A Prior Engagement (44 page)

P.S. Don’t forget to floss and brush your teeth every night
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P.P.S. Hey look, your mom will be so proud, I used black ink
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Evie smirked at William then turned to Max. “Your daddy is a very smart man, baby boy.” She nuzzled him quickly, and took the book. “So, you’re going to the book party after you finish here?”

“We have a babysitter, right?”

“Yes, I’m taking Max home now. The sitter will be there in half an hour and then I can join you.”

“I have a better idea. There’s this restaurant I’ve been wanting to try with an inn located right next store. What do you say we skip the party and try those out instead tonight?” William used his most charming smile as he asked his wife out on a date.

She shook her head, and laughed. “You are going to miss a party being thrown in your honor to hang out with me?”

“I’m hoping to do more than just hang out, baby. Anyway, I’m here now. I can only handle so many accolades before they start going straight to my head, feeding my ego,” he teased.

She laughed again. No one made her laugh or as happy as her husband did. “Okay, Mr. Ryder, but we still have to be home by eleven.”

“I think I can handle that.”

“We’ll see how much you can handle later.” She winked at him.

They sealed their plans with a kiss before she took their son and left the bookstore.

Almost two hours later, Evie and William sat across from each other at a very intimate bistro. She smiled as she handed him a letter. “This came for you today.”

He quickly examined the return address and glanced back up. “Our alma mater, huh?”

As William read the letter, Evie watched him carefully. She could see the happy glint in his eyes and had a gut feeling what the letter might say, but waited for him to share.

“Professor Lang is looking for someone to take over his position when he moves into the Director role in the fall. He wants me to be a part of the British Literature program. The program is small and would be a good challenge, but do you want to move back to New York, baby?” he asked, placing his hand over hers.

“It would be nice to be near both our families again. I miss them, but I love the sun and the life we’ve built here. As I’ve always said, home for me is with you no matter where we are.”

“This is a good opportunity and I miss our families.” He took a sip of wine and then offered his glass to her.

She smiled, and shook her head. “No, neither baby nor I want any wine, but thanks for asking.”

“If we move back to Manhattan, you might have to go back to work. Or, we could live out on Staten Island near my folks and I could commute. That way we could afford for you to continue to stay home with the kids.”

“I love being home with Max and I want to be at home for this baby, too,” Evie said, rubbing her stomach. “By the way, have you come up with a name for this little one yet?”

“I’m thinking Elizabeth?”

Evie’s eyes lit up, and she repeated the name in her head. “Elizabeth is perfect! Elizabeth Ryder. It’s beautiful. It was also my great-grandmother’s name.”

“It made sense since it was her wedding ring.” William continued as Evie twirled the gold ring around on her finger. “I hoped you’d like that name.”

They spent so much time at the bistro talking about their future and all the options and possibilities of being back in the New York area that they didn’t have time for the rendezvous at the inn next door.

After arriving home and checking on their sleeping baby, William joined Evie on their deck overlooking the ocean. He wrapped his arms around her, and she whispered, “We can live in Manhattan if you want.”

“I’m sorry, honey, but the job pays decent, but not for a family of four in Manhattan, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to work if you don’t want.”

She turned in his arms, her large belly pressing into his toned one, face to face. “My birthday is next month.”

“Did you think of something you’d like as a gift, something I can buy you? I know last week you said you didn’t need anything, but birthdays aren’t about needs, they’re about wants.”

“I inherit my trust fund from my grandparents next month.” She just said it. She stood there, resting her hands on his chest and silently let him digest the information.

“I’d forgotten about that. The extra money would probably be enough to supplement for you to stay home. But we should probably consider one of the boroughs or Staten Island. Manhattan real estate is crazy expensive.”

“William, we can live close to your parents if you really want. I think they’re great and Max loves them to death. I think it’s a healthy place for kids to grow up. I mean, look how great you turned out.” She paused. “I don’t want you to freak out or anything though, okay?” William gulped and looked concerned, but nodded in agreement anyway. “I received the paperwork necessary to receive the fund and it’s a lot of money, more than we thought.” She rubbed his chest lightly as if to comfort and calm him.

“How much more?”

She could hear the nervous strain in his tone. “Don’t freak out, all right?”

“Evie, just tell me.”

“Ten million dollars.” She said it carefully and cautiously.

“Ten million dollars!”

“Remember, it’s just money, honey. Money is not evil. We can use it or not use it however we want. William? William?”

By this point, William went into a mild form of shock.

Evie backed him up until the back of his knees bumped into the chair, forcing him to sit. Holding his shoulders, she asked, “Are you alright, babe?”

“I uh… uh, I, uh… I.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“Babe, it’s there if we need or want it. It’s security for a life that’s already perfect. It’s money that will help us to not have to struggle so hard sometimes. Please say something.”

William’s eyes trailed down her body until he came across her belly. He leaned forward and kissed it, then whispered, “Your mommy is a very rich lady, baby Elizabeth.”

Evie tilted his chin up to look at her and corrected him, “We’re rich together. Always together, remember? And, if you take that job, I want to live in Manhattan. I want to be able to have lunch together and I don’t want you wasting time riding the ferry back and forth when you could be home with us already. We’ll have this money and if you want, we can sell the building.”

“I don’t think we’ll need to sell the building. It’s solid income.” He smiled and stood, not able to deny her. “I’ll do anything for you, my love. Manhattan, here we come.” He punctuated his words with a kiss on the nose.

* * *

A year later, Evie left her favorite little park pushing her stroller with baby Elizabeth inside and Max in tow. They caught a cab and waited on a bench outside the Literature building where William now taught. When he walked out, Max ran to him, almost knocking him over. William swiftly swung him into the air then carried him over to greet his wife and daughter.

“You get more beautiful every day, baby,” he said before kissing Evie entirely inappropriately for a teacher on school property, but neither of them cared.

She laughed as he leaned down and kissed the baby. She said, “We should go. My parents hate when we’re late.”

“They had nannies to prepare the kids. We don’t, by choice, of course, baby, but they don’t remember the challenges of having youngsters.” He took Max’s hand and they walked the few blocks to Pizzeria La Cucina.

When the family arrived, the hostess escorted them to the private room in the back. William immediately set Max down who began to run around the table after greeting his grandparents.

Richard and Kitty Wright got lost in baby babble as Kitty took Elizabeth right out of Evie’s arms, and Richard chased Max. “I thought they loved us, too,” William joked.

“No, we’re just the people who brought them their grandkids to play with.” Evie laughed out loud, enjoying the togetherness.

After they finished off the second bottle of wine, Kitty leaned closer as if she was going to share a secret. “We wanted to talk to you kids about something important.”

‘Something important’ always meant money.
Evie knew this.
William did not.

Kitty sat back in her chair, taking her husband’s hand with pride as Richard said, “We’re leaving you almost everything when we pass. Well, Audrey gets half, but we don’t want to burden her with talk of this at this stage in her life.”

William’s head turned toward Evie who placed her hand on his thigh. “It’s all right,” she whispered. Then she directed her attention back to her parents. “Dad, that’s very kind, but you know you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want, and we have our grandparent’s money from the trust still.”

Richard raised a hand in the air to silence her. “I know, but we’re adults and should be able to talk about this. We’re leaving some of the money, well a lot of the money, to charity, the same women’s charity that you work with. I was always impressed by your generosity, time, and energy, Evie. We’ll also be using some to cover retirement expenses. We set aside a portion for Audrey as well. We thought you should know that we don’t want you to worry about money. We love you, all four of you so much, and we’re proud of the woman you’ve become and the choices you’ve made.” Evie teared up as Richard directed his attention toward William. “You’ve also made us proud and you’ve become a fine man, William. This way we can make sure you’re taken care of, so please don’t argue and accept the money when we pass.”

William leaned across the table, and shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. Thank you for thinking of us.”

Kitty cheerfully chimed in, adding, “I hope you use some of the twenty million to travel. I know you kids have always wanted to travel.”

William’s jaw dropped open and once again, he slipped into a mild form of shock. Evie took his face in her hands, and reminded him, “It’s just money. Money is not evil. We can use it or not use it however we want.”

“Twenty million dollars!”

“Remember, you and me together always.”

He looked her in the eyes and saw them alight with love and happiness. “Yes, you’re right. You and me together always.”

The End.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing abuse and need and/or want help, please contact the

National Domestic Violence Hotline at

www.thehotline.org

or call 1−800−799−SAFE (7233)

About the Author

S.L. Scott has a degree in Journalism and is the author of the novel,
Naturally, Charlie
, and several novellas, including
Sleeping with Mr. Sexy
and
Morning
Glory—all currently
available on Amazon. Pursuing her passion for telling stories, she spends her days escaping into her characters, letting them lead her on their adventures. She is a Contributor to Huffington Post as well as writes for her own blog along with several other popular sites.

Travelling, music festivals, and surfing are a few of her hobbies she loves, but she doesn’t get to enjoy on a regular basis. She has an obsession with movies, a varied taste in books, and collects Fitz & Floyd teapots. With a memory full of useless trivia facts, and a Keurig addiction, she loves a fun night in with her family as much as a loud night out with her friends.

Scott lives in the lively city of Austin with her husband, two young sons, and two Papillons, enjoying life in the beautiful hill country of Texas.

She welcomes your notes at [email protected]