Part 6

Epilogue

There was a knock on the door and Maryse looked up from what she was doing to answer it, wondering who in the world it could be. Claudia just would've entered, as she had a key, so did her assistant that she had hired a few months ago. She had made sure the girl was trained before she had agreed to that vacation with Claudia. Brenda had done a great job and looked to have the talent for this sort of work.

Maryse looked through the peephole and stared at the apparition on the other side. What in the nine levels of hell was Dave doing here? Surely, Claudia hadn't told him about the baby already? They had just had their conversation yesterday. There was no way that Claudia had told him so soon and Maryse knew that she would only do so if she chickened out. She had until Saturday as yesterday had been Monday, as she had promised Claudia to bite the bullet within a week and it hadn't been even 24 hours yet.

There had to be another reason Dave was here, but Maryse didn't let herself think that it was because he had missed her over the last few months, just as much as she had missed him. That was just too much to hope for.

"Dave what are you doing here?" Maryse asked opening the door, trying to not throw herself into his arms. She'd missed him, so very much, much more then she had expected to actually.

Maryse's astonishment at seeing him was so plain to see that Dave nearly chuckled.

"Can't I come for a visit?" Dave inquired with an innocent expression.

"I thought we agreed that it would be too hard to travel back-and-forth," Maryse said

"No, I didn't agree," Dave told her bluntly. "You're the one that said it would be too difficult to travel back and forth and I knew very well that you were just trying for a clean break, but Maryse, I think we should give it another shot. I can't get you out of my mind."

Maryse blushed at being figured out so easily and he was also right he had never technically agreed with her.

"Now are you going invite me in or am I just to have to stand out here in the hall and pound on your door bothering the neighbors, who might even call the police. Now what an embarrassment that would be," Dave told her seriously

Maryse nodded and invited Dave inside taking the flowers he offered her.

"Thank you for the roses, there're lovely," Maryse offered, as she busied herself putting water in a crystal vase and then arranging the roses to whole liking.

"Mary look at me," Dave ordered gently. "If you tell me you don't have the same feelings for me that I do for you then I'll leave and never bother you again. I think we could have something special if you would only give it a chance to develop farther. If you would only take a chance. I know what that skunk Leo did to you and believe me I'd like to make him pay...Please Mary give it a chance. I'm willing to do all the traveling if that'll make you happy. I have the money to do anything I want and you know this."

Maryse blushed, as that was the second time Dave had shorted her name to just Mary. Like she had not told Claudia she had not been able to get over Dave like she claimed. Of course it had only been a few months, not years but still...

Her best friend hadn't called her a liar, but she had likely known that she still harbored feelings for the man, as Claudia was very perceptive and unfortunately, knew her a little too well for her peace of mind.

"I told myself I was over you," Maryse said slowly. "I was lying to myself and I knew it, even as the words left my mouth. I was afraid you didn't have the same feelings for me and so like a coward I didn't want to put myself out there only to be rejected."

"Does that mean you're willing to try to build a relationship? I'd be willing to stay here for the next few weeks at least, though I will eventually have to go back to Miami for a while."

"Yes, I know you have the hotel to look after at least," Maryse said.

"The hotel runs itself, as I installed a good manager. There are rarely any problems there. He'll call me if there are and it's something he can't handle on his own. What I didn't tell you before, because I wanted you to want me for myself is that I own more than the hotel where you and Claudia stayed."

"So, you own another hotel?" Maryse guessed.

Dave snorted at Maryse not understanding what he was saying. "I don't only own a couple of hotels sweetie, I own over 15 hotels in Miami alone, some outright and others I just own a major percentage of.

Maryse blinked at him in astonishment not sure she had understood exactly what Dave was saying.

"I also own hotels in other cities in California, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Long Beach. As for Florida, I own plenty of hotels and not just in Miami. All of them are near the beach just like the ones in California and other cities I mentioned. Hotels on beaches tend to bring in a lot more money than most others, though that's not always true I know. Still, beaches tend to be vacation spots and bring in plenty of tourists and vacationers, which is why I chose to buy hotels that were near the waterfront. Having a view of the beach allows you to charge more than you could otherwise."

Maryse stared at Dave in astonishment. "You're serious? You're telling me you're not well off, but filthy, stinking rich?"

"Yes, that's what I'm telling you," Dave said calmly. "As I said a few minutes ago, I wanted you to want me for myself, not because of my money. After knowing you for a few days I knew that you weren't the greedy type and that you make plenty of money of your own, but believe me, I've run into those that just want more no matter how much they already have. Those type of people are never satisfied."

"I can definitely understand that as I thought Leo was the perfect man for me. He was individually wealthy, though probably not as much as you, handsome, charming. I have to admit though that he was rarely generous. He never gave me such an expensive piece of jewelry or anything else that cost more than a few dollars," Maryse said fingering the necklace that she never took off, not since Dave had given it to her.

"I'm glad my present pleases you so much," Dave said smiling relaxing a little.

"It's gorgeous," Maryse said. "I believe I told you that at the time."

"You did and I'm glad you like it so much," Dave said.

"I've never taken it off since you gave it to me," Maryse admitted, blushing a little.

Dang it! She hated she blushed so easily.

Dave was pleased that Maryse liked his gift so much that she had never taken it off, since he had given it to her a few months previously.

"Yes, I guess I'm willing to take a risk," Maryse said finally, as she thought about the possible consequences if it didn't work out between her and Dave. On the other hand, she was miserable now without Dave and she was sure that Claudia knew it, no matter the facade she up on.

"Good," Dave said beyond pleased as he kissed Maryse seriously. "I'll make sure you don't regret it. Now that that's settled why don't you let me take you out for a nice dinner, before we come back here."

"I know exactly what you have in mind when we come in the door," Maryse said blushing. "I have to admit I'm looking forward to it. I've missed you so very much, more than I wanted to admit even to Claudia."

"Good, I'm glad I left such a positive impression," Dave said his voice totally serious, his expression deadpan.

Maryse laughed at that until she realized Dave wasn't serious.

"You left more than a positive impression you blew everyone of my fantasies out of the water without even trying," Maryse admitted when she had quit chuckling.

"Something I intend to do on a regular basis for the next 50 years or so," Dave said and it was clear he was very serious with his statement.

Dave wanted to make it permanent, but was willing to cater to her fears until she was sure that their relationship was solid enough that it wouldn't end in divorce. He didn't censor her or consider her weak just because she had hangups about relationships, mostly due to Leo.

Dave had been largely responsible for helping her get over her fears, though Claudia could not be discounted out of the equation. Claudia was just pushy enough to get her to do something she wanted to anyway, but that her fears held her back from. It was Claudia after all that had told her to give Dave a chance and she had been right. As usual.

"Claudia had to know you were coming," Maryse realized suddenly. She just knew her best friend had to be involved with Dave just showing up. "I can just see the two of you passing messages back and forth. It's not like it's hard to communicate long distance nowadays."

"Guilty," Dave admitted with a sheepish grin. "Claudia cares about you like a sister, you know," Dave added as he gently took Maryse in his arms. "You are not to chastise her for her desire to see you happy. You've been letting that bastard control you for far too long."

"So, she forced you to come out here then," Maryse said about to get angry before Dave gave her a little squeeze making her look at him.

"Of course she didn't. It's not like she held a gun to my head," Dave chastised gently causing Maryse to blush at her assumption that Claudia had somehow forced Dave to come to New York. Really, she should know better as how could Claudia force Dave to do anything he didn't want to do? She wasn't the type to threaten someone and Dave wasn't likely to listen to threats anyway, as after all, how would Claudia carry them out? Hire a hitman? That image was so ridiculous Maryse nearly laughed out loud but managed to contain her mirth.

"I was already making plans to come out here before we got together on our joint project," Dave explained.

"Joint project?" Maryse asked nest.

"Can't you guess," Dave asked his voice amused, his dark brown eyes twinkling with mirth. "Our joint project was you, sweetie. We both want to see you as happy as you always should've been and while that doesn't necessarily mean marriage for some woman in your case, I think it does. I don't think you'll ever be truly happy and fulfilled until you give into what you really want to do anyway, not let your fear control you. Since Claudia agrees with me you can't argue that I don't know you that well, so how could I possibly have come to my conclusion?"

Maryse who had been about to open her mouth to make such a comment shut it with a snap. She couldn't even disagree with Dave or Claudia,because she knew they were right.

"Don't let that snake win," Dave told her quietly, but being very intense. "He will you know, if you keep giving into your fears. It won't matter if he never knows it, you'll know it and know that you took the coward's way out. You will regret that someday. Maybe not today maybe not tomorrow, but years from now, believe me, you will. You will regret letting a chance at love go. If there's one thing I've learned in my life is that love comes along once and never again. A lot of people never discover truelove, you know, so I'm not about to pass up my chance at finally finding what I've been searching for years."

Maryse listened and finally hung her head in shame. Yes, she had agreed to try a relationship, but she had been so sure deep down that in the end it wouldn't work out, that her secret doubts would have affected every aspect of it, poisoning their relationship even before it had a chance to get off the ground. She would cause it to fail because of her fears, not deliberately of course, but in the long run...

She would be suspicious of every woman that Dave so much as talked to, beyond the normal greetings. She would be sure that he was cheating on her even if he wasn't and all because of her doubt. Eventually Maryse could see Dave throwing up his hands and leaving because of her attitude. It might not happen for years but eventually...

"Alright," Maryse said, letting go of her fears. "You've made your point."

"Good! Now what about dinner? I'm starving!" Dave said patting his tummy, which was grumbling.

"I'm not surprised since food on airplanes isn't exactly stellar. I doubt it's much better in first class, then it is in second."

"Not by much, though it is better quality," Dave said. "You can order extra of course but the prices are ridiculous. Price gouging plain and simple."

"Yeah it is, but they get away with it," Maryse said shaking her head. "So where do you want to go to dinner?"

"You decide since this is your stomping ground," Dave said and Maryse nodded.

"I would've suggested Silver's Café, but I haven't been there since my breakup with Leo, as I introduced him to the food there," Maryse said. "The food is always excellent; the portions are large and the prices reasonable. I used to bring some home with me, so I got a second meal out of it."

"Sounds like a good place," Dave said. "I can't blame you for not wanting to go back though, since there is a high probability of you running into Leo."

"It doesn't matter that I'm the one that found it first. I'd been going there for over three years before I introduced it to Leo," Maryse said with some heat, still a bit bitter about it. "Thanks to that skunk I haven't been back since."

"It's your decision. If you want to risk running into your ex then that's okay with me," Dave said. "Of course, if you don't want a possible confrontation then it's better to avoid the place altogether, just like you've been doing for the last six years."

"I don't want any confrontations tonight at least, as we've just been reunited, so I suggest this place instead." Maryse named a place and Dave nodded. "I'm looking forward to dessert."

"If that's where you want to go then that's fine with me. As I said this is your home, so you know this city and where all the best restaurants are," Dave said.

"Oh, I'm always willing to try someplace new, once anyway," Maryse said.

"Yeah, why return if you didn't like it the first time," Dave agreed kissing Maryse again.

"Just let me get dressed. I hope you have at least a suit jacket to go with that nice shirt and slacks. It's kind of a fancy place."

"I do in my suitcase, which is in your friend's apartment. I stopped by to see her first before coming to see you," Dave admitted.

"And where do you expect to be spending the night Mr. Rossi," Maryse asked silkily. "It's clear you don't have a hotel room or you would've left your luggage there."

"Claudia offered me her couch if you weren't receptive to letting me stay here and if that got to be too bothersome I could've gotten a hotel room easily enough," Dave shrugged nonchalantly.

"That was really nice of Claudia," Maryse said. "Her apartment is smaller than this one, with only one bedroom."

"I noticed," Dave said looking around Maryse's apartment, which was considerably larger than Claudia's across the hall.

"I use the second bedroom kind of as a studio," Maryse shrugged after seeing Dave glance in that direction. "It would take a while to turn it into a guestroom, as there's no bed in there I'm afraid. I've never had a guest staying overnight before so I never needed to fix it up as a guestroom. I suppose that means you'll be sleeping with me. I certainly don't mind."

"Well, that was my plan, but I wasn't sure if you were going to be agreeable or if going were going to tell me to get lost," Dave said beyond pleased. He was really looking forward to after dinner. His desert was going to be making love to Maryse as many times as he could manage considering he was tired due to the long flight. They had been separated for too long as far as he was concerned. Nearly 3 months, much too long, considering he hadn't had sex since Maryse had gotten on her flight. For him, that was a long dry spell. One that would end tonight, since Maryse had agreed to let him sleep in the same bed with her. She had to know what that would lead to. She had said she was looking forward to dessert so that told him that she was more than ready for him to make love once they returned from their dinner and he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it as well. He was eagerly anticipating having sex with the love of his life.

"I could never tell you to get lost," Maryse said seriously. "I tried my best to deny my feelings for you but failed. Claudia said I was being a coward and she was correct. I didn't want to deal with rejection, particularly with you. The cruel way Leo dumped me after two years of being together was bad enough."

Maryse paused then said, "I have something to tell you before we go to dinner."

"What is it?" Dave asked concerned.

"I was going to call you sometime this week to tell you that I'm pregnant," Maryse explained and watched Dave's face light up in happiness. Maryse took Dave's hand and placed it on her stomach to emphasize her point.

"You're sure?" Dave asked excitement in his eyes, as he rubbed her stomach tenderly over her shirt, hardly daring to believe what Maryse had told him.

"Yes, I just went to the doctor to have it confirmed a few days ago. It never occurred to me to ask you to use protection as I'd had a long dry spell by choice before I met you after all. The thought never crossed my mind to perhaps get a prescription for some pills that would prevent pregnancy or even buy some over the counter, though those aren't always 100 percent effective, but still, they likely would've done the job.

"If Claudia hadn't pinched my arm and practically ordered me to give you a chance I would've turned you down flat. Now I know I would have regretted that decision if I had done so, but on the other hand, I didn't know anything about you at the time. All I knew was that you were a handsome guy that was interested in me as a woman and I'd been avoiding those type of relationships for years."

Dave kissed Maryse into silence and didn't let up for quite a while. He noticed that Maryse didn't resist in the slightest and in fact, kissed him back. He was so happy with the news that Maryse was pregnant. It wasn't something he had expected to hear when he had first entered her apartment, but that didn't mean that he wasn't ecstatic at becoming a father, just that the news had been unexpected. His mother would be over the moon he knew at this unexpected grandchild and then would order him to marry the girl. He had every intention of doing that, but he wanted take things slowly, since Maryse was rather wary of relationships with men. Not that he could blame her considering what he knew.

He knew a lot of males in the world would just give up on her as a lost cause. Those men had absolutely no patience or empathy for what had happened to her years ago.

"My lady, may I escort you to dinner?" Dave asked solicitously.

"You may, as soon as I change my outfit and wash my face," Maryse said smiling kissing Dave briefly on the lips.

"I'll go get my sports jacket from my suitcase while you're doing that," Dave said. "Does Claudia know about the pregnancy?"

"Yes, she practically ordered me to call you when she found out. Said you deserved to know. She said if you were like Leo, she would never force me to call you, but that you were a good guy who would want to be a part of this child's life in some capacity," Maryse explained. "I was kind of waffling about telling you the news, as that would put me back in contact with you. I just knew you would want to be part of this child's life that would go beyond child support payments and I wasn't sure I was ready to see you again so soon. I was having enough trouble getting over you, you see."

Dave smirked at that glad to hear it. Apparently, Maryse had had just as much trouble getting over him as he had over her.

"I'm glad to hear you had so much trouble getting over me," Dave said with a smile.

"Why?" Maryse asked confused.

"Can't you guess?" Dave asked with twinkling brown eyes. "You had trouble getting over me because you're a heart knew you loved me. It was your brain that kept denying it. The brain doesn't understand things like love, fear, hate or loneliness. It only understands logic. Your heart is not logical Maryse. Your brain might have told you that it couldn't possibly work but your heart knew differently."

What Dave said made sense, though Maryse hadn't thought of it quite like that. Dave had a way of getting her to see things more clearly, as if a piece of film had been removed from her eyes.

Maryse went into the bathroom after getting the outfit she wanted to wear from her closet and came back out 15 minutes later ready to go. Maryse found Dave waiting for her in the living area already with his jacket in place.

"Let's go," Maryse said.

"I called and made a reservation, as it sounded like the type a place that stays pretty busy." Dave said. "We are due in half an hour. We're probably pretty lucky to get a table at all at this late date."

"This is their off season," Maryse explained. "They are not quite as busy this time of year, as they are for the rest of it."

"I also told Claudia that we were going to dinner and that I'd be staying with you," Dave added.

"I bet you anything Claudia smirked at that. She knew my feelings for you I'm sure before I did myself," Maryse said. "If you hadn't showed up at my door tonight I would've kept denying my attraction to you until I was on my deathbed or at least that's the likely possibility."

"Which was something Claudia knew as she told me so," Dave said. "I knew you would likely avoid Miami for the rest your life just to avoid me, which was one of the reasons I made the plans I did. I wasn't about to let you get away without at least trying to convince you to continue our relationship. Failure was not an option I considered."

Maryse shook her head at Dave arrogance, but also kind of liked it, so said nothing.

Maryse took Dave's hand and made sure to lock her apartment door before she allowed Dave to escort her to the elevator, where his rented car was parked in the lot.

"I'm glad you showed up," Maryse said, as they opened the passenger door for her. "You, showing up at my door with roses was when I truly realized that I do love you, no matter how I tried to deny it and no matter how fast it occurred."

"Good, I'm glad you realize that you do love me, because I fell in love with you within a few days," Dave said kissing the back of her hand before closing the car door gently. "Making love to you for the first time was just a very nice extra, but well worth waiting for."

Dave walked around to his side and did his seatbelt before driving out of the parking lot.

~~~Dave and Maryse~~~

"Now that you've had your reunion I have a bone to pick with you David Rossi," Claudia said.

"Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that," Maryse said immediately understanding what her friend was talking about. "Thanks for reminding me Claudia."

"Look if this is about the hotel bill there is no changing it," Dave said holding up his hands placatingly.

"Why did you do it?" Claudia wanted to know.

"Yeah why? It was several thousand dollars," Maryse added. "You didn't need to do that."

"No, I didn't, but I wanted to," Dave told them in a soothing tone, as both women still looked rather mad about it, even though it had been done months ago.

"Why did you want to though?" Claudia asked. "I mean you didn't even know us for a month before we left to come home. I thought it was very nice of you to buy me and Maryse lunch on several occasions. Not to mention the spectacular locket that you gave Maryse."

"Because you gave me the best few weeks of my life," Dave tried to explain keeping his tone calm. "I knew I loved Mary after only a couple of days and I appreciated and respected how you tried to look after her best interests Claudia, even when she yelled at you about doing that very thing. You're loyal to those you love, which is something I can definitely respect. You both know that I have more money then I know what to do with and while I'm not saying you couldn't have afforded it when the bills started to come in, this was just something I wanted to do for you both."

"That's an understatement," Maryse muttered.

Claudia shot her a look of confusion so that forced Maryse to explain her comment, leaving Claudia staring at Dave as if he was the Grim Reaper.

"Is she kidding me?" Claudia asked Dave expecting him to say yes she was, but when Dave nodded in confirmation, Claudia nearly collapsed on Maryse couch in flat out astonishment.

"Well, that explains why you didn't mind losing the money that we paid to stay at your hotel," Claudia said after a few minutes of stunned silence. "I suppose I can't really say anything to your argument now, since you're the equivalent of Donald Trump," Claudia said still stunned. "You've found yourself a winner Maryse, but then, I knew that already and that was before I knew he was a billionaire. Just know I definitely approve and not because of his wealth either, but because he treats you well. The wealth is just a nice bonus."

"I suppose I do to," Maryse said the anger leaving her body. "I also know my emotions right now are a little bit out to kilter because of the pregnancy, so you'll just have to excuse my temper."

"Of course I do, as I expected a confrontation about it sometime after I got here," Dave said. "I know very well that most people wouldn't accept such a gift, but as I said, I can afford it and what's the point having money if you can't share it?"

"He does have a point," Claudia said after some minutes of silence, finally absorbing the news that Dave was way beyond wealthy and was instead the Midas of the modern world. Her friend had definitely fallen into another world, the world of the stinking rich, but that was okay with her as Maryse was grounded enough not to lose yourself in that world and become another person entirely.

"Yes, he does and a good one," Maryse agreed kissing Dave's bearded cheek in thanks for his generosity. "I still think it's too much, but I know I said the same thing about the locket you gave me, so I won't bother to repeat myself."

"Well good, because it's a done deal," Dave said pleased that there hadn't been as much of an argument as he expected, but then it had been three months and not just a few weeks, so they had likely gotten over most of their anger. "Now that you're done arguing about it though why, don't I take you two beautiful ladies to lunch."

"Sounds good," Claudia said.

"Yeah, I'm not about to argue with a free meal," Maryse agreed smiling, as she had been much happier since Dave had knocked on her door, just yesterday. Her fears of being rejected now seemed silly and somewhat childish and a lot of them had faded now that Dave was back at her side.

"Good, you choose the place, as I already told Mary you know New York much better than I do. Anywhere is fine, so long as I don't have to dress up again," Dave said surprised at their immediate agreement, as he had expected another argument about him paying for their own lunch. It looked like he wasn't going to get one and that was good, as far as he was concerned. Then again, they have never argued when he had paid when they were in Miami, so maybe it was the fact that a lunch wasn't that much compared to him paying the bill for their hotel stay since he owned the joint.

Dave watched the two women discuss it quietly for a few minutes, but it appeared they came to an agreement soon after.

"We decided on Courtney's Diner," Maryse told him. "The food is good and the price is reasonable."

"It's also very casual, but then, every diner I've ever been in is always that way," Claudia added.

"Sounds good," Dave said immediately.

"Let's go then," Maryse said. "I always seem to be hungry these days, even though I'm only three months along, a little bit less actually. Heck! I'm still in my first trimester, even if barely."

"So, when do you figure it happened?" Dave asked.

"Well, the doctor said I was over eleven weeks along so I would say probably on the last day that we made love in the morning or possibly the night before since the doctor only estimated when I got pregnant. I'm already starting to show a little, which is surprising if the doctor got his timing right."

"He had to, as you hadn't had sexual relations in six years," Claudia reminded her friend. "Since you haven't been with any other man in so long there is no doubt as to who the father is."

"Well, I'm sure the doctor will tell us if there's anything wrong, though I still think I'm showing way too soon. That's one of the reasons that I went to the doctor in the first place. I had a slight bump in my stomach and it was concerning. I was afraid it was some kind of cancerous growth," Maryse explained. "That it never even occurred to me I might be pregnant seems stupid in light of what the doctor said."

"And you weren't concerned about your morning sickness?" Dave asked Maryse. "You were bound to have it."

"I just thought I was just coming down with some kind of stomach bug," Maryse shrugged. "That I didn't connect the dots makes me seen rather stupid now."

"No, it doesn't," Dave told her. "Some women just don't realize they are pregnant until they go to the doctor for some kind of related symptoms, probably believing just like you did that it was some kind of stomach bug when they are probably throwing up their tonsils. That you've only had a mild case of morning sickness really is a blessing in disguise."

"How would you know?" Claudia teach him. "You're not a female."

"No, but I do have a sister-in-law that had very bad symptoms of morning sickness, symptoms so bad in fact, that the doctor told her that she should not try to have another once my brother's little girl was born. She had a difficult birth as well as pregnancy and she was on bed rest for a great deal of it. I know they wanted at least one more, but it was better to stop with the daughter they had then risk Louise dying in childbirth."

"That is so sad," Maryse said.

"Unfortunately, it happens all the time," Claudia said also feeling sympathetic. She felt bad for Dave's sister-in-law but thought that the parents had made the right decision. Doctors didn't warn you about not trying to get pregnant again if they didn't think you might possibly die from it. Claudia knew they'd probably had a strong desire to have another, but had made the smart choice in the end, no matter how much it had hurt.

"So, what does your niece look like?" Maryse asked. "Do you have a picture?"

"Of course I do. After all, what kind of uncle would I be if I didn't carry around a picture of my only niece?" Dave asked. Dave extracted a picture of his adorable niece from his wallet, then showed it to the two women. The picture was indeed adorable, though all they could see was her head since the photo was wallet sized. Still Dave's niece was adorable with curly black hair, dark brown eyes, just like Dave's. The little girl also had a cute, pert nose.

"So, let's go to lunch and think happy thoughts," Dave suggested after putting the picture of his niece back in his wallet. "What happened to Louise is in the past, as their daughter is now five years old and just the cutest little girl you can imagine. I know Mary at least, will meet her at some point and I'm sure you will to Claudia."

"I'd love to meet her!" Maryse said enthusiastically and Claudia nodded in complete agreement

"You will, though I don't know when," Dave said. "Maybe at our wedding."

Maryse said nothing to this statement, as she had known what Dave wanted from the beginning, and she was weakening at his persistence, especially since it was what she wanted is well. The only thing stopping her was that they'd only known each other a few weeks before she come back to New York. Dave apparently understood this and was willing to wait as long as necessary in order to get her to agree to marry him, which showed incredible patience on his part.

For now, she was just going to enjoy herself with her possible future fiancé and her best friend and the future could take care of itself.

The three of them left Maryse's apartment to go to lunch. They knew they would be the envy of all the other women that they had such a handsome man to escort them and that was just fine with them.

~~~Dave and Maryse~~~

Several months later

There was no denying that Maryse was pregnant now, as she was six months along, but Dave didn't care what people said. He hadn't married Maryse just because she was carrying his child, he had married her because he loved her. People would gossip he knew that, but who cared? This was a bigger party than he and Maryse had really wanted, but his new wife had a lot of clients that she couldn't afford to offend, and he had a lot of business associates that he had to invite for the same reason. Not to mention his mother would've officially killed him without a tear if she hadn't been invited. She might be in her 60s, but she was still hale and hardy thank goodness. Also, thankfully, his mother adored Maryse. The only people that were not invited were the ex-fiancé Leo and his friends who had agreed with his actions. Dave was sure that they would tell Leo that he was only marrying Maryse because she was pregnant. Like he cared what that bastard or his friends thought.

They had gotten married in a hurried ceremony with only a few guests, since Maryse hadn't wanted to plan another big wedding. She felt that she would jinx their relationship if she started to plan another big ceremony like she had done for her previous engagement. It might not be logical, but then, Dave knew fears weren't, so they had decided between them to just have a small, hurried wedding and a big party afterwards. Some people were bothered that they hadn't been invited to the wedding, but that was just too bad. They'd never please everyone so why bother to try? Besides, Maryse's pregnancy had also been a factor. There was no way they would be able to pull off a big wedding before she started show so they had decided to not even try to conceal her stomach, as it would have been impossible to do anyway.

"I'm so happy you finally met someone son," His mother Gloria said. "Even if it has taken you nearly 40 years. I'm even happier that she's pregnant."

"I know you are," Dave said kissing the top of his mother's head, as she was considerably shorter than he was. "None of the others were right for me. So many people are greedy and selfish and I'm not about to marry someone like that. I would be an idiot to do so and I might be many things but stupid isn't one of them."

"Yes, people can be both these things," Gloria said pensively.

"They wanted me for my money and those kind of relationships never last. Maryse didn't want a serious relationship at first. She'd been so hurt in the past that she had sworn off men entirely."

"Well, I'm glad you were able to pierce her armor son," Gloria said.

"It took a lot of work, but it was very satisfying in the end and that's all that matters," Dave said taking a sip of his wine.

"I expect at least half a dozen grandbabies out of you," Gloria told her son. "You're not getting any younger after all."

"Mama!" Dave exclaimed. "I'm not promising we'll have that many, as it's Mary's decision too. Most women nowadays only have two, maybe three."

"Well, I suppose three would be okay," Gloria said not looking happy. "I can certainly wish for more though, as your brother certainly hasn't provided me very many grandchildren at all."

"You know why that is Mama," Dave chastised. "It's not like they can help it, as it has to do with a medical issue."

"Yes, I know my daughter-in-law had so much trouble giving birth, that the doctors recommended they not have anymore," Gloria repeated what she had been told. "Phew! Doctors!" Gloria added with scorn dripping from her words.

"Exactly! So, you can't blame John for not having anymore, as he wouldn't want to risk his wife's life if they decided to try for another," Dave told his mother gently.

"I suppose not," Gloria admitted somewhat reluctantly.

"They have a beautiful daughter and that should be all that matters," Dave said.

"Still, it would be nice if Maryse would agree have at least half a dozen," Gloria said.

"I'll talk to her and see what she says, but her decision is final mama. I will not force her to have more children then she wants. If this one is all she wants then that's all we'll have and that's the end of it. However, I think she'll agree to at least one more after this, but no promises. She's not so young anymore, that she can afford to wait too long in between each pregnancy you know. I doubt she'll want to get pregnant again right away as one baby is a lot of work, much less more after all."

What he didn't say was that Maryse was carrying three not one, which had been a total shock to both of them when the doctor had told them. Once the shock has worn all they had been absolutely ecstatic and knew they were going to have to either buy the two apartments on either side of them or find a house. They had decided to find a house so the children would have a backyard to play in and they wouldn't have to worry about the boys making too much noise due to thin apartment walls. He knew his mother would be thrilled once he imparted the news, since she had only gotten one granddaughter so far and she wasn't getting any younger. She'd be lucky to live to see her granddaughter grown much less her upcoming grandsons. She'd probably be gone by the time they hit their teenage years.

"So, is it a boy or a girl?" Gloria asked curiously. "Do you know?"

"Yes, I do as we just found out a few days ago," Dave said grinning happily. "I'm sure Mary wouldn't mind if I told you, but you're not too repeat it."

The only other person that knew was Maryse's best friend Claudia, as she had been the first person his new wife had told, as soon as they had got back from her doctor's appointment. He didn't mind that actually, as Claudia was becoming a good friend of his as well. She had helped plan the party that was to take place after the wedding, which had relieved the pressure on a very pregnant Maryse, who he had been trying to get to relax and take it easy. He had offered to pay for everything without even blinking or worrying about the cost. Why should he worry about money when he had already gotten the best thing in the world? The woman he loved that would be by his side through everything life could often throw at you.

"I won't," Gloria promised immediately. "I need to know so I can start knitting the baby blanket as the baby will be here soon. I need to know what colors to use."

Dave knew his mother was a very good knitter despite being in her late 60s. The babies that his wife was carrying would be a very lucky child. He had no doubt that three blue blankets would be ready before the children was born in less than three months, as it was triplets, as luckily, his mother did not have arthritis like so many women her age did. Her fingers were still pretty nimble considering her advanced age, so she would have three baby blankets done in no time.

"Fine, I'll tell you," Dave said appearing reluctant to part with the news, but really he had been excited when he had learned it was a boy. "It's a boy," Dave paused, "in triplicate, which means you can knit three blue blankets," Dave told her making her smile excitedly and nearly squeal with joy.

"Finally, grandsons," Gloria said ecstatically. "I can't believe your new wife is carrying triplets and all boys as well. This is fantastic news. No wonder Maryse is so big. I just figured it was a big baby."

"Yes, it is," Dave agreed with a grin, as he had been ecstatic when he heard the news. "Now you'll soon have three grandsons to go along with your granddaughter or will anyway in a few more months, probably no more than two though if that much, as the doctor told us to expect Mary to go into labor early because it isn't just one. He estimates no more than 32 weeks, possibly 34. You had no way of knowing it was going to be triplets, so your assumption that it was just a big baby was accurate with the information you had," Dave said. "I also wouldn't mind having a little girl to, but if I get another son next time I'm certainly not going to complain."

"Of course not, children are such a blessing. I would've liked a little girl to, but unfortunately, I was blessed with just three boys. Unfortunately, your youngest brother doesn't seem interested in settling down." Gloria said looking pensive.

Dave said nothing to this knowing that his youngest brother Marty, like him was having trouble finding a woman he could love for a lifetime. Admittedly, he was a bit spoiled, but then, he was the baby and babies of the family often were.

"It's no wonder that you didn't think you could convince Maryse to have more than one more. Still, I'd like her to have at least another three, but I'll take what I can get. That I get three grandsons at the same time is just icing," Gloria added.

"Yes, it is," Dave agreed kissing his mother's cheek.

"I'm glad you have finally found a woman to make you happy, son, that should be all that matters and not that she's part black and you're white. They will likely have her skin tone, but that doesn't mean I won't love them with everything I have until I pass into the next world," Gloria said.

"Of course, you will and so will I. I'm looking forward to becoming a father in a couple more months, something that I believed would never happen for me," Dave said smiling at the thought of his upcoming fatherhood. "Now I am going to go ask my new wife to dance, so why don't you enjoy some of the food and dance with some of the handsome men here yourself. Unfortunately, father is gone and has been for over a decade."

"I know he would be happy to learn that he was getting three grandsons," Gloria said.

"Yes, he would be," Dave agreed finishing his glass of wine.

"He didn't even live to see his granddaughter born which is a shame and a sin, but it was also God's will, that he was taken from us so soon," Gloria said. "Now these new children will never get to meet their grandfather until they to pass."

Dave said nothing thinking his father had died way too young, but it happened that way sometimes he knew.

He hoped his father could see him from Heaven and would be pleased at his upcoming grandsons.

Dave wandered over in his bride's direction, before interrupting the dance with one of her clients.

Maryse smiled at him and then they started dancing closely together, knowing that they'd have a long happy life together with at least a couple more children after the triplets were born before they too passed into the next world.

This was the way things should be.