It’s a mom thing and unless I had a uterus, I would just have to take her word for it.”
Sky laughed. “I think I would like your mother. She and your grandmother must have been pretty excited when you got engaged to Shelby.”
He nodded. “A whirlwind engagement. It all happened fast, just before the holidays. I wanted to give them two gifts—the news of my engagement and a cruise to Greece.”
“Wow.” Sky felt her eyes grow wide. Not bad.
“I wanted a small wedding so we could make the arrangements quickly. Shelby agreed. The plan was to bring my grandmother over from Spain. She would accompany my mother on the trip and when they returned, we’d have the wedding.”
“What did they say when you told them it was off?”
“Nothing.”
“The woman who wished you a uterus said nothing?”
“I haven’t broken the bad news to her yet.”
“Dom, you have to break the news to her,” she said, astonished. “And your grandmother, before she makes the trip for nothing.”
“It won’t be for nothing if things work out the way I hope. I want to send my abuelita—my grandmother—on the cruise, too. My mom would love it. And my abuelita hasn’t traveled much, either.”
“Now that you won’t be settled down and married, will they go?” Sky asked.
“If I can get through the party, they won’t find out.”
“What party?”
“The one to announce my engagement. My mother wouldn’t take no for an answer. She insisted her only son have a formal engagement party before she leaves on her cruise.”
“That’s dishonest. You have to tell them the truth. Surely if they know how much it means to you for them to have fun—”
“That’s just it. Even if I can convince them to go under the circumstances, my mother’s first trip will start out on a downer. Because of you,” he added pointedly.
“Me?” She heard the timer go off in the kitchen and stood. “Thank your lucky stars you were just saved by the bell.”
Instead of looking angry or off balance, he merely appeared confident and self-satisfied. “Wasn’t that the signal to start round two?”
Sky marched into her kitchen and grabbed oven mitts then lifted the steaming baking dish out of the oven to a hot plate. “I’m going to say this for the last time. It’s not my fault.”
But she couldn’t suppress the guilt trickling through her. Along with a question that had no answer. If she’d kept her mouth shut and her opinions and advice to herself, no matter how relevant, would his bride-to-be have run off with the chauffeur?
“So you didn’t suggest Shelby follow her heart? Or tell her life is too short to waste a minute with anything or anyone who doesn’t feel right?”
“I already confessed. And it’s good advice, if I do say so myself.” Sky had a bad feeling about the way this conversation was going. A diversion would be good. “Dinner is served. Because I promised. After that I think it’s time to say good-night.”
“Don’t you want to know why I need a woman?”
“No.”
“You’re not the least bit curious?”
“Not a single inquisitive bone in my body.”
“You’re not a good liar, Sky.”
“There’s a news flash. Sit down and eat, Doctor.”
“I need a fiancée.”
“And that pertains to me, how?”
“Just to get through the engagement party.”
“Dom, that’s only postponing the inevitable. You know what they say.”
“No. What?”
“‘Procrastination is a crime…. It only leads to sorrow…. I can stop it anytime…. I think I will tomorrow.’ It’s better to come clean. A clear conscience cuts down stress levels and will help you live longer.”
“Thanks for the diagnosis. Normally I would heartily agree with you. But I know those two stubborn women. If they’re not convinced my wedded bliss is just around the corner, they’ll refuse to take the trip. And I know how badly my mother has wanted this. On the other hand, if I throw a party, convince them I’ve never been happier and can’t wait to marry the woman of my dreams, my mother and grandmother can go on the cruise without a care in the world.”
“Shelby was the woman of your dreams?” Sky asked, her voice small, her guilt compounding by the second.
“My mother would have thought she was perfect. Her family has money. She went to all the right schools. Traveled,” he said pointedly. “She’s the kind of woman my mom kept house for and grew to admire. Beautiful, independent, educated. Able to take care of herself. Do her own thing and let her significant other do his. Stay in the background while he works. She would have been the perfect doctor’s wife.”
The ideal mate for Dr. Perfect until Sky had put in her two cents and kiboshed his dream and carefully laid plans. What she wouldn’t give for a do-over where she kept her mouth firmly shut.
“So what do you say?” he asked.
“I say you’re crazy.”
“This isn’t a psych evaluation.”
Sky shook her head. “It will never work. There are a hundred things that could go wrong. Maybe more.” She rested a hand on her hip. “Aren’t there laws against this sort of thing? Fraud? Alienation of affections? It’s a really bad idea.”
“I’m not asking for your opinion.”
“Then what are you asking?”
“Will you be the woman? My woman.” He looked heavenward for a moment, and let out a long breath. “What I mean is, will you be my fiancée?”
Maybe she was crazy, too, but for a split second she wished he were asking for real. To marry him. How insane was that? “I won’t dignify that with a response.”
“I’m not looking for dignity. A simple yes or yes will suffice.”
“I can’t do this, Dom.”
“Do I have to remind you it’s your meddling that cost me a fiancée? Think about my mother, a courageous woman who sacrificed everything for me. It’s my chance to do something nice for her. With your help. Before I have to lay the bad news on her that I’m not getting married, after all. You owe me, Sky.”
“When you said you needed a woman, I thought you were talking about something else.”
“Like
