Page 42 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

VANESSA

Two Months Later

I fanned my face and leaned up against the kitchen island. “Why did I think it was a good idea to host a family dinner when I’m eight months pregnant?”

Gigi was hovering over the stove, stirring gravy and chutney. She laughed softly and looked over her shoulder at me. “All ideas sound good at the time of conception, my dear. Execution is the tricky part. Go get some fresh air. I can hold down the fort here.”

I thanked her with a hand on her shoulder and moved out of the kitchen, through the dining room, and past the three sitting rooms to the covered back patio.

I found Rhys out there puffing on a cigar with Chris.

When they spotted me, they promptly put their cigars out in the ashtray on one of the outdoor tables.

“I just came to get some fresh air,” I said, leaning up against the side of the massive house. “I’m dying in there. It’s like five-hundred degrees.”

Chris chuckled. “Is my little nephew giving you a hard time?”

I rubbed my swollen belly. I couldn’t believe how big I was—or that there was a baby inside me. The whole thing still felt so surreal. “Yes. He is. He’s a squirmy little bean today. Getting ready to come out though, so that’s a good sign.”

Rhys came over and put his hand on my belly like he always did. His eyes softened and he smiled as his son kicked at his palm. “Where’s Gigi?”

“She kicked me out of the kitchen to cool down. I’m going to go back in and help in a minute.”

“I’ll go. You and your brother can catch up.”

Chris passed us by and shook his head. “Nah. You lovebirds take a breather. You’ve been cooking all day. I’ll help Gigi.”

Rhys grinned at me when we were all alone. “You look absolutely gorgeous in this dress, you know that?”

“This dress is one of the only things that fits me right now, so I’d better.”

He chuckled. “I guess you’ll just have to spend the rest of your pregnancy at home. Naked.”

“Or my wealthy baby daddy could spoil me with some new maternity clothes.”

He shrugged. “I like my proposal better.”

“Of course you do.”

Rhys cupped my face in his hands and gave me sweet, tender kisses.

I shied away. “I’m supposed to be trying to cool down. You’re not making that easy.”

“Sorry. Sorry. My bad.”

I stepped back and fanned my face. Being outside was definitely helping.

I breathed in the fresh air. It smelled like grass and pine trees.

I gazed out at the property, at my home, and marveled at how beautiful it was.

The view of the rolling green acreage would never get old.

The greenbelt of pine trees to the north was pushed up against a man-made pond Rhys’s father had built when he was a young man himself.

There were fish in there and Rhys had talked frequently about going fishing with his son when the time was right.

I’d send them off in their rowboat with a packed lunch of deviled egg sandwiches like Rhys’s mother had done for them.

Traditions were important.

A riot of voices reached our ears. Rhys kissed the side of my head. “Sounds like our guests are here. Shall we go in?”

I nodded. “Hey, one more thing.”

“Yes?

“You know you’re going to be an amazing father, right?”

He smiled. “I’ll do my best. I don’t know about amazing. There were a lot of things my father did that I won’t do. And a lot of things he didn’t do that I will. But I don’t have much sense of what is right and what isn’t. I’m going to need your help.”

“Lucky for you, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Me neither. Now come on. What kind of hosts are we, hiding from our guests?”

We met the rest of the family back in the kitchen.

Gigi and Nannie were already gossiping like old hens while they pored over the dishes on the stove.

Kim and Chris were hugging and poking fun at each other while Sandi hung back, her arms wrapped around her father’s thigh.

My parents had just come in, looking bright-eyed and eager for dinner.

My mother had a pie platter in her hands and my dad a bottle of wine.

Rhys took the wine and the pie and peeled back the tinfoil on top. “Damn. This looks good.”

“A Hampton family recipe,” my mother said.

It wasn’t long before everyone had a full glass of wine—minus Sandi and I who sipped a fancy sparkling alcohol-free cider Rhys served at his distilleries specifically for kids—and they were munching on the charcuterie board on the kitchen island I’d set out earlier.

I had to excuse myself several times to pee, as pregnancy did to me, and I had to sit, too. My feet and my back were killing me. But nothing could spoil the moment of having the family together. Rhys was in his glory. He hadn’t had a big happy family growing up. He’d had the opposite.

But our son would know what it felt like to be loved and cherished. He would know what family meant. And loyalty. And trust.

He would have a cool Uncle Chris and a cousin Sandi who, when she was older, would certainly tease the hell out of him. He’d have a wonderful set of grandparents who would love him more than anything, and two great grandmothers, a real and true luxury these days.

He would have a father to look up to. A man worthy of being a father. I knew Rhys would be everything I hoped the father of my child could be and more. I had complete and total trust that this was right.

And he would have me as a momma. Honest. Trustworthy. Loyal. Fierce. Protective.Humble.Sweet. Sensitive.

Confident in her own skin.

He would have the world.

We sat down to dinner in the dining room. Rhys sat at the head of the table and I sat on his right. He held my hand as he picked up his wine glass and I picked up my cider. Then he turned his attention to everyone else gathered at the table.

“I wanted to take a minute to thank you all for coming. This might be the last time we get a chance to all sit down for a meal like this once the baby is born. I think things will get a little crazy for a while in the best way.” He paused to smile at me and run his thumb over my knuckles.

“Vanny and I have been working hard to prepare for the new member of our family. As you all know, we’ve finished the nursery.

Vanny has the bedroom all set up how she wants for when he’s first here.

We have meals prepped and all that fun stuff I didn’t know we’d even have to think about in preparing to become parents. ”

The table laughed. I smiled adoringly at the man of my dreams who I still couldn’t believe was mine.

Rhys continued. “But there’s one thing Vanny and I haven’t done yet.

One thing that’s been in the back of my mind, nagging at me to get right.

Whatever right is.” He turned to me. “Vanny, I know we did this thing completely backward. We pretended to be in love before we fell in love. We pretended we were okay apart when, really, we were both desperate to be back together. I don’t want you to ever doubt me again.

I will be by your side until the day I die.

No matter what. Because you are my life, Vanessa Hampton.

You and that precious little baby in your belly. So on that note.”

Rhys slid off his chair. It slid back across the hardwood floor.

And he took a knee.

My mother gasped. Kim squeaked.

I immediately started crying. My eyes flooded with tears so quickly, I couldn’t even see him as he pulled a ring box out of his pocket.

“Vanessa Hampton, I already gave you a ring once. But that was just a practice round. This is the real deal. This is yours. And so am I if you’ll have me.

You’re everything to me. I love you and I want to spend every day showing you just how special you are and how much you deserve. Vanny, will you marry me?”

My heart thundered in my chest like the hooves of wild running horses.

Was this real? It felt too good to be true.

But then again, so did everything when it came to Rhys. And he was very, very real.

I nodded. “Yes.”

The table erupted in cheers of joy. Rhys plucked the ring from the box and slid it on my shaking finger. Then he was on his feet, wrapping me up in his arms and pressing a kiss to my lips. My tears continued to flow and the kiss was salty but I didn’t care because it was perfect, too.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I whispered.

He pressed his forehead to mine. “Believe it. It’s me and you forever now.”

“I don’t know about forever. That’s a long time.”

He chuckled. “Woman, don’t play with me like that. You’re mine and I’m never letting go. You hear me?”

“I hear you.” I pinched my bottom lip between my teeth.

Gigi cleared her throat. “All right. All right, you kids. Keep it in your pants until our guests leave, will you?”

More laughter ensued as everyone took their seats once more and the meal began for real this time. I didn’t have much of an appetite. I was too excited and too emotional. A proposal on a normal day was a tearjerker, but when you were eightmonths pregnant?

Cue the waterworks.

I finally managed to get my crying under control long enough to peer at the giant rock on my finger.

It was dazzling. The stone was cut in the shape of a teardrop and framed in smaller diamonds set into silver clasps.

The whole thing glittered and caught the light of the candles on the table and of the chandelier above.

It was the kind of ring every girl stopped to peer at in a window display and dream about getting one day.

And it was mine.

And so was the man at my side.

Kim got up from her seat and came around to get a good look at the ring. “Oh my gosh. It’s beautiful. I want one.”

I laughed. “You’ll get one eventually.”

She pouted. “But the man I want it from is marrying someone else in two months.”

“Have you considered he might just not be the right man?” Rhys interjected.

Kim put a hand on Rhys’s shoulder and leaned back, peering down at him skeptically. “You knew Vanny was the right one, didn’t you? And you didn’t give up?”

Rhys shifted in his seat. “Well sure, but she wasn’t engaged to someone else and—”

“Hush,” she said, lifting a finger. “You knew she was yours from the get go. Well, I know he’s mine. But some other girl is going to walk down the aisle to marry him, and I’m the one who’s planning the whole thing. I can’t believe this is happening.”

“It’ll be okay,” I told her. “Everything works out like it’s supposed to.”

Kim sighed. “Easy for you to say. You just got engaged to the richest man in Nashville and are probably going to have the cutest baby to ever walk the face of the earth.”

Rhys waggled his eyebrows at her. “Want to help plan our wedding, Kim?”

“Kick rocks, Rhys.”

He threw his head back and laughed. The sound was contagious. Soon, we were all laughing and I leaned in and took his hand. Even though we were surrounded by family, the moment belonged to us.

“I love you, Rhys Daniels.”

His smile was as bright as our future. “I love you too, future Mrs. Daniels. Forever. No matter what.”

I closed my eyes when he kissed my forehead.

No matter what.