Can't Stop the Feeling (Whispering Bay Romance 6)
“Wentworth wasn’t the only thing you were right about, you know. Carl and I had a long talk yesterday. He asked my permission to ask Mom to marry him. I said yes, of course.” He frowned. “I had no idea that was still a thing, but apparently it is because that’s twice now in the same week.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that but she smiled anyway. “I’m glad. Your mom is a neat lady. I hope she gets the happy ending she deserves.”
“What about us?” he asked quietly. “Do we get that, too?” His gaze was direct and vulnerable in a way she’d never seen before.
She couldn’t deny this feeling in her gut telling her to give him another chance. He was it for her. But right now everything felt too raw.
“I’m grateful for everything you’ve done tonight. But it doesn’t change the fact that a lot has happened between us. All I can say is…maybe. Right now I don’t even know if I have a job to go to anymore. It’s all too much.”
He nodded. “I understand. But you need to understand something, too. I’m not going anywhere, Jenna. My life isn’t in Miami. It’s wherever you are. I’m going to be right here waiting for you. And this time, I’m going to be that guy that’s good for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ben had only seen his mom cry a handful of times in his life. He’d always hated seeing her tears but he didn’t mind these, because they were happy ones. He popped open a bottle of champagne and handed her and Carl a glass.
“Congratulations, you two.” He raised his own glass in salute. “May you have a long and happy life together.” He took a small sip of the champagne. It was cold and fizzy and the smell did nothing to arouse disgust or anything else negative.
Mom and Carl stood arm-in-arm, grinning like a couple of love-struck fools. “Oh, sweetheart, I never thought I could be so happy!”
Rachel ran through the living room with a red balloon in her hand. “Grandma’s gettin’ married!” She ran in a circle, then when she’d made herself dizzy, flopped down on the couch. “Can I be the flower girl?” she asked just a few seconds later. Her powers of recovery were impressive. He’d have to up his workouts if he hoped to keep up with a four-year-old.
“You can be the ring boy,” Carl said with a wink, making Rachel giggle.
“Can I? Can I really be the ring boy?”
“You can be anything you want,” Ben said.
“Yay! Is Grandpa Carl going to go down to Mami with us?”
All three adults looked at one another. It was time to tell Rachel everything. “Grandma and Grandpa Carl are going to stay in Hopalinka where their store is.”
“Oh. They won’t be going to Mami with us?” she asked sadly.
“No, but that’s okay, because you’ll still see them a lot. Rachel—” he cleared his throat “—how would you like to live with me all the time? Right here? In Whispering Bay?”
“In this house?”
He smiled. “No, not in this house. We’ll build another house. Maybe not so fancy, but it will still be nice, and you’ll still have your own room.”
“And go to my school here?”
“Yep. You can go to your school here.”
“Will Jenna come and visit us?”
“I hope so.” He paused. “Yes, she’ll come and visit,” he said with more confidence. “I bet she’ll even watch Annie with us again.” No matter what happened between the two of them, Jenna would never disappoint Rachel. She was too big a person. “There’s something else. I’m your uncle, and I’ll always take care of you, but I’d like to be more than that. I’d like you to be my little girl.”
Rachel was still for a long time. Then she said in a small voice, “Daddy and Mommy aren’t coming back. Grandma told me that. And so did the other nice lady. The one I went to visit in the office with all the toys.”
“No, honey, they’re not coming back.”
“They’re in heaven.”
“Yes, they’re in heaven.”
Rachel smiled, like she’d just thought of something. “Uncle Ben, I’m gonna be just like Annie! And you’re like the real Daddy Warbucks!”
“Oh, this is going to be an epic cry,” Pat said, handing around a box of Kleenex. Even Carl needed one.