My Curvy Valentine: A Perfect Fit Novella (22 page)

“Hey.” He stopped what he was doing as if he sensed she was near.

“Hi.”

“You haven’t been home.”

“No.”

He closed the distance between them, taking her face in his hands. She shut her eyes as soon as his lips touched her skin. She had missed him. Five days was such a short time and yet it seemed like an eternity because the minutes were twice as long without him. “Come home.”

“No.”

“Yes.” He kissed her all over her face. “Enough of this. I miss you.”

It was so tempting to give up. To say yes, to let him back in and take a risk. No one else had ever made her feel like this. “I miss my friend,” she admitted.

“We’re more than just friends. I can’t sleep without you next to me. I can barely get through my day knowing that I can’t come home to you at night.”

“Alex?”

He froze upon hearing a woman’s voice call his name. Maggie didn’t need to open her eyes to know who it was. It was like a big blaring neon sign. They should have never started this conversation.

“I’ll get rid of her. I’m not done talking to you,” he whispered.

“You don’t have to. Obviously you two have some unfinished business.” She pulled away from him, knowing that the decision she made had been the right one.

He grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers as he turned to face Roya, not letting her walk away when the only thing she wanted to do was flee. “Hi, Roya. This isn’t a good time.”

“Hello, Maggie.” Roya looked at their joined hands, a bit of confusion crossing her face. “I saw the sign that said you were closed for a private function. I know I just kind of dropped in on you last week and disappeared, but I thought I would give you some time while I got myself settled. We need to talk.”

“Yeah we do, but I think you should know that I’m seeing—”

“Maggie, you’re going to need a ladder.” Clayton came walking in through the back door with a large box in his hand, but the moment he saw Roya he froze. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Hi, Clayton.” Roya smiled at him. “I’m so glad you’ve came back from Afghanistan unharmed.”

Clay said nothing, just looked from Alex to Roya with suspicious eyes.

“I should leave. I’m sorry if I interrupted something.” She turned to go, but looked back to Alex as she reached the door. “Call me when you want to talk. I’ll be in Manhattan for the next couple of days, but I’m staying at the little inn in town tonight. I’m in room 213 if you want to stop by after you’re done here.”

She walked out then.

“Mags…”

“You don’t have to say anything, Alex.” She held up her hands. “I need to grab some tape out of out my apartment. Excuse me.”

*

“Un-fucking-believable,” he cursed as Maggie’s retreating figure disappeared through the door. It was like Roya was handpicking the worst times to show up. Just when he thought he had Maggie back, just when he felt her yielding, Roya had to show up and royally screw him. He wasn’t just trying to get rid of her when he told her it wasn’t a good time to talk. He wanted to talk to her, needed to talk to her, if only to set things straight, but he sure as hell didn’t want to do it before he made Maggie understand.

He turned around to head into his kitchen when he saw Clayton’s fist flying toward his face, slamming him in the eye.

“What the fuck!” He placed his hand over his eye just to make sure his eyeball was still there.

“I told you not to hurt my sister. And now because your ex comes back from England you think you can just dump her like some old tires on the side of the road.” Clayton gripped his chef’s coat. “Maggie is special. She’s not just another piece of ass. I thought you knew that. I thought you understood when I told you I was going to kill you if you hurt her.”

“I didn’t break up with her.” Alex shoved him away. “She broke up with me. Okay? I didn’t know Roya was coming back. I didn’t plan this.”

“You screwing around with Roya too? Is that why she broke up with you?” He charged at him. “You want your cake and to eat it too?”

“I wouldn’t cheat on her.” Alex pushed him back. “I love her, damn it. I’m in love with Maggie.”

“Oh.” Clay paused. “You should be. She’s a good girl.”

“No. She’s a crazy girl. She thinks that I’m still in love with Roya. I was never in love with Roya. I thought she was mad at me for not telling Roya we were together, but I was so damn shocked to see her my brain stopped working. And then today when I try to tell her, you walk in looking like a homicidal ax murderer and screw me out of telling her again.”

Clay shrugged. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault, it’s Maggie. Somewhere in her twisted mind she thinks that she’ll be standing in the way of me and Roya if she stays. I wish she’d stop acting like a damn martyr and see that I only want to be with her. It would have been a hell of a lot easier to open my bakery in the city where people already knew my work. I came back here for her, even though I didn’t know it at the time, because I couldn’t continue my life without her. I want to make my life with her.”

“Have you told her this?” Both he and Clay turned around to see Betty standing there. “Have you told my daughter you’re in love with her?”

“I don’t think she would believe me now.”

“That’s my fault. I let my husband treat me poorly because I felt guilty about what I did. And I let Maggie see that and now she’s distrustful of love. The funny thing is that I think the girl truly believes in it, just not for herself. I’m sorry for that, Alex. You’re exactly who Phillip and I want for her. It would be a shame if you two couldn’t make it work because of our past mistakes.”

“What do you suggest I do?”

“Well, getting rid of that Brazilian goddess forever would be a nice start. I passed her walking here. She’s a beautiful girl, but doesn’t look like she eats more than a thimble full of food a day. It’s a good thing you broke up with her, honey. You’re such a big man and that tiny little thing doesn’t look like she could carry your babies. Slim hips, you know.”

“Ma!” Clayton said, disrupting his mother’s babble. “We’re trying to help Alex get Maggie back, remember?”

“Of course. I’ll talk to her, but first let’s get something cold on that eye.” She looked from her son to Alex. “I don’t even want to know what happened!”

Chapter 14

Maggie couldn’t help but feel a tiny twinge of jealously as she watched Belinda open her gifts. People always said pregnant women glowed and before today she wasn’t sure if that was true. But Belinda was indeed glowing with happiness as she sat with her little girl and opened boxes filled with tiny baby clothes and little baby socks and beautifully handmade gifts from all her closest friends.

It had taken her a while, but Belinda had finally found her the thing that made her happy and that was her family. Maggie wondered what that thing would be for her. Because as much as it ached not to have an intact family she was sure she would never have one. It just wasn’t in the cards for her.

“How you doing, pumpkin?” Betty kissed her cheek. Maggie was feeling heartsore. Her mother’s kiss felt nice, like what she needed. She still needed her mother.

“I’m sorry, Mommy.” She turned to hug her. “I miss you.”

“Oh, dear lord, how I love to hear you call me Mommy. You haven’t done it since you were a little girl. You don’t need to apologize, you have every right to be mad at me.”

“I’ve been mad at everybody lately and it’s not a good feeling.”

“I know. Alex is a good guy. You shouldn’t be upset with him.”

“I’m not. I’m mad at the bitch who’s in love with him.”

“Are you talking about you or that pretty foreign girl that’s been sniffing around him?”

“Both, I guess. Who told you about that?”

“Nobody. I saw her with my own two eyes. You don’t have to worry about her. Alex doesn’t want her. He wants you. And I want grandbabies, so stop being so damn stubborn and let that man love you.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“It
is
that easy, Maggie May. If you took away anything from your father’s and my marriage, you should know to be with the person who makes you happy. I stayed with somebody who made me miserable and I regret that because I missed out on so much happiness. I want for you what I didn’t have. Alex makes you happy and he wants you back. Why are you fighting this?”

“What if I don’t make him happy?”

“You think he’s happy now?”

“His pride is just hurt right now. He’ll get over it. He’s the type of guy women fall all over. The type of guy that causes beautiful women to quit their jobs and move across oceans. He’ll be just fine. Trust me.”

“Everything was fine until his ex waltzed into town. I understand you weren’t happy to see her, but he’s never given you any reason to doubt him.”

“He didn’t tell her about me.” Even to her own ears she sounded petty.

“He would have. You’re running out of excuses. You’re stubborn, and more than that you’re scared.”

“Duh. Of course I’m scared.”

“But why?”

“I don’t want to get hurt, okay?”

“You can’t let fear rule your life. I did. I let fear of the unknown keep me in a bad marriage. Maggie, please don’t let a good man go because you’re scared. You’ll regret it.”

“I’m in love with him, Mom. I’m so in love with him that my heart beats faster when I see him and my days aren’t right when they don’t start with him kissing me awake. And I’m scared of that. I think I’ve loved him for years and will love him forever and I’m really afraid that while I’m sitting here wanting him forever, he’ll only be wanting me for a little while.”

“I thought you said you didn’t love me.” She heard Alex’s deep voice from behind her. She froze for a moment, so mad that he had heard her.

“I don’t.” She shook her head. “I wasn’t talking about you.”

“You were. I heard you.”

“Pretend like you didn’t.”

“You’re not getting away with that.” He took a step closer to her. She wanted to back away, to flee. He wasn’t supposed to hear how much she loved him. Not now, not after everything that had happened in the last few days. He was going to say it back. She could see it in his eyes. He might love her too, he probably did, but she still couldn’t forget that Roya was still around, still hoping for their future, still expecting him to come around. He might love her more and right now that was something Maggie couldn’t contend with.

“Maggie!” Belinda called her. She was standing, one hand on her back, the other perched high on her belly. “It’s time for another game. I want you on my team.” Maggie walked away, and for the first time she was relieved she hadn’t heard the words
I love you
.

*

Alex watched Maggie walk away from him and he couldn’t take that. Not after all he’d heard her say. She loved him. He knew that before she even spoke the words, but hearing how she truly felt did something to him. It made him want to make her happy. To erase all the doubts from her mind.

He went after her, making his way through the crowd of happy partygoers. He grabbed Maggie’s arm just as she was reaching Belinda. “I need to borrow my girlfriend for a moment. Do you mind if she sits this game out?”

“I can’t. I’m supposed to be helping.” She pulled away from him.

Belinda’s eyes widened a bit as she looked between them. “Of course you can have her. We’ll all be right here playing diaper derby.” Belinda gave Maggie a gentle shove. “Your boyfriend wants to talk to you, girl. Go on.”

“Thanks.” He took hold of her arm again and led her out of the bakery and away from anyone else’s hearing. “You need to stop talking to me. It’s the middle of a baby shower. Now is not the time to discuss the state of our relationship.”

“When is? You wouldn’t answer my calls. You’re not staying here anymore. When are we going to settle this? Let me know so I can write it down.”

“Alex,” she turned away from him, “just leave me alone.”

“How can I after hearing you say you love me?”

“You weren’t supposed to hear that and it’s pretty shitty of you to listen in on a conversation I was having with my mother. If I wanted you to know that I loved you, I would have told you.”

“You didn’t have to tell me because I knew. I knew that you loved me just like you know that I love you.”

She turned to look back at him. “Don’t tell me that.”

“Why not? It’s true. I love you.”

“You’re only saying that because you heard me say it. I don’t want you to say it because you feel obligated to.”

“Goddamn it, Maggie! I’m fed up with it. I love you. I have always loved you. Since I was fourteen. I love you because you were the only one who didn’t look at me like I was crazy when I told you I wanted to go culinary school. I love you because you’re funny and you’re sweet and because you always make my bad days seem good. I love you because I can see a future only with you and because you’re the only one I can see being the mother of my children. If anyone should be afraid of being in love, it should be me because so far you’ve given me so much more than I have given you. I’m trying to think up of a way to give to you an ounce of what you given me but the only thing I can think to do to repay you is loving you, taking care of you, and trying to make you happy. I can make you happy, but you’ve got to let me try. I love you, Maggie May. And I need you to let me show you.”

“Damn it.” There were tears in her eyes and for the first time since he had known her she looked truly tortured. “I can’t answer that right now.”

There were a million answers he could have taken from her, but that was the only one he couldn’t. He loved her so much, the decision should have been easy. Being with him shouldn’t have to be so hard.

“I’m done.” He stepped away from her, feeling empty after he spilled it all to her. “I won’t bother you anymore.”

*

Maggie had gone back into that baby shower heartbroken, but she plastered a smile on her face and pushed through the sadness for Belinda. Because the day wasn’t about Maggie. It was about Belinda and the new life she was adding to her family. At the end, when Belinda thanked everyone for coming, she told them that she finally felt whole. That finding love and giving love made her feel whole. It was the exact opposite of what Maggie was feeling. She was feeling hollow after hearing what Alex had to say to her, even though it was what she had needed to hear from him. But for some reason she didn’t know how to process it, how to respond. It was almost as if her brain wouldn’t let her heart believe him, like she had some kind of block there.