by Zoe Ann Wood
Ava hurried into the shadow, getting out of the sun. She sent Daniel a quick text: See you at the hotel? and strolled through the castle.
She’d get some pastries and wait for him in the suite; there they could talk without an audience, then leave for the airport together. Their little Roman vacation was coming to an end, but what a life-changing trip it was.
Four hours later, Ava was sitting on the couch in the suite’s living room, quietly fuming. Daniel had exactly five minutes to come to the hotel, or she was leaving for the airport without him.
She’d gotten a message from him, telling her that yes, he’d be at the hotel soon, but he wasn’t there. Resisting for as long as she could, she finally opened her Buddy app and tried pinpointing him on the map, but discovered he’d turned off his tracker, so she had no way of locating him, either.
Her phone pinged. Scrambling to reach for it, Ava read the message on the screen.
Don’t wait for me, I’m running late.
She let out a very undignified groan, then picked up the room’s phone to let the reception know they should call her a car. For a moment, she contemplated leaving Daniel’s suitcase there—it would serve him right if it remained in Rome. In the end, she lugged it to the elevator, then relinquished it to the bellboy who loaded it into the trunk of the waiting electric BMW.
The trip to the airport took her almost an hour; she kept checking her phone, but finally gave up and listened to her favorite meditation podcast. She needed all the calm she could get. But it was hard to get into the zone; even though the car was fancy and pretty clean, her nose clogged up, and a wheezing sound issued from her mouth every time she breathed. She dug through her purse for her inhaler, cursing her allergies. Now she’d be red-nosed and puffy-eyed when she saw Daniel again.
Hoping he would be waiting for her at the check-in counter, Ava let the driver load their suitcases on a trolley, tipped him generously, and rolled the trolley into the air-conditioned interior of the terminal. But Daniel wasn’t there. She tried calling him—and her call went straight to voice mail.
Now she was getting really worried. What if something had happened to him and she’d actually been communicating with his kidnappers? Maybe Paolo and his nasty son had caught up with him. She took another puff from her inhaler, telling herself to calm down and breathe.
Can’t talk. Check us in, please.
His text lit up her screen, the two short sentences easing her worry. But she was getting more and more annoyed—how hard would it have been to call her and explain what he’d been up to? This was very unlike him, and she didn’t appreciate being kept out of the loop.
She’d had enough time to think. She now knew she would fight for him, but what if he’d decided the opposite? Maybe his disappearing act was actually a way of avoiding a conversation with her.
Grumbling under her breath, she pushed the trolley toward the short line in front of the business class check-in point. Looking over at the snaking crowd of people in front of the security point, she groaned, hoping she’d have enough time for a coffee and a snack before she needed to board the plane. And if Daniel didn’t arrive in time, there would be a massive holdup because his suitcase would already be loaded on the plane.
She would give him a piece of her mind when he deigned to appear.
Checking them both in—she looted his suitcase for his passport—took only minutes, and then she was back to waiting for him. For a moment, she seriously considered leaving his passport and boarding pass at the information desk but suspected she might get in trouble for it. If she missed the flight because of him, she’d also miss Sunday dinner at her sister’s house, which would be a crying shame because she’d bought some amazing burrata for the occasion. The cheese would go bad, and Ava didn’t know if she could forgive Daniel for such a crime.
Then she spotted his dark-haired head at the door.
He was taller than everyone, so she saw him immediately, though he seemed to have trouble locating her. Hopping, she waved until he spotted her—and a huge, happy grin appeared on his face.
Ava’s heart skipped a beat, then thundered against her ribs; she couldn’t help but smile back, relieved he was finally there. He strode toward her, not stopping until he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a crushing hug.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
“Mm, you better,” she mumbled into his shirt. She held him close, relishing the strength of his arms, the solid wall of his chest. Then she sighed and peeled herself off him. “We need to go or we’ll miss the flight.”
Daniel took her hand and held it right up until the moment they needed to go through the security check point. He managed to tell her that he’d had a full morning of video meetings with his lawyers, but that he needed more privacy to talk to her.
In a busy terminal, privacy was a luxury. The business lounge would have been a place to start, but they were running late, so Ava barely had time to run to the restroom before they needed to line up for boarding.
“You know, this makes me reconsider renting a private jet,” Daniel grumbled. “Or we could buy one for the company.”
Ava scoffed. “You’d never go through with it.”
It was true; he’d never used a private plane, saying they burned too much fuel to be worth it—and it wouldn’t fit in with the eco-conscious company he’d built. Still, it would have been nice to relax in a private cabin, instead of sharing it with two dozen strangers traveling in business class.
By the time they settled into their comfortable sleeper chairs, Ava was trembling with curiosity. The attendants brought them welcome drinks and blankets, and finally, they were alone—or rather leaning their heads together to create a semblance of privacy.
“Now will you tell me?” she whispered. “If you think I’m waiting until Boston, you’re wrong.”
Daniel sent her a fast grin that was soon replaced by an intense stare. “Ava, I’m sorry for how I handled things earlier,” he said. “I shouldn’t have discussed our relationship with anyone before we decided what was going on.”
She shook her head, taking his hand and interlacing their fingers. Squeezing gently, she replied, “And I’m sorry for reacting the way I did. You took me by surprise, and I needed time to think about it all.”
“I get that.” Daniel kissed the back of her hand. “And I think I’ve come up with a solution. Well, we came up with it—Laney and the lawyers got involved.”
Ava closed her eyes for a moment. “Ugh. What did they say?”
“Look at me,” he murmured.
Ava opened her eyes, finding his hazel gaze fixed on her. His expression softened, and he cupped her cheek with his other hand. “I needed to ask them what would happen if we were married.”
She froze, incapable of moving. “What?”
Daniel dropped his gaze to their entwined hands, and a flush spread across his tanned cheeks. “Well, we figured out a way to work around our, um, issue.” He took a deep breath as though he was steadying himself. “I will write half the company over to you before we’re married. Then we’ll be on equal footing and nobody can say you’re marrying me for money because you’ll be just as wealthy as I am.”
Ava stared at him, certain she was hallucinating. “Are you insane?” she asked finally. “You can’t give me half the company.”
“You run half of it already,” he said, his expression so earnest, her insides twisted at the sight of it. “And I don’t want you to quit. That’s the last thing I want.” He paused, thinking. “No, wait. The last thing I want is for you to leave me. So I guess that’s more important to me than the company’s future.”
Ava opened her mouth, then closed it again. She couldn’t wrap her head around the magnitude of his decision. Finally, she said, “Are you asking me to marry you?” It sure sounded like it, but with all the company talk mixed in, she wasn’t sure.
Daniel clicked his tongue, disentangling his hands from hers.
“I can’t believe I didn’t start with that. I mean, ideally, I’d have written a whole speech, but I was still figuring out the details of the deal on the ride to the airport, so I didn’t exactly have the time.” He was speaking very fast and tugging something from his jeans pocket at the same time.
“Hey,” Ava said, putting a hand over his. “It’s okay. Just—slow down.”
His smile turned gentle at her words. “I’ll always have you to keep me grounded, huh?” Then he opened his hand to reveal a small velvet pouch. Loosening the drawstrings, he shook out a ring.
“Ava Joanne Burke, will you marry me?” he asked. “I know this is all happening too fast, but I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else.”
Ava stared at him, speechless, while he picked up her left hand and carefully slid the ring on her finger.
“We can wait for as long as you want,” Daniel was saying, “and maybe consider this more of a promise that we’re very serious, that I’m serious about this. We haven’t dated, and I want to date you first, but I also wanted you to know that I’m not going anywhere and—”
Ava kissed him, interrupting his flow of words. He jerked in surprise, but she crushed her lips to his again, until he relaxed, his eyes fluttering shut. A low groan sounded in his chest. She closed her eyes, falling into the kiss, and held on tight to him while he wrapped his arms around her. This was her dream come true, even if she’d never imagined it would play out this way.
Daniel ended the kiss but didn’t release her. “So, is that a yes?” he asked, touching his nose to hers, then pressing another quick peck on her lips.
“Yes,” Ava said. “But I’m warning you, I’m not waiting a year to get married.”
A discreet cough pierced their happy bubble. They turned and saw a flight attendant holding two champagne flutes.
“Congratulations,” she murmured, her smile wide and her eyes glinting with tears. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, you two are so cute! But we’re about to take off now, so you really need to fasten your seat belts.”
Ava laughed, glancing down the aisle. A glamorous lady gave her a thumbs-up, and an elderly couple clapped quietly, smiling at them. Their private moment wasn’t as private as they’d thought, but it was still perfect.
She put on her seat belt and watched Daniel do the same. His gaze turned heated, and she read the promise in his eyes: they’d find a moment to be truly alone and explore that kiss a bit more.
Blushing, she glanced down at her hand, where the ring glittered, lit by the golden evening light streaming in through the windows. The setting of the large ruby seemed antique: the crimson stone was surrounded by a halo of small diamonds.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, looking back at Daniel. “How did you manage to get it so fast?”
“That was why it took me so long to get to the airport,” he admitted. “We needed to complete all the paperwork so I could take the stones out of the country. The hotel’s receptionist helped me, actually.”
Ava laughed. “The one I scared on the first day?”
“That’s the one.” Daniel chuckled. “His wife’s cousin’s uncle has a jewelry store, and he opened it up for me even though it’s Saturday. I had to guess the size, but I thought a ruby would fit…” He leaned over and squeezed her hand. “To match your temper.”
“Watch it,” she threatened, giggling. Then she remembered all his earlier talk about his company. “Daniel, I don’t want a half of your company.”
He frowned. “Uh, I thought we’d agreed on that.”
“No, I agreed to marrying you. I don’t want money coming between us like that.”
“But you—” He swallowed. “I don’t want you to quit. You love your job. And I need you there. We all do.”
Her heart burst with pride and joy at the thought of being this man’s wife and colleague. “I know. And I won’t. I don’t care what others think—before you proposed, I was about to inform you that I’m not going anywhere. We’ll figure out how to separate our work and our private lives. We’re not the first couple in this situation.”
Daniel blew out a breath. “So you’re telling me I ran halfway across Rome for nothing?”
Ava covered her ring with her other hand. “If you think I’m giving this back to you…”
He snorted, then peered up and down the aisle. Unsnapping his seat belt, he leaned close enough to kiss her, hard and fast, then strapped himself back in. “I love you,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “I think I’ve been falling for you from the moment you stepped into my office. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“I love you, too.” Tears welling in her eyes, she sniffed, then added, “You haven’t met my family, you know. You might change your mind.”
Daniel just shook his head. “Bring it on, Burke. I can take anything.”
“Good. Then you’re coming to dinner tomorrow?” she asked, her heart expanding with joy.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
As their plane ascended into the skies above Rome, Ava scrolled through the movie selection, searching for something to watch together.
“I know. Let’s watch The Da Vinci Code,” she said, clicking on the image.
Daniel peered at her, playing with the cable of his headphones. “Are you sure? You won’t be able to chew on my hand this time.”
She shot him a glare, and he laughed, dodging the peanut she threw at him.
“It takes place in Paris,” she said.
He grinned. “Is that a hint, Burke? Is that where you want to go for our honeymoon?”
She pointed at his screen, waiting for him to set up the movie. “I haven’t decided yet.” She plugged in her earphones and inserted the buds in her ears. “But I’m sure we’ll have a great time.”
They’d need to work out the details, but she was certain they’d succeed. If Daniel would approach their relationship with the same single-minded determination as his work… A pleasant shiver ran through Ava at the thought. She couldn’t wait to be his wife.
Epilogue
Ava
Two years later
“Don’t think I didn’t see that plastic bottle, Hamish!” Ava pointed an accusing finger across the office, where a young intern squeaked in terror and ran over to the eco jar to drop a fistful of quarters inside.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Howe, won’t happen again.”
Ava glowered at him for a moment longer to make a point, then glanced over to the eco jar. It was their office’s equivalent of a cuss jar and was filled by employees foolish enough to bring disposable water bottles or coffee cups to work. When it was full, they donated the money to a company that specialized in cleaning oceans of plastic. Other companies had dress codes, but theirs focused on different things.
“Come on, Ava.” Nadia, her assistant, tugged her arm and drew her toward the elevator. “We need to check if everything’s ready for the party.”
In half an hour, every employee of the company—Hamish included—would gather on the eleventh floor of their building, where a conference room would serve to host a going-away party for her and Daniel. They were both taking six months off to focus on the baby they were expecting, leaving the company in her assistant’s capable hands. They’d hired a new finance manager, too, to help Nadia and take over Daniel’s share of work. Ava had always known she wouldn’t be returning to work immediately after having a baby but had been surprised when Daniel had announced a similar plan.
She made it to the elevator before bursting out in tears. “I know I shouldn’t be so hard on them,” she sobbed. “But those plastic bottles are lethal, Nadia.”
Her assistant sighed and produced a paper tissue, offering it to Ava. “Have you been watching that video about turtles again?”
Ava shook her head, and Nadia narrowed her eyes.
“It was penguins this time. Swimming in filth!” she wailed, then hiccupped and blew her nose. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what has come over me.”
Ava laughed, wiping her eyes. “All right. I’m fine.”
And she was. Pregnancy hadn’t been rough on her, apart from the occasional waterworks, and she couldn’t wait to meet their baby. Daniel would be the best dad in the world, she just knew it—he’d been the best husband to her over the past year and a half since their wedding.
They had gone to Paris for their honeymoon—for the first part, anyway. They’d spent a week in a glorious hotel with views of the Eiffel tower, then flew to Mauritius for the second leg of their vacation. It was the longest holiday either of them had ever taken, and the company hadn’t imploded in their absence, prompting them to book more trips and delegating their tasks. They stayed on top of their projects via video conferences and worked twice as hard while they were home in Boston, but they made time to enjoy themselves first.
And now they’d be adding another member to their family unit. A baby girl, due in five short weeks. Daniel’s mother had cried on Thanksgiving when they’d announced the news to his parents, and even mentioned moving back to Boston. Daniel’s pretend-horrified expression had been so funny, Ava couldn’t hold in her laughter.
With him, every day since they first met had been an adventure, and Ava was certain more would follow.
She waddled to the conference room, her emerald-green maternity dress stretched tight over her big belly. Daniel was already there, discussing drinks with one of the servers, but turned to her the moment she entered.
He kissed her first, a bone-melting, soft kiss that had her wrapping her arms around his neck, wishing they were alone. He made her so happy, she sometimes still pinched herself to check whether this was a dream. But he was so perfectly real. She loved him with all her heart.
