A Curve Ball Called Love

Chapter 12

Tiffany felt like she was having an out of body experience. The whole room had erupted into excited whispers as they waited anxiously for her answer but all she could do was stare down at the three stone diamond ring resting against the black velvet fabric.

“Well, baby?” Douglas asked nervously. “What do you say?”

Tiffany bit her lip and put a hand on her tummy.

“Is this because of the baby?” she whispered and he shook his head.

“No. It’s because of you. It’s because I love you and I want to be with you. But it’s also about the baby. You’re giving me the best gifts I could ever get. A gift I could never have if I didn’t have you.”

She smiled and buried her face in her hands, hiding her blushing cheeks.

“I need an answer mama, I can’t stay down here much longer. My knees aren’t what they used to be,” he said and she laughed before she nodded.

“Yes,” she said in a whisper.

“Yes?” Douglas seemed surprised.

“Yes! Yes! A million times yes!” she said excitedly and the room once again erupted in applause. He slid the ring on her finger before he pulled himself up to hug her.

“I love you so much,” he rasped as he held her.

The music had resumed and people were walking by congratulating them but they were in their own world just standing there, taking comfort in each other’s arms.

“So, was this your business errand today?” Tiffany asked as they slow danced.

“Well, yes and no. I did have some business interests but picking that ring up was more important to me than anything,” he explained.

“You’re really sleek. I never suspected anything!”

He shrugged.

“Well, that’s the point.”

He looked into her eyes.

“I meant what I said. I didn’t propose just because you’re pregnant,” he said. “I knew that I would marry you the day I realized I was in love with you.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“And when was that?” she asked.

“Back when you still hated my guts.” He laughed and shook his head. “I promised to move the earth if it came to it to have you in my life.”

“Yeah, you did say that. At the time I thought you were nuts because I had every intention of letting this whole thing remain in my past as a one-night stand,” she whispered in his ear.

He smiled and lowered his hand to stroke the perfect curve of her butt.

“We’re in public,” Tiffany whispered in a panic.

“Well, you just said something very naughty and I suddenly feel the need to punish you.”

He held her tightly and she gasped silently when she felt him beginning to get hard.

“Maybe we ought to slow down,” she said and he slowly pulled away from her. He took her left hand and raised it to his lips. The three stone radiant cut set in white gold complemented her skin tone quite perfectly.

“That’s a good look on you,” he said in a whisper.

***

A few months later, their daughter Isabelle Meyers-Ingram was born. She was the most beautiful creature either of them had ever seen with a caramel skin tone and a full head of black, thick wavy curls. Her eyes were warm and brown like her father’s and she was a perfect three pound six ounces bundle of joy.

The first few days were a bit of a learning curve for both of them. Douglas had foreseen this and taken it upon himself to get a live-in nanny. The one they got, Mabel Simmons was perfect. She was in her thirties and had been a nanny since she was in high school. Professionally, she had seen five children through to school going age. She’d worked as an au pair in France where she took care of a set of twins from the second month of their lives. She then moved to Canada for four years to be a nanny for a single mother who was expecting and did not have an idea how she was going to juggle business and being a new mother. She stayed in Canada for seven years before moving back to the States. Seattle to be specific. She took a job for a young couple who were also expecting twins. Douglas had been blown away by all the glowing recommendations she had; particularly from the couple in France who were close friends to Douglas. They were actually the ones who had recommended Mabel.

“She speaks two languages so your kid gets the extra lessons and she’s amazing with kids,” Cole Malone, Douglas’ best friend said. “My kids have lived in France but you could drop them in Guatemala and they’ll still be fine. What’s more, I never paid for a single Spanish lesson.”

That sealed the deal. As an added advantage, Mabel was willing to be a live-in nanny and she was also open to travel.

“My passport is up to date,” she said when Douglas asked her about traveling.

Having Mabel with them had proven to be a big blessing especially since Tiffany felt so overwhelmed. She didn’t have a younger sister that she’d helped out with. She didn’t have any close friends who had babies to help her have an idea of what parenting meant and the books were definitely not enough to prepare her. As she realized, hands on experience was the only way to learn. Having had so much experience, Mabel was patient with Tiffany who appreciated the effort and courtesy.

One evening after the baby had hit the two month mark, Douglas walked into the nursery. Tiffany was seated in the rocking chair holding the baby who was struggling to stay awake, perhaps to listen to her mother’s sweet singing.

“How are my two favorite girls?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Good. Just trying to get this one to finally close her eyes so I can get some tea or something. I’m completely drained.”

Douglas brought the hand he’d been hiding behind his back to produce a thermal cup.

“The milk flow special,” he said as he handed her the cup.

“You’re a Godsend baby,” she said.
“Here, let me take over as you have that,” he said as he picked Isabelle up in his arms. She stood up and he took her place in the rocking chair.

“You made it just the way I like it,” she said when she took a sip of her tea. It was a concoction of fenugreek seeds and honey. It wasn’t the most pleasant drink but her milk flow had been steady since she started drinking it.

“I learned from the best,” Douglas said in a soft voice.

She smiled and took another sip.

“So, I was thinking that maybe we should take that trip we never did,” Douglas started. “You need a break from staying indoors too long.”

Tiffany shook her head.

“Don’t remind me.”