Hot Cop Next Door: A Second Chance Romance

by Brooke Noelle

  “You look very pretty, sweetie.”

  “Thank you. Savannah picked this out for me. She says it makes me look like a princess.”

  I nodded my head. “You absolutely do look like a princess. I am so lucky to be with the two most beautiful girls in the world.”

  Savannah was smiling, beaming proudly at Lily. The two had grown very close. I loved that Lily had been so open to letting a woman into our lives.

  “Let’s get going. We don’t want to be late for our own celebration,” I said, suddenly feeling very nervous about the night.

  We arrived at one of our favorite restaurants. I gave my name, and the hostess smiled. When she started to lead us in the opposite direction of the main seating, Savannah grabbed my arm.

  “Where’s she taking us?”

  I shrugged, feigning ignorance.

  The hostess pushed open the doors to the private party room.

  “Oh my gosh!” Savannah said, slapping a hand over her mouth. “What did you do!” she squealed, looking at our family and friends who were waiting.

  “It’s a surprise party,” I told her. “For you.”

  “For me?” she asked, astonishment on her face.

  “Yes, for you and your big promotion.”

  She was shaking her head. “I have no idea how you pulled this off, but thank you.”

  We went around the room, greeting everyone and exchanging pleasantries. Lily was busy telling anyone who would listen that she was a princess in a real princess dress.

  “Dinner will be served in about fifteen minutes,” the hostess announced.

  Savannah and I took our seats at the head of the long table in the room with Lily nearby.

  “You were surprised?” I asked her.

  “Um, you could say that. When did you have time to plan this?” she asked.

  “All it took was a couple phone calls to our mothers. They did the rest,” I said.

  She was looking at me with such love in her eyes, I could actually feel it. “Thank you. I mean it. This is the best gift ever. I love you.”

  I leaned over and kissed her. “I love you too.”

  Dinner was served. It was a lively dinner with lots of conversation. A couple of guys from the station had joined us as well as a few people from Savannah’s work. Savannah was so busy chatting with everyone, she barely had time to eat.

  I gave the signal to the hostess, who stepped out of the room, returning a few minutes later with several bottles of champagne and fresh glasses. There was even a bottle of apple cider for Lily. Savannah looked around and noticed the glasses were being filled and distributed to the guests.

  She walked over to me. “What’s going on?”

  “Everyone! Can I have your attention please?” I said, raising my voice loud enough to be heard over the many conversations being held in the room.

  Savannah was looking at me, confusion on her face. I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves to follow through with my plan.

  “Thank you, everyone, for coming out and showing your support for Savannah. As most of you know, Savannah’s arrival in Nashville wasn’t under the best conditions. Despite what she was dealing with, she kept up a brave face and was always smiling, even when I was a bit of a jerk to her,” I said with a wink.

  She laughed. “A bit?” she teased.

  “Savannah, you changed me. I was in a rough spot myself. You showed me how to be happy again, how to love again. You opened your heart and your home to myself and my little girl. I will never forget what you did for her after the fire,” I said, doing my best not to choke up at the memory.

  I looked over and saw Adam hand my mother a box of tissues, who shared them with Emma and Savannah’s mom and dad.

  “You know you are welcome,” she whispered. “I did it because I wanted to.”

  I nodded. “I know, which is what makes you so special. Everything you were dealing with, and you still thought about us and our comfort.”

  The room was dead silent, the sound of sniffles the only thing interrupting the silence.

  “I was a broken man, Savannah, and you made me whole again.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, and I nearly lost my tenuous self-control. I dropped to my knee in front of her and heard her suck in a loud gasp as her eyes went wide and her hand clapped over her mouth.

  “Savannah Griffith, will you please do me the greatest honor in the world and marry me?”

  She stared at me, her green eyes glistening. I pulled out the ring I had picked up in New York and held it out for her to see.

  There was a pregnant pause before she finally nodded. “Yes! Yes! Of course!”

  I rose to my feet, slid the ring on her finger, and kissed her to the sounds of the people who cared about us hooting and cheering. I held her close, letting her cry on my shoulder.

  “Is she going to be my mommy for real now?” Lily asked, making everyone burst into a combination of laughter and more tears.

  “She is, sweetie.”

  Savannah dropped down to her knees and wrapped Lily up in a tight hug. “I’m so happy to be your mom. Thank you so much for sharing your daddy with me.”

  Lily was over the moon, jumping up and down with excitement. “Can I call you Mom? Or Mommy?”

  The last hold I had on my emotions was gone. I turned my back to the crowd to hide the tears I could feel running down my face.

  I felt a hand on my back, and then my father’s voice said, “It’s okay, Son. Everything is going to be just fine now.”

  I nodded, wiping my face and doing my best to compose myself. When I turned back around, I burst into laughter. The entire room was dabbing at their eyes, even Adam and my buddies from the station. An innocent little girl had just stripped away the guards we all held around us with a simple question.

  I walked over to Lily, picked her up, and held her close. Marrying Savannah would make our family whole again. One day soon, I hoped to give Lily a baby brother or sister. I knew that would really send her over the moon with joy.

  I put Lily down, who insisted she needed to make sure Grandma was okay. My mom was in a corner of the room, crying buckets with Savannah’s mom right there beside her.

  I mouthed, “Okay?” She nodded and smiled in return, giving me a thumbs-up.

  I laughed, relieved they were tears of joy and maybe a little residual grief from the loss of Becca. Starting over felt good, but it also meant closing one chapter of my life. I was the phoenix, and I had most definitely risen from the ashes with a beautiful woman by my side.

  ***

  END OF STORY