Her Pregnancy Surprise (32 page)

“Do you have any idea of how many Simpsons there are in San Francisco?” a familiar voice asked in her ear.

“Matt?” Her heart rate sped up.

“I forgot to get your phone number. You’d checked out by the time Dex got back to the hotel. So I’ve been making calls ever since I got on the flight home. I tracked down your daughter a little while ago and told her I was a friend. She gave me this number. God, I’ve missed you.”

Sara couldn’t say a word.
It was Matt!
She’d given up all hope of hearing from him again.

“I can’t believe it,” she said softly. “You’re back now? I thought you got back days ago.”

“Nope. The problem turned out to be bigger than we thought. Then since I was already in The Netherlands, I took an assignment in Antwerp. But now I’m back and wanting to see you. Have dinner with me. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“It’s only five-thirty, a bit early for dinner,” she stalled. The stack of work on her desk had not magically shrunk while she talked. But for the first time since she had been hired, she didn’t care. Dinner with Matt, she couldn’t refuse!

“I didn’t tell Amber about you,” she said, wondering what her daughter thought when a stranger called and asked about her mother.

“So I found out. She’s a bit skeptical. I bet she calls you in a minute to make sure it was all right to give me the phone number. But I convinced her it was safe for me to call you at work, rather than trying to get your home phone number. Which I do want, by the way.”

Sara gave it to him, and then ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not dressed for dinner.”

“I don’t care how you’re dressed, or even if you’re
dressed. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” The line went dead.

Sara gave a soft laugh of excitement. Matt was back and wanted to see her! She almost danced from the office. She had no other responsibilities to get in the way. Imagine going off on such short notice. She loved this empty nest life!

She told Stacey to cancel the sandwich order, then dashed to the ladies room to repair her makeup. She wished she’d worn something besides black slacks and a primrose silk blouse. Perhaps one of her new dresses, or something sexy to get his attention. Matt said he didn’t care. And she didn’t dare take time to go home and change. She couldn’t wait to see him.

Exactly nine minutes later she stepped out on the sidewalk in front of her building. The traffic moved as it did every day at rush hour, with stops and starts. She heard the toot of a horn and saw the low-slung sports car swerve to the curb. Matt climbed out, his eyes finding hers in an instant.

“Sara.”

“Matt.” For a moment, she couldn’t speak. He looked just as gorgeous as he had in Lake Tahoe. She longed to touch him. Wished he’d kiss her. Giddy with happiness, she smiled. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Not very sophisticated, but heartfelt. She just wanted to stand and take him all in. She hadn’t realized exactly how much she’d missed him, exactly how much she’d been afraid she’d never hear from him again. The intervening days since they’d been together vanished. It was as if they’d just seen each other yesterday.

“I brought you something from Antwerp,” he said, walking around the rear of the car. He leaned over
and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Get in before some cop gives me a ticket for illegal parking.”

She slid into the soft leather interior, feeling as shy as a teenager. “You’ve just stopped, you’re not parked.”

“Think that’ll hold up as a defense?” he asked, going around to climb into the driver’s seat.

“Where would you like to go for dinner?” he said when they started moving.

“Wherever.”

“London?” he suggested.

She laughed. “Yes! Except I don’t think we can get there before I starve to death.” No one else she knew would suggest London for dinner. Oh how she wished they could.

“I know a great Italian place in Columbus Square,” he said.

“I love Italian,” she said, watching as he competently merged the car into the traffic. Dinner with Matt sure beat a takeout sandwich at her desk. Any meal with Matt beat that. For a fleeting second she considered all the work awaiting, then promptly pushed the thought away. She was taking time with Matt, she hadn’t seen him in too long! There was a limit to how much she wanted to give to the office.

“Tell me about your trip,” she invited, wanting to know how he spent every moment. Had he missed her at all?

“The first emergency was successfully handled, from a business stand point,” he replied.

“Is there another point?”

He flicked her a glance. “I didn’t used to think so, but this time I found myself wishing you had been in Amsterdam with me. You would love it. We could
have sampled a different restaurant every night, taken an excursion boat on the river. The shopping is fabulous. I bet you’d like Antwerp even more—it’s charming. Old, old buildings, monuments, fountains. Talk about walking around, you would never come to the hotel.”

She sighed softly. “Maybe one day.”

He nodded.

Before long they were seated in a small alcove at the restaurant, the heavenly fragrance of oregano and garlic filling the air.

“What did you do while I was gone?” Matt asked once their order had been taken.

“Worked. I had dinner one night with Amber and Jimmy. Otherwise, we’re coming into tax season and the workload increases. Nothing exciting like visiting The Netherlands.” She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about her plans for her next vacation. Would he come with her?

“I wasn’t exactly visiting—I was working,” he protested, the amusement in his eyes letting her know his kind of work in a foreign setting didn’t compare to hers.

“So are you back for long?” she asked.

“I have to reconfirm my next assignment with the office to make sure it’s still a go. But I’m home for a few days.”

“When did you get back?” Had he not been in his office yet?

He looked at his watch. “About an hour and a half ago. I called you on my way in from the airport. Once I knew my flight number, one of the guys at the office dropped my car for me at the airport. Saved time.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. Had he been as anxious
to see her as she was to see him? Then another thought struck.

“You must be exhausted.”

“I’ll last until after dinner at least. I wanted to see you.”

“We can eat fast,” she offered, touched more than she wanted to admit at his words.

He looked uncomfortable, glanced around then looked back at her. “I brought you something from Antwerp,” he said.

She remembered he’d said that earlier. As if excited that she would like his present, to let her know he’d been thinking of her even when apart. She hadn’t had a present from anyone but Amber in years.

“A present?” she asked.

“Sort of.” He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a jewelers box.

Sara stared at it, her breath caught in her throat. Most of the time that would be a ring box, but surely he hadn’t bought her a ring!

When he flipped open the lid, she blinked at the sparkling diamond ring nestled in velvet.

“Will you marry me, Sara?”

S
ARA
stared at the ring, then slowly raised her eyes to his. “Marry you?” she whispered.

“I was hoping you missed me as much as I missed you. We had a great time at Lake Tahoe. Think of the life we could have together. We’re just perfect for each other. Our lifestyles match. Quit your job, come with me wherever I go. I can arrange to take some extra time with most assignments so it won’t be all work. I’m going to London next week, if the assignment still holds. I still need to verify it. If so, let’s spend our honeymoon there.”

He’d never asked a woman to marry him before. But Sara was different. She was easy to be with, and fun at the same time—not to mention sexy. He didn’t have to worry about her wanting to start a family and buying some house in the suburbs, her daughter was already grown. He could support them both. They could travel, maybe make London their home for a few years while he concentrated on European accounts. That would save time flying over every couple of weeks.

Sara was in shock. She’d known him less than a week, all told. He was virtually a stranger. How could she marry a stranger?

Yet she had loved every moment they spent together. She would forever remember the fabulous days at Lake Tahoe. She would also remember the
indecision and worry that he wouldn’t call. She loved being with him. Her fantasies all centered around Matt. She’d known she’d fallen for him. But marriage? Forever? Would it be possible?

For a moment she let herself dream…

What did she want? To spend her life doing the accounts for businessmen who argued every point with her, or spend it jetting to the far flung corners of the world with the most exciting man she’d ever met? Dare she take such a risk and go for it? She was footloose and fancy free. Amber had her own life now, with Jimmy. Why not grab the happiness that dangled so temptingly in front of her?

As the seconds ticked by, Matt’s expression grew more impassive.

“Forget it,” he said, flipping shut the box. “Silly idea.”

“It’s not at all. You caught me by surprise, but I say yes!” She felt young and alive and daring all rolled up into one. She hadn’t felt this way since—ever!

He rose and pulled her to her feet, kissing her like she’d never been kissed before. Several of the other patrons of the restaurant clapped, obviously knowing something was going on.

When the waiter hurried over, Matt stepped back and reseated Sara. “Champagne, please, she’s agreed to marry me!”

Once he was seated, he reached for her hand, slipping the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.

“I wasn’t sure you’d even call,” Sara said, studying the sparkling stone in total disbelief. Had she really just agreed to marry Matt?

“You must have known I’d find you again. You
are too special to let go,” he said, taking her fingers in his hand, caressing the backs with his thumb. “This is probably rushing things, but I want you, Sara, and I don’t want some other guy honing in on my woman.”

“That sounds like a pick up line,” she teased, not sure how to handle the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Oh, she’d have to cancel her date with Tim, she thought briefly, staring into Matt’s eyes. How could she ever have thought she’d enjoy herself with someone else?

“I have never told another woman that. Nor asked another woman to marry me. Actually I never thought I would marry. But you and I will be perfect together. We’ll make the entire world ours! We’ll travel. Sometime on business, but plenty of time on our own. You can make up a list of all the sights you want to see. The world will be our backyard. There’s nothing to tie us down.”

“Sounds fabulous. I pick London first. No, wait, maybe Paris. No, how about Sydney?”

“We’ll get to them all eventually.” He kissed her fingers, squeezing gently in affection.

The comment he made sank in. “You never thought to marry, why not? You’re terrific. Any woman would be delighted to share her life with you!” She looked at him, still a bit shocked she’d agreed to marry again. Her brief experience in wedded bliss hadn’t been good enough to recommend she try again. With Matt it would be so different.

“Ah, a man never tires of having his future wife think he’s fabulous.” The champagne arrived and the waiter poured them both a glass, setting them before them with a flourish.

“To my wife-to-be,” Matt said, raising his glass to her.

Wife. Ohmygod, Sara thought, as panic suddenly struck. She was going to be a wife again! To trust her future to this man she’d only met a few weeks ago. Had she lost her mind?

“To us,” she said, touching her glass to his.

Granted, she hadn’t known him for long, but she trusted Matt in a very basic way. And knowing someone for ages didn’t guarantee anything, look at her and Bill. They’d known each other for years and he had walked out without a look behind. Some men were steadfast, some weren’t.

“Next week London, who knows after that?” Matt said.

“You’re serious about next week?” she asked. “And London?”

“Of course, weren’t you? You do have a passport, don’t you?”

She shook her head. Why would she have needed a passport before now, she never traveled?

“Not to worry, we’ll get one through the office. They expedite things all the time with new employees. I’m sure we can get you one in time. Do you want to get married in a church, or at City Hall?”

“My church, please. And I’ll have to arrange some time off from work. Good thing I have a lot of vacation time accrued.” The enormity of what she’d agreed to began to sink in. And vacation time owed or not, her boss would have a fit with her taking off during tax season. And what would everyone say—no one even knew she’d been seeing anyone.

“Quit your job, cut your ties, let’s fly where the mood takes us. After London, we’ll sit down and decide
what you’d like to see first and then I’ll see what assignments I can wrangle for those locations. With the threat of terrorist activities or global viruses, there are more and more assignments each month at the firm. We are expanding almost faster than we can train representatives.”

“I’d love to see all of Europe, then work our way down-under to Australia and New Zealand,” she said, as giddy as a child at Christmas. Her lifelong dreams were coming true. And she’d see them all with Matt. How cool was that!

Her heart raced, almost hurting with so much happiness. Who ever would have thought Sara Simpson would one day be married again, and off to see the world?

“Oh, where will we live? My apartment isn’t very spacious,” she said, reality inserting itself. It was downright small. And Amber still had a lot of her things there. Amber—she’d have to tell her daughter right away. What would Amber think about getting a stepfather at this late date?

“We’ll get a place of our own. My apartment is small, too. We’ll find something we both like and combine households,” Matt said.

“I need to call Amber. She’ll want to meet you.” Amber was going to be shocked. None of this sounded like the old Sara.

He shook his head. “I never figured myself as father material. Good thing she’s grown and married. Maybe we could all have dinner tomorrow night.”

“I’ll call her as soon as we get home.” She hoped Amber liked Matt. What if she didn’t? No, that was the wrong attitude. How could she not like him?

Dinner arrived and Sara spend the rest of the time
quizzing Matt on where they’d go in London and how long they’d stay. She came up with a dozen things she’d need to do to get ready for a wedding in a week’s time.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she said as they left the restaurant.

“Second thoughts?” he asked.

“Not one!”

When he pulled into the curb at her apartment, she invited him up.

“Much as I’d love to, sweetheart, I’m bushed. I’ve been up more than twenty-four hours now and need to get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll decide where to take Amber and Jimmy for dinner,” he said.

His kiss belied his fatigue, despite the contortions they had to do in the small car. Sara’s entire body was pulsing with desire and delight by the time he ended the embrace. She wished he’d come up more than ever. But she could wait. Their coming together would be all the sweeter with anticipation.

As soon as Matt left, she called Amber.

“Hi, Mom, I’ve been trying to reach you. Did some guy call you at work? I gave him your number, but then wasn’t sure I should have.”

“You definitely should have. His name is Matt Tucker.”

“I don’t remember hearing about him before. Does he work at your office? Of course not, he wouldn’t need the number if he did. Who is he?”

“As of this evening, he’s my fiancé,” Sara said.

The silence at the other end was deafening.

“Amber?” Maybe she should have explained more
before blurting out the news. But she wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Matt Tucker wanted to marry her, Sara Simpson!

“Mom, did you just say fiance?”

“I did.”

“I didn’t even know you were dating. When did all this happen?”

“The proposal was tonight. We’re planning to be married next week. We’re honeymooning in London.”
Honeymooning! London!
Sara still couldn’t believe the words tripped from her mouth so easily. She wished they were already married. It had only been moments since he’d left, and she missed him.

“Next week? Mom, I haven’t even met the guy. How can you get married so soon? And why? You don’t have to, do you? I mean, you’re not pregnant or anything are you?” Amber sounded worried.

“No, I’m not pregnant. I’ve had my family, you know that. Matt and I met in Lake Tahoe right after your wedding. We spent some glorious days together and realized when he got home tonight how much we missed each other.”

“So you’re getting married next week? Couldn’t you, um, be engaged for a while?”

“You and Jimmy got married with short notice.” Great, now she was comparing herself with her daughter. It was enough that she knew her own mind. She didn’t need to justify her decision with anyone, not even Amber.

Maybe there was a hint of uncertainty lurking, but she wouldn’t admit it. She wanted to marry Matt, explore the world, live a little. She was only thirty-eight years old, not too old to still have fun.

“I haven’t even met the guy,” Amber wailed.

“I know. Matt and I want to invite you and Jimmy to dinner tomorrow night. You can meet him then.”

“I can’t say if Jimmy can make it. He’s at the base and has been working late most nights. I’ll see. But I’m definitely coming. In fact, maybe I’ll come over to your place now—is he there?”

“No, he just got in from Amsterdam. He’s been up for twenty-four hours and needed rest. You can meet him tomorrow.”

“Fine. Gosh, Mom, this doesn’t sound a bit like you.”

Sara smiled as she put down the receiver. It didn’t sound like the old her. But it was definitely the new!

The week flew by. She and Matt spent as much time together as they could with their work schedules. His kisses left her breathless. His touch sent her senses into overdrive. But he restrained himself every night, leaving her at the door of her apartment as if afraid the temptation for more than kisses would be too strong if he came into her home. She was honored—and frustrated—by the respect he showed. They would be married forever, he said. He could wait a few more days before consummating their love.

Sara wasn’t sure she would have been as noble given the choice.

Thursday morning dawned cold and clear. The sky was a deep blue, without clouds. The breeze from the Bay was light, though chilly. The weather was perfect for a wedding.

Sara found a cream-colored dress to wear, complete with wispy hat to give it a bridal touch. She had arranged for time off again from work, though her boss, Mr. Pepovich, was concerned that she be able to get all her clients handled in the time remaining until tax
day. She hadn’t told him of her intent to quit. She wouldn’t leave him in the lurch, but the plans she and Matt had made were important, too. She couldn’t wait to be off to explore the world.

The ceremony went without a hitch. Dex was Matt’s best man, and Amber stood up with her mother. She hadn’t fully accepted the idea, but was cordial to Matt. She kept eyeing Sara as if she was one brick short of a load. She voiced no objections to the wedding, but had constantly questioned Sara on her certainty that it was the right move right up until last night. Seeing her mother was adamant, she gave in with good grace.

Once the formalities were taken care of, there was a small reception. Sara and Matt had invited a dozen or so friends each. The church hall held them all easily. Soft music played in the background. The caterer had prepared a light lunch complete with wedding cake.

At one point during the reception, she and Matt became separated. She spoke with old friends, laughed at the teasing from her coworkers about her whirlwind courtship, and kept an eye on things to make sure everyone was enjoying the event.

Already missing Matt, she spotted him in conversation with Dex and headed their way. Their backs were to her, but she didn’t care. She’d just slip to his side and see how long it took him to notice her.

“…believe the playboy of the western world is now a married man,” Dex was saying as she drew closer. Sara smiled. So Matt had a playboy reputation, interesting, if not surprising. Look how quickly he’d charmed her at the casino in Reno.

“Why not, Sara is perfect for me. She’s had her
family, isn’t yearning for a house and white picket fence. She wants to travel, and we all know my job has me on the road three weeks out of four. I tell you, Dex, she’s the best thing to happen to me. We can explore every city I’m assigned, take some trips to others when we can. We’ll still have a home base here in San Francisco. What’s not to like about married life?”

“No kids in the picture?”

Sara hesitated a moment. They had never discussed children. The only reference Matt had made was an offhand comment about how he couldn’t picture himself as a father. Would he want children?

“That’s the beauty of it, she’s had her family. Amber is all grown and doesn’t need a stay-at-home mother. And let’s face it, can you picture me as a father?” Matt asked.