Planning for Love (29 page)
“Me. Actually, I started changing weeks ago. As soon as I got to Chicago.” He shifted on the bench. “Sam didn’t beat me up yesterday.”
“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about that.”
“He could’ve taken a shot, on your behalf. Would’ve been well within his rights as a friend. Instead, he talked through the long-term pros and cons of taking this job in Darfur. Pissed me off at the time. But it did make me realize two things. First off, revenge and pride drove me to take that job. Neither being an appropriate reason to change careers. But it wasn’t until later the second piece hit me—Sam treated me like part of the family. Part of this big group of friends you’ve cobbled together into a family.”
It hurt her heart, for him this time, that he hadn’t realized that from the start. “Well, Sam likes you.”
“Then Gib swung by to get his licks in. Not about how I’d ruined your life, but about the lack of happiness in my life. He pissed me off, too.”
“No surprise there.”
“I figured out the family thing applied to him, too. But the real kicker was when Julianna showed up.”
Too fraught with emotion to filter her thoughts, Ivy blurted out, “She doesn’t even like you.”
Ben shrugged. “We had a rough start. She likes you, though. I guess great minds think alike. She hit me with the same accusation you did; that I was scared. When you hear the same thing enough times, it starts to sink in. A quote started running through my mind over and over again, like the news ticker at the bottom of a television screen: the only thing to fear is fear itself. Kennedy sure said a mouthful. And he was right.”
Was this just an apology, to salve his conscience? Or could it truly be something more? “I’m sure his ghost has been pacing the grounds at Arlington Cemetery, waiting for your approval.”
“Don’t be a smart ass in the middle of my grovel. So I could either be a pussy my whole life, and be afraid of not living up to your expectations. Or I could confront that fear, and realize I was really afraid of not living up to my expectations. My irrational expectations that you’d only want me if I was perfect.” Ben gently grasped her chin between his thumb and fingers, turning her to meet his gaze.
“I’m far from perfect, Ivy. But I love you. I’ve been falling in love with you since the day we met.”
She couldn’t listen to him for another moment. Not without sharing her own feelings. Not without making him realize how special she knew him to be. Her heart was so full it came bursting out of her mouth in a barrage of words. “I love you too, Ben. And I swear I mean it. I’m not in love with love, or hopped up on the idea of planning my own wedding. I love
you
. I love your resilience and strength and effortless charm and your obsession with pie and the way you hold my hand on the table while we eat and—”
“Whoa. This is my undying declaration of love. Wait your turn.” Ben grinned, lifted her hands to brush a quick kiss over her knuckles. “I can’t guarantee I’ll be the man you deserve, but I can promise I’ll die trying. I thought I’d spent my life running away from anything that could hurt me. In fact, I was running to something. To you, and to more happiness than I ever imagined possible. And in case you’re skeptical about my change of heart, I’ve got proof.” He picked her up, effortlessly, just like the day they met, and carried her to the edge of the sidewalk.
Ivy didn’t see the growing crowd, and she didn’t hear the buses lumbering by. Didn’t even hear the ubiquitous symphony of taxi horns. All she saw, all she knew was Ben. His strong arm beneath her thighs, the safe, encompassing circle of his arm around her back. The brilliant, burning blue of his eyes just inches from hers. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.
“I figure I screwed up royally, accusing you of not loving me in front of more than a hundred people. The only way to make it right was to tell you how I feel. Very publicly.” He set her on her feet facing Wrigley Field. The iconic red sign hung over the entry gates, and its digital readout read
Ben Westcott Loves Ivy Rhodes
.
He fell to one knee, and fished a robin’s egg-blue box out of his pocket. When he popped it open, the sun glittered off the cushion cut diamond solitaire. Ivy’s practiced eye pegged it at two carats. Between the serious sparkler for her ring finger and the public declaration of his love, Ivy didn’t have to wonder anymore how he felt. Her nerve endings, inside and out, stood on end, knowing what he’d say next. Those magical words that would change her life forever.
“I love you, Ivy. The other night you said
where’s your joy?
Well, it’s not in Darfur—where, by the way, I’m not going. It’s not spending every waking hour thinking about famine and genocide and hoping not to die of some unheard-of tropical disease. My joy is standing right in front of me. You are my joy. The question is, will you be my wife?”
The knots in her stomach budded into a panoply of cherry blossoms, then floated away on a warm breeze of happiness. “Yes. A million times over, yes. I love you, Ben.” She couldn’t decide whether to laugh or sob with joy. Luckily, Ben made the decision for her by crushing his mouth to hers, swinging her around in a circle while they kissed an epic, happily-ever-after kiss. Ivy dimly registered the sound of people around them cheering and clapping. The man of her dreams broke off the kiss to smile down at her.
“I never planned for love,” Ben said. “But I’m so damn grateful you did.”
* * * * *
About the Author
Christi Barth spent years performing in musicals. She snared a husband, sang about love and gave people a happy ending at every performance. Then as a wedding planner she still spent every day immersed in romance. Now she writes it!
Planning for Love
is her fourth book, and the first in her Aisle Bound trilogy. Christi lives in Maryland with the absolute best husband in the world (sorry, ladies, but it’s true!).
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ISBN: 978-14268-9421-3
Copyright © 2012 by Christi Barth
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