"I mean I have one for you, too."
"One what?"
"Let me show you," she said. She ran out of my office, leaving me sitting in my chair with a perplexed look on my face. I expected her to take a minute, and was planning on following her down the hall to see what she was up to, but she came back only seconds after she left. She was holding something in her hand, and it only took a second for me to see that it was a tiara. I instinctually glanced at her head, but the one she was wearing was securely in place.
"This one's yours," she said, handing it to me. I reached out to grab it, but she leaned forward, trying to position it on my head. "You need to put it on."
I took it from her and held it in front of me so that I could inspect it. I turned it over just to make sure it was what I thought it was. Yep. It was exactly like the one I had worn that night at the beach—the one Nico took with him to California.
"Who's is this?" I asked.
She giggled. "Yours, silly," she said.
"Who gave you this?" I asked.
She smiled, and I sat up straight wondering what in the world was going on.
"Ryan, where'd you get this?"
"It's to go with your dress," she said, still giggling at my intent expression.
"What dress?" I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a shadow come across the doorway of my office, and I looked up to see what it was.
Nico was standing in the doorway wearing an expensive suit and a breathtaking grin. "This dress," he said, assuming I'd look at the garment bag hanging from his left hand.
I didn't care that none of this made sense. There was no time to worry about details like that. All I could do was stand up and walk directly into his arms, which is exactly what I did next. I buried my face in his chest, so thankful for the feel and smell of him. It was then that I understood the meaning of the phrase sight for sore eyes. I hadn't realized how much my eyes had been missing him—so had my nose, and fingers, and every other body part for that matter.
"Uncle Nico gave me a better crown and a whole new dress for giving him my old one," Ryan said, still prancing around my office.
"I see that," I said, distractedly.
"And he has a beautiful dress for you in that bag right there."
I shifted to see that Nico was still holding a garment bag behind my back.
"Why don't you give your aunt Mia a chance to talk to me and check out her dress, and we'll meet you out there in a few minutes," Nico said to Ryan.
"Okay," she said easily.
Nico reached out and gave her a high-five as she skipped past us. "You were amazing," he said. "Thanks for helping me out with that."
"You're welcome," she said, skipping through the door and down the hallway. I pulled back just far enough to stare up at him.
Facetime did not do his appearance justice. It wasn't even close. He was like something out of a magazine, and here he was standing in my office. My eyes followed the curve of his jaw up to his eyes and we smiled at each other.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
He reached out to hang the bag he was holding on a nearby coat rack. "I had a closing in town, and I figured I'd stop by to see you while I was here."
"You had a closing in this town?" I asked, feeling confused.
"Yep."
"In Charlotte?" I asked, just to clarify.
"Yep."
"What'd you sell?"
"I didn't sell anything, I bought something."
"What'd you buy?"
Nico reached in his pocket and brought up a small, leather keychain with one single key dangling from it.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's a house," he said. "The one you like in Dilworth."
I gawked at the key for several long seconds. "What is this?" I asked.
"It's the key to our house in Dilworth. The yellow one you like."
I let out a disbelieving laugh. "What's going on right now?" I asked, feeling like I was on a hidden camera show or something.
Nico adjusted so he could see my face and smiled at me with that devastatingly handsome grin. "I was planning on proposing to you next week while you were in California, but the idea of proposing made me think we'd be needing a house, so I took care of that. Then the closing ended up being the week before your trip, so I just decided to go ahead and propose while I was here." He paused. "I shouldn't have told you about the proposal just yet. I was gonna let the news of the house sink in for a second. But now that you know, I'll go ahead and tell you that's what the dress is for. We have an engagement party to get to."
I let out another delirious, disbelieving laugh. "Back up about three lines… actually, back up to the beginning. Start at the first thing you said when you walked in."
"I think I told Ryan she did a good job," he said.
"After that," I said. "Starting at the house."
He held up the key again. "I bought you a house—us a house—the yellow one in Dilworth with the courtyard." He put the key back in his pocket and slowly started to walk (with me in his arms) toward the center of my office and away from the door. "I think we'll work it out where we can split our time between coasts," he said. "I'm fine splitting my time between Charlotte and California. I think it'll be fun going back and forth. I don't really care where I live as long as it's with you." He paused and kissed my forehead before continuing. "You think you can make it work where you live with me in California part time?" he asked.
We had talked about it before, so I had already entertained the idea. "Paige will have to get someone to share the responsibility around here," I said, being practical.
"Yep, she will," he said, smiling at me.
I reached out and gave a little tug to his lapel. "I think living in California part time is just about the most fun thing I could think about doing," I said.
"Then stop feeling bad for Paige," he said. "She's got a successful business here, thanks to you. You'll still be here to help her out when you're in Charlotte."
I smiled up at him and bit at my bottom lip. "I think it's a good plan," I said.
He grinned. "Just so we're together, right?"
"Right." I glanced behind me at the clothing bag that was hanging on the coat rack. "And there's a proposal involved?" I asked, relatively sure he had mentioned that.
"There's a ring in a box, which is in my coat pocket. You won't see it for another hour until we're at dinner with your family. Paige is waiting out there with some hairspray or whatever you girls use to get yourselves ready. Your job is to slip into the dress and meet us out there."
I kissed his cheek with a huge grin on my face. "How long are you staying here?" I asked.
"Till next week," he said. "We'll be on the same flight back to L.A."
"You're staying in Charlotte until I go to California?" I asked, feeling giddy at the thought of being with him for two weeks straight.
"Yeah," he said. "I thought we'd just bounce back and forth from here on out. We'll have to work out a system, but I'd just as soon be done with the prolonged time apart."
"You would?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Like, we're just gonna be together in the same town from now on?"
"Yep."
"Starting today?" I asked.
"Starting today."
Epilogue
Nico and I got married right away. He proposed the night he surprised me with the house, and we got married three weeks later. Maybe that short of an engagement wasn't for everyone, but it was right for us. With the way we wanted to maintain our lives in two different cities we would essentially be moving in together, so we decided to go ahead and make it official.
It was his idea to make it happen quickly, which both shocked and delighted my family. We ended up getting married in California since we both had people there and the weather was predictably nice. It was a simple beach wedding and small reception with a 90's cover band.
It was now February, which meant we had been married for five months. Nico a
nd I were in Charlotte and were planning on eating Valentine's Day dinner at my favorite restaurant (the same place where he proposed). He loved it when I wore red, so I dug in my closet and found a little red dress that I hadn't worn in a couple of years. I was almost certain Nico had never seen it on me, and I was excited to see his face when he picked me up from work.
Paige was still working on a client when I finished my work and changed into the dress. I went into the salon to touch up my hair and makeup before Nico got there to pick me up. Paige and her client both commented on how much they liked my dress, which made me wonder why it had been hanging in the back of my closet for so long.
I paced the lobby in spite of the fact that Nico wasn't late. I had nervous energy that made me do things like adjust and readjust my shoe straps, and bra straps, and hairpins.
I watched as he finally parked, came to the door, and opened it. I could see him, but he couldn't see me, and I knew by his expression that he was surprised to see me standing right there when he opened the door.
"Well hello, lovely," he said, looking at me like he wanted to eat me alive.
"Hello, handsome," I said smiling at him.
"You look perfect for Valentine's Day," he said. He paused and looked down at his own clothes. He was looking sharp but casual in dark jeans, a button down shirt and a sleek, grey windbreaker. "Do I need to change?"
"No way," I said, putting my cheek next to his in greeting. "I love this jacket. I might have to borrow it from you if I get chilly later."
He held my hand, and made me spin around so he could get a look at me. "This is my new favorite dress, you know."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. It seems like you're flirting with me just by wearing this."
"I'm totally flirting with you," I said. I stared at him seductively and batted my eyes. "I think you're cute, and I was hoping you'd be my Valentine."
He rubbed the hair on his jaw. "You think I'm cute?" he asked.
"Yep." I said.
"I think you're sort of cute, too," he said, staring at me like he thought I was something way more than cute and he would tell me all about it later.
"Oh," I said in an out-of-nowhere tone. "I can't do it."
"Can't do what?"
"Can't wait till the restaurant to tell you what I have."
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's right here," I said. I grabbed his hand, and placed it palm-down on my lower belly. I glanced up at him and watched as his smile shifted into a serious expression that made me slightly timid.
"What's right there?" he asked, still looking so serious that I giggled nervously.
I shrugged innocently at him.
"What's that mean?"
"It means I don’t know what's right there—I mean, I know it's a baby, I just don't know if it's a boy or a girl—we can't tell that yet."
He stared at me with that same serious expression, and I watched as it slowly morphed into a smile. "Mia, are you serious right now?"
I nodded and bit my lip shyly. His hand was still resting on my stomach, and he applied just a tiny bit of gentle pressure.
"Is my baby in here?" he asked, smiling at me.
I nodded again. "Are you happy?" I asked.
He didn't answer me. He sank to his knees, letting the side of his face rest on my belly as he held me securely I smiled at the top of his head, marveling at how cute and sentimental he was.
"Mia, do you know when the Bumble and Bumble stuff is coming—" Paige discontinued her question when she realized I wasn't alone. She could see me as she approached, but she had no idea Nico was kneeling down in front of me until she came around the desk. "I'm sooo sorry," she said when she saw him there. "I didn't see you…" she trailed off and glanced at us with a curious expression like maybe she was putting some pieces together. "What are you doing down there…" she trailed off again and pointed at Nico as she stared at me. "Is he? Is he down there because? Why's he down there like that? You're not? You're not… are you?"
Nico looked at her. "If you're trying to ask if my baby's in here, then the answer is, yes it is, Paige. My baby's right here."
"Your baby's in there?" Paige asked, wide eyed with excitement.
"No big deal," Nico said with a sigh, standing up and wrapping his arm around me. "I'm gonna be a dad. Don't worry about it."
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" Paige said, rushing over to hug us both.
She looked as if she had to run to get back to her client, but couldn’t resist crossing the room for a quick hug and kiss to congratulate us first.
"I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to see that just now," she said, "but I'm glad I did. Can I tell Cody, or do you want to call him?"
"You can tell him," I said. I looked at Nico for confirmation. "You're okay telling people, right?"
"Are you kidding?" he asked. "I'm thinking we should just get take out for dinner so we can start calling people right away."
I laughed and looked at Paige. "You can tell Cody," I said. "I'll call Mom later tonight, though, so y'all don't tell her."
"10-4," she said. "Don't tell Christy. Got it." She leaned in for one more quick kiss on my cheek before heading back the way she came. "Congratulations again," she called. "I'm so excited for you guys."
She scurried off, and I was left in the lobby with Nico's arm wrapped around me. I peered up at him, feeling every bit as infatuated as I was when I was a teenager.
"I love you," I said.
He leaned in to put a kiss on my cheek and then one at the corner of my mouth before letting his mouth come down a third time on my lips. I tugged on his jacket a little and leaned into him, trying to make the contact last longer than the intended quick kiss. Our lips lingered for a few extra seconds as a result of my effort, and he smiled at me once he finally pulled back.
"I love you, too," he said. "And I mean that like t-o-o and t-w-o."
The end
(till book 5)
*Evan's story will be the fifth and final book in the Hunt Family series, and it is set to release later this summer.
Other titles available from Brooke St. James:
Another Shot:
A Modern-Day Ruth and Boaz Story
When Lightning Strikes
Something of a Storm (All in Good Time #1)
Someone Someday (All in Good Time #2)
Finally My Forever (Meant for Me #1)
Finally My Heart's Desire (Meant for Me #2)
Finally My Happy Ending (Meant for Me #3)
Shot by Cupid's Arrow
Dreams of Us
Meet Me in Myrtle Beach (Hunt Family #1)
Kiss Me in Carolina (Hunt Family #2)
California's Calling (Hunt Family #3)
Back to the Beach (Hunt Family Book 4) Page 14
