Falling For Him

by Ali Parker

  Addie caught my eye from her seat beside Mom and gave me a sly smile. I returned it and allowed all the love and support I felt from them all to flow through me before I looked out at the rest of the crowd.

  The audience was made up of press, potential investors, design students, public, and I didn’t even know who else. All I knew was the launch of my anniversary line had been fully booked only days after Angie started the campaign. She was a damn genius.

  “You might not believe this, but I came this close,” I lifted my hand and held my thumb and index finger just about an inch apart, “to saying no to putting my first line in production. In fact, I did say no at first.”

  I smiled, my gaze drifting back to Noah’s. “If not for the support from some very loving and persistent people, that no might never have turned into a yes.”

  Angie cheered again, drawing my eyes to hers. “There are a few people I’d like to thank for sticking by side through this crazy year, encouraging me, and never letting me give up. Angie, you’re a dynamo. I’m not sure I’d have sold anything if I hadn’t had you by my side. Seriously, people, if you need a marketing manager, the best one in the world is right here in this room.”

  She rolled her eyes but then turned in her seat to smile and wave. Noah’s shoulders lifted and fell as he laughed into his hand. I waited for the tittering of the audience to pass before I thanked my mom, Lydia, and Noah’s family too.

  “Most of all, though, I owe the success of this company to my partner, business manager, and love of my life, Noah Sims.”

  Tears jumped to my eyes when I looked back at him, looking as gorgeous as ever with a lock of his jet-black hair falling ever so slightly across his forehead. He was wearing a white button-up shirt beneath one of his bespoke suits, a royal-blue tie around his neck.

  “We’ve been through so much together, and honestly, a year and a little bit ago, I wasn’t sure that we’d make it.” I was speaking only to Noah now, the rest of the audience forgotten as I took the words out of my heart and gave them to him. “But in the time that has passed, I’ve learned that I can trust you with my life, that I can depend on you, rely on you, and you’re always there for me. You’ve been my rock, my first investor and primary adviser, my go-to person, and my best friend.”

  I heard Angie snort, but there was a smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks when I looked at her. “We’ve built this company together, and while it may be my designs you’re about to see on stage, none of it would have been possible if it hadn’t been for Noah. Some of you might not know this, but it takes a hell of a lot more than some drawings of pretty clothes to make a designer a success.”

  A low chuckle rippled through the crowd. When it died down, I found Noah’s eyes again. “Seriously, I owe all the credit for my success to you. I love you.”

  I was about to announce that the show would start without further delay when a soft chant started from the front row. Angie and Jordan in the front row, to be precise. Since those two finally admitted to having feelings for each other a couple of months ago, they’d been impossible.

  “Kiss, kiss, kiss.”

  The people around them joined in, and soon, it felt like everyone in the audience was chanting with them. Angie gave me a mischievous grin, but I stepped back to the microphone—flaming cheeks and all.

  “What do you say, Noah? Want to give these people a show before the show?”

  Noah rose gracefully to his feet, his cool smirk firmly in place as he jogged up the few stairs leading to the stage and came over to me. “I always want to kiss you, baby, so with pleasure.”

  He only said the last two words loud enough for the microphone to pick them up. Another cheer went through the audience when he brought his hands up to my cheeks and slanted his mouth over mine.

  For a second, I forgot who and where I was. I couldn’t believe that was still happening whenever he kissed me, over a year after we’d gotten back together. But if anything, kissing him and being with him in every way was only getting better as time passed.

  It had taken me some time to let him in completely again, but I’d never been sorry for so much as a minute that I had. The last year had been filled with the best days of my life, and it was all because of him. He’d promised me that he’d prove himself to me, and he had.

  Every day, he had devoted himself to me and even to Lydia. She adored him, just like he adored her. Last week, we’d started talking about moving in together. Lydia had brought it up actually, and I hadn’t dismissed the idea out of hand.

  I knew Noah wanted it, but he’d never pushed me. It was up to me, and as he kissed me up on that stage, I knew I was going to say yes the first chance I got.

  Noah broke our kiss, which was a good thing because when he did, I realized my hands had been on a direct route to his ass. But oh, what an ass.

  I quickly composed myself, announced that the show was about to start, and then hightailed it off stage before anyone could start any other chants. Noah laughed when he pulled me into his arms backstage, bringing his mouth back to mine for a much tamer kiss.

  “You were incredible, baby. I love you,” he muttered between kisses, then finally released my lips when we heard everyone else yelling congratulations from the door that led backstage.

  I was engulfed in a sea of hugs and kisses before finally making my way back to Noah. Music was pounding from the stage, only slightly muffled by us being behind the speakers.

  Lydia stood next to Noah, smiling. I gave her another hug, scooping her up in my arms.

  “You guys want to go for a walk while they finish up in there?” he asked when I set Lydia back down. “I heard this hotel has amazing gardens. Might make for a nice breather before everyone wants to congratulate you at the end.”

  “Sure,” I agreed but made sure he saw me roll my eyes. “I’m a designer, though, not a rock star. I’m not about to get swamped by people when the show ends.”

  He quirked an eyebrow at me, reaching out to take my hand. “You’re a rock star of a designer. Trust me. You’re going to have a ton of admiration coming your way when it’s done.”

  I wound my fingers around his, shrugging as we started walking toward the garden with Lydia on my other side. The music from the show faded into the background as we made our way outside.

  What Noah had heard about the gardens was true. The sun was setting as we stepped onto the balcony leading to the steps that would take us to the grounds, and my breath caught at how stunning it was.

  “Wow.” I felt Lydia standing beside me, but both of us were facing the gardens and absolutely mesmerized by the view. “Good idea to come out here, Noah. I really needed the fresh air and—”

  When I turned toward him, he wasn’t where he’d been less than a minute ago. It took my brain a few seconds to piece together that he was still there, but he wasn’t standing anymore.

  He was down on the ground.

  On one knee.

  Holding a velvet box with the lid popped open.

  With a ring in it. A beautiful ring with an intricately designed silver band and a massive round diamond in the center.

  I gasped. “Noah?”

  My voice came out as an unsteady whisper. His lips curled into the softest smile I’d ever seen on them, hazel eyes radiating warmth and hope and, for once, even a bit of anxiety.

  “This has been a long time coming, Mags. If I’d had any sense, I would have given you a promise ring when I was seventeen years old and followed through on that promise as soon as I could.” His eyes flickered to Lydia. “But then I’m glad that things happened the way they did because now I have you, too.”

  He was including my daughter in his proposal? I knew that the two of them had fallen in love with each other, too, but I honestly hadn’t expected anything like this. Excuse me while I reform from the puddle of goo I’ve just melted into.

  Noah’s gaze came back to mine. “I’ve been ready to ask you this for months, but I promised you a year. Then two mon
ths ago when it had been one whole year, I bought the ring, but it never felt like the right time.”

  He took a breath, taking my hand in his. “I guess there’s no time like the present. I realized when you were up on that stage saying all those things that I can’t wait any longer to ask, but I will keep asking for as long as it takes if you’re not ready yet. I love you both, and I want to make us a family. If you’ll have me. What do you say, baby? Will you marry me?”

  He reached into the box and pulled out not only the ring I’d seen, but also a smaller one that had been concealed in its band. Juggling the rings, he set the box down and held one in each hand. One for me and one for Lydia.

  She glanced up at me, her eyes full of tears and a wide smile on her face. I felt moisture trickling down my own cheeks as I looked back down into Noah’s eyes. “I love you. Of course, I will. Yes.”

  The most beautiful smile curved on his lips as he slid Lydia’s ring onto her finger and gave her a hug before he straightened up and took my hand in his. The cool metal slid in place on my finger with our eyes locked together.

  “You’ve just made me the happiest man on the planet, Maggie Hampton. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me,” I said, bringing my arms up around his neck. “We owe it all to Ryan.”

  “True.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me gently, chastely even. When we broke apart, he picked Lydia up and walked to the railing overlooking the gardens.

  As Lydia admired her ring, Noah and I stood silently side by side. I knew he would be thinking about Ryan too, but we didn’t need words. I just knew.

  I looked up at the sky, closed my eyes, and clung to Noah’s hand as I thanked my big brother for making Noah his best friend. And for leaving me with the words that would give me the courage to give him a second chance so many years later.

  I love you, Ry. Thank you for my happily ever after.

  The End.

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  About the Author

  Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.

  She’s an entrepreneur at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Texas with her hubs and three kiddos and looks forward to traveling the world in a few years. Writing under eleven pen names keeps her busy and allows her to explore all genres and types of writing.

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  Falling For Him

  Copyright © 2019 by Ali Parker

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.

  First Edition.

  Editor: Eric Martinez

  Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art