by Lia London
“But…” Melina stood on tip-toe, peering out over the line of cars by the drop-off loop.
“Oh my gosh, Melina. Just bring it around.” Sleep called to Willa, and she needed to settle down soon or the traumas of the day would plague her in her nightmares.
“But…”
Willa kicked at Melina with her good leg. “Hurry.”
A few minutes later, with Willa lying across the back seat, Melina wound the car through the parking maze towards the main drag.
Pressing her forehead against the cold glass of the window, Willa closed her eyes. “Who’s the idiot beeping their horn a thousand times? Honestly, could this day get any worse?”
Mac – at the same time
No amount of honking got Willa’s attention. He didn’t recognize the man and woman helping her into the back of a car, but he assumed one of them was the friend Melina.
He dropped his foot hard on the gas, hoping he’d seen right. Willa in a car meant she wasn’t hooked up to tubes and needles in the ICU.
He muttered curses at the slow pedestrians in the crowded parking area. “C’mon, c’mon, come on!”
It took him seven blocks to catch up with the car and another two to wave down the driver. At a stoplight, he rolled down his window and called, “Are you Melina?”
The dark-haired beauty squinted at him and lowered her window, too. “Are you Mac?”
He nodded vigorously.
“Go to Willa’s house!” she shouted.
The minivan behind him honked loudly, and he yelped. Without a second thought, he punched the accelerator and maneuvered his pick-up as if it were his old sedan, weaving and speeding ahead to his destination.
Parking in the driveway between the houses, he sat measuring the pounding of his heart. The two people he loved most in the world lived on either side. How could the fates expect him to go on without either one? He had no idea how Gramma Elfie was faring, and even knowing Willa survived the crash well enough to come home, he felt laden with dread. Would she ever forgive him?
Willa – twenty minutes later
Willa awoke to the clatter of her crutches as Melina gathered them from their place on the floor. Closing her eyes and bracing herself for the climb out of the car, up the walk, and onto the porch, she swiveled sideways in her seat. Strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her to her feet with ease.
“Thank you,” she mumbled into the man’s chest. Man? Where was Melina?
Without a word, the man guided her hands up behind his neck and swooped her off the ground.
“Oh.” Her eyes snapped open. “I wasn’t expecting—” She caught a glimpse of striped suspenders. “Mac?”
Mac held her tightly, watching her with concern etched onto his brow. “Hey, Wonder Willa. You’re awake.” He held her as a groom might carry his bride across the threshold. His arms felt warm, as did his breath on her cheek. The streetlamp created a halo in his damp hair. Pattering rain drowned out all sounds around them as he marched with her up the wooden steps of the porch.
There, in the shadows, he squeezed her tighter but did not set her down.
“Willa,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I said those things to you. You mean more to me than anything. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
His words sounded fuzzy in her ears. “Aren’t your arms getting tired?”
As if to prove otherwise, he hoisted her higher to bring their faces together. “I can’t lose you. Not ever. Please, Willa, you’re all I’ve ever wanted, but I’ve been too stupid to—”
Willa silenced him with a kiss that didn’t end until Melina bustled past them and unlocked the door.
“I hope you’re Mac Norton because that’s who she’s in love with.” Melina gently shoved the couple inside with her good arm. “I’m heading out, girl. You’re in good hands now.”
Nuzzling her nose into Mac’s cheek, Willa smiled. She clutched him by the suspenders as he eased her down on to her strong leg. “What do you think of my sexy fiberglass stocking?”
Mac chuckled. “I promise not to call you Yellow Willow or anything dumb.”
Willa cupped his face in her hands and gazed into his bright eyes. Pressed this close to him, she had a flash of clarity and daring. She was ready to take a chance.
“You know what I’d really like you to call me?”
He shook his head, their lips mere inches apart.
She swallowed. Was she crazy? Willa Fillmore wasn’t a risk taker. Just driving late at night had gotten her in a car wreck. But… “Will you call me…Willa Norton?”
Mac’s jaw went slack even as the corners of his lips climbed higher. “Willa Norton… as in Mac Norton’s wife?”
She nodded, their cheeks brushing together gently. Holding her breath, she braced for his reply.
“I think that’s so much better than Wonder Willa.”
She squeaked. “Really?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I do.” Willa threw herself around him in a koala bear hug, big yellow cast and all, and kissed him over and over.
Mac laughed, holding her tighter. “This isn’t the pain meds talking?”
“This is ten years of knowing that you, Mac Norton, are the most perfect man in the world for me. I love you.”
“And I’ve always loved you, too.”
Mac – two weeks later
Gramma Elfie set her lemon tea on the small table beside her stuffed chair. “What do you think?”
Mac, sitting cross-legged on the rug, looked from her to Willa, stretched out on the couch. “You two are plotting to make me suffer. I can tell.”
“What? Where do you get that idea?” Willa’s wide eyes charmed him.
“Making me wait so long.”
Willa held up a finger. “Oh, don’t even go there. I had to wait as long as you did.”
“Yes, but now shouldn’t we get on with it?” He patted her unencumbered leg and gave her a playful pout.
Gramma Elfie tossed a sugar cookie at his head. “Nice try, Mac. Do you want her to walk down the aisle on crutches?”
“Exactly,” agreed Willa. “And Elfie needs time to build up her strength. The treatments are going to wear her out, and—”
“And all the more reason for us to be married and living next door, so we can help.” He viewed their skeptical expressions and shrugged. “What? It was worth a try.”
“Christmas,” announced Gramma Elfie.
“A few days after,” said Willa. “That way we can celebrate Christmas with you, Elfie, before heading out on our honeymoon.”
Mac wagged his eyebrows. “To make fireworks over New Year’s Eve?”
Willa blushed adorably. “Mac, Elfie’s right here.”
“You should start calling her Gramma, you know.”
Gramma Elfie chuckled. “All right, you two lovebirds. Set the date already, and make sure you ask your boss for time off.” She winked and leaned over the armrest, stretching her hand to Willa. “I want you as my neighbor forever, dear. At least for as long as these lungs hold out.”
Mac’s chest tightened, and a gasp escaped. Bolting to his knees, he positioned himself between the two women, hugging one in each arm awkwardly. “Willa, marry me now, and then you two can throw the biggest, fanciest wedding whenever you want to later. We can renew the vows or whatever, but I don’t want to wait any longer. I love you.” His arm slipped from Gramma Elfie’s shoulder, so he could embrace Willa completely.
“Go get the license,” she whispered.
As Mac kissed Willa with all his might, Gramma Elfie sighed. “It doesn’t get any better than this. I’ve got a second chance at life, and you two have your second chance at love. I have a feeling both are going to last a long, long, long time.”
Thank you so much for reading this book. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review so that other readers know it’s worth checking out.
Be sure to look for the other stand-alone novellas in the Proposal Series Novellas (all coming o
ut Summer 2019):
A Simple Proposal
A Rival’s Proposal
A Complicated Proposal
For more sweet-sighing fun, you can also try the Northwest Romantic Comedy Series:
Who Needs Reality?
Getaway Gone Wrong
Amaya’s Dance
A Bid for Love
Crazy Little Crush
Love from A to Z
You can find information about Lia London and all of her books at LiaLondonBooks.com or check out her Amazon author page.
