Chapter 37
Rory
I smiled as I felt light kisses traveling across my stomach. I opened my eyes to see Ian smiling at me.
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
“Good morning.”
“I was thinking about something last night. What sex do you think the babies are?”
“I don’t know. It would be nice to have a boy and a girl.”
“That’s what I was thinking too. Do you want to find out beforehand?”
“Yeah, I think I do. It would make it easier to decorate the nursery,” she said.
I was happy that Ian wanted to find out the sex of the babies. We got out of bed, made love in the shower, and then got dressed and headed down for breakfast before going to the doctor. When we walked into the dining room, Adalynn was sitting in her seat.
“Good morning, you two.” She smiled.
“Good morning, Adalynn,” I said, giving her a light hug.
“You’re either really early or we’re late,” Ian said as he kissed her cheek.
“You’re late.” She smiled. “I just dropped by for a chocolate chip muffin. Rory has me hooked on them. And, to tell you, my darling Ian, that Prim’s stock went through the roof while I was gone.”
“Of course it did. That’s what I do.” Ian winked at her.
I laughed and rolled my eyes as I ate the fruit cup Mandy set down in front of me.
****
Ian had been on Cloud Nine all morning. The majority of the reason was he couldn’t wait for the ultrasound. I was excited too, but nervous at the same time. I always had that “what if” worry inside me. What if something is wrong with one of the babies, what if the doctor can’t find a heartbeat, what if they’re in danger. It was a never ending line of “what ifs.” Another reason Ian was so happy was because the doctor told him that it was perfectly fine for me to travel.
I lay down on the table and Ian grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips. “You ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” I smiled.
The doctor pressed down on my stomach with the wand and, instantly, we saw our babies. Tears started to fill my eyes as I looked at their little tiny hands. Ian got up from the chair and sat next to me on the table.
“Look at them, Rory. They’re beautiful. Our children are beautiful.”
“Your babies look perfect, Rory. They are growing as expected and they look good. Would the two of you like to know the sex of them?”
“Do you know?” I asked in excitement.
“Yes, I do.”
I looked at Ian and he smiled at me and nodded his head. “Yes, doctor. We want to know.”
“Congratulations; both babies are girls.” He smiled.
I gasped. I’d always dreamed of having a daughter and now I was going to have two. I looked over at Ian as he kissed me softly.
“Girls, Rory. We’re going to have two little girls running around the house.” He smiled as his eyes began to water and he hugged me.
“I’m so happy, Ian.”
Once the doctor finished up the ultrasound and gave us the pictures, Ian helped me up from the table and kissed me. “Our daughters are going to be absolutely beautiful, Rory.”
“I hope they look like you.” I smiled.
“No, sweetheart, they’re going to look just like their mommy. Let’s stop by Prim and tell Adalynn the great news.”
Ian was so thrilled. You could see the happiness all over his face, but his eyes were where you could really see it. While we drove to Prim, Ian kept his hand on my stomach the whole ride.
“Why are you doing that?” I laughed.
“I’m touching my daughters. I want them to know that I’ll always be there for them. We need to think of names for them, Rory.”
“I think we have some time to think some up.” I smiled.
We pulled into Ian’s parking spot at Prim and rode the elevator up to Adalynn’s office. Her door was already open and she was on the phone when we walked in.
“You tell that asshole that I said it’s to be corrected before print and, if he doesn’t do it, then I’m coming after him and his job! Got it?” she said as she slammed down the phone.
“Whoa, Adalynn in action. I like that!” Ian winked.
She got up from the chair, walked over, and gave us both a hug and a kiss. “This is a wonderful surprise. What brings the two of you here?”
Ian looked at me. “Can I tell her, Rory?” he asked in excitement.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Tell me what? What happened?”
“The babies are girls. We’re going to have two daughters.”
“AH! That’s so awesome. I’m so happy for both of you!” Adalynn exclaimed as she hugged us again. “Rory, do you know what this means? Shop, shop, shop! I can’t wait to shop for baby girls!”
I smiled at her enthusiasm. She was just as excited as Ian and I were and there was something I wanted to talk to Ian about later.
“Come on, sweetheart. We need to get you home and off your feet.”
Adalynn looked at me and winked. “I’ll call you later, Rory. Oh, and Ian, about that meeting, the day you set it up for is perfect.”
Chapter 38
Ian
“Are you comfortable, sweetheart?” I asked her as we were in the air headed to New York.
“I’m very comfortable. Thank you.” She smiled.
I had a business meeting in New York that I had to attend with Connor regarding the property sale for his art gallery. We were only going to be there a couple of days because Paris was waiting for us. Rory was so excited to see Ellery. I had overheard them talking on the phone last night about the pregnancy and babies. I grabbed us both a bottle of water and sat down next to her on the couch. I leaned over, lifted up her shirt, and kissed her bare stomach.
“Let’s talk names.” I smiled as I sat up.
“Okay. You first,” she said.
“I was thinking we could make a game out of it. I’ll say a name and you say another that starts with the same letter.”
“Gretchen,” I said.
“Gabby.”
“Beth.”
“Brianna.” She smiled.
“Lucy.”
“Lexi.”
“Madeline.”
“Margaret.”
“Really, Rory?” I asked.
“Sorry, I couldn’t think of anything else.” She laughed. Okay, let me say a name first.”
“Go ahead, sweetheart.”
“Ashley.”
“Ariel. Like the princess.” I smiled.
Rory’s face lit up. “I love Ariel.”
“And I love Ashley.”
“Ian, I think we just named our little girls.”
I leaned over and gave her tummy a light kiss. “Hello, Ashley and Ariel Braxton.”
****
Our time was well spent in New York with Connor and Ellery. After Connor and I finished up our final meeting, the four of us spent the day at Central Park with Julia. She was an adorable little girl and she loved to screech. My ears hurt every time she let one out. She was a very happy baby and I hoped to be the kind of father Connor was to her. Ellery and Rory took a walk to the hot dog stand and left Julia with us.
“She’s a beautiful little girl, Connor.”
“That she is, my friend. She’s my little princess and the joy of my life. You’ll see what I’m talking about when your daughters are born. Wow, Ian, two babies at the same time.”
I chuckled. “I know. It’s going to be quite an adjustment.”
While I held Julia’s hands up as she tried to walk, Ellery and Rory came back with the hot dogs and chips. Ellery put Julia in her stroller and we all sat on the blanket, ate our hot dogs, and had a good time.
****
Up in the air, again. This time, we were on our way to Paris. Rory was so excited to see Andre. I told him we were coming, but to act like he didn’t know when he saw us. Instead of staying at Adalynn’s, I rented us a suite
at the Le Burgundy Hotel. I wanted this trip to be perfect for her.
“Where are we staying? Are we staying at Adalynn’s place?” she asked.
“No, sweetheart, we’re staying somewhere else. It’s a surprise.” Little did she know that I had a few surprises up my sleeve for her.
Rory began to shift in her seat. It was almost as if she was uncomfortable.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked.
“My back is hurting a little bit. It’s hard to get comfortable in this chair.”
I got up from my chair and took her hand. “Come sit over on the couch and let me give you a massage.”
She smiled as I led her to the couch where she sat down with her back to me. I began to massage her lower back and she started to moan. She sounded so sexy and she was turning me on. Suddenly, she let out a scream and placed her hands on her stomach.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you? Did I hurt the babies?” I was scared shitless at that moment.
“Oh my God, Ian. I think I felt one of the babies kick!”
“No way! Are you sure?”
She took my hand and placed it on the side of her stomach. I held it there for a few moments and then I felt it. I gasped as she looked at me and smiled.
“See, I told you!”
“Rory, that’s amazing.” I got down on my knees and placed my lips against her stomach. “Can you do that again for Daddy?”
I waited and waited, and nothing happened. “Well, at least we both felt it,” I said as I looked up at her.
Our flight was long, but we slept a good portion of it. As soon as we landed, we took a limo to the hotel. Rory looked exhausted and I was worried about her, between the pregnancy and jet lag.
“You look tired,” I said to her as I took off her shoes and gently rubbed her feet.
“I’m fine. Are you saying that I look like shit?”
“Rory, of course not. You just look a little tired, that’s all. You could never look like shit, sweetheart.”
“Just making sure because I was ready to fight with you.” She smiled.
“Fight with me? Well, in that case, yes, you do look like shit and you really need to do something about yourself.” I smiled.
Whenever Rory and I fought, there was always the best makeup sex. I was pretty sure that was what she wanted.
“Is that so, Mr. Braxton? Okay, seriously, I’m tired. In fact, too tired to fight with you and then have makeup sex. I’m sorry, baby.”
I brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face and smiled. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I need you to get some rest because we’re hitting the town tonight. So, I want you to climb on this comfortable bed and go to sleep. I have something I need to go pick up. I’ll be back in a while.”
“Okay,” she sleepily said as she lay down.
A couple of hours later, I returned to the room and Rory had just woken up. I hung the garment bag in the closet and walked over to the bed.
“Did you have a nice nap?” I asked as I softly kissed her lips.
“I did, thank you. What did you just put in the closet?”
“Something for you to wear tonight.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around me, kissing me and thanking me for the dress she hadn’t even seen yet. She got up from the bed, walked over to the closet, and pulled down the zipper of the garment bag.
“Ian, it’s beautiful. Are you sure it’s going to fit?”
“It should. Try it on.”
“What’s the occasion? What are we doing tonight?” she asked in excitement.
“You’ll see.” I winked.
She took off her top and pants. Her belly was getting so big and she was so incredibly beautiful. “Come here first before you put on that dress,” I said.
She walked over and stood in front of me. I placed my hands on her belly and gave my babies tiny kisses. “You’re so damn beautiful, Rory. I love you so much.”
She ran her fingers through my hair as I laid my cheek against her. “I love you more, Braxton.” I looked up at her and smiled. She was my perfect girl.
“Go try your dress on,” I said.
She stepped into her dress and pulled it up over her expanding belly. She had to tug at it and I couldn’t help but laugh. She turned around and asked me to zip her up.
“Perfect. It fits perfect. I love it, Ian. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’m going to jump in the shower and get ready myself. We have dinner reservations at six o’clock.”
****
She looked beautiful. Stunning and radiant, to be exact. We arrived at the restaurant promptly at six and had a wonderful dinner. When we were finished, we climbed into the limo and I had the driver take us to the Eiffel tower.
“Where are we going?” Rory asked.
“You’ll see, sweetheart.” I smiled as I kissed her hand.
As soon as we pulled up, Rory looked at me and smiled. “Oh, Ian, the Eiffel Tower. I was so hoping we could see it again.”
I helped her out of the limo and we walked hand in hand until we reached a few feet in front of the tower. We stood there and looked up and, when I looked at Rory, she had the most incredible smile on her face.
“I’ll never get tired of seeing this,” she said.
I took both of her hands and turned her towards me. I gently ran the back of my hand down her cheek and smiled. “I love you, Rory, and I never want to lose you.”
“You’re not going to lose me, Ian.”
“You’re my everything, sweetheart. You’re the reason I get up in the morning and you’re the reason I strive so hard to be a perfect man. You make me laugh. You make me smile, but most importantly, you make me happy. Happiness was something I thought I had until the night you laid across my lap in my limo and you looked at me. I’ll never forget that night, Rory. I instantly wanted to protect you and I didn’t know why. Something inside me needed you, and as hard as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t. The need was stronger than I was. You have made me so happy from the beginning. I know we’ve had our rough patches, and I know I was a complete dick about sharing my feelings with you. Then I screwed up again when you told me you were pregnant. I’m sorry for hurting you so badly because of my fears. I’ve come to realize that I don’t fear anything anymore when we’re together. You’ve given me unconditional love. You’ve given me courage and strength, but most of all, you’ve given me two beautiful daughters and I can’t wait until they arrive so I can tell them how much I love them, just like I’m telling you now.”
Tears sprung to her eyes. “Ian,” she whispered.
“Let me finish, sweetheart.”
I got down on one knee and pulled a small red velvet box from my pocket. “You’re the reason I breathe every day and I love you more than anything in the entire world, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and taking care of you and our children. I need you by my side. Will you do me the honor, Miss Sinclair, and marry me?”
Chapter 39
Rory
My heart was beating at the speed of light and tears started streaming down my face. Ian lifted the top of the box, and inside sat the most beautiful princess-cut diamond I’d ever seen in my life. The way it sparkled was incredible. I let go of his hand and placed mine over my mouth. I was shocked because I didn’t expect it at all.
“YES! Of course I’ll marry you!” I smiled and cried at the same time.
Ian pulled the ring from the box and placed it on my finger. He then brought my hand to his lips and softly kissed my ring.
“You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Rory.” He smiled as he hugged me.
“And you’ve made me the happiest woman alive, Ian. Oh my God, I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it, sweetheart, because it’s real and you’re going to become Mrs. Ian Braxton.”
“I love you so much,” I said as we kissed.
I couldn’t stop looking at my ring. It was stunning and elegant. Ian did the b
est job picking it out.
“You had this all planned out, didn’t you?”
“I sure did and I have another surprise for you, sweetheart.”
I didn’t know if I could handle another surprise. I was already on Cloud Nine.
“I professed my love for you in front of this beautiful tower once before, and now I asked you to marry me in front of this tower. Tomorrow at noon, you and I will be getting married and becoming one in front of the Eiffel Tower.” He smiled.
“What? Tomorrow? Are you serious, Ian?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I have everything arranged. Tomorrow at this time, you will be Mrs. Ian Braxton.”
“Oh my God, there’s so much to do. How did you—”
“Shh, I’ve taken care of everything. Adalynn and Daniel are already here in Paris and they’re going to be our witnesses.”
“But you said you had a meeting here in Paris.”
“I do, and that meeting is with you and our nuptials.” He smiled. “I had some wedding dresses sent over to Adalynn’s place and they’re there waiting for you to pick one that you want to wear. So, I think we should head over there so you can see them.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. I was in awe of this man and how much he’d changed since the first day I met him. We climbed into the limo and headed to Adalynn’s apartment. As soon as she saw the limo pull up, she ran to the door and hugged me, but then she pulled back.
“You said yes, right?” she asked.
“Of course I did.” I smiled as I showed her my ring.
Ian and I followed her inside and Ian stayed with Daniel while I went to Adalynn’s bedroom. “Tell me he said the most romantic things to you.”
“He did. He literally took my breath away and I’ll never forget this night. I can’t believe he arranged for us to get married tomorrow. That’s the most romantic thing in the world.”
“Can I be honest with you? I didn’t know he had it in him and I know he was worried you were going to say no,” Adalynn said. “Oh, and by the way, I know nothing about the wedding. The only thing he told me was the he needed Daniel and me here to be your witnesses and he was having dresses sent over. Speaking of which, let me show you these beauties.”
She opened her spare closet and it was filled with beautiful white wedding dresses. I felt like I was at the bridal store. I walked over and started to look at each dress.