by Amanda Aksel
When she says the words, Go be with him, I get the tiniest little flutter in my stomach. The baby is way too young for me to feel any movement. But the sensation is distinct. It’s my gut talking to me. Maybe it’s time I start trusting it again.
“Kate, I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
I don’t let her say goodbye before I hang up. I’ve got somewhere to be.
***
After a quick shower and breakfast, I head over to my dad’s house.
The front door is unlocked, and I step into the wide foyer. “Dad!” I call. “Dad, where are you?”
Dad comes rushing over with a worried look on this face. “I’m right here. Are you okay?” He puts his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m fine.” Tears prickle at my eyes. “Actually, I need to tell you something. I can’t move in with you.”
“Sunshine, what happened?”
“I lied to you about the baby. It’s not a donor baby. It’s Mick’s. We were together at Kate and Drew’s wedding. But he didn’t know that when he told you, and it was just easier to let you believe the lie while you were healing. And I’m sorry. I should have told you right away but I had just found out and—”
“Beau, I know,” he says.
I swear, my heart just stopped. “What? How?”
“I told him,” a familiar voice calls from the other room, followed by quick footsteps. Mick enters the foyer. He’s got bags under his eyes and his curly hair is a little disheveled. But even so, he’s still handsome as ever.
I blink my eyes a few times. My heart seems lighter and lighter with every passing second. “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to see you.”
I wipe my wet cheek with my palm. “And you flew all this way just to see me?”
“Can you think of a better reason?”
I was just about to do the same thing, so . . . “I guess not.”
“Look, I thought about what you said a billion times over, and you’re right. We have time to see what this is. Except I don’t want to wait.”
“I don’t want to wait either. I was just coming to tell my dad that I want to go back to London, so I can be with you.”
His eyes widen, and he puts his hand over his heart. “Really?”
I nod. “Yes.” I glance over at my dad who looks like he might have another heart attack. “Dad, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just wasn’t prepared to lose you to someone else so soon. But if I were going to lose you to anyone, I’d want it to be Mick-Daddy here.”
I hurry over and wrap my arms around my dad. “You’re not losing me. I love you, Daddy.”
He squeezes me tight, and I can feel just how much he’s going to miss me. “I love you too.”
“Your dad’s going to be just fine,” Suzanne walks into the hallway, beaming.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as she slips her arm around Dad’s.
“David and I . . . had a talk last night.” She smiles, and I know there was more than talking going on. I glance at Mick who gives me a funny look. “I’m going to move in, so you don’t have to worry.”
“So, you two,” I whip my finger back and forth between them. Suzanne blushes.
“Yeah,” my dad smiles, bouncing his brow.
“Good for you two. I’m glad you’re finally giving it a shot,” I say.
“And I’m glad you two are giving it a shot,” Dad says motioning for Mick and me to get close. “Now go ahead, Mick, do what you came here to do.”
I look to Mick, expecting him to embrace me in a Casablanca-like kiss. Instead of leaning in, he lowers down to one knee. Okay, now my heart’s really stopped. What is he . . .?
Mick takes my hand. “I know that what I’m about to ask might sound crazy, but I don’t care. I don’t need to be with you for months or years to know that I love you. I want to have a life with you and our baby. I want you to know that I’m committed to our family.” He pulls a box from his pocket and flips it open—an emerald-cut diamond ring sparkles inside. “I want you to know I’m committed to you. Beau Donovan, will you marry me?”
Tears spill from my eyes faster than I can shout, “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”
EPILOGUE
“W HAT DO YOU THINK?” I stand in front of Kate, adorned in full hair and makeup. My satin dress clings to my body, and I push the draping veil over my shoulders.
She smiles, her eyes welling up with fresh tears. “You look perfect.”
“Really?” I ask, running my hand over my belly and feeling a little self-conscious about my post-pregnancy bulge.
“Of course.” She squeezes my hand in hers.
The sound of my three-month-old son’s cry beckons me from the other room. By the time I reach his little bassinet, Dad’s already picked him up.
“Come here, my boy,” he says, resting my baby on his chest.
I reach for him, but Dad waves me off. “You don’t want to risk getting spit up on your dress.” Good point. There are very few things in my closet that have not been stained with spit up these days.
“My little Daniel,” I coo, rubbing my little boy’s soft head as Dad slowly rocks him. “You look so handsome in your tiny tux. Just like your daddy.”
Kate pushes the gauzy curtain back and peeks out the window. “I think they’re ready.”
I hurry over to her side and gaze out at the crowd of one hundred and fifty close friends and family sitting in the afternoon sun in front of a white arbor garlanded with gorgeous greenery and flowers. The faint hums of a string quartet playing angelic music seeps through the windows. I catch a glimpse of Mick hanging out behind the guests, waiting for me. My stomach flips. I can’t believe that I’m about to marry the man of my dreams.
After Mick flew to Los Angeles to be with me, we spent a few days in LA before returning to London. My dad and Suzanne came for Christmas so our families could meet. And despite what I’d heard about Mick’s father, he actually embraced me right away.
Against our better judgment from past experiences with love, Mick and I dove headfirst into our relationship. There was definitely an adjustment period for both of us, but we were so in love that it didn’t feel like much of a challenge. He showed up to every single doctor’s appointment and childbirth class I had. The experience of preparing for a baby brought us closer in those short seven months.
Then, on June 17th, our son Daniel David Bonnaire was born. Seven pounds and six ounces of pure love. To think I even considered not having him in the first place makes me want to faint harder than the day I passed out in my dad’s hospital room. How could I live my life without Baby Daniel’s beautiful blue eyes and that adorable smile? Motherhood is far from a vacation, but it helps having a nanny, a butler, and a cleaning staff, so I can’t complain. Not to mention, Mick is a very attentive father. He’s cut his hours back at the hospital so he can spend more time with us. It works out because Mick and I still have the most amazing alone time when the baby’s asleep.
I walk downstairs and make my way to the back grounds with my white lily bouquet in hand. The wedding coordinator says something to Mick. He nods and his groomsmen line up in behind of him. The moment they proceed out the back, the quartet’s harmonies increase in volume. It’s showtime.
“Are you ready?” Kate asks.
I raise my brow. “Girl, I was born ready.”
She laughs. “Of course. Why did I even ask?”
Kate and my best girlfriends from LA line up in their champagne-colored dresses and start toward the door. Dad hands the baby off to our nanny, and I plant one last kiss on the top of Daniel’s head before heading off to marry his father. My dad offers his arm, and I loop my hand in tight. My knees are trembling so much that I’m afraid I might trip on my heels. It wouldn’t be the first time I stumbled down the aisle.
“You look gorgeous, sunshine,” he says with a proud look in his eyes.
“Thanks, Dad.”
We follow the music. My bridesmaids proceed down
the aisle, and Dad and I wait as patiently as possible until the last one is standing at the front. The guests stand. My heart thuds like crazy as I grip onto Dad’s arm and we walk slowly down the aisle. It’s not all that unfamiliar. Just a year ago, on a warm September day, I wore another beautiful dress and walked toward Mick at the end of the aisle. Only this time, it’s our wedding. Mick and I will be husband and wife.
My fiancé welcomes me with bright eyes and a huge grin on his face. Suddenly, the crowd seems to disappear from my view, even my dad seems to fade into the background. It’s just the two of us now. Mick and me. My dad shakes his hand and actually brings him in for a hug. Not only did Mick resuscitate Dad’s heart, he resuscitated mine. Dad gives my hand to my soon-to-be husband, and I step up to meet my man.
Mick leans in and whispers, “Thank you for being here.”
I know what he means, and I feel the same gratitude filling my heart. “There is no other place in the world I’d rather be.” Not even at Il Piacere in Florence.
I really thought I’d be an emotional mess throughout the ceremony. I got the best waterproof mascara on the market just for this occasion. But the truth is I can’t stop smiling—ear-to-ear smiling. They say your wedding day is the first day of your life together, and I’m so excited to see where it leads us. The officiant announces us as husband and wife in a regal British accent and it’s official. Mick scoops me up and dips me back for our first matrimonial kiss. And let me tell you, the best Hollywood movie kisses don’t have shit on this one.
God, I love this man.
We turn toward the aisle and Mick reaches for our son on Suzanne’s lap. The three of us walk down as a family. For a brief moment, Mick and I are alone for the first time today. He lowers his lips to meet me in another blissful kiss. “You look gorgeous.”
I run my hand along his lapel. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“I don’t know. I’ve got nothing on this guy.” He gestures at the baby, and I kiss Daniel’s cheek.
“Yeah, he’s pretty damn handsome.”
After the pictures, during which Mick and I could hardly keep our hands off each other, we make our way to the reception room, which is filled with pretty Italian music. Mick grabs my hand, keeping me from stepping inside. “I have a little surprise for you.”
I look at him with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what it could be. “What?”
“C’mon.” He nods and leads me inside. “I had Il Piacere cater our wedding.”
I look around at all the fabulous Florentine dishes.
My eyes grow bigger than my stomach. “Are you serious? This is amazing.”
We take our seat at a little table at the front of the room. Our friends and family take their seats. I look around at all of them—Kate and Drew, my mother, Dad and Suzanne, Garret, Kent and his fiancée Liz, and Kate’s parents—all here for us.
Mick takes his champagne glass and rises to his feet.
“I’d like to make a toast.” Everyone turns their attention to my husband. “First, thank you for being here to celebrate this day with us. I want to give a special thanks to my brother and his wife, Drew and Kate. Thank you for falling in love and getting married. If you hadn’t, I don’t know if I would have ever met this incredible woman.”
“What about my heart attack?” Dad shouts, and I feel my face flush.
Mick laughs. “That’s true, I guess the universe conspired to bring us together.”
“I’ll say it did,” Mick’s mom says, holding up our son, and the room fills with laughter.
“Well, then, to love, hearts, and other miracles!” Mick lifts his glass. The crowd cheers and raises their champagne flutes.
Mick sits down and I take my first bite of my favorite dish. That delicious Florentine flavor bursts in my mouth. Yep, it definitely translates. Maybe we could convince the owners to open one here in England.
“It’s like we’re on our first date again,” I say, motioning to my plate.
“That was the best, wasn’t it?” he asks.
I raise my brow, thinking about that plane ride back. “Yes, it really was.”
Mick leans in, touching his nose to my cheek. “I don’t know about you but I’m ready for the honeymoon?”
I turn, fluttering my lashes at him. “Me too. I’ll meet you at our bedside.”
Hello Reader!
Did you adore Mick and Beau’s love story? If so, you’ll absolutely love the other books in the Londonaire Brothers Series. You can check them out here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0731LVVMD
I have so much fun putting together Pinterest boards, Spotify playlists, character profiles, and more for Bedside Manor. If you want access to fun bonus material, updates from me, and a free short story, sign up for my newsletter here: https://www.subscribepage.com/amandaaksellondonaire
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XXO- Amanda
Also by Amanda Aksel
The Man Test
The Commitment Test
The Pregnancy Test- Coming soon!
The Londonaire Brothers Series
Lingerie on the Floor
Lose Your Shirt
Beside Manor
AMANDA AKSEL
Amanda Aksel loves anything that’s smart, sexy, and funny. She’s the author of The Marin Test Series and The Londonaire Brothers Series. You’ll often find her writing novels with an adorable maltipoo on her lap, pretending to be Sara Bareilles at the piano, watching reruns of Sex and the City, or sprinkling a little too much feta on her salad.
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