Affairs of State(54)
Ellie stroked her hand and looked softly into her eyes. “So they’re not going to be too happy about you having his baby.”
Ariella’s breathing was steadily becoming shallower. She stopped and drew in a deep draught of air. She certainly didn’t need her baby to be deprived of oxygen at this crucial stage in his or her development.
She laughed.
“What?” Ellie’s eyes widened. She was probably wondering if Ariella had lost her mind.
“I was thinking about my baby. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl.”
Ellie’s eyes brightened. “I always knew I was having a girl. I dreamed of little girl dresses and dolls and all kinds of frilly pink things over and over again.”
“And you were right.” Though Ellie had never had a chance to enjoy dressing her daughter in fluffy dresses or buying her Barbie dolls with extravagant wardrobes.
Ellie’s blue eyes suddenly shone with tears. “You won’t give the baby up, will you?”
“Not a chance of it. I’m lucky that I’ve had a good career for a few years now and I have some savings. I can work right through the pregnancy, and probably hire a nanny soon afterward and work from home a lot. It’s very doable.” She was trying to convince herself as much as her mother.
Ellie smiled through her sudden tears. “You’re much more confident and capable than I was. That’s a blessing.” Then her face grew serious. “Have you told Simon yet?”
Ariella shook her head. “I haven’t told anyone yet. You’re the first.”
Ellie gasped, and suddenly their arms were around each other. “That’s a great honor.”
“An honor?” Ariella buried her face in her mother’s soft hair. “You were the first person I thought of when I needed to tell someone. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to have you back in my life.”
“Back in your life?” Ellie pulled back a little. “They took you from me as soon as you were born. They never even let me see you.” Her eyes still glittered with tears. “They said it was for the best, but even then I knew they were wrong.”
“You took care of me for the nine months that I was growing inside you. During that time we formed a bond that could never be broken. Not really.”
Ellie breathed in slowly. “I thought about you every day for all of those twenty-eight years.”
“See? In a strange way we were always connected, and you came back into my life just when I need you the most.”
Her chest heaved as she held her mother tight. It was going to be okay. But first she had to tell Simon.
* * *
Simon couldn’t stop whistling. It was midmorning and he’d been floating on air ever since he got off the plane in D.C. the previous evening. He had some urgent business to attend to and now Ariella was on the top of his agenda. She had invited him to her apartment, and he took that as a very promising sign. She’d been cool on the phone lately—when he could even reach her. Suddenly she wanted to see him, and as soon as possible. Apparently meeting his family hadn’t scared her off as much as he thought.
The sweet and gracious way Ariella had handled his large and intimidating family further confirmed that she was the perfect woman for him. He’d trusted his instincts when he first saw her across that crowded ballroom, and so far they had been dead-on. She was the one they talked about, who came along once in a lifetime. He felt it deep in his gut. Or was it his heart? His whole body sang with emotions that he’d only read about in books before. He didn’t plan to waste his once-in-a-lifetime chance at happiness. Now all he had to do was convince Ariella herself that they were meant to be together.
His jacket pocket bulged slightly with the tooled leather box delivered just before he left. Nestled in white satin was the loveliest ring he’d ever seen. He had to admit he hadn’t paid too much attention to engagement rings before, but once he’d decided to propose, he did extensive research among his female friends.
He made up the elaborate excuse that he might be interested in helping promote the sale of African diamonds to help his charity, and he wanted some feedback on designs. He wasn’t entirely sure they fell for it, but he got a lot of great information anyway: not too bulky; flashy is fine but not for everyone; steer clear of color unless you know it’s one she adores. There was a long list he’d carried in his mind to the jeweler.
With the help—and promised discretion—of the queen’s appointed jeweler, he’d chosen a stunning, very pale pink diamond with a provenance dating back to the maharajas of India. Together they’d designed a setting of tiny diamonds and, since she always wore silver jewelry rather than gold, a simple platinum setting. The jeweler’s workshop had put the ring together almost overnight and he was convinced that it was the perfect ring for Ariella and that she’d adore it.