe me,” Jon said, laughing. Removing his hand from her thigh, he slung his arm over the back of her chair, absently caressing the length of her arm. “I make sure she’s taken care of.” Beneath the table, Patti gave his foot a warning kick. “Plus, a couple of her friends work there, too. I’m beginning to wonder if all those hours they spend working in the break room is them actually working, or if I’m really just paying them to conspire against us men.”

“Definitely conspiring, honey,” Patti teased.

Jon pressed a kiss to her temple. “Then it’s money well spent.”

“Speaking of money well spent,” his mother said as she cut into her chicken cutlet, “are you ever going to put a ring on this woman’s finger?”

“Good segue, honey,” his father said with a grin. “How ‘bout it, Jon. There isn’t much time left before the baby gets here, and I hear that shotgun weddings are all the rage.”

Jon sighed. This had been the main topic of interest since his parent’s had learned they were expecting, but he and Patti had already agreed that they didn’t want to rush things. Everything about their relationship had moved at warp speed from day one. For now, they just wanted to focus on each thing one-step at a time, starting with the birth of their child. He’d already explained this to his parents, but that didn’t mean they would stop pushing. He couldn’t begrudge them for wanting to ensure their son was happy, though.

“It’s like I said before,” Jon said. “We’re good with taking it slow. I think me selling the condo and moving in with Patricia is pretty good start toward showing my commitment to our relationship.” He passed a look to his mother, and she held up her hands in defeat.

“Okay, I get it. No more pushing. You’re going to be a father, and I just want to make sure you are both happy.”

“We are, Mom,” Jon assured her.

“Then we’re happy for you, son,” his father returned. 

After dinner, Jon and Patti spent another hour hanging around the house talking with his parents. They were ecstatic that they were going to become grandparents soon and insisted that they be present
for the delivery. They also made it quite clear that they’d be an active part of the baby’s life, starting from day one. Jon groaned teasingly over what a hardship it would be to have them around so much, but in reality, he was thrilled to have their support. He had no clue how to raise a kid, so their input would be invaluable. 

By the time they left, it was getting late. He’d noticed several times Patti trying to hide her yawns,
and so with a practiced ease, they had said their goodbyes and headed home.

Jon knew that Patti would be asleep by the time her head hit the pillow. Over the past few months Patti had begun taking naps, which soon grew to include early bedtimes, but tonight, Jon needed just a few extra minutes.

He had a surprise for her.

While they were gone, he’d arranged for Travis to stop by the house and get everything ready. The closer they got to home, the more his nerves jangled.

To calm himself, Jon reached over and placed his hand against Patricia’s rounded belly. He didn’t say anything. Instead, Jon focused on the road and the feel of his son or daughter’s little feet pounding against his palm. Could there be anything more perfect? Each time he touched her stomach, he experienced the deep, abiding love coursing through him for his little family.

Patricia
let out another yawn.

“Tired?”

Looking at him, she gave him a drowsy smile. “Very.”

“Give me five minutes,” Jon requested as he pulled into the driveway in front of what was now their house, their family home. “I have something I want to show you, and then I’ll tuck you in to bed.”

Dropping her head back against the seat, she groaned.

***

“Are your eyes closed?”

Patti stumbled a little, her hand shooting
up to grab hold of Jon’s forearm to steady herself. “For the millionth time, yes, they’re closed. Now hurry up before I trip and kill myself,” she grumbled. If there was one thing Patti had learned from living with Jon was that he liked surprises, and she hated being surprised. Okay, make that two things.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Be patient,” Jon entreated. His large hands were clasped tight over her eyes as he led her through the living room. “Almost there.”

Patti took each step with care. At
seven months pregnant, she felt as big as a boat. She swayed on her feet, her balance completely shot now that she was carrying extra weight up front. It didn’t help that she was blind now, too.

Shifting so that one hand covered both eyes, Patti waited patiently as Jon leaned over her shoulder. She heard
a door open. “Okay, one step forward, stop,” he instructed her. With her arms extended, Patti felt for the doorframe and used it as her guide. “Step down. Good. Now, I’m going to remove my hands but keep your eyes closed. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Patti said smartly, earning a playful slap on her ass.

She felt the air stir as Jon left her side. It was incredibly difficult to keep her eyes shut knowing that something was waiting for her on the other side of her closed lids, but she remained dutifully still, focusing on all of her senses to see if she could figure out what all the fuss was about…

She smelled a hint of gas mixed with the pungent odor of motor oil.
There was also the spicy tang of rotting garbage mixed in there, too, letting her know exactly where they were. “Jon?” she called out, wondering how much longer this was going to take. The baby was sitting on her bladder, and she wasn’t sure how long she could hold out before she wet herself, again.

The process of becoming a mother wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Most days she felt like a beached whale, and she’d hit that stage where her face looked like an oil slick. Of course, it was really just the “glow” that women got during their pregnancy. Patti didn’t feel like she was glowing. She f
elt fat and frumpy and swollen, not to mention perpetually tired. The only nice thing to come of all of it was that her hair had never been so thick or luxurious before. And her rack was amazing. Jon couldn’t keep his hands—or mouth—off it.

“Are your eyes still closed?” Jon’s deep voice asked her as he moved in front of her to take her hands.

“Yep.”

Patti allowed him to guide her a few more steps
, placing her right where he wanted her. “Okay,” he said, sounding nervous. “On the count of three, open them.” The air stirred again as he stepped to the side, presumably to open up her line of sight. “One.” Patti felt her stomach flip. “Two.” Her pulse quickened. “Three.”

Holding her breath, Patti eked open one eye. “Holy shit.” She wasn’t sure if she said the words out loud, or just in her head.

Both of her eyes were open now, blinking slowly as she struggled to understand what she was seeing.

“Well?” Jon asked excitedly. “What do you think? Are you surprised?”

He could say that again. Sleek. Black. Touches of chrome in all the right places. It was just as she had dreamed it would be. “How?” The word came out a little choked, considering Patti felt like she had just stepped into an alternate universe.

Jon’s eyes danced as he approached the GTO, running his hand down the polished hood. “I know why you did it, but I hated that you had to give up something so important to you. I had Travis track it down for me, and
we’ll probably have to get used to eating Ramen noodles for the rest of the year, but after practically selling my left kidney, I was able to talk the guy into selling it back to me.” He smirked. “He really didn’t want to let it go.”

She knew how the guy felt. “Ramen noodles sound good,” she said, a weak smile forming.
Patti’s eyes burned and she pressed trembling fingers to her mouth. “Jon, you didn’t have to do this.”

Slowly, with all of his love reflecting back at her in his eyes, Jon walked over to her and placed his hands on her swollen belly. “Yes, I did,” he said firmly. “It’s my job to make you happy, and this makes you happy.”

Patti’s hands covered his and she looked away, unable to meet his eyes. “But it’s just a car.”

Refusing to let her escape him, Jon grasped her chin and lifted her face to his. “
It’s more than that. That car is a legacy. It belongs in the family. Our family, and one day, you’re going to teach our son or daughter just like your father taught you.”

Tears were slipping down her cheeks in a steady stream now. Cupping her face in his hands, Jon wiped them away with his thumbs. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. This is a happy day.”

She didn’t know what to say, except, “Thank you. Thank you for bringing it back to me.”

“I’d do anything for you.” Taking her in his arms, Jon held her tight.

“Can I touch it?” Patti asked hesitantly, stepping out of his embrace and wiping her face dry.

That wicked gleam flashed in Jon’s eyes again. “Baby, you can touch it whenever you’d like.”

She slapped him in the arm. “You know what I mean.” Walking over to the car, Patti ran her hands over the pristine paint job, admiring all the small details that had been added since the car had changed hands. There was no sign of the damage from the accident, every dent, and scratch gone. The custom racing stripes she had added were painted over, making the car a monochromatic black on black, which was fine. It suited it better. Opening the driver’s door, she eased into the leather bucket seat and found that everything seemed to be exactly how she remembered it.

“Do you want to take it for a spin?”

Patti looked up to find Jon standing in the space of the open door, holding a pair of keys out to her. Longing swept over her and she recalled all the times she had flown down the highway, feeling the power of all that American muscle surrounding her.

One glance at Jon, his eyes burning words she didn’t have to hear to understand, and she knew what her answer would be.

“Not today,” she said, reaching out to take his hand for leverage. He pulled her from the car and lightly closed the door behind her.

“Are you sure?” he asked, taking her in his arms again.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, Patti stared up at him. The doubt and fear along with the grain of hope etched into the fine lines around his eyes told her she was making the right decision. Jon had done the most beautiful, generous thing for her by bringing her car back to her, but she needed him to know that their future was more important to her than their past.