Common Ground

by Wendy Smith

  I smile, tears pricking my eyes. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too. I don’t have a ring because I’m so damned disorganised, but maybe we can go this weekend.”

  Sliding my arms around his neck, I close my eyes when he rests his head on my stomach. “I don’t need anything too crazy.”

  “If it was up to me, I’d buy you the biggest damn diamond I could find, but you need to choose.”

  I chuckle. “You know me too well.”

  He looks up at me. “Will you marry me, Delaney?”

  I can’t help it. Tears roll down my cheeks as I look into the eyes of the man I loved and lost only to find again. “In a heartbeat.”

  He grins, rising to his feet. Sweeping me into his arms, he kisses me with so much love all it does is make the tears worse.

  “You’re supposed to be happy, not crying.”

  “I am happy.” I sob. “I just never pictured being proposed to in the middle of my kitchen in the middle of the night.”

  Josh laughs. “Don’t ever say I’m not spontaneous.”

  “I could never accuse you of that.”

  His side of the bed is cold by the time I wake up. I knew it would be.

  I reach for his pillow to breathe in his scent and a small piece of paper falls from it.

  My darling Delaney,

  Of all the things I’ve eaten in my life, I much prefer the taste of you.

  All my love,

  Josh

  I laugh, hugging the paper to my chest.

  We’re going to be just fine.

  Fifty

  Delaney

  Of course Josh’s idea of going shopping this weekend means a cross-country flight to New York.

  He knows how much I love the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and even though I was perfectly happy to shop at Tiffany in Los Angeles, he insisted we go to the original store.

  Not that I’m really complaining.

  The weather’s colder than we’ve been used to, and for the first time in ages, we’re dressed warmly.

  New York is somewhere I’ve never been before, and it’s just so overwhelming and big.

  But I’m not about to say no to shopping.

  Josh, as always, spoils the shit out of us. We’ve got a car with a driver, and the poor guy is having to pack everything in the boot of the car. I don’t envy him.

  And then it’s time.

  We get dropped a short distance from the store because I want to see everything, but in the end, there’s only one thing I really see.

  I come to a halt, my eyes blurring over with what’s in front of me.

  We’ve been here for a while now, but this is a sight that’s going to take some getting used to.

  Amelia’s hand in hand with her father. She’s dressed in her jacket and the hat with the pom-pom that still desperately needs to be secured before it falls off. And she’s looking up at him as if he hung the moon.

  The thing that really drives this moment deep into my heart is the matching expression on his face.

  None of this has been easy, but these two belong together. We all belong together. Maybe we’re struggling to find balance, but we’ll work everything out.

  “Mummy,” Amelia calls.

  “Right behind you.” I walk fast to catch up to them.

  “Are you okay?” Josh asks.

  “I am.”

  We reach the door and I take a deep breath. When I came to the States last time, I spent all my time on the West Coast. This was always something I wanted to see, but limited funds made it impossible.

  Now, Josh has given this to me.

  “Come here.” He takes me by the hand. “They know we’re coming.”

  “They do?”

  “Nothing but the best for my girl. I love you, Delaney.”

  It’s like a dream as I’m shown ring after ring.

  They all kind of blur into one another after a while.

  “I like this one.”

  I look at the one Melly’s pointing at.

  It’s a huge teardrop diamond. I just stare at it for the longest time while Josh strokes my back.

  “Josh, I can’t. It’s too much.”

  “You love it, right?”

  I nod, unable to find any more words.

  “Then that’s all that matters.”

  I throw my arms around his neck, and he pulls me in tight. “I know this isn’t the life you ever imagined for yourself, but we’re together and that’s what’s important.”

  “I know,” I whisper.

  “Next week, when we’re back home, I’ll do some rearranging and even if it takes a while longer to get this movie made, I’ll make things better.”

  I raise my face to look into his. “Are you sure?”

  “More than sure. I just needed a wake-up call to tell me I was burying myself. This is all new for me too.”

  He looks at the salesperson. “This is the one.”

  My hand trembles when I try it on, and it’s meant to be as it fits nicely.

  “Perfect.” Josh kisses my temple as I lean against him.

  He takes care of it all while Melly and I go back outside for fresh air.

  “Can I look?” Melly asks.

  “Of course you can.” I hold my hand down for her.

  “Are you married now?”

  I smile, shaking my head. “Not yet, sweetheart. This is a promise that your dad and I will get married.”

  “Will he marry me too?”

  She’s so earnest that I grin. “We should ask him about that.”

  Josh appears outside, and I don’t even have time to catch my breath before he pulls me into his arms and kisses me.

  His kiss reminds me of the first time. When we were younger and all the anticipation built to a crescendo that left my ears ringing.

  “Let’s go back to the hotel and order room service. We’ll watch a movie with the kiddo until she falls asleep, and then have some us time.”

  That brings a smile to my lips. “I like that idea.”

  He looks down at Amelia. “Should we go inside where it’s warm?”

  She nods, that ridiculous pom-pom flying.

  Josh hooks his arm around my shoulders, and takes Amelia’s hand in his. “Let’s get going.”

  This time, we walk together, Josh and I tangled around each other, Melly on his other side.

  Our little family need each other so much.

  More than we’d ever thought.

  It takes longer than usual to get Melly to sleep, but I’m not surprised. She loves her bedroom so much, and the thought of sleeping in a hotel doesn’t impress her at all.

  But finally, I get to snuggle on the couch with Josh and pretend the outside world doesn’t exist.

  “So, you like your ring?” he asks.

  I raise my hand, tilting it to make the diamond sparkle. “It’s perfect.”

  “Just like the lady wearing it.”

  He presses a kiss to my lips. It starts slow, but builds until I lean back and he’s lying on top of me on the couch.

  “I’m going to marry you, Delaney Carruthers,” he whispers.

  I look into his eyes and see all his love on display, nearly crapping myself when my phone on the coffee table starts playing circus music.

  “What the hell is that?” Josh laughs.

  “That’s Reece. He’s a clown so I gave him the appropriate ringtone.”

  “Why is he calling you?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. Did you tell him why we were here?”

  He shakes his head. “No, I wanted to wait until we were home so you could show off that engagement ring.”

  “Maybe I should answer it. It could be important.”

  He laughs. “Go on.”

  I reach for the phone and bring it to my ear, pressing the accept button as I do it. “Reece?”

  “Delaney. What are you doing right now?”

  I look at Josh. He’s giving me some serious side-eye.

  “Uhh, well. When
a mummy and daddy love each other very much …”

  Reece roars with laughter. “Eww. Anyway, your views have gone nuts. Your video’s viral.”

  “Really?” I sit up straight, pushing Josh off. “Like how viral?”

  “Like a hundred thousand already and going up all the time.”

  I slap my hand over my mouth. “Oh, shut the hell up.”

  “It’s true. You are an internet sensation.”

  I lean against Josh. “So, Mr Carter isn’t the only rock star in the family.”

  “Far from it. I might have shared it on my social media.”

  Josh presses a kiss into my hair.

  “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. So you can get back to your sexy times. Have a good weekend.”

  “You too,” I sing.

  I place the phone on the table and smile at Josh.

  “It’s your fault for giving me that camera.”

  His eyebrows shoot up. “What’s happened?”

  “Apparently it’s had about a hundred thousand views. Probably ninety thousand from your fans, or there’s a ton of people out there with my mac and cheese recipe now.”

  He laughs. “That’s fantastic.”

  “Thank you for giving me the idea in the first place. Maybe you could be there for the next one?”

  Josh grins. “Next one? I plan on being there for every one.”

  And then he kisses me, and the views on YouTube are suddenly not that important anymore.

  Mummy and Daddy have work to do.

  Fifty-One

  Delaney

  Three months later

  I’m surprisingly calm considering it’s my wedding day.

  Maybe it’s because I don’t have to go anywhere. We’re getting married in our ridiculously huge backyard.

  Josh, I have confidence in.

  Reece is giving me away, and I’m not so sure about him.

  At least I have Pania with me. She hasn’t been studying for long, but there was no one else I could ask to design my dress. And I’m in love with it.

  Cream silk hugs my curves just perfectly down to my ankles, and the neckline isn’t too revealing, but my cleavage is on point.

  “I’m here. Don’t panic.” Reece sweeps into the room with that charming smile that’s enough to knock any woman off her feet. Except me. It doesn’t work on me at all.

  “Where the hell have you been? I know the bride’s supposed to be late, but we should at least be attending the wedding on the same day,” I say.

  He laughs, before running his gaze down me. “You look beautiful, Delaney. You always do, but even more so right now.”

  “The charm offensive isn’t working today, Reece.” I cross my arms.

  “I can see that.” He sighs. “I’m sorry I’m late. Your groom had some last-minute things to give to me. Although, when I say last minute, it was my last minute and not his. He’s uber organised.”

  I laugh. “You’re terrible.”

  “But you love me. It’s not too late to run away, you know.”

  “Not a chance.”

  It’s hard to reconcile how starstruck I was by Reece at the start versus the easy friendship we’ve ended up with. I love Reece like a brother now, and he’s a wonderful addition to our little family.

  Reece turns to Amelia. “Hey, beautiful girl. I’ve got something for you.”

  “For me?” Her mouth falls open, and she places her hand on her heart. I swear to God this kid is going to follow in her father’s footsteps. She could be nominated for an Oscar with the way she plays up to attention sometimes.

  “Uh-huh. I’ve got something for your mother too, but I think you should go first.”

  He pulls a box out of the bag he’s carrying, and I stare at it. I recognise the Tiffany box.

  Amelia tugs at the ribbon when he hands it to her, and rips the lid of the box off.

  “What it is?” I ask.

  She pulls out something shiny. “Look, Mummy.”

  I take it from her. It’s a gold bracelet. The heart charm on it sparkles in the light.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Tears prick my eyes. “It is. Your daddy loves you very much, Amelia.”

  She frowns as I bend to place the bracelet on her wrist.

  “You called me Amelia. Only Daddy does that.”

  I laugh. “I’m sorry. You’re just looking very grown-up and beautiful today.”

  “Your mother’s right, Melly. You’re looking as gorgeous as your mother.” Reece winks at her, and she giggles.

  “Now for you.” He pulls a larger box out of the bag, and my stomach flips. “He took forever to choose this. He wanted it to be something special that’d last a lifetime.”

  My hands shake as I take the familiar blue package.

  “You okay?” Reece’s tone is gentle. He knows how much today means to me. How much it means to all of us.

  “I don’t know if I’ve ever been so happy. But opening this makes me nervous.”

  He chuckles. “Josh is crazy about you. Open it.”

  I tug on the ribbon until it falls off and lift the box lid.

  If Josh’s gift to Melly was thoughtful, this one is off the charts.

  I can barely breathe as I look down at the diamond teardrop necklace and matching earrings. They match my beautiful engagement ring perfectly.

  “Let me.” Reece lifts the necklace out of the box and waves at me to turn around. I place my hand to my throat, closing my eyes as he drapes it around my neck and does up the catch.

  “Open your eyes, Delaney,” he murmurs in my ear.

  I swallow, tearing up at the sight of my gift.

  “You’re almost ready. But you’ll need to change your earrings yourself because I’m not doing that. I’ll take off your earlobe or something.”

  I laugh. “Thanks, Reece.”

  The door opens. Pania steps through and closes it behind her. I don’t miss Reece catching his breath.

  “Aren’t I lucky? Surrounded by beautiful women,” he says.

  “So full of compliments today.” I tug out my earrings and, one by one, my ears are weighed down by the heavier diamonds. But I can’t wear anything else. I might never wear anything else.

  “Just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean that I can’t try and win your heart.”

  I roll my eyes, shoving his chest. “Good luck with that.”

  Pania cocks an eyebrow. “We should get this show on the road before Josh thinks you’ve abandoned him.”

  “Have you got the rings?”

  He pats his pocket. “Everything’s under control. Even with me pulling double roles.”

  I slide my arms around his waist. “Thank you for giving me away. I’m sorry if it makes more work for you today.”

  Reece kisses my temple. “Anything for you two. It’s about time you got your wedding day. And I don’t mind pulling double duty. I’d be pissed if anyone else was Josh’s best man.”

  “I love you, Reece.”

  “Love you, too. So much that I’m not even going to make another joke about running away with me.” He holds me out at arm’s length, and there’s a twinkle in his eye. “Let’s go and get you married.”

  The backyard has been transformed.

  A floral arch stands behind Josh, and the rows are filled with chairs with an aisle down the middle. A tent is over the whole lot to shield us from any press trying to get photos. Word got out a few days ago about our wedding.

  I’ve handed my kitchen off to the caterers, and the big reception room we didn’t know what to do with will finally get some use today.

  I suck in a breath. It’s like a who’s who of Hollywood on both sides of the aisle. We kept the numbers low, but even now I still can’t believe half the names Josh has added to the list.

  Right up the front are Josh’s parents, Gabby, and Antonio. Our family.

  Pania leads Melly in front of us, and the two of them scatter rose petals as they walk toward the altar.

&nbs
p; I raise my gaze and meet Josh’s eyes. My breathing’s deep as all my nerves rise to the surface.

  “Stop trembling,” Reece murmurs. “No one’s going to bite.”

  “It’s not them.”

  He squeezes my hand.

  I’ve never seen Josh’s face so full of raw emotion. His eyes drink me in as we draw closer, and I smile at him as if to tell him everything will be okay.

  We made it.

  We finally made it.

  Reece kisses my cheek and passes my hand over to Josh before taking his place beside him. Josh links his fingers with mine and I let out a contented sigh.

  “You look beautiful,” Josh murmurs.

  “You scrub up pretty good too.”

  He grins.

  I’m not really paying attention to the first part of the ceremony. The thought of becoming Mrs Carter makes the butterflies in my stomach dance.

  “And now for the vows.”

  Josh turns to me. “Delaney, I never realised just how lost I was without you. But finding you again has led me down a path with no regrets. I’m a better man for you, and I’ll be a better husband for your love. You’re my best friend, and the love of my life. How lucky was I to find those two things in one person? All you ever do is love me, even when I’m not sure I deserve it. I promise I’ll spend my life making sure I’m worthy to hold your heart.”

  Tears trickle down my face.

  “Are you okay?” The celebrant smiles at me, and I nod.

  Reece reaches into his pocket and passes me a tissue. Behind me, I hear murmurs and “aww” sounds. I pat my face dry and smile.

  “Delaney, if you’d like to speak your vows.”

  I nod again, and take a deep breath. “Josh, today we start our married life together, and nothing has ever made me so happy. You have given Amelia and me all of your love, and we both love you with all of our hearts. Whoever thought two crazy kids like us could get our shit together?”