Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits (32 page)

Megan looked around nervously. The entire terminal had stilled, waiting for her answer. "Get up," she said under her breath. "Please, don't do this. I'm not that frightened girl you befriended all those years ago. You can't always come to my rescue and you can't make choices for me."

"I know you're not that girl anymore," he said and took the ring out of the box. "I know you don't need my help. Hell, you're a force of nature all on your own. I heard the press release from your agent. You didn't need me today, but I need you. Say yes." A few people watching echoed the sentiment, urging her to say yes. Emboldened by their support, he pressed his luck and slid the ring on her finger. "Marry me, Megan."

"Dammit, Peter. This wasn't our agreement. It wasn't part of the plan," she said pulling her hand back and staring at the ring. His eyes got big and she held out her hand to him. "Is that your mother's ring?" She touched it and pulled her fingers back quickly. "Why are you doing this to me?" Biting her lip, she took off the glasses and examined the ring again. He could see her resolve failing. "How can you be so sure this is what you want?"

"Because even though you've convinced me that you don't need my help, I still want to get in fistfights at bars defending you when we're eighty. Marry me, Megan," he repeated.

She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "I love you Peter, but it's never going to work. I don't want to give up my house. It's finally finished and I'm going to enjoy all the hard work I put in," she said.

"I already called my real estate agent. I'm putting the apartment on the market," he said. "Marry me, Megan."

The crowd was thoroughly on his side and chanted, "Marry him."

"And I'm not going to give up my writing. And I'm still going to travel, and teach, and—"

"Yes, you will," Peter said, standing up. He pulled her into his arms before she could protest any more and kissed her. The bundle of flowers fell to the ground as she leaned into the embrace. "I don't want you to change. You're a badass with a kind soul. Exactly who I want by my side during the hard times as well as the good. I love you. I love you exactly the way you are. Unapologetic and honest. Don't ever change. Just marry me, Megan."

"I want kids," she blurted. "Three. I want three kids and that's not negotiable."

Peter kissed the top of her head to hide the smile. He wasn't sure if it was a last-ditch effort to put him off or if she'd really been considering having a baby with him. Either way, it didn't change his mind. "We can have a dozen if that's what you want. We can even start tonight. Say you'll marry me, Megan."

"Girl, marry him or I will," someone from the crowd yelled.

"Peter, I don't know." She sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't think it's a good idea. I don't want to screw this up any more than we already have."

He could feel her resistance melting away. He just needed to push her a little more. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "That's your problem. You're thinking too much." Peter pulled back and stared down into those caramel-colored eyes he loved so much. "Cross this line with me, Megan."

Megan closed her eyes to hold back the tears. His warmth curled around her, pulling her in. And she wanted to melt into his arms and let the last twelve hours vanish. Peter was saying everything she wanted to hear. But there were still too many things they needed to discuss.

"I don't want to run away to Vegas and get married like we did something wrong," she said. There was a flash of hope in his eyes. It was the same hope she was feeling in her heart.

"We don't have to go to Vegas. We can have a big wedding here in town. We can fly out to Vail and have a small service there. Hell, we can even drive to City Hall and sign some papers. I don't care. Just say you'll spend the rest of your life with me. Marry me, Megan."

Every time he said her name, it chipped away a little chunk of the ice that had formed around her heart. Peter had always called her Meg, an old childhood nickname. But there was something about the way he was calling her Megan that told her he finally got it. He understood that despite how close they'd been over the years, she'd grown and changed. She wasn't Meg anymore. And that gave her hope.

"Yes," she said in barely a whisper.

"Really?" He cocked his head to one side as if he didn't believe her.

"Yes," Megan said, louder this time. "I'll marry you, you asshole." She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him tight against her. "Now let's give these people the show they've been waiting for. Kiss me."

Peter cupped her face and swooped in for a deep, earth-shattering kiss that put an end to any doubt she had. It wasn't a demanding kiss, but it conveyed every feeling he'd expressed. Robyn switched to the Wedding March and the crowd around them broke out in cheers.

"We need to get out of here before we cause another public scene," he whispered into her ear, sending shivers up her spine.

Megan laughed, feeling a hundred times lighter. "I think we've given the paper enough fodder. Let's go back to my place." She stopped thinking it over for a second. "No, strike that. Let's go back to our place."

"Um, I hate to interrupt the moment," Robyn said. "But Matt couldn't reach either of you and he's in a panic."

Peter threw his arm around Megan's shoulder and pulled her in tight against his hard chest. "Tell him to calm down. Everything worked out as planned. We'll throw a party or something." Peter looked down, smiling like a fool. "Tomorrow. Tonight we're busy."

"You don't understand," Robyn said, holding out the phone. "He's in a panic because Beth is in labor."

"Holy shit." Peter paled and snatched the phone. After offering "Calm down" and "Just breathe," he listened to what Matt had to say. "Okay, call 9-1-1 and have the ambulance come to the house. The roads aren't safe for you to drive. Megan and I will meet you at the hospital. Don't worry. It's going to be fine."

"Is Beth okay?" Megan asked as soon as he was off the phone.

"She's fine. Can you believe it? Matt's going to be a dad."

"I can't wait to spoil her," Megan said. "But if the roads are that bad, how are we going to get to the hospital?"

"I knew you'd say yes, so I came prepared." He looked down at Megan, his eyes filled with love. How could she have doubted him? "I drove one of the plows here. Let's go to the hospital."

Epilogue

Final Tip:
It's important to remember that things change. People change. What started as a no-strings arrangement can change too. If feelings are engaged, toss all the rules out the window.

Megan sat on the toilet and stared at the little white stick. A faint pink line emerged, but then nothing else. After a minute more, there was still nothing. She'd been so sure she was pregnant. She was late, for fuck's sake. The doctor did say it might take a few months after her IUD was pulled to return to a normal cycle, but Megan had a feeling this was the month.

The sound of laughter filtered in from the other side of the door and Megan tossed the stupid test over the counter to the trash can. There was nothing she could do about it now. They were just going to have to try again.

"You were in there a long time. Are you feeling okay?" Kim asked when she joined the girls in the living room.

"I'm fine. I was just checking something," she said and sat down on the sofa next to Julia. "Please tell me you finally figured out the seating arrangement."

"Almost," Beth said, bouncing little Izzy on her lap. "There's just a few people we're not sure where to put."

"Your cousin and his family." Julia held up a little card with Jake's name on it with a big four circled under it. "He and his wife are bringing their teenage kids. So I'm not sure if they should go over there with the other families, or if the kids are old enough to be at an all-adult table. And there's Michelle's mother." She held up another card and pointed to the far end of the table. "If I put her over there, would that be an insult? She's not really family. Simon said you've only met her twice."

Megan didn't understand why this was so hard. There were two hundred guests and two hundred and fifteen seats. The only tables that should matter were the bridal party and the families. She grabbed the two cards and assigned them to empty spots. "There. Let's move on."

"If we put Jake's family there, we'll have to move someone else to another table. There's not enough room for nine people," Julia said.

Megan looked again and saw Jason's name—Matt's newly divorced brother. He was coming alone. She plucked his card and was going to put it in the back, but decided better. He could sit up front with the other Millennium employees. He might as well get to know some of his new co-workers before he left for New York in May.

"I told you. She's like the idiot savant of seating arrangements," Kim said. "Simon always has her plan the holiday parties."

Megan ignored them and turned back to the mock-up of the reception hall. Even though the thought of a big wedding sent her running straight to city hall, Megan had been helping plan big social events since she was a pre-teen. The key was grouping people around an interest. Political, social, or family—it didn't matter as long as there was something to keep the conversation at the table going. And of course, a few empty seats for the inevitable surprise guests. Everything seemed in order, except for the additional seat at the bridal table without a name, just a big question mark. "Who's that?" she asked pointing to the empty spot between Kim and Beth's seat.

"I'm not sure," Julia said, giving Kim a sideways glance. "It's Kim's plus-one, and she won't tell us who it is."

Megan picked up the card with the question mark on it. "Are you bringing Micah? I thought that was over."

"No, it's not Micah," Kim said snatching the card back. "I'm not seeing him anymore."

"I'm glad," Beth said. "That guy gave me the creeps. I don't know what it was, but he seemed awfully possessive of you. I just didn't like it."

"Micah's a nice guy. He was—" Kim stopped and shook her head as if dismissing the thought. "It's been over for a while."

"So, if it's not Micah, then who?" Megan asked, still curious about the mystery guy. "Give us a hint. You never bring a date to any of our outings."

"I'm not even sure I'm going to bring him. It's new and I'm still not sure it's going to work out. I just want to keep my options open." Kim set the card back in its original spot. "Can we please move on?"

"Alright. We just have to pick out the plates and we'll be done with the reception." Beth opened the overstuffed wedding notebook and pulled out two identical-looking pictures. "We've got it narrowed down to two." Izzy reached up and tried to grab the paper with her pudgy little hand, and let out a string of baby babble. Beth skillfully redirected her attention to a stuffed bunny in her lap.

Megan suddenly felt herself get all teary-eyed.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Four months ago she didn't think she wanted children, and now she was getting all PMSy at the sight of her friend's baby.

"Um, Earth to Megan," Beth said, waving the papers in front of her face. "Are you going to help or should we just make all the choices without you?"

"I don't know what you want me to say. They both look the same."

Julia grabbed the photos and set them down on the table. "This one," she said, pointing to the one on the right, "is ivory with a silver trim." Moving her finger over to the left photo, she said, "And this one is bone with a gold trim."