by Snow, Nicole
“They brought down the whole cartel.” She smiles.
“In two months? That’s insane.”
“It turns out Will the Idiot was in deeper than I thought. He flipped, and so did the guy he was meeting up with. Plea deal or not, he’ll be away for a good, long while. The whole organization was busted up, and here I am.”
I turn to Nick with a slow realization dawning.
“Wait. These are my surprises. How long did you know?”
“Sutton called me the second he found out,” he says proudly. “I set this up the first day they’d be back in town. Today.”
I look back at Abby.
“Nick tracked me down after I checked in with the lawyer. And when he told me his idea for a reunion...Reese, you’re so freaking lucky to have this man,” she gushes.
I take a breather, just long enough to set down Millie and throw my arms around Nick. I swallow a squeal.
He really is incredible.
My hero, my boss, and now my personal magician.
“I hope you haven’t felt too rushed just to meet me,” I say to Abby.
“Nope. We just got back in town last night. We stayed in a motel, because...I have to find an apartment again. Fun.”
“Sublease Reese’s. She’s never there anymore,” Nick says.
I give him a dirty look and then nod reluctantly at Abby.
“He isn’t wrong. But if I ever need to come home, you’re crashing on the couch.”
Millie notices my cotton candy and starts reaching for it. I jerk it away from her.
“Nuh-uh. We’ll get extra for you. Your future little cousin loves cotton candy too.”
Millie claps her hands in delight—and I’m not sure if it’s for the cousin remark or Nick, who’s not-so-secretly opening the bag to pass her a handful of fluff.
She grins up at us.
“Reese, let’s keep walking,” he says.
“Huh?” I stare at him. “Umm—my sister was gone for months.”
“It’s a game,” he whispers, leaning toward my ear. “I promised Abby we’d play hide and seek. Right, Millie?”
Millie claps her hands. “Yeah! Gotta beat Quick Nick!”
She jumps up and down a few times. My breath catches in my throat. Before I can react, she takes off running.
“You hide. I’ll count,” Abby says, weirdly okay with this.
What is going on?
Nick takes my arm and steers me around. He leads me across a wooden bridge that dead ends at a pond. “Nice place for a summer day, don’t you think?”
“It’s beautiful. But couldn’t it have waited until I caught up with Abby? I don’t get why—”
“There’ll be plenty of time later. I needed to talk to you first,” he says, his face tightening.
Oh, what?
Why is he so serious?
Something’s off.
“Is everything okay? If you’re breaking up with me in the weirdest way possible, I swear to God I’ll—”
“Hell no.” He cups my face. “No, sweetheart. I’d die before I’d leave you again. I’ve told you that a million times.”
“Then—” Something hits my ankle and I jump.
It doesn’t really hurt, but it’s so unexpected my heel twists sideways. Balance gone, I’m toppling toward the ground.
Crap!
Nick’s arm finds my waist at the last nanosecond.
He catches me, holds me up, straightening the Leaning Tower of Me again. I must fall into him, though, because his hand moves from my waist to my hand, and when I can see straight again, he’s...on his knees?
Yikes. Did I knock him over when he caught me?
“Nick—”
Pop.
I hear a clicking noise, a tiny whirr. My eyes fall to my feet, and next to them, the source of the sound and my near crash landing.
Nick reaches inside the top of a small remote-controlled toy limo.
“This is what I wanted to talk to you about,” he tells me, looking up with the evening light like green-flame in his eyes.
“Is this one of your new marketing things?” I put my hands on my hips. “Did Abby and Millie run off to film us?”
“They’re recording, yeah, but this isn’t company business.” His smile looks so gorgeous it hurts.
“Get up,” I say with a laugh.
I don’t understand.
“Not yet,” he whispers, holding up his hands, showing me—
Oh, no.
Oh, yes.
Oh. My. God.
That thing he pulled from the toy limo? It’s a blue-grey velvet box. My breath catches in my chest and I start hyperventilating the instant it hits my brain.
“Jesus, Nick, I—”
“Let me finish,” he says gently, holding the box up to a splinter of evening light.
He flicks it open.
Oh my God. Forever.
The humongous diamond catches the sunlight perfectly, spinning rainbows around it, so brilliant it’s almost blinding.
“Reese Halle, I love you with my whole soul,” he starts, his eyes all glinting emerald. “From the moment we met—”
I grin. “When you thought I was a frat boy, you mean?”
He lowers his face for a second and laughs.
“Yeah. You even had me then. I could always talk to you like no one else. That’s what made it impossible not to fall this hard. I’ve been hooked on you since the first time you shot me down. I kept coming back through the mistakes, the curses, the laughs, the passion, the agony, the love. You put us both on the right track. You steered me toward a life worth living. You’ll always be my driver, woman, in all the best ways. If you’re willing to have me, forever—big-ass ask, I know—you’re the only one I ever want to take the long road with.”
Holy Bejeezus.
The Brandt Charm has never been cranked up this high, and I’m a total sucker.
My heart jumps ahead of my body as I fall to the ground, into his embrace.
“I love you, Nicholas Brandt.”
“Is that a yes? You know I’m lovestruck with you,” he rumbles.
I nod so intently my hair lashes everywhere.
He slides the ring on my finger and helps me up, never letting go. Back on my feet, I throw my arms around him and kiss him like the Titanic’s band just started playing. Thankfully, we’re never going down.
As long as I have this man, we can only touch the sky, the light, the love he pulls out of me.
Loud applause breaks out behind us.
I pull away from Nick, confused. Abby and Millie stand at the other end of the bridge. Abby’s holding a phone, filming and rubbing her eyes. Millie’s bouncing away, holding the car’s remote.
Millie laughs. “I ran your foot over!”
I glance down to the limo at my feet and back at Millie. “That was you, munchkin?”
She laughs, nods, backs the limo up, and bumps it into me again.
“Okay, punk!”
Millie backs the limo up again before Abby swipes the remote away.
“Sorry. I got the whole thing on video, future brother-in-law.” She gives him a thumbs up.
He smiles at her. “You rock, lady. Thanks.”
Without another word, we all just melt into this big group hug, with my sister whispering “con-grat-ul-ations” over and over again like a mantra while we both happy cry our eyes out.
I don’t mind.
I need it to ground me, to remind me this is real and lasting.
This is the start of my life with Nick Brandt. Here on a bridge on a happy summer day, surrounded by entire family for the first time ever.
I’m not that scared orphan girl anymore.
I’m a sister, an aunt, a friend, and soon I’ll be the best freaking mom and wife to the man who showed me what I could be.
I just hope our wedding day is even half as perfect as this.
“Play,” Millie chirps. “Play outside!”
“I should probably let her run around. W
e couldn’t get out much the last few months,” Abby explains.
I look at my fiancè—a word I never expected to use in this lifetime.
“I think we can spare a few minutes.” I link my arm in his. “Shall we?”
Smiling, Nick leads, and we both follow Abby and Millie to the playground.
My sister takes the nearest park bench and Nick sits next to her. I plop down right in his lap, soaring but shy. It’s a little freaky meeting the man you’re marrying for the first time.
“You two are disgustingly cute,” Abby says with a snicker. “So, when and where are we doing this wedding, baby sister?”
“Well...that depends.” I shift in Nick’s lap so I can see his face. “Is really soon okay?”
“Tomorrow works for me,” he says, pausing as I laugh. He leans in. “Woman, I’m only half joking. Need you wearing both my rings the second you’re ready.”
We stop and kiss while Abby rolls her eyes right out of her head, hiding a giggle behind her hand.
“I already am!” I tell him. “I have no idea how. But I want to do it before I start to show...better dress options, I think.”
“Reesie, don’t even. You’ve got way better things to worry about, like keeping this hunk happy,” Abby whispers in my ear.
Later that night, it’s my turn for surprises. I tie a blindfold on Nick’s eyes and take him for a drive in the Maserati under a massive summer harvest moon.
“Where are we going?” he asks.
“You’ll see. Don’t you dare peek!”
When we enter a park near Winnetka, I say, “Okay, blindfold off.”
He removes the scarf I tied around his eyes and smiles. “Shit. It’s too perfect. Last time we were here, it was raining like buckets.”
“We fogged up the Lincoln. I had to get it cleaned before it could go back into commission...”
“The first time we made love,” he says, giving me a look that cuts right through me.
“My first time ever.” I feel myself blushing.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” he growls.
I shrug, holding back a smile. “I thought it was a nice memory.”
He takes my hand and kisses it.
Who knew such a chaste kiss could feel dirty with this man?
“One of my favorites. Although, I’ve always regretted your first time was in the back of a car,” he whispers.
“And I’ve always loved that you wanted me so badly you couldn’t even wait for a bed,” I admit, loving how his fingers wind through my hair.
“Glad you feel that way, Reese. I sure as hell can’t wait until we get home tonight.”
One primal growl.
One hungry kiss.
One glance from burning green eyes.
That’s all the encouragement I need before our seats are moving back and we’re ripping at each other’s clothes.
32
Pink Chariots (Nick)
A few weeks later, Ward adjusts my tie. “Are you ready for this, not-so-little brother?”
“Were you?”
His jaw tightens like he’s chewing the question. “Well...when Paige took me back, I’d have busted into the courthouse that very day if it was what she wanted.”
“Yeah, no question. I’m ready,” I say with a firm nod.
There’s a rapping at the door.
“Boys, are you decent? Not that it matters—I used to change your diapers. I’m coming in!”
“Thank God it’s a small wedding.” I laugh.
Ward shakes his head and opens the door.
Grandma sails inside, enveloping him in a huge bear hug.
“I’m so proud of you both, my married men!” She pats Ward’s cheek before she looks at me. “You look so handsome on your wedding day, dear.”
I move closer, giving her a bear hug of my own that hoists her off the ground.
“It’s all thanks to you,” I say. “I wouldn’t be marrying the love of my life without your help, Grandma.”
Ward makes a mock-gagging noise and gets the evil eye from Grandma.
“You’ve found your calling since Reese decided to give you the time of day. I knew something special was waiting in the cards.” Grandma grins, her silver hair bundled up like a fairy-tale beehive. “I’m so glad, Nicholas. So glad. And you’ve done marvelous things for her. I can’t believe how her confidence shines!”
Now she’s just flattering me. Reese always had her shit together.
“We should get moving,” Ward says, eyeing his watch. “If you’re late, she’ll kill you, and I’ll get stuck with cleanup duty.”
“Poor you,” I grumble, shooting him a subtle middle finger behind my back.
Ward grins.
Some things never change.
“Did you call a car yet?” Ward asks.
“We’re driving Reese’s wedding gift,” I tell him.
We walk out of the hotel, one step closer to the pier where I’m due to be hitched in under an hour. Everyone stops when we spot the shiny new car.
“Would that be Reese’s present?” Grandma asks.
I grin and nod. “Hope she likes it.”
“She’ll be delighted. Can I drive? Please?” Grandma gives me these huge, moony eyes.
I bust a gut laughing.
“Damn. Today’s full of surprises,” Ward says with a snort.
“Grandma asking to drive?” I look at him.
He nods. “She’s made me drive whenever she needs a lift since the day I got my license.”
“Well, I’ve never seen a pink Cadillac—and it’s a convertible,” Grandma says, fluttering a hand against her chest. “I raised you boys. Therefore, I’m driving.”
I grin and throw her the keys.
“The thing that makes me nervous is how well Reese knows cars. What if she would’ve preferred a red Lambo?”
“She seems more like a purple Viper sort of girl to me. But I guess it works,” Ward says, climbing in the back seat.
I ride shotgun.
“Probably, but they don’t usually have much space in the back, and she’ll need it soon—”
We’re both shocked as Grandma guns it, doing a donut in the parking lot.
“Grandma! I’ve to get to my wedding and deliver this thing in one piece before Reese crucifies me,” I grumble.
“Oh, you’re such a buzzkill.” She pulls out of the parking lot beaming like the sun.
Ward chuckles in the back seat.
“What?” I glance back at him.
“It’s just weird to hear you worrying about seat space. I never pictured my little brother as a family man. Glad as hell it happened, though. You couldn’t have kept up your old ways and been happy,” he says.
Annoyingly accurate.
“Park far enough away so she can’t see the car,” I say as we close in on Lake Michigan.
“I thought this was your getaway car? I’ve never met a woman who wants to walk a mile in heels and a white dress,” Grandma says, clucking her tongue.
“Ward, will you grab the car when it’s time for us to go?” I ask.
“Your best man will be busy. He can’t just leave the reception. I’ll do it,” Grandma volunteers without hesitation.
We all laugh like we haven’t for years.
“Guess we know what we’re buying for Mother’s Day,” I whisper to my brother.
We park half a mile away and walk the rest of the way to the pier, where I’m so fucking gobsmacked I can’t think.
Reese waits for me like a dream on the pier. So stunning I almost need CPR.
Her wedding dress falls around her in cascades of champagne-colored silk that ends just above her knees. It drops to a triangular point above her ankles in the back. The waistline is right under her full breasts—and I’m enjoying the fact that they’ve only gotten rounder during pregnancy.
It’s not the elaborate dress I’ve seen at other hotshot weddings, but for us, it’s perfect.
I’m damn near running up the aisle. We deci
ded to put a twist on the typical here comes the bride, and have her wait for me at the makeshift altar.
I’m on her with everyone staring, cupping her face and leaning in, overwhelmed like never before.
“I love you so much. You’re a hell of a bride, and thank God you’re mine,” I whisper, about to attack her lips when Abby clears her throat.
“Hey, Casanova, you’re supposed to wait until the end of the ceremony for that. We’re still doing a few things by the book,” she says.
“Sorry.” I didn’t even realize she was there.
We have roughly a dozen people, a tiny audience, but all I see is us.
Something body slams my knee.
“Quick Nick, are you ready to be my uncle?”
Smiling down, I lift Millie and kiss her cheek. “You’d better believe it, munchkin.”
She points at Ward. “Is he my uncle too?”
“Uh...” My gruff brother surprises me by saying, “If you want me to be.”
“Okay! But Quick Nick will always be my favorite.”
“Isn’t he always everyone’s favorite?” Ward shakes his head.
Grandma comes up. “Oh, Reese. You’re beautiful.” She hugs my bride.
“Thank you, Bea,” Reese says.
“I’ve interrupted you enough. Please carry on,” she says, moving to the small row of chairs.
Reese holds a rose bouquet with one hand and shakes her other hand out.
“I’m glad we went with a small ceremony,” she whispers to me.
“Hope you’re not nervous.”
“To marry you? No way. It’s just the audience that makes me jittery.” She lowers her voice. “Um, they’re going to see us kiss.”
I flash her a devilish grin.
“I’ll be chaste—and save the real kiss for later—if that’s what you want.”
“Listen, we need to get this started before I laugh or gag or something,” Ward grinds out. Paige shoots him a dirty look from the seats.
“Do I get to be on stage now?” Millie asks, waiting at the start of the short aisle.
“Stage?” I put her down.
“It’s not a stage, little one.” Abby rushes over and bends down, finger-combing Millie’s hair. “Just like we talked about. You walk to the center of the white chairs and stop when you get to the first row.”
