“Yeah, I hope you got me something nice. After all this, I think I deserve it,” he said, and Rachel had to smile at his ironic sense of humor.
Clever diversion, honey,she thought happily.
Chapter 15
As it turned out, much to Gary’s annoyance, the doctors refused to discharge him until the following afternoon.
In the meantime, Rachel once again contacted the airline and arranged to rebook (at considerable expense) their flights back to Ireland on the twenty-ninth, which meant that once he got out, they would be spending one last night in New York.
Back at the hotel, she’d gone out of her way to ensure that their final night in the city would be extra special. All things being equal, she was sure that Gary would have had his own elaborate proposal plans in place, and the least she could do now was try and make it easy for him.
So when at 6:00 p.m. sharp, the knock on the hotel room door came, Rachel leaped up from where they sat on the couch to answer it.
Tipping the room service waiter, she wheeled in a cart with two prime rib dinners, two lit candles, and a freshly chilled bottle of champagne.
“Wow, pulling out all the stops, aren’t you, babe?” Gary grinned as she put everything on the table within reach to make it easier for him. He was getting around pretty well on crutches but still seemed a bit crotchety, despite the Vicodin haze.
“Well, we did miss Christmas,” she said, giving him a wink and biting the inside of her cheek as she tried to hold back a giddy smile.
Earlier, he’d again brought up the subject of exchanging Christmas gifts, so it looked as though she didn’t have too much longer to wait.
She managed to make it most of the way through dinner without her hands shaking too much. On the contrary, he seemed considerably more relaxed, and for this, Rachel was grateful. Part of her was afraid that if he hadn’t been seeing her through the rose-colored glasses of pain medication, he might have been suspicious that she was onto his plans.
“Ugh, I can barely move after that,” she said, scraping the plate with her knife and fork. “I think I’ve overdone it. More champagne?”
“Perfect,” Gary said. “I’d pour it myself if I could, but I don’t think my ribs could handle the strain.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it.” Rachel glanced at the bottle, which was worryingly almost empty. They’d have to order another one to celebrate their engagement, if Gary ever got around to proposing, that was. Sometimes he could be so laid-back it was funny, but not this time. “So,” she went on, trying to sound lighthearted, “I suppose now might be a good time to break out the presents. I’ll just get yours, and we’ll open them together, okay?”
“Great. I could do with some cheering up. While you’re at it, can you grab what I got you from my stuff?”
Rachel’s heart raced. This was it. “Sure, but how will I know which one is mine?” she asked, grateful that her strengths lay in cooking and she hadn’t instead tried to pursue an acting career.
“Well,” Gary replied, raising his eyebrows playfully. “That would be the one in the little blue gift bag.” He sounded uncommonly pleased with himself, and she grinned.
“Sounds nice,” she said, feigning ignorance about the significance.
A couple of minutes later, she returned to the table with the Tiffany’s bag and several gift-wrapped packages meant for him.
“Tell you what. Why don’t we move onto the sofa for this? It’ll be more comfortable for you,” she said. That way, there was less risk of Gary injuring himself when he got down on one knee.
“Okay. Give us a hand though, would you?” He stood up, and Rachel gently guided him the few steps across the room. “Grand, and don’t forget my top-up,” he added, indicating the champagne.
“Hold on. I’ll bring my glass too.”
Once they were both seated side by side on the sofa, Rachel handed Gary his carefully wrapped presents.
“You first,” he said.
“No, you go ahead,” she insisted. She appreciated his manners but figured the engagement ring deserved to be the grand finale. He didn’t seem nervous at all, but then again, she supposed he was lucky; most men didn’t have the cushion of Vicodin to help them through.
Gary complied and several minutes later had his motorbike-riding trousers, leather wallet, and a nice Hugo Boss shirt next to him on the couch. Rachel had picked the shirt up in the meantime, realizing that the gifts she already had seemed miserly compared to the amount he would have spent on her. “Thanks, babe. I can’t believe how much you’ve spoiled me. I’m so lucky to have you. Now, your turn.”
She looked at him nervously, waiting for something more ceremonious but realizing that in his current state, she should just be happy that she’d soon be wearing his ring.
She reached for the bag and held it up. “Oh wow, Tiffany’s!” she exclaimed, playing her part to perfection.
Gary grinned. “Yep. Nothing too shabby for my girl.”
