Destined to Love (Starting Over Trilogy Book 3) (5 page)

“Shut up, Vincent won’t let me wear my heels until after the baby’s born.” She pouts.
“He’s afraid I’ll trip and fall, or topple over from the excess weight; I’m not sure which.” 

“I can understand that; no man wants to see potential harm done to their child, or their girl.”
 

“What did you just say?”
 

“Nothing, I was just agreeing with him, that’s all.”
 

“Umm mmm.”

Sara comes over and hugs me next. I bend down to hug her. “It took you long enough. Donovan said you were going to propose on her birthday,” she says, hugging me, so no one else can hear.
 

“Cold feet,” I lie.

“Well, better late than never. Congratulations,” she says, kissing me on my cheek.
 

“Thank you.”
 

“I need to go,” I say, walking to the door.

Angel walks with me and kisses me goodbye. “I love you.”
 

“I love you. I’ll pick you up right after work.”
 

“Be careful.”
 

I head into work, thankful that it’s Friday. I look at the appointment book and notice the last patient is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. I may be able to leave early and run a few errands before I need to pick up Angel after work. I make a list of things I need to do after work and stuff it in my pocket.
 

I start to see patients and break only for lunch. I check my phone and there is a text from Angel.
 

A: Mr. Myles, I hope you have a great lunch date with your sister. Thinking of you. I love you, Miss Perez.
 

M: Miss Perez, soon you will be Mrs. Myles and I can’t wait for that day. I also hope you have a great lunch and please eat healthy. My baby likes fruits and vegetables with each meal. Dr. Mason Myles.
 

A: You’re going to make me cry. I love you.

M: I’m sorry, don’t cry. Have a good lunch and I love you, too.
 

Madison and I have lunch next door at the Fast and Fresh Deli. I tell her that Angel and I got engaged and I would like to put the condo up for sale.

“Oh my God, Mason. Do you know how many times a week I get asked about condos in your building? A penthouse with your view, my commission will be through the roof.”
 

“Then it should sell quickly at a good price.”
 

“Wait, I thought you loved it there?”
 

“I do, but with Angel and me getting married, we need only a family home. The condo was great for a bachelor pad, but it won’t do for a family.”
 

“Please tell me, she isn’t pregnant?”
 

“Madison, stop it. We are just planning ahead. The real estate market is going up, and this is prime property. We should be able to get a good price out of it.”
 

We order our lunch and talk about having her over for dinner next week.

“I’ll clear my personal things out of the condo this weekend, and if you can, you should try to sell it furnished. Try to get it on the market next week.” I swear that I can see dollar signs in Madison’s eyes.

“Sounds good, I’ll need your key. You have a spare, right?”

“I do, and Madison, I want the best price you can get me.”
 

“I will. I’m good at what I do, so you have nothing to worry about.”
 

“I know I don’t. Here’s the spare key.”

Angel
 

Mason leaves for work, and Sara, Brea, and I have a difficult time getting into work mode. We talk about Brea and Vincent’s wedding and the completion date of their new home. Their home should be completed in another month. They have already started shopping for baby furniture and other essential items they’ll need for the baby. Once they move into the new house, the baby will be due in a little over a month.

We also talk about Sara and Donovan’s new living arrangements. Sara is very excited with the progression of their relationship and mentions that they both will make a great aunt and uncle to Brea and Vincent’s baby. She says that they have also started to baby-proof their house and are buying a few baby items to keep at their home for when the baby visits. Donovan went out and bought electrical outlet covers for the house
—
believe it or not, when babies are old enough to crawl, they explore things with all their senses and will so such things as lick electrical outlets — and she says that he also cleared out all the cleaning supplies from under the cabinets and moved them out to the garage to a top shelf. I think that is so sweet and a great idea. I think we need to do that, and I also think of how blessed my baby will be to be surrounded by people like them.

They ask me if Mason and I have any plans for a wedding date, and I tell them we were thinking about this year on New Year’s Eve. They are excited and think that is a great time to get married and to start over. To finally leave the past in the past. I agree, it is a perfect time to do that. The beginning of a new year and a new life together. I don’t want to talk much about our wedding because I don’t want to take anything from Brea’s wedding. There will be plenty of time to talk about and plan our wedding later.

We finally dive into work and stop only when there is a food delivery. Donovan had soup and salads delivered for everyone from Sweet Tomato’s Salads and Soups. Brea and I dig right into the food while Sara leaves the room to call Donovan.

After lunch we work non-stop until quitting time. Mason texts me and tells me he’ll be outside when I’m ready. Sara, Brea, and I lock up and walk out of the office together. Mason is leaning against his car and looking handsome when we reach the parking lot.
 

“Hi,” I say, walking over to him.
 

Mason pushes off from the car and walks over to meet us. “Hi, yourself.”
 

“Don’t mind us,” Brea says, laughing.
 

“Hello, Brea and Sara.”
 

“Have a good night, Mason and Angel,” Sara says, getting into her car.
 

“Good night and drive safely,” Mason says, waving her goodbye.
 

Mason walks over and opens Brea’s car door for her. He stands beside the car while she gets in and buckles up. I watch them interact, and I see when he places his hand on her belly. He waits only a few moments and they both smile. He waves as she backs up and then he walks over to me.

“I missed you.”
 

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. “I missed you, too.”
 

“Ready to head home?” he asks, while walking with me to the car. “We need to get the groceries put away.”
 

“You went to the grocery store?”

“I finished with my last patient early so I had some extra time.” Mason opens my car door for me and waits for me to get in.
 

“I didn’t realize we were low on groceries.”
 

“We’re not, now buckle up,” he says, while shutting my car door. He gets in and buckles his own seat belt, smiling.
 

I look in the back seat of the car and see that it is full of grocery bags. “If we weren’t low on groceries, then what is all that?” I ask as he pulls out into the main road.

Mason looks over at me still smiling, then looks into the back seat. “Just some extras I thought we needed until grocery day on Sunday.”
 

“It looks like more than extras.”
 

Mason and I drive to the beach house, and he tells me he made an appointment at an OB/GYN for me for next Friday. He also adds that he found the perfect doctor in Sarasota for me. The daughter of one of his patients is seeing her, and the mother swears by the doctor’s work. He tells me that is good enough for him. If it’s good enough for Mason, then it’s good enough for me. I also notice the doctor is a female, although I don’t say anything.

We arrive at the beach house. As usual, I stay seated and wait for Mason to open my car door for me. I reach in to get some bags from the back seat when Mason asks that I check the mail instead. Mason on occasion can be very overprotective and it is very sexy. I love overprotective Mason. Usually this happens when a lot of people are around and when he fears for my safety, like when Jim was alive. Now Mason is in overprotective mode because I am pregnant. He probably doesn’t even know he does it.

By the time I get the few pieces of mail from the mailbox, Mason already has everything gathered in his hands and is waiting for me.

“Do you want me to take some of those bags from you?”
 

“No, I have them. Would you mind closing the car door, please?”
 

“No, of course not.”

I follow Mason into the house, closing the doors and locking up behind us. I help him unload all the groceries and I am in awe over all the fresh produce and organic foods he bought. Before I have a chance to say anything, Mason reaches into a bag and removes an item, then walks into the bedroom with it. Thinking it must be a personal hygiene item, I continue my quest to get everything put away.

When I am done, I grab a cranberry juice and head outside to the lanai. I know Mason is already in the shower. It’s the first thing he does when he gets home. I swear, if his office had a shower in it, he would shower there, before coming home.
Mason is so afraid of bringing germs from the office into our home. He always showers before and after work, and sometimes he showers before bed. It’s no wonder he smells so good all the time.

He walks out into the lanai, carrying a beer. I kick out the seat across from me for him to sit down.

“Are you tired tonight, Miss Angel?” Mason laughs.

“I am, Mr. Myles. I worked hard today.”
 

“You did? Is it too much for you?” he asks, concerned.
 

“Mason, I sit on my butt and answer phones all day. Do you really think I work hard?” I ask.

“Well, I did, until you put it that way.”

We both laugh.
 

Mason reaches for my hand and kisses it.

“So, I take it you thought we needed some fresh fruits and vegetables in the house, huh?”
 

“I told you my baby likes fresh fruits and vegetables. I just wanted to make sure
she
has enough to eat.” 

“How do you know it’s a
she
and how do you know
it
likes fruits and veggies? Maybe
it
likes Snickers and Pepsi?” I grin. 

“Well, maybe it’s not a girl, I’ll give you that. But fruits and veggies are definitely good for mom and my baby — and me. We can all benefit from eating healthier.”
 

“You’re right about that, Mason.”

“Why, thank you.”
 

“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about what I said last night.”
 

Mason turns his chair towards me to give me his undivided attention. “Ok, it sounds serious.”
 

I clear my throat and sit up a little straighter in my chair. “Last night, I said some pretty ugly things about this baby, that maybe I wouldn’t be able to love it.”
 

“Beauty?”
 

“No, please, let me finish. I need to say this.”
 

“All right,” Mason sits back in his chair, never taking his eyes off mine. “Go on.”
 

“Mason, last night I said some things that I didn’t mean. I said some things out of fear, and I never should have spoken those words.” I look at him so he can see I am serious. “I didn’t look at the whole picture, and I never should have thought those things. I’m sorry.” I lean forward in my chair. “I know I probably sounded like a monster, and that isn’t who or what I am. I just want you to know that.”
 

“May I talk, now?”
 

“Yes, please.”
 

Mason leans up and takes my hand in his. “Beauty, you don’t need to explain anything. The things you were feeling are normal for anyone who has been through what you have been through.” Mason touches my engagement ring and smiles. “I know you will be a great mother and will love this baby with every fiber in your being, because
that
is the person that you are.” 

“Mason, how can you be so sure? You always have so much faith in me.”
 

“Angel, I know your heart and I know who you are. You have fears and that is normal. You have been through hell and back, but you came out stronger than ever.”
 

“God, your faith in me is astounding. I don’t deserve you.”
 

“No, Beauty, you don’t. You deserve so much more.”
 

Mason

Angel and I wait in the waiting room of her OB/GYN appointment. I made the appointment first thing in the morning so I wouldn’t have to miss a whole day of work. Angel, on the other hand, took the entire day off. She wasn’t sure how she would feel after the appointment.