Work Like You Don't Need the Money (31 page)

She knew what he wanted. She brought her arms up around his neck and looked deep into his eyes. “I surrender.”

                                                           ********** 

“What do you think? Shall we have Smoke fly us up there tomorrow, or do you want to take your new car?” 

They were sitting on the loungers by the pool. It had been such an amazing week. She'd stayed with him on Monday night and he'd talked her into taking the rest of the week off. They'd stopped by the store on Tuesday to thank Roberto for the part he'd played. Holly had tried to be cross with him, but hadn't been able to manage it. She was too grateful. They'd collected some of her things from her house and spent the rest of the week hiding out at Pete's, swimming in the pool, making love, walking on the beach, talking into the small hours, and making love some more. They'd gone out for dinner at Mario's and she'd driven. In her new car. She still couldn't quite believe it was hers, that he'd bought it for her. It drove like a dream.

“Let's take the car, can we? Road trips hold a lot more appeal in my new wheels.” She smiled at him, “Thank you, Pete. Thank you so much.” 

He reached across and took her hand. “As I have told you, you are more than welcome, my love. Do you want to leave at lunch time? I have to take care of a couple of details in the morning, but then I'd like to get going. If you don't mind, I'd like us to stay at the cabin tomorrow night. Jack and Em won't get in til late and my parents are also coming in late. I'd like to see them Saturday morning before we go to the BBQ.”

“That works for me. I should call Missy and let her know that I am coming after all, but I won't be staying with her.” 

Pete smirked, “She'd invited you to stay there?”

Holly nodded, “I didn't want to go at all.”

His face was pained now. “Because you didn't want to be around me?”

She squeezed his hand. “I didn't want to be around you if I couldn't be with you.”

“Well you're with me now, Sweetheart, and you're never getting rid of me again.” 

She liked the sound of that.

“Do me a favor though?” 

“What's that?” 

“Don't call Missy. Let's just show up and surprise them?” He gave her a mischievous grin. “They'll forgive us anything once they know we're together.” 

She laughed, he was right. “Alright then, let's surprise them.”

                                                         ********** 

Pete worked the muscles in her neck. Man, she was tight. “We need to work this tension out of you, Sweetheart.”

She sighed and leaned back against him, giving him the perfect view over her shoulder of the steaming bubbles foaming around her breasts. He felt his desire stir, though how he had any energy left, he had no clue. He hadn't been able to keep his hands off her all week. Sitting here in the hot tub with her naked body between his legs, he wanted her again. He'd promised her a back rub though and he intended to make good on his promise first.

“I don't see how I could have any tension left in me. This has been the best week ever.” She turned around and knelt to face him. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she kissed him. Her lips were so soft. “Thank you, Pete. I love you. You make me so happy.” 

“That's the plan, Sweetheart.” 

Her face clouded over, there were questions in her eyes, but she said nothing.

“What is it?” 

“It's just. Well. I'm scared to ask, but what is the plan now? I mean, I'm glad you didn't stick to the old one, but I know you. I know you must have a new plan. I'm just scared to know what it might be.” She hesitated. “But I think I need to know.” 

He drew her closer to him, lifting her so she straddled his lap. He smiled as he ran his hands down her back and pulled her closer so he was pushing at her opening. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Holding her eyes, he said, “There is a new plan, and it goes like this.” He held her hips as he thrust inside her, loving the way she grasped his shoulders, eyes wide as she began to ride him. The way her breasts dipped in and out of the steaming bubbles as she rocked her hips.

He reached down between them and coaxed her with his thumb. “I plan to have you.” Feeling her tense, he let himself go and pulled her down against him, carrying them both through a shuddering orgasm. He kept his arms around her as she lay against his chest, breathing hard as they recovered. He kissed her neck. “And I plan to hold you.”

She turned her head and met his eyes. He smiled, not sure if she was understanding. He let go of her and climbed out of the hot tub. He toweled himself off then held out his hand. She stepped out and let him dry her down too. “I love you.” He wrapped her in the towel and brushed her lips with his own. “And I plan to cherish you.” He left her standing in the moonlight while he went inside the cabin. He returned with two glasses of champagne and a lump in his towel.

She was looking at him, confused. Maybe she wasn't getting this. He had to be sure. He set the glasses on the picnic table and turned to her, taking hold of her hand. “So, just to recap. I plan to have you, and to hold you. I plan to love you, and to cherish you.” He smiled as he saw realization begin to dawn in her eyes. “For richer, for poorer, in good times and in bad I plan to love you, for always. I've forsaken all others since the day I met you and I will until the day I die.” He dropped down on one knee and held up the box he'd had hidden in his towel. “Holly, will you marry me?”

Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. “Yes, Pete! Oh God yes!”

He stood up and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her with all the love he felt. “You just granted me everything I want in life, Sweetheart. My plan is to do the same for you, for the rest of your days. Holly YOU ARE my new plan. You, me, and our kids when we have them.”

Her eyes flew up to meet his. “Our kids? Oh, Pete, I want kids. I want your kids.” She flung her arms around his neck. “I love you, Pete. I love you so much.”

He'd thought this moment was supposed to be somber and serious, but he felt the laughter bubbling up. “And I love you, Sweetheart. Now, do you want this ring?”

She loosened her grip on his neck and pecked his lips with a grin. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry!” She looked down at the box in his hand and then back up at him in shock. “Holy shit, Bigshot! It's enormous!”

God, how he loved this woman! He shook with laughter as he pulled her against him so she could feel his arousal. “I like to think so.”

She laughed and patted his bulging towel. “This guy is perfect for me. But that diamond? Geez, Pete! It's huge!”

“It has to be, it represents all my love for you.” He took the ring from the box and took hold of her hand. She transferred her grandmother's wedding band to her right hand. He slid the diamond onto her finger, then looked into her eyes. “I love you, Sweetheart.” 

Her arms came up around his neck and their towels felt to the ground as she pressed herself against him. “And I love you, Bigshot.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Holly looked across at Pete, her fiancé! She was happy to let him drive her new car to Gramps', she didn't know her way around Summer Lake yet anyway. Though, as he'd told her this morning, she'd have the rest of her life to learn. He was making all her dreams come true. This beautiful place, their wonderful friends up here, he was sharing it all with her. It was her life now too. Most of all though, HE was her dream come true. He was hers, he only wanted her, and he wanted her enough to change his plan. They were getting married!

They'd gone to see his parents this morning to share the good news. She'd confessed to him before they went that she was a little nervous. They really were from a different world than she was.

“But Sweetheart, you felt that way about me remember? And besides, you and Mom seemed to be getting along very well, until I showed up and spoiled it.” 

He'd been right of course. Anne had immediately put her at ease. Holly really did like her, and Graham, he was just like Pete! How lucky was she to get wonderful in-laws thrown in with her gorgeous fiancé? Everything about them, and their huge home, was grand, classy, and clearly very wealthy, but at the same time so warm, inviting – and fun! She could see that Pete's sense of fun was definitely a family trait. From Anne waggling her elegant eyebrows very suggestively, when she'd inquired how soon she could expect grand_babies, to Graham swatting his wife's backside as she'd bent over, everything about them was light-hearted and loving. She hoped Pete would like her family even half as much as she liked his. She felt a little bad that she hadn't even called them yet to tell them. She hoped her Dad would forgive Pete for not following the old ways. Her family were quite traditional, both her brothers-in-law had sought his permission before asking for his daughters' hands. She was sure Pete would win him over though.

That beautiful smile was playing on his lips as he reached for her hand and held it on top of his thigh as he drove.

“What are you smirking at, Bigshot?” 

“How happy I am. How lucky I am. How dumb I was being, and what great friends we have. Most of all, I'm smiling because I love you, Sweetheart. I can't quite believe that you love me back. That we're going to get married, and that we have our whole lives ahead of us. Together.” 

Holly still couldn't quite believe it either. “I feel the same way, Pete. I keep wanting to pinch you. I'm scared I'll wake up and find it was all just a dream.”

He squeezed her hand. “It's no dream. Welcome to our new reality.” He turned the car onto the West Shore Road toward Gramps' place. “We need to figure out what this reality is going to look like too.”

“How do you mean?” 

“Well, like we said, we're together, that's everything, the rest is just detail. But the details still need to be determined. Like whether you're going to do the plaza with me. How much time you want to spend at the store, or in LA at all. How much time we want to spend up here. What we're going to do with the house here.” He grinned at her. “I told you in the beginning that you have impeccable timing. Well, you're in time to have your input on how we build our house. The basic plans are done, but I'm sure Jack can tweak it, if you want to change it. We can do whatever you like with the interior, finishes, appliances, flooring, all that stuff. I want you to have what you want.” 

Holly just stared at him. This wasn't like any reality she'd ever known. “Pete, that's so sweet of you, but I already have what I want, and that's you. I don't want you to change your life or how you build your house. I certainly don't want you spending more money on me. I know all that stuff is important to you, but it doesn't mean anything to me. All I want is to love you, and for you to love me.”

He smiled across at her. “I do love you, Sweetheart. The stuff is no more important to me than it is to you. If you can honestly tell me you'd be happier, we can go live in your townhouse. I don't care as long as we're together. But I don't think you would be happier, you're just not used to having options. I want you to get used to it. Remember my old plan was about holding off, until I had everything in place for the right woman and our family. Because of your impeccable timing, you came along sooner than I planned. It's so much better this way. You're not just stepping into the life I prepared, we get to build it together, to suit us both.” He shook her hand so the bracelet jangled on her wrist. “Remember I said it's about building the best life you can? It took Nate to remind me what that really means. He also said I become something more when I'm with you. It's true. I don't want you to fit into my life, I want more than that. I want US to build OUR life, which will be something so much better than I could ever build alone. I want everything that you bring to the relationship. I'm happy to admit that you bring things I don't have, and I want you to share them with me. I hope you will accept and want to share what I bring. Does that make sense to you?”

She leaned across and kissed his cheek. “It does. I may struggle for a while though, to get used it.  Your world really is so very different from mine. You don't know where I come from, my family, my life, where I grew up. It's not like this.” She loved her family, but her background was so different.

“We'll both have a lot of learning and adjusting to do as we figure this out, Sweetheart. And,” he shot her a sideways glance, “We can get started on it tomorrow afternoon.” His lips were curving up at  the corners. 

What was he up to now? “What are we doing tomorrow afternoon, Bigshot? She laughed.

“Going to see your folks.” 

“Sunday afternoon? But everyone will be there. My sisters, the kids, everyone. It's a madhouse on Sundays. We could go in the week?” No way did she want his first encounter with her crazy clan to be the full-on Sunday experience. There would be kids running around screaming, television blaring, bothers-in-law in the back yard, drinking beer and working on motorcycles. 

He was grinning at her. “Sorry, Sweetheart, but they're expecting us tomorrow.”

“They're what?!” 

“That's where I went on Friday. To see your Dad, ask his permission. I promised that, if you said yes, we'd be over Sunday afternoon, just like the rest of the family. You might want to call them to let them know?” 

She stared at him in disbelief. “You did what?”

His grin grew even bigger. “Sweetheart, I couldn't ask you to marry me without seeing your Dad first. I think he likes me. I think your Mom does too. You're not ashamed of me are you?”

She let go of his hand and pinched him, hard.

“Ouch!” 

“You deserved that one! You know damned well I'm not ashamed of you. And Pete, you do know I'm not ashamed of my family either?” She didn't want want him to think that. She just didn't know how to build a bridge between two such different worlds. 

His eyes softened now, “Yes, Sweetheart, I do. I just know you still have some hang-ups about our differences. I figured the quickest way to get over them is to let me into your life. I told you, you bring things to the table that I want. I can't wait to have sisters and brothers-in-law, nephews and nieces. To be part of a big rowdy family. You don't get any of that as an only child of older parents, you know.”