His Shortcake

Chapter 12

Dustyn Franco

Veronica's eyes watched me as I paced inside my office. She watched me with deep concern in her face. With a sigh, she pours a bit of wine for me and gives me the glass. She gives me a tentative, unsure kind of smile as she does so.

"Thanks." I clocked out, my voice heavy with the nervousness.

I've been a nervous wreck since the ring was delivered to me by a close friend of mine, which happened over a week ago. I made sure that it was one of a kind, a customized ring that only my shortcake would have the privilege of wearing for, hopefully, the rest of our lives.

The red velvet box rests heavily on my right hand. It felt like a heavy rock that had been entrusted to my hand. It didn't feel real. It feels like a dream.

A dream soon to come true.

I can't count on one hand the number of times I have dreamed of this since leaving for college. I was well aware of our age gap. That she, at that time, was very much nothing more than a juvenile. A teenager. A kid I watched grow up. I was still in denial of my feelings. I reasoned with myself in front of the mirror countless times. I told myself I was just missing her. That I was too close to her and I wasn't used to not seeing her every day.

While denying my feelings, I went out of my way to date a few girls. Never had I had a relationship that lasted more than three months. Every little thing they did, I compared to what Mara would do. I would find the smallest differences between each of them and Mara. It wasn't until I had a long talk with Alec did I finally accept that I do love Tamara.

When Alec first found out, he was furious. He ended the call between the two of us and avoided my calls for a total of three weeks before he finally relented. That was only because Mara was crying on the phone and he couldn't get her to stop. Alec has never been good with calming down a crying Mara. That was my job. I was good with her in all of her mood swings. That day, she called me three times. I knew there was something wrong but with Alec and I not talking, I thought I would take some time to get over my feelings.

I was one of those guys. I don't want to lose my best friend because I fell in love with his much younger sister.

After I calmed Mara down, Alec and I talked. Only after that talk did Alec smile at me. He was happy that I would be there for Mara. After that day, all I could think of is having Mara as my wife and the future mother of our kids.

"Mark's here," Vero announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. Mark entered my office with confident strides and a smile on his face. He greeted his wife with a soft kiss on the lips and Vero closed her eyes with a content smile.

Would Mara and I be like them in the future?

"What's wrong?" He asked immediately as his eyes landed on me. He was worried and eyes the glass of wine on my table. "Why are you drinking?"

I shake my head, exasperated with myself. I plop down on my chair like a tired man, squeezing the bridge of my nose. "Were you like this when you proposed to Vero?" I asked him. I am truly worried and nervous. It feels like nothing I had ever felt before. It's almost like my confidence has been sucked right out of me when I needed it the most.

I'm not sure of what Mara thinks of me. Or if she even does think of me. Does she even like me? Or does she still think of me as the brother she can run to when her playmates bully her?

It's crazy to think that a man as confident as I am is worried about a woman. She has me wrapped around her fingers without even trying. I can only wonder how I would be once she does try.