Baby Benefits (18 page)

Izzie loved with a child’s openness and innocence. The love of an adult was more profound and all consuming. Loving Izzie made Derek vulnerable in a way nothing else ever had. Except loving Raina.

She may make him crazy, but he did love her.

Being here with Dex and Lucy, watching them together, only reinforced what he already knew. He needed Raina. No one else challenged him and made him think the way she did. No one else completed him. There was no one else with whom he wanted to share his life.

And just as he was now prepared to work hard to build a relationship with Isabella, he was more than ready to do whatever it took to get Raina back. To convince her they belonged together.

Izzie may have made him a father, but it was Raina who would make them a family.

The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was as busy as always, but she was used to traveling for business, which allowed her certain perks. Like being dropped off by the limo service and access to the airline’s platinum lounge.

For today’s flight, Cassidy had dropped her off at the airport on her way to classes. Raina had said a tearful goodbye to the rest of her family before leaving her house. It would be months before she saw them again. This was undoubtedly the longest she’d be away from them since she’d left for culinary school the first time.

As Raina settled into the faux leather swing chair in the waiting area at the gate, she couldn’t help comparing that day to this one. She’d been so young—only eighteen—eager to take the culinary world by storm, thrilled at having been accepted to the prestigious Culinary Institute of America.

Today, she just felt tired, the emotional toll of the past two weeks having worn down the excitement she should feel about finally heading off to pursue her dream.

After a few minutes of bored people-watching, she settled back into her chair for the forty-five-minute wait for her flight into JFK airport, her coffee in one hand, the latest issue of Food and Wine Magazine in the other.

Not long had passed before the sound of giggling baby filtered through the background noise of the airport bustle. The delightful trill—so full of joy—made her heart ache. Raina kept her head doggedly down, her attention firmly on the magazine.

All baby giggles sounded alike. It wasn’t Isabella. There was no point in looking up, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the little girl who’d captured Raina’s heart just as surely as Derek had.

“I told you we’d find her.”

Raina’s head jerked up involuntarily at the sound of Derek’s voice. He stood beside her, Isabella strapped into a stroller, giggling as she tried to wiggle free.

Derek lowered himself to the chair beside Raina, nudging her bag aside with his foot so he could wheel Isabella closer to him. “She doesn’t like this stroller. She keeps trying to escape.”

Raina just stared blankly at him, struggling past her stunned silence. “What are you doing here? And how did you get past airport security?” Then she held up a hand to ward off his explanation. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. If you bribed someone to let you through or committed some security violation just so you could show up at the airport and harass me, I don’t want to hear about it.”

“What makes you think I came to harass you?”

His expression looked pained, but she didn’t fall for it. “Because I know you. You don’t give up. No matter what. And you just can’t stand letting go of a perfectly good employee.”

“Technically, you’re still my employee.”

She gaped at him. “Oh. Even better. You’re in complete denial.”

“No. I’m not. You gave me a letter of resignation, but your contract says you’re supposed to deliver a duplicate copy to personnel, which you never did. I never fired you. So you’re still an employee.” He leaned over to unbuckle Isabella’s straps and lifted her from the stroller. “I’d fire you myself, but according to the deal you negotiated, then I’d have to give you five hundred shares of Messina Diamonds stock.”

“I don’t want the damn stock.”

“That’s good, because my contract says that combined, me and members of my immediate family can’t own more than forty-five percent of the company.”

“What does that have to—” And then comprehension dawned. She laughed cynically. “Derek, only you could propose and talk about business in the same sentence. If this is how you proposed to Kitty, no wonder it took her four years to accept.”

“And only you would insult and say yes in the same sentence.”

She felt her blood pressure spiking with annoyance. Damn arrogant man.

“I’m not saying yes.”

His expression turned suddenly serious. “I’m not letting you go, Raina.”

Something inside of her weakened under the intensity of his expression. In that moment, he looked so much like the man she’d fallen in love with: single-minded, determined, unwavering. How could she defend her heart against the very qualities she’d fallen in love with?

And yet, those were all the reasons they couldn’t be together. It was that same strength and determination that kept him married to his work.

She leaned forward, needing to make him understand, because she could only do this once. “This isn’t how I want to live my life. I don’t want to be your assistant forever.”

“Is that what you think? That I asked you to marry me because I wanted to keep you as my assistant? Because I don’t want an assistant. I want a wife.”

“Do you even know the difference?”

“I’ve already promoted your friend Trinity to be my new assistant. She was thrilled.”

“I’m not talking about my job at Messina Diamonds. I’m talking about the fact that Messina Diamonds will always come first for you. Which means regardless of whether or not I work there, sooner or later, you’ll end up treating me like your assistant again. Because you’ll never love me as much as you love that company.”

“I left Kitty for you. Is that what you want me to admit?”

“Kitty was never the reason we couldn’t be together. She was just an excuse. Just a distraction. The real reason we can’t be together is because I’ll always come in second with you.”

“Isabella—”

“I’m not talking about Isabella.” At the sound of her name, Isabella, who until now had been bouncing playfully on his lap while he spoke, propelled herself toward Raina, forcing her to catch the child in her arms. Something in Raina’s heart contracted at the sweet weight of the girl in her arms. “I’d never ask you to put my needs before hers. She’s your daughter. I just want to be with a man who puts me before his work. I deserve that.”

He leaned back in his chair, twisting to stare out at the busy terminal. “So that’s it then? You’re just going to leave for culinary school and never look back?”

“How did you know about—”

“It wasn’t hard to find out.”

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to be flattered or annoyed that you had someone digging around in my business.”

“I guess what you want is some guy who’d be willing to put his whole life on hold and follow you to New York.”

She scoffed automatically, but as the thought settled in, she nodded. “I guess that is what I want. I think I deserve to have someone make sacrifices for me for a change.”

“Then we’re both in luck.” He reached into the front pocket of his jacket and pulled out a sheaf of airline tickets.

“Tickets to New York?” She eyed the tickets with no less suspicion than she would one of those trick packs of gum. No way would she fall for this and get her fingers snapped.

“A one-way ticket to New York.”

She cast him a sideways glance, caution weighing down her hope. “You can’t move to New York.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re you. You live and breathe work. You’re not going to put all that on hold while I go to culinary school.”

He shrugged, his mouth twisting into a smile that was almost sheepish. “Of course not. We’ll live in Poughkeepsie, which is just a thirty-minute helicopter ride to Manhattan. Dex can run the Dallas office. You’re the one who said he wanted more responsibility.”

“But you don’t want to live in New York. You wouldn’t move there for Kitty. You said so yourself.”

“I don’t love Kitty. I love you. I was too stupid to realize it before. But you’ve made me a better man.”

“Derek, I don’t—”

“You can’t tell me you don’t love me. I won’t believe you. You’re too nice of a person to have bullied and tormented me otherwise.”

She cringed playfully. “I certainly did give you a hard time, didn’t I?”

“I probably deserved it.”

“Probably?” she asked.

“Definitely.” He traced a finger down her cheek. “So what do you say? I love you. Will you marry me?”

Tears sprang to her eyes. To hide them, she buried her face against Isabella’s tiny neck. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes. We’re boarding in about ten minutes. I bribed the airline clerk to get me a seat next to yours. If you tell me no again, it’s going to be a really long flight.”

She looked at him from over Isabella’s head. “Yes,” she said simply.

For all these years, she’d dreamed he’d say such wonderful things to her. She just never dreamed it would really happen.

Epilogue

“Is it normal to be this nervous?”

Raina pressed a shaking hand to her stomach, then instantly jerked it away, hoping her sweaty palm hadn’t stained the beaded silk of her wedding dress.

Lucy, who stood beside her with Isabella in her arms, merely shrugged. “I wasn’t. But then, Dex and I had such a small ceremony.” She gave Raina a sympathetic smile. “You’re the one who wanted all the fuss of an enormous society wedding.”

“True.” She peeked around the edge of the heavy wooden door at the back of the church where her sisters were already parading down the aisle toward the pulpit. The sight of Derek standing beside the minister calmed her nerves. Somewhat. “I just want everything to be perfect.”

“Pefec!” chirped Isabella, who at seventeen months was just beginning to talk.

Kendrick, dressed in a tux and looking so very mature, chuckled.

Lucy beamed with pride. “That’s right, sweetie. Perfect.” She smiled at Raina over Isabella’s head. “You’ll do fine.” Then she set Isabella down and clasped her hand. “It’s showtime for you.”

Isabella, dressed in yards of fluffy white chiffon, tugged her hand away. “Me do!”

She grabbed the basket of rose petals from Lucy and clutched it desperately to her chest. Then she trotted off through the doors just as fast as her tiny legs would carry her.

This was not how it had gone during the numerous rehearsals. With a shrug of resignation, Lucy followed her.

Kendrick held out his arm to Raina. “Your turn, princess.”

As she made her way down the aisle, the last of her nerves vanished. Nothing she’d ever done had felt more right. Derek had spent most of their year-long engagement convincing her just how much he loved her. He’d banished any doubts she had that Messina Diamonds might come before the people in his life.

No groom could be more eager. No bride more loved.

When Raina was midway down the aisle, Lucy finally caught up to Isabella at the front of the church. Isabella still held tightly to the basket of petals, only a few of which had made it to the ground. Instead of going to stand beside Dex, who held out his arms to her as they’d practiced in the rehearsal, Isabella stopped before Derek, dropped the basket, dumping the petals in a pile, and held up her arms to him.

“Up, Daddy!”

Dex threw back his head and laughed.

Derek flushed red, but couldn’t hide his pleasure. With a loving smile, he bent to pick up his daughter as she launched herself into his arms.

As he met Raina’s gaze over the top of Isabella’s head, Raina’s heart felt ready to burst. It may have taken them a long time to get here, but they were truly a family.